That remark from Ilya, ‘Didn’t expect A-jin to like the same gender,’ was a huge misunderstanding. Fang Rui wouldn’t voluntarily disclose that his younger brother’s gender is Omega, and Ilya only knew that Fang Rui’s two brothers were Alphas, so he mistakenly thought that their whole family were Alphas.
This misunderstanding wasn’t resolved until the four of them sat together at a table.
Following Ilya back to the core area, security became increasingly strict along the way. As soon as they entered the core area, someone separated Feng Zhi from Ilya. Feng Zhi was escorted to find Fang Rui and Yang Huaijin, while Ilya went back to his own residence, took a shower, changed clothes, and tidied up before appearing in the dining hall, presenting a stark contrast to Feng Zhi, who had just been forced into a jungle skirmish and looked disheveled.
Ilya was never one to smile or speak frivolously, wearing his dark military uniform with impeccable elegance. He was tall and slender, not particularly strong, which made him appear even more delicate among a group of Russian men. However, his presence exuded immense strength. On the gold shoulder boards of his regular uniform were two stars—signifying the rank of Major General. Such a young Major General must have either achieved remarkable military feats or come from a family with significant influence within the military. Ilya, however, had both.
When Fang Rui saw Ilya, he smiled, and Ilya approached the table, bending down to embrace Fang Rui, allowing him to lightly kiss his cheek. Throughout all this, Ilya’s expression remained unchanged, beautiful yet aloof. The powerful mechanical arm was concealed under his sleeve, and he wore finely crafted gloves that fit snugly around his fingers, showing no signs of any abnormalities.
Feng Zhi leaned in close to Yang Huaijin, quietly asking a question that had confused him since he first saw Ilya.
“Who’s on top, your San-ge or Ilya?”
Yang Huaijin’s hand trembled as he picked up his cup, causing the bottom of the cup to knock against the edge of the table, making a noticeable noise. He suppressed a laugh and glanced at Fang Rui across the table, confirming that his San-ge had indeed heard what Feng Zhi said, and his expression wasn’t great. Yang Huaijin suddenly felt a bit mischievous and whispered, “How would I know about such things? If you’re so curious, why don’t you ask yourself?”
Feng Zhi chuckled and shook his head, “I’m afraid of getting beaten up by Ilya.”
Ilya, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up, “I’m on the bottom.”
His voice and expression were both extremely calm and indifferent, as if he were discussing the weather.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Ktf ktbif ajyif ofii rlifca obg j wbwfca, ecali Tjcu Lejlplc mbeivc’a tbiv yjmx jcv yegra lcab ijeutafg klat j qooa.
“Zs vfjg, sbe vbc’a tjnf ab jcrkfg atfw jybea atlr xlcv bo atlcu,” Mjcu Eel rjlv, geyylcu tlr afwqifr. “Qtja’r rb oeccs? Ofa’r fja!” Lf jaafwqafv ab jrrfga rbwf fivfg ygbatfg jeatbglas, yea cbcf bo atf atgff ja atf ajyif qjlv jcs jaafcalbc.
The atmosphere at the table became more harmonious after that. Spending time together, they discovered that Ilya wasn’t as cold and rigid as he seemed on the surface. It’s just that his expressions were subtle and not easily perceptible. Upon closer observation, one would notice that this typically stern major general would show a particularly gentle and reliant expression in front of Fang Rui, relaxing completely and going along with whatever Fang Rui said. One can only wonder what the tall subordinates, who had been so tense upon seeing Ilya, would think if they knew how Ilya and Fang Rui behaved in private.
During the meal, when the topic turned to today’s battle, Fang Rui seemed slightly displeased with Ilya’s praise of Feng Zhi’s skills. Then, the mention of the word ‘Sister in law’ caught him off guard.
“Where did you learn that?” Fang Rui asked.
“I checked your dictionary, any problem?” Ilya replied.
“Ahem.” Fang Rui cleared his throat. “There’s no problem per se, but… ‘Sister in law’ is a term used between brothers’ wives, and this… um… is just Huaijin’s ‘friend’.”
Feng Zhi added, “Good friend.”
Ilya looked puzzled and turned to Yang Huaijin. “Has your relationship not been acknowledged by your family?”
He set down his utensils, sitting up straight and speaking solemnly, “A-jin, I can see you really love your partner.” Ilya’s expression was serious. “I understand that many people in China hold conservative views on relationships between same-sex individuals, but in the love between two people, others’ opinions don’t matter.”
“…”
“…” Feng Zhi hesitated, “Has Ilya misunderstood something…?”
Fang Rui burst into laughter, “Is it because you’re too weak? Why does my wife see you as an Omega? Hahaha!”
Ilya didn’t get Fang Rui’s joke, “I know he’s an Alpha, I’ve sensed his pheromones, he’s a strong Alpha.”
Fang Rui was stunned, “You… don’t tell me you think my lovely little A-jin is an Alpha?” The thought made Fang Rui a bit excited, “Our A-jin has been pampered by his brothers since childhood, what doesn’t seem like an Omega about him?”
“…”
Ilya’s mistaken belief that Yang Huaijin was an Alpha was like stepping on Fang Rui’s sore spot.
There’s been an unreliable rumor hovering over all the Alpha heads in Yang Huaijin’s family like a dark cloud – that Alpha families aren’t actually suitable for Omega upbringing, and Alpha elder brothers can’t take care of young Omegas properly.
Of course, the rumor is not credible, but due to the abundance of Alphas in the family and the lack of similar households for comparison, the attention on that rumor was particularly high concerning Yang Huaijin, the only, most special, and youngest Omega brother in the family. Whenever Yang Huaijin showed any signs of distress, all the Alphas in the family would inwardly reflect on whether it was due to their family’s failure to take care of their Omega properly.
This kind of concern was clearly unnecessary, stemming entirely from the strong protective instincts of the Alphas towards their family members.
The fact was, these four men couldn’t possibly sit down and chat casually like old friends. They talked at cross purposes for a while, but fortunately, dinner was quickly finished, and they could now sit down together and discuss business.
The summer night in the high latitude area was particularly cool. Someone had already prepared snacks and wine on a small platform by the lake. Moonlight scattered on the surface of the lake, surrounded by tall dark trees. The fire pit was lit, casting flickering light. Several people sat on sofas facing the lake, chatting. Under the starry sky, this kind of Russian-style summer night was comfortable and relaxing.
Among the four gathered together, one was a senior Russian military officer, another was an executive of the international organization ‘R’, there was also the ‘Regent’ of the largest underworld force in A City, and, um… the ‘virtuous wife’ of the senior military officer. The topic shifted from the awkward gender issue to how to eradicate hostile forces, and all four expressed their confidence: I’ve got this!
Ilya admired both the power behind Feng Zhi and his personal strength, and they quickly agreed on the direction of future cooperation. Fang Rui seldom interjected, but having been by Ilya’s side for many years, he was well-versed in both underworld and military matters. Every word he spoke hit the nail on the head, which made Feng Zhi look at this talkative third brother with some newfound respect.
In comparison, Yang Huaijin appeared somewhat silent. He sat a little apart, seemingly earnestly listening to the three people across from him, but most of the time his eyes were fixed on Feng Zhi. Ilya’s words echoed repeatedly in his mind—
‘Has your relationship not been acknowledged by your family?’
‘A-jin, I can see you really love your partner.’
Even earlier, Fang Rui’s words were even more straightforward—”A-jin, you love him.”
He had never confronted this issue directly. As Fang Rui said, he had been raised and shielded by his family since childhood, and the nurturing environment during his early years had given him armor to face the outside world. That’s why he could freely navigate through his student years, calmly handle his heats, not rush to attach himself to any Alpha, and endure more pain than most people. He could emerge alone from each painful experience, even if it meant pregnancy, he could quickly calm down, take responsibility, and face everything. Twelve years ago, it was the same, and twelve years later, it remained unchanged.
Yang Huaijin subconsciously placed his hand on his abdomen. He had always told himself that even if he had a child, his relationship with Feng Zhi would not change. However, this time it seemed that emotions had rushed ahead of reason, completely beyond his control.
Author’s Note: Brother and sister-in-law are both great assistants!
Totally didn’t expect this sudden update. Thank you for clearing up my confusion regarding the previous chapter. You’re awesome!
ˁ•ᴗ•ˀつ～ 💞