Chapter 1 IN WHICH TODAY’S PUPPY MEETS AN OLD FRIEND
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12
“Thank you, Da Liang. You know, I’m practically blind without my glasses.”
Feng Fan has woken up early this morning to find that his glasses had been broken into several chunks. He hasn’t worn contact lenses in ages, so when he finally puts them on, his eyes start tearing up uncontrollably. He has no choice but to take them off after a while. Now, he can only see five meters in front of him. Not only is he not familiar with the area, he can’t also tell which way is north and south. Fortunately, he happens to run into Liang Ren, else he would have just gone home and to hell with Li Duoyu’s party.
“No problem,” Liang Ren responds, and then looks at the corner where someone seems to have flashed by, but merely shrugs it off when he doesn’t see anyone.
——————
“Da Liang, there you are!”
Li Duoyu greets the newcomers. For an imperceptible moment, his eyes drop on Liang Ren’s arm being held by Feng Fan before looking up at the latter with a smile.
“As expected, it is our Da Liang who has enough face to invite the prominent Eldest Young Master to come over here.”
Feng Fan, who couldn’t care less about giving faces, immediately retorts with a scowl, “Don’t give me that crap. Just say so if I’m not welcome here and I’ll leave right away.”
What Feng Fan lacks in beauty, he makes up in temperament. He looks very scholarly with a little bit of grooming. Li Duoyu usually calls him a little nerd, but he actually has a baby face. He still looks like a student in his early thirties, so even with an angry face, he doesn’t look fierce at all.
“Why, you’re very welcome here. Come in, come in.” Li Duoyu hurriedly herds them inside. “Look, you even washed your hair and changed your clothes today. I, Li Duoyu, am very flattered. Come, the seat of honor is yours.”
“I dare not take your seat of honor.” Feng Fan glares at him, looking a little petulant. “Go chase your little beauty.”
Feng Fan’s voice is alarmingly loud.
“Hush, little grandpa. Keep your voice down. I haven’t explained it yet!”
Liang Ren, the background character, finally can’t stand the bickering, so he silently pulls Feng Fan’s hand off his arm and hands it to Li Duoyu.
“Stop arguing. On Monday, the Civil Affairs Bureau opens at eight in the morning. Go file for a marriage certificate.”
They sure can drive him crazy. His head aches.
13
Zhen Xin flees to the balcony in a panic.
He also can’t explain why he ran away.
As soon as he saw Liang Ren appearing arm in arm with others, his feet flew on their own and ran faster than a rabbit.
Zhen Xin’s belly churns with remorse. He should have left the moment he realized that Li Duoyu tricked him.
But in all honesty, he really wants to find a reason to meet Liang Ren.
Though what’s the use of meeting him if he will only see him appear arm in arm with that omega?
Zhen Xin scolds himself for being unreasonable. He and Liang Ren are completely finished, what right does he have to get angry with the omega?
He really is useless.
——————
“Xiao Zhen, why are you here by yourself?”
Li Duoyu has been looking for him everywhere. After wandering around for a long time, he finally founds Zhen Xin dazedly standing alone in the balcony. His beautiful face is full of sorrow.
A beauty should always be happy, how can he wear such a sad face?
“It’s all my fault. I’ve been inattentive.”
“No, it’s because I’m not feeling well,” Zhen Xin quickly explains. “It’s also my fault for running here without asking the situation first and interrupting your party. If you’re not in a hurry to sell the house, you can reschedule another house viewing when you have the spare time.”
“You’re already here, so don’t be in a rush to leave. The banquet is about to start, let’s talk after eating. I can’t let you go with an empty stomach after coming here in vain. What kind of person would that make me? Hey, Da Liang, take care of my guest for me. I’m going to see the cook.”
Li Duoyu casually grabs a passerby. Zhen Xin freezes in his spot like a wooden chicken.
“I don’t need to do an introduction. You two have met before, so you should know each other.”
The tall alpha snorts coldly.
“Yes.”
Don’t they just know each other?
14
Li Duoyu pats his backside before he left, leaving a pair of speechless Zhen Xin and Liang Ren.
The last time they met is about three years ago. At that time, the two were having a raging argument as Zhen Xin’s dirty laundries were being aired in public. Liang Ren couldn’t accept it at all. He felt so betrayed and foolish that even seeing him made him feel uncomfortable. Until the very end, they never had a proper closure and parted ways in a messy manner.
“Liang…” Zhen Xin opens his mouth, but after much deliberation, he remains unsure of how to address him properly. He doesn’t have a nickname for him, so he can only address him awkwardly, “Mr. Liang, I haven’t seen you for a long time. Have you been doing well these years?”
As soon as he finishes speaking, his palm itches to slap himself. The words came out so awkwardly that even he himself can’t stand it.
Liang Ren is also stunned for a moment, and then laughs, making the atmosphere even more awkward.
“No thanks to you.”
Tsk, it’s better to shut up.
15
The two people, who were clearly at daggers drawn at the beginning, are now at loss for words after three years.
Standing next to Liang Ren, Zhen Xin’s silver tongue seems to have rusted, rendering him speechless.
He can only watch him cautiously. Liang Ren’s appearance hasn’t changed much these past three years, but the person who used to smile all the time is now frowning coldly, as if nothing can make him happy anymore.
Zhen Xin fidgets, but in the end, it’s Liang Ren who breaks the silence.
“You are working in a real estate agency.” He lowers his eyes to look at this person.
Zhen Xin nervously rubs his hands and takes a deep breath before answering, “Ah… yes.”
Liang Ren’s brows gather in puzzlement. How can someone be so good at acting?
When you meet an alpha whom you’d play for a fool, shouldn’t you hold your head high like a winner? Why is he still pretending to be so pitiful, as if he’s deeply in love and trying to deceive him again?
Liang Ren thinks that he should at least encourage his former lover in his career, so he says, “It’s quite good. You’ve chosen a good job… Another good choice for digging gold.”
Zhen Xin nearly dies of embarrassment. The words deeply pierce his conscience.
“I… am not.”
Despite working earnestly and conscientiously, he cannot bring himself to acknowledge that his self-taught college degree only allowed him to barely enter this industry and he isn’t qualified for a more superior job. He can only express his disappointment in himself by bowing his head in shame.
For Liang Ren, this guilty pose only makes him think that he has struck a raw nerve.
Nevertheless, he still can’t resist offering a well-intentioned advice.
“Don’t choose Li Duoyu. He’s got a weak head and a superficial focus on physical attractiveness. He’s quick to change his mind and lose his interest after just three minutes. Before you have time to make profit, he would have already moved on to another pretty face that catches his attention.”
Is it possible to find a target as reliable as his past self who was willing to do anything for his loved one? Despite uncovering his inner nature, he still brainwashed himself, and even when hard facts slapped him awake in the face, he still wanted to ask what other agendas he kept hidden.
“Mr. Li and I are strictly business.”
“Oh,” Liang Ren politely responds, then asks considerately, “That is to say, you haven’t gotten him yet? Do you want me to tell you his preferences? This way you can better shape a character for yourself.”
Tears burst out of Zhen Xin’s eye.
“…I’m sorry,” he apologizes so mournfully. He really wants to say sorry more than anything else. “I’m really sorry.”
Liang Ren quickly averts his eyes and looks at the distant sky.
He frowns, secretly annoyed.
Tsk, what is this?
Why is this beta so good at playing victim?
Give him the Best Actor award.
The one who should be crying here is himself, why is he stealing his role?
He hasn’t said anything too harsh, what is he crying for?
Geez, how annoying.
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