My Alpha

Ji Shengming's eyes visibly widened at the affirmative answer.

He and his assistant exchanged a look for two seconds.

Was it really Huo Jin?

Ji Shengming moved closer to Ji Chi, trying to hear better.

Ji Chi switched off speakerphone. He reached for the glass of water in front of him and rubbed his fingers over it. "Sorry... um, I didn't mean to disturb you."

"Mm." There was no hint of reproach in Huo Jin's voice.

Ji Chi's nerves eased.

"Are you... busy right now?" Somehow, the atmosphere between him and Huo Jin felt strangely charged. The palm holding his phone grew hot as though shocked by electricity. His brain turned sluggish, and speaking took an unusual effort, as if his throat had lost its voice. His fingertips went numb, as though an endless thread connected them to Huo Jin, tugging invisibly.

His imagination overwhelmed him, bringing the man's breathing within arm's reach.

He knew why.

He had slept with Huo Jin. He couldn't see him the way he saw other people.

They had slept together.

The answer came quickly. "No." His languid voice was sexy and enticing.

"Mm..." Ji Chi drew out the sound, low and long, struggling with a strange reluctance to speak.

Huo Jin's gentle words offered something solid and reassuring. "Take your time."

"It's just..."

Ji Chi swallowed. "Mr. Huo, if... if I asked you for help, would... would you help me?"

The background noise on the other end grew louder. Ji Chi heard a few soft calls. Someone was calling for Huo Jin.

Then Huo Jin's voice slipped into his ear again. "Personal or business?"

"Business."

"No," Huo Jin refused.

He was decisive, not taking even a second to think. Ji Chi's heart jolted. It was strange. He didn't understand why his pulse had suddenly quickened, but it wasn't fear, nor did he feel humiliated.

This was the answer he had expected.

He actually felt satisfied.

Have you lost your mind, Ji Chi? You only have a chance if he agrees, don't you?

Ji Chi took a moment to steady himself, gripping his phone without speaking for a long while.

"Then..."

"Could I invite you to dinner on behalf of the company?"

"That would be against the rules," Huo Jin said coolly, his words betraying no emotion.

Ji Chi pressed his lips together. Huo Jin really was a little different from what he had imagined.

He wasn't in a hurry to hang up, which meant he was willing to listen, yet his firm refusals left no room for argument. The call was still going. Someone like Huo Jin was difficult to analyze or read. Ji Chi had a chance; he simply hadn't found a proposal Huo Jin could accept.

Then what did Huo Jin want to hear?

If a man like him wasn't hanging up, what was he waiting to hear?

"Then... could I invite you to dinner personally?"

"In what capacity?" Huo Jin suddenly asked.

Ji Chi froze for two seconds. "A... a friend?"

The voice on the other end remained cool. "Are we friends?"

Ji Chi knew Boshen urgently needed clarification from the Supreme Authority. He didn't want to let this opportunity slip away.

Since he had already disturbed him, he had to hit a dead end before turning back. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to accept it.

Though the words had thrown cold water over him, Ji Chi refused to give up. "Then what capacity would make you agree?"

A few low, languid words slipped into his ear, making Ji Chi shiver as though termites were crawling over him.

Huo Jin said, "As my Alpha."

Ji Chi fell silent for two seconds.

As his Alpha.

Was that teasing?

For Huo Jin... that was probably a term that showed enough consideration for my feelings, wasn't it?

An Alpha marked by an Enigma would become his exclusive Omega.

They would go into heat because of him, and even their Y-Cavity, which had stopped developing before their Alpha differentiation, could open...

All of it made Ji Chi's scalp prickle.

Huo Jin hadn't treated him as an Omega, but hearing those words still left an indescribable heaviness in Ji Chi's chest.

He didn't want to answer that, nor did he know how.

After a long pause, Ji Chi ignored the remark and said in a muffled voice, "I won't take up much of your time."

"I... want to treat you to dinner," Ji Chi said.

Huo Jin seemed to have noticed the change in Ji Chi's tone too. The dejection and loneliness were plain in his voice, enough to make someone's heart ache for him.

Huo Jin seemed to relent. "Add me on WeChat and send me the time and address."

Ji Chi was stunned for a second. Had he agreed?

"You... agreed?" Ji Chi's eyes suddenly brightened.

Huo Jin answered, "My account is my phone number. I'm heading to the Laboratory now. Message me if you need anything."

Ji Chi needed his help, and hearing that made him inexplicably docile. "Okay..."

After hanging up, Ji Chi exchanged a look with Ji Shengming, whose face was full of disbelief. "He agreed?"

Ji Chi furrowed his brows. "More or less. He told me to add him on WeChat and send him the address."

"Once I confirm the time with him, I'll arrange a meeting for you. Have the company prepare the testing documents and everything else."

"He's very busy, and he might not agree."

Color returned to Ji Shengming's ashen face, as though he had suddenly come back to life.

"That's fine, that's fine. Getting him to meet us is enough." Ji Shengming suddenly laid a hand on Ji Chi's shoulder. "You little rascal, you really pulled it off. If this works out, just name whatever you want!"

Ji Shengming made the promise with earnest sincerity.

Ji Chi knocked his hand away and turned around calmly. "Not interested. Dad's birthday is in a couple of days. Remember to buy him a present."

By the time Ji Chi reached the elevator, Ji Shengming still hadn't responded to his words.

He glanced at his assistant. "What are you standing around for? Go prepare the documents!"

"Right away!" The assistant spun around and hurried off.

After the assistant left, Ji Shengming felt around in his pocket.

He took out an exquisite little ring box. "Little brat. He's my husband. Do I need you to remind me?"

After returning home, Ji Chi added Huo Jin on WeChat. Entering his number brought up an account named Jin.

The profile picture was an abstract oil painting. Very Huo Jin indeed.

A cultured man.

A few minutes after he tapped to add him, a response arrived.

[You have successfully added Jin as a friend. Say hello to him!]

Why was this notification so nauseating? Why had I never noticed before?

Looking at the chat window, Ji Chi went straight to the point and typed, "What do you like to eat?"

The screen showed that the other person was typing. Ji Chi's heart fluttered, leaving him strangely anxious.

Huo Jin always made him nervous.

Damn Enigma.

Huo Jin: "Anything."

Ji Chi kept typing. "Is there anything you don't eat?"

Huo Jin: "No."

Ji Chi searched for restaurants near the CE Laboratory. A few fit the bill: expensive, with a nice atmosphere.

Ji Chi: "There's a Light Cuisine restaurant not far from the CE Laboratory. Would that work? Tomorrow at eight in the evening?"

Huo Jin: "Have you decided?"

Ji Chi: "I'll be joining you. It's your call."

Huo Jin replied with a voice message.

Ji Chi tapped it and held the phone to his ear.

The resonant voice was composed and gentle, as though whispering beside him, teasing at his heart. "I can make time. My suggestion is that you come alone."

Ji Chi felt as though a needle had pricked the hand holding his phone. Trembling slightly, he typed back, "Of course."

He had secured the meeting.

He really had secured it.

Ji Chi didn't want to examine his relationship with Huo Jin. He would contact him this once, one last time.

After replying, Ji Chi couldn't help wondering what the life of someone as meticulous as Huo Jin looked like.

Ji Chi imagined Huo Jin's Moments feed.

It had to be boring.

He opened Huo Jin's profile.

The background of Huo Jin's Moments was a photo of a lush, freely growing green forest. As for the posts...

Ji Chi scrolled down.

September 17: approval for the arrest of Deepbridge Holdings' de facto controller on charges of organized crime involvement.

September 19: order for Fanchen Group to rectify its Alpha isolation rooms for failing to meet the safety standard of less than 1% pheromone infiltration.

August 12: order for Wanyue Media to rectify its practices and issue a public apology for suspected gender discrimination after including the exclusion of Omegas in its recruitment criteria.

August 9: order for chain hotels under the TERO Group to suspend operations and rectify substandard security measures.

July 30: highest-level arrest authorization jointly issued by the Supreme Authority and the business association for the head of Huaye, who had fled with company funds.

July 20...

Ji Chi scrolled through Huo Jin's Moments with furrowed brows, a ruthless, merciless sense of oppression rushing straight into his head.

What a thrill...

It was like flipping through fucking case files!

Every document bore a red official seal, making him feel as though he would find himself behind iron doors and barred windows, bound in chains, any second now.

There probably wasn't much point in having this dinner anymore...

For the first time, Ji Chi wanted to describe someone's Moments feed as terrifying.

Huo Jin's Moments left Ji Chi depressed well into the evening, utterly wilted.

It even kept him from sleeping properly. Ji Chi lay in bed, hugging his little bunny and staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Ding..." While he was lost in thought, Ji Chi's phone chimed.

He unlocked it.

It was a WeChat message from Huo Jin.