After Breaking Up, I Married A Top Alpha Movie Star And Fell In Love - Chapter 2

A masquerade ball, a scene of caught adultery.

When He Yuchen said those words, Qiu Ye was standing right behind the screen, hearing every single syllable loud and clear.

Those words were like a blade.

For many years, this blade had always hung over Qiu Ye’s neck, but this was the first time it truly and tangibly fell.

Qiu Ye clenched his teeth, feeling thankful that the large lacquered screen in front of him preserved a shred of his dignity.

Even Ding Zhao froze for two seconds upon hearing He Yuchen’s answer, seemingly not expecting the other man to speak with such ruthless finality.

“Families like ours, in the end, place more importance on being well-matched in social status.” Ding Zhao lowered his head and pulled out a cigarette, letting Liu Mian, who was in his arms, light it for him.

He Yuchen did not make a sound, appearing to silently acquiesce to this statement.

Qiu Ye gave a self-mocking smile, his mouth filled with the taste of bitterness.

He returned to the stateroom—which was comparable to a five-star hotel suite—and placed the iris brooch from his chest back into its box.

It wasn’t until the banquet ended that He Yuchen discovered Qiu Ye had left early.

The Alpha opened the first door of the guest suite.

Qiu Ye’s clothes were hanging on the rack in the entryway, and a pair of silver-framed glasses had been added to the nightstand in the side bedroom.

“Why did you leave early without saying a word?”

He Yuchen spoke while loosening his tie. A faint scent of alcohol drifted off him; within his originally pure narcissus pheromones, there was now a trace of tea fragrance.

Qiu Ye lay on his side with his back toward He Yuchen, his mind in total disarray.

At this moment, he felt some regret for mixing his emotions with his work. If He Yuchen weren’t his boss, he could at least walk away cleanly.

He Yuchen was completely oblivious to this, merely feeling that things were a bit unusual.

Secretary Qiu had always been serious and responsible regarding work; this was the first time he had left a scene early without even saying hello.

“Are you feeling unwell?” He Yuchen found an excuse for him, reaching out his hand to feel the other’s forehead, but he was deftly avoided by Qiu Ye.

Qiu Ye slowly opened his eyes and gave a low “Mm.”

“Then rest in your room during the day tomorrow. I’ll have them bring the food and medicine in.”

He Yuchen paused for a moment and continued, “There’s a masquerade ball tomorrow night. Remember to go with me.”

Qiu Ye did not answer. He closed his eyes as if he had truly fallen asleep.

In the middle of the night, He Yuchen came out to pour some water. Passing the side bedroom, he saw that Qiu Ye was fast asleep, the thin blanket having slipped to the edge of the bed.

He Yuchen leaned over to pick up the blanket and covered him again.

Qiu Ye’s jet-black hair was scattered and messy, his eyes tightly shut. The tear mole at the corner of his eye appeared exceptionally distinct against his fair skin.

He Yuchen stood there, thinking of the words Ding Zhao had said. After weighing things in his mind for a long time, he finished his water and walked back to the master bedroom.

The next evening, Qiu Ye did not go to the banquet.

President He finally ran into the elusive host and followed his peers to do a round of toasts.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, He Yuchen finalized a collaboration regarding IP adaptation with two companies, signing the contracts on the spot.

Qiu Ye didn’t step out of the door until it was time for the masquerade ball.

He was somewhat distracted the entire night.

He Yuchen leaned over and whispered to Qiu Ye, “When the ball officially begins, walk toward the front right. I will grab you.”

Qiu Ye didn’t understand what he meant, but since others were approaching them to exchange pleasantries, he had no choice but to swallow his questions.

“He Yuchen.” Qiu Ye rarely called the other by his full name. He took a deep breath, seemingly wanting to say something.

From him to the other, they had gone all the way from school uniforms to business suits; they should have been the people most familiar with one another.

Qiu Ye didn’t want things to turn too ugly.

“Hmm?” He Yuchen was about to keep walking forward, but hearing Qiu Ye call him, he turned his head back.

In that instant, all the lights in the hall were extinguished, and everything around them fell into darkness.

Qiu Ye instinctively reached into his trouser pocket, wanting to take out his phone for light.

A second later, a pale blue light lit up on the circular stage in the distance. A lady wearing a shimmering fishtail dress took the stage and publicly read out the rules of the masquerade ball.

Waiters carrying silver trays walked down from the stage. The trays held masks of different styles, which were randomly delivered to the hands of each guest.

Qiu Ye took a mask from the tray—he couldn’t tell if it was a fox or a rabbit—and obediently put it on.

Soon, the lone faint blue light went out, and the melodious overture of the ball slowly began to play.

Qiu Ye prepared to hide in a corner.

He took six or seven steps back and was bumped into by someone. The person was likely a waiter about to exit, who apologized to him in a low voice in English.

This collision changed Qiu Ye’s original trajectory. His direction was no longer toward the corner; instead, he was heading toward the front left of the dance floor.

Qiu Ye was born with a poor sense of direction. Thinking he had reached his desired spot, he reached out his hand to feel what was around him.

The next second, his wrist was grabbed.

That hand was broad and warm, possessing a strong sense of power.

“Be careful.” The man’s voice was deep and pleasant. The English accent sounded like a foreigner’s, yet it gave Qiu Ye a sense of long-lost familiarity.

Qiu Ye was standing right at the entrance of the stairs, while the man stood one step higher.

He had almost tripped; luckily, he had been pulled back.

Qiu Ye was very close to the other’s chest. His nose was filled with an extremely faint, unfamiliar yet pleasant fragrance.

The scent made one feel as if they were in a cedar forest, cold, crisp, and deep, making one unable to resist wanting to get closer.

Qiu Ye felt that this person’s taste in perfume was extraordinary, and he instinctively looked up, wanting to see the man.

There was almost no light in the ballroom. Qiu Ye could only vaguely see the outline of the other’s mask, which was so rounded it had no distinguishing features.

“May I ask how to address you?”

Upon hearing this, the man clearly paused. His chest rose and fell slightly, and he seemed to grip Qiu Ye’s hand even tighter.

Romantic orchestral music rose with the moment, and Qiu Ye’s waist was pulled in by the strange man.

Qiu Ye felt he should dodge, but sensing that the other’s touch was very restrained, he felt he was perhaps overreacting.

This man seemed very skilled at dancing. Guided by him, Qiu Ye easily hit every dance step correctly.

The man held his wrist with a pressure that was neither light nor heavy, without a hint of offense, and then slowly opened his hand to press his palm against Qiu Ye’s.

“You don’t actually like being a dealer.”

Qiu Ye was a bit dazed by this sentence suddenly popping out of the man’s mouth, guessing the other was one of those who had watched the excitement that day.

“At least the cards are in my hands,” Qiu Ye replied in English, then rested his hand on the man’s shoulder.

That cold, moist scent of cedar seemed to grow a bit stronger.

The first dance lasted only three minutes—a duration so brief it was measured in seconds.

As the beautiful music stopped and the lights in the banquet hall brightened, the man slowly let go of Qiu Ye’s hand.

Qiu Ye finally got a chance to look at the person he had danced with and see what he looked like.

The man’s body proportions were excellent and he was dressed exquisitely, which only made the mask on his face look all the more bizarre.

That smiley-face mask completely obscured the man’s features, leaving only two curved slits for the eyes and a round dollop of rouge on each cheek.

It looked weird and humorous in a way that was hard to describe.

Looking at this person, Qiu Ye couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

After laughing, he reached out to slowly remove the mask from his own face and offered a gentle apology.

Not far away, He Yuchen saw this scene and slowly released his dance partner’s hand.

“Young Master He, who is that person dancing with Secretary Qiu?” Liu Mian wore an exquisite filigree mask, his body emitting the scent of green tea pheromones.

He Yuchen was fuming inwardly. Didn’t he tell him to walk toward the front right?

How could a grown man still be unable to tell his directions just like before?

“Young Master He, I feel a bit dizzy.” Liu Mian remembered the task Ding Zhao had given him. His heart beat faster as he leaned into the other’s embrace.

On the other side, Qiu Ye felt a bit stifled. He placed his mask aside casually and walked out onto the deck.

The sound of the waves rose and fell in cycles, as if they would never stop.

For as long as Qiu Ye stayed on the deck, Lu Mingchuan stood at a higher vantage point accompanying him.

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t attend the ball?” The manager walked to Lu Mingchuan’s side and handed him a special craft cocktail.

Lu Mingchuan looked into the distance and replied, “There are exceptions to everything.”

The sea breeze blew through Qiu Ye’s hair.

The person beside him smiled and said pointedly, “Why do I feel like all your exceptions are related to him?”

Qiu Ye turned around and ran into the solitary Ding Zhao.

“Secretary Qiu, have you seen Liu Mian?”

Qiu Ye shook his head. Director Ding’s lovers came one after another; he didn’t have the leisure to pay attention to where an Omega had run off to.

“Since that’s the case, as President He’s person, shouldn’t Secretary Qiu surrender himself?” Ding Zhao took two steps toward Qiu Ye, offering a “kind” reminder.

Qiu Ye’s expression changed, and he met him with a cold glare. “Director Ding, what is the meaning of those words?”

Ding Zhao sized Qiu Ye up and down and said, “You couldn’t possibly not know, right?”

“This cruise ship has an unspoken rule: all ‘partners’ brought on board are defaulted to be available for exchange.”

“Exchange?” Qiu Ye repeated the words, suddenly remembering several things that felt off.

“You really didn’t know?”

It seemed this person had been tricked into coming on board.

“Besides tax reduction policies, people are only easiest to talk to when they are in bed.” Looking at Qiu Ye’s bloodless face, Ding Zhao actually felt a bit of reluctance to continue speaking.

Qiu Ye reached out to push up his glasses, forcing himself to remain steady as he said to Ding Zhao, “How can you prove it?”

Ding Zhao shrugged his shoulders, exuding the effortless poise of a superior, and said, “Just go see for yourself what He Yuchen is doing right now, and you’ll know.”

Qiu Ye froze in place. A chill climbed from the soles of his feet all the way to his scalp, making it impossible for him to move a step.

“If you don’t believe me, you can also ask Xu Zilong. He knows about this too, though that silly boy didn’t bring anyone on board.”

“By the way, you might not understand Alphas very well. If they encounter an Omega with matching pheromones, they are no different from a male dog in heat.”

Qiu Ye’s eyelid twitched violently, and a buzzing sound rang in his head.

Beep—beep—

The sound of the room card hitting the magnetic strip was exceptionally clear in the quiet corridor. The door opened, but Qiu Ye did not lean over to change his shoes like he did yesterday.

Because on the floor of the entryway sat a pair of unfamiliar brown leather shoes.

The lights in the room were not on. Qiu Ye used the moonlight filtering in from the window to walk toward the master bedroom.

The closer he got to the bedroom, the more obvious the sounds became—labored breathing mixed with unbearable, delicate moans.

His hand rested on the metal door handle. He paused for about three seconds, then silently pushed the door open.

The clothes of two people were scattered all over the floor: a white shirt, socks, and the leather belt Qiu Ye had bought for He Yuchen’s birthday last year.

Liu Mian’s eyes were red and wet. He arched his slender neck to kiss He Yuchen’s Adam’s apple.

Everything before his eyes felt like a resounding slap to Qiu Ye’s face.

The Omega, tortured by the heat of estrus, had lost his sanity, only knowing to huddle close to the Alpha by instinct.

In his blurred state, Liu Mian was cursing eighteen generations of Ding Zhao’s ancestors in his heart.

This method was truly a case of “killing a thousand enemies but losing eight hundred of one’s own.”

The pheromones of the two were entangled together. They didn’t even notice Qiu Ye’s presence at first, still immersed in the supreme pleasure brought by the affair.

“Qiu Ye, listen to my explanation.”

“It’s not what it looks like…”

He Yuchen felt he was truly unlucky. He had been momentarily possessed to bring Liu Mian back, and then, as luck would have it, he ran into the Omega suddenly going into heat.

“He Yuchen, let’s break up.”