YA Ch129: Alpha Son-in-law (Extra)

After a brief outburst, Lu Yu finally regained his composure. He quickly pulled his hand back as if it had been burned and hastily helped Ming Yan button his shirt. Then, he withdrew the hand that had slipped inside his clothes, took out the decorative handkerchief from his suit pocket, wiped his hand clumsily, and ran away.

Ming Yan watched in shock as the Alpha fled in panic, chuckling bitterly to himself. This person had gone so far yet managed to resist fully marking him. He didn’t know whether to admire Lu Yu’s strong self-control or feel disappointed in his own lack of allure.

Lu Yu splashed his face with cold water and staggered over to Second Young Master Hong, snatching the inhibitor and injecting it.

Second Young Master Hong stared at him in disbelief and, after a long pause, finally blurted out, “Doesn’t it hurt, jabbing yourself so deep?”

When people inject themselves, they usually only pierce a little bit. Some can’t even do it and need help from someone else. But Lu Yu looked as if he was performing some sort of self-sacrifice, stabbing it deep into his arm, causing the muscles around it to dent. Second Young Master Hong winced, feeling phantom pain just from watching.

Lu Yu belatedly cried out, “Ow! Ow! Ow!”

Second Young Master Hong rolled his eyes in exasperation. Lu Yu ignored his friend’s disdain, reaching into his pocket. “Do you have a scent blocker?”

Alphas and Omegas sometimes carry blockers—something like a perfume—that can partially mask their pheromone scents. This is useful during heat cycles or Alpha susceptibility phases to prevent affecting others. Randomly releasing pheromones around strangers is considered very impolite.

Someone like Second Young Master Hong, who is quite particular, would always carry some.

After grabbing the blocker, Lu Yu rushed off again.

Meanwhile, Ming Yan sat in the fitting room, slowly catching his breath. The temporary mark had calmed the intense heatwave, allowing him to regain some strength. Struggling to stand on shaky legs, he leaned against the partition for support. He raised his hand to push back his messy bangs, but suddenly froze. His hand still carried traces of Lu Yu’s scent despite being wiped, and it was definitely not something he wanted to use as hair gel.

As he stood there dazed, he heard someone enter the fitting room. Ming Yan immediately tensed up.

In theory, hiding in the bathroom would be safer since the stalls can be locked, but he couldn’t stand the thought of lying limp next to a toilet; it was too disgusting.

However, the fitting room posed its own risks, as someone like Lu Yu could easily barge in.

“What’s that smell? So sweet. Could an Omega have wandered in here by mistake?” a sleazy voice laughed.

The other person replied, “Are you sure it’s an Omega’s scent? It’s giving me chills.” This was the effect of a strong Alpha pheromone suppressing those of the same kind.

Ming Yan pulled a small ring-shaped stun device from his suit pocket, his gaze cold as he slipped it onto his right middle finger. Being exposed by Lu Yu was already troublesome enough, but Lu Yu was still someone he could negotiate with. These others would be much harder to control.

Just as he held his breath and crouched like a leopard ready to pounce, Lu Yu’s voice cut through the tension in the air: “Excuse me, my clothes are still in there. Could you guys move to another fitting room?”

Having clothes in the room implied that there could be valuable items inside, and out of politeness and to avoid suspicion, people usually wouldn’t enter a fitting room where someone else had left their belongings.

As expected, the two Alphas didn’t go in. They chuckled and said, “Mr. Lu, what’s this all about?”

Dressed only in his shirt, Lu Yu gave off a devil-may-care vibe. He lazily replied, “I’ve been at the venue too long, don’t mind me.”

Being affected by uncontrolled pheromones could lead to violent outbursts. Aside from inhibitors, there was another, less elegant method: inhaling Omega-like pheromones. Omega pheromones, also known as soothing pheromones, were effective in calming Alpha emotions. However, since these were personal, no unmarried Alpha would go around inhaling another Omega’s scent without consent, as that would be considered highly inappropriate. Thus, synthetic versions of Omega pheromones were created, sold like tobacco. But using these could also trigger some physical reactions, so no one would use them in public, preferring inhibitors instead.

The two Alphas immediately understood, exchanging knowing smiles. No wonder the air inside the room smelled strange.

After they left, Lu Yu stood outside the curtain and spoke softly, “Don’t worry, it’s just me here. I’ve already taken my inhibitor.”

Ming Yan relaxed, leaning against the wall as he exhaled, slowly turning the metal ring on his finger. He asked the person behind the curtain, “What do you want?”

There was neither pleading nor threats, just a calm inquiry about the terms of the deal.

Smart people didn’t need lengthy discussions.

Standing outside the curtain, Lu Yu closed his eyes and lightly sniffed the lingering lily-of-the-valley scent in the air. “This isn’t a long-term solution. Sooner or later, you’ll lose control. Have you considered… dating me?”

Ming Yan sneered, “Come up with something else.”

Lu Yu lifted a finger to tease the curtain, “What, am I not good enough?”

Ming Yan glanced at him, and he had to admit that Lu Yu’s appearance was top-tier for an Alpha, hitting all his aesthetic preferences. After a moment of consideration, he said, “Once I’ve stabilized the Ming family, I plan to marry an Alpha. If you’re willing to give up everything in the Lu family, I suppose I could take you in.”

Lu Yu burst out laughing at that, the first time he had ever heard an Alpha say “take you in.” He shrugged and said, “Alright, then I guess you owe me a favor. I’ll come back and ask for help when I need it.”

With that, he casually tossed the scent blocker he had taken from Second Young Master Hong over to Ming Yan.

Ming Yan caught it perfectly and sprayed himself from head to toe. After eliminating the lily-of-the-valley scent, he walked out of the fitting room, buttoning his shirt neatly and returning to his usual composed demeanor as “Ming Yan.”

As Ming Yan passed by, Lu Yu couldn’t help but tease him, “No goodbye kiss?”

Ming Yan glanced at him sideways, then slapped the bottle of scent blocker against Lu Yu’s chest. With a playful smile that wasn’t typical for him, he lazily said, “Maybe next time. The blocker’s almost out.”

Lu Yu, momentarily dazed by that smile, instinctively caught the nearly empty bottle of blocker.

Ming Yan turned back and warned, “We shouldn’t meet or contact each other for a while.”

After a temporary mark, there would be subtle chemical reactions between them, making it easy for emotions to develop. Ming Yan wouldn’t allow himself to fall into such a passive situation.

As expected, Lu Yu nodded and agreed.

After Ming Yan left, Lu Yu slowly picked up his wrinkled suit jacket, reminiscing about the chaotic scene in the fitting room and that farewell smile. He thought to himself, maybe once he fully controlled the Lu family, he could discuss with Ming Yan the possibility of marriage, where they would maintain their financial and personal independence.

Idealism is full and rich, but reality is bony, even filthy and cruel. After that day, Lu Yu didn’t see Ming Yan again for a long time. He busied himself with the affairs of the Lu family and carefully kept this secret, not telling anyone or anything, not even writing about it in his diary.

Occasionally, when he had some free time, he would fantasize about how he might meet Ming Yan again. Perhaps at a lavish banquet, or maybe at some less-than-decent party.

However, he never expected their next meeting would be at the Empire’s underground auction house.

In the interstellar era, humanity had been divided into two major ruling regions: the Empire and the Federation.

Lu Yu, Ming Yan, and the other powerful families were all from the Federation. In the Federation, the financial families controlled most of the resources, and the president was just a puppet they put in place. The Empire, on the other hand, was a monarchy, where the royal family and nobility controlled the wealth, and the marshal commanded the military.

When Lu Yu finally regained his senses from a dazed state, he found himself shackled by iron chains, being dragged roughly onto a bustling stage.

“Next, we have a rare auction item—an elite Alpha from the Federation!”

A rough metal collar was clasped around his neck, barely large enough to let him breathe. The lack of oxygen blurred his vision, and it took a moment for him to focus and see his surroundings clearly.

“Kneel!” The flamboyantly dressed auctioneer barked at Lu Yu.

Lu Yu finally remembered—he had been betrayed by his own family. He had taken a drink at the Lu family, and then the world spun. When he opened his eyes again, he had been sold into the Empire’s underground black market.

The light mecha project had just wrapped up, and someone could no longer hold back, eager to seize his power. But all it should have taken to seize control was to keep him detained for a while. Whoever hated him this much had sold him into slavery instead.

Slavery was forbidden in the Federation, but in the Empire, it was allowed.

It was said that the nobles of the Empire kept many beautiful slaves, not only humans but also other intelligent species from alien planets. Some of the Federation’s financial families secretly kept slaves as well, as long as it wasn’t made public, no one cared.

However, even in the Empire, Alpha slaves were forbidden. The Empire believed that all Alphas were exceptional warriors, and should not be wasted. In the Empire, gender discrimination was severe, and Alphas were ranked above all other genders.

Before Lu Yu could finish his thoughts, the collar around his neck activated. A powerful electric current surged through his body, sending waves of pain and paralysis. He let out a muffled groan, dropping to one knee.

The auctioneer excitedly pointed at his bulging muscles and said, “Look at this—such beautiful muscles!”

Crystal-clear sweat covered his smooth lines, resembling a statue of Apollo sculpted by an artist of the Renaissance.

[Here, 1,000 words of exaggerated praise for Lu Yu’s perfect physique are omitted.]

Lu Yu, clinging to a thread of clarity, scanned the audience below, searching for a way to escape. Suddenly, his eyes focused, and he spotted a familiar figure.

Ming Yan, dressed in an elaborate Empire-style shirt, sat leisurely in the VIP section, legs crossed, watching him with a faint smile.

The financial families of the Federation were more than just wealthy—they also wielded control over mechas, battleships, military forces, and territory.

Now, having fully taken control of the Ming family, Ming Yan’s aura was entirely different. He was truly the heir of the Ming family, capable of turning the tide with a flick of his wrist.

And sitting beside him…

Lu Yu’s pupils contracted as he recognized the face that frequently appeared on the news.

It was none other than the Empire’s most powerful figure—the Empire’s Marshal, Zhang Chenfei.