Chapter 3: Cooperation + A Little Lover?!

As Xiao Jin was deep in thought, a pair of long, fair legs with some faint red marks appeared before his eyes.

He sneered inwardly—this young master clearly hadn’t suffered much in life, his skin far too fair.

Xiao Jin lazily lifted his gaze to meet the boy’s eyes.

Then, he heard the cold and distant tone of the person before him. “I want to discuss a collaboration with you, regarding the Ruan family.”

Such a young age, yet trying to act all profound.

Xiao Jin’s gaze swept across Ruan Yan’s face. He had to admit, the taste from last night lingered with him, and this face, expressionless, only heightened his desire to conquer.

He had detailed information on the Ruan family, and the young man before him was 19 years old, just a little shorter than him, with a clean, fresh appearance. His face was mostly expressionless, but when he focused intently on someone, his eyes were so beautiful they were almost breathtaking.

Xiao Jin found himself momentarily distracted by the way Ruan Yan stared at him.

It was only for a brief moment, but Xiao Jin then raised his hands to fold them across his chest, raising an eyebrow. “Oh? What kind of collaboration regarding the Ruan family?”

Ruan Yan stared at him, and for a moment, he seemed to be lost in thought. His pale ears flushed faintly with a soft pink hue, but he still spoke, “Last night… you have a grudge against Ruan Hong.”

There were some things he couldn’t bring himself to say.

Although he had lost his senses last night, he still remembered what had been said.

But his relationship with Ruan Hong was purely one of blood—nothing more.

Xiao Jin thought for a moment. He seemed to recall saying something like, “If you bring Ruan Hong in front of me, I’ll let you go.”

He was always sharp, and from the Ruan family’s attitude toward losing a son this past month, along with what Ruan Yan was about to discuss with him regarding the Ruan family, Xiao Jin could guess that Ruan Yan wasn’t really important to them.

It also seemed that Ruan Yan didn’t have much attachment to the Ruan family either.

“Come to my study.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

Xiao Jin didn’t think this young master had any leverage to negotiate with him, but he was willing to humor him. After all, thinking back on last night, there was a certain flavor to it.

“Xiao Jin.” Ruan Yan called out to him. When he turned to look, Ruan Yan immediately spoke, “Can you give me a set of clothes?”

His upbringing didn’t allow him to walk out of the bedroom dressed in such an unseemly manner.

“Tch, troublesome.” Xiao Jin turned and walked away.

Ruan Yan stood there for a few seconds, a sly smile on his face. He then walked out of the room and happened to see Xiao Jin entering the room next door.

He quickly followed Xiao Jin into the room and realized that his room was right next to Xiao Jin’s study.

Xiao Jin was holding a walkie-talkie. “Mhm, go get it from my bedroom.”

Before long, a servant came in with a set of clothes, handed them to Ruan Yan, and then left.

The mingling of pheromones from last night made Ruan Yan particularly sensitive to Xiao Jin’s pheromones. Although the scent on the clothes was faint enough to be negligible, he still detected the distinct trace of Xiao Jin’s pheromones on them.

“You don’t want to wear them because I’ve worn them before?” Xiao Jin casually asked when he saw Ruan Yan standing there without moving.

When their gazes met, Ruan Yan saw a clear disdain in Xiao Jin’s eyes: “…”

Xiao Jin couldn’t help but laugh, leaning against the desk with his arms crossed. “Last night, I *was inside? How come I didn’t see you complaining?”

“You!”

Ruan Yan’s face flushed with anger, his ears turning bright red, spreading all the way to his earlobes.

He grabbed the clothes, turned, and stormed out of the room, slamming the door with a loud ‘bang’ as he left.

It wasn’t until he returned to his own room that he realized he had never been this angry before.

This man always knew how to make him grind his teeth in frustration.

Two minutes later, Ruan Yan returned to Xiao Jin’s study, fully dressed.

Xiao Jin looked at him with amusement, even a bit puzzled—Ruan Yan had slammed the door in front of him, yet he didn’t feel the slightest bit angry.

Ruan Yan adjusted the slightly long cuffs, folding them neatly.

Xiao Jin watched his movements with a quiet satisfaction. He walked around the desk and casually leaned back in the comfortable office chair. With a tilt of his chin, he motioned to Ruan Yan, “Alright, talk. What kind of cooperation are we discussing?”

Ruan Yan paused for a couple of seconds, walking over and placing his hand gently on the desk to steady himself, then spoke, “What do you want to make the Ruan family into?”

Xiao Jin curled his lips into a sinister smile, his expression carrying a cold cruelty. “Of course, from now on, I don’t want to hear a single word about the Ruan family again.”

“Good.” Ruan Yan lowered his gaze slightly. “As long as you agree to let me return to the Ruan family, I’ll help you get all the Ruan family secrets you want.”

In fact, he did have some things in his possession, but they weren’t enough to bring down the entire Ruan family.

But now, standing in front of him was a powerful enemy of the Ruan family. Why not use him in return, to achieve a win-win situation?

Using the other party was something he could only think about in his mind. He couldn’t let Xiao Jin know.

He had been held captive for a month without any action from the Ruan family. Xiao Jin already knew that his relationship with the Ruan family wasn’t ideal, so there was no reason for him to refuse Ruan Yan’s proposal.

“Tsk, even without you, I can still make the Ruan family disappear.” Xiao Jin sneered, his brows and eyes full of confident arrogance, because he had absolute confidence to say such a thing.

Ruan Yan’s expression flickered slightly, and a sense of unease rose in his heart, but he still forced himself to stay calm. “Then, what would it take for you to let me go?”

After what happened yesterday, with his legs still too sore to straighten, Xiao Jin couldn’t help but admire how calm Ruan Yan remained while negotiating with him. He had to admit, the scent of Ruan Yan’s pheromones was enough to spark his interest, even though the other man was an alpha.

But last night had been unexpectedly harmonious.

Xiao Jin tilted his head.

“Actually, a collaboration isn’t out of the question, but there’s an additional condition—you have to be my… lover.” He spoke with a teasing smile, pausing for effect before drawing out the final word.

Ruan Yan’s expression froze for a moment.

He closed his eyes, not immediately agreeing. The physical differences between an alpha and an omega were vast, and being the one to bear the brunt of it—he didn’t want to experience that pain again.

No one knew, not even his biological father, that he was actually quite afraid of pain.

Instead, he tried to offer something else in exchange for his freedom. “Anything you want to know about the Ruan family, I’ll help you get it. I’ll do my best… or, or I can help you make money.”

Xiao Jin didn’t really understand what had gotten into him when he suggested Ruan Yan be his lover.

With his current abilities, he could easily get anyone he wanted, but he wasn’t driven by desire.

Perhaps it was because, when Ruan Yan stood before him, there was always a faint aloofness in his eyes, as if nothing could ever stir his attention, no matter what happened.

It was that kind of stubborn yet seemingly indifferent attitude that stirred something malicious within him.

He wanted to see Ruan Yan truly “submit” to him.

When that day came, it would probably not be as dull and pointless as it seemed now.

At that time, it would surely be very interesting.