Early morning in the western suburbs of Beijing was blanketed under a thick layer of damp morning mist.
Deep within this halfway point up the mountain sat the old Huo family ancestral estate. Following the winding mountain highway all the way up, towering ancient trees lined both sides, their branches flickering shadows through the dense fog, exuding a steadiness and majesty belonging to a century-old clan. The black off-road vehicle drove slowly into the heavy, carved iron gates. The road ahead was wide and quiet; this was the kind of old-fashioned estate where driving from the main entrance to the grand hall took a full several minutes.
The vehicle ultimately came to a steady halt beside the spacious fountain plaza in front of the main building.
The moment Hunter Huo cut the engine, before he even had time to turn his head, an old butler dressed in a black tailcoat with impeccably combed hair approached soundlessly.
"Second Young Master, you've returned," the butler said, bowing slightly, as he very naturally reached out to open the passenger door.
However, when his gaze fell upon the cool, aloof figure sitting in the passenger seat, even for an elder who was well-accustomed to great storms in the Huo family and had undergone the most rigorous professional training, the professional smile on his face experienced a highly subtle fracture in an instant.
He looked at Hunter, then looked back at Silas Shen.
"Second Young Master, Pro... Professor Shen, please come in." The butler's voice paused for half a second before he recovered his usual gentle propriety.
Silas gave the butler a polite nod, unbuckled his seatbelt, and stepped out of the car, his expression as calm as ever.
Late autumn in the north was already biting cold, and the wind on the mountain carried a piercing chill. Today, Silas wore a deep gray cashmere overcoat of excellent quality; its neat tailoring made his slender frame appear all the more upright. Beneath it, he wore a clean, crisp white shirt, and at his slightly open collar, that dark blue tie was impeccably knotted—matching Hunter's tie perfectly in shade, texture, and its hidden subtle patterns.
The two identical ties complemented each other in the crisp mountain wind, serving as a highly flamboyant yet highly covert declaration.
Seeing this, the anxiety that had been suspended in Hunter's heart all along the way inexplicably settled by more than half. He crossed over to Silas's side in a few strides, naturally angling his body to block the cold wind blowing from the valley with his tall frame.
Traversing the long, marble-tiled corridor and pushing open the heavy mahogany doors revealed the towering grand hall of the Huo family estate.
A massive crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling, illuminating the entire hall to a dazzling brightness. At this moment, seated on the luxurious leather sofa in the grand hall, Hunter's older brother, Julian Huo, was already waiting.
Hearing the commotion at the door, Julian slowly lowered the financial newspaper in his hand and lifted his eyes to look over.
He was the "Pro version" of Hunter—colder, harder, and possessing a more unvarnished, condescending aggressiveness characteristic of a top-tier Alpha. Within those deep eyes that were identical to Hunter's, there was not a single shred of his younger brother's usual warmth or recklessness; there was only the scrutiny and evaluation distilled from years of killing in the business world while holding the power of life and death.
With merely a glance from Julian, the air in the grand hall seemed to turn invisibly heavier.
"Brother."
Hunter was the first to speak, breaking the silence. Taking a large stride forward, he instinctively stood half a step ahead, properly shielding Silas behind his broad shoulders. It was a highly instinctual Alpha posture meant to protect a partner.
Seeing his younger brother's state of facing a formidable enemy, Julian's thin lips pursed marginally. His gaze bypassed Hunter's shoulders entirely, falling directly and without any concealment upon Silas.
"Mm," Julian's voice was low and detached, devoid of any emotional fluctuation. "This is Professor Shen?"
"I am Silas Shen."
Silas did not stay safely tucked inside the protective shell Hunter had built. Meeting the youth's somewhat anxious gaze, he gently patted the boy's elbow and then paced out unhurriedly from behind him.
Standing firmly before the sofa, he met that highly oppressive, piercing gaze from Julian and gave a slight nod. The eyes behind his lenses were clear and entirely unruffled, like an ancient well. "Mr. Huo, I have long looked forward to meeting you."
The two locked eyes, and the surrounding air felt completely frozen in that instant.
Julian sized up the person before him without a word.
Slender, cool-toned skin, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses—he completely exuded the aloofness and scholarly aura nurtured within an ivory tower. In Julian's eyes, an excessively clean person like this simply did not look like someone capable of enduring the massive mud pit of the Huo family and the secular scrutiny of a wealthy clan.
But he quickly discovered that Silas did not avoid his gaze.
Those cool eyes held none of the dread ordinary people felt when meeting the corporate patriarch, nor did they hold a single shred of deliberate flattery or restraint. What they held was a calm, or what could even be called an absolutely equal, composure. It was as if he were currently facing not some commercial titan, but merely an ordinary auditor who had come to listen to his academic report.
Julian's finger resting on the sofa armrest moved slightly.
He suddenly recalled a few months ago, in that noisy café in the downtown area, when his usually careless younger brother had looked at him with red-rimmed eyes and said word for word: "Brother, I need power to protect someone who is cleaner than an ideal."
Back then, Julian merely thought Hunter had stayed in the ivory tower too long and was indulging in the childishness and stupidity of a pampered young master.
But now, looking at this Professor Shen who could still remain composed and keep his spine perfectly straight in the grand hall of the Huo family...
Deep down in his heart, Julian suddenly understood a little.
"Sit."
Julian finally withdrew that gaze which was intense enough to burn someone. Lifting his hand, he pressed his temples with some fatigue, gesturing for them to sit. "Father is still in the study handling some overseas matters; he will be down in a moment."
Hearing this, Hunter's tense body visibly relaxed a sigh of relief. Pulling Silas along, he sat down on the opposite sofa. The moment they took their seats, his hand naturally covered the back of Silas's hand resting on his knee.
The palm was burning hot, accompanied by a soothing, comforting squeeze.
Julian's gaze paused for a second on those two tightly clasped hands that showed no evasion even in front of an elder. Afterward, he shifted his eyes away as if nothing had happened and lifted the white porcelain teacup before him, which was still emitting hot steam.
"Professor Shen," Julian used the cup lid to gently brush away the floating tea leaves, the green tea soup rippling in the cup. "I heard you've been conducting a study recently regarding pheromones and emotional connections? It caused quite a stir in your department."
"Yes," Silas replied steadily.
"The conclusion?" Julian lifted his eyes, his tone carrying a fraction of a businessman's characteristic sharpness and calculation. "From a commercial or societal perspective, where does the value of this project of yours lie?"
Silas was in no hurry to answer.
Turning his head, he glanced at Hunter, whose spine was currently stiff with tension beside him, then turned back to face the iceberg-like older brother before him. Silas spoke slowly, his voice as crisp as pieces of jade striking together, yet every word was crystal clear:
"The conclusion is that loving someone does not require pheromones. What is required is simply—that in front of him, you never have to pretend to be a perfect Alpha."
Clack.
An exceptionally faint sound of porcelain colliding resonated.
Julian's fingers holding the teacup stiffened uncontrollably in mid-air for a brief moment.
This academic conclusion—which was nearly absurd, yet tender enough to be a complete mess—was like a fine needle, piercing into the most hidden corner of Julian's heart without any warning.
He suddenly became somewhat dazed.
He thought of his own secret private clinic, the one he never mentioned to outsiders. He thought of the Beta doctor in that clinic—Dr. Louis Lu—who always remained expressionless and would even coldly reprimand him when facing the irritability and pressure of a top-tier Alpha like himself.
That person seemed to have said something similar to him before.
[Mr. Huo, in my clinic, you don't need to pretend you are omnipotent.]
Within the living room, a brief and eerie silence fell in this instant. Only the antique clock in the corner let out a "tick, tock" sound, beat after beat, heavy and slow.
After a long while, Julian slowly set down the teacup in his hand.
He looked at Silas, then looked at his own younger brother, who was currently wearing a proud expression and practically wanting to tilt his tail all the way up to the sky. For the first time in history, a highly faint arc identical to Hunter's surfaced at the corner of his mouth.
That was the expression a man of the Huo family would only display when expressing approval.
"An interesting study," Julian leaned back against the sofa. Although his tone remained cold and hard, it lacked a fraction of its previous aggressive edge. "The Huo Group is willing to fully fund the next phase of your research team's clinical trials. Send the specific requirement proposal and budget directly to my email next Monday."
Hunter's eyes instantly widened to their limits.
He looked at his usually penny-pinching, profit-driven older brother in absolute disbelief, then turned his head to look at Silas beside him, his expression as bewildered as if he were dreaming an extraordinarily absurd dream.
Just like that... they passed? Not only did they avoid getting chewed out, but they casually reeled in a sponsorship worth hundreds of millions?!
Compared to Hunter's foolish look, Silas merely nodded calmly and politely. "Thank you, Mr. Huo. The inclusion of the Huo Group will make the sample database significantly more comprehensive."
Just as the atmosphere in the hall finally eased up somewhat, a steady, slow sound of footsteps suddenly resonated from the spacious solid wood staircase leading to the second floor.
Thud, thud, thud...
Every single step felt as though it smashed heavily against one's heartstrings.
The foolish grin on Hunter's face vanished cleanly within an instant, his entire being tightening its nerves once more as if facing a terrifying adversary.
The elder Mr. Huo was coming down.