Inside the office of the President of the Federal Council, Ye Qing looked up after signing the final document, her gaze falling upon the young Alpha standing before her.
The young man stood as straight as a spear, his gaze as calm as still water. Though his features were naturally soft and expressive, his overbearing presence forced them into a mask of cold, ascetic indifference. After today, she would officially step down from her position as President, and her successor would be the young Alpha before her—Ji Yeran.
Looking at the son who had finally grown into a man, President Ye caught a scent and wrinkled her nose, a sudden look of confusion crossing her face. "If I recall correctly, you’re twenty-five this year?"
Ji Yeran did not answer his mother’s question; a single, icy look conveyed all his thoughts on the matter.
"Why is the scent of your Omega’s pheromones so clean?" Having shed the heavy burden of her office, President Ye found herself in a rare mood for gossip, completely ignoring her son’s cold shoulder.
Usually, her son kept his pheromones perfectly concealed. It was a rare occasion for her to catch the scent of strong spirits clinging to him.
As an experienced Alpha, Ye Qing naturally knew how pheromones merged and changed between an Alpha and an Omega who had formed a lifetime mark. Although her son was clearly draped in the scent of an Omega, the two pheromones had not fully fused. The scents of green plum and strong spirits remained distinct and clean, which meant the two of them hadn't performed a lifetime mark at all.
Five years. He had kept an Omega under a long-term mark, living with him day in and day out, yet he still hadn't committed to a lifetime mark? What was this? This was the behavior of a scumbag Alpha!
Stared down by his mother’s judgmental gaze, Ji Yeran kept his face frozen, refusing to speak.
Today was his day off, yet President Ye had used her authority to summon him here with "urgent" business. Was it really just to ask these nonsensical questions?
Ji Yeran turned to leave, but Ye Qing called out to him again. "Your father is returning to the Capital Star tonight."
"And?" Ji Yeran turned back, looking at his mother quietly.
Seeing her son’s frank and oblivious expression, Ye Qing suddenly realized something: her son’s emotional intelligence had likely been inherited entirely from Ji Qiu’s stubborn, dense nature.
Realizing where the problem lay, and seeing that her son truly didn't understand the implication of her words, she sighed. "I’ve had the butler prepare everything. Your father is coming back tonight, so the *four of us* should have a proper meal together."
She placed a heavy emphasis on "the four of us," feeling a sense of exasperation at her son’s emotional shortcomings.
What did it mean when both parents were home? It meant meeting the family! How could a serious, responsible Alpha not bring his marked Omega home? Was he planning to abandon him?!
Ji Yeran, who had somehow become a "scumbag Alpha" in his mother's mind: "..."
***
By the time Ji Yeran finally left the Council building and returned home, he found that Feng Zhixi was already awake.
The bedroom was bright, the floor-to-ceiling windows having been adjusted back to transparent mode. The afternoon sun streamed in, casting a golden-red glow across the floor.
The Omega was sitting on the bed, wrapped in a thin blanket. Hearing the noise, he turned his head to look at the Alpha walking in.
Approaching the bedside, Ji Yeran leaned down and pressed a kiss to the corner of Feng Zhixi’s lips. "You’re awake?" he asked softly. "Why not sleep a bit longer?" The Omega’s heat had only just ended; he needed his rest.
As the warm scent of green plum brushed against his lips, Feng Zhixi—who had actually slept quite well—suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness again. He lazily reached out and hooked his arms around the Alpha’s neck. "Still tired."
Seeing the Omega’s bleary-eyed expression, Ji Yeran couldn't help but smile. He slid an arm around the Omega’s waist and lay down on the bed with him.
With that warm, familiar presence beside him, Feng Zhixi let out a yawn, released his hold, and found a comfortable position in the Alpha’s arms before closing his eyes again.
The scent of strong spirits on the Omega, still potent and overbearing from the recent heat, coiled around his partner in layer after layer. As a cub of the Xi Clan, Feng Zhixi’s aura was entirely different from that of an ordinary person. This dominant, powerful scent would wrap around his "scabbard" again and again, claiming him with a mark that belonged to him alone.
