There's nothing about you I don't like

Shen Yi had thrown himself into work without even stopping for lunch. He had tapped every connection he had, running even the headhunters ragged, all to find suitable candidates. Only when the workday ended did three résumés finally sit on his desk.

"Hmm... these should be good enough."

They were impeccable from every angle. Their looks, qualifications, and ages all met the requirements. Shen Yi believed candidates of this caliber would satisfy Yuan Chen. He had no doubt about it.

"If he rejects even these, he's really going too far."

He had exhausted almost all his connections to find these three candidates. A report detailing the process alone could have filled ten A4 pages, and there was no telling how many favors he now owed.

Putting all that behind-the-scenes hardship aside, he decided to report to President Yuan first. Shen Yi rose, straightened his suit, and placed the printed résumés in a folder.

He knocked softly on the office door. When a low "Come in" sounded from inside, he pushed it open.

He had barely taken two steps when a heavy wave of alpha pheromones hit him, stopping him in his tracks. Instinctively, Shen Yi clenched his teeth and held a fist beneath his nose.

Seeing this, Yuan Chen immediately reined in his pheromones, as abruptly as shutting off a tap.

"I forgot."

"...It's all right."

Shen Yi swallowed and continued forward.

The brief discomfort was hardly unbearable. With his expression unchanged, he walked up to the desk.

"These are the candidates for the special assistant position. Please take a look."

He placed the folder within easy reach, but Yuan Chen did not even glance at it. He simply stared at Shen Yi's face.

His fair face looked no different than usual. His complexion was naturally pale, making any change impossible to discern. Apparently, this level of alpha pheromones no longer posed a threat to him. Satisfied, Yuan Chen curled his lips and reached out to open the folder.

"All three can start within a month. If you approve, I'll arrange interviews as soon as possible."

"..."

"I particularly recommend Mr. Lin Weiyu. He was a team leader at General Medical in the United States and has a deep understanding of the industry. He's also fluent in foreign languages, so assisting you should be no problem."

For some reason, he spoke more urgently than usual.

The man reading the résumés looked far too indifferent. Shen Yi knew Yuan Chen too well and could clearly read the meaning behind that expression.

He stepped forward, his lower abdomen lightly touching the edge of the heavy solid-wood desk.

"Mr. Wang Xinyu has experience as an assistant to a member of parliament and is excellent at crisis management. Mr. Xiao Qingquan was a hotel concierge manager, so when it comes to dealing with people..."

"Do you know them well?"

"What?"

Caught off guard by the interruption, Shen Yi faltered. Yuan Chen closed the folder right in front of him, leisurely folded his arms, and leaned back in his chair.

"These are the best candidates you could find?"

"Yes."

Shen Yi answered without hesitation, meeting his gaze with a look that asked, Is there a problem with that?

Yuan Chen sat up and reopened the folder. To make sure Shen Yi could see, he tapped the résumé on display with his index finger.

"Your recommended candidate, Lin Weiyu, left Gray Bud last year and took a one-third pay cut. Is there a problem with his professional competence?"

"..."

"Wang Xinyu? I heard he has his heart set on politics. Can he really settle down to secretarial work? As for Xiao Qingquan..." Yuan Chen scoffed. "I don't even want to mention him. His first impression alone is unacceptable."

Yuan Chen knew all the industry gossip. With his vast information network, even these minor details were perfectly clear to him.

Shen Yi clenched his hands, his gaze sharpening.

"You can't be so arbitrary."

"What's the problem?"

"No one in the world is perfect. You can't judge people solely on rumors."

"That's my standard for choosing a special assistant. He has to be perfect."

"Are you saying I have no flaws?"

Fed up with his pickiness, Shen Yi unconsciously raised his voice. A brief silence settled over them. Yuan Chen fixed Shen Yi with his characteristic direct stare, then answered calmly:

"Shen Yi, from the moment I first met you, I haven't found anything about you I don't like."

"..."

"You can go. These résumés are rejected. You know what to do."

That pronouncement left no room for argument.

With nothing left to say, Shen Yi took a deep breath and turned to leave. Whether from agitation or Yuan Chen's words, his cheeks felt faintly hot as he hurried out of the office.

The second and third batches of candidates he subsequently recommended were rejected as well. Shen Yi concluded that Yuan Chen had no intention of finding a new special assistant. Feeling that further effort would be futile, he simply stopped making recommendations.

Alone in the deserted office, he stared blankly into space, his mind a tangled mess.

He should have felt relieved now that he had done his part, yet for some reason, he felt awful.

It was almost like being a mother who had abandoned her child and run away.

Comparing Yuan Chen to a child might not have been quite appropriate, but that was exactly how he behaved toward Shen Yi. He could clearly resign on account of being an omega; he had never expected the other man to be so relentless.

Shen Yi lowered his eyes to the badge on his chest. The words "Shen Yi, Head of the Secretary Department" stood out starkly beneath the lights.

"So this crown was this heavy all along..."

Still, since he had made his decision, he had to see it through. Shen Yi got up, gathered his suit jacket and briefcase, and prepared to leave.

When he reached the underground parking garage, he froze the moment he stepped out of the elevator.

Yuan Chen was actually waiting up ahead. Shen Yi had heard he had a dinner engagement that evening and had left work on his way there.

"Are you going back to the office?"

"No."

He rolled up his cuff and glanced at his watch, his tone somewhat unnatural:

"Do you have plans tonight? Have a drink with me."

"No, thank you."

"Why?"

Yuan Chen looked astonished, as though he could not believe Shen Yi had refused him.

"Why would I drink with you, President Yuan..."

"Have you eaten?"

"Yes."

Yuan Chen's brows drew tighter and tighter. He always wore that expression whenever one of his suggestions was rejected, and it made Shen Yi deeply uncomfortable.

He irritably brushed the stray hair off his forehead.

"Then you're going straight home?"

"Yes. It's time I went back."

"..."

Yuan Chen stared into space for several seconds, then suddenly seized Shen Yi's wrist and strode forward without a word. Feeling the chill radiating from him, Shen Yi could only let himself be dragged along.

Yuan Chen opened the passenger door and shoved him inside as though escorting a prisoner. Dumbfounded, Shen Yi watched the man circle around to the driver's seat.

Yuan Chen started the car with practiced ease, glanced at Shen Yi beside him, and clicked his tongue. Apparently, he had no intention of asking for permission, Shen Yi grumbled inwardly.

"President Yuan, my car is still at the office."

Confronted with his fierce glare, Shen Yi immediately turned his face away.

"So you're kidnapping me?"

"Put on your seat belt."

Is this some new form of workplace harassment? Shen Yi silently pulled the seat belt across himself and deliberately turned to look out the window.

Crossing the bridge alone took twenty minutes. Traffic was unusually bad that day, and the two barely exchanged a word as the car crawled forward.

In the suffocating silence, Shen Yi felt his throat tighten for no apparent reason and loosened his shirt collar. The faint, sweet scent of omega pheromones lingered around him. At moments like these, he became conscious of what he was all over again.

"What exactly are you planning? Do you really intend to find a special assistant?"

Unable to hold back, he asked while they waited at a red light. Yuan Chen held the steering wheel with one hand, his other arm resting against the window. Keeping his eyes ahead, he took a long time to answer:

"I told you. I won't take anyone who isn't to my liking."

"I'm beginning to wonder whether such a person even exists."

"I'll find someone eventually. Someone like you."

There it was again. Hearing those words, Shen Yi felt the tips of his ears grow hot. He could not help secretly pinching his earlobe as he bluntly asked in return:

"What exactly do you like about me?"

"You want me to say it out loud?"

Yuan Chen chuckled. Just then, the light turned green. He gently turned the wheel, and the car slowly rounded the corner with the flow of traffic.

"If you tell me, I'll have something to go on when I look for someone."

"..."

"My colleagues in the Secretary Department can't hold out much longer. You'd better find someone before they all leave."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's sincere advice."

This time, Yuan Chen let out a long sigh. Stopped by another red light, the car came smoothly to a halt.

He turned toward the passenger seat. Light filtering through the window cast his face half in shadow, making his gaze seem particularly deep.

"There isn't a single thing about you I dislike."

"..."

"Just being with you puts me in a better mood."

W-was that a confession? The atmosphere suddenly turned strange.

Unsure how to respond, Shen Yi could only blink awkwardly. The gaze resting on his left cheek felt especially scorching. He swallowed, his throat dry, and ventured:

"President Yuan... you don't happen to have other feelings for me, do you?"

"Shen Yi, have you lost your mind?"

Of course.

Shen Yi inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. One look at the other man's incredulous expression made any further questions unnecessary. To ease the awkwardness, he feigned a light cough.

"Aren't you going to say you need to get used to my pheromones today?"

"I was wondering when to bring it up."

"Please bear with it for now. You're driving."

He added that for the sake of getting home safely. Beside him, Yuan Chen laughed softly.

"I should be somewhat used to them by now."

"...Really?"

"If you don't believe me, you can try."

He was certainly adept at baiting him. Shen Yi narrowed his eyes. Although he knew it might be a trick, he decided to pretend to fall for it.

He quietly released a trace of pheromones and carefully watched Yuan Chen's reaction. Unexpectedly, although the other man's face grew a little pale, he showed no sign of discomfort and did not open the window.

Watching him, Shen Yi smiled faintly, then turned toward the window in relief. The city's nightscape unfurled before his eyes like a painting.

"Thank you for bringing me home."

After getting out, Shen Yi politely said goodbye. Sitting in the driver's seat, Yuan Chen pressed his lips together as though holding back something he wanted to say. He had always been the type to speak his mind and rarely restrained himself like this.

"You should head back."

With a forced smile, Shen Yi gestured again.

Just go already. Yuan Chen gave him a cold glance, then nodded as though finally giving up. His car quickly accelerated and disappeared into the night.

Only then could Shen Yi breathe easily. He rubbed the back of his neck with his palm and rolled his stiff neck, suddenly remembering that his car was still at the office. Getting to work tomorrow would be a hassle.

"That bastard definitely did it on purpose."

It seemed he would have to keep enduring Yuan Chen's "care" for a while yet. Gritting his teeth, Shen Yi silently steeled himself. They had only one last day of working together left.