It’s So Exhausting Having Top-tier Alpha Twins As Exes - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Just a Kiss, Yet the Body Is Already Lost…

Xiang Shuyu hung up the phone in a trance.

Tears fell onto the screen, gradually blurring his vision. Ignoring the look on Xiang Han’s face, he hurriedly wiped his eyes and sent the location of the Xiang residence to Duan Yue.

Once done, he looked up as if a heavy burden had been lifted, offering a forced, weary smile to the grim-faced Xiang Han: “Brother, my boyfriend is coming to pick me up. I… I won’t be staying here today. I’m sorry…”

After a pause, he added, as if trying to mend things: “It’s not because of you that I’m refusing… You’ve truly been as kind as possible to me in the past; you never mistreated me. But I don’t carry the Xiang surname, and living here has always felt like staying under someone else’s roof. It’s not appropriate.”

Xiang Han frowned, but his expression soon smoothed back into his usual gentlemanly mask. “I see. It was my lack of consideration. Xiang Ming used to bully you all the time, didn’t he?”

Though phrased as a question, Xiang Han knew the answer.

Xiang Ming hadn’t bullied Xiang Shuyu for just a day or two; Xiang Han had witnessed it at home occasionally. Back then, he would only give a simple reprimand. To a spoiled child like Xiang Ming, such scoldings were like light rain—not a warning, but rather an encouragement to continue his arrogance.

Xiang Han also admitted that back then, he was young, and he couldn’t muster much romantic interest in the even younger Xiang Shuyu.

Beyond any affection, Xiang Shuyu was merely the “baggage” brought along by a mistress. Giving him no attention was, in Xiang Han’s mind, a form of “decency.”

To say he didn’t regret it would be a lie. But Xiang Han’s personality was smooth and impeccable; he never made mistakes and never let others catch him off guard. Thus, even if he felt regret, he wouldn’t show it in front of Xiang Shuyu.

Xiang Shuyu didn’t know why Xiang Han suddenly brought up Xiang Ming, but Xiang Han wasn’t really looking for an answer. He pulled out a tissue and handed it to Xiang Shuyu, saying, “I’m sorry, I scared you. If you don’t like Xiang Ming, I’ll invite you to my own house next time, okay?”

With a few words, he lightheartedly shifted all the blame onto Xiang Ming. Usually, Xiang Shuyu might have noticed the manipulation, but now, influenced by Xiang Han’s pheromones, his mind was a chaotic mess. He didn’t catch the rhetorical sleight of hand and only whispered a soft “Thank you.”

He lowered his eyes to wipe the tear tracks. Xiang Han stood very close, watching his face.

Xiang Shuyu had been pretty since he was a child, but he was too thin, too timid, and always ignored It seemed Xiang Han had only started noticing his beauty in the last two years.

He looked so obedient the kind of look that made one want to bully him.

If Xiang Shuyu had never been kicked out of the Xiang family, how could there be another Alpha by his side now?

Xiang Han’s hand clenched into a fist at his side, only to release it the moment Xiang Shuyu’s phone rang.

Duan Yue was calling again. In fact, he had left the house as soon as he had called the first time, driving around aimlessly without a destination.

As soon as Xiang Shuyu sent the address, Duan Yue immediately had the driver head there.

Upon arrival, he saw it was the Xiang residence.

He had known for a long time that the late patriarch of the Xiang family had a mistress and had once brought her and her son to live in the house perhaps a deliberate provocation to his legal wife.

Now that he thought about it, that mistress’s son was Xiang Shuyu.

They had been kicked out for years; why would they be called back tonight?

Duan Yue remembered the soft sobbing over the phone. He truly didn’t like it when people cried, but Xiang Shuyu was the exception to his rule. His first instinct hadn’t been annoyance, but the thought: Xiang Shuyu has been wronged again.

And if he was with the Xiang family, it was very likely he had been wronged.

Xiang Shuyu answered the phone. Duan Yue urged him: “Come out, I’m here.”

Xiang Shuyu became nervous. Clutching his phone, he even forgot to hang up as he hurriedly said to Xiang Han, “My… my boyfriend is here. I’m leaving… Goodbye, Brother.”

When he said the word “boyfriend,” he even felt a twinge of guilt.

He also heard Duan Yue chuckle on the other end of the line.

Xiang Shuyu’s face instantly flushed crimson. He opened the door in a hurry to leave, only to collide with Xiang Ming, who was coming in from outside.

Xiang Ming had been working out for the past two years. Although he was a Beta, he had developed some muscle. Xiang Shuyu’s head-on collision hurt—a lot—and he nearly fell, only for Xiang Han to quickly grab his arm.

“Damn,” Xiang Ming cursed. “Don’t you have eyes?”

“Xiang Ming!” Xiang Han barked. “Xiao Shu is a guest!”

Afraid of conflict, Xiang Shuyu didn’t dare stay despite the pain. Ignoring Xiang Ming’s unpleasant cursing and failing to thank Xiang Han, he quickened his pace and ran out the door.

“Brother,” Xiang Ming rolled his eyes at Xiang Shuyu’s retreating back and asked, “Whose car is that at the door? A Lexus? Rich guy, huh.”

Xiang Han didn’t speak. The Alpha, usually gentle to the outside world, now had a dark face, staring intently at the place where the car lights flickered.

The rear window was down, and Xiang Shuyu saw Duan Yue, so he climbed into the back seat.

As the door closed, Xiang Shuyu finally breathed a sigh of relief. His body relaxed as he whispered to Duan Yue, who was watching him with a half-smile: “Thank you.”

“Why aren’t you calling me ‘boyfriend’ now?” Duan Yue said playfully. “I’ve noticed you’re quite good at ‘the fox borrowing the tiger’s majesty’ (using someone else’s power to intimidate).”

Xiang Shuyu’s cheeks turned bright red instantly. He stammered, “I, I didn’t know what to say at the time…”

“You should have called me earlier,” Duan Yue interrupted. “If you had called earlier, how could anyone have bullied you?”

Xiang Shuyu was speechless, but his heart was racing.

Duan Yue had helped him this time, and it felt like he was acknowledging their relationship.

It was as if Xiang Shuyu only now realized that Duan Yue took this relationship more seriously than he thought—it was he who had been avoiding it.

Feeling a bit guilty, he bit his lip. He suddenly felt that same sensation from when Duan Yue had helped him up after he fell.

He whispered, “They weren’t really bullying me.”

“Then why were you crying?” Duan Yue pressed. “Oh, right. You called him ‘Brother’? Xiang Han? He’s an Alpha, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is.” Xiang Shuyu didn’t know why Duan Yue mentioned Xiang Han. He asked dully, “What about it?”

“He has no blood relation to you,” Duan Yue said, reaching out to pinch Xiang Shuyu’s cheek as if teasing a child, or perhaps just an obedient pet. “As an Alpha, he will inevitably be attracted to you. I’ve seen Xiang Han at chambers of commerce before; he’s a hypocrite, full of bad intentions. You’d better stay away from him.”

A look of hesitation crossed Xiang Shuyu’s face.

“Did you hear me?” Duan Yue was slightly displeased, giving his cheek a little shake. “You’re too dull, baby. You don’t even know how to hit back when people bully you.”

Xiang Shuyu had never been “reprimanded” like this before. His cheeks turned scarlet, and his lowered eyelashes trembled violently.

He nodded and gave a small “Mhm.”

Duan Yue continued: “If you really like me, then listen to me. Otherwise, your ‘liking’ isn’t very convincing.”

After a pause, he added: “You should know, Xiang Shuyu, I didn’t originally plan on being in a relationship.”

Xiang Shuyu’s burning cheeks and racing heart felt as if cold water had been splashed on them. His lips trembled, feeling a chill from Duan Yue’s words.

Duan Yue’s use of “baby” had almost made him forget how they had ended up together.

Xiang Shuyu felt embarrassed and aggrieved: “I…”

“So, just listen to me,” Duan Yue finished his thought. “Since I’m your boyfriend, I need to be responsible for you, including your safety. From now on, if those people from the Xiang family look for you, refuse them all. Just like today, say you have a boyfriend with you. I should be your most important person.”

Xiang Shuyu’s heart was tossed up and down by Duan Yue’s words. His emotions were already unstable today, and he fell right into the trap Duan Yue had carefully woven. Without any ability to resist or think, he only wanted to cling to the other’s protection. He nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Duan Yue really hadn’t needed to be with him; last night, he could have just called a doctor to give him a suppressor. There was no need to play “house” with him.

Now that Duan Yue was being “serious,” he felt he should treat this relationship seriously as well.

Xiang Shuyu looked up and gave Duan Yue a faint, forced smile.

Duan Yue reached out to touch his eyes: “They’re swollen from crying. So pitiful.”

He stroked Xiang Shuyu’s face. As the car drove into the city, the streetlights crept in through the window, finally allowing him to see Xiang Shuyu’s face clearly.

Xiang Shuyu was already beautiful, and a beauty under the lights is even more radiant.

But now, there were abrupt bruises on that beautiful face.

In an instant, Duan Yue felt the anger of a collector whose prized possession had been maliciously damaged: “How did this happen?”

His flash of temper was instantaneous. The Alpha who had been speaking tenderly a second ago now had a cold voice. Xiang Shuyu began to feel afraid of this unpredictable man.

His voice trembled slightly, unaccustomed to Duan Yue’s coldness: “I… I accidentally fell…”

“Was it your accident, or someone else’s?” Duan Yue had seen enough of the world in his years of socializing to find the root of the problem immediately.

“You’re not a three-year-old; you don’t just fall for no reason while walking,” Duan Yue asked coldly. “Who pushed you?”

Xiang Shuyu’s lips trembled; he hesitated.

“What did I tell you, Xiang Shuyu?” Duan Yue said. “Or do you not trust me? You won’t even tell me a small thing like this?”

“It’s not that,” Xiang Shuyu explained anxiously. “I don’t distrust you. Can we..”

His voice was thick with fear and grievance, his volume getting lower and lower: “Can we not break up.”

If they broke up now, everything he had done in front of Xiang Han would become a joke.

“Who said anything about breaking up?” Duan Yue laughed out of irritation, tapping Xiang Shuyu’s forehead with his finger. “Breaking up after just one day of dating? Where would that leave my reputation? Don’t overthink it.”

Xiang Shuyu still felt a bit dejected.

See? he told himself.

The reason Duan Yue said they wouldn’t break up was just that he was afraid of losing face.

How could a person be so contradictory—treating the relationship “seriously” on one hand, while placing his “boyfriend” in a subordinate position on the other?

In the end, it wasn’t an equal relationship.

But Xiang Shuyu, being with Duan Yue, was no longer pursuing equality. He was just a duck being driven onto a perch, pushed toward the only option by countless hands that weren’t his own.

Xiang Shuyu swallowed his disappointment and said softly: “I had a fight with my mom. She didn’t control her strength, and that’s how it happened.”

Xiang Shuyu’s mother. Duan Yue thought of her; she was somewhat famous in their circles—beautiful, flighty, and acquainted with many dubious friends.

It was surprising that such a socialite had raised a son as pure as Xiang Shuyu.

A quarrel with a mother was Xiang Shuyu’s private business, so Duan Yue didn’t pry further. He only asked, “Are you going back tonight?”

Xiang Shuyu didn’t want to go back.

He wasn’t entirely without feelings. Jiang Xiayue had dumped him alone at the Xiang residence; she had probably gone back to enjoy her life long ago. If he went back now, a second argument was inevitable.

Xiang Shuyu hesitated. He was trying to judge: if he said he didn’t want to go back, would Duan Yue stay with him, or just drop him off somewhere?

“Why aren’t you talking?” Duan Yue was playing with his phone. Although he didn’t look up, his peripheral vision was fixed on Xiang Shuyu.

He really was dull—like a little hamster, starting to daze out whenever he sat down.

Thinking of this, Duan Yue couldn’t help but chuckle, charmed by the thought.

“I don’t really want to go back,” Xiang Shuyu said after hesitating.

Even if Duan Yue just dropped him off somewhere, it wouldn’t matter. He wanted to be rebellious for once; he really didn’t want to face Jiang Xiayue anymore.

Duan Yue finally put down his phone. “Then…”

He leaned in, a movement that pinned Xiang Shuyu against the car door. The distance between them vanished, their chests almost touching.

Xiang Shuyu’s heart hammered. The temporary mark remaining on his gland was gently stirred by the pheromones on the other man. His breath became hot, and he felt Duan Yue’s breath getting closer and closer.

Xiang Shuyu was nervous, his back pressed tight against the seat with nowhere to run. Duan Yue kissed his lips, prying open his teeth to entangle and plunder.

Xiang Shuyu’s breathing went out of control.

He couldn’t catch his breath, his body felt weak. It was just a kiss, yet he had already lost control of his body.

“Come to my place,” Duan Yue whispered into his ear. The heat crept into his ear, making Xiang Shuyu itch with an unbearable sensation as he gasped for air. “I want you.”