The Top-Tier Alpha Refuses to Be Pretty Cannon Fodder - Chapter 28.1

At the Shenghua Club in Country M, the Lu family was hosting a birthday banquet.

The Lu family of Country M was part of the high-ranking nobility, possessing a long history and pure lineage. By Lu Yunli’s generation, though the family members were few, they had produced a top-tier Alpha like him. Lu Yunli had taken over the company as a youth, sitting atop a commercial empire with access to elite resources; he was both powerful and mysterious. Furthermore, just yesterday, this young head of the house had made everyone aware of the FLP Group and the name Lu Yunli.

Today was meant to be a private banquet, but due to the public discourse from the previous day, the number of guests who came out of admiration had doubled compared to previous years.

According to custom, Lu Yunxing would make an appearance before the opening and then withdraw. Today was no exception. Melodious piano music echoed through the elegant and grand hall, and the guests in formal attire focused their attention on the young man currently sitting at the black piano.

The youth wore a pristine, custom-made white suit with a black tie fastened tightly around his shirt collar. He sat there, illuminated by the overhead lights, his lips slightly curved. His profile, bathed in light, was as exquisite and vivid as a rose.

“You have to admit, these two brothers really have identical faces.”

“President Lu is a top-tier Alpha, while this second young master is merely an inferior Omega.”

“Did you see the trending topics yesterday? One is in the heavens and the other in the dirt; it was a scene truly never seen before. The leaks say the Lu family’s second son has been a sycophant for the Qi family for years.”

“I even heard that in private, he enjoys playing all sorts of games.”

Amidst the discussions of the crowd, the piece ended.

Lu Yunli, sitting at the piano, stood up and gave an elegant bow to the guests. The lights reflected off his soft, short hair, making his face look exceptionally beautiful. As he stepped down from the platform, the murmurs around him started up again.

“Are you going to offer a toast?”

“Why don’t you go? I came here to see President Lu, not him.”

“He is the second young master of the Lu family, after all. Perhaps one could use him to establish a connection with President Lu.”

“He’s just a married, inferior Omega. If he weren’t married, I might consider having some fun with him.”

“Qi Xi hasn’t even shown up. Why are you in such a hurry to join the fray? Especially after what happened yesterday, do you dare to get involved in this mess?”

The brief exchanges were filled with sighs of disdain. The guests looked over, but their eyes were filled with contempt. To them, Lu Yunxing was now a flawed, useless person.

[520: Ding! The progress of the host changing the character’s ending is currently at 25 percent. Please keep working hard!]

Lu Yunli’s footsteps stopped abruptly.

[Lu Yunli: Why did it drop?]

[520: Dear, the system has detected that this scene highly overlaps with the original work.]

[520: The birthday banquet is a major turning point for the character. According to the logic of the original story, the original owner dies in despair precisely because of today.]

Lu Yunli stared at the content 520 showed him, narrowed his eyes, and scanned the hall. In the original book, Lin Zhi followed Xie Xingchi’s instructions and leaked information about the original owner just before the birthday banquet. Consequently, Lu Yunxing was insulted at the party, and Qi Xi, whom the original owner had begged to attend, was utterly disgusted by him.

[Lu Yunli: Wait, is ‘loving but not obtaining’ the same as ‘loving but being unable to’?]

[520: The system does not accept—]

[Lu Yunli: Hmm?]

[520: QAQ (so scary)]

[Lu Yunli: Go call Qi Xi here now and see if he is ‘utterly disgusted’ by me.]

[520: Then let’s wait until Qi Xi arrives!]

[Lu Yunli: 520!]

[520: The cutie you are calling is outside the service area. Please try again later.]

[Lu Yunli: Fine. We shall see.]

Lu Yunli took a deep breath and walked up the spiral staircase. Rice was waiting at the end of the corridor. As he approached, the smile on his face vanished, and Rice was met with his CEO’s foulest mood.

The door opened, and Lu Yunli stepped inside. “Qi Xi hasn’t arrived yet?”

Rice checked his watch. “Not yet.”

Lu Yunli narrowed his eyes. He isn’t even enthusiastic about his spouse’s birthday banquet? Why is he so slow? Qi Xi was crucial to whether his mission progress could recover. Without him, how could the rest of the drama play out?

Lu Yunli reached out and yanked off his tie. “Go find him. See where he is.”

Rice: “Yes, sir!”

Lu Yunli changed out of his suit and brushed his hair. Shedding his disguise, his temperament shifted. The timid aura vanished, replaced by a casual, carefree air. As he adjusted his sleeves, a shout suddenly rang out from outside the door.

“Li-bao!”

The familiar voice made Lu Yunli pause. He turned to flee, but the person caught him in a full embrace.

“Li-bao, long time no see! Did you miss me?”

“Sheng Yan.” A vein pulsed on Lu Yunli’s forehead. “Let go.”

Sheng Yan released him. “Li-bao, you are so cold to me.”

Lu Yunli narrowed his eyes at Sheng Yan’s breathtakingly handsome face. “What kind of ridiculous nickname is that?”

“Does it sound good?” Sheng Yan leaned in. “How about Li-Li?”

Lu Yunli: “I am your boss.”

Sheng Yan: “I accept workplace harassment rules.”

Lu Yunli twitched his lips. “I don’t like Alphas.”

Sheng Yan put an arm around Lu Yunli’s neck and smiled. “Rice told me everything. You do like Alphas.”

Sold him out so quickly. Lu Yunli’s eyelid flickered as he turned his head. “Rice!”

Rice bowed to the two of them. “President Lu, I am going out to see if President Qi has arrived.”

Trying to escape? Lu Yunli narrowed his eyes. “Deduct his pay!”

Sheng Yan: “I’ll pay it.”

Lu Yunli turned to him. “Do you know how much his monthly salary is?”

Sheng Yan leaned closer. “Then show some mercy. Otherwise, I’ll be broke and you’ll have to support me.”

The two were so close that Sheng Yan’s breath brushed against Lu Yunli’s neck. Lu Yunli stared at the face inches away and reached out to pinch his chin.

Sheng Yan: “You won’t lose face by taking me out.”

Sweet words fell into his ear, but the eyes Sheng Yan used to look at him held the aggression of an Alpha.

“It wouldn’t be losing face to show you off,” Lu Yunli chuckled, but his voice turned cold. “But I don’t like disobedient Alphas.”

Sheng Yan smiled. “What does President Lu mean by that?”

Lu Yunli pushed him away and sat on a nearby sofa. “I heard you aren’t very satisfied with the arrangements your new manager made for you.”

“Oh, that.” Sheng Yan followed him. “For the official announcement photos, they wanted to find an Alpha to pair with me, but our chemistry was off.”

Lu Yunli raised an eyebrow. “Then change to someone else.”

Sheng Yan sat on the arm of the sofa and poured a glass of water for him. “I am an S-class Alpha. Inferior Alphas are terrified when they see me. The only other S-class Alpha in the entertainment industry is the Film King, Gu Peixi.”

Lu Yunli took the water. “You want Gu Peixi to pair with you?”

Sheng Yan: “Gu Peixi is signed with Shengshi, and Shengshi is FLP’s rival. I am just a newcomer; how would I dare?”

“So you know you are a newcomer.” Lu Yunli placed the water on the table.

Sheng Yan: “But President Lu is betting on me. I won’t let you down.”

Lu Yunli smirked. Honestly, from the moment he first saw Sheng Yan, he had already decided how to shoot the announcement photos. Furthermore, he planned to use this to boost the other’s favorability.

Lu Yunli: “If an S-class Alpha won’t do, what about a top-tier one?”

Sheng Yan’s eyes widened. “You…”

[520: Ding! Sheng Yan’s favorability +10.]

Lu Yunli leaned back against the sofa. “What? You don’t want it?”

“Yes, yes, I want it!” Sheng Yan’s smile was radiant. “Li-bao, you are so good to me! Where should we shoot? How about Liaocheng? The scenery is beautiful and the food is great. We can stay for three days.”

Lu Yunli checked the time, buttoned his suit jacket, and stood up. “I’m only lending you one day. If you can’t finish the shoot, find your own solution.”

[520: Ding! Sheng Yan’s favorability -5.]

Lu Yunli: “…”

Sheng Yan bit his lip. “Fine. One day.” Better than nothing.

“President Lu, the General is here.”

The closed door of the lounge was pushed open from the outside. Lu Yunli saw Rice enter, followed by Huo Yan dressed in civilian clothes. He wore a long black trench coat today, and the chain of his gold-rimmed glasses draped over his shoulder, making him look very scholarly and elegant.

Lu Yunli went to greet him. “General, why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would have gone down to meet you.”

“You are the birthday boy today.” Huo Yan stepped forward and handed him a gift box. “I know you don’t like cake, so I took the liberty of choosing a different gift. I don’t see Xingxing; I have a gift for him as well.”

“He isn’t feeling well. I let him rest in the adjacent room.” Lu Yunli took both. “I’ll give it to him in a moment.”

Huo Yan: “Alright.”

As Huo Yan spoke, he felt a gaze land on him. An Alpha’s innate intuition told him that the person in the room was also an S-class Alpha. Huo Yan looked toward Sheng Yan.

A member of the Sheng family. And there was only one S-class Alpha of that level in the Sheng family—Sheng Yan, the little ancestor whom even the old patriarch could not control. Why was he here?

While Huo Yan was observing him, Sheng Yan was also sizing up the other. The Huo kid. One look confirmed it: this was a love rival! The Huo and Sheng families did not get along, especially since Sheng Yan’s grandfather was always nagged at him to follow Huo Yan as a role model. Seeing him now was a case of “rivals meeting with eyes blazing.” Sheng Yan was a few years younger and had lost at the starting line; he couldn’t afford to lose the battle for a spouse.

Sparks flew between the two.

Lu Yunli lowered his head and weighed the box in his hand. The gift box was small and very light; he couldn’t tell what was inside.

Sheng Yan stepped forward and chuckled. “The General certainly feels comfortable presenting such a tiny thing.”

Huo Yan adjusted his glasses with a finger. “It is still better than those who send nothing at all.”

Sheng Yan: “Who says I haven’t sent anything!” If it weren’t for his inconvenient identity, he would have sent something much better!

Lu Yunli: “Sheng Yan.”

Sheng Yan shut his mouth sheepishly. “Then I’ll wait for you outside.”

Lu Yunli nodded. After seeing him leave, he looked back at Huo Yan. “Can I open this now?”

Huo Yan raised an eyebrow. “Of course.”

Lu Yunli opened the small box to find a chip inside. Beneath the chip was an electronic card. He took the chip out and asked, “This is…?”

Huo Yan explained, “This chip contains the history of the military’s weaponry evolution over the years, as well as research data and projects on new weapons compiled by the research institute.”

Having managed this field in the real world, Lu Yunli knew exactly how vital this data was to Country M and the military. He tightened his grip on the box. “All of this is for me?”

Huo Yan: “Yes.”

Lu Yunli: “Are you not afraid that giving this to me will cause problems?”

Huo Yan: “You won’t cause problems.”

Huo Yan did not believe that someone capable of speaking so boldly in front of Country Y would ever betray his nation.

Lu Yunli raised an eyebrow, placed the chip back in the box, and picked up the card beneath it. The card was blank until Lu Yunli pressed his finger against it; it immediately began reading his fingerprint.

Name: Lu Yunli Gender: Top-tier Alpha Age: 26 Identity: CEO of FLP Group Current Clearance Level: S

Once the data reading was complete, the card displayed his photograph.

“And what is this?” Lu Yunli asked.

“An authorization card.” Huo Yan stepped forward, took the chip and the card, and demonstrated their use. As soon as the chip touched the card, it flashed.

Welcome to the Country M Military Management Database. Your current clearance is S. You may access the military database at will.

Huo Yan placed the items back in the box and handed them to Lu Yunli. Lu Yunli held them tightly. “Why give me these?”

Huo Yan laughed. “The whole world knows Country M intends to develop its own weapons now. The military’s research institute does not have that kind of capability. Lu Yunli, if you fail to produce results, Country M will lose face along with you.”

Lu Yunli: “Since General Huo has given me such a grand gift, it would be ungrateful of me not to research something significant after you have sacrificed so much for me.”

Huo Yan: “I trust you.”

He believed that Lu Yunli would bring a miracle to him and to Country M, so he was willing to stake his professional reputation on Lu Yunli’s success.

Lu Yunli’s gaze deepened as he looked at the General. “Thank you. A great man of the nation is brave and fearless. For your sake, and for my own, I will not let anyone down.”

Lu Yunli glanced at his watch. The birthday banquet was about to start. What is wrong with Qi Xi? Why isn’t he here yet?

Galant Bar

Lin Zhi was thrown into a dim private booth at the bar. He cried out in pain, propping himself up with his arms. When he turned around, he saw several Alphas walking toward him. He shrank back, pulling up his clothes which had slipped off his shoulder. “Stay away from me!”

The Alphas looked at each other and laughed. “Lin Zhi, why act pure now? We heard from the Red Light District that you are a regular there. Since you are from that side of town, why not have some fun with us today?”

Lin Zhi tried to scramble off the sofa, but the Alpha pheromones in the air made his body weak. He had played around for years without getting caught, but today, his luck had run out.

He had originally wanted Xie Xingchi to take him to Lu Yunli’s birthday banquet. He had never seen a top-tier Alpha in his life; if he could have just said a few words to the man, he could have bragged about it for years. But Xie Xingchi had rejected him.

Lin Zhi had come to the bar to drink away his sorrows, only to be targeted and dumped here. While it was true he visited the Red Light District, he only played around with new trends and never crossed dangerous lines. These men today clearly did not intend to let him go easily.

In the darkness, Lin Zhi gasped and desperately pulled his wallet from his pocket. “I don’t… I don’t want to play today. I’ll give you money…”

The men flipped through the wallet. “Just this much? Are you treating us like beggars?”

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