After Being Forced to Take the Role of the Scumbag Protagonist - Chapter 5

After delivering the breakfast to Xu Ying, Wu Yunzhi didn’t give another thought to what happened to it.

He was naturally thick-skinned and rarely sweated the small stuff. When they were together, his “obliviousness” used to drive Xu Ying insane; Xu Ying would often secretly curse him for having “Straight Alpha Cancer.” But Wu Yunzhi never took it to heart.

It was only after the breakup that Xu Ying truly understood: Wu Yunzhi wasn’t naturally dense. He just… didn’t care.

Wu Yunzhi’s goal had been clear from the start: money. He was after the funds, by any means necessary. Once Xu Ying could no longer meet his financial “standards,” Wu Yunzhi naturally moved on to a new target.

Every sweet memory Xu Ying held was merely a projection of his own feelings. He should have seen Wu Yunzhi for who he really was long ago, but he had chosen to blindfold himself, convincing himself that Wu Yunzhi loved him back. The man in his heart was a phantom he had invented. He had never truly known the real Wu Yunzhi.

Sitting in his room, Xu Ying scrolled through his old social media posts from their time together. He intended to delete them, but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he simply set them to “Private.”

Between the morning scolding and the clash with Wu Yunzhi, the air in the Xu household felt suffocating. He needed to leave. He needed to breathe.

As he walked out of his room, he saw Wu Yunzhi leaning down toward Xu Congrong, who looked slightly pale. Judging by Wu Yunzhi’s expression and tone, he was asking if Congrong was alright.

When we were together, the only time he was that gentle was right after I gave him money.

Bitterness surged through him again. He didn’t know whether to hate himself for being poor or hate Xu Congrong for being rich.

However, Xu Ying’s jealousy-tinted eyes were distorting the truth. Wu Yunzhi’s tone was actually quite flat; he was just checking if Congrong was sick. Meanwhile, Xu Congrong waved him off, telling him to sit further away. Apparently, Wu Yunzhi’s Iris Alpha pheromones were giving him a headache.

“…”

This was the first time anyone had ever told Wu Yunzhi his scent was unpleasant.

The scent of iris is usually faint and elegant. While it becomes sweeter and more potent when an Alpha is approaching their rut, it was hardly “stifling.” Wu Yunzhi could only assume their compatibility was exceptionally low, causing Congrong to naturally repulse him. He quietly moved to a “safe” distance.

Wu Yunzhi wasn’t delusional. He knew Xu Congrong didn’t love him. They weren’t in a relationship; they were in a strategic alliance of mutual benefit. Calling them “fiancés” was a polite fiction. They weren’t even officially engaged yet, let alone married. Business partners at a tech firm probably shared more intimacy than they did.

As Xu Ying passed by, he caught the faint scent of those Alpha pheromones and cast a dark, hidden glance at Wu Yunzhi.

Unlike Alphas, Omegas were viewed by society primarily as vessels for reproduction and were forbidden from exposing their pheromones in public. Their glands were bound by decorative neck collars that served as both ornaments and shackles.

If an Alpha released their scent in the air, it usually meant one of two things: either their rut was approaching and they needed to mate, or they were attracted to the Omega in front of them and were signaling their intent. Society was always lenient toward an Alpha “in heat,” but it was merciless toward an Omega who failed to maintain “virtue.”

Thinking Wu Yunzhi was “aroused” by his brother, Xu Ying averted his eyes and hurried away, stumbling slightly as he fled the room.

****

He didn’t know that shortly after he left, Wu Yunzhi left too.

Since Xu Congrong clearly disliked his presence, Wu Yunzhi didn’t want to overstay his welcome. He drove aimlessly through the city. By some twist of fate, as he passed a certain street, he spotted Xu Ying parking his car and entering a bar.

A bar?

Wu Yunzhi’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.

As an Omega, entering such a place was risky. Alpha pheromones acted as powerful lures, and under the influence of alcohol, an Omega’s defenses dropped. If an Alpha were to force a permanent mark into the reproductive chamber, the gestational cavity—the Omega would be physically and psychologically bound to that Alpha for life, often resulting in pregnancy.

So, what was Xu Ying doing there? Was he drinking his sorrows away because he’d been dumped? Is he really that type of person?

Remembering the cold way Xu Ying had thrown his breakfast in the trash that morning, Wu Yunzhi’s expression darkened. He stepped on the gas and drove away, feeling a strange, sharp annoyance in his chest.

*****

Inside the bar, Xu Ying was indeed drinking his sorrows away. He was meeting Jiang Shuming, a classmate who, like him, was an illegitimate child.

However, Jiang Shuming was an Alpha. Although he was a “bastard,” his life in the Jiang family was significantly better than Xu Ying’s. He had no ambition, so no one bothered him. Xu Ying, on the other hand, was a “fragile” Omega trapped between a cowardly Beta father and a powerful Beta stepmother. It was a miracle he had survived this long.

Biologically, Xu Congrong and Xu Ying were both Omegas, but the gap in their treatment was like heaven and earth. The only reason Congrong flourished was because he had a fierce, powerful mother with a strong family backing. Over the years, she had eroded the patriarch’s power until the old man had no choice but to treat her son with “doting” affection.

“The old man is never going to give you shares,” Jiang Shuming said, taking a swig of beer. “You should just swear loyalty to your stepmother. Tell her you’ll never touch the Xu inheritance, and maybe she’ll stop stabbing you in the back.”

“It wouldn’t matter,” Xu Ying said coldly. “My father is a terrified bird. Ever since his affair was exposed, he hasn’t dared to breathe at home. He has no say in the shares.”

Jiang Shuming watched Xu Ying down glass after glass. He felt a surge of pity for his friend.

“Look on the bright side,” Shuming said with typical Alpha logic. “In this day and age, as long as you have hands, you won’t starve. Plus, you’re an Omega and you’re gorgeous. Just get married, have a couple of Alpha babies, and your husband will spoil you to death even if you never work a day in your life.”

“…” Xu Ying didn’t bother to argue. He just kept drinking until he was a sobbing, incoherent mess.

Xu Ying was usually cold and reserved, only opening up to Wu Yunzhi. Even with Shuming, he usually kept his secrets close. But now, as the alcohol blurred his vision, Shuming decided to ask the question he’d been dying to ask.

“Xu Ying… what happened? Why did you call me out to drink like this?”

“Because… because…” Xu Ying’s face was flushed, his eyes shimmering with tears like crystals. Even to a non-attracted Alpha, his beauty was undeniable—a standard Omega beauty with almond eyes that could make him a superstar in the entertainment industry.

“Because Wu Yunzhi dumped me…” Xu Ying buried his face in his arms, his voice muffled by a sob. “That bastard dumped me because I’m poor… and now he’s with my brother.”

“…”

Jiang Shuming wasn’t surprised. He had known from the moment he met Wu Yunzhi that the guy was a predator. He was either after money or sex. And even if Xu Ying was poor, he was a stunning Omega.

Shuming went to comfort him, but a terrifying thought suddenly struck him like lightning. He grabbed Xu Ying by the shoulders and shook him.

“Xu Ying! Wake up!” Shuming’s voice was frantic. “He dumped you, but… he didn’t mark you, did he?”

He supported Xu Ying’s limp body, his worry mounting. “The gestational cavity… did he go inside? Did he… did he wear protection?!”

In this world, lovers could engage in “temporary” or “mid-level” marks, but the gestational cavity was a forbidden zone. If an Alpha performed a deep mark (knotting) inside the cavity before marriage and the Omega became pregnant, marriage was the only social option left.

Beyond the social stigma, an Omega who had been deeply marked became biologically dependent on that Alpha’s pheromones. Removing a deep mark was a medical nightmare with a high mortality rate and lifelong psychological trauma.

It took a few seconds for Xu Ying’s alcohol-soaked brain to process the panic in Shuming’s voice.

“Mar… marked,” Xu Ying slurred, his head lolling. He didn’t know if he was complaining or bragging, but the words spilled out: “His… his technique was terrible. When he knotted in the… the cavity… it hurt so much I thought I was going to die.”

Jiang Shuming’s face went pale. He clamped his hand over Xu Ying’s mouth to stop him from complaining about Wu Yunzhi’s “technique.”

“Xu Ying, are you insane?!” Shuming hissed. “You let an Alpha knot inside you without being married? If you’re pregnant, your grandfather will throw you out on the street! No one else will ever marry you!”

“Whatever…” Xu Ying slipped from the chair and collapsed onto the floor. “I don’t want to stay in that house anyway… I don’t want to get married…”

“You’ve broken up with him!” Shuming yelled, his face turning an iron-gray color. “If you’re pregnant, what are you going to do?! What Alpha wants an Omega carrying another man’s child?”

“Won’t be pregnant… won’t be…” Xu Ying shook his head, his logic completely gone. “His technique is trash. He has nothing but a pretty face. Why would Congrong like him? How could he…”

Jiang Shuming was losing his patience with his stubborn friend. He wanted to wait for Xu Ying to sober up so he could drag him to a hospital. But as he leaned in to help him up, his own Citrus-scented pheromones drifted out.

The second Xu Ying smelled the Alpha scent, his face went from red to white. He shoved Shuming away, clutched his nose, and sprinted toward the bathroom to vomit.

Left standing alone, Jiang Shuming froze. “…?”

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