After Breaking Up, I Married A Top Alpha Movie Star And Fell In Love - Chapter 23

The moment Qiu Ye saw the perpetrator’s face clearly, his thoughts seemed to freeze.

Separated only by a window.

He Yuchen had lost a lot of weight. He was wearing mismatched clothes that looked as if they had been thrown on haphazardly without a second thought. Those eyes, which were usually full of spirit, were now bloodshot, with faint dark circles underneath.

Qiu Ye had never seen He Yuchen looking so disheveled; he seemed as strange as if a lifetime had passed.

Beside him, Lu Mingchuan naturally recognized He Yuchen as well, his gaze darkening by several degrees. He knew the other man might act crazy, but he hadn’t expected him to be this insane—to stoop to such lowly tactics as malicious tailing and intentional collision.

A Beta cannot be marked, yet they can still be stained by another’s scent.

Qiu Ye could not smell pheromones, so he didn’t realize his body was radiating the scent belonging to Lu Mingchuan. That crisp fragrance of snowy cedar drifted through the half-open car window, mixing with the damp sea breeze and forcing its way into He Yuchen’s nasal cavity.

Even though He Yuchen tried desperately to ignore another Alpha’s pheromones, it became extremely difficult at such close proximity. He furrowed his brows, clearly displeased by the way that loathsome scent clung to Qiu Ye. Soon, the thought struck him that the scent could only reach such a concentration if the two had been inseparable.

“Get out of the car! Qiu Ye!”

He Yuchen stared deathly at Qiu Ye inside the vehicle, his broad palm slamming against the window with a heavy thud.

“Get out of the car right now!”

Qiu Ye was frightened by the scene before him. He couldn’t understand He Yuchen’s reason for chasing the car at all; after all, they had broken up a long time ago.

Lu Mingchuan turned slightly, his arm reaching over the center console to grasp Qiu Ye’s hand, giving it a gentle, reassuring pat. He Yuchen’s gaze landed on their tightly interlaced hands; jealousy and rage almost burned his internal organs to ash.

“Don’t be afraid.”

Qiu Ye was stunned for a moment, turning his head to see his window slowly rolling up to the top, cutting off the frantic shouting from outside.

“Wait for me in the car,” Lu Mingchuan’s voice carried an unquestionable calm. With that, he swiftly pushed open the door, stepped out with his long legs, and shut the door firmly behind him.

Two completely different Alpha pheromones collided violently in the air, like invisible giant waves crashing into one another. On one side was the narcissus pheromone—on the brink of collapse and reeking of destruction; on the other was the snowy cedar—chilly and possessing absolute suppressive power.

“Lu! Tell Qiu Ye to get out. I have something to say to him.”

He Yuchen threw the doctor’s warnings to the back of his mind, releasing his pheromones without restraint like a cornered beast. However, the narcissus scent was overturned by the woody notes of the cedar, quickly retreating until only a futile struggle remained.

Lu Mingchuan looked at him levelly, his voice as cold as ice. “He has nothing to discuss with you.”

He Yuchen stepped forward and grabbed Lu Mingchuan by the collar, the undisguised jealousy in his eyes churning like ink.

“Lu Mingchuan, you’re not scared, are you?”

Their gazes locked fiercely, as if generating sparks of repulsion.

“The one he clearly likes is me!”

“I don’t know what tricks you used to get him to agree to marriage!”

“But you are absolutely nothing in Qiu Ye’s heart!”

Lu Mingchuan narrowed his eyes, grabbed He Yuchen’s wrist, and jerked it away forcefully. He said in a deep voice, “I am his legally recognized spouse.”

“And you are merely a lingering, bothersome ex-boyfriend.”

The expression on He Yuchen’s face stiffened for a split second. Infuriated, he raised his hand, looking as though he was about to throw a punch.

Through the car window, Qiu Ye saw He Yuchen approaching emotionally, his fist nearly touching Lu Mingchuan’s face. His heart tightened instantly. Subconsciously, he pushed the door open and walked quickly to Lu Mingchuan’s side.

Qiu Ye’s eyes were filled with wariness as he spoke calmly, “What exactly do you want to do?”

He Yuchen watched helplessly as Qiu Ye got out of the car and stood on Lu Mingchuan’s side. Those already bloodshot eyes turned a terrifying shade of red, looking as if they might bleed.

Qiu Ye instinctively looked back, asking with concern, “Mingchuan, are you okay?”

Lu Mingchuan’s breathing deepened. He was dazed by that sudden “Mingchuan,” and it took several seconds before he gave a small shake of his head.

“Qiu Ye, what did you just call him?”

He Yuchen’s voice was broken and distorted, each word sounding as if it were being ground out from between his teeth.

Qiu Ye frowned slightly and turned away, seemingly unwilling to have any eye contact with He Yuchen. “Regarding today’s incident, I will have my legal representative contact you.”

He Yuchen stared fixedly at the person he had been pining for, feeling for the first time that Qiu Ye was a stranger. It was clearly the same person, the same face, the same voice—but everything was different from before.

Why?

He Yuchen couldn’t understand why the person who had always favored him would now stand on someone else’s side.

“Qiu Ye, I am the one you have always loved.”

He Yuchen stepped forward and grabbed Qiu Ye’s wrist, his knuckles turning white from the force. His voice was hoarse like a broken bellows. “What can Lu Mingchuan give you?”

“Whatever he can give you, I can too.”

Standing behind Qiu Ye, Lu Mingchuan’s dry palms broke into a thin layer of sweat. He knew Qiu Ye had already given up on that relationship, yet he couldn’t stop worrying. Seeing He Yuchen so haggard and exhausted, would Qiu Ye waver? Would he feel even a little bit of pity?

Qiu Ye kept his eyes downcast and forcefully shook off the wrist that had been grabbed. He said heavily, “We have already broken up.”

“As long as you are willing to come back, even if you wander between two Alphas, I’ll accept it. As long as you…”

As long as you don’t discard me.

Before He Yuchen could finish his sentence, Qiu Ye interrupted him.

“President He truly has a short memory.”

Qiu Ye’s wrist was hurting from being squeezed, and he found the man’s hypocritical display somewhat laughable.

“Even if he weren’t an illegitimate child of the Qiu family, do you think I would marry a Beta?”

Each word was repeated with perfect accuracy.

He Yuchen snapped his head up, his brain buzzing. His eyes under his disheveled hair were blood-red, and the strength in his hand instantly vanished.

“Qiu Ye, those weren’t my true feelings. Back then, I…”

Qiu Ye took the opportunity to pull his wrist away, showing no interest in He Yuchen’s explanation. He Yuchen regretted his actions so deeply his “intestines turned green”; he reached out again, trying to grab the other man.

Qiu Ye stepped back at the right moment, discreetly avoiding him. “Mr. He, please conduct yourself with dignity.”

Lu Mingchuan put his arm around Qiu Ye’s waist and reached out to stroke the other’s arm. The distinction between close and distant was made crystal clear.

He Yuchen took a deep breath, his fingers digging hard into his palms. “Qiu Ye…”

“Give my Qiu Ye back to me!” He Yuchen behaved like a child who had his favorite toy snatched away—childish and overbearing.

Lu Mingchuan, looking at the man who had monopolized Qiu Ye’s love for so long, finally couldn’t help but speak up.

“Qiu Ye is a person, not an object to be passed around. Have you ever truly cared about what he likes or what he wants?”

“A person like you doesn’t deserve to talk about liking someone, let alone talk about love.”

“Qiu Ye, it’s not like that. Don’t let him bewitch you,” He Yuchen heard his own strained voice. “Whatever you don’t like, I can change.”

Qiu Ye’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. His voice was soft and calm as he said, “But I don’t like you anymore.”

“Impossible!” He Yuchen couldn’t accept it; he couldn’t listen to another word.

The sound of sirens approached from afar, the flashing red and blue lights cutting through the twilight on the coastal highway. Police cars and professional tow trucks arrived one after another.

The leading officer stepped out of the car and asked the three of them, “Who called the police?”

“It was me.”

Qiu Ye stepped out from behind Lu Mingchuan and held up his phone. The clear record of the emergency call on the screen stung He Yuchen’s eyes. He looked at Qiu Ye in disbelief, his pupils contracting violently from the shock. “You… you called the police on me?!”

This time, Qiu Ye did not avoid his gaze. His eyes were cold and clear, his lips pursed in silence.

The tow truck crew began skillfully handling the two damaged luxury cars. The Porsche was dragged onto the flatbed like a piece of scrap metal by steel cables, letting out a piercing grinding sound.

Before long, the assistant, Xiao Bei, arrived in a low-profile black SUV, jumping out of the car panting.

“Brother Lu, Brother Qiu! Are you two okay?”

“We’re fine,” Lu Mingchuan said flatly, his gaze never leaving Qiu Ye.

After confirming both were unharmed, Xiao Bei breathed a sigh of relief and called Ji Bing to report their safety.

After finishing the on-site evidence collection and a brief inquiry, the police spoke sternly to He Yuchen. “Mr. He, you are suspected of dangerous driving and intentional injury. Please come back to the station with us to cooperate with the investigation.”

As He Yuchen was being led to the police car, he struggled to look back.

Night had begun to fall, and the sea breeze grew fierce, mussing the black hair on Qiu Ye’s forehead. Lu Mingchuan naturally raised his hand, using his fingertips to gently smooth the wind-blown strands, his movements tender and focused.

The scene before him was like a dagger thrust into He Yuchen’s heart, the pain so intense it felt as though smoke would rise from his very soul.

“Qiu Ye, you’re not allowed to leave!”

“Come back here! Don’t go!” He Yuchen shouted at Qiu Ye’s retreating back.

He was pushed into the back seat. Through the window, he saw Qiu Ye hide inside the car without looking back, and Lu Mingchuan followed him inside. In his entire life, He Yuchen had never felt that anyone could hurt him so much, yet leave him completely unable to strike back.

Only Qiu Ye had accomplished it with such ease.

The red and blue lights of the police car soon disappeared at the end of the coastal road.

Xiao Bei drove Lu Mingchuan and Qiu Ye away from the accident scene. The sea breeze continued to blow, and between heaven and earth, only the endless night remained.

Qiu Ye gazed at the neon lights flashing past the window. His voice was very low, carrying a clear sense of guilt. “I dragged you into this today.”

“If it weren’t for me,” Qiu Ye pursed his lips, his fingertips curling unconsciously, “he wouldn’t have gone crazy like that, and there wouldn’t have been a crash.”

“But it’s not your fault.”

“The fact that he vented his emotions regardless of the cost was his own choice.”

Lu Mingchuan looked earnestly into Qiu Ye’s eyes. His warm palm once again covered the other’s slightly cool hand, holding it gently yet firmly.

“You don’t need to take responsibility for anyone else’s loss of control, and you certainly don’t need to apologize to me for his mistakes.”

Qiu Ye looked at him, thinking that perhaps anyone would feel happy being with Lu Mingchuan.

Lu Mingchuan asked Xiao Bei to stop the car. He hesitated for a long time before speaking.

“Can I ask why you were with him in the first place?”

Qiu Ye was silent for a long time before answering with some difficulty, “He helped me when I needed help the most.”

“In the beginning, I just wanted to repay that kindness, so I did everything I could to be good to him. Over time, it seemed to become a habit. Actually, I could see his aggression, his paranoia, his self-centeredness… I just…”

Although Qiu Ye said nothing, he had a “bright mirror” in his heart; he saw himself clearly, and he saw He Yuchen clearly too.

“You just liked him very much at that time.”

Qiu Ye was startled; he hadn’t expected the other man to finish his sentence. For some reason, he felt that Lu Mingchuan looked a bit sad when he said those words, and even his tone carried a subtle hint of bitterness.