Inside the resplendent reception hall, every guest arriving with congratulations wore a genuine smile on their face.
Li You sat on pins and needles, looking all around—he truly did not want to stay in this place.
“Xiao You, you’ve thrown a tantrum for long enough. You should come home with me tonight.”
Lin Zhaoning held his arm, leaning in to whisper a gentle reminder into his ear after dealing with a round of guests. Li You was utterly distracted and offered no response.
Looking Li You up and down to inspect his outfit, Lin Zhaoning asked, “I waited downstairs at your apartment for the entire morning. Where did you go, and why didn’t you wait for me to pick you up?”
Li You casually made up a flimsy excuse to brush him off.
“The shirts from this brand start at six figures,” Lin Zhaoning said before his spouse could elaborate further. “I remember you never cared for luxury items, Xiao You. What’s gotten into you today? Come to think of it, in our family, only my younger brother frequents this brand. The two of you actually share the exact same taste on this point.”
Li You felt the fine hairs all over his body stand up like needles. His jaw locked tight, his arm held by Lin Zhaoning rigid as a wooden plank. He had no idea what Lin Zhaoning meant by those words—whether it was an offhand comment or if he had caught onto something suspicious between him and Lin Xun and was deliberately dropping a hint.
In truth, as long as he heard Lin Xun’s name spoken from Lin Zhaoning’s mouth, Li You’s heart would freeze with sheer panic.
What would happen if Lin Zhaoning found out about his affair with Lin Xun? Even if he was the one who cheated first, no matter how one put it, Li You was still legally his spouse. In this family, where the husband kept a mistress while the wife served as the younger brother’s side piece, such a tangled and shameful relationship was absurdly comical at Lin Xun’s engagement banquet.
Lin Xun walked over holding arms with Qin Yuzheng to offer a toast. When they arrived before Lin Zhaoning and his spouse, Qin Yuzheng visibly froze.
This person… wasn’t he the one Lin Xun carried back last night? The unforgettable white moonlight he had pined over for ten years who was already married to someone else?
“And this is…?” Qin Yuzheng glanced at Lin Xun, asking in stunned bewilderment.
Lin Zhaoning raised his glass. His tone was smooth and gentle, his voice as clear as a mountain stream. Paired with that gentle, spring-breeze smile, he gave off a relaxing and comfortable aura. “This is my partner, Xiao Xun’s sister-in-law.”
“Pfft—” Qin Yuzheng choked violently on her red wine.
S… Sister-in-law?!
Didn’t you say his husband was dead?!
Qin Yuzheng threw Lin Xun a silent accusation with her eyes, looking as though she had already cursed this Alpha up and down a hundred and eighty times in her head.
Shocking, utterly unbelievable.
“Li You.”
Lin Xun suddenly called out two words. At first listen, one would think he was calling Li You. Everyone present looked over in confusion, and even Li You himself instinctively answered.
However, Lin Xun merely swept a indifferent glance across Li You, raised his chin, and downed the red wine in his glass in a single gulp. He casually tossed the empty glass onto the tray of a passing server and led Qin Yuzheng away.
Only after a delayed moment did Li You realize that Lin Xun had simply been answering Qin Yuzheng’s question.
Though this gathering was ostensibly an engagement party, in reality, it was a business networking event under the guise of one.
The political marriage between the Lin and Qin families brought joy to all parties involved. Even the smallest crumbs tossed out from such an alliance represented a lucrative cut of profit; business people prioritized gain, and no merchant turned away meat handed directly to their mouth.
By the second half of the banquet, the event had completely devolved into a business conference. Lin Zhaoning was swarmed by several prominent business figures and couldn’t break free, finally giving Li You a moment of breathing room.
Unwilling to stay inside the suffocating reception hall, he simply took the elevator downstairs and wandered aimlessly into the hotel’s rear garden.
The summer night breeze remained stiflingly warm, blowing only to leave one feeling increasingly restless.
Li You unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, suddenly remembering what Lin Zhaoning had said earlier.
Did a set of clothes really need to cost six figures?
He pinched the fabric between his fingers and rubbed it; it didn’t seem particularly special.
Yet this suit looked custom-tailored, appearing far more valuable than he himself was.
Li You found a concrete step by a flower bed and squatted down, not daring to get the suit dirty.
The garden was filled with clustered flowers—roses and Chinese monthly roses crowded together, making it impossible to distinguish one from the other. Compared to the front entrance, the streetlights in the back garden were much dimmer, casting a weak, yellow glow that served little practical purpose.
Lin Xun stood on the balcony smoking a cigarette. Resting one arm on the railing, he leaned sideways, blowing smoke rings out into the open air. From this angle, he could clearly see Li You squatting beside the flower bed downstairs.
Silly and clueless.
Lin Xun stubbed out his cigarette, his gaze locking onto the white figure below. That person had a round head, dark black hair, and snow-white skin—so fair it nearly outshone the white suit he wore. Even in the dead of night, he remained strikingly eye-catching.
He saw Li You stand up, spin around in place once, and then squat back down again.
By the looks of it, his legs had gone numb.
“Tsk,” Lin Xun muttered in dissatisfaction, scolding under his breath, “So stupid.” “He might as well die of stupidity.”
There was a swing chair right next to him; what a waste of those big eyes.
“Lin Xun!” Qin Yuzheng marched over from behind him in a fury, lifting her dress as her high heels clattered loudly against the floor.
“You didn’t tell me that the unrequited white moonlight you couldn’t get over was your sister-in-law! He’s your sister-in-law! How could you steal your own brother’s man!”
Lin Xun raised an eyebrow, his tone relaxed yet unapologetically righteous: “Why should I tell you? What kind of sister-in-law does he even count as, and what kind of trash is my brother supposed to be?”
Qin Yuzheng knew Lin Xun was shameless, but she hadn’t expected him to cultivate his shamelessness to such an extent over the past few years that he had abandoned all basic humanity.
Lin Xun added: “So what if I stole him? He’s a useless failure who couldn’t keep his partner—what does that have to do with me?”
The Alpha spouted arrogant nonsense with absolute defiance. Qin Yuzheng was left dumbfounded, almost wanting to applaud him: “Wow… for someone acting as the third party, could you spare a bit of that bizarre confidence for me?”
Downstairs, a rustling noise suddenly came from the flower bed. Li You looked up to find a cat standing not far from him, though he had no idea when it had appeared.
It was a tiny white ball of fur huddled beside a patch of weeds, its entire body filthy. Catching sight of Li You, it let out a soft meow.
A tiny kitten with a delicate, high-pitched voice—it tugged right at Li You’s heartstrings.
Li You parted the tall grass and scooped the cat into his arms. Looking around, he spotted a lone vending machine nearby. Setting the cat down on the ledge of the flower bed, he jogged over to the machine and bought two sausages along with a bottle of mineral water.
Lin Xun watched as Li You crumbled the sausage into small pieces in his palm to feed the cat. The little creature was likely starved, eating voraciously with clear swallowing motions visible in its throat. Fearing the cat might choke, Li You drew his hand back and broke the sausage pieces into even smaller bits.
Qin Yuzheng sighed heavily, resting her chin on her hand. Her engagement with Lin Xun was merely a sham they had agreed upon to stall their respective families for time; she already had a girlfriend, though her girlfriend was a Beta.
Because she had not yet fully taken over her family’s enterprise, she held no say in her own marriage before securing absolute authority.
Lin Xun, however, was different. He wielded far more leverage than she did, leaving her with no choice but to begrudgingly leech off her best friend’s standing.
“As far as I know, your brother and your sister… cough, Mr. Li aren’t even divorced yet!” Qin Yuzheng muttered. “You talk real big, but look at you now! No official title, no recognized status. Have you never heard the saying ‘a day as husband and wife brings a hundred days of grace’? They might fight at the head of the bed and make up at the foot of it. If they end up having a child together one day, you’ll just end up as the kid’s tragic uncle.”
Lin Xun roughly shoved the half-drawn cigarette back into its pack. He saw Li You feeding water to the cat again, cupping his hands to hold it before finally picking up the cat to kiss it.
Not even caring that it was filthy.
A mere stray kitten gets hand-fed food and water, along with reckless affection—on what grounds?
When Li You kissed him, he acted so disgusted he looked ready to vomit his stomach out.
He could kiss a cat, and he could kiss Lin Zhaoning, but he couldn’t kiss him.
Dammit.
What a fucking joke.
This Beta refused to get a divorce, playing him right in the palm of his hand like this.
Lin Xun felt an overwhelming wave of irritation. He tossed the entire pack of cigarettes along with the lighter straight into the trash can, snapping at Qin Yuzheng, “Can you shut up?”
“…I’m just telling the truth,” Qin Yuzheng defended herself softly.
Lin Xun stared intently at her and asked, “Has your girlfriend accepted your marriage proposal yet?”
Qin Yuzheng instantly deflated.
If her girlfriend had agreed to marry her, why would she have gone to all this trouble? She wanted nothing more than to tie her up and drag her straight to the civil affairs bureau for a marriage certificate.
Yet Qin Yuzheng forced a proud smile: “So sorry to disappoint, but my girlfriend possesses noble morals. She doesn’t want me to suffer with her, so she’s diligently grinding away at her career right now.”
Lin Xun nodded: “She’d rather watch you get engaged to another man than marry you herself. Her morals are noble indeed.”
Qin Yuzheng: “…Can you be a decent human being?”
Lin Xun: “No.”
Qin Yuzheng: “You are truly venomous.”
Lin Xun: “Thank you.”
Qin Yuzheng walked off in a huff.
.
Estimating that the banquet was nearing its end, Li You finally returned from the rear garden. He headed to the restroom first to wash the grime off his hands. Having finally freed himself from the crowd, Lin Zhaoning immediately spotted Li You and stuck to his side without leaving a single inch.
The Alpha could not walk fast, yet refused to leave. Li You could only slow his steps, tacitly allowing his husband to accompany him.
Perhaps as a spouse, Li You should have been the one supporting his husband instead.
“A-Ning,” inside the restroom, Li You turned around helplessly as he dried his hands, calling out to his husband in a somber tone: “Even if we don’t get a divorce, we can never go back to how things used to be. Why must you keep us chained together like this? It’s agonizing.”
Lin Zhaoning stepped forward to wipe away a speck of dirt near the tip of Li You’s nose. “The only one suffering is you, Xiao You. I, too, am curious why you insist so stubbornly on a divorce.” The Alpha paused briefly, spreading his hands in helpless resignation. “If this is because of Bai Yu… I’ve already scolded him on your behalf.”
Lin Zhaoning continued: “Xiao Yu is still young and foolish. Why should people our age hold a grudge against him?”
“I didn’t…”
Lin Zhaoning’s gaze rested on his spouse’s face as Li You attempted to reason with him, yet it felt as though he was staring straight through him toward somewhere far away. “I’ve said it before: this position will only ever belong to you. Saying anything more is useless—that is final.”
It was that look again.
Distantly domineering, dripping with pity masked as charity, cold and detached.
Li You felt a sharp pang in his heart. Taking a deep breath, he said: “The only reason this position can belong to me is because my life was saved by you! Zhaoning, what you’ve ever cared about was never who your spouse should be—it was who my life should belong to!”
“Enough!” Lin Zhaoning cut him off abruptly. The unpleasant feeling of losing control caused the Alpha’s face to darken completely as he reprimanded sternly: “Li You, do not push my patience. You only need to behave yourself and play the role of a good spouse. That is more than enough.”
Hearing him address him by his full name like that, Li You felt a rare sense of discomfort. In the more than ten years they had been together, Lin Zhaoning had only ever called him “Xiao You.” Even during their few minor disagreements, he would merely look at him quietly, never showing anger like he did today.
“Zhaoning,” Li You called out softly to his husband’s departing back: “I’ll give this life back to you. Just set me free.”
Lin Zhaoning placed his hand on the door handle, yet refrained from making any movement for a long moment. Finally, he turned around, his composure restored to normal. He asked his spouse with a light smile: “What nonsense are you talking about, Xiao You? How can freedom and life be placed together for comparison?”
“Life is far more important than freedom, isn’t it?”
Li You was trapped deep in a quagmire of despair; no matter how hard he tried to climb out, he only sank deeper and deeper.
“That apartment is too small and unsuited for you. I’ve already contacted the landlord to terminate the lease. As for that job, it holds no meaning or value—quit it as well.” Lin Zhaoning pointed at him from across the room. “I gave you a chance, but you’ve been far too headstrong lately. No matter how much you throw a fit, there ought to be a limit.”
With that, Lin Zhaoning closed the door, leaving Li You standing frozen in place alone.
He weakly covered his eyes, a bitter sting rising in his nose.
How did things turn out like this?
What was he supposed to do?
As he stood there lost in thought, the utility room door opened.
Lin Xun stepped out from the shadows, his expression so calm that no trace of emotion could be discerned.
By an unfortunate coincidence, he had inadvertently overheard the entirety of their argument.
Just as one left, another menace arrived.
Li You was so utterly exhausted that he couldn’t even bring himself to care about this Alpha—whether he had been eavesdropping or what he intended to do next.
Lin Xun walked up to Li You, leaning down to cup his face with one hand until their noses brushed against each other. Li You was unaccustomed to such close proximity, but just as he attempted to lean his head back, the Alpha held him firmly in place.
The small of his back pressed flat against the edge of the sink counter, leaving him with nowhere to retreat.
Lin Xun asked: “He refuses to get a divorce, doesn’t he?”
Li You leaned back motionlessly, his voice raspy: “What are you planning to do?”
Lin Xun pressed against Li You’s forehead, brushing kisses from the space between his brows down to the tip of his nose, finally resting at the corner of his lips—merely grazing them softly with his own.
“Li You,” Lin Xun murmured his name. He wanted to tell him that aside from divorce, there existed another term in this world called widowhood. Li You opened his eyes and uttered a faint, lifeless “Mm.”
“If he gets hurt, will it hurt right here for you?” Lin Xun’s hand had already climbed up his chest, pressing down firmly near his heart.
Li You looked at him in disbelief.
It seemed that it would.
Lin Xun lowered his eyes, saying nothing more.
Li You suddenly grabbed him, his grip exceedingly tight.
“Lin Xun, don’t…”
The Alpha let himself be held, asking: “Why?”
Li You shook his head. He truly wanted a divorce from Lin Zhaoning, but he didn’t want Lin Zhaoning to suffer any further harm because of him either; if that happened, he would remain forever in his debt.
“We’ve been together for twelve years…” His throat felt choked as if stuffed with soaked cotton, rendering him almost unable to catch his breath. Twelve years was truly far too long.
In an almost placating manner, Li You wrapped his arms around the Alpha from behind. This was the very first time he had ever hugged Lin Xun.
Lin Xun nearly lost control. He wanted nothing more than to stuff Li You inside his jacket, take him home, and hide him away forever. The Beta’s body was burning hot, feeling so warm pressed against him.
Yet he heard Li You speak again: “Don’t touch him. I’ll agree to whatever conditions you set, alright?”
Lin Xun was almost driven to laughter by Li You, yet he couldn’t manage a single smile.
For Lin Zhaoning’s sake, he was actually willing to say such words!
“Fine,” Lin Xun turned his head sideways, his sharp profile cutting into Li You’s sight as the overhead light cast dark shadows across his face. He watched as the Alpha squinted down at him, uttering every word deliberately: “Three conditions.”
“First, divorce him.”
“Second, do not disobey me.”
Li You nodded and agreed to all of them, asking: “What about the third one?”
Lin Xun brushed his hand away, declaring coldly: “I haven’t thought of it yet. Consider it an open debt.”