The Beta Wife Claimed by Competing Alphas - Chapter 7

“After all these years, has he ever taken a shred of responsibility for either of you? If just giving someone a bit of food counts as raising them, then why didn’t he just raise a dog to keep him company in his old age?”

“I remember when Lin Yi and I first got married and you were in university. It was the Lunar New Year, yet you were still working. My mother told Lin Yi to bring you home for dinner, and the clothes you were wearing were so thin it made her heart ache.”

As Xiang Zhuo spoke, his voice trailed off. This was, after all, a painful memory for Mu Yan; having someone else bring it up was always uncomfortable. Feeling a bit of regret for his slip of the tongue, Xiang Zhuo did not continue.

Mu Yan, however, did not seem to mind and spoke gently. “Brother Xiang Zhuo, how many times have I told Auntie? I had just been called to help in the kitchen that day. I was only dressed lightly for that one afternoon.”

Xiang Zhuo gave a helpless smile, reminded Mu Yan of a few things, and then hung up the phone.

Mu Yan messaged his supervisor to request leave. He was usually so diligent that he rarely arrived late or left early; the supervisor did not make things difficult for him and instead told him to get some rest.

Xiang Zhuo and Mu Yan’s brother, Lin Yi, had met through a blind date. Ordinarily, a plain and honest Beta like Xiang Zhuo would likely have struggled to marry an Omega. However, Lin Yi knew his family background was poor; even if he married an Alpha, he would inevitably suffer under their temper. Xiang Zhuo was gentle and steady, and his parents were hardworking people. Consequently, the couple’s life together was peaceful and fulfilling.

Lin Yi was five years older than Mu Yan and had left school early. In Mu Yan’s memory, there was a day during his second year of high school, shortly after his stepmother fell ill, when the money sent to his meal card suddenly increased by two hundred yuan. When Mu Yan called his stepmother, she simply said he was growing and told him to buy better dishes rather than just eating steamed buns.

When Mu Yan returned home that weekend, his brother had bought chicken bones to make soup, which counted as a meat dish. Seeing Mu Yan home, Lin Yi smiled warmly and told him to put down his bag and eat.

There was an injury on Lin Yi’s face; a very clear handprint from a slap.

“Mom hit me,” Lin Yi said. Omegas tended to mature earlier, and seeing his younger brother staring at his face, he felt a bit embarrassed. “I told her I did not want to study anymore, so she slapped me.”

“Mom apologized to me. She agrees now. Yan Yan, do not look at me like that. I never liked studying anyway. Going to that terrible school is pointless; the students just spend every day comparing bags or trying to hook up with Alphas.”

It was the first time Lin Yi had seen his brother’s expression turn so terrifyingly dark. Mu Yan did not eat a single bite of the food he had prepared; instead, he pulled Lin Yi up and went straight to the hospital to find Mu Juanhua.

He did not know what Mu Juanhua and Mu Yan discussed that day. All he knew was that when Mu Yan walked out of their mother’s hospital room, he never pressured Lin Yi to go back to school again.

Lin Yi’s reason for not wanting to study was not complicated. He was not academically gifted, the school was poor, and his family’s circumstances made it hard to make friends. It was better to start working early; he could share the financial burden and avoid the arrogance of the teachers and students.

Furthermore, he had a brother like Mu Yan who had been brilliant at studying since childhood. Mu Yan’s grades were always excellent; teachers said he could definitely go to a great school in the big city. But after their mother fell ill, Mu Yan was always thinking about working. To save money, he even ate nothing but two steamed buns for lunch.

If Lin Yi went to work, the family would have one less mouth to feed and one more pair of hands to earn money. Everyone’s life would be much easier.

Lin Yi was good-looking, attentive, and had a fairly cheerful personality. He quickly found a sales job and soon met Xiang Zhuo, an accountant at the company. They were together shortly after. Xiang Zhuo was honest and did not care about his family background. He was also kind to Lin Yi’s mother and brother. They married and had a lovely daughter. Though the work was tiring, they were both practical people, and after a few years, they managed to save enough for a down payment on an apartment.

If not for Lin Guojun, they would have lived a simple, happy life and successfully established roots in the city.

The scenes outside the car window became familiar. Mu Yan snapped out of his thoughts; the taxi was almost at his brother’s apartment building.

The rental area where Lin Yi and Xiang Zhuo lived was densely populated. The road below was narrow and filled with bicycles and electric scooters. Mu Yan did not wait for the taxi driver to frown or look troubled; he stepped out of the car and headed toward Lin Yi’s home with practiced ease.

Xiang Zhuo had already arrived and was negotiating with the debt collectors. Mu Yan had heard of people in this line of work, but this was the first time he had faced such a major problem. Lin Guojun had been gambling for over a decade, but Mu Yan had always thought he would not be foolish enough to borrow from loan sharks.

There were four strong Alphas, tall and sturdy, wearing cheap leather jackets. They held steel pipes, cigarette butts were scattered at their feet, and the air was thick with the smell of low-grade tobacco.

“You cannot produce the money, and you will not even open the door to offer us a cup of tea? Truly, the debtor is the king and the collector is the grandson.”

Mottled red paint snaked down from the doorframe like thick, shocking blood. Mu Yan and Xiang Zhuo exchanged a look, knowing they absolutely could not open the door and let them in. It was easy to invite such people in, but hard to get them to leave. Moreover, three-year-old Jia Jia was inside.

“Gentlemen, I have made it very clear. The gambling debt was incurred by my father-in-law. We have not been in contact with him for many years. You know what kind of man Lin Guojun is; he is always gambling,” Xiang Zhuo said politely, trying to keep them calm.

“A father’s debt is paid by his son,” the lead Alpha with a buzz cut sneered, gesturing toward the door with his chin. “He cannot produce the money, so his two sons will pay. Is there a problem with that?”

Mu Yan’s heart sank. He spoke in a low voice. “Give me some time. I will find a way to raise the money.”

“Time?” The buzz-cut man scoffed. “Do you think we are a bank? That old man of yours owes us and hasn’t paid. My brothers and I have waited long enough.”

Mu Yan knew these people were unreasonable. Since they had come to the door today, they would not leave easily. Delaying was the only option, and he struggled to keep himself calm.

This was the first time Lin Guojun owed money to a casino, but he had borrowed from his gambling friends countless times. Even though Mu Yan was not naturally articulate, he squeezed out a few reflexive excuses.

His mother was still in the hospital… old neighbors and relatives had already been bled dry… even if they had to sell land or blood, it would take time…

“Tch, you certainly have a way with words,” a tall, thin man sneered with an impatient look. “Fine then. Let us in the house first to take some items as collateral.”

Xiang Zhuo’s expression changed. Jia Jia was still inside.

These people, who entered this industry early, understood human psychology well and knew how to maximize their interests. A child was a parent’s weakness. They only wanted money, and they knew they could not get the full debt at once, so they did not want things to escalate to an unmanageable point.

Mu Yan knew Xiang Zhuo was not good at dealing with them. He wanted to signal Xiang Zhuo to get Jia Jia out so she wouldn’t see, then he would lead them inside for a look. At most, he would let them take the television Xiang Zhuo had bought second-hand for eight hundred yuan.

But Xiang Zhuo did not seem to catch his signal.

“Sir, you can see for yourself. I live in this dump; there is truly nothing of value inside. Even if you want money, you must give us time to borrow it.”

Xiang Zhuo’s stalling tactics were clumsy; even Mu Yan frowned slightly. This was essentially telling the Alpha collectors to go home empty-handed. Their request for collateral was already a form of compromise; they needed something to show their superiors. But Xiang Zhuo’s parents were the most upright, honest people, who would return even a borrowed pinch of salt immediately. Having grown up in such a home, how could he understand these underworld rules?

“Cut the crap.” The buzz-cut man crushed his cigarette out on the doorframe, the smile on his face turning chillingly cold. “Either you produce the money today, or—” He tapped the steel pipe against his palm. “We go in and take what we want ourselves.”

“I have collected more debts than you have earned in eight lifetimes. You think you can fool me with that act?” Behind the buzz-cut man, a shorter Alpha sneered. “Truly nothing of value in the house? Then how about letting your Omega wife sleep with us for a night?”

Mu Yan’s heart constricted. Such foul language was unbearable to hear.

Xiang Zhuo was different from him and his brother. Although his family was not wealthy, his parents taught at the town’s primary school; he had never experienced the dark side of society, let alone such filth. Even the most honest man has a bottom line. Xiang Zhuo was provoked instantly, his eyes turning red as his blood pressure spiked. Mu Yan tried to stop him, but it was too late. An Alpha’s physical advantage over a Beta was nearly absolute. For these debt collectors, who were trained fighters, beating an ordinary Beta like Xiang Zhuo took no effort at all.

Xiang Zhuo took a heavy blow and staggered against the wall, blood immediately seeping from the corner of his mouth.

“Brother Xiang Zhuo!”

“Damn it. If we do not give you a lesson, you will think we are pushovers?” The buzz-cut man shook his fist and continued to approach, looking ready for more. “You look like a fool, but you have some spine. A Beta with no money and no use, yet you marry an Omega and act tough? You deserve the beating.”

Mu Yan instinctively stepped in front of Xiang Zhuo, his body curling slightly. These men knew exactly where to hit to cause the most pain without leaving visible evidence. Working in this trade, they certainly had protection at the police station; as long as no one died, they would just pay a small fine and be done with it.

Growing up, Mu Yan had plenty of experience being beaten. He knew how to dodge in a way that would not further provoke the attacker while maximizing his own protection.

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