Secret Lover

Not long after lunch, employees gathered in twos and threes in the smoking area to chat.

"We should be sleeping at home in weather like this. Another day of not wanting to work!" someone sighed.

"Any interesting gossip lately?"

Everyone began sharing the rumors they had heard. When coworkers got together, most of their conversations revolved around rumors circulating within the company.

Someone in one department had received an exceptional promotion, someone else's stocks had gone up, or a manager from one department was dating an employee from another. Somehow, gossip that had nothing to do with them was always especially fascinating.

"President Yuan's secretary-I heard he differentiated into an Omega. Are those rumors true?"

"That's old news. What's there to discuss?"

Shen Yi's name naturally became the center of the conversation. The rumors about his differentiation never seemed to die down. Someone pulled a phone from his suit pocket and began searching intently, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Look here. His designation is listed right there."

The human resources management system listed every employee's photo, name, position, and extension number. Sure enough, "Omega" was clearly displayed beneath Shen Yi's ID photo.

"Wow, I can't believe it!"

"Is that supposed to be good news? Omegas are affected by pheromones everywhere they go."

"Even if I wasn't an Alpha, I'd have fallen apart by now if it were me."

"Has anyone seen him lately? I haven't had a chance to run into him."

A male colleague in a mid-level position blew a smoke ring and narrowed his eyes. He thought he had caught a glimpse of Shen Yi on his way into work that morning.

"He looked... a little different, somehow."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, how do I put it? His looks haven't changed, but he feels different. Anyway, the more you look at him, the more you want to keep looking. You almost can't look him in the eye."

"It's that special constitution. You all know how it is. Omegas are naturally alluring. It's instinctive."

"He's pretty close to President Yuan, isn't he?"

"I heard there's something going on between them!"

"Seriously?"

"There's even a rumor that President Yuan marked him. What other explanation could there be?"

"Exactly. Hasn't President Yuan always hated Omega pheromones?"

"He hasn't said anything about strictly controlling pheromones in meetings lately, either."

"So that's why... is it really true...?"

Three or four voices overlapped without restraint. Once a rumor started, it snowballed until even complete fabrications became accepted facts.

Before they knew it, the Shen Yi of their rumors had become President Yuan's favored Omega lover. And it wasn't an official relationship, either-he was a secret lover. Those who loved to gossip had their heads full of crude fantasies, imagining that this highly capable secretary had his nighttime "work" just as expertly arranged.

As their cigarettes burned down, the employees who needed to return to work stretched. When they rounded the partition taller than they were and stepped out of the smoking area, they all stopped in their tracks.

On a bench outside, Shen Yi, the subject of their rumors, sat beside Lin Xiaofeng. Both men were watching them, as though they had been waiting outside the smoking area for quite some time.

There was no soundproofing whatsoever in this open space. They must have heard the entire conversation. The employees' faces instantly flushed crimson.

"Special Assistant Shen, Team Leader Lin, are you here for a smoke too...?"

"Oh dear, this is awkward, isn't it? How did you get caught?"

Lin Xiaofeng draped an arm over the back of the bench and leaned to one side. Watching their embarrassed faces, he frowned in distaste.

"You should watch what you say at work. Don't you know walls have ears?"

"Sorry. We're really sorry."

Shen Yi ignored the people bowing and apologizing. His gaze remained fixed on the ground, his legs stretched out and his ankles crossed. He stayed in that position in silence for a long time.

"Go on back. There's still work to do."

Lin Xiaofeng stepped in to defuse the awkward situation, and the employees hurried away at his gesture.

Once everyone had left, Lin Xiaofeng looked worriedly at Shen Yi beside him.

"Say something. You're so quiet, you're scaring even me."

"Fuck."

The flatly delivered curse made Lin Xiaofeng burst out laughing. He bent forward, chuckling, while Shen Yi's expression remained tense and his posture unchanged.

When he had laughed enough, Lin Xiaofeng wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and patted Shen Yi's shoulder.

"Accept your fate, my friend."

"..."

"What do they know? Six whole years. Special treatment? What a load of bullshit."

"Ugh... I really don't want to waste my energy on this."

Shen Yi closed his eyes and tipped his head back. The gossip about him had never stopped, either outside the company or within it.

Why did the damned weather have to be so nice? Warm spring sunshine fell across Shen Yi's forehead and the ends of his hair. A gentle breeze brushed past, as though trying to soothe him.

Just then, his phone rang. Shen Yi glanced at the number on the screen, sighed, and stood. The ice in the coffee cup in his hand clinked sharply.

"Let's go. Coffee's finished."

"Come on, then."

He gave Lin Xiaofeng a casual nod and turned to leave. In an instant, the irritation vanished from Shen Yi's face. Once he switched into work mode, there was no reason to dwell on his personal feelings.

As soon as he entered the Ever-Busy Office, the secretaries spotted him and immediately gathered around. Something seemed to have happened.

Shen Yi strode over.

"What is it? What happened?"

Secretary Chi handed Shen Yi a tablet.

[Major scandal rocks pharmaceutical industry]

A director of a major domestic pharmaceutical company is suspected of committing a crime in a social setting he regularly frequents. According to shocking reports, he allegedly spiked a drink and sexually assaulted an Omega. The director vehemently denies the allegations, insisting that the encounter was consensual.

Sources say the director has long been known for carrying drugs, and there may be more than one victim. This time, however, the victim's unusual status has made the incident difficult to hush up.

Shockingly, the company in question specializes in secondary-gender medication. This incident is certain to deal a devastating blow to its reputation.

"Oh my God..."

The tablet displayed the secretarial department's internal group chat. Usually, only reasonably reliable information circulated there, so even rumors carried considerable credibility.

Secretary Chi gathered information from the chat and cross-checked it, reporting to Yuan Chen every Monday. These rumors might seem trivial, but to a businessman, they were an important source of intelligence.

"They haven't named anyone, but people are already hinting that it's our company."

"Do we know who it is?"

"Not yet. The news broke less than ten minutes ago."

"Has President Yuan been informed?"

"Not yet, either."

Shen Yi sent screenshots of the relevant messages to his own phone, then forwarded them to Yuan Chen. He straightened his tie and headed toward President Yuan's office.

He knocked and opened the door. Yuan Chen was leaning against his desk, and even when Shen Yi entered, he merely kept looking down at his phone.

Shen Yi gently closed the door and approached the desk. With a click, he pressed a switch on it. The office's glass windows instantly changed tint, blocking the view from outside and activating the soundproofing. This was standard procedure when handling confidential matters.

"President Yuan, although we haven't confirmed the facts yet, we need to establish what happened as soon as possible..."

"A pharmaceutical company specializing in secondary-gender medication. This was clearly written to target us."

Yuan Chen abruptly cut him off, turning his lit phone screen toward Shen Yi.

"Yes, that's how it looks at the moment."

"We have dozens of internal directors alone. Include the outside directors, and there are even more."

"Give me some time. I'll get to the bottom of it right away."

"No need. I already know who it is."

Yuan Chen's expression was cold, but a flicker of emotion crossed his eyes. For once, he actually felt a hint of excitement.