The information provided by the secretary was thorough, meticulously compiled with every graduation photo of Zhou Yi from childhood to adulthood.

Liang Xianzhang, wearing glasses, examined the documents with great care. His mouse hovered over the screen as he clicked, scrolling through the pages repeatedly.

What usually took him about ten minutes to complete now consumed nearly half an hour. Whether he was watching or reflecting, a furrow never left his brow.

His suspicions were confirmed: the apartment across the street was not Zhou Yi’s permanent residence, but rather a temporary place where he could easily pack up and leave at a moment’s notice. This discovery, while somewhat unsettling, also brought a strange sense of relief to Liang Xianzhang.

When he first encountered Zhou Yi, he had assumed that Zhou Yi was an Omega with a partner, based on something he had said. Not wanting to infringe on someone else’s relationship, especially as it was one of his personal principles to never covet another Alpha’s Omega, Liang Xianzhang had kept his distance. Even with all his power and resources, he could never bring himself to disrupt someone else’s life.

Now, however, he knew Zhou Yi was not the partner of any Alpha, nor had he been marked by one. Zhou Yi had been interacting with others as a Beta, deliberately concealing his true identity as an Omega.

Liang Xianzhang felt a strange stirring in his mind. Was it possible that Zhou Yi’s relationship with someone was purely based on a sponsorship contract, with no emotional attachment at all?

This thought—despicable, yet strangely lucky—clung to him, and he couldn’t shake it off.

Nevertheless, the results of his investigation brought him some comfort. At least this was good news. As for other aspects, he would need to gather more information.

His train of thought was abruptly interrupted by his vibrating phone. It was a call from Liang Shaowen.

Liang Xianzhang sighed and answered. Before he could speak, his brother’s voice came through, full of curiosity. “Hey, brother, I’ve noticed you’ve been distant lately. When did you get so close to Zhou Yi? He even gave you a gift? What’s going on there?”

Annoyed by his brother’s endless chatter, Liang Xianzhang held the phone away from his ear. “Liang Shaowen, are you still in touch with your old friends?”

There was a brief pause before Liang Shaowen’s tone became defensive. “Ah, I’ve been really busy with work, brother. No time for those people anymore. Every penny I make goes into practical things. A life of luxury and indulgence? Far from me. Please don’t cut off my card again.”

Liang Xianzhang stared at the computer screen, taking off his glasses. He sighed heavily before speaking, his voice low. “Please, do me a favor…”

---

Zhou Yi had been staying home for the past couple of days. His body still bore the marks from the previous encounter, and despite applying medicine, the pain lingered. His back ached, making it difficult for him to go out.

Shang Yichen was due to return soon, so Zhou Yi decided to stay home for a while to avoid being discovered.

Occasionally, when boredom struck, Zhou Yi would walk downstairs to the supermarket. As he passed by the apartment across the street, his eyes would inevitably linger on the closed door. He couldn’t help but wonder what Liang Xianzhang was doing behind it, or if he liked the gift Zhou Yi had bought for him.

But he quickly dismissed these thoughts. After all, they were from two different worlds. It was better not to get entangled.

One evening, after returning from the supermarket, Zhou Yi was about to enter his apartment when something caught his eye—a bag hanging on the door handle. He froze, his fingers trembling slightly as he tore off the heart-shaped sticky note attached to it. The note read: “A return gift for you, I hope you like it.”

Zhou Yi didn’t need to think twice. He knew exactly who had left the gift. Just as Liang Xianzhang had hung a gift on his door before, now Zhou Yi was receiving one in return.

His heart raced, and his grip on the note tightened. He opened the bag, revealing two boxes inside: one large and one small.

With a mixture of impatience and caution, Zhou Yi opened the large box first. Inside was a bottle of perfume. The bottle was simple—clear blue with a few rows of English text in the middle, no flashy designs.

Zhou Yi hesitated for a moment, then sprayed the perfume into the air. Immediately, a soft and familiar floral scent filled the space.

Zhou Yi froze. The scent was unmistakable—it was similar to Liang Xianzhang’s pheromones. It smelled like orange blossom.

His heart skipped a beat, and a strange sensation rose in his chest. He quickly suppressed the feelings and returned the perfume to the box. He picked up the smaller box and opened it, revealing an expensive-looking watch. Even Zhou Yi, who knew little about watches, could tell it was something of significant value.

Curious, Zhou Yi scanned the brand name on the box with his phone. The price was staggering, with so many zeros that it left him speechless.

He quickly placed the watch back into the box, unsure of how to react. This was too extravagant, and he couldn’t accept such a gift. Without a second thought, he grabbed his keys and rang Liang Xianzhang’s doorbell, hoping to return the gift.

But after several attempts, no one answered.

Reluctantly, Zhou Yi returned home, hiding the gift deep inside his closet. He would find a way to return it to Liang Xianzhang when the opportunity arose.

The next day, he received a message from Shang Yichen asking him to pick him up at the airport. Zhou Yi was confused. Shang Yichen already had a dedicated driver, so why ask him to go personally?

Despite his confusion and frustration, Zhou Yi made the necessary arrangements. He reserved a table at Shang Yichen’s preferred restaurant, sending the details for confirmation. After all, it was his credit card being used, so he had to follow the plan.

Shang Yichen was due to arrive during the evening rush hour, so Zhou Yi went to the airport two hours early to avoid traffic. However, despite his efforts, he still arrived ten minutes later than planned.

Zhou Yi wasn’t in a hurry, but he suspected Shang Yichen might be angry for not responding to his messages. As he hurried toward the airport pick-up gate, he scanned the area for Shang Yichen.

But instead of finding him, Zhou Yi spotted an unexpected face—Shang Yichen’s secretary.

Zhou Yi had seen him several times before, and remembered his surname was Fu. Standing beside him was an assistant he didn’t recognize, carrying luggage.

When Secretary Fu noticed Zhou Yi, his face darkened. He immediately scolded him. “Mr. Zhou, it’s getting late. Don’t you have a sense of time?”