“When someone makes you angry, I can’t just stand by and watch.”
“Hah… I understand Please, let me go.” Nie Tao couldn’t stand steady, and within moments, he was gasping for breath as he collapsed to his knees.
Ji Yueting’s control over pheromones was exceptionally precise the immense pressure was concentrated solely on Nie Tao. Yan Chi, standing so close to him, didn’t feel even the slightest hint of it.
The omega was on the verge of passing out, but Ji Yueting paid no attention to it.
Though Yan Chi couldn’t smell the pheromones, he could clearly feel the tightening grip on his shoulder.
It was obvious Ji Yueting was angry, and very much so.
Because of him? Or because of the shattered glass bottle?
Outside the studio, the crowd grew restless, with footsteps of various people approaching rapidly. Inside, Nie Tao lay curled on the floor, clutching his mouth, barely clinging to life.
As a public figure, Yan Chi quickly grabbed Ji Yueting’s arm, relaxing his expression and shaking his head. “It’s fine.”
Ji Yueting glanced sideways at his words.
Yan Chi was taken aback when he saw his expression.
Since their reunion, he had never seen Ji Yueting wear such an expression not gentle, not warm, completely unrelated to everything Yan Chi knew about him. It was fierce, cold, and filled with raw aggression.
When facing Yan Chi, he restrained himself, as if afraid his emotions would frighten the other.
Just moments ago, Ji Yueting had been comforting Yan Chi, but now their roles had reversed. Yan Chi gently touched the back of his hand, and Ji Yueting finally nodded, mercifully ceasing the release of his pheromones.
As the pressure lifted, Nie Tao, still trembling with fear, lay on the floor coughing uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face as he cried almost hysterically.
The people outside the door arrived just then. Nie Tao’s manager tried to rush in but was stopped, his anxiety palpable. Seeing his own people, Nie Tao scrambled to get up, but his legs were too weak to support him. In the end, he practically crawled out of the room.
The door opened, and the manager held Nie Tao, sighing heavily. Just as he was about to speak, he caught sight of the alpha standing behind Yan Chi inside.
His mind was far sharper than Nie Tao’s. Meeting the alpha’s chilling gaze, he decisively chose to remain silent, daring to do nothing more than comfort Nie Tao.
“Brother Chang, I… sob ” Nie Tao was skilled at playing the victim, but unfortunately, aside from his manager, no one present was moved.
Let him cry so what?
On the other side, the perfumers, led by Qin Siming, swarmed around Yan Chi.
“Teacher Yan, are you alright?”
“I’m sorry, Teacher Yan. It was my fault for not keeping an eye on him and letting him into your studio.”
“Oh, there are so many shards here. Let me help clean them up for you, Teacher Yan. What if someone accidentally steps on them later?”
Amid the clamor and chaos of the crowd, Yan Chi’s earlier anger dissipated, replaced by a mix of amusement and helplessness.
These people were oddly endearing.
He calmed the crowd and, ignoring the weeping Nie Tao in the corner, directly asked the person in charge to hand him a termination contract.
Then, four or five tall security guards filed in, lining up on both sides of the corridor as they politely said, “Mr. Nie, Mr. Chang, the exit is over there. Please.”
“Teacher Yan, is it really okay to let him go like this? What if he goes online and spreads rumors later?” Qin Siming, who was well-versed in various online platforms, naturally understood the dangers of public opinion.
Nie Tao might be a minor celebrity at best, but even Qin Siming had to admit though reluctantly that the man had some influence. If Nie really went off the rails without restraint, he could probably cause quite a bit of trouble for RH.
Seeing Qin Siming’s worried expression, Yan Chi reassured him, “Silly, do you think our company’s PR department is just for show? Stop overthinking and get back to work.”
A group of adults shuffled out, glancing back every few steps as if something had happened to Yan Chi. Finally, the team leader couldn’t stand it anymore and helped close the door, leaving Yan Chi’s room in peace.
Yan Chi sighed and rubbed his forehead, but before he could lower his hand, Ji Yueting, who had been silent all along, took hold of it.
Yan Chi was sensitive; the moment Ji Yueting touched him, he instinctively tried to pull back.
“Don’t touch, it tickles.”
Ignoring him, Ji Yueting carefully inspected every inch of Yan Chi’s fingertips.
“Why did you go pick up the flower like that? What if you’d cut yourself?”
Yan Chi’s fingers were long and fair, with slightly prominent knuckles. The thin skin wrapped elegantly around his bones and faint blue veins, looking like a flawless piece of art in Ji Yueting’s eyes. Hurting himself over a flower was clearly not worth it.
Yan Chi smiled. “Do you really think I’m that clumsy? Picking up a flower and getting hurt?”
As he spoke, he magically extended his left hand, opening his palm to reveal the tuberose resting quietly inside.
Ji Yueting’s expression suddenly turned complicated. He still didn’t look at the flower, his gaze fixed on the faint redness at the corner of Yan Chi’s eyes. “A single flower is it really that precious?”
“Gifts from others should be treasured. Dean Fang always emphasized that to us. Besides, you gave this to me. Don’t you want it to be safe?” Yan Chi averted his eyes, his long lashes fluttering gently. “It’s just a shame the vase broke.”
Yan Chi wanted to apologize; he genuinely loved this gift.
Ji Yueting released Yan Chi’s wrist. “It’s just a flower. I can give you more.”
But Yan Chi was stubborn. To him, every item from a different period held unique meaning and couldn’t be replicated like the mineral water bottle still standing in the villa’s study, or the pale purple flower now resting in his palm. In this regard, he was truly a sentimental person.
“I don’t need any others. This one is enough. I’ll look online later and find another vase just like it. Just pretend you don’t know,” Yan Chi said playfully, turning away and muttering to himself.
“I can’t pretend I don’t know,” Ji Yueting rarely objected.
“Hmm?”
“Someone made you upset. I can’t just ignore it.” Ji Yueting stepped closer, gently tapping the corner of Yan Chi’s eye. “They even made you cry.”
Yan Chi immediately took a step back, his ears turning red. “I didn’t.”
Ji Yueting was talking nonsense. Since when was he so easily brought to tears? Did he think he was a child?
“Fine, you didn’t,” Ji Yueting shamelessly went along with it. “Then it was me who cried. I’m still upset now, and I want to help you get back at them. Will you let me?”
Ji Yueting could have easily taken care of things behind the scenes and then come to claim credit, but he didn’t know if Yan Chi would like or approve of that. He wanted Yan Chi to be happy, so he had to respect his wishes and act accordingly. Besides. Ji Yueting knew that after all these years in the industry, Yan Chi wasn’t the type to let a minor actor walk all over him.
Bullying others by riding on someone else’s coattails was something Yan Chi had never done, let alone relying on Ji Yueting’s influence.
“Does being friends come with this kind of service?” Yan Chi felt a slight stir in his heart.
Ji Yueting replied cheerfully, “Of course, and there are even more services. You can explore them slowly.”
The words carried a hint of ambiguity, but Yan Chi, wrapped in the net called “friendship,” automatically filtered out the excess.
When the white moonlight made such a request, Yan Chi had no reason to refuse.
He answered readily, “Alright, then come and help me vent my anger.”