Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The aircraft flew steadily through the air.

Zhou Lin turned his head to glance at Qiao Yuexun.

He leaned back in his seat, staring expressionlessly at the holo-screen. The makeup artist beside him was carefully applying makeup, brushing the inner corner of his eye—he didn't even blink.

Zhou Lin opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, then called out anyway.

"Yuexun."

Qiao Yuexun didn't look up, his gaze still fixed on the holo-screen. But Zhou Lin knew he had heard.

"Although the spokesperson role is gone," Zhou Lin chose his words carefully, "switching to brand ambassador—it's still the brand ambassador for Aegis 7th-Gen Inhibitor. The resources that come with it are substantial. We're not at a loss."

Qiao Yuexun said nothing.

The makeup artist's hand paused for a moment, stealing a glance at Zhou Lin.

Zhou Lin gave a discreet signal, and the makeup artist immediately resumed their work.

"The press conference later today will be broadcast across the entire Federation." Zhou Lin spoke with cautious encouragement. "Exposure at this level—countless people would kill to get it. This is a great opportunity."

At that, Qiao Yuexun finally responded.

He set down the holo-screen and looked at Zhou Lin.

"Don't worry, Zhou." His voice carried its usual gentleness. "I know how rare this opportunity is. I'll do my best."

Hearing his answer, the weight lifted from Zhou Lin's heart.

"That's good."

They reached the convention center.

The aircraft descended slowly, landing on the private landing pad.

Zhou Lin straightened his tie, getting ready to stand.

Qiao Yuexun remained still.

He looked out the window, murmuring under his breath.

"Am I ready?"

Zhou Lin assumed he was nervous, so he reached out and patted his shoulder. "Don't overthink it. Just play it normal."

Qiao Yuexun's gaze remained fixed outside the window.

"I've been ready all along," he said.

————

"Aegis 7th-Gen Inhibitor Spokesperson Officially Revealed!"

Wen Jueqian opened the official announcement posted two hours ago—it was a promotional video.

Across all the ad creatives, there was no single dominant celebrity face at the center. Instead, rapid cuts featured a collective portrait of Alpha/Omega individuals from every walk of life, spanning different ages, races, and backgrounds, ultimately ending on a calm yet powerful collective gaze into the camera.

The promotional film was woven from countless fragments of real user stories, coalescing around a single core message: taking back control of your time, having agency in relationships, and the potential for self-fulfillment.

The video closed with the line: "Every user embodies the 7th-Gen Inhibitor philosophy."

As Wen Yanxu had predicted, he didn't adopt the traditional spokesperson model. Instead, he pivoted the promotional focus to the user base.

99: Wen Yanxu never ceases to amaze. All we planned was to swap Qiao Yuexun for a different spokesperson.

99: But he flipped the script entirely—now there's no spokesperson at all.

99: A true Child of Destiny.

Wen Jueqian, however, wasn't as at ease as 99.

With the spokesperson already under contract, Wen Yanxu's proposal to completely overhaul the endorsement plan sparked massive controversy within the project team.

The marketing department pushed back hardest—every dollar already spent was a sunk cost.

Moreover, overturning the established plan meant the project team had to redo three months of promotional preparation in a fraction of the original timeline, with mistakes highly likely under that kind of deadline pressure.

Nobody—boss or staff—likes last-minute changes like this.

Wen Yanxu bulldozed the plan through over everyone's objections.

Plenty of people at Aegis kept quiet but were secretly waiting for it to bomb.

The 7th-Gen Inhibitor might have a solid product, but if the first wave of promotion went poorly, everything that followed would suffer. Even the best product needs a killer launch.

But the campaign's impact was phenomenal.

The post was shared over 100 million times within two hours.

For context, the entire Federation had over 6 billion people, with Alphas making up 25% and Omegas 15%—meaning over one in thirty potential users saw the announcement in just two hours.

On social media, hashtags like #7th-Gen Inhibitor# quickly climbed the trending topics, with tens of thousands of new posts per minute.

Major mainstream media and industry influencers followed up with analyses, and the wave of positive press sent pre-launch hype to record levels.

Wen Jueqian breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew how much of himself Wen Yanxu had poured into this product.

And this time, changing the promotional strategy on the eve of the launch meant all the pressure and risk fell squarely on Wen Yanxu.

If it had flopped, his judgment and competence would've been questioned. For an heir who had just taken sole charge of a mega-project, such doubt would have threatened his position as heir.

Luckily, it got off to a strong start.

That said, Qiao Yuexun wasn't the spokesperson—he became a brand ambassador alongside the other original Alpha spokesperson.

This was a compromise between multiple parties.

The resources attached to this title were still substantial, remaining at a level most entertainers could only dream of.

But Wen Jueqian wasn't one to kick someone when they're down.

As long as Qiao Yuexun didn't become the spokesperson as the "future" prophecy foretold, and as long as he stayed out of Wen Yanxu's orbit, Wen Jueqian wouldn't go out of his way to target or suppress him.

In his "future," Qiao Yuexun was one factor leading to his tragedy, but not the whole story.

What he needed to do was change his fate.

Wen Jueqian tapped on another official post announcing the brand ambassadors.

Gu Jingyuan was one of the rare celebrities in the industry with both popularity and talent. By twenty-seven, he held three major awards and had a massive, fiercely loyal fan base.

His fans described him as "still waters run deep, warm jade hiding a sharp edge," which fit perfectly with the "professional, reliable, and stable" brand image Aegis 7th-Gen Inhibitor wanted to project.

Given his status, an endorsement deal would have been a major boost, while a brand ambassadorship was just icing on the cake—yet it still sparked heated discussions online.

The top comment section under the announcement was already dominated by Gu Jingyuan's fans, known as "Xianyu":

"Congratulations to Mr. Gu on becoming the brand ambassador for Aegis 7th-Gen Inhibitor—a talented actor and a quality brand going hand in hand!"

"Yuexun, your identity as an S-class Omega has never been your shackle—fly free."

The official accounts pinned a positive comment from a fan of Gu Jingyuan and one from a fan of Qiao Yuexun.

Wen Jueqian opened the live discussion section, where the voices were far more candid:

"Qiao Yuexun? What makes him qualified to get the same tier of resources as Movie Emperor Gu?"

"LOL, a third-rate star landing top-tier luxury resources—who would believe there's no story behind that?"

"I can practically smell the jealousy through the screen. Qiao Yuexun is an S-class Omega whose image fits the product. And back on Jueying Island, after injecting the inhibitor, he didn't go into heat even under the influence of multiple Alphas in rut—that's officially verified. What's wrong with the brand picking him?"

"Just a passerby here—are Gu Jingyuan's fans being too aggressive? What's wrong with an Omega inhibitor being promoted by an Omega?"

"Fans, stop fighting. Just enjoy the show. Though Qiao Yuexun's sudden rise in resources does seem a bit abrupt."

Aegis's reputation management had always been on point. Negative comments quickly sank to the bottom, while more positive or neutral ones were pushed up. After scrolling through several screens, Wen Jueqian opened Wen Yanxu's personal page.

The latest post was from yesterday, containing only a brief line: "Countdown: three days to go. #7th-Gen Inhibitor Launch Event#"

The attached image was the event's main promotional poster.

Wen Jueqian felt a small sense of relief.

In the "future," from the Jueying Island attack to Qiao Yuexun's endorsement, Wen Yanxu and Qiao Yuexun had increasing contact. His social media accounts gradually began to feature Qiao Yuexun alongside work-related posts and Wen Jueqian.

After the endorsement announcement, he had even posted a separate update with a photo of Qiao Yuexun, captioned "Looking forward to working together."

But now, Wen Yanxu's social media accounts had nothing directly related to Qiao Yuexun.

At the very least, this meant that during the period from Qiao Yuexun's signing to the launch event, the relationship between the two had not grown as close as it had in the original story.

————

Time quickly passed, and the day of the launch event arrived.

The Winter Convention Center, funded by Aegis, was packed to capacity.

The massive circular stage was designed as flowing bands of light, symbolizing the themes of "time" and "freedom."

The holographic projection area at the center of the stage shifted with soft halos, and the slogan "Your Time" from the main visual poster flickered quietly on the interactive screens in front of every seat.

Wen Jueqian sat in the front guest section, next to Wen Yanxu's seat.

On stage, Professor Li Weimin, the lead scientist for the 7th-Gen Inhibitor project, was explaining the key technological breakthroughs.

"Traditional inhibitors work by suppressing pheromone levels to control heat and rut periods."

Li Weimin's voice was steady and clear, as dynamic diagrams appeared on the massive screen behind him. "While effective, this approach is fundamentally 'suppressive.'"

"The 7th-Gen Inhibitor, however, doesn't suppress—it 'regulates.'"

The screen showed the inhibitor being injected into a gland.

"Once injected into the gland, the formulation's active components continuously release simulated signals. These signals 'deceive' the Alpha's gland into believing it already has a stable, marked partner and that its genes have been passed on, so there's no need to stay in a state of heightened competition and courtship alertness."

"For Omegas, the mechanism is similar—the simulated signals make the gland believe it's been marked, allowing them to get through heat smoothly."

"The end result is..."

Li Weimin turned to face the audience. "...this means users truly take control of their own time."

The audience erupted in applause.

Once the applause died down, Wen Yanxu naturally kept holding Wen Jueqian's hand.

"How is it?" he leaned in and asked quietly.

"Impressive." Wen Jueqian turned to him and said sincerely, his eyes full of admiration and respect. "The idea of making the body think it's been marked—that line of thinking is revolutionary in itself."

His attention returned to the stage, and Wen Yanxu tightened his grip on his hand slightly.

After Li Weimin's presentation came the Q&A session. The moderator picked a few questions from those submitted, which were answered in turn by product experts and Aegis executives.

Wen Yanxu was also invited up on stage.

After a few questions about technical details, safety data, and production capacity, the moderator read out a somewhat pointed question: "Aegis has always claimed to 'reshape people's lifestyles' through technology. Judging by the promotional results of the 7th-Gen Inhibitor, it seems this goal has already been achieved. So, going forward, will Aegis continue investing in inhibitor research and upgrades? Does this mean technological iteration will slow down?"

The moment the question was asked, the venue went silent for a beat.

Questions like this had standard template answers, but giving an outstanding response wasn't easy.

Wen Yanxu stood at center stage, tall and straight under the spotlight.

He adjusted the microphone slightly, his posture still relaxed and open.

"Thank you for asking such a thoughtful question."

His voice was confident and clear, carrying to every corner of the venue. "This gets right to the heart of Aegis's core mission and future plans."

He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping slowly and deliberately across the audience.

"First, let me make one thing clear: the success of the 7th-Gen Inhibitor isn't the finish line—it's an exciting milestone in our long journey to 'reshape lifestyles.'"

As he began to speak, the live viewership and discussion volume on the streaming page started to surge.

"Aegis's philosophy has never been about launching a product or two and calling it a day." Wen Yanxu continued, his voice steady and powerful. "The challenges Alphas, Omegas, and even Betas face are systemic."

"Inhibitors only solve the most basic physiological problems. The physiological differences between genders, human reproduction, societal prejudice, discrimination, and entrenched social expectations—these problems still exist."

He stepped forward, his long shadow stretching behind him in the light.

"So, rather than calling it the 7th-Gen Inhibitor, it's more fitting to call it the first-generation pheromone harmonizer."

The room erupted.

"In the future, there will be second and third generations, until a new disruptive product emerges."

He took another step forward, his voice gaining a steely resolve:

"Aegis promises never to settle for the success of a single solution. We stay laser-focused on that future we're all dreaming of—one where Alphas, Betas, and Omegas alike can choose how to live by their own free will."

As he finished, the crowd erupted in applause.

Following his speech, topics like #Wen Yanxu# and #Aegis First-Generation Pheromone Harmonizer# blew up online, with real-time chatter skyrocketing.

Wen Jueqian's gaze lingered on him for a long moment.

The Wen Yanxu on stage overlapped with the Alpha who clung to him in private, got jealous, and lost control during his susceptible period—yet was also somehow different.

Right now, he seemed more like a true captain at the helm, a leader capable of changing the world.

He stood in the center of the spotlight, with every eye on him.

As Wen Yanxu's gaze swept the room, it suddenly landed on Wen Jueqian.

In that instant, his serious expression softened without him even realizing it, the corners of his mouth curving into something warmer, his eyes carrying a tenderness meant only for Wen Jueqian.

But he quickly refocused on the stage, tuning into the next question.

The Q&A wrapped up, and next up was the interactive demo.

Qiao Yuexun and Gu Jingyuan came on stage together.

Gu Jingyuan led the way, his steps steady and his bearing composed. Qiao Yuexun trailed half a step behind, the two moving in sync, exchanging polite nods with Wen Yanxu as they reached the steps.

Wen Yanxu nodded to both with practiced poise and handed the stage over.

Wen Jueqian's grip on his light device tightened without him meaning to.

Just then, the device buzzed softly, almost like it was reassuring him.

He caught himself quickly and shoved the surging emotions back down.

This was just normal interaction—part of the job at a launch event. He couldn't get all worked up over routine professional contact.

A circular hologram rose from center stage, showing a month-long timeline.

On the timeline, "heat period" and "susceptible period" were marked in bold red blocks, breaking the timeline into jagged pieces like a torn calendar.

Qiao Yuexun and Gu Jingyuan walked to the hologram, each holding a concept model of the 7th-Gen Inhibitor, and lightly touched those red blocks.

On the big screen, the red blocks on their timelines began to melt into the overall flow of time, turning into one continuous band of blue light.

The pieces once torn apart by biological cycles finally clicked back into place.

Qiao Yuexun turned to the audience, his voice clear and genuine: "This is my time. Now, it is complete."

Gu Jingyuan picked up, his tone measured and calm: "No longer divided, no longer predetermined. This is the right to choose freely."

He had a face built for the big screen—calm features, sharp brow bones, and smooth lines that softened the intensity of his bone structure, giving him a warm, approachable look instead.

The host smoothly took over: "Now, we invite everyone to participate! People in the audience can use the interactive tablets on their armrests, and online viewers can jump into the 'Time Puzzle' interface through the live stream's interactive portal."

The energy in the room hit a new high. Screens lit up all over the room as people bent over their devices, and thousands of timelines started converging on the hologram.

In the middle of all that energy, Wen Jueqian studied Qiao Yuexun at center stage.

Qiao Yuexun was flawless up there. He didn't lean on the official marketing fluff—he shared his real experience from a personal angle; his tone was natural, his eyes sincere, and the details were so real you couldn't doubt them.

He was super convincing up there, and his back-and-forth with Gu Jingyuan felt natural and effortless, with zero hint that their fans were still at each other's throats online.

"Babe." A warm breath hit his ear, Wen Yanxu's voice dropping to a low whisper, "You're staring at that Alpha so hard—aren't you scared I'll get jealous?"

Wen Yanxu had slipped back into the seat beside him, leaning in with one hand casually on his shoulder, his body angled toward him, carving out a little bubble just for the two of them, almost face to face.

Wen Jueqian knew his "jealous over literally everything" quirk was flaring up again, and gave him a helpless look: "No, I just think they're really compelling on stage—it's good for the brand."

As he talked, he didn't notice someone in the row behind him sneak out a phone and snap a photo of the two of them whispering.

A few minutes later, that photo showed up on the social app Feilang:

"Live from the launch event—these two whispering again"

"What are they saying? Something we can't hear?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, CEO Wen's so possessive—Wenwen looks at another alpha for one second and he's already blocking the view."

"Qianqian's ears are red—must be hearing some sweet talk!"

Wen Jueqian was completely unaware of all this.

As the interactive segment wound down, his light device buzzed.

His wasn't the only one—all around, guests and audience members were pulling out their devices to check messages.

It was an anonymously sent video.

He instinctively tapped it, and the device immediately projected a video.

Against a pure black background, an Alpha wearing the signature white chain mask of "Natural Law" faced the camera, their voice distorted through a modulator, cold and mechanical.

"This isn't freedom—it's a more refined form of enslavement..."

Wen Jueqian tried pressing the back button, the home button, even forcing a screen lock—the device remained unresponsive.

No matter what he did, the video on screen wouldn't end.

'Natural Law' seemed to possess formidable technical capabilities in communications.

99: Qianqian, don't worry, I'll crack it right away.

The video continued playing, the masked figure's voice cutting through the chorus of device notifications echoing across the venue:

"Shackling instinct with chains, castrating nature with false calm. The instincts of Alphas and Omegas are sacred laws bestowed by nature, and Aegis is desecrating that sanctity with technology."

The background was pure black, making the location impossible to determine. Only the broken chain emblem on the mask stood out starkly.

"The 7th-Gen Inhibitor isn't liberation—it's a more precise cage. It makes humanity forget who they are, strips Alphas of their ferocity, and turns Omegas away from their gentleness. We, Natural Law, reject this yoke—"

This was aimed directly at the 7th-Gen Inhibitor.

Wen Jueqian abruptly looked up at Wen Yanxu.

Wen Yanxu had clearly received the same message.

The ease on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a highly alert calm.

He quickly scanned his surroundings—many people were checking their light brains, their expressions shifting from confusion to shock. The effects of Natural Law rippled through the crowd.

He glanced down at his own light brain again, his brows furrowed.

"I'll go take care of this," Wen Yanxu said in a low voice. He began to rise, then stopped.

He turned to look at Wen Jueqian.

The next second, he extended his hand—"Come with me."

It wasn't a request—it was a decision.

Wen Jueqian didn't hesitate and followed him out.

Wen Yanxu gripped his hand tightly, leading him through a side passage and quickly out of the guest area.

Several bodyguards followed silently, forming a protective formation that separated them from the increasingly restless crowd.

Behind them, the press conference continued, with faint applause and cheers drifting toward them.

Wen Jueqian followed Wen Yanxu out of the conference venue.

The Natural Law video was still playing, unbidden, the masked figure's voice cutting through the silence of the corridor:

"We will prove through action that Natural Law must not be defiled."