The moment Xi Wenly started filling Ming Luchuan’s glass, the atmosphere of the entire room took a subtle turn. 

Xia Wennan didn’t know what Xi Wenlu was like as a person, and he had no idea that overseas, Xi Wenlu was notorious for having a messy personal life, frequently appearing in paparazzi photos sporting different alphas on his arm. In one interview, Xi Wenlu even told reporters outright that he sterilised himself and had his glands surgically modified so that no alpha could mark him.

Although Xia Wennan was none the wiser, the other guests were well aware of this, and in what was practically a split second, everyone understood Xi Wenlu’s intentions. 

Ming Siyan appeared somewhat intrigued. His and Ming Luchuan’s ongoing rivalry was well known throughout the company, and inviting Xi Wenlu to Ming Yan had cost him a lot of money and connections. Now that Xi Wenlu was showing interest in Ming Luchuan right in front of his eyes, he seemed to have no intention of assisting Xi Wenlu or attempting to stop him, merely watching on from the sidelines in silence.

Meanwhile, Xu Zong’s face contorted with palpable envy. He had even taken the initiative to bring a glass of wine to drink with Xi Wenlu, who, despite not refusing him, was clearly not interested in him in the least.

Xi Wenlu’s wandering hand never left Ming Luchuan’s thigh for a single second, and until now, the latter showed no hint of refusal on his face. 

Right then, Xia Wennan had an epiphany. He glanced at Ming Luchuan; looking back, he was the only one here today that Ming Luchuan personally brought along, which meant that he should stand by Ming Luchuan’s side and look after him. Thus, he reached for his cup of tea and “accidentally” spilled a few drops of the already cold tea onto Ming Luchuan’s pants. 

Xia Wennan promptly snatched a wad of tissues and dabbed at Ming Luchuan’s wet pants, apologising the whole time. 

Xi Wenlu retracted his hand with an insincere smile.

Ming Luchuan rose to his feet, threw out a “Sorry”, and left the room. 

After about ten minutes, Xia Wennan got up and followed him out. He exited the private room and made his way down the hallway to a nearby restroom. When he pushed the door open and went inside, there was no sign of Ming Luchuan, and the cubicles were also empty. As a result, he turned back and continued on his way, eventually coming across a small balcony at the end of the hallway. It was there that he found Ming Luchuan staring off into the distance with his back to him. 

Xia Wennan approached him slowly. A gust of cold air blew past him from the balcony, assaulting his senses with the strong odour of alcohol. After being surrounded by various scents in the private room, it was only now that Xia Wennan realised how truly drunk Ming Luchuan was.

Ming Luchuan’s face was expressionless as he stared at a point somewhere faraway. But, Xia Wennan thought, expressionless wasn’t quite the right word for it. He would probably describe the man’s expression as solemn, but then again, his was perpetually set in a solemn expression, and perhaps it wasn’t just an expression for him, but his default temperament.

“Boss,” Xia Wennan changed his address into one that would bring them closer together. He leaned against the balcony railing next to Ming Luchuan and whispered, “It looks like that Xi Wenlu guy is into you, would you like to—?”

Ming Luchuan neither looked at him nor said a word. 

Aware the other man wasn’t very happy, Xia Wennan hesitated for a beat before switching angles, “Or… why don’t you piss him off completely to discourage him from working with Ming Yan? Wouldn’t that benefit us instead?” 

Ming Luchuan finally turned to face him. He was obviously drunk, but his back was ramrod straight. “How would that benefit us?” he asked Xia Wennan, slipping his hands into his pocket.

“Isn’t the competition between you and your brother a huge deal?” Xia Wennan asked. 

Ming Luchuan didn’t answer his question. He took his hands out of his pockets and suddenly leaned into Xia Wennan, extending his hands to grip the railing behind Xia Wennan and caging him in his arms.

Caught off guard at Ming Luchuan’s actions, Xia Wennan, who had initially been a little tipsy from the alcohol, sobered up completely. 

Ming Luchuan’s speech was slurred from the alcohol, but he knew exactly what he was saying.  “What Ming Siyan and his lab can accomplish has nothing to do with us—what matters is what we can accomplish!”

Xia Wennan was stunned. “Why do you have so much confidence in me?” 

At that very moment, Ming Luchuan’s eyes lacked a drunken haze, but shone instead. “You’re the one I chose. I’m confident in that.”

For a fraction of a second, Xia Wennan felt as if something in the depths of his heart had been gently stirred by Ming Luchuan. He noticed the flickering specks of light in Ming Luchuan’s eyes and found that they reflected the distant lights. The city was vast, and at night, the lights were both brilliant and abundant; it was as though Ming Luchuan’s eyes held the entirety of the city’s vibrance and lustre. 

Xia Wennan had always been a bit of a slacker. Growing up, he had the talent and ability to achieve things, but lacked the drive, and he saw nothing wrong with being content with just getting by. Be that as it may, there were many times when those brimming with ambition and aspirations—people with tenacity—were able to attract him, like the smallest spark could ignite a violent blaze within him. 

His heartbeat fluttered in his chest, but he asked customarily, “And what if we fail?”

“Then we’ll just keep failing until we succeed,” said Ming Luchuan. “There’s no turning back for us.”

Ming Yan had found its footing with perfumes, and yet they were on the verge of abandoning them. For so many years, the new perfumes Ming Yan launched had failed to garner the market’s approval. Ming Siyan’s thinking was correct—Ming Yan needed to forge a new path, not continue down one with a dead end. 

But if Ming Siyan abandons perfumes, Ming Luchuan’s path will be cut off, and the R&D department will perish in his hands. Xia Wennan was merely an employee of the R&D department; if the department were to be dissolved, he could simply transfer to another department. Ming Luchuan, on the other hand, did not have that option. He couldn’t follow Ming Siyan’s lead—he could only pursue his own lifeline. 

Before going back to the private room, Ming Luchuan told Xia Wennan, “I’m going to go back and drink with Xi Wenlu, but remember to take me home. In no way am I going to sleep with that man.”

Xia Wennan had no further questions and just nodded. 

Later, Ming Luchuan drank so much that even Ming Siyan became concerned, and the latter couldn’t help but intervene and dissuade Xi Wenlu.

Xi Wenlu’s mood had seemingly plummeted. Despite the fact that Ming Luchuan had entertained him by drinking with him, the man’s rejection was clear from his body language.

For whatever reason, or perhaps because he’d engraved the fact that Xia Wennan would be taking him back home into his mind, his body kept gravitating towards Xia Wennan’s side. Ming Luchuan, on the verge of passing out, wrapped a hand around Xia Wennan’s shoulders and buried his head in the crook of Xia Wennan’s neck.

Ming Luchuan’s short hair pricking his neck made Xia Wennan slightly shrink back. When he moved to hold up Ming Luchuan’s body, he realised for the first time how hard it was for a beta to support the brunt of an Alpha’s body weight. 

At this time, Xi Wenlu was squinting at Xia Wennan with a hint of scrutiny in his eyes. 

Xia Wennan remained silent, only looking towards Ming Siyan and waiting for his next move. 

Ming Siyan drew Xi Wenlu’s wrist towards him and said, “Just leave it, my brother can’t drink anymore. If you’re not having fun, I’ll drink with you. 

Xi Wenly rolled his eyes at him. “Nobody asked you to drink with me.” 

“Then why don’t you pick another alpha to drink with you,” Ming Siyan suggested jokingly.

Xi Wenlu’s gaze returned to Ming Luchuan. 

Ming Siyan leaned in to whisper something in Xi Wenlu’s ear, his voice far too soft for Xia Wennan to catch anything. 

After that, however, Xi Wenlu was no longer insistent. 

Ming Siyan then turned to Xia Wennan. “Do you mind sending my brother home?”

“Of course not,” Xia Wennan answered.