Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The Li family's wealth, now in the hands of Li Xi and Li Yue, could actually be traced back more than a dozen generations.

The Li family was no nouveau riche, having risen to prominence overnight.

Despite their immense wealth, their family ethos championed "restraint" and "quality" over "extravagance."

Of course, with assets on the scale of the Li family's, even with their aversion to "waste," their standard of living had long reached the pinnacle of luxury.

Li Yue knew her brother well.

Li Xi’s intimate apparel, socks, and shoes were almost exclusively bespoke, handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces—valuing "refinement" over "quantity."

His shirts were no exception.

Li Yue was intimately familiar with the shirts her brother typically wore, and Li Xi himself maintained exceptionally high standards for anything that touched his skin.

Even newly purchased garments had to undergo a "breaking-in" period until the fabric softened and became comfortably skin-friendly before he would wear them.

Yet, the shirt Li Xi was wearing now, with its crisp, new collar, was unmistakably a "new" item.

Li Yue couldn't resist reaching out to touch it—and indeed, the fabric wasn't even among the types her brother preferred!

Li Xi took another uncomfortable sip of his wine.

The shirt he was wearing today was, in fact, not his own.

This morning, Ying Zhiyu had risen early to return to school, and Li Xi had woken early as well. Before the housekeeper arrived, he noticed the Alpha's shirt, discarded in the bathroom from the previous night.

This particular shirt had been carefully selected by a stylist for the Alpha, worn yesterday by Ying Zhiyu to accompany Li Xi to the group headquarters for their "public display of affection."

When Li Xi first saw it yesterday afternoon, he thought the other man looked remarkably handsome in it.

This morning, upon seeing the shirt again, Li Xi inexplicably picked it up for a closer look.

The shirt inevitably carried traces of the Alpha’s scent. Holding it in his hands, Li Xi wrestled with himself for three seconds, ultimately succumbing to instinct and lowering his head.

Rationally, he knew he shouldn’t indulge in the Alpha’s pheromones.

They had only just completed a temporary mark the previous night. Li Xi was acutely aware that what he should be doing now was "withdrawal," not allowing himself to become "addicted."

So, he quickly and with restraint, put down the Alpha’s shirt.

However, after finishing his ablutions, Li Xi left the bathroom.

He paused at the doorway, again for three seconds, closed his eyes, and turned back.

One lives a lifetime for happiness.

Why should he always restrain himself?

What did it matter if he indulged and became addicted? After all, this Alpha would be his for life!

And so, it came to be that Li Xi, heading out for his appointment, ended up wearing this shirt infused with Ying Zhiyu’s pheromones, his expression as stoic as ever.

Li Xi set down his wine glass, no longer avoiding the topic. "Yes, this is his shirt."

There was no need for Li Xi to explain who "he" referred to.

As a Beta, Li Yue had always found the concept of "pheromone attraction" rather vague.

She only understood it as akin to how "bees" or "butterflies" are drawn to the scent of a particular flower—when an Alpha and Omega with sufficient compatibility catch the scent, they are irresistibly drawn to that particular fragrance, much like gathering nectar.

But understanding the concept in theory was entirely different from witnessing her own brother going out wearing the shirt worn by his Alpha!

"He…" Li Yue stammered, "Is… is Big Brother really that taken with him?"

Li Yue couldn't quite bring herself to say "in love."

It just felt almost surreal to imagine her ever-rational and clear-headed brother genuinely "loving" an Alpha.

"Satisfied."

Li Xi answered frankly, without any evasion.

From their very first encounter—even if it was just him catching a glimpse of the Alpha through a one-way mirror—Ying Zhiyu had brought him nothing but pleasant surprises.

Even if the Alpha seemed perpetually shrouded in a mist, even if many of Ying Zhiyu's actions and reactions were so "surprising" that Li Xi had an inkling something was amiss.

But so what?

He was Li Xi. Whoever or whatever he desired, he would firmly grasp.

No matter what lay behind the Alpha—intentions, ambitions, conspiracies—let them come.

-

Tonight was the School of Biology lab's big dinner gathering.

Academician Xia Xianru, Ying Zhiyu's mentor, had personally funded the event, hosting four large tables at a famous trendy hotspot hotel restaurant in the capital's central district.

In the lab project team led by Xia Xianru, besides doctoral students like Ying Zhiyu, there were also many professors and faculty from the School of Biology.

Upon arriving at the banquet venue, Ying Zhiyu didn't try to draw undue attention to himself. Aside from serving tea to the senior faculty at his table as a junior before the meal began, he maintained a low profile when the professors were discussing academic topics.

He only listened, never interrupting.

However, after a few rounds of drinks, even the teachers from top-tier institutions—who eat regular food and lead ordinary lives—inevitably shifted the conversation to topics beyond work.

Someone started talking about marriage and family life, and gradually, the focus shifted from the married crowd to the unmarried ones.

When the mentors at the table began discussing relationships, Ying Zhiyu had already mentally prepared himself, sensing that he probably wouldn't be able to avoid the topic this time.

Sure enough, it didn't take long.

Someone chuckled and asked, "Xiao Ying, you're in your twenties now, right? I've watched you grow from just this tall to the age where you can start a family and build a career."

Ying Zhiyu had been admitted to the special program for gifted youths at Biomedical University at the age of fifteen.

Alphas develop later, and Ying Zhiyu's height really started shooting up around the age of fifteen.

So when the teacher gestured to indicate his former height, there was no mockery or belittlement intended—it was more a fond remark from someone who had seen him grow up.

Ying Zhiyu nodded, "I'm grateful for my teachers' care."

The teacher waved it off, "Our School of Biology is known for its prodigies. I didn't have what it takes to guide you—it was Dean Xia who had the foresight."

Ying Zhiyu's mentor had specifically arranged for Ying Zhiyu to sit at the same table.

Since the topic had turned to him, he naturally joined in: "Zhiyu is a promising talent. Even without me, he would have thrived wherever he went."

Most professors and faculty in the School of Biology knew that Xia Xianru adored his prized student.

In the complex academic circles of Biomedical University, a top-tier institution in the capital, Ying Zhiyu’s reputation and achievements at such a young age were largely thanks to the support and guidance of Xia Xianru, a leading authority in the field of biology.

Otherwise, given Ying Zhiyu’s family background, no matter how brilliant or capable he was, it would have taken him at least two decades to rise to prominence.

Perhaps joking, someone at the table said, "Director Xia treats Zhiyu almost like his own son. If Director Xia had an Omega granddaughter, our Zhiyu would be the perfect grandson-in-law!"

Xia Xianru, sixty-nine years old, had a daughter but no granddaughter; his daughter was already married, and his grandson, an Alpha, had just presented this year.

Another Alpha doctoral student from the School of Biology, though not from Ying Zhiyu's lab, chimed in casually: "Director Xia doesn’t have a granddaughter, but doesn’t Professor Ma have a daughter?"

It was known that Professor Ma Congya had brought her daughter along on a business trip earlier that week.

Ying Zhiyu had crossed paths with this doctoral student a few times.

The student was thirty years old and quite accomplished, having returned to academia to pursue a doctorate after working for some time, and was admitted to the School of Biology at Biomedical University on his first attempt. However, due to the age gap, he and Ying Zhiyu rarely interacted.

A postdoctoral senior from Ying Zhiyu’s lab, who knew he was in a relationship, noticed the conversation taking an awkward turn.

She ignored the doctoral student’s remark and stepped in to smooth things over.

"First, Director Xia treats Zhiyu like a son, and now you’re talking about grandson-in-law candidates—the generations are all mixed up. Besides, our Zhiyu already has a girlfriend. There’s no need for the professors to worry about him."

After saying this, she playfully winked at Ying Zhiyu.

The day Li Xi visited Ying Zhiyu’s school, the senior had only seen the eye-catching Ferrari Monza SP2 from a distance and hadn’t gotten a clear look at the person inside. So, she had always assumed that Ying Zhiyu’s "relationship" meant he had a girlfriend.

Ying Zhiyu didn’t rush to explain at that moment, simply returning a grateful smile.

Xia Xianru never involved himself in matchmaking. At his level, he rarely concerned himself with the romantic affairs of young people.

However, hearing about his beloved student’s relationship status did surprise him.

"Zhiyu has a girlfriend?"

In his eyes, Ying Zhiyu still seemed like a child. How had he quietly gotten a girlfriend already?

But Ying Zhiyu’s answer was even more surprising than Xia Xianru had anticipated.

In front of everyone, Ying Zhiyu took off a necklace from around his neck.

He unfastened it, revealing a blue-gray ring hanging from it, and slowly slipped it onto the ring finger of his left hand.

Ying Zhiyu replied, "Not a girlfriend. I’m married."

-

An hour later, Ying Zhiyu called Li Xi.

"Hello," Li Xi answered; he was out shopping with his sister.

Ying Zhiyu’s voice sounded somewhat distant: "I wanted to ask if Director Li has time to pick me up?"

Li Xi paused for a moment before realizing the Alpha might be drunk.

"Did you drink?" he asked, rising from the sofa near the fitting room and walking outside.

Ying Zhiyu made a muffled sound over the phone, which Li Xi couldn’t quite make out.

Ying Zhiyu said, "I drank, but I’m not drunk."

Li Xi didn’t ask further and simply said, "Give me the address."

Coincidentally, Li Xi was already nearby, not far from where Ying Zhiyu’s lab gathering was taking place.

Li Xi parked his car at the hotel entrance.

He called Ying Zhiyu again.

When Ying Zhiyu answered, the speaker was filled with noisy, overlapping voices, as if many people were around.

Li Xi asked, "Can you come down on your own, or should I send the driver up to get you?"

Ying Zhiyu replied over the phone, "Can you come up to get me?"

Li Xi fell silent.

He wondered if he had misheard the Alpha. Hadn’t Ying Zhiyu kept his marriage a secret at school?

He thought… Ying Zhiyu probably wouldn’t want him to appear in such a setting.

But when Li Xi didn’t respond, the Alpha asked again, "Is that okay?"

This time, Li Xi didn’t hesitate: "Okay."

When Li Xi quickly reached the restaurant floor Ying Zhiyu had mentioned, he found the Alpha—whom he had imagined "too drunk to function"—standing perfectly fine by the elevator in the hallway.

The moment the elevator doors opened, Li Xi paused slightly.

Ying Zhiyu smiled and reached out to Li Xi inside the elevator: "You’re here."

So Li Xi stepped out and instinctively walked toward the Alpha.

As the elevator doors closed behind him, Li Xi immediately noticed the ring on Ying Zhiyu’s finger when he took his hand.

He froze for a second, looking down at the ring on Ying Zhiyu’s hand.

Ying Zhiyu held Li Xi’s hand and asked, "My lab mentors would like to meet you. Are you willing to see them?"

Li Xi was silent for a moment.

Ying Zhiyu said, "You don’t have to feel pressured. It’s fine if you’d rather not. I asked you to come up because—"

Before Ying Zhiyu could finish, Li Xi looked up and asked directly, "Which hall?"

Ying Zhiyu paused. "I’ll take you."

So, when Ying Zhiyu led Li Xi back to the banquet hall where the gathering was held…

As the heir to a world-class business conglomerate who had experienced countless major occasions, Ying Zhiyu knew Li Xi wasn’t fond of socializing.

But when it was necessary, Li Xi’s social skills were second to none.

Without even waiting for Ying Zhiyu to introduce him, Li Xi politely and appropriately greeted the professors, faculty, and classmates from the School of Biology at Biomedical University and introduced himself.

In truth, he didn’t need to introduce himself—some had already recognized Li Xi.

He was just too well-known. Research on pheromones is inherently closely related to biology, so even senior scholars who don’t follow business and finance news were quite familiar with him.

Li Xi turned and whispered, and asked Ying Zhiyu, "Where is your wine glass?"

Ying Zhiyu pointed to an empty seat at one of the dining tables.

Li Xi walked over and poured a glass of wine for the empty glass in front of the seat.

"Ying Zhiyu isn’t feeling well today, so I’ll see him home first. Let me raise a glass to everyone—thank you all for taking care of Zhiyu over the years."