Becoming the Abused Omega and Conquering the Hidden Alpha chapter 18
Chapter 18
Lu Wanqing stopped beside him, his dark hair swaying slightly.
The streetlights illuminated his handsome face, his eyes like deep, unfathomable pools.
His expression was normal; there was no surprise, confusion, or panic, and he showed no surprise at Shu Ci’s exposure of his identity.
They looked at each other silently, something subtly flowing between them.
In the distance, Shen Ti calmed down, adopting the demeanor of a prominent Omega noble, looking up at Cui You.
“You mean you didn’t reply to my messages because you were too tired from training?”
“…It wasn’t tiredness; I was almost dead.”
Lu Wanqing, who was in charge of this closed training, was a physical fitness freak.
Of the elites recalled from the eight far-province districts, none except Lu Wanqing’s original subordinates could withstand his three-day training schedule, let alone someone like him, from a near-province district, with no experience in extreme environment combat.
“So, you didn’t know before that Lu Wanqing’s new spouse was my friend?”
“Of course not.”
Cui You painfully supported his waist. If he had known their relationship was this close, he wouldn’t have been so timid after being “bloodbathed” by Lu Wanqing at the base.
“It seems that rumors shouldn’t be believed. I only heard before that your friend was a beautiful vase; now it seems that to manage our General Lu, she’s no ordinary Omega.”
Indeed, a General; Shen Ti now confirmed Lu Wanqing’s identity.
His expression improved; he felt relieved for Shu Ci. Regardless of their compatibility, his status and position would compel him to take responsibility for his partner.
“So, what exactly happened?” Cui You was curious.
“Just check your family’s friend’s circle; it blew up in the Omega noble circle today.”
Cui You arrived in a hurry without his phone, so he borrowed Shen Ti’s to check a few Moments. The incident was simple, but the rumors were outrageous; some even guessed if Shu Ci had suddenly changed from an Omega to an Alpha, that he would dare to resist so fiercely.
This was a rare spectacle among the noble families; however, the families posting were mostly on the opposing side of Councilman Gu, and the content was obviously hidden from many people.
Shen Ti patted her bag. “I’ve already obtained the surveillance footage from the shop. Gu Lan Zhu acted wantonly due to his background, but our Ci isn’t someone to be bullied.”
Did a failed attempt at seduction make him lose face to the point of publicly releasing pheromones to threaten him? Bah, that kind of face doesn’t deserve to be someone’s dream Alpha.
The Shu family’s position was aligned with the Gu family’s; they certainly wouldn’t care whether Shu Ci lived or died. Shu Ci was a married Omega, water that’s been spilled. Whether releasing the video or taking legal action, Lu Wanqing had to support Shu Ci.
Shen Ti was about to walk towards Shu Ci when Cui You pulled him into his arms.
“You’re stopping me?”
“The surveillance footage can wait,” Cui You squeezed Shen Ti’s slender waist. “Going there now would be a disturbance.”
Usually so clever and courageous, why was he so lacking in discernment now?
Cui You leaned into Shen Ti’s ear and vividly recounted how Lu Wanqing had repeatedly abandoned him for his wife.
Lu Wanqing could disappear from the training room within three seconds of a phone call; would he ignore Shu Ci’s affairs?
Shu Ci, instead of waiting for Lu Wanqing’s response to his exposed identity, received a wink from Shen Ti, then watched as he casually waved goodbye and left with Cui You.
“…” So much for visiting him and bringing evidence.
He retracted his gaze and looked at Lu Wanqing. “Are we going home?”
“Let’s go.” Lu Wanqing turned around.
His movement seemed to falter slightly at the word “home.”
Shu Ci followed him, thoughtfully watching the long shadow cast by the streetlights. As he stepped on the shadow, the reflection in the rearview mirror suddenly dazzled him.
He subconsciously closed his eyes, stumbled, and was about to bump into Lu Wanqing’s upright back.
Before the collision, Shu Ci abruptly stopped.
His thoughts swirled.
How many people could reach the position of one of the Twelve Generals in their twenties? Lu Wanqing, with such intelligence and capability, even if he had indeed worked at the Shu Group, how likely was it that he was a truly ordinary low-level employee?
He let himself probe such a large flaw without any ripple.
He didn’t seem to bother concealing it; maybe he even enjoyed seeing others put in effort to investigate, delving into his past—if anyone had the ability.
Shu Ci got into the passenger seat, his eyelids twitching. As he closed the door, his knuckles tightened around his thumb.
After years in the entertainment industry, he knew very well that there were no such things as free lunches. The words “I’ll support you,” and “Use me,” were said sincerely and casually by Lu Wanqing. But would using him really not cost him anything?
Shu Ci blinked and quietly fastened his seatbelt.
He still couldn’t relax his guard, nor could he take advantage of Lu Wanqing’s easygoing nature to make requests that crossed his bottom line.
Staying alive and healthy was most important.
The SUV drove across half the city; neon lights flickered. Lu Wanqing patiently waited for his series of questions after he’d revealed his identity, but he didn’t get any.
Shu Ci relaxed and leaned back, languidly lowering his eyes.
After a long time, Lu Wanqing’s voice sounded in the car: “You… don’t have anything you want to ask me?”
“No.” Shu Ci’s eyelashes trembled slightly; his reply was crisp.
Lu Wanqing turned his head slightly, looking at him deeply, as if seeing through his thoughts: “Is it that you have nothing to ask, or that you don’t dare to ask?”
Shu Ci met his gaze and then looked away.
He did have many questions, but he had already figured it out. Before he could clearly grasp the balance in his relationship with Lu Wanqing, it wasn’t the right time to ask questions.
He yawned slowly, his voice drowsy. “None.”
Shu Ci’s voice trailed off, growing quieter, and he fell asleep against the window.
Lu Wanqing’s lips were pressed tightly together; the expression in his eyes was ambiguous.
The person in the passenger seat was sharper and more detached than he had imagined.
Even after discovering his identity, his expression only showed slight teasing, no joy or shock, and no intention of clinging. He was completely listless; his status as a legal husband meant nothing to him.
Lu Wanqing appreciated such an unfazed, intelligent person.
It was just that he couldn’t understand why Shu Ci’s eyes had shown some trust in the hospital, but now there was a strange distance between them, and his words were more detached.
Unfortunately, the Omega was sound asleep, defenseless, unable to respond to his confusion.
Lu Wanqing frequently turned to look at him; halfway, he suddenly gripped the steering wheel tightly.
As the relaxed Omega fell into deep sleep, wisps of the honeysuckle scent wafted out again, and even if faint, the slight pain still challenged Lu Wanqing’s nerves.
Alphas have strong endurance. The lingering pain tormented him the whole way, yet his expression didn’t change. Only his breathing was heavier, and his gaze more intense, as if he wanted to burn a hole through the person.
He both hoped he would wake up quickly to retract his pheromones and didn’t want to disturb the sleeping Omega.
Until they stopped in front of the garden on Juqing Road, the long eyelashes fluttered lightly, and the eyes slowly opened.
Shu Ci’s eyes returned to their previous state. He blinked in confusion, suddenly sensing the pheromones floating in the car, immediately becoming alert, and concentrating to retract them.
Then he gave Lu Wanqing an apologetic look.
He had unknowingly made him uncomfortable the whole journey.
Lu Wanqing shook his head, getting out of the car, turning away, and shifting his gaze from Shu Ci’s white neck.
After they got out of the car, an electric scooter wobbled over from a distant intersection and stopped in front of the climbing ivy wall.
“Are you Mr. Lu?”
“Yes.”
Shu Ci rubbed his eyes, swiping his fingerprint while watching Lu Wanqing receive a large bag from the person, and then the electric scooter zipped away.
“What is it?” Shu Ci looked down at the bag in his hand.
“Dinner, takeout from Wei Ji Zhai,” Lu Wanqing stepped into the house, turning on the lights at the entrance and steps. “I don’t know your taste, so I ordered extra dishes.”
Shu Ci was stunned; he didn’t know when he ordered it.
He remembered Wei Ji Zhai; it was an old restaurant in City A. When Gu Lan Zhu confined the original protagonist to a small dark room, the original protagonist resorted to a hunger strike, refusing to eat any food made by the Gu family’s private kitchen. Later, Gu Lan Zhu used Wei Ji Zhai’s signature dish to entice the original protagonist to give in.
“I’m not picky,” Shu Ci thought of the original protagonist humiliatingly submitting to Gu Lan Zhu, and his appetite diminished. “As long as it’s not a boxed lunch, it’s fine.”
Unlike the original protagonist, who was pampered at the Shu family, he wasn’t demanding about food. As long as it wasn’t the kind of crew boxed lunch he’d had for months, he could accept it.
Lu Wanqing stood there, his gaze lingering on Shu Ci for a moment.
Seeing that he wasn’t being perfunctory, he nodded. “Understood.”
It has to be said that the food at Wei Ji Zhai was indeed delicious. As soon as Shu Ci took the first bite, his eyes lit up, and he ate more enthusiastically.
This was his first time eating dinner with his so-called legal partner.
Sitting opposite each other, slightly awkward, he lowered his head to pick up a piece of greens, unsure whether to start a conversation.
Before he could hesitate, Lu Wanqing spoke first.
“I said before that I’d discuss moving with you when I got back,” Lu Wanqing said. “This area on Juqing Road is old; the privacy and security aren’t very good.”
This was because of Zhao Qian’s visit.
Shu Ci paused with his chopsticks and shook his head. “Moving might not help. Since he already knows I live here, he’ll definitely have people monitor me 24/7. No matter where I move, he can find me. It’s better to install more surveillance cameras at home and nearby.”
As they talked about this, Shu Ci’s awkwardness disappeared, and he spoke volubly.
He almost wrote a character profile of Gu Lan Zhu; Lu Wanqing didn’t know as much as he did about how extreme and depraved Gu Lan Zhu was.
Soon, a seemingly ordinary dinner turned into a war meeting. They had an in-depth discussion on how to prevent and legally restrain Gu Lan Zhu, deciding on several measures.
For example, Lu Wanqing asked Cui You for a group of bodyguards, directly covering the employment costs; they would carry recording pens with cloud backup functions at all times, turning them on whenever they saw Gu Lan Zhu.
They also discussed whether they could report his suspected use of banned drugs at the hotel and have relevant departments investigate.
It has to be said that maintaining normalcy and acting like a native of this world in front of Lu Wanqing was difficult. Although he had gained a lot of knowledge about this world by browsing the internet, reading, and searching at Shen Ti’s house, he still fell into ingrained thinking many times, almost unable to keep up with Lu Wanqing’s train of thought.
Fortunately, the original protagonist did have a bit of the trait of being beautiful but lacking in intelligence; this could be excused.
“No, I need to order several legal code compilations to study.”
After dinner, their conversation ended. While Lu Wanqing cleaned up the trash, Shu Ci quickly picked up his phone, adding items to his shopping cart and making the payment.
When Lu Wanqing finished cleaning up, he glanced at his shopping cart.
He was startled by the number in the upper right corner of the shopping cart icon.
…How did he add over a hundred books in such a short time?
Lu Wanqing took out the trash to the entrance; as he closed the door, he keenly heard Shu Ci muttering—
“There’s even a deluxe hardcover collection? I feel like I could send one to Gu Lan Zhu; this binding seems to match his flamboyant hotel decor.”
He turned and looked at the person swinging his legs at the dining table, slightly frowning.
Then he heard him say, “Let me see… maybe a Marriage Law book too; it might come in handy for a divorce later.”
“…”
Author’s Note:
Lu Wanqing: He’s also planning to send Gu Lan Zhu a gift???
