Brothers at odds

Shen Yi carefully locked the door and turned to head inside. He had barely taken a step when his breath abruptly caught. Instinctively, he leaned against the wall to support his suddenly weak body.

What... what was going on?

His knees trembled uncontrollably. The oppressive aura filling the entire room brutally squeezed his lungs. It was unlike any alpha aura he had encountered before, carrying a savage aggression, as though they truly intended to kill each other.

At that moment, Shen Yi finally understood why Yuan Chen had strictly forbidden him from coming in. This was not a situation he could withstand.

In mere moments, cold sweat had soaked his back. Shen Yi forced himself to steady his breathing and lifted his head. Before him, two alphas were locked in a fierce confrontation.

Fortunately, they had yet to come to blows, but the pressure released by their tense standoff alone was enough to bring the conflict to the brink of eruption.

Yuan Hao getting into conflicts was nothing new, but his previous arguments seemed like child's play compared to this. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked as though he wanted to tear Yuan Chen apart on the spot.

By contrast, Yuan Chen calmly assessed the situation, keeping Yuan Hao in check with ease. Yuan Hao had tried to strike several times, only to have each attempt effortlessly blocked. This was not a man anyone could approach carelessly.

"You think I'll just let this go? You've pissed me off!"

The more Yuan Hao was thwarted, the hotter his anger burned. Seeing that he could gain no physical advantage, he began hurling abuse. Obscene insults and vicious curses poured out of him, his hysteria making him look utterly deranged.

Shen Yi found a relatively safe spot and carefully watched Yuan Chen's condition. He knew he did not belong here. Fortunately, the corner of the wall provided natural cover. He hid there, holding his breath and focusing, ready for anything unexpected.

"Do you still not understand the situation? Yuan Hao, you're a kite with its string cut. You've brought this on yourself."

Yuan Chen swept a cold glance over the other man's face, no longer bothering to maintain even the pretense of family affection. He added icily:

"Before you lose your temper, why don't you consider your own position?"

"You think you've won? You think taking me down makes the company yours?"

"We'll find out in due time. At the very least, you won't be staying much longer."

"Don't get smug! Even if I die, I'll take you down with me! If I'm going to hell, I'm dragging you along!"

Yuan Chen gave him an indifferent look that said, "Suit yourself." That composed, arrogant demeanor ignited Yuan Hao's fury once more. His eyes were bloodshot, and his seething alpha aura surged violently outward.

"...Ngh."

Nausea swept through Shen Yi as he hid in the corner. He hurriedly covered his mouth and nose with the back of his hand, but it did nothing against Yuan Hao's intensely aggressive aura.

Just as he hesitated over whether to leave immediately, Yuan Hao suddenly spun around, staggered toward a corner, and snatched something up.

"Yuan Chen! No!"

Seeing Yuan Hao raise a fire extinguisher, Shen Yi rushed out without hesitation. He tried to wrap his arms around Yuan Hao's waist from behind to stop him, but the other man had already pulled out-

Click!

The safety pin came free.

Hiss-!

The nozzle pointed at Yuan Chen, and compressed gas instantly burst out. White powder immediately billowed through the air, engulfing the entire area.

That lunatic! Yuan Hao had completely lost his mind! This could kill someone! Shen Yi coughed violently from the powder he had inhaled, but still clung desperately to Yuan Hao.

"Fuck! Get the hell off me!"

The enraged Yuan Hao finally threw down the extinguisher. The room was already a complete mess, shrouded as though in thick smoke. Even Yuan Chen's figure had disappeared from view.

Only intermittent coughing confirmed that he was still all right.

Amid the swirling powder, Shen Yi felt along the wall toward the door. He felt he had to seek help, no matter what. He finally reached the handle, only for a large hand to clamp suddenly onto his shoulder, wrench him around, and slam him hard against the wall.

"Shen Yi, you've come at just the right time! I've got a score to settle with you!"

"Let go... ngh!"

Yuan Hao gripped Shen Yi's throat tightly, pinning him against the wall. Looking down at Shen Yi's pale face, his eyes gleamed with malice.

"That editor-in-chief is your senior from school, isn't he? You bastard! You thought you could play dumb and get away with it?"

"Urgh... cough!"

"I'll make you pay."

The hand around his throat tightened relentlessly, as though Yuan Hao truly meant to kill him. Shen Yi felt the cartilage in his throat make faint noises under the pressure, a chilling sensation.

The alpha aura striking him head-on pierced his entire body like countless sharp needles. Shen Yi's heels slid uselessly across the floor. He desperately tried to pry Yuan Hao's hand loose, but it was no use.

"Ngh... hhk!"

A faint taste of blood rose in his throat. Whether from suffocation or the pressure of that savage aura, his vision began to blur. Blood rushed to his head, and his heart pounded wildly. Finally, everything went black. His knees buckled, and his body slowly slid down the wall.

At that very moment, a powerful hand clamped onto the back of Yuan Hao's head. Yuan Chen slammed him bodily to the floor and drove his knee hard into his chest. With a dull thud, Yuan Hao's face struck the floor. The punch was so forceful that bright red droplets immediately splattered across the white flooring.

Yuan Hao spat out bloody clots mixed with fragments of broken teeth.

"It seems you really do want to die." Yuan Chen's voice was terrifyingly low, the anger within it unfathomable. Like a bowstring drawn taut, it bore down ominously on the air.

After the repeated heavy blows, Yuan Hao's limbs twitched a few times before he finally went limp. Yuan Chen cast the unconscious man aside like garbage, immediately rose, and went to find Shen Yi.

"Shen Yi? Wake up!"

No matter how he called to him, Shen Yi only trembled all over, unable to respond.

His face was as pale as paper, and his skin was ice-cold to the touch.

"Shen Yi!"

Yuan Chen patted his cheek, tapping it lightly several times while calling his name loudly. Yet Shen Yi showed no sign of opening his eyes. Yuan Chen forced his eyelids apart to examine them.

His eyes had rolled upward, and his pulse was alarmingly fast. Yuan Chen knew exactly what those symptoms meant. He was in shock from the pheromone assault!

Just then, the door swung open and security guards rushed in. Everyone froze at the sight of the room, covered in white powder like a snowfield, and the two men lying on the floor.

Yuan Chen, the only person present still on his feet, swept a knife-sharp gaze toward the guards and swiftly gave an order:

"Take him out."

By "him," he meant Yuan Hao. Two burly guards immediately took hold of the unconscious man, one on either side, and dragged him outside. The remaining guard stayed where he was, awaiting Yuan Chen's next instruction.

Yuan Chen rubbed his temple and let out a weary sigh. Even he found the chaos before him difficult to deal with. At his slightest movement, the white powder clinging to his suit sifted down.

"Open all the windows first. And bring some water."

"Yes, President Yuan."

The guard swiftly carried out his orders, opening every window and bringing in two bottles of mineral water from outside, which he handed over respectfully.

Yuan Chen was about to unscrew a bottle cap when he paused. He addressed the guard who was still standing there:

"Wait outside."

"Huh?"

"Lock the door and wait outside. No one is to come in without my permission."