Rules of Civility - Chapter 3

The first time Xu Mingfu saw Shao Yiqing was at a family banquet two months ago.

Back when he was still studying, Xu Mingfu had already heard plenty of rumors about Shao Yiqing from others, coming from friends, from his father, and from the murmurings of those around him. Shao Yiqing had business dealings with his father and was roughly of the same generation, so logically he should have been an elder with a stern, old-fashioned image. Who would have guessed that the moment he actually saw the man in person, Xu Mingfu froze in his tracks.

Shao Yiqing was standing by a table dozens of meters away from him at the time, surrounded by a crowd of people. This legendary figure walked into Xu Mingfu’s heart for the very first time, carrying an unspeakable charm.

When Shao Yiqing held his wine glass, finished dealing with the sycophantic flattery of others with a perfunctory expression, and turned his gaze toward him, he completely shattered Xu Mingfu’s imagination of this man. He was handsome, flirtatious, elegant, and poised. Even just a glance from dozens of meters away made the peeping Xu Mingfu feel the agonizing embarrassment of being caught like a petty thief.

He hurriedly pulled back his gaze, wanting to make himself appear less flustered. It was also at that exact moment that Xu Mingfu finally understood: it was not that the alphas were too boring, but rather that Shao Yiqing was simply too enchanting. It was no wonder so many people rushed headlong after a man who could stir up monstrous waves purely by virtue of his appearance.

Before a face like this, age, childbearing, past history, and romantic background all ceased to matter.

In the twenty-odd years of Xu Mingfu’s life, he had never laid eyes on anyone so extraordinary. It was like a cluster of flowers contending in beauty, yet among them was a single flower whose exotic fragrance stripped all the other blossoms of their charm, leaving people solely desiring to decode the secret behind that scent. This fragrance was what people called physical presence, demeanor, and a certain indescribable aura.

In the span of two months, Xu Mingfu went from being a person who treated Shao Yiqing with indifference to one who had to resort to kneeling just to attract his attention. To say nothing of how hard it was for him to maintain his own inner peace, everyone present was deeply shocked.

The lofty, sharp-witted young master of the Lingrui Group dropped to his knees on the spot without a second word, instantly transforming the relaxed and cheerful atmosphere of the room into something tense. The clamor and noise came to an abrupt halt, and everyone pricked up their ears to listen to Xu Mingfu’s words: “Do you still like me?”

To be honest, even Shao Yiqing had not expected Xu Mingfu to go to such lengths. He looked at Xu Mingfu with a solemn expression. A moment later, those alluring eyes curved into a smile as he said to the young man before him, “What is the meaning of this? Are you trying to shave years off my life?”

If Xu Mingfu wanted the spotlight to shine on him, he had to do something earth-shattering. Shao Yiqing had deliberately left him hanging, and after coming back empty-handed the first two times he sought him out, Xu Mingfu had finally figured out his own predicament.

His biggest regret now was that two months ago, when Shao Yiqing had shown an interest in him, he had put on airs and rejected the man.

At the time, driven by pride, he had thought his rejection was an act of unique independence. While so many alphas were drooling over this man, he, Xu Mingfu, had taken the initiative to turn Shao Yiqing down. What a lofty posture! What a backbone-filled behavior! Little did he know what kind of price he would have to pay to make up for that momentary arrogance.

“Get up,” Shao Yiqing commanded him.

Xu Mingfu raised his eyes to look at him. Shao Yiqing’s eyes were cold, devoid of any warmth. His skin was far too striking, and his half-smiling expression made it impossible to fathom his true emotions.

Clenching his fists, Xu Mingfu did not get up immediately. Enduring the humiliation, he said, “I need President Shao’s help. As long as you are willing to spare Lingrui’s life, I am willing to go through fire and water for you!”

How childishly naive.

With such a grand declaration of facing death unflinchingly, a massive commotion was stirred up. Before Shao Yiqing had even expressed his stance, the onlookers nearby couldn’t bear to watch any longer. “President Shao, there are matters to discuss. Let us head out first.”

With that, they called out to the group and left. Shao Yiqing didn’t stop them; after all, given the filial piety of a young master like Xu Mingfu, there was no telling what kind of sacrifices he might make for his dying family business. Besides, being a pampered young master himself, a scene like this shouldn’t have too many spectators.

After everyone withdrew and considerately closed the door behind them, Shao Yiqing did not issue another order for Xu Mingfu to stand up. He poured himself a glass of wine and asked, “Do you know how to drink?”

Xu Mingfu looked at the wine glass, where the bright red liquid rolled about like fresh blood.

“No.”

Shao Yiqing handed the glass to Xu Mingfu. “You could get away with not knowing back in school, but I hear you just graduated. You will inevitably have to touch alcohol from now on, so you need to build up your tolerance.”

Hesitantly, Xu Mingfu accepted the glass, not quite understanding what Shao Yiqing meant.

“Stand up and drink it,” Shao Yiqing poured another glass for himself. “No one else is here. Who are you trying to pledge your loyalty to?”

Just as Xu Mingfu was about to get up, he steadied himself by the edge of the table and said, “My feelings for you are genuine.”

Shao Yiqing chuckled dismissively. He watched Xu Mingfu stand up before him, standing over six feet tall, dressed in a slightly mature suit, and meticulously styled in a way that showed he had put effort into this appearance. Appreciating the sight, Shao Yiqing remarked, “Young Master Xu, do you know how old I am?”

Xu Mingfu didn’t dare to answer.

Shao Yiqing swirled his wine glass. “My son is almost as tall as you are. Genuine feelings? At my age, we don’t bother talking about genuine feelings. You are forced to butter me up to save your own family, and there’s no need to beautify that. Because what I want isn’t your sincerity either; I won’t reject you just because your intentions aren’t pure.”

Xu Mingfu’s eyebrows twitched. With his thoughts exposed, he felt somewhat at a loss. Facing someone like Shao Yiqing, he was simply too green and could only remain in a passive position.

“Then, will you help me?”

Shao Yiqing replied, “Don’t talk about helping or not helping. What we have between us is a matter of mutual benefit. Asking for help means you owe me a favor, and whether it’s someone owing me or me owing someone, settling debts is an absolute pain in the neck. So let’s keep it simple: a fair transaction. Just how far you want me to help you depends entirely on what you are capable of doing in return.”

Even though Xu Mingfu was inexperienced in the ways of the world, he was not entirely clueless about those kinds of matters. Even if he had never done it for real, he had watched plenty of videos and could easily understand what Shao Yiqing meant.

“Right here?” Xu Mingfu clenched his fists, a trace of thinly veiled awkwardness in his expression.

However, Shao Yiqing rejected the idea. “Young Master Xu, I, Shao Yiqing, may be wild and unrestrained, but you are also thinking of me as a bit too shameless. My rut cycle is next week. During this week, you can take your time to learn some skills.”

While it was a topic that Omegas were usually too shy to bring up, Shao Yiqing spoke about it candidly and without the slightest bit of prudishness. Xu Mingfu knew that this Omega was extraordinary, a gender difficult to define merely by looking at his outer shell. Shao Yiqing possessed all the romantic allure of an Omega, as well as the decisive sharpness of an Alpha. However, Xu Mingfu had yet to witness most of those other facets.

Still, as an Alpha, being led around by the nose by an Omega and falling into the inferior position did not feel very good.

He quickly straightened his spine, attempting to reclaim a bit of his own pride. Yet, the moment he locked eyes with Shao Yiqing’s alluring gaze, he involuntarily caved once again, finally murmuring in a low voice, “Understood.”

Shao Yiqing let out a soft laugh, taking in all of his reactions. “It’s just a transaction, yet you make it sound like I’m bullying you. If you aren’t willing, you can leave right now. I never force anyone against their will.”

He disliked fragile little doting figures. Xu Mingfu’s excessive flattery would not win him any favor from Shao Yiqing; instead, it made him lose interest entirely. At least at that moment, Shao Yiqing felt a tinge of regret. He wanted to call off this transaction, but spilled water could not be gathered back up, and he didn’t like breaking his promises either.

Xu Mingfu defended himself, “No, I will come.”

Shao Yiqing patted the sofa beside him. “Sit down.”

Xu Mingfu shuffled over and sat down cautiously.

With only the two of them left in the room, and having struck such a deal, Xu Mingfu couldn’t help but steal glances at the man beside him. To be frank, although he harbored resentment toward this transaction, after all, a young master like him being reduced to someone else’s bed-plaything would be a lifelong stain on his record, he couldn’t find a single flaw in Shao Yiqing. This man was simply top-tier, someone Xu Mingfu had never laid eyes on in his brief youth. He couldn’t discern Shao Yiqing’s pheromone rank; in genetic terms, Alphas could suppress Omegas, but because he couldn’t gauge the other’s tier, he didn’t dare try.

Xu Mingfu tried to lean in closer, yet still failed to sense any pheromone scent from Shao Yiqing whatsoever.

His movement was caught. Without even turning his head, Shao Yiqing stated, “Are you trying to sniff my scent?”

Alarm bells rang in Xu Mingfu’s head. Pressing down his inner unease, he looked at those slender, pale fingers colliding against the wine glass, the knuckles alluringly delicate, with every single strand of hair on his body radiating charm, and choked out, “I was just wondering how you plan to help me.”

Shao Yiqing nodded. “Mhm, not bad. You should indeed think it through properly, lest you end up offering yourself in vain.”

Xu Mingfu was a deeply scholarly person, and the Omegas lingering around him were mostly reserved. Shao Yiqing was the very first of his kind. It was no wonder his father had such an indescribable expression whenever he mentioned this man; now that he had gotten to know him himself, it completely overthrew his basic understanding of the Omega population.

“Lingrui has offended far too many people; this is no easy task. Right now, it’s facing a hostile takeover crisis. The only thing I can do is buy time for it. Whether you can revive it ultimately depends on yourselves, understand?”

“How can you buy time?” Xu Mingfu asked anxiously. “You don’t know how aggressive the opposing party is. They look like they want to swallow Lingrui whole right this instant.”

Before Xu Mingfu could say anything more, he saw Shao Yiqing raise a hand, cutting off the words he wanted to say. Shao Yiqing looked back at him appraisingly. “I have my own methods. If you don’t trust me, you shouldn’t have come to see me tonight.”

That pair of soul-captivating eyes possessed absolute persuasive power at that moment. Even though he hadn’t heard any details or learned the methods, Xu Mingfu shut his mouth anyway.

“I trust you,” Xu Mingfu grasped his wine glass tightly and lowered his head. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have doubted you.”

He then added, “As long as President Shao can buy Lingrui half a month of time, I have the confidence to turn the tables.”

Hearing Xu Mingfu speak with such childish innocence, Shao Yiqing looked at him with a trace of appreciation in his gaze, offering no rebuttal.

Having successfully seen the person he wanted and struck a deal, Shao Yiqing didn’t keep him around, dismissing Xu Mingfu early on.

Seeing Xu Mingfu leave, Sun Rong stared at his retreating back for a good long while before walking back into the room. Seeing Shao Yiqing drinking alone, he asked, “Settled?”

Shao Yiqing set down his wine glass. “More or less.”

Sun Rong remarked, “Looking at that reluctant expression of his, President Shao must have spent a good deal of breath convincing him.”

Leaning back against the sofa, Shao Yiqing replied, “He entirely convinced himself. I never force anyone against their will, let alone waste my breath.”

Sun Rong sat down nearby, looking deeply perplexed. “I genuinely don’t understand. Why are you making this deal? Lingrui is a local tyrant whose Achilles’ heel has been caught; it’s a complete mess. You’re diving into muddy waters just to sleep with this young master? Not worth it.”

“Do I need you to remind me?”

Sun Rong furrowed his brow. “Then why are you doing this?”

Shao Yiqing said, “Nothing better to do. Just teasing a cat.”

Seeing his attitude, Sun Rong knew he wouldn’t get any answers out of him. He clicked his tongue and warned, “If this game can’t be saved, do you even know who is trying to acquire Lingrui?”

Crossing his legs and resting one hand on a throw pillow, Shao Yiqing said softly, “Not interested.”

Talking to himself, Sun Rong continued, “It’s the Sheng family.”

Shao Yiqing didn’t even lift his head, truly looking as though he had not the slightest bit of interest in the topic.

Worried, Sun Rong said, “Yiqing, you can have any kind of person you want. But if you offend the Sheng family over Xu Mingfu, you’re going to take a heavy loss on this business venture. You’ve heard of Sheng Hang’s reputation, haven’t you? Who in this territory doesn’t shudder just hearing that name?”

Shao Yiqing remained noncommittal. “No matter how high and mighty he is, he’s old now. He’s a figure from over a decade ago, why drag him out to pressure people today?”

“He has two sons, you know,” Sun Rong urged anxiously. “Sheng Hang is old, true, and maybe his era has passed, but a tiger father begets no dogs. Do you know how formidable Sheng Hang’s two sons are? His younger son skipped grades and is already pursuing a doctorate at such a young age. Word on the street is he’ll be a major player sooner or later.”

“An exemplary student, and he’s leading the charge?”

“That’s not it. There’s no way the successor would be him. The frontrunner is the eldest of the Sheng family. I heard he’s always been out forging his own path overseas. He’s just recently returned, probably specifically for Lingrui. A new official takes three fires to show his authority, and right now, he’s planning to use Lingrui as his stepping stone. Lingrui and the Xu family are practically fish on a chopping board at this point. If you can’t save it, you’ll just end up getting filth all over yourself. I advise you to stay out of this. I don’t know much about the eldest brother, but the rumors outside make him sound terrifying. He’s definitely no pushover, so you’d better watch your step.”

He wasn’t telling Shao Yiqing to back out entirely, but rather reminding him to know his limits.

Yet Shao Yiqing didn’t care in the least. “It doesn’t matter. None of us are particularly good people anyway.”

With that, he stood up. Sun Rong tilted his head back, looking up at him in incomprehension as Shao Yiqing made a move to leave.

“Did you hear a single word of what I just said?”

Sun Rong sized him up from behind. Shao Yiqing possessed a slender figure and extraordinary temperament, wearing a suit with a unique charm. It was fine if he didn’t look back, but the moment he turned around, those calamity-bringing, enchanting eyes could capture a person’s soul. Coupled with his knack for controlling the atmosphere, Sun Rong couldn’t help but let his gaze drop downward, resting on the waistline of Shao Yiqing’s suit.

“Sheng Hang is not someone to mess with, the Sheng family’s young master is not someone to mess with, and the Sheng family’s eldest young master is even less someone to mess with. If I mess this up, I’ll crash and burn, and I shouldn’t wade into these muddy waters. Is that a good summary?”

Sun Rong stared unblinkingly.

“Yet I’ve already promised someone else. No matter how untouchable they are, I’ll just have to touch them,” Shao Yiqing opened the door and walked out. “Who asked me to be so bored lately?”

They were all business people; profit was the ultimate motive, and who would be willing to make an investment without returns? Sun Rong couldn’t claim to fully understand him, but he knew Shao Yiqing well enough to realize he couldn’t fathom why Shao Yiqing was taking on this losing venture. Inevitably, he had to default to the simplest explanation: “You couldn’t possibly have actually fallen for this young master of the Xu family, could you?”

Right as those words left his mouth, Shao Yiqing turned his head back. Standing there, locking eyes across the space with Sun Rong, he didn’t even need words or a defense, and Sun Rong already knew how laughable his own words were.

He pressed his lips together, feeling as though he had truly lost his mind to ask such a stupid question.

Seeing that Sun Rong understood, Shao Yiqing leaned against the doorframe, looking at him with an exceptionally pitying gaze before dropping a final sentence: “Sun Rong, was your brain pickled in formalin or something?”

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