The Corporate Slave Beta Is Surrounded by Alphas - Chapter 8

Cheng An brought Ji Ting inside.

Light spilled from the ceiling, illuminating the apartment. The space was a bit narrow, but it felt incredibly cozy; though filled with belongings, everything was neatly organized and clean.

The guest slippers kept at the door were a size too small for an Alpha like Ji Ting. He had to cram his toes awkwardly into the small foam soles. Since Cheng An had already headed into the kitchen to pour some water, he didn’t witness the heavy, deliberate way Ji Ting slid them on.

As Ji Ting’s soles brushed against the fabric, he closed his eyes, imagining the sensation of brushing against a pair of slender, beautiful feet he had yet to see. He stared intensely at his own insteps, feeling the tight, constricting grip of the small slippers—as if he were being completely enveloped by Cheng An himself.

His pupils dilated slightly. He was in a state of private, frantic euphoria. When he finally looked up, those eyes that usually hid behind his bangs were wide and hungry.

He drank in every detail of the room, recording each object in his mind to make his fantasies of Cheng An’s life more vivid. Just standing in this space made him feel as though he were being bathed in Cheng An’s very scent.

He slowly closed his eyes, inhaling deeply to identify every trace of aroma in the air.

He hardly dared to imagine how much more ecstatic he would be if Cheng An were an Omega with pheromones—if this room were saturated with his scent, Ji Ting’s heart might simply burst from the thrill.

“Ji Ting?”

Cheng An returned with a glass of water, looking perplexed at the Alpha standing by the door with his eyes shut.

Ji Ting opened his eyes. He and Cheng An locked gazes. Ji Ting was standing in the shadows of the entryway, so the deep, swirling emotions in his eyes remained hidden.

Cheng An’s gaze drifted downward, noticing how Ji Ting’s feet were squeezed into the tiny slippers. It looked quite comical. Sensing he was being watched, Ji Ting became even more restrained, looking at Cheng An with that same timid, bashful expression.

This led Cheng An to confirm his assumption: Ji Ting was just an introverted, quiet person.

“It’s fine,” Cheng An said softly. “Come over, let’s talk.”

Ji Ting followed him into the living room.

Cheng An sat on the sofa, and Ji Ting took a seat on the other end. He sat stiffly, keeping a perfectly proper and disciplined posture.

To Cheng An, this was just the behavior of a nervous intern. He didn’t think much of it, simply asking, “Have you been waiting at my door for a long time?”

Ji Ting nodded. “I came straight here after work.”

“Was there something urgent you needed to find me for?” Cheng An said. “If there’s something important next time, you can message me on my phone. Even if I’m on leave, I check my messages.”

Ji Ting nodded again, choosing not to correct the misunderstanding.

The Alpha desperately needed this misunderstanding to explain why he was at the door and how he knew the address.

For someone who had made Cheng An a daily necessity, the thought of losing access to him was unbearable. He was used to taking the same subway to work, used to projecting his gaze onto Cheng An’s back.

When a habit like that takes root, a single day without it brings a crawling, intolerable pain a hunger that forces one to find him, to follow him. And so, he had appeared.

But how could he say such things to this quiet, aloof man? He would surely be terrified. So, Ji Ting kept his gaze still, his face an empty mask that betrayed none of the violent excitement surging within him.

Cheng An, oblivious to the feverish, morbid psyche beneath the shy exterior, waited for the intern to explain the “emergency.”

Lacking a real excuse, Ji Ting nervously picked up the water glass. His cold fingers touched the warm surface, and in that fleeting second, a new reason presented itself.

“These are the preliminary test renders for the new character,” he said, pulling out his phone to show Cheng An. He played the part of the fumbling, clueless intern perfectly.

“You could have just sent those to me on the app,” Cheng An noted.

“Right. Yes, of course,” Ji Ting stammered, feigning a look of realization to complete the act. He looked down at the glass, his thumb slowly tracing the rim.

He began to imagine Cheng An’s fingers and palms covering that same spot. He caressed the glass slowly, covertly, as if he could feel the warmth of Cheng An’s hand interlaced with his own.

Cheng An only saw a young man paralyzed by nerves. Reflecting on his own words, Cheng An worried he had sounded too much like a cold manager the kind of boss who implies, ‘Don’t bother me unless it’s a crisis.’

He didn’t find the intern annoying; he just felt bad. “You should go do your own thing,” he added gently. “Don’t waste your personal time coming to find me.”

The Alpha seemed to be in a daze. Perhaps he had heard, but the “nerves” weren’t fading. Cheng An felt helpless. In the brief silence, his own exhaustion began to return.

All he wanted to do was shower and collapse into bed. But first, he remembered something.

He stood up and headed toward the bedroom. Ji Ting looked up, watching Cheng An’s retreating figure.

Finally unable to help himself, the Alpha lowered his head and pressed his lips against the rim of the glass where Cheng An had touched. The warm steam seemed to moisten his eyes, making them look dark and heavy, but a wide, blissful smile spread across his face.

Cheng An spent a while digging through his crowded bookshelf until he found a specific document that had been buried. By the time he returned, Ji Ting was sitting precisely as he had left him, looking entirely normal.

Cheng An handed the file over. “Give this to your team leader tomorrow.”

Ji Ting took it and gave a quiet nod.

Silence fell between them again. Cheng An wasn’t much for small talk, and Ji Ting seemed equally reserved. Just as Cheng An was trying to think of a polite way to end the night, Ji Ting stood up. His tall, broad frame cast a large shadow over Cheng An.

Cheng An had to tilt his head back to meet Ji Ting’s eyes. The Alpha seemed unable to look at him directly, his gaze darting away. He clutched the file and whispered, “Team Leader Cheng, I’ll be going now.”

“Alright,” Cheng An said.

Ji Ting turned and left.

Cheng An saw him to the door and, after closing it, immediately prepared for bed.

However, the Alpha didn’t actually leave. He stood right outside Cheng An’s door. The voice-activated lights had timed out, leaving him as a dark, indistinct silhouette in the shadows.

He pressed his forehead against the cold door. His heart was still pounding so hard he couldn’t settle; the emotions were overflowing, tempting him to do something far more transgressive. He took several deep breaths, his tall body remaining stationary, a silent sentinel in the dark.

As Cheng An sank into his soft bedding, sleepiness washed over him instantly. In his final moments of lucidity, his mind inexplicably drifted back to those drawings of himself.

Though he’d only seen them briefly, he had sensed something in the delicate, beautiful brushstrokes. It wasn’t just lewdness; there was a sense of cherishing, of adoration. It had been four days since he discovered the forum, and he still knew nothing about the artist.

In the stillness of the night, a flicker of curiosity arose: Who is the person who fantasizes about me like that? Why would anyone want a Beta like me?

Gradually, his thoughts blurred and he drifted into the silent void of sleep.

Meanwhile, for a certain other Alpha, the night was far from peaceful.

At 2:00 AM, the administrator of the “An-an Kitten” forum suddenly went on a posting spree.

[# He’s too cute. What do I do?]

[I want to pull him into my arms.]

[I want to kiss his mouth.]

[I want to mess up his hair.]

[I want to take off his clothes…]

[Suspected Admin intoxication due to Rut period.]

[Admin, stop losing it in the middle of the night. Can you just make one thread? Why are you spamming the whole board?]

[Don’t even talk. I haven’t seen the kitten for a whole day. I’m having kitten-withdrawal too.]

[I’ll say it for the Admin: Strip the kitten, take off his pants, kiss his little face, eat his little mouth, poke his little butt, and lick his little—] (User has been permanently banned for violating community guidelines)

[Wow, a massive Admin meltdown in real-time.]

[You’re allowed to fantasize but we aren’t? Don’t be so controlling, Admin.]

[Stop arguing! Someone send me kitten pics! I can’t take it, I need a hit, I need a hit!]

[ChengAn_WorkBadge.jpg]

[Cold-faced kitten! I’ll kiss him to death!]

[Does anyone else feel like the kitten used to be so green and cute, but now he’s been withered by CEO L’s ‘torment’? Honestly, can we say CEO L isn’t at fault here?]

[How about we form a group to steal the cat?]

[Yes, yes! I’m quitting my job. I’ll start my own company just to poach the kitten. Who’s with me?]

[Then he’ll be our shared cat. Hehehehe.]

[Company. Shared. Cat.]

(This forum has been muted for 6 hours. Only administrators may post.)

[# Kitten. Cute.]

[# Kitten. Kiss.]

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