Where have you been?

"The cilantro has to go. Make absolutely sure you remember that. And the coffee needs milk, and it must be hot."

Shen Yi watched the busy restaurant counter, speaking rapidly. Beside him, the newcomer, Chen Haoyu, buried his head in his phone's notes app, frantically recording everything for fear of missing a word.

Shen Yi had brought the newcomer out to buy lunch for Yuan Chen.

The new hire had been there barely two weeks, but he had adjusted well. As expected of an elite candidate selected through multiple rounds of screening, Chen Haoyu was quick-witted, careful, and conscientious. He had real promise.

"Are you settling into the work?"

"Very well. It's interesting, too, thanks to all the help from you and our colleagues."

"I heard this is your first job?"

"Yes."

"Learn as much as you can. I hope you'll stay on our team." Shen Yi smiled.

Chen Haoyu nodded emphatically. He hoped so, too. Whenever he heard his friends complain about their companies, sounding ready to blow up their office buildings, he felt that his own working life was remarkably comfortable. The harmonious relationships among his colleagues, in particular, were nothing short of perfect.

Lately, he had finally come to understand why the other secretaries privately called this place "workplace paradise."

Just then, the phone and pager in Shen Yi's hands began vibrating furiously at the same time. The newcomer had gone to collect their food, so Shen Yi took the opportunity to glance at his phone. His previously composed face drained of color the instant he finished reading the message.

"Chief, what's 'battle phase two'?" The newcomer stared in bewilderment at the message sent to the secretarial department's group chat. Battle? That sounded like trouble!

"Chief?"

"Don't ask. Move!" Shen Yi grabbed the newcomer and rushed outside. "We need to get back, now!" The situation was clearly urgent.

They hoped every day would be peaceful, but occasionally, an emergency erupted that was practically equivalent to a state of war.

The secretarial department called these incidents "battles" and classified them by severity.

"Battle phase two" meant the boss's mother had arrived!

Phase two corresponded to Yuan Chen's mother, while battle phase one corresponded to his grandfather.

Every appearance by either of these formidable figures was enough to throw the entire company into chaos. To the secretaries, they were practically synonymous with disaster, especially Yuan Chen's mother, Lin Shulan. As one of the group's major shareholders, her influence ran unfathomably deep.

It would be no exaggeration to say that Yuan Chen had inherited his mother's utterly unassailable, domineering personality.

She just had to launch a surprise attack while I was away! Shen Yi wailed inwardly, feeling as though his career were going up in flames. Dealing with Mrs. Lin, who never gave advance notice, was enough to leave him utterly drained.

Shen Yi raced back. By the time he reached the office door, the scene was already in chaos. As though some eminent dignitary had arrived, a group of black-suited bodyguards formed a human wall, and the atmosphere was grim.

Every secretary looked tense. The moment they saw Shen Yi, they reacted as though their savior had arrived. "Chief!"

"What happened? What's going on?"

"We don't know either!"

The atmosphere was heavy. Secretary Li seized Shen Yi's arm. "Hurry in and take a look. They're practically fighting in there!"

Shen Yi steeled himself and walked forward, his legs feeling as though they were filled with lead.

Honestly, he was nervous, too!

He was clearly going in to serve as cannon fodder, no different from voluntarily jumping into a fire. He drew a deep breath and pushed open the door with the resolve of a man marching to his death.

The moment he entered, he met Yuan Chen's gaze. Those eyes plainly said, Where have you been? Why are you only here now? Shen Yi silently closed the door, not daring to speak.

Unlike Yuan Chen, who faced him, the woman had her back to him. Her hair, as voluminous as a lion's mane, was Mrs. Lin Shulan's unmistakable trademark.

"Secretary Shen." A voice brimming with authority rang out.

Shen Yi responded immediately. "Madam."

"Is it true that Yuan Chen uses medication to suppress every Heat Period?"

She had indeed come to demand answers. Shen Yi answered cautiously, "That is President Yuan's private business. I'm not at liberty to disclose it."

"He already admitted it himself. More importantly, do you know what people are saying out there?"

"..."

"They're saying Yuan Chen... can't perform."

Shen Yi pressed his faintly trembling lips together. The rumor was outrageous! But even more shocking was how well-informed Mrs. Lin was. Someone had apparently spread it deliberately. The claim itself was explosive enough that its circulation had only been a matter of time.

Did that even make sense...?

But Mrs. Lin was truly furious. It was as though her lofty pride had been crushed. Even from behind, he could feel the fire in her eyes as she stared at Yuan Chen.

"Yuan Hao probably started the rumor." Yuan Chen finally broke his silence, his tone carrying its usual mockery, his jaw tightly set.

"It only spread because you gave people something to use against you! Is that damned condition never going to be cured, even on your deathbed? You're the head of a corporate group, a top-tier Alpha, and now people are saying you have no interest in Omegas! Is that acceptable?"

"Everyone knows I hate Omega pheromones, don't they? It's been ten years. Don't you find it ridiculous that they're only bringing it up now?"

"Oh, you stubborn mule!" Mrs. Lin cursed under her breath. Her rings clicked as she clenched and unclenched her hands.

"This isn't just a matter of preference! What if your grandfather finds out? How could he not worry? Think about it. If that absurd rumor reaches his ears..."

"Then tell him his grandson is perfectly fine. Everything works normally."

"How dare you!"

Just as Mrs. Lin looked ready to throw the teacup beside her, Shen Yi darted forward, gently held her wrist, and carefully removed the cup.

"How long do you intend to keep this up? Don't you realize this is your greatest weakness?"

"I told you, I don't believe in marriage."

"Marriage isn't the issue! I'm telling you to date like a normal person. Even a fling would do! At the very least, rumors like this shouldn't be spreading! I will never allow Yuan Hao to steal the company through these tactics!"

Mrs. Lin gritted her teeth. Yuan Chen's cousin, Yuan Hao, opposed him at every turn in their struggle for the chairman's position. This time, he seemed to have succeeded, humiliating both Yuan Chen and Mrs. Lin.

"Resolve this as soon as possible. If you can't, I'll intervene personally. You'd better be prepared." Mrs. Lin kicked her chair aside and abruptly stood.

As she turned, her gaze met Shen Yi's, who had remained respectfully standing all this time. Eyes just as piercing as Yuan Chen's swept over him. She stepped forward and stopped before him, radiating the oppressive presence of the central figure in battle phase two.

"Secretary Shen, do you know how much I trust you?"

"I do."

Mrs. Lin lightly patted Shen Yi's shoulder. Her tone was half-joking, but its weight was enough to crush him. "Don't disappoint me. Otherwise, you'll get caught in the fallout, too. Understood?"

Shen Yi nodded heavily.

After Mrs. Lin left, a deathly silence settled over the office. Yuan Chen's use of medication to manage his Heat Period had been a top-level secret, unknown even to his family. Now that it had been laid bare, the situation had become too serious to ignore.

Yuan Chen sat quietly back against the sofa, his chin slightly raised, his gaze resting on the empty floor. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. Shen Yi ventured cautiously, "President Yuan, should we take any measures?"

"Is that necessary?"

Yuan Chen rose easily, straightened his suit, and swept his calm gaze toward him.

"If we try to stop it, wouldn't that amount to admitting a rumor like this hurt us?"

"I hadn't thought it through."

Yuan Chen had always disdained slander behind his back, but he couldn't simply stand by while his cousin used rumors to stir up trouble.

"We could also strike back."

"How?" Shen Yi asked, puzzled.

"It's simple." Yuan Chen walked to his desk, opened a drawer, and took out a thick envelope, as though he had prepared it long ago. "Find an Omega and prove it to them."

Shen Yi accepted the envelope. The first thing he saw was a photograph of a young man. He recognized the face: an Omega actor who had recently become very popular. Behind the photograph were two thick contracts.

After reading the contracts, Shen Yi froze.

"A dating contract? President Yuan, are you serious?" How was that possible? This was a man who got migraines from merely smelling Omega pheromones!

At some point, Yuan Chen had walked up to him. His tone left no room for argument.

"Make the arrangements. I'd like to meet him and get to know him 'intimately.'"

He even added a handsome smile that made Shen Yi's scalp prickle.

"Until this is taken care of, Secretary Shen, stay out of my sight."