The Beta Wife Claimed by Competing Alphas - Chapter 46

The banquet hall was brilliantly lit, with crystal chandeliers casting soft shadows as guests conversed in small groups, the sounds of clinking glasses filling the air.

Mu Yan had been meticulously dressed up by Shang Qiyue, like a porcelain doll, and brought to Lu Zhi and Fu Jiayan’s engagement banquet.

He recognized several celebrities whose names even he, someone who never followed entertainment news, knew. The Omega currently exchanging pleasantries with the bride and groom seemed to have performed at last year’s Spring Festival Gala. As for the young Alpha with shoulder-length gold hair, Mu Yan remembered a little girl at his office once giving him a magazine featuring that very face.

He had never seen a scene like this. It wasn’t just the celebrities; everyone was dressed in luxury, and some were even major figures who appeared in newspapers or on economic and political news channels.

Sitting in a corner, Mu Yan felt like a dull little mouse, completely out of place among the crowd.

Yet, because he was the person Shang Qiyue brought—and because it was the first time in years Shang Qiyue had someone by his side—gazes, both subtle and direct, landed on him. Everyone wanted to know what kind of Beta could catch Shang Qiyue’s eye.

Mu Yan could feel people watching him. He had anticipated this before coming, but standing under the magnificent crystal lights of the banquet, the feeling of unease still crawled over his skin.

He instinctively cast his gaze toward Shang Qiyue in the distance.

Shang Qiyue had told him to wait here for a while while he went to socialize, promising to be back soon.

Mu Yan looked down at the watch Shang Qiyue had given him recently to check the time. It was so agonizing. Clearly, less than an hour had passed, yet it felt as if he had been waiting for a century.

Shang Qiyue was talking to people. Mu Yan couldn’t hear what they were discussing; he could only see the man’s composed demeanor. Occasionally, when Shang Qiyue smiled and raised his glass, the sharp edge in his eyes softened slightly.

He was like a fish in water in such a setting, whereas Mu Yan felt like he was about to lose his breath.

He curled himself into the shadows as much as possible, trying his best to lower his presence.

Shang Qiyue remembered that Mu Yan couldn’t drink and had brought him a sparkling beverage before leaving. The bubbles in the drink rose continuously, but he hadn’t taken a single sip.

“Hello, may I sit here?”

Mu Yan looked up. It was a beautiful Omega wearing a well-tailored tailcoat, eyes slightly lowered, carrying a gentle aura.

“You may,” Mu Yan nodded. This spot didn’t belong to him, so he had no reason to refuse. “No one is here.”

“Are you here with Mr. Shang?” the Omega smiled softly. “It’s the first time I’ve seen him bring someone.”

Mu Yan froze, realizing the Omega had come with questions. Feeling restless, he nodded and took a sip of the sparkling water.

Should I… avoid saying too much? Otherwise, would it be bad for President Shang? That was how it always went in television dramas.

“My surname is Wen. I’m Wen Ling.” The Omega’s smile was warm and frank. Even knowing there was an intent to pry, Mu Yan couldn’t bring himself to dislike him. “May I ask your name?”

“I am Mu Yan.”

The Omega was lively and talkative, seemingly an expert at breaking the ice with strangers. Wen Ling candidly told Mu Yan that there were social strata even among the second-generation rich in City A. The cake was only so big, and newly established families were naturally a step below the old-money clans. His elders had allowed him to live a comfortable life as a rich kid for twenty years just so he could find a “Golden Turtle” son-in-law when he married, elevating the family business to the next level.

Before long, the topic shifted from the drinks and his own family background to how Mu Yan and Shang Qiyue met.

“Don’t misunderstand, I don’t mean to be jealous of you. Everyone in the circle knows he has no interest in Omegas. No Omega with a working brain would target him.”

Mu Yan kept his head down. He wasn’t afraid of someone stealing Shang Qiyue away. If a new person appeared who could make Shang Qiyue grow tired of him, allowing the one-year agreement to end early, he might actually feel relieved.

But the circumstances of meeting Shang Qiyue—whether it was that night at the hotel or their first meeting at Liuguang—were very difficult for him to speak of.

He could only pray for Shang Qiyue to return quickly and rescue him from this seemingly endless conversation.

Why can’t time move faster?

“A one-night stand?” the Omega asked proactively, seeing that Mu Yan wasn’t offering any information.

Mu Yan felt his face burning. He didn’t know how to answer, so he simply nodded.

“I can’t really tell,” the Omega said sincerely. “You seem very obedient, just like my friends studying at A University. You don’t look like someone who goes to bars or has one-night stands.”

“I just wanted to ask if President Shang ever mentioned anything about Mr. Meng to you. Like if there’s anyone by his side, or if his family is pressuring him to get married.”

Mu Yan shook his head blankly. Shang Qiyue had never mentioned his own affairs to him—not what friends he had, nor their names, much less whether those friends had anyone by their sides.

He began to relax a little. If Shang Qiyue had important secrets that shouldn’t be leaked, he probably wouldn’t tell Mu Yan anyway.

“Sir has not spoken to me of these things,” Mu Yan said, fearing the other person would think he was hiding information. “He and I are just… he gives me money… I accompany him. He wouldn’t talk to me about such things.”

“I see. No matter, I was just asking.” Wen Ling didn’t show any disdain or dissatisfaction; he knew very well that he and Mu Yan were essentially no different. “I hung out with President Shang a few times when I was still with Young Master Meng. I remember him being a decent person, quite generous. Maybe a bit wicked at heart with a lot of dirty tricks, but if you don’t mind that, staying with him like this is quite good.”

“This watch is a Vacheron Constantin, right?” Hearing Wen Ling say this, Mu Yan looked down at the watch Shang Qiyue had given him. Wen Ling’s words were so blunt that Mu Yan felt unable to lift his head to respond. “It’s over four hundred thousand. You’ve only been with him a month; that’s not bad. If you get the chance, you should ask him for more. Watches are expensive, but you should try to get a house out of him. The Shang family’s real estate business is huge. Even if he breaks up with you, he’ll surely give a breakup fee, but by then the feelings will be gone. It definitely won’t be as easy to ask for as it is now.”

Wen Ling’s words were direct and honest, lacking malice, yet they made Mu Yan feel extremely humiliated.

He hadn’t said a single word wrong; this was exactly the relationship between him and Shang Qiyue. But why did hearing the truth make one feel so miserable?

“What are you looking at?” Wen Ling noticed him spacing out and followed his gaze.

“Sorry, I was a bit distracted just now. I heard you; thank you for the advice.”

Mu Yan instinctively looked up and gave an apologetic smile, but an incredibly familiar figure suddenly crashed into his field of vision.

It was a man in a white suit, tall and handsome, surrounded by several beautiful and expensively dressed Omegas.

He was conversing with the Omega beside him, his head slightly lowered, his gaze gentle, and his tone polite.

He nodded slightly on occasion, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. Even the lines of his fingers holding the champagne glass appeared composed and noble.

“That’s Young Master Lu, Miss Lu’s younger brother,” Wen Ling said quickly, seeing Mu Yan staring in a daze. “He’s handsome, but it’s better not to have any designs on him.”

Mu Yan froze, his gaze drifting blankly back to Wen Ling’s face.

Seeing him stunned, Wen Ling continued: “Don’t be fooled by how he looks now; his temper is actually quite rotten. Not long ago, a friend of mine wanted to pursue him. They had a compatibility rating of over ninety—ninety-eight or ninety-nine, almost a hundred. By all accounts, they were a match made in heaven, right? But in front of so many people, my friend’s hand just brushed against him, and he threw my friend’s hand off.”

“He even called my friend shameless and told him to get lost. Who acts like that? He’s incredibly difficult to serve. No matter how good-looking or rich he is, he’s not worth having.”

Mu Yan listened in a daze. Wen Ling hadn’t mentioned the question he cared about most. That Young Master Lu—what was his name?

Was he… the Lu Chong Mu Yan knew?

Could there really be two people so similar in City A, both with the surname Lu? But Lu Chong had clearly told him that his family had gone bankrupt and his father had committed suicide by jumping off a building.

Lu Chong losing his temper with him, speaking harsh words… they were broken up now; Mu Yan could call those things the past. He didn’t care anymore.

He had also slapped Lu Chong, and he had thrown away the bracelet Lu Chong gave him.

But why did he have to lie to me?

This should… this should be impossible.

It must be a coincidence. City A is so big, with tens of millions of people. It’s normal for two people to look alike.

If Lu Chong’s family had never really gone bankrupt, why would a young master like him come to live in a rented room with me?

To play with my feelings? But how much were his feelings worth to justify spending three years weaving so many stories to deceive him?

Aside from worthless feelings, the man had gained nothing from him.

What young master would be so idle?

As Wen Ling continued chattering, Mu Yan’s wrist was suddenly grasped. He snapped his head up to meet a pair of dark, deep eyes.

Shang Qiyue had walked over at some point. His suit made his figure look tall and lean, and his aura was lazy and casual, yet those eyes radiated a sense of pressure that made people involuntarily hold their breath.

“What are you chatting about?” he asked casually, his gaze sweeping over Wen Ling with undisguised hostility.

“President Shang,” Wen Ling froze instinctively upon seeing him and stood up. “Nothing, just a casual chat.”

Shang Qiyue ignored him, looking down at Mu Yan. His voice was calm: “Yanyan, come here.”

Mu Yan tried to stand up on his own, but Shang Qiyue gripped his wrist and gave a light pull, causing him to stumble half a step forward.

“I recall Si Miao telling me that things were over between you two,” Shang Qiyue said to Wen Ling, his tone cold in a way Mu Yan had never heard before.

Hearing this, Wen Ling’s eyes immediately turned red, making him look pitiable.

“President Shang…”

Most people would have softened their hearts seeing such a beautiful Omega crying like a pear blossom in the rain, but Shang Qiyue clearly wasn’t buying it.

“I don’t recall Si Miao ever mistreating you. When you two broke up, your family had already gained quite a lot of benefits. Don’t think about things you shouldn’t. I won’t hold what you said to my person against you today, but don’t let there be a next time.”

Mu Yan wanted to speak up for the Omega who had shared a few words with him. After all, though he had asked many difficult questions, he was the only person in the banquet hall besides Shang Qiyue who was willing to talk to him.

But Shang Qiyue pulled him away without giving Wen Ling or him any chance to explain.

Shang Qiyue led him to sit by his side and brought him some food.

Facing Mu Yan, Shang Qiyue’s tone immediately softened: “Sorry for neglecting you just now. Are you hungry?”

The banquet hadn’t officially started yet. No matter how good the relationship between Shang Qiyue and Fu Jiayan was, it wasn’t appropriate to bring Mu Yan a main course at this time. Fortunately, Mu Yan wasn’t very hungry and simply drank a bowl of warm borscht obediently.

“I’m not hungry, it’s fine. It’s good that you’re busy, Sir. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“I’ve finished the greetings; I’ll stay with you for the rest of the time.” Shang Qiyue patted his head. “That person didn’t say anything to make you unhappy, did he? I didn’t think it through. I originally thought… no one would be so tactless.”

“Mr. Wen didn’t say anything to me, Sir. Please don’t be angry with him.”

Shang Qiyue’s tone was unpleasant, as if he were truly angry. Mu Yan didn’t want Wen Ling to suffer because of him, so he quickly pulled lightly on Shang Qiyue’s sleeve to explain.

“It’s fine as long as he didn’t say anything nonsensical. I was just afraid he’d say something to upset you. Those families don’t have much of a foundation, yet they pamper their children into that kind of personality. No one pays attention to them in front of us, so they love finding a sense of superiority in others.”

Shang Qiyue caught his hand and soothingly rubbed the back of his hand with his thumb.

From his perspective, looking past the top of Mu Yan’s head into the distance, his gaze collided in the air with a stare coming from the shadows.

“What a tactless thing. Truly a nuisance.”

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