Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Lying on the bed, being...

Lin Ze gripped the bedsheet in humiliation.

After just a few days of interaction, Lin Ze had come to understand that the alpha was a very controlling and authoritarian person.

He was a man of his word...

Just as Lin Ze was pondering how to make the alpha change his mind, the alpha suddenly moved closer to him.

A wave of scorching breath washed over him, making Lin Ze's heart pound.

The alpha commanded, "Turn around."

Lin Ze awkwardly turned over.

The alpha's tall, imposing body quickly pressed down on him, his face buried in Lin Ze's neck, nuzzling and sniffing incessantly...

*

Fu Zhi waited at the entrance of the manor. The moment he saw the gentle young man emerge, he hurriedly opened the car door.

"Colonel Lin, our General has ordered me to take you to school today."

"Take me?" Lin Ze shook his head hesitantly. "No, that's not necessary."

But then he thought, since it was an order from the alpha, if it wasn't carried out, Fu Zhi might be punished.

After getting into the car, his face pale, he gazed out the window, heavy with worry.

Fu Zhi occasionally glanced at him in the rearview mirror.

After dropping him off at school, Fu Zhi wasted no time in rushing to the alpha's workplace. The alpha was attending an important meeting attended by dignitaries and high-ranking officials. Sitting at the head of the table, the alpha spoke words that seemed like discussion but were essentially commands, with not a single person present daring to object.

After the meeting ended, Fu Zhi helped the alpha into his coat and opened the car door.

Once the alpha was seated in the car, Fu Zhi asked, "General, shall we return to the corporation or go home now?"

The alpha's gaze grew dark. "Go see Su De."

"General, have you really decided to have Colonel Lin submit his resignation?"

"When I took Colonel Lin to school this morning, he didn't look good..."

The alpha ignored him, took a cigarette into his mouth, bit open the capsule, and a refreshingly cool scent rushed straight to his brain, causing his pupils to dilate slightly...

It was the same scent as on Lin Ze's body. It was as if an unmet craving hadn't been satisfied; he greedily drank in the fragrance...

Upon receiving the invitation message from Li Xiujin's assistant, Su De was overjoyed. He had long wanted to establish contact with Li Xiujin, after all, Li Xiujin was one of the most powerful and influential figures in Country A. He almost immediately cleared his schedule and drove to the meeting location.

The meeting was at a high-end restaurant. As soon as he entered, he saw that tall, imposing alpha, and felt a surge of instinctive fear. The assistant who often accompanied him greeted Su De with a smile. "President Su, hello."

"Hello, hello."

Li Xiujin got straight to the point. "I intend to sponsor Huahai Academy."

Su De's eyes lit up. "S-sponsor... Assistant Fu, am I hearing correctly?"

Fu Zhi shook his head. "No, you're not."

"But I have two prerequisites," the alpha added in a deep voice.

"Please, go ahead."

Li Xiujin stubbed out his cigarette. "First, provide Lin Ze with a new office. Second, stop assigning him extra work."

At first, Su De thought he had misheard. He was stunned for a long time before he finally understood what the alpha meant and who the person in these conditions was.

Lin Ze...

Sponsoring their school was just for Lin Ze, and only for these two simple conditions...

Su De's confusion grew deeper, but he couldn't detect any clues from the tall, forbidding alpha's face.

"Of course, of course, that's no problem."

"If, in the future, he hasn't finished work past six o'clock..."

The alpha stood up, glaring down at him darkly.

Su De instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

"I will ensure it's done."

The alpha left.

Before leaving, the alpha's assistant said with a smile,

"Stop exploiting Colonel Lin's sense of guilt to enslave him. No matter what he did before, he owes no debt to you or the school."

"Our General's patience is limited. He was in the mood to discuss it with you this time, but next time might be different."

"I understand, I understand."

Su De wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

*

"General, shall we head home now?" Fu Zhi asked.

"No. Let's go see Colonel Lin, who's busier than I am," the alpha said coldly.

Fu Zhi quickly replied, "Yes, sir."

Having learned from the previous failed attempt, Fu Zhi had now mastered Lin Ze's routine at the school.

"The Colonel is currently on the training field."

Due to the current energy shortage, various well-trained military personnel are dispatched to dangerous areas to extract resources. Huahai Academy was once one of the primary schools supplying such personnel. After the tragic accident seven years ago, Huahai Academy's enrollment plummeted significantly, and even its once glorious and solemn training grounds had become quite dilapidated.

The training field had a dedicated viewing platform. Li Xiujin stood on the platform, cigarette in mouth, looking down.

On the field stood several dozen alphas in disarray.

At the very front stood a young man in training gear. The form-fitting uniform outlined his slender waist and two long, straight legs that invited endless imagination.

His profile was especially pale and handsome...

Fu Zhi couldn't help but remark, "The Colonel's figure and demeanor are truly outstanding. No wonder he was voted the number one alpha omegas wanted to marry back in the day."

Li Xiujin stared at the young man on the field without saying a word.

At first, the training proceeded normally. But during the break, several alphas huddled together, whispering among themselves. When training resumed, those alphas all lay down on the ground together—some clutching their stomachs, others their necks.

Fu Zhi’s expression changed. After that incident years back, a video segment had aired on the news. Anyone who had seen that footage would instantly recognize that these alphas were reenacting the agonizing final moments of Lin Ze’s teachers and comrades.

No wonder teachers had been whispering that students often pulled cruel pranks on Lin Ze during class.

After Lin Ze showed a restrained expression, the alpha who was hamming it up the most jumped up from the ground, letting out a piercing, mocking laugh.

As Fu Zhi looked at the ringleader alpha, he suddenly felt a sense of familiarity, and the more he looked, the more alarmed he became.

"General, that alpha seems to be Li Xiaoyang—your... nephew."

Li Xiujin had also recognized him, his face darkening terrifyingly.

*

Li Xiaoyang had never wanted to go to military school, but on his mother's orders, he couldn’t refuse. However, he soon found a way to have fun in his otherwise annoying life.

Their instructor was Lin Ze.

That same Colonel Lin who had once earned numerous merits and was highly respected, but had later become a public disgrace after causing the death of his comrades.

He took great pleasure in seeing the restrained, fragile expression on Lin Ze’s face, so much so that he often came up with ways to needle Lin Ze during class. After another successful provocation, he returned to the locker room. Just as he was about to change into his regular clothes, he received a text message.

It was from Li Xiujin—to be precise, his uncle.

A wave of unease washed over Li Xiaoyang.

This uncle of his was an extremely cold and ruthless man. Yet, such a person happened to be the head of their family. His parents, including his other uncles, all feared him. Even his grandfather sometimes dared not confront him directly.

Li Xiujin never participated in family gatherings and treated Li Xiaoyang like a stranger. Why would he suddenly seek him out?

Could it be because he had asked his grandfather earlier about entering the family corporation ahead of schedule, and his grandfather had sent this uncle to fetch him? Thinking this, his unease faded. Although everyone feared Li Xiujin, Li Xiaoyang actually admired him.

Not even bothering to finish getting dressed, he rushed to the back gate and indeed saw the tall, imposing alpha.

He ran over, but before he could utter the words "Uncle," the alpha raised his hand and slapped him hard across the face.

With the intense pain, Li Xiaoyang’s left ear nearly went deaf. "Wh-why did you hit me…"

The alpha removed his wristwatch and backhanded him with another slap.

Then, grabbing him by the collar, he threw him into the car.

The alpha said coldly, "Back to the old mansion."

At the Li family’s old mansion, after hearing the servant’s report, Li Zhi and his wife rushed out in panic. They then saw their son, his face swollen high like a lifeless object, being dragged by the collar by that terrifying, monstrous alpha.

"Dad, Mom…" Li Xiaoyang cried out.

"What… what are you doing?!" Meng Yang exclaimed.

The alpha pushed him forward. "Tell them yourself—what have you been doing at school?"

In the car, he had already learned from Li Xiujin why he was being punished. Now, trembling, he said, "I… I’ve been bullying the teacher…"

Li Xiujin’s icy eyes swept over Meng Yang before finally settling on Li Zhi, who had remained silent. "I’ve already disciplined him on your behalf. I hope there won’t be a next time."

Meng Yang’s face instantly paled as she tightly embraced her son in her arms.

Only after the alpha left did Li Xiaoyang dare to cry freely.

Li Zhi angrily said, "Your mother sent you to military academy hoping you could become like Li Xiujin in the future. Why on earth were you bullying a teacher? And how did Li Xiujin find out?!"

Meng Yang stroked her son's face, heartbroken. It was clear how brutally Li Xiujin had struck—all over such a minor matter as bullying a teacher.

"From now on, behave properly at school. That uncle of yours…"

A strong flicker of fear passed through Meng Yang’s eyes. "He’s a monster who even dared to kill his own parents…"

"Why is one person missing?" Lin Ze looked at the roster. "Where’s Li Xiaoyang?"

*

"Don’t know."

Lin Ze said, "We have his contact information. Help the teacher send him a message."

"Okay."

After Li Xiaoyang was gone, the other alphas became much more obedient.

Uncertain if this would be his last time standing here, Lin Ze was even more dedicated than before. After the session ended, Lin Ze returned to his office only to find it empty.

He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

So soon?

Would he have to stay at home from now on…

"Teacher Lin, you’re finally back. The principal has arranged a new office for you. Your things have already been moved. Come, I’ll take you there."

Lin Ze was slightly taken aback.

A new office?

He followed the omega to another building and saw a spacious, warm office.

Lin Ze asked softly, "Why was I suddenly given a new one?"

"It seems a powerful figure donated resources to our school, and all the hardworking teachers got new offices."

A powerful figure…

Their school’s website acknowledged prominent donors. Lin Ze browsed the site and saw the words "Guangzhao Energy" in large letters.

Lin Ze held his breath.

This was an industry under the alpha’s name…

Didn’t he say he wanted me to resign?

Why go through all this trouble to give me a new office?

Lin Ze couldn’t understand… He wanted to ask the alpha, but the alpha hadn’t been home for several days in a row.

Fu Zhi told him, "The General has gone on a business trip out of town."

In the past, Lin Ze had handled many tasks outside his duties. But since moving to the new office, no one had come to ask for his help or troubled him with extra work. Lin Ze no longer had to work late; he could return home before the sun had even set.

And that troublesome Li Xiaoyang, who often gave Lin Ze headaches, had also suddenly changed.

Li Xiaoyang had requested a few days off. When he returned, Lin Ze steeled himself for more mischief, but the boy was well-behaved throughout and followed instructions obediently. Even the alphas he usually hung out with no longer caused deliberate trouble.

However, for some reason, his face was swollen, as if he had been beaten.

Lin Ze asked him why, worried he'd been bullied.

Li Xiaoyang turned his face away, refusing to answer.

And so it was Friday afternoon. When the clock hit six, Lin Ze had finished his work for the day. He didn't have to work late into the night like he used to. Just then, his phone buzzed with a notification from Fu Zhi.

"The General is returning today."

An unassuming luxury car was parked at the school gate. Lin Ze ducked his head and got in.

Fu Zhi asked him, "Has work been going smoothly lately?"

Lin Ze nodded.

"That's good."

Fu Zhi casually revealed, "Our General only recently found out that his nephew is your student. After discovering he had been causing trouble, he taught him a lesson. Is he behaving well at school now?"

So Li Xiaoyang was the alpha's nephew. Thinking of the swelling on Li Xiaoyang's face, no wonder...

"He's been much more obedient."

"That's good. If he ever acts up again like before, you must tell the General—though he probably wouldn't dare anymore."

Lin Ze's thoughts were in turmoil.

He ordered me to resign, so why is he doing these things...?

When they arrived at the estate, Fu Zhi softly reminded him, "Colonel, we're here."

For the sake of the General's marital harmony and his own future, Fu Zhi thought for a moment and hinted to Lin Ze, "Actually, our General is someone who is tough on the outside but soft on the inside, especially toward those he cares about."

Those he cares about...

Entering the estate, Lin Ze indeed saw the alpha sitting in the living room, waiting to have dinner with him.

This time, the alpha had returned early, but he still frowned, looking displeased.

The two ate a meal in silence.

After dinner, Lin Ze went to take a shower.

After his shower, he lay in bed, waiting for the alpha.

The alpha soon entered the room. He had also showered and wasn't wearing a shirt, revealing his well-defined muscles. Water droplets trailed down his neck.

Lin Ze glanced once, then immediately averted his gaze, mustering his courage. "About the work..."

"Thank you..."

Suddenly, his cheek was gripped, forcing him to look up and meet the alpha's eyes.

Those sinister eyes were dark and intense.

Lin Ze trembled, fear welling up from deep within.

Li Xiujin let out an ambiguous laugh, his expression unreadable, and said:

"If you're thanking me with your mouth, you should use it to hold something, not just say 'thank you.'"

^^