STIDM 11

He slept straight through to the next day. Zhong Zong called out to wake him up.

Yan Lu tossed and turned in bed, annoyed, the blanket bunched up under his bare ass.

Even with his dick out early in the morning, he didn’t feel the least bit cold. No matter how loud Zhong Zong called, he wouldn’t wake.

So Zhong Zong stopped calling. He went to wash his hands, then came back and grabbed Yan Lu’s cock with his icy wet fingers.

Yan Lu jolted awake in shock, his dick shriveling from the cold.

He shot up, ready to beat the crap out of him. But before he could swing, he got kissed square on the mouth. Pinned against the headboard, Yan Lu froze in a daze, eyes wide open.

Only after getting his fill did Zhong Zong pull back, nibbling on his lower lip with a smirk and a mischievous look in his eyes. “Morning kiss.”

Yan Lu stiffened. Whatever anger he had completely vanished.

That move was way too high-level.

Yan Lu twitched his lips. “I haven’t even brushed my damn teeth.”

Zhong Zong let go. “No big deal. Yan Yan, get ready. I’m taking you to a job interview.”

Thinking about work, Yan Lu figured he should at least look presentable. After washing up, he wore a pair of black pants but stood shirtless in front of his bag, unsure what to wear.

Zhong Zong poured porridge into a bowl, then pulled a white dress shirt from the closet and casually threw it on him.

Yan Lu raised a brow at the shirt. It was a little big, but if he tucked it in, it looked decent.

He smoothed the hem into his waistband, the pants hugging his waist and outlining the curve of his hips and ass.

Slim waist. Round ass. Nothing left to the imagination.

Zhong Zong said nothing. He ignored Yan Lu’s protest and yanked the shirt right off.

Yan Lu thought he was going into heat again and nearly lost it.

But Zhong Zong stuffed the dress shirt back into the closet and handed him a hoodie instead. “Wear this. And don’t tuck it in.”

Yan Lu sighed. “This is way too casual.”

“It’s not some high-end company anyway. You’re just gonna help out with small stuff.”

With a roll of his eyes, Yan Lu pulled the hoodie on.

Zhong Zong looked at how the oversized hoodie covered him up completely and nodded with satisfaction.

Then he gave him a ride on his bike to the workplace.

When they arrived, Yan Lu realized something was off. He stared at the warm-colored bakery in front of him. Seriously, the place was designed to look like an actual loaf of bread.

He followed Zhong Zong inside, and a soft, delicate beauty stepped out from behind the counter.

Yan Lu’s internal alarm went off immediately.

The looks, the vibe, the figure, was exactly Zhong Zong’s type.

And he was an Omega. Unmarked, no less.

Yan Lu instinctively clenched his fists and lowered his gaze, afraid his face would give something away.

The air was filled with the sweet scent of cream, mixed with a faint trace of Omega pheromones.

Zhong Zong turned and pulled Yan Lu to his side, speaking to the Omega. “This is the one.”

The beauty looked at Yan Lu in surprise, then turned to Zhong Zong. “Are you sure? If I’m not mistaken… he’s an Omega too.”

“He wears perfume, and he can fight. Don’t worry.”

Yan Lu blinked, confused. He looked at the Omega, then at Zhong Zong again.

“What do you mean help out? I thought I was just doing errands.”

The Omega frowned at Zhong Zong, clearly disapproving. “If I were you, I’d hit him. How could you be this awful?”

Zhong Zong scratched his nose awkwardly.

Yan Lu was even more confused now. He looked at the Omega and asked, “So what exactly am I being hired to do?”

The beauty spoke up, a little awkward. “A bodyguard. I need someone who can fight.”

Yan Lu let out a sigh of relief. “Scared me for a second. I thought you wanted me to bake cakes or something. Please, spare me! If it’s fighting, that’s totally fine.”

He even started cracking his knuckles, looking like he couldn’t wait to throw a punch.

The beauty: “…”

Zhong Zong: “See? I told you he’d be more than willing.”

Zhong Zong gave Yan Lu a push forward. “Go say a few words to the boss.”

Yan Lu had never dealt with delicate, soft-spoken Omegas in his life. He grew up around loud, rough Beta or Alpha types.

This beauty smelled sweet and had really nice eyes.

For some reason, Yan Lu’s face turned red. He scratched his head awkwardly and mumbled, “Hi, I’m Yan Lu… I, um, I can fight. I’ll protect you.”

The beauty looked at him and laughed right away.

Zhong Zong glanced at the amused boss, then at the flushed Yan Lu, and his eyes narrowed instantly.

He wrapped an arm around Yan Lu’s waist and smiled at the Omega. “Hold on. I need to talk to him for a second.”

Then he dragged Yan Lu out of the shop.

Yan Lu winced from the rough handling. As soon as they were out of the bakery, he gritted his teeth and snapped at Zhong Zong, “Let go of me! What, you trying to start a fight?!”

Zhong Zong snorted. “If I’d left you in there any longer, you would’ve pounced on Chen Qing.

“Bullshit! When did I ever act that thirsty?!”

“Oh? So you were having thoughts about him after all?”

“…”

Zhong Zong let out a cold laugh. “Forget it. Don’t work here anymore. I’ll find you another job.”

“Why not? It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine.”

“Zhong Zong. I’m telling you, I’m keeping this job.”

Zhong Zong fell silent, his expression gloomy. Yan Lu stared at him with wide eyes, unsure of what to expect.

In that moment of locking eyes with Zhong Zong, he felt himself about to cave at any second.

But for some inexplicable reason, a wave of stubborn anger rose inside him, pushing him to stand his ground.

Suddenly, Zhong Zong reached out. Yan Lu instinctively shifted into a defensive stance.

He thought he was about to get punched.

Seeing his posture, Zhong Zong froze in disbelief, then burst into a helpless laugh. He pulled him into his arms and kissed his ear.

“Alright. If you like it, then do it properly. Chen Qing’s a good guy. You can learn a thing or two from him.”

Yan Lu’s body stayed tense. His mouth was still pressed into a tight line.

His lashes trembled slightly. He couldn’t even figure out what he was feeling.

Zhong Zong gave him a few more reminders, then got on his bike and left.

Chen Qing came out and called Yan Lu back to earth.

He led him into the bakery and handed him a small slice of cake.

“Try it. It’s a new flavor I just made.”

Yan Lu forced a smile, distracted, nibbling at the cake without even tasting it.

Chen Qing leaned on the counter, chin resting on his hand, watching him closely.

“Looks like Zhong Zong really likes you.”

“Huh?”

Yan Lu looked up at him, confused.

Chen Qing chuckled. “You probably don’t know this, but I was once Zhong Zong’s senior.”

“I knew that…”

“Oh? Then you also knew we used to be together?”

“….”

Yan Lu didn’t respond. He had guessed as much.

Chen Qing, in terms of looks and vibe, was exactly the kind of person Zhong Zong would go for.

Seeing his silence, Chen Qing smiled. “Don’t overthink it. It’s not like what you imagine. I was already in college when we met at a bar. He was young, but he had a lot of charm. I got with him because someone asked me to.”

“What?”

Seeing Yan Lu’s blank expression, Chen Qing sighed. “Seems like you really don’t know what you’re here for. Zhong Zong didn’t bring you just for a job. He wants you to help me keep his cousin in check.”

“What?”

Yan Lu was even more confused now. Chen Qing leaned on the counter, running a finger across his lips, smiling slyly. “His cousin. Zhong Yuan. That womanizer.”

There was way too much information. Yan Lu couldn’t process it all at once.

So Chen Qing was Zhong Zong’s ex? The one Zhong Yuan keeps chasing? And an unmarked Omega?

And what did he mean by ‘someone asked me’? Who?