The Omega Pretending to Be an Alpha Was Accidentally Marked by His Boss - Chapter 9

As the scent of the Omega’s pheromones gradually dissipated from the depths of the woods, the clawing desire raging inside Xie Yunnian slowly calmed down.

Once Qiu Nan regained his strength, Xie Yunnian helped him up. Slipping his hands into his pants pockets, he took two steps back, clenching his hands into tight fists where Qiu Nan couldn’t see.

An awkwardness akin to having a confession rejected washed over him, bringing with it a rare sense of frustration.

As an Alpha with exceptional personal capabilities and a deeply influential family background, Xie Yunnian rarely, if ever, tasted the bitterness of being rejected by an Omega. Especially not an Omega who was currently in the middle of a heat cycle—a time when resisting an Alpha’s pheromones should have been practically impossible.

In fact, ever since he presented as an Alpha in his teens, he had always been the one doing the rejecting. Fully eighty percent of his cold, imposing facial expressions had been perfected while turning people down.

While Xie Yunnian wrestled with his inner turmoil, his face remained a mask of calm. “Are you feeling better?” he asked, his voice deep.

Qiu Nan nodded. “Much better. Thank you, Director.”

The corner of Xie Yunnian’s mouth twitched into a self-deprecating smirk. “I didn’t really do anything.”

“Your comfort gave me strength,” Qiu Nan said with utmost gravity. He followed it up with a deeply insincere, theatrical bow.

In reality, he was just trying to hide his own embarrassment. Showing such a lack of self-control right in front of his boss, it was highly improper.

But thinking back, the new Director was actually a pretty good guy. Not only did he care about his subordinates’ health, but he also seemed concerned about their wallets.

Sigh. Since he knows how hard it is for an Omega subordinate, why can’t he just give me a raise?

Xie Yunnian stared at him silently for a few seconds. “Don’t mention it,” he said flatly before turning to walk out of the woods. Qiu Nan followed gloomily by his side, subconsciously keeping an arm’s length between them.

Their boots rustled through the tall grass, the rhythmic swish-swish only making the heavy silence between them feel more suffocating.

Xie Yunnian glanced at Qiu Nan’s profile and suddenly broke the silence. “Captain Qiu, do you intend to keep going like this forever?”

Qiu Nan blanked for a moment, then gave a soft, “Mhm.”

Xie Yunnian finally asked the question that had been bothering him for the past two days. “Why are you so set on field operations?”

“Because,” Qiu Nan lowered his head, his voice dropping to a murmur. “field ops pay better.”

It was an obvious lie.

No matter how high the hazard pay was for field agents, it wasn’t enough to cover the cost of eight to ten suppressants a month. In fact, if luck wasn’t on his side, even that wouldn’t be enough. Beyond regular field captures, his daily work inevitably required contact with the monsters locked up in Sector B7. On top of that, Qiu Nan was a captain; there was no avoiding it.

What others viewed as a luxury item had become a daily necessity for him. There had to be a significant reason behind it.

Xie Yunnian cast a brief glance at Qiu Nan. Since the younger man refused to elaborate, it wasn’t his place to pry. He realized that in Qiu Nan’s eyes, he wasn’t viewed as an Alpha at all—he was simply the Director.

And a Director’s concern for a subordinate had its limits.

Within an hour, news that the Nandong Sector had captured a B-class monster alive using only two squads spread like wildfire throughout the entire Monster Control Bureau.

Headquarters called and showered Xie Yunnian with effusive praise, hyping him up as though he were a god walking among mortals.

Xie Yunnian had utterly miscalculated.

The Nandong Sector was in the middle of a post-mission debriefing when the call came in. Seeing it was from Headquarters, he had casually put it on speakerphone.

Every field officer at the vice-captain level and above was present. These agents—including Lan Mingliang—heard every single word of praise clear as day, and every single one of them was mentally rolling their eyes.

Xie Yunnian’s eyelid twitched violently. After exchanging a few polite pleasantries, he promptly hung up.

He hadn’t actually done a single thing. His only purpose in going out there had been to “evaluate” Qiu Nan’s performance. When it came to capturing the monster, he hadn’t lifted a single finger.

In truth, he was used to this. Given his family background, people from Headquarters always seized any opportunity to flatter him. However, being new to the Nandong Sector, he found the unearned praise a bit embarrassing.

His gaze swept across the room. Seeing everyone straining to hold back their laughter, his expression darkened slightly.

Yet, when his eyes drifted over to Squad Four’s section and caught sight of Qiu Nan, his irritation vanished completely. The young man had his eyes downcast, a subtle, knowing smile playing on his lips, pressing two faint dimples into his cheeks.

Xie Yunnian cleared his throat as if nothing had happened. “You all heard the praise from Headquarters. Those words are a testament to everyone’s hard work. This mission was executed beautifully. Squad Four, in particular, performed exceptionally under Captain Qiu’s leadership!”

Suddenly put on the spot, Qiu Nan snapped his head up. He blinked in surprise for a few seconds before offering a modest smile.

Sitting across from him, Wu Jiada, the captain of Squad Three, looked completely dumbfounded. “Good Lord! The sun must be rising from the west! Captain Qiu actually got praised and didn’t immediately start bragging?”

Qiu Nan’s mouth twitched. The look he shot Wu Jiada was fierce enough to swallow him whole.

He wanted to brag, but he had to read the room. Ever since Director Xie found out about his Omega status, Qiu Nan wished he could turn invisible every time they met. How could he possibly act cocky right now?

Failing to read the room entirely, Wu Jiada slapped the table and laughed out loud. “Yes, yes, yes! That’s the look! Admit it, Captain Qiu, that is your true self!”

Qiu Nan narrowed his eyes, issuing a frosty warning. “We’re in a meeting, Captain Wu. Don’t be so petty.”

Only then did Wu Jiada remember that the new Director’s style was completely different from the old one. Even after a major victory, there was no room for slacking off.

He quickly made an “I’m sorry” gesture toward Xie Yunnian and slumped down into his chair, much to Qiu Nan’s petty delight.

Seeing that the two of them were going to keep bickering, Lan Mingliang rapped his knuckles against the table, successfully drawing everyone’s attention back.

“Alright, settle down. At Director Xie’s request, I will now summarize the outcome of this mission.”

The post-mission summary was always filled with bureaucratic jargon. No matter how vividly Lan Mingliang tried to narrate it, the agents still found themselves nodding off. It wasn’t until his final sentence that the room instantly snapped awake.

“To reward the field operations division, Director Xie is treating everyone to a celebratory banquet at the Jinyan Pavilion tomorrow night!”

A synchronized roar of cheers erupted in the conference room.

The field operations department had a total of ten squads, with twenty agents per squad. To feed all of them, they would have to book an entire floor!

Incredible! Leaders coming down from the capital really hit different!