Chapter 19 Airtight Surveillance

Chapter 19: Airtight Surveillance

Rong Rui noticed Lin Juangui the moment he entered the bar.

The Omega wore a flamboyant jacket, and his appearance alone suggested he was anything but well-behaved. Clearly, he was there to drown his sorrows, oblivious to the dangers lurking around him.

Initially, Rong Rui wasn't particularly interested in Lin Juangui. He had seen countless Omegas like him—reckless individuals who invited trouble without a thought for their safety. Rong Rui was no saint; he had no desire to be anyone's life coach.

That changed when the bartender informed him that Lin Juangui had ordered a "Whisper."

This drink held special significance for Rong Rui. Its name was discreetly placed on the menu, but anyone who ordered it would receive Rong Rui's personalized company, tailored to their current state.

Before Rong Rui could approach, Lin Juangui downed the drink the bartender served in one gulp.

Rong Rui had no choice but to intervene, shooing away the bothersome Alphas circling Lin Juangui. It was then that he caught a whiff of a deeply nostalgic floral and fruity scent.

It wasn't the aroma of "Whisper"—it was the pheromones emanating from Lin Juangui himself.

When Rong Rui spoke to Lin Juangui, he deliberately softened his tone, a stark contrast to his rugged and imposing demeanor.

Lin Juangui’s cheeks were flushed with an inviting pink hue. Under the bar's dim lights, he exuded an alluring charm, as if inviting someone to pluck him.

"From the look in your eyes, this drink must be very special to you."

As the Omega tilted his head back, a tear slipped from the corner of his eye, falling onto the bar like a pearl before shattering into shimmering, multi-colored fragments.

Rong Rui couldn't quite articulate the feeling.

Even as he wept, Lin Juangui’s expression remained impassive. His ink-wash-painting-like eyebrows and eyes blurred in the halo of light, his half-closed lids giving Rong Rui a sense of cool elegance.

This was truly fascinating.

The Alpha sat beside Lin Juangui, resting his arm on the bar, making sure the scars on it were visible.

"Omegas rarely come here, and I've never seen one with such a high alcohol tolerance. I heard you already have an Alpha—what, heartbroken?"

Lin Juangui shook his head. "No, I'm just... a little sad."

The Omega took a deep breath, leaving his sentence deliberately unfinished. He tapped the drink menu on the table with his fingertip, as if pondering his next order.

Lin Juangui’s alcohol tolerance was indeed impressive; he could outdrink his office colleagues, calmly arrange their rides home, and only then pass out himself.

But now, his body was nearing its limit. Maintaining coherence was a struggle.

Rong Rui could tell Lin Juangui was pushing himself. He told him to stop ordering drinks. "Aren't you afraid your Alpha will find out you're in a place like this?"

Lin Juangui laughed. "Why should I care? He wouldn't show up anyway."

"Why?" Rong Rui didn't understand.

The Omega before him was practically perfect—height, looks, pheromones—all top-tier. Could any Alpha be so blind as to think such an Omega wasn't good enough?

But Lin Juangui fell silent. He sniffled, stood up, paid his tab using his light brain, and announced he was leaving.

Rong Rui quickly stopped him. "You came here for me today, didn't you? You're leaving without even saying what you want me to do? It seems you want us both to be disappointed."

Whether it was the "Whisper" or the familiar pheromones, Rong Rui, with his years of experience, could easily discern that Lin Juangui was deliberately approaching him.

Lin Juangui turned around, the drunken haze in his eyes mostly cleared.

"I do have business I'd like to discuss with Boss Rong."

Rong Rui wore an "I knew it" expression, though his curiosity only deepened.

He never imagined this Omega would go to such lengths just to discuss business. It had genuinely piqued his interest.

Rong Rui stood up and gestured for him to follow. "Let's go upstairs. It's quieter there."

-

Qu Yang had been waiting in the aircraft for hours. The night was almost over.

Although Pifeng Star had no concept of daytime, she was still worried that Lin Juangui, as an Omega, might encounter danger.

But Lin Juangui had told her to wait in the aircraft, so Qu Yang dutifully stayed put, ready to assist him.

What should she do in this situation? Qu Yang decided to send Lin Juangui a message to confirm his safety.

After all, Lin Juangui was an Omega. If anything happened to him, Qu Yang wouldn't be able to escape responsibility. She couldn't take that risk.

Five minutes later, Qu Yang received a message from Lin Juangui assuring her he was safe. She finally felt a bit relieved.

Rong Rui thought it might be Lin Juangui’s Alpha checking up on him and teased, "Should we reconsider this business deal?"

"My terms are steep. Whatever is on that planet, I want 30%."

Though Lin Juangui’s face was flushed from drinking and he appeared disoriented, his mind remained remarkably sharp.

The Omega leaned lazily on the sofa, letting out a slight hiccup, his speech slurred with intoxication. "Boss Rong, you've got some nerve. Aren't you afraid of losing out? If P-L79 has nothing, you'd only get three dollars out of ten. That's hardly worth it."

Rong Rui wasn't buying Lin Juangui's story. "If there's nothing there, why would you waste your time and energy? Hiring an exploration team isn't cheap."

Lin Juangui lifted his head, sitting up straighter. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "Some things don't need to succeed—just doing them is enough to silence a lot of people. So what if that planet is barren? At least I tried. Who can criticize me? That's why I came to you, Boss Rong. I need to prove my capabilities. But seeing how hesitant you are, do you really not want to earn this money? I can add 30% to your asking price. That's the utmost sincerity I can offer."

Rong Rui felt Lin Juangui wasn't being entirely truthful. Though Lin Juangui now presented himself as a careless spendthrift, Rong Rui suspected he had ulterior motives.

The floral and fruity scent emanating from Lin Juangui still intoxicated Rong Rui. Even as he tried to think rationally, years of longing for his lost partner clouded his judgment. It had been a long time since he’d felt so at ease and relaxed.

Rong Rui was an Alpha who had lost his Omega. After his partner died in battle, he left the military.

Though he was heartbroken and bore many scars, he had friends who stood by him. Together, they formed a renowned exploration team, mostly composed of veterans, which had gained quite a reputation across the galaxy over the years.

His partner’s pheromones had a unique scent. Rong Rui had tried many methods to replicate it but failed. "Whisper" was the closest he’d come—a drink that mimicked his partner’s scent—but he could never quite capture that elusive floral note.

Until he met Lin Juangui.

Rong Rui knew that even if this Omega already had an Alpha, he couldn’t let him go easily.

After all, he might never again encounter pheromones so reminiscent of his lost partner.

So, after some thought, Rong Rui agreed. However, he didn’t take the extra 30% Lin Juangui offered. Instead, he proposed another condition.

"The bar is too noisy. There’s a private winery nearby. How about we continue our discussion there?"

Even a fool could understand Rong Rui’s implication. Lin Juangui stood up and smiled at him. "Boss Rong, you know I have a partner."

Rong Rui shrugged indifferently. "So what? Didn’t you also remove your inhibitor patch before coming to see me? We can enjoy some drinks, chat, and you’ll save a fortune. Isn’t that a tempting deal?"

"It is tempting, but I need to head back soon. Next time—I’ll join the exploration team when it sets out."

Seeing that Lin Juangui did not directly refuse, Rong Rui knew it was time to back off. "Alright, I'll have my people prepare as soon as possible."

Rong Rui was someone Lin Juangui had vetted and considered competent enough to be useful.

Although Rong Rui had cut ties cleanly after Lin Juangui’s failed attempt to deal with Mu Zhang, Lin Juangui considered it an understandable human behavior.

He had no intention of letting Rong Rui interfere too much in his affairs. They would work together when there was business to be done, and go their separate ways when there wasn’t—such relationships were common in the business world.

As Lin Juangui had mentioned, Rong Rui was an Alpha heavily dependent on Lin Juangui's pheromones.

Rong Rui’s mate had a very unique pheromone scent, with a floral note from a particularly rare and difficult-to-cultivate flower that grew on extremely high mountain peaks.

Lin Juangui’s appearance was a godsend for Rong Rui. Since the other party needed his help, he certainly wouldn’t miss this rare opportunity.

By the time they returned to Mist Glow Star, it was already morning. Lin Juangui told Qu Yang to go rest first, while he himself returned to the Lin Group office.

The bodyguards at the hotel were in a panic after losing track of Lin Juangui. Upon learning that he was at the company, they rushed over immediately.

Having stayed up all night and had quite a lot to drink, Lin Juangui was now sleeping soundly in his office.

His Omega constitution no longer allowed him to burn the candle at both ends like he used to. He needed sufficient rest to maintain the energy to think clearly.

He woke up four hours later, leaning back on the sofa and gazing absently out of the floor-to-ceiling window in his office.

One of the bodyguards quietly cracked open the door to check if Lin Juangui was awake. Seeing him sitting up, the guard asked softly, "You’re awake. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Lin Juangui glanced back. The speaker was the captain of the bodyguard team, who felt deeply ashamed that his subordinates had failed to notice Lin Juangui leaving the hotel.

If anything had happened to Lin Juangui, he would have been fully responsible.

"Do you have any hangover medicine?" Lin Juangui rubbed his forehead, looking uncomfortable.

The bodyguard soon returned with a glass of water and hangover pills. Crouching, he handed them to Lin Juangui and asked how he had managed to leave while Lin Juangui took the medicine.

Lin Juangui said dismissively, "I just walked out the door. I wasn’t in a good mood, so I went to a bar for a drink."

"In the future, it would be best to let us accompany you wherever you go. At the very least, we can ensure your safety."

"Yeah, got it."

Seeing Lin Juangui so compliant, the bodyguard didn't press further. However, after this incident, they intensified their patrols and monitoring, keeping a tight watch on Lin Juangui.

Although this was precisely why Butler Yang had assigned the bodyguards, Lin Juangui still felt uncomfortable with the arrangement.

Even though Lin Juangui had removed several top executives from the Lin Group, P-L79 remained a persistent worry for many. To address this, Lin Juangui called a special meeting.

His stance was clear: the Lin Group couldn’t hold onto this planet indefinitely—they needed to pivot to new opportunities.

"Personally, I believe it’s best to sell P-L79 as soon as possible. This way, we can cut our losses."

Lin Juangui’s decision was undoubtedly sound, but internal factions within the company had conflicting interests, and many were still looking out for their own gains.

A director surnamed Liu stood up, putting on a concerned expression. "What if we hire an external exploration team to take another look?"

"I’ve consulted with experts. Exploration teams are expensive. If they actually find something, it would certainly benefit the Lin Group. But if they find nothing, the company can’t afford to bear such sunk cost."

"..."

No one was running a charity, and with so many employees depending on the Lin Group, taking the risk of further investment in P-L79 would be more trouble than it's worth.

The meeting ended inconclusively. Observing everyone’s reactions, Lin Juangui left the Lin Group and called Zhuang Xi.

"Brother Zhuang, how have you been lately? There’s something I’d like to ask you. Do you have time now?"