Captain Lin, who was always calm and composed and would not change his expression or heartbeat even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him, was dumbfounded.

Is he... fierce?

But looking at the little Omega's heart-wrenching expression, as if he had just done something extremely evil that was against the will of heaven and earth, Lin Mingfei could only draw one conclusion: he was indeed very vicious and had scared Xia Tong.

He couldn't help but glance around guiltily. Zhou Yanjun, Bo Yu, and Aunt Song all had their pupils trembling, and they looked as if they didn't know what to say. But if you had to interpret their expressions, it was probably because they wanted to condemn his beastly behavior but didn't dare to do anything because of his captain's power.

Shi Yaze was speechless and held his forehead with his hands, full of the contempt of a king.

Lin Mingfei's heart was pierced like a sieve.

He thought about apologizing to Xia Tong...but he couldn't understand why Xia Tong was angry.

If you can't find the reason, what should you say in your apology?

This really stumped him!

From Xia Tong's perspective, Lin Mingfei remained silent with a cold expression after yelling at him, looking more like a flower from aloof mountains, difficult to approach. Perhaps it was the physiological effect of having just been marked, but Xia Tong instinctively wanted to move closer and nuzzle him, but he didn't dare. He was torn and thought, and he could only think that the fundamental reason Lin Mingfei turned her back on him was because she didn't care about him anymore, or maybe she was annoyed by how humiliated and embarrassed he was last night...

The more Xia Tong thought about it, the more upset he felt. He felt more and more wronged. He didn't care what others thought of him. Whether an Alpha like Zheng Linchuan was angry or not was of little concern to him. He would look foolish when he got angry, so he didn't care! But Lin Mingfei was different... He didn't want to ruin his image in Lin Mingfei's heart. He wanted to cling to her constantly. So the thought of Lin Mingfei disliking him made his heart ache as if it were being pierced by several awls at once.

He didn't know how to organize language to communicate with others...Now his face turned red and he could only shed tears in silence.

The situation had somehow fallen into a strange stalemate. The little Omega's sobs were heartbreaking, like a little wife being abused. Shi Ya, watching from the side, was visibly anxious. She had already mentally lashed out at Lin Mingfei dozens of times, thinking, "What the hell are you just standing there for?" Don't you know that Omegas who have just finished their ovulation fever are the most sensitive and fragile? If you can't just kneel down and apologize for that rude bite, at least give her a few words of comfort!

The terrible thing is that Lin Mingfei really didn’t know.

This strange deadlock lasted until He Youjin's arrival and was finally broken.

"Damn it! I complained all night long yesterday! I finally got that idiot to come down with me! He even called me to apologize just now! Humph! Wasn't he really enthusiastic when he called me crazy last night?" He Youjin started swearing like a cannonball the moment he entered the room. He was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead. He took off his coat and threw it on the sofa, then looked up and looked around. "So that's why people are mean-spirited creatures who bully the weak and fear the strong! Oh my god, what are you all doing here? To greet me?"

"Ah, nothing much. Did you go to the alliance registration office again?" Lin Mingfei turned around and asked, "What do you mean?"

Compared to other things, reporting to the alliance and registering the team is the top priority. Everyone looked at He Youjin eagerly. Even Xia Tong stopped crying, wiped her eyes with her hands, and stared at He Youjin's face.

"The person who received me today was their supervisor." He Youjin skipped breakfast. He took the freshly squeezed whole grains offered by Aunt Song and took a long sip before remarking, "His attitude is much better than the previous one. Although I haven't met him in person, I can tell from our conversation on the phone that he's an educated, well-mannered person."

"Could you please stop expressing your personal feelings about this supervisor?" Lin Mingfei felt her fist harden. "Let's get to the point!"

"Oh, at least he didn't immediately deny our desire to have Omega teammates." He Youjin said, "He said that Omega's position in the holographic esports community is quite sensitive, and it's easy for people to suspect that they're hyping or trying to curry favor with someone. Also, living in a club base filled with only Alphas would definitely be inconvenient, as there's never been a precedent like this before. Therefore, in the event of an unexpected situation, we must have a comprehensive response plan to prevent any negative social impact. All decisions must be made with great caution."

"What he said is very pertinent." Lin Mingfei said: "So?"

"He said he wanted to come to our base for an on-site inspection to confirm that our base is not some brothel disguised as an e-sports club." He Youjin pointed at Xia Tong and said, "Maybe he should have a private conversation with Xia Tong to understand the specific situation."

"It sounds reasonable and irresistible." Shi Ya said, "But I don't know why I feel uncomfortable after hearing this."

Zhou Yanjun said with a wooden face: "Me too."

Bo Yu: "...So we're already a den of whores in the eyes of outsiders. Is that really that serious?"

He Youjin spread his hands and said, "This is the established impression you give to the world, male Alphas!"

“…”

"When will he come?" Lin Mingfei was indeed the calmest among them, and asked seriously.

"I think it's today. He didn't tell me the exact time. Don't be unlucky and he'll be here soon. Hey, why don't you guys get ready and pack up? At least make a good impression on others." He Youjin glanced at Xia Tong and said in surprise, "What's wrong with you, Xia Xiaotong?"

Xia Tong's eyes were red, her eyelashes were wet, and her thin eyelids drooped. She said nothing, and her whole body exuded a sense of grievance and even humiliation. Surrounded by a group of Alphas, He Youjin somehow really sensed a bit of "slutty" in her...

"Nothing." Xia Tong muttered softly, feeling down. He sniffed and decided to ignore Lin Mingfei for the time being. He asked He Youjin, "If that person comes, what will he ask me?"

"I guess... they'll just ask about life-related matters, like whether you find it inconvenient living with a group of Alphas." He Youjin pondered and said, "Or maybe they'll ask about your opinion on the game Wang Ling, your usual battle records, and how your training is going."

"Then...how should I answer?" Xia Tong asked.

"Just answer truthfully. You're doing well here with us anyway, and there's nothing shameful about it." He Youjin said casually.

As soon as he said this, the temperature of the surrounding environment seemed to drop by several degrees, and everyone looked at each other with strange and unpredictable eyes.

Lin Mingfei and Shi Ya looked at each other at the same time, and then they all looked at Xia Tong, but Xia Tong had her back to them, with her delicate neck lowered and she said nothing.

"What's wrong?" He Youjin looked around in confusion. "What's going on? Why do I feel like all of you are hiding something?"

"Manager He, you'd better give me a lesson... I'm afraid I'll talk nonsense when the time comes." Xia Tong said timidly: "What if, what if..."

"Ah, what are you afraid of? In short, just say good things about Team P." He Youjin clapped his hands and said, "Everyone respects you, right? No one has ever bullied you or looked down on you just because you're an Omega, right..."

"It's over, did I say he was short--" Zhou Yanjun beside him suddenly became nervous and grabbed Bo Yu's little finger and shook it wildly.

He Youjin said nothing and glared at him: "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place!"

"I won't say that." Xia Tong shook her head, looked at Zhou Yanjun seriously and promised, "Don't worry, Fatty."

Zhou Yanjun breathed a sigh of relief: "I knew Xia Xiaotong was the best and smartest!"

"And the time you were picking your feet and scolding King Kong at the base—"

"Of course I can't tell you that!" Zhou Yanjun screamed as if his butt was on fire.

"Oh, then I probably know what words I can't say." Xia Tong blinked.

Zhou Yanjun breathed a sigh of relief and muttered, "You've become a bad person, Xia Xiaotong."

Xia Tong pursed her lips and smiled.

"Oh, there's one more very important thing." He Youjin's expression suddenly became a little serious, and his voice lowered: "Xia Tong, he should also ask you about things related to combined heat."

Xia Tong's expression froze slightly.

"Don't worry if he asks you that. You haven't experienced synaptic fever since you came to our base, right?" He Youjin said without hesitation, "I'll teach you how to tell him. Just say that we'll time your synaptic fever appropriately, avoiding competitions and important events. We'll also arrange for full hospital care before and after the synaptic fever, so we won't let Omega synaptic fever affect your normal work."

Xia Tong: "Oh."

Lin Mingfei, who heard a few words from the side: "......"

He Youjin: "By the way, when does your box fever usually come on?"

Xia Tong: ".........I, I, I don't know."

He Youjin persisted: "Then when was the last time you had box fever? I can calculate it."

Xia Tong: “…”

He almost blurted out the word "yesterday".

But after living outside for so long, he has more or less begun to understand some of the ways of the world. Although he cannot explain why there are many things, he can subconsciously perceive that some words should be said and some words should not be said.

Virgo He Youjin was almost driven crazy by the performance of this little fool: "Wow...you are still not an Omega, it seems that you don't care about your own affairs at all! Don't you know about the situation of conjunction heat? Do you know that this is very dangerous! What if an Alpha deceives you and plots against you——"

"I know now..." Xia Tong whispered, "I just don't know if it's too late..."

"Xia Tong." At this time, Lin Mingfei suddenly spoke. He couldn't stand it anymore. With a frown on his face, he walked over in two steps, grabbed Xia Tong's wrist, and pulled her in front of him. "Come here, I have something to tell you."

He Youjin was stunned and jumped up and down on the spot, "??? Lin Mingfei! Do you understand the first-come-first-served principle?! I haven't even finished what I'm saying yet! Why are you cutting in line?... Hey, hey! Are you even listening to me?! How rude!"

"Finish your whole grains. Manager He, you're very hot-tempered. It's best to make a cup of wolfberry to calm down." Shi Ya came over and pressed his shoulder, smiling soothingly. "I'll go and get the person involved for you."

Lin Mingfei dragged Xia Tong to an unused conference room, closed the door, and the surroundings suddenly became quiet.

Xia Tong raised her eyes and glanced at him, then quickly looked away. Her resistance was quite obvious. Lin Mingfei took a deep breath and tried her best to make herself look less fierce.

"If you have anything you want to say to me, you can tell me now. I promise I won't be mean to you." He put his hands on his hips and said softly, "I just... want to know what you're thinking."

Xia Tong was silent for a long time.

"Why... didn't you mark me permanently yesterday?" he squeezed out such a sentence.

Lin Mingfei was stunned.

He stared at this little Omega who always said shocking things in surprise, as if he wanted to see through this sweet and innocent appearance to see his true inner self, but he soon found that Xia Tong was serious about asking this question.

"Do you... know what permanent marker means?" Lin Mingfei hesitated for a moment and decided to solve the problem from the root.

"I know." Xia Tong nodded and said, "Debang explained to me that the permanent mark means that our relationship will be protected by law. From now on, you belong to me, and I belong to you."

Xia Tong is worthy of being Xia Tong, still the little Omega who speaks her mind without any ulterior motives.

Such passionate and sincere love words coming out of Xia Tong's mouth brought a great shock to Lin Mingfei, just like a nuclear bomb exploding head-on, destroying his brain, heart and lungs into pieces. For a long time, he could only hear his own violent heartbeat and long, deep breathing.

"So you don't want to permanently mark me because... I'm not worthy of your mark?" Xia Tong asked, "Or... is there someone you want to permanently mark?"

Like a sharp hammer, these two sentences completely woke Lin Mingfei up.

He raised his hand and pinched his high nose bridge, trying hard to look calm, and whispered, "Did Debon ever tell you that an Alpha can mark many Omegas without any burden, but an Omega can only rely on one Alpha?"

Xia Tong's eyes suddenly widened.

"I want to mark you permanently. It's easy. I have nothing to lose." Lin Mingfei's eyes gradually became dark and reserved: "I don't do this because I don't want you to regret it, and if you regret it, I will regret it too."

"I..." Xia Tong stammered, feeling her thoughts were disturbed by his words: "But I won't regret it. I am willing to mark you, and I am willing to be with you forever!"

"Then have you ever thought about why you want to be with me forever?" Lin Mingfei asked immediately: "Is it because I put a mask on you in the hospital? Or because I helped you when you were most helpless? Or is it because I always appear by your side by coincidence when you need help the most?"

Xia Tong said bewilderedly: "You are right, that's it...but what's the problem?"

"What if it wasn't me who did all these things, but someone else? For example, Shi Ya? Zhou Yanjun?" Lin Mingfei lowered her voice and became serious: "If you meet me again, will you still be as determined to be with me as you are now?"

Xia Tong opened his mouth but no sound came out. His big eyes were wide open, filled with confusion.

"If they were in my place, they would also do these things for you without hesitation. You may have mistaken this kind of 'dependence' in adversity as 'love'." Lin Mingfei said word by word.

"Did you take it as love?" Xia Tong murmured back.

"Yes," Lin Mingfei said, "To like someone is to identify with that person. They are special, unique, and irreplaceable. You are still young and naive, and you don't understand many things, but I am not young anymore. I can't rely on my greater social experience to deceive you and trick you. Suppose I mark you permanently today. If you meet someone you truly like in the future, what will you do? Will you remove the mark? Do you know how painful that would be?"

Xia Tong was speechless.

Lin Mingfei pursed her lips.

"Anyway, you'll be living in the club from now on. You'll be exposed to many new things and have an independent source of income. By then, your life will change dramatically, and your perspective and understanding will be very different from what it is now. If by then you still like me and want to be with me forever, then come find me and I'll give you what you want."

Xia Tong's eyelashes trembled slightly.

"But what if by that time... you no longer want to—"

"No." Lin Mingfei interrupted him, cast a firm gaze over him, and repeated again: "No."

Xia Tong was suddenly moved.

He couldn't describe the feeling, but it melted in his heart, making his nose sore. "Thank you, Zero, thank you for thinking so much about me. I misunderstood you, I'm so mean." He scratched his head sheepishly and whispered, "But why do you think so much..."

Lin Mingfei raised her arms and subconsciously covered her eyes with her palms.

"Because I don't want anyone to pay the price for liking me..." He said hoarsely, "I'm not that worthy of your love."

On the other side, none of them noticed that there was a window in the conference room that was not closed, with the blackout curtains drawn low. Shi Ya was standing outside the window, leaning against the wall, with her arms folded in silence.

The conversation between the two people inside flowed into his ears word for word.

His face was as gloomy as water, but there were some lines like cracked ice in his eyes, which showed his true feelings that he had not shown for many years.

But all my love was wasted.

Shi Ya silently pulled the corner of her lips, as if mocking herself, but did not disturb the two people in the room. She turned around and left quietly.

When he returned to the living room, he saw He Youjin holding a cup of wolfberry tea and staring at him with a pair of bulging goldfish eyes.

"What do you mean?" He Youjin immediately fell into a state of stress when he saw Shi Ya, and asked anxiously: "What little secrets are you hiding from me?"

Shi Ya hooked her finger at him, and He Youjin leaned over and heard a whisper.

"Oh my god!" He Youjin was petrified instantly: "Are you crazy? This is too outrageous!"

"What do you mean by 'we'? It's them, the two of them." Shi Ya waved her hand and quickly took it out. "But Xia Tong didn't show any abnormal rejection reaction after being temporarily marked by him. I guess their pheromones are quite compatible. This is a good thing in my opinion. If Xia Tong ever has a case of keratosis in the future, we can still handle it internally without sending her to the hospital and causing a big complication."

"A good thing? You call that a good thing?" He Youjin exclaimed in shock. "I hope you get pregnant before the competition even starts! How am I going to explain this to anyone? I'll go crazy!"

"You're thinking too far." Shi Ya said unconcernedly, "Zero is a man of measure. I trust him."

"Are you sure... that letting Xia Tong live in the base is the right choice?" He Youjin said with a sullen expression, "I'm very doubtful now!"

"What? Are you planning to take him away? I don't agree!" Shi Ya glanced at him and said, "Don't even think about it."

"Why don't you agree?" He Youjin was speechless.

"Because... I like him very much and want to live with him under the same roof." Shi Ya said frankly.

"You like him too?" He Youjin was shocked again. "Fuck, what the hell is this? A bloody love triangle?! Are you guys still going to play the game?"

"I said I like him, but I didn't say I want to compete with Zero for him." Shi Ya said calmly, "Why do you act like I'm going to duel Zero with a gun and a knife when I get here?"

"Isn't it?" He Youjin said, "Two Alphas are attracted to one Omega. You two Alphas are still good brothers! If we ever get to see this, it'll be a good eight o'clock drama!"

"You underestimate my level." Shi Ya laughed and raised her eyebrows lazily: "I admit that I like Xia Tong, but I care more about Lin Mingfei and the honor of Polaris."

"I still don't understand what you want." He Youjin said confusedly.

"Giving roses to others leaves a lingering fragrance on your hands, giving you double the happiness. This is the adult world." Shi Ya raised a finger and shook it gently. "You wouldn't understand even if I told you."

"I don't understand, and I don't want to understand!" He Youjin said with a dull face, "The world of Aquaman A."

The author has something to say: Master Shi: I like Xia Tong, but I care about Zero more.

He Youjin: There is something wrong with you!!!