He Said I'm Not a Beta - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I didn’t leave.

It wasn’t because I was brave, but because I was unwilling to give up.

I have never accepted having others arrange my life for me.

Especially when, this time, the person doing the arranging had likely been a part of my life for twenty-five years.

I returned to the company and went to work as usual, though my keycard access had been temporarily upgraded to the executive floor.

Two new numbers appeared in my phone: one for Gu Shuhuai, and one for Wang Yuncheng, the head of security.

Shao Chengyan began to deliberately keep his distance from me.

He no longer let me into his office alone, always sat across the long table during meetings, and even had his secretary handle all document transfers.

On the surface, it looked like the boss had finally learned about boundaries.

Only I knew how obvious it was every time he looked at me-that split second where his breath hitched for just a moment too long.

And I wasn’t exactly at ease either.

After my latent gland was activated, my body felt as if it were waking up from hibernation.

At first, my sense of smell became abnormally sensitive.

The lingering scent of irritability from two Alphas arguing in the breakroom was enough to give me a headache.

Later, I started having dreams.

In those dreams, the scent of Bitter Cedar always wrapped around me, pressing from my back all the way to my chest, forcing me to want to hide, yet leaving me nowhere to run.

Gu Shuhuai gave me a new Inhibitor. The dosage was very light, intended only to prevent the gland from suddenly surging.

He also told me that my type of Omega was extremely rare. My pheromones weren’t constantly being released; instead, they were only activated during a “target Alpha high-fluctuation period.”

In other words, it was as if I were naturally wired to only react to Shao Chengyan.

It was as ridiculous as a TV drama.

Unfortunately, reality was even more awkward than fiction.

Three days later, Shao Chengyan had another episode during a multinational video conference.

He had taken a double dose of Inhibitors beforehand, thinking he could suppress it.

But the opposing representative unexpectedly brought an Omega consultant. As soon as the scents in the conference room mingled, Shao Chengyan’s expression changed instantly.

I cut the meeting immediately and evacuated everyone else.

By the time Gu Shuhuai arrived, the entire floor was so overwhelmed by the scent of Bitter Cedar that no one dared to approach.

I should have left too.

But before the glass doors closed, I saw Shao Chengyan propped up against the table on one knee. The veins on the back of his hands were bulging, and his breathing was incredibly ragged.

He heard the door and looked up at me, his eyes bloodshot.

His voice sounded like it was being squeezed through his teeth. “Get out, Su Yiqiao.”

I stood my ground, my throat tightening.

“Doctor Gu will be here in two minutes.”

“Not even two minutes.”

He was almost roaring, but then he closed his eyes as if startled by his own intensity.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

It was that one sentence that made me stay.

I locked the door behind me. As I walked toward him, my legs felt weak.

It wasn’t fear; it was my body reacting before I could.

That faint heat began to rise from my lower abdomen again.

It was as if something buried deep for years had finally, completely awakened.

I stopped in front of him. My fingertips were cold, but I kept my voice as steady as possible.

“Gu Shuhuai said I might be able to soothe you.”

Shao Chengyan’s eyes snapped up, looking as if he couldn’t believe I would volunteer such a thing.

“Su Yiqiao, don’t test me with something like this.”

“Then you tell me what to do?” I was starting to get angry too. “Just watch you drive yourself crazy?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as if he were restraining a storm.

Finally, he leaned his forehead against my shoulder and asked in a nearly hoarse voice.

“Can I touch you?”

This request for consent came so suddenly that I froze for a moment.

Then I heard myself say, “As long as you stay conscious.”

The next second, like a trapped beast finally given permission, he locked his hands around my waist.

Yet he never crossed the line. He simply held me firmly in his arms, burying his nose in the side of my neck and breathing deeply.

In the air, our two pheromones quickly intertwined.

My legs gave way, and I nearly collapsed, but he held me steady.

It was strange.

I thought I would be afraid, disgusted, or regretful.

But when I actually leaned into his embrace, the first thing I felt was peace.

It was like a string that had been pulled taut for too long finally being held still. Even the out-of-control Bitter Cedar on him no longer felt sharp; instead, it gradually began to settle.

When Gu Shuhuai pushed the door open, we were still in that position.

He glanced at the monitor and visibly relaxed.

“He’s stabilized.”

Only then did Shao Chengyan slowly let go of me.

His movements were as gentle as if he were afraid of breaking something.

But the look he gave me when he lowered his head was even more complicated than the first time he had lost control in the office.

I knew that from this moment on…

We could never go back to being just boss and assistant.