After An Xun changed Bo Xiangzhou’s contact name to “Sponsor,” he got a message from the ‘Sponsor’ when he got home that evening.

[Sponsor]: Next Wednesday.

[Sponsor]: Pack your bags, hit the civil affairs bureau, then head back to the estate.

Was this his cue to move in?

Thinking it over, it made sense. As the ‘wife,’ he was expected to live with his ‘hubby,’ emotional foundation or not.

An Xun replied with an “Okay,” and picked the cutest, pinkest pig emoticon he could find to send back.

He grabbed a beer from the fridge, cracked it open with practiced ease, and downed a few gulps before collapsing onto the couch in a more comfortable position, then he sighed deeply.

Poor guy, only twenty-two and already about to live like a monk.

An Xun dialed Tao Nian’s number, his mood decidedly gloomy.

Tao Nian: “Xun baby, what’s gotten into you lately? That WeChat nickname of yours—what were you thinking changing it to that?”

“Don’t ask, let’s just say your buddy is about to strike it rich.”

An Xun switched to a Baidu search page, looking up “cute and soft omega profile pictures” and “omega-exclusive pink emoticons.”

He had it all planned out. He’d change his profile picture weekly to maintain his new persona while also taking online classes to learn how to speak in a more charming tone.

Tao Nian: “What, did you win the lottery?”

An Xun played coy, “I’ll tell you next week.”

Tao Nian got excited, “Really? That’s awesome!”

Scanning through the search results, An Xun picked up a few key tips: keep your voice sweet and drag out the end sounds to sound more whiny.

Trying it out internally, An Xun felt good about it. He cleared his throat, “Let me try a line on you.”

“What kind of trick are you pulling now?”

Not fully confident the first time, An Xun coughed for a good ten seconds, but eventually, the prospect of money overcame his embarrassment. In a coquettish tone, he recited, “Please, can you— you’re the best…”

A vomiting sound came through the phone.

Tao Nian threw up.

And it sounded pretty severe.

An Xun: “…Is it really that disgusting?”

There was no immediate response on the other end. Listening to the background, An Xun guessed Tao Nian had stepped out to grab a glass of water and rinse his mouth before responding, his voice hoarser than before.

An Xun felt a bit embarrassed, but he always had thick skin around Tao Nian, quickly regaining his nonchalant demeanor, “Is it really that bad?”

He was hoping to win over the aloof and abstinent Bo Xiangzhou with this voice.

Tao Nian sounded tortured as he groaned heavily.

Lost in thought, An Xun pondered.

Tao Nian, unable to figure out his friend’s sudden change, asked, “What got into you all of a sudden, learning to…”

A rush of words flashed through his mind, and Tao Nian said, “Learning to sound like a seductive vixen.”

“Seductive vixen?” An Xun fell silent.

“To be honest, you don’t even sound as good as a seductive vixen.”

“Nian Nian, your words really chill my heart.”

“Do you have someone you like?” Tao Nian speculated more and more it was possible. He knew An Xun well; nothing could force him to do something he didn’t want to. A marriage of convenience was out of the question, so the only possibility was that he was pursuing someone he liked.

Tao Nian’s lips curled up in a teasing smile, “You were just saying the other day that no alpha is good enough to make you give up being single, and now you’re chasing someone behind my back. Come clean, which alpha is it? Let me vet them for you.”

It’d scare you to death, An Xun thought to himself.

An Xun: “No, don’t overthink it.”

Tao Nian laughed, “Alright, if you say there’s nothing, then there’s nothing. The kid has grown up and got secrets—”

He deliberately dragged out his words, sounding incredibly annoying.

Before An Xun could retort, Tao Nian hung up quickly.

·

An Xun was in high spirits over the next few days. Bo Xiangzhou was quick to act, saying he’d transfer the money after they got the marriage license, but actually contacted the bank as soon as he had the account number. By midday, An Xun’s account was a million richer.

Sitting at his desk, An Xun glanced at his balance again, worried that if he looked away for even a second, the million would disappear.

The time they’d agreed to meet was 2 PM, and An Xun slumped in his chair, watching the clock.

Only four more hours until he could see the big estate. It was agony.

Amidst his melancholy, someone laughed behind him.

An Xun’s smile faded as he straightened up, “Meng Xiao, did you have a good time in the bathroom?”

He and Meng Xiao never got along, though An Xun wasn’t sure why. Ever since he joined the company, Meng Xiao had been cold to him.

Meng Xiao glanced at the job application displayed on An Xun’s computer and gloated, “Still haven’t found the right person after half a month? Looking forward to getting scolded at tomorrow’s meeting?”

“Let them scold. I’ll just quit,” An Xun said nonchalantly.

Meng Xiao’s face darkened. As co-HRs, if An Xun left, the burden of recruitment would fall on him.

He disliked An Xun, but he didn’t want him to resign either.

Frustrated, Meng Xiao couldn’t think of a good comeback.

Jobs were hard to come by in Jiang City, and with departments in most companies already at capacity, he, unlike the fresh and talented graduate An Xun, might struggle to find work for half a year if he left.

An Xun rubbed his shoulders and returned to screening resumes.

This one won’t do, not enough experience…

This one either, too hot-tempered, got angry after just a few questions…

This one… what the hell, starting with insults?

An Xun suppressed his irritation, typing pleas to calm the applicant, who was getting cocky, demanding higher wages.

Keeping his face neutral, An Xun ended the conversation amiably and turned to complain to Tao Nian on his phone.

[Gulu Gulu]: Another day, another desire to quit. What’s with all these weirdos applying? Do alphas think they’re better than everyone else? They still need to send in resumes to find work.

[Gulu Gulu]: I’m just trying to hire an operations assistant, so hard.

Tao Nian was probably busy and didn’t reply.

An Xun picked up a stress ball and squeezed it to vent his frustration, focusing on work after calming down a bit.

He barely made it to the afternoon, seizing a moment when his supervisor was away to pack his bag and make a break for it.

He had asked his boss for half a day off that morning, who unsurprisingly didn’t agree, but An Xun hadn’t expected him to; it was just a courtesy notification.

He didn’t care about the pay cut; the money Bo Xiangzhou gave him each month was enough to live lavishly for decades. Being fired would be even better; he’d rather lie at home and chill.

As he was about to leave, Meng Xiao came up to him again, “I’ve seen people leave half an hour early, but three or four hours? If you can’t handle it, maybe you should be the boss.”

How long An Xun had been enduring work could be measured by his relief upon seeing his bank balance. He retorted, “I’d love to be the boss, but the boss doesn’t agree, what can I do?”

He then strutted out of the office under Meng Xiao’s jealous gaze.

Back at his apartment complex, two luxury cars, one white and one black, were parked downstairs. Luckily, it was still work hours, so there was no one around to make a fuss.

As he approached, the first car’s door opened and an assistant stepped out, respectfully opening the rear door.

Sure enough, Bo Xiangzhou appeared.

Bo Xiangzhou was silent throughout, merely nodding in greeting when their eyes met.

An Xun suddenly forgot how to interact with him.

Work really gets in the way; he shouldn’t have gone at all.

Bo Xiangzhou, assuming An Xun would have a lot of luggage, brought three bodyguards. When they followed An Xun into his room and saw his belongings, they were taken aback.

Two suitcases, three bags, his custard yellow electric cooker, and five different styles of ceramic bowls.

Noticing Bo Xiangzhou’s gaze, An Xun silently hugged his bowls closer. These were bowls he had scoured the internet for, both pretty and appetizing to use.

Everything else could be left behind, but not the electric cooker or the bowls; he was planning to whip up something for himself if he got hungry at night.

He looked pitifully at Bo Xiangzhou.

Bo Xiangzhou found his reaction both amusing and adorable, chuckling softly as he ordered the assistant, “Take these.”

“Madam, please let me,” the assistant took over, “My name is Feng Sheng, I’m President Bo’s third assistant.”

“Hello.”

Since Tao Nian had criticized his voice, An Xun had spent a lot of time trying to learn a coquettish tone. Failing to master it and instead making himself nauseous, Tao Nian couldn’t stand it and advised him to just soften his voice.

His voice was naturally clear and pure, paired with a face that exuded innocence, it didn’t need much alteration. Just toning down his usual brashness would make him seem quite well-behaved.

An Xun’s voice was soft and mushy, causing a slight stir in Bo Xiangzhou, who remembered An Xun’s voice differently.

Last time he found it a bit off-putting, but this time… it unexpectedly sounded pleasant.

Maybe he was just overwhelmed with work lately and misremembered the voice.

Once in the luxury car, An Xun fought the urge to touch everything and managed to say very composedly, “President Bo, did you just come from work?”

“No need for formalities,” Bo Xiangzhou said, “Grandma Bo really likes you. When I take you to the hospital to see her tonight, try not to act like it’s a boss-employee situation.”

Chen Xiang had said that their marriage owed a lot to Grandma Bo.

Though they had never met, An Xun felt she must be a wonderful person.

He nodded, “What should I call you then? ‘Hubby’?”

He had called him that countless times in his head, but blushed when he actually said it out loud.

Strange, he thought, how a shameless guy like him could blush so many times in front of Bo Xiangzhou.

It was all the pheromones’ fault.

Studies show that the higher the compatibility between an alpha and an omega, the easier it is for them to be moved by each other, indicating a special place in each other’s hearts.

Bo Xiangzhou remained composed, “Maybe stick with ‘President Bo’ for now. Calling me ‘hubby’ is a bit too soon.”

An Xun felt his face heat up, wondering if Bo Xiangzhou thought he was being too frivolous.

The civil affairs bureau was efficient—filling out forms, taking photos, stamping documents—and An Xun looked at the red marriage certificate in his hand, still feeling it was all surreal.

[Gulu Gulu]: Nian Nian, I have a big secret to tell you.