Suspicion

Inside the marshal's private lounge at the Federal Empire Government Center, a man in a suit stood before Si Jinyan.

Si Jinyan asked, "How did the investigation go?"

Qiu Rui replied, "Chi Li fled to West City ten years ago due to the war in Borderland A. He then lived, worked, and attended school in West City. So far, we've found that he has a grandmother nearing ninety. She is in poor health—she has poor eyesight, partial hearing loss, dementia, takes medication year-round, developed heart disease two years ago, and requires costly medical treatment. They also ran into some local thugs in West City, who extorted a sum from them..."

Si Jinyan frowned slightly. "Get to the point."

Qiu Rui paused. "Overall, there are no issues."

Si Jinyan looked at Qiu Rui with some dissatisfaction. "Overall?"

Qiu Rui said, "There are no loopholes in the timeline, and his identity is plausible. The Empire did take in a group of refugees as a matter of policy back then. The only thing that seems a little strange is..."

Si Jinyan held a fountain pen in his hand, its cap tapping lightly against the desk in a steady rhythm. Picking up on Qiu Rui's words, he asked, "What is it?"

Qiu Rui lowered his eyes to stare at Chi Li's information on the light screen, then looked back up at Si Jinyan. "It's too much of a coincidence."

Si Jinyan knew what Qiu Rui meant by "coincidence."

Over the years, they did not know how many Omegas they had searched for, yet none had succeeded. The closer someone was to Si Jinyan, the more they felt this was destined to fail.

Si Jinyan himself shared that attitude. He believed it was something that could never succeed.

The only people who seemed to believe there was hope were probably those at the research institute.

Moreover, quite a few people had planted spies around Si Jinyan before. Now that an Omega perfectly compatible with him had suddenly appeared, Si Jinyan could not help but be suspicious.

Normally, this investigation report should have been enough to convince Si Jinyan.

Si Jinyan had always been satisfied with Qiu Rui's investigative abilities, and Qiu Rui had never made a mistake before.

Si Jinyan closed his eyes and leaned back slightly against the chair, resting his head on the backrest.

This was how Si Jinyan relaxed while thinking.

He recalled the day he had first smelled that pheromone.

His first reaction had not been that it smelled pleasant, but that it was familiar.

Familiar.

Like he had encountered it before.

That feeling had vanished in an instant that day, swallowed by the overwhelming desire that followed. Yet when Si Jinyan regained his clarity, he distinctly remembered that fleeting sensation.

It was as if he had smelled it more than once before, as if the scent had left a deep impression on him.

But Si Jinyan knew perfectly well that he had never met Chi Li. His memory had always been excellent; anyone he had met even once, he would never forget.

It was impossible that he had smelled Chi Li's pheromones before but did not remember him.

Furthermore, whenever he smelled Chi Li's pheromones and saw that figure, Si Jinyan felt an instinctive urge to protect him.

Perhaps it was a side effect caused by their highly compatible pheromones.

After a long while, Si Jinyan opened his eyes and said, "I understand. You can leave first."

Chi Li had recently noticed that Si Jinyan did not come back often.

He needed to find a way to create opportunities to interact with Si Jinyan. Ideally, he could follow him to Si Jinyan's office at the base.

The intelligence department had received information that Si Jinyan had developed a serious rift with the Empire's new leader. Si Jinyan had been appointed the highest military leader by the former emperor, possessed the highest authority over military affairs, and enjoyed considerable prestige. Meanwhile, the Empire seemed to be taking military and political action against Loran.

The two nations had long been plagued by conflicts and disputes. Given the current situation, planting a spy beside Si Jinyan was highly risky, but necessary.

Chi Li had heard of the near-legendary feat from many years ago—Si Jinyan had destroyed half of Luolan's military strength by himself. There might have been some exaggeration involved, but Si Jinyan had practically become a god through that battle. Afterward, he won battle after battle, adding a bold and brilliant stroke to the Empire's present glory.

Luolan, once an empire itself, was now steadily declining under the Great Empire's various "encirclement campaigns."

The current new emperor was even more ambitious. That ambition was far too blatant and undisguised, forcing nations including Luolan to remain vigilant.

Si Jinyan was a very important figure.

While Si Jinyan was away, Chi Li spent the past few days looking around the residence. Many rooms were locked and could not be opened without authorization, including the study.

Chi Li had tested the butler by asking whether he could go to the study and find a few books to read.

The butler simply told him to name the books he wanted, and they would be delivered to Chi Li the next day, leaving him no excuse to enter the study.

Besides, Chi Li needed an injection of Omega modifier every five months. The more frequently he had relations, the faster the Omega pheromones in his body dissipated.

Though they had left him a few pills in case of emergency, nothing worked as well as an injection.

Before then, he needed to gain at least some of Si Jinyan's trust. Given Si Jinyan's cautious nature, perhaps a single misstep would be enough to make him suspicious.

When Chi Li woke up today, he discovered that Si Jinyan had actually returned last night and left early this morning.

He only saw the butler clearing away the breakfast dishes. Si Jinyan had eaten breakfast before leaving.

This was not the first time such a thing had happened recently.

As he ate breakfast, Chi Li was somewhat absentminded.

Had Si Jinyan become suspicious of him?

Or did Si Jinyan want to replace him with another Omega?

After the meal, Chi Li helped the butler clear the dishes.

Butler Yuan Ru had refused several times, but it was useless. Uncle Yuan eventually stopped saying anything, though he only allowed Chi Li to carry the lightest items.

Uncle Yuan looked at Chi Li, who seemed hesitant to speak. "Mr. Little Chi, if you're having any trouble, you can tell me."

The marshal had specifically instructed him to do everything he could to satisfy Chi Li's requests.

Yuan Ru could tell that the marshal cared deeply about this Omega.

The marshal, who previously might not return even once a year, had come home several times almost every week lately. Whenever he returned, he went looking for Chi Li.

It would be wonderful if an Omega could truly stay by Si Jinyan's side, Yuan Ru thought.

Chi Li's face flushed slightly as he stammered, "Please don't tell the marshal."

Yuan Ru was taken aback, then smiled and nodded.

Only then did Chi Li slowly say, "The marshal... is he planning to find other Omegas too?"

Yuan Ru clearly had not expected Chi Li to ask such a question. "Why would you think that, Mr. Little Chi?"

"It's just that he's rarely..." Chi Li's face reddened even more at this point. "He rarely comes looking for me lately."

Yuan Ru smiled faintly. "Don't worry. The marshal has just been a little busy lately."

Not every Omega received this kind of treatment. At least over the past several decades, Yuan Ru had only ever seen Chi Li receive it.

Chi Li knew Yuan Ru would certainly tell Si Jinyan about this.

But at the rate Si Jinyan had been coming home, if he relied on Yuan Ru to tell him that he missed him, who knew how long he would have to wait?

Chi Li asked Yuan Ru to order several items.

The next day, the pheromone cushion arrived.

A pheromone cushion was used to store pheromones and could be ordered in all kinds of shapes. The basic model looked like an enlarged tangyuan—white, soft, and easily dented when squeezed.

Many children who presented as Omegas at a young age had unstable pheromones, so their parents would equip them with a cushion to carry around.

Chi Li had ordered one in the shape of a chibi figure. The little chibi person looked a lot like Chi Li, with short black hair, a bit of fringe over his forehead, a curved line for a smiling mouth, and the white T-shirt Chi Li often wore.

Chi Li infused the cushion with some of his pheromones. While helping the butler clean, he secretly placed it beside Si Jinyan's pillow.

That night, Si Jinyan returned.

Chi Li heard a loud crash outside the door.

He immediately poked his head out.

He did not know what had fallen to the floor to make that sound.

Chi Li's bedroom was at the far left end of the corridor, while Si Jinyan's was in the middle. At a glance, Chi Li could see the two people standing by the door.

Uncle Yuan had his head lowered, seemingly apologizing, while Si Jinyan's expression was grim.

The next moment, Si Jinyan lifted his head and noticed Chi Li poking out his little head to watch the commotion.