Someone knocked on the door of the consultation room, and the sound seemed urgent.
Taking the opportunity, Wen Zhiyu leaned close to the alpha’s ear: “Be my ‘painkiller,’ or see tomorrow’s headline, ‘The Eldest Young Master of the Li Family Is Actually a Genetic Defective.’ Pick one?”
Someone outside was pressing the door handle. The door didn’t open. They pressed again, still didn’t open. Then they pressed several more times in succession, with much more force than the first two attempts, but it still didn’t open.
Li Qingchi also gave no answer.
Wen Zhiyu looked directly at the person across from him, lightly tapping his fingers on the desk, producing a rhythmic knocking sound, then asked sincerely: “Li Qingchi, do you have decision paralysis? Hurry it up.”
The person outside began pounding on the door, with great force, shouting “Dr. Li” between each pound.
“Dr. Li, if you don’t open the door soon, your patient is going to get anxious.” Wen Zhiyu urged.
Li Qingchi finally reacted, his eyes dark and intimidating: “I can help you.” His mouth said yes, but his expression and tone carried not a trace of willingness.
Hearing this, Wen Zhiyu wore a very satisfied expression, not caring in the least about the other’s insincere reply: “What a good boy.”
“But if you die from an adverse reaction to my pheromones, I’m not responsible.” Li Qingchi’s tone was cold and hard.
His indifferent tone didn’t sound like he was predicting a possible complication during subsequent treatment, but rather like he himself would use such a method to kill Wen Zhiyu.
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t bear to.” Wen Zhiyu stood up, leaned over to pull a pen from the pocket of Li Qingchi’s white coat, and casually scribbled a string of messy numbers on the consultation form on the desk: “This is my number. Call me after work, don’t keep me waiting too long.”
Then he inserted the pen back into Li Qingchi’s chest pocket. He picked up the unopened milk tea from the empty trash bin. Then he unlocked the door and walked out of the consultation room.
A long line had formed outside the consultation room. Seeing Wen Zhiyu, everyone cursed and complained, but Wen Zhiyu was in a great mood, like a cat with its tail held high.
Although he had already verbally agreed to that detestable beta, after work, Li Qingchi still sat at his office desk, pondering how much impact the other’s leverage would have on him, and whether it was worth engaging in this transaction with him.
A powerful figure at the top, yet a defective alpha who could only rely on a spouse. If this news got out, it would become a sensational family scandal.
In truth, there was no need for further deliberation, the answer he had given Wen Zhiyu earlier was already his preferred choice.
Compared to dealing with a crowd of people and a pile of matters, he would rather deal with an ordinary beta. At least the other party just wanted to use his pheromones for treatment and wouldn’t have a particularly significant impact on him.
But he hated the feeling of being controlled by someone else. Moreover, that beta wasn’t so easy to handle.
On one hand, he called him “Dr. Li” in an affectionate tone, and on the other, he displayed his despicable tactics to the fullest.
Neither option was a good choice.
Certain thoughts that popped into his head made Li Qingchi feel extremely irritated.
In normal circumstances, no matter what problem he encountered in medicine, he could face it calmly. In Li Siyu’s words, he was like a sheet of ice, no matter how large a stone you threw at it, it wouldn’t stir a ripple. But now, that ice had been shattered by just two sentences from Wen Zhiyu.
The feeling of having his thoughts disturbed by others was unpleasant. Li Qingchi decided to find a good place to clear his head. He drove to Yulin Mansion.
Most alphas from high society chose to seek entertainment there. This was Li Qingchi’s first time visiting.
He was attempting to place himself in an unfamiliar, sensory-overloaded environment, using it to forcibly override the mental impact Wen Zhiyu had brought him, a sort of shock therapy.
The mansion’s owner, Xie Siwu, was a close friend of Li Qingchi’s. Seeing him arrive, he couldn’t help but tease: “A rare guest indeed.”
Li Qingchi replied: “Your mansion has been open for so long, I figured I ought to come and show my support at least once.”
Xie Siwu led Li Qingchi inside the mansion.
The interior decor leaned toward European classical style. The moment one stepped inside, a large chandelier came into view, its crushed diamonds dazzling to the eyes.
Despite arriving at a lively, bustling venue, Li Qingchi’s spirits remained low. Wen Zhiyu’s smile kept flashing through his mind. At this moment, even looking at the mansion’s chandelier irritated him, it was too blinding.
After registering their identities in the main hall, a server came around distributing suppression wristbands.
Establishments of this kind, designed purely for alpha entertainment, were mostly deceptive on the surface, engaging in shady dealings of power and lust behind closed doors, so they rarely interfered with guests’ more outrageous behavior. Compared to other mansions, Xie Siwu was relatively conscientious, taking the initiative to hand out wristbands.
The mansion had a rule: wristbands were mandatory in public areas, mainly to prevent an alpha from losing control of their pheromones and triggering a rut that might affect other alphas.
Li Qingchi cast a downward glance at the box containing the wristbands and asked flatly: “Are these wristbands single-use, or are they reused?”
Xie Siwu had worked here for so long and had never heard such a question. He laughed helplessly: “Young master, your questions are too picky.” Then he answered seriously: “Don’t worry, they’re all single-use. I know you don’t like things others have used. Other alphas don’t like it either.”
Xie Siwu glanced at the server, signaling him to put the wristband on Li Qingchi.
Li Qingchi waved his hand, indicating it wasn’t necessary. The server noticed the suppression wristband already on his wrist and said nothing more, only thinking this person was strange, someone who came to a place like this yet had so many particularities.
The two of them, Xie Siwu and Li Qingchi, boarded the elevator and went straight to the top floor.
In Yulin Mansion, the highest floor a person could reach represented their status and class, and so-called class was nothing more than a division based on money, power, social standing, family prestige, and pheromone grade.
Inside the elevator, Xie Siwu kept glancing down at Li Qingchi’s wrist. In truth, there was nothing on it besides the suppression wristband.
Xie Siwu asked: “Young master, you’re still wearing a suppression wristband even here at my place. What’s the matter? Ran into an omega you wanted to mark but couldn’t, and were forced to come here out of desperation?”
“I ran into an annoying beta.” When Li Qingchi mentioned beta, his expression was very flat, making it hard to tell whether he truly disliked them or was just saying it.
“Here to vent your emotions, huh? Fine, we’ve got everything here.” Xie Siwu nodded knowingly.
The elevator went straight up to the top-floor private room, which was as large as a grand reception hall. It was decorated in the usual opulent Western European style, with multicolored lights casting strange shadows on the faces of those inside. Li Qingchi swept his gaze across the room, everyone looked familiar.
A purple strobe light fell on Li Qingchi’s face, and unlike the others, it only accentuated the sharp, defined lines of his features.
The room was filled with young masters from prominent families, ranging from seventeen or eighteen to thirty or forty years old. Upon seeing Li Qingchi, every single one of them bowed their heads and respectfully addressed him as “Major General Li.”
Some, eager to curry favor, stepped forward to offer him a toast.
As soon as he entered the room, Li Qingchi noticed a few alphas in the corner forcing whiskey down an omega’s throat. The scene was lewd, but he remained utterly unmoved. His only thought was that the mingled scent of those alphas’ and omega’s pheromones was truly unpleasant.
A line of heavily made-up omegas filed in through the door, each wearing a number tag on their chest. You could simply pick whichever number you liked. Of course, this system had a major drawback, it wasn’t uncommon for two alphas to set their sights on the same omega.
Li Qingchi wasn’t interested. He picked up his glass and took a sip. Xie Siwu, as the host, naturally felt obliged to look after his friend. He launched into an enthusiastic introduction, pointing a finger: “His name is Xiao Luo. An omega, never been marked. Pretty good-looking, and obedient as can be, whatever you say, he’ll do it. He’ll take care of you and keep you happy, guaranteed.”
Then he leaned in close to Li Qingchi’s ear and whispered, his tone dripping with suggestiveness: “He cries like a kitten.”
Li Qingchi glanced at the suppressant patch on the young man’s neck, his voice flat and cold: “Have all the cats here been vaccinated?” His expression was dead serious, his tone dead serious.
The corner of Xie Siwu’s mouth twitched. “Since when did you get so funny?” He then raised a hand and beckoned. “Come on, come sit over here. Take good care of Young Master Li.” He scooted over to make room and patted the seat, signaling for the omega to come sit down.
Li Qingchi: “No need to sit by me. Sit wherever you like.”
Xie Siwu thought: Is this your living room? “Sit wherever you like”?
At that, the atmosphere in the room instantly turned awkward. Since Xiao Luo had arrived here, his strikingly handsome looks and just the right touch of naive innocence had captured the hearts of quite a few alphas. He never expected that today, when he took the initiative to fawn over someone, he’d be rejected so bluntly.
Xiao Luo froze in place for a moment, then slunk back to where he’d been standing.
Xie Siwu suddenly began to wonder if Li Qingchi had some kind of hidden ailment in certain areas, but he quickly dismissed the thought, remembering what Li Qingchi had said in the elevator. He glanced at Xiao Luo to soothe his wounded feelings, then waved at the person standing at the far right. “You. Come here.”
The one called didn’t move at first, seeming quite reluctant.
Li Qingchi took a look. This one was a beta, with a stubborn glint in his eyes, though it didn’t seem entirely genuine, as if it were forced out with great effort. That defiant streak of his was just the kind of thing that could stir up a lot of alphas’ desire to conquer.
Li Qingchi’s gaze lingered on him for a few extra seconds.
Xie Siwu saw this and became even more certain of what he was thinking. The beta’s eyes brightened a little too.
“What are you standing there for? Get over here.” Xie Siwu urged.
The beta seemed to yield, obediently taking a seat beside Li Qingchi.
Before the two of them could exchange a single word, a burly man came storming toward them with an aggressive air.
At the far edge of the lounge was a large swimming pool. The man, draped in a bath towel, had just climbed out of the water.
“Disgusting.” Li Qingchi furrowed his brow slightly and spat out the word slowly.
Xie Siwu hadn’t quite caught it and leaned in to ask, “What? Didn’t you put on the wristband? You can still smell the pheromones?”
Li Qingchi: “He’s ugly to look at.”
The beta server: “…”
“Hahaha.” Xie Siwu let out a couple of laughs, not forced, but genuinely amused by Li Qingchi, finding it entertaining how he delivered such offbeat remarks with a deadpan expression. Then he explained, “You don’t know this guy. Heard the saying, ‘ugly face, wild ways’? That’s him. He’s the boss of a newly listed investment company, goes by Zhou Likun. Don’t let his pig-like looks fool you, his luck is top-notch. Whatever project he invests in, within a year it’s guaranteed to turn a huge profit…”
Before he could finish, the beta sitting beside Li Qingchi was grabbed by the collar and yanked toward a private booth. The frail body was dragged with brute force, leaving a trail of scuff marks across the carpet.
The beta struggled desperately, thrashing violently. Li Qingchi narrowed his eyes and clearly saw, on the back of the beta’s neck exposed during the struggle, a distinct bruise of a greenish-blue hue.
Illness, marking, pheromones… and then Wen Zhiyu’s pale face suddenly surfaced in his mind. It was strange, abrupt, but it did stir something in Li Qingchi, not pity or sympathy, but a different thought. Wen Zhiyu was in a state of utter isolation, tormented by illness to the point of desperation. In such a reckless state, he was capable of anything, including revealing his own secrets. Of that, Li Qingchi had no doubt.
Xie Siwu was still chattering in his ear: “Old Zhou sure loves a challenge. A beta’s gland is…”
Li Qingchi set the wine glass he was holding back onto the table in front of him. The glass base struck the marble with a sharp clink, the sound cutting through the booth with unusual clarity. Even he hadn’t expected to use that much force, as if his mind was elsewhere, his hand had moved beyond his control.
The sudden noise cut off the rambling Xie Siwu, who instinctively turned to look at the young Master Li beside him, a flicker of unease rising in his chest.
In a place like this, two alphas fighting over an omega or a beta was common enough, but he hadn’t expected the scene to play out with Li Qingchi. Had the eternal workaholic ice-queen been possessed or something?
At the same time, though, there was a small thrill in it. If Li Qingchi had taken a liking to a beta in his club, it meant his taste was good, after all, the beta had caught Li Qingchi’s eye at first glance, which was an indirect nod to his own judgment. But in this situation, the two might actually come to blows over the beta.
He was just about to step in and mediate when Li Qingchi rose to his feet, adjusting his cufflinks. His expression wasn’t exactly pleasant, but it certainly lacked the fury of someone whose beloved beta had been snatched away. His tone was utterly frigid: “Suggest he start with losing weight.”
Li Qingchi had no patience left to listen to the “legendary tale” of someone entirely unconnected to him, nor any interest in flattering him. He strode out of the booth, leaving Xie Siwu alone, standing there in utter bewilderment.
Xie Siwu had spent years navigating the circles of vanity fairs and high society, honing his ability to read people to a level of near perfection. Without a single word, a mere glance was enough for him to discern what was on someone’s mind and what they desired. This was the first time he had misjudged, and he couldn’t help but question his own instincts.
He replayed the look Li Qingchi had given that beta in his mind, that gaze was clearly one of interest. How could it have been utterly devoid of emotion?
After pondering for a while, it suddenly dawned on him: that look wasn’t directed at the person in front of him, but through that person, at someone else.
So Li Qingchi’s extra glance wasn’t because he was intrigued by the beta, but because the beta reminded him of another person. He was projecting a certain trait of that person onto the beta, engaging in an indirect form of scrutiny and probing.
Xie Siwu couldn’t help but wonder, aside from the patients in the hospital, who could occupy Li Qingchi’s thoughts so persistently? Could it be the person he had mentioned in the elevator, the one he claimed to despise?
Could someone so terrifyingly composed ever act out of character or break the rules for another person?
Oh, it seemed he already had. Coming to Yulin Mansion was the first instance.
For someone who placed such heavy weight on boundaries and principles, once they began to break them, there would be no end to it. Xie Siwu found himself rather looking forward to the day Li Qingchi would be driven to madness by his own endless transgressions.