Chapter Text
Letting out a sigh in relief Hua Yong leaned against the office wall as the large door finally slammed closed behind Sheng Shaoyou. The faint aroma of orange still lingered, reminding him of his beloved.
The room could be described as the perfect set for part one of his play titled the evil alpha and the sad helpless omega. Hau Yong took stock of the room before inviting Shoayou, of course. Everything had to be perfect from the large desk with enough trinkets to make it lived in but not enough to humanize Wenlang. The large shelves made of large dark wood planks to make him seem smaller in comparison. The greys and browns of the room to bring out the inner wild hunter in the alpha by reminding him of a dark forest.
Everything should have been perfect.
But he wasn’t as interested as I thought he would be, Hua Yong thought. My scent was a bit obvious, but it was still mild, omega like. Maybe he will just think I’m very open with my scent?
“You do know he will figure you out eventually?” Shen Wenlang said with a scoff, leaning back in his chair to glance over at Hua Yong.
“He won’t find out, and if he does it's on your head.” Hua Yong said quietly, letting his eyes remain closed as he enjoyed the last of Shaoyou’s real scent in the room.
“Why would this be on me, it's your plan… you are the star of this show. If the drama fails it's because its lead wasn’t convincing enough in their role”. Wenlang said loudly as he rolled his eyes at Hua Yong.
“This whole thing is psychotic and it won't work.” Wenlang said with a huff.
I don’t need you to remind me about my plan, you idiot. Hua Yong thought.
“Shut up about your useless opinions unless you want to start repaying me for the seed money.” Hua Yong said with a glare as he glided out the office door.
“Sure, sure, you and that moron will live happily ever after” Wenlang shouted as Hua Yong left the room.
Due Wenlang's obnoxious comments he now had to rush to make his way to the front of the building in time for Sheng Shaoyou’s departure. Quickly walking through the halls Hua Yong glanced down at his phone about to check the time only to be confronted with his own face reflected back. His face that was always too feminine, too cold, too perfect.
The only product of his enigma nature that can help him finally have the man he loves.
With a face like his it was so easy to assume he would be an omega as a child. All of his siblings and extended family in country P believed for a long time that he had lied about his designation only to come face to face with his overwhelming pheromones. The orchid scent would strangle them into doing his bidding whether it was leaving him alone to paint another picture of his beloved or to sign over the entire company his father founded. This enigma scent allowed him to gain so much in such a short time.
But will this scent stop me from gaining the only thing I have ever cared about?
Hua Yong signed as he began to walk slower, no longer rushing to meet Shen Shaoyou at the door.
His enigma scent was the problem. One that even now he has been unsuccessful in completely blocking.
Despite the thick scent patch on his gland and the smearing of artificial omega pheromones around his neck the orchid scent still managed to come through in waves. The slight scent seemed to grow stronger as he struggled to contain his excitement having a full conversation with Shaoyou for the first time in years. He could even see Wenlang’s secretary flinch back at the smell, and that man was a beta according to Wenlang. If a beta with almost no ability to perceive scents could smell him then what does that say about his chances of fooling his beloved Shaoyou?
Did he smell my real scent like the beta did? He seemed mildly interested but not actually as interested as he normally is around omegas. Does he think I’m an alpha and is just humoring me? Does he intend me to be a sexual experiment? Hau Yong thought, freezing in place.
As he was almost at the front entrance, he could hear a car driving away. Likely Shaoyou’s…
Hugging his arms tightly Hua Yong couldn't get the thought out of his head. “Sexual experiment…” He wouldn’t, no he couldn’t allow that. Even if Shen Shaoyou believed he was an alpha and decided to experiment with what he thinks is an Alpha x Alpha relationship, it would likely be a fleeting relationship. His sexual preference is so stereotypical that it's almost insulting to omegas. Whatever romance he would show Hua Yong would fade quickly once the weepy omega act fell and his enigma nature came out in bed.
Hau Yong held back a shudder at the thought of Shaoyou discarding with him after having a brief relationship due to his preference for omegas not changing.
Unfortunately, the alternative is to keep attempting to trick his beloved with his omega act but never sleep with him. As well as having to deal with a parade of omega escorts that will inevitably come to handle his alpha’s rut. Letting out a sigh Hua Yong pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Despite the momentary lapse in his confidence the second choice was best. Hopefully he was wrong about the beta smelling him, or even if that was the case he could always put more pressure on his R&D team. Thankfully the patch wasn’t completely a bust so far.
“Excuse me…” Hua Yong glanced up at the beta in front of him. It was Sheng Wenlang’s secretary.
“I don’t mean to disturb you but you look stressed, is everything alright?” The secretary asked with a small boyish grin.
“Yes…” Hua Yong began cautiously trying to get back into character. “I’m just concerned that my scent blocker isn’t working correctly. I bought it really cheap and I saw that you looked uncomfortable earlier… I wanted to make sure it wasn’t my scent that caused it.” Hua Yong said demurely while he clenched a fist behind his back.
“ OH, no, no, no, I’m so sorry that you were worried about that!” The secretary started. “I mean I did smell something but it is none of my business as a beta to try and determine if it was your scent or the flowers on Mr. Shen’s office desk.” He said quickly, looking away.
Hua Yong noticed he flinched slightly at Shen Wenlang's name.
My scent was that noticeable… this changes things. Hua Yong thought angrily. His clenched fist, causing his new manicure to cut into his palm.
“Oh you're bleeding!” The secretary said in shock, looking down at Hua Yong's hand.
“Please come with me. I have bandages and extra scent blockers at my desk if you truly are this concerned” He said motioning for Hua Yong to follow him back inside to the secretarial area.
Hua Yong glared into the man's back as he was guided to the most undecorated desk in the office. Taking a seat in the oddly quite luxurious desk chair, he watched as the man opened the most bottom drawer of the desk only to remove what seemed like a false bottom to grab at bandages and scent blocking patches and shots.
Why would a beta have all of these high dose scent blocker shots… obviously he isn’t telling Wenlang the truth about his dynamic.
“We were never formally introduced… I’m Hua Yong. I hope you will teach me how to please Mr. Shen” Hua Yong said calmly, watching the man flinch once more at Shen Wenlang's name.
Shen Wenlang hates omegas, it would be no wonder that he flinches at Wenlang’s name if he is an omega .
“Of course, my apologies, I didn’t have time to formally introduce myself during your onboarding process today. My name is Gao Tu, I am Mr. Shen’s primary personal secretary.” Gao Tu said with a small smile.
Wrapping Hua Yong's hand in bandages “I have known Mr. Shen since high school. I know he can be hard to work for, but as long as you try your best he won't give up on you”.
As Gao Tu spoke his face softened and his voice turned wistful. He looked only at Hua Yong's hand as he knelt on the floor bandaging it carefully.
An omega and in love with Shen Wenlang… how pathetic.
Gao Tu looked up from where he squatted next to the open drawer of the desk. “May I ask you something… personal?” Gao Tu said quietly as he began putting away the extra bandages but leaving the shots and scent blockers on the floor beside himself.
“Oh course” Hua yong said quietly with a fake smile.
“Why are you pretending to be an omega?” Gao Tu said in a low soft voice. Clear and calm in tone but insistent.
Hua Yong felt his heart stop. This man needed to die. This man could ruin everything.
No… if he knows I’m not an omega that means he smelled me, that means Sheng Shaoyou could smell me and find out that I’m not an omega in the future. The blocker doesn’t work. This whole plan doesn’t work… damn it!
“I understand if you don’t want to tell me, but just know I can understand not connecting with what your gland has designated your dynamic to be”. Gao Tu said quietly as he stood up to look Hua Yong face to face.
Not connecting with your dynamic… This omega doesn’t want to be an omega? Why!? Why would you toss away having a shot at Sheng Shaoyou’s love? Why would you destroy something that I have dreamed about for years? Don’t you know the money, the time I have spent trying to be like you?
Why would you give up what I have fought so hard for? Hua Yong spat out bitterly in reflex. Before cringing back slightly.
I didn’t mean to say that.
Gao Tu shook his head as he brushed off his pants. “I could say the same to you.”
Gao Tu sighed and handed Hua Yong the needle while putting the scent blocker pad away.
“The way your scent is now, it's too obvious, the pad would do nothing for you. You had better inject something quickly… use the restroom across the hall to the left. It's all gender and has a lock so no one will see you injecting.”
Hua Yong nodded quickly, taking the injection and briskly moving to the restroom Gao Tu described. Thankful this time of night it was empty of all possible employees.
As he locked the door to the bathroom he felt his temper explode. The cursed scent of orchid permeated the air in a thick purple hue. Quickly injecting the blocker into his arm the scent calmed but didn’t disappear entirely.
Hua Yong couldn’t stand it. Shaoyou not being as concerned about his safety during the meeting as he wanted, Wenlang making him doubt his plan, the scent patch failing after such a short time, and that stupid omega who doesn’t want to be an omega bragging about his stupid philosophy. In disgust Hua Yong pulled out his phone and dialed his secretary.
“Cheng. The new drug doesn’t work. Bring a car to the HS group and set up a meeting with the R&D team tomorrow. I want to be on a plane back to country P tonight”
“Yes sir.” Secretary Cheng answered quickly as Hua Yong ended the call abruptly.
…
Stepping out of the private jet Hua Yong could feel his pheromones still pulsing through the air. The entire flight crew had to double up on their protective masks just to not suffocate when handing him his wine during the flight.
How dare those scientists give me another faulty drug. Do they not care how much I am paying them? Do I need to hold their families hostage to get results?
Hua Yong thought of dozens of ways to punish his R&D team as he was driven to X holdings Research and Development lab.
“Sir… I have spoken to the R&D team and they already have the results of the trials for Senior Sheng’s gland cancer treatment. Apparently the results have been overwhelmingly positive. They were finishing the report for publication before we contacted them.” Secretary Cheng said in a low calm voice.
“Of course the results are positive, but so were the results of my insufficient blocker.” Hua Yong said coldly looking out the window of the car as the open air field gave way to a condensed cityscape.
“I trusted the R&D team with a simple blocker and they failed spectacularly.” He said in a monotone
“If they fail on the gland cancer research I’ll never receive my future father-inlaw's blessing. If that happens my beloved Sheng Shaoyou won’t believe that I am truly perfect for him.” Hua Yong glanced forward to look at his secretary's eyes through the rearview mirror.
“If they fail me on the gland cancer cure, Mr. Sheng’s father isn’t the only person being buried”.
Arriving at the facility Hua Yong quickly stepped out of the car as it slowed to a stop. Not even waiting for secretary Cheng before walking forward into his X holding research labs. His black silk shirt and flowing pants seemed to shimmer with a hidden light as he stormed through the building to the conference room where over 20 of the top R&D members waited for him.
Secretary Cheng raced after him and managed to quicken his pace enough to open the door to the conference room for Hua Yong.
“My dear team members… You told me you could give me results.” He said with a glare so cold that an arctic penguin would freeze as he walked into the room.
Taking the seat at the end of the large conference room table, he continued “Why is it that the second time I use this drug the results are so ineffective that even a normal blocker injection does more to stop my scent?” The R&D team looked around at each other, some were sweating, others tried to pretend to be taking notes.
“Zhu Xu Dan, you are the lead on this, what went wrong?” A man in a baggy white lab coat and a shadow of a beard shouted looking over at a slim cold faced woman sitting near Hua Yong.
“Yes Ms. Zhu, you were the one heading the department for the scent gland blocker research, what do you have to say for yourself?” Another voice shouted out from farther down the table.
Hua Yong glanced over at the young woman who seemed younger than most of the others at the table excluding himself. He remembered hiring her due to reports labeling her as some sort of medical and scientific prodigy.
How unfortunate that your skills were so over estimated. Hua Yong thought in annoyance mentally planning the demise of this woman who gave him such hope only to rip it away.
“Ms. Zhu, do you have anything to say?” Hua Yong said in a quiet monotone voice. His scent made obvious the anger he felt despite his calm appearance.
Zhu Xudan stood and glared coldly at the rest of the table of scientists before focusing only on Hua Yong.
“Sir, while I am titled as head of the scent blocker project, my focus has primarily been with the gland cancer cure development team since I started. She said sternly, pressing down the wrinkles in her lab coat.
“The previous head of the scent blocker team assured me that since my skills were more surgical in nature I should focus more on cancer research as that is where I am best suited.”
Hua Yong scoffed, cutting off her speech as he leaned back in his chair. “It is quite bold to admit that you were not doing your duties to your employer.”
Zhu cleared her throat. “Yes sir, however, I have been working on an alternative option to the scent block issue with the gland cancer team just in case the methods promoted by my own team fail.”
Hua Yong chuckled darkly, “ So now not only do you admit to leaving your team to work without your guidance, you also admit to stealing time and resources from the gland cancer cure development team.”
Pointless, all of this time and money spent just to have researchers do nothing of value.
Tapping his finger on the table in impatience Hua Yong looked around at the cowering seated researchers. The smell of acidic, and souring pheromones coming from the men and women in the room could gag a weaker person.
“Well, what is this grand alternative option that you had to sneak around to develop?” Hua Yong asked with a sigh, already more annoyed with the scent of fear that has begun to consume the room.
“Complete gland replacement. Using the knowledge and techniques we learned during the gland cancer cure trials it is entirely possible to use a gland of a healthy or recently deceased person to delay the gland cancer and inadvertently change a person's dynamic” Ms. Zhu said quickly and calmly as if reciting a difficult word at a spelling-bee.
Complete gland replacement… Shifting dynamics, this could be my ticket to Shaoyou. Hua Yong thought as a smirk slowly began to appear on his lips.
“What are the current success rates and drawbacks?”
Zhu stood straighter, lifting her head with pride “Based on our current estimates and trials, it is 88% possible to transfer a beta or omega gland into an alpha, this would cause the alpha to become an infertile beta or omega as they would still lack the required organs for carrying a child. It is 60% effective if reversed as alpha glands tend to cause the omegas and betas with a uterus to develop ovarian cancers if the reproductive organs aren’t removed prior to the surgery.” She said with confidence.
“The main drawback is that for the gland to be accepted by the new host body the two must be highly incompatible scent-wise.”
“A highly compatible pair wouldn’t be likely to survive the operation as each gland would be trying to mate with the new body it connects to, causing the body to enter a type of turbo heat and perish”.
”In addition the host body will no longer have its original scent. If the host has an earthy scent and the replacement gland is a fruit scent, after some time the host will transition entirely into a fruit scented person.”
Hau Yong could feel his smirk turning into a full on grin. “Yes, yes, anything else?”
Zhu hesitated briefly at seeing his expression. “ Lastly, depending on the new host and gland supplier, heats and or ruts can become more or less extreme and always become irregular.”
Hua Yong’s smile made his normally cold eyes seem warm and full of light. The oppressive orchid scent seemed to finally calm. The others in the room could feel the effect instantly as they became less obviously fearful.
“Perfect presentation Ms. Zhu, You and the rest of your team can continue working on this. I will send out a message to all of X holdings employees and all subsidiary employees to be tested for their compatibility to my scent.”
“Your team will determine the top three contenders for the most incompatible with my scent, and then prepare for surgery. I want this done within the next three months.”
Hua Yong suddenly stood and watched as the rest of the table scrambled to stand as well.
“Yes sir.” Ms. Zhu said firmly as she glanced around the room in pride.
As Hua Yong started to leave he paused. “Oh and I guess since the entire scent blocker team couldn’t come up with anything of use I would say you are now all fired. Please leave by the end of the day. Your belongings will be searched as you leave to make sure you don’t take anything that isn’t yours.” He said calmly as he left the room. The chaos and shouting could be heard clearly from outside the office door as he and Secretary Cheng made their way back to the car.
Three months till I can be the omega Shen Shaoyou dreams of. Three months till I can have my beloved sunshine finally fall in love with me.