After Entering a Contract Marriage with a Disabled Alpha - Chapter 25.1

Saturday.

The Jiangcheng Daily used a large spread to publish news of the banquet hosted by the Lin family. The accompanying photo showed Lin Yifeng and Luo Meihua holding hands and smiling. The article summarized the story of the two children being swapped at birth.

“What’s written here is completely different from the truth,” Qin Yiyang remarked.

Qin Shuo set down the newspaper and said calmly, “Naturally. It is merely the Lin family’s one-sided version of the story.”

Pei Yu glanced at it curiously and was nearly moved to laughter. The newspaper claimed that he and Lin Shuxing got along harmoniously, and that ever since he returned to the Lin family, the Lin couple had treated him exceptionally well not only covering Jiang He’s exorbitant medical bills but also transferring Pei Yu to an expensive, prestigious private school.

As for the marriage, the Lin family used the “100% compatibility” narrative. Ever since the emergence of the secondary gender differentiation, many agencies capable of testing compatibility had appeared on the market. For average Alphas and Omegas, a compatibility score above 60% was considered quite good; 100% was virtually unheard of.

Pei Yu and Qin Shen were a match made in heaven.

As for the rumors of Qin Shen being disabled or violent? Did that matter? The Lin family deliberately blurred the timeline and spoke grandiosely about the Qin Corporation’s President being handsome. They stated that although he had a leg injury, his family was wealthy, he was extremely polite, and of good character. After meeting through an introduction, he and Pei Yu had hit it off. As parents, they claimed to respect their child’s wishes.

“Don’t look at it. It’ll only ruin your mood.”

Qin Shen frowned and took the newspaper from Pei Yu’s hands, his warm, dry fingers brushing against the boy’s knuckles.

Seeing Qin Shen’s concern, Pei Yu gave a faint smile. “I won’t let it ruin my mood.”

Not only was he unaffected, but he was also looking forward to seeing Lin Shuxing’s reaction tonight—despising him yet being unable to do anything about it.

“Mm.” Qin Shen ruffled Pei Yu’s fluffy head. “I have to talk business with the head of a multinational trade group this afternoon. It might take some time.”

He had intended to accompany Pei Yu to the dinner personally, but he simply couldn’t get away this afternoon. The cooperation between the Qin Corporation and the other party had reached the critical stage of profit-sharing negotiations. This segment concerned 30% of the Qin Corporation’s profits for the next two years. The person in charge of the other side was a “tough bone to pick.” Jiang Yibai had attempted several times and failed, getting to the point where he was actually a bit intimidated.

For the sake of a few tenths of a percentage point, both sides were engaged in a war of words, neither willing to back down. The cooperation itself was finalized; only the profit split remained. Qin Shen expected that, barring any accidents, this meeting would seal the deal.

“I’ll rush over as soon as the business is finished,” Qin Shen said in a deep voice.

The man’s low, raspy voice carried a sense of power, making Pei Yu feel for a moment that he truly had someone to lean on.

“The company business is more important. It doesn’t matter if you come or not,” Pei Yu said.

Qin Shen thought Pei Yu was a bit silly. Him going was, naturally, to show his stance and status, and to personally prove that marrying him wasn’t as terrible as the rumors suggested. He quirked his lip and pinched the boy’s soft cheek.

“Silly.”

Pei Yu covered his reddened cheek, his watery eyes glaring at Qin Shen. It failed to serve as a warning; in Qin Shen’s eyes, Pei Yu looked even easier to bully like this, so he pinched him twice more.

Pei Yu: “…” So annoying.

“You’ve gotten addicted to this, haven’t you?” Pei Yu grew bolder as well, following suit and reaching out to pinch Qin Shen’s face.

Qin Yiyang watched, dumbstruck. This was… stroking the tiger’s whiskers. The key was that the tiger wasn’t angry at all, allowing the innocent, fearless kitten to ride on his head.

It made Qin Yiyang want to try it himself, just to feel the texture of his cousin’s handsome face. Seduced by the thought, he reached his hand out.

A cool, icy voice floated up: “What are you doing?”

Qin Yiyang snapped back to reality, meeting Qin Shen’s cold, dark eyes. His spine immediately went rigid.

“Hmm?” Pei Yu tilted his head, not understanding, and continued to pinch Qin Shen’s face. No matter how cold and noble an Alpha was, their face was actually quite soft.

Qin Yiyang laughed awkwardly and silently withdrew his hand. It was fine that Sun Hai had double standards, but even his own cousin—who was like a father figure—was this biased. Love was dead.

But on second thought, Pei Yu was so good-looking and had such a great personality; it was only right for him to be pampered. Qin Yiyang quickly found a reason to comfort his “rejected cabbage” self and even handed a peeled orange to Pei Yu. “Brother Pei, try this. Imported from Australia, super sweet.”

Pei Yu was immediately attracted by the bright orange fruit, tossing Qin Shen to the back of his mind.

Qin Shen, who had quite enjoyed the sensation of Pei Yu’s soft palms: “…” He gave Qin Yiyang a cold side-eye.

Qin Yiyang immediately shivered. Seriously? I can’t even give him an orange?!

Afternoon.

Qin Shen checked his watch; it was time to head out for the meeting. Simultaneously, Li Shuang and Jiang Yibai, who were at the Qin office building, sent him messages saying they had departed.

Qin Shen wasn’t comfortable with Pei Yu going to the banquet alone, so he instructed Qin Yiyang to get dressed up and follow him. Qin Yiyang conscientiously adopted the role of a bodyguard. “Don’t worry, Bro. I’ll definitely protect him well.”

Pei Yu felt Qin Shen was overthinking it, but he quite liked the feeling of being cared for.

“Mr. Qin, bye. I hope your cooperation goes smoothly.” Pei Yu, wearing slippers, walked Qin Shen to the foyer.

“Is it just a verbal wish?” Qin Shen raised his eyes slightly, his sharp jawline lifting as his burning gaze fixed on Pei Yu in his loungewear.

“Ah…?” Pei Yu was a bit dazed.

“Come here.” Qin Shen crooked his finger, a trace of amusement appearing in his eyes.

Pei Yu was confused. He thought Qin Shen wanted to whisper a secret, so he leaned his ear toward the man’s lips.

“You haven’t given me a ‘treatment’ for several hours,” Qin Shen said.

Pei Yu paused. Faced with such a blunt request, he felt a bit embarrassed. But Qin Shen was looking at him with such a serious face, as if he wouldn’t leave the house unless he got his treatment.

“Then… what kind of treatment do you want?” Pei Yu’s heart was beating quite fast.

“Can I have a kiss?” Qin Shen stared at the boy’s soft lips, his long arm loosely encircling the boy’s waist.

Pei Yu’s heart fluttered. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Grandpa Qin and Aunt Zhou watching TV in the living room, and Qin Yiyang playing on his phone on the sofa.

“Now?” Pei Yu’s cheeks flushed.

Qin Shen smiled slightly. “Mm. Can I?”

Pei Yu licked his lips. He suddenly felt it would be better if Qin Shen were just more direct; asking so politely and leaving the decision to him only made him more flustered. After waiting a few seconds without getting an answer, Qin Shen’s voice turned low and dejected. “It’s fine if we don’t. See you tonight.”

He turned as if to leave, his broad, straight back slouching as if he were truly disappointed.

“T-then just a quick kiss,” Pei Yu said with a burning face.

Qin Shen reigned in the successful smirk in his eyes before turning back. “I’m looking forward to it. Go ahead.”

Pei Yu had to lean down to reach Qin Shen. The door at the foyer was open, and a breeze from the courtyard blew in, ruffling Qin Shen’s bangs. He could vaguely hear the conversation in the living room and the sound of servants moving about in the courtyard.

Pei Yu steeled his nerves, wanting to give Qin Shen a quick peck on the cheek. His pale pink lips puckered as he leaned in—and Qin Shen tilted his head without warning.

Pei Yu kissed very soft… lips.

His eyes widened, his face so red it looked ready to bleed. Within a second, he straightened his back, his eyes screaming “You rogue!”

Qin Shen’s lips curved with satisfaction, his voice low and teasing. “What did you eat? It tastes sweet.”

“…” Pei Yu remained silent.

Qin Shen continued to tease him. Pei Yu couldn’t take it anymore and muttered, “Sweet my ass. It was only for a second; how could you possibly tell?”

“So you mean we should kiss for longer?” Qin Shen tapped his finger on the wheelchair armrest.

Pei Yu was no match for him; he bit his lip quickly and turned to run away. Qin Shen watched the boy’s retreating figure for a long time before withdrawing his gaze.

Something was wrong. He actually felt a fleeting urge to skip the business meeting. Although the thought vanished quickly, Qin Shen still felt that such a sentiment was a bit excessive. He just wanted to stay by Pei Yu’s side…

The phone in his pocket vibrated. Jiang Yibai @-ed him in the work group, asking if he had left yet.

Qin Shen typed: 【Mm. Learn a thing or two later so I don’t have to keep showing up in person.】

On the other side, Jiang Yibai was fuming, complaining to the professional-looking Li Shuang. “What does he mean! Whose company is this anyway!” Jiang Yibai angrily typed a string of gibberish: 【skjhdfjs ptooey!】

Pei Yu, having fallen for Qin Shen’s trick, took a long time to calm down. Only after the flush on his cheeks faded did he walk into the living room pretending to be composed. After watching TV with Grandpa Qin for a few minutes, Qin Yiyang enthusiastically invited him to play a few rounds of games.

When the games were over, the stylist Qin Shen had arranged beforehand arrived. Pei Yu went back to his bedroom to change into the tailored moon-white suit and sat before the mirror. The stylist was a very fashionable young lady; her movements were clean and efficient. Within minutes, she had styled Pei Yu’s hair perfectly with a flat iron.

“Now, let me see where else needs work.” The stylist bent over, looking left and right for a long time, but couldn’t find a single thing that needed changing.

“…” She felt a bit guilty taking the money for this. “Your skin is excellent. I’ll just give you some eyeliner and a bit of lip balm.”

Pei Yu didn’t know any better, so he just followed her instructions and lifted his chin slightly. The skin around his eyes was very thin; when the fine tip traced the line, it was incredibly itchy. Knowing that moving would mess up the stylist’s work, he forced himself to endure it.

By the time the eyeliner was finished, Pei Yu was nearly in tears from the irritation. His eyes were red, as if he had been bullied, making the stylist’s heart melt.

“Finished. You’ll definitely stun everyone tonight,” she praised.

Pei Yu studied himself in the mirror. His face hadn’t changed much, but his aura had certainly become more noble. The moon-white suit outlined his slender yet upright figure; his waist was so thin it looked like a single arm could wrap around it. His black bangs were swept up, revealing a smooth, full forehead. His features were clear, and his fair face was as clean as fresh snow.

His wrists were slender, the string of pink jade beads looking round and translucent. When he looked at someone through lowered lashes, his light brown eyes held a faint warmth, making him look like a well-mannered young master raised in a wealthy household.

Qin Yiyang, having changed into a tuxedo, pushed the door open. Pei Yu turned his head at the sound. The moment he saw him, Qin Yiyang froze. “Holy crap, you’re a bit too handsome.”

Qin Yiyang strode over. “The hair looks great. Miss, please do my hair too.”

The stylist laughed. “No problem.”

As Pei Yu sat and waited, the stylist looked at Qin Yiyang and let out a sudden sigh of relief. “Good thing your face has flaws. I barely did any makeup for Young Master Pei just now; if I didn’t do any for you either, I’d feel guilty taking the money.”

Qin Yiyang, feeling like something was off: “…” “So you mean Pei Yu is naturally beautiful and I have too many flaws?” he grumbled.

The stylist played dumb. “Eh? Did I say that?” Qin Yiyang: “…”

Pei Yu couldn’t help but laugh. His lips curved slightly, his aura gentle and lingering. His face beneath his thick black hair was as smooth as jade. When the other two saw him smile, they both swallowed, momentarily losing themselves.

Qin Yiyang suddenly recalled his cousin’s sharp gaze and remembered Pei Yu’s status, finally suppressing that primal flutter of the heart caused by witnessing something beautiful.

“Crap, my dog eyes are blinded,” Qin Yiyang shouted. “Brother Pei, stop giving off electricity. Big Bro isn’t even here.”

“…” The smile on Pei Yu’s lips froze. He caught the stylist’s excited, gossip-hungry eyes, and his ears began to burn uncontrollably.

In the evening of midsummer, the golden sunlight spilled from the edges of the clouds, and the river surrounding Jiangcheng’s landmarks shimmered. The banquet was held in the ballroom of a five-star hotel in the city center.

On the way to the ballroom, Qin Yiyang took a candid photo of Pei Yu’s profile and sent it to Qin Shen, along with a reminder: 【Bro, we’re almost there. How much longer until you come?!】

【Brother Pei is so good-looking. If you don’t come, there will definitely be Alphas hitting on him tonight.】

【Where are you? Bro! Bro! Bro!】

It was twenty minutes later when Qin Shen finally saw the messages. Having shed the pressure and tension of the business negotiations, Qin Shen opened the photo from his cousin with great interest.

In the photo, Pei Yu was sitting by the window in the back seat, with the vast, rolling river behind him. The sunset had dyed his hair with a warm glow. The slanting evening sun entered the car, illuminating the boy’s exquisite profile. The “shimmer” filter of the golden light gave him a dreamlike beauty.

The faint red mole at the corner of his eye was alluring and seductive, like a drop of vivid red paint in a pool of white.

The breeze gently ruffled his hair. He raised the hand adorned with the pink jade bracelet to tuck a stray lock of hair behind his ear.

Qin Shen felt a momentary lapse in focus. His heart began to beat rapidly, completely out of his control. Slowly, he exhaled, saved the high-definition original photo, and instructed Old Yang to drive faster.

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