Why is this top-tier Alpha boss acting like this? - Chapter 16

“Boss, let’s go eat. If we’re too late, the ribs will be all gone.”

Cheng Yan was looking at his computer; a file was still uploading. Hearing Xiao Lin call him, he turned his head slightly and saw Xiao Lin and several other colleagues tidying up their things.

He waved them off. “Don’t wait for me. You guys go ahead. I have something else to do today, so I won’t be going to the cafeteria.”

Xiao Lin gave an “oh.” “Alright then, we’re heading out first.”

The group quickly left the office. Cheng Yan glanced at his phone. Qin Leyan hadn’t messaged him yet, so he wasn’t in a hurry. He waited silently for the upload to finish before turning off the computer. After lingering for a while, he finally received a message from Qin Leyan.

Qin LY: Brother, I’m almost at your company. CY: .

He stood up, left the office, and took the elevator down to the first floor. Standing outside the main entrance, he waited a few moments until a car pulled up. Qin Leyan stepped out, clutching a bag of things.

Cheng Yan walked forward and took the large bag from Qin Leyan’s hands. He hefted it; it was quite substantial. “What did you make?”

Qin Leyan proudly listed the dishes: “Old Duck Soup with Adenophora and Goji Berries, Enoki Beef Rolls, Three-Color Shrimp, and a side of stir-fried greens. Three dishes and a soup, a perfect balance of meat and vegetables. How about it? Does it suit your taste?”

Cheng Yan nodded in approval. “Mm, sounds delicious.”

Thrilled by his brother’s endorsement, Qin Leyan asked happily, “Where are we going to eat?”

Cheng Yan led him back through the main entrance, bypassed the clock-in turnstiles, and headed toward the side door. “Our company has a small dining area on the first floor. There are tables and chairs ready. People who bring their own lunch or order takeout usually eat there.”

Song Corp had so many employees that many brought their own meals, and many others who missed the cafeteria hours while working overtime needed a place to sit. The company had set aside an area on the first floor with tables and chairs just for this purpose.

In the past, Cheng Yan had never brought his own lunch. If he missed the cafeteria, he simply wouldn’t eat. Consequently, he had never stepped foot in this “small cafeteria.” Therefore, he had no idea that this place was actually more crowded than the official main cafeteria on the 16th floor.

Standing at the entrance of the small cafeteria, he was genuinely shocked by the surging crowd before him.

Qin Leyan let out a “wow,” blinking his spirited eyes at him. “Brother, this is the ‘small’ cafeteria you mentioned?”

He put a heavy emphasis on the word “small” to highlight the irony.

Cheng Yan replied, caught between laughter and tears, “I’ve never been here. I didn’t know there were so many people. Let’s go in and see if we can find a seat.”

He took the lead, weaving through the crowd. As they walked, the atmosphere in the room began to shift.

The originally noisy crowd grew significantly quieter. With the two brothers as the focal point, people nearby were staring at them, both openly and covertly. The two were like magnets, pulling the attention of everyone around them wherever they went.

Qin Leyan stealthily quickened his pace, tugging at the hem of Cheng Yan’s shirt. “Why does it seem like everyone is looking at us?”

Cheng Yan glanced at him and told a blatant lie. “They aren’t. You’re seeing things.”

Having been lied to by Cheng Yan since childhood, Qin Leyan couldn’t help but retort, “I am not! Brother, are you very famous in your company? I feel like everyone here knows you.”

Cheng Yan’s gaze swept over the Song Corp employees who were staring at him with excited eyes. He continued searching for a seat while humoring his gullible brother. “Not at all.”

He didn’t like being stared at, but he couldn’t control their eyes. He just wanted to find a seat as soon as possible.

“What do you mean, ‘not at all’? Little brother, don’t listen to his nonsense. He was voted Top 1 in the ‘Alpha Most Wanted to Marry’ poll on our Song Corp forum. He’s incredibly popular—a total A-list celebrity in our company!”

A familiar voice rang out from behind. Cheng Yan stopped and turned, immediately spotting Vice President Yu, who had just stunned his silly brother with her words.

VP Yu was carrying a small, multi-layered insulated lunch box, a soft smile on her exquisite face.

Cheng Yan let out a helpless sigh. “VP Yu, please stop teasing me.”

VP Yu smiled brilliantly, the excitement in her eyes undisguised. “Is this your family member?”

Cheng Yan admitted honestly, “Yes.”

That single “yes” caused the small cafeteria to fall completely silent. A few seconds later, the crowd became restless again, but everyone purposefully lowered their voices. The resulting sound was like the collective humming of bees, occasionally punctuated by the sound of camera shutters.

Cheng Yan raised an eyebrow in confusion. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with his answer. A brother—how could that not be a “family member”? He was a legitimate family member!

VP Yu covered her mouth and laughed, then familiarly pulled Qin Leyan further inside. “Are you looking for a seat? I have one, follow me.”

Cheng Yan followed the two Omegas as they twisted and turned through the crowd to a corner at the very back. A person had been sitting there, but upon seeing them approach, they gave a greeting and left.

VP Yu pulled Qin Leyan into the inner seat. “I had a colleague save a spot for me. You two can join me.”

Cheng Yan placed the bag on the table and began taking things out while thanking her. “Thank you, VP Yu.”

VP Yu waved her hand. “Don’t mention it. I really like your family member; I want to chat with him.”

Qin Leyan was an “E” (Extrovert). When one “E” meets another “E,” it becomes a carnival for two.

Qin Leyan was delighted and immediately hit it off with VP Yu. “Sister, I really like you too! By the way, that ‘Alpha Most Wanted to Marry’ list you mentioned—can I see it?”

VP Yu pulled out her phone and expertly navigated to the Song Corp Forum app. “Of course! Here, look at this. Hahaha, your Assistant Cheng is amazing. He’s the man who defeated the only S-rank Alpha in our company!”

Cheng Yan watched the two of them chatting animatedly and let out a soft sigh.

He knew about that list. The creator was anonymous, and for some reason, it had suddenly gone viral. His vote count had soared, neck-and-neck with Song Yang’s. Ultimately, because of Song Yang’s poor temper, he had lost to Cheng Yan by a narrow margin.

It was just a joke-filled unofficial poll. He was often teased by his colleagues because of it.

He opened the bag Qin Leyan had brought and took out the insulated containers, laying them out layer by layer. The soup was in a separate, smaller stainless steel container. Additionally, Qin Leyan had brought bowls, chopsticks, and spoons from home; his preparation was quite thorough.

VP Yu practically shoved her phone into Qin Leyan’s hands. Watching Cheng Yan produce a whole table of food like a magician, her eyes widened. “Wow! Did you make this yourself?”

Cheng Yan opened the lid of the soup container. An enticing aroma wafted through the air, causing VP Yu, sitting opposite him, to swallow her saliva.

He picked up a ladle and said to her, “When would I have the time to make this? The kid next to you made it. His cooking is quite good. VP Yu, do you have a bowl? Want to join us?”

VP Yu was not one to be polite. She pulled out her own bowl and handed it over instantly.

Cheng Yan served a bowl of soup and even fished out a duck leg for her. VP Yu took the bowl, blew on it, took a sip, and looked satisfied. “Wow! This is so good!”

Cheng Yan smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”

With that, he turned his gaze to Qin Leyan, who was staring at VP Yu’s phone with rapt fascination. He wasn’t sure what the boy was looking at, but his expression was a mix of shock and excitement.

He reached out and tapped gently near Qin Leyan’s bowl. “Stop looking. Eat first.”

Qin Leyan had no time for his brother. His eyes were shining as he looked at a post as if he had discovered a treasure. He excitedly poked VP Yu’s shoulder. “Sister! Who posted this? Is what it says in here true?”

VP Yu put down her soup bowl and leaned over. “What post has you so excited?”

After seeing the contents of the post on the phone, VP Yu almost choked. “You… that… this… don’t mind this! We’re just talking nonsense, just shipping a CP…”

Qin Leyan blinked, his eyes full of “clear stupidity.” “Why would I mind?”

VP Yu pointed a finger at Cheng Yan and asked blankly, “Aren’t you… his Omega?”

Qin Leyan narrowed his eyes, his small face filled with a giant question mark.

He looked at VP Yu, then back at the phone. After thinking for a few seconds, he turned his gaze to his brother. Then, as if realizing something, he reached out and tapped quickly on the phone, opening a second post with a “HOT” tag. He looked back and forth between the phone and Cheng Yan several times. Finally, the stupidity faded, leaving only clarity.

Cheng Yan sat up a bit straighter, his eyes drifting toward the screen in Qin Leyan’s hand. “What post is making you look like that?”

Qin Leyan moved the screen away with lightning speed and gave him an awkward smile. “Brother, you’d better not look.”

With that, he pulled VP Yu away, turning their backs to him as they whispered about something.

Cheng Yan frowned, looking suspiciously at the two Omegas huddling together for a private chat. Although Qin Leyan had moved quickly, he had still caught part of the content on the screen.

The screen had shown a photograph. In the photo were… him and Song Yang?

The photo looked like a candid shot. The background featured many blurred Song Corp employees, but he and Song Yang were exceptionally clear. At the very top of the photo was likely the title of the post. He didn’t have time to read it all, only catching the two large letters: “AA.”

Based solely on the little he saw, he couldn’t guess the content of the post. But… did these two forget that he also had the Song Corp Forum app?

He pulled out his phone and opened the app that had been gathering dust in a corner for years. Because he hadn’t logged in for a long time, he had to re-enter his OA account and a verification code. Once everything was set, the forum’s main page popped up.

He scrolled through. It was all a mess of random chat threads, people borrowing things, hiring help, or calling for the building manager to sweep the stairs. There wasn’t a single post with “AA” in the title.

???

Were they not using the same app?

“Don’t bother looking. When posting on this forum, you can manually choose to block certain personnel. You won’t see it.”

VP Yu looked at him with a grin, the triumph and excitement in her tone incredibly obvious.

Qin Leyan held up the phone and asked, “Is this where you see the blocked people?”

VP Yu took a look. “Yes, yes, right there. Look, the blocked list includes your brother, President Song, Chairman Song, and several board members. Hahaha, how thorough!”

Qin Leyan laughed along, but as he did, his expression turned into confusion. “Wait, was this post only blocked for my brother?”

VP Yu: “Which one?”

The two huddled over the screen again. A few seconds later, VP Yu spoke in surprise, “It really is! Does that mean President Song can see it too?”

Cheng Yan’s brow was furrowed tight. He didn’t understand what these two were talking about at all. “What post is it exactly?”

The two Omegas looked at each other and reached a consensus in a single second. They replied in perfect unison: “Not telling you!”

At the same time, in the General Manager’s office of Song Corp, a phone lay silently on the desk. The glowing screen displayed a photograph. In the photo, a refined Cheng Yan was carrying things while following a young Omega, a trace of helpless indulgence in his smile, while the young Omega was being pulled forward by VP Yu.

[OMG! Family, guess what I saw in the small cafeteria?! Assistant Cheng’s Omega came to bring him lunch! Such a young and cute Omega!!!]

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