The Beta Wife Claimed by Competing Alphas - Chapter 43

When those four words were combined, they sounded so bizarre, like a bedtime story for toddlers, that Mu Yan didn’t even react for a moment.

Is President Shang delirious from the fever?

He was extremely embarrassed by Shang Qiyue’s teasing and turned his head slightly, stiffly changing the subject by asking if the takeout they ordered had arrived.

Seeing that Mu Yan’s face was red enough to catch fire, Shang Qiyue stopped joking. He reached out and pinched Mu Yan’s cheek, then called the hotel to check on the order.

The delivery arrived shortly. After they finished dinner, Shang Qiyue, having been lying down all day and feeling a bit restless, pulled Mu Yan onto the sofa to watch a movie.

The next day, Mu Yan woke up punctually before the alarm went off, not wanting the noise to wake Shang Qiyue.

He had taken the day off to take his mother for dialysis. If he came back early, Shang Qiyue probably wouldn’t even be out of bed yet.

But just as he was about to get up, the person beside him pulled him back into a hug and pressed him back under the covers.

Mu Yan was startled and patted Shang Qiyue’s arm soothingly. “Go back to sleep for a bit. It’s only a little after five. I’m not going to work today; I should be back by the time you wake up.”

“No,” Shang Qiyue said, his voice muffled. “I hired a caregiver to take her. Stay here with me.”

Shang Qiyue hadn’t mentioned hiring a caregiver before, and Mu Yan was afraid he was just confused from sleep and mistaking a dream for reality. “When did you?”

Shang Qiyue seemed to misunderstand the question. He turned his head guiltily and buried his face in the crook of Mu Yan’s neck, tightening his grip as if deliberately avoiding his gaze.

“After you asked for leave.”

Mu Yan didn’t react for a moment. He still wasn’t sure if Shang Qiyue was talking in his sleep. For two or three seconds, he remained silent.

In the gap of his silence, Shang Qiyue held him even tighter.

“Are you angry?”

Shang Qiyue’s voice sounded raspy and lacked strength.

“I just wanted you to stay with me a bit longer. You were going to take the day off anyway.”

“I won’t be angry with you,” Mu Yan said softly. “Do you want me to lie here with you for a while, or should I go make you some breakfast?”

“You’re angry in your heart. People with good tempers like you are always like this.”

Mu Yan found it a bit funny. Whether it was because he had just woken up or because of the fever, Shang Qiyue was talking in a very strange way.

This truly was a case of finding a pretext to accuse someone.

Just as Mu Yan was about to explain, Shang Qiyue spoke again: “Don’t be angry. Just stay with me for this one day, okay? The middle day is always really, really miserable for me. I happened to hear you on the phone asking for leave. I didn’t intentionally stop you from seeing your mother. Next time, I’ll go with you to see her.”

“I’m really not angry,” Mu Yan defended himself in a small voice. Seeing that Shang Qiyue didn’t seem to believe him, he followed along with the man’s words. “Okay, then Sir can come with me to see Mom next time. Mom likes you very much too.”

“I think she’s quite kind, too,” Shang Qiyue mumbled. The latter half of his sentence was so low and fast that when Mu Yan asked what he said, he wouldn’t repeat it, only closing his eyes and shaking his head.

Mu Yan vaguely caught a few words, something about his own mother. Realizing Shang Qiyue might not have a good relationship with his mother, Mu Yan didn’t press further.

He only needed to keep Shang Qiyue happy and comfortable; this wasn’t something he was supposed to know.

He had accidentally said many things he shouldn’t have over the past few days. He hoped Shang Qiyue would forget them once he was clear-headed again.

The final days of the susceptibility period were far less agonizing for Shang Qiyue than the first few days when his strength was suddenly drained or the middle days when the fever was at its worst.

So much so that when he woke up on Friday, the first thing he realized, even before realizing the susceptibility period was over, was that the person in his arms was gone.

He instinctively reached for Mu Yan’s clothes to hold, but as he stood up, he realized the headache and dizziness had vanished.

He calculated the days; it seemed the susceptibility period was over.

His phone was charging at the bedside. When he unplugged it, it was fully charged. Shang Qiyue had been groggy these past few days, so Mu Yan must have charged it for him.

Mu Yan was always so meticulous and thoughtful. Being with him made every breath feel comfortable.

He opened his phone. He had already cleared his work messages a few days ago despite his dizziness, but there were several missed calls on his private number.

What was wrong with Fu Jiayan? He had called five times, a solid wall of calls from him.

He dialed back. On the other end, Fu Jiayan’s voice had a hint of reproach: “Why are you just calling back now? Did something happen?”

“Susceptibility period,” Shang Qiyue said with some dissatisfaction. “How can you not even remember my susceptibility period?”

“I remember your susceptibility period. But why would it be now? It’s early, isn’t it?”

Prompted by the reminder, Shang Qiyue opened his calendar to check. It was indeed about half a week early.

Was it because of Mu Yan?

The doctor had told him his cycle was unusually long. If it came early, it might actually be a sign that the treatment was working, a symbol that his Pheromone Disorder was improving.

“It seems it was a bit early.”

“Dammit,” Fu Jiayan cursed with a laugh. “You weren’t returning my calls, so I thought something happened to you. I was worried enough to call Luo Cheng, only for him to tell me you were replying to work messages as usual. You just didn’t want to talk to me.”

“Exactly,” Shang Qiyue said, completely indifferent. “My susceptibility period feels like I’m dying. Work is unavoidable, but what serious business could you possibly have with me? Why should I bother with you? It’s not like you’d talk to me during your susceptibility period.”

Fu Jiayan laughed. “Coincidentally, I actually do have serious business.”

Fu Jiayan’s grandfather ran their family affairs, and he hadn’t fully taken over the company yet. He was even idler than Shang Qiyue. What serious business could he have? Shang Qiyue raised an eyebrow. “Are you and Lu Zhi getting engaged?”

“Yeah, you really do know me well.”

“Should I arrange a bachelor party for you, then?”

“No need for that,” Fu Jiayan declined. “How old are we? I’m two years older than you.”

Hearing his self-righteous tone, Shang Qiyue wanted to laugh.

“Really? No?”

“It’s just an engagement, not a wedding. Let’s do it before the wedding,” Fu Jiayan laughed. “But haven’t you always been uninterested in this kind of thing?”

“I am uninterested, but my best friend is getting married, how could I not show up?” Shang Qiyue smiled. He paused as if thinking of something. “By the way, for your engagement banquet, can I bring someone?”

Fu Jiayan was stunned for a rare moment. “Bring someone? In all these years, this is the first time I’ve seen you bring a guest. Is it that Beta you mentioned last time?”

Fu Jiayan was on a hotel bed. When he said this, Lu Zhi, on the other side of the headboard, tilted her head slightly toward him.

“The invitation was sent to your house long ago,” Fu Jiayan smiled. “Go to the research institute. I’m going to head to the company to check on things in a bit too.”

The call ended. Lu Zhi smiled. “Was that Shang Qiyue? Does he have someone by his side now? Since when? How come I haven’t heard you mention it?”

Fu Jiayan thought about it and couldn’t quite remember when Shang Qiyue first mentioned that Beta. “It seems like it wasn’t that long ago. I’m not sure about the specific timing.”

“I’m actually quite curious what kind of person it is.”

“Well, we’ll see them on our engagement day anyway,” Fu Jiayan stood up, walked to the coat rack, and put on his overcoat. “I’m going to the company in a bit. Shall I drop you home?”

Lu Zhi shook her head. “No need. Things are such a mess at home, I don’t want to go back.”

“Then shall I take you back to that apartment near your office?”

“I don’t want to go there either. If I go back there, Auntie Liu will tell my dad, and then he’ll ask why I’m not coming home. Since I said I’m with you today, he won’t ask anymore.”

“Is the fighting still that bad lately?” Fu Jiayan was a bit confused. “Xiao Chong is back home now, isn’t he? Why are they still arguing?”

The usually good-tempered Lu Zhi frowned slightly at the mention of her family.

“My dad has actually taken a step back. Since Xiao Chong didn’t want to go to Country S for the overseas project, Dad told him to just enter the headquarters directly. But Xiao Chong wants to get that little company of his into formal profitability and find someone to replace him before joining the headquarters.”

Fu Jiayan frowned. “What is he doing? How much can a little company like that make in a year? But your dad is the same, he’s waited this long, he shouldn’t care about a few more days. Why does he have to pick this fight with your brother?”

“Exactly. It’s a matter of both sides taking a step back. I don’t get it either. And my dad looked into that little company; Xiao Chong himself seems to have very few shares, or maybe none at all. Even if it starts making a profit, he won’t get much. I don’t know what he’s thinking day in and day out.”

Fu Jiayan also found it strange. For a company of that scale, even if one person held sixty or seventy percent of the shares, they would earn a few million a year at most. A single day’s turnover for the Lu family’s business was more than that.

And why didn’t Lu Chong hold any shares? That was too strange.

“Alright, don’t think about it. I’ve been thinking for so many days and still haven’t figured it out. Why waste your brainpower?” Lu Zhi smiled helplessly. “Aren’t you going to the company? Go get busy. You don’t need to check out when you go down.”

Fu Jiayan was about to agree, but hearing her last sentence, his face immediately stiffened.

“Are you calling someone over again? Lu Zhi, we’re about to get engaged.”

“You said it yourself, we’re not married yet,” Lu Zhi said calmly, looking at him. “Once we’re married, I’ll definitely stop playing around.”

“Is it that Francis again? Do you like the smell of Brandy pheromones that much?” Fu Jiayan asked.

“Not him. It’s a minor star someone just introduced to me. That drama he’s in lately is pretty popular; I don’t know if you’ve seen it.”

“There’s no need to compare yourself to them.” Seeing Fu Jiayan’s grim expression, Lu Zhi smiled and considerately wrapped a scarf around his neck. “Who takes a lover kept on the outside seriously?”

That’s right, who takes a lover kept on the outside seriously?

“Ordinary people of course wouldn’t,” Fu Jiayan looked at her calmly. “But your family has a history, don’t they? And it’s not just your father. It looks like Lu Chong takes his lover very seriously too. You might want to check again; maybe there’s some connection between the name of that little company and the name of the person holding the most shares.”

Lu Zhi was stunned.

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