A sudden period of increased susceptibility

Leaving the atrium, the two headed towards the noisiest area at the other end of the mall: a huge indoor children's playground and surrounding family-friendly businesses. The closer they got, the clearer the sweet aromas in the air and the excited laughter of children became.

Meng Yihe's brows furrowed even more, and she almost subconsciously slowed her pace.

The environment here was completely out of step with his preferred atmosphere. The ubiquitous bright colors, cartoon characters, and children running around with their parents following closely behind created a "lively" scene that he couldn't understand.

The pheromones of cherry brandy unconsciously receded, as if trying to create a small, quiet space for themselves.

Cui Yu seemed to be adapting well; he could even smile as he dodged a little boy rushing towards him in screaming shoes, and he could also catch a display stand that was about to be knocked over. His gaze was no longer focused on the overall atmosphere, but on the details.

"See that rest area over there?" Cui Yu gestured with his eyes to a large area around the children's playground with comfortable seating. Many parents sat there looking at their phones, occasionally glancing up at their children in the playground. "It's specially set up for accompanying parents. There's free Wi-Fi, plenty of charging ports, and a coffee shop and fast food restaurant right next to it. This is the key to retaining family customers—making taking care of children no longer a chore."

Meng Yihe followed his gaze and had to admit that the setup was indeed ingenious. But he still wouldn't admit defeat: "The huge noise and chaotic flow of movement sacrifice the experience of other customer groups."

“But it contributes to an extremely high average transaction value and length of stay.” Cui Yu immediately retorted, pointing to the parents queuing at the park entrance, “Look, a single ticket is quite expensive, but the membership card rate is extremely high. The toy stores, children’s clothing stores, and extracurricular classes next door all benefit from the precise customer flow brought by this park.”

He paused, looked at Meng Yihe, and said with a hint of challenge, "The 'mediocre' and 'noisy' that Director Meng dislikes are backed by solid cash flow. Can the renovation of 'Xinghua Plaza' ignore this part?"

Meng Yihe fell silent.

He wasn't used to the atmosphere here, but he couldn't deny the strong consumer spending power he saw. He forced himself to observe more closely: the excited smiles on the children's faces, the parents' tired but still willing to spend money, and the endless stream of people in the surrounding shops.

Just then, a little girl, about three or four years old, with two small pigtails, was running along, holding a nearly melted ice cream cone. She accidentally bumped into Meng Yihe's suit trousers. The sticky ice cream instantly left a conspicuous stain on his expensive trousers.

The little girl was stunned for a moment. When she looked up and saw Meng Yihe's handsome but cold face, she was so frightened that her little mouth trembled and she was about to cry.

Meng Yihe froze, completely at a loss for how to handle the situation. His brows furrowed into a knot, and he instinctively wanted to back away.

"Oh dear, is the baby alright? Did he hurt himself?" A gentle voice rang out first.

Cui Yu had already squatted down naturally, completely unconcerned about his posture. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the little girl's hands, which were covered in ice cream. His voice was unusually gentle: "It's okay that the ice cream fell. How about your mom and dad buy you another one? But next time, you have to watch where you're going, okay? It'll hurt if you bump into someone or fall down."

His movements were practiced and natural, his face wore a very soothing smile, and the cedar scent of his pheromones seemed to become exceptionally gentle.

The little girl looked at him, and surprisingly, she held back her tears, whispering, "I'm sorry..."

The little girl's mother arrived at this time and apologized repeatedly.

Cui Yu stood up and said to the mother with a smile, "It's alright, as long as the child wasn't frightened. The pants can be washed when we get home."

She handled the situation gracefully and tactfully, easily defusing a minor embarrassment.

After the mother left with the child, Cui Yu looked down at his own slightly smudged cuff and the more obvious stains on Meng Yihe's pants. He shrugged: "It seems that the spending power in the children's section also includes dry cleaning fees."

Meng Yihe looked at Cui Yu, then glanced down at the sticky stain on his pants. Recalling the incredibly natural and fluid movement Cui Yu had made when he squatted down, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside him. He felt a little annoyed, a little embarrassed, and a hint of surprise at Cui Yu's effortless ease—a surprise he himself didn't want to admit.

He finally just said curtly, "...Let's go to the next point."

Seeing Meng Yihe's obvious frustration yet forced composure, Cui Yu's smile deepened. He found it far more entertaining to watch Meng Yihe lose control in this place, completely outside his comfort zone, than to see him argue in the conference room.

“Okay.” Cui Yu readily agreed, turned around and led the way, adding a comment.

"However, President Meng, it seems that we really need to seriously consider whether and how to 'please' these little devils who can bring in real money and their parents."

Meng Yihe did not answer immediately, but silently followed behind him.

The sticky discomfort on his pants seemed to constantly remind him of the realities of business that couldn't be ignored by idealistic blueprints. And Cui Yu's earlier encounter had given him a somewhat ambiguous understanding of this "opponent."

After inspecting the children's area, the argument between the two temporarily subsided.

They visited the high-end supermarket that MixC is so proud of.

Meng Yihe scrutinized the merchandise display and import ratio, while Cui Yu focused more on spoilage control and supply chain efficiency in the fresh produce section.

At large cinemas and arcades, Meng Yihe acknowledged the young customer traffic they brought, but still had reservations about the noisy environment and homogenized content. Cui Yu, meanwhile, quietly recorded the space efficiency and evening customer attraction capabilities of these entertainment venues.

In the evening, they had a brief meeting with the MixC operations team.

During the meeting, Meng Yihe raised some pointed questions about brand uniqueness and future trends, while Cui Yu focused more on energy management in actual operations and contingency plans for unexpected events. The team felt the starkly different focuses and thought processes of the two directors.

After the meeting, the two returned to their hotel, where they had another day of activities planned for the next day.

"See you in the lobby at nine o'clock tomorrow." Cui Yu opened the door and said in a normal tone.

"Mmm," Meng Yihe responded softly, her voice sounding hoarser and lower than usual.

He felt unusually tired, inexplicably irritable, and an indescribable heat surged up from deep within his body, making him eager to lock himself in his room.

The moment he swiped the door open and stepped into the room, an extremely strong aroma of cherry brandy burst forth from him.

No longer the usual subtle aftertaste, but like an overturned bottle, intense, spicy, with a hint of fruity sweetness and the burning sensation of alcohol, instantly sweeping through the enclosed space of the corridor.

At the same time, a sudden feeling of weakness and palpitations gripped him, causing his vision to go black and his body to sway. He had to reach out and grab the door frame to barely keep his balance.

"Vulnerable period!" Meng Yihe suddenly realized.

Moreover, it came on suddenly and without warning.

Cui Yu was about to close the door when the powerful surge of top-tier Alpha pheromones made him freeze instantly.

He abruptly turned to look at Meng Yihe, only to see that the other's face was deathly pale, fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, his fingers gripping the door frame so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and his body was even trembling slightly. Those usually sharp and cold eyes were now filled with uncontrollable rage and a rare vulnerability.

Almost instinctively, Cui Yu stepped out of the room and quickly closed his own door behind him. He then led Meng Yihe into his own room to prevent the excessive spread of his pheromones.

He quickly approached Meng Yihe, his brows furrowed: "Meng Yihe?!"

"Don't come any closer!" Meng Yihe growled.

His voice became hoarse and broken due to physiological discomfort. He tried to cover up his loss of control with ferocity, but the violent fluctuations of his pheromones, full of aggression and seduction, gave everything away.

Alphas in their vulnerable period are extremely sensitive and have a very strong sense of territory, and will reject anything that gets close.

Especially the other "Alpha".

The scent of cherry brandy was impossible to ignore; the quality of top-tier Alpha pheromones was undeniable, but Alpha pheromones could affect Cui Yu. He tried his best to suppress the urge, as an Enigma, to mark an Alpha. However, he couldn't just release pheromones to appease the Alpha before him.

He keenly sensed that Meng Yihe was in extremely poor condition, and that forcibly approaching her might provoke her to lose control even further. His tone became extremely calm and rapid: "You're in your most vulnerable period. Where are your inhibitors? Do you have any in your room?"

Meng Yihe was breathing heavily, her consciousness beginning to blur.

His intense possessiveness and unease made him want to drive away this "intruder," but his remaining rationality allowed him to hear Cui Yu's words clearly.

He gritted his teeth and forced out a few words: "...suitcase...partial compartment...black medical kit"

"Okay, I'll help you get it. Calm down, don't resist me."

Cui Yu spoke quickly, with an undeniable calmness.

He approached slowly, suppressing his pheromones as much as possible to release a harmless signal. He quickly squeezed through the door, the intense cherry brandy pheromones almost overwhelming him, carrying a dizzying aggressiveness. He precisely located Meng Yihe's suitcase, opened it, and took out the black portable medical kit from a hidden compartment. Inside, as expected, were several potent Alpha-specific inhibitors and syringes.

"Go to bed," Cui Yu said, his voice brooking no refusal.

At this moment, Meng Yihe was almost unable to stand. She obediently let Cui Yu half-help and half-push her to sit down on the edge of the bed, and then collapsed.

Cui Yu deftly tore open the packaging, took out the medicine, and when the alcohol swab touched Meng Yihe's neck, he could feel his body trembling violently and burning hot.

“…Hurry up,” Meng Yihe urged unconsciously, her voice weak.

Cui Yu's eyes narrowed, and without hesitation, he precisely pushed the needle into the man's jugular vein, slowly injecting the cool liquid.

The medicine began to work.

Meng Yihe's body stiffened abruptly, then she gasped for breath a few times before collapsing onto the bed as if all her strength had been drained away. The intense, almost tangible pheromones began to recede slowly like a tide; although still stronger than usual, they no longer possessed that aggressive and uncontrollable quality.

Cui Yu pulled out the needle, pressed the puncture site with a cotton swab, and then breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He stood by the bed, looking at Meng Yihe, who rarely showed such vulnerability. Her hair was soaked with sweat, clinging to her forehead, and her brows were tightly furrowed, as if she were extremely restless even in her unconscious state. The room was still filled with the scent of cherry brandy; the spiciness had faded, leaving behind a rich fruity aroma and a hint of bitterness, lingering at the tip of his nose, which made him feel a strange unease.

Cui Yu looked at him with a complicated expression, and finally just muttered to herself in a low voice, so soft that it was almost inaudible: "What a troublesome person who can't take care of himself at all."

Cui Yu did not leave immediately.

He went to the minibar, poured a glass of warm water, grabbed a few tissues, and returned to the bedside.

He silently placed the warm water on the bedside table, and then, while not particularly gentle, carefully wiped away the cold sweat from Meng Yihe's forehead and neck.

When the cold tissue touched his skin, Meng Yihe's body trembled almost imperceptibly. His eyelids struggled to open, as if trying to, but he gave up due to overwhelming exhaustion. He only let out a muffled murmur from his throat, like an unconscious whisper or a painful groan.

Cui Yu paused for a moment.

He looked at Meng Yihe, who had put away all her sharp edges and appeared unusually quiet. He had seen how Alphas were in their vulnerable period, but seeing this strong and sharp-tongued guy in such a state was somewhat novel to him, and even a little bit attractive.

The intense cherry brandy pheromones still enveloped him; to other Alphas, this might be a provocation, but to him…

Cui Yu's eyes deepened imperceptibly.

He stood by the bed for a while, making sure Meng Yihe's breathing was completely steady and she had fallen into a deep sleep, before slowly sitting up. He looked around the room, went over and completely drew the curtains to block out the light, then checked the air conditioner temperature and adjusted it to a more comfortable setting. Having done all this, he went to the door again, grasped the doorknob, and prepared to leave. Before closing the door, he turned back for one last look at the sleeping figure on the bed.

The room was dimly lit, with only the light from the corridor casting a long shadow behind him.

He lingered for a moment, savoring the lingering scent of cherry brandy in the room, before gently closing the door behind him, shutting out the unique aroma and the vulnerable Meng Yihe.

Cui Yu stood in front of his room but did not go in immediately.

He glanced thoughtfully at the closed door next door before swiping his card and entering his own room. The moment the door closed, the relaxed composure on his face seemed to falter for a second, and a dark, unfathomable light flashed in his eyes.

He raised his hand and subconsciously sniffed his fingertips.

There seemed to be a lingering scent of cherry brandy belonging to Meng Yihe.

...

Meng Yihe woke up with a deep fatigue and headache typical of the period following a period of high susceptibility to illness.

The sunlight was blocked out by the heavy curtains, and the room was still filled with his own strong, almost pungent, cherry brandy pheromone scent.

He propped himself up, his body heavy, and his memories gradually returned.

The sudden loss of control in the corridor last night, Cui Yu's appearance, the inhibitor... and the image of that guy wiping his sweat and pouring him water flashed through his mind like fragments.

Meng Yihe's face instantly turned extremely ugly, not because she was sick, but because her disheveled and out-of-control state had been witnessed by the person she least wanted to see, and even... he had taken care of her.

This realization was even harder for him to accept than the susceptible period itself.

He abruptly threw off the covers, got out of bed, and rushed into the bathroom, trying to wash away the stickiness and discomfort from excessive sweating during his sensitive period, as well as the irritable and embarrassed feeling in his heart, with hot water.