The cure for every kind of pheromone imbalance

The Luo Family villa had its own equestrian training grounds.

The accompanying stables housed quality horses, including Arabian horses, Mongolian horses, Quarter Horses, and Thoroughbreds.

The grounds were sizable and the tracks professional. They occasionally hosted private competitions where tycoons could entertain themselves and discuss business on the side.

When Chen Bei first read the plot, he had cursed inwardly. As expected of a melodramatic domineering-CEO novel, it dared to throw in every extravagant, debauched, unrealistic description imaginable!

Now that he was actually here, all he wanted to do was chuckle. Those additions were good, wonderful, absolutely brilliant-where else would he find so many ways to punish them?

Standing in Director Meng's monitoring room and watching Luo Chen swear his way through the several-hundred-square-meter stable, Chen Bei felt thoroughly refreshed. Without realizing it, he raised the insulated cup in his hand to his lips.

"Assistant Chen, what are you drinking?" the young assistant asked curiously.

"Goji berries, angelica root, astragalus, red dates, and brown sugar," Chen Bei replied with a smile. "The cure for every kind of pheromone imbalance. Want some?"

The young assistant shook his head. "My pheromones are pretty balanced."

Chen Bei said, "Prevention is better than treatment."

The young assistant said, "...Good point. Let me have some, then."

He was just about to get up when Director Meng glared him back into his seat.

"Assistant Chen, if you ask me, this is enough punishment. If he keeps going, I'm afraid President Chen will tear the stable down," Director Meng pleaded kindly.

Mostly, he wanted to clock out.

There had been more than enough to deal with tonight, and now he had to supervise a punishment, too.

Anyone would end up with a pheromone imbalance!

No amount of goji berries could make up for that!

Chen Bei frowned and considered it. "All right. Whatever he doesn't finish, he can continue tomorrow."

"Great! Thank you, Assistant Chen!"

Director Meng stood and bowed as he saw Assistant Chen out. When he straightened up, he suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute. I'm the chief director. Why am I taking orders from him?!"

Beside him, the young assistant was still thinking, Goji berries, angelica root, brown sugar, red dates... what was the other one?

Inside the stable, Luo Chen shoveled manure, gagged, and cursed at the same time. "Assistant Chen, just you wait. Sooner or later-urgh-"

While he was bent over, someone hurried up behind him. "Young Master, you can stop for today."

Luo Chen looked back and saw Steward Wu. He straightened up and composed himself, once again looking haughty and aloof. "What, has Assistant Chen realized his mistake?"

"Assistant Chen said it was too late and you were keeping the production crew from resting, so you should continue tomorrow, President Chen," Steward Wu relayed truthfully.

Luo Chen: "!!!!"

He was actually only worried about the crew.

Did he have absolutely no regard for the CEO he reported directly to?!

"Assistant Chen, that-urgh-"

President Chen doubled over again, and the livestream viewers burst out laughing again.

[I'm dying. He keeps gagging. Is he pregnant?]

[Guys, does anyone understand what it feels like to be tucked up in bed cackling in the middle of the night?]

[I love plots where tycoons get put firmly in their place. It's like finally venting all that anger. I even feel less worn down by work!]

[After watching this variety show, I have just one thought: Assistant Chen deserves a place in the imperial ancestral temple!]

By the time Luo Chen entered the villa's small conference room, it was nearly one in the morning.

He went straight to the bar, picked up a glass of whiskey, then walked over to an armchair and sat down. Raising his brows slightly, he asked the other three, "Are you sure there are no cameras here?"

The cameraman: "..." Another day of being ignored.

"The only conference room without surveillance cameras," Old Luo Third said, a sinister look flashing through his eyes. "If you're worried, eldest brother, you can check."

Luo Chen said, "No need. Let's make this quick. I'm tired today."

Luo Ming raised a hand to his nose. "Why does it smell like horse manure?"

Luo Chen, who had not had time to shower or change, shot him a sidelong look. "What do you think?"

To keep the conflict from escalating, Old Luo Fourth cut in. "Based on my analysis, tomorrow's task is very likely to involve horseback riding."

Luo Chen's lips curved into a wicked smirk. "You needed to analyze that? Wasn't cleaning the stable today preparation for tomorrow?"

"Speaking of which, eldest brother, how did the cleaning go? Was it thorough?"

"As the company's executive president, if you can't even handle that little bit of work, you'll have a hard time commanding respect."

"Heh. Whether I command respect isn't for anyone else to judge." Luo Chen laughed in anger, then suddenly remembered something else. "You, on the other hand, bought Assistant Chen off with some paltry benefits so he'd go easy on you and give you points. Is that something to be proud of?"

The curve of Luo Ming's lips stiffened a little. "What do you mean?"

"We both had accidents, both left our posts without permission, and both had pheromone imbalance episodes. Why did I come last?"

"Wasn't it because Assistant Chen deliberately helped you?"

"Second brother, playing dumb is no fun."

Luo Chen looked haughty and aloof, as though he had caught him red-handed.

Luo Ming actually took his words seriously, his brows knitting as he considered them.

Deliberately going easy on me and helping me?

Thinking about it carefully, that does seem to be the case.

Why?

Could he have feelings for me...

"Hey, hey, hey!" Luo Chen knocked on the armrest, snapping Luo Ming out of his fantasies. "You think buying Assistant Chen off means he'll work for you with unwavering loyalty?"

"Don't be naive. Assistant Chen only has eyes for money. He'll work for anyone who can pay his price!"

Luo Ming curled his lip. "You've given him plenty of money yourself."

Luo Chen: "..."

Fuck!

His own brother, all right.

He certainly knew how to stab him where it hurt.

Actually, tonight's provocation had not come out of nowhere.

Before arriving at the conference room, Luo Ming had gone to the kitchen to ask a few questions.

One servant had buckled under the pressure and confessed that the eldest young master had been behind the Erguotou mixed with alcohol.

Luo Ming had laughed then.

All I did was try to poach Assistant Chen.

And you're already retaliating?

Pulling a stunt like that?

Well, now you've really got me fired up!

And so, the moment he opened his mouth in the small conference room, his words had been loaded with hostility.

Third and Fourth saw what was brewing. Not wanting to get dragged in, they stood up at once.

Luo Yu's expression darkened. "Anyway, I'm a skilled rider, so tomorrow's task makes no difference to me. Good luck, brothers. I'm going to bed."

Luo Chenghai pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses. "I just won my school's annual equestrian championship abroad, so you two can keep fighting over last and second-to-last tomorrow."

The two headed out in perfect sync.

The livestream viewers burst out laughing.

[Holy crap, their taunt skills are maxed out!]

[What's this? The gods fight, and the little guys reap the benefits?]

[Hahaha, a four-way contest was always going to be chaos.]

In the blink of an eye, only the eldest and second brother remained in the small conference room.

In the silence, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

The next second, they both snorted.

Turning their heads in opposite directions, they each stood and headed for the door.

With similar builds, similarly long legs, and similarly broad shoulders, they immediately found the doorway cramped.

Neither would give way. The cameraman, eager to get to bed, could not help speaking up. "You two domineering CEOs, how about making some room?"

"Let me go first?"

"In your dreams!" Luo Chen looked back, about to curse.

That gave Luo Ming an opening, and he darted out in a single stride.

"Second brother!" Luo Chen snapped furiously. "You cheated!"