Becoming the Abused Omega and Conquering the Hidden Alpha chapter 21 PART 1
Chapter 21 part 1
A fierce north wind howled. The train, cutting through the clouds and mist, roared out of the tunnel.
Then it flew straight off the tracks!
The heavy carriage plunged down a cliff into a deep, rushing torrent that instantly swallowed all screams.
In the ensuing silence, only a long, narrow streak of lake blue remained, like an abyss that had opened its eyes.
Gu Lanzhu woke up with a start, his silk pajamas soaked in sweat.
Despite it being the height of summer, his dream was piercingly cold, haunted by the shadow of the derailment.
He pressed his temples and got up, turning on the wall lamp, pouring himself a glass of water. He then opened the large screen in his bedroom, which slowly displayed the image of a quiet courtyard.
It was already morning. The colors in the picture were warm. A beautiful young man walked out of the house, exercising by running and jumping in the courtyard.
Gu Lanzhu’s eyebrows softened slightly.
Indeed, every image on the screen was of Shu Ci’s house from different angles.
During these days of recuperation, he had people constantly monitoring Juqing Road.
The area where the old town was incorporated had few industries and little infrastructure funding, leading to numerous monitoring and security loopholes, allowing his people to easily capture images within the courtyard.
Of course, surveillance could only go so far as the courtyard.
The windows of the old, detached house were far from old. Even the most advanced equipment couldn’t penetrate the images inside the rooms.
Gu Lanzhu leaned back into the soft sofa, his eyes fixed on the replay of the footage from a few days ago.
The moonlight was like water. His little jasmine and that Alpha were sitting side by side in the courtyard, talking about something. Their eyes met, as if emotions were surging between them.
Gu Lanzhu suddenly realized what the lake-blue abyssal eye in his dream resembled.
——Lu Wanqing!
How dare he?
He only took a small step closer to Shu Ci, and the disgust in Shu Ci’s eyes was undeniable. Yet, when Lu Wanqing forcibly held his hand, Shu Ci didn’t resist at all; his soft body even seemed to lean against him constantly.
Marriage can only legally bind two people; compatibility and bodily instincts don’t lie.
Just by smelling the lingering pheromones of Shu Ci in the hotel, he instantly fell and couldn’t extricate himself. Shu Ci couldn’t possibly have no feelings for him.
How dare Lu Wanqing, with his 1% compatibility, compete with his 100%?
It wasn’t enough that he married his perfect match first; he even snatched back the necklace that Shu Ci didn’t want.
Gu Lanzhu squeezed the water glass; cracks gradually appeared on the cup’s surface.
“Knock knock—”
A knock came. Gu Lanzhu gestured, throwing the glass shards into the trash can: “Come in.”
Zhao Qian walked in, startled by the dark bedroom. He glanced at the constantly looping surveillance footage and quickly looked away.
Gu Lanzhu lifted an eyelid: “What has Shu Ci been doing lately?”
The president only gives orders; the difficulty of his demands and the trouble involved are not something he needs to consider.
Zhao Qian inwardly grumbled but remained calm on the surface: “Shu Ci’s recent schedule is very simple: the library, the Cui family’s house, and the law firm.”
A hint of surprise flickered in Gu Lanzhu’s eyes: “Law firm? Is he planning to divorce Lu Wanqing? Why didn’t he assign someone from the legal team to help him?”
“…It’s not about divorce.” Zhao Qian saw Gu Lanzhu’s face darken and lowered his head. “He’s gathering evidence of the Shu family’s illegal activities to get his property back.”
“I can help him with that too,” Gu Lanzhu coldly snorted. “By the way, I asked Shu Changhai about it before, and he was vague. Have you investigated Shu Ci’s situation clearly?”
Zhao Qian nodded: “Shu Ci was brought home by Shu Changze when he was five years old. No one knows who his Alpha father or mother is. His position in the Shu family is very awkward.”
The events happened a long time ago, and many things are difficult to trace back to their original sources. Zhao Qian pieced together the story from older generations.
Shu Changze was born frail and gentle, inconspicuous among the prominent Omegas. But who knew that the gentle boy became rebellious during puberty, as the elders described it – “not doing what an Omega should do, trying to compete with the Alphas among his siblings.”
He ran away from home at the age of fifteen and lost contact with the Shu family.
Years later, Shu Changze returned to A City with a child. It was said that he humbly returned to get the Shu family to acknowledge the child and care for him.
“No wonder they scolded him like that,” Gu Lanzhu’s eyes darkened.
An unknown biological father/mother isn’t terrible, but this “bastard” wanting to fight for their inheritance is.
“When Shu Changze returned from the port, the Shu family investigated the cities and islands where he stayed, but found nothing. However, they all believed that he hid on an island for those years and secretly had a child.”
“I’ve seen my father’s records of partner candidates. Shu Changze was the least outstanding Omega of his generation.” Gu Lanzhu pondered for a moment, frowning. “Do you remember how he instantly retracted his pheromones after kicking me?”
The stronger the genes, the better the self-control.
Moreover, a 100% compatibility match with him implies that Shu Ci’s innate genes are definitely not inferior.
Excluding Shu Changze’s genetic factors, it can only mean that the other Alpha who provided the genes was extraordinary.
Zhao Qian clearly realized this as well.
He gasped: “You mean…?”
“Perhaps that person has a title of nobility or is from a former power group.”
Only those people would treat premarital pregnancy as a scandal, ignoring it, unwilling to acknowledge the child, yet willing to cover up Shu Changze’s tracks.
Gu Lanzhu fell into thought.
Shu Ci’s appearance differs greatly from the Shu family members. He has reason to believe that this is inherited from another direct relative. But the problem is, he doesn’t seem to have seen any elders with similar features to Shu Ci in prominent families or the upper echelons.
Zhao Qian stood quietly beside him.
He saw that Gu Lanzhu’s expression wasn’t as gloomy as when he first entered, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
These days, Mr. Gu had locked himself up, publicly claiming illness, and ignoring the special concerns of certain families. For a boss who always retaliated, this was like the calm before a storm.
Today, however, was rather unexpected.
Mr. Gu seemed much calmer, only with a faint gloom in his eyes, his gaze occasionally falling on the repeatedly played surveillance footage.
To be honest, Zhao Qian felt that watching Shu Ci’s daily interactions with his rival over and over would eventually make him sick with worry.
Gu Lanzhu didn’t often remain silent and calm; Zhao Qian seized the opportunity to take out the documents that needed his signature from his briefcase and began reporting on his work aloud.
“Anything else?” About an hour later, Gu Lanzhu impatiently put down his pen.
“One last thing.” Zhao Qian hesitated for a moment, still handing over the document. “This is the maintenance bill for the facilities and boats on Jiāoyuan Island this quarter.”
Gu Lanzhu’s face immediately darkened, and he raised his hand to his temples.
“Besides the bill, can they submit something else? Don’t tell me they’re spending money like water just to support a bunch of good-for-nothings?” Anger flickered in the Alpha’s red eyes. “How far is Jiāoyuan Island from Longji Island? When can we take it?”
Zhao Qian recalled how proud Mr. Gu was when he acquired Jiāoyuan Island.
Gu’s commercial map on the continent had expanded to its limit, so he turned his attention to the sea. Using Jiāoyuan Island as a hub to establish Gu’s maritime trade distribution center was the blueprint he had drawn when he spent a fortune buying the island.
Longji Island, however, lies at the heart of countless trade routes.
Like an uninhabited desert island, it sits quietly on the open sea, peacefully coexisting with the world. However, it doesn’t allow any ships to pass through the surrounding waters.
This directly choked Gu Lanzhu.
Seizing Jiāoyuan Island was meant to significantly shorten the distance of the shipping routes, and its natural geographical advantages made it perfect for mid-sea transit and supply.
Now, however, reaching Jiāoyuan Island requires detouring around Longji Island, which adds to the journey. Compared to other nearby transit points, choosing Jiāoyuan Island is a roundabout way, unnecessarily increasing costs.
Gu Lanzhu was idly supporting an island, and this island hasn’t brought him any benefit, but he continues to bear the maintenance costs. No one would be happy about this.
Zhao Qian swallowed his saliva, but didn’t take the bill back: “Our people have tried to approach several times, but have been intercepted by the island’s automatic defense system. Longji Island has security clearance; except for military needs, other applicants’ requests to land are directly rejected, and we can’t contact any relevant personnel.”
“What about my uncle?”
“Councilman Gu is too busy. The people he has in the military have been deployed to the Far East.”
“I’ll think about it.” Gu Lanzhu held the bill, gritting his teeth and signing it. “If it doesn’t work out, have them return from Jiāoyuan Island.”
“The island is currently maintaining the lowest production costs and is essentially isolated from the world,” Zhao Qian suggested. “Should we cooperate with the Bai family or Chen family’s cruise ship projects and turn Jiāoyuan Island into a tourist attraction on the cruise route? At least we can recoup the investment with more trips a year.”
Gu Lanzhu’s final stroke of his pen paused, and his eyes flashed with something, his expression changing.
“Do something for me,” he beckoned.
Zhao Qian leaned forward, waiting for Gu Lanzhu’s instructions, and froze upon hearing them.
“Is… is this appropriate?” His throat tightened, and his fingertips turned white.
