After Breaking Up, I Married A Top Alpha Movie Star And Fell In Love - Chapter 4

The horizon paled with the color of a fish’s belly as golden light pierced through the clouds, the glass curtain wall of the hotel’s top floor refracting dazzling sparks of starlight.

Qiu Ye lay flat on the bed, raising a hand to rub his throbbing temples.

Normally at this time, he would have long since gotten up to wash, but at this moment, his entire body was so limp and sore that he could barely keep his eyes open.

Qiu Ye frowned slightly, and those images came rushing back into his post-hangover brain, fighting for space.

A dim yellow glow spilled from the streetlamp at the alley entrance, slanting inward to outline the man’s deep and sharp profile in the darkness.

The light fell upon the man’s long, straight eyelashes, as dreamlike as a close-up shot from a movie.

He had been pinned against the wall, the man looking down at him from a height.

The breath between them was so scorching it felt ready to ignite at a touch.

In the air, there was a faint, floating scent of cedar—cool and moist, yet infused with a perfectly measured touch of lingering ambiguity.

“Qiu Ye.”

How did he know his name?

In his drunken state, Qiu Ye’s thinking had slowed down, like an old computer unable to process unrelated pieces of information.

Lu Mingchuan lowered his head, his dark lashes concealing the churning emotions in his eyes. His voice was low and hoarse as he asked, “Who am I?”

Qiu Ye’s cheeks burned. He reached out to adjust his glasses, subconsciously tensing his shoulder blades.

He tried hard to think, even wrinkling the tip of his nose slightly, before suddenly reaching out to touch the other man’s face.

His fingertips slid from the bridge of the nose to the tip, and then to the lips.

This was a flawless face, undoubtedly possessing the capital to “commit a crime with its beauty.”

Qiu Ye raised his arms, lightly hooking them around the man’s neck.

Warm breath brushed past slowly, accompanied by the thick aroma of wine that coiled upward, drifting into Lu Mingchuan’s nostrils.

Qiu Ye’s eyes curved slightly. Convinced he was lost in a foolish dream, he smiled without a hint of defense at this “public heartthrob’s” handsome face.

“Lu Mingchuan. You are Lu Mingchuan.”

Those dark gray eyes staring at him suddenly became thick and murky, swirling with dangerous signals.

Qiu Ye was completely oblivious to it.

“Qiu Ye, do you want to come with me?”

Perhaps Qiu Ye really was thoroughly drunk, or perhaps he truly wanted to indulge himself for once, as he silently leaned into the man’s embrace.

The warm sensation transmitted through the trench coat felt like the most honest and sincere embrace between lovers.

Qiu Ye turned over, burying his head into the high, snow-white pillow.

Why would he dream of Lu Mingchuan?

His brow relaxed as he propped himself up with his hand, preparing to get out of bed, but his movements suddenly froze.

A firm, long arm was draped across Qiu Ye’s waist, the palm pressed against his lower abdomen, fingers twitching subconsciously.

“Awake?”

A lazy, pleasant voice rang out in Qiu Ye’s ear, identical to the protagonist of his dream.

Qiu Ye was stunned. His whole body felt as if a pause button had been pressed, and he was once again fitted seamlessly back into Lu Mingchuan’s embrace.

“Lu… Lu Mingchuan?”

Qiu Ye’s eyes widened suddenly. He never expected to meet his old classmate, who had become a superstar, under such circumstances.

Lu Mingchuan gave a low “Mm” in response. He watched with open eyes as Qiu Ye scrambled out of his arms and sat on the edge of the bed with his back turned, beginning to put on his clothes.

Lu Mingchuan sat up, leaning against the headboard. Looking at the patches of red marks he had left on Qiu Ye the night before, he spoke calmly: “Qiu Ye, you bit me quite painfully yesterday.”

At that moment, the air seemed to stop flowing.

Secretary Qiu’s movements as he buckled his belt faltered. He didn’t dare think too deeply about what Lu Mingchuan meant by “biting,” and took a deep breath before turning his head back.

“Mr. Lu, I…”

The quilt had slid down to the Alpha’s waist, revealing several scratch marks left by the Beta on his side.

Broad shoulders, a full chest, and well-defined abdominal muscles—Lu Mingchuan’s physique in reality was actually better than it appeared on posters.

With the man’s rhythmic breathing, the veins near his lower abdomen flickered faintly, like the complex, interlacing roots of a great tree.

Qiu Ye turned his face away, his temples throbbing. For a moment, he forgot what to say.

After his mind steadied, Qiu Ye calmed down. As a newly single adult, while this had happened a bit fast, it could be considered normal.

It was just a one-night stand.

Lu Mingchuan grabbed a bathrobe at random and got out of bed. He strolled past a full-length mirror, walked over to Qiu Ye’s side, and pointed at the back of his own neck, saying, “Look at this, the tooth marks haven’t faded yet.”

Qiu Ye looked up abruptly, his gaze landing accurately on the Alpha’s gland. There were indeed several light pink tooth marks there.

“I… bit that?”

Qiu Ye’s voice was a bit raspy. He wasn’t wearing his glasses, and his expression was dazed.

Lu Mingchuan brought the back of his neck fully in front of Qiu Ye, stating in a calm voice, “You seemed to like it very much.”

“Does it feel good to mark an Alpha?”

Qiu Ye took a deep breath, not daring to look at the other’s gland so brazenly anymore.

Such behavior, for any Alpha, was highly offensive.

If it wasn’t a provocation, it was a flirtation.

“I am truly sorry,” Qiu Ye frowned and apologized.

Fortunately, an Alpha’s gland could not be marked at all; Qiu Ye’s rounded teeth could only leave these slight red marks.

Lu Mingchuan folded his arms, watching as Qiu Ye’s earlobes turned red bit by bit. He seemed to be in a good mood.

Qiu Ye actually couldn’t remember clearly what happened after leaving that narrow alley, and facing Lu Mingchuan’s burning gaze made him feel quite ashamed.

“Does Mr. Qiu only offer words of apology? Is there no practical action?”

Qiu Ye bit his lower lip, appearing somewhat troubled.

He and Lu Mingchuan were “acquainted” in a sense, having attended the same high school, but they weren’t truly familiar; the two had barely spoken a few words to each other back then.

Although Qiu Ye wasn’t clear about Lu Mingchuan’s family background, he assumed that anyone studying at Nanhua—a school famous for being a hub for wealthy children—wouldn’t be doing too badly.

Furthermore, this man’s career was currently soaring; his appearance fees were calculated by the minute.

A superstar like him should, in theory, want for nothing.

This was the first time Qiu Ye had encountered such a thorny situation. He really didn’t know what kind of compensation would be appropriate, so he asked tentatively, “Is there anything you want?”

Lu Mingchuan finished changing his clothes and stared at Qiu Ye’s face. He let out a smile and replied, “What do you think?”

Qiu Ye pursed his lips, lowered his head in a bit of defeat, and answered honestly: “I think you don’t seem to lack anything.”

Lu Mingchuan shook his head. Those eyes, like glazed beads, stared at Qiu Ye as he replied, “I do lack something.”

Qiu Ye’s fingers tightened slightly. He really couldn’t imagine what Lu Mingchuan could possibly lack.

His memory was pulled back to that long summer day filled with the chirping of cicadas.

Beside the podium of the sports meet, the air was baked hot by the sun.

A heavy camera hung around Qiu Ye’s neck; he was responsible for taking commemorative photos of the winners.

On the highest step, Lu Mingchuan stood tall, a gold medal shining around his neck.

On the step one level below him, He Yuchen’s mouth was set in a tight line, wearing a “everyone owes me money” look of arrogance.

“The photos are done.”

Lu Mingchuan walked down, leaning in as if wanting to see the shots Qiu Ye had just taken.

Before Qiu Ye could react, his wrist was suddenly gripped with great force.

He Yuchen, with a dark face, pulled him aside without explanation. “There’s nothing worth seeing. Let’s go now that you’re done.”

Xu Zilong tossed his backpack to Qiu Ye and joked, “You don’t like Lu Mingchuan like those Omegas do, right?”

Qiu Ye replied in a low voice, “I am a Beta. I won’t be attracted by pheromones.”

Xu Zilong let out a few strange cries and shouted, “Qiu Ye only has He Yuchen in his heart. A hundred Lu Mingchuans couldn’t compare to him!”

“Don’t be boring.” He Yuchen reached out to pull Xu Zilong over, and the two of them walked away, messing around.

To the side, Lu Mingchuan saw that Qiu Ye was distracted. He took two steps forward and softly called his name.

“Qiu Ye, have you thought about it?”

Just as Qiu Ye was about to speak, he was interrupted by a sharp ringing of a phone.

It was Lu Mingchuan’s phone vibrating.

“Sorry, I need to take this call first.” Lu Mingchuan walked out onto the terrace and answered his manager’s call.

“Have you seen the messages I sent you?” Ji Bing’s voice was as calm as ever, but his speaking speed was much faster than usual.

Lu Mingchuan held the phone and replied, “No, I just woke up.”

“My dear ancestor, you’ve been caught!”

Ji Bing took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress his irritation. “Kissing a civilian in the bar street—there are pictures and videos of everything.”

“Lu Mingchuan, how many days have you even been back in the country? And you’ve already caused such a huge mess for me! Do you even understand the meaning of the word ‘discretion’?”

“You didn’t wear sunglasses or a mask. With that face and that height of yours standing there, I’d press the shutter too if I were a paparazzi.”

Lu Mingchuan took the phone slightly away from his ear at the right moment and asked, “How do the photos look?”

Ji Bing didn’t react for a moment. He froze for two seconds and said, “What?”

Lu Mingchuan pushed the breakfast delivered by the hotel toward Qiu Ye, and said into the phone without blinking, “I want to see if the photos were taken well.”

Ji Bing didn’t answer. He simply mentally filed this dialogue into the most speechless moment of his professional career.

Lu Mingchuan minimized the call interface and entered their WeChat chat, seeing the few photos Ji Bing had sent him.

“Are these the only ones?”

The resolution of the photos was average, filled with noise.

At the dim alley entrance, the streetlamp stretched their shadows long, blurring them as they overlapped.

Lu Mingchuan had the person pinned against the wall, one hand cupping a cheek and the other around the waist, kissing the person passionately.

Even if the faces weren’t clear in the photos—showing only blurred outlines—one could still feel the incredibly tense, erotic atmosphere.

Seeing Lu Mingchuan holding his phone without speaking, Qiu Ye took a sip of fresh orange juice. He looked up and found the other man staring at him thoughtfully.

Lu Mingchuan clicked on the original images one by one and saved all the photos.

“Let’s exchange contact info. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving first,” Qiu Ye said, preparing to depart.

Lu Mingchuan suddenly stood up from his seat and said, “Wait.”

“A paparazzi caught photos of us. This will cause no small amount of public outcry for me.”

Qiu Ye stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Lu Mingchuan.

“I’ve been in talks for a movie recently, and my previous advertising contracts are about to expire. If the casting and renewals are affected by negative news…”

Qiu Ye nodded, suddenly feeling a bit guilty.

If it weren’t for him, Lu Mingchuan wouldn’t have been caught, let alone fall into such trouble.

He also worked in the entertainment industry and knew how hard it was for an artist to come by a good opportunity.

Qiu Ye put on his silver-rimmed glasses, his expression becoming serious. “I have experience in PR. If you need anything from me, just ask.”

Those glistening black eyes were full of sincerity.

Lu Mingchuan lowered his head and smiled thinly, his tone nonchalant as he replied:

“I need you to marry me. Is that okay?”