"You failed again?!" Jin Rou's roar was so sudden and violent that the air in the room seemed to vibrate. He slammed his hand onto the mahogany desk, sent pens and crystal paperweights skittering across the floor. "How is it possible for you to fail a thousand times over?! I pay you all for results, not some pathetic excuses!"
"I am deeply sorry, sir," the assistant stammered, bowing so low his forehead nearly touched his knees. He was trembling, but he hurried to deliver the only piece of news that might save his life. "However... while we did not capture him, we did manage to severely injure his lover."
Jin Rou stopped pacing, his eyes narrowing into sharp, predatory slits. "Lover?" he repeated, the word sounding like a threat.
"Yes, Boss. His lover," the assistant confirmed, nodding frantically.
"Are you talking about Yichen?" Jin Rou asked, his voice dropping to a dangerous, low hiss.
"No, sir. It was the owner of the clinic—the Omega," the assistant explained, his words tripping over one another in his haste. "The men I deployed reported that the wound they inflicted was severe. They said the target was caught so completely off guard that he didn't even have a chance to fight back before they drew blood."
A slow, twisted grin spread across Jin Rou's face before he erupted into a fit of dark, chilling laughter. "So, he's found himself a new lover, has he?" he mused, the laughter still bubbling in his chest. "How touching. But are you absolutely certain this information is accurate? I don't want fairy tales, I want facts."
"I cannot say for certain if they are officially involved, Boss," the assistant admitted, sweating under the pressure. "And I haven't seen the target's body myself. But I can confirm the attack was successful—I saw the knives my men brought back. They were still coated in fresh blood, sir. There is no doubt that someone was badly hurt."
"That's excellent news," Jin Rou said, his laughter dying down into a cold, satisfied smirk. "Then there is only one thing left for us to do. I cannot wait to see the look on his face when he realizes exactly what he's lost. Let's see how he reacts when everything he tries to protect turns to ash."
__________________
"Haoran, you're still recovering from your injuries. Why are you pushing yourself to cook such a massive feast?" Yichen asked, his voice a mix of concern and scolding as he stepped into the kitchen to help plate the dishes.
"Sihan mentioned he'd be coming back with Qixian this afternoon," Haoran explained, his hands moving expertly as he garnished the final course. "I wanted to make sure there was enough for everyone."
Yichen's brow furrowed. "Why is he coming with Qixian? Don't they both have their own cars? It's not like they live in the same neighborhood."
"Sihan actually gave me a reason for that," Haoran noted.
"And what did he say?" Yichen asked, his instincts immediately spiking.
"Apparently, Qixian's car broke down this morning," Haoran stated simply.
"Oh... I see," Yichen murmured, though he still felt there was more to the story than a simple mechanical failure.
About an hour later, just as Yichen and Haoran were finishing the last of the meal prep, the clinic's front door swung open with a resounding bang.
"Hello, motherfuckers! I'm back!" Qixian announced, his voice echoing through the clinic with far more energy than a wounded man should have.
Sihan followed behind him, letting out a heavy, weary sigh. "You are truly insane. Do you want me to just drive you straight to the hospital? You look like you're getting even worse by the second," Sihan said, his tone mocking.
Qixian shot him a sharp glare. "What's with the attitude? Are you just worried about your precious money?"
"Oh, please. I have more than enough money to buy an entire villa ten times over," Sihan retorted, rolling his eyes dramatically.
"Is that a challenge? Want to compare bank accounts?" Qixian shot back.
Sihan looked him up and down, his expression practically screaming as if saying, 'What is a runaway child with no inheritance going to show me?' "Then what exactly would you show me? Your collection of stolen guest-room snacks?"
"Haha, very funny," Qixian muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Oh~ is the little Alpha getting grumpy? Does he need a nap?" Sihan teased.
'Just because he knows my secrets? Especially just because he knows I'm an omega, he thinks he can tease me about being shorter?' Qixian thought, his fist twitching as if he were ready to deck Sihan right then and there. "I could punch your face right now..." Qixian glared as he breath in and breath out, "How did you manage to inherit your best friend's exact annoying personality?" he snapped.
"Wait, you're comparing me to Yichen now? We are nothing alike," Sihan countered with a smirk. "Though, I suppose you two are similar—both of you are a massive headache to deal with."
"Hey! That is absolutely not true!" Qixian defended.
"Oh, really? Feel free to ask my partner," Sihan said, shrugging as he gestured toward Haoran and Yichen, who were watching the bickering pair from the kitchen doorway.
"It seems you two have gotten much closer while I wasn't looking," Yichen commented, his gaze lingering on the way the two interacted.
"Jealous?" Sihan teased with a wink.
Yichen opened his mouth to deliver a sharp retort, but Haoran chimed in first with a playful chuckle. "Don't be jealous, Yichen. Sihan and I are already partners—I'll just have to kill him if he ever dares to cheat on me."
"See? Sheer loyalty," Sihan joked, stepping over to wrap an arm around Haoran.
In the middle of the laughter, "Ah, right..." Qixian awkwardly stepped forward and shoved a bar of high-end chocolate toward Yichen. "Here."
Yichen blinked, startled by the sudden peace offering, but a genuine smile broke across his face. "Thanks, Qixian."
"And Haoran... do you like strawberries?" Qixian asked, pulling a fresh pack from a bag. "They're my favorite, so I figured they might be yours, too."
"Oh! I love strawberries! They're my absolute favorite!" Haoran chirped, happily taking the fruit. "Thank you so much!"
"Now, aren't we going to actually eat?" Sihan interrupted, his stomach growling.
"What's wrong? Are you pouting because you didn't get a gift from him?" Haoran teased.
"I already got mine—I ate it on the way here," Sihan said. 'Though technically I paid for it with my own money...' he added silently to himself.
Sensing Sihan's internal grumbling, Qixian laughed and patted Sihan's shoulder with mock sympathy, earning himself a dry glare. "You must be truly starving if you're this cranky," Qixian said, acting like he deeply pitied him.
"Yeah, let's eat," Haoran said, leading the way to their usual spots at the table.
Once they were settled and halfway through the meal, Sihan suddenly cleared his throat. "By the way, guys, I have an idea. How about we all go on a vacation?"
"A vacation?" Haoran asked, pausing with a bite of food halfway to his mouth.
"Yes. A real getaway," Sihan insisted.
"What about the gala?" Yichen asked. "The preparations are in full swing."
"It's fine. There are still five days left including today. We'll just do a quick three-days trip and be back in time for the final preparations," Sihan explained.
"Then I'm in," Qixian said immediately. 'Even though that was originally my plan,' he thought, throwing a subtle glare at Sihan for stealing his idea.
'Sihan looked at him as if saying, 'what? It's my revenge from earlier.'
"If Qixian is going, then let's do it!" Haoran clapped his hands happily.
"Well... if you all are going, I suppose I can't let you have all the fun without me," Yichen decided with a nod.
"Great. Let's leave later tonight," Sihan announced.
"Tonight? As in... right now?" Qixian asked, surprised by the sudden timeline.
"Yeah. That way we can wake up and start having fun early tomorrow morning," Sihan said.
"That sounds perfect! We can go pack our bags after we finish eating," Haoran said, already energized by the idea.
"Exactly. And to keep things organized, Haoran will ride with me, and Qixian, you'll ride with Yichen," Sihan added, his tone far too deliberate to be accidental.
Yichen glanced at Qixian, who looked like his brain had momentarily short-circuited at the suggestion. "Sure, that works for me," Yichen agreed smoothly.
"Wait, what?" Qixian finally found his voice.
"What? Would you rather walk there or call a taxi instead of riding in my car?" Yichen asked, raising a challenging eyebrow.
"It's... it's not like that..." Qixian stammered, his face flushing.
"Ahem, ahem!" Sihan let out a loud, fake cough, making Haoran burst into giggles while both Yichen and Qixian turned to glare at him in unison.