She doesn’t want to pretend to be an Omega either! - Chapter 18

Wei Mingshu turned his head and saw Wen Mo staring toward the entrance with a subtle expression. She seemed to be smiling, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes—it looked forced, even pained.

She knows him, Wei Mingshu instantly concluded. At the very least, she’s seen him before.

Moreover, looking at her, she seemed somewhat wary of the man at the door. Before he could think further, Father Wei beckoned them to follow him toward the newcomer. Wen Mo and Wei Mingshu immediately picked up their pace.

Zhu Shen certainly put on airs. Even though he clearly saw the host of the banquet approaching him, he stood his ground like a high-and-mighty lord, waiting for Father Wei and the two juniors to walk over to him.

How rude! Wen Mo thought. Uncle Wei is an elder, after all!

If she remembered correctly, the novel mentioned Zhu Shen’s age—he was only about twenty-six or twenty-seven. To be so young and yet show such blatant disregard for his elders.

Wen Mo grumbled internally, feeling protective of Uncle Wei, but on the surface, she committed fully to her acting. She maintained that conflicted yet polite smile. A quick glance sideways showed that Uncle Wei didn’t look the least bit dissatisfied. Then again, he might have been annoyed but kept it hidden for reasons everyone understood.

Wen Mo gained an even deeper appreciation for Zhu Shen’s power and status.

The distance from the center of the hall to the entrance was quite long. As they walked, several others noticed Zhu Shen’s arrival and rushed over to greet him. Zhu Shen wasn’t entirely dismissive; he gave cold, brief nods—not enthusiastic, but at least he acknowledged them.

Wen Mo, having been beaten, ignored, mocked, and glared at by him, felt that these people were actually being treated quite well. It was precisely because he usually gave her such a cold shoulder that his earlier smile felt so eerie. That creepy smile kept flashing through her mind.

To be fair, Zhu Shen was incredibly handsome. As the second male lead who could compete with the protagonist, his looks were naturally top-tier.

Wen Mo had searched for the protagonist Gu Nan’s appearance online. He’s the lead, who wouldn’t be curious?

Luckily, Gu Nan was a rising star in e-sports. Despite having only played a few matches, his striking looks and MVP-level skills had earned him a massive following of “wife fans,” “mom fans,” and “technical fans.” Photos of him were everywhere, from every possible angle.

The search results showed a youth with “granny gray” hair—rebellious and flashy. He was undeniably handsome, a true “man who walked out of a manga.” He definitely deserved the title of male lead.

But in all honesty, Wen Mo preferred Zhu Shen’s aesthetic. Even if Zhu Shen put psychological pressure on her, she had to admit his face was her type. Both the male lead and the second male lead had flawless, “paper-person” beauty that surpassed any 3D handsome guy she’d ever seen. It was hard to say who was more attractive.

However, Wen Mo had her preferences. Gu Nan looked a bit too young; his skin looked paler than hers. With that gray hair and his gloomy expression, he had a distinct “emo boy” vibe. Since Wen Mo herself looked very young, regularly mistaken for a high schooler despite being twenty, she preferred looks that were a bit more mature. She was picky; she didn’t like “daddy” types, but someone right in the middle was perfect.

Zhu Shen had the flamboyance and cleanliness of a youth combined with the steadiness and coldness of a grown man. If he weren’t already in love with someone else, and if he didn’t hate her, and if they didn’t have such an unpleasant history, Wen Mo might actually have liked him. After all, a guy who hit her aesthetic so perfectly was hard to find!

Oh right, their genders clashed, too. In this world, Alpha-Alpha relationships were frowned upon. Niu Feng had educated her that morning about “pheromone repulsion” and the like. Wen Mo didn’t mind a Platonic relationship, but she had zero interest in playing a game on “hard mode.” If there was physiological disgust involved, could one ever truly love the other psychologically? She was skeptical.

As she walked toward him, her gaze naturally fell on him. She wasn’t afraid of him catching her staring anymore; she just looked at him openly.

Zhu Shen’s smile had been fleeting, disappearing almost as soon as it appeared. But that one second had left such a deep impression that she desperately wanted to believe she’d hallucinated it. But she knew she hadn’t. He had definitely smiled.

What the hell was he smiling at?

“Young President Zhu.” While she was lost in thought, Father Wei reached him and proactively extended his hand.

Zhu Shen gave him face and shook it. Father Wei chatted with him, asking after his parents. Zhu Shen replied politely, the tone was aloof and far from warm, but he didn’t let the conversation die.

Zhu Shen had been running the Zhu Corporation for several years. He was known for being willful; he hated business small talk and rarely attended social events. On the few occasions he did show up, his cold, brief interactions left deep impressions on everyone.

However, everyone had come prepared. When the new head of the Zhu family took over, all eyes were on him, and every family had their ways of investigating his temperament. While private details remained murky, his business style was no secret.

So, when people saw him acting cold, they weren’t particularly surprised. His lasting impression came not just from his aloofness, but from his physical presence. A CEO this handsome and young was a rare sight, standing out brilliantly in any crowd.

Young, arrogant, and dismissive of elders—plenty of people privately disliked his style. But because he had a rock-solid foundation and immense personal ability, they had to keep smiling and flattering him. At the very least, they couldn’t afford to offend him.

Father Wei was used to the cold treatment and didn’t feel slighted. After all, if this Young President Zhu got annoyed, it was said he even dared to publicly scold his own father. Compared to that, being a bit distant with an outsider was nothing.

With the Wei family’s strength, they didn’t need to suck up to the Zhus, but as the host, Father Wei intended to be thorough and show proper etiquette. After the formalities, he turned to introduce the two juniors behind him.

“This is my son, Wei Mingshu,” Father Wei said. “He’s currently a sophomore at S University. If I recall correctly, you were also a student at S U, President Zhu.”

Wei Mingshu nodded neither humbly nor arrogantly, greeting him with gentle politeness. “Hello, President Zhu.”

Zhu Shen glanced at him and gave a slight nod. “S University. It’s a good school. I have an inherent fondness for S U students.”

A collective silence followed.

To anyone unaware of the subtext, Zhu Shen’s words sounded borderline shameless. S U was indeed a top school, but saying that about your own alma mater didn’t exactly fit the traditional virtue of humility.

However, hearing a compliment even a self-serving one, come out of Zhu Shen’s mouth was a rare show of respect. Father Wei paused, instinctively wanting to be modest and say something like, “Oh, it’s nothing special,” but he stopped himself.

That wouldn’t be right. Zhu Shen went there; if Zhu Shen was being immodest, Father Wei being modest would be like slapping him in the face. But he also felt awkward directly bragging about how smart his son was. Consequently, Father Wei’s mouth hung open for a second, but no words came out.

This guy, really makes it hard to keep a conversation going!

The moment the words left Zhu Shen’s mouth, Wen Mo “got” the point. She was the most composed person there, taking in everyone’s reactions. She almost burst out laughing. On the surface, it sounded like self-praise, but she knew he was actually thinking of Yin Qingyue.

An inherent fondness for S U students? Bulls**t. You just have an inherent fondness for one specific S U student!

Ever since ancient times, second male leads were always the devoted type, it seemed Zhu Shen was no exception.

“Is something funny?” Zhu Shen asked. His tone was steady, making it impossible to tell if he was angry or just curious.

Father Wei, who was still wearing a polite smile, instinctively thought the question was directed at him. He blanked for a second. Wait, wasn’t he being respectful a second ago? Why is he suddenly questioning an elder like this? Even as a good-tempered man, Father Wei felt a bit miffed.

But as a social veteran, he didn’t let his true feelings leak. His smile stiffened for a fraction of a second before returning to normal. He was about to speak when he realized Zhu Shen wasn’t looking at him at all.

Father Wei followed the direction of Zhu Shen’s gaze and saw Wen Mo.

Wen Mo was struggling hard to suppress her laughter. She thought she was succeeding, how did he see it? He had been standing sideways to her; how did he notice she was laughing?

Has he been secretly watching me this whole time? She couldn’t think of any other explanation. Watching me just to catch me making a mistake? Wen Mo fell silent. Part of her thought he couldn’t possibly be that bored, but another part felt she had hit the nail on the head. From the moment he first called her an “idiot” during their first meeting, her image of him as a cool, aloof CEO had been totally subverted.

Father Wei was a loyal man. Since he brought Wen Mo over, he felt responsible for her. Seeing the atmosphere grow tense, he stepped in to break the silence. “President Zhu, this is—”

Before he could finish, Zhu Shen cut him off. “Is this your son’s girlfriend?”

The atmosphere curdled instantly.

Father Wei, Wei Mingshu, and Wen Mo were stunned into silence yet again. This time, even Wen Mo lost her cool. She was 100% certain now: Zhu Shen was here to stir up trouble!

Fine, pretend you don’t know me, she wasn’t exactly eager to share their history either. But girlfriend?

He knew perfectly well that her current identity was an “Omega posing as an Alpha,” and her public gender was Alpha. How could she be the girlfriend of another Alpha like Wei Mingshu? Wei Mingshu clearly wasn’t an Omega either!

Wait. Maybe he thought Wei Mingshu was a Beta? An Alpha dating a Beta was reasonable.

No, no, no. Why am I making excuses for him?

Wen Mo shook her head, feeling like her headspace was getting a bit skewed.

Regardless of what gender Zhu Shen thought Wei Mingshu was, the fact that he had deliberately interrupted Uncle Wei made it clear: he was intentionally using this pointed question to mess with her head.

What normal person walks up to a father and asks if the person standing behind him is the other one’s girlfriend? What if they were siblings? How awkward would that be?

Father Wei, having been startled by Zhu Shen’s remarks several times now, was reaching his limit. He didn’t overthink the motives; he simply concluded that Zhu Shen was probably just terrible at socializing. Or, more likely, he had been pampered and put on a pedestal since childhood, making him far too lazy to waste mental energy on social graces. He just said whatever popped into his head.

Father Wei now felt quite strongly that it was a blessing to the public that Zhu Shen rarely attended social events. Dealing with him for just this short while felt like it had aged him ten years; he was exhausted beyond words.

Truthfully, Father Wei found the whole situation a bit strange. His son’s 20th birthday party wasn’t exactly a high-stakes event. He had drafted the invitation list according to standard etiquette, including close friends, family, and companies with which they had business ties. The Zhu family fell into the latter category.

Following the Zhu family’s usual style, they would typically just send a gift via courier or have an assistant attend as a representative. Zhu Shen showing up in person was completely unexpected.

Honestly, he shouldn’t have come! Father Wei thought privately. He was just too difficult to host.

“President Zhu, you’ve misunderstood,” Father Wei said, stepping up to the plate again, even though the smile on his face was nearly paralyzed. “This is the daughter of my good friend Wen Xi—Wen Mo.”

“Oh,” Zhu Shen nodded, appearing to understand.

Father Wei let out a small sigh of relief, only to hear Zhu Shen continue: “So she and your son are childhood sweethearts. It would be perfect to arrange a marriage, a double blessing for both families.”

Father Wei’s heart leapt back into his throat. Why was this Young President Zhu so obsessed with finding his son a partner? He looked so young, yet he spoke like an old traditionalist, using phrases like “arranging a marriage” and “double blessings”!

“Hehe, President Zhu truly has a sense of humor.” Father Wei was reaching the point where he could no longer force a laugh. “Perhaps you’ve been too busy with official business to hear, but Wen Xi’s daughter, his only child is an Alpha!

She and my son are good friends; they aren’t in a relationship that could lead to marriage.”

Father Wei emphasized the word “Alpha” heavily. Hearing this, Wen Mo almost broke into a cold sweat.

She finally got it. The bastard was testing her “true” gender!

As an Omega posing as an Alpha, how was she supposed to react right now? Nervous? Scared? She couldn’t let Zhu Shen expose her “real identity”!

“President Zhu!” Wen Mo cried out, her voice tinged with feigned urgency. She looked at him with eyes that were both resentful and pleading. “Please, stop joking!”

Wei Mingshu, who had been observing in silence, knit his brows. His gaze darted back and forth between Wen Mo and Zhu Shen.

These two, it seemed their connection wasn’t as simple as just “knowing” each other.

Why was Wen Mo so anxious? It was as if she was terrified that Zhu Shen was about to drop another bombshell.

“Xiao Mo!” Father Wei called out. “President Zhu is your senior, after all. You mustn’t be so impetuous.”

“President Wei is right.” Zhu Shen nodded, looking at Wen Mo with a faint, mocking smile. “Do I look like the type of person who has the standing to joke with you?”

Father Wei: “…”

You really didn’t need to be that honest about your superior status.

The suspicion filling Wei Mingshu’s mind dissipated at Zhu Shen’s blunt remark, replaced by a complex mix of emotions. This President Zhu’s style was truly unpredictable. Perhaps he really was just making a random, off-color joke at Wen Mo’s expense.

“President Wei, please, tend to your business,” Zhu Shen added. “I’ll see to myself.”

Father Wei: “Fine. Suit yourself.”

Since Zhu Shen had so bluntly told him to get lost (in a manner of speaking), what else could Father Wei say? He couldn’t wait to make his escape.

As the actual guest of honor, Wei Mingshu naturally had to follow his father to greet other guests. As Father Wei turned to leave, Mingshu prepared to follow, not forgetting to wave at Wen Mo to signal her to come along.

Wen Mo was acutely aware of her standing—or lack thereof—in Zhu Shen’s good graces. After giving Zhu Shen one last look of “acted” innocence, she planned to follow the Wei father-son duo.

“Wait.” Zhu Shen, who had just been swept over by Wen Mo’s clear, wide eyes, suddenly called out.

The three of them stopped and turned back to look at him.

Zhu Shen paused. Under the weight of three silent, questioning gazes, he pointed a finger at Wen Mo. “Actually, let’s trouble the Wen family’s only Alpha daughter to show me around.”

Zhu Shen hadn’t actually come today specifically to pick a fight with Wen Mo.

However, he had guessed she would be here, and he had planned to needle her if he saw her. His primary reason for attending this birthday banquet was the rumor that Yin Qingyue would be accompanying a senior from her school.

Knowing the ties between the Wen and Wei families, he figured the odds of Wen Mo appearing were high.

Whether it was out of fear that Yin Qingyue would be bullied in such a setting, or simply a desire to prevent Wen Mo from having too much contact with her, Zhu Shen had made up his mind to check in at the Wei residence.

The moment he had parted ways with Wen Mo the previous day, Zhu Shen had ordered his subordinates to dig up her file. The Zhu family didn’t employ useless people; the team was highly efficient. By that morning, a detailed summary of Wen Mo’s life had landed in his inbox.

Wen Mo, eldest daughter of the Wen family. 19 years old. Pheromones: Jasmine. Gender: Female Alpha.

Currently a sophomore at H University, majoring in Philosophy.

Her life story was devoid of good deeds, and while she hadn’t done anything truly heinous, she was definitely no saint—a quintessential, pampered “second-generation” socialite. She bullied classmates, formed cliques, smoked, and drank.

She was a permanent fixture at bars and nightclubs with an extensive dating history, prone to flirting and falling for a new person every other day.

It was a resume that didn’t even deserve a second glance; a life entirely without highlights.

However, Zhu Shen had specifically instructed his men to focus on her gender. He wanted to know if there was any possibility she was an Omega posing as an Alpha and he wanted proof either way.

As a result, Wen Mo’s medical examination report was attached to the end of the email. The attachment even included a report on her reproductive anatomy. Such reports were private, accessible only to the individual, their family, and the physician. But money could make the world go ’round; obtaining a “trivial” medical report for a “trivial” person was no difficult task.

The report stated clearly and concisely:

Under the stimulation of Omega estrus pheromones, the Alpha’s reproductive organs demonstrate normal erectile function; external appearance is normal; the cloaca and scrotal functions are in good order.

Zhu Shen had been amused when he saw it—the kind of amusement born of pure irritation. He began to fantasize about the satisfaction of throwing that report right in Wen Mo’s pitiful, “innocent” face just to see her expression of shock and horror.

He wondered if she would still be able to squeeze out those tears then.