Mu Yan received a strange communication just as he stepped out of the starport.
“I am Tang Yiqi.” After succinctly identifying himself, the other party said, “I heard that Song Qi is your esteemed company’s vice president. So, I must trouble President Mu to personally come to Xerophyte Bar and fish someone out.” His tone was ambiguous, making Mu Yan frown straight away.
Tang Yiqi? This name sounded a bit familiar.
It seemed he was Tang Yu’s illegitimate son? A ruthless character who had forcefully taken over the family not long ago and held sway in both the underworld and the upper echelons.
What kind of trouble was Song Qi stirring up again?
The other party was definitely not someone to be trifled with casually.
Mu Yan sent a communication request to Song Qi, but it went to a busy tone twice in a row. He could only send a message to Song Qi’s older brother, Song Lü, instructing his subordinates to thoroughly investigate what had happened over the past few days. Meanwhile, he took Tang Xian to the location specified by Tang Yiqi.
Mu Yan had imagined a myriad of possibilities on the way, but he never expected to walk into a scene like this.
The younger generation of many prominent aristocratic families in the capital star had gathered together, and the entire second floor of the bar looked like a party of clinking glasses. Tang Yiqi sat at the focal point of the crowd, swirling his wine glass and smiling nonchalantly. Song Qi sat beside him, casting a pitiful glance at Mu Yan that practically spelled out two bright characters: Save! Me!
“President Mu has honored us with his presence, and Tang has failed to welcome you properly. I’ll penalize myself with a drink first, and I hope President Mu enjoys himself here tonight.” With a beaming smile, he drained the transparent liquor in his glass. Not knowing what scheme this smiling tiger was playing at, Mu Yan could only temporarily play along and take a seat opposite him.
High-proof whiskey was consumed cup after cup. Tang Yiqi kept dodging questions and playing tai chi with Mu Yan, never getting to the point. However, from the subtle hints of amusement in his words, it was clear he had no intention of genuinely crossing swords with Muyu. Detaining Song Qi felt more like an excuse to get acquainted with Mu Yan, or perhaps Tang Yiqi’s personal whim.
Two alphas?
A flash of contemplation crossed Mu Yan’s face.
Daring to touch Song Lü’s younger brother, interesting.
He simply stopped beating around the bush and probing. Once Song Lü received the news and rushed over, he would naturally handle it.
Some of the wealthy scions seized the opportunity to come over and socialize, and Tang Yiqi accepted every single one of them with a smile. With him acting so indiscriminately, Mu Yan found it hard to brush them off either. Tang Xian grew secretly anxious on the side:
How many drinks have these two had, and they still aren’t stopping?
An alluring female omega suddenly walked over with a wine glass, seemingly an old acquaintance of Tang Yiqi. The two conversed for quite a while with no intention of stopping. Taking the opportunity, Mu Yan got up and headed to the restroom. His steps were steady, showing no signs of being drunk at all. But only Mu Yan knew that he had to leave as soon as possible.
It wasn’t just because the excessive alcohol was giving him a splitting headache.
Even more dangerous was that his pheromones were slipping out of control.
There were always people trying to climb the social ladder overnight. The smells in the bar were a chaotic mix, and that trace of faint, almost imperceptible milky sweetness could only barely be smelled when standing extremely close. Some single omegas had set their sights on this top-tier alpha, stepping forward to converse with him while carrying undisguised, alluring pheromones.
An alpha’s acute senses had instead become a burden at this moment. The tequila pheromones, already on the verge of running wild, became even more agitated, and Mu Yan’s entire back was soaked in cold sweat. His non-stop busy schedule and restless pheromones had driven his physical state to rock bottom, yet apart from his appearance and attire looking slightly disheveled, he managed not to reveal a single shred of it externally.
Mu Yan splashed some water on his face to calm himself down. A few wet strands of hair hung down in disarray, adding a touch of decadent aesthetic to his sharp and stern features.
Taking a deep breath and adjusting his facial expression, Mu Yan returned to his original seat.
Only, for some reason, the omega who had been there originally had now doubled to two. A sweet-looking female omega was sitting right beside Mu Yan’s former seat, making no effort to conceal her rose scent.
Tang Yiqi looked at him with meaningful eyes, wearing the expression of someone watching a good show. Others might find it difficult to perceive, but given his physical caliber, it was impossible for him not to smell the scent of a previous mark on Mu Yan. Yet, he hadn’t stopped the omega’s bold behavior; instead, he tacitly allowed her to sit in that spot.
Mu Yan’s expression sank abruptly.
Disregarding the thoughts of everyone present, the alpha walked straight over and sat on the opposite end, his attitude self-explanatory.
The seemingly cordial atmosphere instantly froze, turning dangerously fragile. The omega also came from a prominent background and, having been publicly humiliated, did not look too pleased. Many people secretly paid close attention to the situation on their side, whispering and murmuring to each other at the sight.
When Ruan Nian came upstairs, this was precisely the scene that greeted him.
From a distance, seeing the figure from behind, he had been completely certain it was Mu Yan. Now that he was closer, however, he felt somewhat uncertain.
Alphas were always impeccably dressed, calm, and composed. At this moment, although his posture remained upright, it carried an unmistakable sense of exhaustion. His expression was terrible to the extreme, terrifyingly fierce, and his bottomless eyes were filled with repressed, uncontainable violence.
Mu Yan?
The omega’s voice was like a clear spring, flowing straight into the depths of the heart and stirring up a tinkling echo.
Mu Yan turned his head in astonishment. The red tint in his eyes slowly faded of its own accord, replaced by a profound depth.
The surrounding noisy sounds and turbid air were swept away, leaving only this single person filling his mind and vision.
He stood up instinctively and walked toward the omega.
“Why are you…” Before Ruan Nian could finish, a shadow fell over him, and in the next second, he was pulled straight into the alpha’s embrace.
Strong, powerful arms trapped him against a broad chest, shutting out all external scents and sounds. The sound of the alpha’s heartbeat was close at hand, and that burning heart felt within arm’s reach.
The alpha’s fingers brushed against his sensitive back of the neck, hooking the edge of the inhibitor patch and tentatively peeling back a corner.
Ruan Nian was startled, raising his face with some difficulty from the alpha’s embrace. “Don’t…”
The unfinished words between his teeth and lips were melted away by the scorching breath exhaled against his neck.
Through a thin layer of inhibitor patch, the alpha kissed his gland.
Once, twice.
Light, pecking kisses.
Like a devout believer on a pilgrimage, wiping the dust from a gemstone with lips and tongue.
His movements were very gentle, as though afraid of breaking a precious and fragile treasure.
His breathing was heavy, almost burning the omega’s fair, tender skin.
Ruan Nian could barely breathe in his arms, but the immense satisfaction that came with the fusion of pheromones overwhelmed him, making him completely unwilling to push the alpha away.
Under the mutual stimulation of high-level pheromones, the inhibitor rapidly lost its efficacy. An alluring milky sweetness drifted through the air, yet no one dared to approach even a fraction closer. The scent of the tequila pheromones was fierce and imposing, and the suppression of the top-tier pheromones forced some of the lower-ranked AOs at the scene to distance themselves from the center just to barely remain standing.
Tang Yiqi watched the scene unfold with great interest. The omega in Mu Yan’s arms was completely unfamiliar, but being able to walk side by side with Mu Yan meant he certainly wasn’t a simple character either.
A flash of contemplation crossed his eyes: It seemed he needed to deploy his intelligence network in the capital star as soon as possible.
At this moment, the attendant who had been standing silently by his side suddenly stepped forward and murmured something into his ear.
Tang Yiqi froze. Just as he wanted to give instructions to the attendant, a clamor interrupted him. The sound of dense footsteps accompanied by an urgent cry echoed from afar:
“Sir! Sir! You can’t bring this many people upstairs!”
This abrupt shout woke everyone from their daze.
Mu Yan halted his movements and tilted his head slightly.
It was Song Lü who had arrived with his men, the tall alpha frowning deeply, closely followed by several strong and fierce bodyguards.
Tang Yiqi finally put away his nonchalant smile and casually waved his hand. Subordinates who had been lurking in the shadows immediately revealed themselves. The momentum of the two factions unfurled, silently confronting each other across the black marble counter.
Nodding in acknowledgment to Song Lü, Mu Yan tilted his body slightly, unassumingly hiding the omega within his embrace.
“Since the main characters have arrived, Mu will take his leave first.” With that, Mu Yan swept his arm around the omega’s waist and walked downstairs. Seeing this, Tang Xian quickly hurried to keep up.
The crowd consciously cleared a path. For no other reason than that the aura emanating from the alpha was simply too oppressive; getting any closer would make one feel suffocated.
Stepping out of the bar, the cold wind of the capital star hit them face-first. Mu Yan’s body temperature was running too high, and Ruan Nian instinctively tried to break free from his embrace, but the alpha suddenly released him of his own accord.
The next moment, the originally tall and straight body listed to the side.
Ruan Nian: !!!
Ruan Nian’s hands, which had been pushing outward, instantly grabbed the alpha’s collar, pulling him forcefully toward his own chest.
The two of them staggered a few steps before barely managing to steady themselves.
Tang Xian rushed forward, and together with Ruan Nian, helped the exhausted alpha into the airspeeder.
Only then did Ruan Nian belatedly realize that the alpha’s composure and steadiness earlier had all been an act.
His body had reached its absolute limit.
Ruan Nian instinctively controlled his pheromones to soothe the alpha. The previously intense tequila pheromones dissipated slightly, and the underlying scent of alcohol made Ruan Nian frown.
Qin Mo had probably guessed right; the alpha might genuinely be drunk.
Right now, his eyes were tightly closed, his forehead covered in a layer of cold sweat. He had impatiently yanked off his tie and tossed it aside, clearly looking quite uncomfortable.
Reaching out to help him loosen his collar, Ruan Nian found that the person resting with his eyes closed suddenly stirred, and the omega’s fair, slender fingers accidentally brushed past his prominent adam’s apple.
Ruan Nian was scalded by the temperature touched by his fingertips, curling his fingers inward to pull back, but looking up, he locked eyes with the alpha’s crimson gaze.
His fragile wrist was captured. Losing his balance, Ruan Nian was pulled right back into Mu Yan’s arms.
“I’m sorry, I hugged you just now without your consent.” Mu Yan’s voice was painfully hoarse. While his words sounded proper and earnest, the strength of his grip didn’t loosen by even a fraction.
Only then did Ruan Nian confirm that he was truly drunk.
And heavily so.
So saying sorry with his words while continuing to hold onto him without letting go, what kind of trick was this?
Trying to pry open the alpha’s fingers and escape his embrace, Ruan Nian found that Mu Yan seemed annoyed by his messy fussing and finally released his wrist. Breathing a sigh of relief and wanting to pull his hand back, he was grabbed right back by the alpha. His five fingers were forced open and tightly intertwined by the alpha in an intimately oppressive posture.
Lowering his head, the alpha buried his face in the crook of Ruan Nian’s neck, using his other hand to do what he had wanted to do from the very beginning.
He decisively and cleanly peeled off the inhibitor patch that had been serving as mere decoration.
Drawing his breath even closer, he murmured softly right beside Ruan Nian’s ear:
“Nianian.”
The alpha’s intoxicated voice was filled with tenderness and lingering affection. The omega completely lost his temper, letting him hold him without struggling anymore.
After all, there was no point arguing with a drunk person, right?
Ruan Nian consoled himself this way.
Yet it was impossible not to feel regretful: he would absolutely, positively, never, ever come to a bar to pick someone up again!
While the omega was internally reviewing his poor decision from tonight, the person who had been quietly holding him suddenly seemed to remember something. Tilting his head slightly, his somewhat dry lips brushed against a patch of soft skin: “In the pocket, there’s a gift.”
A gift?
Ruan Nian was stunned.
Was an alpha this drunk still thinking about this?
A corner of his heart was gently nudged, sending ripples spreading outward.
The drowsy alpha fumbled clumsily around his jacket, but no matter how he tried, he couldn’t find the pocket. In the end, unable to watch any longer, Ruan Nian reached in and fished it out for him.
It was a small black gift box.
Ruan Nian intended to set it aside, but his finger accidentally brushed the switch, revealing the true face of the gift:
A silver brooch resting quietly on black velvet.
A cat turned slightly on its side; its sapphire-studded eyes gleaming with a fragmented light in the darkness.