Why is this top-tier Alpha boss acting like this? - Chapter 14

Seeing Cheng Yan’s troubled expression, Qin Leyan put down the blocker in his hand and asked cautiously, “Brother, did I cause trouble for you? Will it affect you?”

Cheng Yan looked down at his phone to check his chat logs, then looked up at Qin Leyan. “No, President Song won’t get angry with me over such a small thing. Don’t worry.”

You’ve just indirectly confirmed that man’s misunderstanding about me, that’s all, he added silently to himself.

Song Yang already misunderstood that he had an Omega partner; now, it truly seemed impossible to clear things up.

But these were harmless trifles that wouldn’t affect much. He was more worried about whether Song Yang had something urgent. He hoped he hadn’t delayed serious business just by sleeping in.

He opened Song Yang’s chat log and called him back.

The ringing tone sounded, but there was no response from the other end. It rang until it automatically disconnected.

He looked at his phone in confusion and dialed again.

Same result—the ringing echoed in the void until it timed out.

He exited the call interface, opened WeChat, and found Song Yang’s account. Their last interaction was still the period Song Yang had sent him at midnight; after that, it was a blank space.

After a moment’s thought, he sent a message.

CY: President Song, I’m sorry I missed your call. Is there something I can help with?

After sending it, he waited for a while. The “typing…” indicator didn’t appear at the top of the chat box, meaning the other party hadn’t seen the message yet.

What was going on? Song Yang was the one looking for him, yet now Song Yang was the one who couldn’t be found.

There was nothing more he could do. He had called twice and sent a message. Having done everything possible, he could only wait for Song Yang to reply.

He placed his phone on the coffee table, went to the bathroom to wash up again, and then sat at the dining table waiting for the meal.

Qin Leyan’s cooking was excellent; even simple ingredients became delicious in his hands. They had lived together for a while years ago when Qin Leyan was younger. At that time, the responsibility for three meals a day fell to Cheng Yan. Since his culinary skills were questionable—not lethal, but certainly not tasty—Qin Leyan had nearly been moved to tears of despair after eating his cooking for a few days. From then on, the boy dedicated himself to studying cooking, specifically so he wouldn’t have to eat his brother’s food anymore.

Years later, his skills had truly blossomed.

Qin Leyan placed a bowl of soup in front of Cheng Yan, thoughtfully including a chicken drumstick. “Brother, eat more. Brother Runan said you really need the nutrition right now.”

Speaking of which, Cheng Yan now had the energy to ask, “When did you two get in touch? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Qin Leyan took a sip of soup, his eyes narrowing in satisfaction. Swallowing his food, he replied, “Actually, Brother Runan called me about a week ago. I was working a part-time job then. My boss wouldn’t let me leave immediately; I had to find a replacement first. That’s why it took so long. I didn’t tell you because I knew you wouldn’t agree. It was better to act first and report later. Now that I’m here, you can’t exactly kick me out, right? Since I’m already here.”

That was true. Cheng Yan didn’t like troubling others; had they communicated beforehand, he likely would have refused.

However, he hadn’t expected Qin Leyan to be working. He looked curiously at the boy eating heartily. “Why were you working? Were you short on money?”

Although Qin Leyan’s biological father wasn’t wealthy, Qin Leyan was his precious only Omega son; his allowance was usually more than enough. There was no need for the boy to work.

Qin Leyan waved his hand. “No, no. Dad gives me an allowance, and you transfer money to me often. I have enough. It was just to… experience life!”

Fine. Cheng Yan nodded and focused on his meal, deciding not to press further. Qin Leyan was grown up and had his own interests; there was no need to restrict him too much. Besides, if his biological father hadn’t said anything, Cheng Yan, as an older brother, had to take a back seat.

Qin Leyan took a few bites of rice, but his eyes kept drifting to Cheng Yan’s face. “Brother, you still look a bit tired. Are you feeling unwell? Why don’t we go see Brother Runan?”

Cheng Yan calculated the dates. “No need. I have a follow-up appointment tomorrow. I’ll get checked then.”

Qin Leyan chewed on a rib. “I’m going with you.”

Cheng Yan: “Fine.”

The brothers chatted and laughed, and time passed quickly. By the time he went to bed that night, Cheng Yan still hadn’t received a reply from Song Yang.

The next day, Cheng Yan opened his eyes to Qin Leyan’s anxious calling.

Qin Leyan was leaning over, gently shaking his shoulder, his voice full of helplessness. “Brother! If you don’t get up, you’ll be late!”

Cheng Yan opened his eyes tiredly and asked muzzily, “What time is it?”

Qin Leyan glanced at the phone on the nightstand. “It’s already 8:30! What time do you start? Can you make it?”

8:30?!

Drowsiness vanished instantly. He scrambled out of bed, moving quickly to change and wash up. “Did my alarm not go off?”

Qin Leyan was in the kitchen packing things. Hearing the question, he poked his head out and shouted, “Of course it did! I heard it ringing for ages and you didn’t wake up, so I had to come in and shout.”

Cheng Yan’s brow furrowed into a tight knot. He felt like his energy was being depleted very quickly lately. He was extremely lethargic, feeling like he could never get enough sleep, and once he fell asleep, he was hard to wake.

Cleaning himself up as fast as possible, he didn’t have time for breakfast. He gave Qin Leyan a quick goodbye, grabbed his crossbody bag and keys, and dashed out. Driving like the wind, he managed to clock in just in time.

Carrying his bag, he boarded the elevator like a walking corpse, finding his workstation through muscle memory. For the next minute, he sat in his chair, trying hard to summon the soul he had left behind on his commute.

Xiao Lin rolled over again on his swivel chair. Looking at his clearly out-of-it boss, he asked worriedly, “What’s wrong, Boss? You’ve been dazed for a while. Are you okay?”

The others followed suit, rolling their chairs toward Cheng Yan from all directions.

“Boss, you were so late today. Did you make the clock-in?” “You look a bit pale. Did you eat? I have an extra bun here if you want it.” “Hey, I have a carton of milk.” “I have an apple here. Boss, want to piece together a meal?”

Cheng Yan nodded weakly, surrendering to hunger. “Thanks.”

He took off his bag and unzipped it to put his car keys inside, only to find a kraft paper bag from Qing Jin Ji stuffed inside.

Is this a blocker? When did he put this in?

With doubt, he pulled the bag out, not noticing a small sticky note slipping past his side and falling to the floor. Inside the bag were two sandwiches wrapped in plastic wrap and a carton of milk.

He blanked for a moment, then murmured, “Actually, I don’t think I need to share your breakfast after all.”

The sharp-eyed Xiao Lin bent down and picked up the small note before anyone else noticed, looking at the slip of paper in his hand with confusion.

On a pink bear-shaped note, someone had written a few lines in a neat, almost childish handwriting. Xiao Lin read it aloud as he looked: “I knew you wouldn’t have time to eat, so I was very clever and brought this for you. Silly Brother Yan, remember to eat! Love, love.” (Followed by hand-drawn hearts).

Cheng Yan froze. It took only a second to realize this was the breakfast Qin Leyan had snuck into his bag. No wonder the kid had been smiling so mysteriously when he left; he had prepared this move.

He reached out and took the note from Xiao Lin, a warm smile spreading across his face. “Alright, stop messing around.”

The passion for gossip in the office had already been ignited; who had the mind to work now?

Xiao Lin’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he mimicked the note in an exaggerated tone, “Silly Brother Yan! Remember to eat!”

The others joined in, standing up from their chairs to huddle around the note in Cheng Yan’s hand.

“Aww, those two hearts are drawn so well!” “Wow! This handwriting looks so cute!” “Boss, the writing is so neat. This kid must be quite young, right? Are they even an adult?”

Cheng Yan tucked the note under his pen holder, his tone incredibly helpless. “He’s eighteen. An adult.”

After saying that, he realized something and quickly added, “Wait, are you all misunderstanding? He and I aren’t in the kind of relationship you’re thinking of…”

Before he could finish, the others chimed in with teasing unison: “Oh… you aren’t in that kind of relationship? Then what kind is it?”

Zhang Qing nodded in agreement. “Boss, we understand. Eighteen means he just finished the college entrance exams, right? At that age, of course you have to be cautious! Teehee, don’t worry, we won’t say you’re robbing the cradle!”

“Oh man, with a love breakfast like this, of course you don’t need to piece together a meal!” “Exactly! Those sandwiches look so good; they must taste better than store-bought ones!”

It was impossible to explain things to a group of people caught in a frenzy of excitement. Cheng Yan gave up and simply smiled, going along with them. “Yes, yes, you’re all right.”

“What are you doing?”

Just then, a familiar voice rang out. The tone was laced with frost, like a sharp icicle that “pop” punctured the cheerful pink bubbles in the office.

The laughter died, the teasing stopped, and a half-eaten apple rolled onto the floor.

The smiles froze on their faces, and human instincts for survival caused them to hide. They transformed into rusty robots that couldn’t afford oil, turning their heads toward the door in jagged, clicking movements.

A dark figure stood outside the door. Black shirt, black trousers, even his face was as black as the bottom of a pot. But those eyes were exceptionally bright, like a vengeful spirit out for a stroll from the underworld on the Ghost Festival, staring dead at them.

That was President Song?

Everyone: !!!!

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