After the Corporate Slave Beta and the Top Alpha Married - Chapter 8

“You want to take leave?”

Upon hearing Ji Yu’s request, the supervisor instinctively put on an impatient expression. “Xiao Yu, you know everyone in the office is very busy lately. If this person takes a day off and that person takes a day off, how are we supposed to finish the project on our hands?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to approve it, but the time is tight and the mission is heavy. Put your personal matters aside for a moment. What is so important that it can’t be done on a weekend? Why must it occupy work hours?”

Ji Yu knew the supervisor hadn’t even looked at the application he submitted, which was why he had come to speak to him in person. He wasn’t good at social navigation; usually, under such overbearing pressure, Ji Yu would have given up. But the situation was different now.

Ji Yu pursed his lips and said anyway: “Supervisor, the Civil Affairs Bureau is closed on weekends.”

The supervisor shot him a surprised look. He clicked on the internal system software on his computer, and after seeing the reason for Ji Yu’s leave application, he was even more astonished. “You’re getting married?”

It would be unreasonable to keep blocking him now. The supervisor efficiently approved Ji Yu’s request. “Congratulations! Is it to another Beta?”

His cheerful congratulations showed no trace of the man who had been making things difficult just a moment ago.

“No.” Ji Yu shook his head, unwilling to say more. “Thank you, supervisor.”

Not a Beta?

Watching Ji Yu’s back as he returned to his workstation, the supervisor found it somewhat unbelievable. If an ordinary Beta like him wasn’t marrying another Beta, could it really be an Alpha or an Omega?

Ji Yu hadn’t told anyone except the supervisor that he was taking leave tomorrow to get married, but the news spread anyway. Gossip is human nature, especially when a “transparent” person who usually has zero presence in the office suddenly drops explosive news.

In everyone’s eyes, Ji Yu was quiet and unsociable; aside from being honest and hardworking, he had no other merits. What kind of Alpha or Omega would actually like such an ordinary Beta? That was the question on everyone’s mind.

Jiang Yibai was the first who couldn’t hold back. He leaned in with a smile, his eyes filled with undisguised curiosity. “Hey, Ji Yu, I heard you’re getting married?”

“Mm.” Ji Yu knew he couldn’t get past this without saying something. “To an Alpha.”

The gazes of everyone nearby shifted over. Jiang Yibai covered his mouth in shock. “What kind of person are they? Do you want us to help vet them for you? Why would an Alpha marry a Beta? You’re so honest, don’t let yourself get tricked into a fraudulent marriage.”

It sounded like concern, but Ji Yu—whether it was his imagination or not—felt a subtle sense of discomfort.

Ji Yu: “He won’t. He’s very good.”

He wasn’t used to sharing his personal life with others, let alone a fake marriage, but he still dutifully defended his “boss” in front of everyone. And Shang Yuanzhou truly was very good.

Ji Yu’s answers were incredibly brief. Despite the back-and-forth questioning, the colleagues only learned that the partner was an Alpha and that they had known each other for a long time. His reluctant attitude, combined with Jiang Yibai’s leading questions, led most people to believe that this Alpha was likely unsatisfactory—perhaps some “eyesore” of a person. The office crowd was greatly disappointed and stopped pestering him.

As off-hours approached, Ji Yu’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the caller ID and answered.

“Mm, are you here?” “I’ll be down shortly, just finishing up a few loose ends.”

Those with sharp ears heard him, and their movements to pack up and leave suddenly became slow and lingering. Everyone was truly curious: what kind of Alpha would marry a Beta?

When Ji Yu left the office and took the elevator down, many people followed behind him. He felt a bit awkward, but he couldn’t say anything; they were just leaving work normally.

Stepping out of the company entrance, he spotted Shang Yuanzhou at a glance. He was wearing a perfectly tailored high-end suit, standing by that Maybach with his head slightly lowered, looking at his phone. The watch on his wrist was low-key yet luxurious—a price that could scare someone to death.

Under the gazes of countless people whose jaws had dropped, Ji Yu walked over.

Ji Yu was truly not a good actor; his interpretation of the role was completely lacking. Experiencing this for the first time, he didn’t know what to say, and only squeezed out a dry sentence: “I’m off work.”

Shang Yuanzhou stopped what he was doing, looked up at him, and his gaze turned tender. “Are you tired?”

“Give ‘Husband’ a hug?”

Hus… Husband… Ji Yu’s eyes widened instantly.

Seeing Ji Yu frozen in place and at a total loss, Shang Yuanzhou—who was intentionally teasing him—let his lips curl up. The reaction was just as cute as he had expected.

Shang Yuanzhou didn’t dare tease him too much. He half-embraced him and coaxed gently: “My mistake. You’re still ‘Fiancé,’ right?”

“Your face is so red. Don’t be shy, hm? Get in the car.”

The heat on Ji Yu’s face only increased. He kept telling himself in his head that this was just acting and to be natural, only then managing to control his body so he didn’t walk in an embarrassed, stiff-legged gait. At the same time, he felt a deep sense of admiration for Shang Yuanzhou.

He gets into character so fast and his acting is so good. If he ever stops being a CEO, he could definitely become a top-tier movie star.

“Ji Yu!”

A loud voice calling him came from behind. Ji Yu turned to see Jiang Yibai running over, panting. He seemed to have run in a hurry; his face was flushed pink, and he clutched his chest while breathing unevenly. He asked curiously: “Ji Yu, this is…?”

“This is my,” Ji Yu glanced at Shang Yuanzhou and paused, “Partner.”

He felt it was so difficult. With his personality, it was hard to express himself as passionately as Shang Yuanzhou. But he had taken the money; he should be professional and dedicated. Thinking this, Ji Yu proactively hooked his arm into Shang Yuanzhou’s. A little ‘贴贴’ (snuggling).

Jiang Yibai looked at Ji Yu in surprise and said with a hint of disapproval: “Your partner is clearly very excellent. Why did you act like you didn’t want to mention him before?” He then reached out his hand gracefully. “Hello, I am Ji Yu’s colleague, Jiang Yibai.”

Shang Yuanzhou gave Jiang Yibai an indifferent look. “Rather than worrying about your colleague’s relationship, Mr. Jiang should worry more about your own health.”

“It’s not even ten steps from the company door to here. To be panting this hard after a run, you should go to a hospital.”

He ignored Jiang Yibai’s outstretched hand, letting it hang awkwardly in mid-air. Jiang Yibai bit his lip, withdrew his hand with a look of grievance, and gave a strained smile. “My body is… a bit weak.”

“An Omega’s constitution is naturally weaker, not like a Beta like Ji Yu. I don’t want to be like this either.”

“Is that so?” Shang Yuanzhou said noncommittally. “Every Omega I’ve seen has a healthy body.” He gave a small smile, his narrow, deep, pale-red eyes looking at Jiang Yibai without any warmth. “Only inferior Omegas are weak to this degree.”

Jiang Yibai’s usually successful “damsel in distress” act had zero effect on this Alpha. The massive humiliation made him unable to keep smiling.

“Yibai, don’t overthink it, he didn’t mean anything by it,” Ji Yu said quickly. “We have things to do, so we’ll head off first.” He tugged on Shang Yuanzhou’s sleeve. “A-Zhou, let’s go.”

Shang Yuanzhou was pulled into the car. The driver, who had been waiting in the front and acting like a statue, received Shang Yuanzhou’s nod and drove the Maybach away, leaving Jiang Yibai and the other spectating colleagues behind.

“The address,” Shang Yuanzhou said flatly.

Ji Yu gave the location and cautiously sat a bit closer to Shang Yuanzhou. He hadn’t noticed there was a driver earlier, but it made sense; how could Shang Yuanzhou drive himself? Even for an act, having the head of the Shang family act as a chauffeur was a bit much.

The interior of the car fell silent. In this quiet, Ji Yu felt a bit restless. He felt that Shang Yuanzhou seemed unhappy. What should I do in a situation like this?

Ji Yu repeated “professionalism” in his head several times but couldn’t think of the correct response for this scenario. The slight tug on his sleeve made Shang Yuanzhou look sideways. Ji Yu was looking at him, and Shang Yuanzhou could see the tension beneath Ji Yu’s stiffness at a glance.

He let out an imperceptible sigh and spoke first: “You’re very protective of your Omega colleague?”

Ji Yu was stunned and murmured: “I just didn’t want things to get too awkward.”

The scenes from the romance movie he watched the other day flashed through his mind. In this moment, he felt a spark of inspiration. He gritted his teeth and said through his embarrassment: “Is A-Zhou jealous?”

Ji Yu knew in his heart that it was impossible, but he was performing the “jealousy” scene.

“Mm,” Shang Yuanzhou nodded in admission. “I’m jealous.”

Eh? Eh??

Ji Yu’s eyes widened slightly. According to the usual plot development, shouldn’t he stubbornly deny it so Ji Yu could pretend not to know? He admitted it… what do I do? Coax him?

Ji Yu thought about it and reached out his hand toward Shang Yuanzhou. His eyes were calm and gentle, but the tips of his ears were red. “Do you want a hug?”

Shang Yuanzhou gave a half-smile. “You want to brush it off just like that?”

Ji Yu was so embarrassed he didn’t know what to say, feeling like he was sitting on needles in this multi-million dollar car. Shang Yuanzhou gripped his waist and pulled him onto his lap. Ji Yu’s body was stiff, but he slowly raised his hands to climb onto Shang Yuanzhou’s shoulders, coaxing in an awkward tone:

“We’re getting married tomorrow. Why are you still feeling this strange jealousy?” He complained with a convincing air: “He and I are just colleagues.”

Shang Yuanzhou held him and let out a low laugh. “Did you get your leave approved?” His voice sounded joyful, as if he were truly about to register his marriage with someone he had loved for a long time. “Then we’ll go get our certificates tomorrow.”

“President Shang, we’ve arrived.”

The driver, who had been playing the role of a “deaf-mute,” was forced to speak. Ji Yu let out a massive sigh of relief. He was incredibly thankful his rented apartment was close to the company; this needle-sitting car ride was finally over.

He struggled down from Shang Yuanzhou’s lap and hurried out of the car. Before closing the door, he remembered to say goodbye: “Then, I’ll head up first.”

“Ji Yu.” Shang Yuanzhou called him. “That colleague of yours isn’t as simple as he looks. Stay away from him.”

Ji Yu gave a small smile. “I know.” He wasn’t stupid; he just didn’t care. He didn’t care about those colleagues, nor did he care about Jiang Yibai’s words that sounded like concern but were actually disparagement. As long as things looked okay on the surface, he just wanted to pass his time in A-City peacefully.

“Also.” “You aren’t allowed to call him ‘Yibai’ again.” “Even if he’s a colleague, I’ll still be jealous.”

The car drove off, leaving Ji Yu standing dazed on the spot. His phone chimed, and the screen lit up with a message.

Shang Yuanzhou: “Apologies. I forgot to tell you that this driver was planted by others in the Shang family.”

I was wondering why the President was ‘acting’ every single second, Ji Yu thought. He replied: “Then I didn’t blow our cover, did I?”

Shang Yuanzhou: “No. You performed well.”

He had been praised by the boss. Ji Yu decided to go back and watch a few more romance movies so he wouldn’t fail to keep up with the improvisation next time. Since he had signed the contract and the salary was so high, if he wasn’t dedicated, who would be?