Fang Runjin came from a business family and was used to the shifting winds of the marketplace from a young age.

There’s a saying that when something seems off, it usually is. In the sharp eyes of the brilliant and capable Fang Runjin, her son being single for so many years only to suddenly stir things up just when Leng Haiyun brought an omega to visit Xiao Yan was suspicious, likely a play for favor.

She didn’t mind the idea of marriage alliances, but even if Xiao Zong wasn’t going to marry into a family of equal status, he should at least find someone capable and cunning, someone who could navigate the upper echelons of society. Not an omega from a regular family.

She had already met Gu Yin’s family. If it weren’t for the fact that Gu Lin, the old master, had once served in the same regiment as Old Master Xiao during the war, the Gu family wouldn’t have had any connection to a prestigious family at all.

Previously, she had even voiced her concerns to her father-in-law: Just because the compatibility score is high doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to drag an ordinary child into this vortex of power struggles. After all, omegas aren’t solely for producing offspring.

Xiao Yan had only responded with, “Let Xiao Zong decide for himself—he’s a grown alpha. Who could possibly force him to mark someone?”

Fang Runjin had felt reassured, thinking her son wouldn’t do something so outlandish. But when she returned home and saw what had actually happened, she was floored—he had marked Gu Yin!

At this, Fang Runjin, whose temper had increasingly become more “Xiao-like,” couldn’t sit still anymore.

It was a family tradition for the Xiao clan to scold whenever the opportunity presented itself. Xiao Zong could only watch as his mother delved deeper into the omega business, coaxing her back with sweet words.

Before she left, Fang Runjin still wore a skeptical expression, as if silently warning, Don’t play any tricks, you little rascal.

“Hmph…”

Xiao Zong was fuming with rage. He knew many people saw him as embodying the same demeanor as his father, which had also granted him some advantages within the company. For instance, taking over the family business in his twenties had gone unopposed by both the board of directors and his father’s old subordinates, largely due to the company’s rapid growth under Xiao Sinian’s leadership. Certain strategies that had been implemented back then were still influencing Henghua today.

But it was like inheriting not just an estate, but also a pile of debts. People simply assumed he was a playboy, even though he was so busy he might as well be married to the company. Despite this, outsiders still believed he hadn’t had his fill of fun yet.

Xiao Zong began recalling all of Fang Runjin’s previous actions. Could it be that she had been defending him all this time out of fear that he’d end up wasting someone’s life?

Not even a real mother would pull such stunts.

“Ye Yumeng…”

Xiao Zong drummed his fingers lightly on the desk.

As soon as Wei Mian walked in, he was greeted by the terrifying sight of his boss wearing a “the emperor is doomed” expression. Clearing his throat, the assistant snapped Xiao Zong out of his CEO mode.

“Everything’s ready, boss. You can go now.”

Ding!

As Xiao Zong stepped out of the elevator, Gu Yin stood by the staircase, facing the living room. One hand resting on the stair railing, he turned his head upon hearing the footsteps, looking at Xiao Zong with confusion in his eyes. “It won’t play with me.”

The short-legged cat, naturally lively and curious about everything, was now dashing madly around the living room, full of energy.

Xiao Zong said, “Then forget it. I’ll play with you instead.”

Gu Yin laughed.

In the end, they still packed the cat into a carrier and brought it onto the private plane.

Looking around the spacious cabin, which held only the two of them, Gu Yin couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t there supposed to be three rooms? Why did Brother Wei end up on the same flight as Fang Chi?”

Xiao Zong lovingly ruffled his hair and replied, “Because Wei Mian doesn’t like being fed dog food.”

“Oh.”

Today, Gu Xiao Yin seemed unusually quiet. Leaning against Xiao Zong’s chest, his lashes lowered, lost in thought.

Xiao Zong glanced down at him.

Gu Yin’s lashes weren’t particularly long, but the ends curled naturally, making his eyes appear rounder when viewed from the front.

Still, this little secretary was truly worry-free.

Back then, Xiao Zong hadn’t told his family about his relationship, simply accepting Ye Yumeng’s claim that they were just regular roommates. With his grandfather’s controlling nature, it was certain that everything had already been thoroughly investigated, but nothing was said afterward. The Xiao family was such a mess that there was no need to bring up this minor scandal.

After all, it wasn’t exactly a proud memory.

For a while, Xiao Zong had wondered whether his shortcomings were the reason Ye Yumeng’s love for him wasn’t strong enough to endure hardship together. However, this sentiment didn’t last long. He soon threw himself into researching new energy sources, leaving him little time to dwell on such matters.

Later, he came to terms with it: human nature simply couldn’t withstand trials, and it was common for people to flee when disaster struck.

Fang Runjin had said something wise—Xiao Zong had a soft heart. He wasn’t sure if he inherited this from his father or his mother, but he definitely had a bit of an “alpha complex,” viewing omegas as weak beings that needed protection.

Though he often complained about omegas being troublesome, the care and courtesy he extended were never lacking—but he still knew what really mattered.

He couldn’t afford to carry the weight of someone like Ye Yumeng for another eight years.

Xiao Zong lightly brushed away the stray hair from Gu Yin’s forehead. Gu Yin had already fallen asleep.

This was the person he was meant to protect.

—

Gu Yin didn’t play video games or use social media. Whether it was work or love, he rarely took out his phone—in Xiao Zong’s presence, his eyes were always full of his boyfriend, with the only competition being the cat beside them vying for attention.

So, it wasn’t until they left the Xian Yun Villa that Gu Yin realized just how much of a storm the outside world had stirred up.

The Leng family’s PR team was having a miserable time during the festive season, working overtime with emergency meetings. On the StarNet platform, they were frantically trying to clear the air, with marketing accounts leading the narrative, mass deletion of posts, and reporting accounts in full swing. Anything to stop the internet detectives from digging further.

Leng Xia had even spent his spring break pulling every connection he had, going to Star No. 2 to explain the situation in person.

Going up against the government was bound to result in some scolding.

No matter how big an entrepreneur was, in the face of real power, they were still fragile.

Xiao Zong waited for everything to be mostly dealt with before leisurely emerging from his vacation at the villa.

Sometimes Gu Yin wondered—Xiao Zong was clearly supposed to be resting, but between dating, entertaining guests, and managing the company, he still seemed to know everything going on outside.

Gu Yin even suspected that Xiao Zong was secretly working behind his back—otherwise, it was hard not to believe he was some kind of time management master.

In less than a week after the New Year, the unified exams were approaching. After that, there would be the second round of entrance exams and interviews for various top universities. As soon as Gu Yin returned to Lin City, he plunged into a frenzy of study.

Xiao Zong had guessed correctly—math was Gu Yin’s weakest subject.

He was fluent in several languages, decent at programming and hacking, and had no trouble with his specialized courses, but math was his mortal enemy. The further he got into the material, the harder it became, and sometimes missing a single word felt like missing an entire century.

While Xiao Zong was meticulous at work, he took pleasure in teaching his little secretary math, treating it as a form of fun. Whenever Gu Yin got frustrated and drooped his head over a problem, Xiao Zong would give him a hug, a ruffle, or a kiss to cheer him up.

After a brief spat, the cat eventually conceded. Despite the lingering scent of wood on Gu Yin, there were only two two-legged creatures in the house, and one of them was the cat’s sworn enemy. The cat had to make alliances where it could.

Gu Yin sometimes felt like he was just a stand-in, a replacement for the cat.

As for this whole “stand-in” thing, Gu Xiao Yin was truly puzzled. He had met Ye Yumeng before—born into a good family, well-educated, with a refined demeanor. By the age of twenty-seven or twenty-eight, Ye had already become one of the top designers in the Federation.

Moreover, during an interview, Ye had mentioned that his health wasn’t great due to a congenital heart condition, which made his success all the more inspiring.

In comparison, Gu Yin felt pretty lousy.

His public profile showed: high school diploma, unemployed, with a criminal record—the matter of Fu Hua Hotel still hadn’t been resolved.

So, aside from both being omegas, where was the resemblance?

Gu Xiao Yin didn’t want to admit that Xiao Zong had somehow lost his mind and fallen in love with him. Yet, at the same time, he was genuinely jealous.

What could he do?

He’d just have to speed things up.

Gu Yin started planning his next round of seduction tactics, but his mind was crammed with unsolved math problems, leaving his brain too slow to process anything else. All the yellowed pages in his mind were now overwritten with mathematical formulas.

It was probably a case of only magic can fight magic.

At 4 a.m., Gu Yin, with dark circles under his eyes, crawled into bed.

Because of his tutoring, he was staying in Xiao Zong’s penthouse in the city center.

Xiao Zong, being a light sleeper, didn’t wake up easily but was sensitive to movement. In his half-asleep state, he felt the mattress dip slightly and then a warm body rolled into his arms.

He had noticed that Gu Yin had been preoccupied recently. The little secretary had been solving problems day and night, so Xiao Zong didn’t disturb him. He just gave orders for the ring to be completed sooner.

The person in his arms snuggled in closer. Xiao Zong, still half-asleep, instinctively reached for the back of Gu Yin’s neck, giving it a squeeze, and mumbled, “…Don’t fuss.”

Gu Yin obediently stilled.

—

The next day, as Gu Yin went off to take his exams, Xiao Zong, working from home, received a phone call.

It wasn’t entirely unexpected.

Officer Lu’s voice was noticeably tired, almost matching the exhausted PR team at the Leng household. Through the wireless connection, Xiao Zong could practically imagine the stubble on the man’s face.

The boss chair in Xiao Zong’s study swiveled, and he faced the city skyline filled with towering skyscrapers, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“…At best, Leng Haiyun has some ties with the Xiao family. If the rest of the Leng family is causing trouble, they should know better than to come knocking on my door. Don’t you think, Officer Lu?”

“Second Young Master, I’m not here on behalf of the Federation this time. This is just a personal heads-up,” Lu Renjia, sensing the mocking tone, quickly explained. “Technically, I shouldn’t be leaking this information, but given your unique situation, I thought I should tell you.”

Lu’s voice was filled with helplessness and fatigue.

Last time, when the police in the H-District had tried to speak on behalf of the Federation, they had angered this young master. While Xiao Zong had remained polite on the surface, he had swiftly sent them a gift-wrapped social media scandal.

The galaxy prided itself on freedom of speech, yet when something went wrong, the Federation suppressed the spread of information and silenced the media. Several government departments had been caught up in the mess.

There was always competition between the various districts, and in some ways, the district governments often lobbied for more power within the Federation.

The Xiao family’s rise to become a financial oligarchy in the H-District was inextricably linked with the district government.

In this latest public relations storm, many people had expressed dissatisfaction with the actions of the H-District police, accusing them of betraying their district’s interests and becoming mere pawns of the Federation.

Xiao Zong’s eyes grew cold, and he asked sharply, “It’s been a month, and Shen Yuan still hasn’t been caught?”

“That’s correct,” Lu Renjia sighed, trying to organize his scattered thoughts. “We’ve been tracking Yuan’s movements, but the yacht had an accident at sea and caught fire. Everyone on board is missing. That lead went cold until a few days ago when we received information that Yuan had purchased the details of the Fu Hua Hotel’s central control accident on the dark web.”

Xiao Zong’s heart tightened.

“Shen Yuan is a professional killer and a top-level fugitive of the Federation. His methods are brutal. Aside from yourself, we also believe Mr. Gu’s safety may be at risk. Your security team is well-equipped, but Mr. Gu is just an ordinary citizen. We recommend that the police provide him with protection.”