“Why on earth is Jiang Yue sticking his neck into this mess?!”
The man, dressed entirely in black, had a deep and extremely magnetic voice. The cigarette burning in his hand drifted into the air as he moved.
The person kneeling on the ground was battered beyond recognition. With their hands bound together, they could only use their legs to kneel and plead for mercy: “It wasn’t me! I didn’t do it!”
The room was pitch black. Water dripped from somewhere unseen, hitting the floor with a steady, distinct pitter-patter.
A peppermint-scent pheromone filled the room. This Alpha-specific pheromone carried a heavy, oppressive weight. The figure slumped on the ground gasped softly and fell still.
The man exhaled a puff of smoke that swirled and blocked his vision. He narrowed his eyes in a threat: “If you lured Jiang Yue into this, you can forget about getting off easy.”
Entertainment Scoop: [Shocking! A certain celebrity surnamed Jiang and a certain Best Actor have been secretly married for two years without anyone knowing?!]
Night fell, and the sky outside the window seemed draped in a black cloth poked through with tiny holes. Points of light filtered through from the dark fabric; the stars twinkled, the moonlight was bright and clear, and the chirping in the treetops tried to break the silence of the night.
Near the window, a young man sat with his head bowed, resting it against his hand. The phone on the bar counter continued to vibrate intermittently, making a dull buzzing sound against the tabletop.
A light breeze flew in from the window, blowing the loose strands of hair across his forehead into disorder. He raised his head to look outside.
The young man’s face was fair, smooth, and sharply defined, his skin as delicate as fine porcelain. He had long, slender eyelashes, deep dark eyes that flashed with life, a pair of phoenix eyes, and a sharp chin paired with a flawless facial contour that left a deep impression.
The phone on the table rang intermittently.
This must have been the several-hundredth time the phone had vibrated. Jiang Yue held it anxiously as he sat on the high barstool. The window was half-open, and the frequent evening breeze blew past as he gripped his phone tighter.
“Damn it!” His eyes caught the contract tossed into the trash can beside him, and he kicked the bin over in frustration.
At 1:30 AM, the news of his marriage to Qi Jiahe suddenly leaked. His manager called through the night to handle it, yet he still hadn’t been able to reach Qi Jiahe.
A full hour had passed. The gossip on Weibo was still fermenting; the agency hadn’t sent any management strategy yet, but well-wishes from fans had arrived first.
Qi Jiahe was an actor who had won the Best Actor title for two consecutive years. When news involving him and Jiang Yue broke, instead of being in a rush to handle it, he chose to cut off contact.
The more Jiang Yue thought about it, the wronger it felt. Irritated, he dialed Qi Jiahe’s number, but it consistently failed to go through.
He stood by the window, gazing out at the silent night, a sense of unease welling up in his heart.
What on earth was going on? It was impossible for outsiders to know about his commercial marriage of convenience with Qi Jiahe. Unless…
The phone finally rang. Jiang Yue answered quickly, and Qi Jiahe’s voice came through from the other end, deep and low: “Jiang Yue? You’ve called a dozen times. What on earth do you want?”
What on earth do I want?!
Jiang Yue frowned, a complex mixture of emotions churning inside him: “Did you not check Weibo? You’re asking me what I want? I actually want to ask where you went and why you haven’t answered your phone for so long.”
“I saw it. I can find someone to handle this matter.”
“What is going on?” Jiang Yue interrupted him, his tone filled with anger.
Qi Jiahe fell silent for a moment before saying, “There was a mole in my studio who leaked this to a marketing account on the gossip networks.”
Jiang Yue laughed out of anger. He clenched his teeth and said through gritted teeth, “You really are useless, raising a cheap wretch like that.”
Qi Jiahe’s phone was wedged between his shoulder and ear as he stood in front of the mirror, turning on the faucet and carefully scrubbing the unknown red liquid off his hands.
Hearing the words tumbling out of Jiang Yue’s mouth, he frowned in warning: “Did you forget you’re an Omega? How can you say whatever comes to mind?”
Jiang Yue had secondary-sexed into an Omega in high school, and Qi Jiahe had mocked him for it throughout those years. Hearing such remarks even now naturally made him furious.
Jiang Yue gripped his phone tightly, his back molars practically grinding to powder. Hearing Qi Jiahe’s voice only made him feel more humiliated.
“Since the trouble started on your end, you handle it entirely. If you mess it up, you’ll be hearing from me!” He angrily hung up the phone, tossed it onto the table, and stuck his head out the window to catch some air.
Jiang Yue’s mood grew increasingly restless. Looking out at the quiet night, the wind blowing through his hair, the unease in his heart still refused to fade.
He had a lingering feeling that something wasn’t right.
The phone had been put on silent, but vibrating notifications were still coming through, buzzing steadily on the desk.
Jiang Yue pulled his head back inside, closed the window, turned around, and picked up his phone as he walked toward the second floor.
His WeChat messages were about to explode. Over ninety-nine unread notifications left him with zero mood to look through them. He scrolled down, but among the ninety-nine-plus messages, there was still nothing from his manager.
A sense of unease surged straight to his head.
Amidst his swirling thoughts, he suddenly recalled what his manager had said earlier: “You’ve been married to Best Actor Qi for two years already. Why can’t you ride on his coattails for some hype?”
Yet, Qi Jiahe clearly said it was done by someone in his studio. How could it possibly be…
He hissed and opened Weibo. Hundreds of notifications popped up at the top of his phone screen, which Jiang Yue completely ignored. He glanced at an explanatory post and thought it actually sounded quite right.
His mood improved slightly. Exiting Weibo, he received a WeChat message from his manager: [I have a few solutions.]
Seeing those four words, Jiang Yue let out a silent sigh of relief.
It really must have been someone from Qi Jiahe’s studio after all.
To think I was just doubting my manager.
[Speak,] Jiang Yue replied by typing.
[1. Publicize your relationship as it is.
Announce the marriage certificate and make an official broadcast announcement.
Take on a variety show together and go with the flow.]
Jiang Yue doubted his own eyes for a moment. He locked his brows and re-read the solutions sent by his manager.
His heart gave another lurch: Tell me the truth, Manager! Did you leak it after all?
Solutions one and two were essentially identical, and the third still required him to acknowledge their marital relationship.
Where on earth was the difference between the three?
Jiang Yue: [Can’t we just get us legally separated directly?]
He really didn’t want to publicize the fact that they were married; for another thing, he genuinely found Qi Jiahe annoying.
Manager: [The first option—publicizing your relationship—can cause your popularity to skyrocket, but it might bring trouble to your private lives.
The second option—publishing the marriage certificate and officially announcing it—undoubtedly confirms your marital relationship, but it will similarly expose your private lives to the camera’s lens.
The third option—taking on a variety show—allows the audience to naturally accept your husband-and-husband relationship while also pushing your status in the entertainment circle to the next level.]
As his manager’s mini-essay came through, Jiang Yue had no mood to read it. A turbulent mix of emotions brewed in his heart; he knew that no matter what choice he made, his life was bound to change.
Lowering his head in deep thought, he gritted his teeth and typed on the keyboard: [I choose three. Go coordinate with Qi Jiahe’s manager.]
At 2:50 AM, the matter was finally settled. Jiang Yue dropped his phone and dove straight under the covers without a second word.
July was the height of summer. The passionate sunlight carried summer heat, turning the city a lush green. Heat and the chirping of cicadas intertwined as a gentle breeze drifted past.
Morning sunlight sprayed everywhere, as if coating Fengcheng in a layer of gold leaf.
Jiang Yue slowly opened his eyes. Even though the bedroom curtains were drawn, a sliver of sunlight managed to slip through the gap. He raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glare.
A moment later, he picked up the phone by his pillow and gave it a frowning glance.
He wouldn’t have looked if he didn’t have to, but looking gave him a fright; he bounced straight up from the bed, instantly wide awake.
The time displayed was 2:52.
Manager: [We’ve coordinated. The premise is that he has to stay at your place. Qi Jiahe will bring his luggage to your house at nine this morning.]
Coming to my house at nine?! What gives?!
He glanced at the time above and saw another minute had ticked by; it was already 9:20.
Only now did he faintly hear the sound of the doorbell.
Jiang Yue clicked his tongue, tossed his phone aside, and slid into his slippers as he headed downstairs.
Putting on such a big act—he clearly has a spare key to my place anyway.
He gave a yawn, walked up to the door, furrowed his brows, and shouted: “Stop pressing it!”
Jiang Yue quickly unlocked the door. Standing outside was a person pulling two suitcases that looked to be about twenty-four inches each.
He was stunned by the sudden scene. The person outside wore black sunglasses and a dark green short-sleeved shirt, the sunlight spilling across their back and blurring their silhouette.
Jiang Yue froze for a few seconds before realizing that the person outside must be Qi Jiahe, who had come to stay today.
Good grief, it’s only been two years apart, how did his fashion sense suddenly change so drastically?
“Are you Qi Jiahe?” he asked tentatively, his face full of doubt.
A fresh scent of lemon drifted into the tip of his nose.
He glanced over as the person stepped inside, pulled their sunglasses halfway down, and looked at him through the gap above the rims.
“No! You don’t even remember what your husband looks like?” The newcomer pushed the suitcase aside, narrowing his eyes at him.
What husband? Out of his mind.
Jiang Yue looked at him speechlessly, thinking it couldn’t possibly be Qi Jiahe—after all, the person smelled like a lemon-scented Omega.
“Then who the hell are you?” he looked at the person impatiently, his eyebrows twisted into a knot.
The man had already walked up to the doorway, the half-closed door swallowing most of his body. He pointed at the luggage: “I’m his manager, here to drop off his luggage.”
Jiang Yue’s gaze followed the movement of his finger, his sight landing on the two suitcases. Just as he looked up to ask for a clear explanation, the person in the doorway changed entirely.
“Forgot what I look like?” The man standing tall in the doorway was unmistakably the Qi Jiahe of his impression, radiating the sharp, commanding aura of an Alpha.
Qi Jiahe’s voice was deep and husky. Having witnessed Jiang Yue’s entire process of utter shock, he couldn’t help but chuckle out loud.
“What? Stunned by my true imperial majesty?”
Qi Jiahe walked inside, casually shutting the door behind him as he heard Jiang Yue snap: “Get lost, you lunatic.”
Tsk.
Qi Jiahe turned his head to glance at him, his body instinctively closing the distance. Before Jiang Yue could figure out what was going on, Qi Jiahe scooped him up horizontally in a bridal carry.
“What are you doing?!” Startled, his body instantly lifted into the air as his legs flailed wildly in confusion.
Carried horizontally in Qi Jiahe’s arms, Jiang Yue struggled in a panic, only to be held even tighter.
He felt Qi Jiahe’s breath brushing against his ear, carrying a faint hint of peppermint that made his heart race.
“Let me go!”
Qi Jiahe carried him all the way up to the second floor, stopping at the wooden railing and dangling half of Jiang Yue’s body over the edge. Jiang Yue’s eyes widened as a bead of moisture welled up in them.
“Put me down!”
Right beneath Jiang Yue’s field of vision was the living room sofa on the first floor; a fall from here would definitely leave him paralyzed. He struggled, trying to make Qi Jiahe let go.
“I’m saying, if you’re going to be this cowardly, you should say fewer things that piss people off.”