Chapter 106: Xiao Xiao’s Story
“Smack!“
A phone case shaped like a realistic toy cleaver was thrown onto the table, making Xiao Xiao jump. He glanced fearfully at Gu Qian.
Gu Qian smiled. “Explain,” he said. “What’s this all about?”
Xiao Xiao gave an embarrassed laugh. “Boss,” he said in a small voice, “it’s a misunderstanding.”
“What kind of misunderstanding?” Gu Qian took a cigarette case from his pocket, lit a cigarette, and took a drag. He held it casually between his fingers, looking elegant and handsome, his smile gentle. “Bringing an outsider, holding this thing, and hiding in the company’s underground parking lot. What were you planning to do, a robbery?”
Gu Qian continued, “Everyone else in the company has already left at this hour. Usually, I’m the only one left. If Lu Heng hadn’t come by today, the person you would have run into would have been me. So, were you planning to… rob me?”
“No, no.” Xiao Xiao hadn’t thought about how awkward it would be if he got caught. He couldn’t possibly admit it, right? If he admitted it, would he get fired?
Jobs were hard to find, and this one was easy with decent pay. If he got fired, where would he ever find such a good job with such a handsome boss?
So, no. He absolutely could not confess!
Xiao Xiao pressed his hands together. “Boss, Le Le is my friend. We were just joking around. And besides, this is just a model. How could you rob someone with this? It’s impossible, really. I’m not lying. Boss, please just let me go.”
Gu Qian’s kind smile gave Xiao Xiao a glimmer of hope. Just when he thought Gu Qian was going to drop it, Gu Qian shook his head regretfully. “No. If we don’t get to the bottom of this today, you’re not going anywhere.”
Xiao Xiao: “…”
“Tell me the truth, and I’ll let you go,” Gu Qian said.
He had seen it all. He’d seen the omega Xiao Xiao brought with him jump out to rob Lu Heng, only to lose his nerve before he could even get started.
Gu Qian could understand. It was normal to be afraid when facing the alpha who had marked you.
But that omega was certainly bold, running around with Lu Heng’s mark on him. The scent was… truly unpleasant.
Lu Heng was really lucky, finding that omega like this. What a coincidence.
Gu Qian subconsciously glanced at the foolish beta in front of him. If only betas could be marked, too. That would be nice.
Xiao Xiao had no idea that Gu Qian was already contemplating how to mark him. He hesitated for a moment before finally confessing.
“Boss, I… we just… wanted to play a joke on you.”
Xiao Xiao admitted it. The goal had been a bit too obvious; anyone could have guessed the general reason.
So, Xiao Xiao gave up resisting. He hung his head, dejected. “Boss, I was wrong. I really was just trying to play a joke. Can you please not fire me?”
Before Gu Qian could answer, Xiao Xiao grabbed the hem of his shirt, mimicking An Le’s usual tactics. He forced out some tears and said pitifully, “Boss, I’m begging you.”
Gu Qian: !!!
Did this stupid beta have any idea what he was doing?!
Gu Qian gritted his teeth, using all his strength to force a smile. “Was it really just a joke?”
Xiao Xiao nodded frantically. “Yes, it was really just a joke. Boss, please believe me. I’m begging you.”
Gu Qian took a deep breath. “Fine. You can go.”
Xiao Xiao nodded quickly. “Thank you, Boss! Thank you, Boss!” he said, scrambling out the door. He didn’t forget to grab the cleaver phone case on his way out.
He rushed out of the office and into the elevator. The moment the doors closed, he let out a sigh of relief.
But his relief was short-lived. His phone started ringing. He pulled it out and saw it was Gu Qian.
For a split second, he didn’t want to answer. But Gu Qian was not only his crush but also his boss. He had to take the call.
“Hello, Boss? Is there anything else?”
Gu Qian chuckled. “Nothing. I just wanted to remind you not to worry about your omega friend. Lu Heng is very reliable.”
“Oh.” Xiao Xiao had already been worried, but hearing Gu Qian’s words made him even more so.
Still, he had to say with a smile, “Okay, thanks for the reminder, Boss.”
“You’re welcome,” Gu Qian said, not standing on ceremony, and hung up.
After hanging up, Gu Qian looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost midnight. The entire office was pitch black. That beta was playing with fire, and if he had kept him there any longer, Gu Qian didn’t know what kind of beastly things he might have done.
So, he could only watch as the terrified beta fled in a panic.
Gu Qian swallowed hard and went to the bathroom…
Xiao Xiao didn’t go back to his dorm to rest. He immediately went downstairs, hailed a taxi, and went to An Le’s place.
In order to win his crush’s favor, he had planned a little drama.
Tonight, his friend An Le was supposed to stage a robbery on Gu Qian. Then, Xiao Xiao would step in, chase An Le away, and leave a good impression on his crush, hopefully leading to further developments.
No matter what, he had to break through their current relationship dynamic.
But he never expected that halfway through their well-laid plan, an unexpected person would show up.
And An Le’s eyesight wasn’t great. He mistook that person for his crush and rushed out to rob him.
He had hidden behind a pillar, trying to signal An Le. His eyes were cramping from winking so hard, but An Le didn’t get it. He covered his face in despair. He was about to go out and explain when he heard the unexpected person say he was going to kill whoever put An Le up to this.
He froze on the spot.
After that, things went completely off the rails, like a wild horse that had broken free. Nothing went according to plan.
In the end, An Le was taken away by that person, and he was caught by his boss.
Xiao Xiao felt like today was especially unlucky. How else could he be in such a mess?
When Xiao Xiao got to An Le’s rental apartment, An Le hadn’t returned yet. He sat outside the door, feeling terrible. What would he do if something had happened to An Le?
It was all his fault. He shouldn’t have dragged An Le into his crazy schemes.
Xiao Xiao blamed himself for a long time. Just as he was about to call the police, An Le came back.
Under his intense questioning, he learned the truth: An Le had already been permanently marked by that man.
An accidental marking.
That night, he was miserable. First, because An Le had been taken advantage of, and second, because An Le now had an alpha.
An Le was an omega whose life was even more tragic than his own.
He had met An Le during a low point in his life. Influenced by his mother, he had felt that life was meaningless and had even considered suicide.
It was An Le, who had burst into his life, who made him realize that life wasn’t so bad. An Le had it much worse.
So, he gritted his teeth and carried on. On An Le’s eighteenth birthday, he helped him escape from the An family.
He had made An Le his motivation to live, and for the past two years, his life had been fulfilling.
But now, An Le had been marked by an alpha.
No matter what the future held, this meant that An Le was going to leave him.
Xiao Xiao didn’t sleep well that night, and as a result, he had no energy at work the next day.
He stared at his computer, but the page on the screen hadn’t changed in half an hour.
Suddenly, a hand waved in front of his face. “What’s wrong? Got back too late yesterday, didn’t sleep well?”
Xiao Xiao looked up to see Gu Qian leaning against his desk, smiling at him.
Xiao Xiao froze. Gu Qian was an alpha, tall and handsome, absolutely top-tier. But most importantly, Gu Qian was incredibly gentle and kind. He always seemed like a perfect gentleman, but when he spoke, you could feel a hint of carefree spirit beneath the gentlemanly exterior.
He was so charming.
Xiao Xiao had a weakness for this type. Most of the time, a single smile from Gu Qian was enough to make him lose his composure.
It was the same now. Xiao Xiao’s face instantly turned red. “Boss, what is it?”
Gu Qian pointed at the computer. “This report,” he said with a helpless tone, “when exactly are you going to let me see it?”
“Oh, oh, oh…” Xiao Xiao snapped back to reality and quickly started working. “It’ll be ready in a minute. Boss, just wait a moment, it’ll be ready right away.”
Gu Qian stood beside him, watching him work, teasing him from time to time. “I saw you were spacing out for a long time. Still thinking about robbing me last night?”
At those words, Xiao Xiao mistyped a number. He quickly corrected it and continued, saying, “Boss, you said it yourself, no talking about personal matters during work hours.”
“Did I? Did I say that?” Gu Qian looked helpless. “I don’t seem to remember. Besides, this isn’t really a personal matter. Someone was attempting a robbery downstairs from the office. That’s a threat to everyone’s safety. It’s everyone’s business.”
“No, it wasn’t a robbery.” Xiao Xiao was mortified. He glanced around to make sure no one had heard Gu Qian, then let out a sigh of relief. “It was just a joke,” he whispered.
He didn’t understand why Gu Qian kept bringing it up. He pouted and said while working, “And if you keep distracting me here, Boss, I won’t be able to finish this report.”
“Alright, fine.” Gu Qian said helplessly. “I won’t bother you then. But if you want to play a joke like that next time, you can let me know in advance. I’ll cooperate properly.”
With that, Gu Qian walked away.
Xiao Xiao: “…”
How could he be so mean!
Xiao Xiao, his face bright red, quickly finished the report, organized the documents, and headed toward the office.
As he got close to the office, he hesitated, remembering what had just happened.
Although he really wanted to see Gu Qian, last night’s incident was just too embarrassing. He wanted to give it some time. So, maybe he shouldn’t go. He could ask someone else to deliver it.
He turned and saw Xiao Wang, who often delivered documents. But before Xiao Wang could even get to him, he clutched his stomach and rushed to the bathroom.
Xiao Xiao: “…”
If Xiao Wang didn’t deliver the documents, no one else would. Everyone was too busy.
Left with no choice, Xiao Xiao braced himself and knocked on the office door.
“Come in,” Gu Qian said.
“Boss.” Xiao Xiao walked in, holding the documents. He carefully placed the report on Gu Qian’s desk and said with a smile, “The report is done.”
“Mhm.”
“Then I’ll be going.”
Gu Qian was watching a video on his phone with headphones on. Seeing Xiao Xiao about to leave, he quickly called out, “Wait.”
Xiao Xiao had already turned and taken two steps. Hearing that, he had no choice but to turn back. “Is there anything else, Boss?”
Gu Qian took off his headphones and asked with a smile, “Xiao Xiao, I want to ask you a question.”
Xiao Xiao immediately stood up straight. “Go ahead, Boss,” he said seriously.
Gu Qian glanced at the intertwined alpha and beta on his phone screen, then hesitated for a moment before asking, “What are your thoughts on the strong societal opposition to relationships between alphas and betas?”
Recommended Reads
