Lin Sheng sat in the car, his eyes fixed on Li Yan’s figure as he quickly disappeared into the night, vanishing around the street corner within minutes.
Just five minutes after Lin Sheng made that harsh comment about finding Li Yan, he had barely clicked on Du Lin’s number when his phone rang. Du Lin was already calling.
As soon as Lin Sheng answered, Du Lin’s surprised voice came through. “How did you pick up so fast?”
Lin Sheng said, “I was just about to call you.” Without waiting for Du Lin to continue, he asked, “How did the investigation on that Beta I asked you to look into go?”
“Hey, I was just about to talk to you about that. There’s something strange about him. His social connections, resume, family history—everything’s a blank. There’s nothing to trace.”
Lin Sheng paused, a slight frown forming on his forehead. Even Du Lin couldn’t dig anything up? This Beta was clearly not as simple as he seemed. “You couldn’t find anything?”
Du Lin sounded embarrassed, as though his skills were being doubted, “Well, I did find his name. It’s Li Yan.”
The guy didn’t even bother fabricating a fake background. He left everything blank. Was it confidence that no one could find anything, or was it a subtle warning?
A peculiar curiosity stirred in Lin Sheng. He said to Du Lin, “Forget it. I’m at the Central Hospital. Can you come pick me up?”
“Central Hospital?” Du Lin started shouting, “What happened? Are you sick or injured?”
“Stop asking. You’ll see when you get here.” Lin Sheng was in a bad mood, unwilling to explain further.
–
In a privately booked Western restaurant, Lu Lianning picked up a bottle of red wine and began pouring it into the Omega’s glass across from him. He had barely let a small stream run down the side of the glass when a waiter hurried over and took the bottle from him. “Sir, allow me.”
The Omega seated across from him had a face flushed, either from the warm orange lighting or genuine shyness.
He looked barely in his twenties, with rosy lips, white teeth, and slender, pale wrists that seemed delicate enough to bruise at the lightest squeeze.
“Song Ruan?” Lu Lianning’s voice was low, resonating through the spacious restaurant with a deep, pleasing tone.
The Omega quickly nodded. “Yes.” His father had arranged for him to meet this Alpha over the weekend. At first, he had been resistant, having heard of Lu Lianning’s ruthless reputation since taking over the Lu Group. Lu Lianning had shown no mercy in ousting even the senior executives who had helped his father establish the company. Not only had he treated them this way, but he was equally merciless with his competitors.
Song Ruan studied the handsome Alpha across from him in secret. His good looks were almost beyond belief, and there was a strange familiarity about him, as if they had met before.
The Alpha had sharp eyebrows, a high nose bridge, and slightly upturned lips. His jawline was strikingly defined.
He appeared gentle and didn’t seem to have a bad temper.
Lu Lianning finished cutting his steak into pieces and then started eating, finding the taste enjoyable. He thought about bringing Li Yan here sometime. Then he realized that Li Yan might not be good at cutting steak, so he’d probably have to help him with that…
His thoughts were interrupted by Song Ruan, sitting across from him.
“Mr. Lu.” Song Ruan blushed, summoning the courage to raise his wine glass.
Lu Lianning lifted his own glass without expression and clinked it with Song Ruan’s.
“I’ve never been to this restaurant before. The food is really delicious.”
Lu Lianning offered a polite smile, the curve of his lips making Song Ruan’s heart race. “I’m glad you like it.”
Since it was their first meeting, Song Ruan felt a little shy. The two of them didn’t talk much at the restaurant, but as time went on, they managed to finish a good portion of the food.
Lu Lianning finished his steak and checked the time before setting down his knife and fork.
Song Ruan ate slowly and still had more than half of his food left on the plate. Lu Lianning shifted into a more relaxed position and lifted his eyes to examine Song Ruan.
“How old are you? You look quite young.”
Song Ruan looked up, meeting his gaze, then quickly looked down again with a hint of panic. “I’m not that young. I turned 23 this year.”
Lu Lianning didn’t pursue the topic further. Instead, he pushed a side dish closer to Song Ruan. “Try this. It’s good.”
Feeling self-conscious because Lu Lianning had already finished his meal, Song Ruan didn’t want to appear like he was eating too slowly or too much, so he quickly put down his utensils.
It was still early, and Song Ruan considered the possibility of other plans, like catching a musical or going to a movie.
“Are you done eating?” Lu Lianning asked.
Song Ruan nodded, looking very obedient. “Yes.”
When they stepped outside, the light rain from earlier had stopped. The air still carried a lingering dampness, mingling with the exhaust fumes from passing cars.
“I’ll have my driver take you home. I have some other matters to attend to, so I won’t be able to take you myself,” Lu Lianning said, turning to Song Ruan.
Song Ruan felt a twinge of disappointment but didn’t let it show. A smile appeared on his face. “Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Lu. I hope we can meet again.”
Lu Lianning’s expression remained indifferent as he watched Song Ruan get into the car. He responded politely, “You’re welcome.”
–
After hurrying all the way, Li Yan managed to arrive home just before 7:30. He had been certain he’d be late tonight, but perhaps because of the cloudy skies, it had gotten dark earlier than usual.
With Lu Lianning not yet home, Li Yan felt much more at ease while eating dinner. After finishing, he went to feed the cat as usual.
He petted the cat, getting fur all over his hands. He headed to the bedroom to shower. Midway through washing, with grape-scented shower gel still on his skin, someone slipped into the bathroom.
Soon, muffled moans could be heard from the bathroom. Through the slightly ajar door, the strong scent of orange completely overpowered the lingering fragrance of the shower gel.
