Liang Xiao, worried about being too stifled, thoughtfully poked a hole in the bag.
—
Late at night, when the world was quiet, the crew finally retired to their rooms after a hard day’s work. The peace of the night remained undisturbed, shrouded in a gentle haze.
The butler, equally dazed as the night, arrived out of breath, barely clinging to life. “…What happened?”
Liang Xiao sat at the doorway, bundled up with the bag, ropes, and bamboo pole, looking equally puzzled. “Not sure.”
The butler stared blankly at the locked door. “And Mr. Huo?”
One of the bodyguards, who had been unceremoniously tossed out alongside them, cautiously offered, “He’s… banging his head against the wall.”
The butler: “…”
He promptly lost the remaining half of his breath.
Huo Lan, not entirely lucid, leaned against the door for a solid ten minutes before fumbling for the suppressant’s instructions.
He read it from start to finish, including three pages of appendices and seven notes. There was, indeed, no mention of side effects like “having a nightmare, waking up, opening the door, and actually seeing the nightmare.”
Not only that, but the instructions specifically highlighted, “Ensures maximum pheromone stability post-injection.”
Huo Lan stood still for a moment, expressionless, and brushed off the shards of ice from his head.
A stray piece of ice slid down and landed on the word “stability.”
It melted.
When the bodyguards finally pried open the bedroom door, the management team of Feiyang Pharmaceuticals had just been roused from their sleep for an emergency video conference. They trembled through Huo Lan’s interrogation about product quality and potential side effects.
The butler, unjustly accused, was on the verge of tears. “Mr. Huo…”
Together with the bodyguard captain, he lamented his fate for an entire day. Even though they hadn’t conspired with Liang Xiao, no amount of explanation could clear their names.
Huo Lan raised a hand, listened to the trembling report from the R&D department, and issued a stern final order to restart Phase IV clinical trials and reassess the drug’s safety and efficacy before closing his laptop.
The butler felt a deep injustice—snow in June.
Huo Lan, having suppressed his pheromones once again, closed his eyes and instructed calmly, “Turn on the air conditioning.”
The butler didn’t dare to speak, quietly found the control panel, and pressed a few buttons.
The clash of hot and cold air filled the room with an inexplicable mist of melancholy.
Liang Xiao vaguely sensed there might have been more to the story before his arrival. After hesitating for a few seconds, he cautiously walked over. “Mr. Huo.”
Huo Lan: “Deduct twenty thousand.”
Liang Xiao fell silent.
Huo Lan slightly raised his chin, signaling for the butler to escort the guest out.
His expression was calm, devoid of anger, which made the butler even more nervous. “Mr. Huo, I believe Mr. Liang… didn’t do this intentionally.”
Even though he couldn’t fully understand Liang Xiao’s train of thought, he too had once believed this approach might bring Mr. Huo some semblance of joy.
Before Liang Xiao went upstairs, he had specifically sent a message to confirm whether Huo Lan was in a bad mood.
Although it was unclear why he repeatedly asked for confirmation that there were no whips in Huo Lan’s room, he also mentioned that if needed, he could offer a 50% discount. Two visits would only be charged as one.
If he came five times, an extra visit would be free.
The butler felt the discount was already unbeatable. Bracing himself, he tried his best to explain, trembling slightly, “Mr. Liang meant well… It might have just been an accident…”
Huo Lan: “Show him out.”
Butler: “Please.”
The roomful of eyes turned toward Liang Xiao, who stood there for a moment, brushing off the damp snowflakes from his hair. He then pulled out his phone.
The phone resting on Huo Lan’s desk chimed with a soft ding.
Butler: “…”
Huo Lan raised his eyes, gaze landing on the phone.
The butler, fearing Huo Lan might smash it, quickly stepped forward and clutched the phone tightly.
—
Huo Lan lowered his head and let out a brief laugh.
He didn’t even need to look to guess what this money-obsessed omega might have been thinking. He cast a cold glance at Liang Xiao. “No need to explain. The deductions won’t be reversed.”
It wasn’t like he had more money than he could spend.
Letting Liang Xiao come over without marking him temporarily was just a precaution in case the suppressant didn’t work properly. If his pheromones went out of control, Liang Xiao was merely a backup plan.
Now it seemed, the primary cause of his pheromonal instability was the backup plan.
“Don’t come anymore,” Huo Lan said. “I don’t need an omega.”
The butler panicked. “Mr. Huo—”
Huo Lan cut him off. “Book his ticket. Send him back.”
The colder and calmer Huo Lan seemed, the less room there was for negotiation. The butler dared not protest further and gestured to the bodyguards to escort Liang Xiao downstairs.
At the door, Liang Xiao paused and turned to look at Huo Lan.
“Continue acting in the film.”
Huo Lan had no intention of making things difficult. He retrieved the contract, tossed it into the shredder, and said indifferently, “Let’s part ways amicably.”
The bodyguards, dutiful as ever, escorted Liang Xiao out.
Once everyone was gone, silence returned to the room.
Huo Lan leaned back in his chair, watching as the contract turned into shredded paper, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk.
The butler, unwilling to press further, contacted the company secretary to book Liang Xiao’s flight. He also coordinated with the hotel staff and prepared a cup of steaming coffee for Huo Lan.
The rising mist from the coffee filled the room with a faint warmth.
Huo Lan took a sip of his coffee, clearing away the chaos of the past few days. When he looked up, he noticed the butler still clinging tightly to the phone. “What did he send?”
The butler hesitated. “Mr. Huo…”
Finally enjoying some peace and quiet, Huo Lan’s mood improved slightly. “Read it.”
The butler forced himself to glance at the phone and froze for a moment. Then he looked toward the door.
Liang Xiao was already gone.
Huo Lan’s expression darkened, and a faint, cold mockery flickered in his eyes.
“Mr. Liang said…”
The butler double-checked the screen before hesitantly continuing, “Sorry.”
—
Liang Xiao was sent back to his room, along with the burlap sack with the hole he had cut.
The bodyguards, acting like emotionless NPCs, carried him to the door and then disappeared into the shadows.
The entire ordeal hadn’t taken long. Duan Ming had just finished reviewing a batch of scripts when he opened the door and was stunned to see Liang Xiao back so soon. “Why are you here already?”
Sitting on the floor, Liang Xiao was just as puzzled. “Was it wrong to make the hole?”
Duan Ming was baffled. “What?”
Explaining everything from Su Man’s advice onward would take too long, and the story had already veered so far off course that going back to redo it wasn’t an option.
Liang Xiao raised his head and thought for a moment. “Brother Duan.”
Startled by his tone, Duan Ming quickly dragged him inside and set him on the sofa, shutting the door tightly. “What happened?”
“Nothing.” Liang Xiao, mindful of Duan Ming’s nerves, carefully deliberated before asking, “Brother Duan, if Mr. Huo fined me ten million, what would you do?”
Duan Ming: “Jump off a building.”
Liang Xiao: “…”
Liang Xiao: “What if it was five million?”
Duan Ming: “Still jump.”
Shocked by his manager’s unwavering determination, Liang Xiao gazed at him in awe for a moment. Finally, he sighed in relief. “Brother Duan, I have good news. Mr. Huo didn’t fine me; he just terminated my contract.”
After being on edge for so long, Duan Ming finally relaxed. “Oh.”
Duan Ming: “…”
“Brother Duan.” Liang Xiao threw himself forward and hugged his manager’s waist. “Calm down.”
“Calm down?! Are you crazy? Do you know how much money you’ve lost? Have you forgotten how you ended up hospitalized last time? Do you want to be bedridden for another six months? I don’t care what it takes—go back and cling to Mr. Huo’s waist and beg him not to leave!”
“…” Liang Xiao sighed. “Brother Duan, please stop accepting idol drama scripts.”
“If you don’t take these roles, what will you act in?” Duan Ming perched on the windowsill, grabbing Liang Xiao by the shoulders and shaking him. “The film and TV industry is in a winter freeze right now! There aren’t many productions starting up, and we can’t even get into the big projects. Just two minutes ago, there was an emergency push notification—Feiyang Pharmaceuticals is recalling the batch of suppressants you use to redo Phase IV clinical trials. The black market price has already soared to 500,000 per dose!”
Duan Ming, clutching a calculator, broke into sorrowful tears. “You can now only afford 6.74 doses—rounding up to the third decimal place for them!”
Liang Xiao: “…”
He had wanted to reassure his manager that, if worst came to worst, he could always set up a phone screen repair stall under a bridge. Besides, when the bodyguards were busy dismantling doors earlier, he had shamelessly grabbed all the disposable toiletries from the three bathrooms in Huo Lan’s suite.
But a price tag of 500,000 per dose was simply absurd.
He might need to repair 50,000 phone screens.
“Why the sudden recall?” Liang Xiao pulled the window shut and secured Duan Ming, who was stuck on the windowsill, with the curtain. “What about the patients who rely on these suppressants?”
His condition might be rare, but surely he wasn’t the only one in the world. For many people, this specialized suppressant was a necessity. Even if there were undiscovered issues with it, they couldn’t just ignore the patients in need.
Duan Ming, who had only skimmed the notification, hadn’t yet had a chance to bemoan the plight of the afflicted. His eyes were teary as he looked at Liang Xiao.
Worried that his manager might fall, Liang Xiao tied him securely with the curtain, pulled out his phone, and opened Feiyang Pharmaceuticals’ website.
The homepage immediately displayed an emergency notice from Feiyang’s leadership team, who had apparently convened a late-night meeting to issue it.
The notice announced that the “Valu” series specialized suppressants would restart Phase IV clinical trials, recall all currently sold products, and broadly recruit clinical trial volunteers.
For one year, the company would provide all necessary modified suppressants free of charge to these volunteers.
…
Duan Ming’s eyes widened in disbelief.
He untied himself from the curtain, opened the window, and climbed down from the windowsill.
With unrestrained joy, Duan Ming tore up the secondary-party contract in his hand.
—
“President Huo,” the butler reported, setting down the phone. “Feiyang Pharmaceuticals acted quickly; everything has been handled.”
Pheromones are a matter of personal safety and cannot be taken lightly. Even the slightest defect in formulation requires recalibration and thorough testing. By launching a volunteer recruitment campaign and offering suppressants for free, Feiyang demonstrated their commitment to addressing the needs of specific groups.
It was a responsible and commendable move.
Having reviewed the internal report, Huo Lan was satisfied with the response. He closed his laptop.
“The plane ticket is booked for early tomorrow morning,” the butler informed him.
Huo Lan frowned slightly, pushed back the swivel chair, and stood up to head to the bathroom to freshen up.
The butler informed him, “The hotel has also coordinated everything. We won’t need to pay for the door.”
In fact, the hotel had cautiously reminded them that they actually had a master key, which could unlock the door even if it had been bolted from the inside.
However, the butler decided this detail didn’t need to be reported to their boss. “The driver will come to pick you up tomorrow morning.”
Huo Lan responded, “Pay for it anyway.”
The butler promptly transferred the money to the hotel.
Huo Lan stood at the sink and glanced at the empty area where toiletries should have been. He frowned.
“…Request compensation.”
The butler quickly sent a payment request to the hotel.
Though the surroundings were finally quiet, the irritation that lingered in Huo Lan’s chest refused to dissipate. He couldn’t shake the thought that the suppressant might have some undiscovered side effects.
In this mood, everything seemed displeasing to his eyes. He paced through the three spacious bathrooms, circling them three times, but couldn’t find anything worth picking up.
Not even something throwable.
The bathrooms were utterly barren.
The butler nervously followed him around. “Sir—”
Huo Lan, emanating a frosty chill, turned to face him.
The butler hurriedly adjusted the thermostat, raising the temperature by another degree.
The situation at hand was mostly a misunderstanding—one that wasn’t impossible to resolve. Although Huo Lan had coldly and ruthlessly driven Liang Xiao out, ever since reading that notification, he hadn’t spoken much.
After all, Liang Xiao was the only person in the world who could make Huo Lan personally deduct one yuan from a contract late at night, only to send a two-yuan red packet the next day.
No one else in the world could make their boss spend money for no reason.
Not even two yuan.
The butler, a beta who couldn’t detect pheromones, still had a reasonable suspicion that Liang Xiao, the sweet little omega, had managed to catch their boss’s attention.
He had been the one interacting with Liang Xiao’s manager, who had shown great concern for the contract and clearly needed the money.
If the contract terms were slightly adjusted, and the manager was approached witha mix of reason and monetary persuasion, there was a chance Liang Xiao could be convinced to return.
The butler glanced at the phone Huo Lan was gripping tightly in his hand. Steeling himself, he asked tentatively, “Would you like to… ask Mr. Liang to come back?”
When did he manage to get toiletries 😂💀😂