Side Story 2: Side CP â Bai Chen Ă Bai Ke (1)
1.
A boundless, hazy gray accumulated in the sky, the rain falling quietly like a knitted curtain over the city. Inside the old Bai family residence, the air was heavy enough to suffocate.
On the living room sofa, a middle-aged man in a suit sat upright, his hair graying and his face stern and unsmiling. He was furrowing his brows at the document in his hand. Beside him sat a middle-aged woman in a red evening gown, looking equally displeased.
Opposite them sat Bai Chen. His expression was calm, his gaze indifferent, as if everything before him had nothing to do with him.
Bai Ke strolled unhurriedly down the spiral staircase and took in the scene. He sneered internally but kept his face smooth, acting as if he hadn’t noticed the heavy atmosphere in the room. He turned back with a smile and asked the domestic helper to brew him a pot of black tea.
Hearing the commotion, Bai Chen looked in his direction.
The Beta youth before him had a slender figure, his long, beautifully lined legs wrapped in pale blue jeans. The top two buttons of his white shirt were undone, revealing the elegant curve of his collarbone. His skin was fair, his features exquisiteâa pair of enchanting fox eyes and full, red lips that curved slightly upward, looking as if they were begging for a kiss.
Undeniably, he was a top-tier beauty, far prettier and more alluring than even some Omegas.
It was just a pity… he was a Beta.
This thought wasn’t Bai Chen’s own, but a refrain constantly chanted by his parents.
Sensing his gaze, Bai Ke turned his head. Immediately, the corners of his lips hooked up into a wicked little grin.
He looked exactly like a cunning fox with a cute exterior and a black heart, lazily wagging a beautiful tail to lure a hunter into a trap.
Bai Chenâs brow twitched, and he withdrew his gaze.
The old Bai Ke wasn’t like this.
Ten years ago, on a sunny afternoon, Bai Chen had come home from school as usual to find a strange child in his living room.
His parents had smiled beamingly at him. “This will be your playmate from now on.”
Carrying his schoolbag, Bai Chen had given the child a single, icy glance before turning and heading upstairs.
He had no concept of fighting for parental affection, nor did he feel any crisis that his inheritance was in danger because another child had appeared. He didn’t care about others. Perhaps, he didn’t even care about himself.
Bai Chen was born cold; it seemed no emotion could leave a mark on his heart.
Downstairs, his parents exchanged a look and sighed deeply.
Even as a small child, Bai Chen had been expressionless. No one could peek into his thoughts, and no one could provoke an emotional response from him. Worried, they had taken him to the hospital, but the doctorâs answer was: Everything is normal.
The doctor had even comforted them, saying some Alphas were just born that way and there was no need to worry.
The Bai family was a standard Alpha/Omega household. Mother Bai, a female Omega, was somewhat sentimental. With Father Bai busy with work, her abundant emotions naturally shifted to her son. But Bai Chenâs demeanor truly broke her heart.
For his wife’s sake, Father Bai eventually suggested, “Let’s have another one.”
But Mother Bai refused without hesitation.
Her health was frail; conceiving Bai Chen had already been difficult. Aside from that, she selfishly didn’t want another biological child. She had seen enough dramas about wealthy brothers turning against each other for money and power. Although she complained about Bai Chenâs lack of affection, she still cherished this son in her heart.
Besides, Bai Chen was only a bit cold; in other aspects, he was extremely outstanding. No matter what he did, he was always among the best. Looking at the wall full of trophies and certificates, the parents never said it aloud, but they were incredibly proud.
Finally, after discussing it, they decided to contact a welfare agency, sponsor a child, and foster him in their home to keep Bai Chen company.
That child was Bai Ke.
Everything went exactly as Mother Bai hoped. Bai Ke was obedient and cute, with fair, beautiful skin and a soft personality. He was also very intelligent, satisfying almost all her expectations for a child.
Father Bai was also very satisfied with him, treating him like his own and sparing no expense. An orphan with no parents who needed charity just to go to school was transformed into a wealthy young master dressed in custom-made designer clothes.
There was only one flaw… when Bai Ke presented, he presented as a Beta.
Mother Bai had almost made up her mind, plotting that if Bai Ke presented as an Omega, she would marry him to Bai Chen. Bai Chen didn’t care about these things anyway, and since they were familiar with Bai Ke, it would have been perfect.
What a pity.
So, on the day Bai Ke walked out of the examination room, he was met with Mother Baiâs undisguised disappointment.
He frowned fiercely in his heart, but on his face, he maintained that obedient smile.
However, after he became a Beta, the parents’ affection for him inevitably faded. As Bai Chen slowly reached marriageable age, their focus shifted back to him.
After all, Bai Chen was their biological son and an Alpha. He was different from a child from an orphanage with no blood relation.
Bai Ke didn’t have any opinion on this. To be precise, from the moment he was sponsored, he had understood his position. In front of the Bai couple, from ten years ago until today, he had worn the mask of obedience and docility.
When he was brought back to the Bai family, Bai Ke was already nine years old. In the orphanage, he was considered “old stock.” People who came to adopt wanted young children who wouldn’t remember things, to make bonding easier. To them, five was already too old, let alone nine.
Because of his background, Bai Ke had struggled in the mud of society too early and had seen the fickle nature of human relationships. Fortunately, he was naturally intelligent and his grades were exceptionally good. He knew that as long as he persevered, his future was limitless.
The day the Bai parents came, he was reading in his room. Suddenly hearing gasps of surprise from outside, he knew some rich person must have arrived. Although he knew it had nothing to do with him, he looked up out of curiosity.
The gate opened, and a pure black Maybach slowly drove into the orphanageâs cramped courtyard. The usually arrogant director and deputy director stood by, bowing and scraping, rushing to open the car door with sycophantic smiles.
A man in a suit and leather shoes, and a beautiful woman with elegant manners stepped out. Their clothes were luxurious, their bearing extraordinaryâclearly a wealthy family from high society.
After getting out of the car, the man spoke a few words with the director, while the woman scanned the circle of curious and longing children. The expression on her face was hard to readâdisappointment, perhaps?
Bai Ke watched her face quietly through the window, the corners of his lips curving slightly into a smile.
It was as if a whisper light as a feather brushed past his ear, telling him that the chance to change his life was right in front of him.
Bai Ke put down his pen, stood up, walked to the mirror, and changed out of his worn, loose printed T-shirt. He found a pure white shirt, tidied his hair, and cleaned his fingernails and ears one by one. Only then did he walk out of the room, unhurriedly.
His timing was perfect. As he walked out, the director was leading the couple toward the office to look through the orphans’ files.
In the corridor, Bai Ke met the specific couple face-to-face. In that instant, he clearly saw a light of amazement in the woman’s eyes.
Bai Ke knew very well that his looks and brain were superior. These were his advantages. What he had to do was try to use his advantages to mask the defect of his age.
In the end, he succeeded in making the Bai couple take him home.
On the surface, he played “happy family” with Mother Bai. In the dark, he silently accumulated power, waiting for the chance to soar.
Bai Ke never trusted anyone but himself.
Facts proved his thoughts weren’t wrong. After presenting as a Beta, all the spoiling he once received was revoked. Only the cold numbers in his bank account maintained the thin bond of affection.
If Bai Ke had naively believed that the Bai parents truly loved him and had given them his heart, he would have been in agony and torture due to the disparity.
Fortunately, he hadn’t. So even when faced with the cold shoulder, his heart remained calm.
While he was lost in thought, the helper had brewed the black tea and respectfully wheeled it over on a cart.
Bai Ke snapped back to reality and nodded at her with a smile. Taking the cart, he didn’t rush back to his room. Instead, he picked up an overturned teacup, placed it gently on the saucer, hooked his long, slender fingers around the handle of the teapot, and lifted it. The reddish, translucent tea flowed into the cup in a thin stream.
The high-quality black tea was fragrant just to smell. Bai Ke lifted the cup, took a sip, and stared unblinkingly at the sofa.
Over there, Father Bai put down the document and sighed heavily. “Bai Chen, Mom and Dad aren’t forcing you to do anything. It’s just that you’ve reached that age. If you have someone you like, you can bring them back anytime. But if you don’t, blind dates and arranged marriage are unavoidable.”
Mother Bai added softly, “Yes. I saw the second daughter of the Luo family at a banquet before. Both she and her mother are Omegas. She’s very beautiful and well-raised. She won’t engage in any messy business after marriage. Just go take a look, have a meal. It’s not like you must marry her. If you’re not satisfied, there are other candidates.”
Bai Chen looked at the photos of women scattered on the coffee table and closed his eyes in annoyance.
After finally dealing with his parents and agreeing to have a casual meal with the Luo girl, Bai Chen lifted his hand and rubbed the space between his brows.
A soft clink sounded in front of him. He opened his eyes, meeting Bai Ke’s smiling face.
“It really isn’t easy, is it?” Bai Ke handed the teacup to him. “Here, drink some tea to calm your nerves.”
Bai Chen looked at him expressionlessly. “You seem to be enjoying the show.”
Bai Ke paused for a second, suppressing a faint pang in his heart, then pulled at the corner of his lips. “I’m happy. Why wouldn’t I be happy?”
Bai Chen was used to his way of speaking. He said nothing more, reached out, took the cup from Bai Ke’s hand, and took a sip.
Not far away, the helper revealed a slightly confused expression.
Did she see it wrong? The cup Second Young Master Bai just handed over… seemed to be the same one he had just used himself.
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