No one but you would do

Shen Yi slipped the phone he had just taken out back into his trouser pocket, cleared his throat, and lifted his chin with an air of perfect justification.

"We're walking there?"

"It's two kilometers from here to the restaurant. If you want to walk, suit yourself."

Fortunately, Yuan Chen said nothing more and turned to head outside. Shen Yi shamelessly followed, all kinds of worries flashing through his mind. He had a feeling this would not be easy.

The familiar car was parked outside the villa. Shen Yi recognized Yuan Chen's car at a glance. He was actually driving somewhere only five minutes away. Unbelievable.

Looks like he didn't call the driver because it's the weekend and drove here himself... Doesn't that mean I'll have to drive later?

Just as Shen Yi's damned secretary instincts began acting up again, Yuan Chen opened the driver's door and got in. Hiding his embarrassment, Shen Yi quietly took the passenger seat.

Thinking about it, this was actually his first time riding in a car driven by Yuan Chen in his six years as a secretary. Rather than feeling novel, it mostly felt uncomfortable. His upper body was as stiff as if a rod had been shoved down his back, and he could not get comfortable no matter how he sat.

By contrast, Yuan Chen started the car and turned the steering wheel with practiced ease. As the car slowly left the villa compound, he spoke with his eyes on the road.

"Make sure you don't release any pheromones around me. I hate things that have a scent."

"Easy for you to say... Is it any use if I'm the only one being careful?"

It was a perfectly reasonable objection. Shen Yi quietly turned toward the window, the shadows hiding his rapidly blinking eyes.

Lost Town lived up to its reputation as an upscale Japanese restaurant, with an elegant, tranquil atmosphere. Getting a table at a place like this usually required a reservation, but Yuan Chen was a special guest, after all. The manager recognized him and warmly escorted them to the best private room.

They took their seats in the room laid with traditional tatami mats. They had barely finished wiping their hands with hot towels before their dishes began arriving one after another.

They began eating without a word. Dining together was commonplace for them, so it hardly felt awkward. Since this was not a business dinner, Yuan Chen barely spoke during the meal, and Shen Yi had long since grown accustomed to the silence.

As he ate food far more delicious than takeout sushi, Shen Yi's irritation gradually eased. He picked up a slice of sea bream sashimi and put it in his mouth, chewing contentedly. The fish was firm and springy, its fresh sweetness spreading over his tongue.

Yuan Chen quietly lifted his gaze. The Shen Yi sitting opposite him seemed unfamiliar.

Whether early in the morning, late at night, or on weekends, he had only ever seen Shen Yi in formal attire. This was his first time seeing him in casual clothes. His fair skin looked especially fresh against his sky-blue shirt, and at first glance, he could almost have passed for a university student.

But whatever he wore, his straight-backed posture and elegant table manners still belonged to the Shen Yi he knew. As expected, no matter how his appearance changed, his essential nature remained the same.

The corners of Yuan Chen's mouth curved without his noticing. Then he schooled his expression again and took a small sip of tea.

"I'll get straight to the point."

At Yuan Chen's sudden words over dinner, Shen Yi put down his chopsticks, hastily swallowed his food, and took a gulp of water.

"How about coming back to work?"

Shen Yi's eyes widened instantly, and he nearly choked on his water.

"Cough! Cough, cough..." He pressed a hand to his chest and broke into a coughing fit. Yuan Chen frowned, pulled out a few tissues, and tossed them over.

Shen Yi quickly caught the tissues and wiped his mouth. So this was what he had wanted to discuss? Once he finally caught his breath, he could not help asking:

"Are you kidding me?"

"No one but you would do."

Shen Yi blinked. Asking an Omega to come back to work was absurd, yet those words, "No one but you would do," made his heart skip a beat and his cheeks grow slightly warm. All right, if that was his reason, he actually felt a little tempted.

"Have you even tried looking for someone else?"

At those words, Yuan Chen's handsome brows immediately drew together. Shen Yi let out a deep sigh, abandoned his upright posture, and propped his elbows on the table to rub his aching forehead.

"No, President Yuan... Do you really still not understand?"

"Understand what?"

"What Omega works as a secretary? You know I can't do this job as an Omega." Shen Yi tapped his fingers on the table and began laying out his reasons one by one. Although discrimination was not overt in this world, the characteristics of Omegas really did make them unsuitable for secretarial work.

Alphas made up the majority of the so-called elite, and Omegas struggled to survive in those circles. Besides, being a secretary was a Beta's job to begin with.

"How is someone sensitive to pheromones supposed to stand being surrounded by Alpha pheromones all day? Every event is obviously going to be full of them, and there are people everywhere who want to use their pheromones to suppress others. You can't see it, but it's no different from violence. How do you expect me to put up with that?"

Yuan Chen knew all of this, of course, but he still dressed his unreasonable demand in flattering words.

"I don't think you're someone who gives up that easily, Shen Yi. You have better self-control than most people."

"Thank you for thinking so highly of me, but I don't even dare trust my own body completely."

"Aren't you an S-class Omega?"

Superior Omegas could regulate their pheromones better than ordinary Omegas and had a higher tolerance for Alpha pheromones, which generally did not affect them. This was an established academic consensus, and Yuan Chen pointed it out.

But Shen Yi remained unreceptive and let out a heavy sigh right in front of him.

"How long has it even been since I differentiated into an Omega? I've never dealt with an unexpected situation. It's clearly dangerous, so why are you so determined to make me do this?"

"I need you."

"I think you're being too selfish."

"I'll raise your salary."

The conversation went back and forth like a game of table tennis. Shen Yi repeatedly raised objections, while Yuan Chen stubbornly insisted on his demand. Would they get anywhere at this rate? The food on the table was nearly cold.

"Most importantly, President Yuan, you can't stand Omega pheromones! I don't want to work while getting yelled at!" Having worked by Yuan Chen's side for so long, Shen Yi knew his temper better than anyone.

When he had been a Beta, he could endure it no matter how exhausting it was, but now everything had changed. Honestly, he was not confident he could bear Yuan Chen's disgust.

Yuan Chen's eyes widened at this, as though he could not understand.

"Why assume from the start that you'll get yelled at? Can't you just be careful?"

"I don't want to live like that. It's exhausting."

Shen Yi's head hurt so badly it felt ready to burst. He pressed hard against his temples and complained:

"What if, President Yuan, one of us suddenly enters a Heat Period?"

"Do you think an accident like that could happen between you and me?"

The bold hypothetical made Yuan Chen frown. Shen Yi glanced at him, and Yuan Chen returned a meaningful look.

"We have a history..."

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Yuan Chen's face as well. That was true. Since there was already a precedent, he had little room to argue.

His dark eyes remained fixed on Shen Yi. Although he knew Shen Yi had a point, this was still the first time he had seen him so impatient.

"So you really are going to refuse my offer?"

Shen Yi did not answer. He simply nodded firmly, without the slightest hesitation.

"I can help with the handover. Leaving so suddenly wasn't very appropriate of me."

"..."

"But I can't carry out the duties of a special assistant the way I used to. My role would be limited to training the Secretary Department's staff. If you're willing to accept that condition, I can come back to the company to help."

Shen Yi held up three fingers, limiting the handover period to three days. What a heartless man.

Yuan Chen neither accepted nor rejected this unilateral proposal, but he had no better option at the moment.

At last, he let out a long sigh.

"Help me choose a special assistant. I've been too busy lately to deal with it."

"I will."

"Starting Monday."

Once they reached an agreement, Shen Yi's expression immediately relaxed, and he picked up his chopsticks again. He took a slice of sashimi with some shredded ginger and ate with relish.

A smile slipped onto his face. He resolved to use this opportunity to sever his ties with Yuan Chen for good and get him to approve his resignation as soon as possible.