Does An Inferior Omega Also Have To Marry First, Then Fall In Love? - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: After Returning Home, Ji Qingyu Felt Uneasy…

After returning home, Ji Qingyu felt uneasy.

He didn’t know what those documents meant to Fu Han. Fu Han had been very busy recently, and the number of times his subordinates were scolded had doubled. Perhaps he was genuinely working on a critically important project.

Ji Qingyu frowned, holding the phone, and after much hesitation, he threw it into the deepest cabinet of the spare bedroom.

He felt somewhat guilty facing Fu Han for the next few days.

However, he soon had no time to worry about this. The stage play scheduled extra performances and a cast meet-and-greet, achieving great success.

He specifically invited Nannan to watch an extra show. Standing on stage, countless camera flashes illuminated him. During the Q&A session with reporters, the questions thrown at him were varied: “Hello, Teacher Ji. What were the inspirations for your creation?”

“We polished the script many times. This work has had a lot of effort poured into it by the director and actors,” Ji Qingyu was unaccustomed to so many lights on him. He tried his best to keep his hands from trembling and his voice calm and gentle.

The clicks of camera shutters came from the long lenses aimed at the stage. The young reporter was not satisfied with his answer: “We heard your personal emotional history is quite complicated. This work involves a love triangle and marriage. Was the creation based on your own experience?”

Everyone in the team liked Ji Qingyu. Stage actors are generally more direct than screen actors. The girl playing the student Omega immediately frowned and took the microphone: “What do you mean by that?”

The reporter wasn’t wearing a media badge and was clearly targeting Ji Qingyu. The scene was being live-streamed, and the atmosphere grew tense.

Ji Qingyu also felt uncomfortable. His heart was pounding. After much deliberation, he spoke.

“It has nothing to do with reality. My song is based on the story of the two protagonists,” Ji Qingyu restrained the actress who was about to speak up for him and looked at the reporter.

The reporter, having failed to dig up anything sensational, was still unwilling to give up: “Teacher Ji, I haven’t finished asking.”

“What else is there to ask? Are you here to ask questions or to be difficult?” the actress challenged again.

Ji Qingyu intervened, stepping in front of the actress, and gently shook his head. He didn’t want his personal troubles to affect others.

“The ending for the two protagonists in the work is not good. Do you feel regretful about it? Did you choose to take on this low-budget stage play with an unknown director because the story itself resonated with you?” The reporter stared intensely at Ji Qingyu, looking as if they wanted to tear a piece of flesh from him.

The venue fell silent. Most of the invited guests were industry professionals. Although the stage play’s subject matter was niche, the response had been good, and it had been submitted for awards. Consequently, many professional drama critics and mainstream media were present today.

With several bright spotlights shining down, Ji Qingyu couldn’t see anyone in the audience.

He squinted, slowly saying, “The two protagonists tried their best. There’s nothing to regret. I envy the purity of their relationship.”

Security guards rushed up and escorted the reporter away.

It was the first time Ji Qingyu had encountered such a situation—that someone would actually say such offensive things to him in public for the sake of clicks and sensation. Cold sweat broke out on his back, and he took a step back.

As the security approached, the reporter, still shouting, asked: “Recently, there have been many posts about Fu Han and Ji Ran online. Have you considered that you might face the same real-life problems as the protagonists?”

The audience stirred. Ji Qingyu was stunned for a moment, unsure how to respond. The staff beside him immediately interrupted. The director was quick to react and immediately changed the subject.

Ji Qingyu stood quietly on the stage until he finally walked off.

…

After the interview, Nannan peeked around backstage, looking worried. Ji Qingyu saw her and waved. She hurried over: “Teacher… Brother Fu Han video-called me just now. He said he wanted to watch your interview, so I filmed it for him. He must have heard those questions.”

Ji Qingyu was startled. His heart plummeted. He remained frozen for a moment, barely maintaining his composure. He sighed internally, praying that Fu Han would be working late at the company tonight.

“Teacher Ji, are you and Brother Fu doing okay?” Nannan looked at him with wide eyes.

A little girl wouldn’t understand these things. Ji Qingyu wasn’t so fragile that he needed to share his worries with Nannan. He just patted her head and greeted the creative team, “Don’t worry so much, little one. Come on, I’ll take you to get some good food.”

Ji Qingyu and Nannan played at a nearby mall until late before he took her home.

The weather in Jing City had been terrible recently, with continuous heavy rain. The traffic jam on the way home was completely gridlocked. A feeling of frustration weighed heavily on Ji Qingyu’s heart.

…

It was past nine when he arrived home. Ji Qingyu was surprised to see the dining room light on; Fu Han was waiting for him to eat. He had forgotten to tell Fu Han he had already eaten. Afraid of angering Fu Han, he could only reluctantly sit at the table.

The Alpha’s face was grim. His laptop was still on the table. The food had already gone cold, indicating he had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing Ji Qingyu sit down, Fu Han didn’t even look up. After a quiet moment, he spoke coldly: “During the interview today, someone asked if you had other choices. Why did you hesitate? You admire the purity of their relationship? You also know our relationship isn’t pure?”

“…” Ji Qingyu was still afraid of Fu Han. He managed to pick up a small piece of Chinese cabbage, but his hand trembled, and it fell back into the bowl. He dared not eat and looked up, stealing a glance at the other man.

Fu Han’s eyes were filled with scrutiny. Ji Qingyu didn’t know where to put his hands.

“Your nonsensical remarks today won’t be published. People have been dispatched to suppress the online discussion. Don’t answer such sensitive questions casually in the future,” Fu Han was expressionless. There was easily digestible porridge on the table—plum porridge. Ji Qingyu felt nauseous whenever he saw plums lately.

“I didn’t answer…” Ji Qingyu couldn’t eat anything.

“I haven’t restricted your activities or work, but if you take on more indecent subjects that make the public doubt our relationship and affect Fu Shi’s image, you won’t need to leave the house again.” Fu Han placed a few pieces of meat into Ji Qingyu’s bowl. The meat was boiled in salt water with no seasoning, completely bland.

Ji Qingyu had heard such words from Fu Han so many times that he could automatically immunize himself. Today, however, he suddenly felt wronged for some reason.

Perhaps it was also due to the downpour. The rustling rain made him particularly irritable.

He silently ate the tasteless salted duck, thinking to himself that he couldn’t tell Fu Han anything, yet Fu Han was constantly cold and sarcastic toward him, accusing him based on unfounded speculation. The more he thought about it, the more wronged he felt. Tears fell uncontrollably, splashing into his bowl.

Fu Han continued his lengthy lecture. The rain paused for a few minutes. Ji Qingyu’s emotions had just calmed down when the next second, there was a muffled thunderclap, and the rain poured down harder.

Fu Han hadn’t heard Ji Qingyu’s response. After a while, he paused, noticing Ji Qingyu’s head was almost buried in his bowl. He gripped Ji Qingyu’s chin, forcing him to look up.

Seeing Ji Qingyu’s expression, he stopped abruptly.

“Why are you crying? Did I say anything to you?” Fu Han frowned. Indeed, his tone was much better than when they first married. These two light threats were truly nothing to Ji Qingyu.

But today, he didn’t know what was wrong. His emotions were running high. Tears flowed endlessly, followed by a spasm in his stomach. He felt like vomiting again. Ji Qingyu didn’t want to look at Fu Han. He averted his gaze, feeling deeply embarrassed.

After more than ten seconds, he finally spoke.

“Got it,” Ji Qingyu said sullenly. “You always call the shots.”

Fu Han’s grip on Ji Qingyu’s chin tightened before finally letting go. Fu Han looked at him with incomprehension, but mostly with the unreadable scrutiny and disgust that Ji Qingyu couldn’t figure out.

Halfway through the meal, no one was interested in continuing. Fu Han released Ji Qingyu, his voice softening slightly, “Why are you crying? Who are you crying for? What hardship have I put you through?”

Fu Han took two tissues and slowly wiped the messy tears from Ji Qingyu’s face.

Ji Qingyu couldn’t eat anymore and didn’t want to see Fu Han’s face. He turned to leave, but Fu Han desperately held Ji Qingyu’s hand, refusing to let go. Ji Qingyu fought back tears. Only an awkward, suffocating silence remained between them.

Fu Han sighed: “You’re always like this. Every time. You never think you’re wrong.”

Fu Han tossed the two crumpled tissues away. He lowered his head and bit Ji Qingyu’s lips. The air was thick with the cloying scent of sour plums. Ji Qingyu tried to push him away with both hands. His healed wrist still throbbed with a dull pain, like the continuous drizzle separating the two of them.

The soft barbs of memory occasionally sprouted, pulsating in his body with his heart. This made Fu Han’s casual harsh words feel like a heavy nuclear bomb to Ji Qingyu.

The Alpha knew no method other than predation, only intensifying his attempt to devour the other person, hoping that physical sensory stimulation could cover up their shared old scars.

“Ji Qingyu, you’re not leaving me unless I agree,” His fingers pressed into Ji Qingyu’s waist, making Ji Qingyu tremble in pain.

Right, Ji Qingyu thought. No matter what he does, it’s all the same to Fu Han: being manipulative, faking innocence, being insensitive, and talking nonsense.

Fu Han pressed the back of his neck, and he began to shake.

…

Ji Qingyu woke up again in the middle of the night. His insomnia had become more frequent recently. Even when he slept, he often dreamed of Fu Han speaking coldly to him, turning and walking away, leaving him behind.

His mind was a mess. He lay there aimlessly for a while. The phone on the bedside table suddenly lit up, dazzlingly bright. Who would send him a message in the middle of the night?

He reached for the phone. When he opened it, it was Ma Yu, followed by a picture: “Xiaoyu, I just finished drinking and saw an acquaintance. You told me about this person several times. Wasn’t it the Omega from your high school who dropped out, the one named Ruan Jing?”