Chapter 29

Third Prince Li had asked Li Xi to come upstairs tonight, actually to request honeymoon leave.

Li Xi's assistant, Zhang Jingrui, was remarkably efficient. Last night, Li Xi had only just mentioned the honeymoon, and by noon today, Zhang Jingrui had already sent three consolidated domestic honeymoon itineraries to Ying Zhiyu's email.

The three plans were distinct in style, with significant differences in their focus and conceptualization of a honeymoon trip.

Ying Zhiyu suspected that several custom travel agencies were likely working on these proposals simultaneously.

Considering he had only mentioned yesterday that he couldn’t leave the country recently, and today domestic honeymoon plans were already prepared, it was easy to deduce that this matter had been initiated much earlier than he had imagined.

Moreover, it was probably quite urgent.

At the very least, Li Xi’s personal assistant, Zhang Jingrui, perceived the matter as urgent.

Ying Zhiyu thought that perhaps, with the board of directors issue settled for now, Li Xi had some free time, making his schedule more flexible.

Although Li Xi himself hadn’t explicitly stated it, Zhang Jingrui subconsciously felt it would be best if the honeymoon could take place during this period.

Even better if it could happen as soon as possible.

Given this, Ying Zhiyu’s request for leave from his mentor should also be put on the agenda.

He had just revealed his marriage at the dinner. Originally, when he asked Li Xi to come upstairs, he hadn’t intended to introduce Li Xi directly to his lab professors.

After all, Li Xi’s identity was unique. If Ying Zhiyu wanted to focus on his research peacefully during the remaining two years of his Ph.D. at Biomedical University, the benefits of keeping their marriage private outweighed making it public.

However, this thought changed the moment he saw Li Xi through the slowly opening elevator doors.

He had initially only wanted a hint of Li Xi’s pheromones to later confirm his married status to his mentor, making it easier to smoothly request honeymoon leave.

But the instant he saw Li Xi at the elevator entrance, he noticed the other wearing his own shirt.

On a whim, Ying Zhiyu suddenly changed his mind.

He asked Li Xi if he wished to meet his mentor.

And so, Li Xi ended up toasting everyone in the biology department.

On the way home, after they got into the car, Li Xi checked Ying Zhiyu’s forehead temperature with the back of his hand: "Are you feeling unwell?"

He hadn’t fastened his seatbelt yet. Ying Zhiyu shook his head, gesturing for him to buckle up first.

Once Li Xi had fastened his seatbelt, the car smoothly pulled onto the road.

Ying Zhiyu explained with amusement: "My alcohol tolerance isn’t actually that bad. Besides, I wasn’t the main focus today—they weren’t trying to get me drunk."

Every social circle has its own rules. Ying Zhiyu’s approach to socializing was to neither stand out nor be too unconventional.

So, if there was alcohol, he would drink it. Blending in a little meant others were less likely to notice him.

Li Xi pressed his lips together and said, "Even if they tried to force you, you could have refused."

He clearly disapproved of an Alpha drinking during their rut.

Ying Zhiyu laughed at this: "Okay, I understand."

From now on, with a powerful figure like Li Xi backing him, even those who harbored subtle hostility toward Ying Zhiyu—like the Alpha doctoral student at tonight’s dinner—would have to give him a wide berth.

Who would dare pressure him to drink?

When they got home, Ying Zhiyu wanted to shower first.

Li Xi stopped him and asked, "Can you manage on your own?"

Ying Zhiyu turned back, his gaze peculiar: "If not, are you going to help me shower?"

Alcohol can stimulate the rut, but from the Alpha’s expression, Li Xi couldn’t discern that Ying Zhiyu was too drunk to manage himself.

He moved aside.

As Ying Zhiyu entered the bathroom, Li Xi stood at the doorway and added, "Leave the door open."

Ying Zhiyu replied, "Okay."

He took off his shirt, then heard another reminder from the doorway: "And don’t use the bathtub."

A faint smile flickered in Ying Zhiyu’s eyes, but he still replied, "Okay."

After washing off the smell of alcohol, Ying Zhiyu stepped out of the bathroom.

No one was in the room. He walked out and saw the lights on in the open-plan kitchen.

Ying Zhiyu walked over and saw a plate on the counter in front of Li Xi, with a whole, peeled banana on it.

Meanwhile, Li Xi was squeezing honey into a cup.

"Need any help?" Ying Zhiyu stood outside the kitchen island, casually reminding, "Don’t burn yourself."

Li Xi looked up, his expression seemingly quite exasperated.

He emphasized first: "I’m not that helpless!"

After preparing the honey water, he turned and placed the plate with the banana and the honey water on the kitchen island.

The two stood on opposite sides of the island. Once Ying Zhiyu picked up the honey water and took a sip, Li Xi said, "It’s common knowledge that honey should only be mixed with warm water."

Ying Zhiyu set down the cup and smiled, "Mmm, my apologies, Director Li, I underestimated you."

Li Xi: "..."

Watching Ying Zhiyu pick up a fork and divide the peeled banana into several sections, Li Xi then realized he should have cut the banana into smaller pieces first.

Not missing the quick flash of regret on the other’s face, Ying Zhiyu speared a piece of banana and echoed Li Xi’s earlier words.

"I can take care of myself too."

Meaning, he could handle dividing a whole banana himself—it didn’t require troubling Li Xi, nor was it worth the other’s regret.

However, Third Prince Li, who had always held himself to extremely high standards in everything since childhood, didn’t see it that way.

When it came to household matters, this wasn’t the first time the Alpha had shown concern about his capabilities.

Last time at the Ying family home, when Ying Zhiyu’s sister dropped and shattered a bowl of rice, Li Xi had wanted to crouch down and help but was quickly pulled to his feet by the Alpha who rushed over.

Ying Zhiyu lowered his head to eat the banana while noticing Li Xi staring intently at him.

He speared a piece of banana, looked up, and asked, "Want some?"

Li Xi looked at Ying Zhiyu with a complex expression: "Am I really that incompetent at daily life tasks?"

Probably no other newlywed Omega was like him.

He even forgot to slice a banana, and Ying Zhiyu had to worry about him getting scalded while making honey water.

Ying Zhiyu didn’t answer Li Xi’s question right away.

From what he knew, Li Xi had indeed never done household chores.

In his previous life, Li Xi had never even used a microwave. Even when he studied abroad alone, he was accompanied and cared for by a personal butler the entire time.

And that butler happened to be Zhou Shen, who was now the head butler of the Li family.

Back then, Li Xi went abroad to study at a young age, and Zhou Shen had just graduated from university and began working for the Li family.

Li Songqian sent Zhou Shen abroad with Li Xi.

Zhou Shen was known for being thorough and dependable. He cared for Li Xi personally for ten years overseas until Li Xi graduated from university. When the old butler of the Li family was about to retire due to old age, Li Songqian recalled Zhou Shen, who had performed excellently over the past decade, back to China.

As for Li Xi, who continued his postgraduate studies abroad, a new caretaker was arranged for him, also personally selected by Zhou Shen.

So, it was no exaggeration to say that Li Xi had never lifted a finger for household chores all these years.

However, not doing household chores didn’t mean he was helpless with daily tasks.

Moreover, given Li Xi’s family background, he never needed to trouble himself with mundane affairs.

Ying Zhiyu put a piece of banana in Li Xi’s mouth.

The person who suddenly had a banana shoved into his mouth was clearly surprised.

Ying Zhiyu smiled. The warm pendant lights of the open kitchen reflected in his eyes, appearing to show a hint of tender affection.

He said, "There’s no need to waste energy on things you’ll never need in your life. You’re perfectly fine as you are now."

The Alpha always seemed to guess what was on Li Xi’s mind.

He had just begun to wonder whether he should methodically learn basic life skills when Ying Zhiyu’s remark about "things you’ll never need in your life" quickly suppressed that uncertain thought.

He had been overcomplicating things.

Everyone has their strengths, and wasting time on things that don’t suit you is wasting your life.

-

Ying Zhiyu’s rut hadn’t ended yet, and he had drunk alcohol that evening.

The evening’s routine needed no explanation.

After finishing the honey water and having a light snack, the two wordlessly headed to the bedroom. Li Xi went to take a shower, while Ying Zhiyu brushed his teeth again in the adjoining area.

By the time Li Xi finished showering, Ying Zhiyu was already in bed, leaning against the headboard and apparently reviewing some documents on a tablet.

Li Xi walked over, and Ying Zhiyu put down the tablet, reaching out to him.

So, Li Xi settled into the Alpha’s arms.

Ying Zhiyu didn’t rush to mark him. Instead, he gently rubbed the back of Li Xi’s neck with his thumb.

The night before, during his rut, he had lost control somewhat, leaving several bite marks on the side of Li Xi’s neck.

Ying Zhiyu’s fingers traced those bite marks as he leaned close to Li Xi’s ear and whispered, "Why are you wearing my shirt?"

Hearing this, Li Xi stiffened.

He had thought the Alpha hadn’t noticed.

Seeing that Li Xi didn’t respond, Ying Zhiyu didn’t press the issue. After a while, he changed the subject.

"What were your original plans before I called you tonight?"

The popular hotel restaurant where Ying Zhiyu and the others dined that evening was neither close to Li Xi’s penthouse in the city center nor anywhere near the LI Group headquarters.

Given the heavy traffic on the commercial street that weekend, if Li Xi could get there within ten minutes of receiving the call, he must have already been nearby.

So, what had Li Xi been doing in the area at that time?

This question was easier to answer than the one about the shirt. Li Xi said frankly, "Not much. Li Yue made plans to have dinner with me, and after eating, I went shopping with her."

He paused, perhaps worried that Ying Zhiyu might misunderstand Li Yue’s feelings toward him, and added, "She actually invited you too."

He allowed the Alpha’s slightly calloused fingertips to continue rubbing the back of his neck. Thinking that Ying Zhiyu was preparing to bite him, Li Xi even lowered his head slightly in cooperation.

Ying Zhiyu hummed in acknowledgment above him.

As he traced the bite marks, he thought to himself that in this lifetime, Li Xi seemed to have always been accommodating toward him.

The unmentioned birthday celebration preparations, eating unfamiliar food at his house, the cake discovered in the fridge the next morning—moving, the honeymoon, and so on.

And now, Ying Zhiyu realized that beyond accommodation, there was even greater indulgence.

Because he had a gathering, Li Xi hadn’t even brought up his sister’s invitation.

Being repeatedly marked outside of his heat, with his most vulnerable neck exposed without defense—Ying Zhiyu, not being an Omega himself, couldn’t know how Li Xi truly felt.

But bearing the Alpha’s claiming bite marks during his rut and wearing his shirt, Li Xi had gone out to meet his sister like that…

Li Xi felt a warmth on the back of his neck as the Alpha’s teeth pierced his scent gland.

Ying Zhiyu had a dream.

He dreamed of the fifth year of his marriage to Li Xi in his previous life.

After a gathering with colleagues from the National Institute of Biological Sciences, a drunken Ying Zhiyu permanently marked Li Xi.

It happened to be Ying Zhiyu’s rut at the time, and Li Xi had been abroad on business for the group for over half a month.

Ying Zhiyu remembered lying in bed, unsure if he had forgotten to shower.

In his dazed state, he felt someone straddling him.

During that permanent marking, Ying Zhiyu, due to his drunkenness, had an intensified rut reaction, and many details were blurry.

But in this dream, Ying Zhiyu clearly saw that it was Li Xi who had actively embraced him.

Li Xi’s eyes were red, and throughout the entire marking process, he never took his eyes off Ying Zhiyu.

With those bloodshot eyes, he stared fixedly at him without blinking.

The day after the permanent mark, Li Xi had all their clothes from that night discarded.

Ying Zhiyu had thought at the time that it was an expression of Li Xi's revulsion toward that permanent mark.

However, when he re-examined that permanent mark through his dream,

he became certain Li Xi hadn't been coerced by him.

There were details he had overlooked.

In the dream, Ying Zhiyu scanned the pile of clothes being carried away by the housekeeping staff.

The alcohol...

Clothes...

Pheromones!

Ying Zhiyu suddenly woke up.

He opened his eyes and slowly and disbelievingly turned his head to look at Li Xi sleeping beside him.

At some point, the person who used to sleep strictly lying flat on his back had started trying to sleep on his side.

Li Xi was now facing Ying Zhiyu, his forehead gently pressed against Ying Zhiyu's left shoulder.

Though "pressed" wasn't entirely accurate either.

Li Xi's forehead wasn't actually touching Ying Zhiyu's shoulder; his head was merely close to Ying Zhiyu, without actual contact.

Was he trying to avoid disturbing his sleep?

Li Xi was lightly pushed awake.

He first frowned, his eyes shifting slowly beneath closed lids before snapping open.

Seeing Ying Zhiyu sitting beside him, Li Xi's first reaction was to ask, voice raspy, "Are you uncomfortable?"

He remembered that Ying Zhiyu had drunk alcohol that evening, but Ying Zhiyu shook his head: "I recalled something and was afraid I might forget, so I wanted to tell you now."

For an Alpha with a "photographic memory" to claim he was "afraid of forgetting" was rather illogical.

But Li Xi still sat up, his expression somewhat grave: "What is it?"

Ying Zhiyu had dreamed of that permanent mark from his past life and suddenly glimpsed a possibility.

In the fifth year of his marriage to Li Xi in his previous life, he joined a research institute's experimental team.

The primary research focus of that project was "artificial pheromones."

With the rapid development of the ABO society's economy, the birth rates of Alphas and Omegas were falling in inverse proportion.

The gender imbalance was growing more severe annually, with the birth rates of Alphas and Omegas declining year by year.

The government couldn't let this situation continue unchecked, which led to the "artificial pheromones" research project undertaken by the National Institute of Biological Sciences where Ying Zhiyu worked.

In fact, so-called "artificial pheromones" were somewhat similar to the "inducing agents" once banned by the state, which had been promoted by the LI Pheromone Group.

It was just a different name, making it seem more gentle and harmless.

But in essence, whether "artificial pheromones" or "inducing agents," both worked through external artificial means to temporarily boost pheromone compatibility between Alphas and Omegas during permanent marking within a short period.

As a member of the research project team, Ying Zhiyu was inevitably exposed to various pheromones during the research.

In fact, they themselves were also experimental subjects.

Ying Zhiyu had even used his own pheromones to try and research pheromones with high compatibility rates.

When he recalled this detail, many things that had been unclear before suddenly became clear.

Why didn't Li Xi resist that night?

There was a power gap between Alphas and Omegas, but between Ying Zhiyu and Li Xi, that was hardly an issue.

In terms of close combat, Li Xi, who had received professional training since childhood, could have easily restrained a drunk Ying Zhiyu.

Yet, he was marked by Ying Zhiyu.

Not only was he marked, but he also completed a permanent mark that required both parties' cooperation—a marking that involved penetration of the reproductive cavity.

After that accidental permanent mark with Li Xi, Ying Zhiyu felt some guilt toward Li Xi.

The research project itself was in direct competition with the pheromone products of the LI Group.

So, Ying Zhiyu actively withdrew from that laboratory project, which later led to his focus on the field of "AO genetic differentiation" in his later career development.

Ying Zhiyu looked at Li Xi and said, "My expertise is actually related to pheromone research as well."

Li Xi merely made a noncommittal sound, apparently surprised that this was how he would start the conversation.

Ying Zhiyu continued, "When conducting experiments, it's possible to come into contact with various pheromones. These pheromones aren't from any natural biological source but are just experimental samples, possibly even artificially synthesized."

Li Xi was startled, realizing that the Alpha might be referring to an experiment or research he was currently involved in.

He paused, then asked, "Can you tell me this? Isn't there a confidentiality agreement?"

Li Xi's identity was one of the heirs to the LI Pheromone Group, and what Ying Zhiyu was telling him seemed to involve matters related to its interests.

In his previous life, when Ying Zhiyu participated in that research project at the National Institute of Biological Sciences, there were indeed confidentiality agreements.

So, back then, from the moment he joined the project to when he voluntarily left, he never mentioned a word of it to Li Xi.

But now, he hadn't actually joined that research project yet—in fact, the project itself didn't even exist at this point—so there was no issue of confidentiality or leakage.

Moreover, Ying Zhiyu now felt able to cautiously approach this topic with Li Xi.

This was based on his judgment and understanding of Li Xi, accumulated over two lifetimes.

Li Xi's desire to take over the LI Group was definitely not solely for vast wealth or supreme power.

By uncovering the reason for the distant relationship between Li Xi and his Alpha father, Li Songqian, in this lifetime, Ying Zhiyu could roughly infer that Li Xi's motivation for taking over the LI Group was likely related to his deceased Omega mother.

Li Xi might be a born businessman.

But beneath his businessman facade, despite facing immense social pressure and the constant risk of being attacked or assassinated by extremist Alpha factions—

was Li Xi truly only in it for profit and money?

Did he not already have enough money? Could he ever spend it all?

"It's alright." Ying Zhiyu shook his head. "I just wanted to let you know that my field of expertise is directly related to pheromones. If you ever smell anyone else's pheromones on me in the future—whether from an Alpha, an Omega, or even a 100% compatibility match—"

"If you have any questions at all, just ask me directly."

On second thought, Ying Zhiyu felt that since he and Li Xi were already in a public relationship in this lifetime, even if he were to join the National Institute of Biological Sciences again in the future, this research project would still be there.

It was also unlikely that the leadership of the National Institute of Biological Sciences would approach him to participate again.

So, Ying Zhiyu added, "But my status is indeed sensitive, so I’ll try my best to avoid involvement in related matters from now on…"

Before Ying Zhiyu could finish, Li Xi straightened up and cut him off decisively: "You should keep researching whatever you like."

Li Xi was perceptive. Just from Ying Zhiyu’s mention of pheromone research, he immediately understood that it must be related to a research project at their Biomedical University laboratory involving pheromones and pheromone-based products or medications.

"LI can't maintain its monopoly forever."

Li Xi wasn’t surprised that other labs were conducting research on pheromone pharmaceuticals. In fact, it was an open secret—the government wouldn’t want a single corporation to monopolize the pheromone market.

However, over the years, what other private labs developed was far inferior to those of the Li Pheromone Laboratory, making them unable to pose any real competition.

After a moment of thought, Li Xi added, "But we’ll need to hide this from Dad."

"Li Qin and Li Lv will also have people watching you. I’ll be careful to cover for you."