After Entering a Contract Marriage with a Disabled Alpha - Chapter 26.1

“Fine, let’s stay a while longer.” Qin Shen pursed his lips and smiled. He raised his eyes slightly to look at Lin Yifeng. “I hope similar incidents won’t happen again in the future.”

Lin Yifeng said quickly with a smile, “Of course. This will absolutely not happen again. He’s just a child at that age, they can be a bit too proud. Xiao Xing’s words were unintentional; please forgive him, President Qin. The CEO of Nanying Securities was just asking me when you’d arrive. President Qin, shall we…?”

Lin Yifeng was impatient to invite Qin Shen to discuss business. Qin Shen, however, had little interest in social pleasantries. The Qin Corporation was already large enough; his current goal was steady growth. Many new projects carried risks that weren’t the best fit for the company. But the primary reason was that he’d much rather spend his time talking to Pei Yu than working.

“No rush.” Qin Shen held Pei Yu’s wrist and didn’t let go, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. “I’ll accompany Xiao Yu for a bit before heading over.”

“Of course, then I’ll go give them a brief heads-up.” The smile on Lin Yifeng’s face never wavered.

Lin Shuxing stood there with his head down, listening to the various sounds of mockery and sarcasm. He wished he could find a crack in the floor to crawl into. But with Lin Yifeng still there, he didn’t dare move and was forced to endure the judgmental stares. He stole a glance out of the corner of his eye at Qin Shen, who had become the center of attention.

Despite sitting in a wheelchair and being physically lower than everyone else, no one dared to look down on him. It was because Qin Shen possessed a level of wealth that others could barely dream of. Because of this, Pei Yu, standing beside him, also radiated brilliance.

Pei Yu stood naturally by the wheelchair, his wrist held by the man. The stain on his moon-white suit was completely hidden by Qin Shen’s incredibly expensive coat. Hand-tailored suit fabric was delicate—it was meant to be worn, not washed, let alone have the sleeves tied in a rough knot—but Qin Shen didn’t care in the slightest.

Pointing to a wine stain on his own coat sleeve, Qin Shen asked warmly, “It got dirty here too?”

Reminded, Pei Yu lifted his hand and looked. He was surprised. “I didn’t even notice that just now.”

“Did someone spill the wine by accident?” Qin Shen continued to ask.

Pei Yu said indifferently, “A waiter accidentally slipped and fell, so the clothes suffered for it.”

“A waiter slipped and fell?” Qin Shen let out a cold chuckle. He paused for two seconds, his dark, heavy gaze suddenly shifting to the space behind Lin Yifeng.

Lin Shuxing, who was observing from the shadows, suddenly met those deep, icy eyes. A chill surged from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. It felt as if Qin Shen had seen right through his clumsy schemes with a single glance. Lin Shuxing shuddered, desperately reassuring himself that his plan was well-organized and wouldn’t be easily exposed.

The guests were still whispering about Qin Shen, who hadn’t made a public appearance in years. “The rumors were way too exaggerated. Qin Shen just has a leg injury.” “Not just that. I heard he really does have Pheromone Disorder.” “I didn’t expect him to be so handsome even in a wheelchair.” “His voice is great too. And he seems quite good to Pei Yu.” “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have been so opposed to the marriage before.” “Opposition wouldn’t have mattered. These things depend on compatibility.” “LMAO, Lin Shuxing’s compatibility was high too. Remember how he posted on social media to celebrate when Pei Yu had to take the marriage…?” “If I were him, I’d be regretting it until my stomach turned.”

Regret…?

Lin Shuxing did regret it. Back in the car, when Lin Yifeng had said there was no need to test Pei Yu’s compatibility, it was Lin Shuxing who insisted on taking the task. He had even been relieved to find they had a 100% match. He looked into the distance, where under the brilliant lights, Qin Shen was gently and patiently using a wet towel to wipe a wine stain off Pei Yu’s sleeve.

Regret, annoyance, resentment, and a refusal to back down… various emotions churned violently in his chest.

As the guests dispersed, the cheek where Lin Shuxing had been slapped began to swell. Lin Yifeng was too busy networking to care, only giving him a warning look. Luo Meihua felt a bit of heartache and took Lin Shuxing to a private room. She asked the hotel for anti-inflammatory medicine and an ice pack, comforting him while she applied the treatment.

“Sigh, don’t blame your father. Tonight’s banquet is crucial for his business. And you—your father asked you to be on your best behavior. Why did you have to provoke Pei Yu? Look what happened.”

“Mom…” Lin Shuxing began to cry, tears falling rapidly. He choked out, “If the one marrying Qin Shen had been me, would things be different?”

At the very least, Lin Yifeng wouldn’t have dared to slap him. He would have doted on him eagerly, hoping he’d maintain a good relationship with Qin Shen. His compatibility with Qin Shen was 68%—not low at all for an S-class Alpha. Furthermore, Old Master Qin was exceptionally good to Pei Yu; the beads on Pei Yu’s wrist were rumored to have been bought by the old man at an auction for tens of millions.

“It’s already come to this. What can be done?” Luo Meihua said. “In the future, don’t provoke Pei Yu at school. Try to get along with him if you can. Don’t let the relationship deteriorate further. Otherwise, if President Qin steps in for Pei Yu again and it affects the family business, you won’t even be able to enjoy this life of luxury.”

“But I just can’t accept it.”

Lin Shuxing thought of the mocking smiles at the banquet; he didn’t even have the courage to face the sun tomorrow. He suddenly remembered a casual remark from Qin Fen: “I didn’t expect Pei Yu and Qin Shen to be together for so many days without him being marked yet.”

Generally, an Omega who has been marked carries a very strong, dense scent of their Alpha. It was a way for Alphas to drive others away, as if saying: Back off, this is my Omega. For a period after a temporary or complete marking, the Omega becomes more dependent on the Alpha, while the Alpha becomes more doting, protective, and possessive.

A bold idea flashed through his mind. “Mom… Qin Shen and Pei Yu aren’t officially engaged yet, right?”

Luo Meihua froze. “Yes. We have to wait until after the banquet acknowledges Pei Yu to hold the engagement ceremony.”

Lin Shuxing’s eyes lit up for a moment, the wild thoughts in his head burning brighter. “If, before that… Qin Shen accidentally marks me…”

“What do you mean?!” Luo Meihua guessed he wanted to take a drastic risk and warned him sternly, “Xiao Xing, don’t cause any more trouble. If you do something big, how will we clean it up? Even if Qin Shen marks you, Pei Yu is a 100% match. He could easily replace you, do you understand? Don’t think about these unreliable things.”

“I know…” Lin Shuxing muttered. “I was just talking. I won’t do anything stupid.”

On the surface, he pretended not to care, but the thought grew wildly in his heart. It wasn’t limited to a temporary mark. If Qin Shen completely marked him under the influence of pheromones, there was a high probability of pregnancy. If he got lucky and conceived, would Old Master Qin be willing to give up a great-grandchild? And it didn’t even have to be Qin Shen marking him—if he staged something so another Alpha completely marked Pei Yu, would Qin Shen then choose the unmarked Lin Shuxing instead?

Lin Shuxing’s mind raced, his eyes filled with endless desire.

In the magnificent ballroom, Qin Shen took Pei Yu to the restroom to try cleaning his clothes again, but it was useless. He looked slightly helpless. “It won’t come off.”

“If it won’t come off, it won’t come off.” Pei Yu didn’t care much about what others thought, but he did feel a sense of loss. “It’s a pity for these clothes; I really liked this color.”

Qin Shen opened his lips to comfort him.

“After all, you picked these clothes for me, and they’re the first formal outfit I’ve ever had.”

Qin Shen’s heart warmed, making him even more determined to get the suit cleaned. “We’ll have a professional try when we get back. See if there’s a detergent that can handle it.”

“Okay.” Pei Yu smiled gently. “But my luck really is bad. I was just eating, and my clothes still got ruined.”

Pei Yu felt both angry and wronged. He had been so careful while eating, terrified a drop of oil would hit the fabric. He’d managed to keep it pristine, only for an “accident” to ruin it anyway. He grumbled dejectedly, “It’s literal Murphy’s Law. Whatever you fear most happens.”

Qin Shen pulled down some paper towels to blot the water from the suit and led Pei Yu out of the restroom. “Do you really think it was an accident?” Qin Shen asked quietly.

Qin Yiyang was waiting for them in the hallway. He came over to check. “Still didn’t come off? Deep colors really are better.”

Pei Yu felt there was a subtext to Qin Shen’s words. He asked hesitantly, “Are you saying my clothes getting dirty wasn’t an accident?”

Qin Yiyang blinked and chimed in, “Could it have been Lin Shuxing on purpose? There was so much space; how could that waiter just slip and fall right there?”

Qin Shen glanced at Qin Yiyang. “Not completely stupid.”

“…”

Pei Yu understood immediately. He was shocked and incredulous. “That is so petty. Like a primary schooler.”

Qin Yiyang shrugged. “Sigh, who knows how people like that think. He’s definitely happy seeing you embarrassed. But are we just letting this go?”

Qin Shen shook his head slowly. “Of course not. I’ll have the hotel investigate.”

“If it really was him, he has to pay the price of this suit!” Pei Yu’s cheeks puffed out in anger.

Qin Shen spotted it. His hand felt an itch, and he couldn’t help but poke the boy’s cheek. Pei Yu looked at him with wide eyes. “?”

Pei Yu led Qin Shen back to the dining area, recommending the foods he thought were delicious. Qin Shen had a small appetite at night and only took a few light bites.

Midway through, Lin Yifeng came over again, hoping Qin Shen would meet a few people. Qin Shen wiped his lips with a tissue and told Pei Yu and Qin Yiyang not to wander off while he went to socialize for a bit. The two boys nodded obediently; being full, they found a seat by the window to sit down.

While Qin Shen was networking, many rich heirs tried to get to know Pei Yu. Pei Yu and Qin Yiyang were too polite to refuse directly, so they added a few people on WeChat. Eventually, they got bored and played a couple rounds of games.

Night had fallen; the crescent moon hung in the sky, shrouded by thin clouds. Qin Shen chatted with the wealthy guests, and during this time, he had a fair amount to drink. The corners of his eyes were tinged red from the alcohol, and the coldness in his dark eyes had softened slightly.

When the socializing was mostly done, Qin Shen checked his watch and decided to return to the main hall to take Pei Yu home. Lin Yifeng wanted to see him out, but Qin Shen declined politely. “No need. Continue with your work.”

The banquet hadn’t ended yet. As the host, Lin Yifeng still needed to make introductions between bosses and accept media interviews. He also had to instruct the media not to report the incident with Lin Shuxing.

“Fine, I won’t accompany you then,” Lin Yifeng said.

Qin Shen gave a low “Mm,” nodded in acknowledgment, and turned to leave.

On his way to the main hall, passing through a corridor, Qin Shen encountered Lin Shuxing. The boy was carrying two glasses of orange juice. Lin Shuxing stepped forward, a barely perceptible smile curling his lips. He had finally caught Qin Shen alone. There was no one in the corridor right now, and there were several lounge areas and guest rooms just around the corner.

Lin Shuxing’s mind was racing. As long as Qin Shen drank the juice, he could make up an excuse to keep him there. Once the drug took effect, he’d just need to release a little pheromone, and Qin Shen would follow him obediently. Between drugging Qin Shen and drugging Pei Yu, he had chosen the former. After all, the laws regarding secondary genders were more biased toward Omegas. If he were caught drugging Pei Yu, the punishment would be far more severe. Drugging Qin Shen was different—after all, the one “losing out” after being marked would be him (the Omega).

Lin Shuxing’s eyes darted around as he blocked Qin Shen’s path. “President Qin, I’m so sorry about earlier…”

Lin Shuxing expressed his apology with apparent sincerity and naturally offered the juice to Qin Shen. Qin Shen gave him a cold look, said nothing, and didn’t even stop. He simply passed him by. To him, wasting a single word on Lin Shuxing was a waste of time.

Lin Shuxing turned to look at the back of the man who had completely ignored him, his face turning an explosive red.

Just then, a waiter carrying several glasses of wine passed by. Lin Shuxing, fuming with rage, slammed his orange juice back onto the tray with a sharp clack and fled the scene in shame and annoyance.

Qin Shen returned to the main hall, his gaze sweeping the room until he spotted Pei Yu and Qin Yiyang sitting by the window.

As he began to head toward them, an Alpha—who had clearly been hesitating for a long time—pulled out his phone and leaned in to say something to Pei Yu. The Alpha looked shy and awkward, his face tinged with a faint blush.

It was an obvious attempt to flirt.

Qin Shen’s eyes darkened. Everyone knew about his marriage to Pei Yu, yet there were still Alphas who dared to harbor such delusions. Qin Shen licked his teeth; was it because Pei Yu didn’t carry the scent of his pheromones that these Alphas felt so emboldened?

Pei Yu politely declined the request to add the person as a friend, but the man persisted: “I’m actually from Yangshen High too, just in the sports class. I really don’t mean anything else. I know your relationship with President Qin, I just wanted to get to know you, is that okay?”

This time, Pei Yu felt too awkward to refuse again and silently took out his phone to scan the QR code. Qin Yiyang sat nearby, snickering as he watched the drama unfold.

Once the Alpha had left, Qin Yiyang teased, “Brother Pei, you’re quite popular! They know your relationship with my cousin, yet they’re still so enthusiastic?”

Pei Yu was equally puzzled. “I don’t get it.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. It’s definitely because you don’t have my brother’s mark on you,” Qin Yiyang said. “Those guys probably think you and my cousin are just acting and aren’t truly together.”

“You knew that and still didn’t help me block them?” Qin Shen steered his wheelchair over, looking at Qin Yiyang with a half-smile.

Startled, Qin Yiyang snapped out of his relaxed posture and sat bolt upright. “Bro, you finished talking with those people?”

“Mm…” Qin Shen said softly. “Is this what you meant by being a good bodyguard?”

“Eh?! Well, yeah.” Qin Yiyang gave a cheeky laugh. “A bodyguard doesn’t have the responsibility of blocking love rivals for you.”

“Then what use are you?” Qin Shen gave him a sidelong glance, then turned to ask Pei Yu: “You really added those Alphas on WeChat?”

Pei Yu felt a tiny bit of guilt. “Not that many. And it wasn’t just Alphas; I added a few Omegas and Betas too.”

“Mm, you really are quite popular,” Qin Shen said in a lazy drawl.

Pei Yu blinked, his face turning slightly red. He explained hurriedly, “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant I added people randomly; I didn’t specifically care about their secondary gender. If you’re unhappy about it…”

Qin Shen said softly, “If I said I was unhappy, would you delete them as soon as we got back?”

Pei Yu coughed lightly. “It’s not… impossible.”

Qin Yiyang interjected, “A minute of silence for those who gathered their courage to come over.”

Qin Shen smiled. “Let’s go. It’s about time.”

Pei Yu and Qin Yiyang nodded and stood up, following Qin Shen toward the exit. Qin Shen made a call, instructing Old Yang to bring the car around. Before they could exit the hall, Qin Shen was called out to once again.

He had intended to exchange a quick word and leave, but the person happened to be an old friend of Grandpa Qin who had helped him significantly when he first took over the Qin Group. Out of respect for the elder, Qin Shen couldn’t just brush him off and was forced into another conversation.

Qin Yiyang and Pei Yu looked at each other, left with no choice but to wait. A waiter with wine passed by, and Qin Yiyang grabbed two glasses.

Pei Yu, still traumatized by the wine spill, said, “I don’t want to drink.”

“Oh,” Qin Yiyang swapped it for a glass of juice. “Then how about this orange juice?”

Pei Yu nodded and took the fresh-squeezed juice. The waiter opened his mouth to mention that the juice had been returned by someone else earlier, but seeing the boy already taking a large gulp, he bit his lip and stayed silent.

Another ten minutes passed by the time Qin Shen finished his chat. Qin Yiyang and Pei Yu left their empty glasses on a table.

Outside the ballroom, luxury cars were departing one after another into the night. Driver Yang had been waiting at the exit for some time. Seeing them emerge, he immediately hopped out to open the door, helped Qin Shen into the back seat, and deftly folded the wheelchair into the trunk.

Pei Yu and Qin Yiyang looked at the elegant but slightly ostentatious stretch Lincoln.

“Wow~ This car is so long.” Pei Yu, accustomed to sitting with Qin Shen, followed him into the very back row.

Outside the door, Qin Yiyang poked his head through the window. “Cousin, please pick us up from school in this car from now on, okay?” That way, sitting in the very front passenger seat, he’d finally be spared from the “dog food.”

Qin Shen smiled. “I think you’re better suited for riding a bicycle home.”

Qin Yiyang: “…” He shut his mouth and turned away toward the front with a piteous expression.

A few seconds later, Pei Yu heard the front door slam shut. The vehicle started smoothly.

“Why are we in such a long car today? It’s so flashy,” Pei Yu asked curiously.

“The other cars were sent for maintenance. Old Yang just picked one randomly.” Qin Shen paused, glanced at Qin Yiyang—who was two meters away—and chuckled. “I should give Old Yang a raise when we get back.”

Pei Yu didn’t understand. “?”

Qin Shen explained patiently, “With this much distance, they won’t know what we’re doing back here.”

Pei Yu froze, saying a bit uncomfortably, “We weren’t going to do anything anyway.”

As soon as he spoke, Old Yang, knowing the drill, raised the partitions between the rows of seats.

Qin Shen laughed. “You’re quite obedient. There were so many seats in the middle, yet you came right back here with me.”

Pei Yu suddenly realized how spacious the middle seats were and blushed. “I’m just used to it… anyway, staying with you lets you smell more pheromones.”

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