Xie Linyuan | Xie Jingci · Chat

[Handling Business] --- By the time you stood before that dark gray door on the top floor of the Confidential Office's West Tower, a thin layer of sweat had already broken out on your back. The corridor was carpeted in a sound-absorbing dark rug, with wall lamps placed every five meters on both sides. The lighting was dimmed, casting a cold halo on the smooth walls. You clutched a thin document envelope in your hand, your fingertips turning white from the force of your grip. You knew Xie Jingci—or rather, you had heard of him. No one in the entire Federation hadn't heard of him, but you had never stood before his door in the capacity of someone "asking him for a favor." The door slid open automatically just as you raised your hand to knock for the third time. Inside the office, Xie Jingci sat behind a massive black desk, his silver-white messy hair brushing his brow bone, spinning a silver fountain pen between his fingers. He looked up at you upon hearing the door open, his lips curving up before he spoke with that lazy, knowing smile, as if he had anticipated everything. He didn't stand up, nor did he put down the pen; he simply leaned back in his chair and slowly scanned you from head to toe—like flipping through a decent file. "A rare guest." He said only three words, his voice light and airy, the ending trailing up like a hook. You stood there, the hand holding out the document envelope freezing mid-air. He noticed but didn't take it, merely pointing the tip of his pen toward the opposite chair, gesturing for you to sit. You sat down. "I... have a favor to ask of the Chief." Your voice was tighter than expected, your Adam's apple bobbing. Xie Jingci tilted his head, the curve of his lips deepening slightly, looking as though he thoroughly enjoyed your current awkwardness. Just then, the door connecting the inner office to the lounge opened. Xie Linyuan walked out from inside, the collar of his white military uniform buttoned meticulously. In his left hand, he held a steaming cup of water. The moment he saw you, his footsteps paused—very briefly, almost imperceptibly, but you noticed it—then he turned his head to glance at Xie Jingci. That glance was extremely fast and light, like two blades clashing silently in the air. Xie Jingci's pen stopped for half a second before spinning again. Xie Linyuan walked to the side of the desk with the cup, not sitting down, but simply leaning against the edge. He looked down at you, his gaze as calm as the wind-eroded rocks on Planet Anvil that remained unchanged all year round. "Speak. What is it?" Xie Linyuan's voice was deeper than Xie Jingci's, carrying the habitual composure of a superior that said, "I allow you to speak." You took a deep breath, placed the crumpled document envelope on the desk, and pushed it forward. Neither Xie Jingci nor Xie Linyuan touched it. They simply looked at the envelope at the same time, then shifted their gazes back to your face. The air fell silent for three seconds. Then Xie Jingci laughed first, the chuckle spilling from his throat with a sense of "as expected" satisfaction. He put down the pen, leaned forward slightly, crossed his hands on the desk, and said in a tone that bordered on intimate: "You know what price someone in your position usually has to pay... to ask me for a favor, right?" Your breath caught. Xie Linyuan still didn't move from the edge of the desk, but he set down his water cup—very softly, the bone china bottom making a faint "clack" as it met the wooden surface. He looked down at you, and in the depths of his calm, dark eyes, something unfamiliar that you had never seen before began to surface. "He speaks a bit bluntly," Xie Linyuan said, his voice gentle as if comforting you, though that gentleness was wrapped in something you couldn't distinguish as protection or encroachment. "But the meaning is the same. Since you've come all this way, you should know that not just anyone can knock on this door." Xie Jingci tilted his head to look at his brother, that playful smile still hanging on his lips, and then he looked back at you. His gaze slid from your eyes to your clenched knuckles, then to your chest rising and falling slightly from nervousness, and finally back to your eyes. His nostrils flared very slightly—he was smelling your pheromones—a subtle movement that caused Xie Linyuan's gaze to simultaneously land on the back of your neck. You knew what they were looking at. The moment you stepped through the door, you were already halfway enveloped by their respective scents. The gland on the back of your neck must be slightly hot and flushed right now—a biological instinct of submission that could not be suppressed in the presence of two top-tier Alphas. You clutched the fabric over your knees. Xie Jingci and Xie Linyuan exchanged a second glance. This glance was different from the last. In this one, something was being blatantly transmitted right in front of you—like exchanging a consensus that no longer needed verbal confirmation. Xie Linyuan's brow twitched slightly, and then he took a sip from his water cup. When his gaze fell back onto your face, the corner of his mouth held a barely visible curve. Xie Jingci, on the other hand, laughed out loud—a low laugh rumbling from his chest, filled with satisfaction and the pleasure of a successful prank. "Brother," Xie Jingci said, his eyes never leaving you, "don't you think they arrived at a rather convenient time today?" Xie Linyuan did not answer, but he reached out to pick up the document envelope on the desk. His slender fingers unhurriedly unraveled the seal string, pulling out the documents inside to look over them. The rustle of paper flipping was exceptionally clear in the quiet office. Then, he placed the documents back on the desk and looked up at you. "This matter is not difficult to handle," he said, his voice still steady, but the ending drawn out half a beat longer than usual. "But you must think it through. Once we nod, what is it that you will owe?" Xie Jingci stood up from his chair, walked around the desk to stand in front of you, and looked down at you from above. His silver-white hair hung down, almost brushing your forehead. At this close distance, his pheromone scent of dark agarwood mixed with cold gunpowder smoke poured clearly into your nose, causing the gland on the back of your neck to suddenly burn. He reached out, his cool fingertip brushing very lightly against the side of your ear—as if wiping away some non-existent dust. "Don't be nervous," he whispered near your ear, his voice kept extremely low so only you could hear. "My brother is just scaring you. We don't eat people." He took half a step back, once again wearing that lazy, wicked smile. "We are just a bit more... greedy than you think." You sat there, your breathing uneven, the back of your neck burning, the muscles in your thighs tensing. Xie Linyuan still leaned against the desk edge holding his cup, his gentle gaze enveloping you, while Xie Jingci stood in front of you looking down, the smile on his lips never fading.