Paranoid Alpha Chapter 11: Undercurrent

Chapter 11: Undercurrent

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: CaiCai

The kitchen fell into silence. Lyss gazed quietly at Lu Xingye, seeming to be unsure of what he meant. After locking eyes for three seconds, Lu Xingye felt a sense of overstepping and a tinge of pleading. He somewhat dejectedly released his hand, “Apologies, I overstepped…”

Lyss’s next words widened his eyes in disbelief. “Impossible, no alpha can come near me,” Lyss stated seriously. “If someone had that ability, I’d chop off their hand.”

Lu Xingye was briefly taken aback, then his mind scattered. He knew Lyss’s statement seemed to be motivated by self-interest, yet his emotions led him to wonder—could I be special to him?

But Lyss appeared entirely unaware of how shocking his statement was, focusing entirely on the dumpling filling. “Is it ready to eat chopped like this?”

Lu Xingye snapped out of his reverie, washed his hands somewhat flustered, and started adding seasoning, “Not yet, the final step remains.”

Curiously, Lyss moved a bit closer. Lu Xingye took prepared dough from a nearby container and began rolling it.

Lyss, clearly intrigued by this primal cooking method, watched eagerly until Lu Xingye finished rolling out dumpling skins and wrapped a few. Lyss washed his hands and returned to Lu Xingye’s side. Silent, Lyss stood there, saying nothing. Lu Xingye understood his implication immediately.

Pausing for a moment, Lu Xingye handed a dumpling skin to Lyss. Despite demonstrating several times, the proficient Chief still didn’t grasp it. With an exasperated sound, Lu Xingye put down the wrapped dumpling and reached behind Lyss, grasping his hand.

“Put the filling inside first,” Lu Xingye earnestly instructed next to Lyss’s ear. “Press the edges together tightly and finally pinch the edges.”

Lu Xingye guided Lyss’s hand, and a round dumpling was formed. After placing the successful dumpling on a plate, Lyss looked up, his innocent golden eyes fixed on Lu Xingye, “Please slow down.”

Under different circumstances, this phrase might be even more fitting. Lu Xingye’s rationality crumbled instantly. He lowered his head and, like an obedient pup, continued the previous action. He almost half-embraced Lyss, teaching him to make dumplings, step by step.

The delicate, smooth touch as their hands worked together, the silver-white hair brushing against his cheek—Lu Xingye’s actions and thoughts seemed disconnected. He almost lost track of what he was doing.

When the second dumpling was finished and the person in his arms looked somewhat satisfied, Lu Xingye suddenly realized something was amiss, “Why can’t I smell my pheromones on you?”

Lyss, admiring the dumplings he had just made, turned to him, puzzled, “I’ve suppressed it. Do you want to smell it?”

Before Lu Xingye could respond, Lyss released a marked pheromone, unaffected himself. Suddenly exposed to the pheromones, Lu Xingye lost his composure. He grabbed Lyss’s waist and pushed him against the countertop.

Flour scattered, covering both of them. When Lu Xingye finally regained his senses, Lyss was quietly watching him, holding his face firmly with one hand.

The force was too much; Lu Xingye felt his skull might be crushed.

“Ah—” Lu Xingye quickly retreated, “It’s unfair if I’m the only one to lose control every time, Chief.”

Retracting his hand, Lyss said, “Apologies. If you find it unfair, next time, you can inject more pheromones during the marking, although it might not work.”

“Are you provoking me?” Lu Xingye raised an eyebrow. “Chief, I advise you not to provoke an alpha in such matters.”

“I’ll wait and see,” Lyss replied nonchalantly, not taking Lu Xingye’s words seriously. After making another dumpling, he asked, “What’s next?”

Lu Xingye set aside the dumpling Lyss made, “Wait until we have enough and cook them all together.”

Lyss made a few more dumplings. At first, Lu Xingye didn’t notice any issue, but after receiving a few, he realized—these dumplings were almost identical, even in the folds of the skin. Thinking of the faint golden code, Lu Xingye had a flash of insight. He avoided the topic, asking instead, “What if Sheng Dan still plans to delay?”

“Preemptive measures,” Lyss calmly wrapped a dumpling. “Tomorrow, I’ll have Lillia contact them, informing them that the Triss Federation has a military exercise. If the Sheng Dan delegation can’t visit on time, all future visits will be uncertain.”

Lu Xingye picked up a dumpling skin, “What if they persist?”

Lyss didn’t look up, “If that happens, as long as I continue as Chief, Sheng Dan will never become Triss’s trade partner.”

Indeed, Lyss had the power, and Sheng Dan understood their position.

The next morning, neither Cheno nor Nicky showed up, and there was no message from the military. Lu Xingye couldn’t help but inquire about it, but Lyss didn’t say a word, only turning the terminal to him, leaving Lu Xingye puzzled, “What does this mean?”

“Check the system for these two individuals.”

Lu Xingye clicked the system, searched for Cheno’s name, but found nothing. It was as if the person had vanished. The same result appeared for Nicky. The two individuals who had been loud yesterday had disappeared today, leaving no trace of their whereabouts, whether they were dealt with by the military or had some hidden agenda.

Lu Xingye’s mind formulated a conjecture, looking at Lyss in disbelief, “Does the military have your people?”

Lyss neither confirmed nor denied, a stance almost tantamount to acceptance. Lu Xingye already knew of Lyss’s strong methods, but he hadn’t expected him to intervene even within the military. But thinking about it, in an interstellar federation like Triss, where power was fragmented, only someone like Lyss could control the situation.

After a while, Lyss sent the invitation to the Sheng Dan delegation to Lu Xingye, “Review it and send it to the Sheng Dan representative before noon.”

“Okay,” Lu Xingye regained his senses, started working on the terminal. Just after sending the invitation to the Sheng Dan representative, he received various excuses from Sheng Dan.

Lyss glanced at the messages but didn’t reply, “No need to reply. They won’t be able to sit still.”

As Lyss anticipated, on the third day, Sheng Dan couldn’t hold back and expressed willingness to visit as per the original schedule. Before attending the reception ceremony, Lyss consulted the doctor. The advice remained unchanged due to his unique physiological condition: he should bring the alpha who temporarily marked him, just in case.

At the same time, the doctor emphasized no alcohol consumption, as it could numb the nerves, disrupt pheromones, and induce an estrus period. In the end, the Sheng Dan delegation’s visit time remained unchanged, but there was a subtle change in the list of Triss reception personnel. Upon learning this news, internal staff expressed varying degrees of surprise. Especially when Lu Xingye encountered them at headquarters, their gazes toward him were peculiar.

After pondering for half a day, Lu Xingye realized that the way those people looked at him was probably similar to how ministers in the ancient Serica court looked at a captivating consort. Lu Xingye had unparalleled cheekiness. He felt no shame and instead took pride in his composed demeanor, leaving those officials at a loss for words.

Three days later, as scheduled, the delegation arrived. Lyss, dressed formally, accompanied Lu Xingye to the reception ceremony. Despite any private conflicts, Sheng Dan’s formalities were top-notch. Almost all high-level officials attended the visit, displaying immense sincerity.

Triss’s reception was equally grand. Both sides seemed to have put in considerable effort on the surface, concealing any underlying tensions. All media and officials focused on the heads of both parties. Lu Xingye, comparatively simpler, kept his eyes on Lyss throughout the event.

As the federation’s Chief, Lyss was unusually well-dressed today. The pure white attire bore golden patterns, and the gemstone brooch on his chest sparkled in the sunlight.

The gentle breeze fluttered the cloak of the distant visitors.

“Good day, Mr. President,” Lyss stood in the sunlight, welcoming the arriving guests.

While the omega holding a leading position wasn’t unusual, Lyss, an omega akin to a dream, was a first for many.

The members of the Sheng Dan delegation had heard about the new Wolf King. They had done their homework, but upon meeting, nearly all of them were speechless, captivated by the godlike creature before them.

After nearly ten seconds of silence, Sheng Dan’s president suddenly regained composure, hurriedly responding, “Good day, Chief.”

Lu Xingye stood quietly by as an intern secretary, feeling a pang of sourness yet also a bit of schadenfreude. It seemed anyone facing Lyss couldn’t help but be stunned.

The reception ceremony lasted for over an hour, nearly reaching noon. According to protocol, the delegation and the Chief’s entourage were to have lunch together. Compared to Serica, any place could be considered a culinary desert. Lyss and Lu Xingye had no expectations for lunch. what they didn’t expect was that the seemingly quiet lunch would turn into the first confrontation between both parties.

The guests sat down first. Lyss stood aside, observing, and guessed that the beverages prepared for the feast weren’t the usual ones.

Having a hunch, Lyss spotted Lu Xingye about to take a seat, “Lu Xingye, come here.”

Lu Xingye was momentarily surprised but promptly obeyed Lyss’s command, disregarding the shocked looks from everyone else. He obediently walked over, “Chief.”

Lyss gestured to the seat next to him, “Sit.”

In this assembly of civilized individuals, Lu Xingye, a wild wolf, only listened to Lyss’s orders. Etiquette meant nothing to him. He sat in that position, oblivious to the sudden silence around him. Triss officials, following Lyss, took a while to recover, eventually taking their seats with various thoughts in mind. This minor incident didn’t disrupt the previously harmonious atmosphere. Amid the pleasantries, dishes gradually arrived.

Lyss glanced at a glass bottle by his side. Even without checking, he knew that all the dishes were the usual ones. That meant the only tampered item was this bottle, which was most likely—

“This is an ancient brew imported from Serica,” a military official sitting below introduced to a Sheng Dan counterpart.

—”You should note that alcohol can disrupt pheromones and induce an estrus period.” 

Lu Xingye paused, then turned to look at Lyss.

Author’s Note:

It’s time for my favorite drinking segment, hehehe, slish-slosh