It’s So Exhausting Having Top-tier Alpha Twins As Exes - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Being Kept?

He patted Xiang Shuyu’s shoulder and said, “Done eating? Come with me for a moment, Shuyu. I have something to say to you.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Xiang Shuyu felt the eyes of everyone at the table fall upon him.

Except for Jiang Xiayue’s, the stares were filled with malice. He felt suffocated by them, but he could only stand up awkwardly and helplessly, following Xiang Han away from the dinner table.

Xiang Ming suddenly spoke up: “Mom, look at what Big Brother is doing. He insists on bringing two jinxes to a perfectly good family dinner. The air isn’t even fresh anymore; it’s full of a foul stench.”

Jiang Xiayue’s temper nearly flared, but her words shifted at the last second. A stunning, mocking smile spread across her face as she said, “You’re a Beta. In terms of looks or talent, which part of you can even compare to Shuyu? You were always jealous of Shuyu’s good grades and tore up his certificates back then. What was the use? What isn’t yours will never be yours.”

These words were double-edged, stinging not only Xiang Ming but his mother as well.

The female Beta, who had remained silent until then, suddenly slammed her chopsticks onto the table and shouted, “Jiang Xiayue! You are shameless! How dare you bring that bastard here to freeload? I’ve already given you plenty of face!”

“Don’t act like I begged to come,” Jiang Xiayue smiled. “Back then, Xiang Junyuan was the one who cheated first. If he hadn’t lied and said he was single, how could I have been with him? Today, it was your son who invited us. Instead of looking for the cause in your Alpha, you’re putting all the blame on me?”

The balcony’s glass door blocked out the shouting from the dining room. The sun hadn’t quite set yet, staining the horizon a deep red. The evening breeze carried a hint of heat, lightly lifting the hair on Xiang Shuyu’s forehead.

Xiang Shuyu stood before Xiang Han with downcast eyes, yet he didn’t look inferior—merely detached, as if he were an outsider.

Xiang Han lit a cigarette, the smoke drifting between them. He saw Xiang Shuyu frown; he clearly disliked the smell of smoke.

But after waiting a moment, he saw that Xiang Shuyu didn’t speak, nor did he move away.

A flicker of interest crossed Xiang Han’s eyes.

“Are you in a relationship?” He asked point-blank.

At this question, Xiang Shuyu became visibly tense.

Xiang Han seemed to realize something. He heard Xiang Shuyu say yes, but he didn’t entirely believe it. He asked further, “Are you… being kept?”

It was as if Xiang Shuyu’s innermost thoughts had been pierced. He snapped his head up, his eyes wide with shock and distress, already rimmed with redness and moisture.

He denied it repeatedly: “I’m not, it’s not like that—”

“Oh,” Xiang Han’s brow furrowed slightly, though it was unclear if he believed him. “So, which Alpha is it? Is he a local from the capital?”

Xiang Shuyu felt this was his private business. Even if his boyfriend weren’t Duan Yue, Xiang Han was a stranger with no blood relation; Shuyu had no obligation to answer him.

So, he bit his lower lip and remained silent.

Seeing him like this, Xiang Han’s mind whirred, and he added, “He probably isn’t very good to you, Shuyu. I heard you haven’t been in a relationship before. Perhaps you don’t know that an Alpha who truly treasures his partner is very gentle. No one would let their partner leave the house with such messy marks on their gland; they would consider the Omega’s dignity.”

Xiang Shuyu still didn’t speak.

This was his private affair. He indeed lacked relationship experience and knew the feelings between him and Duan Yue weren’t equal yet. But it was enough that he knew this himself. Being called out by another Alpha felt like having the thin veil covering his wounds torn away, forcing his ugly, embarrassing side into the light.

Though Xiang Shuyu had a soft personality, he didn’t like having his privacy pried into like this.

He took two quick breaths, stiffened his neck, and looked up at Xiang Han, saying seriously, “I think this should be my own business.”

Xiang Han was momentarily stunned.

In his memory, this younger brother who shared no blood with him had never had a temper. He was timid and didn’t know how to fight back when bullied; he would even hide from others just to cry.

This was the first time he had seen Xiang Shuyu look up and talk back to him. In that moment, he felt no anger; instead, he found it interesting.

“I’m not trying to interfere in your love life, Shuyu. I just wanted to remind you. After all, you lived in the Xiang house for a few years and were my brother for a while. I hope you can live well.”

Xiang Shuyu went silent again, thinking to himself: What does it matter if I was your brother for a few years?

During those years when Xiang Ming bullied him, he never saw Xiang Han step up to help once.

But Xiang Shuyu wouldn’t say such things to him. He didn’t have the standing or the right.

The atmosphere between them turned stiff again. Xiang Shuyu tugged at his coat collar, trying to hide the marks. “I’ve troubled you today. Thank you for the hospitality. I’m going to head back with my mother now.”

In any case, staying here was pointless. Except for Xiang Han, everyone else despised him and Jiang Xiayue. They were all just making each other miserable.

As he pulled open the glass door to leave, he thought that perhaps Xiang Han had only invited them over to watch them become a laughingstock.

It was Jiang Xiayue who lacked self-awareness, still delusional enough to think she could get along with the Xiang family.

Xiang Shuyu pulled his phone from his pocket. At that moment, he finally remembered the perfunctory “Thank you” he had sent to Duan Yue. He knew it was half-hearted and worried Duan Yue might overthink it. He wanted to say something more to make up for it.

Just as he unlocked the screen, a missed call from Duan Yue popped up.

Xiang Shuyu froze. His fingers suddenly felt weak as he tapped on the call logs.

Why was Duan Yue calling him?

Xiang Shuyu felt uneasy. His heart was racing—perhaps not entirely because he liked Duan Yue, but more out of fear.

Since returning to the country, he had been constantly navigating through circles of people in the business world. Those people were never friendly. Even if he didn’t carry the Xiang surname or have a formal connection to them, he was still disregarded—just an ant that those at the top could crush with a flick of a finger.

He had to be cautious in everything he said and did. From the moment he met Duan Yue yesterday, he had felt uncomfortable and exhausted. In every way.

If he could, he just wanted to be alone, away from the chaos, doing whatever he wanted.

Xiang Shuyu was lost in thought for a moment. Soon, Xiang Han caught up from behind and grabbed his wrist: “Shuyu, stay the night here.”

Alarm bells rang instantly in Xiang Shuyu’s head: “No need, Big Brother. I should go home”

Before he could finish, his body went rigid. He stared blankly at the now empty dining table.

“Your mother has already left,” Xiang Han said. “I spoke with her earlier about letting you stay tonight, and she agreed at the time.”

Xiang Shuyu felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. “When… why wasn’t I told about this…”

He asked the question, but he knew the answer in his heart: it was simply because Jiang Xiayue didn’t respect him, and neither did Xiang Han. They both felt his thoughts and opinions didn’t matter; they only needed to make the decisions for him.

Xiang Shuyu was so angry he nearly cried. His eyes reddened instantly as he struggled to break free from Xiang Han’s grip.

But Xiang Han held on tight. Alphas were naturally physically superior, and Xiang Shuyu was frail. There was no way he could break free.

Xiang Han grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to meet his gaze. “Don’t be afraid, Shuyu. You lived here before; you’re familiar with it. Why are you so resistant?”

The body beneath his palms was trembling uncontrollably. Xiang Shuyu was pale, looking as if he couldn’t catch his breath, unable even to speak.

Only then did Xiang Han realize he had released his pheromones.

Normally, if Xiang Shuyu were an unattached Omega, he could use his pheromones to soothe the other’s over-agitation, making him submit and settle.

But not today.

Xiang Shuyu still had a temporary mark left by another Alpha. The pheromones of the two Alphas were repelling each other, only making Xiang Shuyu feel more miserable.

Xiang Han had no choice. To maintain his dignity, he had to let go.

Losing his support, Xiang Shuyu stumbled back two steps, his back hitting the wall. It took a long time for him to recover.

Eventually, his forced-out senses slowly returned. Xiang Shuyu’s lashes trembled as he slowly raised his eyes.

Due to his gland issues, he had rarely been affected by Alpha pheromones in the past. This was the first time.

“I’m sorry…” Whenever Xiang Shuyu was scared, he couldn’t help but apologize. Tears finally slid uncontrollably down his face. He shivered and stammered, “I really don’t want to be here…”

“Why?” Xiang Han continued to press. “Is it because of me? Because I’m an Alpha, does it make you uncomfortable?”

Xiang Shuyu only shook his head.

His phone screen lit up again. It was Duan Yue calling him.

In that instant, Xiang Shuyu felt as though he had caught a floating piece of wood in a storm. A wave of relief washed over him. Without much hesitation, he answered the call right in front of Xiang Han.

Xiang Han’s expression instantly darkened.

“Where did you go to play? Why didn’t you answer the phone?”

Duan Yue’s tone held a hint of teasing, but there was an underlying dissatisfaction.

He was indeed angry. While he had his assistant look into what Xiang Shuyu was doing, he kept wondering why he was putting so much thought into an Omega he had only accepted on a whim.

He had even considered dumping this “boyfriend” he had so hastily decided on.

Yet, while entertaining that thought, he kept calling Xiang Shuyu.

This time, however, Xiang Shuyu picked up.

He heard Xiang Shuyu’s sobbing.

Duan Yue sat up straighter, frowning as he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I…” Xiang Shuyu looked at the expressionless Xiang Han standing nearby. How could he possibly tell Duan Yue the truth in front of an outsider?

But seeing Xiang Han’s stance, the man likely wouldn’t leave of his own accord.

He had no choice but to let Xiang Han listen to let him know that he had someone to look after him, that he didn’t need to stay with the Xiang family. He needed Xiang Han to give up.

Xiang Shuyu’s voice trembled. His cheeks and eyes were flushed with a mix of grievance and shyness. He continued, “I want to see you. Can you come pick me up and take me home…”

After saying it, Xiang Shuyu wanted to cry even more.

He had actually said such a thing to Duan Yue. If Duan Yue refused, Xiang Han would surely look down on him, and maybe even…

Even think he was easy to bully.

But the chance of Duan Yue agreeing was less than ten percent. At this hour, how could he possibly go out for someone else?

On the other end of the line was only the sound of Duan Yue’s breathing. He didn’t speak, which felt like a silent rejection.

Xiang Shuyu’s racing heart plummeted into an abyss. He began to weep silently, using the back of his hand to wipe away the tears in a mess.

His voice was already hoarse: “If it’s inconvenient”

“Shuyu,” Xiang Han spoke up first, as if he couldn’t stand to listen anymore. “There’s no need to beg someone else to take you away so humbly. If you really want to go home, I’ll just drive you back.”

The breathing on the other end of the phone paused for a second. Xiang Shuyu was lost in despair, but then he heard Duan Yue’s voice in his ear again. It carried a hint of a mocking laugh as he said:

“Sure. Give me the address. I’m coming over now.”