“There’s no need. Continue supplying it as usual. Just don’t serve me my portion.”
He looked at the butler, who was still frozen in place, and reminded him: “Did you understand?”
The butler jolted back to his senses and quickly lowered his head, asking, “Young Master, you mean the kitchen should continue serving it?”
“Yes.” Zuo Shihuan then turned his gaze toward the table, where everyone sat stiff and silent, and said helplessly, “You don’t need to hold back on my account. Order whatever you want.”
Looking at the two neat rows of wide eyes nodding all at once, Zuo Shihuan closed his eyes, unable to bear the sight. As expected, they wouldn’t dare order anything until his father returned.
That left Zuo Shihuan a little depressed.
Did he really look so much like some fearsome demon?
Unable to resist, he quietly picked up his dinner knife.
Not to start eating—just because the polished silver knife was reflective enough to use as a mirror, and he really did use it as one.
In the silver surface, his clear features were reflected back at him.
He even tried smiling once—the curve at his lips rose and quickly faded again, but still, the mirror revealed a man with refined, handsome features: an alpha.
He didn’t look strange at all, did he?
But then, the reflection furrowed its brows, and that cold, stern aura unfurled.
Instantly, everyone felt a pressure descend, like storm clouds overhead—a crushing force that carried authority without anger.
For a moment, no one dared chew the food in their mouths, no one dared move their forks, and even someone who was choking quickly ducked under the table, covering their mouth to stifle any sound.
Yet Zuo Shihuan himself didn’t realize it.
When his mood was poor and his pressure low, even the faintest release of his alpha pheromones was enough to leave every lower-ranked alpha, beta, and omega trembling in fear.
If not for the fact that his pheromones carried no aggression, the others would probably have bolted like rabbits.
Because Zuo Shihuan had once been a beta—and even then, one insensitive to pheromones—after differentiating into an alpha, his pheromone perception organs developed more slowly, so he hadn’t realized that the faint leakage of his alpha scent was oppressively intimidating everyone else.
Ever since that talk in his father’s study, when he had refused to let the mother he hadn’t seen in over ten years attend his engagement banquet, Zuo Shihuan had remained resolute. But inevitably, memories of unpleasant things from the past resurfaced.
As a result, for the past week, his mood had been heavy, his pressure so low that everyone avoided him.
Originally, his father, Zuo Zoujian, hadn’t planned to go on a business trip so soon.
But after two consecutive mornings of what should have been peaceful breakfasts, with his alpha son sitting beside him, ice-cold and expressionless, cutting his toast with fork and knife in calm, deliberate motions—
Those flashes of cold steel made Zuo Zoujian shudder.
He felt as though what his son was slicing was not toast, but strips of flesh from his own body.
It looked just like some deranged doctor out of a horror movie.
Zuo Zoujian choked on his food, completely losing his appetite.
But he didn’t dare ask Zuo Shihuan why.
That very night, Zuo Zoujian hastily packed his bags, taking the rare initiative to go on his trip several days early—leaving all the troublesome matters at home to Madam Zuo.
Which left Madam Zuo standing there, face black, cursing under her breath.
Back to the present—
“Cough, cough—!”
As it turned out, even when one tried to hide under the table, the sound of choking was still loud enough.
At once, the entire dining table’s attention was drawn to the source—eyes filled with schadenfreude, amusement, pity, and even outright mourning.
Naturally, Zuo Shihuan noticed as well.
His hearing was fine, his gaze sharp. With one glance, he saw it was Zuo Shichong, the twenty-fifth-ranked younger brother in the family.
Zuo Shihuan asked with concern, “Zuo Shichong, are you alright? Butler, pour him a glass of water.”
Ordinarily invisible in the Zuo family, Zuo Shichong had never imagined he would attract attention like this—at such an unlucky moment. Regretfully, he crawled out from under the table and explained, “I’m fine now, thank you for your concern, Brother Shihuan. I just choked on some broccoli earlier. I swallowed it down, so I’m not coughing anymore.”
Zuo Shihuan: “Then be more careful when eating next time.”
Zuo Shichong nodded like a bobbing garlic bulb. “Yes, yes!”
But suddenly, Zuo Shichong realized something—just now, Zuo Shihuan had called his name. For some reason, he felt strangely moved.
He had always thought that this alpha elder brother, who from the very first day had been able to stay by their father’s side, would never bother remembering a half-brother like him, an unimportant beta born of a different mother.
Even though Zuo Shihuan had been living in the Zuo household for months, they had had no interaction outside of the daily three meals, never even exchanged a word—like two parallel lines in the same house.
“So you actually remembered my name. I thought…” Zuo Shichong scratched his head, embarrassed.
“You thought I wouldn’t remember you?” Zuo Shihuan smiled faintly.
Zuo Shichong, simple-minded and bold, nodded.
Those sitting beside him all sucked in a sharp breath, hoping this fool wouldn’t offend the newly arrived alpha heir—at the very least, not drag them down with him.
He quickly ducked his head, like an ostrich burying itself in the sand.
Zuo Shihuan raised an eyebrow at the sight. “Not only do I remember you,” he said, “but also the one beside you—Zuo Shixin. You both attend the same Federation First Affiliated High School, though you’re in different classes, right?”
Zuo Shicong’s face lit up with excitement and emotion. He patted his friend’s shoulder and said loudly, in a silly but earnest tone, “See? Brother Shihuan remembers us!”
Good lord.
Zuo Shixin wanted to die on the spot and stuff that idiot’s mouth shut.
What good could possibly come from catching the attention of an Alpha half-brother—someone who was clearly not a simple character and had come back to fight for inheritance?!
He’d already done his homework on this newly arrived Alpha brother’s accomplishments. In just a few short months, he had managed to secure his footing in the complicated Zuo family, winning both his father’s and the clan’s recognition.
Even the tutors who had been sent to teach him praised him endlessly.
In every heir training course, his performance was outstanding—so outstanding that Zuo Shixin finally realized there was a level above “excellent.” It was called perfect. That included mecha training, combat and defense, and marksmanship.
As a member of the Zuo family’s main branch, Zuo Shixin might appear to be just an ordinary high school Beta, but his net worth was considerable, making him a prime target for kidnapping.
In fact, every Zuo family member was required to take a course called How to Escape from Kidnappers. It covered everything from untying ropes to signaling for help, hand-to-hand fighting, and predicting a kidnapper’s psychology.
But the most important lesson their instructor made sure to hammer home was—
Don’t fight back. If you can’t escape, beg for your life. Pay them off. Pay them off. Pay them off.
Important things needed to be said three times. The way to survive was to pay.
Zuo Shixin could still remember that retired special forces instructor giving him a long, assessing look, clearly unimpressed with his muscle mass. After a deep sigh, the man said gravely, “Pay more, and you’ll live longer.”
Zuo Shixin: “…”
Was it his fault that he was fair-skinned and a bit on the slender side? He was still in high school—there was plenty of time for him to bulk up later!
Yet the moment he turned around, that same instructor was chatting animatedly with his new Alpha brother, eyes gleaming as he praised his combat skills and asked where he’d learned them.
Zuo Shixin’s ears twitched. Curious, he edged closer to eavesdrop.
Then he heard Zuo Shihuan reply in a calm, even tone—
“Oh, I used to fight in illegal underground rings. Picked up techniques from my opponents.”
Zuo Shixin was utterly stunned. Even the seasoned instructor froze for a moment before exclaiming, “D*mn, kid, that’s impressive! No wonder you’ve got real combat instincts. So—how do those illegal fights even work?”
Zuo Shihuan frowned slightly and said, “There’s not much to it. You study your opponent’s moves as you fight. As long as I’m faster, I dodge and strike back immediately.”
He said it so lightly, but just imagining the scene made Zuo Shixin’s stomach twist.
An Alpha brother who had clawed his way up from the very bottom could probably flatten a Beta like him with a single punch.
Zuo Shixin stared in disbelief at how Zuo Shicong could still be chatting with such an Alpha, eyes shining with admiration—
And chatting enthusiastically, at that.
Zuo Shicong spoke animatedly: “I’m kind of a big deal at our school’s sports meet, you know. Eight hundred-meter run, high jump, tug-of-war—you name it, I’m there. Just last month, during the school sports festival, I split my pants mid-jump! But the next event was the class tug-of-war finals, and there was no way my class could lose!”
“So I borrowed pants from a classmate who was hiding in the bathroom, wore them for the match, but they were a size too big. Still didn’t stop me! I held up my pants with one hand and pulled the rope with the other—and we beat that nerd Zuo Shixin’s class! Hahaha—”
Listening from beside him, Zuo Shixin ground his teeth.
Come on, was it necessary to drag him into this?! His class focused on academics—of course they weren’t as good at sports!
Zuo Shihuan’s expression softened a little; a faint smile touched his lips. “Is that so? That does sound interesting. If you ever run into trouble, you can come to me for help…”
Then, his voice turned steady and formal as his gaze swept over everyone at the table. “That promise applies to everyone here as well.”
“Father has entrusted me with some of the family’s affairs. I’ll be staying at the Zuo residence with you all for quite some time. I hope we can live peacefully together as a family.”
Everyone in the Zuo family exchanged complicated looks. Their feelings were mixed—suspicion, curiosity, cautious acceptance.
Some didn’t believe for a second that Zuo Shihuan could be that kindhearted. Others, however, tucked his words away, figuring that even if they didn’t mean much, there was no harm in keeping them in mind.
Even Madam Tao Douxia, Zuo Shihuan’s stepmother, looked uncertain, though she couldn’t deny the tense air had eased a little. At least now, everyone was less wary of him.
Then, a loud, cheerful voice suddenly broke the calm—
“I have a problem!”
Zuo Shixin’s eyes went wide as he saw Zuo Shicong shoot up from his seat. He immediately grabbed his foolish, fearless friend by the arm, practically frantic to pull him back down.
If they weren’t on good terms normally, he would’ve let him fend for himself.
This wasn’t “I have a dream”—this was declaring “I have a problem” right to the face of an Alpha brother who used to fight in illegal rings!
Didn’t he understand that Zuo Shihuan’s earlier offer was just polite small talk?!
There was no way he’d actually help—
But to Zuo Shixin’s shock, Zuo Shihuan merely looked a bit surprised, then asked calmly, “What problem do you need my help with?”
Zuo Shicong scratched his head and grinned sheepishly. “Our school’s having a parent-teacher meeting soon to discuss next semester’s exam prep plan. The teacher said parents have to attend…”
Then he looked up at Zuo Shihuan with eyes practically glowing with expectation, like a little puppy waiting to be petted.
Beside him, Zuo Shixin’s gaze dimmed.
He and Zuo Shicong were about the same age, but his own Omega father was still alive—someone would always show up for his parent meetings.
Zuo Shicong’s birth mother, though, had died in an accident years ago.
No one had ever gone to his parent-teacher meetings since.
Their useless, irresponsible father, Zuo Zoujian, was even less likely to go.
Zuo Shihuan had gone through the basic information of every member of the Zuo family and memorized all their names; naturally, he also knew about Zuo Shicong’s background. His birth mother had died in an accident during a trip when he was just a few years old, and since then, no one had ever attended his parent-teacher meetings.
Zuo Shihuan asked, “You want me to attend your parent-teacher meeting?”
Zuo Shicong nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining with hope and anticipation.
Zuo Shihuan thought for a moment and said, “But parent-teacher meetings are usually attended by parents. It might not be appropriate for me to go.”
At once, Zuo Shicong’s head drooped, his shoulders slumped—he looked like a little puppy who had just lost his dream and collapsed on the floor.
Then Zuo Shihuan added, “How about I ask Father to go instead?”
Zuo Shicong’s ears perked up instantly, but then drooped halfway again as he said, disappointed yet trying to sound agreeable, “…Father, huh? I guess that’s fine too.”
Zuo Shihuan continued, “By the way, since you and Zuo Shixin are in the same grade, you should both have parent meetings. I’ll ask Father to attend both.”
Zuo Shixin, who had suddenly been dragged into the matter, sneered inwardly.
As if that kind of father would ever show up. It would already be a miracle if, by the end of the world, Zuo Zoujian could even remember which of them was which.
And yet—
When the day of the parent-teacher meeting arrived, Zuo Shixin’s smile vanished, and the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Sitting beside him was none other than his completely uninvolved father, Zuo Zoujian. He actually came—what the h*ll!
Was it too late to skip school now?!
The homeroom teacher stood on the stage, taking attendance and checking if all students and parents were present.
Meanwhile, his good-for-nothing father was glancing around the classroom blankly, then looking down at his watch. The first thing he said to Zuo Shixin was—
“Which son are you again? I’ve got another meeting after this.”
Zuo Shixin: “……”
He wished the parent-teacher meeting would just explode on the spot.
