Why is this top-tier Alpha boss acting like this? - Chapter 18

When Cheng Yan arrived home, the sky had already turned completely dark.

He stood in the foyer changing his shoes. The house was brightly lit, and the lingering aroma of food remained in the air. Hearing the movement, Qin Leyan walked out in his slippers and reached out to take the bag Cheng Yan was carrying. “Brother, you’re back from overtime?”

He gave a hum of acknowledgment. “Have you eaten?”

Qin Leyan nodded. “You said you’d be working late, so I ate first. I saved some food for you. Should I go heat it up now?”

Cheng Yan walked into the living room and sat on the sofa, tiredly massaging his neck. “No need for now. I ate a bit at the office; I’m not hungry yet.”

Qin Leyan sat down beside him with a look of dissatisfaction. “Why eat at the office when there’s food at home?”

Cheng Yan pondered, not knowing how to explain that tureen of soup to Qin Leyan. Every move Song Yang made fell outside the boundaries of his logical understanding—like that meaningless meeting, or why he would personally stew soup for them. And why pigeon soup?

He couldn’t figure it out at all!

So, he took out his phone, opened the Song Corp forum, and found the pigeon soup posts others had made, shoving them in front of Qin Leyan. The posts were a chaotic mix of comments, but they happened to explain the situation clearly; logic aside, the facts were all there.

He pointed to the photo of the pigeon soup on the screen. “There, that was my dinner. That’s why I can’t eat anything else for now.”

A whole pigeon wasn’t large, but with the added yam and broth, it was enough to fill his stomach. Moreover, he wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt like the pigeon in his serving was notably larger, and the yam was more plentiful than everyone else’s. He was actually quite stuffed.

Qin Leyan took the phone and began scrolling. The frown slowly faded, replaced by a somewhat subtle expression. “Song Yang made this? He moved fast! Tsk, tsk. Not bad, actually. The timing is perfect, the ingredients are fresh—the taste must have been great.”

Cheng Yan hummed, agreeing with the second half of the statement. The soup was indeed excellent, but he discovered with some mental exhaustion that he couldn’t quite understand what Qin Leyan meant either.

He turned his head, looking confused. “What do you mean by ‘he moved fast’?”

Qin Leyan was busy taking screenshots and didn’t have time to look at him, offering only a perfunctory reply. “Nothing. Just praising your President Song for having great execution.”

Great execution? What execution? Pigeon-stewing execution?

Cheng Yan fell silent for a long while, feeling like he was a lost cause if he couldn’t even understand his straightforward younger brother. At the next follow-up, he’d have to ask Su Runan to check his brain. He felt his information processing system was malfunctioning; he was starting to suspect that gland development, besides absorbing nutrients and energy, was also absorbing his intellect.

He closed his eyes, ignoring the highly entertained Qin Leyan. He needed to let his suffering brain rest.

Su Runan’s diagnosis was correct; after the IV drip, his energy was indeed better. As long as the work wasn’t particularly mentally taxing, he had just enough to get by—but only just. After a full day of work, he was still too tired to keep his eyes open.

Just as he was about to drift off on the sofa, Qin Leyan’s voice rang out again. “Brother, do I still need to bring you lunch tomorrow?”

His consciousness was already blurry, and he replied using the last of his thinking capacity, “Oh right, I forgot to tell you. I have a business lunch tomorrow, so you don’t need to bring me food.”

According to Song Yang’s schedule, they weren’t supposed to have anything tomorrow afternoon, but Song Yang had added this lunch appointment today. This lunch was special; it wasn’t work-related but a private itinerary. However, Song Jicheng had requested that he, as the special assistant, accompany Song Yang. The time was left to Song Yang, who set it for tomorrow noon.

The person beside him let out a cold, mocking laugh. “I knew it! I knew this would happen! That devious Alpha!”

With that, Qin Leyan faced Cheng Yan and shook his brother’s shoulder. “Brother! You must remember, never, ever easily trust any Alpha! Especially those who are high-rank, young, and rich! Do you hear me?”

Cheng Yan allowed himself to be shaken, his voice even weaker. “Stop shaking… any more and my brain will turn into scrambled eggs.”

Qin Leyan stopped, frustrated. “Brother! Are you even listening to me?”

Forced awake by the shaking, Cheng Yan’s brain sluggishly started working. He let out a heavy sigh; he was out of options. “Yes, I heard you. My gland has only just started recovering, and my pheromones are so faint even a dog might not smell them. Isn’t it a bit early to worry? Besides, what part of me looks like an Omega?”

His appearance was closer to an Alpha. Alpha pheromones naturally repel each other; two Alphas living together would only fight over territory. This was common knowledge. What Alpha would be so delusional as to provoke him while knowing he’s an Alpha? Are they tired of living a peaceful life?

He smiled dismissively and reached out to ruffle Qin Leyan’s hair. “Don’t worry. Someone like your brother is very safe.”

Previously as an Alpha, he lacked pheromones to compete with others, meaning he couldn’t protect an Omega. Now, he had inexplicably become an Omega, but one whose appearance was too close to an Alpha. What Alpha would like an Omega who looks more like an Alpha than they do?

A person like him, whether Alpha or Omega, wasn’t “likable” in the traditional sense. Therefore, Qin Leyan’s worries seemed completely unnecessary.

Qin Leyan looked at Cheng Yan with a dark expression, the light in his eyes flickering. “Brother, do you have some sort of misunderstanding about your own strength?”

Cheng Yan shook his head. “No, I know myself very well. It’s you who sees me through a filter.”

Qin Leyan sat up straight, incredulous. “No, you’re the TOP 1 in the ‘Alpha Most Wanted to Marry’ poll! Hello? Number one!”

Cheng Yan took a breath and smiled. “And am I an Alpha?”

Qin Leyan was stunned. He opened his mouth, leaned back tactically, and pointed a trembling finger between his brother and the phone. He let out a few staccato sounds but couldn’t form a sentence. Finally, he just laughed it off.

Qin Leyan shook his head while laughing, muttering to himself, “Fine, fine. I’m talking about sense and you’re talking about nonsense. You just use words to block your brother who’s worried sick about you. Great, just great!”

Cheng Yan looked at the muttering Qin Leyan and explained helplessly, “I’m not trying to block you. I just feel we don’t need to waste time on things that are impossible to happen.”

He spoke with such certainty that it was hard not to believe he truly felt that way.

Qin Leyan scratched the back of his head. “Oh, so you just haven’t ‘awakened’ yet.”

Cheng Yan lay back on the sofa. “Awakened to what?”

Qin Leyan didn’t answer. Instead, he frowned at his brother’s profile, his small face scrunched up as if he were worried to death. A few minutes later, he regained his fighting spirit. “No, I have to find a temple to go pray. I’m free tomorrow; I’ll go then!”

Cheng Yan replied listlessly, “Sure, whatever. Treat it as a day out. Call me if you need anything.”

With that, he sluggishly stood up and walked toward his room. It was late; he’d take a shower and crawl into bed. Thanks to his gland, his sleep quality lately was enviable—he basically passed out the moment his head hit the pillow.

The next day, the alarm rang on time.

When Cheng Yan got up, he found that Qin Leyan had already left, leaving behind breakfast and a note. He messaged Qin Leyan to check on his safety, then went through his routine of washing up and eating before heading to the office.

Since he woke early, he arrived at the company earlier than usual. There was almost no one in the office; the whole place was empty. He put down his bag, organized his things, and opened his work journal. Just as he was about to check for important tasks, the phone rang abruptly.

It was the landline on his desk.

He looked at the display with some surprise, noting it was an outside line from an unfamiliar number. He picked up and habitually pressed record. “Hello?”

Perhaps not expecting the call to be answered so quickly, there was a few seconds of silence on the other end before a man’s voice spoke. “Hello, is this the Song Corp assistant office? I’m looking for an assistant named Cheng.”

An assistant named Cheng? Wasn’t that him? He was the only one in the assistant office with that surname.

He frowned, asking in a neutral tone, “May I ask who is calling? And what is the reason for looking for Assistant Cheng?”

The caller didn’t identify himself but immediately made a demand in a rude tone. These two sentences didn’t leave a good impression, so he chose to hide his identity for now.

The other end went silent for a second, then spoke again with obvious impatience. “I am Wu Hao from Chengxing Pharmaceuticals. I have a lunch meeting with your Young President Song today. Chairman Song gave me this number and said if I had questions, I should find Assistant Cheng and he would arrange things. Put Assistant Cheng on the phone.”

Wu Hao from Chengxing Pharmaceuticals?

Hearing this name, Cheng Yan pressed his forehead, feeling the veins in his temples throb. He never imagined a beautiful day could end quite so quickly.

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