Chapter 92: “Then I Won’t Pretend Anymore”
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Yan Zhixing claimed he needed to discuss matters with Gu Yunyun. However, in the silent ground-floor study, only two Alphas stood in a standoff.
Xu Yibai had no intention of offering his guest a cup of tea. His furrowed brow and his expressions were all filled with disdain, his politeness thinly veiled as he rushed the guest:
“Mr. Yan wants to meet my sister, why didn’t you arrange a meeting beforehand? If you have something to discuss with her, you can head to the company now. It’s not productive here, after all, I know nothing about Gu family’s business.”
“Xu Yibai,” Yan Zhixing spoke in a calm voice, getting straight to the point and cutting through all pretenses. “Did you tamper with Shen Yao’s memories?”
Xu Yibai didn’t directly answer the question. “Shen Yao and I are married. We are doing well together. Our matters are our own, and it’s none of your concern. Are you trying to become a first-time third party?”
“Do you enjoy deluding yourself? A lie is always just a lie.”
“Then what?” Xu Yibai looked at him expressionlessly and asked, “Even if Shen Yao had his memories, you are simply the person he dislikes the most in his eyes. He has no feelings for you whatsoever. In the end, I only erased those unpleasant memories on his behalf, such as you.”
“He does indeed dislike me, even hate me, but that’s not important. Because if Shen Yao had his memories, he would definitely come looking for me.”
As Yan Zhixing pushed the door open to leave, he turned his head slightly and calmly said, “In his eyes, you and Guan Shu are both mad. Perhaps, right now, I seem to be the most reliable presence to him.”
“By the way.”
“I never act as a third party,” Yan Zhixing’s steps paused as he advanced. He met Xu Yibai’s distinctly black and white eyes and calmly stated, “Before Shen Yao and I became intimate, I confirmed multiple times if he had an Alpha and if he had been marked by any other Alpha. His answers were all negative. He initially sought me out to solve his troubles, but despite being with you for so long, he never sought your help.”
Yan Zhixing looked away, leaving a final remark, “Have you ever considered that, in Shen Yao’s heart, you’ve never been worthy of trust?”
After Yan Zhixing got into the car, he slowly exhaled, wiping his palms with a handkerchief. He hadn’t forcibly taken Shen Yao with him for a reason. Firstly, this was the Gu family residence, making it difficult to simply take Shen Yao away.
Most importantly, Yan Zhixing understood human nature. The current Xu Yibai was drowning in the lies he had fabricated and could never let go of the seed named suspicion.
Yan Zhixing lowered his head, his profile appearing extremely cold. Given Shen Yao’s intelligence, he was bound to sense something amiss. Yan Zhixing even believed that Shen Yao must have kept an ace up his sleeve.
Since Shen Yao felt no affection for him, Yan Zhixing thought it fair to let Shen Yao resent everyone.
***
As Xu Yibai pushed open the door to his room upstairs, he found Shen Yao lying on the bed with his eyes half-closed, seemingly asleep.
He had to admit that even though he knew Yan Zhixing’s words were deliberately intended to hurt, each word had indeed turned into a needle, piercing into his heart and triggering his emotions to spin out of control.
Without waking Shen Yao, Xu Yibai quietly closed the door. He sat down beside Shen Yao’s bed, his gaze fixated on Shen Yao’s lips.
The Omega’s lips were visibly swollen and slightly cut, bearing evidence of a passionate kiss by an Alpha, presumably Guan Shu. While Xu Yibai had been arguing with Yan Zhixing outside, Guan Shu and Shen Yao had been inside, passionately kissing. It was a fiery kiss that had left Shen Yao’s lips almost battered by the force of Guan Shu’s affections.
Xu Yibai’s chest rose and fell a few times.
He was tempted to ask Shen Yao whether Guan Shu had forced the kiss or if Shen Yao had willingly tilted his head, offering his soft lips for Guan Shu to kiss as he pleased.
Uncontrollably, Xu Yibai raised his hand, his fingertip pressing against the cut on Shen Yao’s lip. As soon as his finger made contact, Shen Yao opened his eyes.
Shen Yao’s awakened gaze held a hint of confusion. He slowly sat up from the bed and then straddled Xu Yibai’s lap.
He wrapped his arm around Xu Yibai’s neck, instinctively licking his lips. Shen Yao leaned his head against Xu Yibai’s chest, his voice muffled, carrying a touch of grievance, “Xu Yibai, why didn’t you come find me earlier? That unfamiliar Alpha kissed me.”
“It makes me feel sick. I almost wanted to throw up when he kissed me.”
Shen Yao then lifted his face, not saying a word, just gazing at Xu Yibai.
Xu Yibai understood the meaning in his eyes. His arm gradually wrapped around Shen Yao’s waist. He lowered his head, capturing Shen Yao’s lips in a kiss.
“Mmm…”
A satisfied muffled hum escaped Shen Yao’s throat. Compared to that rough kiss, Xu Yibai’s kiss was much gentler, and Shen Yao enjoyed it more.
Their lips met and parted, alternating between being captured and released. The tingling sensation after the kiss spread across Shen Yao’s lips, and there was a faint sting when the wound was brushed by the kiss, causing him to shiver slightly.
Instinctively, he leaned closer to Xu Yibai, his arms firmly gripping his shoulders.
His chin was grasped, and the Alpha’s command rang in his ears, “Open your mouth.”
Following the command, Shen Yao instinctively parted his lips.
The Alpha’s once gentle kiss quickly turned dominant, forcefully claiming Shen Yao’s mouth, replacing the memory of the kiss from the other Alpha. Shen Yao let out another muffled sound, unable to even swallow his own saliva due to the intensity of the kiss.
Xu Yibai’s palm encircled his neck, his fingertip lightly tracing the skin, establishing an entirely controlling posture.
“Yao Yao.”
Xu Yibai drew closer, scooping Shen Yao, who had grown weak. Their noses touched, and Xu Yibai whispered, “Do you love me?”
“Yes.” Shen Yao’s lips glistened with a sheen of moisture. He tightened his hold on Xu Yibai again, finding the most comfortable embrace and then earnestly said, “We’ve grown up together since childhood. If I don’t love you, who will I love?”
His gaze was innocent and pure, his pupils reflecting only his figure. Xu Yibai could only capture the genuine affection and love in his eyes.
Xu Yibai lowered his head, unable to resist himself, and bit down on the original wound on Shen Yao’s lip.
Shen Yao touched the injured area with his hand and complained, “That hurts! You’re just like that Alpha…”
Before he could finish, he let out a gasp of pain as Xu Yibai forcefully pinched his waist, causing Shen Yao to land heavily against him. Xu Yibai’s hand remained threateningly on his waist as he calmly instructed, “Call me whenever you see that Alpha. Stay away from him. You should be able to tell from his expression that he’s not a good person.”
***
Shen Yao jotted down the string of phone numbers, but he didn’t contact them immediately. He waited quietly for several days, weighing the pros and cons carefully.
On a day during his lunch break, Shen Yao entered the office alone and dialed the number using the public telephone. As the call was answered, there was silence on the other end, only the sound of even breathing.
“Shen Yao.”
The person on the other end broke the silence.
A voice that was unfamiliar yet knew his name. The pronunciation was clear, but the accent had a slight stiffness.
Shen Yao recognized it as the mixed-blood Alpha from that day.
He raised his eyes and gazed quietly out of the window, fixating on the drifting white clouds as he asked, “Who are you?”
The person on the other end wasn’t surprised by his question. They softly uttered their name, “Yan Zhixing.”
“… Yan Zhixing.”
Shen Yao muttered his name repeatedly, his temples pulsating with urgency. It was as if he was trying to grasp something slipping through his fingertips, like a slippery fish tail.
He pressed against his throbbing temple, suppressing the intense pain, and calmly asked a second question, “So what’s our relationship?”
“Ex-boyfriend?” Shen Yao speculated, “Or maybe I cheated? Are you my lover? Is that why Xu Yibai dislikes you so much?”
Yan Zhixing fell silent for a few seconds. Neither of Shen Yao’s two guesses was relevant to the truth. He and Shen Yao had merely a cold, selfish transactional relationship, far from being an illicit lover.
However, Shen Yao has lost his memory now.
Expressionless, Yan Zhixing answered, “Ex-boyfriend.”
“But I don’t think I’m the kind of person who enters a relationship easily,” Shen Yao was still Shen Yao, knowing himself well. “Unless you have something I want.”
“Indeed, I had benefits, I won’t deny that.”
Yan Zhixing loosened his tie slightly, his voice low as he said, “Meeting me once will reveal all the truth. Xu Yibai is currently in the music room. If you want to leave his side, go downstairs in ten minutes. There will be a delivery van waiting for you.”
“Shen Yao, you won’t make the wrong choice.”
“Will I?”
Step by step, Shen Yao descended the stairs, his mind turning over the options. He chose a path known only to them, through a hidden backdoor used by the dancers.
Click—
As he pressed the door handle outward, the door didn’t budge. Shen Yao’s movement paused. When he was about to try again, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
The unexpected Xu Yibai was standing there. He forcefully sent Shen Yao sprawling backward, crashing into his arms with a resounding thud.
“You’re quite clever.”
Though he shouldn’t have been there, Xu Yibai had arrived. He clenched Shen Yao’s arm and whispered in a low voice, “That’s perfect, then I won’t pretend anymore.”
Instinctively, Shen Yao took a few steps back, but an Alpha’s grip pulled him back effortlessly.
“I used to be too lenient, so you’ve taken advantage of me time and time again.” Xu Yibai touched Shen Yao’s cheek with his fingers. “If you’re not learning, I can teach you. At the very least, I’ll teach you that an Omega who strays will face consequences.”
“Xu Yibai…”
“How about a nipple clamp first?”
Xu Yibai inquired, pulling at the air as if he were already holding the device, his threat causing a shiver down Shen Yao’s spine.
Shen Yao lowered his head, and it didn’t sound like a joke when he said, “So if you dare to sleep with other Alphas again, just by taking off your clothes, everyone will know you’re an unfaithful Omega.”
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