Xi Zhengqing actually had a good reputation within the Federation. Whether it was his temperament or appearance, he completely looked like a gentle and elegant businessman; cultured, approachable, considerate of his subordinates, frequently attending charity galas, and having founded welfare institutions and various social service organizations under the Federation. Every year, he allocated one percent of Nuwa Bionic Manufacturing’s annual revenue for the relief of underprivileged groups, and he regularly submitted proposals to parliament advocating for higher unemployment benefits and equal pay for ABOs as a fixed routine.
Without a doubt, among all the heirs of the financial conglomerates, he was the most favored by the general public.
With other families in the core zone as comparison, no one cared whether he was hypocritical. If the day that the three major conglomerates turned against each other finally came and the public was faced with limited options, they would obediently accept the monopolized rule of the Xi family like lambs to the slaughter.
Xi Zhengqing was used to maintaining the facade of warmth and politeness, standing loftily at the top of the core zone, overlooking everyone and everything in the city.
He lifted his gaze and met Xin Hexue’s eyes.
Xin Hexue tilted his head slightly. “What’s wrong, Guangji? Is the cake not to your liking, or do you not like the gift?”
Xi Zhengqing shook his head.
He sat stiffly at the dining table in the living room, the collar around his neck making it impossible to ignore, and he had to endure the rough leather scratching at his skin.
Especially when he swallowed the mushy, sour cake, his Adam’s apple moved, and the collar brought an ever-present constriction.
Things were taking a strange turn. The sense of lowliness brought by the collar, the misplacement of being tamed, gave him a faint feeling that this prey might slip out of his control.
‘It’s just a Beta, after all. A fragile pureblood human…’
He wouldn’t be like Pei Guangji, bewitched by the canary and completely wrapped around his finger, even entrusting his last wishes after an accident.
‘It’s just a Beta. Just play around with him.’
Xi Zhengqing typed a reply: [Everything’s great. I really like it.]
The corners of Xin Hexue’s lips curled up and he pushed the cake a little closer to Xi Zhengqing.
Scooping up a piece with a fork and holding it to Xi Zhengqing’s mouth, Xin Hexue smiled and said, “If you like it, eat more. If you want it again next time, I’ll make it for you.”
‘Although next time would have to wait until it goes on sale at the price of 9.9 yuan across the entire network again.’ Xin Hexue thought frugally.
K felt the host’s gaze was completely like a cat locking onto prey, waiting for the right moment to kill with one strike.
It was just that the snake opposite hadn’t realized this was a trap. The big snake watched the little cat lick its paw, and had completely fallen into this gentle illusion.
K recorded the situation into “Little Cat Observation Log.docx”.
After this world ended, he would compile an analytical report.
Seeing Xin Hexue not touching any of the food, Xi Zhengqing asked suspiciously: [You’re not eating?]
Xin Hexue lowered his eyes. Having just stayed outside the villa for a while, his pale complexion hadn’t yet recovered. “Did you forget? I have a bad stomach. This was kept in the fridge…cold food gives me stomach pain.”
Xi Zhengqing realized he’d asked the wrong question. To keep Xin Hexue from getting suspicious, he once again betrayed his taste buds and said: [I just thought the cake was really delicious. You did a great job. But since you have a stomach problem, you’d better not try it.]
While luring him in, Xin Hexue watched Xi Zhengqing finish the entire six-inch cake.
??
Why did this person seem to accept it so well?
Xin Hexue was sure he had left that cream cake in the fridge for a full seven days.
K reminded: [His stomach has undergone mechanical modification. He can even digest most toxic substances.]
Then added: [His heart too.]
People from the Xi family generally had hereditary heart disease. Their arrhythmia required pacemakers, but based on the Xi family’s internal technological developments, Xi Zhengqing had a bionic backup heart implanted in his chest cavity.
Xin Hexue muttered: [Then he must be very hard to kill.]
Not only could he avoid being poisoned, even being shot or stabbed in the chest would require doing it twice.
Xin Hexue was quite envious, but judging by his own physical condition, if he were to undergo mechanical modification surgery, the mortality rate would probably be one hundred percent.
He propped up his chin and feigned curiosity as he asked, “Guangji, are you staying over tonight?”
Xi Zhengqing met Xin Hexue’s eyes, and his throat tightened unconsciously.
…
Study.
The clock on the wall pointed to 8 p.m.
Xin Hexue sat in the office chair in front of the desk and flipped through the contract he had just found.
Pei Guangji had locked the contract in a safe, but Xin Hexue had obtained the key from the smart butler.
Hearing footsteps in the hallway, Xin Hexue stuffed the contract into a drawer, leaving a small gap not fully closed as a deliberate flaw.
He appeared deeply absorbed, flipping through the books spread out on the desk.
The tall shadow of the Alpha loomed behind him, blocking out the ceiling light.
Xin Hexue heard the other person’s hand press against the leather of the chair’s backrest, making a faint sound.
Xi Zhengqing had finished washing up later than Xin Hexue. When he leaned over, his body still carried the dampness and chill of just-showered skin, causing Xin Hexue’s to frown imperceptibly.
Fortunately, the temperature in the study was just right, and the warmth soon drove away the chill.
Xi Zhengqing really wanted to ask what body wash Xin Hexue used. After all, Betas weren’t supposed to have pheromones, but Xin Hexue had a calming and pleasant scent on him.
He lowered his gaze and could see the young man’s freshly dried, smooth black hair. The nape of his neck was exposed, fair and flawless, seemingly easy for an Alpha to leave ambiguous marks on effortlessly.
The young man looked like a beautiful swan, too fragile to bear, easily provoking the evil impulses stirring within him.
For example, right now, Xi Zhengqing felt that the collar he was wearing should really be on the other person instead.
He wanted to claim him, to bend that slender waist into a flexible arc, to make him passively bear the Alpha’s deepest thrusts…ideally until the young man broke down in tears.
Tears would make him look even more beautiful.
[What are you looking at?]
Xi Zhengqing showed him the message he typed in the memo.
Xin Hexue flipped through the book in his hands, displaying the cover with the title printed on it.
Xi Zhengqing glanced at it, and it was just some technical book related to genetic modification. He had looked into that field before, but didn’t find it very interesting. [Why are you reading this?]
Xin Hexue pursed his lips together and replied softly, “I wanted to understand the things you usually deal with.”
Genetic modification was indeed something Pei Guangji typically worked with.
Xi Zhengqing frowned slightly but did not say anything. Instead, he took something out of his pocket and put his hands around Xin Hexue’s neck from front to back.
Xin Hexue felt a cool sensation press against his collarbone.
It was a necklace.
Xi Zhengqing helped him put it on and explained: [Birthday present.]
That afternoon, he had his secretary pick out a gift and send it over, but he wasn’t satisfied.
So he had the moonstone from his private collection made into a necklace.
The gemstone shimmered with a blue halo, its translucent texture flowing like moonlight, resembling a miniature moon.
It had originally been the best item in his private collection.
But it was far less pleasing than the person before him. By comparison, it was just an ordinary stone.
Xin Hexue looked up at him with feigned surprise, “Thank you, I really like it…”
The young man was nestled in the wide, soft leather chair. He raised his hand and touched the Alpha’s Adam’s apple through the collar, worry on his face. “When will your vocal cords recover? What kind of accident happened?”
Xi Zhengqing: [It’ll still take some time.]
Xi Zhengqing: [It was just an assassination attempt by a mutant species, don’t worry. That mutant was subdued quickly and didn’t cause other injuries.]
In recent years, activities by mutant resistance organizations had become more and more intense, but they mostly targeted minor nobles. Entering the core zone required special biological scans and identification, which mutant species still couldn’t pass.
Xi Zhengqing didn’t take them seriously and was only using it as a convenient lie.
Xin Hexue raised his hand to smooth out the frown on his face, leaning in close and asking softly, “Are you unhappy?”
Xi Zhengqing paused and met those eyes that seemed to hold scattered light.
He heard Xin Hexue speak like a temptation, “Then let’s play a game that will make you happy.”
Xi Zhengqing suddenly realized that things were slipping out of his control.
Xin Hexue stood up and tugged at his collar, tightening and loosening it like a dog leash, and the Alpha was pushed into the back of the chair before he could react.
The dynamic of attack and defense reversed instantly.
The chair creaked, echoing in the silent study.
The young man sat on the rosewood desk, his foot stepping down from high above. His lashes drooped lazily, like butterfly wings slowly folding and unfolding.
………
Sweat soaked through the Alpha’s pajamas from behind, and his expression seemed pained, mixed with a strange pleasure and excitement.
His back arched slightly, every muscle in his body tense, and all sensations focused on the snow-white foot resting between his legs.
The collar symbolizing the relationship of submission bound his neck, and Xi Zhengqing uncontrollably released pheromones from his glands.
The savage musk came from all directions, trying to overtake the young man sitting high on the desk.
With a book laying open on his knee, Xin Hexue flipped the pages carelessly.
With each turn of the page, the pressure from his foot varied in strength. The delicate texture of the skin and the faint blue veins on top became even more prominent when pressing down.
As if stepping on something dirty, a look of disgust flickered in Xin Hexue’s eyes.
He had been right all along.
Alphas were beasts that hadn’t fully evolved.
Based on his judgment, this mentally twisted and perverted heir, along with his obsession for destructive aesthetics, probably also had a fetish even Xi Zhengqing himself hadn’t realized.
If the original dog-blood script had been followed, Xi Zhengqing wouldn’t just have deceived “Xin Hexue”, he would also have carried out a certain degree of mental manipulation to satisfy his desire for control and destruction.
Xi Zhengqing was not like Pei Guangji, who loved without realizing it.
That’s why Xin Hexue never intended to build emotional ties like he had with Pei Guangji. He planned to use his desire to control Xi Zhengqing instead. He was ready to reverse the roles of tamer and tamed within the intimate relationship originally written in the script.
The love value increased and decreased repeatedly, and eventually increased by ten points.
But Xin Hexue was already getting bored after playing for a while. He also felt a bit tired.
With a crisp “snap”, he closed the book. His foot pressed down sharply, and the Alpha let out a muffled groan.
Xin Hexue’s eyelids drooped with fatigue.
His skin was naturally thin. And after what just happened, the soles of his feet tingled slightly with pain.
Xin Hexue asked K: [Is his external reproductive organ mechanical too?]
K: […]
Xin Hexue thought it was possible, since the size and hardness were outside the normal range.
Could it be detachable?
He was a little distracted.
In the next moment, he was caught off guard and pushed onto the desk by the Alpha, his back pressing against the cool, smooth rosewood.
Xi Zhengqing kissed him chaotically, trailing from his cheek down to his earlobe, letting out a hoarse, broken breath, “…Let me help you.”
