Chapter 16
After He Lian and the other former superiors took their medication and fell asleep, he discovered Lu Wanqing had returned.
He stood rigidly outside, refusing to enter, his gaze fixed on the neighboring Gu family’s exclusive ward.
“Don’t look. Gu’s private doctor just arrived and is already arranging the transfer,” He Lian said beside him, casually asking, “Where’s your wife?”
“He’s waiting for me in the rest room. I’ll send him home.”
This was a lie. Shu Ci was still waiting for him in the self-service medical room.
That room required a fingerprint scan to enter, and it had devices to suppress pheromone release, preventing Gu Lan Zhu from harming Shu Ci.
He simply didn’t want to explain to anyone how he could access the self-service medical room.
Lu Wanqing withdrew his gaze. “I’ll submit my late application to the base later.”
“Fine, I called you out anyway. After you’ve sent him home, don’t rush back to the base; stay home with your wife for the night.” He Lian patted Lu Wanqing’s shoulder. “Come with me.”
They entered a highly secure conference room. He Lian closed the door, turning to see Lu Wanqing looking listless, rubbing his temples irritably.
“So, how did your wife get involved with Gu Lan Zhu?”
Lu Wanqing lowered his eyes. “Personal privacy; it’s not convenient to disclose.”
Even if he didn’t care, he wouldn’t announce to the world that Shu Ci had been schemed into the Gu family’s Omega selection program.
He Lian raised an eyebrow. Judging by Lu Wanqing’s reaction, it seemed to be a personal matter. If it weren’t a work-related entanglement, it wouldn’t affect Lu Wanqing and their operations, so He Lian wasn’t interested in investigating further.
When it came to work, he still trusted Lu Wanqing.
“I thought you’d thank me,” He Lian pouted. “I didn’t make you coax Mr. Leon into taking his medicine, and I even called you here for your family’s sake. I wonder who’s the superior here.”
“You’re not wrong. I’ve prepared a gift for you.”
Lu Wanqing casually took a piece of paper, wrote down a string of numbers, and handed it to He Lian. “You can contact this number regarding the funding deficiencies in the research institute and other departments.”
Lu Wanqing paused. “But let’s keep the amount within one hundred billion for now.”
The crow’s feet at the corners of He Lian’s eyes twitched. He took the paper, stroked it twice before putting it away, his gaze falling on Lu Wanqing.
Since noticing Lu Wanqing at the Twelve Generals’ meeting, he knew this young man had a mysterious background and concealed a lot. However, neither the audit department nor his own methods could uncover anything deeper.
Seeing as they didn’t have a conflict of interest, and he was a good asset, He Lian chose to turn a blind eye, not probing deeper.
This was the first time Lu Wanqing had revealed some of his cards in front of him.
“Mr. Leon’s influence probably isn’t that great; it’s not worth this much gratitude. It seems to be Mr. Shu’s credit.”
He Lian chuckled, silently cursing in his heart.
He remembered that during the last report, Lu Wanqing only calmly described the dire financial situation without any intention of actively solving the urgent problem.
Unexpectedly, he was willing to give such a generous gift because of his wife?
He Lian suddenly felt fortunate that he had carefully reviewed Lu Wanqing’s marriage application; otherwise, he wouldn’t have had the chance to recognize the bright and conspicuous Omega at the hospital entrance as soon as he got out of the car.
“Don’t let others know you can spend this much money for your wife; otherwise, they’ll all know who to flatter.”
Lu Wanqing didn’t respond to He Lian’s teasing. He recalled Shu Ci’s earnest expression from earlier.
He wondered how Shu Ci understood his words. He seemed to firmly believe that “no one listened to Lu Wanqing.”
He seemed to feel sorry for him, with a hint of pity and injustice in his eyes, like a feisty cat, raising its paws to protect him, saying he would protect him and listen to him in this world.
It’s rare for an Omega to look at an Alpha with such a gaze; it’s usually the other way around.
Amazing.
“If you want to laugh, laugh. Is it uncomfortable to keep your mouth twisted? At my age, I still can’t stand you showing off your affection?” He Lian shook his head helplessly. “But you should reflect on why, when your wife encountered difficulties at the hospital, his first reaction wasn’t to find you, but to seek help from someone else.”
Lu Wanqing pursed his lips and coughed lightly. “He only knows I have one hour of communication time during my closed training, so it’s normal to ask the Shen family for help.”
Compared to Shen Ti, contacting him would be too late. Furthermore, they had spent very little time together, and Shu Ci didn’t know how to contact him in an emergency.
“The Shen family? Why is the Shen family involved again? Is it the Shen family I know?”
“He… and Cui You’s… were close friends in childhood.”
“No wonder he dared to do that to Gu Lan Zhu! If his relationship with the Shen family is good, I understand a bit more.”
He Lian glanced downwards, showing a look of realization.
Not all Omegas have the courage and ability to kick an Alpha “there,” unless they have stronger backing than the Gu family, otherwise, they’re essentially asking to die.
“The power struggle in the parliament is intense recently, and the Shen family’s new member is standing their ground against Councilman Gu. Though I don’t know how your wife got involved with Councilman Gu’s nephew, this kick essentially severed ties with the Shu family.”
The Shu family was relatively declining among the prominent families. They had followed the Gu family for a long time, accepting scraps. Whatever the Gu family’s stance, so was the Shu family’s.
Pausing, He Lian said, “Or is he worried that you lack government backing, which will affect your future promotion, so he actively seeks the Shen family’s protection?”
Lu Wanqing: “…”
Shu Ci probably didn’t have so many complicated thoughts.
He seemed genuinely disgusted with Gu Lan Zhu.
After all, when he said he could be used for anything, Shu Ci’s first reaction was to ask:
—”Do you have a way to make Gu Lan Zhu never turn around?”
Shu Ci sat at the table, clutching the honeysuckle Lu Wanqing had left in his palm with one hand, and fiddling with the other herbs in the tray with the other.
This world wasn’t chaotic, where murder and robbery were commonplace. Therefore, the method of making Gu Lan Zhu disappear from the plot was almost impossible.
Dying in a war was even more absurd. From the news, it seemed that the power struggles between family alliances mainly involved verbal attacks and framing. Besides the imbalance in status between AB and O, society was relatively peaceful.
What did Lu Wanqing say before he left?
He seemed stunned for a moment and asked him back:
—”Put him in an iron chopstick?”
Iron chopstick? What iron chopstick? The original book didn’t mention this thing, did it?
Could it be a nickname for a prison?
Shu Ci was afraid Lu Wanqing would notice his lack of common sense about this world, so he didn’t ask. After he left, he secretly searched online, but found nothing.
As he was frowning in thought, the door suddenly opened, and a short-haired woman in a white coat walked straight in, stunned when she saw Shu Ci.
“Who are you?” The Beta woman wasn’t aggressive, just slightly puzzled.
“A patient. Someone brought me here to wait for him.” Shu Ci became wary, not revealing any information to the stranger. “I won’t move around; you can do your work.”
The doctor looked at him twice, swiped her fingerprint to get some medicine, and was about to leave when she looked back at Shu Ci.
She glanced at the control panel for the room’s equipment, her brows furrowed, then turned to another cabinet, taking out a vial of medicine and handing it to Shu Ci.
“This is a regular inhibitor. If your attending physician hasn’t arrived yet, you can use this first. The barcode has my corresponding medical license number; don’t worry.”
“What do you mean?” Shu Ci looked down at the inhibitor, puzzled.
Isn’t this only used during the estrus period?
The doctor frowned, “Your pheromones have already spread throughout the room. Don’t you feel it?”
Shu Ci: “No.”
The jasmine scent was so distinguishable, how could he not feel it? Wasn’t the room filled with honeysuckle and forsythia?
“The honeysuckle scent is so strong; you can’t smell it at all?” The doctor’s brow furrowed even tighter. “I suggest you have your doctor take you to the ENT department for a check-up.”
“???”
Shu Ci immediately concentrated, catching the pheromones flowing like kite strings in the room, his face changing slightly.
His gaze fell on the honeysuckle flower in his hand.
When did his disorder start? How did it become the scent of honeysuckle without him noticing?