After Getting Pregnant, I’m Divorcing My Alpha - Chapter 33

Perhaps because he had learned of Shen Xiao’s new identity as a “domineering CEO,” An Xiangdi had been dreaming for several consecutive nights that Shen Xiao had a secret stash of money. The stash was filled with cash, but before he could even touch it, it would vanish.

An Xiangdi was jolted awake almost every day by this absurd dream, only to find a new bank transfer notification for one million yuan on his phone.

The secret stash not only hadn’t disappeared but was continuously growing in value.

On the last day of June, the temperature suddenly soared, making the arrival of summer feel even more intense. An Xiangdi wore a white short-sleeved shirt and a pair of pants one size larger than usual.

At two and a half months pregnant, his belly had already begun to show.

Fortunately, in The Yellowing Season, his later scenes required him to wear a hospital gown, which didn’t accentuate his figure.

Today was An Xiangdi’s final scene as He Sheng, the youngest son in The Yellowing Season.

With He Sheng’s help, the five children of the He family had finally reconciled, but He Sheng, suffering from depression and long-term physical weakness, fell seriously ill and eventually passed away.

After He Sheng’s death, the other four siblings, carrying his final wishes, worked hard to live their lives and achieved remarkable success in their respective fields.

An Xiangdi changed into his costume, tugging slightly at the hem of the gown. The slight bulge of his belly was no longer noticeable.

Xiao Gu walked into the dressing room carrying a thermal lunchbox containing the nutritious meal he had prepared that morning. Following the doctor’s orders, An Xiangdi would eat a little whenever he felt hungry.

The crew had rented a private hospital in Zongming City for filming during this period. Before shooting began, Wang Xingxiu gathered the main cast in the hospital corridor. “Today is An Xiangdi’s final scene. Let’s all cooperate well, and if there are any issues during filming, speak up immediately.”

“Director Wang!” Wei Yi immediately raised his hand.

“Go ahead.”

“I can’t cry.” After weeks of practice, Wei Yi’s acting had improved significantly, but crying on cue remained an immense challenge for him.

“Eye drops,” Wang Xingxiu said, and an assistant promptly handed Wei Yi a bottle.

“Got it!”

An Xiao and Wang Qiao both found Wei Yi’s personality endearing and couldn’t help but cover their mouths to stifle soft laughs.

Wang Xingxiu glanced at An Xiangdi’s belly, his tone tinged with surprise. “It really doesn’t show.”

An Xiangdi tugged awkwardly at the hem of his gown. “Well, it’s a hospital gown after all.”

Amidst the laughter and mutual encouragement, the final scene for the youngest son, He Sheng, officially began.

“He Qiao, we absolutely cannot cry when we go in,” He Hua said, patting He Qiao on the back of the head, though it was unclear whether she was reminding him or herself.

“You already look like you’re mourning!” He Qiao glared at He Hua, his expression fierce but his heart heavy.

“Don’t say unlucky things,” the eldest brother, He Qiang, interjected.

“Alright, let’s go in,” He Wan took a deep breath and pushed open the hospital room door.

Inside the room, even with the window open, the faint, unpleasant smell of disinfectant lingered. Pale and emaciated, He Sheng sat on the hospital bed, staring blankly out the window.

The arrival of his family drew his gaze back, and he smiled faintly. “Why are you all here so early today?”

“We brought you millet porridge, your favorite,” He Wan said, placing the bowl on the small table.

“Second sister made it herself,” He Hua chimed in.

Hesheng was deeply moved. Hewan, who was usually careless and never cooked in fact, she didn’t even know how had now prepared a bowl of perfectly cooked porridge. It tasted sweet and was quite delicious.

Even though he had little appetite, Hesheng finished the entire bowl.

The four of them sat around his hospital bed, chatting with him all afternoon. As the sky gradually turned orange-red, Hesheng began to feel drowsy.

Hewan tightly held Hehua’s hand, while their eldest brother, Heqiang, and the fourth sibling, Heqiao, pressed their lips together tightly.

“I’m tired, I’ll sleep for a while,” Hesheng forced a faint smile. After receiving “goodnight” wishes from his older siblings, he slowly closed his eyes.

By the bedside, the four of them waited for a long time, but Hesheng never opened his eyes again.

Lying on the hospital bed, An Xiangdi held his breath, waiting for the camera to pan to the other four people silently crying.

After about seven or eight minutes, Wang Xingxiu finally called, “Cut!”

“Congratulations to Hesheng for wrapping up his role!” Wang Xingxiu led the applause.

Soon, everyone from the crew came up to An Xiangdi to congratulate him on finishing his part.

Standing not far away, Yao Honglang arranged for Xiao Gu to help distribute the milk tea and cake that had just been delivered to the hospital. It was important to leave a good impression when wrapping up a role.

“What a shame that Teacher An is wrapping up today, but Teacher Shen isn’t here,” someone started, and soon everyone was lamenting that Shen Xiao wasn’t present to witness An Xiangdi’s final scene.

Wei Yi nudged An Xiangdi with his elbow. “Where’s Shen Xiao?”

“In Pingbei,” An Xiangdi replied. According to the schedule released by the studio, Shen Xiao was supposed to be shooting promotional photos for an endorsement product that day.

An Xiangdi felt a faint sense of disappointment, but it wasn’t a big deal. In the past, when both of them were busy, they usually worked separately and rarely stayed by each other’s side. Recently, because of his pregnancy, Shen Xiao had been accompanying him more often, which actually felt a bit unfamiliar.

“Director Wang, thank you for your hard work during this time. I wish you all the best for the rest of the filming,” An Xiangdi said to Wang Xingxiu before turning to thank Ying Chong and the others.

After finishing his rounds of greetings, a commotion suddenly erupted at the end of the hospital corridor. Nurses and doctors in white coats swarmed forward, but thanks to the security guards maintaining order, the situation didn’t spiral out of control.

The elevator doors opened, and Shen Xiao, dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt, stepped out. Behind him were several people carrying large boxes, looking like delivery runners.

“Speak of the devil.”

“Is this how the rich make an entrance?”

In everyone’s eyes, Shen Xiao, valued at 790 million, was like a walking money-printing machine, radiating a golden aura with every step.

“Thank you all for taking care of Dízi during this time. These are gifts for everyone,” Shen Xiao said. His assistant, Liu Qing, had already arranged for the boxes to be distributed.

Everyone in the crew received a gift luxury cosmetics, imported delicacies, and expensive souvenirs. The extravagance left everyone in awe.

An Xiangdi watched as his Alpha acted like a “wealth-spreading child,” and even though he knew Shen Xiao had a massive fortune, he still felt a pang of heartache for the money.

After the gifts were distributed, Shen Xiao chatted with Wang Xingxiu for a few more moments before reaching out to pull An Xiangdi close.

“We’ll head back first. Thank you all for your hard work today,” Shen Xiao said in a formal tone, his arm wrapped around An Xiangdi’s shoulder.

After leaving the hospital, as soon as An Xiangdi got into the car, Shen Xiao placed something in his palm.

“What’s this?”

“Sour jujube cake, brought back from Pingbei. Cheng Youyi told me it tastes really good, should suit your palate.” Shen Xiao sat with him in the back seat.

An Xiangdi had been filming all afternoon and was indeed hungry. He took a small bite, chewing it slowly sour and sweet, truly delicious.

“Weren’t you shooting stills today?”

“Finished.” Shen Xiao was highly efficient at work, and today’s photographer’s requested style suited him well, so the shoot went exceptionally smoothly, not even requiring reshoots.

“If you keep handing out gifts like this, everyone will start seeing you as a fat sheep ready for slaughter.” Though An Xiangdi said this, he was actually worried about the money.

“Will they?” Shen Xiao retorted.

An Xiangdi took another bite of the sour jujube cake, realizing that aside from the 790 million, this man was also the second-largest shareholder of Yisheng Entertainment probably no one would dare try to take advantage of him.

“What do you want to eat tonight?” Shen Xiao asked, pulling out his phone to order some groceries.

Since they had been either on set or out of town lately, the two hadn’t had a proper meal at home in a long time.

“Anything.” An Xiangdi, holding the sour jujube cake, couldn’t think of anything specific he wanted to eat.

Shen Xiao opened the grocery app and was about to browse when a call notification popped up.

The caller was “Shen Hou.”

His finger hovered over the screen for a moment before he directly declined the call.

An Xiangdi glanced over curiously and noticed that Shen Xiao, who had been smiling faintly just moments before, had now completely stiffened.

“What’s.” An Xiangdi started to ask when Shen Xiao’s phone rang again.

This time, An Xiangdi clearly saw the caller’s name.

Shen Hou was Shen Xiao’s father the father he hadn’t been in contact with for a full five years.

The ringtone felt like a death knell, instantly wiping away any good mood the two had.

Shen Xiao hung up again and set his phone to silent, never expecting the other party to call An Xiangdi’s phone instead.

“I’ll answer it.” An Xiangdi felt that continuously hanging up wasn’t a solution if the other person really wanted to reach them, they’d find a way.

As soon as An Xiangdi pressed the answer button, Shen Xiao reached over and turned on the speakerphone.

“An Xiangdi?”

“Yes, what can I do for you?” An Xiangdi and Shen Hou were quite distant, or rather, they didn’t think much of each other.

“Is Shen Xiao with you?”

“No.” An Xiangdi chose to lie, wanting to see what Shen Hou was really after.

There was a moment of silence on the other end before Shen Hou spoke again: “Then I’ll ask you.”

Hearing such a commanding tone, Shen Xiao felt like hanging up again.

An Xiangdi stopped him: “Go ahead.”

“I heard Shen Xiao is collaborating with that Cheng guy from the Jiang family in Pingbei?”

“I’m not sure.”

“He didn’t tell you? Well, that’s right he keeps plenty of things to himself.” Shen Hou said mockingly.

An Xiangdi didn’t respond.

“I heard you’re pregnant?”

“Yes.” This time, An Xiangdi didn’t lie. Since it was already trending on Weibo, there was no need to hide it.

“Let’s have a meal together when you have time. I’ll have my secretary contact you.” Shen Hou hung up without waiting for a reply.

Staring at the ended call screen, An Xiangdi felt Shen Xiao grip his hand tightly. Shen Xiao’s tone was stiff: “Don’t go.”

“It’s just a meal.” An Xiangdi’s heart ached as he looked at Shen Xiao’s darkened profile.

Since he was old enough to understand, Shen Xiao had never shown his vulnerability to anyone he was always strong and steady. Only An Xiangdi knew that as a child, Shen Xiao had been locked away, confined, and forced to become a perfect Alpha even before his gender had fully manifested.

Shen Hou, Shen Xiao’s father, was the most obsessive Alpha An Xiangdi had ever encountered. He pushed every Alpha trait to the extreme, with a control so exaggerated that he couldn’t tolerate even the slightest resistance.

Worse still, he had woven a flawless network of relationships, viewing everyone around him as pawns to be manipulated at will.

An Xiangdi knew that even if he refused to attend the meal, he would still be “escorted” there.

Just as he was about to try persuading Shen Xiao again, An Xiangdi suddenly heard him whisper close to his ear.

“Xiangdi, I’m not the same person I was five years ago. You should trust me.”