Transmigrated As The Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife Of A Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 20.1

Because the heating was on, Meng Ze was only wearing a thin black crew-neck loungewear top and a checkered apron tied around his waist. The counter was covered in ingredients, he actually looked like he knew what he was doing. He was studying how to cut a tomato while saying calmly into the phone, “What is it? Speak.”

The secretary froze for two seconds before repeating her words. “This matter requires your personal decision. Can you come to the office today?”

Meng Ze: “Understood.”

He turned his head to ask Zhao Zhiyi, “I’m making tomato and egg noodles. How many eggs do you want?”

Secretary Chen: “…?”

Zhao Zhiyi opened his mouth and whispered, “Can you talk about business first?”

“Aren’t you hungry?” Meng Ze said. “So, how many?”

“…Two.”

“Mm.” Meng Ze returned to the secretary. “Meeting at 3 PM. I’ll be there.”

Secretary Chen said solemnly, “Understood, President Meng. I’ll make the arrangements.”

The moment she hung up, she twisted in her seat like a water snake. “Unbelievable! President Meng has an Omega with him during his rut! And President Meng is cooking for him!”

With a shush, the entire secretarial pool swarmed around her. “Real or fake?”

“How do you know it’s an Omega? It could be Young Master Su. President Meng is allergic to Omegas.”

“You must be new here. Once, when President Meng was in rut, Young Master Su just happened to pass by. The two of them got into a fight and both ended up in the hospital…”

Secretary Chen crossed her arms. “During an Alpha’s rut, who besides an Omega could get that close? I heard the President’s voice after a while. I suspect the Omega had the phone first, saw it was business, and took it to him. You should have heard the tone President Meng used with him. Oh my!”

“I don’t believe it. President Meng doesn’t seem like that kind of Alpha.”

“I always thought he was asexual… a rich heir like him has plenty of beautiful Omegas around, but he never plays around. In his eyes, there’s no difference between an Omega and an Alpha. Do you know the saying in our circle? Being President Meng’s secretary means you never have to worry about workplace harassment.”

“Exactly. How could he possibly cook for someone?”

Secretary Chen hummed with a smirk. “President Meng is still in his rut. If he comes to the office this afternoon, that Omega will probably come too. You’ll see then, won’t you?”

“I’m going to the company with you?” Zhao Zhiyi sat at the dining table, nearly choking on the salt-laden tomato and egg noodles Meng Ze had spent ages making. “What am I going to do at your company?!”

“I need your pheromones,” Meng Ze said. “Ruts make me irritable to begin with. There’s a group of idiots waiting for me to clean up their mess at the office. I’ll only be more frustrated.”

Zhao Zhiyi: “That’s your problem, what does it have to do with.”

“One million,” Meng Ze said casually.

“…It has everything to do with me! Your business is my business.” Zhao Zhiyi’s words took a sharp turn. “When are we leaving?”

“After we eat.”

Zhao Zhiyi pushed the bowl away and said, “Let’s eat out. This is truly terrible.”

Meng Ze said, “Indeed.”

Even though anyone could tell what they had been doing last night given Meng Ze’s current state, Zhao Zhiyi still applied a scent-blocking patch, self-deceivingly. He kept a three meters distance from Meng Ze while heading out. Sitting in the passenger seat, he was still uneasy. “Are you okay to drive?”

Meng Ze said, “I’m in rut, not brain dead.”

“It’s about the same…” Zhao Zhiyi mumbled as he struggled with the seatbelt. He soon realized the car was so high-end he didn’t even know how to use it.

Meng Ze rested his hand on the steering wheel, waiting patiently. After ten seconds, Zhao Zhiyi’s annoyed voice came from beside him: “Meng Ze, how does this thing work?”

Meng Ze leaned over, buckled him in, and placed a kiss on his soft cheek in passing. “There.”

Zhao Zhiyi shrank into his seat, covering his face with his scarf. His ears were a deep crimson as he hissed, “Don’t you dare kiss me again!”

Meng Ze kissed the tip of his ear. “Already did.”

Zhao Zhiyi: “…”

Save me. Someone please just stab this rogue to death.

Zhao Zhiyi had never been to Meng Ze’s company. He only knew from the original novel that the Meng family held a massive influence in A-City. Seeing the towering office building before him, Zhao Zhiyi shed tears of poverty. “Is this whole building yours?”

Meng Ze: “The ones next to it are, too.”

Zhao Zhiyi: “…”

Meng Ze reached out to hold his hand, but Zhao Zhiyi dodged it, warning, “Don’t be all touchy-feely in public.”

“Understood.” Meng Ze withdrew his hand. “This way.”

People bustled through the lobby. Zhao Zhiyi remembered how his mother’s dream was for him to work in such a grand place. Based on his previous life’s education and grades, he would have had no problem entering a big company as a corporate slave. He just hadn’t expected that he’d be transmigrated before graduating. He hadn’t experienced the professional oppression of a big boss, but he’d certainly experienced the bedroom oppression of one.

Taking the private elevator up, Zhao Zhiyi had a question. “Why isn’t your office on the top floor? Aren’t you CEO types supposed to have a massive floor to ceiling window on the top floor, holding a glass of wine while looking down at the world?”

Meng Ze: “Why would I do something so boring? Waiting for the elevator takes forever when you’re that high up. Isn’t it a hassle?”

Zhao Zhiyi thought about it, he was right. CEO literature really was misleading.

The secretaries were already waiting. Zhao Zhiyi, feeling like an insignificant side character, didn’t want to parade around the protagonist’s company. He muffled himself up tightly and ducked into Meng Ze’s office the moment they arrived, unaware that the secretary group chat was already exploding:

[Ahhh! Sister Chen wasn’t lying! It really is an Omega! He smells entirely of President Meng’s pheromones!]

[How is this different from a dog marking its territory…]

[Are there any Alphas in this chat? What does it mean for President Meng to coat someone inside and out with his scent like that?]

[Alpha here. It means ‘This Omega is mine, touch him and you die.’]

[Ahhh! I take back what I said about the President being asexual! Did you see? There are bite marks all over his gland and neck! His Omega is so wild!]

[First time seeing an Alpha let an Omega bite his neck… especially a Top Alpha like President Meng. Tsk tsk.]

[The President’s Omega is so low-key, I didn’t even see his face. But he seems like he’d be good-looking, tall and thin.]

[He’s even wearing a scent patch. He definitely doesn’t know he’s already been marinated in the President’s scent, heehee.]

Zhao Zhiyi took off his hat and scarf, letting out a breath as he surveyed Meng Ze’s office.

While not on the top floor, it did have a full wall of floor to ceiling windows. The decor was simple, a sofa for guests, a desk, a bookshelf, a small bar… it felt exceptionally spacious and the black, white, and grey style was somewhat oppressive. Very Meng Ze.

“How long will your meeting take?” Zhao Zhiyi asked.

Meng Ze, who was pouring water, replied, “Not sure. One or two hours.”

He placed the glass in front of Zhao Zhiyi. “Do you want to come with me?”

“…I’d have to be crazy to go with you.” Zhao Zhiyi curled his lip and stared at Meng Ze. “Don’t even think about it.”

Meng Ze seemed slightly disappointed. He had a secretary bring in some snacks and fruit. “Wait for me here. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

“No need to rush.” Zhao Zhiyi took a sip of water. He licked his lips, which were a bit chapped from the cold wind. Suddenly, Meng Ze tilted his chin up, forcing him to look up. Zhao Zhiyi was confused: “What are you doing?”

“I need to apply some lip balm,” Meng Ze said. “Otherwise, they’ll bleed.”

He opened the office door, gave an instruction, and returned shortly with a new, unopened tube of lip balm. He sat on the coffee table and said to Zhao Zhiyi, “Look up.”

“I can do it myself…”

“Look up,” Meng Ze repeated.

Zhao Zhiyi knew this man was fundamentally stubborn and dictatorial. He didn’t want to argue over such a small thing, so he obediently tilted his head back.

Meng Ze held his chin and slowly applied the balm.

“Does it hurt?”

“How could such a small scratch hurt?” Zhao Zhiyi said dismissively.

Meng Ze hummed, then asked, “Zhao Zhiyi, what flavor is this lip balm?”

That caught Zhao Zhiyi off guard. He poked out the tip of his tongue and licked his lips tentatively. “Strawberry? Grape? Or cantaloupe?”

Meng Ze’s gaze darkened. He leaned in and kissed Zhao Zhiyi’s shimmering lips in that position. Zhao Zhiyi’s lashes fluttered. “What are you?”

“I have to go to a meeting soon,” Meng Ze said irritably. “It’s annoying to deal with those old geezers. How about a consoling kiss?”

“No.”

Meng Ze acted as if he were deaf. He pressed against the back of Zhao Zhiyi’s neck, deepening the kiss.

The scent patch blocked the pheromones from the gland, so Meng Ze explored Zhao Zhiyi’s mouth instead. He chuckled softly. “Orange flavored.”

“…What?”

“The lip balm,” Meng Ze said against the corner of his mouth.

Zhao Zhiyi frowned. “It’s clearly strawberry.”

Meng Ze: “Maybe I tasted it wrong. Let’s try again.”

As he spoke, he captured Zhao Zhiyi’s lips once more. Secretary Chen happened to push the door open: “President Meng, the meeting is about to.”

Seeing the scene inside, she immediately turned around. “Should I inform everyone that the meeting is delayed by ten minutes?”

Then she heard a furious voice from inside: “Meng Ze, you bastard! Get to the meeting now!!”

The “bastard” said, “One more kiss.”

A minute later, President Meng walked out of the room looking triumphant, despite a fresh scratch on his neck.

Secretary Chen kept her eyes down and tried to remain calm.

“That lip balm, what flavor is it?” Meng Ze asked.

“Uh… strawberry,” Secretary Chen answered, puzzled. “Is something wrong?”

“His taste buds are quite sensitive,” Meng Ze murmured. “It really was strawberry.”

“President Meng?”

Meng Ze looked up. “Inform finance. You’re getting a fifty percent raise.”