An Xun gave a cold smile. “Good to know you’re aware.”

His cousin-in-law, Shen Yuchuan, took a seat opposite him, trying his best not to provoke or even contact him much.

Shen Qing then repeated the conversation from a few minutes ago, reintroducing the painting to Bo Xiangzhou. Unlike Father Bo, who was more reserved and less talkative, Bo Xiangzhou nodded and agreed, supporting with his eyes as well.

He gave a few fair comments from the audience’s perspective, and based on Shen Qing’s personality, he complimented a bit, which made Shen Qing laugh heartily. Finally free from his torture, Shen Qing turned to torment his own younger brother.

Rolling up his sleeves on the spot, inspired as if a spring gushed forth, he took out his painting supplies and said to Shen Qingrang, “We’re both businessmen, but your son speaks so much more pleasantly than you.”

Shen Qingrang: “…”

Shen Qingrang responded, “Aren’t you young too? Always flaunting your paintings.”

The clash between those who liked business and those who preferred painting, with Father Bo sometimes playing mediator, left Bo Xiangzhou silent, quietly exiting the scene amidst the smoke of battle.

Downstairs, Shen Yuchuan seemed to be facing a huge problem, his frown deep as he held his phone, with no one to solve his worries. Thus, he turned his gaze to An Xun.

An Xun glanced at him, “If it’s about that snake of yours, save it. Isn’t it enough that you keep it in your room? You want to let it out to scare people? Aren’t you afraid someone will step on it?”

“I used to let it out when I lived in the school district housing. It’s not used to being confined to one room.”

An Xun shivered, “I’m also not used to cohabitating with a snake.”

It wasn’t really about the snake that Shen Yuchuan wanted to talk. He said, “Cousin-in-law, can you help me sweet-talk my boyfriend?”

He then showed his phone to An Xun.

The chat background was a cozy photo with his boyfriend, but the chat atmosphere wasn’t as warm.

Shen Yuchuan’s straightforward dialogue had left the other party with nothing to reply.

Looking at it even gave An Xun a headache on behalf of his boyfriend, “Is it your relationship or mine?”

“Mine.”

An Xun sighed deeply, “You really want my reply? I should mention, I have no experience in love, I even have a strategist behind me assisting with my own.”

He hadn’t even managed to navigate his own love life, and now he was supposed to teach a lovesick high schooler.

A sin.

An Xun spoke precisely what omegas liked to hear, and sure enough, the frequency of replies increased.

He thought, Bo Xiangzhou always replies to him one message at a time; he’s so good, why doesn’t Bo Xiangzhou feel the same towards him?

Shen Yuchuan grinned, “Cousin-in-law, add me on WeChat, let’s keep in touch.”

“Your cousin is suspicious.”

“We’re family, there’s nothing wrong with that. If not, I’ll go talk to him.”

An Xun took out his phone, “Better not. Once you talk to him, all your secrets will be out. Bo Xiangzhou is particularly inscrutable, hard for ordinary people to figure out.”

“So, this is how you see me.”

Bo Xiangzhou appeared suddenly beside them.

An Xun’s hand trembled, and he put on a sweet smile, “Husband, how come you make no sound when you walk?”

“I didn’t want to interrupt since you were so engrossed,” Bo Xiangzhou said, maintaining the gesture of sharing a contact card. He glanced at Shen Yuchuan’s screen and chuckled, “All this for that? Puppy love is just puppy love; you’re acting like a thief. I’m not your guardian; can I even stop you?”

Shen Yuchuan was baffled.

After Bo Xiangzhou finished enjoying Shen Yuchuan’s dumbfounded look, he remarked, “Your ‘little tyrant’ has messaged you.”

With such a blunt revelation, even Shen Yuchuan, thick-skinned as he was, couldn’t help but blush a bright red. Having already added WeChat, they could contact that way, and Shen Yuchuan gave his cousin-in-law a look before hastily retreating upstairs.

An Xun said, helping to the end, “Husband, can you pretend you don’t know?”

“I can’t.”

“Stingy, just for a few words? I’m still mad about you using my online name.”

An Xun was bold in some aspects, but still reserved in interpersonal interactions. He had been to the old house so many times, yet still acted like a guest, let alone at this completely foreign Shen house.

Originally, Shen Qingrang chose to nurture his older nephew because he saw that Shen Yuchuan was straightforward and naive, not cut out for business.

Bo Xiangzhou gained a new understanding of Shen Yuchuan, sillier than the omegas around him. After sitting for over forty minutes, he didn’t even think to offer something to eat.

On the coffee table, a dish of dried fruits displayed plump walnuts with thin shells that cracked easily. Carefully controlling his strength, Bo Xiangzhou broke the shells while keeping the nuts intact. He placed a few fragrant pieces in An Xun’s palm, stating:

“Are you threatening me now? Too bad, threats don’t work. Shen Yuchuan likes to be free and easy, can’t be controlled, skipping classes to hang out in internet cafes and bars, although he’s naturally talented and does well academically. His family worries he might get into accidents outside, that’s why they force him to stay home and forbid him from running around. As for puppy love, he probably thinks his dad is too strict, not even allowing him to stay up late, so he sees early romance as undesirable. But in reality, his dad is also worried that with such a temperament, no omega would want him in the future. Don’t worry, I won’t blab, his own love life should be admitted by himself when it’s meaningful.”

An Xun handed him a walnut, “Do you know about his hair dyeing?”

“Dyeing? What did he dye it like?” Bo Xiangzhou, merely his cousin, didn’t care much about him.

Shen Qingrang meant to send him to catch this youngster at bars.

An Xun couldn’t find any related photos online, so he saved a male model’s head picture, adjusting the doodle pen in the photo editor to a purple similar to the hair, randomly selecting a lucky tuft to dye purple.

The completed work was somewhat abstract; Bo Xiangzhou could imagine it, but An Xun’s words made him doubt his own imagination.

An Xun intensified the color of that tuft of purple hair, “See? Like this. Ugly, like last century’s non-mainstream.”

How ugly could it be with that face? But since An Xun insisted so fervently, Bo Xiangzhou chose to believe his words.

An Xun and Shen Yuchuan acted like strangers at the dinner table. Initially, Shen Yuchuan was worried An Xun would spill the beans, but seeing Bo Xiangzhou’s normal expression, his worries dissipated.

An Xun gave him a look, and Bo Xiangzhou understood which dish he wanted to eat. When it was inconvenient to reach, Bo Xiangzhou would roll up his sleeves and meticulously peel shrimp to place in his small bowl.

An Xun, not daring to meet the eyes of the elders, tugged at Bo Xiangzhou’s clothes to signal enough.

Shen Yuchuan ate slower than usual, stuffing a hot pepper into his mouth without realizing. He keenly observed his cousin’s behavior, taking notes on how to pamper his own boyfriend following his methods.

Bo Xiangzhou kept a tight watch, not even letting him smell the alcohol. An Xun, who hadn’t touched a drop, fussed over it all night. No matter how much he acted up, Bo Xiangzhou remained composed, occasionally rubbing his head to remind him it was nearly time to sleep.

Sleep, my foot!

The probing mission failed, and An Xun was racked with worry.

Between his fingers was soft hair, not understanding the reason for An Xun’s bad mood, he still patiently soothed him.

The last time he was this patient was when holding Qiao Qiao, even more patient than then.

An Xun’s mission fell into a vicious cycle; he acted up more each day, but none of it could make Bo Xiangzhou show anything beyond his calm demeanor.

His past life must have been spent in meditation and prayers!

The strategist’s path of enlightenment encountered a tough spot; Tao Nian successively offered An Xun several suggestions, all ending in failure, pushing An Xun to resort to seductive tactics. At night, while he was working in the study, An Xun would knock and bring in hot coffee, his silky nightwear making his skin appear smooth. As he bent over, it seemed like an unintentional exposure of his flat chest, but Bo Xiangzhou remained composed, making An Xun almost doubt himself, wondering if his looks weren’t enough.

Leaning forward, he sat beside him, pressing against him. Ignoring physiological structures, the body of a male omega didn’t differ much from a male alpha, but it was exactly because there was no difference that the other’s unforthcoming attitude seemed like a mixed signal.

This thought just surfaced in his mind, then was promptly squashed by Bo Xiangzhou, who adjusted An Xun’s collar and said, “What if you catch a cold? You don’t like taking medicine. There’s nothing fun in the study, better go back to bed and play your games or watch your shows.”

An Xun left with a dark expression, still fuming over it after a week.

Why didn’t this alpha act so proper during my sensitive period?!

After hearing An Xun’s vivid descriptions, Tao Nian laughed mercilessly.

[Nian Nian]: Maybe just give up, I think Bo Xiangzhou desires work more than he desires you.

[Heard Only Fools Would Call My Name]: Withdraw that message within three seconds.

Tao Nian grew to trust Bo Xiangzhou a bit more. Although Bo Xiangzhou loved cold violence, at least his passion for work was admirable. He wasn’t like some alphas who were handsy and forceful with omegas.

[Nian Nian]: I still have one method left, wanna try?

An Xun replied with a “No.” He no longer trusted his strategist. His new guide was a social media platform, not one-on-one coaching, but the methods were safe and reliable.

Continuing to test Bo Xiangzhou’s limits according to Tao Nian’s suggestions would be annoying, even to himself, making him want to slap himself.

[Nian Nian]: So, is there no love left?

[Heard Only Fools Would Call My Name]: There’s still love, just maybe not a lot.

[Nian Nian]: Give me a minute to fill up on your love for me.

[Heard Only Fools Would Call My Name]: You think this is like refueling?

Caught in a bind, An Xun turned off his phone, opened his email, and finally, there was a response to his whistleblower email. Not only had his report taken effect, but it was also because his recent demeanor had led to several rebukes from leadership.

An Xun figured his threats might have worked.

Indeed, even the most powerful alphas must bow before absolute authority.

He constantly monitored the WeChat moments of the whistleblower, defending against another misnaming mishap. In a list of three-word remarks, “Zhao the Blockhead” was particularly conspicuous.

He was busy editing a video while pausing to refresh his friend’s moments. To his shock, the whistleblower hadn’t posted any lament about being dismissed; instead, he had blocked him.

Looking at the blank interface of the whistleblower’s moments.

An Xun: “…” He couldn’t play this game.

The company cafeteria was experimenting with new dishes, each more unappetizing than the last. Bo Xiangzhou had to spit it out on the spot to save face. Due to this, few colleagues went to the cafeteria at noon, some genuinely unable to stomach the innovative meals, opting to bring lunch from home instead, getting up half an hour earlier.

His tall, skinny male colleague across had a small appetite, and the lunchbox prepared by his girlfriend was enough for several meals, carbs on carbs, filling just to look at. Thus, An Xun was fortunate to receive a piece of cheese sausage sushi.

Today’s colleague ate with extreme propriety, as if they had just met. An Xun straightened his back, splitting each bite of food into two.

[Bo Xiangzhou]: I’ll come to pick you up soon, we’ll talk in the car.

The chicken in the braised chicken dish was dry, getting stuck in his teeth, so An Xun borrowed a toothpick from a colleague, poking around his mouth from different angles.

[Heard Only Fools Would Call My Name]: Is it urgent?

[Bo Xiangzhou]: Yes, it’s better to discuss this matter in person.

What could be so urgent to discuss in person? A proposal?

Obviously not.

An Xun checked his teeth in the mirror to make sure there was no food stuck, then lazily went to find his boss, tossing the trash in the boss’s office along the way.

The boss wasn’t in, having gone out for lunch.

Learning this, An Xun lazily returned to pack his bag, translating Bo Xiangzhou’s leave request template, changing an adjective before sending it off.