Chapter 14
“Are you sure?”
Lu Heng’s gaze was fixed on An Le: “Do you know what you ordered?”
What did he order?
An Le shook his head. He didn’t know what he’d ordered. His eyesight was already poor, and the extreme tension made it even worse.
But upon hearing Lu Heng’s question, he tried to see what was indicated. It was a rare, one-percent cooked steak.
Seeing that he understood, Lu Heng asked again, “Do you like it?”
An Le shook his head again, “No, I don’t.”
He didn’t like eating raw meat, not even the highly sought-after steak. But he was too nervous; he couldn’t even turn a page of the menu.
Lu Heng watched him for a moment, then stood up and went behind him, wrapping his arms around An Le from behind, enveloping him in his body and pheromones. He held An Le’s hand, the menu in his other hand, pointing to the dishes one by one to introduce them, “The first page is steaks. This is one-percent cooked, this is three-percent… this page is escargots, this page is…”
Being held, soothed by his pheromones…
An Le was stunned by Lu Heng’s actions. He hadn’t expected Lu Heng to be so intimate with him in public.
He thought Lu Heng only wanted him to help him through his rut and to get married for appearances. A meal didn’t require such intimacy.
An Le pursed his lips. He didn’t know what Lu Heng was thinking, but with Lu Heng’s comfort, his fear and tension eased.
However, he inadvertently looked up and realized that everyone within his line of sight in the dining hall was staring at them with serious expressions.
An Le flinched, instinctively lowering his head, wondering what was wrong.
Then it dawned on him – Lu Heng had released his pheromones in public!
Because an alpha’s pheromones have a significant impact on omegas, they can easily suppress or even bully omegas with them.
It can also lead to public brawls between alphas due to their inherent mutual repulsion.
Therefore, it’s a universally accepted rule for alphas to refrain from releasing their pheromones in public.
However, this rule has never been incorporated into criminal law because those in power are alphas. They only want to use it to control those below them, not to restrain themselves. Not including it in the law allows them to act with impunity.
Without the constraint of criminal law, countless incidents of alphas causing conflicts by releasing their pheromones in public occur every year.
An Le had seen videos online of alphas engaging in violent group fights. Instinctively, he glanced back at Lu Heng and then at the others in the dining hall; several alphas, feeling offended, were already approaching them.
So many people… if a fight breaks out, could Lu Heng handle them alone?
The fear that had eased thanks to Lu Heng’s pheromones and embrace returned with greater intensity. He instinctively grabbed Lu Heng’s sleeve, timidly calling out, “Mr. Lu, your pheromones…”
But Lu Heng was unconcerned, his voice unusually soft, “Don’t worry about it. Order what you like.”
An Le: …
Really? Should he not worry?
But those alphas were already here!
The alphas were frowning, looking impatient, as if they were about to attack them any second.
An Le became even more terrified, trembling more violently. He couldn’t care less about anything else. He turned and hugged Lu Heng tightly, pressing himself against him, stammering and crying, “Mr. Lu, Mr. Lu, let’s go back. I don’t want to eat. Let’s go home…”
Suddenly hugged, Lu Heng looked up at the alphas with annoyance and muttered, “Excuse me!”
At that moment, the restaurant manager rushed over, frantically turning on the pheromone purifiers throughout the hall, while smiling nervously at Lu Heng, “I’m so sorry, Mr. Lu. There are so many people in the restaurant. Please suppress your pheromones.”
________________________
Chapter 15
This was An Le’s first time facing so many people, all alphas. He was terrified, hiding in Lu Heng’s arms, unable to move or even make a sound, though his trembling body betrayed his emotions.
Lu Heng’s frustration grew. He glanced at the alphas behind the manager, each one looking menacing, waiting for him to refuse so they could use it as an excuse to start a fight.
In the past, he wouldn’t have backed down. A few alphas? He didn’t need to get involved; Li Jie could handle them.
But not now. He had a timid omega in his arms. Even if he drove those alphas away, leaving them alone here wouldn’t let An Le eat in peace.
His eyes darkened, his gaze turning harsh as he looked at them before bending down to scoop An Le up into his arms and leave.
Seeing Lu Heng leave, the manager finally breathed a sigh of relief. He wiped the sweat from his brow, turning to the others with a conciliatory smile, urging them to disperse.
The alphas, who had been ready for a fight, grumbled and returned to their tables, disappointed that it didn’t happen.
Li Jie trailed behind Lu Heng, glancing back at the dispersing alphas, muttering, “They didn’t even start a fight. Cost me my bonus! Bunch of cowards!”
Li Jie protectively escorted Lu Heng away, but no one noticed a pair of excited eyes hidden among the alphas who had been ready to attack Lu Heng…
—
An Le hadn’t expected this outcome. Given the situation, he’d thought that even though Lu Heng was an alpha, he was alone, without bodyguards. He’d expected him to be severely beaten.
But that didn’t happen; they got out safely.
So, when they returned to the car, he was still a little dazed.
“Mr. Lu…”
The fear in An Le’s eyes hadn’t completely subsided; his gaze was vacant and forlorn. He looked utterly pitiful.
Lu Heng couldn’t help but reach out and touch his head, “Don’t be afraid.”
An Le didn’t speak. He thought Lu Heng had been so gentle just now.
At that moment, he thought, if Lu Heng promised to be this gentle towards him after they got married, then… then he definitely wouldn’t refuse.
He was lost in thought when he suddenly heard Lu Heng say, “I was too hasty.”
An Le didn’t understand, asking softly, “What?”
This time, it was Lu Heng who fell silent.
Regarding marriage, he didn’t expect his omega to be as outstanding and dazzling as he was, but at least normal, able to go out to dinner with him, attend banquets, and handle various public situations.
But if his omega was like An Le, timid and afraid of people, was it marriage or hiding a lover?
If it was the latter, he would have to pay to hire a companion for various events, rendering the marriage pointless.
He was used to acting decisively. He hadn’t asked An Le’s opinion; he’d directly taken him to try and adapt.
But he’d forgotten that the shadows in one’s heart can’t be overcome in a day or two; it’s easy to backfire.
Moreover, An Le had been hurt for ten years. Even though he had been so gentle, An Le was still scared, and even his pheromones couldn’t fully soothe him.
Lu Heng didn’t want to think about it further. He became increasingly irritable, coldly saying, “Let’s go to a different restaurant. Let’s eat.”
Li Jie, in the front seat, grumbled, “Even eating is troublesome. Let’s just book a private room.”
Lu Heng didn’t object or speak.
An Le was very sensitive to people’s emotional changes. He knew Lu Heng was unhappy and didn’t want to talk further, so he quietly pursed his lips.
After the incident, he didn’t want to eat anymore, but he knew that even if he didn’t want to, Lu Heng wouldn’t listen.
No one would care about his thoughts, and he didn’t dare to voice his opinion when someone else was unhappy. He… he would get beaten.
An Le suppressed the sourness in his nose, secretly comforting himself, It’s okay. I’m hungry anyway; I have to eat.
The driver had said that they would eat in a private room this time, without anyone else.
An Le comforted himself, and the car stopped. He looked out; this time, it was a high-end restaurant.
Lu Heng didn’t say anything and took him upstairs directly.
As he’d expected, they ate in a private room, just the two of them. From ordering to serving, no one else appeared except the waiter. Lu Heng even released calming pheromones to wrap him, finally putting him at ease.
With the pheromones, An Le felt the same sense of security as he did in his rented room. He relaxed, no longer feeling so constrained.
He preferred Chinese food. Facing a table of Chinese dishes, though still timid, the smile in his eyes was more genuine than Lu Heng had ever seen.
Especially the black-bone chicken soup; he unknowingly drank three bowls, realizing only when his stomach was full. Looking up, he saw Lu Heng looking at him with a smile.
Thinking he’d eaten too much and Lu Heng was unhappy, he hurriedly put down his bowl, whispering, “Mr. Lu…”
Lu Heng: “Did you like the soup?”