The Top-Tier Alpha Refuses to Be Pretty Cannon Fodder - Chapter 30

The scent of milky, sweet pheromones was so cloying it made one’s head spin. This was the smell of an Omega’s pheromones.

Lu Yunli froze in his tracks. His eyes fell upon Xie Xingchi, who was lying on the bed with a flushed face. Qi Xi, however, was nowhere to be seen.

[520: System Alert: Current scene Part 2: Birthday Peril progress 60 percent. The plot is more than halfway through. Host, please hurry to change the story’s direction.]

The progress had dropped, but not entirely. This meant that while the surface-level events had changed, the core content of the original work was still attempting to manifest.

Lu Yunli cursed under his breath. The Omega’s pheromones were beginning to interfere with his senses; he couldn’t stay here. He needed to leave immediately.

He walked quickly toward the door, but just as his hand touched the handle, a warm body pressed against his back. Xie Xingchi, his mind clouded, leaned against Lu Yunli’s shoulder and whispered, “Brother Xi… don’t go.”

Xie Xingchi was in heat. Such a “tender fragrance and soft jade” was offering itself, yet Qi Xi was absent. If Lu Yunli guessed correctly, Xie Xingchi had tried to set a trap but ended up outsmarting himself and getting dumped here instead.

Lu Yunli had no time to play games. With a cold expression, he shoved the man away. He reached for the door again, but his arm was caught. Xie Xingchi clung to him, his voice laced with sobs.

“Brother Xi… don’t discard me. I like you; I’ve liked you since we were children.”

“I am not Qi Xi.” Lu Yunli tried to wrench his arm away, but Xie Xingchi’s grip was incredibly tight, as if letting go meant the other would vanish forever.

Sensing Lu Yunli’s resistance, Xie Xingchi explained frantically, “Brother Xi, the person whose pheromones have a high compatibility with yours must be me, not Lu Yunxing! Three years ago, I was clearly the one who was supposed to marry you!”

“Lu Yunxing stole my place. I am the one who should be your wife!”

Lu Yunli: “Damn it.”

It was bad enough that Qi Xi was technically “cheating” on him with this drama, but now he was being treated as a body double. What kind of cursed fate was this?

Right now, Xie Xingchi was like a thirsty fish, desperately seeking a water source. As he drew closer, his Omega pheromones filled the air with a hint of seduction. The stronger an Alpha is, the more sensitive they are to an Omega’s scent.

In a room filled with these pheromones, Lu Yunli felt his body becoming restless. Every inch of his muscles felt hypersensitive. In the air, a faint scent of Oolong White Tea—Lu Yunli’s own Alpha pheromones—was being drawn out bit by bit.

The pheromones of a top-tier Alpha exerted an overwhelming sense of control, turning Xie Xingchi’s face bright red and clouding his eyes. Consequently, Lu Yunli’s own heat cycle was being triggered early by the Omega’s induction.

[System Alert: Current scene Part 2: Birthday Peril progress 70 percent.]

The heat made him irritable and restless. Lu Yunli peeled Xie Xingchi off him like an octopus, propped himself against the wall to steady his nerves, and bolted out the door, relocking it behind him.

He pulled out his phone to send a message to Rice. As he turned a corner, he saw several members of the media approaching at the end of the corridor. Lu Yunli quickly hid behind a wall, overhearing their conversation.

“You guys weren’t watching closely enough; President Lu disappeared in the blink of an eye.” “I still have so many questions for the interview.” “Don’t push! I’ve already thought of the headline: ‘A Detailed Account of How the FLP CEO Tore into Country Y’.”

Leaning against the wall, Lu Yunli twitched his lips as he listened. What perfect timing. If he were caught now, the headline would likely change to: “FLP CEO Caught in Secret Tryst with Omega at Birthday Banquet.”

[System Alert: Current scene Part 2: Birthday Peril progress 80 percent. Host, please hurry.]

It seemed the system had identified Xie Xingchi as the “random Omega” from the original work. Truly a brainless, non-intelligent system.

The scent of Oolong White Tea in the air grew stronger. He wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. Just as he was wondering what to do, Rice’s voice rang out in the corridor.

“Media is not allowed on the second floor. How did you get up here?”

With Rice drawing their attention, Lu Yunli scanned the area and chose the nearest room to hide in. The room was dark, and the sudden silence allowed him to lean against the door and let out a long sigh of relief. He was safe for now.

As that thought occurred, the system progress rolled back to 70 percent. The heat cycle of a top-tier Alpha was violent, and combined with the induction from Xie Xingchi, Lu Yunli could no longer support himself. He sent a final message to Rice and slid down to sit on the floor.

Meanwhile, Qi Xi was about to explode with rage. He had thought Xie Xingchi called him away to talk about Lu Yunxing, but the man actually wanted to discuss himself and that wedding from three years ago.

Qi Xi didn’t need Xie Xingchi to tell him what happened three years ago. As a primary party involved, his company had just started and needed financing. Through friends, he had contacted the CEO of FLP Group, Lu Yunli. That was the first time he had met the only top-tier Alpha in Country M.

Seeing the man arrive surrounded by a crowd, Qi Xi’s first impression was that this person belonged in the clouds, a target for everyone’s admiration. However, the ensuing negotiations had left Qi Xi utterly disappointed. He never expected that the man he viewed as a role model would be so short-sighted.

They had negotiated several more times, each ending in a heated disagreement. A month later, Lu Yunli had come to see him personally again. But this time, it wasn’t business—it was personal.

Lu Yunli told him that his brother, Lu Yunxing, had a 99 percent pheromone compatibility with Qi Xi; they were a match made in heaven. Qi Xi refused on the spot. Most people believed Alphas were born to mark Omegas, and that as long as the cold data of pheromone compatibility was high, they should become partners to propagate the species.

But Qi Xi didn’t believe that. He wanted a partner who was compatible in personality and affection, regardless of Alpha/Omega status. The price of his refusal was a sudden break in his company’s supply chain the very next day. Capital failed to return, and it was then he realized Lu Yunli had never intended to “discuss” it with him.

Forced by necessity, Qi Xi had married Lu Yunxing. From that day on, he had never gone back, nor had he seen Lu Yunli again. No one knew better than Qi Xi what had happened three years ago. Xie Xingchi’s “revelations” were entirely redundant.

Qi Xi hadn’t realized the other man had a different goal. Just as he was about to leave, Xie Xingchi went into heat. The moment the Omega pheromones spread through the room, Qi Xi realized the plan. Without a suppressant, an Omega’s heat causes great physical harm; Xie Xingchi was trying to force his hand.

But Qi Xi hated being threatened more than anything. He reacted decisively, locking the man in the room and sending someone to find a suppressant while he went to look for Lu Yunxing.

After a search, he couldn’t find his wife. He went to find Lu Yunli, but Lu Yunli’s lounge was also empty. Standing in the vacant room, Qi Xi ran a hand through his hair. “Damn it, where did Lu Yunli hide Xingxing?”

As he prepared to leave the lounge, he suddenly saw Rice leading several reporters downstairs. Why is Rice here? Does that mean Lu Yunli is nearby?

Qi Xi stepped out of the lounge and headed toward the rooms deeper inside the second floor.

Before he had walked very far, the scent of Oolong White Tea suddenly drifted into his nostrils. The pheromones were dense; the honey-sweetness of peach mingled with the lingering aftertaste of Oolong tea, washing over him like a tidal wave. It felt like a sweet, sprawling net, enticing one to draw closer.

He had only ever smelled this specific scent on one person: Lu Yunxing.

“Xingxing?!”

Qi Xi’s expression darkened instantly. He followed the scent at a quick pace, searching until he reached a closed door and twisted the handle.

The lights were off. The rush of pheromones made Qi Xi feel a faint, inexplicable sense of unease, but before he could dwell on it, he heard the sound of soft sobbing coming from inside the room. The sound was repressed and pained. Using the weak light from the corridor, Qi Xi looked over and caught the blurry silhouette of a figure collapsed on the floor.

“Xingxing?”

Just as Qi Xi reached out to turn on the light, the figure in the shadows barked out a low command, “Don’t turn on the light.”

The voice was a familiar tone, but it was currently hoarse, as if the speaker had been crying, and it carried a tremble of fear. Qi Xi moved his hand away from the switch and closed the door.

The room returned to darkness. Only then did Qi Xi see the silhouette nearby slowly begin to calm down. He walked forward step by step. All the questions and accusations he had prepared were swallowed back the moment he reached the person.

He knelt before him and spoke soothingly, “Xingxing, it’s me.”

The wait for Rice felt like an eternity. As time ticked by, the string held taut in Lu Yunli’s mind finally snapped.

An Alpha’s heat cycle—the “vulnerability period”—stripped away all sense of security. The dark environment left him feeling increasingly helpless. He began to feel afraid, terrified, as if he had been abandoned.

He didn’t know how long this feeling lasted, but a sound eventually broke the silence. He suddenly felt someone approaching him. Lu Yunli reached out and threw his arms around the person’s neck as if grabbing a life-saving straw, wailing loudly. “Waaaaah…”

For a moment, Qi Xi was at a loss. He frantically searched his memory for the contents of the books he had recently read. The books said that an Omega in heat needed to be soothed. For an Omega, the best “soothers” were an Alpha’s pheromones and a temporary mark.

Qi Xi released a small amount of his own pheromones. He looked at his hand suspended in the air, then slowly placed it on the other’s back, patting him rhythmically.

the faint, mellow scent of Brandy pheromones spread through the air, but they were instantly swallowed whole by the overwhelming Oolong White Tea scent in the room. It was like a drop of water falling into the ocean, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Inside the room, the Oolong White Tea pheromones became even more intense.

Before Qi Xi could react, he was shoved to the floor.

The club’s windows were smooth and bright, allowing a faint moonlight to reflect inside, illuminating the two figures on the floor. Lu Yunli propped his hands on either side of Qi Xi, leaned down slightly, and gently brushed his lips against the other’s.

As Lu Yunli drew closer, both of their breaths became erratic. However, Lu Yunli was not satisfied. To him, Qi Xi’s mental power was weaker than his own, and since his pheromones weren’t those of an Omega, they couldn’t actually soothe him. Instead, they began to stir the innate hostility of an Alpha in heat.

What Lu Yunli was thinking was how to bite the other’s neck, and that the person before him should have the sense to offer it up. Yet, he didn’t. Lu Yunli felt aggrieved.

Qi Xi looked into Lu Yunxing’s eyes, which were still brimming with tears. A teardrop hanging from his lashes rolled down, staining the corner of his eye a vivid crimson. It looked like an accusation—a silent cry that he couldn’t smell Qi Xi’s pheromones properly.

Qi Xi pressed his thumb against the corner of the other’s eye, wiping away the tear, and coaxed him softly, “Don’t cry. I’ll give it to you… I’ll give you everything…”

The Brandy pheromones filled the air, wrapping around the Oolong White Tea while it was off-guard. The sudden pressure of the strong pheromones caused a flash of clarity to return to Lu Yunli’s eyes.

Someone is actually provoking me?

Lu Yunli stared at the familiar face in front of him and realized he was dangerously close to the man’s lips. He froze abruptly, his brow furrowing. Wait, isn’t this Qi Xi? Just now, he had actually mistaken the man for an Omega.

Similarly, Qi Xi had mistaken him for Lu Yunxing.

Lu Yunli blinked, his reason returning bit by bit. He propped his arms up slightly, and after seeing no suspicion on Qi Xi’s face, he let out a long sigh of relief. It made sense; no one would ever imagine that a top-tier Alpha’s pheromones would be Oolong White Tea—such an “Omega-sounding” scent.

But the truth cannot be faked, and a lie cannot last. If this continued, he would definitely be exposed. With that thought, Lu Yunli tried to push himself up to leave.

To his surprise, Qi Xi grabbed his arm and gave a sharp tug. In the next instant, their positions were reversed. Lu Yunli’s back hit the floor, and Qi Xi’s arms formed a cage, pinning him within his embrace.

Lu Yunli felt the pheromones radiating from Qi Xi grow increasingly dense. He frowned. “Qi…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Qi Xi’s kiss descended upon him. Sealed with a kiss.

Qi Xi: I’ll give my wife whatever he wants.

Lu Yunli: …

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