At the end of the banquet, Li Baiqiao drank a lot of wine.
When he left, his steps were unsteady, and he leaned towards Hua Yong intentionally or unintentionally. Hua Yong tried to avoid him several times but failed, and finally he took advantage of her and held her waist lightly.
Sheng Shaoyou immediately reached out and pulled the man to his side, wrapped his arms around him tightly, and pushed the drunk Li Baiqiao away with his elbow.
There were too many people toasting during the banquet, and Hua Yong, as Sheng Shaoyou's companion, was forced to drink two glasses. At the moment, he was drunk, and the hot smell of alcohol mixed with the aggressive pheromone smell of the Alpha who was too close made his dizzy head even more dizzy, and his fair cheeks were flushed with drunkenness.
He was dressed too plainly, which made him stand out in such an occasion. The plain clothes coupled with a stunning face made Sheng Shaoyou's beautiful but shabby companion the most discussed topic of the day.
Sheng Shaoyou didn't drink much, and seeing that Hua Yong seemed drunk, he asked him to get in the car and took a detour to send him back.
The heater in the car was turned on very high, and Hua Yong's face looked even redder. She sat there in a daze for a while, and suddenly remembered something. She took out her cell phone from her pocket and handed it to Sheng Shaoyou.
"Mr. Sheng," he said, "Here is my repayment plan.
Please review it."
The fingers he held the phone with didn't use much force, but because they were too thin, the joints of his fingers were still bulging, and the knuckles were a faint pink.
Sheng Shaoyou glanced at the back of his hand with faint blue veins, then leaned over to look at the repayment plan he had written in the memo on his mobile phone.
Hua Yong divided the 600,000 into 30 installments, planning to pay 20,000 a month. It would take him about three years to pay it back.
Seeing Sheng Shaoyou staring at the repayment period without saying anything, Hua Yong guessed that he felt it was too long, so he opened his alcohol-smelling lips and explained to him, "I know it's a bit long, and the interest rate isn't high. Logically, I don't have collateral, so the interest rate should be higher than the bank's." He looked a little nervous, with both hands on his knees, grasping them awkwardly, "However, after I pay off the principal, I will calculate the total interest based on the bank's four times interest rate, and continue to pay the interest until it's paid off."
Sheng Shaoyou raised his head, his eyes wandering over Hua Yong's serious and sincere face, returned the phone to him, and said calmly: "Actually, there is a faster way."
The hand on his knee tightened suddenly. He had obviously guessed what Sheng Shaoyou meant by "a faster method", but he still pretended not to understand and apologized flatly, "I'm sorry, my salary is limited. If there is no promotion or salary increase, this is already the fastest way."
Sheng Shaoyou smiled at him. For some reason, he felt that he was being mean and cruel at the moment. "Hua Yong," he said, "Come and be my companion. If you agree, you don't have to pay me back."
The Omega opposite him was silent, and as expected, he rejected him.
But unlike the strong and direct rejection of other Alphas, Hua Yong probably took his kindness into consideration, so he said to him very tactfully: "Sorry, Mr. Sheng, I may be a little slow to pay it back. But I will pay it back as soon as possible."
Looking at his drunken but determined face, Sheng Shaoyou didn't want to force him any longer and said yes against his will.
From then on, Hua Yong closed his eyes and leaned his face against the car window all the way. The part of his neck exposed by the collar of his sweater was white with a hint of pink, which made every Alpha want to take a bite. It would be best if they could leave a temporary or permanent mark on this Omega.
His drowsy, pure and lustful appearance made Sheng Shaoyou feel a strange urge to reach out and hug him.
But before Sheng Shaoyou put his idea into action and really reached out, his phone vibrated a few times. He swiped it open and saw that several familiar friends had sent him messages, asking him where his companion was from and where she was abducted from. She was so beautiful that he envied her.
Among them, Li Baiqiao and another man named Cheng Zhe had the best relationship with Sheng Shaoyou, and both of them were frequent visitors to the entertainment venues in Shanghai. They both half-jokingly told Sheng Shaoyou that when he got tired of playing, he should remember to keep the money within his family.
Although Li Baiqiao was frivolous and dissolute, he had never asked Sheng Shaoyou for anyone directly. This time, it seemed that he was really interested in this orchid.
Sheng Shaoyou didn't know why he felt unhappy.
Perhaps it was because the orchid was too beautiful and just what he wanted, and someone asked for it before he even got it, which made him angry.
The car drove through the bustling city center and arrived in front of an old residential building deep in the bustling city. Hua Yongru felt a blessing in her heart, her eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes. Her eyes were confused for a moment, and she turned her head and said to Sheng Shaoyou in a daze: "Mr. Sheng, I'm here."
It was drizzling outside, hitting the glass windows, leaving behind one transparent raindrop after another.
"Shall I take you up?"
Hua Yong hesitated for a moment, thanked him politely, and refused him, saying, "The road in the alley is not smooth, there are many puddles, and your shoes will get dirty." As he said that, he reached out to open the door and got out of the car.
This is an old residential area in the downtown area of Jianghu, with an average building age of more than 40 years. Exposed wires divide the sky into countless pieces, stone pillars and trash cans are scattered on the narrow sidewalks, and old cement buildings stand on both sides of the road, messy and unplanned, like a monster that doesn't fit in in the city center where every inch of land is valuable.
Hua Yong got out of the car, turned around, and saw Sheng Shaoyou with a dark face. He didn't know whether he should just leave. He stood hesitantly on the side of the road and said to him, "Then I'll leave?"
Sheng Shaoyou said "hmm".
But he still stood there without moving, as if his eyes, moistened by rain, gently swayed, reflecting the most gorgeous and beautiful halo of the night sky of Jianghu, and called him, "Mr. Sheng."
"What's wrong?"
The orchid, which was still soft and beautiful despite the wind and rain, leaned down and bent its thin white fingers. It gently knocked on his car window. When the window was rolled down, it whispered to him, "Tell me when you are free, and I will treat you to dinner again."
Sheng Shaoyou said "hmm" again, and his mood suddenly improved a lot. He said to him, "Go back, it's raining and it's very cold."
Hua Yong smiled at him and said "OK" and "Good night" softly.
After returning home, Sheng Shaoyou was still thinking about Hua Yong's back when she left until he took a shower.
The light-colored sweater with a pile collar was a little worn, and the cuffs had some not-so-obvious pilling, which showed that it had been carefully shaved with a hair remover. However, due to its age, it still showed signs of excessive wear. The beautifully shaped Omega wrist bones were revealed from the slightly frayed cuffs, making the ordinary old clothes look good.
Hua Yong trotted away without an umbrella. His slender figure disappeared at the junction of distinct desolation and fading prosperity, which touched the heart of Sheng Shaoyou, who was standing behind him and staring at his back.
That night, Sheng Shaoyou had only one thought in his mind: this Omega shouldn't live in a place like that.
… After work, Gao Tu rarely took a vacation. Since he was transferred to Shen Wenlang and became his personal secretary, Gao Tu took less than a few days off a year, and his annual leave was never used up.
But last Thursday, Secretary Gao took three days off for the first time, including the weekend, for a total of five days off, and will not go back to work until next Tuesday.
Secretary Gao rarely asked for leave, but the human resources manager did not approve it immediately.
Instead, he asked his immediate superior for instructions.
The supervisor is a veteran in the workplace and knows that Gao Tu is no different from other employees.
Although his position is not high, he is Shen Wenlang's close associate after all, so he still needs to ask his boss for advice on everything.
After seeing the leave note, Shen Wenlang approved it without hesitation. Only after agreeing did he remember to ask Gao Tu why he wanted leave.
The HR manager told him: "The reason is written as accompanying your partner through the fever period."
Shen Wenlang's right eye twitched violently, and he raised his eyes with an inexplicably cold expression, and asked: "I remember Secretary Gao was unmarried."
"Unmarried." The HR manager smiled awkwardly, "However, according to the relevant provisions of the Omega Protection Ordinance, during the Omega's fever period, if necessary, partners who have lived together for two years have the obligation to accompany the child."
Shen Wenlang said "Oh" indifferently, with no emotion to show, and only said: "Got it."
Without Gao Tu, the next two working days were particularly difficult for the other colleagues in the secretarial team. Hua Yong had just joined the company and was not familiar with many things. Shen Wenlang usually took good care of him, so the secretarial team assumed that he was the boss's assistant and did not dare to use him as the main force. On weekdays, he was only allowed to do some light work such as preparing data and information.
HS Group's regular meeting is at nine o'clock on Monday morning, and the materials used by Shen Wenlang for the meeting are usually organized and provided in advance by Gaotu.
But this week, Secretary Gao was on leave, so the task of organizing the information naturally fell on Hua Yong.
On Saturday morning, the deputy secretary-general of the secretarial team was suddenly horrified to discover that he had mistakenly handed over the USB drive containing Monday's meeting materials to Gaotu along with the data reports to be used next Wednesday.
For this reason, he had no choice but to call Secretary Gao.
Taking care of an Omega in heat is a difficult task for a Beta who is unable to release soothing pheromones.
On the other end of the phone, Secretary Gao sounded very tired and asked in a languid voice, "What's wrong?"
The Deputy Secretary-General told him the whole story.
Secretary Gao hesitated for a while, and finally sighed and said, "Then I'll take it to him." For confidentiality purposes, all HS's information cannot be copied or transmitted privately, and must be stored and read using the company's specially made encrypted U-shield. Gao Tu was willing to sacrifice his vacation to make a personal trip, which really solved the Deputy Secretary-General's urgent need.
"Secretary Gao, thank you for your hard work. But -" he asked worriedly: "Is it really okay to let the Omega spend the fever period alone at home?"
Gao Tu made a vague "hmm" sound, turned over and sat up from the messy bed, and said, "If the time is short, it's okay."
I picked up the forehead thermometer on the bedside table, and the yellow warning light came on: body temperature was 37.8 degrees.
Gao Tu breathed a sigh of relief. The low fever meant that the unbearable fever period was coming to an end and would soon be over.
He got up and took a shower in the bathroom. After drying his hair, he came out with a fresh feeling. He opened the window to dispel the heavy sage scent in the room, and the cool wind made his drowsy mind clearer.
This is the Nth fever period that Gaotu has gone through alone.
Gao Tu's parents divorced when he was eleven years old. As his mother had no stable income and took his younger sister away, Gao Tu was awarded to his gambling father.
ABO gender differentiation usually occurs in childhood, mostly between the ages of six and seven, but Gao Tu's differentiation occurred very late. It was not until the summer vacation when he was eleven that he entered the fever period of his first differentiation in his life.
When Gaotu said goodbye to his mother, it was the end of his fever period. His mother used a syringe to inject the pheromone inhibitor into his veins, and stuffed him with a large bag of inhibitor tablets, and told him: "Gaotu, I'm leaving. You have just differentiated into an Omega not long ago. Unfortunately, there are many things that I can't teach you one by one, but there is one thing you must remember, you must never let anyone know that you are an Omega."
Gao Tu looked at his mother's eyes, which were red with pain, in confusion, and reached out to wipe her tears.
The mother cried even harder: "Gao Tu, your father is a beast. He would sell his wife and son for money! You must not let him know that you are an Omega, do you hear me? Promise mom! Say you will keep this secret!
Say it! Say it!"
Gao Tu felt so hurt when his mother grabbed him that tears welled up in his eyes. He nodded and promised her, "I will keep it a secret! Don't cry, Mom."
His mother hugged him and soaked his T-shirt with tears:
"Gao Tu, you must remember that you are a Beta, you are a Beta…" Before going out, Gao Tu stood in front of the cabinet, hesitating repeatedly between choosing inhibitor tablets or inhibitor injection.
He had just seen the doctor last Thursday.
Because of long-term abuse of pheromone inhibitors, Gao Tu recently showed early symptoms of pheromone disorder. His fever period became unstable, and once he worked overtime or felt a little tired, pheromones would overflow from his glands uncontrollably, like a broken perfume bottle.
In order to work normally, he had to increase the injection volume secretly.
It was not until Thursday morning that he was unconscious at home, missed his alarm, and missed work for the first time in his life. Gaotu realized the seriousness of the problem and went to the hospital to register in the afternoon.
After examination, a familiar doctor found that Gao Tu's fever period was approaching, so he strictly forbade him to continue using injectable inhibitors and asked him to apply for leave from the company immediately.
In the clinic, Gao Tu was worried and asked the doctor:
"What should I do if I don't want the pheromone smell to leak out? Is there any other way besides injecting inhibitors?"
The doctor took a look at him and saw that this gentle old customer looked nervous but firm. He couldn't do anything about him, so he sighed helplessly and said, "Mr. Gao, I think you should see a psychiatrist. You are extremely dissatisfied with your identity as an Omega, and you are even very inferior. Is this because of your partner? Your partner doesn't like your smell?" The doctor frowned slightly and said, "I'm sorry, this is just my speculation. After all, you use inhibitors too frequently, and only your partner can spend so much time together in close proximity. However, if things are really as I guessed, then your partner is suspected of abuse…" "No, that's not the case." Gao Tu denied in panic: "I'm single."
"That's even more wrong." The doctor's tone became more serious: "As a single, non-pregnant Omega, abusing inhibitors is very dangerous! Severe pheromone disorders can be life-threatening! In addition, injecting inhibitors during the fever period is very difficult to endure. Don't you feel pain?"
Gao Tu was stunned by his yelling and said blankly: "I took painkillers."
The older Omega doctor was so angry that he stood up, his gray hair trembling with anger: "Not following the doctor's orders and using the inhibitor without authorization is fine! You actually injected the inhibitor and took painkillers during the fever period! Do you want to die?!"
Thinking of the doctor's angry face, his finger finally stopped on the inhibitor pill. Gao Tu thought hopefully, it was just a USB flash drive, and he wouldn't be in close contact with anyone for a long time, so taking the inhibitor alone should be able to cover up the smell.