Seeing his assistant’s flustered expression, Meng Jian recalled the task he had assigned to his younger son, Meng Zai, and wondered if it had already succeeded. He casually asked, “What happened?”

The assistant replied, “The Second Prince claims that Meng Fei attacked him and is currently causing a scene in the main hall.”

Just as he finished speaking, a report from a subordinate came through his earpiece. The assistant’s eyes widened, and he hurriedly turned to Meng Jian: “Song Jin was provoked and publicly beat Meng Fei! The main hall is in utter chaos! The Second Prince had Yi Lian inform you to handle it in person!”

“What?!”

Meng Jian was somewhat taken aback. Mindful of today’s occasion, he turned with a dark expression and headed back toward the main hall.

In the main hall.

A single kick from Song Jin was far from enough to vent his anger.

Just thinking about how Li Xiao had been bullied by this idiot when he was a child made him want to rip the guy to shreds.

Meng Fei’s spine had slammed hard against the corner of the table, leaving him sprawling messily on the floor. Wreathed in pain, he squirmed, wept, and shrieked, leaving not a single trace of his carefully crafted gentle image.

“How dare you!”

Meng Fei’s father was consumed with rage. Aggressively charging forward, he reached out, intent on grabbing Song Jin to teach him a lesson.

Li Xiao raised a hand to block him, speaking coldly: “Yi Lian.”

Yi Lian reacted instantly, stepping in front of Meng Fei’s older brother and several other members of the Meng family branch, preventing them from getting anywhere near Song Jin.

“I advise you all to think carefully before taking action.”

Watching Song Jin lift his son up once more, Meng Fei’s father looked utterly furious: “What are you trying to do?! Indulging a Shengya foreigner to beat my son to death?!”

Li Xiao stared at him: “I should be the one asking that question—what are you all trying to do?”

Facing Li Xiao’s eyes at close range, Meng Fei’s father felt a chill run down his spine.

In that single instant of confrontation, he was completely crushed in momentum.

What was with this composed, fearless demeanor?!

Why could Li Xiao act so arrogant right on the Meng family’s turf?! Where on earth did he get such confidence?!

Covered in a slurry of sweat and tears, a dizzy Meng Fei felt himself pulled up by his hair. Thinking he was being saved, he was instead met with Song Jin’s rage-filled face. Scared nearly out of his wits on the spot, he began trembling and screaming for help.

“L-Let me go! Father, save… ah!“

Song Jin grabbed Meng Fei by the head and slammed it violently onto the tabletop.

The fierce impact caused Meng Fei to briefly lose consciousness.

Shattered shards of wine glass bit deeply into his cheek. The agonizing pain, accompanied by waves of heat, dragged Meng Fei back to consciousness. Pressing his hands against the table, he struggled desperately, yet could not break free in the slightest. He burst into wretched sobs: “Save me! I won’t do it again, please spare me, sob sob sob… ah!“

Song Jin tightened his grip on Meng Fei, his tone laced with suppressed impatience: “Your family probably never taught you that there are some people you must absolute never mess with.”

Tears and snot streamed down Meng Fei’s face, half of which was entirely drenched in blood.

“I’m sorry… I apologize, I’m sorry! Let me go, sob sob sob…”

Song Jin pinned his head down and ground it against the table: “Did I give you permission to apologize?”

Nothing remained in the main hall except Meng Fei’s agonizing shrieks. The atmosphere dropped to absolute zero; even those who usually defended the Meng family didn’t dare step forward to mediate.

Hearing the commotion, the Omegas in the small parlor returned to the main hall, arriving just in time to see Song Jin beating Meng Fei half to death. Seeing that not a single nobleman present dared to stop him, their breathing instantly hitched in terror.

Song Jin was way too terrifying!

No matter how tough one’s life was, nobody could survive a beating like that!

Shrinking into the corner, the Omegas didn’t dare step anywhere near. The little schemes in their minds evaporated entirely.

Compared to marrying into the Royal Family, their lives were definitely far more important.

Meng Tao and his father, Meng Zai, rushed over from another small parlor.

Seeing this scene, the anger Meng Tao had held in for a long time finally erupted.

On such an important occasion as his great-grandfather’s birthday, Li Xiao actually dared to throw a fit like this. He simply didn’t take the Meng family seriously!

If they didn’t teach Li Xiao a lesson, he’d truly think the Meng family was easy to push around!

“Li Xiao!”

Meng Tao squeezed through the crowd to launch the first attack, “This isn’t a place for you to run wild as you please! Even if you are a Prince, breaking the law still warrants punishment! I advise you to tread carefully!”

Li Xiao didn’t give him so much as a single glance, ignoring him completely.

Meng Tao wanted to say more, but Meng Zai stopped him.

Meng Zai signaled for the security detail outside to step in. With a dark expression, he walked over to stand in front of Li Xiao: “Second Prince, what is the meaning of this? If there is an issue, let’s sit down and discuss it. Don’t make things look so unsightly.”

Li Xiao’s gaze swept across the security guards entering from various exits before turning to Meng Zai: “Are you the head of the Meng family?”

Meng Zai pressed his tongue against his cheek, suppressing his impatience with a cold sneer: “The current head of the family is my father.”

Li Xiao: “Then have your father come over. You are not qualified to speak to me.”

Meng Zai’s expression changed instantly.

“My father is advanced in years and very busy. A minor squabble among the younger generation isn’t worth his personal intervention.”

“A minor squabble?”

Li Xiao’s voice turned icy. “Meng Fei attempted to assassinate me. Is that not even worth mentioning in the eyes of your Meng family?”

Meng Zai’s lips drew into a taut, tight line: “The matter hasn’t been investigated clearly yet. There is no need for Your Highness to slap a label on us so hastily.”

Li Xiao: “Yi Lian, put the suspect in cuffs.”

Yi Lian: “Yes, sir!”

Li Xiao reached out his hand toward Song Jin, his tone softening unconsciously: “Jin, let’s go home.”

Song Jin didn’t want to let Meng Fei off the hook so easily, but on an occasion like this, he couldn’t publicly undermine Li Xiao’s authority. He could only suppress his temper, toss Meng Fei over to Yi Lian, and step over to Li Xiao’s side.

Without giving Meng Zai another glance, Li Xiao walked past him with a cold face, heading straight for the main entrance.

Meng Zai’s eyelids twitched violently.

If Li Xiao were truly allowed to take Meng Fei away, whether he could actually be convicted was secondary—the Meng family’s dignity would be completely trampled under the Royal Family’s boots.

How many guests attending today held unstable stances, secretly wavering between the Meng family and the Royal Family? If the Meng family failed to keep the Royal Family in check, the cascading fallout would be far more severe than disposing of a single Meng Fei.

“Please wait!” Meng Zai hurriedly gave chase.

“What’s going on?”

Meng Jian arrived just in time with his assistant.

The crowd automatically parted to make a path.

Blocking Li Xiao’s way, Meng Jian looked at Meng Fei behind him, who had been beaten past recognition by Song Jin: “What on earth is going on here?”

As if finding a backer, Meng Tao ran to Meng Jian’s side and pointed at Li Xiao in accusation: “Grandpa, the Second Prince indulged Song Jin to beat Meng Fei into critical condition! We tried to persuade them for so long, but they refused to listen!”

Meng Jian looked at Li Xiao: “Is this true?”

With such a slighting and reproachful tone, anyone unaware would think Li Xiao was his grandson.

Li Xiao didn’t speak. Yi Lian explained, “General Meng, Meng Fei attacked the Second Prince with his pheromones with malicious intent. I am currently taking him back for interrogation.”

Meng Zai, who had caught up, took over the thread: “When a young Omega encounters an Alpha they like, isn’t it perfectly normal to release pheromones in the heat of the moment? To think it becomes a crime when coming out of your mouths?”

After listening to a few words from them, Meng Jian looked at his assistant with utter indifference: “Calling me over in such a rush—was it just for this matter?”

The assistant lowered his head: “It was also out of fear of neglecting the Second Prince.”

Meng Jian looked back at Li Xiao, his tone casual: “Second Prince, Fei Fei has liked you ever since he was a child. Having not seen each other for so many years—”

“I was just attacked by Meng Fei’s pheromones, so my current state isn’t great. I don’t have the patience to listen to your smooth talk,” Li Xiao cut him off directly. “Please move aside.”

The corner of Meng Jian’s eye twitched slightly, but he still maintained a peaceful tone: “Your Highness, I know you are in a bad mood, but is it really appropriate to arbitrarily convict someone because of it? That child has been beaten like this by you and has learned his lesson. Let this matter end here. As for his family’s side, I will do my best to persuade them not to pursue further liability.”

Everyone present watched quietly, thinking to themselves that he truly lived up to his position as head of the Meng family—controlling the narrative in just a few words.

This framing not only positioned Meng Fei as the victim, but also categorized Li Xiao’s actions as outrageous tyranny.

Li Xiao stared at Meng Jian: “So to speak, you are set on protecting him to the very end?”

At those words, everyone’s heart leaped into their throats.

Tonight’s situation seemed like a dispute between Li Xiao and Meng Fei on the surface, but in reality, it was a battle between the Royal Family and the Meng family.

Li Xiao was using this topic to make a scene and embarrass the Meng family publicly.

It looked as though the Second Prince intended to clash head-on.

However, given the current state of affairs, just how tough he could be was truly hard to guess.

“It’s all a misunderstanding, let’s not ruin our harmony,” Meng Jian said, waving his hand at his assistant. “What are you still standing there for? Find someone to send Meng Fei to the medical room. If word gets out, it might harm the Second Prince’s reputation.”

Assistant: “Yes, sir.”

Noticing the security guards approaching from the corner of his eye, Li Xiao barked softly: “Yi Lian!”

Yi Lian said respectfully: “Here.”

Li Xiao issued the command right in front of Meng Jian: “Meng Fei attempted to assassinate a member of royalty and may have weapons concealed on his person. Strip his clothes off.”

Yi Lian: “Yes, sir!”

Yi Lian set the groggy Meng Fei down onto the floor and began briskly stripping his clothes.

Seeing this, members of the Meng family branch couldn’t help but shout in outrage.

“Don’t push things too far! He’s an Omega!”

“Stop right now!”

This order was undoubtedly a slap in Meng Jian’s face. Meng Jian’s expression turned thoroughly unpleasant on the spot as he said in a deep voice: “Second Prince, I said this was a misunderstanding. Acting like this makes things very difficult for me!”

Just as he finished speaking, a crisp metallic sound echoed.

Everyone looked over in unison.

A dining knife tumbled out from the inside lining of Meng Fei’s coat.

The expressions of every member of the Meng family changed dramatically.

“Impossible!” Meng Fei’s father was the first to lose his composure. “This is a frame-up! Our Fei Fei would absolutely never assassinate a prince!”

“Every criminal claims they are innocent,” Song Jin sneered with a lazy humph. His gaze swept over the dining knife, thinking to himself that it was a good thing he had kept a trick up his sleeve—slipping a piece of cutlery off the table into Meng Fei’s clothes while subduing him.

Meng Jian’s face was also extremely unsightly.

The situation before his eyes was entirely different from the plan he had formulated.

Rather than having Li Xiao die here, ruining Li Xiao’s reputation was far more advantageous to him.

But where did the dining knife come from?!

Li Xiao pressed for an answer: “How do you explain this? Surely it’s not theft?”

Meng Jian suppressed his impatience to reply: “Once he wakes up, I will personally question him—”

“Meng Fei first gathered a group of Omegas to light aphrodisiac incense in the small parlor, tricking my Prince’s spouse over with improper intentions. After being discovered by me, he released his pheromones in an attempt to attack me with a dining knife.”

Li Xiao interrupted Meng Jian once again, enunciating each word heavily, “If you don’t give me a proper explanation for tonight’s incident, every single member of your Meng family will be held fully accountable.”

Whoa—!

Everyone present, including Yi Yongning, couldn’t help but gasp internally.

No one expected Li Xiao to be so unyielding.

I’m afraid even His Majesty had never spoken such harsh words to Meng Jian.

Regardless of the truth, the Second Prince’s sheer backbone alone was enough to make everyone look at him with newfound respect.

Looking at Meng Jian’s expression, which looked as if he had stepped on dog feces, Yi Yongning felt immensely relieved deep down.

The tables have turned—it’s finally the Meng family’s turn to suffer.

Yi Yongning held his hands behind his back and chimed in casually: “If this isn’t punished severely, who knows how many others will dare to follow suit!”

The moment he spoke, others joined in agreement one after another.

“Which other Omegas were involved? Hold them all accountable!”

“This is simply taking the Royal Family too lightly!”

“This is already a severe crime!”

Meng Jian’s expression was ugly to the extreme, yet out of concern for his dignity, he had no choice but to maintain his composure: “I will immediately have someone check the surveillance feeds and clarify this matter as soon as possible. Since Your Highness is feeling unwell, I will have someone take you to rest first.”

Li Xiao: “My patience is limited.”

Holding his face tight, Meng Jian said respectfully: “I will definitely give you a satisfactory answer tonight.”

With that, Meng Jian signaled his assistant to lead Li Xiao and Song Jin to a resting room.

Li Xiao wished he could leave immediately, but in order to stall Meng Jian, he could only agree.

The chaotic smells made him incomparably irritable. Unable to place Song Jin in a safe area kept him in a constant state of high alert, consuming a massive amount of mental energy.

Watching them leave, Meng Jian gave Meng Zai a subtle look.

With a dark expression, Meng Zai acknowledged the gesture and quietly slipped away from the main hall.

Jiang Mu and several companions witnessed the entire process, their eyes glittering with intense excitement.

The Second Prince and Song Jin were way too cool! To actually see Old Man Meng suffer a defeat was so satisfying and cathartic!

On the other hand, Meng Tao’s group was the exact opposite.

Every single one of them pulled a foul face, gnashing their teeth in hatred yet not daring to utter a word.

The other officials present exchanged glances. Though nothing was explicitly said, everyone understood in their hearts.

Nobody actually cared about tonight’s investigation results.

The moment Meng Jian tried to gloss things over only to be forced to bow his head in the end, he had already suffered a crushing defeat in this tug-of-war between the Royal Family and the Meng family.

Stepping out of the main hall, the surroundings became exceptionally quiet. Hearing several somewhat heavy breaths, Song Jin tilted his head toward Li Xiao. The other’s bangs were soaked with sweat, his breathing rhythm fluctuating wildly between rapid and slow—clearly looking very off.

Did this kid really get so triggered by Meng Fei’s pheromones?

He had thought it was just complete nonsense.

“Xiao?” Song Jin held Li Xiao’s hand. “Are you feeling unwell?”

Li Xiao: “I’m fine.”

How did this look like being fine?

Just thinking that Meng Fei could affect Li Xiao to this extent, the murderous intent in Song Jin’s eyes nearly overflowed. He turned around to stride back: “I’m going to beat him to death!”

Li Xiao tightened his grip on Song Jin’s hand to pull him back: “Don’t go!”

Song Jin struggled for a moment, but couldn’t break free: “Let go!”

Having finally gotten Song Jin out of there, how could he possibly let him go back?

Li Xiao refused to let go no matter what. Seeing Song Jin struggling fiercely, he dragged him straight into a nearby room.

When the assistant leading the way turned around, the people were gone.

He hurriedly gave chase, only for the door to slam shut heavily right in front of his face.

“Second Prince?!” The assistant tapped on the door in a panic.

“Get lost!”

Li Xiao’s low bark echoed from inside the room, scaring the assistant into a shudder.

The assistant wanted to knock again, but was stopped by Yi Lian.

Yi Lian: “His Highness needs a quiet environment to rest.”

Assistant: “But the rest room arranged for them wasn’t this one.”

Yi Lian narrowed his eyes, sizing him up: “Is that important?”

The assistant didn’t dare speak further: “I will report to my superior.”

Inside the room.

Song Jin was single-mindedly set on ripping Meng Fei apart, yet was repeatedly stopped by Li Xiao, making him unable to hold back his temper: “You still want to protect him?!”

Li Xiao was already feeling irritable. Coupled with Song Jin’s insistence on going back, his temper flared up. Pinning Song Jin’s shoulders against the wall, he blocked his path: “Why do you care about a person like that?!”

“A person like that?”

Song Jin pressed his palm against Li Xiao’s chest, feeling his accelerated heartbeat. “You were turned into this state by ‘a person like that’, and you ask why I care about him?! Do you like this little childhood friend that much?!”

Li Xiao slammed a fist against the wall: “What bullshit childhood friend?! Don’t mention him ever again!”

Song Jin: “But your body reacts to him! How do you expect me to accept that?!”

Rationally, Song Jin knew it was inevitable for Li Xiao to be affected. After all, mutual attraction between Alphas and Omegas was nature and instinct, unless Li Xiao were truly a block of wood.

Emotionally, however, he found it impossible to accept.

When it came down to it, he simply didn’t want to admit that even if they loved each other, as an Alpha, he would never be able to affect Li Xiao to this extent—whereas Meng Fei had accomplished it so easily.

Just thinking about this made Song Jin mad enough to go crazy, feeling as if a part of Li Xiao had been stolen by Meng Fei.

“Who are you saying my body reacts to?”

Li Xiao leaned in close, his voice pressed very low. “Going to see him on your own and coming back drenched in that disgusting smell—are you trying to anger me to death?”

At such close proximity, Song Jin saw his own reflection in Li Xiao’s eyes, along with the possessiveness that nearly overflowed from his gaze.

The breath fanning over his face carried a staggering heat. Listening to Li Xiao’s continuously accelerating heartbeat, Song Jin suddenly realized something, and various small, trivial moments from everyday life surfaced before his eyes.

Starting half a month ago, Li Xiao had been acting a bit strange.

Suddenly saying he smelled very nice.

From time to time, leaning in to sniff his scent.

Constantly finding bizarre reasons to make him take a shower.

The residual pheromones left on his clothes had increased.

It was subtle and restrained, but looking back, everything left a clear trace.

Song Jin knitted his brows: “07, test this guy’s pheromone levels!”

07 transformed into threads of light and flew into Li Xiao’s collar: 【Testing—pheromone levels fluctuating excessively—pheromone curve showing abnormal volatility—Master, the spouse has been in his rut for two days already!】

Song Jin thought to himself: So that’s how it was.

The person entering their rut wasn’t him; it was Li Xiao.

However, this meant that Li Xiao hadn’t turned out like this because of Meng Fei.

This realization made the pent-up frustration in Song Jin’s chest vanish into thin air. Leaning against the wall, he hugged Li Xiao and stroked his head: “Calm down a bit, I’ll have them send over some suppressants.”

Li Xiao buried his head in the crook of Song Jin’s neck, attempting to adjust his breathing rhythm to suppress the surging restlessness inside him.

This wasn’t a safe place; he couldn’t afford to lose control.

Yet the more he thought like this, the harder it became to control.

Any trace of another person’s scent on Song Jin was unbearable for Li Xiao, endlessly tugging at his nerves.

Song Jin had just sent a message to Li Ji when he heard the breathing beside his ear turn chaotic and heavy once more.

It seemed he had tried to exercise self-restraint, but failed.

Li Xiao’s five senses were far sharper than ordinary people’s. Most of the time, this did more good than harm, but during a rut, it was anything but a good thing.

No Alpha wanted their partner tainted with someone else’s scent.

A sharper sense of smell and a stronger perception of pheromones meant feeling more insecure and being far more demanding of one’s partner.

Song Jin let out a light laugh: “I’ve discovered another fatal weakness of yours.”

Li Xiao: “Is now the time to talk about this?”

Song Jin tightened his arms, doing his best to provide a full sense of security: “Do I smell bad?”

Having met so many Omegas earlier and stayed in a crowded hall for so long, he was probably well-marinated in those scents by now.

“You really know how to torture me.”

Li Xiao tried his absolute best to restrain himself, yet he was still deeply unsettled by the smell. “Why on earth did you go to see him in the first place?”

Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Song Jin felt a bit pained for him: “I thought you liked him, so I went to test the waters.”

Li Xiao raised his head to stare at him, uttering almost word for word: “In my past life plus this life, across two whole lifetimes, you are the only one I have ever liked!”