Wen Ruxing wasn’t entirely awake at the moment.
Due to professional habits, she would often neglect sleep and meals while working on scripts. As long as inspiration struck, pulling all-nighters was never an issue. But outside of work hours, she tended to be rather lazy, sleeping until late morning and still feeling drowsy.
Thinking of the slightly indignant expression Shi Wei Yue had worn that day, Wen Ruxing swallowed hard, forcing back the words “What nonsense are you up to again?” that had risen to her lips. After a pause, she finally managed a soft “Mhm.”
“I’ll go get the food. You go ahead and talk.”
“Then don’t hang up, wifey.”
Perhaps because she had just woken up, Wen Ruxing’s voice carried a lazy, soft sweetness her reply almost like a drowsy murmur, tender and muddled.
Shi Wei Yue heard faint rustling on the other end, likely the sound of Wen Ruxing shuffling in slippers to serve the meal. She had left chicken congee in the pot, which by now should have simmered into a richer, more fragrant dish.
The weather in City V was pleasant today. Both the villa and the corporate building enjoyed excellent natural light, the sunshine pouring in indiscriminately, casting bright patterns interlaced with shadows across the floor. In the surveillance room, Shi Wei Yue removed one of her Bluetooth earpieces, fast-forwarded through the footage at five times the speed, and confirmed there were no overly scandalous moments before making the cut.
Wen Ruxing was probably blowing softly on the congee, stirring it with a small spoon, the delicate clink of porcelain clear in the background. Shi Wei Yue turned down the volume on her earpiece, straightened the collar of her suit, and strode confidently out of the surveillance room in her heels.
Yue Xing had a tradition of holding morning meetings, even if they were largely perfunctory. Rules were rules, after all. These meetings lasted anywhere from half an hour to an hour, attended at minimum by department heads, a symbol of status.
After informing her assistant of her plans to attend the meeting today, Shi Wei Yue didn’t give any advance notice, waiting until it was nearly time before heading over.
At 9:30 a.m., Wang Jie, dressed in a sharp suit, watched as his secretary adjusted the equipment for him.
This was his newly assigned secretary. The previous one had been transferred to another department after he grew tired of her unlike the Omega he had played with this morning. This new secretary was a fresh graduate. Though a Beta and not particularly striking in appearance, she carried the unique vibrancy of youth.
Thrilled to have been selected as the vice president’s secretary, the young woman worked diligently, not only setting up the equipment but also pouring tea and carefully arranging each seat. Wang Jie sat at the head of the table, flipping idly through his speech for the day while his gaze wandered.
When the secretary poured his tea, Wang Jie reached out, accidentally bumping the cup and spilling some. The secretary immediately flustered, offering apologies. Wang Jie looked up, his expression concerned, even grabbing tissues to help wipe her hands.
“Are you alright?”
When the man’s rough hands brushed against her delicate skin, the secretary felt a brief instinctive discomfort, but she quickly nodded. Vice President Wang was amiable, after all, a forty-year-old family man with a wife and daughter, considerate toward younger colleagues. Soon, he dismissed her.
“Come to my office later.”
Wang Jie’s words were met with a nod from the secretary, who then moved to close the door. But just as she stepped forward, she nearly collided with a young woman entering. The secretary hastily stopped in her tracks.
Liao Xiao Ting caught a whiff of a fresh, faint fragrance.
Alphas and Omegas must wear suppressant patches and use inhibitors when going out. There’s also a type of solution called “neutralizer” that masks one’s natural scent, something Shi Wei Yue recently learned while brushing up on physiological knowledge.
Today, she had sprayed on a minty neutralizer, its crisp fragrance a stark contrast to her usual pear-blossom wine pheromones.
Dressed in an exquisitely tailored handmade suit, Shi Wei Yue’s figure was accentuated with an elegant, mature femininity that didn’t feel dated.
For work, she kept accessories minimal, embodying a refined, elite simplicity. The priceless moonstone drop earrings swayed subtly with her steps, the hidden little moons chasing after her fair earlobes amidst her golden-gray hair.
She resembled a graceful white iris.
Liao Xiaoting, petite in stature, had been walking briskly and nearly bumped her forehead against Shi Wei Yue’s nose. Now standing close, she looked up and found the woman oddly familiar, though she couldn’t quite place her. Meanwhile, Wang Jie, who had been theatrically clearing his throat at the head of the table, froze.
“President Shi?”
His surprise was tinged more with panic and guilt as he hastily stood to offer his seat. Shi Wei Yue was the chairwoman; no matter how high his position, he was still just an employee. Though inwardly grumbling about her untimely appearance, he dared not show it.
But Shi Wei Yue had no intention of interfering. Instead, she gave a polite nod as he yielded his seat, her melodious voice sending Wang Jie’s ego soaring when she said:
“I’m just here to observe. Please proceed.”
She then took the farthest seat and raised a hand, effortlessly quelling the minor stir her arrival had caused.
In Shi Wei Yue’s absence, Wang Jie was one of the key decision-makers, wielding considerable influence in the company. Not long ago, he had fired someone as a warning to others, cementing his authority. Factions within the company often clashed, and with his recent rise, Wang Jie couldn’t help but feel smug when even Shi Wei Yue deferred to him.
Truthfully, he had always looked down on Shi Wei Yue, an Alpha he dismissed as all looks and no substance, born into privilege with no real talent, her degrees rumored to be bought.
Still, with the boss present, Wang Jie made an effort to impress. Launching into his PowerPoint presentation, he spoke with fervor. It didn’t take long for Shi Wei Yue to realize his only skill was spinning grand, empty promises.
A minute later, someone in the audience, previously drowsy, widened their eyes. Wang Jie, now off-script and gesturing wildly, noticed the distraction and snapped,
“Director Qi, care to share your insights?”
Director Qi tried to hold back but failed, bursting into laughter. Like a trigger, others soon followed, one after another.
When a sultry moan sounded from behind him, Wang Jie’s face paled. Turning around, the scene now displayed on the large screen hit him like a thunderbolt, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.
Early in the morning, he secretly opened the boss’s office door, intending to have a clandestine affair with one of the Omega artists under his management for some excitement. However, the artist was too timid, and the two merely exchanged intimate whispers for a while without crossing any explicit lines. Unable to quell the burning desire within, Boss Wang decided to vent his frustrations on the young secretary instead.
The projection’s volume wasn’t loud, but the sound carried clearly to everyone’s ears. The flirtatious laughter of his mistress was interspersed with Boss Wang’s disparaging remarks about his wife.
It was common knowledge that he was married. His wife came from a wealthy, influential family, a young lady of considerable status. Even before Boss Wang joined Yue Xing, he had moved in other circles, and many in the business world had seen him trailing behind his wife, fawning over her.
To please his mistress, Boss Wang even lowered his dignity, patting his belly and murmuring teasing words into her ear before giving his stomach another playful slap. The absurdity of the man in the footage contrasted sharply with his now ashen face, making it nearly impossible for the onlookers to keep straight faces, laughter bubbled up among them.
All except for Shi Wei Yue.