Drunk On The Night Breeze - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Ruan Lingfeng’s first reaction was a lingering sense of fear.

An Alpha in their rut (susceptible period) craves the comfort of Omega pheromones. If they don’t receive that comfort, they can easily lose their sanity. There is no shortage of Alphas who use this as an excuse to go berserk and act recklessly toward Omegas.

The fact that he had shared a room with an Alpha in the middle of a rut was no different from staying next to a bomb that could explode at any moment.

But Tao Zhi was strange… Fortunately, he was strange. Despite being in his rut, he hadn’t shown a single ounce of aggression.

However, Ruan Lingfeng soon felt that his lingering fear was somewhat redundant.

He had forgotten that he was a “defective” Omega. From a physiological standpoint, he held zero attraction for Alphas. Back when he was with Xu Mao, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t encountered the other’s rut before. He had seen Xu Mao in agonizing pain from the lack of pheromone comfort; yet, even at his most painful moments, when he was ruled by instinct, Xu Mao never really wanted to do anything to Ruan Lingfeng.

Because Ruan Lingfeng couldn’t solve an Alpha’s problem.

In the eyes of an Alpha, Ruan Lingfeng was no different from a Beta.

Therefore, he probably didn’t need to worry. Even if Tao Zhi really went “crazy,” he likely wouldn’t do anything to him.

Ruan Lingfeng rarely indulged in staying in bed, but after listening to the voice message, he replied to Chen Ping with a “Glad he’s okay.” He tossed his phone aside, grabbed a spare pillow to hug, and let his thoughts drift.

After an Alpha differentiates, their ruts usually occur quite regularly. If they don’t want to be affected, they just need to take suppressants or medication in advance. As Chen Ping mentioned, if a rut arrives early, it’s mostly due to the influence of an Omega… specifically, a preferred Omega.

When he was with Xu Mao, Xu Mao would usually take suppressants on a fixed schedule. Only during the final two times did his rut come early. He hadn’t thought much of it then, but thinking back now, it was because Xu Mao had been in frequent contact with other “normal” Omegas. That was why his rut triggered on off-days, and because Ruan Lingfeng was the one by his side instead of that Omega, Xu Mao’s reaction had been massive.

Perhaps… Tao Zhi was the same. An Alpha with such excellent qualities—young, handsome, talented, and currently a top-tier star—had no reason to lack admirers.

He likely socialized often with a certain Omega, and combined with the other factors Chen Ping mentioned, it induced an early rut.

It’s just that every Alpha’s symptoms differ. Some suffer because their preferred Omega isn’t there; judging by Tao Zhi’s behavior, perhaps he was simply listless because the person next to him wasn’t the Omega he liked.

Ruan Lingfeng was just guessing blindly. After guessing, he felt he was overthinking things. Regardless, Tao Zhi was fine now and he was fine too, which was for the best. He’d just accept his fate as a natural “workhorse”—even during his rest and recreation time, he ended up serving the client and taking care of him all night.

…But, there was one thing he was concerned about.

The first time he met Tao Zhi, and last night—was that scent he smelled truly the scent of pheromones?

He felt he should find some time to see a doctor.

The matter of seeing a doctor was gradually pushed to the back of his mind by his busy schedule. Tao Zhi’s concert project had entered the venue design and stage construction phase. To complement the visual effects, they needed a ground LED “ice screen.” Since it was needed for every city on the tour, it was unrealistic to custom-make it at each location. Relying on transportation and on-site assembly required coordinating schedules, venue compatibility, and accounting for wear and tear. Ruan Lingfeng was swamped, running between several manufacturers to get this settled within budget.

He had just finally negotiated the previous issue when a new trouble arrived. A third-party visual design company hired by a team member produced VJ videos that didn’t meet expectations. After several revisions, they only got worse, and the company even claimed they would charge more for further changes. The team member in charge tried to argue their case at the company but was instead insulted. The member was so angry they were incoherent in the work group, their voice messages thick with a crying tone.

Thus, Ruan Lingfeng’s most important and urgent task became settling the negotiations with the third party while simultaneously soothing his subordinate’s emotions.

Tao Zhi had rarely seen Ruan Lingfeng after that day. At first, he wondered if the other was avoiding him. After asking around indirectly, he learned that Ruan Lingfeng had been spending days at the manufacturers’ sites.

Finally hearing that Ruan Lingfeng had returned to the studio today, Tao Zhi thought about “accidentally” bumping into him… he didn’t have any urgent business; he just wanted to thank him in person for taking care of him that night.

It was, truly, just about wanting to give a personal thank you.

Just a few steps out of the elevator, he heard muffled voices coming from the stairwell. Though the volume was low, Tao Zhi recognized Ruan Lingfeng’s voice.

Ruan Lingfeng was likely talking to someone—he seemed to love talking to people in the stairwell about things that weren’t convenient to say inside. Last time, he had dragged Tao Zhi there for a long talk too.

Tao Zhi swore he didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but as he walked over, he noticed they hadn’t fully closed the fire exit door.

Tao Zhi heard Ruan Lingfeng saying softly to his subordinate: “It’s not that you lack ability. If I thought you lacked ability, why would I have given this task to you? This time, it’s entirely on their end—they’re slacking off and trying to extort us for more money, then throwing the problem onto you by saying you didn’t specify the requirements clearly. To put it bluntly, they are PUA-ing (manipulating) you. You mustn’t fall into their trap. When you’ve confirmed that you’ve done every step well and coordinated properly, there’s no reason to blame yourself.”

“I won’t think you did anything wrong, nor will I say one thing to your face and another to theirs, claiming you lack experience or didn’t communicate well… I will hold them accountable.”

“I’ll handle the next steps… but I am absolutely not taking over because I think you can’t do it. It’s because I don’t want you to be treated like a punching bag, okay?”

After saying this, Ruan Lingfeng even patted the subordinate’s head: “Alright, there’s still a lot of work to do. Cheer up.”

Tao Zhi felt it was a bit surreal. These people were out in the professional world—did they really need to be coddled like this?

But Ruan Lingfeng really was… quite good. Tao Zhi didn’t claim to have much experience, nor had he ever stayed in a proper corporate environment, but he had truly never seen a leader like this. In the work relationships he had encountered, when a problem arose, it was mostly about shifting blame and accusing one another. Even if some people said nice things on the surface, it was usually empty talk.

Take the assistants under Chen Ping, for example. If an assistant made a small, unintentional mistake, they would first be scolded mercilessly by Chen Ping.

Ruan Lingfeng is really good at coaxing people, Tao Zhi thought. No wonder the people on his team were so fiercely loyal to him.

Tao Zhi couldn’t help but think back to that night. For him, it had been a very difficult night. Reviewing it afterward, he felt he had fought a war against his instincts all night, and the final result was a draw.

The part where instinct won was the fact that he had entered an early rut under Ruan Lingfeng’s influence and wanted Ruan Lingfeng to stay in his sight—though the latter wasn’t entirely due to the hormonal changes of the rut.

While it was a symptom of the rut, he actually did have a fever. At that moment, his cognitive level had regressed significantly. When he heard Ruan Lingfeng say he was taking him to the doctor, he thought about how, as a child, he’d be dropped off at the hospital and left entirely alone, save for the occasional visits from doctors or nurses coming to give him injections or take his temperature.

He had been neglected his whole life, but in that moment… he had to admit, he wanted someone to take care of him.

Sending him to the hospital would have been the easiest solution, but Ruan Lingfeng didn’t. He stayed and accompanied him the whole night.

Another part where instinct won: Ruan Lingfeng had comforted him with that scentless but cool pheromone, like a pair of gentle hands pulling him out of a sea of fire. If he had been more rational, he should have refused; he should have scolded Ruan Lingfeng. But he didn’t.

However, he hadn’t lost completely. He had his victories too.

He had tried his hardest to restrain himself, to not turn into a beast… No matter how much his physiology loved the scent of this Omega’s pheromones, no matter how defenselessly this Omega stood before him… this Omega was taking care of him. Mentally, he didn’t have any illicit thoughts beyond being work partners. He must, must not do anything out of line.

And he had managed to control himself even while his consciousness was hazy… In that regard, he felt he had won.

After waking up, Tao Zhi thought for a long time. Previously, he had considered Ruan Lingfeng a “casual” Omega regarding his private life, and because of his long-standing aversion to such Omegas, he hated himself for being willing to get close to Ruan Lingfeng.

That kind of thinking was actually quite arrogant. What business was it of his how Ruan Lingfeng chose to live? He believed Ruan Lingfeng likely wanted to associate with him; otherwise, he wouldn’t be so nice to him, wouldn’t work so hard on his concert, wouldn’t be willing to invite him to shows, and wouldn’t be willing to take care of a barely rational version of him all night. If he ignored the other’s kindness just because he didn’t want to associate with an Omega with an open private life, wouldn’t that be a bit unfair?

Furthermore, even if he only considered it from his own perspective—Ruan Lingfeng wasn’t the same kind of person as the Omegas he detested.

Ruan Lingfeng was a pretty good person.

Tao Zhi felt he could… become friends with Ruan Lingfeng.

After Ruan Lingfeng finished talking to his subordinate, he was about to head back when he turned around and suddenly saw a sneaky, red-haired figure at the stairwell entrance.

.What are you doing here?” Ruan Lingfeng froze for a second before reacting and greeting Tao Zhi.

Tao Zhi had intended to leave before they finished talking, but he was a step too slow. Now, he felt the awkwardness of being caught eavesdropping. But he decided to take the initiative, so he quickly pulled a long face: “You’re asking me? I should be asking you. Why aren’t you at your desk during work hours? What are you doing sneaking around here?”

Ruan Lingfeng: “…” I must have been out of my mind to think this “stinky younger brother” was cute. He’s clearly just incredibly annoying!