A lifetime contract

Yuan Chen was a guest, after all. Shen Yi could hardly deny him even a cup of tea, so he got up and went to the kitchen to prepare some.

When he opened the cupboard, an exquisite tea set came into view. Yuan Chen had given it to him two or three years ago. He had never expected to use it to entertain its original owner today. Fate really did love playing tricks.

He returned to the living room with steaming Biluochun and sat cross-legged on the wool rug, his back perfectly straight. Watching the steam rise from his cup, he spoke first:

"I heard you ran into some trouble because of me."

Yuan Chen gently returned his cup to its saucer. Seated upright on the sofa, he looked elegant, his clean jawline and high nose forming a stern profile. He gave a brief response: "Mm."

Shen Yi looked up and met his eyes. Even if Yuan Chen was willing to transfer an entire building to him, that did not mean he had to accept the offer. He needed to consider it carefully, whatever happened. Making a decision on instinct was too risky. He took a deep breath.

"If I continue working as your secretary, similar situations will keep happening."

"That is a problem."

"Can you really handle that, President Yuan?"

Yuan Chen did not answer immediately. He merely lowered his eyes to study him and picked up his cup again. The gold-rimmed porcelain suited his refined air.

"You haven't done anything wrong. Just focus on your work."

"..."

"Are you really going to turn down thirty billion?"

"Please give me some time to think." Shen Yi raked a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Ten minutes. Make your decision." Yuan Chen delivered his ultimatum in a domineering tone that made Shen Yi want to punch him.

"..."

The seconds and minutes ticked by until Yuan Chen broke the silence:

"Shen Yi, you've had enough time to think, haven't you?"

"..."

Shen Yi lifted his head from the table and looked at Yuan Chen, his gaze clearer than before. He had made his decision.

"Please have the contract redrafted. I think quite a few clauses need revising."

As though he had expected this all along, Yuan Chen calmly took his phone from the inside pocket of his suit, made a call, and said only, "Come in," before hanging up.

Less than three minutes later, the doorbell rang. Shen Yi opened the door to find a lawyer standing outside in a suit, smiling.

"Lawyer Hao."

"Hello, Secretary Shen. It's been a while."

Yuan Chen's legal adviser held a black briefcase and greeted him politely. The man really had come prepared-even his lawyer was on standby. Not knowing whether to laugh or cry at Yuan Chen's meticulous arrangements, Shen Yi resigned himself to inviting the guest inside.

The three moved to the dining table and sat across from one another at this rather informal negotiating table. Tension hung in the air. Only Lawyer Hao remained composed.

The draft contract was open on the laptop screen, awaiting revisions. With everything ready, Lawyer Hao placed his hands on the keyboard and gestured for them to begin:

"Please, both of you, speak freely."

Silence settled over the room as soon as he finished. Yuan Chen's gaze grew sharper, as though he were about to sign a contract of immense importance.

"First, I need a three-month adjustment period. The building will be transferred after that."

"A probationary period? You mean I need to be evaluated?" Shen Yi pointed at himself in disbelief.

"As compensation, I'll cover the transfer tax."

"In that case, I can agree. The tax is substantial, so I should be thanking you."

"Your annual salary will remain unchanged, but any increases must follow the company's prescribed annual rate. There will be no separate negotiations."

Shen Yi had no objection to that. He nodded, then immediately made a request:

"I think I need one day off every week."

"Ask for something realistic."

"That is the most realistic thing I could ask for. Secretaries are people too!"

"It's only natural that you should be available whenever I need you. When have we ever drawn a line between working hours and time off?"

"Isn't that why we're negotiating now? What I mean is, my body genuinely needs a day off now. If we can't agree on this, I can't return to work."

Yuan Chen's expression hardened further, his eyes cold beneath neatly groomed brows. He suppressed the nameless emotion rising within him and tapped his long fingers twice against the dining table. After a moment's thought, he finally spoke:

"One day a week. No more than that. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

Shen Yi had expected fierce opposition, but Yuan Chen had agreed more readily than he had imagined. Quite satisfied with the outcome, he knew better than to push his luck.

Then he raised another condition:

"I'd like you not to give me dirty looks just because I occasionally release pheromones."

Yuan Chen gave a soft laugh, as though he had heard a joke, and leaned back in his chair with his arms folded. Displeasure was written all over his handsome face.

"How much do you intend to release?"

"A reasonable amount. You're an Alpha, President Yuan, so you should know that no matter how much we suppress them, pheromones are still released naturally. It's a physiological process. Please be understanding."

"..."

"I heard you wanted to get used to Omega pheromones."

Yuan Chen signaled to Lawyer Hao with a glance, and the lawyer promptly added the clause to the contract.

"But you must be careful on formal occasions."

"Understood."

"Let me be clear. I'll only tolerate normal, everyday levels. If you cross that line, even you won't be an exception."

What was that supposed to mean? Did he think I would deliberately try to seduce him?

Shen Yi stared at Yuan Chen in disbelief, but the utter seriousness of his expression made him abandon any thought of arguing. A timely nod was the wiser choice.

"A routine medical checkup every two months. Not just for me-you need one too, President Yuan."

"There's no need to specifically schedule them for the same time."

With a rare point of agreement reached, the tense atmosphere eased a little. Yuan Chen's tightly knitted brows relaxed slightly, and he leaned back in his chair.

"Anything else?"

"I'll need leave during my heat period. I wasn't sure whether this needed to be explicitly stipulated, but I think it's better to put it in the contract."

Yuan Chen's expression froze instantly, as though it had never occurred to him that Shen Yi would have a heat period too.

"President Yuan?"

"When is your heat period expected?"

"Early November."

Despite the calm delivery, Yuan Chen's expression did not soften. He rubbed the corner of his mouth with his palm while Shen Yi continued:

"Given the circumstances, I may not be able to look after you during your heat period. I'll arrange for someone else to take care of you. Should I choose a colleague from the Secretary Department who's familiar with the procedures, or hire someone with medical qualifications?"

Yuan Chen remained silent for a long time before replying, "Use your judgment."

Shen Yi continued discussing the newly added clauses with the lawyer. The way he weighed each word in a steady voice was exactly what Yuan Chen knew best: the professional, capable Shen Yi.

He still needed time to accept that Shen Yi was an Omega. Although he understood it rationally, to Yuan Chen, Shen Yi still seemed closer to a Beta.

He could not imagine Shen Yi being driven by instinct and losing his reason.

Yuan Chen pressed hard against his temples and let out a long sigh, forcibly cutting off that dangerous train of thought. His keen Alpha instincts were warning him that the thought was dangerous.

At eight thirty in the morning, the warm May sunshine fell over Yuan Chen as he left for work on time. In the fresh morning breeze, the gloom of the past few days gradually began to lift.

Outside the front entrance, the familiar car and the people waiting stood just as they always had. As soon as the driver and Shen Yi saw Yuan Chen, they greeted him:

"Good morning, President Yuan."

Yuan Chen's appraising gaze swept over Secretary Shen from head to toe. His crisp attire, his clean-cut, handsome face, his perfectly measured volume-everything was back where it belonged.

"Good morning."

Yuan Chen returned the greeting for once. Shen Yi showed neither surprise nor confusion, merely opening the rear car door for him as usual.