Chapter 15

Liao Ji covered the five-step distance in just two steps, rushing over angrily and covering Lin Si’s mouth, scolding in a low voice, “Is this what I told you to say?”

“Didn’t you tell me to warn Lu Wei to keep his distance from me, to be careful not to let him sleep with me, and to avoid having a sexual relationship with him?” Lin Si said. “So, if I let him sleep with me, doesn’t that mean…”

“Lin Si, you’re banned from eating desserts next month and the month after that!”

“Then should I tell him not to mess with me? Would that be gentler?”

“Shut up!” Liao Ji grabbed the phone and put it to his ear. “Hello, Mr. Lu…” But he realized Lu Wei had already hung up.

Hung up…

Liao Ji repeatedly checked and delivered the unfortunate news to Lin Si: “…Congratulations, you’ve managed to make Lu Wei angry enough to leave.”

“Where did you learn these ridiculous phrases?”

Lin Si explained, “A few days ago, I asked a question online about whether there were any other solutions for my condition… and that’s what the netizens told me.”

“I’ve told you before—no looking at those messy things, no browsing that kind of content,” Liao Ji said, visibly exasperated.

Liao Ji was so angry that he turned away. Lin Si reached out to tug at his arm and asked, “So what now? Is Lu Wei still going to stay with me?”

Liao Ji dialed the Shengshi Group’s secretary’s office again. After being transferred, he made a silencing gesture at Lin Si. “If you say another word, you won’t get desserts for the next three months either.”

Lin Si could only pout and watch Liao Ji, waiting for him to handle the matter again.

“Duan Yang, it’s me, Liao Ji,” he said. “I need to speak with Mr. Lu. Could you let him know it’s me, not Lin Si, and see if he’d be willing to take the call again?”

The two of them nervously waited, rubbing their hands together for what felt like forever, until Lu Wei finally picked up the call again.

“Mr. Lu, I apologize on Lin Si’s behalf. He’s not very good with words. What he actually meant to say was that he’s worried about disturbing you and that after moving in, he’ll keep his distance from you.”

Whatever Lu Wei said on the other end made Liao Ji pause thoughtfully. “…Actually, his place is fairly safe. There used to be paparazzi hanging around, but after years without any newsworthy material, they rarely show up anymore.”

Lu Wei seemed to respond, and Liao Ji glanced at Lin Si with a conflicted expression before saying into the phone, “Oh, I understand. Wouldn’t that be a bit inconvenient…? Oh, I see. That does make sense.”

After hanging up, Liao Ji exhaled deeply, as if a weight had been lifted.

“What did Lu Wei say?” Lin Si asked in a small voice.

Liao Ji pushed down Lin Si’s curious head. “Start packing. You’re moving.”

“Huh?” Lin Si grabbed his sleeve. “Why am I moving? Isn’t he supposed to come live at my place?”

“Lu Wei didn’t accept my apology,” Liao Ji said, giving him a glance. “You won a single apartment in Xijiang during the annual company event.”

Lin Si had completely forgotten about that. “I did?”

“Go home and check. There should be an envelope with an access card inside.”

After finishing work for the day, they returned home. Lin Si rummaged through his things for quite a while before finally finding the access card buried in a drawer filled with unimportant items.

“Why do I have to move to Xijiang?” Lin Si asked.

“The place you’re staying at now isn’t safe enough,” Liao Ji explained. “In the past, you didn’t care about those paparazzi following you, but it’ll be inconvenient once you start living with Lu Wei. If you get photographed together, it’ll be hard to explain. Besides, Lu Wei… doesn’t seem too keen on having you live at his place either. Xijiang is part of Lu Wei’s real estate company. It has a high level of security and is currently the best option.”

“…Why does Lu Wei suddenly dislike me? I was the one who disliked him first,” Lin Si complained, lying on the bed. “If he doesn’t even want me at his place, why did he agree to this?”

Liao Ji glanced at him. “I don’t know how to explain it. I feel like Lu Wei is different from Lu Shaoming.” He thought for a while before saying, “Do you think maybe he feels guilty toward you and wants to make it up to you?”

“…I don’t believe that,” Lin Si muttered, touching his ear. “Why do we keep bringing up this stuff lately? I wasn’t even feeling sad about it before.”

“Okay, okay, let’s stop talking about it. Take a break. After the gala tomorrow night, you’ll be on holiday,” Liao Ji said, then warned, “And stop saying that word. If I hear it from you again, you’re banned from desserts for a whole year.”

Lin Si pretended to cry and hugged Liao Ji, but his fake sobbing failed to move him after three full minutes.

After Liao Ji left, Lin Si used his foot to pull his phone over from the edge of the bed and checked his call history.

Though the process had been somewhat complicated, everything had worked out fine in the end.

He turned off the screen, tapping his finger on the blanket. Standing barefoot on the rug, he suddenly felt like he had forgotten something.

__________

After unilaterally prohibiting ‘Forget Love’ from making a match with other Alphas,” Lu Wei received no response, making him appear as if he were talking to himself.

Amid the year-end workload, Lu Wei spent five minutes dwelling on the matter before standing up and heading to the meeting room.

As the workday was about to end, Lu Wei finally took an hour to rush to Xiaoshan Hospital to check on Lu Shaoming.

Deng Tian was sitting on a chair, talking and laughing softly on the phone. When she heard the door open, she panicked like a thief caught red-handed.

Lu Wei’s expression visibly darkened, and Duan Yang, being perceptive, “escorted” Deng Tian out of the room.

At the bedside stood a bouquet of calla lilies that were no longer particularly fresh, likely because Deng Tian hadn’t taken care of them. Lu Wei recalled that, aside from himself, the only other person who might think to visit Lu Shaoming near the holidays was Lin Si, who happened to be at the hospital that day.

During the pheromone test, he had indeed overheard Lin Si expressing a desire to visit Lu Shaoming.

Lu Wei pinched a petal between his fingers before sitting far away to silently observe Lu Shaoming.

The hospital had hung Spring Festival couplets and red lanterns everywhere, but Deng Tian clearly had no interest in decorating Lu Shaoming’s room. The medical staff, too, dared not bother Lu Wei with such trivial matters, leaving the room in its usual monotonous colors.

Lu Wei stared for a long time, yet he couldn’t conjure a single warm memory shared with Lu Shaoming.

He thought to himself that they had never had such moments, and no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t fabricate such illusions out of thin air.

When he left Xiaoshan Hospital, the sky had turned gray and overcast—not a sign of rain, but a dull, oppressive shade of ash that weighed heavily on the spirit.

The snow on the ground was very thick. Lu Wei removed his gloves and handed them to Duan Yang. He stood there looking at the sky for a few seconds before getting into the car.

“Mr. Lu, about the results from that last medical checkup… would you like to give it a try?” Duan Yang cautiously suggested. “Should I find a clean Omega for you? Or maybe a few, and you can choose?”

Lu Wei closed his eyes. “Do you want to spend the New Year in the hospital?”

Duan Yang immediately fell silent. After a long pause, he quietly asked, “If you don’t like Omegas, how about trying a Beta?”

“Get out of the car,” Lu Wei said flatly.

Duan Yang gripped the seatbelt in the passenger seat, coughed awkwardly, and wisely kept his mouth shut. But in his mind, he replayed the words of Lu Wei’s attending physician…

“There are no abnormalities in your physical condition, but I still recommend that you stop using suppressants and blockers for now and find a reasonable way to relieve your desires,” the doctor advised.

Lu Wei merely asked, “Does my use of suppressants affect Lin Si’s condition?”

After the doctor consulted with Li Chengji and confirmed that it would have an impact, Lu Wei decided to stop using suppressants for a period of time. However, he requested a few of the most potent ones as a precaution in case of emergencies.

His attending doctor had smiled and teased, “What kind of Alpha of your age and status hasn’t had any sexual experiences yet?”

Lu Wei had replied coldly, “I don’t need it.”

Duan Yang, turning his head to steal a glance at Lu Wei, found it difficult to imagine how such a striking and handsome Alpha could go through his post-differentiation years without any sexual experiences, living and working like a robot every single day.

If Lu Wei didn’t visit Lu Shaoming in the hospital, Duan Yang would have easily believed that Lu Wei had been born out of a rock.

Hard, impenetrable, and resistant to all things soft.

Their conversation ended abruptly with Lu Wei’s sharp warning.

Outside, an indistinct fog spread across the city, blending with fine snowflakes to coat the polished cars with a frosted, matte white.

That oppressive gloom persisted until Lu Wei received a message from ‘Forget Love’, at which point it dissipated without a trace.

Sitting in a brightly lit office building, Lu Wei silently read the words on the screen:
[I still think you’re the best.]

He froze for a moment, needing a second to recall what he’d previously said to ‘Forget Love.’

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

Piecing together the context took him a moment while which ‘Forget Love” had already followed up with another question:
[Have you eaten yet?]

At that moment, Duan Yang walked in carrying a thermal bag. Lu Wei raised his eyes and stopped him.

“Notify the person in charge of LeYou platform to hold a video conference in an hour.”

Duan Yang immediately asked, “What other preparations are needed?”

“Gather all real-name registration and access certification materials related to Bubble,” Lu Wei instructed. “Also, have them draft an initial proposal to eliminate suggestive or illicit content on the platform and implement measures to genuinely protect…” He paused briefly, choosing his words carefully. “The personal and financial safety of users who have no risk awareness.”

Duan Yang nodded and quickly left.

As the door closed, Lu Wei replied to the “representative of users with no risk awareness,” ‘Forget Love’:
[I haven’t eaten yet.]

T/n: New chapter is up 🥳. If you want to support me in other ways, Buy me a Ko-Fi or go to my paypal page. Happy Reading ❤️