Daily Life of a Married Beta Heartthrob - Chapter 3

Zhao Jinyuan took Fang Bai’s advice to heart. She even began simulating how she might cry while apologizing to make her wife’s heart soften.

At 5:00 PM sharp, Zhao Jinyuan grabbed her small bag, ready to head home. However, she didn’t get more than a few steps before Fang Bai pressed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

Zhao Jinyuan halted, frowning as she tilted her head to look at Fang Bai, puzzled. “Fang Bai, what is it?” She had already cleared leaving early with Fang Bai, and her friend had agreed.

Fang Bai’s lips curled into a smile, her eyebrows arching with a hint of playfulness. “Jinyuan, there’s someone downstairs looking for you—someone I don’t know. You have to handle this before you can go.” It was truly strange. As Zhao Jinyuan’s childhood friend, she was intimately familiar with her social circle; this was someone she had never seen before—a beautiful, tall Alpha.

Considering this was a children’s dance studio, visitors were usually parents enrolling their kids. But this Alpha had explicitly asked for Zhao Jinyuan by name, and she certainly didn’t look like a typical parent.

Zhao Jinyuan gave a soft acknowledgment. “I see.” As soon as she finished speaking, she gently pulled her arm away from Fang Bai’s grip, not wasting another second as she hurried toward the stairs. Before she vanished, she didn’t forget to call back: “Fang Bai, I’ll head straight home once I deal with this!”

Fang Bai leaned casually against the cold iron railing of the second floor, tapping her fingertips rhythmically as she watched Zhao Jinyuan’s hurried figure. She couldn’t help but call out teasingly, “You really are a girl who forgets her friends the moment she gets a wife. So love-struck!”

From downstairs came Zhao Jinyuan’s apologetic reply, her voice sweet and sugary, trailing up along with the sound of her running footsteps. “Sorry, Fang Bai! Next time I’ll definitely treat you to a big meal to make it up to you!”

The echo of her words still lingered in the stairwell, but Zhao Jinyuan’s slender figure had already rounded the corner and disappeared from sight, leaving behind only the empty hallway and the sound of footsteps fading into the distance.

Fang Bai looked at the empty corner, sighed lightly, and lowered her head, muttering to herself, “What an idiot.”

Zhao Jinyuan arrived in the lobby on the first floor. A tall figure was standing at the front desk.

Short, bright red, tousled hair.

So flashy, was Zhao Jinyuan’s first impression.

The person seemed to hear footsteps and slowly turned around, revealing a golden earring dangling from a fair ear.

Beautiful.

Zhao Jinyuan took in the stranger’s entire appearance, finally letting her gaze settle on the unfamiliar face, trying to recognize who it was. But a moment later, she gave up. She couldn’t see people’s faces clearly.

Or rather, that wasn’t quite accurate. She could see eyes, a nose, and a mouth, but they existed independently, like scattered mechanical parts that simply wouldn’t assemble into a complete, memorable face. Every time she tried to piece them together, those features would vanish from her consciousness, leaving only a blur of light and shadow.

“Zhao Jinyuan.” The person spoke first, her voice possessing a unique, husky quality that wasn’t unpleasant.

Zhao Jinyuan curled her fingers, offering a polite smile. “Hello, how can I help you?” This person was definitely not someone she knew.

“Off work? Let’s find a place to sit.” A completely non-sequitur response.

Zhao Jinyuan declined firmly. “Sorry, I have plans.”

“Oh? You don’t want to chat about Gu Ying?”

Hearing that name, Zhao Jinyuan’s eyes blinked rapidly as her brain raced. This person knows Gu Ying? Is she a friend of hers? Why would Gu Ying’s friend be looking for me?

However, any further thoughts vanished the moment she heard the next sentence: “I’m her ex-wife.”

…Ex-wife?

Ex-wife?!!!

Zhao Jinyuan wondered if she had misheard. She stood frozen, unable to process the information for a long time.

“Are you coming?”

“By the way, just call me Lin Dong.”

After saying this, Lin Dong turned and walked toward the exit, seemingly unconcerned about whether Zhao Jinyuan followed. Zhao Jinyuan stared blankly at Lin Dong’s back, her mind spinning with two names: Lin Dong, Gu Ying.

Watching Lin Dong’s figure grow smaller, Zhao Jinyuan finally snapped back to reality. Gu and Dong—combined, aren’t those the names of the children?

So she really is the other mother of the kids.

As the thought emerged, Zhao Jinyuan felt her scalp tingle. Countless chaotic emotions surged in her chest, but before she could sort through them, her body reacted faster than her thoughts. Her legs moved forward uncontrollably, her steps somewhat unsteady as she instinctively followed closely behind Lin Dong.

“Um, Miss Lin Dong, what do you want with me?” Zhao Jinyuan managed to form a complete sentence, but after learning the visitor’s identity, she couldn’t keep her composure.

Lin Dong glanced back and let out a soft laugh. “Don’t be scared. I’m not going to beat you up.”

Beat me up?!

Zhao Jinyuan took a deep breath. She had never even considered that possibility. How terrifying.

She shut her mouth and followed quietly until they reached a nearby dessert shop. It was busy at this hour. Zhao Jinyuan noticed that as soon as Lin Dong sat down, someone approached her to ask for her contact information. Being asked for contact info was generally a sign of popularity—proof that Lin Dong’s appearance was exceptional.

Zhao Jinyuan clutched her hands together under the table. Gu Ying’s ex-wife was taller, stronger, and surely better-looking than her. She was a very impressive person. Oh, and she’s an Alpha, too. Alpha and Omega were a natural match.

“Zhao Jinyuan, what do you want to eat?”

Hearing her name, Zhao Jinyuan looked up. The person who had just asked for Lin Dong’s number was already gone. She shook her head quickly. “Don’t order anything for me.”

“Could you tell me why you’re looking for me?” She only wanted to know what Lin Dong wanted.

Lin Dong rested her chin on her hand, her smiling gaze landing on Zhao Jinyuan’s face. “Nothing much. It’s just that Gu Ying posted on her social media today that she wants a divorce. I recall you two have only been married for a month.”

“So I was just curious. Though Gu Ying has a cold personality, she isn’t the type to get tired of the new and fickle with the old so quickly.”

“Jinyuan, you must have done something, didn’t you?”

Zhao Jinyuan didn’t notice the shift in how Lin Dong addressed her. Her beautiful, long eyebrows knit together; she hadn’t seen Gu Ying post anything. In fact, Gu Ying rarely posted on social media at all.

Lin Dong seemed to see Zhao Jinyuan’s doubt and smiled. “Jinyuan, you can check it now.”

Zhao Jinyuan took a deep breath, took out her phone, and tapped into Gu Ying’s profile. A short, sharp message appeared before her eyes:

—Very angry. Want a divorce.

Lin Dong hadn’t lied. Panic rushed through her like a rising tide, drowning her limbs and senses. Zhao Jinyuan’s cheeks flushed an uncontrollable, thin red, her earlobes burned, and her fingers gripped the edge of her shirt in nervous agitation. Her mind was a tangled mess.

“Jinyuan, you can tell me the reason, and I can help you figure out a solution.”

“Although I haven’t been in touch for long, I think you’re a good person, and I hope you can make Gu Ying happy.”

Lin Dong’s voice was light, carrying a gentle, soothing quality that made one instinctively want to confide in her. Zhao Jinyuan pursed her lips and stayed silent.

The waiter brought the dessert Lin Dong had ordered; the sweet scent of cake wafted toward Zhao Jinyuan’s nose. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw it was her favorite mango cake. Lin Dong had pushed the cake toward her.

“Don’t be nervous. I mean no harm.”

“If Gu Ying is very angry, just hold her quietly. She’s gentler than you think.” Lin Dong’s behavior and tone were highly likable.

But Zhao Jinyuan wasn’t buying it. She stood up abruptly, her brows furrowed. “I know that already, I don’t need you to tell me.”

“I hope you understand that Gu Ying is my wife now!”

“If you only came to me for this, then I’m leaving.” Is this Lin Dong just here to make me uncomfortable? She didn’t like hearing Gu Ying’s name from the lips of her ex-wife.

With that, Zhao Jinyuan grabbed her bag and stomped off, leaving Lin Dong sitting alone at the table.

After an unknown amount of time, the door to the shop opened, and a little girl wearing a backpack appeared. She had a clear target and walked straight toward Lin Dong.

Lin Dong lowered her gaze to the girl and sighed languidly. “Gu Chun, I think I’ve been disliked.”

Gu Chun sat opposite Lin Dong and picked up a spoon to eat the mango cake. “It’s normal to be disliked.” Her memories were shared with Gu Dong, so she knew exactly what Gu Dong had said earlier. To Zhao Jinyuan, those words must have sounded like showing off.

Lin Dong—or rather, Gu Dong—rested her chin on her hands and stared at Gu Chun, who still had baby fat on her small face. “Do you think she’ll tell Gu Ying that she ran into me today?”

“No,” Gu Chun said.

As Gu Chun predicted, Zhao Jinyuan had no intention of mentioning it to Gu Ying.

At 6:00 PM, Gu Ying returned with the two children. Zhao Jinyuan felt anxious the moment she saw Gu Ying. Instead of speaking to her right away, she bent down to pet the children’s heads and asked softly, “How was school today?”

Gu Chun was the first to hug Zhao Jinyuan’s waist, looking up with a sweet smile. “So happy! Mommy, we’re having a parent-child sports meet next week. Are you going to be on a team with me or Gu Dong?”

Gu Dong followed a step behind but circled around to hug Zhao Jinyuan from behind, her cheek pressing fully against the small of Zhao Jinyuan’s back. “Mommy, be on my team.”

The children’s voices were clear and youthful, filled with joy, slowly dispelling Zhao Jinyuan’s anxiety. She looked up at Gu Ying and asked cautiously, “Gu Ying, do you want to be on a team with Xiao Dong or Xiao Chun?”

Gu Ying’s gaze fell on the two children clinging tightly to Zhao Jinyuan. Her expression remained cold, and her pale lips parted slightly. Her voice was low: “I’m busy.”

The three simple words dropped lightly, but they felt like a heavy stone smashing into Zhao Jinyuan’s heart.

As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Ying turned to the side and walked straight past the three people standing there, entering the back room without another word. The door clicked shut behind her, cutting off all sight.

Zhao Jinyuan froze, at a loss. Her mouth opened and closed, but she didn’t know what to say.

Gu Chun tilted her head, looking at the closed door and then at the bewildered Zhao Jinyuan. Her dark eyes darted around, and she whispered, “It’s okay if Mother doesn’t go. Mommy, just be on the team with Gu Dong, and I’ll cheer for you both loudly from the sidelines!”

Gu Dong let go of Zhao Jinyuan, took her hand, and nuzzled it dependably. “Mommy, are you sad? I don’t want you to be sad.”

Zhao Jinyuan looked down at the two soft, dependent children and silently vowed to herself: I will definitely make Gu Ying stop being angry! Gu Ying saying she was busy must mean she was still angry. Adults throwing temper tantrums had a bad influence on children, and these two were so cute—she couldn’t let them be sad.

Night fell as promised.

Zhao Jinyuan lay on her side, facing Gu Ying’s back. Remembering what Lin Dong had said during the day, she reached out to hug her, pressing quietly against Gu Ying’s back. She wanted to ask why she still had her ex-wife’s contact info even after a divorce, but she decided against it. She really didn’t want to bring up that red-haired Alpha in front of Gu Ying. If Gu Ying already wanted a divorce, and bringing up Lin Dong made her remember her ex-wife’s good points, what would she do then?

Zhao Jinyuan inhaled the scent of Gu Ying and draped her leg over her wife’s body. Sleepiness crept in.

In her daze, she heard Gu Ying’s voice.

“How much longer are you going to hold me?”

The cold tone made Zhao Jinyuan snap awake. “Gu Ying, are you still angry?” Gu Ying spoke to me first! Lin Dong was right after all.

Gu Ying’s hand, which had been pressing against Zhao Jinyuan’s, lifted slightly before she turned around to face her. The dim, warm light fell across her well-defined face; hidden beneath her eyes were subtle emotions, yet she remained perfectly calm. Her voice was flat: “I’m not that petty.”

Her soul had been shattered for too long, a little more time wouldn’t make a difference.

Zhao Jinyuan gazed into Gu Ying’s deep, black eyes, which reflected her own panicked shadow. She bit her lip subconsciously, her voice going soft and light, carrying a touch of uncertainty. “Then… do you want to divorce me?”

The air turned instantly quiet, leaving only the sound of their shallow breathing.

Gu Ying looked at the anxiety in her eyes and remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly. “I never said that.”

The words acted like a sedative, sinking into Zhao Jinyuan’s chaotic heart and calming her restless emotions. She reached out, her fingertips gently caressing Gu Ying’s gaunt cheek. It felt icy to the touch.

Gu Ying is such a fragile Omega.

Zhao Jinyuan’s fingertips trembled slightly. Her eye rims turned hot for no reason, and her voice carried a touch of choked apology: “I’m sorry…”

“Gu Ying, I’m sorry.” She wanted to cry; she was growing more and more regretful about that slap.

Gu Ying’s breath hitched. She sat up and got out of bed. “I’m going to the bathroom,” she murmured.

Zhao Jinyuan followed, rubbing her eyes. Her voice was tinged with tears: “Okay.”

Gu Ying walked quickly into the bathroom and locked the door. She bent over and vomited blood into the toilet bowl. It had come too suddenly.

After flushing the blood away, Gu Ying went to the sink, bracing her weight against the cold porcelain, gasping for breath. She pulled open a drawer, and when her fingertips touched the injector, she didn’t hesitate for even a second.

The next instant, Gu Ying gripped the syringe and ruthlessly plunged the needle into the vulnerable gland on the back of her neck.

A sharp, intense pain flared as the medicine was slowly pushed in, followed by a bone-chilling cold that spread through her veins. Her soul was already weak and unstable, leaving her body exceptionally frail. Once an Omega’s instinctual heat cycle fully erupted, it would burn through what little energy she had left, leaving her even weaker and struggling to maintain her consciousness and human form.

Gu Ying panted, splashing cold water on her face.

The suppressant is losing its effect.

Perhaps she had stayed in the bathroom for too long, for Zhao Jinyuan’s voice drifted through the door.

“Gu Ying, are you still in the bathroom?”

Gu Ying closed her eyes and walked to the door.

“Do you have an upset stomach?”

“I—”

Before Zhao Jinyuan could finish, the glass door swung open abruptly. Gu Ying appeared before her.

Zhao Jinyuan’s gaze fell involuntarily onto Gu Ying’s face, and her heart skipped a beat. Gu Ying’s cheeks were flushed an unnaturally hot red, while her lips were pale to the point of whiteness. Her entire face was covered in fine beads of water—whether sweat or steam, they slid one by one down her sharp, clear jawline and into her slightly open collar, forming dark, damp patches.

Zhao Jinyuan blinked reflexively, her eyes darting away, unsure where to look. Her breathing grew erratic.

She opened her mouth, her throat tight, and a stuttering sound escaped: “W-what’s wrong?”

Gu Ying’s hand, resting at her side, curled slightly. Her eyes were deep, pure black, and bottomless; the usual coldness was veiled by a hazy wetness, making her look both fragile and strangely alluring.

Zhao Jinyuan’s face turned bright red. She was so shy that she kept avoiding eye contact, afraid to look at Gu Ying directly. Even though Gu Ying looked like everyone else, Zhao Jinyuan found her incredibly captivating.

Gu Ying slowly fluttered her long, wet eyelashes. She raised a trembling hand and cupped Zhao Jinyuan’s face; her palm burned with an abnormal heat, yet her fingertips remained cool. Her thumb pressed against Zhao Jinyuan’s soft lips, pushing down with an intensity that brooked no refusal.

Human…

Gu Ying leaned down slightly, closing the distance between them. Her nose brushed against Zhao Jinyuan’s hot cheek. Her breath was scorching and raspy, her deep voice vibrating against her ear, measured and seductive: “Open your mouth.”

The moment the words fell, a bitter, cold scent of iris suddenly dispersed like an invisible, oppressive web, surging from all directions to wrap firmly around Zhao Jinyuan. The scent was frigid, sharp, and intensely aggressive—the most straightforward mark of possession during an Omega’s loss of control.

But Zhao Jinyuan was a Beta. She couldn’t feel the surge of pheromones at all.

Her ears picked up only the sound of the other person’s disordered breathing. Her eyes saw Gu Ying’s close-up, reddened eye rims. Hearing that low, husky command, her mind went blank, and she opened her mouth reflexively.

The next moment, Gu Ying tilted her head slightly, and her cool yet burning lips covered her own, sealing her mouth shut.

The deep kiss was so aggressive it was almost predatory. Gu Ying knew that the Yin Yuan transferred through kissing was thin and negligible, like a wisp of smoke tossed into a raging fire; it could never suppress the turmoil within her, nor could it alleviate the pain of her soul and body burning together.

Her gland burned; the back of her neck went numb. The pheromones crashed against her taut nerves like an uncontrollable tide.

Gu Ying’s kiss was violent. Zhao Jinyuan didn’t know how to kiss back; she couldn’t even swallow, forced to let the saliva trail down the corner of her mouth.

It’s so strange. My stomach is itching.

Zhao Jinyuan subconsciously hooked her arms around Gu Ying’s neck, pulling their bodies together.

I can’t breathe… but it feels so good.

The wet, (shattered/delicate) sounds of lips meeting spread slowly through the space.

After who knows how long, Gu Ying finally released Zhao Jinyuan’s lips. Her breath was already in complete disarray. Gu Ying bowed her head, resting her burning forehead against Zhao Jinyuan’s thin shoulder. She had no strength left to maintain her hard facade; she only raised a hand, her movements trembling as she brushed her fallen hair aside, exposing her fragile, burning gland completely to Zhao Jinyuan’s sight.

She whispered: “Bite it.”

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