The Corporate Slave Beta Is Surrounded by Alphas - Chapter 6

[# CEO L called the kitten to the office again.]

[I can’t even imagine. If I were the kitten’s boss, what would I make him do in my office every day?]

[The kitten’s head is for petting; the kitten’s paws are for holding.]

[Kiss the kitten to death. Press him against the door and tell him to be careful not to make a sound, or his colleagues will hear.]

[Make the kitten sit in my office chair while I give him a “tongue-bath.” Then the kitten would kick me in the face. Pure bliss.]

[Anyway, for CEO L to call him in every day for over an hour… there’s definitely something going on.]

[Noooo! My kitten can only be “done” by me! Don’t let CEO L get him for cheap! The kitten belongs to me!] (User has been banned for one hour for violating community guidelines)

[Admin is a sore loser. If you’ve got guts, don’t ban my main account.]

[I reasonably suspect the Admin is CEO L. He gets so sensitive whenever CEO L is mentioned.]

[CEO L is a sensitive b*tch.] (User has been banned for twelve hours for violating community guidelines)

Cheng An finished reporting today’s work as usual and waited for Lu Xunzhou to speak.

Since he had just taken his regular two-day break and there were no major crises to handle, the report was shorter than usual. When Cheng An finished, Lu Xunzhou pushed a glass of water toward him.

Cheng An’s throat was indeed parched. He picked up the glass and took a sip. His fingertips were slightly chilly, but the glass still held a lingering warmth, so he cradled it with both hands, trying to steal a bit of heat from it.

When Lu Xunzhou looked up, Cheng An happened to meet his gaze. His lips were damp and flushed from the water, his hands were curled around the glass at his chest, and his eyelashes cast soft shadows downward. Through the lenses of his glasses, one could see those slightly dazed, grey eyes.

Lu Xunzhou’s fingers itched; he suddenly wanted to capture this moment. He twitched his hand and set the report aside.

“Xiaoyi was sent over by my brother to stay for a few days,” he said. “Do you want to go see him?”

Since Lu Xunzhou hadn’t raised any objections after hearing the report, it meant he was satisfied with the work. Cheng An breathed a sigh of relief.

Even though he had known Lu Xunzhou before he ascended to his current position, Cheng An still felt a lingering sense of tension and distance when facing him. Perhaps this was the standard emotion one felt toward a superior; he was always worried Lu Xunzhou would criticize a mistake—though that had yet to happen.

“Xiaoyi is back,” Cheng An noted simply. He recalled Lu Hangyi’s perpetually smiling face and the way the boy would hold his hand and call him “An-an Ge.”

“Mhm,” Lu Xunzhou pressed on. “He misses you a lot. He’s been nagging me about you since the moment he arrived. Go see him if you have time.”

“It might have to wait until the weekend.” Cheng An usually liked to visit Song Boyan on weekends. If he went to see Lu Hangyi, he’d likely have to cancel those plans. He looked a bit conflicted.

“Take tomorrow off. The game’s launch has been stable, and you’ve already led the team through overtime to implement and optimize based on player feedback. There’s nothing urgent left for now. You’ll be busy in a few days when the new characters go live, so take a paid day off tomorrow. Rest up before you tackle the next phase. You’ve been working too hard lately.”

At the mention of “paid leave,” Cheng An’s eyes lit up.

From this distance, Lu Xunzhou, who had been watching him intently, didn’t miss that spark of joy. He added, “The Art Department has some designs for the new characters, but it depends on whether your Tech Department can replicate their effects. They’ll be sending someone to coordinate with you constantly for testing, implementation, and bug fixes. It’s going to be hectic. So, resting tomorrow is perfect timing.”

Cheng An nodded. “Okay.”

[# The kitten just left CEO L’s office. It didn’t even take an hour today.]

[CEO L is “incapable.”] (User has been banned for twenty-four hours for violating community guidelines)

[CEO L, your dignity is slipping, put it back on.]

[Kitten, kitten, forget about CEO L. I can satisfy you. (Crying) (Crying) I’m a super-aggressive Alpha.]

(Post deleted for violating community guidelines)

“An-an Ge! An-an Ge!”

The excited, happy voice chirping from the phone finally brought a trace of a smile to Cheng An’s usually stoic, flat expression.

“Xiaoyi.”

The voice on the other end continued gleefully, “Where are we going tomorrow?”

Cheng An looked at his computer screen just as a friend request notification popped up.

[Hello, Team Leader Cheng. I’m Ji Ting from the Art Department.]

Cheng An answered distractedly, “Wherever Xiaoyi wants to go.”

Standing next to Lu Hangyi, Lu Xunzhou typed a few words and showed his phone screen to the boy: [Amusement Park]

Lu Hangyi read the three words, rolled his eyes, and mouthed his critique: Cliche. Childish.

Lu Xunzhou, naturally able to read his nephew’s lips, reached out and gave the boy’s head a rough rub before mouthing back: Just say it.

Lu Hangyi resumed his “sweet and innocent” tone. “An-an Ge, let’s go to the amusement park! I haven’t been there in so long.”

“Sure, okay,” Cheng An replied.

He truly had no opinions on where to go. In fact, he rarely had opinions on anything. For him, life was a straight line between two points: work and home. He lacked interest in most things and lived with a flat affect. He always appeared dull and flavorless.

Furthermore, as a Beta, he believed himself to be utterly ordinary and uninteresting average looks, unlikable personality. He couldn’t imagine that any Alpha, who were seemingly born to be paired with Omegas, would ever have designs on him. Consequently, he was completely oblivious to the gazes watching him from the shadows…

After agreeing to the trip, he accepted the friend request. The Art Department head, Bi Yuanliang, sent a message: [I’ve assigned someone to coordinate with you on the visual testing for the new characters.]

Cheng An replied: [Got it.]

Lu Hangyi seemed to say something else, but Cheng An was busy looking at the message and didn’t hear clearly. He just gave another vague “Mhm” of agreement. Then, he changed the new contact’s nickname to something very professional: [Art Dept – Ji Ting].

“Then it’s a deal, An-an Ge!” Lu Hangyi chirped.

“Mhm.”

Once the call ended, Lu Xunzhou handed a gift box to Lu Hangyi. “Tomorrow, give this to An-an in your name.”

Lu Hangyi rolled his eyes again. “Why don’t you give it to him yourself?”

“If I give it, he won’t accept it,” Lu Xunzhou said. “If I give him too much, he’ll think I’m up to something and will cautiously keep his distance. But if a child gives it to him, he won’t overthink it, nor will he reject a child’s kind gesture.”

Lu Hangyi countered, “But aren’t you exactly ‘up to something’?”

Lu Xunzhou reached out to ruffle his hair again, but Lu Hangyi dodged nimbly and threw a throw pillow at his uncle’s face. Standing on the bed to look down at him, the boy said, “If you want to chase someone, show some sincerity! Who are you trying to impress with that ‘cool and aloof’ act all day?” Seeing Lu Xunzhou’s expression shift, he added quickly, “Don’t you dare get mad and try to hit me!”

Lu Xunzhou pulled a few large bills from his pocket. Lu Hangyi’s face transformed instantly. He leaned in with a cheeky, flattering grin and snatched the cash. “Uncle, just say the word. I’ll do whatever you want. Tomorrow, I’ll help you win An-an Ge over in one shot.”

Lu Xunzhou couldn’t help but laugh as he patted the boy’s head. He only said, “Just make sure An-an has a good time tomorrow.” Then, thinking of something, he added, “And let me take more photos.”

“Take as many as you want! I’ll even let you take a picture of his “

Lu Xunzhou’s face went stern, looking ready to lecture him. Seeing the change, Lu Hangyi immediately skipped away. “Don’t act like such a gentleman. Don’t you know exactly what’s on your own mind?” He counted the bills, jumped off the bed, and shouted a happy “Thanks!” before slamming the door, leaving Lu Xunzhou alone in the room.

Because Cheng An had been busy replying to messages the day before, he hadn’t heard Lu Hangyi mention that Lu Xunzhou would be coming. So, seeing the CEO there, he was slightly surprised. He realized then that Lu Hangyi must have mentioned it yesterday regardless, one truly couldn’t relax fully in front of the boss.

Cheng An looked up at Lu Xunzhou.

The man had let his usually neatly combed hair down. His bangs swayed slightly in the breeze, hiding his cold, deep eyes in their shadow. Dressed in casual clothes, he looked much softer and more approachable than he did in his daily suits.

Cheng An, on the other hand, was even more casual, having shown up in the “Programmer’s Uniform” a plaid shirt. He had washed his hair the night before, so it was a bit frizzy this morning. He had tried his best to flatten it, but it still looked a bit wild.

Paired with the black-rimmed glasses he only took off to sleep, he looked like a total shut-in. A corporate slave at work, an otaku at home. This was Cheng An’s own humble self-assessment.

“What are you standing there for? Let’s go!”

Lu Hangyi grabbed Cheng An’s hand with one hand and Lu Xunzhou’s with the other, leading them inside.

Though only eleven, Lu Hangyi was precocious. Standing between the two grown men and holding both their hands, they looked just like a family of three.

Lu Xunzhou glanced at Cheng An. The wind caught Cheng An’s soft hair, revealing his delicate and refined features. A very faint smile played on his face. His thin frame was wrapped in the light-colored shirt nsuch simple, plain colors, yet Lu Xunzhou couldn’t look away.

When Cheng An excused himself to use the restroom, Lu Xunzhou and Lu Hangyi waited outside. Lu Hangyi grabbed Lu Xunzhou’s hand and whispered mischievously, “Little Uncle, quick! This is the hand An-an Ge just held. This counts as indirect hand-holding!”

Lu Xunzhou couldn’t help but smile, gently patting the boy’s head.

Meanwhile, the “An-an Kitten” private forum was exploding.

[# Kitten, my kitten, where has he gone?]

[What’s the point of working if the kitten isn’t here…]

[It’s been one hour since the kitten left. I miss him.]

[What should I do? I’ve become a stray Alpha without a cat.]

[Stupid question, but both the kitten and CEO L are missing. Are they on a date?]

[Shut up! You’re not allowed to say that!]

[CEO L is always so mysterious. How would you ever know where he is?]

[Noooo! Kitten, don’t follow CEO L. He’s clearly frigid. He’s no good! (Crying)]

[That’s weird. I didn’t get banned for insulting CEO L today.]

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