Beta on the Run: Mr. CEO, Take it Easy! - Chapter 3

“Mr. Chi, your package.”

Chi Xinglan stared at the man in the suit before him, momentarily stunned. Were the requirements for delivery couriers this high nowadays? Did they really need to wear a suit and tie?

Looking at the man’s face, Chi Xinglan vaguely remembered him as one of the bodyguards who usually followed Liang Xiao.

The man placed the box carefully into Chi Xinglan’s hands and bowed slightly. “President Liang instructed me to deliver this to you personally.”

Chi Xinglan nodded and offered a polite thank you. The box was heavy, and judging by the man’s hurried pace, its contents were likely quite important.

Chi Xinglan placed the box carefully on the table. Since it was a gift for him, he should be allowed to open it, right?

He used a knife to gently slice through the tape. Upon seeing the various assortments of pastries inside, he couldn’t help but cover his face and let out a helpless laugh. He had only mentioned in passing that Liang Xiao could send someone to bring some back; he hadn’t expected the man to actually take it to heart.

Chi Xinglan opened a box of osmanthus cakes and took a bite. It was soft and delicate, with a refreshing floral taste. It was the flavor of his memories. Since the old osmanthus tree had been cut down, he hadn’t tasted such authentic cakes in a long time.

He snapped a photo and sent it to Liang Xiao.

[Thank you for the gift. I really like it.]

A long while later, Liang Xiao replied: [I’m coming back tonight. Is there anything you want?]

Chi Xinglan: [No.]

He had never proactively asked Liang Xiao for anything. Liang Xiao had already given him more than enough. Over the past five years, he had received real estate, luxury cars, designer goods, jewelry, and a fixed monthly allowance deposited into his bank account. All of it far exceeded the terms of the contract they had originally signed.

Liang Xiao gave him gifts purely on a whim, buying whatever he thought Chi Xinglan might like. Yet, Chi Xinglan’s initial request had only been for the best medical care and living conditions for his mother. Nothing more.

Autumn fatigue set in with the warm sun and gentle breezes. Recently, Chi Xinglan had taken to napping on the sofa. The curtains filtered the sunlight, leaving behind a dim yellow glow and the lethargy of an autumn afternoon.

A cool breeze drifted from the balcony into the living room, carrying the faint scent of osmanthus. Chi Xinglan was fast asleep, curled on the sofa, until the sudden chill made him sneeze and pull his thin blanket tighter.

In his half-asleep state, the sound of the television drifted into his ears. An entertainment news segment following a variety show suddenly increased in volume. The host’s sharp voice woke him up. He yawned sleepily and rolled over, intending to go back to sleep.

The news continued. Chi Xinglan rubbed his heavy eyelids and fumbled around the coffee table for the remote, intending to shut off the noise.

However, the moment the name “Liang Xiao” was mentioned, his hand froze. His sleepiness vanished instantly.

“Yesterday, President Liang of Liangshi Entertainment visited the set of the drama Sunny Day. After dining with the crew last night, President Liang’s car followed the production vehicles back to the hotel.”

“The recently viral rising Omega star, Wen Ran, is the lead of this drama and a newcomer heavily promoted by the Liang Group.”

“Rumor has it that all the resources behind Wen Ran come from the head of the Liang Group himself. Their relationship is no secret within the industry.”

Chi Xinglan turned up the volume. He stared expressionlessly at the blurry footage of two people in an intimate embrace. Despite the poor quality, Chi Xinglan could recognize Liang Xiao’s silhouette anywhere. And by his side was a petite, delicate Omega.

Chi Xinglan frowned at the phrase “no secret within the industry.” He hadn’t checked the entertainment news in a long time; he hadn’t realized his benefactor already had a scandalous partner.

So he said he was away on a business trip, but he was actually visiting his Omega on set, Chi Xinglan thought with a cold laugh. He downloaded a social media app and searched for gossip regarding Liang Xiao and this new star. To his surprise, the trending topics were dominated by them.

#Wen Ran Liang Xiao #Rising Omega Star and Liang Group CEO’s Night Together #The Man Behind Wen Ran

Chi Xinglan scrolled through the posts, even finding “CP” (Couple) fan pages for the two.

Wen Ran?

Chi Xinglan searched for photos of the person. Looking at the gentle, cute smile in the fan threads, Chi Xinglan fell silent for a moment before clicking his tongue. “So it’s him.”

The topic regarding Wen Ran and Liang Xiao had been created six months ago. The timeline made his mood complicated—mostly, he felt annoyed.

Six months ago, he had met this Omega once. Their conversation had not been pleasant. Over time, Chi Xinglan had pushed it to the back of his mind. It seemed he really had been out of the loop; he didn’t even know Liang Xiao was cheating on him.

He pursed his lips, wanting to send a message to confront Liang Xiao. But he typed and deleted, eventually sending nothing. What right did he have to question Liang Xiao? He had no authority over the man’s private affairs. Even if Liang Xiao was really with Wen Ran, he could only pretend not to know and continue playing the role of the perfect lover. He owed Liang Xiao that much until the contract ended.

Seeing a perfume endorsement in the search results, Chi Xinglan let out a scoff. So that scent of roses he had smelled on Liang Xiao was a perfume deliberately left by that Omega. Since the Omega knew he was a Beta and couldn’t smell pheromones, he had chosen a provocative perfume instead.

The thought made Chi Xinglan’s heart heavy. If Liang Xiao wanted to end things, he only had to say the word; Chi Xinglan would leave immediately and never bother him again. But why hadn’t Liang Xiao been honest?

Thinking of their intimacy a few days ago and the kiss at the door this morning, Chi Xinglan hesitated. Was it really what it looked like? Could there be a misunderstanding that Liang Xiao didn’t even think was worth explaining?

Curiosity got the better of him, and he clicked into the “CP” tag to see what “crumbs” the fans were obsessing over.

[President Liang’s outfit today is so handsome! It turns out he’s wearing a matching ‘couple outfit’ with our Wen Ran.]

Chi Xinglan looked closely at the photo and clicked “dislike.” Bah, I chose that suit for him myself, and I tied that necktie personally. ‘Couple outfit’ my foot.

[Have you guys noticed President Liang’s phone case? It’s so cute! Definitely not something a cold CEO Alpha like him would pick.] [Our Ran-baby must have picked it. He loves this cute style!]

Chi Xinglan looked at his own phone, which had the exact same case, and fell into a daze. A while back, Liang Xiao had bought him a new phone. When he was picking out a case, Liang Xiao had insisted on having a matching one. Chi Xinglan had picked a cute one just to tease him; he hadn’t expected the man to actually use it without ever switching back.

[The flowers President Liang sent Ran-baby on Valentine’s Day were gorgeous. He has great taste.]

Chi Xinglan looked at the photo. He had indeed received the bouquet Liang Xiao was holding in the picture. As for the one Wen Ran posted on social media, it was similar, but he could tell it wasn’t the same bouquet.

To Chi Xinglan, these “crumbs” looked fake—likely manufactured industry PR. But he knew one thing was true: Wen Ran and Liang Xiao were definitely more than just acquaintances. And the person backing Wen Ran was indeed Liang Xiao. This was a fact he had been forced to learn six months ago when Wen Ran sought him out.

Driven by a strange impulse, Chi Xinglan scrolled through Wen Ran’s entire social media feed. It wasn’t hard to see that Wen Ran was intentionally hinting at Liang Xiao’s presence. The star was leading the fans to ship them.

After looking at it for a while, Chi Xinglan felt disgusted. “What a ‘Green Tea’ (manipulative) person,” he muttered.

He exited the app and irritably sent a message to Liang Xiao: [Are you coming back for dinner tonight?]

Didn’t he say he was coming back? Wen Ran was also in S City, and his latest post implied he was with Liang Xiao right now.

Liang Xiao replied: [A bit later.]

Why later? Was he really with Wen Ran? Would he come home tonight smelling like rose perfume again?

The thought made Chi Xinglan feel nauseous; a wave of acid rose in his stomach. With a blank expression, he sent another message: [I miss you.]

He had no idea that on the other end, Liang Xiao was staring at that message in a daze. He looked at the photo of Chi Xinglan that he used as his chat background, his thumb brushing over the screen.

Five years. Chi Xinglan had never proactively sent a message like that. Such an intimate confession was something he had never heard from Chi Xinglan’s lips. A surge of joy filled his heart. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to rush home and pull the person he longed for into his arms.

Feeling a sweetness in his heart, Liang Xiao replied: [I’ll be home for dinner.]

Thinking of Chi Xinglan, the fatigue of the trip vanished. He immediately told his assistant to order flowers. He also felt a bit annoyed with himself; he had planned to visit an auction to pick out jewelry to make his lover happy, but his mother’s instructions had forced him to change his itinerary.

Stepping off the plane, Liang Xiao’s pace was hurried. He had never been this desperate to get home. He walked with his head down, scrolling through a tablet to pick out a gift. A new limited-edition sports car looked nice, especially in the pink series. Chi Xinglan didn’t like driving much, but maybe he’d consider getting a license later? With that thought, Liang Xiao smiled and contacted the brand’s CEO.

“Brother Liang Xiao!”

A bodyguard stopped an Omega who was trying to rush forward. Liang Xiao looked up and waved the bodyguard off.

Wen Ran ran over, his face beaming with a smile. He looked at the tall Alpha with delight. “Brother Liang Xiao, I didn’t realize we were on the same flight! My father just called to say he’s hosting a banquet. He told me to invite you over for dinner to thank you for taking care of me lately.”

In reality, it wasn’t a coincidence. Wen Ran had dug up Liang Xiao’s flight details to stage this “chance encounter.”

Liang Xiao frowned and declined. “No need. Thank your father for the kind offer, but I have things to do. I’ll be going now.”

Wen Ran tried to grab his sleeve, but was blocked by the bodyguard. Before he could even try to convince him, Liang Xiao had already turned and walked away.

Wen Ran bit his lip, his face turning pale. He was the only son of the Wen family and an Omega; he had been pampered since childhood. Whatever he wanted, he got. Only in the matter of liking Liang Xiao had he faced repeated setbacks.

The Wen and Liang families were old friends; an arranged marriage wouldn’t be surprising. Since Wen Ran was young, many people had assumed they would become partners. Wen Ran liked this older brother very much. He had presented as an Omega at age twelve, and their pheromone compatibility was very high. Both sets of parents were happy with the match.

Unfortunately, Liang Xiao did not care for business marriages. He felt nothing for the match his parents had chosen and even felt a sense of resistance toward interacting with Wen Ran. To Liang Xiao, Wen Ran was simply the child of a family friend, a younger brother figure, and he had no intention of developing any other kind of relationship.

Knowing that Liang Xiao ran an entertainment company, Wen Ran chose to major in art in college and, upon graduation, begged his parents to arrange a position for him within Liang Xiao’s firm. He believed that being close to the source would give him an advantage, creating opportunities for them to be alone. He assumed that under the influence of Alpha and Omega pheromones, Liang Xiao would eventually fall for him. After all, few could resist the pull of high compatibility.

But reality did not favor him.

Liang Xiao kept his private life and work strictly separate and disliked having his work disturbed. Wen Ran found no excuse to get near Liang Xiao’s office. No matter how hard he tried to bridge the gap, Liang Xiao’s attitude remained consistently distant. His S-level contract, high-end endorsements, and lead roles right out of the gate were merely favors granted due to the friendship between their parents. Wen Ran knew this, yet he refused to give up. He truly loved this older brother, and their pheromone compatibility was a staggering 85%.

No matter how well Liang Xiao restrained his pheromones, Wen Ran could still catch that sweet, intoxicating scent. It acted like a spell he couldn’t break. For this trip to S City, Wen Ran had asked his parents to pull strings so that Liang Xiao would visit the set. At the wrap party, Wen Ran tried to get him drunk, but while Wen Ran ended up intoxicated himself, Liang Xiao remained perfectly sober.

As an Omega, being drunk in public was dangerous. Liang Xiao, out of obligation to their families, had to personally see him back to the hotel. But even then, as Wen Ran released his pheromones in an attempt to seduce him, Liang Xiao remained unmoved, simply letting a Beta assistant help him into the room.

Now, standing in the crowded airport and watching Liang Xiao’s retreating back, Wen Ran felt a bitter pang of jealousy. He couldn’t help but think of the “canary” Liang Xiao kept at home—the Beta used to help him through his ruts. What was so good about a Beta? Wen Ran was certain that if Liang Xiao just gave him one chance, the high compatibility would make him impossible to cast aside. He was confident Liang Xiao would eventually choose him. Besides, Liang Xiao’s parents would never agree to a Beta. Knowing how much his mother wanted grandchildren, Wen Ran felt that just one night between them would change everything.

Before Liang Xiao arrived, Chi Xinglan had already prepared a full table of food. Hearing the door, he stood there with a bright smile and said sweetly, “Welcome home.”

Liang Xiao was momentarily dazed. That simple greeting warmed his heart. He was carrying a bouquet of roses and several gift bags.

“Are those for me?” Chi Xinglan asked.

“Yes.” Liang Xiao set the gifts on the foyer cabinet and pulled Chi Xinglan into a tight embrace. He felt as nervous as a teenager. “Can you say it one more time?”

Chi Xinglan was held so tightly it almost hurt. He struggled slightly to push back, but the Alpha only gripped him firmer. “Say what?” Chi Xinglan asked helplessly.

Liang Xiao cupped his face, his gaze focused and tender. “Say you missed me.”

Meeting that gaze made Chi Xinglan’s heart skip. The foyer was dim and quiet. The calm he usually maintained began to ripple, his pulse quickening. In this moment, he could feel Liang Xiao’s affection—something he usually found hard to grasp. He wanted to hold onto it, yet feared it was fleeting. Words sat on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t bring himself to say them. His throat felt stuck.

After a tense silence, Liang Xiao’s thumb brushed his lips before he leaned down to claim a kiss. The kiss was deep and demanding, and soon Chi Xinglan found himself hoisted up onto the shoe cabinet, forced to tilt his head back. When he felt Liang Xiao’s hands wandering further, he quickly caught them.

Alphas had incredible stamina; if they started now, they wouldn’t eat until midnight, and he didn’t want his hard work in the kitchen to go to waste.

“What is it?” Liang Xiao asked, his voice husky and his breath ragged. His palms were burning hot against Chi Xinglan’s skin.

Chi Xinglan shivered. “I made a lot of food. I was waiting for you so we could have dinner together.”

Liang Xiao paused and checked his watch. “Don’t wait up so late for me in the future.”

“Okay,” Chi Xinglan whispered.

Liang Xiao watched him for a long moment, then pulled him back into his arms, inhaling the faint scent of osmanthus. “Xinglan.”

“Yes?”

The words I missed you very much replayed in Liang Xiao’s mind, but he ultimately let out a sigh. “Nothing. Let’s eat.”

Chi Xinglan wanted to press him for an answer. He felt like it was something he wanted to hear, but he was afraid the answer wouldn’t be what he hoped for.

The food was still hot. As Liang Xiao sat down, he fell silent. The table was covered in dishes like celery with beef, ginger and onion crab, bitter melon with eggs, and carrot stew—every single thing he hated. The only edible dish for him was the stir-fried pork with chili, but he didn’t even like spicy food.

Chi Xinglan knew this perfectly well, yet he had insisted on Liang Xiao coming home for this specific meal. Liang Xiao was stunned.

Chi Xinglan served him a bowl of soup with a sweet, slightly forced smile. Liang Xiao realized then: was he throwing a tantrum? A hint of a smile touched Liang Xiao’s eyes. For five years, Chi Xinglan had been the perfect, obedient, and considerate lover. He had never shown his temper or acted petty like this. He was genuinely curious: what had he done to make Chi Xinglan so angry?

Chi Xinglan pointedly placed a piece of chili in his bowl. “Coming back so late, did you already eat out?”

Liang Xiao wanted to tease him, but he didn’t want more misunderstandings. “There was a delay on the road. That’s why I’m late.”

Chi Xinglan thought of the social media posts he’d seen—the “fresh dog food” for the fans. Fans were convinced Liang Xiao and Wen Ran were on the same flight, coming home together after a night at a hotel. He smiled gently and piled more food onto Liang Xiao’s plate. “Is it good? I spent a long time on it.”

Liang Xiao had to drink a large glass of water to soothe the burn of the chili. Looking at the onions, ginger, and garlic in his bowl, he could only say, “It’s delicious.”

“Then have some more,” Chi Xinglan said, adding even more.

Liang Xiao was speechless. As they ate in silence, Liang Xiao’s phone buzzed with a message from his assistant. He looked at the entertainment reports about his “scandal” with Wen Ran and finally understood. He was surprised Chi Xinglan was suddenly paying attention to the internet.

Wen Ran’s team didn’t mind the pairing since it brought traffic and resources. The PR department, unsure how to handle a potential future “boss’s wife,” had asked for instructions.

Assistant: Do we need to suppress the trending topics?

The airport photos were still climbing the charts. Liang Xiao frowned. Thinking of his mother’s constant nagging for grandchildren and the endless blind dates she tried to arrange, he felt a bit dejected. Chi Xinglan wouldn’t go home with him, and as for children, Betas simply had a lower chance, not a zero chance. But he hadn’t chosen Chi Xinglan for children anyway.

Seeing this little spark of jealousy in Chi Xinglan was an unexpected delight. In all these years, he’d never seen him care like this. He’d even purposely let Wen Ran leave perfume scents on him before just to see if Chi Xinglan would react, but he never had. If this was an exception, he hoped for more.

Liang Xiao looked at Chi Xinglan eating quietly, smiled, and began to eat the food he usually hated with gusto.

Chi Xinglan was baffled. What had gotten into him? A few minutes looking at his phone and even his taste buds had changed?

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