As soon as Lu Heng arrived home, he was told his dinner had been placed in his room. There seemed to be people eating in the dining room. He glanced over before heading to his room alone.
Today’s dishes were barely edible except for one. Lu Heng ate with dissatisfaction, missing the taste of instant noodles he had for lunch.
Jiang Yunxing’s face flashed through Lu Heng’s mind. Thinking of Jiang Yunxing’s reaction earlier, Lu Heng sighed inwardly and lost his appetite for the only decent dish.
He put down his chopsticks, took his cigarettes, and walked to the windowsill, placing one between his lips.
After finishing a cigarette, he decided to temporarily set aside the doctor’s advice until his condition became uncontrollable.
Someone knocked on the door. Before Lu Heng could look over, the door opened, and Lu Tian walked in.
“When did you start smoking?” Lu Tian frowned, then noticed the cigarette butts in the trash can. “And this many?!”
Lu Heng didn’t answer. He stubbed out his cigarette and tossed it in the trash. “What do you want?”
Lu Tian lifted his chin haughtily. “Can’t I come without a reason? Your Alpha can walk in whenever he wants, but I can’t?”
Lu Heng: “…”
Speechless, Lu Heng walked to Lu Tian’s side and pushed him out, “Get out, I need to do homework.”
“Wait, wait! I actually have something!” Lu Tian shouted in resistance, surprisingly unable to match Lu Heng’s strength. Fortunately, Lu Heng stopped when he heard him speak.
Lu Tian’s expression turned complicated. “Dad’s coming back tomorrow. You need to join us for dinner.”
“But don’t sit next to him tomorrow, sit far away,” Lu Tian added. “You still smell like that Alpha. Dad will notice if you’re too close.”
Lu Heng gave Lu Tian an emotionless look, but he was impressed by his thoughtfulness. If Lu Shenghua found out about the mark, it would make getting into the company even more difficult.
Lu Heng nodded. “Got it.”
“That’s all, I’m leaving,” Lu Tian said with feigned indifference.
At the doorway, he stopped and turned back. “I’m warning you, don’t bring that Alpha home again, or I’ll stop looking out for you!”
Only after delivering his threat did he finally leave satisfied.
The next day, Jiang Yunxing seemed to have vanished. He didn’t contact Lu Heng, and Lu Heng was too busy to contact him.
Since he was going to meet Lu Shenghua in the evening, Lu Heng naturally wanted to make the most of his opportunity. He spent the entire day preparing.
Relying on his memory, he recalled several major collaborations from this period, identified the corresponding company names in the text, and researched these companies accordingly.
He hadn’t finished organizing everything by the time school ended, but it was mostly complete.
Lu Tian came to pick him up after school as usual. This time, they didn’t linger. Lu Heng got in the car and they headed straight home.
Lu Shenghua hadn’t arrived home yet, and dinner was still being prepared. Lu Heng shut himself in his room to continue sorting things out.
He knew Lu Shenghua’s personality well. The man had keen eyes for observation and was an excellent judge of character. Sometimes, he could understand a person inside and out just through a brief conversation.
He needed to catch Lu Shenghua’s attention during dinner. That would make it easier to take over the company later. As long as he got a chance to be involved with the company, he could demonstrate his capabilities.
A while later, Lu Shenghua returned home. The house became lively for a moment, and the housekeeper came to call Lu Heng for dinner.
This was Lu Heng’s first time entering the dining room since coming to this world. It was similar to the one in reality, perhaps even larger.
In reality, the dining area was divided into two parts: a luxurious main dining room and a smaller, simpler secondary dining room. Usually, everyone ate in the secondary dining room unless there were important events.
But here, there was only one dining room. Under an enormous golden chandelier sat a long rosewood table laden with various dishes. Lu Shenghua sat at the head, with others seated on both sides.
Lu Shenghua rarely came home, which explained the grand setup, but Lu Heng only saw it as a waste of food.
He finally met his sister Lu Ying and mother Gu Lanzhi from the novel. Gu Lanzhi looked exactly the same as in reality, while Lu Ying looked tougher, probably because she was an Alpha.
However, their personalities were completely different from reality. Gu Lanzhi sat beside Lu Shenghua, keeping her eyes downcast, seemingly indifferent to her surroundings. Lu Ying sat next to Gu Lanzhi, resting her chin on her hand while playing with the fake flowers on the table, looking bored.
Lu Heng was the last to enter the dining room. Except for Lu Tian who glanced his way, no one else paid him any attention.
To an outsider, this hardly looked like a family dinner.
Lu Heng sat next to Lu Tian. Only then did Lu Shenghua seem to notice him and greeted him.
“Lu Heng, it’s been a while. I remember you fainted during our last dinner. Did they find out what was wrong?”
Lu Heng froze for a moment but maintained his composure. The last dinner involved the original Lu Heng from the book, something he knew nothing about.
Fortunately, Lu Tian came to his rescue, answering, “It was a gland issue. He’s receiving treatment now.”
Lu Shenghua nodded without further questions and invited everyone to eat.
It was quiet during the meal, with only Lu Shenghua occasionally starting conversations. The atmosphere was even scarier than in reality.
Halfway through dinner, Lu Shenghua’s phone rang. Lu Heng watched as he left to take the call.
When Lu Shenghua returned shortly after, he looked angry. The atmosphere grew even heavier after he sat down.
His expression likely had to do with Nantian Group. In reality, Lu Shenghua had worried about this matter for a long time. Back then, Lu Heng was underage and couldn’t help, resulting in significant losses.
The branch company struggled for two years until Lu Heng came of age and took over.
This time, due to the novel’s different timeline, Lu Heng could intervene now, but he needed Lu Shenghua’s approval.
Looking at the current atmosphere, Lu Heng didn’t even have the right to speak up.
He still asked briefly, “Dad, what happened?”
Lu Shenghua glanced at Lu Heng without acknowledging him.
“Is it about the company?” Lu Heng probed cautiously. “Nantian Group?”
Lu Shenghua paused, finally giving Lu Heng a proper look. He remained silent, his eyes filled with confusion and scrutiny, as if wondering how Lu Heng knew about it.
Lu Heng put down his chopsticks and said seriously, “Their project can’t be delayed any longer, right, Dad? But you haven’t found the right person yet.”
Lu Shenghua raised an eyebrow. “Are you suggesting that you want to be that person?”
“Since Nantian’s boss specifically requested to talk with you, I obviously can’t replace you,” Lu Heng met Lu Shenghua’s gaze calmly. “But I can take over the work you’re currently handling.”
In reality, Lu Shenghua focused most of his energy on the subsidiary company, but the cooperation with Nantian Group was very important. That’s why he had no choice but to give up the subsidiary, and its two years of decline had always been his regret.
If someone could help, especially his own son, Lu Shenghua should be pleased.
As expected, Lu Shenghua smiled, satisfaction evident in his eyes.
“How did you grow so much in such a short time? It seems presenting as an Omega has quite an impact,” Lu Shenghua said. “You’re really an adult now. It’s time you helped me with some work. But you’re still in school, and managing a company isn’t easy. I don’t want it to affect your studies.”
“I understand,” Lu Heng replied.
“Good, then come to the company tomorrow when you have time.”
“Okay.”
Lu Shenghua only cared about results, not the process or involvement. Just like now, he simply handed over responsibility without concern for Lu Heng’s capabilities. But Lu Heng knew well that if any problems arose with the subsidiary later, Lu Shenghua would blame everything on him.
Fortunately, the subsidiary wasn’t in terrible shape now; it just needed some time for the handover. The next afternoon, Lu Heng rushed to the company right after school. Most employees had already left, so he went straight to the top floor to find Lu Shenghua.
Lu Shenghua handed over the documents without much explanation, telling Lu Heng to figure things out himself.
Lu Heng took the documents and nodded.
“If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask the secretary. Since this is your first time handling company matters, you still have a lot to learn,” Lu Shenghua said with a smile. “I’d like to guide you personally, but I’m too busy lately, so you’ll have to manage on your own.”
Entrusting a company to someone with no experience was probably something only Lu Shenghua would think of. Although he wore a smile, Lu Heng knew very well how fake it was.
Lu Heng maintained his composure and said, “I’ll do my best.”
After Lu Shenghua left, Lu Heng stayed behind to review the documents.
The subsidiary was newly established and did not have many projects, but there were several upcoming meetings and discussions, including one that weekend in another province.
Fortunately, Lu Heng had experience with this. After organizing the documents by date, he called the secretary to book weekend flights and left messages for the business partners about the change in personnel. By the time everything was prepared, it was already dark.
Lu Heng lit a cigarette for himself. The smell of tobacco awakened some memories, and as he returned to work, he almost forgot he was now in a different world.
He suddenly remembered his condition and frowned slightly.
In the past, he could travel freely for business trips, but now with this heat that could strike at any time, could he still be so casual about it?
What if he suddenly went into heat while he was there? Even with suppressants, there was no guarantee he would be conscious during important business matters.
Should he bring Jiang Yunxing along?
Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen Jiang Yunxing since that night before yesterday.
Lu Heng licked his lips. He couldn’t even remember their kiss, but the memory of the marking remained vivid.
Lu Heng found Jiang Yunxing’s number and dialed.
The phone rang for a while before it was finally answered, followed by a moment of silence before Jiang Yunxing’s voice came through.
“Hello… Ge?”
“Mn.” Lu Heng switched the phone to speaker and placed it on the desk. “I need something from you.”
“What is it?” Jiang Yunxing asked.
Lu Heng got straight to the point. “I’m going on a business trip this weekend. I’m not sure if I’ll go into heat, so you’re coming with me.”
Unlike before, Jiang Yunxing didn’t respond for a long time.
“Mn?” Lu Heng prompted.
“I understand, Ge.” Jiang Yunxing replied. “I’ll do whatever Ge needs me to do.”
Author’s Note: The company stuff is all made up, don’t take it too seriously since I’ve never run a company before
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