Chapter 21: The Mascot Suit

After seeing those text messages, Wen Xi’s grip on her phone suddenly tightened. She didn’t rush to reply. Instead, she changed into her dress with rapid speed, stared at the JK uniform in the laundry basket for a moment, adjusted her expression, and pulled open the door.

“Brother, is there still enough time? I haven’t done my hair yet.” Wen Xi didn’t look at Xu Linshen. She walked straight toward the dining table and, following the method Cheng Si had described, calmly mixed herself a glass of honey water.

Xu Linshen didn’t speak, but Auntie Chen, coming out of the kitchen, slapped her forehead: “Oh my, I was wondering why I couldn’t find the honey jar. It turns out Miss took it out. Where was it kept before? Do you know, Miss?”

Wen Xi said flatly: “How would I know?” Auntie Chen: “Then the honey on the table…”

“Wanran found it.” Wen Xi took a small sip of honey water. “We drank a bit last night. She was afraid I’d wake up with a headache, so she made it… Ah, that person even forgot to take her car keys.”

“Drinking?” Hearing this, Xu Linshen curled his lips into a mirthless smile. “Did you encounter something troublesome?”

Wen Xi hummed, set down the glass, and said without any inhibition: “My rut is coming soon.”

Her bluntness caught Xu Linshen off guard. He instinctively glanced at her wrist, which was indeed wearing a suppression bracelet. Looking closer at her snow-white arm, there was even a scab from a recent injection.

Xu Linshen pressed his back molars. A subtle change flickered in his eyes. After considering for a few seconds, he pulled out his phone: “Then let’s skip lunch today. We can reschedule—”

“Why reschedule?” Wen Xi smiled. “If my pheromones are compatible with that Young Master Lu, consider it cultivating feelings. I can just ask him for a marking.” She raised her arm. “Then I won’t have to inject suppressants so frequently.”

Xu Linshen’s movements froze. Whatever part of him that statement touched made his expression turn dark and hostile. “You are an Omega. How can you let an Alpha mark you so casually?”

“Casually?” Wen Xi looked puzzled. “I thought he was to be my future partner.”

The waist-cinching dress fully revealed her stature, which was tall for an Omega. The back was a U-shaped design, exposing a large area of dazzling white skin. The protrusion of her shoulder blades was enough to stir the imagination.

“It’s too early to talk about that. It’s just a temporary contact for now.” After staring for a few moments, Xu Linshen seemed to suddenly change his mind. He walked into the walk-in closet, pulled open the wardrobe, and picked out a thin outer shawl in the same color tone. He draped the shawl over her shoulders, emphasizing in a cold, hard voice: “You are not allowed to let him mark you.”

Wen Xi lowered her eyelashes: “Oh.”

The two of them left together. As they walked, Xu Linshen sent a message to his secretary: [Check where Miss has been these past few days.]

He suddenly realized that over the past six months, he had given Wen Xi a bit too much freedom.

The place for lunch was a five-star hotel under the Wen Group. Both Xu Linshen and Lu Xianyan were very busy. It wasn’t easy to find a time when both were free, so this lunch must have been scheduled long ago.

The banquet hall was spacious and bright, with vintage oil paintings hanging on the walls and crystal chandeliers refracting warm, luxurious light.

Wen Xi followed Xu Linshen into the hall. Two people were already seated at the table: a beautiful female Omega in her forties, extremely well-preserved with only faint fine lines at the corners of her eyes; and a male Alpha around twenty-six or twenty-seven, about two years younger than Xu Linshen. With the light behind him, Wen Xi couldn’t see his face clearly, only that his white shirt sleeves were casually rolled to the elbows, revealing a high-end luxury watch. The muscle lines of his forearms were smooth, giving him the aura of a “refined predator.”

Hearing the sound, the man turned his head with a lazy smile. Unfortunately, the smile didn’t reach his eyes, making him appear difficult to approach.

“Sorry, we’re late due to traffic.” Xu Linshen led Wen Xi over, introducing her with a smile, “My sister, Wen Xi… Wen Xi, this is your Auntie Li, and this is Young Master Lu. You should call him Brother Lu…”

“My name is Lu Xianyan. You can just call me by my name.” Lu Xianyan interrupted him. The latter’s smile stiffened, but Lu Xianyan ignored it, reaching his hand out to Wen Xi first. He couldn’t hide the surge of interest in his handsome features: “It’s better to see you in person than to hear of you. I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time, Wen Xi.”

Wen Xi found his enthusiasm strange but reached out politely to shake his hand. Lu Xianyan was respectful; his palm barely brushed hers before letting go.

Wen Xi then turned and greeted “Auntie Li.”

Li Xiao responded with a quick smile. Knowing her son’s provocative nature and fearing Xu Linshen’s displeasure, she smoothed things over: “We haven’t waited long. Sit down. Wen Xi is truly as beautiful as the rumors say.”

The group sat down. To Wen Xi’s left was Xu Linshen; to her right was Lu Xianyan. The latter was very attentive to her. While Li Xiao and Xu Linshen conversed, he kept picking food for her.

Wen Xi frowned: “Thank you, but I can’t eat this much.” “I didn’t ask you to finish it all,” Lu Xianyan smiled nonchalantly. “Just pick what you’re interested in. This hotel’s chef is famous for his Cantonese cuisine.”

Xu Linshen, hearing this, let out a huff from his nose. As if suddenly competing, he grabbed a clean plate and specifically picked the items Wen Xi usually ordered: “Eat this. I know what you like.”

Lu Xianyan lazily raised his eyes: “What does Director Xu mean by this? It seems like you don’t want us to get along.” “I believe my sincerity is sufficient,” Xu Linshen’s posture was cold. “However, Young Master Lu, shouldn’t you do your homework before showing such devotion? What if you step on a landmine?”

Lu Xianyan glanced at Wen Xi, who seemed accustomed to this, and met Xu Linshen’s gaze without being overawed. He smiled slightly: “That’s not for you to worry about. Whether it’s a landmine or not, how will I know if I don’t try?”

Xu Linshen’s lips thinned, and a nameless gloom rose in his heart.

This lunch had been organized half a month ago. Before this, he and Lu Xianyan were similar in age and had gotten along well enough. He had convinced himself that this was just a matter of expediency, a normal exchange of resources. After all, compared to the Wen family needing the Lu family, the Lu family clearly needed the Wen family’s support more. He was not the passive one.

But with Wen Xi present today, watching Lu Xianyan like a dog catching the scent of meat, salivating by her side, he wanted to terminate this transaction immediately.

Li Xiao took in the tension between the two, thinking that the rumors might not be entirely baseless. Xu Linshen and Wen Xi were not blood-related. The Wen family currently bore the name Xu on the surface, but in reality, it was entirely in Xu Linshen’s pocket. Because of this, she had heard many people say, half-jokingly, that Wen Xi was practically a prisoner he kept in his home. After today’s contact, regardless of the truth, Xu Linshen’s attitude had more or less exceeded the boundaries a brother should have.

She couldn’t help but feel worried. After thinking for a moment, she signaled Lu Xianyan: “Xianyan, I remember there’s a mall nearby. Why don’t you take Miss Wen for a walk?”

This was a sign she wanted to talk to Xu Linshen alone. Lu Xianyan understood. Coincidentally, he also had things to say to Wen Xi privately, so he grabbed his jacket and made an inviting gesture: “Would you do me the honor?”

Wen Xi sought Xu Linshen’s opinion. After receiving his silent consent, she stood up: “Okay.”

Before leaving, Wen Xi stared at Xu Linshen with a look of slight confusion. In truth, she wasn’t surprised that Xu Linshen would use her as a tool for marriage—after all, he could sacrifice his own marriage, let alone hers. What she couldn’t understand was why, when the goal was right at the doorstep, Xu Linshen suddenly seemed so unwilling?

This was not a good signal. Just as befriending the Lu family was a stepping stone to the military, this marriage was her best chance to get close to Lu Yinzhi and Fu Wansen.

After Pei Huanzhou told her the news of the Lu-Fu engagement, she had investigated Lu Yinzhi. She learned that Lu Yinzhi was actually forced into the marriage with Fu Wansen because he already loved someone else. That female Alpha had a significant identity, serving in an international mercenary team. Two months ago, that mercenary team engaged in a fierce firefight with a special forces unit of an independent country outside the Alliance, and she died on the spot.

When this news reached Lu Yinzhi, he refused to believe it. He wanted to go to the independent country to find her, but he was stopped by the Lu family. Combined with the shock of the marriage, he became completely despondent. Fearing he would run away, the Lu family processed his academic suspension and had since locked him in a hospital under 24-hour guard.

“You haven’t said a word the whole way. What are you thinking about?” Lu Xianyan waved his hand, pulling Wen Xi back to reality: “Nothing.”

The two drove to a nearby mall. Lu Xianyan parked the car and took the elevator upstairs with her: “There’s a private cinema on the fifth floor. Want to see a movie?”

Wen Xi replied absently: “Anything’s fine.” “So cold to me?” Lu Xianyan tilted his head, looking at her with some helplessness. Wen Xi snapped: “Get it straight, we just met for the first time.”

The elevator soon reached the first floor. A short walk through the VIP passage led to the sightseeing elevator that went straight to the fifth floor.

Lu Xianyan stopped and looked at Wen Xi, who was walking ahead. He spoke lazily: “What if I said for me, it’s not the first time?” His voice was neither high nor low, carrying a hint of secret excitement.

Wen Xi finally turned around, looking at him expressionlessly: “What do you mean?”

Lu Xianyan’s features were handsome and dazzling, especially when he smiled: “I saw it.” Wen Xi: “?” “Last night at the CLUB,” Lu Xianyan said word by word, his eyes fixed on her, “I saw you kissing an Omega.”

Wen Xi’s pupils contracted. Her blood seemed to freeze instantly. Her face stiffened for a moment but soon returned to normal: “You saw wrong.”

“Impossible.” Lu Xianyan pointed to the suppression bracelet on her wrist. “The style you’re wearing is a global limited edition—no more than ten in the world. I don’t think it’s such a coincidence that two people with this bracelet would appear in a crowded bar. Especially… a female Omega with a figure exactly like yours.”

Wen Xi stopped talking. Her eyes were dark and full of coldness.

“…” Lu Xianyan felt his throat go dry under her sharp gaze. Damn. Exactly my type.

He cleared his throat, forcing himself to look away. He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and took two steps toward her: “Don’t be angry. I’m not threatening you.”

“You couldn’t threaten me anyway,” Wen Xi looked away, her voice cold. “If you were smart enough, you wouldn’t bring this up in front of my brother.”

Lu Xianyan became interested instead: “Is that so? Why do I feel that, given how much your brother cares about you, he might be very grateful to me?” Wen Xi: “Grateful for what?”

As they talked, they entered the sightseeing elevator, brushing past a person in a dog mascot suit.

“Hmm,” Lu Xianyan thought for a moment. “For example, helping him discover his sister’s ‘ambiguous interest’?” “Ambiguous interest?” Wen Xi repeated the words, letting out a soft scoff. “Who do you think I’m looking down on? It was just a dog.”

“A dog…” Lu Xianyan looked at the girl’s clear eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. His voice suddenly became very raspy. “Since it was just a dog, have you considered… changing to a different one?”

Wen Xi finally caught the meaning. She raised an eyebrow and stared at him with a half-smile: “Change to whom? You?”

Lu Xianyan didn’t answer. He tugged at his collar, his jawline sharp and tight. He leaned his tall frame down slightly and took several memory cards from his suit jacket: “All the surveillance footage from CLUB 24 last night is here.” Wen Xi remained unmoved: “So?”

“This is a gift for our first meeting,” Lu Xianyan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. The form of address he had been suppressing for a long time slipped out: “Master.”

Their eyes met. Wen Xi scanned his slightly nervous face for a long time. She truly hadn’t expected the famous Young Master Lu to have this side to him.

Wen Xi gave a soft “tsk”: “Don’t call me that. I don’t have that kind of fetish.”

“Alright.” Lu Xianyan followed her lead but didn’t agree with the second half of her sentence. “From the moment your brother proposed the marriage, I started following you. I’ve observed you for a long time. You have no idea how attractive you were when you were kissing that Omega—you just don’t have that fetish yet.”

Wen Xi had little interest in this.

However, when this person mentioned “that Omega,” she caught a glimpse of the person in the dog mascot suit through the glass of the elevator. It reminded her that she had forgotten to reply to Cheng Si’s message this morning. She wondered if her “dog” would be sad.

Seeing her silence, Lu Xianyan suppressed his more radical impulses and said slowly: “Anyway, people born into families like ours don’t have the right to choose their marriage. Since I am lucky enough to meet someone I like, who also happens to be a suitable partner, I think we will be very compatible.”

From the first moment he saw her, a crazy thought had irrepressibly surged in his mind. —He really wanted to be stepped on by her.

“Don’t,” Wen Xi’s black eyes were cold. “It’s dirty.”

Lu Xianyan was stunned. Hearing her speak, he realized he had accidentally voiced his inner thoughts.

“Dirty?” Lu Xianyan felt physically and mentally refreshed by her oppressive gaze. He also had a bit of a foot fetish, so he murmured, “I don’t think so.”

“You misunderstood.” Wen Xi glanced at him from bottom to top, the smile in her eyes thin and contemptuous. “What I meant was… you are dirty.”

The sightseeing elevator slowly rose to the fifth floor. The fifth floor of this mall consisted of private cinemas and private dining areas—a dating sanctuary for couples.

Cheng Si, wearing the dog mascot suit, stared blankly at the scene in the elevator: Wen Xi talking and laughing with a strange man.

Wen Xi hadn’t replied to his message. He was self-aware; he didn’t think she had to reply, so he assumed he had been rejected. He hadn’t been able to sleep, so he had taken a temporary job handing out flyers in the mall in a mascot suit. By a stroke of bad luck, he ran into this scene and heard Wen Xi’s words: “It was just a dog.”

Cheng Si stood frozen on the spot. His neck was nearly numb from looking up, but he didn’t move. Inside the suit, it was impossible to tell if the moisture on his hot, flushed face was sweat or tears.