Rules of Civility - Chapter 13

Shao Yiqing remained silent.

He kept silent until the person on the other end of the phone urged him once more.

“Let’s make it tonight,” Shao Yiqing replied, currently unable to pull himself away. “I’ll send you the address.”

Right now, he was completely lacking in mood.

After hanging up the phone, Shao Yiqing pondered the meaning behind Xu Mingfu’s words. Ever since the negotiations ended in failure, he had stopped bothering with that matter entirely. Yet out of nowhere, a phone call came through telling him he had succeeded? What on earth had transpired in the interim?

Relying on his own guessing would yield no answers, so Shao Yiqing cast all stray thoughts aside, planning to get a full explanation out of Xu Mingfu’s own mouth tonight.

After clocking out today, Shao Yiqing did not linger at the company. Seeing that he was about to leave, the operations department hurried over with several contracts for his signature. Intercepted halfway, Shao Yiqing was asked by two department directors whether he had some urgent matter to attend to, as he was leaving so early today.

“Is that something you two have any right to pry into?” Shao Yiqing’s elegant handwriting glided across the paper like flowing water. His handwriting matched his person, immensely popular and not holding back his striking looks in the slightest. “Mind your own business.”

One of the directors laughed and said, “We wouldn’t dare. Where you go, President Shao, is something I have no standing to pry into. It’s just that the subordinates miss you and asked whether you would grace our department dinner with your presence this Friday.”

“Hey, hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” the other director cut in with dissatisfaction. “Didn’t your department just host President Shao last month? Why is it your department’s turn again? What makes your department so special?”

“Because of our high efficiency. If you’re not satisfied, why don’t you pull off some tangible results yourself?”

“Stop being slick,” Shao Yiqing said as he passed between the two of them. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Before the two could resolve their squabble, Shao Yiqing was already nowhere to be seen.

Deng Su was off duty today, so Shao Yiqing went to the parking garage to drive back himself. It was peak rush hour, and the roads were choked with traffic. Xu Mingfu called several times to rush him, until Shao Yiqing snapped back, asking him if he was so eager to climb into his bed.

That completely choked Xu Mingfu into silence.

How could a young master with zero experience in these matters grow accustomed to such vulgar talk? Presumably, with the business settled, Xu Mingfu’s posture had straightened up again, and he boldly hung up on Shao Yiqing.

No longer at the stage of begging for help, he actually dared to throw a tantrum at Shao Yiqing. The sight of him making a stunning knee drop just a few days ago seemed as though it had happened a lifetime ago. Shao Yiqing let out a cold laugh and tossed his phone aside.

The address he sent to Xu Mingfu was his personal residence.

Shao Yiqing preferred quiet, so the villa he purchased was situated in an out-of-the-way location. Domestic staff took care of the plants and cleaned the rooms, leaving the premises before Shao Yiqing’s usual return time. Unless Shao Yiqing made specific arrangements, he would keep one or two staff at the villa, as he had done today, having them unlock the doors in advance and informing them that a guest would be arriving.

Two stone bollards stood at the entrance of the villa, washed crystal clear by the rain from a few days ago. Xu Mingfu sat atop one of them with his hands stuffed into his pockets, staring down at the road surface. A breeze carried the unmistakable scent of a pure college youth, blending into the air.

“Didn’t I tell them to leave the door unlocked for you?” Shao Yiqing sat in the car, holding the steering wheel as he looked up and down at Xu Mingfu, who had been freezing in the cold wind for a while. “Sitting out there by yourself makes it look as though I’m intentionally mistreating you.”

Hearing his voice, Xu Mingfu stood up. His attire retained the same style from his college days, vibrant and youthful, completely exuding the air of a good student forced into dishonorable circumstances: “The education I received did not teach me to barge into a stranger’s home as I please.”

Shao Yiqing looked at him in silence for a brief moment before tossing out a word: “Rigid.”

Trying to pull that card on him?

The trembling, fearful look he had shown by his feet a few days ago had vanished overnight. Even though he was delivering himself to his door, he carried the bitter air of a sore loser, acting all high and mighty as he reverted to his true young-master nature.

The car drove into the villa grounds, but Shao Yiqing didn’t pull into the garage. He stepped out without taking the keys and led Xu Mingfu straight toward the main hall. A domestic worker who had not yet left nodded in greeting upon seeing Shao Yiqing’s return and prepared to take her leave.

As Xu Mingfu passed by the worker, his brow furrowed slightly, and he asked, “Is he an Alpha?”

Shao Yiqing, having rushed back covered in dust, was hanging his coat on the rack. Hearing the question, he turned his head back: “Doesn’t look like it?”

Xu Mingfu spoke in a distinctly indignant tone: “You actually employ an Alpha as a servant?”

The majority of those in the service industry were Betas. While society claimed not to divide people into tiers, the reality of pheromone rankings proved otherwise. Those who preached equality were merely the ones reaping the dividends of the hierarchical system, a fact Xu Mingfu knew full well.

He had received rank education, having accepted and upheld the concept of class integration in school. Society also advocated equality, educating people not to hold a sense of class superiority. Thus, Xu Mingfu did his best to seek balance with those around him, never showing off or flaunting his rank. Yet he also had to admit that Alphas naturally possessed an ingrained sense of superiority. They were unwilling to submit to others, an instinct that sometimes manifested within himself, requiring all his rationality to suppress.

The service industry did not publicly recruit Alphas, yet it was inevitable that some Alphas from poor backgrounds would slip into these roles. An Alpha’s emotions were easily influenced by various factors, and both their physical prowess and pheromones posed potential threats to Omegas. Consequently, wealthy households rarely employed Alphas as domestic staff, let alone high-tier ones.

With a single glance, Shao Yiqing saw right through what this fresh-faced college student was thinking: “I wasn’t the one who hired them directly. The agency sent them over. If you’re dissatisfied with my use of them, go tell them yourself. Tell them they don’t need to come back tomorrow, and see if they’re willing to listen to you.”

Everyone came from different backgrounds, and examples of top-tier individuals serving under others were far from rare. Bowing for the sake of survival was a necessity; superiority couldn’t be exchanged for food.

Xu Mingfu wanted to say something, but felt that righteous ideals could never be communicated to a person like Shao Yiqing. He simply dropped the matter and stepped up to Shao Yiqing, clearly carrying an attitude.

“Explain what happened on the phone. How was the ceremony postponed?” Shao Yiqing sat down, ignoring Xu Mingfu’s sour face. He poured a glass of water for Xu Mingfu, regardless of whether the other intended to drink it.

Xu Mingfu glanced around the Nordic-style villa, which matched Shao Yiqing’s aura perfectly, just as he had imagined. Previously, he had always been curious about what kind of aesthetic a person like Shao Yiqing would possess. A beauty from a design company ought to have good taste. Indeed, Shao Yiqing’s villa possessed a great sense of atmosphere; though not as large as his family’s, it seemed far more comfortable to live in.

Xu Mingfu sat down, looked at Shao Yiqing, and said, “It wasn’t postponed for a week, only three days. Although it can’t change the outcome of my father going to prison, since I made a bet with you, I can afford to play the game.”

Observing his insincere demeanor, Shao Yiqing mulled it over for a moment, then burst out laughing without the slightest concealment.

“What are you laughing at?” Xu Mingfu felt disrespected.

Shao Yiqing said, “Nothing. It’s just that you didn’t mention to me that your mother had already made a deal with Sheng Tingzhou.”

Xu Mingfu clenched his fists, embarrassment written on his face: “I only just found out myself.”

“Is that so?” Shao Yiqing propped his head on his hand and stared at the young man, refusing to let any subtle emotion slip past him. “When they backed me into a corner with that matter that day, I was wondering whether you knew about it. If you knew, why didn’t you tell me? Had you told me, perhaps I would have faced my position squarely and put on a pathetic act for them. Instead, I marched right in, acting like a negotiator holding a bomb, only to get checkmated. Can you imagine how awkward that was for me?”

Xu Mingfu clasped his hands together. Hearing this, he kept his head down, his gaze landing on the corner of the coffee table: “Did Sheng Tingzhou make things difficult for you?”

“Not really,” Shao Yiqing said. “It was just my own guilty conscience. I set my posture too high at the start, making it impossible to step down gracefully.”

“Yet you still managed to negotiate it,” a hint of reluctant admiration leaked through Xu Mingfu’s tone. “You are very impressive.” His mother’s numerous trips had all been a waste of effort.

“Is that so?” Shao Yiqing rested his elbow on the backrest, leaning his head with a smile playing at the corners of his eyes as he gazed at Xu Mingfu. “If I told you that this matter had nothing to do with me, would you believe it?”

Xu Mingfu gave him a look, not quite understanding.

Shao Yiqing dropped his hand, no longer teasing him: “This matter really had nothing to do with me. I didn’t exert any effort during the negotiations that day. Upon learning that you and your mother had set me up, my temper flared up on the spot. I wanted nothing more than to let that man named Sheng acquire your company right then and there. I turned on my heel and walked out, so you don’t need to fulfill any agreement tonight at all. The success wasn’t because of me.”

Xu Mingfu didn’t know what trick Shao Yiqing was playing. He knew this Omega was far from ordinary, exceptionally cunning and cautious. Fearing he might fall into a trap and be ensnared by Shao Yiqing, he didn’t dare speak lightly. His bewildered eyes darted across Shao Yiqing, unable to grasp the situation.

“You can leave now,” Shao Yiqing flicked his wrist slightly. “Young Master Xu, I greatly admire your spirit of accepting defeat and admitting loss. But this time, your Lingrui was blessed by heaven, and the enemy showed mercy. Don’t offer your devotion to the wrong Buddha.”

Xu Mingfu remained unmoved: “I don’t understand what you mean. Don’t string me along, Shao Yiqing. I am already yours. Do you still not dare to enjoy it?”

He put on an attitude of wanting to settle all scores with Shao Yiqing no matter what happened today. Was he truly afraid of him deep down, or did he genuinely want something to happen between them?

Shao Yiqing sized Xu Mingfu up like this for a moment, making the young man thoroughly uncomfortable until he barely managed to avert his gaze. Right at that moment, Shao Yiqing suddenly stood up, and Xu Mingfu felt an imposing pressure, unfitting for an Omega, come sweeping right at his face.

Approaching him, Shao Yiqing fell silent for a brief moment, then abruptly tilted Xu Mingfu’s chin upward. An act that carried a provocative tone toward an Alpha, yet he performed it with such practiced natural ease. He repeated Xu Mingfu’s words: “You are already mine?”

The bases of Xu Mingfu’s ears flushed red, his fists tightening involuntarily.

No one would ever know that a pampered Alpha like him could feel so helpless before an Omega.

Without waiting for his answer, Shao Yiqing moved his hand toward the back. Sensing something, Xu Mingfu grabbed him like a startled bird, asking vigilantly, “What are you doing?”

Xu Mingfu’s fingers exerted a slight force. At such a close distance, he could feel Shao Yiqing’s breath and clearly see those sparkling, seductive eyes. Shao Yiqing was a demon, an absolute incarnation of a demon. As Xu Mingfu’s Adam’s apple bobbed, Shao Yiqing gave no reply, but instead forcefully reached his hand to the back of the young man’s neck.

Unfastening the collar ring that blocked the scent, Shao Yiqing’s movements were gentle and slow, like a tender, considerate lover removing the chain that suppressed the Alpha’s desires: “I really like your pheromones, Xu Mingfu.”

“Now, fill this entire space with your scent.”

“Tell me,” Shao Yiqing lifted Xu Mingfu’s chin, his thumb gently rubbing Xu Mingfu’s earlobe as he enticed him with an intoxicated expression, “can you, do it?”

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