After the Corporate Slave Beta and the Top Alpha Married - Chapter 2

Ji Yu felt the name was familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he had heard it before.

Ji Bohan watched his expression, not caring whether Ji Yu actually recognized the man or not. “Follow me up there and apologize to him.”

“If we can clear this up, fine. But if that man decides to hold a grudge against the Ji family…” Ji Bohan stared at Ji Yu with a grim expression. “The price will be more than you can afford, and more than we can afford.”

For Shang Yuanzhou, crushing the Ji family would be as easy as crushing an ant.

The guests at the cocktail party were all casting subtle, lingering glances their way. Even people Ji Bohan usually couldn’t strike up a conversation with were looking over, though no one dared to approach and satisfy their curiosity.

If it had happened once, it might have been fine. But one person after another who had been talking to the Ji family’s youngest son was being called away—it was a blatant slap to Ji Yu’s face.

Only one thought occupied everyone’s mind: The Ji family is finished.

The situation on the second floor was nothing like anyone imagined. The man standing in the center wore a silver suit. He was very tall, estimated at around 190 cm, towering over everyone around him. When he lowered his gaze to look at someone, his eyes carried an inherent sense of oppression.

The three people who had been summoned stood behind him, trembling. Since coming up, they had been left to the side, ignored. The excitement they felt when they were first called had long since vanished. Besides those three, others in the vicinity were holding their breath; no one knew what Shang Yuanzhou was thinking.

In truth, Shang Yuanzhou didn’t know what his own chaotic thoughts were doing either.

He had merely glanced down casually while stepping out for some air, and then he saw Ji Yu.

Ji Yu hadn’t changed much from his memory, though he was a bit thinner.

Shang Yuanzhou hadn’t seen him since high school graduation. Five years had passed, and Shang Yuanzhou thought he had faded from his memory, but he hadn’t expected to see him here.

He watched the people below in silence, realizing with a start—comparing Ji Yu to the man beside him—that he, too, had grown much taller.

Ji Yu had matured, yet his aura remained gentle and unassuming.

Shang Yuanzhou had only come out for air, and there were still matters to discuss inside, yet he stood there, unable to move a single step.

From the moment he saw that person, his heart began to throb heavily and rapidly, pounding against his chest.

Ji Yu is back in A-City. He appeared at a cocktail party. For someone like Ji Yu, who had little to do with the family business, Shang Yuanzhou didn’t need to guess his purpose for being there.

He watched Ji Yu talk to another slightly shorter man. The other man seemed to say something Ji Yu didn’t catch.

So, Ji Yu lowered his head, turned his ear, and leaned in slightly. The two clinked glasses, smiled, and continued talking. To Shang Yuanzhou, the sight was eyesore-inducingly “harmonious.”

Didn’t he say he only wanted freedom? Will he enter a political marriage with that man? Right, Ji Yu is a Beta. That man is probably a Beta too. No pheromone troubles, so they can get married, right?

Shang Yuanzhou felt his heart thudding violently. His brain, fueled by his own conjectures, was quickly swamped by a suffocating heat.

Calling the people up through the waiter, separating them, and terminating their conversation—these were actions Shang Yuanzhou took almost instinctively.

He didn’t yet know how to say the first word to Ji Yu after their long separation, but he already couldn’t suppress the impulse to call away every person near him.

It was no different from five years ago; he still couldn’t stand anyone getting close to Ji Yu. It had become an instinct rooted in his very body.

The predatory desire inherent in an Alpha’s bones was acting up—he wanted to go down there, in front of everyone, and bite the barren gland on the back of Ji Yu’s neck to pour in his own pheromones.

He wanted everyone to know that Ji Yu belonged to him.

Possessiveness expanded pathologically in his heart. He wanted to snatch Ji Yu back and lock him up; he wanted to make him hurt, make him cry, and make him apologize through tear-filled eyes, saying he shouldn’t have been so close or talked so happily with others—saying he knew he was wrong.

But he couldn’t.

Ji Yu hadn’t done anything wrong. It was he, Shang Yuanzhou, who was “sick.”

The group who had been waiting for Shang Yuanzhou to return, along with the three trembling Betas, stood behind him. The Betas couldn’t sense pheromones, but they were instinctively nervous in the stagnant atmosphere.

The other Alphas, however, were already drenched in sweat. They couldn’t help but retreat further and further, using the distance to find a chance to breathe under the suppression of Shang Yuanzhou’s pheromones.

If not for their logic, they would have fled in terror.

There are ranks even among Alphas, and Shang Yuanzhou was a “Top-Tier” existence.

Fortunately, before their legs gave out, Shang Yuanzhou seemed to snap out of it. He retracted his pheromones and stepped back inside. The suffocating scent of bitter wine slowly dissipated from the small area.

The others followed quickly, not noticing the group of people walking up from below.

The situation seemed better, yet not quite.

Shang Yuanzhou sat in the head seat without saying a word, making everyone else afraid to speak. The three summoned Betas stood shivering, not daring to open their mouths or sit down.

It wasn’t until there was movement at the door that the stagnant atmosphere was broken.

The assistant guarding the door knocked and walked in, saying to Shang Yuanzhou, “President Shang, people from the Ji Group wish to see you.”

After receiving permission, Ji Yu walked in with Ji Bohan and Ji Hexuan. On the way up, he had been repeatedly reciting the words Ji Bohan taught him.

Just returned to A-City… ignorant… caused offense…

It was clearly the other party who had initiated the trouble, yet Ji Yu was the one being pressured to apologize. Such was reality, and Ji Yu had no complaints; he just truly didn’t know where he had offended this Shang family head whom he had never even met.

Usually, with the Ji family’s status, they would never get to see the head of the Shang family. The fact that they were allowed in was a slightly better-than-expected scenario. It meant they had indeed caused offense, but the other party was willing to give them a chance.

Upon walking in and seeing the man in the head seat, Ji Yu was momentarily stunned.

The man was very tall, and even sitting down, he radiated an inherent sense of oppression. His eyes were lowered, but when he heard the movement and looked up, Ji Yu’s heart skipped a beat.

He couldn’t tell if that rapid heartbeat was due to nervousness or… because that face was simply too handsome.

It was a face so exquisite one couldn’t find a single flaw. A straight bridge to his nose, narrow eyes, and rare, pale-red pupils. Black hair and red eyes, complemented by a silver-white suit—he was beautiful, but no one would ever mistake him for an Omega.

His beauty carried a terrifying sharpness. When his indifferent gaze swept over, it was cold enough to sting.

The man stood up, bypassed Ji Bohan, and reached out toward Ji Yu. Ji Yu was considered tall, not inferior to most Alphas, but this man was clearly much taller.

With his height and heavy sense of oppression, the way he looked down at Ji Yu made Ji Yu’s heart tighten even more. He even forgot to return the handshake from that long, broad hand.

Ji Bohan, sweating with anxiety at the side, quickly nudged Ji Yu with his elbow.

The movement made Shang Yuanzhou look at him. The moment he was targeted, the hair on Ji Bohan’s neck stood up.

Ji Yu didn’t notice his older brother’s abnormality. Nudged, he quickly reacted and reached out to shake Shang Yuanzhou’s hand.

How should I apologize? Should I be direct?

For some reason, he felt the person before him looked familiar, and the name rang a bell, as if he had heard it somewhere.

Shang Yuanzhou: “Long time no see, Ji Yu.”

Ji Yu froze. Everyone present froze.

He spoke cautiously: “Have we met before, President Shang?”

Ji Yu tried to pull his hand back, only to find that Shang Yuanzhou had no intention of letting go. He could only stiffly maintain his reaching posture while his hand was held.

From the very first glance Ji Yu gave him when he walked in, Shang Yuanzhou knew he likely didn’t remember him.

Though prepared, hearing that “Have we met before?” still made Shang Yuanzhou feel like his breathing was obstructed. The words were like a hand gripping his throat, and a fire boiled in his chest.

He even wanted to bite Ji Yu’s neck and ask: By what right?

Even if their interactions in high school were few, they were classmates for a year. Even if he had changed a bit due to differentiation—changed his eye color—anyone who knew him could recognize him.

By what right does Ji Yu… forget me so completely?

After five years, Shang Yuanzhou thought he was mature enough to act like a normal person in front of Ji Yu. But the fact was, right now, he wanted to do exactly what he wanted to do back then—maybe even something worse.

For instance, right now, his mind was filled with the thought of stripping Ji Yu bare and ravishing him, biting that barren gland and asking, “Who am I?”

Answering “Shang Yuanzhou” wouldn’t do. “High school classmate” wouldn’t do. He’d have to cry and answer “Husband” to be let go.

Shang Yuanzhou’s Adam’s apple bobbed slowly as he flashed a polite, formulaic smile: “Berlin High School. I changed my name, but my surname is still Shang. Do you remember?”

If you still can’t remember, I’ll fuck you to death.

Ji Yu’s brow furrowed slightly in a look of deep thought. A moment later, he realized: “Shang Fan?”

Before Shang Yuanzhou could speak, Ji Bohan spoke up eagerly: “I didn’t realize my younger brother had such a connection with President Shang. Ji Yu, why haven’t you offered President Shang a toast yet?”

When Shang Yuanzhou was in high school, he hadn’t yet been recognized by the Shang family. That period wasn’t exactly a past worth mentioning; ordinary people didn’t dare bring it up, and no one dared to claim a classmate relationship from back then. Ji Bohan hadn’t even considered it.

Hearing this, Ji Yu pursed his lips and awkwardly tried to tug his hand away from the grip, reminding him: “President Shang, this…”

Shang Yuanzhou released his hand and said “Sorry.” His expression was so natural that Ji Yu didn’t think twice, assuming the man had simply forgotten.

Shang Yuanzhou turned his head toward the three dumbfounded Betas, then said to Ji Yu: “I was curious, so I called them up to ask a few things. You don’t mind, do you?”

Before Ji Yu could speak, Ji Hexuan, who had been ignored until now, couldn’t help but chime in: “We don’t mind! Of course not!”

“Ji Yu doesn’t mind either, right?”

Ji Yu smiled and shook his head, but in his heart, he felt like a cat was scratching him. So… curious about what?

They weren’t able to stay long before Shang Yuanzhou politely asked them to leave, along with the three Betas, using the excuse that they still had business to discuss.

As the group came down from the second floor, they attracted everyone’s attention. Especially after noticing Ji Bohan’s face full of smug triumph, people couldn’t resist stepping forward to inquire.

Compared to others, the Ji family was far from significant. Ji Bohan had never been the focus of the crowd like this. Ji Hexuan was also there, socializing left and right, repeating the five-minute encounter over and over, wishing he could break it down into pieces to tell it.

The two had no time to pay attention to Ji Yu, which allowed Ji Yu a moment of peace.

By the end of the cocktail party, Ji Bohan and Ji Hexuan had drunk quite a bit and were sent back by a driver. Ji Yu called a car on his phone, stood at the entrance in the cold wind for a bit, and soon got into the car and left.

In a corner, the window of a Maybach slowly rolled up. The driver sitting in front asked cautiously, “President Shang?”

“Let’s go.”

Shang Yuanzhou retracted his gaze. His hand, resting naturally on his knee, pressed heavily against his fingertips.