Chapter 6: Mr. Shen Is a Family Member of Our Leader
Since Xie Chenzhou already had a wedding design plan, Shen Shuyi no longer intended to waste energy on the matter. After all, the wedding was for the Xie and Shen families. For Shen Shuyi, he was merely a participant who had to be present but was otherwise insignificant.
A few days ago, he had submitted a resume to a psychological clinic, and now they finally responded. They wanted him to come in for an interview today.
Regardless of whether he pursued further studies, internship experience was crucial for Shen Shuyi’s field. He had already been preparing for graduate school, and if this interview went well, the coming year would be packed with work.
The clinic was far from the school, so Shen Shuyi took a taxi to save time. Halfway there, his phone rang. It was the clinic’s assistant.
“Shen, is that you? Doctor Xuan wants you to skip the clinic for now. I’ll send you his current location. Go directly there.”
Shen Shuyi acknowledged the message. Soon, he received the location. Surprisingly, it was in a large shopping mall downtown.
He did not ask questions and had the driver turn at the next intersection.
Getting out at the mall, he saw a scene that froze him. In the central plaza, an Alpha brandished a sharp fruit knife, waving it wildly at the crowd. Several police cars surrounded the area.
Shen Shuyi wove through the crowd and saw a man in a white lab coat at the front, speaking rapidly in an attempt to calm the Alpha. “Mr. Rong, I understand how you feel. Please calm down. Put the knife down first.”
“You’re all liars!” The Alpha, Mr. Rong, did not listen. His eyes were bloodshot, his expression delirious. “You said you could cure me, but you can’t! I hear voices every day, my head hurts… don’t come near me!”
The man in the lab coat lowered his head and typed quickly on his phone, seemingly calling someone.
Shen Shuyi’s phone buzzed. It was the assistant.
“Shen, are you there? Doctor Xuan needs your help,” the assistant said.
Looking at the man in the lab coat, Shen Shuyi asked, “Is that the one wearing a mist-blue shirt under a white coat and gray slacks?”
“Yes, exactly! Good, you’re here. Please follow Doctor Xuan’s instructions and try your best to calm the patient,” the assistant urged.
Calm him? Shen Shuyi glanced around. The Alpha was exhibiting clear signs of pheromone loss of control, nearly on the verge of a full-blown rage. Once pheromones erupted, reason would be lost, and controlling him would be nearly impossible. Most of the surrounding crowd were Betas. Other Alphas and Omegas had likely been evacuated by police.
Still, the situation demanded physical measures—tranquilizers or sedatives.
Shen Shuyi heard a police officer speaking into a radio: “Send an Alpha-specific tranquilizer immediately. The situation is critical. Disable him if necessary.”
With a shield protecting against pheromones raised in front of the crowd, Shen Shuyi squeezed to the front and stood behind Doctor Xuan. A wary officer glanced at him.
“Hello,” Shen Shuyi said, showing his student ID. “I’m a student of Social Research and Gender Psychology at Z University. The man outside is my internship supervisor. He needs my help. Can you let me through?”
The officer examined his ID, confirmed he was a Beta, and stepped aside. “Be careful. That Alpha is extremely dangerous. Do not get too close.”
Shen Shuyi nodded politely, passed the final police shield, and joined Doctor Xuan.
Doctor Xuan locked eyes with him briefly, confirming identities. “This is Mr. Rong of the Dingsheng Group,” he said. “He is a critical patient. If we cannot calm him, we will have to use a tranquilizer. We cannot allow this to hit the news; it would ruin the patient’s reputation, which we cannot bear.”
Shen Shuyi frowned. “Using a tranquilizer on a pheromone-raging patient is standard procedure. The situation is dangerous; we should follow police instructions.”
Doctor Xuan looked at him strangely. Perhaps he thought Shen Shuyi lacked experience. With patience, he explained: “If we can calm Mr. Rong ourselves, it would be a great service.” He gestured for Shen Shuyi to observe the crowd.
Reporters, tipped off somehow, had already stationed themselves at the edges of the plaza with cameras. Many Betas in the crowd were filming on their phones.
Shen Shuyi realized Doctor Xuan’s meaning. Society already looked down on gender-psychology practitioners, doubting their ability to manage pheromone-driven crises. Mr. Rong was a social figure. Doctor Xuan wanted to avoid both the scandal of a public tranquilizer incident and the appearance of professional incompetence. Both needed to protect each other’s face.
But in the moment, there was nothing they could do. Physiological instinct was absolute. Denying it would make a psychologist a fraud.
Shen Shuyi considered that this “interview” might already be doomed. He was about to step back when out of the corner of his eye, a figure charged at him.
It was the Alpha.
A Beta like Shen Shuyi could not match an Alpha’s physical strength. Before he even reacted, the Alpha pressed the fruit knife to his throat.
“What is that scent on you?” the Alpha growled, sniffing his collar. “Alpha pheromones?”
He sneered. “You Betas, trying to seduce an Alpha like an Omega.”
“You cannot detect pheromones or be marked. Do you know the trouble this causes?”
“You Betas are as sly as Omegas!” The Alpha’s eyes turned red. “You drove my pheromones out of control! I will kill you!”
Doctor Xuan’s eyes pleaded silently with Shen Shuyi to speak.
But what could he say? Calm him? That was like telling a raging psychotic patient to calm down. His reason had been hijacked by biology, uncontrollable without medication.
Shen Shuyi reacted instinctively, raising his hand. Fortunately, he had taken elective self-defense courses. He caught the Alpha’s arm and attempted a shoulder throw.
Suddenly, the Alpha cried out in excruciating pain. Shen Shuyi felt the pressure on his throat release. The Alpha dropped the knife, clutching the base of his neck, and collapsed to the ground.
Shen Shuyi quickly understood: a higher-level Alpha had used pheromones to attack him. He scanned the crowd. The police found the moment and shot a tranquilizer. The Alpha lost consciousness instantly.
“Excuse me, that Mr. Shen is a family member of our leader. May he enter?” a familiar voice called.
Zhao Jian.
Shen Shuyi looked and saw Xie Chenzhou moving through the crowd. He was wearing a black fitted suit, his expression dark, eyes sharp as blades.
Reaching Shen Shuyi, Xie Chenzhou silently removed his suit jacket and draped it over Shen Shuyi’s shoulders. His face was tight, veins at his temples slightly raised, lips nearly a straight line.
“Sorry,” he said suddenly. “I’m late.”
Shen Shuyi shook his head and asked, “Why are you here, Mr. Xie?”
“Our office building is nearby. You should know that,” Zhao Jian said, entering the crowd with permission.
Shen Shuyi looked up. Indeed, the Xie Group offices were across the CBD street.
“I mean, how did you know I was here?” he asked, glancing at Xie Chenzhou. He had just said he was late. Late for what?
“Oh…” Zhao Jian hurried to explain. “This Alpha causing trouble is a client our company was scheduled to meet this afternoon. The client department waited for him, got no response, and notified President Xie. Actually…” He hesitated, then took out his phone. “Someone has been livestreaming this entire incident online.”
Shen Shuyi took the phone. On the short-video site, footage of the Alpha holding him hostage played.
“Our staff saw it and shared it immediately. President Xie saw you in the video and rushed here.”
“I see,” Shen Shuyi said sincerely to Xie Chenzhou. “Thank you for coming, Mr. Xie.”
Xie Chenzhou’s expression remained grim, a faint red glint in his eyes.
Shen Shuyi suddenly realized: the Alpha had lost control of pheromones. The entire plaza must be suffused with them. And Xie Chenzhou had just crossed the protective shields to reach him. Was it safe?
A police officer approached. “Mr. Shen, thank you for your courage. We need you to cooperate. Can you come with us to the station to give a statement?”
Shen Shuyi looked at Xie Chenzhou’s face, then back at the officer. “Can you wait a moment? My… family member seems unwell. Can we administer a sedative first?”
“Oh, of course!” the officer responded. “If a sedative is needed, we can provide it.”
Shen Shuyi nodded and looked at Xie Chenzhou, silently asking Zhao Jian: Do you have the sedative?
Zhao Jian replied, “President Xie always carries one. Our car is nearby. Why don’t you come with us to rest in the car first?”
Shen Shuyi did not refuse. He walked with Zhao Jian toward the car at the side of the mall.
At that moment, he was walking beside Xie Chenzhou, unaware that just a half-step behind, Xie Chenzhou’s eyes scanned every detail of him; his hair, neck, ears, and every inch of his body not covered by the jacket.
Like a beast sensing an intruder in its territory, restless and poised.
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Translator note: 📌
Thank you for reading 💖 see you again in the next chapter, my lovely cherries 😘
Yayyyy!!! Strong badass Beta(omega)
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