Chapter 5

Ling Ran’s neck was stretched uncomfortably, wanting to escape but gripped too tightly to pull away even an inch.

His dark, glossy eyes, like jewels dripping with dewy drops of water, could only see the thin lips before him opening and closing, yet he couldn’t make out a single word.

“Sheng… Sheng Yi…” he suddenly murmured, his body growing even softer.

“You’re back, wuu…”

The handsome face so close to him was blurry, but indeed bore some resemblance to Jiang Sheng Yi.

After all, they were uncle and nephew.

Ling Ran thought his wish had come true—Jiang Sheng Yi had really returned from Southeast Asia and appeared before him.

He now desperately craved the comfort of Jiang Sheng Yi’s pheromones, his legs restlessly twisting on the ground.

Jiang Zhiyu’s expression darkened instantly, his fingers clenching harder on the back of Ling Ran’s neck. “Look closely and see who I am.”

Ling Ran only kept sobbing softly, his entire body heating up relentlessly, the remaining sparks of consciousness burning to ashes.

“It hurts… I’m hurting… wuu…”

“Sheng Yi… wuu…”

Whether angered by being mistaken for someone else or annoyed by the crying, Jiang Zhiyu heard footsteps faintly approaching from outside the bathroom. He then hastily untied his black tie.

He roughly wiped the tears from the little Omega’s rain-soaked face, then covered his mouth with the tie.

The sobbing was instantly stifled, trapped in his throat. As Ling Ran inhaled, a faint scent of alcohol wafted from the tie, mingling with the moisture of tears, and he breathed it in.

Normally, such a faint pheromone wouldn't be noticed. Jiang Zhiyu was always meticulous in controlling his scent, so few knew he was Enigma.

But Ling Ran was in an extremely sensitive heat, and even the slightest disturbance stirred a tempest within him.

This faint yet potent Enigma pheromone made his breathing heavier, seemingly causing him greater agony as he struggled to reject the unfamiliar scent.

Seeing him grow more restless, Ling Ran’s thin wrists tried to push Jiang Zhiyu away.

Suddenly, a large hand gently pinched his slender jaw, forcing his moist, ruby lips to part. The silky black tie, like an invading conqueror, forcefully slipped into the soft, heated mouth.

Ling Ran’s eyes widened instantly, the tie stretching his mouth so he couldn’t close or make a sound.

The alcohol on the tie smelled like sharp, top-grade tequila, and even a little was enough to fill his lungs.

Tears streamed faster and thicker, leaving no time for reaction before a broad suit jacket suddenly enveloped him from above.

Jiang Zhiyu covered the little Omega’s head with the jacket, then tightly wrapped the sleeves around him to prevent escape, before carrying the person horizontally off the toilet and striding out, kicking open the partition door.

Before leaving, he glanced at the pristine white toilet lid, which was stained with a clear, glistening wet patch.

A rich fragrance of roses and grapes slowly began to spread from inside the stall.

*

Inside the building, there was a private elevator for the CEO. Jiang Zhiyu carried Ling Ran down directly to the underground parking garage.

Zhao Qin had prepared the car in advance after receiving the call; the black Maybach waited at the elevator exit.

Seeing the elevator doors open, Zhao Qin hurriedly said, “President Jiang…”

But he froze instantly—President Jiang was carrying someone!

That person was even wrapped in President Jiang’s thirty-thousand-yuan bespoke suit jacket!

Zhao Qin was dumbfounded. He thought Jiang Zhiyu had come alone that morning; how was he returning with someone else?

Jiang Zhiyu calmly ordered, “Open the door.”

Zhao Qin quickly opened the car door. After Jiang Zhiyu tossed the person into the back seat and sat down himself, Zhao Qin hurriedly returned to the driver’s seat.

In the rearview mirror, Zhao Qin saw Jiang Zhiyu pull off the suit jacket, revealing a flushed, sweaty, handsome face beneath.

He stared in disbelief, almost dropping his eyes out.

“President Jiang, isn’t this the young master of the Ling family? The one engaged to the second branch? How is he here? His wedding with President Sheng Yi is coming up soon…”

“From now on, you’ll even have to call him ‘little uncle’.”

Before he could finish, a cold, stern gaze from the rearview mirror froze him silent.

Jiang Zhiyu glanced sideways at the disheveled little Omega in front. The black tie was already soaked halfway through with moisture. He gently pinched the edge of the tie and slowly pulled it.

Ling Ran whimpered softly, uncomfortable as his lips were scraped. Jiang Zhiyu’s lips curled slightly into a cold sneer.

“Get down.”

Zhao Qin didn’t dare delay and quickly got out of the car.

As the door closed, Jiang Zhiyu raised his hand and peeled off the blocking sticker from the back of Ling Ran’s neck.

A surging wave of rose mingled with grape fragrance instantly filled the cabin, the sweet, cloying scent making one’s fingers itch to peel the translucent purple skin of grapes and taste the fresh, juicy flesh.

He wondered if biting into it would reveal the floral aroma within the grape.

Such an ardent Omega pheromone could drive any alpha with weak willpower mad, yet Jiang Zhiyu’s expression remained unreadable.

The car’s sealed interior prevented the Omega scent from leaking out.

The little Omega, limp and slumped against the window, was soaked and exuded fragrance. He seemed near his limit, his breathing growing faint.

Such a state was dangerous for an Omega; without timely soothing, it could damage the body.

Jiang Zhiyu found a suppressant in the car. Its potency was designed specifically for Enigma, stronger than ordinary suppressants.

He emptied the syringe of air, preparing to inject a third of the dose into Ling Ran.

But when he rolled up Ling Ran’s sleeve to the elbow, he saw faint needle marks on the pale, frail arm.

Several punctures, the freshest one appearing to have been made just yesterday, reddened around the edges.

Jiang Zhiyu’s hand froze mid-air.

He hadn’t expected this little Omega to have taken so many suppressants already. Could he have developed a dependency? Frequent injections might make him reliant on suppressants to maintain brief rationality.

After a moment’s thought, Jiang Zhiyu put the syringe away.

If he harmed the person, he couldn’t answer to the Ling family or Sheng Yi.

He supported the little Omega to lean on his shoulder, easily wrapping one arm around the slender, supple waist.

Then he lifted the blocking sticker on his own neck slightly, creating a narrow gap.

As if anticipating something, he firmly grasped the little Omega’s wrists with one hand.

Enigma pheromones began to seep slowly from the gap—a terrifying, overwhelming force—top-grade tequila’s intense aroma instantly filling the car.

The fragile rose-grape scent trembled, shrinking as it was crushed, entangled, and overwhelmed, gradually infused with the strong liquor scent, transforming into a freshly pressed, full-bodied grape wine.

Ling Ran seemed to grow countless sensory nerves on his skin; every inch was enveloped and irrigated by the relentless Enigma pheromone, endlessly pouring terrifying force into his body.

Aside from Jiang Sheng Yi, Ling Ran had never been exposed to such a massive influx of another’s pheromones. This fierce top-grade tequila was far more domineering than the misty snowy frost.

Not only did it rapidly invade every tendon and nerve, it sought to flood his blood with its flavor.

Ling Ran couldn’t withstand the overwhelming wave crashing over him. He opened his mouth wide, gasping like a fish soaked on the shore, dying. The more he breathed, the more pheromone flooded his body, the fiercer it became.

He tried to push and struggle with his hands, but his wrists were tightly gripped and he couldn’t move. Trembling, he cried hoarsely, fighting desperately.

His body, accustomed only to his destined mate’s pheromones, instinctively rejected any scent other than snowy frost.

Jiang Zhiyu only tightened his hold on the slim waist, keeping the little Omega pressed tightly to him, unable to escape an inch.

Enigma’s face was stern and terrifying when releasing pheromones, especially when sensing the little Omega resisting the invasion.

Enigmas were beings above all species and genders, their dominance allowing no resistance.

If they willed it, any gender could be their playmate; even alphas could be forcibly catalyzed into Omegas, let alone this fragile, pitiable little Omega.

The bitter, spicy tequila scent thickened suddenly, bearing the destructive power to shatter all resistance, fiercely assaulting the trembling, delicate body.

Only when he felt the struggling weaken, the little Omega gradually forced to accept his pheromones, did Jiang Zhiyu’s expression soften, if only for a moment.

He held the shivering person in his arms, sitting him on his lap and wiping away the tears streaming down his face.

The little Omega’s eyes were red-rimmed, his entire body soaked, as if just pulled from water, but the raging heat inside seemed temporarily subdued.

Jiang Zhiyu patted the soft, delicate cheek and asked softly, “Do you recognize who I am?”

The little Omega had long lost all reason, now soaked in his pheromone scent, like grapes softened in a tequila barrel, exquisitely fragrant and tempting.

“L-little uncle…”

His hoarse voice, perhaps stirred by a fleeting moment of clarity from earlier, called out before his vision darkened, collapsing directly into Enigma’s embrace.