The guests had been waiting for a long time in the reception room of the Chu residence.
Huo Tinglan, his special assistant, lawyer and notary.
Ye Ci hesitated for a long time before walking into the living room and sat down on a single sofa in the corner.
He was so nervous that his face was as white as bone china, but he still tried to remain calm. His straight legs were wrapped in old washed jeans, and he deliberately spread them apart to support himself on the ground, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
This is a rude sitting posture that an omega shouldn't have.
That piece of street stall stuff is not presentable.
He hoped that Huo Tinglan would dislike him, but he didn't dare to go too far.
Because Ye Hongjun's life is still in Chu Wenlin's hands.
Chu Wenlin looked gloomy and warned Ye Ci with his eyes.
Ye Ci didn't even look at anyone. He kept his eyes downcast and swiped his phone quickly, looking as if he was busy with something.
His intuition told him that Huo Tinglan was looking at him, and that gaze was heavy, pressing down on his head like a cold cloud.
Huo Tinglan should have been wearing a pheromone blocking patch, but the pheromones of the A+ level alpha were too strong and slight leakage was inevitable, so Ye Ci could still smell a hint of the scorching masculine scent like strong liquor.
The taste of tequila.
Alphas with A+ grade glands are extremely rare, and this is the first time Ye Ci has come into contact with a living one.
Even Beta, who is insensitive to pheromones, would feel uncomfortable with the feeling of oppression and aggression, let alone Ye Ci who is in the stage of omega differentiation.
It was like a string was pulling from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. Ye Ci wanted to curl up into a ball and crawl into the crack of the sofa to avoid Huo Tinglan's strong gaze and breath.
He gritted his teeth to suppress the impulse and straightened his body.
"Hello." Huo Tinglan said.
A low and magnetic voice, a standard alpha voice.
Ye Ci's breath shook with resistance. He flipped his phone's desktop from beginning to end, then from end to beginning, moving the fancy app icons around, his palms covered in cold sweat.
Only after he was sure his voice wasn't shaking did he reply coldly, "Hello."
Chu Wenlin tried to smooth things over by saying that the child was introverted and afraid of strangers, and then quickly got to the point, discussing the details of the marriage agreement.
This marriage is just a purely business act. After the two parties sign the marriage contract, the Huo family will cooperate with the Chu family to develop a large-scale government project, which will bring astronomical returns to both families and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.
The power of the Chu family is still firmly in the hands of Old Man Chu. After this project is completed, Chu Wenlin will get limited benefits.
Therefore, for Chu Wenlin, the real key is not the project itself, but the in-law relationship between the Chu family's third branch and the Huo family and the great contributions he will make to the Chu family. This will become his capital in the battle for the family property, and will greatly improve his status in the eyes of Mr. Chu. Even the two wives of the first and second branches, as well as his four half-siblings, can hardly catch up. In exchange, Chu Wenlin will provide his omega eldest son as Huo Tinglan's "human comfort potion".
As a rare A+ level alpha, Huo Tinglan, while enjoying the various advantages that glands bring to body functions, also has to endure a more torturous and frequent susceptible period than other alphas. It is a double torture of mental and physical intensity that is hard to imagine for those who have not experienced it. Some A+ level alphas who cannot bear the torture will even engage in various self-harm behaviors during the susceptible period in an attempt to divert some of their attention.
Not only that, the overly strong genes of A+ make it difficult for them to match with the weak Omega, and it is even more impossible to seek a partner without considering the genetic compatibility. A+ pheromones in high concentrations can cause low-matching Omegas to fall into coma and shock, so the vast majority of A+ alphas will struggle with painful and frequent susceptible periods throughout their lives and end up alone.
Chu Wenlin knew that for such an alpha, Ye Ci, who could alleviate the symptoms of the susceptible period, was quite valuable.
Huo Tinglan was also happy to guide him to think this way.
On the other side of the sofa, the childish boy had a cold face and a sharp temperament, like a little hedgehog.
He pretended to be nonchalant about the deal, but he didn't dare look up at anyone, and his fingertips were white from gripping the phone with such force.
The forced coldness might fool outsiders, but in Huo Tinglan's eyes, it was as rotten as a piece of water-soaked paper that would leak at the slightest touch.
This was the first time Huo Tinglan had close contact with Ye Ci since he miraculously returned to the past.
This is what Ye Ci looked like when he was eighteen years old...
Huo Tinglan stared at him intently.
Ye Ci has never had the habit of taking photos, and is even a little resistant to it, so much so that apart from that high school graduation photo with a cold expression, Huo Tinglan has rarely seen photos of Ye Ci when he was a teenager.
So that's how it is.
Fresh and lively, it is as green as a spring bud plucked from the tip of a tea leaf, still stained with morning dew and morning light…
As if he was afraid of melting the person, Huo Tinglan's eyes were extremely gentle.
Eighteen-year-old Ye Ci is too young.
Really too small and too thin.
Even my fingers seem to be thinner than before.
…Did you have a good meal
Huo Tinglan felt a tightness in his heart, and he moved his thumb, rubbing it across the empty base of his left ring finger.
Taking advantage of the fact that Ye Ci didn't dare to look up, he let his gaze carefully stroke Ye Ci's watery eyes, the slender cartilage at the tip of his nose, the sharp jawline and the soft and tender lips that were pursed out of shape... until that cold little face was about to collapse, he slightly curled his lips, and when Ye Ci glanced at him suspiciously, he retracted his gaze, and also retracted the greed and attachment in his eyes, without making a sound.
… Huo Tinglan didn’t stare at him.
It's an illusion.
Ye Ci took a quick look at Huo Tinglan and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. His sore facial muscles finally relaxed a little.
Over there, Chu Wenlin was finalizing the specific terms with his lawyer.
This marriage agreement had been drafted in advance, and the two families had communicated about the important terms several times. Huo Tinglan was obviously anxious to ask the Chu family for someone, so the conditions were loosely drawn up. It took only a few days to work out the marriage agreement, together with a set of cooperation projects between the two families. Even Chu Wenlin felt that this Huo guy was too impatient to get a wife.
Huo Tinglan came to visit today just to formally sign an agreement with Ye Ci.
Ye Ci pricked up his ears to capture the content of the agreement.
He was confused about the business operation part, but the part about being a human medicine jar for Huo Tinglan was easy to understand.
According to the agreement, Ye Ci needs to use his own pheromones to help Huo Tinglan delay the arrival of the alpha susceptible period, and help Huo Tinglan relieve pain after the susceptible period begins. From the meaning revealed between the lines, Huo Tinglan's susceptible period seems to come more frequently than a normal alpha and lasts longer.
Ye Ci took a physiology class.
He knows that "helping alphas through their vulnerable periods" often means hugging, kissing, temporary marking, edging, and...
Can't think about it anymore.
Shame and anger burned his earlobes and cheeks red, and Ye Ci clenched his fists silently.
Treatment during the susceptible period sounds good, but in reality it is just...
He had already thought about it, he would refuse to embrace all the above requests. Anyway, even if he couldn't beat the A+ level alpha, he would not let the other party get away with it. He would try to delay, and when Ye Hongjun's health improved, he would take her away, move to another city, and then find a way to dissolve this absurd marriage. He could study and work at the same time, find a venue to run more competitions, and slowly pay back the medical expenses to Chu Wenlin. If he didn't owe him anything, he wouldn't have to be threatened by him anymore.
But…
A chilling thought flashed through Ye Ci's mind.
Will Ye Hongjun's health really get better
Now she is just relying on expensive injections to keep herself alive, and there is no hope of recovery for the time being. Chu Wenlin doesn't care about her illness...
Suddenly, a knocking sound shattered Ye Ci's messy thoughts.
Huo Tinglan bent his fingers and tapped the corner of the table in front of Ye Ci with his knuckles twice, as if reminding an absent-minded student in class: "Listen to the agreement."
Ye Ci was so embarrassed that his wild thoughts were seen through, and he glanced at Huo Tinglan.
The man had an extremely handsome face, with contours and facial features that were sharp only for an alpha, and his irises were darker than those of an ordinary person, so dark and dark that it was hard to tell what emotions were hidden in them. He was wearing a high-end suit blended with lapis lazuli powder, and the shirt on his chest was slightly tight because of his chest muscles. The fabric rose and fell with his breathing, surging with an ambiguous and subtle silky light.
Too pure male hormones.
Huo Tinglan didn't have to do anything, his presence itself exuded a strong sexual connotation.
His eyes felt like they were burned by fire, and Ye Ci quickly turned his face away.
That is resistance, but in the eyes of outsiders, it looks a bit like shyness.
It took a few seconds for the flat voice of the lawyer reciting the rules and regulations to enter Ye Ci's ears.
“… All forms of intentional physical contact against Party B’s will are prohibited, including but not limited to hugging, touching…”
“… It is prohibited to harass or make sexual advances against Party B through words, texts, images, etc. that violate Party B’s will…”
"… prohibit… "
"… prohibit… "
“…Pheromones are only provided in a non-direct contact manner, including but not limited to releasing pheromones through air, providing items containing sufficient pheromones…”
The marriage agreement regulated and restricted Huo Tinglan's behavior in every detail.
As expected, Ye Ci's expression became more pleasing. Huo Tinglan stared at him, his dark eyes like some kind of instrument, observing and measuring his emotions skillfully, and based on this, he carefully considered his words and said soothingly: "I added some provisions to the agreement, perhaps this can make you feel more at ease. The Huo and Chu families are old friends, and their relationship has always been close. You should call me 'uncle'..."
The two old men were not actually that close. To say that they were old friends was definitely beyond the reach of the Chu family. "The two families have a close relationship" was just a diplomatic rhetoric that made Ye Ci less panicked about his father being used as a bargaining chip to be exchanged for strangers.
"… I won't rely on our marriage to do anything against your will," Huo Tinglan said seriously, "You don't have to worry too much."
Ye Ci pursed his lips quickly and said stubbornly: "I didn't..."
He wanted to say "I have no concerns", but was afraid of stuttering and showing his cowardice, so he simply kept silent.
Huo Tinglan studied him for a moment, then cunningly continued to pick out what he wanted to hear and said, "Considering that you are currently in high school, you should focus on your studies, and it is not appropriate to publicize the marriage. My personal opinion is that our marital status can be kept secret from the media for the time being, and all related arrangements should be made with the greatest premise of not affecting your studies and life. Keep it as low-key and simple as possible, and the wedding can be postponed until you graduate from high school, but..." Huo Tinglan paused, then slowly said, "My consideration may not be sufficient. If you want to make it public or hold a wedding as soon as possible, I am willing to respect your opinion..."
Ye Ci was stunned when he heard this.
The wedding was postponed and kept secret, which was what he wanted. With the gentleman's agreement, the situation was much better than he thought. He felt like he had found a bargain, and fearing that Huo Tinglan would regret it, he hurriedly and confusedly plunged into the seemingly harmless net and quickly said, "No, I have no objection."
A barely perceptible smile flashed across Huo Tinglan's eyes. He raised his chin, and the lawyer pushed the final version of the agreement in front of Ye Ci.
After signing this, the two people will change from strangers to a marriage relationship at a legal level.
Under the intertwining gazes like a web, the air suddenly became thin, and Ye Ci's chest rose and fell with difficulty.
The image of Ye Hongjun, sunken in the soft pillow and feeling sick, flashed through his mind.
It's really a dead end.
Ye Ci took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, grabbed the pen and held it in his hand.
That was Huo Tinglan's personal belonging. The pen was heavy, and the gold-blue paint surface was stained with trace amounts of pheromones.
Afraid that others would notice that his hands were shaking, Ye Ci signed quickly and fiercely.
The sharp vertical line of the word "辞" scratched the contract paper.