After Being Forced to Take the Role of the Scumbag Protagonist - Chapter 10

The moment Wu Yunzhi gripped Xu Ying’s wrist, the air in the room thickened, but the contact lasted less than five seconds. Just as Xu Ying began to tilt his head, perhaps intending to look him in the eye, Wu Yunzhi sensed something was amiss and abruptly pulled his hand back.

He acted as if nothing had happened, turning instead to Xu Congrong, who had opened his eyes and was watching him through the vanity mirror.

“Are you ready?” Wu Yunzhi asked.

With every passing minute, the guests and relatives outside were growing more anxious. Wu Yunzhi had come specifically to hurry Congrong into his formal wear to receive the guests.

It was impossible to tell if Xu Congrong had witnessed the brief interaction between the two. He cast a cold, sharp glance at Xu Ying and Wu Yunzhi through the mirror, a mocking smirk flashing across his lips before he closed his eyes again.

So what if Xu Ying and Wu Yunzhi once dated? he thought. Once the banquet is over today, Wu Yunzhi will officially be my fiancé. No matter how unwilling Xu Ying is, he can only watch as the Alpha he loves marries me.

In the rivalry between him and Xu Ying, Congrong was always the winner.

The fury from the previous night’s threats finally ebbed away. After finishing his makeup and changing clothes, Congrong practiced a bright smile in the mirror. He then looped his arm through Wu Yunzhi’s and, with the head-high posture of a victor, led him into the banquet hall.

Though only an engagement, the Xu family’s wealth and influence ensured the event was grander than most weddings. It was less a family gathering and more a high-society networking gala.

The hall was filled with guests clinking glasses and laughing in small circles. Wu Yunzhi moved through the crowd, making toasts and accepting hollow blessings.

Xu Ying was not seated at the main table with the rest of the Xu family. Instead, he sat in a quiet corner, eating in silence. Lately, he had developed a strong craving for sour foods, so he was focused entirely on a large bowl of Suancai Fish (Poached Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens), eating with a singular intensity.

Normally, the toasting rotation should have brought Wu Yunzhi to Xu Ying’s table. However, upon seeing Xu Ying, Wu Yunzhi pivoted and headed toward a different table instead.

Xu Ying didn’t even notice; he was too busy with his meal. But Xu Congrong noticed the deliberate avoidance. After a round of toasts, Congrong specifically summoned Xu Ying to the main table. In front of the Xu relatives, he began to badger Xu Ying, telling him he needed to hurry up and get married so he could have a child soon.

The atmosphere shifted instantly. Both Wu Yunzhi and Xu Ying looked strained.

Despite the breakup, the complex history between the three of them made Congrong’s “well-wishing” feel like a serrated blade across the heart. While the rest of the Xu family, who are ignorant of the past, cheered and toasted to Xu Ying finding a “good Alpha,” Xu Ying could only lower his gaze, his fingers neurotically picking at the rim of his glass.

Seeing Xu Ying’s discomfort, Congrong’s smugness only grew. He was about to deliver another jab when his second sister, Xu Congxing, gave him a warning nudge. Snapping back to reality, Congrong maintained his stiff, polite smile.

Even though he wasn’t the one being targeted, Wu Yunzhi felt a sudden sense of suffocation. He set down his glass, wanting to step out for air, but Congrong insisted the banquet wasn’t over. Not wanting to cause a scene, Wu Yunzhi was forced to stay.

Once the first round of the banquet concluded, the final event moved to the outdoor lawn. It was essentially a social transition from the formal dining hall to an open-air mingling session.

Watching Xu Congrong navigate the crowd like a seasoned socialite, Wu Yunzhi felt more like an accessory than a groom. In truth, he was an accessory; the event was about Xu Congrong getting married, not who he was marrying.

Wu Yunzhi wandered away from the center of the party toward the night-shrouded lake. As he walked deeper into the shadows, the voices of the guests faded. He expected the area to be empty, but instead, he found a figure sitting on a bench.

It was Xu Ying. He, too, had come here to hide from the noise.

Wu Yunzhi hesitated, considering turning back, but the prospect of the banquet hall was even worse. As he stood there in indecision, Xu Ying looked up and caught his eye.

Just as they had in the dressing room, their gazes met in a place hidden from the crowd. This time, Xu Ying was the first to look away.

Neither spoke. The only sound was the weak, rhythmic buzzing of late-summer cicadas, vibrating like a heartbeat. Finally, amidst the silence, Xu Ying spoke in a low voice.

“Congratulations,” he said. “Happy engagement.”

Wu Yunzhi remained silent for a long moment, looking at the thin, fragile silhouette before him. “Thank you.”

Silence returned.

Moments later, a voice called out from across the lake. Someone was looking for Wu Yunzhi. Both of them heard it, but neither responded. They simply stared at each other until a messenger came running up to them, gasping for breath.

“Wu Yunzhi! Get back there!” the man panted. “It’s time for the proposal!”

For some reason, the engagement ceremony had been structured exactly like a wedding. It included a public segment where Wu Yunzhi was expected to kneel, propose to Xu Congrong, present a ring, and seal it with a kiss.

This hadn’t been in the original itinerary Wu Yunzhi had seen. Congrong had added it at the last minute, perhaps to assert his dominance or to spite someone. Regardless, Wu Yunzhi was trapped by the “script” of the event.

Before leaving, Wu Yunzhi took one last, deep look at Xu Ying. He lowered his lashes and said something that sounded strangely out of place:

“Xu Ying, do you really want to see me marry Xu Congrong?”

Even if Wu Yunzhi had to follow a script, the world was generated by Xu Ying’s subconscious. If Xu Ying truly didn’t want it, Wu Yunzhi, no matter how much he played the “scumbag” role, wouldn’t be able to go through with it. He just wanted to confirm if Xu Ying was the one pushing him away.

He was tired of this play.

Xu Ying didn’t answer immediately. He kept his head down as if thinking, but in reality, his stomach was roiling again. The sudden surge of nausea was so violent he could barely hear the question. He stood up, wanting only to find a private place to vomit.

He didn’t realize how ghostly pale he looked or that he was swaying on his feet, ready to collapse at any moment.

The tension in this scene is incredible; that final realization about the ring size is the perfect “gut punch” to end the chapter. It highlights that even while Wu Yunzhi is physically standing next to Xu Congrong, his subconscious is still entirely anchored to Xu Ying.

The person calling for Wu Yunzhi noticed he hadn’t followed. Turning back in confusion, they saw Wu Yunzhi and Xu Ying in a silent “standoff.” Sensing something strange, the messenger raised their voice even louder:

“Wu Yunzhi!”

“…Wait a second.”

Seeing the undeniable pain on Xu Ying’s face, Wu Yunzhi knit his brows. He took a step forward, blocking the messenger’s inquisitive gaze with his body. In a voice clear enough for all three to hear, he said:

“You go back first. Give me three minutes.”

Seeing this, the man didn’t think much of it and nodded. “Alright, I’m heading back then.”

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Wu Yunzhi looked down at Xu Ying, who stood a full head shorter than him. He seemed to be waiting for an answer, a confirmation:

“Xu Ying?”

“I want to throw up, Wu Yunzhi.”

Xu Ying pressed his hand to his lips, his dark brows slightly furrowed in distress. His black eyelashes trembled like the wings of a fragile butterfly. He didn’t answer the question; he only repeated:

“I want to throw up.”

Failing to get the answer he sought, a flash of an unidentifiable emotion flickered in Wu Yunzhi’s eyes. After a long moment, he let out a soft sigh.

“I’ll have the butler come over to look after you. Just wait a moment.”

“…No.” Borrowing courage from an unknown source, Xu Ying suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Wu Yunzhi’s collar and burying his head into the Alpha’s chest. His slender fingers gripped the fabric tightly, wrinkling the crisp lines of the formal suit. The veins on the back of his hand strained against his skin.

“Stay with me.”

“WU YUNZHI!“

Simultaneously, the voices calling him back to the engagement site rang out again, more urgent this time:

“Hurry up! Everyone is waiting for you!”

“…” Wu Yunzhi looked down at Xu Ying, who was clinging to him and refusing to let go, then glanced at the guests waiting in the distance. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke in a low voice:

“I’ll be there in a moment.”

“How long is a ‘moment’?” Xu Ying kept his head down, revealing the soft, helpless crown of his head. He didn’t know how else to stop him, so he simply whispered the Alpha’s name over and over:

“Wu Yunzhi… Wu Yunzhi…”

“Soon,” Wu Yunzhi said. “Just wait here for a little while.”

Ultimately, he never specified exactly how long “soon” would be. This brief, illicit encounter, stolen away from the eyes of the crowd, carried the forbidden weight of an affair.

Not daring to linger too long, Wu Yunzhi hurried back to the center of the banquet.

In the hall, Xu Congrong was already waiting for him. The crowd below was cheering, eager to see the couple cut the cake and exchange rings.

As Wu Yunzhi took Xu Congrong’s hand, he instinctively noticed something: Congrong’s wrist felt significantly more slender and delicate than Xu Ying’s.

The realization sent a jolt through his heart.

Before he could dwell on it, the ring bearer stepped onto the stage, smiling as they opened the velvet box to present the rings.

For some reason, Wu Yunzhi suddenly turned his head to look at Xu Ying in the crowd.

Xu Ying’s face was still pale—so pale it looked translucent under the harsh, brilliant spotlights of the banquet hall. Yet his eyes were darker than ever, as if all the light in the room was being swallowed by those deep, bottomless pools, leaving not a single spark behind.

Seeing this, Wu Yunzhi’s hand trembled. As he moved to slide the ring onto Congrong’s finger, he nearly missed.

Xu Congrong frowned slightly, subtly wiggling his finger to signal Wu Yunzhi to focus. Steeling his nerves, Wu Yunzhi finally managed to slide the ring onto the middle finger of Congrong’s left hand.

The moment the ring sat securely on the finger, both Wu Yunzhi and Xu Congrong seemed to hear the sound of their own hearts sighing in relief.

Wu Yunzhi was exhausted from the acting; Xu Congrong had been terrified that Xu Ying would burst in and ruin the ceremony.

But before Congrong could fully enjoy that relief, he reached for the microphone to give his thanks. As he moved his hand, the ring that was just placed just moments ago somehow loosened. In front of the entire assembly, it slipped from the base of his finger with a sharp clink, hit the floor, rolled a few times, and fell right off the stage.

The expressions of everyone in the room changed instantly.

Wu Yunzhi stood frozen for a beat before the truth crashed down on him.

Dammit. I bought the wrong size.

Subconsciously, he had bought the ring to fit Xu Ying.

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