After the Corporate Slave Beta and the Top Alpha Married - Chapter 10

When Ji Yu woke up, he was momentarily dazed by his unfamiliar surroundings. He blinked several times until his sleepiness dispersed like a startled insect and his vision gradually cleared.

He had moved in with Shang Yuanzhou.

Ji Yu felt a slight urge to sigh. Checking the time on his phone, he quickly threw off the covers to get out of bed. It was still early; if he packed up quickly and left, he might be able to avoid running into Shang Yuanzhou.

However, another little version of himself in a white robe hopped out in his mind, saying disapprovingly: “If you don’t even say hello on the first day, wouldn’t that be incredibly rude?”

Ji Yu’s expression stiffened as he muttered a rebuttal in his heart: I’m just in a hurry to get to work. It’s perfectly normal to miss each other.

The white-robed figure was shoved down. Ji Yu hurriedly dressed and prepared to wash up.

The apartment wasn’t large and had only one bathroom. The shower was partitioned off with a glass door, while the vanity was on the outside. When Ji Yu walked in, he ran straight into Shang Yuanzhou, who was just pushing open the shower door to step out.

Their eyes met. Ji Yu greeted him with forced composure: “Good morning.”

Do not look away!! We’re both men, both men, both men. It’s too weird to act coy and look away! Ji Yu! You can do this!

Shang Yuanzhou was drying his damp hair with a towel. A drop of water fell, sliding past his shoulder and down his well-defined abs and smooth mermaid line, finally disappearing into the bath towel wrapped around his waist.

The Alpha’s physique was enviable—lean when dressed, muscular when bare. His broad shoulders and narrow waist were complemented by firm, toned muscles that were refined without being overly bulky. In comparison, the 178cm Ji Yu felt almost petite standing before him.

Shang Yuanzhou gave a faint “Mm” and replied, “Good morning.”

Remembering something, he added: “I hired a housekeeper. she comes at a fixed time every day to clean. You’ll probably run into her on the weekends. If you need anything, just tell her.”

Ji Yu had already turned to the sink to wash up. His movements were natural, his posture at the vanity seemingly relaxed, showing no sign that he had turned around specifically to avoid the man who had just showered.

It was just that the mirror was clean—too clean—making him afraid to look up.

Hearing this, Ji Yu understood that the personal toiletries he had seen—clearly clean and unused—must have been bought by that housekeeper. The toothpaste was mint-flavored, a fresh scent from a brand Ji Yu didn’t recognize.

After finishing his teeth, he turned around, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the grout lines of the tiles behind Shang Yuanzhou. “I understand.”

He wanted to call him “President Shang,” but swallowed the words back down.

First, because of what Shang Yuanzhou had said yesterday; second—he didn’t know how long they would be living under the same roof. If he remained as tense as a subordinate facing a boss every single day, he would eventually drop dead from exhaustion. To make his life comfortable, he wanted to relax his attitude and act naturally around Shang Yuanzhou within reasonable limits.

Shang Yuanzhou watched him. His naturally hanging hand lifted almost imperceptibly before dropping back down. “Toothpaste.”

A tiny, snowy-white clump of foam was stuck to Ji Yu’s pale lips, making their color appear a few shades more vivid by contrast. The small, delicate cupid’s bow was so alluring it was hard to look away.

Perhaps they hadn’t actually become more vivid; perhaps it was just that Shang Yuanzhou’s own thoughts were “dirty.”

He hadn’t actually done anything to Ji Yu last night. While Ji Yu was sound asleep in his room, and since they had just registered their marriage, given society’s bias toward Alphas, even if he had stripped the man bare and done him until he woke up, Ji Yu would have had no recourse. They were a legal couple; that ridiculous agreement held no real legal power.

Ji Yu was still too inexperienced, too naive, and too pure.

Yet Shang Yuanzhou had only given him a single kiss—an impulsive act born from the heat of the moment after getting their marriage certificate. He had only pressed their lips together and sucked on Ji Yu’s lip for a moment, not even letting his tongue slip inside. Then, he had exercised self-control, quietly closing the door and leaving.

If possible, he didn’t want to be that “bad” to Ji Yu.

He hadn’t been recognized by the Shang family until he was 18. Before his senior year in Berlin High, he had survived at the very bottom of society. The filth and the darkness were mixed into his very blood and bone.

But if Ji Yu could fall in love with him, he could suppress his true nature for a lifetime.

Ji Yu: “?” Seeing that Shang Yuanzhou didn’t speak and only stared at him, he asked blankly: “Toothpaste?”

“It’s on your mouth.” Shang Yuanzhou looked away and walked out of the bathroom.

Left inside, Ji Yu stiffly turned to look in the mirror, and his face instantly turned a deep shade of red. He rinsed the foam off his lips with water, the tips of his ears burning.

Back in university, there were plenty of guys in the dorm who went around shirtless, yet Ji Yu had never felt the kind of embarrassment he felt today. Because he hadn’t dared to look at Shang Yuanzhou in the mirror, he hadn’t even noticed the foam on his lip.

It was truly…

Shang Yuanzhou, having just come out of the shower, was a bit too much… full of male hormones and a drenching aura of raw magnetism. Not to mention, that face of his was exceptionally beautiful, and the steam had softened his usual cold, distant demeanor.

Ji Yu let out a slow breath. Thinking that since they had already run into each other and he had already lost face, there was no longer any need to rush. He still had some spare time before work, so he walked into the kitchen.

A moment later, he poked his head out and asked Shang Yuanzhou, who was doing something in the living room: “I’m making steamed eggs, do you want some?”

Shang Yuanzhou nodded. Ji Yu gave an “OK” gesture and retracted into the kitchen.

The kitchen door was open, allowing Shang Yuanzhou to see his back. The apron strings were tied around Ji Yu’s waist, highlighting its slender curve. Ji Yu lowered his head to chop green onions, the sound of the knife hitting the cutting board creating a sense of “home.”

This was a scene that Shang Yuanzhou hadn’t even dared to have in his dreams.

He stared fixedly at Ji Yu. In this moment, he had the dazed illusion that he and Ji Yu were truly married and had formed a warm home together. But Shang Yuanzhou knew it was fake.

If it were real, he could walk up, hug Ji Yu from behind, engage in a sticky, lingering kiss, and naturally help him with the prep work.

He wanted to make all of this real.

Shang Yuanzhou spoke as he walked toward the kitchen: “I’ll help.”