Older Brother - Chapter 21

34.

Seeing Bai You being so brazenly pulled away, Tang Xu felt a flash of fury. However, having no standing to object, he could only wordlessly retract his pheromones and fix a flawless, impeccable smile back onto his face. “Colonel Fu, aren’t you supposed to be in a meeting at headquarters today? What brings you here so suddenly?”

He’s keeping such a tight watch that he actually rushed over in person.

Fu Yu possessively circled Bai You in his arms, his large hand covering the Omega’s slender nape to block out Tang Xu’s annoying, prying eyes. He gave a thin, joyless smile. “Military secret.”

Tang Xu was also a high-ranking Alpha. By standing so close to Bai You earlier and attempting to overwrite his scent with his own pheromones, he had inevitably left a trace of himself on Bai You.

The disgusting, foul stench of another Alpha—how dare he leave it on his brother?

Fu Yu kept smiling, but his eyes grew colder by the second. His movements carried a nameless spark of temper; his thumb brushed seemingly by chance against Bai You’s gland, a gesture heavy with the weight of absolute control, stroking it with measured pressure.

After seven full days of forceful possession, even without a final permanent marking, Bai You’s pheromones had firmly memorized Fu Yu. As his fragile gland was touched, a violent wave of numbness surged through his body like an electric current. He shuddered, his spine and legs turning to jelly; he nearly collapsed on the spot, utterly unable to struggle out of the Alpha’s embrace.

A flush rose to the tips of his snow-white ears. His eyes clouded with mist, and his breathing quickened uncontrollably. He hurriedly closed his eyes and took several deep, stabilizing breaths.

Fu Yu keenly noticed the blood-red flush spreading across Bai You’s ears, and the curve of his lips grew genuinely pleased.

How did I never notice before? My brother is so damn cute.

Watching his undisguised display of possessiveness, Tang Xu nearly lost his smile. “I heard the Military’s patrol mission for this month is about to begin. Since the Colonel suddenly took a week off, I assume you must be busy with deployment.”

Fu Yu raised an eyebrow. He leisurely “wiped away” the lingering scent Tang Xu had left on Bai You before saying nonchalantly, “Military secret.”

Tang Xu: “…”

Bai You’s lips curled into a cold sneer.

To an outsider, it might look like two Alphas were fighting over him out of love, but in reality, it was just their innate competitiveness, pure Alpha hormones at work. If any other Omega were standing here, these two would still be fighting until they were bloody.

Recovering from that wave of numbness and wanting no part in their dispute, he said indifferently, “The house of the Federation’s top journalist, Fernand, is just to the left. You two can go argue in front of his door; you’ll be the top trending headline by tonight. Now, can you let me go?”

Tang Xu immediately dropped the argument, his voice turning gentle. “Actually, I came to invite you to Madam Singh’s banquet, Senior.”

The Council was currently divided into three factions. Aside from the group led by Tang Xu’s family—who strongly opposed the ruthless style of the Military represented by Fu Yu—there was the “New Generation” faction behind Fu Yu.

The New Generation’s foundation was still relatively shallow; they had risen to power by filling the void left by the fall of old Congressman Bai. They and the Military acted as mutual pillars of support, frequently trading blows with Tang Xu’s faction and providing plenty of entertainment for the Federation.

However, both sides had tried to reconcile. Tang Xu, as the spokesman for the New Generation at least on the surface, belonged to the reconciliation camp; he had even hosted the previous banquet.

But their fragile “friendship” had shattered during a subsequent meeting. The bio-chip technology company backed by the Tang family had been trying to push an implantable chip into the military. This chip could enhance an Alpha’s physical attributes, reduce the impact of their “rut” periods, and increase both obedience and combat effectiveness essentially turning Alpha soldiers into fearless humanoid weapons on the battlefield.

Fu Yu had vetoed it directly, leaving no room for negotiation.

Fu Yu was the biggest obstacle to the promotion of these bio-chips, making him a permanent thorn in the side of the Tang family’s faction.

Meanwhile, the President’s health remained poor as he continued his recovery in the hospital. Given that it was a difficult-to-cure genetic disease, no one could say for sure if he would ever truly recover.

Consequently, the stance of the final faction became crucial. This was the group with the deepest roots, led by the Singh family. Just recently, Mr. Singh had been elected Speaker of the Council.

While the Speaker does not participate in debates or voting by rule, a single gesture from him can influence everything.

Speaker Singh and his wife were childhood sweethearts, famously devoted to one another. If one could win the favor of Madam Singh at her banquet, there was a high probability of securing the Speaker’s support.

The problem was that the threshold for Madam Singh’s banquets was incredibly high; ordinary people never received invitations.

Knowing Bai You had little interest in political games, Tang Xu smiled broadly and continued, “Madam Singh is also a jewelry collector. I heard she’ll be showcasing her new acquisitions at this banquet, allegedly purchased from Chen’s Jewelry. I thought you might be interested, Senior.”

Hearing this, Bai You’s eyelashes finally lifted. But before his gaze could land on Tang Xu, his vision went dark.

The Alpha behind him had unhappily raised a hand to block his view of the other man.

Tang Xu extended a hand toward Bai You with a gentlemanly flourish. “Some people behave as childishly as a small boy. And it just so happens that you hate children the most, don’t you, Senior?”

Fu Yu’s face went black as he released his hold.

Madam Singh was a collector and was connected to Chen’s Jewelry; Bai You would definitely be interested and would want to go.

But Fu Yu hadn’t received an invitation.

Madam Singh had always disliked the “crude and rude” types from the Military.

Fu Yu once again regretted bringing Bai You to that previous banquet. He glared at Tang Xu, mentally calculating how to make the man disappear and dump him into deep space as orbital trash.

Enjoying the rare sight of Fu Yu being thwarted and frustrated, Bai You watched him for a moment from the corner of his eye before turning back to Tang Xu. His voice was flat. “As far as I know, the rules of Madam Singh’s invitations are strict. Guests are not permitted to bring outsiders with them.”

This was exactly the opening Tang Xu had been waiting for. His smile deepened. “No, no. There is one specific exception.”

“And that is?”

“Bringing family.”

Tang Xu watched Fu Yu’s expression become increasingly grim and smiled pointedly. “I certainly don’t mind. I wonder if you do, Senior?”

“Bringing family, huh…”

Bai You murmured to himself. Suddenly, he raised his hand and gave Fu Yu’s head a firm, deliberate pat. Fu Yu was still fuming, but the sudden scent of cold orchids brushing past his nose extinguished his anger instantly. The tall, imposing Alpha instinctively lowered his head under Bai You’s touch, looking for all the world like an obedient, if dangerous, hound.

Having finished his retaliatory pat, Bai You lifted his eyes and asked, “Does a younger brother count as family?”

Tang Xu and Fu Yu were stunned simultaneously. “What?”

Bai You raised his hand, revealing the bracelet-style terminal on his snow-white wrist. With a soft beep, a holographic invitation flickered into the air.

Host: Madam Singh.

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