With Mr. Xuan having spoken, neither the director nor Dong Xiangyu could do anything about it.
After bidding farewell to the director, Dong Xiangyu took Shen Que back to the company. Being the first to have a contract actively breached by Beautiful Life, Shen Que became a spectacle for He Yuan, who had been eagerly waiting to see them fail. He was overjoyed.
Leaning against the doorframe of Dong Xiangyu’s office with his hands in his pockets, He Yuan sneered at the two who looked utterly dejected. “Kicked out right after joining? When has Tengyu Entertainment ever been involved in such a scandal!”
His sarcastic remarks provoked a cold snort from Dong Xiangyu.
Ever since He Yuan had tried to sell himself to a producer, Shen Que had held a poor impression of him. These past few days, compounded by the issues with Nuo Feng and Mr. Xuan, had left Shen Que in an extremely foul mood.
“We’re all from Tengyu. What are you gloating about here?”
He Yuan hadn’t expected the previously timid omega to talk back to him so boldly. His lips trembled with anger. “I thought Mr. Xuan favored you so much, parachuting you in just like that! But now it seems you’re far inferior to Nuo Feng.”
He Yuan was no pushover either. Having navigated the entertainment industry for years, he could easily tell that Shen Que’s expulsion from Beautiful Life was due to Mr. Xuan, so he deliberately targeted Shen Que’s sore spots.
“Shen Que, you should stop dreaming and quit the industry as soon as possible. Who would want someone rejected by Beautiful Life for any future variety show or drama crew? A pawn discarded by Mr. Xuan only ends up being softly blacklisted!”
Dong Xiangyu knew exactly what He Yuan was scheming. Ever since He Yuan joined the company, the two had been rivals. Having snatched Shen Que from He Yuan’s grasp, Dong Xiangyu was well aware that He Yuan eagerly awaited Shen Que’s downfall so that he, too, would suffer, allowing He Yuan to reap the benefits.
“Is this your professional attitude?” Shen Que could no longer hold back. His emotions had been volatile lately, and he seized the opportunity to vent his frustrations sarcastically. “When He Yuan encounters an artist in a bottleneck, is his first thought really to make them give up? How utterly pathetic!”
He Yuan had never seen such a sharp-tongued omega. Placing his hands on his hips, he adopted a lecturing posture. “Anyway, Nuo Feng will soon become my artist! We’ll see how things go from here!”
Hearing Nuo Feng’s name, both Shen Que and Dong Xiangyu tensed up.
As soon as Dong Xiangyu entered the office, he dialed his assistant’s number, instructing him to investigate any recent interactions between Nuo Feng and He Yuan.
“Is Nuo Feng changing managers?” Shen Que asked, puzzled.
Only after receiving the files from his assistant did Dong Xiangyu reply, “So He Yuan is his strategist. No wonder the tactics used against you were so clumsy.”
Shen Que opened the files, which contained photos of Nuo Feng and He Yuan meeting, along with transcriptions of their recorded conversations.
Shen Que was shocked. “How did you get all this?” Dong Xiangyu’s ability to obtain such information so quickly suggested he had been prepared all along.
“I have my own paparazzi,” Dong Xiangyu replied with a raised eyebrow and a smile.
With He Yuan eagerly awaiting his downfall, Shen Que became even more determined not to withdraw from Beautiful Life. “Is there any other way I can stay?”
Dong Xiangyu couldn’t guarantee anything. “Can’t you really work something out with Mr. Xuan?”
Mentioning Mr. Xuan made Shen Que’s gland throb uncomfortably, as if heated and scorched. He shook his head. “Mr. Xuan probably wants to protect Nuo Feng, which is why he’s trying to get rid of me.”
He paused. “If I can find evidence proving that Nuo Feng orchestrated everything himself, wouldn’t I be able to continue on the show?”
“Always thinking about explaining and justifying! Does it help?” Dong Xiangyu poked his forehead. “Can’t you use this evidence to make Mr. Xuan favor you? An omega who knows how to yield gets the sweets!”
An omega who knows how to yield gets the sweets…
Shen Que pondered these words as he returned to the Xuan residence. Mr. Xuan’s car was parked under the shade of a tree—a tree Shen Que didn’t recognize, but it bloomed in autumn with a faint, sweet fragrance. Whenever Mr. Xuan drove himself, he always parked there.
It seemed Mr. Xuan was already home.
Shen Que entered the house and changed his shoes. Little Potato circled around his ankles, sniffing at the paper bag in his hand and wagging its tail eagerly.
Shen Que took out a piece of sausage from the bag, crumbled it, and fed it to the dog. “You and your sharp nose!”
Little Potato happily ate it and begged for another small piece before darting off to the backyard with it in its mouth.
It must be taking it to Dreamer again.
Shen Que sighed helplessly, unsure when the two had become so close. Whenever one got something tasty, it would immediately share it with the other.
Walking down the hallway, he saw Mr. Xuan sitting upright on the sofa in a crisp, well-tailored shirt, reading documents with a hint of irritation between his brows—perhaps due to some troublesome issue at the company.
Shen Que looked up and met Mr. Xuan’s cool gaze.
“Good evening, Mr. Xuan.”
Sheng Xuanzhu didn’t respond. Instead, he stood up and walked toward Shen Que.
Shen Que didn’t dare move.
Suddenly, his wrist holding the paper bag was seized. The alpha’s palm was warm, a familiar sensation.
Soft strands of light fell on their faces as Shen Que’s hand remained firmly clasped in the man’s grip.
“Weren’t you refusing to speak to me?” Sheng Xuanzhu glanced at him.
Shen Que flushed, thinking of Nuo Feng’s pheromones. An uncomfortable feeling stirred in his heart, and he tried to pull his hand away, but Mr. Xuan only tightened his grip.
In their silent tug-of-war, the omega exerted all his strength, while the alpha remained calm and composed, effortlessly holding on.
“It hurts…” Shen Que grumbled in annoyance.
Sheng Xuanzhu stopped teasing him and lifted the paper bag to inspect it. “What did you buy?”
Shen Que turned his head away. “Something for Dreamer.”
“So attentive to a dog? Bringing it treats every day?”
Shen Que detected a hint of jealousy in his tone and retorted with a touch of resentment, “Dreamer only likes me.”
Sheng Xuanzhu found Shen Que’s little tantrum rather endearing and pulled him into his embrace. “How do you know I’m not the same?”
Shen Que remembered the purpose of his visit. Suppressing the discomfort in his heart, he asked softly, “What does Mr. Xuan like?”
“Sugar-free glutinous rice lotus root from the East District.”
“Alright, I’ll buy it for you next time.”
Seeing the omega yield before him, he knew Dong Xiangyu and the director had talked to him.
After wrestling with his thoughts for a long time, Shen Que finally spoke, thinking of Nuo Feng and He Yuan’s smug faces. “Mr. Xuan, I want…”
Just as Sheng Xuanzhu was delightedly anticipating Shen Que’s submission, a phone call abruptly interrupted them.
The ringing startled Shen Que, causing him to jump out of the alpha’s embrace.
He clearly saw the phone on the table, the caller’s name displayed prominently on the screen—Nuo Feng.
Sheng Xuanzhu didn’t want to answer, but fearing something might have happened to Nuo Feng, he had no choice.
A sweet, soft, and delicate voice came through the receiver, so cloying that Shen Que, standing nearby, felt almost sickened by it.
Nuo Feng said he wasn’t feeling well and wanted Mr. Xuan to accompany him.
Shen Que’s breath hitched for a moment.
He didn’t have time to look away before Mr. Xuan’s gaze fell upon him, his lips still moving as he told Nuofeng he would come.
After all, the other person was the omega Mr. Xuan had doted on for two years.
Before this moment, Shen Que might still have had the courage to ask Mr. Xuan for help, but now, he feared he would only be humiliating himself.
Mr. Xuan hung up the phone and showed no immediate intention of leaving. Instead, he moved closer to the omega and asked in a low voice, “What’s on your mind?”
Shen Que bit his lip and shook his head. “It’s nothing urgent. You should go see Nuofeng first.”
Sheng Xuanzhu’s expression darkened. “What did you say?”
Shen Que flinched, his pale teeth sinking into his already reddened lips. “Nuofeng is important…”
“Fine.”
Without letting him finish, Sheng Xuanzhu’s handsome, noble face turned fierce with anger. He couldn’t understand why Shen Que, who appeared so delicate and easy to control, could be so stubborn.
He put on his coat, wrapped in a chill, and left, driving away the car parked under the tree without looking back.
Shen Que felt that he had angered Mr. Xuan, and it must be because he cared about Nuofeng.
His relationship with Mr. Xuan didn’t allow him to care.
“Hmph.”
Shen Que mocked himself. It seemed it would be even harder to stay on “A Beautiful Life” this time.
He dragged himself upstairs, and while changing clothes, he suddenly felt the USB drive Chen Dan had given him in his pocket.
Sheng Xuanzhu drove straight to the hospital.
Xie Lan, who had just gotten off work, was cornered in his office, looking murderous as if he had crawled out of hell to claim a life.
“What’s wrong?” Xie Lan asked, unfazed.
“Why can’t Shen Que just give in? I already talked to Wang Zhihai and Dong Xiangyu, forcing Shen Que to come to me. Tonight, he was about to ask for my help, but then he stubbornly said he didn’t need me anymore!”
It was the first time Xie Lan had heard Sheng Xuanzhu complain so much in one breath, and he found it amusing.
“Why did he suddenly become stubborn again?”
“Nuofeng called, saying his gland was uncomfortable.”
“Oh~ So you agreed in front of Shen Que?”
Sheng Xuanzhu replied coldly, “I need Nuofeng’s gland. I can’t let anything happen to him.”
“I think there’s a misunderstanding!”
Xie Lan got straight to the point, pulling Sheng Xuanzhu aside for a thorough analysis—from the trending hashtags to Sheng Xuanzhu’s attitude toward Nuofeng. In the end, he concluded:
“Shen Que is being stubborn because he thinks you care about Nuofeng. He doesn’t want to humiliate himself.”
“Impossible,” Sheng Xuanzhu said decisively. “Nuofeng and I have nothing to do with each other.”
Xie Lan was speechless.
Sheng Xuanzhu realized that whenever he thought about Shen Que, his mind became too chaotic to think clearly. He simply turned and went to find Nuofeng.
As soon as he entered the room, Sheng Xuanzhu caught the scent of uncontrolled plum wine.
“Mr. Xuan, the medicine… the medicine is gone…” Nuofeng, seeing Sheng Xuanzhu, looked as if he had seen an angel. Without caring about his appearance, he crawled to his feet.
“How could the medicine be gone?” Sheng Xuanzhu kicked him away coldly, his eyes devoid of any warmth. “I gave it to you in measured doses each time. Did you take more than you were supposed to?”
Nuofeng could no longer bear the torment in his gland, which felt like countless ants gnawing at him. He writhed on the floor in pain.
“Just… just once.”
Sheng Xuanzhu tilted his head, a cold smile playing on his lips. He calmly lit a cigarette, the faint glow of the flame starkly visible in the darkness.
“Don’t waste it. Go do it now.”
Sheng Xuanzhu’s voice seemed to rise from the depths of a frozen pond, carrying a bone-chilling coldness.
The conditioned omega habitually took out toys from the toolbox, applying them one by one to their body.
The plum wine was stronger, its aroma more intense.
It closely resembled the scent of Wen Zhibai’s pheromones.
This fragrance should have reminded Sheng Xuanzhu of the beautiful moments he once shared with Wen Zhibai.
But today, his mind was a blank slate.
He extinguished his cigarette, completely merging into the darkness.
“Not enough.”
The alpha’s whisper was like a curse. The omega, prostrate on the ground, could only exert every ounce of effort to please themselves, frantically secreting plum wine-scented pheromones.
Such days had been Nuo Feng’s reality for two years.