The moment this bold idea flashed through Zhou Yi’s mind, he felt as if he had lost his sanity. The urge to escape surged once more, but just as it did, Shang Yichen’s voice faded away outside the door.

Zhou Yi lifted his gaze to meet Liang Xianzhang’s, and just as he was about to speak—asking him to let go—he froze. Liang Xianzhang had lowered his head, his amber eyes locked on him, gentle and moist, melting the usual sharpness and indifference.

Zhou Yi stared at him for a while, his eyelashes trembling. No one had ever looked at him like that before. That tenderness, mixed with emotions Zhou Yi couldn’t understand, left him speechless. He opened his lips, but the words to ask him to let go never came.

The silence between them stretched until the sudden vibration of a cell phone broke it, ringing sharply in the quiet room.

Zhou Yi snapped out of his daze and realized that it was his own phone ringing. Quickly, he retrieved it from his pocket and saw the caller ID—Shang Yichen.

Instinctively, he glanced at Liang Xianzhang, whose eyes flickered briefly toward the screen. His expression remained neutral, but the gentleness in his eyes evaporated, replaced by something more unreadable.

Zhou Yi felt an odd sense of guilt as he prepared to answer the call. It was as if he were receiving a call from a secret lover in front of a jealous spouse. Liang Xianzhang didn’t know about his relationship with Shang Yichen, but Zhou Yi couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

He had initially hoped the call would end on its own, but the ringtone continued to sound insistently, as if urging him to pick it up. Not answering it would be suspicious to Shang Yichen, so Zhou Yi, aware of the delicate situation, looked up at Liang Xianzhang and spoke softly, “Mr. Liang… can you let me go for a moment? I… I need to take this call.”

But Liang Xianzhang remained still, his grip unrelenting. Feeling the pressure, Zhou Yi, unable to delay any longer, half-pressed against the door, gritted his teeth, and answered the phone.

The call connected, and Shang Yichen’s impatient voice came through immediately, “Zhou Yi, where have you been?”

Zhou Yi bit his lip, avoiding Liang Xianzhang’s eyes, and responded with a quiet excuse, “I… I went to the supermarket…”

“You don’t even know how to answer your phone when you’re at the supermarket?” Shang Yichen’s voice grew more irritable.

“There were a lot of people, and my phone was on silent,” Zhou Yi explained, but before he could finish, a soft groan escaped him.

At some point, Liang Xianzhang had unzipped his jeans and was exploring without restraint.

“What was that?” Shang Yichen’s voice sharpened with suspicion.

Zhou Yi froze. He could feel Liang Xianzhang’s actions intensifying as he tried to control his voice, biting his lip to suppress any noise.

When Shang Yichen repeated his question, Zhou Yi, desperate to keep the situation under control, muttered, “I… I accidentally got stepped on… by someone…”

Shang Yichen didn’t seem to notice the tension in Zhou Yi’s voice as he continued, “Didn’t I say if you need anything, you can call and have it delivered? Avoid crowded places like supermarkets. The last thing I want is for your pheromones to get mixed up with someone else’s in my house.”

Zhou Yi couldn’t focus on Shang Yichen’s words anymore, his body fully aware of the invasion taking place. His resistance was slipping as Liang Xianzhang’s actions became more intense, the Alpha’s grip on his waist unyielding.

Zhou Yi tried to silently mouth “stop,” but his will was no match for the powerful presence before him. Liang Xianzhang, ever perceptive, noticed the way Zhou Yi’s body betrayed him. His touch, now moving with purpose, sent waves of tension through Zhou Yi, leaving him unable to resist.

Zhou Yi clenched his teeth, trying to hold on to his composure, until he finally managed to respond to Shang Yichen in a strained voice, “I’m… sorry… I’ll be… more careful next time…”

On the other end of the line, Shang Yichen seemed to notice something was off in Zhou Yi’s voice. But before he could react, a knock on the door interrupted him.

His secretary entered, holding a stack of documents. “Mr. Shang, everyone is here for the meeting. When would you like to begin?”

“Right away,” Shang Yichen responded, then hurriedly told Zhou Yi, “We’ll talk more when I get back,” and hung up.

As soon as the call ended, Zhou Yi felt like he had reached his breaking point. The phone slipped from his hand, and tears welled up, falling to the floor and splashing against Liang Xianzhang’s face as he looked up at him.

In that moment, the impact of the situation sent Zhou Yi’s body flying upward, then crashing back down with overwhelming force. His nerves felt taut, and his senses sharpened to the extreme.

Liang Xianzhang, however, caught him, supporting his limp body as Zhou Yi’s mind blurred from the overwhelming emotions. Without a word, Liang Xianzhang pulled him into a familiar, comforting embrace, pressing a warm kiss to his face, as if to soothe him.

It took Zhou Yi some time to collect himself. He turned his eyes to the man responsible for this chaos and, in a mix of frustration and helplessness, clenched his fists and struck Liang Xianzhang’s chest, the impact muffled.

Liang Xianzhang merely held him, allowing him to vent. But after a few weak punches, Zhou Yi realized how pointless it felt. His hands were sore, and the whole situation left him feeling more embarrassed than ever.

Grimacing, Zhou Yi finally spoke, “Let me go. I’m leaving…”

Hearing this, Liang Xianzhang’s gaze darkened, and he tightened his grip. “Your pants… are still not on.”

Zhou Yi glanced down, his face flushing with embarrassment. He hastily tried to pull his pants up, but they were too tight, and the sweat from the previous moments made it harder to adjust them.

Liang Xianzhang noticed his struggle and quickly offered, “Let me help. I’ll clean up and fix everything before you leave.”

Zhou Yi didn’t respond, standing there with his head turned to the side. Liang Xianzhang took this as agreement, gently guiding him to the sofa. He wiped him clean with a damp towel, then adjusted his pants and zipped them up.

Once everything was in order, Zhou Yi stood up, still silent, and prepared to leave.