The Beta Wife Claimed by Competing Alphas - Chapter 15

“The two of us are students at A University, not human traffickers! We’re really not going to kidnap you to harvest your kidneys!” The Alpha seemed to think of something and quickly added, “I can show you my student ID. Wait, where is my student ID? I need it for a discount at the hotpot place tonight.”

The youth frantically searched for his ID. From the seats in the distance, his Omega boyfriend saw this, rolled his eyes, and waved the bag in his hand at him.

“Oh,” the Alpha realized, “It’s in my partner’s bag. No wonder I couldn’t find it.”

“I wasn’t doubting that, you don’t need to look for it. I just feel like I’m troubling you too much.”

But the youth had already run back. His Omega boyfriend had already pulled out the ID. He gave the Omega a clingy kiss and whispered something; seeing the Omega’s helpless expression and clear “get lost” mouthing, what the Alpha said was likely “Baby, you’re the best.”

“Look!” The youth handed the student ID to Mu Yan, his eyes bright and sincere. “I really am an A University student.”

Mu Yan still hesitated and didn’t agree.

He was not the type to enjoy troubling others. Even with his brother or Lu Chong, he would deliberate and try his best not to ask for help, let alone with strangers he had just met.

He didn’t doubt the kindness of those two students, though even during his own student days, he rarely had the luxury to be so helpful. Most of Mu Yan’s student years were spent exhausted from running around, thinking about which time slots he could fit in another part-time job to ease the pressure on his brother and mother.

“Hey, I’m not trying to meddle, but your face really looks terrible. I was afraid you’d faint before even making it out of the hospital.”

The Alpha had likely overheard his conversation with the nurse, so he thoughtfully didn’t ask why he was there alone.

In the end, Mu Yan couldn’t win the argument against the two of them and sat in the back of the Alpha’s sedan.

After working for a year, Mu Yan could now tell the value of a car. This car wasn’t expensive; the sound of the engine even suggested it was quite old. But having one’s own car during university showed just how much his parents doted on him.

Only children raised in love would be this kind and enthusiastic.

The sick Omega in the passenger seat was drowsy, and the Alpha turned off the music upon noticing. By the time the car reached the bottom of Mu Yan’s building, the Omega was sound asleep, so he only said goodbye to the Alpha.

Once Mu Yan got home and plugged in his phone to charge, he immediately transferred money to the couple. However, they didn’t accept it, only sending back a “Doing good without leaving a name” sticker.

He didn’t have the energy to cook for himself. He found a small bread roll he had bought at some point and ate it in three bites, calling it lunch.

He originally intended to lie in bed and message Lu Chong to say he was home, but somehow, he fell asleep almost the moment his head hit the pillow.

When Lu Chong arrived home, Mu Yan had just woken up. After a nap, his spirit had recovered significantly. He was about to call Lu Chong to ask if he was coming back for dinner; there were still groceries in the fridge from a few days ago, enough to make two or three dishes.

“You’re back,” Mu Yan heard the familiar footsteps and ran to open the door before Lu Chong even entered. “I was just about to ask if you were coming back for dinner. There’s pork belly, Napa cabbage, and cured meat in the fridge. I’ll cook now. How about twice-cooked pork, Napa cabbage, and steamed cured meat?”

“I went to the hospital to pick you up,” Lu Chong didn’t answer his question. “Why weren’t you there?”

His tone was somewhat like an interrogation—a persistent habit in the way Lu Chong spoke. He was too used to bossing around those close to him, and even the newly reconciled Mu Yan was no exception.

“Did you go just now, or at noon?” Mu Yan thought about how Lu Chong might have made a wasted trip to pick him up and couldn’t help but feel guilty, not minding his tone too much. “I finished my IV at noon.”

“Just now,” Lu Chong answered.

If a more assertive person were in this position, they might have turned the interrogation back on Lu Chong—asking why he had left a sick person at the hospital without a word, and why it took six hours for him to go pick him up.

But someone as gentle as Mu Yan would never think of that. He only made excuses for Lu Chong in his mind; Lu Chong probably didn’t know how long an IV took, and since he hadn’t called to tell Lu Chong, it was his fault for the wasted trip.

“I originally wanted to message you when I got back, but I was too sleepy and forgot. Sorry for making you go there for nothing.”

Mu Yan had just woken up; his hair was a bit messy from sleep, and his complexion looked better than in the morning. His cheeks were flushed, and as he looked up at Lu Chong with eyes like a little rabbit, Lu Chong’s Adam’s apple instinctively bobbed.

He hadn’t expected Mu Yan to apologize first under these circumstances. Feeling a bit in the wrong, he followed Mu Yan into the kitchen, a rare occurrence.

Mu Yan didn’t expect him to follow and was a bit surprised, asking if he wanted water.

“No water. You’re sick today, so don’t cook. Let’s go out or order delivery.”

“It’s fine,” Mu Yan washed the cutting board and knife, turning to look at him. “It’s just two dishes. Cooking at home is cheaper. Meat is only ten yuan a pound right now.”

“Then I’ll help you.”

Lu Chong was practically illiterate when it came to kitchen work. Mu Yan could finish a few dishes quickly on his own, but with Lu Chong involved, the time spent would only increase.

Normally, Mu Yan would be happy to teach him and cook together, but today he had only eaten a bowl of porridge in the morning and a small bread roll at noon. He just wanted to eat as soon as possible.

He hesitated on how to refuse without making Lu Chong feel frustrated.

“How about you wash the rice and get it started?”

Lu Chong frantically washed the rice and started the cooker. Mu Yan had just heated the pan and turned his head to glance at Lu Chong. “It’s greasy in here. Go outside and wait for me.”

Lu Chong didn’t know what was wrong with him today; it was as if he were under a spell, and he didn’t want to move his gaze away from Mu Yan for a single second. He didn’t leave as told; instead, he wrapped his arms around Mu Yan from behind.

the Alpha’s vetiver scent enveloped him. Lu Chong rarely had such intimate gestures with him when he was sober.

Mu Yan was a bit surprised, his movements faltering slightly. Just as he was about to turn around and say “don’t mess around while I’m stir-frying,” Lu Chong let go.

The man behind him was very tall, casting a large shadow over the counter. Mu Yan instinctively felt that he seemed unhappy about something.

“Why do you have another Alpha’s pheromones on you?”

Lu Chong’s voice was so cold it almost made one feel as though they had fallen into an ice cellar. Mu Yan froze for a moment before turning back to look at him.

“I… it might have rubbed off when someone sent me back.”

“Who sent you back?” Lu Chong asked. “Couldn’t you come back on your own?”

The hand Mu Yan held the spatula with didn’t move for a moment. When he snapped out of it, he hurriedly flipped the food, the slightly scorched pork belly making a sizzling sound.

A stranger he had never met before said his face looked bad and worried about his health, insisting on sending him home. The partner he had shared a bed with for three years asked him why he didn’t come back on his own.

He didn’t have a phone on him, and the road was full of ride-share cars. How long would he have had to wait to catch a taxi?

He didn’t have money on him either.

Did Lu Chong mean for him to walk back?

The twice-cooked pork was a bit burnt because of his distraction. Mu Yan moved around Lu Chong, took a plate from the cupboard, and served the meat.

He was starving and didn’t want to argue with Lu Chong right now.

“A couple from A University. They were also there for an IV and happened to run into me. They were kind and happened to have a car, so they sent me back. I can’t smell pheromones, but if there are Alpha pheromones, you should be able to smell the Omega’s pheromones too.”

Mu Yan served himself rice. He originally didn’t want to serve Lu Chong, but he really didn’t want to fight, so in the end, he served Lu Chong rice and grabbed chopsticks for him too. “Stop being angry, let’s eat.”

On the table was the slightly burnt twice-cooked pork, the freshly cooked sausage, and the steaming Napa cabbage.

Mu Yan was originally a person with very low standards for food; anything was fine as long as it filled his stomach. When his mother first got sick, he didn’t mind eating plain buns every day at school. He had never imagined he could casually cook a meal for two like this.

They say the stomach is an emotional organ; Mu Yan hadn’t believed it, but smelling the aroma of the food, the stagnation in his heart actually lightened a few degrees.

Mu Yan didn’t wait for Lu Chong. He picked up a piece of pork and took a large mouthful of rice.

If it weren’t a bit burnt and the rice weren’t a little too soft, it would have been even better.

“They don’t know you, why would they send you back?”

Lu Chong slammed his chopsticks down. The table wasn’t large; the chopsticks hitting the porcelain plate made a sharp, clear sound.

The plate of twice-cooked pork was jolted, splashing a few drops of sauce.

“If you don’t explain it clearly, I can’t eat.”

Mu Yan had suffered since childhood. His mother always taught him to respect food; even a few leftover grains of rice would lead to her saying “Do you want to marry a pockmarked wife?” before she used her chopsticks to eat them. He completely couldn’t understand Lu Chong’s behavior, it respected neither the food nor him.

Moreover, he didn’t know what there was to explain.

Seeing that he didn’t speak, Lu Chong’s blood pressure rose further. “They are kind, meaning they are the good guys and I’m the bad guy?”

Mu Yan ate half his bowl of rice, and his stomach felt a bit better. He looked up and said gloomily, “I didn’t mean that. Why do you always have to think this way?”

“Always?” Lu Chong sneered. “And which other time? That time with your roommate?”

Mu Yan felt he was being unreasonable perhaps it was because the suppressant he took during his rut was making him feel unwell. He didn’t want to argue with Lu Chong; he just wanted to finish his meal before the food got cold.

“Let’s eat first, okay? The food is getting cold.” Mu Yan placed a piece of meat with both fat and lean parts into his bowl. Lu Chong originally didn’t eat fatty meat, but when Mu Yan made twice-cooked pork, he would first blanch it in cold water, so even the fatty part didn’t taste oily.

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