After the Corporate Slave Beta and the Top Alpha Married - Chapter 14

Ji Yu pushed open the wardrobe door, rummaging through it until he pulled out a pair of comfortable casual shorts. They featured a drawstring waist and wide legs that stopped just above his knees.

As he stepped out of his room, he ran right into Shang Yuanzhou.

Shang Yuanzhou glanced at Ji Yu’s dazzlingly pale calves, remaining silent for a moment before speaking. “Why are you up so early?”

“I have to go to the office for a bit,” Ji Yu replied. “Are you heading to work too, A-Zhou?”

Shang Yuanzhou furrowed his brows almost imperceptibly. “You’re going to the office while injured?”

Ji Yu let out a helpless sigh. “Company policy states that any leave exceeding one week must be requested in person. Besides the department supervisor’s approval, it also needs to be cleared by the manager.”

“I’ll take you,” Shang Yuanzhou said.

“Eh?” Ji Yu let out a surprised sound, quickly adding, “No need, I can just call a cab.”

“Before you were injured, I picked you up every day. Now that you’re hurt, I’m suddenly nowhere to be found what do you think others would think?”

Once Shang Yuanzhou finished speaking, Ji Yu fell silent. It made perfect sense.

“Go wash your face. We’ll leave once you’re ready.”

When they went downstairs, Shang Yuanzhou’s driver was waiting by the car a Rolls-Royce this time.

Over the past few days, Ji Yu had become quite familiar with Shang Yuanzhou’s fleet. The Maybach was the daily driver, while the Cayenne and Rolls-Royce appeared occasionally. As for whether there were other cars, Ji Yu wasn’t sure.

He often felt that Shang Yuanzhou must have more than one residence. A single apartment usually only came with one parking space, yet there was no place to park his other two vehicles here.

But as for why Shang Yuanzhou lived here, Ji Yu couldn’t fathom a reason.

Even though he felt closer to Shang Yuanzhou now, Ji Yu was acutely aware of the gap between them and the true nature of their relationship. Since he was never one for excessive curiosity, he didn’t ask; he simply got into the car obediently.

When they reached the office building, Ji Yu declined Shang Yuanzhou’s suggestion to accompany him upstairs.

Shang Yuanzhou didn’t press the matter. “Call me if you encounter anything you can’t handle.”

“Okay,” Ji Yu agreed with a beaming smile, watching the car drive off before turning toward the office building.

Yesterday’s help was just the result of two people living together simple favors that didn’t harm anyone’s interests. If he sought Shang Yuanzhou’s help for a problem at work, he would be utilizing the man’s personal connections and influence.

The analogy was: asking a roommate to help you carry something versus asking a roommate to give you a thousand dollars for no reason.

As an adult, Ji Yu wasn’t foolish enough to take polite gestures as an invitation to overreach.

“Hey, have you guys heard? Ji Yu is getting promoted.”

“He’s only been at the company for a few months. How can he be promoted so fast?”

“Ji Yu? Promoted? On what grounds? Based on seniority or ability, it would never be his turn.”

“What else? He’s clearly found himself a wealthy sugar daddy. Last time that person picked him up, President Sun was bowing and scraping with a smile. You could tell the guy he’s with is no ordinary person.”

“What sugar daddy? Don’t talk nonsense; he took leave to get his marriage certificate.”

“Are you stupid? You actually believe that? Has Ji Yu shown a marriage certificate? Not on his social feed. Has he sent invites? No. Would such an outstanding Alpha actually fall for a Beta like him? He’s probably just a fling.”

“Shh, shh! He’s here.”

Ji Yu walked into the office, and the group gathered there immediately dispersed. It wasn’t yet time for work, and it was normal for early arrivals to gather for some gossip.

He had always been the invisible one; he never expected that one day, he would walk into the office and find himself the center of conversation.

Ji Yu still had his arm in a cast. Even without a close look, it was impossible to miss. The office, which had gone quiet for a second, started buzzing again.

Likely worried that Ji Yu had heard the previous remarks, the speakers looked somewhat uncomfortable. “Ji Yu, what happened to your hand?”

Ji Yu shrugged. “An accidental fall. A minor bone fracture.”

His tone and expression were ordinary, as if he hadn’t heard a word of their discussion.

Seeing his reaction, the colleagues relaxed considerably and chimed in: “How could you be so unlucky? That’s terrible.”

“How did you fall? How did it lead to a fracture?”

Jiang Yibai approached with a look of concern. “What did the doctor say? Is it serious? How did you fall? What were you doing?”

Ji Yu gave a small smile. “While taking wedding photos, the horse got spooked, and I accidentally fell off.”

He let out a sigh, his tone sounding like a complaint yet carrying a hint of a “flex”: “A-Zhou insisted on us taking those shots of us on separate horses riding side-by-side. I told him I didn’t know how to ride, but he insisted.”

“It’s all his fault that I fell.”

Article 26 of the contract: When alone in public, one must always maintain the image of a loving and harmonious couple.

Based on Ji Yu’s own personality, he would almost never discuss his private matters at work. But since President Shang was paying him and had saved him, he couldn’t let others paint Shang Yuanzhou as some irresponsible scumbag playing at “sugar daddies” and keeping a mistress.

Protecting the boss’s image was employee Ji Yu’s undeniable duty.

Jiang Yibai’s expression shifted. “You really registered your marriage?”

Realizing his tone was off, he quickly added, “Since you’ve already taken wedding photos, when is the ceremony? And look at your hand… your partner shouldn’t have forced you if you told him you couldn’t ride.”

The others looked at each other, following along with a hint of inexplicable bitterness. “Exactly. Forcing you to ride when you can’t isn’t that just making things hard for you?”

Usually, these people weren’t even that close to Ji Yu, but now they acted as if they were his best friends, venting their “indignation” on his behalf. Sabotaging Ji Yu’s relationship with Shang Yuanzhou wouldn’t benefit them, yet they simply didn’t want to see him doing well.

Ji Yu’s smile faded slightly. “No one could have predicted the horse would get spooked, but A-Zhou rushed down to catch me the moment it happened.”

He proceeded to exaggerate the story significantly: how Shang Yuanzhou had jumped off his horse without a second thought the moment Ji Yu started falling, how he had been injured himself just to save him, and even said with a touch of cringe that he felt completely safe the moment he was caught.

Jiang Yibai managed a forced smile. “He really cares about you. And he’s an Alpha… you’re really lucky.”

Ji Yu nodded in affirmation without hesitation. “That’s true.”

He looked exactly like an arrogant little fox flaunting its borrowed power.

Ji Yu’s leave was approved by the supervisor without any hurdles. When he went to get the manager’s stamp, Sun Caicheng bypassed the lower managers, not only signing the papers himself but also enthusiastically escorting Ji Yu downstairs.

As they stood outside, Sun Caicheng’s face was a mask of forced smiles. “Look at you! For something as big as an injury, you could have just sent a message. There was no need for you to come to the office in person.”

Ji Yu shook his head. “President Sun, I must follow company policy.”

Sun Caicheng frowned and let out a deliberate “tsk.” “We were high school classmates. Calling me ‘President Sun’ makes us seem like strangers, doesn’t it?”

Ji Yu truly felt like frowning now. He wasn’t used to flattery, nor was he comfortable with others sucking up to him. It was awkward. Besides, he wasn’t actually Shang Yuanzhou’s lover; Sun Caicheng’s flattery was wasted on him.

Seeing him frown, Sun Caicheng quickly said, “Don’t worry about work matters. Just focus on recovering. When you return to the office, I have some good news for you.”

Good news?

The words he heard upon entering the office flashed through Ji Yu’s mind: “Hey, have you guys heard? Ji Yu is getting promoted.”

So, they really intended to promote him? He had been with the company for three months and had only just passed his probation. There was no way he deserved a promotion by any metric.

Ji Yu pursed his lips. “It wouldn’t be about a promotion, would it?”

Sun Caicheng looked surprised and delighted. “You already know! I knew nothing could get past someone as smart as you. What do you think of the Department Supervisor position? Are you satisfied? If not, we can adjust further up.”

Ji Yu couldn’t fathom what hearing a rumor had to do with being “smart.” If hearing gossip made one smart, the old ladies at the village entrance would be the geniuses of the world.

Naturally, Ji Yu didn’t believe Sun Caicheng had discovered a “hidden gem” in him. It could only be because of Shang Yuanzhou.

His bone fracture allowed him up to three months of leave by policy. Ji Yu had brought his medical records and requested four weeks according to doctor’s orders this was a right he already possessed. Having the leave approved quickly was just a minor convenience he could accept.

But a promotion…

Not only would he wonder what Shang Yuanzhou would think of him if word got out, but he also couldn’t accept it himself.

“President Sun, I only want to do my job well. If I am promoted or given a raise in any form because of this, I’m afraid I’ll have to resign.”

Sun Caicheng was stunned. Looking at Ji Yu’s now-solemn face, he didn’t know what to say for a moment. “This… this… where is this coming from?”

Ji Yu lowered his eyes, his expression flat. “A-Zhou loves me very much, so I cannot betray that affection. I cannot use his name to act recklessly, nor can I interfere with his decisions. I won’t ask about which companies he works with or where he invests. I won’t interfere.”

He looked up and smiled at Sun Caicheng. “What A-Zhou loves is exactly this clean and pure version of me.”

By the time Ji Yu had gotten into a cab and left, Sun Caicheng was still standing there. Watching the exhaust of the car, his mind was filled with one thought: What the hell?

What kind of CEO-and-his-delicate-little-flower-wife melodrama is this?!

Ji Yu usually kept such a low profile that Sun had no idea he had this kind of personality in private. So, have I become a part of this ‘white lotus wife’ roleplay too?!

Sun Caicheng’s expression shifted through a spectrum of disbelief and realization.

He had no idea that inside the cab, Ji Yu’s own expression was also completely numb.