I'm a boutique, niche alpha, and stingy as hell

Only then did Wen Zhiyan remember that Jiang Lan had always had a keen sense of smell.

Although omegas usually wore scent-blocking patches on the backs of their necks to protect themselves,

everyone loved beauty. While they would not readily let their pheromones leak, they adored all kinds of perfume.

Back when Wen Zhiyan attended classes, whenever an omega wearing perfume had sat nearby, Jiang Lan would pin him to the bed as soon as he got home and sniff him thoroughly, from his hair to the hollow of his neck, before imperiously ordering him to shower.

Then, enduring the miserable sensation of their pheromones repelling each other, Jiang Lan would hold Wen Zhiyan and envelop him in his own pheromones. Only then could he calm down.

Wen Zhiyan knew this was not because Jiang Lan was particularly twisted.

It was simply that, as they were both alphas, the repulsion between their pheromones was a hurdle Jiang Lan could never quite come to terms with.

After saying that, Jiang Lan turned and went straight into the kitchen without looking to see how Wen Zhiyan reacted.

Wen Zhiyan glanced at Jiang Lan's retreating back and wrinkled his nose slightly. Although he could not smell anything, he obediently went upstairs to his room.

At eight that evening, everyone had washed up again and gathered in the living room.

Jiang Lan was the last to emerge. He had changed into a white T-shirt and light-colored cropped jeans, looking as clean and fresh as a male college student who had just graduated.

He looked like an entirely different person from the one who had spent the whole day in an eclectic mix of old-cadre styles.

He wore a necklace with a plain, unadorned pendant: a single square black diamond.

Judging by its size alone, it was probably worth somewhere around eight figures.

Sharp-eyed Lin Ziyou noticed the necklace around Jiang Lan's neck almost immediately.

He clicked his tongue. "If I'm not mistaken, that's a limited edition from a luxury jewelry brand, right? You really do live up to your status as a top star, Jiang Lan. That kind of money is enough to make anyone jealous."

Jiang Lan's gaze briefly met Wen Zhiyan's before sliding away. He looked at Lin Ziyou and smiled.

"Aren't you being modest? With your charm, all you'd have to do is crook a finger, and rich, generous alphas would line up to give you one."

Lin Ziyou asked, "Would you give me one, then?"

Jiang Lan shook his head. "No. I'm a boutique, niche alpha, and stingy as hell. I'm only willing to spend money on my future wife."

Lin Ziyou shrugged, then turned toward Wen Zhiyan as though something had suddenly occurred to him.

"Didn't you happen to stop by that jewelry store on our way back from the amusement park, Mr. Wen? Did you see this necklace?"

On their way back earlier, Wen Zhiyan had parked outside that store, saying only that he had something to take care of and asking Lin Ziyou to wait outside.

Lin Ziyou had not thought much of it at first, but barely any time had passed before Jiang Lan appeared wearing a necklace from the same brand. That struck Lin Ziyou as a little odd.

But Wen Zhiyan's expression betrayed nothing when he heard the question.

"This isn't a first-tier city. The foot traffic and spending levels don't meet their standards, so they wouldn't stock limited editions here. If you like it, ask in the Imperial Capital sometime. You should be able to place an order."

Lin Ziyou looked thoughtful. "Is this store also owned by the Wen Corporation?"

Wen Zhiyan denied it. "Not at present."

At a time like this, a few extra words of explanation from Wen Zhiyan might only have made Lin Ziyou more suspicious.

It was better to say nothing and let him think whatever he liked.

Besides, anyone who paid much attention to jewelry knew that unless an established customer had placed an order and paid a deposit, limited editions would never appear in a city like this, just as Wen Zhiyan had said.

As for the rest-whether "not at present" meant it might be in the future-that was, after all, confidential business information. No one would be so tactless as to pry.

Wen Zhiyan stood at the very edge of the group, looking as though none of this had anything to do with him.

Jiang Lan also walked into the group as though nothing had happened.

Soon, the production team issued that evening's activity assignment.

[Have a few drinks on the rooftop and play a little game: I have, you haven't.

Rules: everyone holds up all ten fingers. When a player names something they have done that you have not, you must put down one finger and accept a small punishment. The last person remaining wins and receives a small reward.

Once a winner emerges, the reward will be revealed.]

After receiving the assignment, everyone went up to the rooftop one after another.

A canopy had already been set up there, with a round table beneath it. On the table were craft beers in assorted flavors, along with a small selection of nonalcoholic drinks.

The production team had checked beforehand that none of the nine participants had alcohol allergies or other adverse reactions to alcohol, but they would not force the guests to drink.

After all, if anything went wrong, the consequences would be more than they could bear, so it was entirely voluntary.

Jiang Lan led the way, casually pulled out a chair, and sat down. Xu Can reacted quickly, immediately squeezing over to claim the seat on his right.

Pei Du was just about to pull out the chair on Jiang Lan's left when Jiang Lan said,

"Wait!"

Pei Du paused. "What is it?"

Jiang Lan whispered in his ear, "Are you crazy? Why are you sitting with me instead of Ye Qiunian?"

Pei Du considered it for a moment. "Wouldn't that be too obvious?"

"Obvious, my ass," Jiang Lan said. "Once the game starts and the alcohol kicks in, you'll have your chance to shine. If you don't go now, are you planning to let Qiao Xin have someone on each arm?"

At that, Pei Du immediately changed course and plopped down beside Ye Qiunian.

Wen Zhiyan had quickened his pace the moment he saw Pei Du heading for the seat on Jiang Lan's left.

Now that Pei Du had left, he smoothly pulled out the chair and sat beside Jiang Lan.

Whether deliberately or not, Lin Ziyou happened to sit on Wen Zhiyan's other side.

Jiang Lan glanced at Lin Ziyou, then secretly shot Wen Zhiyan a glare. He picked a green-tea-flavored beer from the pile, pried off the cap, and took a swig straight from the bottle.

Yu Nan, who was holding small glasses and about to pour drinks for everyone, said, "..."

Qiao Xin's refusal to lose manifested itself in every aspect of her life.

Seeing Jiang Lan do that, she immediately opened a large bottle and set it in front of herself, afraid she might not look alpha enough.

Pei Du did not care about competing with anyone else, but when it came to Qiao Xin, he absolutely had to match her.

Following the crowd was most people's habitual response.

Seeing this, the others began following suit. Even Lin Ziyou took a bottle of peach beer and set it in front of himself.

Everyone except Wen Zhiyan.

He stood up, selected a bottle of orange juice from beside the pile of beer, poured it into a small glass, and took a light sip.

"You don't drink, Mr. Wen?" Xu Can asked curiously when she saw this.

Wen Zhiyan hummed in acknowledgment. "My rut is coming up. It's not a good time."

The higher an alpha's pheromone level, the harder their rut was to endure.

Although Wen Zhiyan's pheromones had never been publicly revealed, it was not difficult to judge from various aspects that his pheromone level was definitely not low.

After hearing that, no one was tactless enough to pressure him to drink. With everyone ready, the game officially began.

A dial with a pointer sat on the table. Jiang Lan stood up and pressed its button, and the pointer began spinning wildly.

A few seconds later, it slowed, gradually passing Lin Ziyou, Wen Zhiyan, and Jiang Lan before finally coming to a slow stop in front of Xu Can.

"I'm first, huh?" Xu Can rubbed her nose. "Let me think."

After pondering for a moment, she said,

"I still haven't had my first kiss."