Listening to the blunt conversation between the two brothers, Xiang Shuyu knew that such thinking was considered normal, yet he couldn’t help but feel a wave of chilling sadness.
He didn’t know if Duan Yue had ever mentioned their relationship to his family, but he was well aware that Duan Yue did not want him to get pregnant; otherwise, the man wouldn’t have made him take a contraceptive pill that morning.
By now, Xiang Shuyu understood that Duan Yue had never actually told his relatives he was in a relationship. Just like himself, perhaps they shared a silent understanding or a twist of fate—both knew to keep this matter buried deep inside, unwilling to mention it to their families.
As if it were something shameful that couldn’t see the light of day.
Still, Xiang Shuyu felt a twinge of heartbreak. His heart pounded wildly, only to eventually settle into a death-like stillness.
Duan Yue was still talking to his brother: “It’s not your place to lecture me. You’re one to talk—didn’t someone named Ming-whatever follow you into your office today?”
Duan Lin frowned and asked, “Who?”
“How should I know? Wasn’t he your guest?”
“Oh, you mean that Omega?” Duan Lin’s tone was indifferent. “I don’t know him. A friend referred him to me, saying that Ducheng and the Duan Corporation have a partnership. He wanted me to put in a good word with Ducheng so he could join their music department.”
At the mention of the Ducheng contract, Xiang Shuyu’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. Without time to overthink, he hurriedly stood up, ran over, and grabbed Duan Yue’s arm.
His sudden appearance caused both Alphas to stop talking and turn their gazes toward him.
Xiang Shuyu panted slightly. He looked up, and his mind instantly went blank. He stared straight at Duan Lin’s face for a long moment, completely forgetting what he had intended to do when he ran over to grab Duan Yue.
He thought in a daze: So Duan Yue and his brother are twins.
Duan Yue and Duan Lin looked exactly the same, except Duan Lin wore a pair of silver-framed glasses and had a very cold expression, giving him a “refined scoundrel” aura. This created a subtle distinction from the romantic and passionate Duan Yue.
He was looking at Duan Lin, and Duan Lin was looking at him.
Under Duan Lin’s gaze, Xiang Shuyu actually felt a sense of nervousness and pressure. He cautiously hid slightly behind Duan Yue and averted his gaze to look back at his boyfriend.
Duan Yue enjoyed the feeling of being relied upon by his partner. He gently patted the back of Xiang Shuyu’s hand to soothe him, then said to Duan Lin: “I won’t allow it.”
He spoke seriously, not as a joke. Duan Lin slowly shifted his gaze from Xiang Shuyu and asked calmly, “Your reason?”
“That person has stolen my boyfriend’s contracts, and not just once or twice,” Duan Yue said with a faint smile. “If it were you, would you allow someone who bullied your partner to scheme their way into a job you found for them?”
Duan Lin seemed stunned for a moment, and his focus shifted to the wrong detail: “Boyfriend?”
He looked again at the Omega behind his brother. Xiang Shuyu was hiding entirely behind Duan Yue’s back; all that could be seen were slender, pale fingers clutching Duan Yue’s sleeve out of nervousness, and soft strands of hair peeking out from behind the man’s frame.
Duan Yue noticed Duan Lin’s gaze. As Alphas and twin brothers at that he couldn’t possibly be ignorant of what Duan Lin was thinking, but there was no need to say it in front of Xiang Shuyu. He only offered a deliberate, slightly displeased reminder: “Yes, boyfriend.”
He reached out to pull Xiang Shuyu by the shoulder, bringing him to his front to face Duan Lin, and spoke softly and slowly: “Call him ‘Sister-in-Law’.”
Duan Lin did not move for a long time. After a while, he shifted his gaze and looked at Xiang Shuyu.
Xiang Shuyu sensed that gaze the one that made him nervous and uneasy on his face again. He didn’t dare meet Duan Lin’s eyes, only lowering his own, trying to escape the man’s stare.
Duan Lin’s tone remained flat, as if he didn’t hold Xiang Shuyu in any regard at all, as he called out: “Sister-in-Law.”
Xiang Shuyu said nothing, not knowing what to say.
But Duan Lin hadn’t intended to wait for a reply, and Duan Yue didn’t want Xiang Shuyu to have too much interaction with his brother. He only reminded him: “Don’t forget what I said. Even if you like that Omega, you cannot squeeze him into Ducheng. He would bully my boyfriend.”
“I don’t like him,” Duan Lin denied the first part indifferently, turning and leaving without a backward glance.
Only then did Xiang Shuyu breathe a sigh of relief not because his job was safe, but because he had been so incredibly nervous standing in front of Duan Lin.
The way Duan Lin scrutinized him, like he was assessing a piece of merchandise, felt offensive and strangely familiar to Xiang Shuyu. He couldn’t remember where he had encountered it before, but it felt uncomfortable, even a bit repulsive.
Xiang Shuyu was not the type to vocalize his dislikes or dissatisfaction, so he didn’t show much of it.
Duan Yue didn’t know he was thinking so much. He gently patted Xiang Shuyu’s back, closed the office door, and soothed him: “There, there, look at how nervous you were. I’ve saved your job for you. Hurry up and say ‘Thank you, Hubby’.”
The chaotic unease in Xiang Shuyu’s heart vanished instantly. His face flushed as he dodged Duan Yue’s touch, whispering: “Thank you!”
“Thank you who?” Duan Yue pressed.
He cornered Xiang Shuyu, standing very close. Xiang Shuyu had nowhere to hide and could only face the lips that were drawing nearer, softly adding: “Hubby.”
As soon as he said it, Duan Yue’s kiss descended dense and meticulous, carrying a hint of storm-like gloominess.
Xiang Shuyu felt a bit of panic; his breath was stolen, and his head spun. Yet, he still instinctively hugged Duan Yue back, gently stroking his back in an attempt to comfort his moody boyfriend.
Duan Yue felt that Xiang Shuyu was perfectly to his liking because he only knew how to accommodate and obey. He felt himself sinking deeper into this “gentle trap,” yet he thought: Xiang Shuyu likes me so much; he looks after my temper, cares about my stomach issues, and tolerates everything about me.
If they could stay together forever, it would be a very, very good thing.
Duan Yue took Xiang Shuyu to a restaurant for dinner. He wasn’t one for pretenses; he didn’t choose Western food that wouldn’t fill them up, opting instead for a restaurant that served home-style dishes and leading Xiang Shuyu into a pre-booked private room.
“I love eating here the most,” Duan Yue said. “Back in school, Duan Lin and I would come here to eat after class. You’ve met Duan Lin—he’s so boring. His voice has no inflection, like a robot, and he always has a cold face. No one liked him at school.”
These things were foreign to Xiang Shuyu. He used to live in the Xiang house, had a poor relationship with the two brothers there, and had no other siblings. He didn’t even have many friends at school. It was impossible for him to come to a place like this after class; he could only go back to the Xiang house and eat one tasteless meal after another in a stifling, unfriendly environment.
He hadn’t experienced Duan Yue’s life and couldn’t empathize, so he didn’t know how to respond. He simply gave a smile and silently served Duan Yue food, picking out the bones from the fish and placing the tender white meat in his bowl.
Duan Yue said naturally, “Thank you, baby.”
“You’re welcome,” Xiang Shuyu smiled at him, biting his lip. “You are always so polite.”
“Are your friends not polite to you?” Duan Yue asked.
“No…” Xiang Shuyu lowered his eyes and continued picking out bones. “I have very few friends.”
“Oh,” Duan Yue hummed softly. “I know. It’s because of those people who bullied you.”
He still remembered the first time he met Xiang Shuyu. Xiang Shuyu was drunk and showing his emotions; he had stood on the manor balcony, saying with a sob that people like Ji Yeran liked to play tricks on him and laugh at him.
“You’re just a bit poor at judging people,” Duan Yue said, serving Xiang Shuyu food and criticizing him bluntly. “I told you long ago that Ji Yeran has a bad reputation, yet you still stay so close to him and even called him to pick you up.”
“I thought you had left at that time,” Xiang Shuyu said, biting his lower lip. “I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”
“Who wouldn’t want you?” Duan Yue pinched his cheek and gave it a shake. “Others might, but I certainly won’t. You have to know that the Alphas in our circle are all cold-hearted and fickle. They change partners every few days; I’ve never seen anyone stay for long. Look at me—I’ve never had anyone else by my side. You’re the first.”
“I know,” Xiang Shuyu said seriously. “I’ve known for a long time.”
Otherwise, Jiang Xiayue wouldn’t have sent him to seduce Duan Yue.
She seemed to have a bit of PTSD, perhaps worrying that if he ended up with someone half-hearted, he would follow in her footsteps—becoming the “third wheel” who interfered in a marriage and eventually meeting an abandoned end.
So, she had carefully selected the most upright and seemingly suitable candidate, Duan Yue.
Xiang Shuyu began peeling shrimp for Duan Yue. He was very meticulous about it, removing the heads and tails and even de-veining them, placing them one by one into Duan Yue’s bowl.
Duan Yue was used to being served, and he quite enjoyed Xiang Shuyu’s care. But he also knew this was his boyfriend, not a waiter, so he put the shrimp back into Xiang Shuyu’s bowl: “Don’t peel them for me. How much have you even eaten yourself? Do you peel shrimp for everyone when you eat with others too?”
“No…” Xiang Shuyu’s cheeks turned a bit red. “I only peel them for you.”
This time, it was Duan Yue who was stunned. Then he laughed and said, “So you’re a baby with such double standards.”
He called him “baby” over and over as if he’d never tire of it, but every time Xiang Shuyu heard it, he felt a bit shy. He bit his lower lip, took off his gloves, and stood up as if fleeing: “I’m going to wash my hands.”
“Go ahead,” Duan Yue pointed the way. “The restroom is at the end of the hall, turn right out the door.”
Xiang Shuyu stood up and went.
The restrooms in high-end restaurants were kept spotless. In fact, aside from the few banquets and dinners Ji Yeran had taken him to, he rarely came to places like this to eat.
He simply couldn’t afford it.
Xiang Shuyu washed his hands distractedly, his mind suddenly recalling the meeting with Duan Lin in Duan Yue’s office.
He still felt Duan Lin looked familiar not just because he looked exactly like Duan Yue, but because he felt like he had seen him somewhere before today.
But he thought it over and couldn’t find a match in his memory, so he brushed the thought aside.
Looking up, he saw Duan Yue in the mirror.
Xiang Shuyu froze, instinctively about to call out, but then he snapped back to reality when he noticed the person was wearing glasses.
This was Duan Lin, not Duan Yue.
It was truly hard to tell them apart.
Xiang Shuyu suddenly turned around. Duan Lin’s gaze fell upon him, and he began to feel nervous again, stammering, “He… Hello…”
“Sister-in-Law.”
Duan Lin’s tone was flat, his voice a bit deep, as he uttered those two words concisely and calmly.
Even though it was a respectful title, Xiang Shuyu still felt a shiver down his spine. Seeing Duan Lin walk toward him, his spine went rigid, and he almost couldn’t move.
He caught a faint scent of Alpha pheromones. They truly were twins; even the scent of their pheromones was so similar.
Xiang Shuyu couldn’t distinguish them at all.
Duan Lin washed his hands, then moved closer to Xiang Shuyu. As if facing a great enemy, Xiang Shuyu took two steps back until his back hit the wall. His mind was in a whirl, his gaze darted around frantically, and his scalp felt tight.
The tip of Duan Lin’s leather shoe touched the tip of his own toe. Xiang Shuyu shrank his shoulders slightly, feeling a bit dizzy. However, he only saw Duan Lin reach out and pull a paper towel from the dispenser next to his head.
Quickly, Duan Lin moved away from him, taking that terrifying pressure along with him, away from Xiang Shuyu.