Since it was Lu Heng’s first meeting after joining the company, and with that drama at the beginning, everyone tried their best to perform well. The meeting lasted nearly three hours.
The main project was located in F City and required Lu Heng’s personal attention. For other minor projects, he only needed to review and sign off on them.
Now that Zhang Pu’s investment was confirmed, they just needed to monitor the progress and complete the work as soon as possible. Although Lu Heng was still busy every day, he wouldn’t need to travel for business in the near future.
This seemed like good news from all angles, but Lu Heng felt uneasy.
Three days had passed since school started, and he hadn’t seen Jiang Yunxing during this time.
The schedule for senior year was brutal. Students had to arrive at school by seven in the morning and weren’t dismissed until ten at night. Cell phones weren’t allowed at school, and students had to be extremely careful when sneaking them out. Given Jiang Yunxing’s timid nature, he only messaged Lu Heng during lunch breaks.
The messages were nothing but “Have you eaten?”, “What did you eat?”, “Remember to eat well”…
Just meaningless conversations.
But Lu Heng himself didn’t know what else to say either.
In the evenings when Jiang Yunxing returned home, Lu Heng would call when he had nothing else to do. Most of the time, they stayed silent, keeping the line connected while Jiang Yunxing did his homework and Lu Heng handled work matters.
Their occasional exchanges were equally pointless.
It seemed like he and Jiang Yunxing had nothing to talk about.
“…Mr. Lu?”
Lu Heng snapped back to reality, the proposal in his hands coming back into focus.
“Do you have any questions about this?”
Lu Heng looked up, staring at the person in front of him for a moment before tossing the proposal onto the desk.
“There are five typos in one paragraph, and the sentences don’t even make sense. How am I supposed to review this?”
“…” The person’s face stiffened, but he still forced himself to explain, “Because time was tight, I wanted you to look at the content first, so…”
“So because it’s just for my review, other details can be ignored?” Lu Heng asked coldly. “Is this how you always approach your work?”
“…”
Lu Heng continued staring at the person before him, who kept his head down, not daring to meet Lu Heng’s gaze.
Lu Heng remembered him.
His name was Wu Chong, if he remembered correctly. He used to work at the group headquarters, and when the branch office was established, Lu Shenghua transferred him here. During those initial two difficult years, Wu Chong stayed with the branch office and made some notable contributions.
But a year after Lu Heng joined the company, problems were discovered with Wu Chong.
That year, when the company showed significant improvement, Lu Heng stabilized most operations and personally investigated the company’s accounts.
Wu Chong wasn’t the only one with issues, but his were the most severe.
Ever since Wu Chong joined the branch office, he had been embezzling company funds. Although the company wasn’t doing well at that time, it still had Lu Corporation’s backing, so things weren’t too bad. The poor management of the branch office had given Wu Chong the perfect opportunity to exploit the situation.
After Lu Heng arrived, Wu Chong stopped his illegal activities, but he probably hadn’t expected Lu Heng to dig up and review all the old accounts.
The reason Wu Chong had been able to stay at the branch company for so long was not because of his outstanding work performance. He was just an ordinary employee who had worked at headquarters for eight years, which meant the company would be more lenient with him during layoffs.
Now that Lu Heng knew about Wu Chong’s character, he naturally chose to cut losses by firing him as soon as possible.
This was the perfect opportunity.
Lu Heng held a cigarette between his fingers. “You’re Wu Chong, right? You were also absent from the regular meeting on Monday.”
Wu Chong kept his head down. “I’m very sorry, Mr. Lu. I’ll rewrite the proposal right away.”
“Don’t bother,” Lu Heng said. “It’s just a small project. Anyone could write it. But your work attitude might not be suitable for our company.”
Wu Chong finally caught the underlying meaning in Lu Heng’s words and jerked his head up. “Mr. Lu, what do you mean…?”
“Find another company,” Lu Heng said bluntly. “Secretary Fang, where should he go to process his resignation? Take him there.”
Wu Chong’s pupils constricted, his voice growing agitated. “Mr. Lu, I’ve worked for Lu Corporation for eight years! You can’t just fire me like this!”
Lu Heng sneered. “Eight years and you still can’t write a proper proposal? Headquarters has been stable these past few years, so occasional slacking might not have mattered. But the branch office is just starting up. We can’t afford to have people who slack off.”
“How am I a slacker? I explained, didn’t I? I just wanted you to check the content. If you think it’s fine, I’ll write a complete version!”
Ignoring Wu Chong’s words, Lu Heng lit his cigarette and took a drag. “Secretary Fang, take him away.”
Fang Zaiqi’s expression wasn’t pleasant, but he didn’t dare disobey Lu Heng’s orders. He could only walk toward Wu Chong.
“You’ve only been here a few days! How dare you fire people as you please?! What gives you the right?!” Wu Chong’s face twisted in anger as he shouted. “Fuck, who do you think you are?!”
Lu Heng frowned slightly and stood up. Due to his Omega status, his frame was much smaller than in reality, but it didn’t diminish his presence at all.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned cold, and Wu Chong, who had been yelling just moments ago, instinctively shut his mouth.
“As the current manager of this branch office, I’m returning those words to you exactly as they were given.” Lu Heng walked to Wu Chong’s side, raised his lit cigarette, and pressed it against Wu Chong’s chest.
The burning tip left a tiny hole where it made contact, with some ash falling onto Wu Chong’s work clothes. Lu Heng casually flicked the half-smoked cigarette into the ashtray and adjusted his cuffs.
“Take him away, and check his previous transactions while you’re at it,” Lu Heng said before leaving the office alone.
Since he hadn’t gotten his driver’s license yet, Lu Heng couldn’t drive and had to take a taxi.
These past few days had been busy, but now that company matters were mostly settled, Lu Heng had some free time.
Whenever he had a moment to himself, his thoughts would drift to Jiang Yunxing.
It was strange. Although Lu Heng had little to talk about with Jiang Yunxing, he just wanted to see him and smell his scent. Being with Jiang Yunxing made him feel at ease, and being close to him was relaxing both physically and mentally. Plus, Jiang Yunxing was really good at taking care of others.
The driver pulled over, and Lu Heng got out of the car.
It was almost noon. The sun was glaring, and early autumn was still as hot as summer. Lu Heng took off his suit jacket and rolled up his shirt sleeves, looking up at the building in front of him.
He found a shady spot to stand, took out his phone to find Jiang Yunxing’s number, and sent him a text.
-I’m at the school gate. Come out when class ends.
Lu Heng didn’t wait long before the school bell rang.
The school cafeteria wasn’t great, so most students ate outside. As soon as the bell rang, crowds of students poured out.
Lu Heng stepped aside. Without his school uniform and with his new hairstyle, plus his unique aura, passersby would glance at him twice, but nobody recognized him.
After one wave of students passed and still no sign of Jiang Yunxing, Lu Heng grew impatient. Just as he was about to go in and fetch him, Jiang Yunxing’s message came through.
–Class ran late, I’ll be right out!
After another short wait, Jiang Yunxing finally appeared.
He was tall and stood out in the crowd. Lu Heng spotted him from afar but didn’t move.
Jiang Yunxing looked around at the gate, and the moment he turned his head, he saw Lu Heng. His eyes lit up, and he happily waved before running over.
“Ge, why are you here?” Jiang Yunxing asked.
Lu Heng still didn’t speak. He stared intently at Jiang Yunxing’s face, his gaze tracing every detail. Without a response, Jiang Yunxing didn’t know what else to say and just stood there awkwardly.
He dared not move under Lu Heng’s stare. Fortunately, Lu Heng soon shifted his gaze and went to hail a taxi.
Five minutes later, the car stopped in front of an upscale restaurant. Jiang Yunxing followed Lu Heng out. Since Lu Heng hadn’t said anything, he just quietly followed along.
They went up to the third floor and entered a private room.
Lu Heng had already ordered. After showing them in, the server left.
This room was different from the usual ones. It only had two seats facing each other by the window, but the curtains were drawn now.
The room was bathed in warm orange light, with soft music playing, creating a romantic atmosphere.
As Jiang Yunxing followed in a daze, about to ask why they were here, Lu Heng pushed him against the door.
Lu Heng’s hands pressed against Jiang Yunxing’s shoulders as he leaned forward and tilted his head up to bite Jiang Yunxing’s lips.
Before Jiang Yunxing could process what was happening, Lu Heng had already pried open his mouth.
Missing someone this much after just three days apart. This was something Lu Heng hadn’t expected himself.
As he waited at the school gate, his restlessness grew with each passing second. The moment he saw Jiang Yunxing, that restlessness transformed into burning desire, practically exploding in an instant.
In all his life, Lu Heng had never experienced such feelings. But the moment he kissed Jiang Yunxing, he found nothing wrong with this impulse.
On the contrary, this inexplicable rush of excitement was more intense than anything he’d felt before.
The pleasure was addictive.
Lu Heng’s breathing grew rapid as he pressed closer to Jiang Yunxing. His pheromones leaked out unconsciously as he bent one knee slightly, his hand instinctively sliding downward.
When he touched Jiang Yunxing’s waist, he felt him jump, then immediately push him away.
“…Ge!” Jiang Yunxing panted, his face flushed red. Meeting Lu Heng’s heated gaze, he quickly looked away and said embarrassedly, “This… this is a restaurant.”
Lu Heng immediately understood his meaning.
“This restaurant is very private. There are no cameras in the rooms,” Lu Heng said as he raised his hand to wrap around Jiang Yunxing’s neck. “We can do anything as long as it’s not illegal.”
“…” Jiang Yunxing turned his head to look at the floor. “I… I need to get back to school early today.”
Lu Heng: “?”
Jiang Yunxing said quietly, “The physics teacher said we have a quiz at noon. I need to be back in class thirty minutes early…”
Lu Heng: “…”
Jiang Yunxing’s words were like a bucket of cold water. Lu Heng’s mood instantly deflated.
He let go of Jiang Yunxing and turned to sit at the dining table, pressing the service bell.
Lunch arrived quickly. Lu Heng ate elegantly with a calm expression without sparing a single glance at Jiang Yunxing.
“Ge… are you angry?” Jiang Yunxing asked cautiously.
Lu Heng didn’t respond.
Jiang Yunxing hung his head, and after a while asked, “Is this… because of the mark?”
Lu Heng glanced at the top of Jiang Yunxing’s head. “Probably.”
Jiang Yunxing poked at his food, lost in thought. After a long while, he said, “I’m sorry…”
Lu Heng fell silent again, not quite understanding why Jiang Yunxing was apologizing.
Lu Heng finished his lunch quietly, put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and said, “Hurry up and eat. I’ll take you back after you’re done.”
The entire afternoon, Lu Heng was distracted.
In real life before, Lu Heng had always been the one pursued by others. Those who approached him had ulterior motives, always wanting something from him.
Lu Heng had never met anyone quite like Jiang Yunxing before.
He spent an entire afternoon convincing himself.
Unlike him, Jiang Yunxing’s life in reality for the past eighteen years probably revolved only around school and family, as pure as a blank sheet of paper.
Jiang Yunxing had likely never been to those places. He probably didn’t know that in those glittering nightspots, many people his age would hook up at hotels just because they caught each other’s eye, then go their separate ways the next day.
These things weren’t really a big deal, but Jiang Yunxing didn’t see it that way.
Lu Heng finished reading an unimportant document and sighed inwardly.
He never thought there would come a day when he would be troubled by such matters.
Closing the file, Lu Heng glanced at the time. It was almost ten.
Since Jiang Yunxing wouldn’t finish class until ten, and Lu Heng had nothing to do at home, he’d been staying at the office until around this time for the past few days.
Except for the staff on duty, all other employees had left. The company was silent, with only two lights remaining lit in the hallway.
Lu Heng shut down his computer and got up to leave. The elevator was stuck on B2, and it would take some time to arrive.
Waiting was boring, so Lu Heng casually scrolled through his phone. Shortly after, he suddenly caught the scent of pheromones.
The smell was rather strong, carrying an invisible pressure. It was the unique signature of an Alpha.
Lu Heng frowned and looked toward the source of the pheromones, only to see a figure rushing out from the darkness.
The figure lunged at Lu Heng with outstretched hands, and in the next second, wrapped them around Lu Heng’s throat.
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