Separation anxiety?

Yuan Chen set his fountain pen down hard on the desk and pressed his knuckles firmly against his throbbing temples. The out-of-control pheromones were irritating enough; the tears only added fuel to the fire.

"Special Assistant Shen."

Shen Yi, who had been standing quietly behind him, immediately stepped forward and steadied the researcher, who was crying too hard to speak.

"Let's step outside first. We can talk once you've calmed down," Shen Yi said gently, guiding her.

"I-I didn't mean to..." The researcher leaned almost her entire weight against him, her fingers clutching the hem of his suit jacket.

"I understand. Don't worry. Come with me."

Her violent emotional fluctuations intensified her Omega pheromones, something Shen Yi, as a Beta, could not perceive.

He settled the researcher on a sofa in the lounge, crouched on one knee to meet her eyes, and handed her a standby sedative and a bottle of water.

The researcher wiped her wet eyes, her voice hoarse. "I'm sorry. I didn't take your warning seriously earlier... I didn't realize President Yuan was so sensitive."

"It's your first time experiencing this. An oversight is understandable. I'm afraid you won't be able to continue attending today's meeting. Please submit the material you prepared in writing afterward."

"Will I... have another chance to go back in?"

"I'm afraid that wouldn't be appropriate this time."

Shen Yi took out a compact pheromone meter. The numbers flickering on its screen settled at 68ph. At the sight of that reading, the researcher finally nodded in silence.

Watching her sob, Shen Yi felt a little troubled himself. Even the way an Omega cried tugged at the heart.

"Will this... have any negative consequences for me later?"

"Don't worry. The president never holds things against people afterward."

At those words, the researcher's tense shoulders finally relaxed. She sipped her water, trying to steady her still-shuddering breathing.

"Stay here and get some rest."

"...Are you leaving?"

"Yes. There's still a lot to take care of."

He had to remove every trace of the Omega pheromones clinging to him immediately.

Shen Yi hurried toward the elevator, pressing the button impatiently. Just then, his phone vibrated, and the screen lit up:

President Yuan: Be back within five minutes.

The message made his heart tighten. His most pressing task now was to remove every last trace of Omega pheromones from his body.

"It's me," he said into his phone, issuing quick instructions. "Bring the pheromone deodorizer and my spare suit to the chairman's office immediately." At the same time, he briskly took off his scent-contaminated jacket.

The moment the elevator doors opened, he headed straight for the office.

The secretaries were already standing ready. They handed him a fresh suit jacket and quickly put the one he had removed into a professional garment-care machine. Shen Yi swiftly changed, picked up the deodorizer, and carefully sprayed himself from head to toe.

His phone vibrated again. The messages on the screen were growing increasingly urgent:

President Yuan: Hurry back.

President Yuan: Is this really the time to slack off?

"Honestly..." Looking at the elevator indicator, which was still stuck on the first floor, Shen Yi took a deep breath, turned, and pushed open the emergency stairwell door.

He made it from the twenty-fifth floor to the ninth in a minute and thirty seconds. A dull ache spread through his ankles. He rushed into the restroom, quickly straightened his twisted tie, adjusted his employee badge, and smoothed his disheveled hair. Once his breathing steadied, the reflection in the mirror was once again the calm, composed Special Assistant Shen.

Skipping the knock, he pushed straight through the conference room door. The air inside was slightly chilly, and the windows stood wide open. The meeting had resumed, a presentation was running on the screen, and Yuan Chen sat expressionless at the head of the table.

There was clearly nothing urgent, yet he'd been in such a rush to get me back. It was practically separation anxiety.

Shen Yi silently walked behind Yuan Chen, following him like a shadow. That was his designated spot. Without letting it show, he tensed his slightly trembling legs and did his best to stand straight.

Meanwhile, Yuan Chen's previously rigid upper body had eased almost imperceptibly against the chair back. Even the fingertips tapping the table had taken on a faint, barely discernible rhythm of lightness.

Yuan Chen's sensitivity was not without cause. He actually suffered from severe migraines triggered by Omega pheromones, a fact very few people knew.

After differentiating at seventeen, he had become an exceptionally alluring S-Class Alpha, constantly subjected to Omegas' deliberate or instinctive pheromone enticements. At first, he would feel drawn to them, but intense self-loathing followed, as though he were no longer a rational human being but a beast driven by desire.

To him, being "S-Class" was both a blessing and a curse.

His family knew of his suffering but chose to ignore it, claiming that he "needed to adapt." They even pushed more Omegas toward him. Eventually, severe pheromone shock sent him to the emergency room twelve times in a single month. That experience became a wound he could never erase.

From then on, the slightest scent of Omega pheromones triggered violent headaches and nausea. Eventually, this S-Class Alpha came to reject Omegas entirely.

People used to say it was difficult to get through a Heat Period without the soothing effect of pheromones, but modern medicine had advanced enough for medication alone to suffice. Especially with Akit continually developing new Heat Period medications through its cutting-edge technology, running the company was almost effortless for him as its leader.

His extreme sensitivity to pheromones remained unchanged, however. It was precisely because he was so sensitive that he needed Shen Yi, a Beta, constantly at his side.

The hour-long meeting finally ended. The earlier interruption had delayed it by ten minutes, leaving very little time before the next video conference. Just as Shen Yi was looking down at his watch and silently fretting, Yuan Chen finished speaking with the lead researcher and called to him in a low voice:

"Special Assistant Shen."

"President Yuan."

"I'm having lunch with Person in Charge Song later. Book a restaurant right away. Do you have any recommendations?"

"Dan Yan. One p.m." Before Shen Yi could make a recommendation, Yuan Chen chose the location himself.

"...Understood."

Shen Yi's thumb stiffened. He looked up and met Yuan Chen's gaze.

"I'll secure the reservation."

A professional, reassuring smile swiftly spread across his face. A secretary had no right to refuse. Whether the order was to "have porridge" or "have a meal," there was only one answer: "Of course."

On the way back to the office, alarm bells rang in Shen Yi's head. This was an emergency. He had to secure a reservation at Dan Yan. The private restaurant had shot to fame after appearing on a wildly popular variety show the previous week, and reservations were snapped up the instant they became available.

After Yuan Chen entered his office to begin the video conference, Shen Yi immediately rallied the entire secretarial department. They tried every possible reservation channel.

They called the restaurant, and sure enough, it was fully booked. A same-day reservation was out of the question.

"May I ask if you have any tables reserved for VIP guests?" Upscale restaurants often held tables for important patrons, and he was prepared to pay whatever it cost. This time, however, even that avenue was closed.

"There are reservations being offered for transfer online, but they're all for dinner. There's nothing at all for lunch." The secretaries reported one piece of bad news after another.

Shen Yi sighed softly, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed between his brows.

"There's only one option left."

He sat up straight and moved his mouse to open a chat window:

[Assistant Alliance (8)]

[Notice] For urgent matters only.

Shen Yi placed his fingers on the keyboard and began carefully typing:

Akit-Shen Yi: Good afternoon, friends. The temperature has been varying greatly between day and night lately. I hope everything is going smoothly for you all?

The instant his polite opening message went out, the group sprang to life:

gh-Huang Sihua: Attention! Everyone, attention!

Ultra-Low Publicity-He Guihuan: Hahaha, what impossible mission has President Yuan assigned this time?

Blue Rail-Chen Ciyi: What happened? Tell us! The curiosity is killing me!

This secret group chat, made up of special assistants to presidents of major companies, instantly erupted at Shen Yi's rare request for help.

Akit-Shen Yi: Requesting assistance: I need a table for two at Dan Yan in Chaoyang District at one p.m. today. If anyone has a way to arrange it, please message me privately.

Emperor-Shen Zhenghao: Wow, Dan Yan?

Emperor-Shen Zhenghao: That's a tough one.

gh-Huang Sihua: Everyone, if you can help, please contact Secretary Shen Yi directly!

Blue Rail-Chen Ciyi: I'll ask around.

Shen Yi clenched his slightly sweaty hands, his eyes fixed on the screen.

He had done everything he could. Now, all he could do was wait for a breakthrough.