Chapter 34

Chapter 34

After the emergency meeting concluded, Wen Yanxu headed to the lounge.

He stopped in front of Wen Jueqian, and the first thing he did was take Wen Jueqian's hand where it rested on his lap.

"Why are your hands so cold?" Wen Yanxu frowned, cupping both pale, soft hands in his palms, covering them with his own and rubbing them slowly.

His palms carried a familiar warmth, gradually transferring warmth to Jueqian's fingers.

Wen Jueqian was stunned for a moment before realizing that in this lounge kept at a constant twenty-two degrees, his fingers had turned cold and stiff.

"Still scared?" Wen Yanxu looked up at him, his voice gentle—a far cry from the man who had just come from a tense emergency meeting.

"It's okay. I'm here. I won't let Natural Law hurt you again."

Wen Jueqian forced a faint smile. "I'm not scared. I was just thinking—Natural Law has gotten too bold. What if they do something even more terrible?"

Wen Yanxu bent down, slipping one arm under Wen Jueqian's knees and wrapping the other around his back, lifting him clean off the chair.

Wen Jueqian instinctively grabbed the tie dangling from Wen Yanxu's neck. Wen Yanxu held him steadily, sitting down on the sofa first, then settling him on his lap, adjusting them into a comfortable position.

He had done this countless times, so practiced it was instinct.

"Don't be afraid." Wen Yanxu held Wen Jueqian close, his voice rumbling from his chest. "I'll handle everything."

"Whatever makes you worry, whatever makes you afraid—I'll take care of it all."

Wen Jueqian said nothing. He buried his face into the side of Wen Yanxu's neck, and Wen Yanxu released his pheromones, the familiar scent of Datura wrapping around him layer by layer.

His heartbeat gradually steadied, and his body temperature slowly returned to normal.

He knew, of course, that Wen Yanxu was busy.

The crisis wasn't resolved, the stock price was still fluctuating, and countless decisions awaited him.

Yet Wen Yanxu still carved out time in his hectic schedule to comfort him.

"I'm okay now." Wen Jueqian lifted his face from Wen Yanxu's neck. "Go take care of your work. This is when they need you most at the helm."

Wen Yanxu looked at Wen Jueqian, as if checking on him.

After a moment, he said in a low voice, "Then stay with me."

Wen Jueqian was puzzled. "You're so busy right now—I'd just be a distraction."

Wen Yanxu replied, "You could never be a distraction when you're by my side."

Then his voice dropped suddenly, carrying a vulnerability that was almost a confession. "Qianqian, Natural Law kidnapped you before. Now they're back. If I can't confirm you're safe every second..."

Wen Jueqian looked up at him. "Wen Yanxu, are you afraid?"

He wanted to hear Wen Yanxu say it himself.

"Yes. I'm afraid of you getting hurt. I'm afraid of losing you." Wen Yanxu's tone was calm, a frank admission.

Wen Jueqian was dazed for a moment.

So Wen Yanxu could be afraid too?

This Alpha—composed under scrutiny, decisive in crisis, a leader who turned the tide—he could be afraid?

Not of Natural Law, not of a stock market crash, not of project failure.

But of losing him.

Wen Jueqian was always the one consumed by worry.

He had never imagined they shared the same fear—that they both feared losing each other.

That realization suddenly filled him with strength.

The bitterness that had weighed on his heart quietly faded.

Wen Jueqian leaned in and pressed a kiss at the corner of Wen Yanxu's lips. "Alright. Then today, I'll act as President Wen's assistant."

"Being my assistant is more fun than being chairman of Lingjing Era?"

"When I invested in you, you didn't even give me a kiss."

Wen Jueqian's gaze drifted to the side, then he forced himself to look back, pretending to be composed. "What nonsense..."

What kiss? Wen Yanxu was saying such weird things.

The corner of Wen Yanxu's mouth curved upward, and he took a moment to watch the blushing kitten before letting him off the hook.

He gently pinched Wen Jueqian's earlobe, a gesture of intimacy he only showed to him. "Aegis can't afford such an excellent assistant."

Wen Jueqian had calmed down too.

"Free labor—might as well use it." He rose from Wen Yanxu's lap, straightened his collar, and made for the door first. "Let's go, President Wen. Everyone's probably waiting for you."

————

Over the next few hours, Wen Jueqian truly acted like a real assistant, staying by Wen Yanxu's side and helping him with little tasks.

When Wen Yanxu was in video meetings, Wen Jueqian sat on the sofa just out of frame.

He used his optical computer to keep an eye on public opinion.

Qiao Yuexun's speech was remarkably effective—the vast majority of people were rallying in support of Aegis. Occasionally, a critical voice would surface, only to be quickly drowned out by the bigger wave of support.

Wen Yanxu would occasionally glance over at him, checking that he was still there, then continue answering overseas investors' questions in fluent multiple languages.

Sometimes people came in to give updates, and when they noticed someone behind the partition, their eyes would flicker with surprise, quickly masked by professional smiles.

No one asked anything.

99: Qianqian, I found something weird.

Yun: What?

99: Natural Law's forced video used the "high-priority data" function of the Jingwei Quantum Communication Network. That feature lets the federal government force-send nationwide alerts under certain conditions.

99: Only accounts with top-level internal permissions can use this function.

Yun: You mean, how the video got out had active help from someone inside Jingwei Quantum Communication Network, and that person has high-level access.

99: That's what it looks like. Accounts with ultra-high permissions are nearly impossible to crack—even I can't crack them.

After Wen Yanxu wrapped up a round of emergency meetings, Wen Jueqian handed him a cup of water.

Wen Yanxu took it but didn't drink, only to check the temperature.

He frowned. "It's cold. Get me a hot one instead."

"It's warm, not cold," Wen Jueqian said with a helpless sigh.

Wen Yanxu didn't bother to argue and pressed the intercom button on the desk. "Send up a hot milk tea."

The secretary's voice crackled through the intercom, crisp and efficient: "Yes, Mr. Wen."

Wen Jueqian relayed 99's discovery to Wen Yanxu. He didn't offer any conclusions of his own, just nudged Wen Yanxu toward suspecting the Meridian Quantum Communication Network.

Wen Yanxu mused, "That's a reasonable suspicion."

The Meridian Quantum Communication Network was owned by the Starlink Group, which was backed by the Shangguan family—one of the Federation's seven great families.

Though all seven families sat at the top of the Federation, they made their money in different ways, and there was plenty of open and behind-the-scenes competition between them.

Wen Yanxu said, "I'll look into whether Starlink Group is funding Natural Law from this angle."

————

At 11 PM, Wen Yanxu stepped alone into the chairman's office at the top of Aegis HQ.

This was the real nerve center of the vast commercial empire. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city's dazzling nightscape stretched out like a river of stars.

The lights were dimmed low.

Behind the desk, Wen Shijun was going over a document.

An Alpha in his fifties, he still stood tall as a pine, shoulders and back ramrod straight. His pheromones were so tightly controlled they were nearly undetectable, yet the sheer presence of a man long used to wielding power was enough to fill the whole office with an unspoken pressure.

Wen Yanxu stopped in front of the desk.

"You're here." Wen Shijun looked up, closed the file, and set it aside.

His voice was steady, no small talk. "You handled today's situation well."

"Just doing my job." Wen Yanxu gave a slight nod.

"No." Wen Shijun leaned back in his chair, his gaze on his son—appraising, approving. "You didn't waste time trying to get everyone on the same page. You went straight to deciding how to respond."

Wen Shijun's tone stayed flat, but in that moment, Wen Yanxu caught his father's unspoken message—this was approval of him as a decision-maker.

"A crisis isn't for debating—it's for solving." Wen Shijun said. "I heard what you said out there today."

He didn't add any more praise.

Between father and son, that was enough.

Wen Yanxu paused. "There are a few more things I need to report."

"First, I suspect the Meridian Quantum Communication Network gave Natural Law a leg up."

Wen Shijun gestured for him to go on.

"Over 90% of the Federation's data traffic ultimately runs through this so-called absolutely secure channel that claims nothing can touch it."

Wen Shijun took the suspicion seriously.

He was quiet for a moment. "As fellow members of the seven great families, some things are better left unsaid in public." His voice was low, but every word landed heavy. "But if someone really helped Natural Law and pulled strings behind the scenes, then this isn't just about investigating and closing the case."

He looked up at Wen Yanxu. Those ice-blue eyes, the same as his son's, held a chilling authority that demanded respect without a hint of anger.

"Investigate. Whoever you find, make them think twice before they reach out again—whether they can handle the consequences."

Wen Yanxu nodded. "I already have people on it. I'll take it from here."

Wen Shijun gave a low hum of acknowledgment, offering no further instructions.

Wen Yanxu paused, the chill in his voice easing a little.

"By the way, Jueqian was the one who first raised this suspicion."

Wen Shijun glanced up at him.

"He thought of it right after the livestream incident," Wen Yanxu said, the corner of his mouth curling up before he could stop it. "He said that with the Meridian Quantum Network's tech, Natural Law couldn't have broken through their defenses without them knowing."

Wen Shijun didn't say anything, just picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"He's certainly meticulous." He set down the cup and said only that.

Wen Yanxu could tell—that was his father's quiet way of showing approval.

Wen Yanxu smiled a little, let it go, and got back to business.

"About what I mentioned last time—there are forces inside the research center operating outside normal oversight." Wen Yanxu pulled up a file and set it on the desk. "These are the leads we've got so far. Who else is behind it and how deep it runs, we haven't fully figured out yet."

Wen Shijun flipped through it page by page. The screen's faint glow caught the slight sag of his eyelids, his expression grim.

After a long moment, he set the tablet down and opened the bottom right drawer of the desk.

Wen Shijun pulled out a silver USB drive.

"Twenty years ago, a fire broke out in an experimental building on Jueying Island." A chill crept into Wen Shijun's voice.

"Officially, it was ruled an accident caused by old wiring. The building was sealed off from that day to this."

He set the USB drive on the desk and slid it toward Wen Yanxu.

"But the fire was just the result. The cause was a secret project—one I never authorized, never registered with the board, and only a handful of people even knew about."

Wen Yanxu looked up.

"Someone in Aegis's labs was using the group's resources to run illegal human experiments."

"The subjects included Alphas, Betas, and Omegas. Mostly orphans, a few homeless people, and some recruited as 'clinical trial volunteers' who were never put on any records."

Wen Yanxu's brow knitted slightly.

"The experiments used gene editing, pheromone induction, genetic mutation, gland modification, and other methods to artificially control the sex of unborn fetuses and turn Betas into Alphas or Omegas."

"Their methods were brutal. They treated the people they forced into the experiments as disposable, pushing their research forward one human life at a time."

The actual experiments must have been even bloodier and more brutal.

The office went dead silent—you could hear a pin drop.

"That fire might not have been an accident," Wen Shijun said, his voice dropping low. "The fire also exposed the lab's secrets. Once I fully took control of Aegis, I purged everyone inside who wasn't part of the Wen family or loyal to me."

He looked at Wen Yanxu, his eyes unreadable.

"After all these years, they've managed to rise from the ashes."

Wen Shijun pointed at the USB drive. "This is everything from the investigation back then. Take it. Read it, then decide how to investigate and how far to go."

Wen Yanxu took the USB drive and held it in his palm.

"The forces behind this project run deeper than you think," Wen Shijun said, a hint of gravity in his voice.

"They're not just inside Aegis. They have a presence in other factions too—like the Shangguan family's Starlink, and traces of secret ties to the Empire."

Wen Yanxu finished the thought for him.

"That fire didn't just burn down the lab. It destroyed their research too, so they won't let it go."

"'Natural Law,' the unknown factions inside Aegis, the Empire—behind all of them, there might be a single thread."

The father and son exchanged a look, the same gravity mirrored in their eyes.

Wen Yanxu put the USB drive away and nodded.

"The third thing." Wen Shijun's voice returned to its usual commanding tone.

"You said earlier you want to take a harder line against 'Natural Law'—that's the right direction."

"No matter how many different forces are behind them, publicly, we have to hit back hard."

He gave a slight nod. "With an organization like this, there's no point dreaming about reconciliation. The only way is to make sure they can't keep existing."

"I'll get on it," Wen Yanxu said.

Wen Shijun nodded and said nothing more. The office lights bathed the father and son at the height of their power.

Wen Yanxu turned to go.

"Yanxu."

He stopped.

Wen Shijun's voice came from behind him, with a softness that was barely noticeable.

"Your father's asked a few times when you and Jueqian are coming home to see him."

Wen Yanxu's back stiffened almost imperceptibly.

He knew all too well how dissatisfied He Yishui was with Wen Jueqian.

He Yishui had never really accepted Wen Jueqian.

He didn't want his beloved to feel wronged, so he tried to keep Wen Jueqian from having to face his omega father. Plus, work had been too busy lately—it really had been a long time since they'd gone back to visit.

Wen Shijun's gaze went back to the documents, his tone feigning casualness.

"He said the last time he saw you was three months ago. If you don't go back soon, he'll come wait for you at Aegis's front gate."

This kind of complaint carried that gentle, unreasonable stubbornness unique to omegas.

Wen Yanxu looked down.

"Work's been too busy lately."

Wen Shijun didn't push it.

"Make some time," he said. "His health isn't great. He won't say it out loud, but he's worried."

Wen Yanxu was quiet for a few seconds.

"I'll make it happen."

—

On the ninety-third floor, when Wen Yanxu got back to his office, Wen Jueqian was leaning against his personal sofa, a light computer still in hand, but his eyes were already closed.

His breathing was gentle.

Wen Yanxu crouched down next to the sofa.

He watched him sleep.

Maybe because work had been too busy lately and there'd been no time to style it, Wen Jueqian's hair had grown a bit longer than before. It now spilled across his face, covering part of it.

It made his already delicate face look even more tender and endearing, making you want to cherish him.

His ink-blue hair gleamed like satin in the dim light.

Wen Yanxu reached out, his fingertips gently brushing through the strands.

His touch was light, afraid of waking him.

Wen Jueqian's lashes trembled, and then he slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were dazed for a moment before gradually focusing on the person crouched in front of him.

"All done with work?"

"Mm."

Wen Yanxu's hand moved to under Wen Jueqian's eyes, his heart aching a little. "Let's go home first. You can sleep when we get there."

Wen Jueqian sat up, his silky hair falling back into place naturally.

He started to say something, then stopped.

The words about Qiao Yuexun were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them.

Right now, after the busy stretch, he just wanted to savor the time alone with Wen Yanxu.

When Wen Yanxu took his hand, Wen Jueqian held on, and their fingers intertwined.

The thing he was afraid of hadn't happened yet.

The Wen Yanxu of this moment was his alone.

The river was still flowing, and fate hadn't reached its end yet.

Anything was still possible.

==========Author's Note:==========

A little cat needs to repeatedly confirm that it's loved—being loved gives it strength.

Next up, a few sweet chapters.