07

Being the wife of Qu Moyu, Shen Dai had no choice but to take his place at the table near the principal seat occupied by Qu Shen.

Although Qu Shen, the board chairman, was not the Starship Corporation’s largest shareholder — that title belonged to Qu Moyu's grandfather — he was at present the highest decision-maker of the company.

The old man of the Qu family had been retired for many years, and the various divisions of the corporation had been essentially divided into three parts, among his two Alpha sons and one Alpha daughter. The most crucial of these, the Rare Earths and Non-Ferrous Metals divisions, were under the control of his second son, Qu Shen, while his eldest son managed the rapidly growing Chemical and Energy projects.

The siblings of Qu Shen’s generation had fought very bitterly. When Qu Moyu was born, Qu Shen believed that he had the future of the company firmly in his hands. An S-class Alpha would undoubtedly become the next leader of the Starship Corporation. Only, he hadn’t expected that the following year, Qu Chengchen would be born.

Qu Moyu was neither from the primary branch of the family nor the eldest grandchild. And while Qu Chengchen belonged to the primary branch he wasn’t the eldest grandchild either. Moreover, he was a younger brother.

In terms of succession, both had a reasonable claim. So it came down to merit: appointing whoever was most worthy and capable. The elder Mr. Qu knew that having two S-class Alphas would inevitably bring about endless internal friction. In the past few years, he had maintained a balance of power through checks and balances. Only, it was a pity that he was old now, and the infighting between the younger generation was becoming more and more apparent.

Thinking of some gossip that Cheng Zimei had told him, Shen Dai couldn’t help but steal a glance at Qu Chengchen, who was seated at the other end of the table. For various reasons, he had a dislike for this person.

"My father asked me to bring Er shu a gift," said Qu Chengchen cheerfully, 'Happy birthday, Er shu!”

(Er shu | 二叔: Qu Chengchen is addressing Qu Shen, his father’s younger brother and the second oldest son.)

”That’s very kind of you. Chengchen, you’re an adult now, you need to behave with propriety.”

“Yes, I’ve offended my sister-in-law. Truly sorry about that” With a smile on his face, Qu Chengchen quipped, “Actually, my sister-in-law and I are quite closely related. Xiao Yue is his younger half-brother after all.”

While Qu Moyu appeared calm, the expression on his face could be described as rather gloomy. Seated beside him, Shen Dai could palpably sense the fluctuation of his aggressive pheromones. Although Qu Moyu was restraining them, the two were situated so close that Shen Dai still felt somewhat suffocated by his aggressive pheromones.

“Earning money is hard, and shit is hard to swallow”, thought Shen Dai to himself. After being subjected twice in a row today to the pheromones of two first-class Alphas, he had no appetite for any of the delicacies set out in front of him.

A few elders hastily tried to smooth things over: “We're all family here, right? Hey, should I open the bottle of wine I brought over for Second Eldest Brother today?”

This birthday banquet felt more like a corporate dinner - with conversations revolving around deals and trades. Shen Dai hid in Qu Moyu’s shadow, eating and drinking in silence. Secretly he wished he could just go back early and get some sleep.

Throughout the meal, he could sense a gaze coming from his side. He knew that it was Qu Chengchen observing him. Though those glances couldn’t hurt him, they made him feel ill at ease.

He knew that Qu Chengchen had deliberately used pheromone suppression on him, and had deliberately tried to embarrass him. Though he was only an innocent bystander, from the point of view of Qu Chengchen, his mere existence was getting in his way.

Qu Chengchen had thought that by marking You Boyue and breaking up the marriage alliance between Qu Moyu and the You family, he could obstruct the vital interests of all parties involved. He had not anticipated Shen Dai’s sudden emergence, which proved that You Xinghai preferred not to collaborate with him. Therefore, his ploy had failed.

All the same, Qu Chengchen’s efforts had not entirely been in vain. You Boyue, being a top Omega, was indeed well-matched for him.

When it came to You Boyue, Shen Dai’s feelings were mixed. He had no way of feeling any real jealousy towards a person he had never met and had nothing in common with. Although he had often come across his extravagant and upper-class lifestyle online, he never believed he was entitled to any part of it.

Except it appeared that fate had been surreptitiously drawing them together, forming an indirect connection between them. It was hard for him not to think about how the place he was currently seated at was originally meant for You Boyue.

Had the marriage between Qu Moyu and You Boyue gone on as planned, there no doubt would have been a grand and luxurious wedding, covered extensively by the media, and showered with many compliments and blessings. Everyone present today would have been huddled around the perfectly-matched newlyweds to socialise.

Not that he desired any of these things - they belonged to the domain of You Boyue. But he couldn’t lie to himself. How he wished he really was Qu Moyu’s wife.

They were on the road back. Qu Moyu had brought his sullen mood into the car.

After several moments of hesitation, Shen Dai decided to speak up, otherwise, he wasn’t certain about the next time they would see each other.

He said softly, “President Qu?”

“Yes?”

“I wanted to ask if I could go back home every weekend. My grandmother is living there all by herself.”

Qu Moyu gave him a glance, “So you do have requirements after all.”

Shen Dai was completely taken aback, “Pardon?”

“Before the marriage, I asked if you had any requirements. Why didn’t you bring it up back then?”

“I, I hadn’t thought of it at the time.”

“But there could be any number of things that you didn’t think of at the time. Are you going to bring them up in this piecemeal fashion from now on?”

He had nothing to say in reply.

The corners of Qu Moyu's lips lifted slightly, “Don't be nervous. I'm not faulting you. It’s just seeing how you - as an ordinary person - had a rare bargaining chip in your hands, yet chose to do nothing. I can’t quite appreciate this kind of muddle-headed behaviour. But then again, thinking about it, you’re just an Omega after all."

Shen Dai was stunned.

“Of course, you can go back home. Why would I keep you from seeing your family?”

“…Thank you.”

“As I’ve said, as long as you do what is required of you, you will have freedom and respect. You performed very well today.”

“Thank you.”

“But I must remind you to be wary of Qu Chengchen,” said Qu Moyu, half-turned towards him. He looked intently at Shen Dai, his pupils dark and profound. The car interior's faint blue ambient light happened to reflect in his eyes, adding a touch of mysterious allure to his gaze.

“From the time he was young, he had the habit of competing with me for everything, even for things that he didn’t need.”

Shen Dai frowned slightly, “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Why do you think he marked You Boyue?”

“So that he could break up your engagement, and sabotage the cooperation between you and You Xinghai.”

“That’s right. And since he didn’t succeed, his attention might shift elsewhere," Qu Moyu said, gently stroking the ring on his index finger. “Part of our partnership comprises your loyalty. I cannot allow the person with the designation of my wife to embarrass me. When I put it like this, do you understand what I mean?”

Shen Dai took a deep breath: “I understand, but today he released…”

”I know, I’m only reminding you,” Qu Moyu turned his head away slightly.

“It’s not that I think little of you. But refusing an Alpha can be rather difficult - for an Omega.”

Shen Dai looked down without saying a word.

That “You’re just an Omega after all” and subsequent “For an Omega” - Everybody knew that Alphas inherently did not see Betas and Omegas as their equals, no matter what the rest of the world was saying. Even ordinary Alphas were not considered by S-class Alphas to be their equals. Still, the condescension he felt from Qu Moyu was hard to swallow.

“If he offends you, you tell me.”

“….Alright.”

Whenever he was with Qu Moyu, he could feel an intangible pressure. Perhaps this was what the so-called feeling 'Serving one’s sovereign is like accompanying a tiger’ was referring to - that it was dangerous and unpredictable to get close to powerful people. At times he even wondered if the person from the past, the one who held him firmly in his arms and gently whispered in his ear to calm him, really even existed at all. The truth was, he was indeed a little afraid of Qu Moyu.

The Friday after work, Shen Dai made his way back to his grandmother’s house. For the time being he had yet to come up with an explanation for how he had suddenly acquired ten million yuan, so he made up something about receiving a project bonus.

Over the weekend, he had planned to first accompany his grandmother to the hospital and switch her onto a better — albeit more expensive — treatment option. After that, he would go on his own to look at a couple of houses. Preferably a place that could be moved into as soon as possible with a bit of tidying. Either fully-furnished or pre-owned would work. The most important criteria was that it had to be clean and bright, with a balcony with enough sunlight for his grandmother to tend to her plants.

He returned to the company dormitory on Sunday evening. Otherwise, the commute between his grandmother’s and the office the following day would have taken over two hours.

As he lay in bed playing with his phone, he suddenly received a piece of gossip from Cheng Zimei. He clicked on it at once to have a look. It was a couple’s photo that You Boyue had posted on his Weibo, featuring himself and Qu Chengchen. Both of them looked stunning. The aesthetic and atmosphere of the photograph resembled a still from an idol drama.

A socialite-type internet celebrity like You Boyue would always garner immense attention, be it for what he did, ate, wore, or used, let alone a courtship with the young master of the Qu family- who was also an S-class Alpha. You Boyue could be said to be a favoured son of the heavens. His family background, wealth, genetics, and looks were all top-rate. Even his choice of partner was something beyond the reach of most. His very existence would invariably make people lament that the heavens were unfair.

Chang Zimei followed with a text on WeChat: Wow, check out Qu Chengchen! I heard some gossip that he and our dear Crown Prince were both chasing after You Boyue. But in the end, the Crown Prince didn’t get picked.

Shen Dai felt a lump in his throat. He replied: Really? How is that possible?

Cheng Zimei: That’s what I thought too! You just have to look at him to know he’s a playboy. He’s just twenty-three yet he's already been linked with various stars and internet celebrities in the past few years. How can you even compare him to the Crown Prince? He’s the first in line to inherit. And he’s such a gentleman. Plus he’s sensible, morally upright, and completely devoted to his career. What’s up with You Boyue’s taste?

Shen Dai: You never know when it comes to things like love.

Cheng Zimei sent back a frowny-face sticker: Players are the best at sweet talking, that’s probably why. A spoiled princess like You Boyue must have fallen for that. Doubt they’ll last though.

Shen Dai thought to himself that since Qu Chengchen had already marked You Boyue, it wasn’t likely that they would break up so easily. Although, one thing that he didn’t quite understand, was that during the process of being marked, the odds of conceiving were extremely high. And since You Boyue was an S-class omega, his chances were even higher, up to ninety percent or more. Yet You Boyue didn’t seem to be pregnant. Nor was there any hint about an engagement or upcoming wedding on his Weibo. Why was that? Could it be that they hadn’t planned on getting married?

Cheng Zimei was still indignant on behalf of Qu Moyu: The person the Crown Prince marries in the future will definitely be someone who has it all - excellent family background, looks, and education. You Boyue is too superficial. He can’t match up to our Crown Prince.

Shen Dai suddenly felt a sense of embarrassment.

Though, in a way, what she was saying was true, since the person she was referring to was the one that Qu Moyu would “truly” marry.