The Top-Tier Alpha Is Lured and Captured by a Green Tea Merman - Chapter 14

Pei Yan frowned and looked toward the newcomer.

He saw a high-ranking official from the Northern Base standing not far away, holding a gun; it was clearly him who had fired the shot.

Holstering his weapon, the official walked up to Pei Yan with an air of concern. “Commander Pei, are you alright? We received word that Cao Ke had taken troops without authorization to intercept you. I figured he was looking to settle a score over his subordinates’ business, and it seems our suspicions were correct.”

Pei Yan: “…”

He still felt something was off.

These people had arrived far too conveniently. Furthermore, what exactly had Cao Ke been trying to say before he died? Was there someone else pulling the strings behind him?

Now, because of his death, all of that remained unknowable.

Lu Xiao, who had been sidelined this entire time, finally made a move—but, predictably, Xie Yu beat him to it again.

Lu Xiao: “…”

Xie Yu lunged forward and pulled Pei Yan into a tight embrace, forcefully pressing Pei Yan’s face into the crook of his neck. With a trace of lingering fear, he said, “Brother, I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Pei Yan was nearly smothered and could hardly breathe. He had to pat Xie Yu’s back repeatedly before he was finally given a chance to gasp for air.

He hadn’t even had a few seconds of relief before a swarm of his subordinates came rushing over, surrounding him.

“Boss, thank God you’re okay! Do you know how hard we’ve been looking for you these past two weeks?”

“Waaaah, Boss, I’m so glad you’re alive…”

“Boss, you scared the life out of us! As punishment, you have to treat us to a meal back in the Capital to comfort us.”

“So that’s your real motive,” Pei Yan said, a genuine smile breaking across his face. He gave the speaker’s head a playful tap and continued, “Fine, let’s do it your way. Once we’re back in the Capital, the treat is on me—eat as much as you want.”

“Hooray! Long live the Boss!”

They originally intended to hoist Pei Yan into the air and toss him up a few times, but Xie Yu protected him like a fiercely territorial cub and wouldn’t let anyone touch him, so they were forced to give up on the idea.

However, their curiosity was far from satisfied; they were all itching for answers.

“Boss, who is this?”

Pei Yan answered naturally, “My good friend.”

One bold subordinate tried to stir the pot. “Then compared to Lieutenant General Lu, which one is ‘better’?”

Pei Yan rolled his eyes at him. “What is there to compare? They are both good, both important.”

As soon as these words were spoken, both of the men who were secretly competing felt unhappy.

Xie Yu was displeased: This person is actually as important as I am? I want to be the most important person—and fish—in Brother’s heart.

Lu Xiao felt a sense of crisis: This man has only spent a short time with Pei Yan, yet he has already become as important as I am!

Not getting the answer they wanted, the subordinate curled his lip. “And here I thought there’d be some big news.”

Pei Yan asked curiously, “What big news?”

The subordinate pouted toward Xie Yu. “Like, maybe you two were in a romantic relationship or something…”

Pei Yan froze. This kid was actually sharp—he’d guessed it in one go. Even Pei Yan himself had only confirmed it a short while ago.

Xie Yu looked at him with eyes full of light. Pei Yan avoided his gaze and said with a slight hint of guilt, “He’s an Alpha. It’s impossible between an Alpha and an Alpha.”

The moment he said it, Xie Yu’s expression turned mournful. Pei Yan looked up at the sky, refusing to meet his eyes.

To his surprise, the subordinate said dismissively, “Boss, you’re being too old-fashioned. So what if you’re both Alphas? As long as there’s love, it’s not an issue.”

Pei Yan: “…………”

Keep talking, keep talking—it’s that mouth of yours that’s causing all this trouble.

He had already missed the best opportunity to admit the truth.

“Why are you so gossipy? How about I recommend you for a spot in the Intelligence Department?”

The subordinate shut up instantly, his mouth zipping tight like a literal zipper.

Refusing the Northern Base’s offer to stay, Pei Yan and Xie Yu boarded Lu Xiao’s airship and headed for the Capital.

Inside the airship.

The three of them sat in a row with Pei Yan squeezed in the middle; the atmosphere was indescribably awkward and strange.

The subordinates sensed the tension and made various excuses to slip away into the lounge, where they piled up against the door crack to eavesdrop.

Once the rowdy crowd left, Pei Yan somehow found himself feeling restless. It wasn’t for any other reason than that a certain “stinky yellow croaker” kept secretly hooking his hand. Pei Yan didn’t know why he hadn’t pulled away; he was even playing along with the mischief.

At the same time, a hidden sense of excitement surged in his heart, and his heartbeat gradually accelerated as the minutes ticked by. Pei Yan’s mind went blank, and his whole body felt a tingly sensation.

He thought he had definitely “learned to be bad” from this fish—he actually didn’t dislike this feeling!

“How did he get here?”

Lu Xiao suddenly spoke.

Pei Yan was startled. He heavily slapped Xie Yu’s hand away, his voice carrying a trace of panic that he feared might be noticed. “Ah, what did you say?”

Lu Xiao: “…”

He wasn’t deaf; he could hear how loud that slap was.

His dark eyes shifted toward Xie Yu, and as expected, he was met with a provocative glare. He realized that something had slipped beyond his control—or rather, he had lost before he had even gained anything.

It took a few seconds for Pei Yan to react, but then he faced a dilemma.

This was really hard to explain. He couldn’t exactly say the guy was already there at the Northern Base and had swum all the way over. If he said that, Lu Xiao would probably pull his gun and execute the fish on the spot.

While Pei Yan was struggling for an answer, Xie Yu spoke succinctly. “Gu Xibai sent me over.”

“Gu Xibai, the Little Prince?” Pei Yan paused. “How do you know him?”

Xie Yu said smugly, “I helped him find someone.”

Pei Yan: “…………” Then you lied to me back then about swimming over.

He had wasted all that emotion being moved, allowing this fish to take every possible advantage of him.

Xie Yu also realized he had let the truth slip. His face stiffened slightly, and he stole a few glances at Pei Yan. He reached out to touch him but was coldly brushed off.

Crap. He’s angry.

Pei Yan stood up and said flatly, “Alright, I’m tired. I’m going to rest.”

Xie Yu tried to follow.

Pei Yan stopped in his tracks. He didn’t turn around, leaving only a cold back and a semi-warning: “It would be best if no one disturbs me.”

Xie Yu had no choice but to stop his advance.

When Pei Yan opened the lounge door, he saw his subordinates, who had been pressed against the door, quickly scurrying away, pretending to be busy with things they weren’t actually doing.

With a wooden expression, he went into a different lounge and locked the door.

Only the two men remained in the cockpit—one standing, one sitting. At some point, their eyes met. Their gazes were like sharp blades, filled with hostility; in silence, it felt as though they had already fought hundreds of rounds.

In the silence, Lu Xiao launched the first attack.

“Mr. Xie, you’re an adult. It’s not quite right to always be circling around Pei Yan. You don’t expect him to support you for the rest of your life, do you?”

“So?” Xie Yu looked at him, his gaze light and tinged with disdain. “Are you jealous?”

Lu Xiao choked for a moment, then continued his assault. “Don’t you have any ambitions in life?”

“My ambition is to cling to Brother, to make him like me and be unable to leave me,” Xie Yu said shamelessly and as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He even threw out a lure: “Don’t tell me you don’t want the same?”

Lu Xiao’s lips moved. “I…”

Without giving him room to breathe, Xie Yu dropped a bombshell. “You like Brother too, don’t you?”

Lu Xiao lifted his eyelids, his clear eyes turned freezing cold.

Xie Yu sneered. How could someone who couldn’t even voice their love compete with him?

A few hours later, they finally reached the Capital, though it was already the next morning.

The subordinates swarmed out of the airship; they were truly bored to death in there.

Pei Yan headed straight home. When the butler saw him, his eyes immediately filled with tears of relief. “Young Master, Xiao Yu, you’re finally back.”

Pei Yan comforted him, “Uncle Xu, I’m fine.”

The butler wept with joy, then suddenly said, “By the way, Young Master, please go see Mr. Lin. Ever since he heard about you… his illness has worsened.”

Pei Yan’s brows knit tight. “Where is the doctor?”

Butler: “The doctor said it’s a ‘heart-ailment’ (mental/emotional distress).”

Hearing this, Pei Yan didn’t dare delay. He went straight to the garage to get a car. Xie Yu followed, and Pei Yan didn’t have time to dwell on their previous unpleasantness, letting him ride along.

The car drove into a quiet, secluded manor, and the gates slowly opened.

After parking, Pei Yan was led by a servant to see Lin Qingyu, who was sitting in a wheelchair.

His face was a sickly pale, and his eyes stared unfocused at a certain spot. His expression was gentle and sorrowful; it seemed even time was reluctant to leave too many marks on his face.

Standing beside him was a tall, middle-aged man who exuded the aura of someone in a high position. However, the gaze he leveled at Lin Qingyu was incredibly tender. Pei Yan thought the man looked familiar, but he couldn’t place him at the moment.

“Dad…”

Pei Yan called out softly.

Lin Qingyu startled. Looking at the man beside him, he said helplessly, “A-Hang, I think I heard Xiao Yan’s voice.”

The man turned. His ink-black eyes looked over without a shred of emotion—a complete contrast to how he had looked at Lin Qingyu just a moment ago. But in the instant his eyes met Xie Yu’s, a faint, almost imperceptible light flickered in the depths of his gaze.

Immediately after, Lin Qingyu also looked over. When his vacant gaze focused on Pei Yan, tears suddenly rolled down.

“Xiao Yan, my son…”

He reached out his hand. Pei Yan walked forward of his own accord, knelt down, and pressed his face against Lin Qingyu’s hand, his eyes reddening. “Dad, I’m here.”

“Xiao Yan…” Lin Qingyu choked out his name.

Pei Yan gripped his hand tightly. “Dad, I’m here.”

The two of them repeated this exchange over and over, calling and answering without tire, until Lin Qingyu finally began to calm down.

Noticing Xie Yu standing beside Pei Yan, Lin Qingyu took the tissue handed to him by the man, wiped his tears, and asked, “Who is this?”

Pei Yan didn’t want to lie to him, so he answered honestly. “His name is Xie Yu. He’s my partner.”

Lin Qingyu’s hand paused as he wiped his tears. Looking at the physically robust man who was even taller and broader than his son, he seemed lost in thought. He asked hesitantly, “He’s probably an Alpha too, right?”

Pei Yan lowered his head and nodded slightly. “Yes…”

One look and Lin Qingyu knew he was lying—but why would Xiao Yan lie to him about gender?

He didn’t care who Xiao Yan’s partner was; Omega or Alpha, he had no objections as long as Xiao Yan liked them.

Could it be that this child named Xie was neither an Alpha nor an Omega?

Seeing that Lin Qingyu was about to guess the truth, Pei Yan spoke up just in time. “Dad, I’m hungry. I just got off the airship and came straight here after hearing the news from Uncle Xu. I haven’t eaten yet.”

Lin Qingyu snapped out of his thoughts. He stroked Pei Yan’s head and smiled. “Alright. How about I cook for you myself today?”

“Better not,” Pei Yan refused. “Your body can’t handle that kind of exertion.”

Lin Qingyu gave him a mock-glare. “What do you mean ‘can’t handle it’? I’m still young.”

“Yes, yes, yes, you’re still young,” Pei Yan humored him.