She doesn’t want to pretend to be an Omega either! - Chapter 17

Wei Mingshu noticed Wen Mo the very moment she entered the hall, accompanying her father.

Perhaps it was because he had been subconsciously scanning the room for her. The question she had asked him that morning was simply unfathomable; he had frozen in place after reading the message, taking a long while to snap out of it.

Not that snapping out of it helped. He had no idea how to respond.

It was absurd, ridiculous, and nonsensical—but above all, he was curious. He wondered what kind of headspace Wen Mo had to be in to ask something like that.

Was she serious? Or was she joking?

They were both Alphas! How could one Alpha possibly have a secret crush on another?

Wei Mingshu had asked her what was going on lately. Between her sudden personality shift, her total image makeover, and now asking him, another Alpha if he had a crush on her, there had to be a reason for such drastic changes.

He didn’t buy the “wanting to be a better person” excuse for a second.

But since Wen Mo wouldn’t talk, there was nothing he could do. She hadn’t answered his question directly, merely claiming she’d had a “brain fart” and told him not to take it to heart. Then, with polite formality, she said she was hungry, planned to order delivery, thanked him for his kindness, and suggested they grab a meal next time. “See you tonight,” she’d finished.

Watching her polite, measured refusal, Wei Mingshu felt even more dazed. Was this really something Wen Mo would say? If it weren’t so unnecessary, he would have suspected someone else was replying on her behalf.

Wei Mingshu was a staunch materialist. Last night, he’d already felt as though Wen Mo had been replaced by a different soul, but what could possibly cause that?

After some serious analysis, he began to suspect she might have dissociative identity disorder, and the current Wen Mo was a different personality altogether. He couldn’t think of any other explanation. It wasn’t as if she’d suffered any major psychological trauma recently.

As for the rumors about Wen Mo and Yin Qingyue, Wei Mingshu never believed them for a second. They had to be fake.

Being her childhood friend, even if she didn’t consider him a close one or share her secrets, they had known each other since they were small. He knew her well. With her playboy reputation, it was absolutely impossible for her to reach a sudden epiphany and reform her ways just because of a rejection.

Besides, he had called her that night. When he brought up Yin Qingyue, Wen Mo’s attitude didn’t sound like that of a heartbroken lover. In fact, until he saw her with his own eyes last night, he hadn’t believed the rumors of her transformation at all.

Seeing was believing. The rumors weren’t entirely false; she really had changed.

He wanted to find out why, which was why his attention was suddenly fixed on her. His attempt to meet her that morning had failed, but fortunately, there was still the evening.

He wanted to rush to her side immediately, but as the guest of honor, he was being led around by his father to greet attendees. He couldn’t step away, so he could only watch her from the corner of his eye.

Coincidentally, Wen Mo was looking at him too.

Wei Mingshu felt an inexplicable wave of nervousness. Just as he was about to look away, he realized she didn’t seem to notice he was watching; their eyes hadn’t actually met.

He relaxed slightly. His gaze, still curious, followed the direction of her eyes until it landed squarely on his butt?

Wei Mingshu froze. His entire body went rigid, especially in that specific area; his gluteal muscles tensed involuntarily. Luckily, he was wearing loose-fitting suit trousers, so it wasn’t visible.

Why on earth is this girl staring at my ass?

His mind involuntarily drifted back to the question she’d asked that morning: Do you have a crush on me?

What kind of situation would prompt Wen Mo to ask that? Could it be that Wen Mo was the one who felt that way? Was she asking him as a way to probe her own feelings? Was she looking for a specific answer from him?

He didn’t want to be conceited. But at this moment, he couldn’t help but wonder: Is it possible that Wen Mo has a crush on me?

“Mingshu has really grown up.”

Wei Mingshu was still lost in thought when Father Wen brought Wen Mo over to say hello.

“Indeed. In the blink of an eye, the children are already twenty,” Father Wei remarked with a nostalgic smile. He looked behind Father Wen, only to see an unfamiliar, cute young lady. She looked like an Omega, with an air of elegance and fashion that suggested she was no ordinary person.

Is this someone the Wen family picked out for Wen Mo?

Curious, Father Wei asked directly, “And this is?”

“Hahaha! I told you your Uncle Wei wouldn’t recognize you,” Father Wen laughed.

Father Wei paused, looking embarrassed. Was this someone he had met before?

“Dad, that’s Wen Mo,” Wei Mingshu, who had been staring at her the whole time, chimed in to remind him.

“What?” Father Wei’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Wen Mo?”

“Hello, Uncle Wei,” Wen Mo greeted him with a calm smile and a polite nod, already used to this reaction.

The Wei and Wen families had always been on good terms, and since they moved in the same circles, most of the guests at the banquet had some connection to the Wens. When they first arrived, Father Wen noticed Father Wei and Mingshu were surrounded by people, so he hadn’t rushed over immediately. Given the relationship between the two families, such formalities didn’t matter.

Since Wei Mingshu’s mother was away on business, Father Wei felt he had to play his part, so he had already introduced Wen Mo to several business associates. When those CEOs were told that this sweet, cute young person—who everyone initially took for an Omega was actually Wen Mo, they all wore the same shocked expression as Father Wei.

Wen Mo simply acted as a social robot, smiling and nodding, pretending not to understand why they were so surprised.

“She really has changed a lot,” Father Wei said, eventually regaining his composure. He offered an awkward, thoughtful smile. “Grown up, become more sensible.”

Stopped acting like a rebellious, alternative teen, Wen Mo silently finished the sentence for him.

“Right?” Father Wen turned and affectionately patted Wen Mo’s head.

Father Wen was an Omega. Even as a male, he was relatively petite compared to Wen Mo, an Alpha. He was a few centimeters shorter than her, so he had to stand on his tiptoes to reach her head.

He patted her once, twice, incessantly. He truly cherished this; his daughter hadn’t let him touch her head since primary school. It was rare for her to be this well-behaved, so he had to make the most of it.

Seeing him struggling on his tiptoes, Wen Mo proactively tilted her head down so he could pat to his heart’s content. At this, Father Wen’s smile brightened even more.

“I also feel like my baby has grown up lately. She actually cared enough to visit me this time, and she even let me help pick out her clothes. Look, don’t you think the makeup I had the artist do is way better than the stuff she used to do herself?” As he spoke, Father Wen gave Wen Mo a little nudge forward, clearly showing off his taste.

That nudge pushed Wen Mo directly in front of Wei Mingshu. The distance between them vanished instantly.

Looking at Wen Mo’s beautiful face in such close proximity, Wei Mingshu couldn’t help but daze for a second.

“So, Mingshu, isn’t our baby beautiful?” Father Wen asked.

Wei Mingshu: “Beautiful.”

Although he felt Uncle Wen’s question was wildly inappropriate, Wei Mingshu answered anyway.

He’s an elder; it would be rude to ignore him, Wei Mingshu told himself, finding a perfectly logical excuse.

Besides, Wen Mo’s face was undeniably beautiful.

Even Wen Mo, with her “Earthling” sensibilities, felt that her father’s question was out of line. Did this father of hers have any idea how strange it was to ask an Alpha if his Alpha daughter was pretty?

It was the equivalent of asking a straight man if his “precious son” was handsome. It felt totally gay!

However, Father Wen was a pampered soul with a famously unreliable personality. He was the type to say absolutely anything without realizing how it sounded. Those familiar with him had long since stopped being surprised.

Wei Mingshu was undoubtedly one of those people, and he had always been the quintessential “good boy” in front of his elders.

Wen Mo studied Wei Mingshu’s expression, unable to tell if he had answered out of social pressure or some other reason. Following Niu Feng’s advice from earlier, she felt she was likely overthinking it.

Yet, the seed of doubt remained firmly planted in her mind.

Now, seeing Wei Mingshu staring at her with an inexplicably deep, soulful gaze while telling her she was beautiful in that gentle voice, Wen Mo’s imagination began to run wild again.

With the elders present, Wen Mo couldn’t exactly interrogate him. She simply offered a smile, accepting the compliment gracefully. When she smiled, faint dimples appeared, making her look exceptionally pure and adorable.

Wei Mingshu froze again, his gaze lingering on her cheeks as if lost in thought.

Wen Mo raised an eyebrow imperceptibly. Though she had never been in love, her cute and pretty looks meant she’d never lacked pursuers; some of them used to look at her exactly the way Wei Mingshu was looking at her right now.

You really can’t blame me for overthinking this!

The two juniors stood face-to-face in a silent exchange of glances. The two parents, seeing them so “close,” smiled with even greater satisfaction. They chatted for a few more moments until the banquet hall doors swung open again, and a figure stepped slowly inside.

As the host, Father Wei instinctively looked over. The moment he recognized the newcomer, a standard, practiced smile appeared on his face. “Mingshu, Xiao Mo come with me. Let’s go say hello.”

Given the Wei family’s power, it was usually others who took the initiative to greet Father Wei. This newcomer was the only person so far who had prompted Father Wei to approach them first.

Wei Mingshu snapped out of his daze and looked toward the entrance.

A tall man stood there, his gaze sweeping over the room with the casual air of an emperor inspecting his own territory. Even if his father hadn’t suggested it, Wei Mingshu could tell by the man’s aura alone that he was someone of immense importance.

There were very few such figures in all of S City. Having seen the guest list, Wei Mingshu quickly narrowed it down: the Zhu family. Judging by the man’s age, this was likely the sole heir of the Zhu family, Zhu Shen.

Father Wei had called Wen Mo along, clearly intending to let her gain some face in front of such a powerful figure. Father Wen naturally wouldn’t refuse such a kind gesture; he smiled gratefully at Father Wei and gave Wen Mo’s shoulder a gentle nudge. “Xiao Mo, don’t just stand there staring. Follow Uncle Wei.”

Hearing this, Wei Mingshu looked back at Wen Mo.

Wen Mo’s curiosity had also been piqued by Father Wei’s words. She turned toward the door and came face-to-face with that familiar, handsome countenance.

It was truly bizarre. Every time Wen Mo looked at Zhu Shen, she seemed to get “caught” instantly. Despite the distance between them, and the fact that a man of Zhu Shen’s stature naturally attracted countless eyes, he was always able to pinpoint her gaze with terrifying precision.

What was this? Some kind of natural suppression the male lead held over a “cannon fodder” character?

Note to self: I can’t just sneak peeks at him anymore.

Wen Mo felt a pang of frustration. If she couldn’t observe him secretly, she’d lose her best chance to understand him, which put her at a disadvantage. But she couldn’t let it show on her face. The moment Zhu Shen looked her way, Wen Mo immediately put on a conflicted expression and gave him a forced, slightly strained smile.

Since Zhu Shen had already made it clear last time that she annoyed him, she couldn’t afford to look too happy. That would seem fake—or worse, like she was some kind of “simp.” A strained, conflicted smile felt much more appropriate.

Wen Mo expected him to treat her with total disdain, perhaps brushing her off with a cold glance before looking away.

To her utter shock, Zhu Shen did not look away. Instead, he actually smiled back!

Wen Mo stood frozen to the spot.

Huh??? Am I hallucinating?!

Why on earth is Zhu Shen smiling at me? This is unscientific!

Is it possible that Zhu Shen has been ‘soul-transmigrated’ too?