Duan Ruirui’s team completed their sales early. Even Chen Dan, who had been holding up the payment QR code sign, finally cracked a small smile at the corner of his mouth. As he slipped his hands into his pockets, ready to clock out, he noticed that Shen Que’s team was still promoting their little mousse cakes.
“So ugly.”
With the crowd dispersed, his muttered complaint was especially clear.
Shen Que froze, feeling a bit awkward as he looked at the mousse cakes he had made, lying lonely in the display case.
“Brother Shen, it’s okay,” Nuo Feng started acting cute again. “Your cupcakes were so amazing! We won’t lose just because we’re short a few mousse sales!”
Shen Que felt uncomfortable with the clinginess and took a clear step back, trying to keep his distance.
Nuo Feng didn’t care. With a flattering expression, he went to cozy up to Wen Rou again. After all, his fans loved seeing him act cute and adorable.
“Time’s up!”
At the director’s command, the sales period ended.
After the staff’s verification, Duan Ruirui’s team’s daily revenue was 2,761 yuan, while Wen Rou’s team’s was 1,456 yuan.
A thousand?!
Wen Rou immediately protested, “Director, that can’t be right! There’s no way it’s only a thousand!”
“Yeah, even if Brother Shen’s mousse cakes were ugly and didn’t sell, it shouldn’t be just a thousand!” Nuo Feng deliberately emphasized the words “Brother Shen.”
Shen Que was also puzzled. He had made 150 cupcakes in total, each priced at 15 yuan, and they had all sold out. That alone should have been 2,250 yuan.
The director confirmed again, “The total payment data for your team is only 1,456 yuan. There’s no mistake.”
“Did they scan the wrong payment code?” Wen Rou suddenly asked.
Nuo Feng immediately turned to Shen Que. “Are you sure they scanned the payment code?”
Although both of them were supposed to handle payments, Nuo Feng had been constantly pulled away to take photos with fans, leaving him no time to actually handle the transactions.
All eyes in the room fell on Shen Que’s hands. Nuo Feng snatched the QR code from him and scanned it with his phone.
Ding—
The interface that popped up wasn’t the production team’s payment platform at all.
Shen Que’s blood ran cold when he saw the white clouds and blue sky profile picture.
This was his personal payment code!
He remembered switching the QR code once in the middle of the sales. At that time, Nuo Feng was busy interacting with fans, and the scene was chaotic. So, Shen Que had taken the payment code Nuo Feng handed him and used it until the end.
But none of the cameras had captured that small action.
“This is Shen Que’s WeChat!” someone from the staff shouted, and Shen Que instantly became the center of attention.
Shen Que immediately pulled out his phone and checked his payment records. Sure enough, dozens of payments had gone straight into his pocket.
“Brother Shen, why did you switch the payment code?” Nuo Feng asked with an expression of disbelief. “Did Brother Shen want to pocket that thousand yuan for himself?”
Wen Rou frowned. “Maybe it was just a mix-up.”
Nuo Feng bit his lip, his eyes welling up with tears again. “Or maybe Brother Shen just wanted to target me, wanted me to lose, wanted to see the mousse plan I chose fail?”
Shen Que was truly defeated by his dramatic act. He hadn’t even said a word, and Nuo Feng had already scripted the entire plot for him?
Seeing that this was about to turn into a recording incident, the director quickly arranged for a staff member to step in and take the blame.
Everyone tacitly accepted this explanation, but deep down, they all believed that Shen Que had deliberately used such a lowly trick to get back at Nuo Feng.
Shen Que transferred the money back. After recalculating, Duan Ruirui’s team still held a slight lead in revenue over Wen Rou’s team.
After tasting the desserts, the professional pastry chefs unanimously agreed that Shen Que’s mousse fell short in texture, flavor, and presentation, ultimately selecting Duan Ruirui’s team instead.
As Shen Que was still thinking about the obstacles Nuo Feng had set for him earlier that day, he unexpectedly encountered a person and a dog heading his way.
“I’ll take all the mousse. I hope to taste Wen Rou’s team’s craftsmanship at the ‘Beautiful Life’ banquet.”
Shen Que paused mid-action and looked up.
Mr. Xuan appeared even more handsome under the night lights.
Everyone on set couldn’t help but steal glances at Nuo Feng, whispering among themselves, “Mr. Xuan is so handsome, openly supporting Nuo Feng like this—is this an official announcement?”
“Probably won’t be long before it’s made official!”
“Haha, they used to say they were just lovers, but Nuo Feng’s background isn’t enough to enter high society!”
Their words, one after another, all reached Shen Que’s ears.
He retreated into a corner, deliberately avoiding the cameras.
Dreamer stood beside Sheng Xuan Zhu, scanning the room. When he spotted Shen Que hiding in the crowd and was about to step forward, he saw Shen Que shake his head and obediently sat down, staying put.
“In that case, I announce that both Duan Ruirui’s team and Wen Rou’s team have earned the qualification to prepare desserts for the ‘Beautiful Life’ banquet!”
While everyone was envious of how Mr. Xuan doted on Nuo Feng, only the director and Dong Xiangyu knew that Mr. Xuan’s purpose for coming this time was for Shen Que.
Unfortunately, even the person involved was clueless and hadn’t noticed at all.
After the recording ended, Nuo Feng pulled Mr. Xuan into the dressing room, while Shen Que was taken by Dong Xiangyu to remove his makeup.
“You did well. Don’t let anyone know about your relationship with Mr. Xuan. Let Nuo Feng take all these pointless spotlights,” Dong Xiangyu said, personally helping him remove his makeup.
Shen Que shook his head. “Mr. Xuan probably just didn’t want to see Nuo Feng lose. A pitiful omega like him does evoke sympathy.”
“What if I told you that in the two years Nuo Feng has been with Mr. Xuan, Mr. Xuan has never visited him on set?”
Shen Que’s heart skipped a beat.
Before his makeup was fully removed, Assistant Bian arrived.
“Mr. Shen, I’ll escort you back to the car first.”
Shen Que clenched his fingers, as if seeking an answer, and asked, “Isn’t Mr. Xuan taking Nuo Feng home?”
“Mr. Xuan came to the set to wait for you right after dinner.”
With those words, Assistant Bian turned and left.
Dong Xiangyu wore a smug expression that seemed to say, “I told you so,” making Shen Que feel uneasy.
Before leaving, Dong Xiangyu advised, “This episode will air in a while. Before the next recording, try not to pay attention to trending topics. Nuo Feng set many obstacles for you during this recording, and once it airs, his fans will definitely criticize you. Some scenes could have been edited out.”
Just as Shen Que was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Dong Xiangyu casually added, “But I don’t want that. You need the exposure now—after all, even negative attention is still attention.”
Shen Que stared at him, suddenly feeling how treacherous the entertainment industry could be.
By the time he left the makeup room, it was already late at night.
The night was deep and damp. Shen Que shivered, sneezing several times in a row.
As an omega, he couldn’t handle the cold. After just a few steps, his nose turned red, and tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.
Assistant Bian opened the car’s back door. As Shen Que stepped inside and glanced to the side, he froze.
From his angle, he could only see the alpha man’s long legs, bent slightly, his suit perfectly pressed without a single wrinkle. Dreamer lay drowsily at his feet.
Mr. Xuan rested a hand on Dreamer’s head, his fingers pale and knuckles distinct, the veins on his arm pronounced, exuding a sense of strength and an undercurrent of the unique tension characteristic of an alpha.
Dreamer glanced up and saw Shen Que, immediately rising and hopping into the passenger seat to make room for him.
Shen Que got into the car, called out “Mr. Xuan,” and then fell silent.
As the car door closed, a faint scent of alcohol spread through the air. Shen Que wrinkled his nose and shifted closer to the window.
Sheng Xuanzhu ignored him.
Shen Que stole a glance at him. Perhaps exhausted from dealing with Nuo Feng, Sheng Xuanzhu’s tall frame leaned back against the seat. In the dim interior of the car, most of his face was shrouded in shadow.
Sinister yet handsome.
Mr. Xuan’s fair skin contrasted sharply with his black suit, enhancing his noble and extraordinary aura. The tightly buttoned collar seemed to restrain a certain wildness, stirring a rush of adrenaline.
His fingers tapped rhythmically against his knee, his eyes half-closed, his breathing steady…
Suddenly, Shen Que saw a shadow of Sheng Xuanzhu in him.
This terrifying thought shattered the flutter of emotions he had just felt, instantly plunging Shen Que into a cruel and cold hell.
In the darkness, Mr. Xuan’s silhouette grew increasingly similar to the Sheng Xuanzhu in his memories.
Every time Sheng Xuanzhu tapped his knee like that, Shen Que would be locked away in the Sheng family, tormented day and night by him…
The horrifying memories flooded back into his mind. Shen Que’s eyes reddened, tears welling up, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
“What’s wrong with you?” Sheng Xuanzhu frowned.
He couldn’t be captured by Sheng Xuanzhu again!
Shen Que grabbed the car door handle, completely disregarding that the car was still moving, and desperately tried to pull it open. “I want to get out… I need to get out!”
Assistant Bian quickly pulled over to the side of the road. Sheng Xuanzhu had intended to grab Shen Que and ask what was wrong, but Shen Que slipped out of the car as smoothly as a water snake.
Not knowing what had happened, Sheng Xuanzhu quickly put on his coat and chased after him.
“Shen Que!”
Within a few steps, Sheng Xuanzhu caught up to the terrified omega.
Shen Que flailed his arms, his small fists pounding against Sheng Xuanzhu’s chest, crying and screaming for help, begging not to go back.
Without a word, Sheng Xuanzhu pulled him into his arms. “Why are you suddenly so afraid of me?”
He admitted that in that moment, he was afraid—afraid that Shen Que would recognize him as Sheng Xuanzhu and leave him again, hating him.
“Sheng Xuanzhu… I don’t want to go with Sheng Xuanzhu. I hate him!”
His gaze turned cold, carrying a hint of frost as he firmly gripped the omega’s face, forcing him to look at him. “Look closely. Who am I?”
Chilled by the cold wind, Shen Que blinked. Under the streetlight, Mr. Xuan’s face was undeniably right in front of him.
Shen Que’s sobs gradually subsided. Staring at the face that was entirely different from Sheng Xuanzhu’s, he realized he had lost control.
“I’m sorry.”
Looking at Shen Que’s state, Sheng Xuanzhu didn’t know whether to feel relieved or sorrowful. Could the name Sheng Xuanzhu truly cause him so much pain?
He took hold of Shen Que’s wrist and led him back to the car.
Shen Que curled into a ball in the corner of the car, wiping away tears, clearly still shaken.
“You’re that afraid of Sheng Xuanzhu?”
“Yes,” Shen Que nodded. “He bullied me. He wouldn’t let me leave the house, wouldn’t let me see my grandmother, forced me to dress like his white moonlight, imitate her way of speaking, and made me pretend to be someone else in bed.”
Sheng Xuanzhu fell silent.
Thinking back to those dark times, Shen Que’s tears flowed uncontrollably.
Sheng Xuanzhu had destroyed his dreams, his family, and his life. But now, he was dead.
That day, he personally witnessed Sheng Xuanzhu’s body being cremated and buried, and watched as the inheritance rights of the Sheng family fell into the hands of Sheng Xuanzhu’s elder brother.
He had laughed all night long before Sheng Xuanzhu’s tombstone.
“Sheng Xuanzhu is dead, so he can be with his white moonlight forever,” Shen Que taunted.
As soon as these words were spoken, Sheng Xuanzhu, who was sitting nearby, found it hard to suppress the anger burning in his heart.