After Getting Pregnant, I’m Divorcing My Alpha - Chapter 10

The group chat for the film crew was buzzing with activity by six o’clock, everyone eagerly waiting for Cao Xuan to call them together. However, Cao Xuan seemed to be busy with something else and didn’t summon them until six-thirty, leaving everyone worried that he might have stood them up.

Cao Xuan arranged two buses to transport the entire crew to a renowned local-style restaurant in Hangnan City. Given their large number, they reserved the entire banquet hall on one floor of the restaurant.

Rumor had it that the restaurant’s owner was a fan of An Xiangdi. Not only did she give them a discount, but she also added several extra dishes to their order.

“Today, we’re all benefiting from Teacher An’s influence!” The crew members were overjoyed as they looked at the lavish spread of dishes, each table offering a different variety.

An Xiangdi, however, showed no trace of a smile. His gaze was fixed intently on Shen Xiao and Liang Yao, who were standing in a corner of the banquet hall.

He was already in a foul mood because Li Guan had arbitrarily canceled one of his scheduled appearances without consulting him. Now, to make matters worse, his Alpha was standing with another Omega. Even though he knew Shen Xiao wasn’t there willingly, it still irritated him to no end.

A bold crew member sitting next to An Xiangdi followed his line of sight and remarked casually, “I heard that Teacher Liang is a fan of Teacher Shen.”

“Is that so?” An Xiangdi’s voice was icy.

Unfortunately, the crew member was oblivious to the tension. “Yeah, but as an Omega, Teacher Liang is truly beautiful and gentle. If someone like her were my fan, I’d be over the moon.”

An Xiangdi let out a cold laugh and shoved his empty glass into the crew member’s hands. “Thanks.”

“Huh?” The crew member blinked, thinking An Xiangdi was merely asking him to dispose of the empty glass. “No problem.”

An Xiangdi ignored him and strode directly toward Shen Xiao.

The crew member still hadn’t grasped what was happening when someone nearby shot him a sharp glare. “If you don’t know how to talk, just keep your mouth shut.”

Only then did he realize his mistake. Covering his mouth, he shook his head frantically, vowing never to speak carelessly again. He felt utterly miserable, as if he were about to burst into tears, certain that he had just made an enemy of An Xiangdi.

“What are you two talking about?” An Xiangdi asked darkly as he approached Shen Xiao.

Liang Yao couldn’t detect An Xiangdi’s pheromones, nor was there any pheromonal suppression involved, but the moment An Xiangdi stood there, she felt an inexplicable fear. Shaking her head, she stammered, “N-nothing much.”

“She said she wanted to apologize to you,” Shen Xiao stated bluntly, disregarding any notion of “gentlemanly conduct” and revealing Liang Yao’s true intention for seeking him out.

Liang Yao’s face flushed crimson with embarrassment. She waved her hands and shifted her weight nervously, feeling both anxious and humiliated. “Why?” An Xiangdi was not one to show mercy to Omegas, especially not to someone who had once tried to steal his partner. His expression remained cold and unyielding.

Liang Yao, who had always been cherished and pampered for her pure and delicate beauty, had never experienced such harsh treatment before.

She had assumed that after working with An Xiangdi for over two months, they were at least somewhat familiar. She had even taken the initiative to apologize, hoping that her previous attempts to get close to Shen Xiao could be brushed aside.

But she had been naive. An Xiangdi not only refused to let it slide but was scrutinizing her with a gaze that seemed to see right through her, offering no face-saving courtesy whatsoever.

“I…” Liang Yao bit her lower lip hard, her meticulously made-up face now pale and drained of color.

“Let’s go.” An Xiangdi wasn’t kind enough to give his rival a pleasant expression, grabbing Shen Xiao’s wrist firmly.

Shen Xiao turned his hand to hold him back. “I saw you drinking glass after glass just now. Red wine can still make you drunk.”

Surprisingly, An Xiangdi didn’t argue upon hearing this. So Shen Xiao had been watching him all along. A sense of superiority and happiness from being noticed welled up inside him.

“An Laoshi! I’m sorry!” Liang Yao’s voice suddenly rose sharply.

The previously lively banquet hall gradually quieted down as everyone turned their attention to the three people in the corner.

Liang Yao felt as if the surrounding gazes were exposing her most shameful thoughts. In the end, with reddened eyes, she apologized to An Xiangdi again. “An Laoshi, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken my chances. I…”

“Perhaps it’s because I didn’t do enough somewhere, making you think there was an opportunity?” An Xiangdi curled his lips into a light smile, then suddenly pinned Shen Xiao against the wall and kissed him.

Shen Xiao half-squinted his eyes. After a moment, he wrapped one arm around An Xiangdi’s waist and cupped the back of his head with the other, deepening the kiss.

When they parted, An Xiangdi clicked his tongue. Besides the familiar scent of brandy pheromones, he also tasted a hint of blood Shen Xiao’s lower lip had been bitten and broken.

Liang Yao hung her head and silently returned to her seat. She finally understood clearly all the rumors about discord and a fake marriage were just that, rumors. These two had a strong relationship, and there was no room for anyone to come between them.

The film crew had already covered their mouths in shock at the passionate kiss. Even the boldest couples in the industry rarely disregarded others’ gazes as openly as An Xiangdi and Shen Xiao did. Yet, the scene was so captivating that some took photos while others recorded videos.

The two involved parties, unafraid of the incident leaking, tacitly allowed everyone’s actions.

Back at their seats, Cao Xuan, as the director and the most authoritative person in the crew, was the first to come over and toast the two leads.

“Ah, you two have really worked hard these past few days,” Cao Xuan said with heartfelt sincerity in the first half of his sentence, then joked in the latter half, “Look how pent-up our two leads have become.”

An Xiangdi, who had been quite bold earlier, coughed lightly to hide his embarrassment upon hearing Cao Xuan’s teasing and downed a large glass of red wine in one gulp.

Shen Xiao couldn’t stop him in time and had to deal with Cao Xuan first.

With Cao Xuan leading the toasts, the others no longer held back, eagerly trying to get closer to the two leads.

An Xiangdi wasn’t much of a drinker, so Shen Xiao helped him fend off a few glasses.

“How did you two meet?” someone, emboldened by alcohol, boldly asked about Shen Xiao and An Xiangdi’s past.

Everyone was interested in the topic, including Liang Yao, who had just apologized to An Xiangdi and was still immersed in sadness, pricking up her ears to listen.

“Childhood friends,” Shen Xiao replied simply.

His answer struck like thunder, stunning the gossip-hungry crowd.

Someone loudly repeated, “Childhood friends!” and more and more people gathered around, determined to uncover the inside story.

But Shen Xiao said no more, and An Xiangdi, whose phone had rung, slipped out of the crowd to take the call.

The call was from Li Guan, as An Xiangdi had expected. After all, he had just spoken with Ning Zhi that afternoon, and the news must have quickly reached the agency.

As soon as he put the phone to his ear, Li Guan’s furious cursing came through.

“An Xiangdi, have you grown some fucking nerve? Who told you to accept a gig without permission?” The May issue cover of “Cisheng” felt like a slap in the face barely a day after he’d turned it down, the artist had gone behind his back and accepted it. “I told you, you’re going to be busy from now on!”

“Care to explain what I’ll be busy with?” An Xiangdi scoffed. “From what I see on my schedule, it’s pretty empty, aside from recording one song.”

“You think recording a song is something you can finish in minutes? Have you even met with the producer? Or the lyricist and composer?” Li Guan was always half-baked. When he first took over managing An Xiangdi, he was only told to keep an eye on him and pull out of any gigs possible. It was only in recent years that he’d picked up a bit of industry knowledge.

An Xiangdi laughed outright. “Brother Li, I started as a singer, and I’m a natural talent. I really can finish recording in minutes haven’t you seen enough of that over the years?”

“You !”

“Besides, I’m the lyricist and composer for the new song. So tell me, who exactly am I supposed to meet with?”

On the other end of the line, Li Guan was left speechless.

“I call you Brother Li out of respect for your age, but aside from that you’re nothing.” An Xiangdi’s expression darkened, his beautiful face turning intimidating. “Don’t you dare order me around. You’re not qualified.”

Hanging up the phone, An Xiangdi leaned weakly against the wall.

His conflict with Royal Films had started long ago, and even he couldn’t figure out why.

Accepting gigs privately like this was a serious breach of contract, yet Royal Films never demanded a single penny in compensation. They kept stringing him along neither terminating his contract nor blacklisting him simply making his life miserable with petty, foolish tactics.

In the darkness, An Xiangdi let out a cold laugh.

He suddenly recalled Liang Yao’s infatuation with Shen Xiao and wondered if he’d offended one of Shen Xiao’s obsessive fans. Or maybe some creep had taken a liking to him and, unable to have him, decided to ruin him instead?

Shaking off these ridiculous thoughts, An Xiangdi’s innate confidence assured him he could handle whatever nonsense came his way.

As he walked back to the banquet hall, he didn’t notice Shen Xiao emerging from a seemingly empty corner in the shadows, making a phone call.

After finishing his call, Shen Xiao hurried toward the banquet hall. From a distance, he heard someone urging An Xiangdi to drink, and a bad feeling washed over him. Rushing inside, he saw An Xiangdi down an entire glass of baijiu.

“Sorry, he can’t hold his liquor.” Shen Xiao pushed through the crowd, snatching the glass from An Xiangdi’s hand. Usually composed, he now showed a hint of panic.

“Ah! Oh, right. Sorry, we didn’t know,” a few staff members apologized awkwardly, taken aback by Shen Xiao’s intense reaction.

Holding An Xiangdi close, Shen Xiao turned to Cao Xuan. “Director Cao, we’re heading out now. Everyone, please continue and enjoy the party.”

“Alright, Xiao An really doesn’t look well. You two should go rest,” Cao Xuan said, his face flushed from drinking but his mind still clear.

Shen Xiao thanked him curtly, took the car keys from his assistant, and scooped up the dazed An Xiangdi, carrying him out of the banquet hall and disappearing into the night.

The moment they settled into the car, before Shen Xiao could even start the engine, An Xiangdi in the back seat slowly stirred awake, murmuring, “It’s hot.”

Glancing at him through the rearview mirror, Shen Xiao noticed An Xiangdi’s flushed face as he unbuttoned the top half of his clothes on his own.

Shen Xiao drew a sharp breath. In the air, aside from the brandy-like pheromones, a faint, delicate sweetness began to linger.