"Madam Gu, please, have some tea," Madam Zhou said, gesturing with a graceful motion toward the tea cup.
"Thank you, Xiayu, but there really is no need to act so formal with me. We have been friends for far too long for such stiff politeness," Madam Gu replied with a warm, knowing smile before taking a sip.
Madam Zhou returned the smile, though her eyes remained curious. "In that case, what brings both the Madam and the Chairman of the Gu family to our home so suddenly?"
"Ah, my wife has a proposal—a very significant one," the Chairman of G-Nex, the Gu family's main company, interjected. "She has been pondering this for over a week, even when we were having a birthday celebration at a restaurant earlier with our son, weighing the options, so I finally told her that she should just come here and say it."
"A proposal? What is it, Madam?" Madam Zhou asked, her interest piqued.
Madam Gu set her teacup down with a soft clink, her expression shifting into one of serious business. "We have come here to propose a formal marriage alliance between our sons."
The air in the room seemed to still. Madam Zhou and her husband, Mingze, exchanged a look of sheer bewilderment, caught completely off guard by the Gu family's suggestion.
"Between our sons?" Mingze, the Chairman of the ZH Group, finally spoke up, his brow furrowing. "But Madam, both our families are well aware that our sons are Alphas. Your Yichen is a S-tier Alpha, and my sons are A-tiers. How could such a match work?"
"Don't worry about the logistics, Mingze, my son's very... different," the Chairman of G-Nex said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "My wife knows exactly what she is proposing, and she wouldn't suggest it if she hadn't considered every little angle."
"Besides," Madam Gu added, her voice smooth and persuasive, "think of the strategic advantages. If your ZH Group merges with our G-Nex through this union, the power we would hold would be absolute. Both companies are already on top, together, we would be untouchable."
"In that case, we should call Jin Rou and ask for his thoughts—" Madam Zhou began, assuming they meant her eldest son.
"Oh, no," Madam Gu interrupted, her smile widening. "We aren't interested in the eldest. We are planning to engage our son to your second son. His name is Qixian, right?"
"Our second son...?" Madam Zhou repeated. A flicker of surprise, followed by a shadow of disappointment, crossed her face.
"Yes, Qixian!" Madam Gu confirmed, her eyes bright with a strange, shining sparkle.
"Then that's fantastic!" Mingze exclaimed suddenly, slamming his hand down on the arm of his chair. "That will finally bring some discipline to that boy! I've heard your Yichen is a formidable, domineering Alpha. Compared to my rebellious, troublemaker son, it would be the perfect match to keep him in line!" Mingze laughed, looking as though he had just won a grand prize.
"I'm glad we see eye to eye," the Chairman of G-Nex said. "Then it's settled. We don't actually need to wait for our sons' permission for something this important, do we? Let's just sign the preliminary agreement now."
"That would be the most efficient way. I'll simply inform Qixian of his duty once everything's done!" Mingze said, already signaling for his assistant to bring a pen.
"Mingze!" Madam Zhou hissed, her voice tight with hesitation. She looked at her husband, clearly uneasy with the speed of the arrangement.
"Xiayu, it's perfectly fine. Our son will accept it because he has to," Mingze reassured his wife, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Your husband is right, Xiayu. It's a wonderful opportunity for everyone involved," the Madam of the Gu family added politely, though her eyes remained fixed on the contract.
"Fine. I suppose it is a good decision for the family business," Xiayu finally conceded, her voice barely a whisper as her hands clenched the expensive fabric of her dress into tight, wrinkled knots.
____________
"It's only been a week since you started working here, and yet our profit margins are already skyrocketing!" Yanlan exclaimed, clapping her hands together in genuine delight.
"What can I say? Aren't I a genius, Miss Yanlan?" Qixian asked with a playful tilt of his head.
"Now you're getting a little too confident, don't you think?" Yanlan laughed, shaking her head at his audacity.
"Of course I am. I'm more than capable, so I have every right to be confident," Qixian countered with a grin. "Besides, didn't I pick up that personality trait from you, Miss Yanlan?"
"Hmm, now that you mention it..." Yanlan pretended to ponder deeply as she began walking toward her private office. "Maybe I should rethink what to do with your salary."
"My salary?" Qixian repeated to himself, his eyes widening as the threat sank in. "Wait! Don't you dare deduct my salary, Miss Yanlan! Don't you know how hard I worked for those numbers?" He quickly shifted his expression, giving her his most convincing puppy-dog eyes.
"You really know exactly how to pester me, don't you? Did my little brother teach you that?" Yanlan asked. Her face was a mask of feigned annoyance, but her eyes betrayed the fact that she was struggling to hold back a smile.
"I guess he might have?" Qixian laughed, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, I should probably get going. I'm having lunch with my brother today!"
"Yeah, go on. Don't let him wait," Yanlan nodded. She watched his retreating figure with a softened expression. 'Ever since you found out he was your twin, you haven't stopped clinging to him,' she thought to herself. 'Well, I suppose it's good for your health to finally have a real family.'
________________
As Qixian pulled out into traffic, he kept one hand steady on the steering wheel while his other reached for his phone. Once he had it, he immediately hit the dial for Haoran.
"Qixian?"
"Yeah, it's me,"
"Are you going to be late tonight?" Haoran asked.
"Just a bit. Actually, I'm already driving home," Qixian answered, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
"Then why are you calling me while you're driving?!" Haoran's voice shifted into a scolding tone.
"Don't worry too much, it's on speaker," Qixian assured him with a small smile.
"Still, be careful on the way," Haoran muttered, though he sounded worried.
"I will. By the way, should I pick anything up on the way back?" Qixian asked, glancing at the passing shops.
"Hmmm, no need. Yichen already brought dinner over tonight, so just come straight home," Haoran said.
"Fine. I'll see you later then," Qixian replied.
"Yeah, see you. Be careful!" Haoran said before ending the call.
_____________
"Qixian's coming?" Yichen asked the moment Haoran set his phone down on the counter.
"Yeah, he's already on his way back," Haoran confirmed.
"That's good, then," Yichen murmured, though he tried to keep his tone casual.
"Why? Did you actually miss him?" Sihan piped up, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Since you didn't get to see him yesterday because he left for work so early..."
Yichen shot him a sharp, warning glare. "No way. Absolutely not. I'm just hungry and want to eat."
"Yeah, sure. If you say so," Sihan teased, glancing over at Haoran. Both of them exchanged a knowing, silent smile that made their thoughts perfectly clear.
"Ugh, you two are relentless," Yichen muttered, rolling his eyes as he looked away to hide his annoyance.
A few minutes later, the door creaked open, and Qixian stepped inside.
"Hey, I'm back," he announced, causing everyone in the room to snap their heads in his direction.
"Just in time! We were about to start," Haoran chirped, already reaching for the serving spoons.
"Sorry I'm a bit late, I got a little carried away at the office," Qixian said, forcing a smile as he kicked off his shoes.
"It's fine by us, but Yichen here was practically wilting. He misses you so much," Sihan teased, drawing out the word until it was dripping with sarcasm.
"Can you stop that?" Yichen and Qixian both barked at the same time, looking at Sihan with perfectly matched expressions of nonchalance that only made Sihan laugh harder.
"Sure, sure. Whatever you say," Sihan chuckled, putting his hands up in mock surrender.
Haoran let out a long, dramatic sigh. "Okay, enough with the bickering. The food is finally ready," he said, though he couldn't quite hide the small chuckle escaping his lips.
"Right. Let's eat, I'm starving," Qixian said, moving toward the table as they all took their seats.
But before anyone could take a single bite, Qixian held up a hand. "Oh, wait. I almost forgot." He reached into his bag and carefully pulled out a small, elegant box. "Happy birthday, Yichen."
The room went dead silent. Everyone sat there, stunned.
"What?" Qixian asked, looking around at their shocked faces.
"How... how did you even know today was my birthday?" Yichen asked, his voice lower than usual.
"Ever heard of my great aunt? You know, the one overseas?" Qixian reminded them with a casual shrug.
"I didn't realize I was that popular in your high-society circles," Yichen remarked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Heh, just kidding. Haoran told me," Qixian said, his lips curling into a wicked, playful smile. "Why on earth would my aunt waste time talking to me about you?"
"That was almost a sweet moment, Qixian. Why do you have to ruin it?" Haoran complained, reaching over to pinch Qixian's arm.
"Ow! I was just stating a fact!" Qixian hissed. "Besides, he's the one who hates lying. He keeps pestering me about not being an Alpha, so I figured I should be honest." He said while pointing his chopsticks at Yichen.
"Well, you always get overly defensive whenever I bring it up," Yichen countered with a shrug, his attention shifting as Sihan successfully pried open the cake box.
"Who wouldn't get defensive when someone's calling them a liar?" Qixian retorted.
"Hmm?" Yichen's eyes widened a fraction as the lid came off. "Did Haoran tell you chocolate was my favorite?" he asked, turning his gaze from the rich, dark chocolate cake back to Qixian.
"No. I just noticed you're always eating chocolates," Qixian said, shrugging it off like it was nothing. "Last time when we were at the store, I was actually wondering why you gave me the chocolate ice cream instead of keeping it for yourself." He paused, his eyes sparkling with a trace of hidden hope. "Well? Do you like it?"
Yichen stared at the cake for a long moment before looking back up. "I guess... it's okay," he said softly. "Thank you, Qixian." He looked directly into Qixian's eyes, and for once, the mocking edge was gone, replaced by a look of genuine gratitude.
Qixian opened his mouth to snap back with a witty remark, but the intensity of Yichen's gaze caught him off guard. Being eye-to-eye with him like this made Qixian's heart skip a beat—a sensation that made him want to punch Yichen right in the face just to break the annoying tension.