“It really has a hint of foolishness wrapped in clarity. Enough playing around, why don’t you come back with us and sit for a bit, little Omega?”
Chen Yufeng was doing an outdoor live stream for a change, and happened to pass by the 28th nameless alley.
A rough, grating voice with a harsh, abrasive texture drifted out from within.
It was quite clear, at least all eight thousand viewers in the live stream heard it, and the comment section started scrolling past at a blistering pace.
[Did I hear that right? Street thugs out in the wild?]
[Sounds like someone’s little O is getting bullied?]
[Brother Feng, the people need you! Saving a life earns more merit than building a seven-tiered pagoda!]
Chen Yufeng glanced toward the mouth of the alley, muttered a few numbers under his breath along with words like Xun and Kun.
A few seconds later, he stopped muttering and responded to those comments.
“It’s fine, ignore it. No real danger, the person who’s going to save him will be here any second.”
The live stream audience, seemingly accustomed to his composure, went back to reminding him of things to watch out for in university life.
Just as he was about to move past the alley entrance, a bristling voice rang out.
“You’re the stupid one! My older brother hasn’t seen me in three hours, he’s definitely on his way to hunt me down right now!”
The person sounded quite worked up; if they had been indoors, they probably would have blown the roof right off.
Xie Wang was putting up a tough front while being cornered in the alley, but in reality, he had no idea where his brother actually was.
He was just hoping that the GPS tracking he usually found utterly annoying would pull through this time.
“Oh ho, still got a tough mouth, huh? Let’s just go hands-on, knock him out and drag him away.”
It was that same rough voice again, followed by the sound of knuckles cracking menacingly as three figures made a move forward.
Through the gap between the three men, Xie Wang suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure flashing past the alley entrance.
Seizing the opportunity instantly, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “That’s my brother! He can take five people by himself, you guys are absolute jokes! See if I look scared!”
Anyone listening closely to Xie Wang at that moment would have noticed his voice teetering on the edge of cracking.
Right then, Xie Wang was pointing right at the passing Chen Yufeng, tilting his chin up arrogantly at the three men with a look that screamed, “If you know what’s good for you, get lost.”
With one foot mid-air, Chen Yufeng looked suspiciously in the direction Xie Wang was pointing.
He suspected he might have gone blind, because there was absolutely no one else on this quiet pathway.
Chen Yufeng’s camera was pointed right at him; in the frame, only his eyes were visible, radiating two massive words: completely bewildered.
The next second, that bewildered face locked eyes with three pairs of unblinking stares.
No, strictly speaking, four pairs.
The gaze of the person being cornered was exceptionally burning, and Chen Yufeng had to admit, it really did have a hint of foolishness wrapped in clarity.
“Not me, carry on, I’m just passing through.” Chen Yufeng waved a hand and lifted his foot to leave.
“Bro! 100k! Not a penny less, Mom said she’s only letting you hang out with me for the day!” Xie Wang hurriedly demonstrated his sincerity.
In truth, he wasn’t afraid of being kidnapped at all.
If he wasn’t mistaken, this was probably just another little stunt pulled by some female Omega trying to get close to his older brother, Xie Qing.
If he went, they’d wine and dine him, but afterwards his brother would beat him until even his own mother wouldn’t recognize him.
Of course, now that he was older, his brother would just ruthlessly freeze all his cards.
Watching Chen Yufeng slowly walking away, Xie Wang screamed mentally, this guy had zero public spirit!
Hearing the mention of 100k, Chen Yufeng’s steps came to an abrupt halt, his fingers rapidly doing quick calculations.
The live stream chat exploded with a string of laughing emojis.
[No way, Brother Feng actually stopped walking at the sound of 100k]
[Hahahahaha, I saw the longing in Brother Feng’s eyes. He usually looks half-dead all the time, that look is too rare]
[Brother Feng, didn’t you say the guy who’s going to save him is coming? Why isn’t he here yet?]
Chen Yufeng snapped his fingers. “Casually calculated, looks like the one saving the young master turns out to be me.”
[God-tier turns out to be you, is this what they mean by money makes the ghost grind?]
[Brother Feng, how can you bow down for five bushels of rice?]
[Brother Feng: Don’t cue me for saving lives, he’s paying way too much]
He immediately took two quick steps back. “No more talking, off to be a good Samaritan, ending the stream first.”
The live stream shut down instantly. He shoved his phone into his pocket and walked back into the alley.
The three men in the alley crossed their arms, staring straight at this meddlesome intruder.
The one closest to Xie Wang shoved the two fat guys aside, turned around, and confronted Chen Yufeng. “Kid, don’t stick your neck out just for a bit of cash. We’re just inviting him over for a chat, nothing’s going to happen. But if you try anything, something’s definitely going to happen to you.”
As he spoke, he rested a hand on Chen Yufeng’s shoulder, and a heavy scent resembling black pepper began to diffuse through the air.
Xie Wang instantly slumped to the ground, crawling backward with trembling limbs to get as far away as possible.
Chen Yufeng looked surprised, this guy was actually an Alpha.
Yet Chen Yufeng was born rather unique; he could only smell scents, but was never actually affected by them.
The hospital had checked him multiple times, yet couldn’t figure out why.
They only guessed he was probably just a healthy Beta with a hyper-sensitive sense of smell.
Chen Yufeng shrugged the hand off his shoulder with a sideways twitch, lifting his chin nonchalantly as he told the three men, “Hurry up, don’t let this little master get uncomfortable from your stink. If my reward shrinks later on, I’ll beat you to death.”
Various pheromones drifted through the air, and Chen Yufeng’s movements became a blur of afterimages.
Fists and kicks flew, clean and decisive.
He finally understood what useless pheromones were good for, man, they smelled awful!
They really did slow down the speed of his punches and kicks.
Chen Yufeng sidestepped to evade an attack from the scar-faced man, whipped around, and threw a punch.
Alphas certainly had better stamina, and with the three of them taking turns, Chen Yufeng started to feel annoyed.
He snatched a glance at the young master sitting on the ground and began to pick up the pace of his attacks.
Seizing that split second of distraction, the leader tried to exploit the opening, lunging at him from behind.
“Watch out!”
He shouted with an urgent yet low voice.
Without even turning his head, Chen Yufeng caught the man’s arm, executed a shoulder throw, and followed up with a swift kick.
Somewhere between the scent of flowers and fruit, a fragrance grew more intense as someone approached.
The three men, who had been full of energy just moments before, instantly slumped to the ground like they were being choked by the throat, struggling desperately.
Chen Yufeng straightened up and sized up the newcomer. The guy looked quite like a celebrity, sporting a rather flamboyant heart-shaped 3-7 parting hairstyle.
Dressed entirely in black and looking very formal, he looked ready to sign a billion-dollar contract at any second.
Tall, long legs, and a waist that was remarkably striking.
Chen Yufeng was appraising him when a sudden lightbulb went off in his head.
Tsk, this guy’s pheromone is brandy, hard liquor.
“Just stay right there, I’m allergic to alcohol.” He quickly raised a hand to call a time-out, then pointed at the young master. “Your little brother is about to be crushed to death by you.”
What kind of normal person is allergic to alcohol just by smelling it?
Xie Qing paused, cast a strange look up and down Chen Yufeng, and reeled in his pheromones.
Those three men managed to crawl back up, pressing themselves against the wall, not daring to make a move.
Pheromone suppression was far more debilitating than actual physical combat.
Xie Qing stood alone in the patch of light at the mouth of the alley, the setting sun spilling over him.
He beckoned to the trembling Xie Wang, who was trying to pull himself up.
“Which family wants to invite Xie Wang over for a chat today? How many times do I have to say it, just invite me directly. If you invite my little brother instead, I don’t mind skipping the ransom.”
Xie Qing glanced at the three men and let out a cold huff. “How come there are only three of you? What is this, playing house?”
Those three men were regretting it deeply right now; truth be told, they had just been too greedy, afraid that splitting the money among too many people would give them a smaller cut.
When they spotted Xie Wang, they couldn’t help but make a move themselves without calling for backup.
Clutching his stomach, the leader grimaced as he wheezed out breaths. “We played with him for three hours in the middle of noon, it was roasting hot! Wasn’t it reasonable to invite him back for a sit-down?”
Chen Yufeng couldn’t help but glance sideways.
Please, you didn’t look like that when you viciously lunged at me just a minute ago!
“Don’t explain it to me, your private ride is pulling up right now.”
Without even sparing them a glance, Xie Qing stepped forward, scooped up the dawdling Xie Wang, and glared at him with a warning. “Run off again and I’ll break your legs.”
Perhaps the tone was a bit too chilling, making Chen Yufeng feel like he should have worn long pants today.
His shorts were letting in too much draft!