Shen Zhiheng nodded and tapped his finger lightly on the table.
“If Young Master Mu is willing to tell me who is looking for him, I can tell you some information.”
A faint chuckle from Mu Jingyi echoed in the extremely quiet room.
“Young Master Shen, businessmen do not do loss-making deals. The price you are using to exchange for information is too light; I do not see any sincerity.”
The pressure of someone who had seen it all rushed over, causing Shen Zhiheng, who had no negotiation experience, to hold his breath.
He had to protect his little snake, so he forced himself to meet Mu Jingyi’s gaze, not giving an inch.
“Then there is nothing for us to talk about. I will not allow him to be hurt again.”
As soon as the words fell, Mu Jingyi raised his eyebrows in surprise.
He leaned back into the chair, his long fingers interlaced on his knees, like a very patient hunter.
“I can take it that: first, Little Seven is still alive, and you know his whereabouts; second, you want to protect him.”
Mu Jingyi spoke slowly, every word precisely hitting Shen Zhiheng’s nerves.
Shen Zhiheng’s pupils shrank suddenly.
His hands clenched tightly on his knees, and a tingling sensation came from his palms.
Even just a casual sentence was enough for Mu Jingyi, who had undergone a lot of training, to seize a handle.
He secretly gritted his teeth and swore that he would go back and study commercial psychology thoroughly.
Unexpectedly, the other person’s sitting posture became a bit more casual, and his tone was exceptionally relaxed.
“Do not be nervous, Young Master Shen. I think we are not on opposite sides.”
Shen Zhiheng came back to his senses and asked suspiciously: “How so?”
“The friend who entrusted me saw that the notice from the Omega Protection Association was perfunctory; he does not believe Little Seven is dead. Even if he is just holding onto a lucky chance, he is determined to find Little Seven’s whereabouts. In case Little Seven is still alive, he can also provide the greatest help.”
“…”
Shen Zhiheng’s Adam’s apple rolled, and the massive stone at the bottom of his heart landed slightly.
He was glad that the other party had not come with malice; otherwise, he really seemed unable to fight back.
“Then tell him, the little snake is doing very well here.”
“I see.”
Mu Jingyi smiled and dropped another bombshell:
“So, the great lengths Young Master Shen went to to use bone repair surgery equipment were really for Little Seven?”
Shen Zhiheng took a deep breath, his cautious gaze sizing up the smiling Mu Jingyi.
He thought he had done it seamlessly, but he did not expect his details to be investigated.
“Do not be nervous. This was also an idea given to me by the friend who entrusted me. He also hopes Little Seven is adopted by someone, especially to treat the little one’s very fragile legs.”
Mu Jingyi smiled, ignoring his hostility.
“I followed the clues and found Young Master Shen’s major actions, and helped you deal with your overly high-profile treatment plan. Otherwise, why would Young Master Shen think that concentrating medical resources across several planets would be so smooth, quiet, and not caught by many people?”
Shen Zhiheng pressed his aching brow, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.
He secretly feared for his own imprecise plan, becoming increasingly aware of the gap between him and Mu Jingyi to some extent.
“Now that you know I am very, very good to him, can the missing person notice be withdrawn?”
“Mmh, yes. But I have a small request. My friend took care of Little Seven for a long time in the hospital and had a deep bond with him. After my friend left the hospital, Little Seven was the one he could not stop worrying about, so he wants to see Little Seven once…”
“I disagree!”
Shen Zhiheng did not wait for the words to be finished. When he heard “deep bond,” his brain triggered an alarm like a conditioned reflex.
Mu Jingyi frowned, and the smile on his face faded.
He sat up straight, his gaze looking at Shen Zhiheng with a bit more caution and sharp scrutiny.
“If you are really good to Little Seven, what is wrong with letting him see his benefactor who took care of him in the past? My friend just wants to confirm that Little Seven is safe, not to fight you for him.”
“Who knows if he will fight me for him?! My little snake is so obedient, and he is so silly. That person might see the little snake is cute, coax him with a few words, and snatch him away.”
Mu Jingyi’s sharp gaze swept over Shen Zhiheng. His healthy family education allowed him to acutely perceive the nearly paranoid protective desire Shen Zhiheng had, as well as the extremely pathological emotional logic behind it.
“So, is this how you tricked him home?”
Unsurprisingly, Shen Zhiheng’s face turned pale, and his eyes were stained with scarlet as if congested with blood.
His limbs gradually lost temperature, and his Alpha pheromones poured out uncontrollably, rushing toward his enemy.
“No, I did not deceive him; he was willing. He chose to let me be his brother, his only family! He only has me, do you understand? He will only have me!”
Shen Zhiheng slammed the table, like a ferocious beast exuding a bloody smell after being provoked by Mu Jingyi.
He could not care about his dignity and began to curse. His uncontrolled pheromones had already put his psyche in a precarious state.
“I am telling you! Little Qi never mentioned your friend. He chose to draw a line with everything in the past, he chose me!”
“Shen Zhiheng, calm down!”
Mu Jingyi was also an Alpha; he could feel the pheromones exploding from Shen Zhiheng’s extreme possessiveness.
Fortunately, his own body was special and had no pheromone scent, so he could remain clear-headed.
The absolute territorial consciousness in an Alpha’s blood absolutely did not allow anyone to offend it. This principle presented itself in a pathological, exponential increase in Shen Zhiheng.
But provoking Shen Zhiheng was not Mu Jingyi’s intention; he had come with his friend’s worry about the little snake.
Now, his friend also had his own life trajectory, he was just very worried about the little snake’s safety.
His friend had returned to the dangerous hospital to search for a long, long time, but found no news of the little snake, so he had asked him for help.
Mu Jingyi hurriedly searched the first-aid kit in the room for inhibitors and special sedatives for Alphas.
“I told you, my friend and I did not come with malice. We want to confirm Little Seven’s safety, not to compete with you.”
Mu Jingyi tried to persuade him with kind words. When Shen Zhiheng relaxed his guard, he approached and injected the inhibitor into his body.
“Since Little Seven really never mentioned it, then he chose to forget the past and chose you.”
Under the combined effect of the inhibitor and sedative, Shen Zhiheng’s exploding emotions were forcibly cut off.
The pain in the back of his neck forced him to strip away from being out of control. The effect of the medicine quickly took away the strength in his limbs, leaving him paralyzed in his seat.
“He… of course he would choose me…”
Shen Zhiheng answered, devoid of strength, declaring his sovereignty.
He did not know if he was saying it for Mu Jingyi to hear or for himself.
Mu Jingyi had his bodyguards inform those who were picking up Shen Zhiheng and called for a pheromone cleaning specialist to come and handle the room in a moment.
He packed his things, and when he was about to leave the room, he gave Shen Zhiheng a deep look.
“I can feel that you care about him very much, so I do not want to be your enemy.”
His voice was still loud and clear, uninterrupted by Shen Zhiheng.
“I hope that your anger just now was not because you were hiding something guilty. I sincerely hope that my friend will not become a knot in Little Seven’s heart forever, letting him miss and search for his puppy mama for a lifetime.”
“Puppy mama?”
Shen Zhiheng’s whole body stiffened, his blood seemingly solidifying.
Mu Jingyi nodded and answered calmly:
“Yes, a Golden Retriever Omega.”
Puppy mama?
Golden Retriever…?!
Shen Zhiheng only felt a loud explosion in his brain, followed by a blank mind, a flash of blackness in front of his eyes, and ringing in his ears.
All the sounds around him seemed to disappear, and scene after scene of Shen Zhiqi’s drawings appeared before his eyes.
So, from very, very early on, from the time the little snake started sticking stick-figure drawings on the island, the little snake had already started looking for his puppy mama.
And his little snake had never mentioned it to him.
“I hope that you are not trying to hide it, making my friend a knot in the little snake’s heart forever…”
Mu Jingyi’s words echoed in his ears again.
All along, Shen Zhiheng had regarded the people from the Omega Protection Association as enemies because they wanted to hurt the little snake.
When facing those enemies, Shen Zhiheng had absolute confidence because he knew he was protecting the little snake, and his little snake needed him.
But now, the situation was completely different.
What Shen Zhiheng was facing now was someone who had given the little snake warmth in the hell where he had lived in the past, someone who was remembered and called out for in the little snake’s paintings.
He lost all confidence as never before.
If he let Little Qi choose between him, the brother picked up halfway, and the puppy mama he had depended on for so long, what would happen?
A kind of overwhelming panic and despair instantly drowned Shen Zhiheng.
Perhaps the kindness he gave the little snake was the same as that of the unknown puppy mama.
But the little snake was his everything.
It was he who needed Shen Zhiqi.
Shen Zhiheng sat in his seat for a long time, in a daze, not even knowing when Mu Jingyi had left or when Uncle Wang had arrived.
He felt as if he was going to be abandoned.
Once again.
For the umpteenth time.
However, no previous time in the past had caused him such pain as this moment.
The thought, “It is enough to die at this moment while holding onto the short, beautiful memories I have with the little snake,” even popped into his mind.
It was the little snake who said he had no father or mother, and it was the little snake who gave Shen Zhiheng the trust that “Brother is the only reliance.”
He could give everything: his sincerity, money, time… he could use everything he possessed to trade.
He just wanted someone to stay by his side!
“Young Master, why… are you alright?”
Uncle Wang’s voice rang out beside Shen Zhiheng.
Shen Zhiheng turned his head at the sound; the first sentence he uttered was still: “Where is Little Qi?”
“Little Master? The Little Master is waiting for you at home.”
Shen Zhiheng took the towel Uncle Wang handed him and wiped his face haphazardly.
His voice drifted, as if it were too far away to belong to this world.
“Uncle Wang, I do not dare to ask him.”
He did not dare to ask Shen Zhiqi, to whom he had given a name; he did not dare to ask, “If Brother helps you find the benefactor who raised you in the past, will you still stay by Brother’s side?”
He had never been chosen by anyone; he did not dare to gamble.