Chapter 15: A Rare Vulnerability in Xie Chen Zhou

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After breakfast, it was nearly time for work. Xie Chen Zhou received a call from his driver saying he was already downstairs at the hotel.

Only then did Shen Shu Yi realize that Xie Chen Zhou knew he was heading to his company for an interview today.

The interview at Hua University’s affiliated psychiatric hospital was also scheduled within the next couple of days. Shen Shu Yi had already prepared thoroughly, but interviewing at Xie Chen Zhou’s company first would ease a lot of pressure.

Would Xie Chen Zhou open a back door for him?

Probably, right?

After the driver stopped the car in front of Xie Cheng’s office building, Xie Chen Zhou opened the door for Shen Shu Yi and got out with him. Once inside the company lobby, they took separate elevators.

Xie Chen Zhou’s private elevator only went to the top floor, so Shen Shu Yi couldn’t use it anyway.

Even so, the news that the newlywed CEO had brought his partner to work on the second day of marriage quickly spread through the company’s employee group chat.

{Group Name: Wage Slaves Without a Boss}

{ Did you hear? The CEO brought his spouse to the office today

Is it that Beta he married?

How do you all get info so fast?

Gossip is the only joy of working life

The CEO just had his wedding yesterday and came to work today. So dedicated

If I owned the company, I’d be dedicated too

The spouse is dedicated too

They’re here to apply for a job

So they’re not just a decorative accessory. I take back what I said

But the spouse seems so low-key and easygoing. Also really good-looking. Better than most Betas. Fair skin, tall, deep blue eyes. Wow

Are they mixed race?

When they came over to talk to me, I nearly fainted. Thought they were a new Omega. Was confused why I couldn’t smell any pheromones

They’re applying to the newly established employee mental health department, right? I don’t think that department will be very useful, but I heard the company’s starting a medical fund this month. If we go to a major hospital and insurance doesn’t cover it, the company will reimburse us

Wow, the CEO is really generous. Thank you, CEO

We should thank the spouse. I heard they majored in gender psychology, and that specialty isn’t covered by insurance

Really? My husband had a pheromone breakdown a few months ago. After stabilizing, he seemed like a different person. Bad temper, repetitive behavior. The doctorsaid it was a side effect of the breakdown and couldn’t be fixed. So would gender psychology counseling help?

Might as well try. The company’s covering it. You could ask the new licensed counselor. It’s part of our benefits, right? }

Shen Shu Yi hadn’t expected that the employee mental health department at Xie Cheng was newly established.

HR explained that it was a directive from the city’s labor union to protect workers’ mental and physical health.

“This isn’t a cushy job,” said the HR manager in a professional outfit, walking beside Shen Shu Yi. “The union requires us to conduct monthly psychological screenings for employees, especially Alphas and Omegas. If any signs of mental health issues are found, we must follow up and offer support.”

“The city’s data,” the Beta HR manager lowered her voice and leaned closer, “shows that incidents of social instability and suicide caused by pheromone-related issues are rising every year. Xie Cheng is a model enterprise. The city expects us to respond.”

Shen Shu Yi never considered gender psychology counseling a cushy job. But in a large company like Xie Cheng, such departments were often just for show. The HR manager immediately told him that if hired, he’d be very busy for a while. That actually reassured him.

He came to intern for experience and to complete his school’s practical assignment. These were crucial for his academic progress. He wasn’t here to slack off.

HR took him to meet the department’s licensed counselor. Since Shen Shu Yi was applying for an assistant role, the final decision rested with the counselor.

The counselor looked to be in his forties. He asked about Shen Shu Yi’s academic performance and general background, then explained that he wouldn’t be stationed here regularly. Most of the work would fall to Shen Shu Yi. The counselor would only provide guidance and handle professional matters. He asked if Shen Shu Yi could accept that. Shen Shu Yi agreed, so the counselor left him with some professional files and documents to sort through, then departed.

Shen Shu Yi turned to the accompanying HR manager.

She shrugged. “That’s the situation. You’ll probably be handling everything here. What do you think, Mr Shen?”

Shen Shu Yi nodded. “No problem. I’ll do my best to overcome any difficulties. If I run into issues, I can consult my seniors. I’m confident I can handle the job.”

The HR manager was surprised.

She thought the CEO’s spouse would act entitled.

But Shen Shu Yi remained calm and composed, as if no challenge could shake him.

“Then I’ll leave this to you,” she said. “I’ll arrange your onboarding shortly. You’ll get an employee card for building access and meals. The CEO’s office floor requires special clearance. I’ll have HR activate it for you…”

“I… I don’t need special access,” Shen Shu Yi started to say, but she had already turned and walked away.

This was a private office in Xie Cheng’s building. Next door was the open-plan workspace, divided into small cubicles where employees were busy at their computers.

Shen Shu Yi walked to the window and looked out. The entire CBD of H City stretched before him.

He had once imagined himself as a white-collar worker, dressed in an expensive suit, working in a high-rise office.

His imagination was limited. He couldn’t picture himself as a celebrity like his third brother or a researcher like his second sister. His grades had always been average. Even in his dreams, he only saw himself as a respectable worker.

He chose his current major simply because few people applied to it at Z University, and he accepted the reassignment.

Even if he worked hard his whole life, this office might be the furthest he’d ever go.

And that was under the condition of a marriage agreement with Xie Chen Zhou.

Even though he had just started, organizing the counselor’s files took a lot of time. When he finally looked up, it was already lunchtime.

Footsteps and chatter echoed from the open office area.

Shen Shu Yi hesitated, wondering whether to take his card and head to the cafeteria. His phone vibrated on the desk.

He had set it to silent to focus on work.

Picking it up, he saw a message from Xie Chen Zhou:

‘Come upstairs’

So concise. That was very Xie Chen Zhou.

‘Shen Shu Yi replied, To see you?’

‘Yes’

Yes.

Shen Shu Yi mimicked his tone in his head, grabbed his phone and card, and headed to the elevator.

The employee elevator required clearance for the top floor. Shen Shu Yi swiped his card and rode up smoothly.

The atmosphere on the top floor was completely different. As soon as he stepped out, he felt a strange pressure.

There were hardly any people. Just empty rooms, large conference halls, and lounge areas.

Was Xie Chen Zhou the only one who used this floor?

At the end of the corridor, Shen Shu Yi saw a door with Xie Chen Zhou’s name. He knocked.

No response. The door wasn’t locked. Since Xie Chen Zhou had invited him up, he pushed it open.

The door was heavy, likely designed to block pheromones.

The office wasn’t dark. It was spacious, with a massive wraparound window.

But it felt lonely.

Just like the Xie residence that Xie Chen Zhou had once shown him.

Elegant and luxurious, yet somehow desolate. Especially the basement, which carried the faint scent of Xie Chen Zhou’s personal fragrance. He clearly spent a lot of time there.

A person who often stayed in the basement.

It felt lonely.

Shen Shu Yi hadn’t thought about it before, but now that he was closer to Xie Chen Zhou, he noticed things.

The closer he got, the more he realized Xie Chen Zhou wasn’t what he had imagined.

But he couldn’t yet say what the difference was.

People were complex. Imagination couldn’t define them.

Even if Xie Chen Zhou wasn’t what he had imagined, it wasn’t surprising.

Shen Shu Yi didn’t dwell on it. He smelled the familiar scent in the office.

He had grown used to it, instinctively associating it with Xie Chen Zhou’s pheromones.

“Are we eating together?” he asked, inhaling the scent.

What he didn’t know was that the pheromone concentration in the room was nearly off the charts.

Xie Chen Zhou had never known he could have a susceptibility phase.

Ever since learning his gender, he had used Enigma-specific pheromone suppressants.

Very few people knew he was an Enigma. Only Uncle Qian and the doctor who prescribed his medication.

Maybe Zhao Jian knew, but Zhao Jian was a model secretary. He never asked about Xie Chen Zhou’s secrets.

This entire floor was indeed used only by Xie Chen Zhou.

There were countless Alphas and Omegas in the building, but none could coexist with him long-term. Not just because they couldn’t handle his pheromones, but because his pheromones actively repelled them.

Only Shen Shuyi could trigger a loss of control in Xie Chenzhou.

The difference between a sensitivity period and a pheromone outbreak is small. Sensitivity is cyclical, causing Alphas to strongly want to mark a non-specific individual. A pheromone outbreak, however, causes an Alpha to go into a near-mad state with intense aggression, leaving serious aftereffects.

Enigma stabilizers prevent sensitivity periods and outbreaks by slowly releasing pheromones continuously, but not perfectly.

Like now..

Perhaps it was triggered by the kiss last night.

And now, Xie Chen Zhou was experiencing a susceptibility phase, something he had almost never had before.

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Translator note: 📌

I will be posting 2 chapters everyday at 9:30 PM ~ Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) zone.

Thank you for reading 💖 see you again in the next chapter~ cherries 😘