A. Bai Yueguang Said Nothing And Just Cried For The Substitute B. Chapter 1
byChapter 1: Even if They’re Married, They Can Divorce
When Wēn Sòng arrived at the entrance of the High-End Club, a light rain was falling outside.
The rainwater gathered into dense strings of droplets, hitting the bluestone slabs with a continuous, pattering sound.
He took out his phone, opened his WeChat chat with his boyfriend, Zhào Míngzhuó, and typed a message.
I’m at the entrance. Send the room number.
He waited several minutes but received no reply.
Could he be drunk?
Wēn Sòng pondered for two seconds and decided to call him.
“Beep, beep, beep—”
The call went unanswered for over ten seconds, just as he was about to assume Zhào Míngzhuó was too intoxicated to notice the phone.
He was about to hang up when the dialing status suddenly changed to “In Call 00:01.”
Before Wēn Sòng could react, he abruptly heard an unfamiliar, magnetic, and cool voice coming from the other end of the line. It was loose, like a drawn-out recitation, and he heard the words, enunciated one by one: “Wife?”
“…?”
He was stunned for a second, then lowered his head to carefully check the number and contact name he had dialed.
He hadn’t dialed the wrong contact.
It was Zhào Míngzhuó.
Why was a completely strange voice on the other end?
After a moment of thought, he guessed it might be one of Zhào Míngzhuó’s friends whom he didn’t know.
A few seconds later, he heard the cool, lazy male voice ask casually, “Here to pick up Zhào Míngzhuó?”
The voice on the other end was extremely pleasant, the languid tone like a feather lightly brushing his ear.
Wēn Sòng paused, then replied, “Yes.”
The person rattled off a string of numbers—the room number.
“Come on up.”
After hanging up the phone.
Wēn Sòng belatedly realized he had just been verbally taken advantage of by a stranger. The cool voice echoed in his ears, but he maintained a calm expression, reached up to pinch his earlobe, then turned off his phone screen and put it back in his pocket. He strode toward the club entrance.
Following the front desk’s directions, he took the elevator to the top floor.
This was his first time visiting this High-End Club.
He exited the elevator and followed the hallway until he finally found the room with that specific number at the end.
The door wasn’t fully closed, leaving a tiny gap through which loud cheers and music spilled out.
Seeing this, Wēn Sòng first reached out and gave a polite, light knock.
Then, he slowly pushed the door open.
Inside the room, lights of different colors crisscrossed every corner. The background music pushed the atmosphere like waves of heat. There were at least twenty or thirty people attending the party, most of whom were unfamiliar faces.
An Alpha who had met Wēn Sòng once before noticed his presence, walked over, pointed in a direction, and said:
“Brother Zhuó is in there.”
Wēn Sòng nodded in thanks.
The people around him began talking intently with those next to them after seeing him.
Since moving to Suicheng, Wēn Sòng had long developed the habit of completely ignoring the gossip behind his back.
Following the direction the Alpha had pointed, he finally spotted the familiar figure in the corner of the sofa.
Zhào Míngzhuó was clearly drunk and currently playing dice with another Omega. Next to him sat an Alpha who was playing on his phone and not participating in the entertainment.
The Alpha on his phone seemed to sense Wēn Sòng’s gaze and lifted his head from the screen.
The two made eye contact across the crowd in the dim room.
The man was wearing a thin shirt, the collar open, revealing a section of his pale, slender neck and his defined collarbone.
His features were flawless and three-dimensional, his bone structure excellent. His brows and eyes were sharp, his eye sockets deep. A pair of dark eyes were cool and clear, and when they looked at Wēn Sòng, the calm gaze seemed to hold a ripple of emotion.
He was a Top-Tier Alpha.
And an Alpha filled with Wildness and extreme Aggression.
Wēn Sòng was a Beta, unable to smell Pheromones, yet he felt a Sense of Oppression.
This Alpha’s eyes were fixed directly on him.
It made him feel slightly uncomfortable.
The man’s gaze was completely undisguised, carrying a hint of obscure emotion that Wēn Sòng couldn’t decipher.
It was as if… he knew him.
Wēn Sòng searched his memory but found no recollection of this Alpha. He guessed they hadn’t met before; otherwise, given the distinctiveness of that face, it would be impossible not to recognize him.
Just then, Zhào Míngzhuó, who was playing dice, looked toward Wēn Sòng’s location after a friend prompted him.
“Xiǎo Sòng, you’re here,” he called out, pushing away the Omega who was nearly leaning into his arms.
He then picked up the stacked phone and cigarette case on the table, stood up, and stepped out from behind the sofa.
“How did you know the room number?” Zhào Míngzhuó reached out to straighten Wēn Sòng’s collar, his Peach Blossom Eyes narrowed casually. “I should have gone down to meet you.”
Wēn Sòng’s gaze swept over the man’s long fingers, catching a strong scent of alcohol. He lowered his eyelids, subtly increased the distance between them, and replied calmly:
“I called. Your friend answered.”
Zhào Míngzhuó realized, “Oh, I went to the restroom a few minutes ago.”
As if remembering something, he pointed to the Alpha he had just made eye contact with, who was now being urged to drink by others, and introduced the guest of honor for the evening to Wēn Sòng.
“His name is Guān Suī.”
“You must have heard of him.”
“He probably answered my phone just now.”
Although Wēn Sòng had only been in Suicheng for a few years, he had heard the name Guān Suī hundreds of times.
It wasn’t that Zhào Míngzhuó often mentioned him, but there were countless rumors about him in the social circle.
He heard that the man was a Top-Tier Alpha with a volatile and ruthless personality, the dream Alpha of many Omegas. He had gone abroad for training and had only recently returned.
This gathering was the Welcome Banquet they organized for Guān Suī.
“I know.”
Zhào Míngzhuó said, “I’ll go say goodbye to him before we leave. Are you coming with me, or—?”
Wēn Sòng shook his head slightly: “I’ll wait for you here.”
Zhào Míngzhuó: “Alright, give me two minutes.”
He then returned to the table where they were drinking.
Wēn Sòng’s gaze followed Zhào Míngzhuó’s back and landed on Guān Suī. Perhaps because he lingered too long, or because Zhào Míngzhuó mentioned him, Guān Suī, while listening to Zhào Míngzhuó speak and tilting his head back to drink, lifted his eyelids and looked toward Wēn Sòng’s location.
The dim lighting made it difficult to discern Guān Suī’s facial expression.
The only thing Wēn Sòng knew was that the man had superior bone structure and a cold, sharp demeanor. Even sitting in the corner of the sofa, his presence was extremely prominent.
The way he looked at Wēn Sòng was like a beast preparing to strike; if Wēn Sòng wasn’t careful, he might be seized by the neck and treated as prey.
Even though he lacked a Gland, Wēn Sòng felt a chill on the back of his neck.
The word—”Wife”—from the phone call suddenly echoed in his ears.
He didn’t know if the man had said it intentionally or unintentionally.
Wēn Sòng’s expression remained calm, the knuckles of his fingers, resting at his sides, curled and then relaxed.
Two minutes later, Zhào Míngzhuó was urged by his friends to drink one more glass before he was allowed to leave.
“Let’s go,” Zhào Míngzhuó reached out and draped an arm over Wēn Sòng’s shoulder, resting his head near his neck. The posture wasn’t intimate but was very close. He mumbled, “I’m a little drunk. Help me out for a bit.”
Wēn Sòng dutifully supported him, helping him step by step out of the private room.
Behind them.
Guān Suī held an unlit cigarette between his lips.
His gaze had not shifted.
He watched the retreating figure of the young man. Perhaps due to being a Beta, Wēn Sòng appeared slightly thinner compared to an Alpha, yet he was not frail, his posture as straight as a pine tree.
His friend, Duàn Zé, who was sitting next to him, leaned over and asked, “What are you looking at?”
Guān Suī slightly lifted his chin toward Wēn Sòng’s retreating back: “Who is he?”
Duàn Zé was about to ask who “he” was, but noticing his friend’s eyes fixed on the Beta supporting Zhào Míngzhuó, he immediately understood.
“Oh, you mean Wēn Sòng. He’s the Illegitimate Child the Wēn family took back two years ago. I heard he only agreed to Acknowledge Ancestry this time because his grandmother was sick and needed a sum of money.”
“Don’t let his gentle and obedient appearance fool you. He’s actually extremely cunning. The chaos in the Wēn family right now is definitely his doing.”
Wēn Sòng’s face flashed through Guān Suī’s mind.
A pair of eyes as clean and pure as amber, fair skin, red lips, and an outstanding appearance. His demeanor and speech were full of refined upbringing.
He didn’t look like someone who actively sought trouble.
“You’ve been abroad these past few years, so you don’t know a lot of things that happened in Suicheng,” Duàn Zé said. “I’ll tell you slowly sometime.”
Guān Suī listened to Duàn Zé talk for a long time without getting to the point he wanted, so he asked directly, “What is his relationship with Zhào Míngzhuó?”
Duàn Zé said nonchalantly, “Zhào Míngzhuó’s boyfriend, of course.”
Thinking of the word “Wife” in Zhào Míngzhuó’s contact notes, Guān Suī’s eyes darkened. “Just a boyfriend?”
Duàn Zé replied with an “Uh-huh.” “You didn’t think they were married, did you? How could they be? One is the Crown Prince of Zhengrong Group in Suicheng, the other is an illegitimate child who can’t make it to the main stage. They’re just dating, at most.”
A family with power and influence, and an Alpha with a high Pheromone level, would absolutely not allow him to marry a Beta who didn’t even have Pheromones.
It was widely known that Betas lacked Pheromones and couldn’t provide Pheromone Comfort during an Alpha’s Rut Period. In high society, they were generally referred to as Playthings.
There was a saying in the circle: Betas are fine for fun, but for true marriage, you need an Omega.
Zhào Míngzhuó was the Crown Prince of Zhengrong Group.
When he eventually married, he would definitely marry an Omega with a high Pheromone compatibility, not a Beta who could only be slept with but couldn’t provide Pheromones to his partner.
Guān Suī thought of Wēn Sòng’s obedient posture with lowered eyes, and a strange emotion stirred in his heart. He said calmly, “It’s fine if they aren’t married.”
Duàn Zé subconsciously asked, “What?”
Guān Suī didn’t expect Duàn Zé to understand the implication.
He simply dropped another sentence,
“Even if they’re married, they can divorce.”
Duàn Zé was stunned. He felt that this sentence sounded a little strange coming from his friend’s mouth, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly why.
Guān Suī took out his phone from his pocket to check the time and asked, “Is it raining outside?”
Duàn Zé didn’t understand why the topic jumped so quickly. “It was definitely raining lightly when I went out for some air earlier.”
Guān Suī pondered for a moment, picked up the cigarette case on the glass table and his jacket from the sofa, preparing to leave.
“Are you leaving already?” Duàn Zé asked curiously.
“Mm.”
“So early?”
“Mm.” His tone was extremely cold, yet it hinted at other emotions.
It was as if he was rushing to do something.
“Then drive carefully on your way.”
The response was still just an “Mm” and his retreating back.
All in all, Duàn Zé noticed one thing.
Guān Suī, who had been continuously low-spirited all evening, substituting alcohol with soft drinks, seemed somewhat excited now.
It seemed to have started when Wēn Sòng appeared.
He had never inquired about other people’s affairs before.
But he specifically asked about Wēn Sòng…
Could Guān Suī possibly be interested in Wēn Sòng?
But aside from his face, Wēn Sòng didn’t seem to have much else going for him.
If he had to mention something, it was that his face was quite striking, and upon closer inspection, he seemed to bear a three-point resemblance to Guān Suī.
In any case,
Duàn Zé thought it was probably just a casual question.
A Beta without Pheromones couldn’t possibly make Guān Suī look at him differently.
Warning: Alpha/Beta relationship, no childbearing.