The Beta Wife Claimed by Competing Alphas - Chapter 40

Sometimes Ren Chengzhou’s place was quite busy on weekends. Shang Qiyue gave him a call, telling him he was bringing someone over for dinner tonight and asked him to reserve a private room.

“Is it that Beta you brought last time?” Ren Chengzhou poked around for gossip. “My dad dragged me to the company these past two days, so I haven’t had time to ask you. People told me you took in a Beta, but I didn’t believe it. I didn’t expect the girl at the front desk of my restaurant to say you actually brought a Beta here for dinner.”

Shang Qiyue rolled his eyes internally. “Just tell me if there’s a table or not.”

“There is, there is. Your presence brings light to my humble establishment; how could there not be a table? I won’t even go to the blind date they set up for me tonight. I have to see what this Beta looks like to be able to catch your eye.”

Shang Qiyue couldn’t help but glance at Mu Yan again. Mu Yan was curled up quietly on the sofa with his eyes closed, his eyelashes trembling slightly. Unsure if he was asleep, Shang Qiyue simply stepped out of the office to continue the call.

“If you don’t want to go on a blind date, just say so. Don’t use me as a shield. What is there to see? What kind of Omega haven’t you played with? You’ve played with plenty of Alphas and Betas too.”

Ren Chengzhou sighed on the other end. “I only have a few more years of freedom. There won’t be good days like this after getting married. I’ll have to stay quiet for at least three or four years to have a child first. Only if my wife agrees can we each go our own ways. Actually, I’ve never played with a Beta before. That artist I took in back in Country R seemed to be an Omega who had their glands removed for some performance art or something.”

“I don’t play like that. Don’t get any ideas about my person,” Shang Qiyue warned.

Ren Chengzhou and his circle played around a lot; it was common for them to swap lovers once they got bored. Shang Qiyue had always looked down on this. Privately, he had even complained to Fu Jiayan that these guys must have a cuckold fetish.

Besides, Mu Yan was so good that he couldn’t bear to give him to anyone else.

He returned to finish his work quickly, then woke Mu Yan up from the sofa to take him out to eat.

“Your eyes are so red. Are you uncomfortable?”

Mu Yan certainly didn’t know how pitiful his eyes looked right now. He instinctively nodded, then quickly shook his head. “It will be better in a while.”

“It will be better in a while means you’re uncomfortable now.”

Shang Qiyue rubbed his head and sent a message to his assistant to bring up some eye drops.

“Are you still angry with me?” Shang Qiyue asked him.

Mu Yan hurriedly shook his head. “I wasn’t angry with you to begin with.”

His eyes were red, making him look even more like a little rabbit now.

Shang Qiyue applied the eye drops for him and took him to the same Huaiyang restaurant he liked from last time. Midway through the meal, the owner came over and served them a complimentary dish.

Shang Qiyue told him to get lost in an annoyed tone. Mu Yan looked up and thanked the owner politely yet a bit sheepishly.

The owner was a young Alpha who told him with a smile that Shang Qiyue always spoke to them like this, not gentle at all. He asked Mu Yan if Shang Qiyue treated him the same way, remarking that it was no wonder no one wanted a man like him.

Mu Yan was not very good at handling these situations and answered haltingly. “The master is very good. Perhaps it’s just that he has high standards.”

The owner smiled. “You have such a good impression of him.”

Shang Qiyue didn’t even look at him, simply placing some food in Mu Yan’s bowl. “Why are you bothering with him? Just eat.”

Ren Chengzhou, who was looking for some fun, found himself rebuffed. He had someone bring over a fruit platter and then left.

Mu Yan knew this restaurant was owned by Shang Qiyue’s friend. He knew many wealthy second-generation heirs would open restaurants with nice environments, hire good chefs, and use them for gatherings or hosting guests. Senior Jiang had opened a cafe during university, though he rarely went there himself.

When Shang Qiyue said they were coming here, Mu Yan hadn’t expected to run into his friend.

Mu Yan knew he wasn’t particularly good-looking to begin with, and today his eyes were swollen from crying. He hadn’t been able to answer properly when Shang Qiyue’s friend questioned him earlier.

President Shang must find it very embarrassing.

“What’s wrong?” Shang Qiyue asked him.

“I’m sorry, sir. Did I make you feel embarrassed?”

Shang Qiyue was taken aback. “How could you? Ignore Ren Chengzhou; he’s always like that. He was probably just trying to joke with you.”

The dishes on the table were mostly finished, leaving only the fruit platter Ren Chengzhou had sent. Shang Qiyue found it unlucky and ordered the waiter to bring another serving of Crab Powder Lion’s Head Meatballs, which fit perfectly into the lunch box Mu Yan had brought. He then decisively led him away.

Night had fallen over City A, which seemed to have just woken up. Mu Yan saw the neon lights turn on, reflecting off the Xiangqu River in a dazzling display.

The Xiangqu River spanned across City A, flowing from the most prosperous CBD all the way east to the Economic Development Zone where Mu Yan used to live.

The same river, in different sections, represented two completely different worlds.

“Do you want to take a walk by the river?” Shang Qiyue asked considerately.

Mu Yan looked at Shang Qiyue’s expression and thought about it, deciding that Shang Qiyue probably wanted to go.

They had already done it today, and it was still very early to go home.

“I want to go,” Mu Yan nodded.

At this time of day, there were many residents walking and tourists sightseeing along this stretch of the Xiangqu River. Mu Yan had a gentle and kind face, and soon two female college students with cameras walked up to the two of them, asking if Mu Yan could help them take a photo.

Mu Yan instinctively wanted to ask for Shang Qiyue’s opinion. Shang Qiyue wrapped an arm around his waist and naturally took the lead, saying yes and asking the girls if they could also take one for them afterward.

Mu Yan was slightly startled, not knowing why Shang Qiyue suddenly wanted to take a photo with him.

“Of course! You two match so well. If I were a professional photographer, I would definitely grab both of you to be my models.” The girl handed over the camera and quickly struck a pose.

Mu Yan quickly took several photos for them. Shang Qiyue then handed over his own phone and asked the other party to take a photo for him too.

Mu Yan smiled somewhat shyly while Shang Qiyue gently held his waist. The girl taking the photo was still looking for the right angle.

“Tilt your head over a bit,” Shang Qiyue said in a low voice. As if by reflex, Mu Yan immediately did as he was told submissively.

As the shutter clicked, Mu Yan felt a vague sense of familiarity with this pose. It wasn’t until the two girls had walked far away that he remembered he used to use this same pose when taking photos with Lu Chong. He had even used that photo as his lock screen for a long time.

Do all Alphas like this pose?

Shang Qiyue sent the photo to him, then took Mu Yan’s phone and set it as the lock screen with a few quick taps.

Mu Yan stared blankly for a moment. Seeing his reaction, Shang Qiyue was somewhat dissatisfied. “You don’t like using a photo of us as your lock screen? Am I too unsightly to be seen?”

“No, no…” Mu Yan explained hurriedly. “I was just wondering what you said to those two people just now.”

“Jealous?” Shang Qiyue asked him.

Mu Yan lowered his head, avoiding his gaze, and let out a soft “Mm.”

“They were both Alphas; what are you jealous of?” Shang Qiyue laughed. He lowered his voice, leaning down to kiss Mu Yan’s forehead. “But baby is quite cute like this.”

“They just told me my pheromones are a bit strong and that my rut might be coming soon. They gave me a box of suppressant patches,” Shang Qiyue said, showing him the items in his hand.

Mu Yan couldn’t smell pheromones, but he had basic common sense. Pheromones only become exceptionally strong a day or two before a rut. Shang Qiyue’s rut was likely due in the next day or so.

“Then now… should we go home? Are you coming to my place?”

Mu Yan hadn’t expected Shang Qiyue’s rut to arrive so quickly, but he had always known what an Alpha’s rut was like. He had long since prepared nutrient solutions, instant food, and even painkillers and anti-inflammatories for himself.

Shang Qiyue wasn’t just anyone; Mu Yan couldn’t bargain with him by asking him to use suppressants for the first few days or begging him to be lighter and gentler.

While in the car, Mu Yan felt that Shang Qiyue already showed signs of entering his rut. The man seemed to feel hot; he wanted to open the sunroof but, out of consideration for Mu Yan, settled for opening the driver-side window just a crack.

Mu Yan summoned his courage. “Are you starting to feel uncomfortable? Why don’t you sit in the back and let me drive?”

Shang Qiyue hesitated, clearly tempted by the suggestion. “Do you have a driver’s license?”

Mu Yan did have a license. Back in university, Lu Chong had heard that he had never learned to drive and felt that a license was necessary for entering society, so he paid for Mu Yan to take the lessons and get his license.

“I have one, but…”

Mu Yan hadn’t driven in a while, and although he was always cautious and unlikely to have an accident, Shang Qiyue happened to be driving a G-Wagon today. The chassis was very high, and Mu Yan was a bit afraid to drive it.

“Forget it,” Shang Qiyue said, seeing his hesitation. “I’ll hold on for a bit; it’s not that bad yet. If I really can’t manage, I’ll call my assistant. This car is indeed a bit too big and difficult to drive. I didn’t know you had a license. I see you taking the subway or taxis every day, so I thought you never took the test. If I’d known, I would have given you a car. You have a license but never asked me for a car; how can you be so silly?”

Mu Yan was stunned. He didn’t know how other “canaries” were supposed to act. To him, the 300,000 yuan Shang Qiyue gave him every month was already a vast amount of money.

“I… taking a taxi is quite convenient. You’ve already given me so much.”

Shang Qiyue frowned but didn’t answer immediately.

Mu Yan looked at his strained expression. “Are you feeling very unwell? Maybe we should stop for a bit.”

Shang Qiyue’s rut seemed different from Lu Chong’s. His face was pale, almost as if he were falling ill.

Shang Qiyue was likely feeling truly unwell, so he found a nearby spot to pull over and called his assistant.

Mu Yan watched him pull out some unknown medicine and a bottle of mineral water from beside the driver’s seat. Only after taking the medicine did some color return to his face.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m okay, it’s nothing.” Shang Qiyue forced a smile at him. Then, realizing he should vacate the driver’s seat, he moved to the back seat with Mu Yan.

“I’ll take you to pick out a car in a few days. If there’s anything you like in the garage, just take it. I remember there’s a 911 that’s quite nice and would suit you. But it’s up to you. If you think that’s too high-profile, I’ll take you to buy an Audi or something after my rut is over. Audis aren’t that heavy on fuel, so you won’t have to worry about the cost of driving it.”

As Shang Qiyue spoke, he didn’t seem to be looking for an answer. Before Mu Yan could say anything, he picked up his phone again to urge his assistant to hurry.

The assistant arrived shortly and skillfully drove the car back to Mu Yan’s place.

Shang Qiyue picked up his phone, transferred a generous overtime fee to him, and told him to take a taxi back.

Once they were home, Mu Yan took out the nutrient solutions and painkillers he had prepared from the medicine cabinet. During an Alpha’s rut, aside from rest, the time was almost entirely spent in intermittent sex and knotting. Without preparation, it could practically cost him half his life.

Shang Qiyue was slumped listlessly on the sofa. When he saw Mu Yan bringing out the lubricant, he finally couldn’t watch anymore.

“Stop looking.”

“My rut, isn’t quite the same as other Alphas’. You don’t need to prepare those things.”

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