Chapter 21

Chapter 21

When Su Xingze went to school in the morning, Auntie Zhang said Lu Xingwen didn't have classes in the morning and had already gone to the company for a meeting because of work matters.

Su Xingze felt a bit unaccustomed to Xiao Lu not being around on a day like this.

He griped to Auntie Zhang: "Why does it feel like Lu Xingwen's been dodging me lately?"

"What do you mean? You and Mr. Lu have been best friends since you were kids. He's just too busy—the company has a lot going on." After saying that, Auntie Zhang couldn't bring herself to meet Su Xingze's eyes, afraid that if she looked, she'd cave.

"Really?" Su Xingze didn't think so. Lu Xingwen was obviously dodging him. The whole "going to the office for a meeting" thing was just an excuse.

What's he sulking about now? It's not like he'd given him any reason to be jealous! Yesterday was totally fine, just like when they were kids. So why the sudden change?

Whatever. He was in a bad mood. He'd go to school and rip into some jerk for fun.

Auntie Zhang watched Su Xingze walk away and muttered, "What a mess." If she sided with Mr. Lu, Xiaoze would be spared the pain. But if she sided with Xiaoze, he'd probably skip school today and insist on going to see Mr. Lu no matter what.

Mr. Lu's pheromones had been going haywire these past few days, making him super aggressive and territorial. Sending an Omega in there right now would be like throwing a lamb to the wolves.

But Xiaoze was clueless. Even if he walked in there, he'd probably think he was helping Mr. Lu out.

Xiaoze and Mr. Lu had grown up together, and their bond was deep and unbreakable. Their friendship was solid, no question, but when it came to romance, it was a whole different ballgame.

Precisely because they got along so well and acted like a regular couple already, taking things to the next level was incredibly hard.

Once you've been in a comfort zone for too long, it's tough to step into something new and unknown.

Mr. Lu had a long, uphill battle ahead of him to win his man.

Su Xingze spent the whole morning catching up on sleep at school. The reason was simple: he knew every word in every class, but when they were put together, he had no clue what was being said.

He slept so hard he completely lost track of time. When he woke up, there were only ten minutes left until lunch. Su Xingze yawned, rested his chin on his hand, and stared off with a dazed look.

He sent Lu Xingwen a message.

Starlight: [Xiao Lu, you eaten lunch yet? I'm thinking of grabbing some malatang at the cafeteria today. I heard Ze University's cafeteria is cheap and tasty. Got any recommendations?]

Before Lu Xingwen could reply, Fu Yao texted him.

One Yao: [Bro Xingze, I'm on campus now. Wanna grab lunch?]

Starlight: [Sure, let's have malatang together.]

One Yao: [Bro Xingze's got good taste. The malatang at Ze U is legit. I'll go grab it now, so it'll be ready when you get here.]

Su Xingze just realized—they were in the same class, so why hadn't Fu Yao shown up today?

Starlight: [You didn't come to class.]

Fu Yao sent a pitiful emoji and replied: [Bro Xingze, I swear I wanna study, but I can't help it. I seriously think there's some kind of magic in this world. The second I see that Ying Ying, I lose all control. I'll explain everything when we meet. Let me just check if Ying Ying's around first.]

Starlight: [Okay, talk later.]

Su Xingze slept all day. The teacher left him alone, and his classmates pretended he didn't exist.

Which was perfect—it made it easy for him to just curl up and sleep.

The bell for the last class rang.

He followed the GPS to the malatang place and spotted Fu Yao from a distance. The guy was wearing a mask and cap, looking more incognito than a celebrity, poking his head out and glancing around all sneaky-like.

The second Fu Yao saw Su Xingze, he dragged him into a private room, checked left and right, and only after making sure there were no dangerous people around did he let out a sigh of relief and hide behind Su Xingze.

Su Xingze: "You're that scared of him?"

Fu Yao nodded, then shook his head: "Honestly, I'm not scared of him—I'm scared of not being able to control myself. The second he shows up, my body and brain just stop being mine. I do whatever he wants."

Su Xingze: "Based on what you're saying, he's gotta be a fox spirit that's been cultivating for a thousand years, a real master at messing with people's heads."

Fu Yao clapped his hands: "Bro Xingze, you've got a point! When I get home, I'll have my dad hire a bunch of Taoist priests to do a full-on exorcism."

"What's so great about that?" Su Xingze smacked the back of Fu Yao's head like he always did: "He's not a demon. Taoist priests are no match for him."

"How do you know?" Fu Yao asked curiously.

"I..." Su Xingze pressed his temple.

Yeah... how did he know that? And why was he so sure?

Su Xingze came clean: "Honestly, I have no idea."

Fu Yao said pitifully: "What he is doesn't matter. We need to figure out how to handle him. You don't get it—every time I see him, it's like I'm possessed, and I just throw myself at him. And the craziest part is, the posts I write about him when I'm sane, all my clarification posts, turn into self-incriminating posts by the next morning. They end up saying it's all just flirting between us, and I'm over here trashing myself while singing his praises to the sky."

"Was I like that too, back then?" Su Xingze asked.

Fu Yao thought for a second, trying to phrase it in a less boot-licking way: "Nah, not you. You only ever had good things to say about him, never anything bad. You'd live for him, die for him, and smash your head into a wall for him."

Su Xingze: "..."

Fu Yao flopped onto the table: "I think we're both messed up."

"Yeah, that's definitely not mild." Su Xingze was a little troubled too. From the way Fu Yao described it, Ying Ying really didn't sound like a normal person. "But I don't remember any of that. I only have memories from before I turned seventeen."

Fu Yao was stunned: "Where'd you get hurt? Let me see—I'll get you the best doctor in the world!"

Su Xingze: "It's fine, almost all healed. You know Ying Ying pretty well. Got any ideas?"

Fu Yao nodded: "Stay away. As long as he doesn't see you, you're safe!"

"I wanna try it." Su Xingze said thoughtfully: "To see if I react the same way you do when I come into contact with him. But you've gotta come with me, so I can see how you act when you run into Ying Ying."

Fu Yao was seriously torn. He really didn't want to deal with that idiot Ying Ying again, but what else could he do? He couldn't hide from him forever, could he?

He couldn't decide on his own, but now that Bro Xingze was back, he'd just follow his lead: "Since you're my bro, I'll risk life and limb for you."

Su Xingze grinned: "Alright, then I'll set up a meeting with him after school."

"Fine."

*

Xingze Group. The top-floor office.

The whole company was dead quiet today. Everyone was on edge, terrified of getting caught in the boss's bad mood.

Lu Xingwen's office was pheromone-proof, so the employees outside weren't affected. But when his pheromones flared up, his temper went haywire, and nobody dared mess with him—he was ten times scarier than usual.

Today's assistant was Assistant Yin, a pheromone specialist and a Beta—the perfect person for the job at a time like this.

After getting the rundown from Assistant Xu, Assistant Yin started reporting on the boss's wife's activities for the day.

"Slept through class from morning until lunch."

"Had lunch with an Omega today."

"In the afternoon, slept through class with this Omega until the final bell."

With a thunderous crash, Lu Xingwen slammed his hand on the desk, splitting it. His already injured wrist split open, seeping bright red blood.

Assistant Yin stared at the tablet, sure he might not leave this office alive.

He hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Your wife has arranged to meet Ying Ying after school."

Silence. A deathly silence.

Assistant Yin feared his boss might lose it and storm out, so he gingerly cuffed one of Lu Xingwen's hands to the window railing.

Lu Xingwen was eerily quiet. At first, he stood stock-still, then he began to laugh—a laugh so unsettling it made Assistant Yin's skin crawl.

Suddenly, his pheromones surged violently, filling the entire room with a ferocious, suffocating intensity so thick that even Assistant Yin, a Beta, felt crushed by the pressure.

Then, with a sharp clang, the handcuffs were snapped clean apart. Blood gushed from the Alpha's wrist, and Assistant Yin used an entire pack of gauze without being able to stop the bleeding.

The Alpha, his spirits in freefall, threw on his coat, both wrists dripping with blood. After a moment of silence, he commanded, "We're heading to the school."

Assistant Yin tried to stop him: "Boss, you can't show up at school like this!"

Lu Xingwen said nothing. He took two of the pills Lu Hean had prescribed, then pulled a heavy-duty suppressant from the drawer.

"Boss, if this keeps up, your pheromones will completely erupt! What you're feeling now is just a small trickle—if it fully explodes, you'll lose your mind completely and go insane!"

Lu Xingwen clutched his head and laughed, the pheromones making his head feel like it was splitting. The news he'd just received had robbed him of all reason, and the turmoil inside him was driving him to the brink of madness.

What do you mean, always be with him, always stay by his side? It's all lies, isn't it?

"Chen Chen, what do I have to do to make you stay with me forever?" Lu Xingwen tilted his head, plunging the heavy-duty suppressant into his gland, and laughed, "Assistant Yin! Get the car ready!"

This was the first time his boss had been this terrifying. Assistant Yin was nearly scared to death himself and didn't dare utter a word of objection. He quickly ordered the car to be prepared and hastily bandaged his boss's wounds.

As they descended in the elevator, Lu Xingwen was in poor spirits, tormented by the agony of his pheromones. He asked with deadly seriousness, "Assistant Yin, what kind of drug could kill a person silently, leaving no trace of the body?"

Assistant Yin: "..."

Do you even hear what you're saying?