After Getting Pregnant, I’m Divorcing My Alpha - Chapter 35

“Teacher An! Good afternoon, Teacher An!” Several crew members of “Hidden Eyes” excitedly greeted An Xiangdi, who had arrived early.

“Is Director Cao inside?” An Xiangdi nodded and glanced toward the open door of the lounge.

“Yes, Teacher Liang is also here.”

An Xiangdi acknowledged and walked toward the lounge, with Xiao Gu obediently following behind.

The crew members standing in the hallway watched An Xiangdi enter the lounge and whispered among themselves, “Did you see it? Did you see it?”

“I did, his belly is already showing.” One of them even gestured with their hand over their own stomach.

“Who would have thought that the incredibly handsome Teacher An from the set was actually an Omega! I could smell his pheromones just now sweet and incredibly pleasant!”

“Ah I’m so envious of you Omegas. Unlike us Betas, we can’t smell anything.”

“Hehe!”

Inside the lounge, Cao Xuan was catching up with Liang Yao. Since the drama wrapped up, Cao Xuan had been fully focused on post-production. While others occasionally chatted in the group chat, he had only spoken once when An Xiangdi made headlines.

As soon as An Xiangdi entered, Liang Yao, being an Omega, immediately caught his pheromones.

“Teacher An, good afternoon.” Some awkward incidents had occurred on set before, and coupled with the long time since they last met, Liang Yao’s voice trembled slightly as she greeted him, despite both being Omegas.

An Xiangdi knew Liang Yao was afraid of him and made no effort to be overly considerate. “Long time no see. I heard you recently landed a great drama?”

“Just so-so, not as impressive as your career,” Liang Yao replied politely, slowly stepping aside.

An Xiangdi then walked up to Cao Xuan. “Director Cao.”

“Xiangdi, good afternoon. I’ve arranged everything you mentioned earlier.” Cao Xuan blinked and smiled, glancing at An Xiangdi’s stomach. “I originally planned to have you and Shen Xiao promote in your costumes today. I even brought the white coat for you.”

An Xiangdi followed his gaze. “That’s fine.”

“Won’t it be inconvenient?” Cao Xuan noticed that even under the loose polo shirt, An Xiangdi’s belly was somewhat visible. He assumed it would be noticeable even in the white coat.

“It’s manageable.” An Xiangdi walked over, put on the white coat, buttoned it up, and turned around. “It’s not very noticeable.”

When Shen Xiao entered, his eyes immediately fell on An Xiangdi in the white coat. The scene felt as if it had transported them back three months to when they were filming “Hidden Eyes.” But as he looked down, he was reminded that this person was already three months pregnant.

“You’re here,” An Xiangdi said, pointing to the police uniform hanging on the coat rack. “Change into that. It’s yours.”

“Thank you, Director Cao, for bringing it,” Shen Xiao said, taking the uniform and stepping behind the screen. He changed quickly and emerged. “Wearing it again after three months feels completely familiar.”

“I had it specially washed and ironed. For a press conference, we need to maintain some prestige,” Cao Xuan remarked, looking satisfied. “But you you just started your studio a month ago. Isn’t it tough handling everything alone?”

“It’s manageable. Thank you for your concern, Director Cao.”

An Xiangdi stood to the side, listening to their polite exchanges while pondering to himself: Shen Xiao had the backing of Yisheng Entertainment, after all. But then again, Shen Xiao had never publicly revealed this identity, so perhaps no one else knew.

Half an hour before the press conference was set to begin, fans and media started filing in. After the crew and venue staff finalized some details, they waited for the event to officially start.

An Xiangdi, tired from standing, found a small chair in the corner and sat down, nibbling on the small cake Shen Xiao had brought him.

“Quite a few reporters showed up today.”

“Yeah, it’s quite the spectacle. Our crew really has some clout!”

“Am I about to become famous?”

“Stop daydreaming! Wake up!”

A few actors nearby chatted idly. When An Xiangdi had first arrived, he’d noticed many reporters, but now, looking out at the audience, the sight was even more striking.

Most reporters were dressed uniformly in black, carrying heavy-looking DSLR cameras, and some even had DVs ready for recording.

Unconsciously, his hand rested on his rounded belly. His little one hadn’t even been born yet but was already attracting so much attention surely, they were destined for greatness.

Once the press conference officially began, the host took the lead, followed by speeches from the sponsors, then director Cao Xuan took the stage, and finally, the actors joined together.

The event included interactive segments in the middle and concluded with a 15-minute free interview session.

An Xiangdi had assumed the free interview would be the most challenging part, but he never expected the interactive segment to be the real trap.

Yao Honglang, sitting in the audience, watched as An Xiangdi failed to pick up a single mung bean for the thirteenth time. He covered his face in embarrassment, wishing he could pretend not to know the man.

“Xiangdi is a total game disaster! Don’t torture him like this!”

“Give Xiangdi a break! I can’t watch this anymore!”

“Help, a whole plate of mung beans, and he only picked up two in a minute. This is too funny.”

“Is Shen Xiao really not going to help?”

“The director won’t allow it, hahaha! Look at his eyes they’re practically glaring with seriousness.”

The interactive segment featured three games, with the main actors participating in the first two. In the first game, An Xiangdi teamed up with Shen Xiao and, thanks to Shen Xiao’s gaming prowess, they secured a win. But the second game was an individual challenge to see who could pick up the most mung beans in three minutes.

Liang Yao went first, swiftly picking over thirty mung beans from the plate.

Shen Xiao was even more unbelievable, managing almost one per second, making it clear he would win without a doubt.

When it was An Xiangdi’s turn, even two in a minute was an achievement. By the time the second minute was almost over, he still hadn’t managed to pick up a third.

“Time’s up!” The host raised a hand to signal the end of the game.

An Xiangdi, his arm sore and eyes tired, let out a breath and stubbornly declared, “This game isn’t fair. I can’t bend over.”

The host was completely stunned by his remark. An Xiangdi was indeed pregnant and couldn’t bend easily his reasoning was so valid that the host lost all will to argue.

Without a word, Shen Xiao walked over and blatantly swapped his own plate with An Xiangdi’s. “We’re exchanging scores. I’m the one who got him pregnant.”

“Holy crap!”

“Is this a ride to kindergarten?”

“Help me, I can’t take it! I need CPR!”

“Damn, what kind of epic love declaration is this?”

“‘I’m the one who got him pregnant’ why not just say ‘I’m the one who did the beep with him’?”

“Sis, those are some wild words tone it down a little.”

“Exposed, exposed! Show some restraint!”

Liang Yao, standing to the side, had completely become the third wheel. She discreetly nudged the host, hoping they would quickly announce the winner of the second segment.

Seeing how cheerful everyone was, the host cleverly declared, “I announce that the winner of the second segment is An Xiangdi and Shen Xiao’s little one!”

“Oh my, what a dramatic pause.”

“I accept this!”

“I’m totally fine with this result!”

“I bet the baby is flashing a ‘V’ for victory in the womb right now.”

“Stop, stop, that’s way too creepy.”

Liang Yao breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t particularly interested in who won; what mattered was getting out of the spotlight as soon as possible.

After stepping off the stage, An Xiangdi pinched Shen Xiao’s waist hard. “The little one in my belly told me to give you a beating.”

“Mm.” Shen Xiao didn’t feel any pain at all.

After this delightful interlude, the press conference soon moved on to the interview segment. The reporters were practically rubbing their hands in anticipation, too impatient to wait for the host’s cue. They couldn’t wait to shove their microphones in An Xiangdi’s face and ask him about the pregnancy.

Once the host finished speaking, they handed the microphone to Cao Xuan, and the main cast took the stage.

“Feel free to raise your hands if you have any questions, but remember, they must be related to the show,” Cao Xuan added, specifically for the reporters, clearly intending to shield An Xiangdi.

But the truly nosy entertainment reporters were oblivious to such hints. Soon, someone asked, “I have a question for the male lead, An Xiangdi. Were you pregnant during the filming of ‘Hidden Eyes’?”

An Xiangdi glanced at Yao Honglang sitting offstage and, seeing no gesture to stay silent, took the microphone and answered the reporter directly. “I really don’t know. After all, we share a bed every day.”

“Are you really an Omega?”

“Well, we have a child now.”

“Mr. Shen Xiao, as An Xiangdi’s Alpha for two years, did you always know his true gender?”

“Well, we have a child now.”

The couple gave identical answers, leaving the reporters unable to pry out any more information. They were practically on the verge of a meltdown.

Cao Xuan quickly stepped in. “Are there any more questions related to the show? If not, we’ll have to wrap up the interview early.”

Only then did the reporters rein themselves in, asking a few show-related questions. Whenever the conversation threatened to veer back toward An Xiangdi, Cao Xuan skillfully steered it away.

As the press conference neared its end, Cao Xuan suddenly said, “When I chose today’s date for the press conference, I actually consulted someone to pick an auspicious day. And it turns out, today really is a lucky day. I hope this good fortune carries over, and our show becomes a massive hit!”

As soon as the words were spoken, the stage lights suddenly went out, plunging the entire venue into darkness.

Then, a spotlight shone directly on Shen Xiao’s face as he stood at the center of the stage.

Shen Xiao’s expression remained calm, but his mind was racing with possibilities. Maybe the crew had organized a birthday surprise for him. Maybe Cao Xuan had found out about his birthday and arranged this. Or maybe… An Xiangdi had planned this surprise for him.

But all those possibilities ultimately pointed to the last one.

Because An Xiangdi was pushing a cart with a cake onto the stage, a bright, beaming smile on his face.

All of this had been arranged by An Xiangdi the day after the crew announced the press conference, when he proactively reached out to Cao Xuan to plan it.

He was a man who believed in the importance of rituals, insisting that birthdays and holidays should be celebrated without regrets. Especially since this was Shen Xiao’s thirtieth birthday.

“Shen Xiao, happy thirtieth birthday. On your journey to forty, take me along.”

Shen Xiao looked at An Xiangdi from across the cake cart and suddenly realized that fulfillment and happiness could sometimes be such simple things to grasp.

After a long moment, he reached out and pulled the other into his arms, his voice low and husky. “Thank you.”

“I made the cake myself this time. No oven explosions.”