“Qi Yan, you seem a bit distracted. What’s on your mind?”
Chen Buqian looked at Qi Yan, who was writing down lab notes, with a look of genuine sympathy. “Been busy lately, huh? Running all over the place, barely coming to the bar, buried in experiments all day—either at the institute or here. Life isn’t easy, is it?”
Then, his tone suddenly shifted, pitching upward: “Now, I’m a different story. You have no idea how much fun we’ve been having lately. Langlang organized a few gatherings, and I got the WeChat of several cute little Omegas. We’re chatting up a storm. I’ll probably be off the market soon. Buddy, by then, you’ll be the only single one left in our group~”
“Oh, that’s nice.” Qi Yan glanced at the lab usage logs, frowning slightly. He turned to speak to the quiet Junior Wei. “Are there still a lot of people applying to use the biology lab lately?”
Junior Wei nodded. Yes, many.
Beside them, Chen Buqian draped an arm over Qi Yan’s shoulder and continued, “Old Qi, seeing how oblivious you are to romance, I’ve realized something—you were lying to me before!”
“Your ‘virgin Alpha’ status must still be intact. These days, being a virgin Alpha has no charm at all.” He spread his hands, looking self-satisfied. “Only a rigid, old-fashioned, boring virgin Alpha like you could ignore beautiful Omegas and guard the bar counter every time, refusing to go out. Even during a wild party game, you managed to hide under the bar. With your ‘Omega-phobia,’ I bet you’re destined to stay single forever. Unlike me, I’m about to escape this boring single life…”
“Chen Buqian, do you know what ‘Uwame-zukai’ (Upturned Gaze) is?” Qi Yan interrupted his chatter.
Chen Buqian looked baffled. “Huh? What kind of attack is that?”
“Oh, you don’t know? How pitiful. Just forget it then.” Qi Yan gave him a look of pure mercy.
“What? Are you looking down on me?” Chen Buqian sensed the disdain. “Damn it! I am a man who excels at Baidu searches! Give me three seconds!”
He searched frantically. The page loaded. He stared at it and said dismissively, “Heh, isn’t it just a combat technique? I thought it was something interesting. Is that really worth mentioning out of the blue? Wait, Junior Wei, what’s with that look? Qi Yan, why are you walking so fast? Wait for me…”
Noticing Junior Wei’s look of silent judgment, Chen Buqian didn’t bother scrolling further. He hurried to catch up with the departing Qi Yan, missing the description further down the page:
Uwame-zukai: A “fishing” technique where one looks up at someone from a lower angle, using their eyes to captivate them. It is most effective on people who already like you, easily evoking a sense of protective tenderness and making the target person willing to be captured, unable to refuse.
At the bar, there was still plenty of time before the official opening. The staff was having dinner. Seeing Qi Yan and Chen Buqian enter, Brother Xu waved them over. “Perfect timing. Have you eaten? If not, come join us for dinner before we get ready to open.”
Chen Buqian immediately went over to grab a bowl. Qi Yan noticed a dozen boxes of lychees on the floor. “Why are there so many lychees this late in the season? Did you buy them, Brother Xu?”
“Nope. You Yi’s family sent them. The quality looks top-notch. Dig in, these aren’t cheap—rich kids, I tell ya,” Brother Xu said, peeling a lychee and nodding in approval.
You Yi grinned. “Doesn’t count anymore. Since my dad kicked me out, I’ve been living on secret relief funds from the others.”
As he spoke, he looked at Qi Yan, who had quickly taken a seat next to Brother Xu and was peeling lychees. “Qi-ge, take a box back with you later. They were air-freighted, very fresh. There are plenty to go around.”
“Sure, thanks. They taste great.” Qi Yan loved lychees, so he didn’t refuse.
Chen Buqian was still thinking about the earlier conversation and interjected to tell everyone, “…Qi Yan was definitely trying to change the subject earlier. I was having a serious talk with him about love, and this tactless straight Alpha starts talking to me about combat techniques!”
“Something called an ‘upturned gaze attack’? Hah! What, does he plan to punch someone in the eye while they’re flirting? That’s too much. Qi Yan is really… Wait, why are you all looking at me like that? Shouldn’t you be roasting him with me?”
Halfway through his rant, Chen Buqian realized everyone was staring at him like he was a freak. Xu Langlang turned her head and snorted, “Pfft.”
Her laughter was like a trigger; everyone burst out laughing. “Old Chen, do you seriously not know what ‘Uwame-zukai’ is?”
“Who’s the one who always says he’s an expert at Baidu? Didn’t you actually read the result?”
“Hahaha, Chen Buqian, you’re absolutely hopeless!”
“Wait, wait, wait! Am I the only one curious about who used an upturned gaze on Qi Yan?”
The bar was filled with merry atmosphere. Someone leaned in curiously toward Qi Yan, asking who used the move. If they could get that close to him and make him mention it to Chen Buqian, it must be an interesting Omega, right?
Xu Langlang asked playfully, “Qi Yan, how was it? Was it endearing? Whenever a cute Omega uses that on me, even I can’t handle it. I’d probably nod and agree to whatever they wanted in a daze.”
Qi Yan had expected them to tease him. He calmly peeled a lychee and said, “I’m not like you…”
“Wait, with your personality, don’t tell me you ran away?” Xu Langlang interrupted. An “Omega-phobic” Alpha was indeed different from her. Qi Yan looked similar to her on the surface, but he was actually very careful about distance. If an assertive Omega cornered him, he might genuinely flee.
Qi Yan paused for a moment. Just as he was about to speak, Brother Xu said sharply, “He paused for 2.54 seconds. That’s abnormal. Looks like Langlang hit the mark—this kid ran away!”
Qi Yan’s lip twitched. He stuffed a lychee into his mouth. “…”
I just paused for a second. Don’t talk nonsense—and being precise to two decimal places is a bit much.
“Wow, Qi-ge, who is it? Come on, tell us!” You Yi squeezed in, his face full of excitement.
“Are you all too gossipy?” Qi Yan was enjoying the fruit and was in a good mood. He glanced around at everyone. “The person just leaned in a bit close. I was teasing Chen Buqian earlier. Why are you all taking it so seriously?”
“Really?” Chen Buqian, who was now looking at his phone screen, looked up suddenly. Guilt, sorrow, despair, and hope crossed his face in a complex display of human emotion.
“I don’t believe it!” Xu Langlang beat him to the punch. “Qi Yan, did you strike back? Running away is a poor choice. In that situation, you should have struck back aggressively! You’re better at flirting than I am. If an Omega used an upturned gaze on you, they were definitely fishing for your affection, right?”
Hearing this, You Yi’s expression contorted for a split second, but he quickly masked it, laughing along. “Exactly, exactly!”
“You’re one of our top Alpha hosts. Don’t embarrass us—flirt back!” Brother Xu added his agreement while scanning the room.
National Day holiday was coming up soon, and there would be a lot of customers. He needed to prepare a new theme. Maybe a “Romance Experience Party”? Or a “Male Butler Party”? A “Maid Party”?
“Don’t overthink it. We’re just friends right now,” Qi Yan said, focusing on his lychees.
“Right now?” Chen Buqian latched onto the wording, saying resentfully, “So that means you might be more than friends later?”
Well played. I admire how this group can find a loophole in anything.
Qi Yan laughed and gave him a sideways glance. “Of course. I’m a loyal guy. If I really like someone, I’ll pursue them and change the relationship. I won’t be like you, chatting with a crowd of people on your phone—total scumbag Alpha behavior.”
Chen Buqian: “…”
“Oho, Pure Love wins this round,” Xu Langlang whistled.
After chatting with them for a while, Qi Yan didn’t stay until opening. He had only come to pick up some things from Brother Xu. He had been busy and had to visit Shen Xiliu at the hospital, so he didn’t have time to help at the bar for now. After helping tidy up, he left with the bar’s trash bags and a box of lychees.
You Yi kindly reminded him that while lychees are delicious, he shouldn’t eat too many to avoid “internal heat.” During dinner, Qi Yan had put away quite a few; it was clear he really liked them.
Qi Yan went home to drop off his things before heading to the hospital. Perhaps the talk at the bar had stayed on his mind, because after checking on Shen Xiliu, he didn’t linger. He followed Shen Yunshu to the office to review Shen Xiliu’s lab reports from the past two days.
“He’s becoming more stable. However, when his emotions fluctuate too much, the impact is still significant. It’s all relying on your Alpha pheromones to keep things in check.” Shen Yunshu sat with his legs crossed, rubbing his chin with a satisfied expression. “As expected of the ‘Person of Destiny’ with a 100% pheromone compatibility.”
“Director, my compatibility with Mr. Shen is 99.98%,” Qi Yan corrected.
Shen Yunshu smiled at him. “What does that matter? You know as well as I do that anything over 99% is effectively 100%. A fated Alpha and Omega. If this were a few hundred years ago, you two would be legally required to marry. It’s just that the times are different now.”
If it were still that era, the law would have mandated a forced marriage the moment the compatibility was tested. Regardless of whether the parties were satisfied, once put together, a chemical reaction would naturally occur, and they would fall in love sooner or later.
As for whether this “love” was pheromone-induced, in Shen Yunshu’s view, it made no difference. After all, “love” was just the pleasure and excitement brought by dopamine secretion—a product of hormones. There was no need to view it as something overly noble.
While Qi Yan was still looking at the data, Shen Yunshu suddenly asked out of the blue:
“Qi Yan, do you like Shen Xiliu?”