After the Corporate Slave Beta and the Top Alpha Married - Chapter 25

With things on his mind, Ji Yu woke up even before his alarm went off. It was still a full three hours before he had to be at work.

The sky outside was still a hazy grey, not quite dawn yet. After dazing for a few minutes, Ji Yu sent a message to his department head:

“Manager, I’m feeling unwell today and would like to take a day off.”

After sending the message, Ji Yu got up, washed up as quietly as possible so as not to wake the other person in the house, and headed out.

The supermarket at seven in the morning was bustling, mostly with middle-aged and elderly people carrying their own shopping bags. On a weekday morning, a young face like Ji Yu’s was a rare sight in the aisles. Although his age made him stand out, he fit right in by bringing his own cloth bag.

Ji Yu shook out his tote, politely declining the cashier’s offer of a plastic bag. Thriftiness was a virtue he had cultivated since high school.

He carried a bag of ingredients back home and closed the sliding door to the kitchen to avoid waking Shang Yuanzhou. He deveined some fresh shrimp, sprayed a bit of oil on a flat pan, and lightly seared them no complex cooking was needed to bring out their natural sweetness. He tossed the shrimp heads into the oil to release their fragrance before discarding them; the remaining shrimp oil would be perfect for his noodles.

While waiting for the noodles to boil, his phone buzzed several times in his pocket. It was Sun Caicheng.

Sun Caicheng: “Ji Yu! I heard from your manager that you’re taking sick leave. What happened suddenly?” “This client today is very important. Can you come in this afternoon? You don’t need to give a perfect presentation; just show your face. Don’t be nervous.”

Sun Caicheng’s behavior confirmed that what Shang Yuanzhou had said last night was correct. Ji Yu didn’t understand these corporate mind games, but Shang Yuanzhou could see through them instantly. He was truly impressive. However, while Shang Yuanzhou might not mind such “small matters” causing trouble for Ji Yu, Ji Yu himself did.

“I really can’t come, President Sun. You should give the task back to Jiang Yibai.”

He pursed his lips and typed out a refusal, taking a firm stance for the first time: “If the leave isn’t approved, you can mark me as absent.”

Ji Yu set his phone down and ignored it, focusing instead on chopping green onions into neat, tiny pieces. A bowl of seafood noodles simply couldn’t lack its “soul” the green onions.

When Shang Yuanzhou stepped out of his room, he saw Ji Yu carrying a bowl of noodles out of the kitchen. The rising steam blurred Ji Yu’s features, making him look particularly gentle and submissive.

His “cute little wife” waved at him. “You’re awake?”

Then, his “cute but not-so-in-love-with-him” wife asked: “Come eat. By the way, when are we moving? I’m free today and can pack.”

Shang Yuanzhou pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling for the first time like turning around and going back to sleep. He asked calmly, “Not going to work today?”

Ji Yu didn’t hide it there was no need. “I took a day off. I realized I’m not used to giving presentations in front of so many people.”

“Besides, even if others don’t know, I know our relationship is fake. If I do it once, it’ll happen again. Even if you say it won’t affect you, I think it’s ultimately not a good thing.”

Shang Yuanzhou: “In everyone’s eyes, it is real.” He paused before adding, “You can avoid it once, but you can’t avoid it every time. Have you thought about resigning? You don’t seem happy at that company anyway.”

Ji Yu froze, instinctively repeating: “Resigning?”

Shang Yuanzhou had already gone to the bathroom to wash up, but his voice carried over: “You’ll be going abroad once this is over. There’s no fundamental difference between staying at that company for a few months or a year; you aren’t planning to build a career there.”

Ji Yu sat at the table without picking up his chopsticks, waiting for Shang Yuanzhou to join him. He couldn’t help but think. He truly wasn’t happy at that company, and there was no reason to stay. He wouldn’t be there long-term, and he wasn’t looking for a promotion. But the idea of resigning had never actually occurred to him.

What would he do after resigning? He couldn’t exactly become a full-time “Little White Flower” actor for Shang Yuanzhou, waiting around for a call, could he?

He thought about the high compensation in the contract… Actually, that wouldn’t be so bad.

Shang Yuanzhou came out and sat opposite him. “What are you thinking?”

Ji Yu shook his head. “I just don’t know what I’d do after resigning.”

“Do what you want to do,” Shang Yuanzhou said, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t you have something?”

“I like photography,” Ji Yu replied, a slight frown touching his handsome features. “I’ve contacted a studio abroad. Aidan said I’m welcome anytime.”

He loved shooting nature and animals, following the traces of the wild year-round. It would be hard work mosquito bites, harsh environments, lack of supplies, and extreme weather but that was exactly what Ji Yu wanted.

“But that’s for later. Even if I resign now, I can’t go over yet.”

Aidan. The name that had flashed on the phone screen.

Now that he knew who it was and what was on Ji Yu’s mind, Shang Yuanzhou’s mood improved considerably. He had asked the question knowing Ji Yu wasn’t aimless; in fact, the boy’s goal had always been clear. He might delay it for certain reasons, but he wouldn’t change for anyone like a fish determined to swim toward the ocean.

Unfortunately, Shang Yuanzhou wasn’t the type to stand by and offer blessings. Ji Yu could do what he loved, provided it was by his side.

He spoke with an almost imperceptible tone of gentle coaxing: “After resigning, you could join a local photography studio first. Skill with the camera and editing require constant practice. If things here take three years to conclude, and you don’t touch a camera for three years, you’ll be out of practice.”

Ji Yu thought about it and nodded in agreement. “You’re right. Maybe I really should resign.”

From colleagues to management, people at his company had either ignored or exploited him. He only tolerated it because he viewed the job as a temporary transition and didn’t take anyone’s words to heart. Now that everyone wanted to flatter him, he didn’t want to stay he cared as little for the flattery as he did for the neglect.

Shang Yuanzhou’s lips curved slightly. “If you don’t mind, I know a decent photographer who owns a studio. I can introduce you, but whether you stay depends on your own merit.”

Ji Yu’s eyes lit up. “A-Zhou, you’re such a good person! Thank you.”

Good Person Card: + 1

Shang Yuanzhou’s brow twitched, and he cut off the excitement. “As for moving, you can pack whenever you’re ready.”

Ji Yu almost wanted to cheer “Long live President Shang,” but he restrained himself. He looked at Shang Yuanzhou with sparkling eyes. “Is there anything you need me to pack? I can help you.”

“Since I don’t have to go to work today anyway.”

Shang Yuanzhou didn’t dampen his enthusiasm. “You can pack anything you think we should take. Leave my room and the study for now.” He added casually, “The villa is quite far from your rental place. How often do you water that monstera plant of yours?”

Ji Yu thought for a moment. “I should just move it over. It’s not a solution to keep renting the place if no one lives there. Moving it won’t be a bother for you, will it?”

The Alpha’s pheromones happily brushed against the scab of the bite mark on the Beta’s neck. The scent lingered, cloyingly attempting to slide down the collar.

Shang Yuanzhou’s eyes darkened, but his voice was steady and calm. “It won’t.”

He looked perfectly composed, as if the pheromones trying to crawl into the innocent Beta’s clothes didn’t belong to him. “I’m heading to the office. Call me when you’re packed, and a car will come to pick you up.”

After Shang Yuanzhou left, Ji Yu started packing while humming a tune. First his own things, then anything else that could be taken. His personal belongings were few aside from essential clothes and daily necessities, there were almost no private mementos.

He finished in less than an hour. He then ran out to a nearby courier station and spent five dollars on two large, clean cardboard boxes.

On the way back, he wondered: Did Shang Yuanzhou buy this house or rent it? He was curious, but since they were moving, there was no need to ask.

Back in the living room, he assembled a box and then stopped. Although Shang Yuanzhou told him to take whatever he thought was necessary, he hadn’t specified. Ji Yu stood in the center of the room for a few seconds.

His gaze fell on the wall clock. It was an exquisite clock designed to look like a time-wheel. Ji Yu felt they could take it; even if the villa didn’t need it, he could hang it in his room. He stepped onto the sofa without his shoes and reached up to take it down.

As he held it, he liked it more and more. The hands were shaped like two little figures running after each other on the wheel of time. Then, he noticed something at the top of the clock.

What is this? The Eye of Horus?

There was a protrusion at the top with a specific texture, and in the center was black glass it looked like a pair of eyes watching the two figures. After looking at it for less than thirty seconds, Ji Yu’s face went pale.

In a quiet, orderly meeting room, the only sound was the voice of the person giving a report. Suddenly, a series of rapid message pings broke the silence. Every eye turned to the head of the table, but no one dared to speak.

Shang Yuanzhou tilted his chin slightly. “Continue.”

He picked up his phone and saw a string of messages. It wasn’t hard to sense the sender’s panic.

Xiao Yu: “Shang Yuanzhou! Shang Yuanzhou!!!” “Did you rent this house or buy it?!!” “I found a camera in the wall clock! The one in the middle of the living room! Wait, I’ll take a photo for you.” “I don’t think you ever mentioned a landlord? Is the house yours?” “Did you install this camera? Why didn’t you tell me? Thank god I didn’t walk around without clothes on.”

Shang Yuanzhou’s heart skipped a beat. He knew things might take a turn for the worse. Before he could think of an explanation, another string of messages came through.

Xiao Yu: “Could it be that someone else in your family secretly installed it to spy on you?” “Oh my god, installing cameras in someone’s home… these people are way too bold. No wonder you needed me to act with you.” “Wait! Then doesn’t that mean our sleeping in separate rooms this whole time has been exposed?!”

The report in the meeting room was interrupted again. Shang Yuanzhou let out a low, magnetic chuckle, his pleasure impossible to hide.

Wife is so cute.

He leisurely typed out a reply: “Don’t worry yet. The clock isn’t plugged in. The camera inside likely requires an SD card to read data, so someone would need to change it periodically.” “Therefore, it would have to be someone who can enter the living room regularly.”

The reply was instant: “The housekeeper!! Only the housekeeper who comes to clean regularly could do it!” “The housekeeper is a spy?!!” “When you said the driver was a spy, I thought I couldn’t see it at all, but the housekeeper too! I didn’t notice for so long!”

Shang Yuanzhou could imagine Ji Yu’s shocked expression behind the screen. With a smile in his eyes, he replied: “Before the wedding, I told her not to come for a while on the pretext that we needed private time. I didn’t realize it would be useful in this way.”

As a master predator, Shang Yuanzhou began to steer the situation exactly where he wanted it: “So, the fact that we slept in separate rooms shouldn’t be exposed yet. Before the wedding, separate rooms can be explained as me being considerate of you. The housekeeper comes from the villa; firing her suddenly might alert them.” “Sorry, Ji Yu. After we move back to the villa, we’ll have to stay together.”

His apology was entirely insincere, and the expression on his face was one of triumph. Unfortunately, through a phone screen, Ji Yu was destined never to see it.

Ji Yu, who had been enthusiastically packing since morning to move back to the villa, fell into silence. He had wanted to move to find a bit of safe distance. How had things turned into having no distance at all?

And he had practically engineered it himself. He stood there, blinking blankly.

How strange. What just happened?