Chapter 18 Looks Like Cheating

Chapter 18: This Feels Like Cheating

Lin Qiu was, of course, summoned by Lin Juangui’s Uncle Tang.

By the time Lin Juangui returned to his office, Lin Qiu was already seated in the chairman’s seat, gazing out the window as if wistfully recalling the days when he held absolute authority in the company just a few months prior.

When Lin Juangui appeared, however, Lin Qiu’s expression instantly shifted to one of bitter resentment, as though Lin Juangui had deeply wronged him.

“What do you want?” Lin Juangui cut to the chase.

Annoyed by Lin Juangui’s bluntness, Lin Qiu’s eyebrows shot up, his temper flaring easily. “Now that you have a powerful backer, you think you can throw your weight around?!”

“If you have nothing important to say, get out.” Lin Juangui opened the door and said to Qu Yang outside, “Ask logistics to bring in a new chair later.”

Lin Qiu slammed the table and stood up angrily. “Lin Juangui! Do you even respect your own father? Aren’t you and Mu Zhang married? Since you’re married, why not just live your lives peacefully? Why did you have to take over Lin Corp? What has the Lin family ever owed you?”

Lin Juangui swung the door wide open, unbothered by airing their dirty laundry in public. “By your logic, once I got married, I was no longer a member of the Lin family? No wonder you had no qualms about trading me for the company’s future. Mu Zhang simply transferred all his shares to me. Without him, Lin Corp would already be bankrupt today. How dare you still sit here and accuse me?”

Lin Juangui's words seemed to strike a raw nerve in Lin Qiu. Watching as Lin Juangui left the office door wide open, he spoke with caution, “I’m just worried you can’t manage the company properly. Why act on impulse? If I run the company well, wouldn’t you also gain face in front of Mu Zhang?”

Lin Corp had been stagnant for years. After taking over the family business from his father, Lin Qiu had no ambition to expand it further, content merely to keep it afloat.

Over the past decade, he had rarely made major mistakes. But humans are creatures of desire, and gambling for high stakes is every gambler’s dream—and bad habit.

Lin Qiu had his wins and losses over the years, gradually becoming absorbed in the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, paying less and less attention to the company.

This time, Mu Zhang’s investment was an opportunity Lin Qiu had longed for. Yet before he could even make a move, Lin Juangui stripped him of power. How could he possibly accept it?

Lin Juangui saw through Lin Qiu’s unspoken resentment. Leaning casually against the door, he appeared relaxed, as if chatting about everyday matters, but his words were sharp as knives.

“You think you can run the company well? Unlikely. If you go and buy another useless planet like before, you’d only use our family ties to make me beg Mu Zhang for another investment, only to lose it all again.”

Seeing Lin Qiu standing there speechless, Lin Juangui remained calm. “That’s enough, isn’t it? I recall sending gifts home yesterday. Why didn’t you call to thank me or invite me back for a meal? You didn’t even ask how I’m doing with Mu Zhang. Instead, the moment someone tattles, you come here to accuse me and assume I can’t manage the company. It hurts—have you ever really treated me as family?”

Of course not.

Lin Juangui was merely a bargaining chip in a transaction. Lin Qiu’s accusations were nothing but the impotent rage of someone who could no longer control that chip.

It wasn’t until Lin Qiu was carried out by security that he found the words to retaliate, shouting about Lin Juangui’s lack of filial piety. His voice grew fainter and fainter until it could no longer be heard.

Nearby employees, who had been eagerly watching the drama, saw the entire dispute between the Lin father and son.

Though Lin Juangui’s management style was decisive and forceful, he had at least forced several incompetent and overly bureaucratic executives to resign voluntarily. Removing such toxic elements so efficiently proved that this young Chairman Lin was no ordinary person.

Lin Juangui waited until the logistics department delivered a new chair before closing his office door.

[The Specter] applauded Lin Juangui, “Well done, absolutely brilliant.”

Some things feel wrong when you do them yourself, but watching someone else do them brings a sense of vindication.

Didn’t [The Specter] know how unfair his parents were when they sent him to art school? He knew.

But years of conditioning had locked his mind into submission. Even if he wanted to rebel, he could never bring himself to commit such an “unfilial” act.

Lin Juangui felt no smug satisfaction from winning the argument. Instead, he asked [The Specter], “I recall you managed to gather some people to work for you later on. Give me some hints—I need to recruit.”

“What kind of people?” [The Specter] smiled, pointing to his own gland. “I attracted them with this. Now everyone knows you’re married to Mu Zhang. Using pheromones… is risky.”

Lin Juangui didn’t care about that. He only wanted to know what use those people could be and filter out the ones he needed.

But after hearing [The Specter]’s summary, he made a complicated expression.

[The Specter] felt the same guilt as a student whose work fails to meet their advisor’s standards.

Those attracted by pheromones were unlikely to be key figures—at best, they were cannon fodder like [The Specter] himself, the kind who would scatter at the first sign of trouble.

Lin Juangui took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead. Regardless, he still had to try his luck.

He called Qu Yang into his office. When she asked for instructions, Lin Juangui gestured for her to sit first.

Uncertain of what her new boss wanted, Qu Yang was visibly nervous, her hands resting on her knees in a stiff, formal posture.

“We’ll be working together from now on. How about we get to know each other?”

Lin Juangui smiled amiably, pouring a cup of coffee and placing it in front of her.

Qu Yang swallowed nervously.

She had to admit Lin Juangui was extremely handsome, but she preferred pretty older sisters—she couldn’t let herself be swayed!

Qu Yang proactively “confessed” her entire employment history.

She was a female Beta. After graduating, she happened to apply during a Lin Corp recruitment drive, submitted her resume, passed the interview, and started working directly. She had previously been an assistant to one of the company’s vice presidents and had just completed her first year.

Lin Juangui suddenly asked Qu Yang if she found work exhausting.

Qu Yang was taken aback, sensing a trap in the question, and hesitated over how to respond.

But Lin Juangui told her to relax. “I believe in rewarding merit and penalizing failures. I’m not one to make empty promises to subordinates. Being my assistant will definitely keep you busy, and you’ll have to be on call whenever I need you. In other words, your personal time will shrink. But I can guarantee your performance bonuses and year-end rewards will be more than satisfactory. If you feel you can’t handle it, just say so. I’m quite reasonable—no need to feel pressured.”

Thinking of Lin Juangui’s sharp management style since arriving at the company, contrasted with his young and handsome face, a wave of cognitive dissonance hit Qu Yang.

She had always been somewhat lazy, but this was an opportunity too good to pass up. Suddenly feeling motivated, Qu Yang said, “Don’t worry, I’ll work hard and learn whatever I don’t know.”

Lin Juangui nodded with a smile, then suddenly gestured for Qu Yang to lean closer and gave her some instructions in a low voice.

Though Qu Yang didn’t fully understand her boss’s intentions, she confidently replied, “I’ll make the arrangements.”

That evening, Lin Juangui sat on the sofa in his hotel room, browsing a shopping platform.

He bought a few items, and the delivery robot arrived half an hour later.

The bodyguards sent by Butler Yang remained stationed outside, dutiful as ever. After pouring juice onto the bed, Lin Juangui called for room service.

Over the past few days, Lin Juangui had been observing the hotel’s layout and staff rotations. Services like room maintenance were handled by categories—soaking the bedding would prompt a robot to arrive with a cart to assist.

Once Lin Juangui successfully hid himself in the cart piled with linens and left the hotel, Qu Yang sent him a message confirming that a flight had been booked and they could depart at any time.

Watching everything unfold, [The Specter] remarked abruptly, “Sneaking around like this… it feels like you’re about to cheat.”

Lin Juangui shot him a glance, and [The Specter] mimed zipping his lips shut.

Whether it was cheating or not, no one really cared—Mu Zhang and Lin Juangui were contractual partners, after all.

To avoid putting himself at a moral disadvantage, Mu Zhang hadn’t even stipulated in the contract that both parties were forbidden from interacting with other Alphas or Omegas during the agreement.

It was a loophole Mu Zhang left open for himself and Mu Yuanqing—much like how unstated rules in a game can always be exploited.

If Mu Zhang and Mu Yuanqing end up together in the future, Lin Juangui can only stand by and watch, powerless.

Mu Zhang would likely be furious that Lin Juangui used the bug before he could. Lin Juangui had encountered many such double-standard people and had considered the consequences of being discovered by Mu Zhang, but he had to find out what was really on P-L79.

His intuition told him that the Lin family's predicament was no accident. Having been the one to set traps for others in the past, he was all too familiar with such tactics.

However, it was still too early to draw conclusions—more detailed investigation and evidence were needed to confirm his suspicions.

After meeting up with Qu Yang, Lin Juangui programmed the route to Pifeng Star.

Qu Yang didn’t quite understand what Lin Juangui was up to and asked quietly, "What made you think of going to Pifeng Star?"

Though the name "Pifeng Star" sounded elegant, it was actually a lawless planet with no overseer.

There was no daylight here—only dazzling neon lights everywhere. The bar street was the liveliest area, where you could easily spot drunks and people sleeping rough on the streets.

Lin Juangui opened his bag, took out a newly purchased blazer, and put it on. He instructed Qu Yang, "Just stay here. I need to meet someone for something important to the company. I’ll text you when it’s over."

Qu Yang’s expression was a picture.

The blazer was so loud it nearly blinded her.

If Lin Juangui hadn’t said he was here for the company, Qu Yang would have thought he’d come to Pifeng Star to hook up.

She took out the inhibitor patch Lin Juangui had asked her to buy earlier and handed it to him. "This is what you told me to get."

Bars are a mixed bag, with all kinds of pheromones mixing together. As an Omega, even if Lin Juangui was prepared to throw himself to the wolves, he still had to do everything he could to ensure his safety.

Pifeng Star was close to Wuying Star. As soon as Lin Juangui got off the aircraft, he followed the coordinates given by Lin Juangui and found a bar called "All Beings."

The lighting inside was dim, and the air was thick with the complex mix of pheromones and alcohol.

The bar’s neon sign flickered on and off outside. People of all kinds came and went—some dressed exquisitely and beautifully, others looking like down-and-out drunks.

Lin Juangui was reminded of the retro streets he’d seen in old films.

Various pheromones irritated his glands. Before arriving, he had already removed his inhibitor patch.

Since he had decided to use his pheromones as bait, he couldn’t afford to act too reserved.

Once inside the bar, Lin Juangui took a seat at the central bar and ordered a glass of sangria.

The bartender, noticing Lin Juangui’s youthful appearance, smiled and asked if he was old enough.

Lin Juangui quirked a lip in a humorless smile. "Do you serve minors here?"

"..."

The bartender didn’t say another word. He could tell from Lin Juangui’s dismissive expression that he was a seasoned nightlife veteran.

Lin Juangui drank five glasses in a row, each stronger than the last.

Within half an hour, the whole bar knew there was an Omega there drinking to forget.

It was rare for Omegas to frequent bars—they were widely seen as "goody-two-shoes." An Omega’s pheromones were more intoxicating than liquor, attracting plenty of attention.

An Alpha came over and asked Lin Juangui if he wanted to swap info. Lin Juangui squinted and wagged his index finger. "I have an Alpha."

It was an unwritten rule among Alphas not to mess with an Omega who already had an Alpha.

However, there were still those who weren't afraid of trouble. Seeing that Lin Juangui was so drunk he was barely conscious, someone quietly slipped a hand onto his shoulder.

He met with a dislocated wrist.

Lin Juangui only heard a pained scream.

He cracked his eyes open and saw an intimidating-looking Alpha picking up the glass Lin Juangui had just finished, his expression seemingly nostalgic. "So you're the one who ordered the 'Whisper' drink?"

"Yes."

The fish he was trying to hook had bitten.

Author's note:

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