Chapter 1

"On the 9th of this month, Boqing Group announced the formal acquisition of Ricno Corporation. The acquisition agreement grants Boqing Group the right to use Ricno Corporation's proprietary DSAE Technology Platform. In addition, Boqing Group will also acquire Ricno Corporation's preclinical R&D pipeline, including..."

The morning economic news flickered, blurred in the reflection on the metal button at the base of the Pheromone monitor. Wen Ran forced his eyes open, lay face-down on the pillow, stared at that button, drifting somewhere between sleep and waking.

There were voices in the room, tangled up with the news broadcast, the words impossible to make out. Wen Ran tried to steal a few more minutes of sleep, but the pain at the back of his neck woke up faster than his brain did. In the dizziness, another wave of nausea rose through his body. He automatically parted his lips a little, took a few slow breaths, and it settled.

A nurse came to change his dressing. Beads of sweat slowly broke out across Wen Ran's forehead, and his already pale lips went whiter. The nurse bent down close to the pillow and asked softly, "Still hurts, doesn't it?"

Wen Ran managed a tired smile. "Much better. Thank you."

"Another two days and it'll ease up." The nurse glanced quickly in some direction, straightened up, packed her things, and hurried out.

That kind of talk didn't really comfort Wen Ran. The truth was, he didn't know how many "two days" had already passed. He was like a vegetable, stuck in a hospital bed twenty-four hours a day. Even most vegetables didn't have to do what he did — lie face-down for long stretches so the surgical wound on the back of his neck wouldn't get pressed.

There was only one book by the pillow, brought from home. He'd flipped through it again and again, almost memorized every word.

The economic news ended. The voices stopped too. From the corner of his eye, Wen Ran saw the doctor walk out of the room, then someone else come to the bedside.

"Mom." Wen Ran struggled to turn his head, lifted it slightly, and greeted her first.

Chen Shuhui was staring at her Mobile Phone, fingernails tapping the screen in a quick rat-a-tat. Between typing, she stole a glance at Wen Ran: "Don't move around. If you tear the wound open, you'll never get out of this bed for the rest of your life."

Wen Ran obediently hummed, and quietly settled his head back into the pillow.

"The doctor says as long as the numbers are fine, all the reactions making you uncomfortable right now will fade on their own. Just bear with it." She turned off her Mobile Phone and watched him. "Before we go back to the country, they'll draw your Pheromone for a precise match. So listen to the doctor, recover properly. I don't want any accidents when the time comes."

"I know."

The door was pulled open, then closed again. Wen Ran was alone in the room once more. He pushed the pillow down a little, reached out from the bed for the book, and opened it to the first page.

From the first page to the last. From early spring to early summer. The long hospital stay finally came to an end with that piece of paper — the Pheromone match report. 96.8%. A number terrifyingly specific and terrifyingly high. It didn't disappoint anyone. It was the first time Wen Ran had seen Chen Shuhui wear that kind of smile, as if he were simply being sincerely blessed back to health.

Discharge bag packed, Wen Ran stood by the nurses' station waiting for the driver to contact him. Only one small bag. He held it, stood there staring blankly at the elevator. He was still wearing the same long sleeves and long pants he'd been admitted in that spring, pale skin showing at his wrists, a black Neck Ring circling his thin neck.

"Discharged! Congratulations."

Wen Ran turned his head. It was the two nurses who'd been monitoring him and changing his dressings for months now, but had been forbidden from talking to him too much, sitting inside the consultation desk and smiling at him gently.

"Mm." Too long without socializing, Wen Ran paused two or three seconds before continuing, "Sorry for all the trouble these past months."

"It's nothing. Once you're out, remember to take your medicine on time. If anything feels off, you have to call us right —" The nurse suddenly stopped, exchanged a brief look with her colleague, then unnaturally switched topics: "Take good care of yourself."

It was a tone full of pity and sympathy. After that surgery with only a sixty percent success rate, Wen Ran had been moved to the ICU. The general anesthesia kept his brain from waking up fast, and through the fog he'd heard a nurse sigh softly in exactly that tone: "How pitiful."

"I will. Thanks." His Mobile Phone buzzed in his pocket. Wen Ran said, "I'll head off then. Goodbye."

Too long without midday sun. Just a few steps down the stairs and Wen Ran couldn't catch his breath. He pulled open the car door and realized Wen Rui was in the back seat too.

"...Ge." Wen Ran called out, not quite used to it.

"Why do you look like some sewer rat." Wen Rui had his arms crossed, leaning back comfortably in his seat. "Looks like once we're back in the country I'll have to sign you up for a few social skills classes. Going around looking like this won't cut it."

Wen Ran couldn't really agree. Rats looked like they had more life in them than he did.

"When do we head back?"

"In about half a month. Still some loose ends at the Company over here to wrap up, otherwise I wouldn't have made the trip." Wen Rui opened his Mobile Phone to check messages. "Don't tell me you thought I came all this way just to pick you up."

"No." Wen Ran answered with full self-awareness.

Wen Rui gave a strange little smile. "Actually, you could think that. After all, the Wen Family's going to be counting on you from now on, aren't they."

There was really no way to answer that. Wen Ran turned to look out the car window.

It was raining on the day they flew back. The Capital City — a place Wen Ran had never set foot in during his first eighteen years of life — was wrapped in thick water-mist, full of an unknown, foreign air. Maybe because the AC in the car was set a little low, Wen Ran shivered.

The car passed through a tree-lined avenue and stopped at the Garden gate of the Wen Family estate. The rain had thinned a little. Wen Ran opened the door and got out, looked up at the black-and-white villa. It was obvious it hadn't been maintained in a long time. It stood alone in the drizzle, with a kind of desolate, decayed air.

"You go in first. I need to stop by the Company." Chen Shuhui sat in the car. "If you're hungry, get Aunt Fang to make you something."

"Okay."

Wen Ran closed the car door, got his things from the trunk, and went through the side gate into the front Garden with the driver. Just up the steps, the front door opened. A Beta woman in an apron hurried out of the villa, a polite smile on her face. "You must be Ranran. Come on, let me take your bag."

"Aunt Fang." Wen Ran greeted her first. "It's okay, I'll carry it myself."

The driver pushed Chen Shuhui's suitcase into the living room, told Aunt Fang to put the case in the madam's room, then hurried out into the rain to drive Chen Shuhui to the Company.

Aunt Fang took the suitcase and led Wen Ran upstairs. The black walnut staircase had some years on it, creaking under every step. Wen Ran looked around. The double-height living room was vast and cold, the ten-plus-meter chandelier was off, hanging from the ceiling like some dark, shadowy beast.

Passing the only north-facing spare bedroom, Aunt Fang stopped and pushed the door open. "Ranran, this is your room." She pointed ahead to the two south-facing master bedrooms. "The madam and Wen Rui's rooms are over there."

"Thanks, Aunt Fang. I'll go unpack then." Wen Ran smiled at her.

"Alright."

The room wasn't big. A bed, a wardrobe, a desk. Simple furnishings. Outside the window was a jacaranda tree with branches spread wide. Wen Ran leaned on the windowsill and looked down — blue-purple fallen flowers carpeted the ground around the trunk. Footsteps sounded behind him. He turned. Aunt Fang stood in the doorway. "Hungry? I'll cook you some noodles."

"A little, actually. Sorry to trouble you, Aunt Fang."

Aunt Fang's gaze lingered on Wen Ran's face for two seconds before she smiled. "No trouble at all. I'll call you when it's ready."

After the door closed, Wen Ran went into the bathroom. The mirror had been wiped clean, reflecting his bloodless face. He carefully removed the Neck Ring, his right hand slowly finding the back of his neck. The surgical scar had almost flattened — only a slight raised bump under the skin still proved that an artificial Gland had been implanted in his body, and synthetic omega Pheromone injected into it.

The pre-discharge tests showed his Gland had started functioning like a normal organ, able to secrete and release small amounts of Pheromone. Only Wen Ran himself had never smelled it.

Which meant he was still a Beta. Only Betas couldn't develop a keen sense of smell for Pheromone.

The long flight had made the Gland swollen and sore, but Wen Ran only relaxed for less than half a minute before putting the Neck Ring back on. Chen Shuhui had once told him he should wear it even while sleeping — fully adapt to it, get used to it, as if truly believing he'd been born an omega.

That brainwashing had started the day Wen Ran was brought into the Wen Family as a substitute for their deceased youngest son. Seven-year-old him inherited everything about the dead Wen Ran — name, gender, identity. No one outside the Wen Family knew the real Wen Ran had already died abroad. No one knew he had replaced Wen Ran, grown up in his place to eighteen.

So from age seven, he wore the Neck Ring and played the part of a proper omega. He barely went to the Preparatory School, never took part in any group physicals. All of last year he'd stayed at the research institute, following the doctor's diet and medication plan, turning himself into a body suitable for the implantation of an artificial Gland.

Neck Ring secured, Wen Ran stared at the dark pupils in the mirror for a long moment, then looked at the small beauty mark under his right eye. Eleven years ago, it was because of that mark that Chen Shuhui had picked him out from among same-blood-type orphans across a dozen welfare homes — the real Wen Ran had the same beauty mark, in the same spot. The world just produces these eerie coincidences. No way to explain them.

Wen Ran thought of the distracted look on Aunt Fang's face when she'd looked at him earlier. Probably remembering that dead young master too.

He unpacked his meager luggage, sat on the bed spacing out for a while, then heard Aunt Fang calling him. He got up and went downstairs. Only when he reached the bottom did he see Wen Rui was home too, eating noodles. The big chandelier had been switched on, but the whole living room still felt strangely gloomy and dim, as if nothing could ever light it up properly.

Wen Rui had come back to the country two days earlier, and from his outfit he'd just come from the Company. When Wen Ran sat down in the chair across from him, he glanced up. "Why are you wearing ill-fitting rags again? Doesn't your mom even buy you clothes?"

Same mother, but Wen Rui always liked to use "your mom" to refer to Chen Shuhui in front of him. Wen Ran answered, "They're not that worn out."

Just a little small, that was all. Clothes from two or three years ago. From last year to this year he'd been wearing hospital gowns. No need for new ones.

Wen Rui snorted a laugh. "After we eat, I'm taking you to the mall."

"No need." Wen Ran was starting to suspect he really might be a sewer rat, terrified of crowded places. Though rats had more energy than him, maybe the core of it was the same.

"Dressed like a beggar, you won't make it through the front door before someone kicks you out, Wen Ran." Wen Rui pulled a napkin and wiped his mouth. "Once we're back in the Capital City, it's your turn to perform. Keep your head clear."

He stood up, patted Wen Ran's shoulder as he passed, mysterious and unserious: "Tomorrow I'll take you somewhere fun."

The next evening, Wen Ran, in an ill-fitting suit, got in the car with Wen Rui. They drove for a long time — long enough for Wen Ran to almost doze off — and finally pulled into what looked like a resort, with wide stretches of greenery and lakes.

At the destination, an attendant waiting at the entrance led them to the elevator and into a private room. A few Alphas sat in the dining area, smoking and chatting.

"Young Master Wen finally shows up. Let me see — this omega looks unfamiliar. Where'd you pick up a high schooler?"

"Didn't pick him up anywhere." Wen Rui sat Wen Ran down at the table. "This is my brother."

"Oh, he's back in the country? With a face like that, no wonder you've been hiding him. Afraid someone would have designs on him, right?"

Wen Rui said, "Just a kid. Don't scare him. Tell them to bring the food."

The topic quickly drifted elsewhere. Wen Ran endured the cigarette smoke and ate quietly. Fortunately, these people didn't seem to be here for the food — soon enough they moved to the sofa in the living room to drink, and he could finally breathe.

As glasses clinked, the laughter got quieter — they were getting to the real business. Wen Ran voluntarily walked over. "Ge, I want to go out for a walk."

Wen Rui, half-drunk, pulled a card from his shirt pocket and held it out between his index and middle fingers. "Swipe it in the elevator. When you reach the floor, just go in and have some fun."

"Okay." Wen Ran took the card.

"Say goodbye to Uncle Wei and Uncle Tang."

Having no idea which was Uncle Wei and which was Uncle Tang, Wen Ran obediently said, "Goodbye, Uncle Wei, Uncle Tang."

Someone laughed and cursed, asking Wen Rui why he got to be "ge" while they were stuck being "uncle."

Wen Ran left the private room, stepped into the elevator, and swiped the card. The button for the ninth floor lit up on its own. He flipped the card over and saw clerical script in the bottom left corner: Huyan Mansion.

Ding — the elevator doors opened, but outside wasn't a corridor. It was a room. Wen Ran hesitated before stepping out. It looked like a reception room, but too ornate.

"Hello, welcome." An omega in a black uniform stood up from a nearby desk. "Just one tonight?"

She wore a decorative piece like a masquerade mask covering half her face. Wen Ran answered, "Yes. Alone."

"Understood." The omega extended both hands toward Wen Ran, who instinctively handed over the card.

The omega took the card, swiped it through a reader, and handed it back. Then she took out a brand-new masquerade mask, again offering it with both hands. "Please wear the mask at all times. No Mobile Phones allowed inside."

Wen Ran didn't really understand, but he nodded anyway. The omega walked around the desk to his side and carefully checked that his Neck Ring was secure. Then she went to the other end of the room and unlocked something with her fingerprint.

The door slowly opened. Wen Ran walked forward a few steps. Once the mask was settled on his face, he looked up. Along with the omega's soft "Enjoy your evening," two Alphas in suits walked side by side from the right side of the corridor, passing right past the door.

Both were very tall. From the angle, Wen Ran could only see the Alpha walking closer to the door — hair styled in an effortless way, one hand lazily tucked into his trouser pocket, pale wrist exposed below the cuff, and a black Wristband on the wrist.

Maybe sensing Wen Ran's gaze, the Alpha slightly turned his head toward him as he walked. Strangely, time seemed to slow. The dim corridor lights poured down reservedly, softly landing on the Alpha's half-mask-covered face.

A perfect nose tip, a superior jawline, coldly pressed lips, and that gaze with a sense of looking down on everything — in just one second, dark light and shadow drifted, everything like a slowed film scene, perfectly reflected in Wen Ran's eyes. The Alpha glanced once, then looked away, kept walking, and disappeared past the door.

Wen Ran blinked, inexplicably afraid, came back to himself, walked out the door, and looked right — should be a room connected to another elevator.

A strange fragrance drifted through the corridor. The dark red patterned carpet underfoot was impossibly soft. Wen Ran followed the winding path slowly. The two Alphas' backs were sometimes clear, sometimes disappearing around a turn.

Around the maze-like corridor, a gilded door appeared at the end. Security opened the door for the two Alphas and Wen Ran in turn. The small banquet hall had a circular dome painted with an extremely ornate medieval oil painting, both in color and in content. No main lights — only orange-yellow wall lamps. Music came from nowhere in particular, lingering at the ear.

Wen Ran was seated in a middle position. The seats were all semi-enclosed private sofas, not many of them, scattered around to make sure every viewer had an unobstructed sightline to the sunken stage.

A red velvet carpet covered the entire stage. Pure gold statues of angels and Madonnas stood around the edges. In the center was a giant golden birdcage.

Wen Ran hadn't noticed what was actually inside the birdcage at first. He settled into the sofa, felt a little stuffy, and undid one more button on his shirt. Then something moved in his peripheral vision. He looked up and was caught off guard — the birdcage contained an omega and an Alpha, naked, having sex.

It took him nearly half a minute to recover from the shock in front of him, and finally understand what Wen Rui had meant by "fun."

The outwardly elegant Huyan Mansion, inside, was an extravagant, debauched money-burning den for the upper class. The fragrance, the music, the lighting here — all of it must have been specially designed to engage every one of the guests' senses. Wen Ran forced himself not to look at the birdcage, turned his head slightly, and observed the other guests. Mostly Alphas, all wearing masks, suited up, seemingly calm — but their lips and eyes betrayed excitement, intoxication, and lust.

When Wen Ran looked toward the seat to his left rear, he caught something like 'boredom.'

Still those two Alphas. One lazily leaned into the sofa, head tilted, eyes closed, resting — as if he'd simply come to listen to music and sleep. The other was casually propping his chin, watching the performance, but his expression was cold, completely uninvolved. That appraising look, like he was measuring desire itself, made Wen Ran's heart and Gland both jump hard for no reason. He uneasily turned his head back and confirmed — they were S-Class Alphas.

The performance continued. Wen Ran sat on pins and needles, but since no one else was leaving, he could only stay. There was coffee and dessert on the coffee table in front of him. He didn't dare touch any of it.

He sat with his head down, spacing out. A long time later, some sounds came from the stage. Wen Ran cautiously looked up — the birdcage had been removed at some point. A lift slowly raised a uniquely shaped small round table. On it was a rectangular object covered in black satin, about half a person's height. A pretty bunny girl stood beside the table, her smile outside the mask sweet and cute.

Wen Ran relaxed a little, guessing the show alternated between heavy and light, and this might be a magic performance now. He glanced back again — the sleeping Alpha was still sleeping, but the other Alpha was gone. His seat was empty.

All the wall lamps suddenly dimmed. Only the stage stayed lit. Wen Ran turned back. When his gaze fell on the center of the stage again, the bunny girl was gently pulling away the black satin with a smile.

It was a transparent glass box. Only half a person's height. But there was a person inside it.

His pupils dilated without him meaning to. By the time his brain caught up, an unbearably nauseating feeling surged up his throat. In that instant, Wen Ran no longer cared about anyone else's eyes — he suddenly stood up and rushed for the door.

—It was a limbless, incomplete person.

A server in the corridor came over solicitously to support him. Wen Ran waved them off, his voice hoarse: no need. He kept walking forward, trying to get out of the winding corridor, but that eerie fragrance wouldn't dissipate — like the numb face and lifeless eyes of the person in the glass box that wouldn't leave his mind.

His hand on the wall touched something protruding — a door handle, maybe a door to a terrace. To avoid vomiting on the carpet, Wen Ran tried to open it, but the handle wouldn't budge. He irritably slapped the door a few times.

Click — the left half of the door was suddenly opened from outside by someone. Wind rushed in. Wen Ran, gasping, his swaying gaze climbed up along those long legs outside the door. The Alpha's hand on the handle was cold-white, knuckles defined, a lit cigarette held between his fingers. Smoke drifted past a sun-god-shaped brooch inlaid with D-color and yellow diamonds pinned to the suit lapel, revealing its true glittering nature in the night.

Finally, Wen Ran tilted his head up and looked into those black, deep eyes.

The night wind blew the hair off the Alpha's forehead, then blew onto Wen Ran's face, instantly sweeping away most of the discomfort in his body.