Dusk faded as night fell.
Lu Heng leaned against the windowsill with a laptop on his legs, the screen filled with text.
He looked up information about the Lu family in this world. The group was still called Lu Corporation, with assets mostly matching what he knew, except they were from ten years ago.
It seemed this book referenced data from a decade ago.
Could it be possible that the timeline also started from ten years ago?
In the real world, Lu Heng took over a branch company right after coming of age. He had helped out at the company before that and was very familiar with its operations.
If the book’s progression matched reality, he could try to seize this opportunity to catch Lu Shenghua’s attention first…
“Ge?”
Jiang Yunxing’s voice interrupted Lu Heng’s train of thought. Lu Heng turned his head as Jiang Yunxing said, “I’ve picked out the bones. Come eat while it’s hot.”
Lu Heng closed his laptop, hopped off the windowsill, and walked to the desk.
Jiang Yunxing looked up at him. The fish dish beside him had been transformed. All the bones, big and small, had been removed while the tender flesh remained largely intact, soaking in the broth.
When Lu Heng came closer, Jiang Yunxing stood up to give him the seat and handed him chopsticks.
Lu Heng took the chopsticks and picked up a piece. The fish meat was well-seasoned from the broth, tender and melting in his mouth. Without bones to worry about, he could enjoy it without anxiety.
Perfect food could heal the soul. Lu Heng was very satisfied, and his mood notably improved.
He turned to look at Jiang Yunxing. “You’re quite skilled at this. Have you done this before?”
“…This barely counts as a skill.” Jiang Yunxing scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “I cook often and know my way around food. I’m not bad at cooking. If you’d like to try sometime, I can cook for you.”
Lu Heng looked at Jiang Yunxing with a neutral expression. The other smiled innocently, as if what he just said was merely casual conversation.
But it was the first time Lu Heng had heard such words.
In his 26 years of life in reality, his meals had always been planned by professionals. He ate ingredients ordinary people couldn’t access, prepared by private chefs. Even for business meals, they only went to high-end restaurants that ordinary people couldn’t enter.
The business world was treacherous. During meals, they had to guard against drugged food. Sometimes, a table full of delicacies would go largely untouched.
No one had ever offered to cook for him before.
“Never mind,” Lu Heng turned away. “I’m very picky about food.”
He trusted professional chefs’ skills more than Jiang Yunxing’s.
Lu Heng ate with perfect etiquette, making a simple fish dish look like fine French dining. He used two pairs of chopsticks, one for dishes and one for rice, switching between them methodically, though it seemed rather troublesome.
Jiang Yunxing stared blankly until Lu Heng put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
He looked at the untouched vegetables and soup in the tray. “You’re not eating these?”
Lu Heng glanced at them. “No. They taste bad.”
The author of this book didn’t understand Lu Heng’s eating habits. Except for the fish, all the dishes hit his food landmines.
It seemed he needed to have a talk with the chef.
“You’ll be deficient in vitamins if you don’t eat vegetables,” Jiang Yunxing couldn’t help but say.
“Then can’t I just take vitamin supplements?” Lu Heng stood up and walked toward the window again. After a few steps, he stopped and turned back to ask Jiang Yunxing, “Have you eaten?”
Jiang Yunxing was still standing there. His face stiffened at the question, becoming awkward again.
Lu Heng felt a moment of curiosity about how Jiang Yunxing developed such a personality.
He picked up his phone and unlocked it with a password. “What do you want to eat? I’ll have the housekeeper get the chef to make it.”
“Ah? No, no need!” Jiang Yunxing waved his hands repeatedly, pointing at the untouched dishes on the table. “Don’t go to the trouble. There’s still plenty here. Some dishes haven’t even been touched…”
Lu Heng frowned. “Those are cold now. How can you eat that?”
“It’s fine to eat cold food in this weather,” Jiang Yunxing said. “We shouldn’t waste food.”
He had already sat down and picked up his chopsticks. Lu Heng didn’t insist further and returned to the windowsill to check information.
After Lu Heng finished looking through nearly three months of news and formed a rough plan in his mind, Jiang Yunxing put down his chopsticks.
Lu Heng glanced at the empty plates and said, “Put them outside the door on the floor.”
Jiang Yunxing obediently did as told, then came back and stood by the table, seeming to have something to say.
He was clutching his backpack strap. Lu Heng only then noticed he was wearing his bag and hadn’t taken it off since entering the room.
“Ge… do you have anything else?” Jiang Yunxing asked.
Lu Heng raised an eyebrow. “You want to leave?”
“…”
Jiang Yunxing pressed his lips together, thumb fidgeting with the strap. His expression didn’t look like he wanted to leave at all.
Lu Heng said flatly, “Just stay here.”
He had to go to school tomorrow and didn’t know what might happen. Having Jiang Yunxing by his side might come in handy.
Without waiting for Jiang Yunxing’s response, he took out his phone and called the butler.
“Young Master.”
“Mm.” Lu Heng said, “My friend is staying over tonight. Prepare a guest room.”
The butler went quiet for a moment. Lu Heng sensed something was off and waited for his response.
“Young Master, I don’t have the authority to use the guest rooms,” the butler said with some hesitation. “For this matter, you’d better discuss it with Second Young Master.”
Lu Tian again.
Although he hadn’t met Lu Tian yet, judging from everything that happened today, Lu Tian seemed to have major issues with him.
Looks like they needed to meet soon.
Having made his decision, Lu Heng asked, “Where is he now?”
“In his room resting. Are you going to see him?”
“Mm.”
“Okay, I’ll give you access.”
When Lu Heng went up to the third floor, he discovered that Lu Tian’s room was the exact same one from his reality.
The room was spacious, with an adjoining small swimming pool. When Lu Heng arrived, Lu Tian was just getting out of the pool.
Although he was a year younger than Lu Heng, Lu Tian had grown quite tall. Wearing only swimming trunks, his well-built physique was fully displayed as water droplets traced down the lines of his body.
Lu Heng’s expression turned complicated.
While Lu Tian’s face hadn’t changed, his height definitely had. It was difficult for Lu Heng to accept this sudden change.
Noticing Lu Heng’s expression, Lu Tian gave a sly smile. “What brings you here, Ge?”
A cool mint fragrance drifted into Lu Heng’s nose.
This feeling… Lu Tian was an Alpha.
No wonder he was so arrogant.
Lu Heng’s expression returned to normal. “You manage the guest rooms?”
“Hm? Why do you ask?” Lu Tian replied confidently. “I’ve always managed the house.”
“Dad put me in charge after I presented as Alpha. It’s only been a month, have you forgotten?”
Lu Heng: “…”
He suddenly missed the Lu Tian from reality.
Although the real Lu Tian had caused him trouble before, the one in this book was ten thousand times more insufferable.
Lu Tian continued rambling, “Ge, being an Omega isn’t that bad. You’re just physically weaker. But I should warn you to control that nasty temper of yours. If you provoke an Alpha one day, you’ll get beaten up.”
“Is that so?” Lu Heng gave Lu Tian a cold look. “Just this afternoon, I scared a group of Alphas until their legs turned to jelly.”
Lu Tian’s expression changed.
Lu Heng touched his neck. “Want to try?”
Lu Tian: “…”
Lu Heng released a subtle amount of pheromones, but didn’t attempt what he did at noon.
He still couldn’t control it well. He was only testing Lu Tian, and judging by his reaction, the test was successful.
It seemed that despite being an Omega, he still possessed strong abilities. Perhaps it was related to his rank?
Jiang Yunxing had mentioned the ranking system that existed among Alphas and Omegas. The higher the rank, the higher the quality. Alphas and Omegas of the same rank had better compatibility. Combined with the setting that Omegas could resist, high-ranking Omegas could completely suppress low-ranking Alphas.
As the protagonists, Jiang Yunxing and Lin Yao naturally had the highest ranks. The second male lead Xu He’s rank wasn’t bad either, but Lu Heng, who was set as the villain, had always been a mystery regarding his rank.
As a villain, if he were just an ordinary person, his tragic end wouldn’t resonate with readers no matter how miserable.
But if he were an extremely outstanding person who did terrible things and offended everyone, only to face cruel retribution and torture from those he hated…
That would be much more satisfying to read.
The original “Lu Heng” didn’t know how to use his advantages, but he could.
He needed to think more about this pheromone situation.
Lu Tian caught a whiff of Lu Heng’s pheromones, and his face paled further, but he still said firmly, “Don’t you dare try anything. I’m your brother! I just presented a month ago, and my gland isn’t mature yet. If you mess it up, Mom and Dad will kill you.”
Lu Heng sneered, “My brother isn’t anything like you.”
“What do you need the guest room for?” Lu Tian brought the topic back, “Is it for that Alpha? The one you just brought in?”
Lu Heng grunted in affirmation.
“Why bother with a guest room?” Lu Tian’s face broke into that punch-worthy smile again. “He’s the Alpha you brought home, of course he should stay with you.”
Looking at that face, Lu Heng suddenly lost interest in arguing with him.
So far, Lu Tian was the only family member he had seen.
Lu Ying, Lu Shenghua, and his mother, Gu Lanzhi, had they changed too?
They wore the same faces and called the same names as in reality, but different souls inhabited them.
Feeling irritated, Lu Heng ignored Lu Tian and left his bedroom.
He returned to his own room, ignoring Jiang Yunxing, who sat at the desk doing homework and went straight to the bathroom.
After a quick shower, Lu Heng came down the steps in his bathrobe and paused.
He turned sideways to look at the full-length mirror that covered the entire wall.
The face was his, but his entire frame had shrunk compared to reality, with a softness around his middle, probably to fit the Omega setting.
…This wasn’t his real self.
“…Ge?” Jiang Yunxing’s voice came from outside, “Are you done?”
Lu Heng remained expressionless and didn’t respond.
Jiang Yunxing continued unprompted, “I saw the suppressant on the bed. Did you just take another shot?”
“Ge, please tell me when you’re in heat from now on. That way, if you pass out, I’ll be here to watch over you.”
“You’re an Omega. It’s still dangerous in this world. If you faint and no one’s protecting you, someone might take advantage…”
Lu Heng opened the door, facing Jiang Yunxing, who stood right outside.
He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, the warmth and shower fragrance softening his expression.
“Where are you from?” Lu Heng asked, “I mean in reality, where’s your home?”
Jiang Yunxing looked up and answered, “Guangxi… my home is in Guangxi.”
Lu Heng: “Mm.”
Their current location was called City C.
Lu Heng had checked the map. In this world, cities were named with letters, the kind of code names virtual worlds liked to use.
Only Jiang Yunxing was real.
“You came to find me today. Have you made your choice?” Lu Heng gently grabbed Jiang Yunxing’s arm, pushed him aside, and walked to the desk. “Not going to be with Lin Yao like in the book?”
He opened the wine bottle on the table, poured half a glass, and brought it up to his nose.
He had trouble sleeping, and drinking a glass of red wine before bed was his habit.
Though he hadn’t heard of this wine brand before, Lu Heng took a small sip. The elegant movement suited his current body perfectly.
Jiang Yunxing stood at a distance from the bathroom, head lowered in silence for a long while before saying, “Lin Yao is just a fictional character to me, and I’m not the real Jiang Yunxing either. How could I be with him?”
“Then would you like to stay with me?” Lu Heng asked.
Jiang Yunxing’s head snapped up, eyes wide as he stared at Lu Heng, seemingly unable to believe what he’d just heard.
Lu Heng leaned against the edge of the table, swirling his wine glass as he continued, “Let me be clear upfront. I only like obedient ones.”
“Yes, yes I want to!” Jiang Yunxing nodded frantically, sincerity written all over his face. “Ge, I’ll definitely be an obedient little brother!”
——————–
Author’s Note:
Obedient little (lao) brother (gong)
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