The Top-Tier Alpha Refuses to Be Pretty Cannon Fodder - Chapter 29

Someone in the crowd sucked in a sharp breath.

If Duke Albard was standing here now, it meant the domestic affairs of Country Y were likely settled. Given his methods, he was undoubtedly the sole legitimate heir to the throne. Was Lu Yunli insane?

However, for Lu Yunli, the fact that Duke Albard had appeared at his birthday banquet meant the Duke did not intend to use his status to crush him. As long as that was true, there was still room to maneuver. Since the Duke wanted to offer an apology, Lu Yunli was bold enough to act out in front of him.

The moment Lu Yunli spoke, he saw the fingertips stroking the cane stop. A crack appeared on that face, which usually held the coldness of deep snow, like the first thaw of winter.

Under Lu Yunli’s gaze, Duke Albard raised his hand slightly. “After you.”

A step back was a compromise. Lu Yunli raised an eyebrow, the smile on his lips deepening. He turned around, personally grabbed a bottle and glasses from the table behind him, filled them, and handed a glass to the man. “Please, Duke.”

Duke Albard took the glass. His beautiful lake-blue eyes rested on Lu Yunli as they clinked glasses. The crisp sound of glass meeting glass rang out. Lu Yunli accompanied him through three drinks before setting the glass down.

“General Huo.”

Huo Yan stepped forward and saluted Duke Albard.

Lu Yunli leaned lazily against the table, lifting his chin toward Morpheus. “He’s yours.”

Morpheus’s face went pale. He struggled to stand. “Lu Yunli! You aren’t keeping your word!”

Huo Yan stepped forward and pinned him to the floor. Lu Yunli rested his hand on the table behind him and used a finger to pick at his ear. “Noisy.”

He lowered his hand and looked at Duke Albard. Propping up his chin, he mused, “Duke, I didn’t hear incorrectly, did I? You said you were handing him over to me to deal with?”

The offer to “deal with him” had been made before the agreement to drink. To raise the matter again after the drinks were finished was the height of “getting something for nothing.”

Duke Albard’s gaze swept over the hint of cunning in Lu Yunli’s eyes. His fingers traced the patterns on his cane, and his crimson lips slowly curled upward. It was no wonder Morpheus had stumbled in front of this man. Lu Yunli was far more interesting than he had imagined.

The smile on Duke Albard’s face deepened. If nothing unexpected happened, this man would surely achieve great things. If Country Y collaborated with him, the benefits would be immense. But if he were destined to be an enemy… then he could not be allowed to live.

To collaborate or to kill? He needed to test him.

Thinking of this, Duke Albard stepped forward. He leaned over slightly to place his empty glass on the table Lu Yunli was leaning against. He looked into Lu Yunli’s eyes and made another concession. “President Lu is correct.”

Lu Yunli said nothing, but he could feel the atmospheric pressure of Duke Albard’s presence above him. The Duke was very close; the slight forward lean added a sharp edge to their confrontation. It was the warning of a wolf baring its fangs to an equal.

Lu Yunli showed no fear. Just as he was about to reach out, his arm was blocked by Duke Albard’s cane. “You can have the man. However, not a single one of the chips FLP originally planned to give us can be missing.”

Lu Yunli looked down at his hand. “Businessmen value honesty and credit. Country Y wanted to play us for fools. I can give you the chips, but I’m cutting the supply by fifty percent.”

Duke Albard leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Fifty percent is too much. Why don’t we cooperate instead?”

Lu Yunli: “Cooperation requires a bit of sincerity.”

At that moment, Huo Yan’s men arrived. The soldiers stood on the other side of the entrance, creating a balanced, repressive tension with the Country Y guards. Though few in number, their presence was a clear deterrent. I won’t attack unless attacked. If Duke Albard wanted to make a move, he would have to weigh the consequences.

Sure enough, Lu Yunli saw a flash of surprise in the Duke’s eyes. He hadn’t expected such a quick reaction. With the military backing him, Lu Yunli’s confidence surged. He stared into the Duke’s eyes and raised an eyebrow. “Duke Albard, you should think carefully. Do you want a subordinate who is good for nothing but failure, or do you want a partner?”

Duke Albard smiled. “To plot with a tiger for its skin.”

Lu Yunli: “How can you catch the tiger’s cub without entering the tiger’s den?”

Morpheus shouted, “Duke! Don’t listen to his lies!”

Under the Duke’s gaze, Lu Yunli pushed himself up and walked over to Morpheus, giving him a kick. “Even now, you’re trying to drag your Duke down with you?”

If the Duke was no longer willing to protect him, Morpheus would become the sacrificial lamb of this incident. Morpheus’s eyes widened as he looked at Duke Albard in panic. “Duke, I didn’t!”

Duke Albard said nothing.

Lu Yunli snorted. “The previous cooperation between Country Y and FLP was facilitated entirely by the Duke. He clearly wants to establish friendly relations with Country M. If you hadn’t interfered, why would the deal have been interrupted? Morpheus, are you still trying to stand in the way?”

This combination of flattery for the Duke and disdain for Morpheus turned the Colonel’s face as white as paper. He opened his mouth. “I…”

Morpheus looked at Duke Albard. The young Duke’s gaze was downcast, and though he said nothing, Morpheus saw the warning in his eyes. Morpheus sat dejectedly on the floor. In the end, he did not reveal the truth; he took the fall himself.

Lu Yunli watched Huo Yan take the man away. He assumed Duke Albard would leave immediately, but to his surprise, the man stayed. Lu Yunli was forced to escort him to the VIP room and spend some time discussing the group’s cooperation with Country Y.

He didn’t leave until Rice pushed the door open to report that Qi Xi had gone missing. Standing in the hall where Qi Xi had been sitting, Lu Yunli narrowed his eyes. “Where is he?”

“President Lu, I had people watching him, but he disappeared just now,” Rice said, lowering his head. “However, the Golden Retriever is still here, so he shouldn’t have gone far.”

Lu Yunli frowned. “And Xie Xingchi?”

Rice called someone over to check. “He’s gone too.”

“Damn it.” Lu Yunli cursed. Despite his constant monitoring, those two “dogs” had still managed to find each other.

[520: System Alert: Current scene Part 2: Birthday Peril progress 45 percent. The plot is nearly halfway through. Host, please hurry to change the story’s direction.]

[Lu Yunli: What happens if I don’t change it?]

[520: There will be a punishment~]

[Lu Yunli: What kind of punishment?]

[520: It will be randomly selected based on the completion rate, Dear~]

Knowing how inhumane the system could be, Lu Yunli suspected the punishment wouldn’t be anything good. He looked at Rice with a grim expression and barked, “Find them! Right now!”

Half an hour earlier, while everyone was surrounding Lu Yunli, Xie Xingchi had stopped in front of Qi Xi with a wine glass. Although the Xie family couldn’t compare to the great noble houses, they were still prominent. Today, Xie Xingchi wore a small Western-style suit that complemented his fair, gentle face, making him look quite distinguished. However, as pretty as he was, he paled in comparison to someone like Lu Yunli.

His father had sent him here today to catch Lu Yunli’s eye. If he could win Lu Yunli’s favor and marry into the family, the Xie family’s rise would be guaranteed. But Xie Xingchi knew better. The CEO of FLP Group wasn’t a fool like Lu Yunxing; why would he lower himself to marry an Omega from an obscure family?

Rather than chasing a cold shoulder, it was better to pursue Qi Xi, whom he had loved since childhood. Although Qi Xi’s Lanhai Group wasn’t as large as FLP, it had carved out its own territory in recent years. It wouldn’t be long before Lanhai was on par with FLP as a leading enterprise in Country M. Having followed Qi Xi for so many years, he knew that although the man was married to that idiot, the marriage was in name only. As long as he got them to divorce, Qi Xi would be his.

He never expected everything to change after Qi Xi went home just once. Xie Xingchi looked down at the spiked wine in his glass, bit his lip, and drank it all. He handed the glass to a waiter and walked up to Qi Xi. “Brother Xi.”

Qi Xi looked up. “Why are you here?”

The cold voice made Xie Xingchi bite his lower lip. “My father sent me to wish President Lu a happy birthday.”

Qi Xi barely looked at him. “This isn’t where you belong. Go back.”

Xie Xingchi frowned and took a step forward. “Brother Xi, do you think I’m here because of Lu Yunxing?”

Qi Xi didn’t speak. Silence was an admission. Xie Xingchi clenched his hands at his sides. As expected, Qi Xi actually cared about that waste! Xie Xingchi looked down. He took a deep breath, looked around, and said, “Brother Xi, let’s talk.”

Qi Xi stood up. “If it’s about the trending topics, I don’t think we have anything to discuss. Let the legal process handle it.”

Xie Xingchi: “Brother Xi, I’ve followed you for so many years. Do you have to be this heartless?”

Qi Xi: “Xie Xingchi, I never expected you to be this kind of person, either.”

“Fine. Since you know, I won’t beat around the bush.” Xie Xingchi stared at the face so close to him. He reached out and pressed down on Qi Xi’s shoulder as the man tried to leave. “I have a secret about Lu Yunxing. Do you want to hear it?”

Qi Xi’s brow furrowed. “What do you know?”

Xie Xingchi gave a faint smile and pulled his hand back. “There are too many eyes and ears here. If you want to hear it, follow me.”

Qi Xi didn’t move. Xie Xingchi listened to the movement behind them and glanced sideways. “I noticed quite a few media members at the banquet today. You don’t have to come, but I can leak this to the press.”

Xie Xingchi had leaked to the media before; he might have other leverage over Lu Yunxing. If it were brought up for public discussion like last time, it would be a second devastating blow to Xingxing.

Qi Xi glanced at the surrounded Lu Yunli, then his gaze shifted to the second floor. Lu Yunli was tied up; he could take this chance to go to the second floor to find Xingxing.

With that thought, Qi Xi put one hand in his pocket and took the lead, heading toward the second floor. “Follow me.”

Xie Xingchi curled his lips and followed him.

Rice: “President Lu, I found them.”

Lu Yunli closed the door to the room he was in. “Where?”

Rice: “In room 3024.”

[520: System Alert: Current scene Part 2: Birthday Peril progress 70 percent. The plot is more than halfway through. Host, please hurry to change the story’s direction.]

The system’s voice was like a death knell. Lu Yunli cursed, turned, and charged toward room 3024.

Room 3024 was at the end of the corridor. Lu Yunli reached the door and turned the handle. It wouldn’t open. He tried a few more times, but it remained shut. It was clearly locked from the inside.

[520: System Alert: Birthday Peril progress 70 percent.]

The progress bar didn’t advance. Something had changed. Lu Yunli turned. “Rice, get the key.”

Rice: “Yes, sir.”

While waiting, Lu Yunli pressed his ear to the door. Behind it, everything was silent. He heard nothing. What is the situation? Lu Yunli frowned and twisted the handle again.

[520: Dear, the key is on the floor.]

Lu Yunli glanced down and saw a key that had been dropped on the carpet. He leaned down, picked it up, and inserted it into the lock. This time, the door opened.

Lu Yunli pushed the door open and entered. “Qi Xi?”

A rush of pheromones hit him, making Lu Yunli stop in his tracks.

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