Inside the institute, Qi Yan was having his Alpha pheromones extracted. Outside the transparent glass, a sharp, intense gaze was making its presence felt—so much so that the researcher in charge of the extraction had trembling fingers and didn’t dare to proceed.
“It’s fine. Just go ahead and draw it. The sooner we start, the sooner it’s over,” Qi Yan said.
The researcher, feeling like needles were pricking her back, gave a forced smile. “This… I… I’m a bit afraid to…”
The gaze from outside was predatory and threatening, as if the person might burst in and tear her apart at any moment.
“I said, can you stop standing there? You’re interfering with our work!” Finally, Shen Yunshu couldn’t take it anymore. He pointed at Shen Xiliu standing outside the window and let out a frustrated laugh. “Why did a patient like you run all the way to the institute? Is this where you’re supposed to be?”
Shen Xiliu was even wearing his blue-striped hospital gown. Though pale and weak, he stood firmly outside the glass, his eyes fixed on Qi Yan and the researcher. His voice was calm and steady: “I’ve told you already—since you want to use the two of us for your experiment, you have to accept that I will be watching the entire process to ensure no mistakes are made.”
“I just didn’t expect you to go this far.” It was a good thing they had both agreed, but it was also a massive headache. Shen Yunshu hadn’t anticipated that Shen Xiliu would be “malicious” enough to monitor everything in person.
Every drug and piece of equipment had to pass through his hands; he had to confirm there were no issues before they could be used. Even the staff participating in the study were hand-picked by Shen Xiliu. This had slowed progress significantly, giving the usually dictatorial Shen Yunshu his first taste of what it felt like to have his hands tied.
“Besides, Qi Yan is a researcher himself. What do you have to worry about? Do you doubt him, too?” Shen Yunshu tried to drag Qi Yan into the fray.
Unexpectedly, Qi Yan rubbed his nose, exchanged a glance with Shen Xiliu, and said with a smile, “Uh… Director, I think Mr. Shen is just being a bit cautious. There’s no need to be so angry.”
Ever since he had agreed that day, Shen Xiliu’s mood had been low, and his demands were clearly centered on safety. It was hard for Qi Yan not to side with him, even if he knew, as a researcher, that this wasn’t quite right.
“You call this ‘a bit cautious’?” Shen Yunshu sneered sarcastically. “He removed my most capable assistant and took control over every person and object involved. To an outsider, it looks like he’s the boss and I’m the subordinate. Hah, truly worthy of being the head of the PHY Research Institute.”
No wonder Shen Xiliu had chosen to become the head of the Shen family’s pharmaceutical enterprise back then, willing to work day and night just to get everything under his control. It turned out it was all so he could manipulate things from every angle at a time like this. What a rebellious little brat!
“Safety first. I haven’t even criticized you for using us as lab rats,” Shen Xiliu said airily from outside, acting as if he couldn’t hear Shen Yunshu’s sarcasm.
“Tch, I’m doing this for your own good—to treat your illness. I’m even giving you my precious time, so don’t be so ungrateful.” Seeing that Shen Xiliu wouldn’t leave, Shen Yunshu simply put down his tools. “Xiao Xuan, step aside. I’ll draw the pheromones from Qi Yan myself.”
The researcher, who had been listening to their bickering, felt as if she’d been saved. She thrust the tools into Shen Yunshu’s hands and scrambled away. “Yes, Director! No problem!”
Shen Yunshu didn’t care about the death glare boring into his back. He jabbed the needle into Qi Yan ruthlessly. Hearing Qi Yan hiss in pain, the gaze from outside instantly sharpened. “Why are you being so heavy-handed?”
Shen Yunshu replied, “What do you mean ‘heavy-handed’? I’ve used this force for years. Don’t talk nonsense with your eyes wide open. Extracting Alpha pheromones is difficult! Sometimes you should look for the reason within yourself. Your health has been poor for years and your mind is so twisted—is that not your problem?”
Shen Xiliu: “…”
“Pfft!”
A burst of laughter escaped. Meeting a sharp glare, the researcher quickly covered her face. “Sorry, sorry! It was an accident.”
Shen Xiliu took a breath, staring at the unlucky Qi Yan and the smug Shen Yunshu, suppressing the cold sarcasm at the tip of his tongue.
Qi Yan pressed a cotton swab to his stinging nape and smiled helplessly. “Director, let me do the extraction myself next time. It’s a bit of a hassle to do alone, but it’s possible.”
He had accidentally become a casualty of the infighting between uncle and nephew.
“Absolutely not,” Shen Yunshu refused flatly, ignoring the murderous aura. “Without you, how would I irritate that eyesore outside?”
Qi Yan: “…”
He instinctively looked at Shen Xiliu. The man was staring at Shen Yunshu expressionlessly, his cold face radiating a heavy sense of pressure. “It seems you don’t want to work on that project you just settled. It just so happens that funds are limited lately; I’ll help you veto it later.”
“What?!” Shen Yunshu’s expression froze instantly. His lifeline had been snatched.
Damn it, this brat chooses his Alpha over his uncle!
Shen Yunshu had never lacked money, but he never expected the day would come when his own nephew would threaten him with it. Anyone else and Shen Yunshu wouldn’t care, but Shen Xiliu’s mind wasn’t “normal”—he meant what he said. He had to take it seriously. He could only admit defeat for now and find a way to get even later.
“Does the wound still hurt?” Watching Shen Yunshu slink away with the pheromone sample, Shen Xiliu relaxed slightly. His expression softened as he looked at Qi Yan’s nape.
Qi Yan tossed the cotton swab and slapped a waterproof bandage on the spot. “It’s fine. The Director knows his limits; it just stung a tiny bit.”
Shen Xiliu’s expression softened further. “I won’t bring you trouble next time. Qi Yan, be careful with the experiments too. If you notice anything strange, tell me immediately. Never use any drugs or equipment that haven’t been approved by me.”
“Mr. Shen, aren’t you being a bit too careful?”
Qi Yan realized that Shen Xiliu was overly guarded. Even though they were in their own family’s institute and the person in charge was Shen Yunshu, he seemed naturally suspicious of every person and thing.
Shen Xiliu stared at him, the corners of his mouth slowly curling into a shallow smile. “…After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Isn’t it normal to be careful with the person you like?”
Thump! The confession came so suddenly that while Qi Yan didn’t react immediately, his heart did.
“If you had just marked me back then, it probably wouldn’t be this much trouble now,” Shen Xiliu said with a smile.
Qi Yan: “…”
His gaze drifted as he stood up. “I just remembered, I think I have something to do…”
“Are you blushing?” Shen Xiliu took a step forward, closing the distance. He tilted his gaze slightly, a hint of a smile in his beautiful, narrow eyes. The three beauty marks under his left eye appeared somewhat bewitching—mysterious and charming.
Before the confession, Shen Xiliu had drawn a line between them, always maintaining a proper distance. He was gentle and elegant, neither too distant nor too intimate, which kept Qi Yan from feeling uncomfortable.
But after the confession, that line had blurred. He didn’t hold back at all in expressing his feelings for Qi Yan, whether it was the personal monitoring of the extraction or his current behavior—every action showed how much he valued Qi Yan.
Qi Yan wasn’t good at handling direct “fastballs.” Moreover, this angle of looking down at the other person tended to cause an irregular heartbeat. He dazed for a moment, awkwardly looking away. His palms pressed against the edge of the table behind him as he quietly leaned his body back.
“No, it’s not… well, okay, maybe a little. You’re too close.”
He hesitated for a second and chose to speak his true thoughts. Since he couldn’t avoid it, he might as well be honest.
Shen Xiliu’s eyes brightened, and they curved as his smile deepened. “Qi Yan, have you noticed? You were never embarrassed around me before, but now…”
Knock, knock! Two soft raps on the door interrupted their conversation.
The researcher looked at the two of them, who were almost pressed together, and reminded them calmly, “Qi Yan, the Director is looking for you.”
“Ah? Oh, I’ll be right there.”
Hearing this, Qi Yan immediately escaped the awkward scene. But after a few steps, he slowed down and stopped. He turned to Shen Xiliu, who remained where he was, and said, “Mr. Shen, you should go back to the hospital first. I’ll head over with the Director later to check on your condition.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for you,” Shen Xiliu said with a smile. He watched Qi Yan leave, looking like he was secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
Only then did Shen Xiliu slowly turn his gaze to the researcher. His tone became cold and thin: “Is something the matter?”
“Why are you doing so much at a time like this?” Shen Qingze bit his lip, staring intently at him.
Shen Xiliu sat where Qi Yan had just been, leaning his face on his hand somewhat listlessly as his fingers toyed with a test tube. “Isn’t it good to give you a vacation? Shen Xiangting is about to get married. As her brother, it wouldn’t be right for you to stay in the lab all day, would it?”
“What does this have to do with Xiangting? I haven’t let her affairs interfere with my work, have I? My current project has reached a critical stage. You’ve already fired many people; if I leave too, the project will stall and all our previous efforts will be wasted. Even if you are the head of the institute, you can’t act this recklessly.”
Shen Qingze spoke as calmly as possible, but he could still hardly hide the anger in his heart.
“Why so angry? You weren’t the one fired.” Shen Xiliu’s voice was very flat. He played with the test tube, looking at him out of the corner of his eye with a sort of arrogant contempt. “Besides, you’re just taking a leave. Just a leave.”
Shen Qingze slammed the door open and rushed in front of him, shouting, “Never mind that I don’t want a leave, even a leave should have a time limit! How can you fire my assistant and then say such things so lightly?”
Shen Xiliu finally looked up to face him directly. “Are you that dissatisfied? If you’re that unhappy, you can quit. The institute doesn’t need the blind.”
“What do you mean by that?” Shen Qingze’s eyes were bloodshot, his breathing heavy.
“Nothing. If you don’t want to leave, then just take a vacation first.”
Shen Xiliu placed the test tube back into the rack and stood up slowly. He looked at him with an icy, sideways glance, a mocking smile on his lips.
“If you weren’t a member of the Shen family, I would have dealt with you along with the others long ago.”