In the past, as long as he took his suppressant on time in the morning, Lin Yu would typically recover within ten minutes. This time, however, everything had been too chaotic, which led to this mess.
Despite Lu Ziqing’s strong protests, Lin Yu insisted on making it to work on time.
Lu Ziqing grumbled about him “valuing money over his own life” but still resigned himself to shoving Lin Yu into the car and speeding toward the office.
Lu Ziqing: “You owe me one again. My car rarely carries outsiders.”
Lin Yu pulled out his phone. “I’ll transfer you the fare.”
Lu Ziqing: “Do I look like a taxi driver to you?”
Lin Yu: “If not that, then something else. You name it.”
Lu Ziqing glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
He had placed Lin Yu in the back seat, thinking that since he was still weak, he might need to lie down.
But Lin Yu, probably too self-conscious to sprawl out in someone else’s car, insisted on sitting upright with his hands neatly folded in front of him, as if attending a business meeting.
Noticing Lu Ziqing’s gaze, Lin Yu lifted his eyes and met his in the mirror.
The morning sunlight was still gentle, not yet scorching like midday. Trees lined both sides of the road, casting dappled shadows, and the air was fresh and crisp.
A beam of sunlight fell on Lin Yu’s cheek, making his complexion appear even paler and more delicate.
Perhaps because he was still weak, his expression seemed softer than usual.
Lu Ziqing cleared his throat and looked away. “Shouldn’t you be the one offering thanks, instead of waiting for me to ask?”
Lin Yu: “Thank you.”
Lu Ziqing turned the steering wheel. “Forget it for now. I’ll put it on the record—you owe me a favor.”
Lin Yu pulled out his phone and started typing.
Lu Ziqing: “What are you doing? Texting someone to curse me out for being petty?”
Lin Yu shook his head. “I’m writing it down, in case I forget. I owe you a favor. I’ll make sure to return it.”
Lu Ziqing had just been joking, but seeing how seriously Lin Yu took it, he suddenly didn’t know how to respond.
Thankfully, they arrived at the office soon after.
Lin Yu, ever cautious, didn’t want anyone to see them arriving together. He crouched down in the car, waited until the coast was clear, then quickly slipped out.
Lu Ziqing watched him walk away and thought, ‘He’s acting like we’re having an affair or something.’
The idea had just crossed his mind, but the more he looked at Lin Yu’s retreating figure, the more it seemed… suspicious.
The unsteady steps, the slightly wobbly walk, the faint pinkish hue to his skin, and the lingering scent of pheromones…
Lu Ziqing clicked his tongue. ‘Good thing no one saw him. Otherwise, even if I had a hundred mouths, I wouldn’t be able to explain this away.’
…..
Lin Yu didn’t leave his office the entire morning.
Mi Lan nudged Liang Zhi’s elbow. “Hey, what do you think Director Lin is up to?”
Liang Zhi, still focused on his drawings, didn’t even look up. “No idea.”
Mi Lan: “Come on, take a guess.”
Liang Zhi: “Probably sorting out the departments’ work. The company’s been a mess since we lost the previous boss.”
“That’s boring.” Mi Lan turned to Lu Ziqing. “Ziqing, what do you think Director Lin is doing?”
Lu Ziqing: “Writing his resignation letter.”
Mi Lan: “?”
Lu Ziqing: “If I were him, faced with this disaster, I’d submit my resignation within three seconds.”
Clearly, Lin Yu was much more resilient than Lu Ziqing had given him credit for.
After a quick lunch, Lin Yu said he was heading to the Hongye Art Museum to check on the progress of their exhibition setup.
Six months ago, the company had taken on the task of designing and executing an exhibition layout for the museum. The design phase had been completed, but the implementation had stalled, and communication with the museum was proving difficult.
At the design department’s entrance, Lin Yu asked, “Who was in charge of the initial design?”
Liang Zhi tensed up and stood. “I—I was the lead designer.”
Lin Yu nodded. “You’re coming with me.”
Liang Zhi hesitated. “But I have a design revision for the Mengma Exhibition due by 3 PM…”
Lin Yu swept his gaze across the office.
Mi Lan immediately ducked her head, pretending to be engrossed in her work.
Terrified, the safest option when a new boss asks for people is to play dead.
Lu Ziqing put on his coat and stood up. “I’ll go. I helped Liang Zhi keep an eye on things during the early stages, so I’m familiar with the details.”
Lin Yu hesitated. “Maybe Mi—”
Lu Ziqing cut him off. “Mi Lan has a meeting with the ecological park researchers this afternoon.”
Lin Yu paused. “…Alright, thanks for your help.”
Lu Ziqing smiled. “No need to be so polite.”
After they left, Mi Lan whispered to Liang Zhi, “Since when do I have a meeting with the ecological park people?”
Liang Zhi chuckled. “Ziqing made up an excuse to get you out of it.”
Mi Lan brightened. “He acts so unserious all the time, but he’s got my back when it counts.”
Liang Zhi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Don’t you think he’s being a little too enthusiastic today?”
Mi Lan frowned. “What do you mean?”
Liang Zhi mused, “When have you ever seen him take work off your hands?”
Mi Lan smacked the table. “You’re right! He’s never been the type to show mercy!”
Liang Zhi said meaningfully, “So…”
Mi Lan suddenly had an epiphany. “So… he must’ve hit his head on the door before leaving the house today!”
Liang Zhi: “…”
……
Hongye Art Museum was located in the northern suburbs. It was a newly established modern art gallery, primarily showcasing paintings. Due to the frequent rotation of exhibits and its trendy decor, it was a popular spot among young people.
As Lin Yu flipped through past meeting records, he saw that securing the exhibition project for Hongye Art Museum had been a hard-won effort. The designer in charge, Liang Zhi, was a graduate of a prestigious art academy and highly skilled. His proposal had been well received by the museum.
But for some reason, once the actual work began, the project lead had switched to Zhou Youyu.
After parking the car, Lin Yu asked while walking, “Zhou Youyu is still away on his business trip?”
Lu Ziqing replied, “He’s supposed to be back this afternoon.”
Lin Yu’s expression remained neutral. He simply said, “Got it.”
Lu Ziqing glanced at the back of Lin Yu’s neck and suddenly asked, “Are you feeling okay?”
Lin Yu didn’t stop walking. “What?”
“I mean, your body—are you feeling alright?” Lu Ziqing clarified. “Your neck is still a bit pink. This morning, the others noticed something was off with you.”
Lin Yu instinctively covered his neck and halted.
Lu Ziqing immediately realized he had overstepped.
Even though there was no one else around at the moment…
They were outside, not at home. They had just agreed to maintain the appearance of a normal superior-subordinate relationship in public.
Lin Yu was silent for a moment. “I don’t feel anything.”
Lu Ziqing coughed lightly. “I didn’t mean anything by it, but when we enter the exhibition hall, there will be a lot of workers—most of them are alphas. I just wanted to give you a heads-up…”
“It should be fine. I used a cold towel before leaving.” Lin Yu thought for a moment, then suddenly took a step closer. Looking into Lu Ziqing’s eyes, he asked seriously, “Do you feel like doing anything to me right now?”
They were so close that Lu Ziqing could see the fine, translucent fuzz on Lin Yu’s face.
He nearly choked. “…Of course not!”
“Then it’s fine. If you don’t feel anything, neither will the other alphas.” Lin Yu swiftly turned away and adjusted his collar. “Let’s go.”
