Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Yang Bai gazed longingly at Peony's retreating figure, craning his neck like a turtle.

Yan Gui watched his pathetic expression and teased, "You like her?"

Yang Bai's face flushed crimson inch by inch as if on fire. "She already has a boyfriend, and besides..." And besides, he was the Chairman of the International Alliance, powerful and influential, while Yang Bai was just a college student with a bank balance cleaner than his face.

Any fool would know how to choose.

"What's there to fear about the chairman of a struggling alliance?" Yan Gui wrapped an arm around Shen Hui's shoulder. "Wife, since our beloved son is experiencing his first crush, how about we kill the Chairman and snatch her for him?"

Thinking he was serious, Yang Bai shook his head in panic. "No, no, no! She'd hate me!"

"She wouldn't."

Shen Hui was the one who answered.

Yang Bai was stunned. "Bro?"

Yan Gui raised an eyebrow in amusement. "See, even your brother agrees. I'll just—"

Shen Hui ignored their banter, studying Nathan and Peony's backs intently. "They don't look like lovers."

Yang Bai was confused. "But Chairman Nathan introduced her as such, and Peony acknowledged it too."

Yan Gui grew interested. "Why do you say that?"

"Look at their posture."

To Yang Bai, the sight was merely an eyesore, but Yan Gui studied them seriously for a moment. "She's trained; she prefers using a blade, and a heavy one at that."

These days, with firearms rampant overseas, you rarely found someone so skilled with cold weapons.

"Nathan's hand isn't actually touching her waist; it's hovering protectively. This distance..." Shen Hui used Yan Gui for a demonstration, placing a hand lightly on his waist without making full contact.

Shen Hui's cool breath drifted closer with the faint distance, making Yan Gui's heart itch. He instinctively tried to press the hand firmly against him but missed, as Shen Hui had already withdrawn it.

"This often happens with couples who are together in appearance only." Yet Shen Hui was still puzzled. "But given Nathan's current status, why would he put on such an act?"

"Bro, you're amazing!" Yang Bai felt a renewed hope but was still confused. "But Bro, you've never been in a relationship either, so how do you know all this so clearly?"

Shen Hui: ...

Because a certain alpha clung to him like a stubborn plaster, wishing he could stick to him twenty-four hours a day.

Yan Gui was stunned by Yang Bai's logic. Looking at how intimately he was all but holding Shen Hui in his arms, he couldn't help but ask, "Then what do you think my relationship with your brother is?"

"Ah, aren't you brothers?"

Yan Gui: ...

He was incensed. Since entering the banquet, countless covetous and greedy eyes had been fixed on Shen Hui. The feeling of his treasure being eyed by others irritated him deeply, and this irritation peaked when Yang Bai also denied their relationship.

The young alpha urgently needed to assert ownership over his partner.

If it were the teenage Yan Gui, he would have likely gotten back at them on the sly. But now, as a top-tier alpha, he could do as he pleased without anyone daring to question him.

So he gritted his teeth, gripped Shen Hui's chin in front of Yang Bai and the crowd, and kissed him without hesitation. At the same time, his domineering pheromones precisely targeted the gland on Shen Hui's neck, forcibly compelling him to release his omega pheromones, which carried the mark of blazing fire.

The crisp yet gentle scent awakened and flowed through his entire body, enveloping the hall in a scorching blaze.

This time, every alpha caught the refreshing fragrance, like the first spring rain after a harsh winter—something delightful to chase and possess.

Every alpha in the room grew eager, wanting to claim this soft omega for themselves, to make him weep and surrender solely to them. Sharp pheromones clashed and fought, and the weaker alphas quickly succumbed.

The victor, brimming with triumph, moved to seize his "spring," but the moment he took a step forward, he froze on the spot. Then, writhing in agony, he collapsed to the ground, curling up and letting out a piercing scream.

"Hot! It's burning! Ah!"

The smell of burnt flesh emanated from his mouth and nose as he was scorched from the inside out.

Everyone in the room recoiled in horror, their eyes turning in unison to the instigator.

Yan Gui was quite satisfied with these fearful gazes and could feel Shen Hui's body, taut from the overwhelming pheromone stimulation, leaning into him.

It was Shen Hui's first time being besieged by alpha pheromones—that blazing, domineering scent intended to prove ownership of the omega to everyone.

But the one who suffered the most was indeed Shen Hui, who had already bonded. He was almost immediately dragged into heat, barely able to stand even with Yan Gui's support. His voice was thick and hoarse: "Take me back..."

Having achieved the desired result, Yan Gui swept him up into his arms and looked at the utterly dumbfounded Yang Bai. "Do you know what to call me from now on?"

Yang Bai instinctively replied, "Sister-in-law?"

Yan Gui's eyes flashed with killing intent.

"Dad!" Yang Bai swiftly corrected himself, then looked at his suffering brother with determination. "Mom!"

Only then did Yan Gui carry his prize away in triumph.

Yan Gui had come with the intention of sabotaging the alliance, and now that his presence was starting to take effect, he naturally wanted to reward himself.

From the very first second Shen Hui stepped into the crowd, Yan Gui had been extremely uncomfortable. Every gaze cast at Shen Hui felt like a needle pricking his sensitive, possessive heart—dense and painful.

He wanted Shen Hui to feel the same pain, so he used every means to drain Shen Hui's pheromones, each thrust precisely targeting the gland.

At first, Shen Hui would struggle violently, unable to endure, but Yan Gui would subdue him relentlessly, forcing him to accept helplessly until he completely broke.

It was like a tightly wrapped snow lotus on a mountain peak forced to bloom its pistils, pitiable enough to evoke sympathy.

"I'm going to lock you away," Yan Gui murmured contentedly, biting the gland on the back of Shen Hui's neck. "Then I'll gouge out the eyes of everyone who looked at you, making all who covet you crawl on the ground and beg for mercy."

Shen Hui's consciousness had completely shattered, leaving him powerless to resist.

But Yan Gui showed no mercy, whispering into his ear, "Let's have a child."

Shen Hui, exhausted and ears ringing, didn't catch what he said.

Yan Gui smiled. "You agreed."

...

In contrast to Yan Gui's spring breeze of satisfaction, Yang Bai, with his overheated brain now cooling down, resembled a pitiful child abandoned by his parents.

He didn't dare return to his room, and because of the language barrier, he couldn't go out either. So he crouched all alone in a small garden of the hotel, dejectedly reading a novel—data was too expensive to even scroll through short videos.

Just as he reached the climax of a ghost story, where the female ghost stood behind the protagonists baring her sinister fangs, a pale, delicate hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.

Yang Bai got instant goosebumps, yelping as he sprang to his feet and even tossed his phone away.

Peony snatched the phone just in time, frowning, baffled. "Am I that scary?"

Still rattled, Yang Bai stared at Peony. She had changed out of her elegant cheongsam into sleek athletic wear, her hair tied casually into a ponytail, making her look like a high school student.

His composure slipped right back into a daze. "Peony... Miss Peony, I mean, Madam."

Peony sat down casually beside him. "Just call me Peony. Sit."

Flustered but honored, Yang Bai took a seat next to her, not knowing what to do with his limbs. He accepted the phone she handed back. "Thank you."

"I should be thanking you," Peony said, as if she had sought him out just to chat. "That bubble tea you bought was really delicious."

It took a moment for Yang Bai's hormone-fogged brain to recall their first meeting at the Earth God Temple.

After dropping off Liu Fenghua’s students, he had seen Peony arguing with an employee at the bubble tea stand by the entrance. He was instantly drawn to her looks, and after going over to investigate, he learned that Peony had ordered a drink but had no way to pay—no cash, no phone on her.

Thinking she was pretty and young, Yang Bai paid for her. But when he turned around, she had vanished, leaving him with nothing but a pitying look from the cashier.

"You're... welcome," Yang Bai said, half reluctant, half thrilled. "If you like it, I'll treat you again next time."

Peony shot him a strange look, as if he had said something astonishing.

Yang Bai sensed something was off. "Is it inappropriate? Your boyfriend..."

Peony cut him off. "I don't have a boyfriend."

Yang Bai: Huh?

Peony didn’t explain further, just sized Yang Bai up, amused by his utterly clueless demeanor.

Her smile bloomed like a peony in full flower, leaving Yang Bai dazzled and dazed. He grinned foolishly.

"You seem upset. Want me to get a drink with you?"

Just 500 meters from the hotel entrance were all sorts of bars. Peony expertly bypassed the deafening heavy metal bars and led Yang Bai into a chill, low-key bar.

In the dimly lit ambiance, only the bar counter and the stage were illuminated by overhead lights. A refined-looking guitarist sang in a low voice, like a siren’s song.

They sat at the bar, and Peony confidently ordered drinks for both of them.

Yang Bai held his glass but didn’t dare take a sip, remembering Shen Hui’s warning not to touch anything sketchy.

Peony, however, took a smooth, practiced sip. "Are you upset because of that omega at the banquet? Do you like him?"

It took Yang Bai a moment to realize she meant Shen Hui. He quickly shook his head. "He’s my brother."

"Oh," Peony nodded. "I have a brother too."

Yang Bai detected something off in her tone. "You don’t get along?"

"It’s not about getting along or not," Peony replied with a cold laugh, as if recalling something. "In his eyes, I’m first his competitor, and only then his sister."

"Competitor?"

Peony stared into her glass with a look that said ‘I knew it,’ tracing the rim of her glass. "I trusted him deeply, saw him as my only family. But to please his beloved, he handed me over to others, not once but twice."

Yang Bai slammed the table angrily. "How could he do that? You’re his sister!"

Peony shrugged indifferently. "I once nearly cut his throat open. Blood sprayed all over me, but it didn’t faze me."

She found Yang Bai’s anger amusing and leaned in, beaming. "I’ve cut off many people’s heads. Aren’t you scared of me?"

Thinking she was drunk, Yang Bai tried to play the adult and scold her. "I shouldn’t have listened to you and come here. A couple drinks and you’re spouting nonsense. Let me take you back."

As he tried to pull her away, Peony pulled him back instead, took his face in her hands, and kissed him.

Warm, soft, and carrying the scent of alcohol.

Yang Bai’s brain fried instantly, leaving him dizzy, like he’d downed the whole bar.

"You... I..."

His motor skills went haywire, his body refusing to obey, and his vision began to blur.

"That bubble tea you bought was really good... I’m sorry."

With a thud, Yang Bai collapsed to the floor, eyes wide open before blacking out.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Teacher Diao sipped his bubble tea noisily and quipped, "Boss Yan, just give up. You’ll never have children in this lifetime."

Yan Gui: "Haven’t I been trying hard enough?"

Teacher Diao: "Don’t you know sperm dies off above 37 degrees Celsius?"

Shen Hui exclaimed in surprise, "We’re in a fantasy setting, and you’re worried about that?"

Teacher Diao immediately changed his tune: "See, Little Shen wants a baby! Boss Yan, hurry up and give him one!"

Shen, who’d been set up, was promptly hauled away by Big Bad Wolf Yan and locked in a dark room.

Meanwhile, Yang Bai, passed out cold on the side: "Is no one going to care about me?"

Teacher Diao said sagely: "Springtime has its costs!"

—

Because of tomorrow’s spot on the rankings, the next chapter will be posted later than usual (Diao Diao is grateful~).