“Where’s the place you’re meeting at?” Xie Wangyuan replied to the message in a casual tone, asking as he typed. “Didn’t you say you’d never met Qin Yu before?”
Ren Yi pressed his face flat against the car window, still uncertain as he muttered to himself, “I haven’t… but he still feels kind of familiar.”
“Maybe you saw him in some financial news report? You’ve been back for two years already. It wouldn’t be strange to have seen him somewhere,” Xie Wangyuan said as he put his phone away.
He kept his gaze on Qin Yu until the man got into his car, then finally looked away. “I’m bringing a Beta with me.”
Ren Yi instantly forgot about Qin Yu. He turned his head, exaggerating his reaction. “No way, Brother Yuan, are you already moving on this fast?”
Xie Wangyuan adjusted his seat, lifted a hand to remove his cap and pulled it down over his face as he closed his eyes to rest. “He started bombarding me with messages yesterday, insisting on coming out with me. I honestly don’t even remember when I added his contact.”
Ren Yi was long used to this sort of thing. As he started the car, he commented, “It’s not just you. All those Betas circling around you every day make my eyes hurt just looking at them.”
“Wasting away is a lifetime, enjoying yourself is also a lifetime,” Xie Wangyuan said with a self mocking chuckle, his muffled voice coming from beneath the cap. “Then why shouldn’t I look at a few more good looking Betas? Easy on the eyes, might even help me live a few more years.”
Ren Yi’s lips moved slightly but he didn’t continue the conversation. “Get some sleep, Brother Yuan. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
A blond Beta was waiting at the entrance of the club. Perhaps because the hair color was too eye catching, Xie Wangyuan actually had a faint impression. “Oh, seems like the one I brought back when I returned to the country.”
“You even brought a Beta back then?!” Ren Yi was speechless. “How’d you meet him?”
“Don’t remember. Either at some club or one of those parties,” Xie Wangyuan said as he opened the car door and got out. “He heard somewhere that I was coming back and tagged along.”
Ren Yi wasn’t particularly sharp minded but growing up in his kind of family meant he wasn’t naïve either. With just one glance at the Beta, he curled his lip slightly. “Big appetite.”
Xie Wangyuan didn’t even lift his eyes. “Mutual benefit.”
Zhang Huan had long known of Xie Wangyuan but Xie Wangyuan rarely appeared at school and when he did go out, it was usually to high end private venues. Zhang Huan never managed to find an opportunity.
By chance, a senior graduate student he knew hosted a wine party after graduating. Hearing that Xie Wangyuan would attend as well, Zhang Huan finally managed to strike up a conversation with him at the event.
Zhang Huan had only heard rumors of Xie Wangyuan’s playboy reputation before but he never expected him to be so easygoing. Xie Wangyuan actually agreed outright to bring him back to the country, which allowed Zhang Huan to escape the debt collectors from an underground organization he had owed money to for years.
It had been some time since returning yet Xie Wangyuan hadn’t contacted him even once. Zhang Huan could no longer keep up appearances. Starting yesterday, he began messaging Xie Wangyuan nonstop and today he finally managed to see him again.
The light that had just appeared in Zhang Huan’s eyes froze for a brief moment when he noticed Ren Yi behind Xie Wangyuan. Still, he quickly stepped forward enthusiastically, hooking his arm around Xie Wangyuan’s and smiling brightly. “Yuan, long time no see.”
Xie Wangyuan frowned slightly and turned his head aside. Casually, he placed his baseball cap onto Zhang Huan’s carefully styled hair.
Delighted by the gesture, Zhang Huan re hooked his arm around Xie Wangyuan’s and turned to Ren Yi. “Is he your friend?”
Ren Yi rolled his eyes inwardly. Every time he went out with Xie Wangyuan, being mistaken for a romantic rival by these Betas felt like an unavoidable fate.
Xie Wangyuan suppressed the urge to sneeze. He raised his hand again and pressed the cap down firmly, responding with a cool, indifferent “Mm.”
Ren Yi’s friends had already been playing for a while. Zhang Huan glanced over with a trace of regret, then followed Xie Wangyuan to sit on a sofa at the other end.
The mixture of perfume and hair gel in the air was overwhelmingly pungent. Xie Wangyuan lit a cigarette, already regretting agreeing to come.
“Yuan, didn’t you say you’d contact me after coming back?” Zhang Huan gathered his courage and leaned closer, taking the cigarette from between Xie Wangyuan’s fingers. His voice dropped hoarse as he hinted, “I’m free tonight…”
Xie Wangyuan rubbed his suddenly empty fingers twice, then smiled lazily. “Not in the mood.”
Ren Yi played a couple of rounds and won both times but he quickly lost interest before finishing a full game. He picked up a fruit platter and went to find Xie Wangyuan.
Their private space interrupted, Zhang Huan felt a bit displeased. Still, he could tell that none of the people present were ones he could afford to offend, so he obediently remained seated beside Xie Wangyuan.
Xie Wangyuan crossed one leg over the other and lifted his hand slightly toward Zhang Huan, signaling for the cigarette back. He took another drag.
Ren Yi set the fruit platter down and glanced at Zhang Huan again. Bold, ambitious but lacking awareness and not particularly bright either.
“Brother Yuan, how about heading over to the resort area to eat later?”
Xie Wangyuan casually flipped through a fashion magazine on the small table. “Why go that far?”
“There’s a restaurant over there, amazing food. We go all the time,” Ren Yi said as he ate fruit. “Didn’t tell you, did I? That whole stretch of land belongs to the Qin family. Loaded as hell. Even a tiny restaurant has to be personally overseen. I heard the chefs were specially brought in from… where was it again? Forgot. Anyway, they were hired just for that place.”
Xie Wangyuan looked up, raising an eyebrow. “Qin Yu?”
“Yeah, Qin Yu, the one personally overseeing it,” Ren Yi repeated, deliberately stressing each word as he handed Xie Wangyuan a fork. “Wait here, I’ll go tell them to wrap things up.”
Ren Yi’s tone was teasing. Zhang Huan felt uneasy, his sense of crisis kicking in. He stepped forward again, pulling the magazine out of Xie Wangyuan’s hands. Lightly hooking a finger around the hoodie string at Xie Wangyuan’s chest, he lifted his eyes and asked softly, “That Qin Yu is…?”
“A Beta, much better looking than you,” Xie Wangyuan said with a faintly mocking smile. “By the way, I just realized I forgot to ask, what was your name again?”
Zhang Huan stiffened. He forced a smile, half complaining as he lightly shoved Xie Wangyuan. “Zhang Huan! Didn’t we go out together all the time in the days before you returned to the country?”
“Forgot,” Xie Wangyuan said with a shrug. He glanced toward Ren Yi, who was waving at them from not far away, then stood up. “Coming or not? There won’t be a car sending you back this time.”
Zhang Huan wasn’t used to Xie Wangyuan’s current attitude. He assumed that because he’d held back for too long, Xie Wangyuan had simply forgotten about him. Coupled with the name he’d just heard, he nodded repeatedly. “It’s fine. I just want to eat with you.”
The restaurant Ren Yi mentioned was located right at the center of the entire resort area. Inside, it was divided into several sections, each decorated differently to give diners a taste of various regional styles.
Ren Yi’s friends had already booked a private room but Xie Wangyuan couldn’t be bothered to go upstairs. He pointed to the largest table by the window. “Let’s sit there.”
No one objected. After they sat down, Ren Yi handed Xie Wangyuan a menu first.
The menu was as thick as a book. Xie Wangyuan didn’t even feel like opening it. He wasn’t picky about food and didn’t care much about what he ate. “You guys order.”
After placing the order, Ren Yi waved a server over. “Do you still have that event where you get plush finger dolls for filling out a questionnaire?”
“Yes, we do,” the server replied, looking a bit troubled as she glanced at the group. “But it has to be filled out by new customers.”
“Perfect, aren’t there two new customers right here?” Ren Yi looked at Xie Wangyuan, clasped his hands together and shook them slightly. “Help me fill one out, Brother Yuan. The two kids at home love them.”
He was referring to his two younger sisters, who were born after Ren Yi differentiated into a Beta.
Xie Wangyuan pulled out his phone and tossed it to Ren Yi. He then turned his head to glance at Zhang Huan, who immediately said he’d help as well.
“Fill it out yourself. I’m going to the restroom,” Xie Wangyuan said. He hadn’t slept well to begin with and the strong scent of perfume clinging to Zhang Huan gave him a headache. After washing his face and finishing a cigarette in the restroom, he finally came back out.
His hair tips, damp with water, fell softly over his brows. Xie Wangyuan ran a hand through them twice, then shifted aside to avoid a hurried server in the hall. Frowning, he watched the restaurant manager rushing upstairs.
When he returned to the table, Ren Yi was hugging two plush finger dolls, laughing loudly as he handed the phone back. “These dolls can’t be bought, you can only get them by filling out the questionnaire…”
Xie Wangyuan’s expression remained blank. “Get to the point.”
“What point? Haha.” Ren Yi glanced around. “Why isn’t the food here yet, ”
Catching sight of Xie Wangyuan’s expression, Ren Yi fell silent. Bracing himself, he leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Qin Yu just came by. The person with him looked like… like an Omega.”
Xie Wangyuan’s face turned cold. Not bad. In less than a single afternoon, Qin Yu had already given him a big “surprise.”
“From the looks of it, that scene was clearly a blind date. No matter how capable Qin Yu is, he still has to rely on an alliance like this…” Ren Yi trailed off, then abruptly changed tack. “Let’s not wade into this mess. It’s not like C City only has this one Beta.”
Xie Wangyuan let out a cold laugh and stood up. “A blind date, huh? Blind dates are great.”
Ren Yi shoved the finger dolls into someone nearby and hurried to follow him.
“They went upstairs, right?” Xie Wangyuan headed straight for the stairs. “I’m going to take a look.”
Ren Yi spun anxiously around him. “Brother Yuan, his blind date is definitely someone from a matching background. Isn’t it a bit much for you to go up there like this?”
“I think it’s not nearly big enough,” Xie Wangyuan said as his long legs carried him up to the second floor in just a few strides. “It’d be best if the whole of C City knew about my relationship with him.”
“Your relationship with him…” Ren Yi choked for a moment, then, ever curious, asked, “Aside from him ignoring you and dumping you in the middle of nowhere, what relationship do you actually have?”
Xie Wangyuan ground his teeth in irritation and kicked Ren Yi lightly. “Shut up.”
Seeing Xie Wangyuan heading toward the innermost private room in the corridor, where several servers were stationed outside the door, Ren Yi grabbed him again. “You’re really going in?!”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Xie Wangyuan snapped. “I blocked him several times, gave him gifts, even gave up my lighter. Fine, he dumped me by the roadside but I didn’t even get a meal out of it. I was gone for one day, not dead and he turns around and goes on a blind date with someone else. Why can’t I go?”
Ren Yi’s expression turned strange. He hesitated, then spoke carefully. “Brother Yuan, do you know what you look like right now…?”
Xie Wangyuan said impatiently, “Like what?”
“Very much like… an Alpha rushing over to catch his cheating spouse in the act…”
Xie Wangyuan pulled out his cigarette case and tugged the hood of his hoodie forward. “See this? Destiny at work. This is a damn green hat.”
✦ ✧ ✦
Vynellia
[Translator]
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☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
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ChaptersChapter 1 · A Beta who looks particularly attractiveChapter 2 · Illegitimate child? BetaChapter 3 · Am I going to kick a hornet’s nest?Chapter 4 · A banquet that only Betas can attendChapter 5 · The young man’s heart was wastedChapter 6 · What’s so fun about Beta?Chapter 7 · Your dad has too many loversChapter 8 · Date with a ‘beautyChapter 9 · Long Time no see…Chapter 10 · He’ll definitely be the dominant oneChapter 11 · Seeing Qin Yu was like a dog seeing a bone.Chapter 12 · Young Master Qin, what a coincidenceChapter 13 · I don’t like things that other people have touched.Chapter 14 · Just call him “little brother”Chapter 15 · Are you going to pursue Xiao Mei O?Chapter 16 · The dead are deadChapter 17 · Qin Yu, aren’t you going to take responsibility?Chapter 18 · Xie Wangyuan and his dog are not allowed insideChapter 19 · Got into his carChapter 20 · He really gave me a hard timeChapter 21 · You actually Like that beta?Chapter 22 · Like an Alpha catching his wife cheatingChapter 23 · How do you want me to repay you?Chapter 24 · An Alpha without pheromonesChapter 25 · I’m determined to get my hands on Qin YuChapter 26 · Whatever service you needChapter 27 · Honey, shall I put it on for you?Chapter 28 · Mr. Qin has a rather unique aesthetic senseChapter 29 · Who says Qin Yu is hard to deal with?Chapter 30 · Please teach me, Teacher QinChapter 31 · These are all he can lose.Chapter 32 · I’m looking for someone who has “disappeared”.Chapter 33 · A new meaning in his lifeChapter 34 · Your birthday is in a few days, right?Chapter 35 · Just the two of us.Chapter 36 · It was like Qin Yu’s O-selection banquetChapter 37 · He saw himself clearly in his eyesChapter 38 · Do those Betas really make you this comfortable?Chapter 39 · Qin Yu, you just wait.Chapter 40 · I’m to blame for stealing tonight’s main characterChapter 41 · If you have only one piece of clothing left, you winChapter 42 · I admit defeatChapter 43 · He is my lover!Chapter 44 · What kind of cult is Yuyuan?Chapter 45 · There are no other BetasChapter 46 · Go to bedChapter 47 · Susceptible periodChapter 48 · Qin Yu, are you a damn dog?!Chapter 49 · It would be best to lock us up completelyChapter 50 · I’ll give you five million, leave my sonChapter 51 · Other Alphas smell awfulChapter 52 · He can’t possibly be like those stupid Alpha dogsChapter 53 · Only youChapter 54 · Go ahead and say what you just said again if you dareChapter 55 · I thought you were going to meet someone at night.Chapter 56 · Swallow it.Chapter 57 · Service fee for the second young masterChapter 58 · He touched it himself and showed it to meChapter 59 · To make an Alpha no longer need an OmegaChapter 60 · They’re kindly taking me in?Chapter 61 · Qin Yu is different.Chapter 62 · HelpChapter 63 · At times like this and that with Qin Yu.Chapter 64 · We will never abandon themChapter 65 · My wife’s surname is QinChapter 66 · Two numbersChapter 67 · Qin Yu and dogs are not allowed insideChapter 68 · Eat a lotChapter 69 · It’s a must-eatChapter 70 · Batian misses youChapter 71 · Earn money to support your wife.Chapter 72 · I hug you like a crossChapter 73 · Use these to exchange for a wish.Chapter 74 · Extra 1Chapter 75 · Extra 2Chapter 76 · Extra 3Chapter 77 · Extra 4Chapter 78 · Extra 5Chapter 79 · Extra 6Chapter 80 · Extra 7Chapter 81 · Extra 8Chapter 82 · Extra 9Chapter 83 · Extra 10Chapter 84 · Extra 11Chapter 85 · Extra 12