Chapter Text
Shaoyou went home that night in a daze. His mind was a storm. Those eyes felt too familiar; that gaze was too painful to bear. He was an S-Class Alpha; he should have known an Omega’s pull. But that boy... his scent was Orchid, sweet and intoxicating, yet it had a dominant edge that made Shaoyou’s own pheromones recoil in confusion.
"He wasn't an Omega," Shaoyou muttered, staring at the ceiling of his darkened bedroom. But those eyes... the way he looked at me like I was something more than a stranger. Something Shaoyou couldn't name, but he knew he mattered to him.
He called Chen Pinming, his voice raspy.
"Find him. The boy from HECI. Scour the CCTV, check the visitor logs. I don't care what it takes. Find him as soon as possible."
But there were no trails. Hua Yong was a ghost, and ghosts don't leave footprints.
Weeks later, Shaoyou sat in the VVIP room at Royal Tian Di Hui. The amber liquid in his glass swirled as aimlessly as his thoughts. Bo Qiao was leaning in, whispering about the "The Hidden Shadows" of X-Holdings being present in a VIP suite, but Shaoyou could barely hear him.
His mind was a loop of hospital corridors and a scent of Orchid that shouldn't have been dominant. Shaoyou still couldn't name that familiarity.
"He’s not an Omega," Shaoyou said undoubtedly, his knuckles white against the glass. "But why does my soul feel like it’s on a leash?"
He stood up to clear his head, stepping into the dim hallway. That’s when he saw it. In a dark alcove, a B-grade Alpha had cornered a figure. "Come on, pretty thing," the Alpha sneered, reaching for a pale throat.
Shaoyou’s instincts roared. He tried to step forward, but he froze when the figure spoke.
"Leave."
The word wasn't a plea. It was a glacier breaking. Hua Yong stood there, his face like porcelain but his eyes filled with a terrifying, ancient coldness. He didn't move a muscle, yet the air grew heavy, saturated with a power that made the B-grade Alpha’s knees buckle.
The man scrambled away in a blind panic. Shaoyou watched from the shadows, mesmerized as those eyes changed color into a deep, haunting violet.
How can someone who looks like a glass doll hold such roughness? Shaoyou thought, amused and intrigued.
Hua Yong turned to head toward the VIP room—where he was supposed to meet Wenlang to discuss the P-Country "rats"—when he saw Shaoyou.
For a micro-second, the mask vanished. The coldness in Hua Yong's eyes dissolved into a raw, bleeding ache.
"Look away, Shaoyou. Please, look away. My heart is a traitor; it beats so loudly I’m afraid you can hear it through the silence. I am a monster wearing the face of a lover, and I despise the power that keeps me from being the one you protect."
Shaoyou, fueled by alcohol, stumbled toward him.
"You... why do you keep appearing like a ghost?"
As Shaoyou’s legs gave way, Hua Yong lunged forward on instinct, catching the heavy frame of the S-Class Alpha. The scent of Orange Rum flooded his lungs.
He held Shaoyou too tightly for a stranger, pressing his face for a fleeting second against Shaoyou’s neck, seeking the warmth he had longed for for fifteen years.
"I could die right now," Hua Yong thought. "I have my world in my arms. If the clock stops here, I am content. Although I could hold him for eternity and it still wouldn't be enough."
Hua Yong didn't want to be greedy; he had promised himself. He had stepped out of the shadows only because he couldn't bear the distance. He just wanted to breathe the same air as a mere bystander.
"Sir!" Chen Pinming broke the moment, rushing over and taking Shaoyou from Hua Yong’s arms.
Hua Yong stepped back, his arms feeling suddenly, agonizingly cold. "Get him home safe," he whispered, before vanishing once more
The King in Servant’s Clothes
In the high-rise office of HS Group, Shen Wenlang stared at the man sitting across from him.
"A junior secretary?" Wenlang repeated. "Yong, you are the reason this building stands. You can have the partner title—anything."
"I am a ghost," Hua Yong replied, his voice a calm, chilling low. Wenlang knew that voice well. "I belong to the shadows.
And I'm not here to rule. I'm here to protect him—his pride, his heart, from this ruthless world. My Alpha is too soft and kind for this world.
"So I'll be the shadow that protects him from every coming storm."
Wenlang knew the history—the murderous envy of the Hua siblings and the brutal differentiation into an Enigma. Hua Yong had used that power to seize the Beichao Estates and transform them into X-Holdings, but he was never a tyrant. Shaoyou’s childhood kindness had kept him grounded.
Shaoyou’s light had turned him into a man of rationality.
Wenlang eventually surrendered to Hua Yong's demand, appointing him as a junior secretary under the supervision of Gao Tu.
Wenlang was a bold Alpha, but he often let his mouth run ahead of his heart. He had been crushing on Gao Tu since high school yet never confessed, keeping Gao Tu by his side under the mask of professional necessity.
Gao Tu had been by Wenlang’s side for ten years, hiding his own love behind that same mask. When he saw Hua Yong, he felt a sting of insecurity, yet he chose kindness, protecting the "fragile" new secretary.
Hua Yong respected that. He always paid his debts: he repaid Wenlang's loyalty by investing in his dreams, and he would repay Gao Tu’s kindness with an empire’s resources. But for Shaoyou, no payment was enough.
"He could bring the moon to Shaoyou’s feet and still feel like a debtor".
The Weight of Silence
The following week, Shaoyou arrived at HS Group. He and Wenlang had been close friends since Wenlang's startup days; they shared the same righteous views on business. Shaoyou was here to negotiate the patent deal for the Gland-Cancer Project. He was expectant; this cure was the only hope for his father.
As the elevator doors slid open, Shaoyou froze. Standing inside was the ghost.
Hua Yong’s first instinct was to lunge into his Alpha’s arms. He wanted to confess that every brick of his empire was a tribute to the man who saved him. Instead, he stayed restrained, though his eyes held an ancient sadness that hit Shaoyou like a physical blow.
Shaoyou stepped into the confined space, the scents of Orchid and Orange Rum swirling together. He cleared his throat. "You?"
Hua Yong muttered, his gaze dropping. "I'm junior secretary Hua Yong. Hello, Mr. Sheng."
Shaoyou felt a flicker of something deep and undecipherable. His heart raced at the formal title, but he kept his facade. "Why did you run that day? At the hospital... and at the club?"
Hua Yong gripped his folder tighter, his knuckles white he thought to himself.
"I wasn't running, Mr. Sheng. I was just trying to be in my own world."
The Hua Yong spoke cold and distant:
I'm not responsible toward the strangers I bump into by accident."
Shaoyou was speechless. The reply was cold and distant, but he knew better. That hug at the club had been too tight for a stranger; those eyes were far more honest than the words coming out of his mouth.
The Office Storm
Shaoyou went to Wenlang’s office to discuss the deal. They were in the middle of a discussion when Gao Tu burst in, his face pale. "Wenlang... the hospital... My sister... she's having a reaction."
Wenlang immediately pulled Gao Tu into his arms. "Breathe, Gao Tu."
Shaoyou watched the scene with a hollow feeling, glancing toward Hua Yong. Hua Yong ignored him, his focus entirely on Gao Tu.
"Wenlang," Hua Yong spoke up. "The board meeting starts in fifteen minutes.
I will go with Gao Tu."
Shaoyou seized the chance. "I’ll give them a lift. My car is faster, and I'm going to visit my dad anyway."
The Distance Between Us
In the back of the sleek sedan, the silence was suffocating.
"Mr. Sheng," Hua Yong said, his voice cool. "You don't have to do this."
Shaoyou didn't ask him to stop using the title. He felt a quiet amusement—a relief that settled in his bones every time "Mr. Sheng" left Hua Yong’s lips. He could hear the quiet desperation that always died in Hua Yong’s throat right before the name was spoken.
Shaoyou couldn't hold his curiosity any longer. "Why do you call me Mr. Sheng, but you don't use these forms for Gao Tu or Wenlang?"
"Forms are important, Mr. Sheng. They keep people where they belong."
"And where do you belong, Hua Yong?" Shaoyou asked, leaning in.
Hua Yong didn't flinch. He never hid his identity as an Enigma out of shame, but he couldn't bear the thought of being more powerful than his beloved Alpha.
He would rather wither in the cold than let Shaoyou feel inferior.
As they entered HECI, a doctor tried to block them. Hua Yong’s voice held the weight of an emperor. "The Director is expecting us. Room 402. Move."
Shaoyou felt the ripple of power—a sleeping dragon shifting its weight. It was intoxicating.
"I am the most powerful being in this building," Hua Yong thought, his knuckles turning white. "I could fix everything with a word. But I would give all this power away just to be the one you protect, Shaoyou. I hate that I am a king when all I want is to be your sanctuary."
He looked at Shaoyou, his heart shattering at the familiarity and longing in Shaoyou's eyes. He realized with a terrifying certainty: Even if he stayed in the darkest corner, Shaoyou would find him eventually.