After Being Deceived, I Married Someone Else and Had Children Chapter 46

At the entrance of the Aofuli Museum.

7:00 p.m.

The charity auction hadn’t officially begun yet, but some guests were already entering.

Yu Lizhu stood outside the entrance in a light lavender suit, a camellia-shaped pearl necklace resting elegantly at her neck. The matching pale petal gloves on her hands completed the look — stylish yet playfully charming. She stood alone, waiting for quite a while.

Several guests recognized her — the dazzling Miss Yu from one of the most influential families, and the fiancée of the Zuo family’s newly appointed Alpha heir. They hurried forward to greet her with polite flattery, but Yu Lizhu brushed them off gracefully, without leaving any trace of offense.

Then, suddenly, the young lady of the Yu family broke into a bright, enthusiastic smile and waved her hand — not the least bit ladylike — at an Alpha walking toward her.

Some of the guests were puzzled.

Until they realized that the Alpha approaching was none other than Miss Yu’s fiancé. Then they exchanged knowing smiles — clearly assuming that this high-society couple was meeting for a sweet date — and tactfully stepped aside to avoid interrupting.

But in truth, their conversation was anything but sweet.

“Over here!”

Yu Lizhu waved.

Zuo Shihuan saw her waiting at the museum entrance. The wind had blown a few strands of her hair across her forehead — she’d clearly been waiting there early just for him.

But Zuo Shihuan remained unmoved. His gaze was calm, his tone direct. “The person you mentioned — who is it?”

He honestly couldn’t think of anyone he would want to see.

However, Zuo Shihuan was the type who, when faced with something he didn’t understand, had to get to the bottom of it — a perfectionist and workaholic to the core. After being teased by Yu Lizhu’s cryptic hints all day, his curiosity about this so-called “person he’d want to meet” had only grown stronger.

He’d waited patiently the whole day, and now that the auction was about to begin, he’d asked her to step out ahead of time — and the moment he saw her, he wasted no time getting straight to the point.

Yu Lizhu smiled with obvious satisfaction. “It’s nothing that special. Why so impatient? You’ll find out once the charity auction starts.”

Zuo Shihuan narrowed his eyes slightly, voice edged with sharpness. “Your boyfriend Ji Shenwen isn’t around. Seems you’ve been quite bored lately.”

Her expression faltered for half a second before she shot him a look, her tone half-playful, half-dark. “As long as you know. Don’t go provoking a lonely Omega woman whose boyfriend just left her — she might do something… irrational.”

Zuo Shihuan smirked with confidence. “I’d actually like to see what kind of irrational behavior the illustrious Miss Yu would dare to pull in public.”

Yu Lizhu sneered. “For instance, I could just turn around and walk off — and leave you wondering for the rest of your life who that person was.”

Zuo Shihuan’s brow twitched. His expression turned serious at once. “That was arrogant of me. Miss Yu, I’ll make sure to speak and act with proper caution from now on.”

Yu Lizhu burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. Her refined makeup — once elegant and composed — was completely ruined by how hard she was laughing, her bright almond eyes sparkling with unrestrained mirth.

Her laughter was contagious. Even Zuo Shihuan found himself smiling — a rare, relaxed smile lighting his light brown eyes.

For once, neither of them wore the polite, hypocritical masks of high society.

In a way, these two — fake fiancés bound by circumstance — were like comrades tied together by an unlikely alliance, perhaps the only people who wouldn’t betray each other. Only in front of one another could they lower their guard.

After laughing enough, Yu Lizhu wiped at the corners of her eyes, though there were no tears there.

Of course, she knew that with Zuo Shihuan’s capability, it wouldn’t take him a day to find out every guest’s identity. There was no way he couldn’t discover who she was talking about — but the fact that he’d humored her was good enough.

Yu Lizhu smiled. “Then, my esteemed fiancé, please go inside first. I’ve prepared a special room — a space-mimicry suite. No one outside can see what’s going on inside.”

Zuo Shihuan raised a brow in suspicion. “Why all the secrecy?”

He gave her a slightly wary look.

Yu Lizhu’s fine brows twitched, her smile stiffening. “What could I possibly do to you? You’re the Zuo family’s mighty Alpha heir! I’ve been under watch at home ever since our engagement banquet started coming up. Finally got a chance to breathe, and I don’t feel like being gawked at like a zoo exhibit.”

She paused, then added shyly, brushing her hair aside. “And… I plan to make a video call to Ji Shenwen. I haven’t seen him in a while. I can’t do that at home — if my parents found out I was still in touch with another Alpha, they’d lose their minds and ruin their precious marriage arrangement with the Zuo family.”

Zuo Shihuan’s eyes dimmed slightly, and a trace of melancholy passed through them — along with a faint sense of envy.

At least Yu Lizhu could still contact Ji Shenwen, while he himself didn’t even dare to know the slightest news about that person.

Even if that person might be close — within arm’s reach — it was still an uncrossable distance between them. Deep down, Zuo Shihuan knew with painful clarity that everything was already over.

Even if that person had left the Federation Capital, no matter who he was with now — none of it had anything to do with him anymore.

Zuo Shihuan looked at Yu Lizhu’s shy face, and in her eyes, he saw longing and worry for Ji Shenwen.

The upcoming engagement banquet must have been making her anxious and uneasy. With Ji Shenwen leaving her at such a time, it was no wonder her heart was restless and she longed to see him again.

Zuo Shihuan smiled faintly and said, “All right then — it’s not the first time I’ve been your shield anyway.”

For the things he could not achieve himself, he sincerely hoped others could reach a happy, complete ending.

Yu Lizhu’s eyes lit up, and she lifted a bright, grateful smile. “Thank you.”

***

Beyond the huge bulletproof glass window stretched the grand hall of a museum. Guests seated on the first floor were already in their places, waiting for the charity auction to begin.

Hidden on the second floor was a private room — from the outside, it looked like an ordinary section of wall.

The camouflaged design made it impossible for regular guests to notice. Such rooms were reserved for those requiring privacy and security, and since Yu Lizhu’s family was helping host this charity event, they were given one.

The auction was about to start.

Zuo Shihuan stood before the glass window, gazing at the dazzling crystal chandeliers hanging over the hall — as if by taking one step forward, he could reach out and touch them.

When Yu Lizhu began to make a call, the ringtone rang out.

Zuo Shihuan didn’t want to hear any part of it. He deliberately stepped aside, standing by the edge of the glass wall — so close his shoe tips almost touched the pane — eyes lowered, appearing focused, but in truth staring blankly into nothing.

The ringtone kept going for quite a while, over and over.

Zuo Shihuan watched as the guests below gradually took their seats. Even when the auction was about to begin, the call still hadn’t gone through.

He assumed it wouldn’t connect this time.

Through the reflection in the glass, he could faintly see Yu Lizhu’s disappointed expression — and didn’t expect that after hesitating a moment, she would try calling again.

This time, the call connected.

Yu Lizhu smiled as Ji Shenwen’s face appeared on the video call.

Zuo Shihuan immediately averted his gaze, focusing instead on the scene below, pretending to be just another spectator waiting for the auction to start.

***

After such difficulty, she finally saw him.

Yu Lizhu’s first words upon seeing Ji Shenwen, however, were filled with anger and worry: “When are you finally coming back?”

Ji Shenwen’s eyes flickered; he forced a flattering smile. “Soon. I really want to see you too.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced nervously at Gu Heng, who was lying on the bunk bed in the star pirate quarters. Gu Heng’s brows were tightly furrowed, his dark eyes filled with restrained irritation — as if at any moment, he might snatch Ji Shenwen’s communicator and fling it away.

That look made Ji Shenwen’s heart pound; his voice dropped into a whisper.

He was still in the middle of a mission to capture star pirates. He had just knocked out two of them, and now, together with His Highness the Crown Prince, Gu Heng, was disguising himself as one of the pirates to infiltrate their ship — all to track down the mastermind behind a human trafficking ring.

They had been aboard for days and had finally gathered information on the pirates’ leader, their numbers, and the location of the hostages.

But the Crown Prince had discovered some unusual leads and intended to stay longer — to trace the ship’s destination and seize the entire network in one strike.

After much negotiation, Ji Shenwen had finally been granted permission to remove his disguise temporarily and make a quick call to assure Yu Lizhu of his safety.

He absolutely couldn’t afford to anger the already-irritable Crown Prince and lose this rare chance to talk to her.

Holding the communicator cautiously, Ji Shenwen crouched toward the farthest corner of the room, hoping his voice would reach Gu Heng’s ears as softly as possible.

As he shifted positions, however —

Yu Lizhu noticed a figure behind him.

“Is someone sharing the room with you?” she asked curiously.

Ji Shenwen froze for a second, then quickly remembered that the Crown Prince was still disguised as a pirate. Yu Lizhu wouldn’t recognize him.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he explained, “Yeah, I got a cheap long-distance ship ticket — had to share a room with a stranger.”

Yu Lizhu’s heart ached. “Why not stay somewhere better? If you’re short on money, I can help.”

Of course, it wasn’t about money. But being fussed over by his girlfriend filled Ji Shenwen’s chest with a warm, honeyed sweetness.

With gentle eyes, he smiled and said softly, “It’s fine. I’m not tired — I just want to see you sooner.”

While the couple chatted intimately, oblivious to the world —

No one noticed that the man lying on the bed suddenly sat up.

Gu Heng’s black eyes fixed sharply on the video call screen.

In the bottom-left corner of the display —

A faint, blurred figure stood near a glass window, profile half-obscured by the light.

But to Gu Heng, that faint outline was so clear it made his heart seize in pain — as if gripped by an unseen hand.

He recognized him instantly.

It was Zuo Shihuan — the person he thought he would never see again.

Gu Heng clasped his hands together tightly, his dark eyes deep and terrifyingly focused, greedily tracing the faint outline of that familiar face in the corner of the screen.

He watched with a kind of self-torment — memorizing that faint silhouette, that blurred profile, over and over again with his eyes, and once more in his heart.

Through that fragment of an image, he tried to glean any clue about Zuo Shihuan’s life now.

Even the presence of the other person in the call — that cloying, lovestruck chatter — he forced himself to tolerate.

But as time went on, watching Zuo Shihuan stand by the glass window, never turning back —

Gu Heng slowly calmed.

He stared quietly, without blinking, for a long, long time.

He both wanted Zuo Shihuan to turn around and look at him — yet feared being seen.

Gu Heng’s dark eyes sank, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. He realized he wasn’t as fearless as he had thought. At the very least, right now, he didn’t even dare to make a sound…

His fingers trembled slightly as he lit a cigarette.

Smoke blurred his vision.

Only a deep bitterness spread through his chest. The cigarette had never tasted so bitter before. The corners of Gu Heng’s eyes reddened — it almost felt like the smoke would force tears out of him.

***

After the video call ended—

Ji Shenwen happened to glance at the shocking call duration on the screen and, startled, turned around quickly.

But the room was already empty.

Only a pile of half-burned cigarette butts remained — dimming out one by one, lonely and cold.

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