Chapter 14

“President Lu called for me, is there something urgent?” Bai Han wiped the sweat off his forehead and whispered nervously, “Secretary Duan, I’m so nervous…”

Duan Yang chuckled. “President Lu isn’t going to eat you. He’s actually quite nice—just doesn’t talk much.” He knocked on the door to Lu Wei’s office and added, “He probably just wants to ask you some questions about software testing. Don’t worry.”

At Bubble, Bai Han had always been a diligent programmer, focused solely on software testing. He was an unremarkable presence in the company. So being suddenly summoned to Shengshi’s headquarters to meet Lu Wei was utterly baffling to him.

“President Lu, Bai Han is here.”

Bai Han glanced up. Lu Wei’s suit was impeccably tailored, and his appearance exuded meticulousness. However, his gaze was icy, and his entire demeanor carried a forbidding intensity.

As an Alpha, Bai Han couldn’t help but feel that Lu Wei was the pinnacle of cold, handsome looks—an almost unreachable standard. But such a person was only suited for admiration from afar, not for becoming anyone’s lover or friend.

“Leave us,” Lu Wei instructed.

After Duan Yang left, the office became oppressively quiet, leaving only Lu Wei and Bai Han. The silence lingered, amplifying Bai Han’s discomfort as he felt a sharp, invisible pressure bearing down on him.

“The test account for Bubble—did you apply for it?” Lu Wei asked.

“Uh… Yes,” Bai Han replied.

Lu Wei fixed his gaze on him. “You’re 23 years old?”

“Yes, I filled in the information based on my actual details,” Bai Han explained.

“You’re a fan of Lin Si?”

The mention of Lin Si made Bai Han visibly excited, though he forced out a nervous smile. “Yes… I like him quite a bit.”

“You also completed the interest test during registration?” Lu Wei continued.

Bai Han nodded. “Yes, President Lu.”

“All based on your personal preferences?” Lu Wei pressed.

In truth, Bai Han wanted to say that those preferences were all Lin Si’s. He had been a fan of Lin Si since his debut, watching every interview. He knew exactly what Lin Si liked and disliked.

At the time, Bai Han had filled out the interest test according to Lin Si’s preferences, purely as a little indulgence of his own.

But with Lu Wei questioning him like this, he definitely couldn’t admit that the preferences were based on Lin Si’s. Otherwise, it would seem highly unprofessional.

So, he simply nodded.

Lu Wei ended his line of questioning and handed him a file. “Monitor the number of people matched with this account and their usernames.”

Bai Han froze for a moment before stepping forward to take the file. On the front, written in elegant penmanship, was an English name: wangleai.

“Forget—love?” Bai Han read aloud. “This seems to be the account matched to you during the test…”

Lu Yan’s brow furrowed deeply, whether out of displeasure at Bai Han’s chatter or irritation at his curiosity about the match.

Bai Han immediately nodded. “I’ll get it done right away!”

“My test account,” Lu Wei continued, “set it to the highest level of permissions. The backend must not be accessible, and the data uploaded to the cloud should be encrypted and locked.”

Bai Han nodded again. “I’ll inform the tech department. Once the settings are complete, you can change the password yourself.”

“You’re dismissed. Leave now,” Lu Wei said, sending Bai Han on his way.

Bai Han took a deep breath. “Alright, I’ll take my leave then, President Lu.”

He carefully closed the door behind him and patted his chest. That single furrowed glance from Lu Wei had scared him so much that his back was soaked in sweat.

However, as he touched the note in his pocket, a bold speculation formed in his mind.

It seemed like Lu Wei intended to keep using that account himself, forbidding anyone else from seeing it, while simultaneously monitoring the number of matches it received…

This couldn’t be… Lu Wei had already succeeded in online dating!

Who would have thought? The mighty big boss had found true love through his own software!

Meanwhile, the “successfully online dating” Lu Wei himself was staring at the chatbox with a cold expression.

The last two lines of their conversation replayed in his mind. He had asked Wangleai if they had matched with any Alphas. The reply was a very brief and emotionless [Mm.]

To Lu Wei, that “Mm” felt like the final gesture of concern from Wangleai—like the indifferent auto-replies exchanged after a breakup.

Even though they were far from anything resembling a couple.

Lu Wei thought perhaps Wangleai had already matched with a more suitable Alpha and was now engrossed in chatting with them, leaving no time to respond to him.

Well, that would be acceptable.

Lu Wei convinced himself.

Two hours later, he received an email from Bai Han.

Opening it, he began cross-referencing the list of Alphas matched with Wangleai against their usernames on his phone.

The first one: a non-local, 24 years old. Their profile picture was an open book, very literary. Their bio featured an outdated, overly sentimental poem. No partner indicated, single status.

The second one: from a nearby city, 37 years old. Their profile picture was a work ID card, with the photo and name obscured. It only revealed that they were an executive at a Fortune 500 company. Divorced.

The third one: a distant non-local, 17 years old. Their profile picture was a selfie—a sunny and vibrant teenager. Their bio read: “I’m cool.”

The fourth one: a local, 25 years old. Their profile picture showcased their muscular upper body without revealing their face. Unknown appearance. Single. Their bio introduced a series of cryptic numbers.

Lu Wei finished reviewing the list and placed his phone on the desk.

From high school students to divorced middle-aged men, from innocent teenagers to hookup-prone bad boys—Wangleai had managed to match with all kinds.

Feeling a slight headache, Lu Wei rubbed his temples, set his phone aside, and returned to the work he had been interrupted from earlier.

Five minutes passed, but his mind kept circling back to that last person’s bio.

179, 18cm, 1.5h+

Lu Wei frowned. Wasn’t this overly explicit?

Lu Wei reopened his phone and sent a message to Wangleai, offering a gentle warning:

[Be cautious when matching with others. Don’t accept voice or video calls, don’t share your name or phone number, and absolutely don’t agree to meet anyone in person.]

But Wangleai didn’t respond.

It was as though he had been forgotten amidst the sea of people—a silent declaration that Y had officially become an insignificant online acquaintance.

Lu Wei stared at the screen, scrolling up through the chat history. The further he scrolled, the more he saw Wangleai’s long, enthusiastic messages from before—a stark contrast to the cold indifference now.

Sighing, Lu Wei put down his phone and pushed it farther away before returning to his work.

---

On set.

Lin Si exhaled warm breath onto his chilled fingertips, rubbing them together to warm up. His nose was red as he called out to Liao Ji, “Down jacket, down jacket!”

Wearing just a short-sleeved shirt, he shivered as he slipped into the jacket. After sipping some hot water and trembling twice more, he finally managed to speak: “This is the last scene before the New Year.”

“Yeah,” Liao Ji replied, adjusting the hood of Lin Si’s jacket. “But tomorrow night, there’s a gala. After that, we’re officially on holiday.”

Lin Si nodded.

They ducked into a small makeshift rest area. Since no one else was around, Liao Ji leaned in and asked quietly, “Did you tell Lu Wei yet?”

“…” Lin Si gave Liao Ji a helpless look. “Why don’t you tell him instead?”

“I can’t make a phone call on your behalf—it won’t feel sincere,” Liao Ji replied. “He reached out to help you before, but you turned him down. Now, you’re asking for a favor and want me to do it for you? Don’t you think that’s a bit much?”

Lin Si warmed his hands and pressed them to his cheeks, sighing. “Where’s my phone?”

“Here,” Liao Ji said, handing it over.

Lin Si lit up his phone screen and saw a long message from Y.

Excitedly, he opened it. After reading through the lines, he felt a bit disappointed but also touched—Y seemed genuinely concerned about him. So, he quickly replied:

[Alright, I know! Thanks!]

It was probably lunchtime, as Y responded almost immediately:

[Any Alphas from yesterday’s matches that you liked?]

Lin Si replied: [They were all just so-so.]

After a moment, he added:

[By the way, why did this person insult me? And what does ‘good skills but not clingy’ even mean?]

Along with the text, he attached a screenshot: [Picture.jpg.]

About half a minute later, Y responded:

[Ignore him. He probably needs to get his brain checked at a hospital.]

Lin Si: [Why do you say that?]

Y: [Besides him, has anyone else said anything like that to you?]

Lin Si: [No, most of them just ask how old I am, whether I’m still in school, what kind of work I do, and where I live.]

Y: [Don’t match with anyone for now. Let’s revisit this later.]

Lin Si was about to ask why, but Liao Ji tapped him on the head. “Have you called Lu Wei yet or not?”

“…” Lin Si quickly closed the Bubble app, stared at his phone for a while, and then found the number for Shengshi Group’s CEO Secretariat that Liao Ji had sent him earlier. He dialed it, and Liao Ji shut the door, standing guard at the entrance.

“Say exactly what I told you to.”

Lin Si nodded and soon heard Duan Yang’s formal voice on the other end:

“Hello, Shengshi Group.”

Lin Si: “Hello, Secretary Duan. This is Lin Si. Is President Lu available? I’d like to speak with him.”

Duan Yang: “Let me check for you. Please hold on.”

Lin Si propped his chin up and waited. After about half a minute, a cold and composed voice came through:

“What do you need from me?”

“Oh, I… I, uh…” Lin Si suddenly stammered, looking up at Liao Ji for help.

Before Liao Ji could finish mouthing the words, Lu Wei spoke again:

“Your match results are out.”

It wasn’t a question but a statement.

Though his tone was completely devoid of emotion, it made Lin Si feel unbearably embarrassed, as if his failure had been laid bare.

“About what you said before… that you’d be willing to live with me—uh, live together. You said you’d live with me. Does that still count?”

Lin Si sat up straight as he heard Lu Wei speaking to someone in the background, giving instructions. He had no choice but to wait patiently. About half a minute later, the cold voice returned:

“It still counts.”

Lin Si let out a series of “ohs,” nodding repeatedly. Across the room, Liao Ji was furiously gesturing at him, signaling the next thing he should say.

Lin Si gave him an OK sign, and feeling emboldened, said with righteous confidence:

“You’re an Alpha, and I’m an Omega. For the sake of my personal safety, you have to promise not to touch me.”

---

Author’s Note:

Liao Ji: Heaven and Earth as my witness! I NEVER taught him to say anything like that!!!

T/n: New chapter is up 🙂‍↔️. If you want to support me in another way, buy me a Ko-Fi or go to my paypal page. Happy Reading 😁❤️.