Why is this top-tier Alpha boss acting like this? - Chapter 22

Cheng Yan stood at the door of Song Yang’s office, holding the bag containing the thermos he had bought at the mall the previous night. He raised his hand and knocked.

Soon, Song Yang’s voice drifted from within. “Come in.”

He pushed the door open and entered. Song Yang’s office was vast; it wasn’t just a place for work, but featured a reception lounge, a dining area, a rest room, and even a private bathroom. The functions were incredibly complete. The furnishings were primarily minimalist. The bookshelves, desks, sofas, and other equipment had all been handled by Cheng Yan himself when he was first assigned as Song Yang’s special assistant.

He walked to the desk, his gaze locking onto the pink thermos sitting on Song Yang’s right side. Amidst the black, white, and gray color scheme of the desktop, that cup was undeniably conspicuous. It wasn’t that the cup was inherently ugly, but its aesthetic was so disconnected from Song Yang’s persona that anyone who saw it immediately felt a surge of curiosity about the man’s love life.

The phone in Cheng Yan’s pocket was still vibrating every now and then with gossip.

He came to a stop before the desk and greeted him. “President Song.”

Song Yang was busy marking documents. Seeing it was Cheng Yan, he put down his pen. “Hmm? You haven’t left yet?”

It was already past working hours. Cheng Yan had specifically waited until everyone else had left the office before bringing the gift, lest the gossiping “experts” see him and assume he was currying favor with a bribe.

With a faint smile, Cheng Yan lifted the bag and placed it on the desk. “I had a few things left to handle, so I’m a bit late. You haven’t left either, President Song. Hard work.”

As he spoke, the corners of his mouth tilted up slightly. Almost all of Song Yang’s documents were delivered by him. To subtly delay Song Yang’s departure, he had “accidentally” included several files that weren’t actually due until tomorrow. From the look of things, it was working perfectly.

Song Yang’s gaze fell on the beautifully packaged gift bag. He raised an eyebrow. “What’s this?”

Cheng Yan pushed the bag toward him. “A small token of appreciation. I hope you won’t mind it.”

This was actually the first time he had formally given Song Yang a gift—if you didn’t count that pink promotional thermos. Song Yang belonged to a different social class; he lacked for nothing. His daily necessities were all of the highest grade; a single cufflink could cost tens of thousands. Cheng Yan had never been able to think of anything that wouldn’t seem “shabby” in Song Yang’s eyes, so he usually focused on working hard and avoided doing anything extra.

On the contrary, Song Yang was quite generous to him, occasionally giving him small trinkets, and recently, even providing him with expensive blockers.

However, seeing as Song Yang had spent the entire previous day parading around with that pink thermos, Cheng Yan gathered that the man actually enjoyed receiving gifts. In that case, it was better to give him a decent, appropriate cup rather than letting this S-rank Alpha walk around Song Corp showcasing “iron-man tenderness” with a pink bottle. It was quite terrifying!

Song Yang’s eyes flickered. He looked up, his tone slightly rising. “For me?”

Cheng Yan nodded. “Yes. It’s a very practical little item. I hope you like it.”

Song Yang reached out and took the bag. He lowered his head, pulled out the box, and opened it methodically. Inside was a matte black thermos with no complex patterns—only simple gold lines around the rim. The design was minimalist yet high-quality, and it felt substantial in the hand.

Song Yang held the cup, inspected it, and then placed it right next to the pink one. Cheng Yan looked at the two cups sitting side-by-side. The black one was taller, its gold lines reflecting the light with an air of luxury, making the shorter pink thermos look cheap and comical in comparison.

Song Yang looked up, the corners of his mouth curving slightly. His eyes sparkled with genuine pleasure. “Mm. I like it very much. Thank you.”

Cheng Yan breathed a quiet sigh of relief. As long as he likes it.

With the gift delivered, he was about to take his leave when Song Yang suddenly seemed to remember something. He shifted his attention from the cup. “Oh, right. Organize that team-building event I mentioned yesterday. Let’s set the date for this Saturday. We’ll go to… that temple your friend visited.”

At this point, Song Yang paused. His gaze swept—seemingly unintentionally—over the red string on Cheng Yan’s wrist, and the smile in his eyes deepened. “For dinner, find a restaurant with a nice environment based on everyone’s preferences. Since there aren’t many of us, the price per person can be high. If the team-building fund isn’t enough, I’ll cover the rest personally.”

Team-building? Already?

Cheng Yan was stunned for a second, but quickly recovered. “Understood, President Song.”

Seeing that Song Yang had nothing else, he excused himself and walked out. As he approached the door, he saw Song Yang’s reflection in the glass of a framed picture on the wall. The man had picked up the black thermos again, and the smile on his face seemed even wider. It was clear that Song Yang truly liked the gift.

Cheng Yan hoped that tomorrow he could finally say goodbye to that pink bottle.

The next day, he indeed didn’t see the pink thermos. However, he didn’t see the black one either, because Song Yang didn’t come to the office at all.

That was fine. Since Song Yang hadn’t shown up, Cheng Yan’s WeChat was much quieter. Different paths, same result. He sat at his station and, in a good mood, posted the team-building notice in the group chat.

CY: @All Members. By President Song’s decision, the department team-building will be tomorrow. The location is Lingyin Temple on Mount Qing. Everyone, please clock in at the lobby at the usual time and wait at the main entrance. We need suggestions for the dinner location; if there are any restaurants you want to try, please discuss them in the group.

The office immediately became lively. Xiao Lin, who loved these activities, ran over to Cheng Yan’s desk with his phone. “Why discuss it in the group? President Song isn’t here, let’s just talk about it!”

Zhang Qing rolled over on her swivel chair. “Exactly! It’s much more convenient to talk directly!”

The group gathered around and, after much chatter, settled on a high-end seafood buffet.

“Is President Song coming?” someone in the crowd asked a very constructive question. The group, still immersed in the joy of the outing, fell silent for a few seconds.

Cheng Yan thought about it. “It involves climbing a mountain, so… probably not?”

They had many team-building events, but the number of times Song Yang actually attended could be counted on one hand. Tomorrow’s schedule required hiking. Based on his understanding of Song Yang, the man was usually too lazy for such tedious activities. There was a high probability he wouldn’t join.

But when Cheng Yan saw Song Yang appearing at the company entrance wearing a set of light sportswear, he had to admit: he didn’t understand Song Yang at all!

Xiao Lin stood beside Cheng Yan and, avoiding Song Yang’s gaze, nudged his boss’s arm. He whispered, “Boss, didn’t you say President Song wasn’t coming?”

Cheng Yan looked at the figure leaning against the large stone lion at the entrance, a backpack slung over one shoulder. He returned Xiao Lin a blank look. “I don’t know either.”

Xiao Lin’s face fell. While they didn’t exactly dislike him, having the leader present during a team-building event was definitely less than ideal.

Cheng Yan chuckled. “Maybe President Song just wants some exercise? Don’t be too afraid of him. Although he has a temper, he’s usually quite good to us.”

Xiao Lin scratched his head. “That’s true, but with him there, the pressure is a bit much. If he does a pheromone attack halfway up the mountain, I’ll die on the slopes.”

Cheng Yan pondered for a moment, considering the possibility of Song Yang getting impatient and releasing pheromones. He replied, “I think you’re overthinking it. We’re climbing a mountain, and Mount Qing is quite high.”

Xiao Lin looked at him innocently, not understanding the implication. “It’s high, so what?”

Cheng Yan smiled and asked with brutal honesty, “Are you sure you can even keep up with President Song?”

Xiao Lin gasped. “Whoa! Boss, you’re so right!”

The department was small, so a chartered mid-sized tourist bus was enough to fit everyone. The bus arrived on time. Once the doors opened, everyone waited for Song Yang to board first. However, the man seemed not to notice; he remained leaning against the stone lion, looking like he was about to merge with the statue.

Cheng Yan frowned and walked over, only to realize that Song Yang had actually fallen asleep leaning against the stone. He reached out and tapped him gently. “President Song?”

Song Yang opened his eyes. There was a flash of irritation at being woken up, but when he saw who it was, the annoyance faded. “What is it?”

Cheng Yan frowned. He didn’t understand why this man, who was clearly so exhausted, was still insisting on going hiking with them. He pointed to the bus. “President Song, the bus is here.”

Song Yang straightened up. “Oh. Let’s go then.” He took the lead toward the bus, and the others followed after a short delay.

Cheng Yan was the last in line and boarded after everyone else was seated. As expected, the group had tactfully left the seat next to Song Yang empty for him. What surprised him was that Song Yang, who was the first to board, had chosen a seat in the very first row—and it wasn’t the window seat.

Didn’t this man always sit in the back row when they went out before? Has he changed his personality?

Seeing Cheng Yan standing still, Song Yang looked up in confusion. “Aren’t you coming in?”

Cheng Yan looked at Song Yang’s long legs, which seemed to have nowhere to go, and looked back with a troubled expression. How was he supposed to get in? Jump over him?

Song Yang’s eyes flickered, and he let out a low chuckle. He stood up cooperatively, though the space left for Cheng Yan to move was still limited. Cheng Yan let out a soft breath and quickly squeezed into the window seat.

Song Yang sat back down, bringing a rush of air with him. With two grown men in one row—and Song Yang being larger than the average Alpha—the space felt instantly cramped. Cheng Yan leaned as far toward the window as possible, feeling an inexplicable sense of nervousness.

He was too close to Song Yang. So close he could clearly smell the faint peppermint pheromones on the man.

The bus started moving. In the swaying of the vehicle, the peppermint scent seemed to sway over as well. He couldn’t help but crack the window open a bit. The warm wind blowing in through the gap diluted the scent significantly.

Just then, he heard the sound of a zipper. He reflexively turned his head and saw Song Yang unzipping his bag and pulling out a thermos.

Pink?

Why was it the pink one again?!

He looked at the familiar bottle, his composure on the verge of breaking. Song Yang unscrewed the lid as if no one were watching. He didn’t blow on it this time, but took a direct sip. There was no steam; it was likely just room-temperature water.

After taking a sip, he replaced the lid. Then, as if he knew someone was watching, he turned to Cheng Yan. There wasn’t a hint of surprise in his eyes. “What is it? Did you not bring water?”

Cheng Yan felt the bottled mineral water in his own bag. Just as he was about to answer that he had some, Song Yang looked away and pulled a black thermos from his bag.

“I have another one here. Do you want it?”

Cheng Yan: “…”

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