The dean and Mrs. Lu were in a daze.
Qin Yuheng was in disbelief.
Zhou Xiao was stunned, his face changing color. He subconsciously opened his mouth and said, “No, no way, Xu-Xu Yin is mine…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the tall alpha turned his head, his dark eyes staring straight at him.
Zhou Xiao was so frightened that he shrank like a quail and squatted down, disappearing behind the stairs in an instant.
Qi Yuanchu squinted his eyes and asked, “Who is that?”
“Ah, he is—” Xu Yin replied leisurely.
“Xiao Yin!” The dean raised her voice and interrupted him, forcing a smile, “You and Mr. Qi have talked, do you think it’s okay?”
At this moment, she just wanted to erase everything that had just happened!
She truly hadn’t expected the Qi family’s attitude towards Xu Yin to be so firm!
Having Zhou Xiao hide there, waiting to be called upon to act in a play to embarrass the Qi family and make them reluctant to take what they wanted—this was Mrs. Lu’s idea.
“They are just here to take a look. Considering Xu Yin’s background, the Qi family won’t take him seriously. By the time Zhou Xiao makes a scene, they surely won’t feel comfortable competing with him.”
But what happened?
In the end, they were directly faced with Qi Lian tearing up the pretense, and Qi Yuanchu actually wanting to take Xu Yin home to marry him!
What on earth is going on?!
To be honest, before meeting the Qi family, the dean indeed felt unwilling. She thought that no matter how influential the Qi family was, as long as Mrs. Lu refused to let go, the Qi family wouldn’t be able to do anything in this small town orphanage.
But after actually meeting them and sensing that natural difference in aura, the dean realized that things might not be as simple as she had imagined.
And she never expected that the Qi family would like Xu Yin so much.
Had she known it would turn out this way, she definitely wouldn’t have tried to confront them head-on!
Moreover, just now, Mrs. Lu’s slight anger seemed to indicate her annoyance at Zhou Xiao’s poor acting. But they had always performed like this, and Mrs. Lu had never said anything before… Now the dean felt extremely wronged.
Seeing this, Xu Yin estimated that some good drama had just taken place.
But it seemed that the dean and Mrs. Lu didn’t gain any advantage; instead, they were humiliated by the Qi family.
Facing the dean’s question, he replied with a half-smile, “Ah, I think it’s great. I really like Mr. Qi.”
Qi Yuanchu’s body tensed, his ears reddening again. He turned back, smiling at Xu Yin.
Qi’s mother and Qi Lian were really about to crow in surprise—this kind of pink, romantic atmosphere happening with Qi Yuanchu, the block of wood! It’s like the sun rising from the west!
But they couldn’t deny it, this omega was truly sweet!
Hearing Xu Yin’s words, the dean, Mrs. Lu, and Qin Yuheng all looked displeased.
Since things had reached this point, Qi’s mother quickly cleared her throat, adjusted her demeanor, and regained her composure as the dignified and courteous matriarch of the Qi family.
She nodded at the dean and said, “Dean, can Yin Yin be discharged now?”
Since the children both felt good about it, she naturally wouldn’t keep Xu Yin in the orphanage any longer—just now, the dean and Mrs. Lu’s antics had already been eye-opening enough.
The dean stammered, “His discharge application hasn’t been approved yet.”
She realized what she said and glanced cautiously at Mrs. Lu.
Mrs. Lu glared at her.
Qi’s mother then turned her gaze to Mrs. Lu, smiling, “Mrs. Lu, what about your side…”
“Ahem, I will urge my subordinates. They have indeed taken too long. It’s been busy lately.” Mrs. Lu brushed her hair behind her ear, speaking in an official tone.
Xu Yin thought to himself, indeed, Mrs. Lu was the person behind the town’s Association.
After speaking, Mrs. Lu took a deep breath.
Given the current situation, matchmaking between Qi Yuanchu and their Yuheng was unlikely.
But things couldn’t be too ugly, so she put on a proper smile and walked over, attempting to shake Xu Yin’s hand…
Xu Yin’s hand was preemptively held by Qi Yuanchu.
Xu Yin: “…”
Mrs. Lu: “…”
Qi Lian and Qi’s mother: *Inner shrieking* (screaming internally).
Qi Yuanchu’s ears reddened, his face remained calm, and he signaled to Mrs. Lu with his eyes: “Go on, if you have anything to say.”
Mrs. Lu’s mouth twitched. She quickly withdrew her hand, pretending nothing had happened. Clearing her throat again, she said kindly, “Once the discharge application is processed, you can go to the central city with Yuanchu and his family. Over the years, if I, the old dean, or the new dean have done anything inadequate, I hope you can understand. We’ve always treated you like our own children, which is why we’ve been strict with you. I hope you don’t hold it against us. You can always come back to visit; this will always be your home.”
Not far away, the dean’s eyes flickered with guilt.
Xu Yin’s face was full of mockery, but Mrs. Lu acted as if she didn’t see it and continued her sincere performance.
She probably felt confident, knowing that even if Xu Yin exposed everything the orphanage and the town’s interest group had done, she would remain unscathed.
But where did this confidence come from?
Xu Yin pondered.
Not far away, Qi Lian also watched Mrs. Lu, raising his eyebrows with a smile.
Mrs. Lu didn’t notice and continued her fake performance.
Qi’s mother glanced at Qi Lian, and they exchanged a look. Qi’s mother then turned back and said, “We’ll take Yin Yin away for a couple of days first. Once the discharge application is processed, we’ll come back to pack his belongings.”
The Qi family clearly had no intention of leaving Xu Yin there any longer.
What could Mrs. Lu and the dean say?
Suppressing their emotions, they could only put on smiles and agree, “Of course.”
Qi Yuanchu asked Xu Yin, “Is there anything you want to take with you first?”
“Yes, a puppy. Is that okay?” Xu Yin asked.
“Of course, I’ll go with you,” Qi Yuanchu replied gently.
*
Upstairs, the omegas were anxiously waiting for news from downstairs.
When they heard footsteps, they couldn’t help but open their doors and peek out.
They saw a tall, handsome alpha accompanying Xu Yin up the stairs, around the corner, and quickly out of sight.
Someone asked enviously, “What does this mean?”
“Did it work out?”
“Is Xu Yin leaving?”
“What about Zhou Xiao…”
Another person couldn’t help but say, “I overheard the dean and Zhou Xiao talking the other day. It seemed like they had a plan. How did it turn out like this…”
“I heard the Qi family is very powerful. The dean and the others probably couldn’t handle them.”
These words made everyone think differently.
Bai Luo bit his lip, withdrew into his room, and slammed the door shut!
Zhou Xiao was definitely not a devoted person who only liked Xu Yin!
If Xu Yin left, who among them would be the next to suffer?!
*
Xu Yin was still thinking about the interest group and Mrs. Lu’s influence as he led Qi Yuanchu into his small room. He was brought back to the present when he heard the man’s deep voice ask, “Who was the person hiding at the stairway?”
Xu Yin snapped back to reality, surprised that Qi Yuanchu remembered the incident. He was a bit astonished.
Qi Yuanchu looked at him intently, “Have you encountered any problems here? You can tell me.”
Xu Yin was stunned.
Then he smiled.
It’s true, his Lao gong has always been very sensitive to matters concerning him, so how could he not perceive the strangeness in the atmosphere in the foyer just now?
But these things are quite complicated.
Seeing him return, Little Black swiftly ran out from under the bed, wagging its tail as it approached, curiously tilting its head to look at Qi Yuanchu.
Xu Yin squatted down, rubbed its head, and after a moment’s thought, smiled and said, “Can you guess how I encountered it?”
Qi Yuanchu also crouched down, rubbing Little Black’s head with a puzzled look, then looked at Xu Yin.
Xu Yin smiled.
In that instant, Qi Yuanchu’s body tensed.
Silently, the floral scent intensified.
It was the fragrance of jasmine, clear and sweet, lingering around Qi Yuanchu.
Most alphas undergo pheromone tolerance training related to omegas as they age. Even when faced with an omega in heat, as long as they’re willing, they can maintain their composure.
However, when facing an omega they’re emotionally attached to, it’s not so easy to remain rational.
Qi Yuanchu’s voice became hoarse, “What are you doing?”
For an omega to release such a high concentration of pheromones to an alpha can be seen as a sign of trust, or perhaps an invitation.
“I have a few days left until my heat period,” Xu Yin said frankly, tilting his head. “But the day before yesterday when I wanted to get my suppressants, I found out that the suppressant dispenser in the clinic was broken. The repairman could only come the next day. Then Little Black… it appeared in front of me, with an omega heat inducer in its mouth.”
Qi Yuanchu’s expression changed.
If it was just a machine malfunction and the repairman happened to be unavailable, that could be a coincidence.
However, if an inducer, a prohibited item for ordinary omegas, also appeared at the same time, then things seemed “too coincidental.”
His face darkened. “What’s going on?”
Xu Yin lowered his gaze. “The inducer leaked from the dean’s office. She ordered a large batch.”
Qi Yuanchu’s brows furrowed.
“And then, the person hiding behind the stairs just now, his name is Zhou Xiao, he’s the dean’s son, a beta,” Xu Yin shrugged. “He said he likes me, so he always follows me, and sometimes even barges into my room. But the dean calls this, um, him being naive?”
Qi Yuanchu’s face grew darker.
With Xu Yin saying this, what more did he need to understand?
In fact, Xu Yin found it somewhat amusing. The dean really treated others like fools before.
Or maybe she thought of herself as the arbiter in this orphanage, so even if she treated others as fools, she wasn’t afraid?
Ah, but although he didn’t like hiding things from his lover and generally spoke his mind, if he were to reveal all the deeds of the dean and Zhou Xiao, this man in front of him would probably just grab a knife and go downstairs, right?
Xu Yin reached out and tapped the man’s forehead, saying, “It’s okay, I’ve been protecting myself well, and now that you’re here too.”
Qi Yuanchu paused, then held his hand, and said slowly, “I heard that this dean is new?”
“Yes, she’s been here for six months.”
“Has she ever mentioned what she did before?”
Xu Yin thought for a moment and shook his head.
The dean almost never brought up her past. Come to think of it, they didn’t even know why Zhou Xiao had undergone facial reconstruction surgery in the first place.
“I see.” Qi Yuanchu’s expression turned cold. He stood up, surveying the room again.
The decorations in the room were very plain. A computer was placed on the desk, the oldest model. However, from their meeting until now, Xu Yin hadn’t taken out a phone. If they were never given phones, it probably meant they weren’t allowed to contact the outside world. From this, it could be inferred that this computer likely couldn’t access the internet either.
