Early morning at Peking University. Slender rays of sunlight filtered through the gaps in the laboratory's Venetian blinds, dancing across the room until they finally settled on Silas Shen's profile—a face as exquisite and cold as a jade carving. He sat with his head slightly bowed, his long, elegant fingers gliding across the screen of his tablet as he processed a mountain of backlogged emails.
An email titled [Invitation to the National Biomedical Frontiers Forum (Haicheng)] suddenly caught his eye.
Silas's brow twitched imperceptibly. Ordinarily, he declined most academic conferences of this caliber, viewing them as tedious social obligations. However, this time, the forum's theme involved "Receptor Inhibitor Stability"—the very breakthrough he was currently struggling to conquer in the lab. It was, indeed, worth the trip.
At the end of the email, a line read: "Each delegation is requested to designate one voluntary assistant to aid with clerical duties during the conference."
Without a moment's hesitation, Silas tapped on his chat window with his assistant, Xiao Lin.
[Silas Shen: You're coming with me to the Haicheng summit next week. Book two tickets. Arrange a hotel near the venue.]
After sending the message, he immediately plunged back into his observations under the microscope. In the cold-toned laboratory, the only sounds were the occasional rhythmic tick of the instruments and the aura emanating from him—a scent as crisp and frigid as fir trees after a heavy snowfall.
However, less than ten minutes later, the laboratory door was pushed open with frantic urgency.
Xiao Lin shuffled toward Silas's desk, his face a mask of internal conflict. He clutched his phone tightly, looking exactly like an intern who had just accidentally shattered his supervisor's most expensive test tube.
"Professor Shen... uh, about the meeting in Haicheng..." Xiao Lin stammered, his eyes darting toward the floor.
Silas paused his work, removed his silver-rimmed glasses, and asked in a flat, indifferent tone, "Is there a problem?"
"It's... it's incredibly poorly timed." Xiao Lin pressed his hands together in a prayer-like gesture, his face written with a desperate will to live. "My fiancée just happened to schedule her full pre-marital checkup for those exact dates. You know her health has always been fragile; she suffers from low blood sugar and has to give several vials of blood... Her family isn't in the capital, and if I'm not there to support her, I'm truly afraid she'll faint in the hospital."
Silas remained silent for a moment. Though he was emotionally detached, he was never an unreasonable tyrant when it came to genuine matters of principle.
"Find a replacement then." Silas put his glasses back on and lowered his head to look at the data once more. "Pick one of the more meticulous graduate students from the lab."
"They... they all have classes during those days, or they're drowning in their thesis deadlines." Xiao Lin scratched his head. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as if he had caught sight of a literal lifesaver. "How about... I find someone else to go in my place? I promise he'll be more meticulous than me, have better stamina, and he'll even carry your bags and pour your water!"
Silas gave a noncommittal nod, his mind already drifting back to complex molecular structures. "As long as it doesn't hinder the progress of the conference."
He had no idea that this simple nod was akin to personally letting a calculating "Big Golden Retriever" into his most private territory.
Meanwhile, at the Peking University basketball courts.
Hunter Huo had just finished a high-intensity half-court scrimmage. Pea-sized beads of sweat rolled down his sharp jawline, disappearing into the collar of his soaked black tank top. He grabbed a bottle of ice-cold mineral water and tilted his head back to chug it. His Adam's apple bobbed with every swallow, radiating a sense of aggressive, masculine pheromones.
"Student Huo! Hunter!"
Xiao Lin ran toward the stands, panting heavily. Seeing Hunter at that moment was like seeing his own savior.
Hunter twisted the cap back on, casually wiped the water from his face, and gave a lazy look. "Assistant Lin? Looking for me?"
"It's a life-or-death favor!" Xiao Lin leaned in, lowering his voice as he quickly recounted the situation with the Haicheng conference and his fiancée. "...Professor Shen agreed to let someone take my place. Hunter, your professional skills are the best in the lab, and you've got great stamina. Can you help me out? Just three days in Haicheng, accompanying Professor Shen to a meeting."
CRUNCH.
The plastic water bottle in Hunter's hand emitted a sharp, distorted snap as his fingers tightened with sudden force.
A brilliant, dazzling light flashed through his dark eyes—the sheer ecstasy of a hunter who had waited in the tall grass for an eternity and finally saw the prey wander into the trap.
Haicheng. Three days. Assistant.
It meant leaving the noisy campus behind. In that humid coastal city, they would be together day and night. No tedious campus rules, no dormitory wardens—just him and Silas Shen.
However, he quickly masked his expression, his lashes drooping to hide the near-manic possessiveness burning in the depths of his eyes. He put on a show of looking troubled, even going so far as to check his watch.
"Next week, huh... I was actually planning to handle some of my family's business," Hunter said in a flat tone, even adding a hint of reluctant compromise. "But since you've asked, Lin, your fiancée's health is indeed the priority."
He paused, sighing like a man of great nobility. "Alright then. I don't have anything too urgent lately. I'll consider it a favor for Professor Shen and run his errands."
"Oh, Hunter! You're truly my benefactor!" Xiao Lin was so moved he nearly bowed. "I'll go register the names now. I'll send you the flight info later!"
Xiao Lin ran off cheering, thinking to himself that while the young master of the Huo family was a bit wild, he was actually a kind-hearted, helpful Alpha at his core.
The moment Xiao Lin's back disappeared around the corner, Hunter slowly turned around.
He faced the red brick wall at the edge of the basketball court. After three seconds of silence, he suddenly swung a fist, slamming it heavily into the wall—though he controlled the force, ensuring he didn't injure his hand.
"Xiao Lin!" he hissed through gritted teeth, suppressing a joy that was nearly boiling over. Every word felt like a lover's whisper squeezed through his lips. "You. Are. My. God!"
He felt like sending Xiao Lin's fiancée the most extravagant wedding gift money could buy.
That night, back at the dorm, the first thing Hunter did was pull out his expensive, dust-covered suitcase.
"Hunter, you going on a trip?" his roommate asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Hunter replied, casually tossing shirts into the bag. "Going to Haicheng to close a big deal."
A massive deal, indeed. One worth exactly one Silas Shen.
He specifically chose several black shirts with high, tight collars. Then, as if possessed, he packed a bottle of Alpha cologne he rarely used—one with an incredibly oppressive, dominant scent. It was meant to mask his scent during a restless rut, but now, his mind was occupied by a different thought: The sea breeze in Haicheng would be cold. If Silas got chilly, his coat needed to be saturated entirely with the scent of bitter oranges.
At the same moment, in his university apartment, Silas Shen was staring blankly at the printed conference agenda.
He had no idea the assistant list had already changed. He was only thinking that Haicheng was a humid place, the kind of weather that easily triggered glandular discomfort. He opened his drawer, preparing to pack two extra vials of high-potency suppressants.
However, as his fingers touched the cold glass, he couldn't help but recall the Alpha's whisper from a few days ago: "Professor, I'm only seven minutes away from your apartment."
Silas's hand froze.
Haicheng was over a thousand kilometers from Beijing.
This time, that clingy and dangerous "puppy" would finally be locked away, more than seven minutes away.
He let out a long, relieved breath, yet a strange, unidentifiable hollow feeling flickered in his chest—an anomaly he hadn't even noticed himself.