The Beta Wife Claimed by Competing Alphas - Chapter 8

“Bang!”

The neighbor’s door was suddenly pulled open, slamming hard against the wall with a heavy thud.

A young Alpha stood there with messy black hair, looking like he had just woken up. He frowned; instead of the fear ordinary people felt toward debt collectors, this Alpha displayed only the anger and impatience of someone whose sleep had been disturbed.

The four aggressive debt collectors immediately lost their momentum the moment the boy opened the door.

“In broad daylight, are you trying to kill someone?”

“Mind your own business,” the buzz-cut man frowned, his tone unfriendly. However, he tucked his steel pipe away the instant he sensed the boy’s pheromones.

There were ranks among Alphas. The pheromones of a high-level Alpha had an overwhelming suppressive effect on lower-level Alphas. In war zones, it was common for one to stand against ten. Ordinary Alphas like them, even if they had the advantage in numbers, stood no chance in a fight against a top-tier Alpha.

The person before them was clearly a high-level Alpha, even though his tall, thin build did not make him look like a fighter.

“Do you want to fight?” the lead buzz-cut Alpha asked coldly. “So what if you are a top-tier Alpha? Do you know who we are? Do you know the consequences of messing with us?”

The others regained their courage. “Do not refuse a polite offer only to be forced. Do you know who is backing us?”

The boy was young and headstrong; he clearly did not take their threats seriously. He said nothing, but arrogantly released even more pheromones, making the group feel even more uncomfortable.

Even though it was daytime, the lighting in the hallway was poor, looking as gloomy as dusk.

The group was provoked by the boy’s nonchalant attitude, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense. The lead man spat on the floor, his eyes dark. “Are you close with them? Think carefully about whether you want to risk yourself for people who have nothing to do with you.”

“Gentlemen, he has nothing to do with this and is not close to us,” Mu Yan said as he leaned against the wall. His face was pale and his voice was raspy. “He is just a kid from next door. He is still young; please do not take it out on him.”

“You say don’t take it out on him and we just listen to you?”

The boy’s expression shifted when he heard Mu Yan say “not close to us.” He was about to speak, but Mu Yan cut him off.

“You came for money. There is no need to cause unnecessary trouble.”

“Easy for you to say. Why don’t you produce the money then?” the man with the sleeve tattoo snorted. However, having been reminded, the group calmed down.

They were there to collect a debt. Beating people, splashing paint, and making threats were just means to an end. Their superiors had the power to get them out of jail, but causing constant trouble would eventually make them look unreliable.

In the brief stalemate, Mu Yan’s heart was in his throat.

“Lin Guojun.”

Shang Qiyue had said he gave Lin Guojun a “tip” and would not ask for it back even if Mu Yan refused the agreement.

“I just remembered. Lin Guojun should still have tens of thousands of yuan on him right now.”

“You truly are making up any excuse you can. We already beat him up once; if he had a single cent, he would have coughed it up long ago,” the shorter tattooed man sneered.

“I am not making it up. You can leave two people here to watch us while the other two go find him. He wouldn’t dare go to your casino; he is definitely at a bath center. They don’t check IDs there, so he can stay for a long time.”

Mu Yan named a specific bath center. The Alphas seemed to have heard the name and knew the situation there; their expressions softened.

“I know he owes you five hundred thousand. These few tens of thousands are a drop in the bucket, but something is better than nothing. It is good to collect some interest first. Give us another half a month, and we will find a way to pay the rest.”

“Where did he get the money? And how do you know he has it if you haven’t been in touch for so long?”

Mu Yan’s lips moved as if to speak, but no sound came out. The buzz-cut man glanced at his subordinate, signaling that getting some money first was the priority and there was no need to dig for details.

They had seen many families like this. One gambler could ruin an entire household. Family members always claimed to have cut ties, but very few could actually watch a relative rot. The hopeless would always be hopeless, and the soft-hearted would be dragged down again and again.

The lead man clearly believed Mu Yan and took his men to the bath center to catch Lin Guojun. Mu Yan had no reason to lie; if he used this excuse to trick them once, they wouldn’t fall for it a second time.

As the group disappeared down the stairs, Mu Yan’s tension snapped. His chest heaved, his ears rang, and his vision blurred. His fingers trembled as cold sweat slid down his back. The world suddenly tilted.

Xiang Zhuo realized something was wrong and rushed to support him, but Mu Yan’s body had no strength left. He lost his balance and fell forward. Just before he hit the ground, a hand reached out and caught him firmly.

The young man frowned, supporting Mu Yan’s shoulder with one hand. He looked down and saw Mu Yan’s face was deathly pale, his lips devoid of color. He looked sickly and weak.

“Hypoglycemia again?” the boy asked.

“Brother Xiao Yan?” the Alpha called him again.

Mu Yan initially wanted to push him away, but his vision was black; if not for the boy, he would have collapsed immediately. Lu Chong did not like him smelling of other Alphas’ pheromones, and he was especially unreasonable during his rut. With the boy so close, Lu Chong would definitely notice.

“Do you… know each other?” Even as dense as he was, Xiang Zhuo realized it now.

The boy lived next door and had moved in recently. He wasn’t very social; even when they met in the hallway, he wouldn’t initiate a greeting. Xiang Zhuo hadn’t expected him to step up and help.

“We do. My name is He Fan. I was Brother Xiao Yan’s roommate in university,” the boy nodded. His gaze swept over Mu Yan’s pale face before looking at Xiang Zhuo. “You are injured and there is a child in the house. Go apply some medicine first. I will take Brother Xiao Yan to my place to rest for a bit.”

Mu Yan opened his mouth to say he was fine, but as soon as he took a step, the world spun. He instinctively reached for the wall but was caught by He Fan. The other’s grip wasn’t exactly gentle, but his palms were dry and warm, carrying the distinct scent of a young man.

In theory, Xiang Zhuo shouldn’t have handed a patient suffering from hypoglycemia over to a stranger. But the boy did live right there, knew Mu Yan, and had just helped them. Besides, Mu Yan was a Beta like him; what could a top-tier Alpha possibly want with a Beta?

Mu Yan seemed to regain a bit of consciousness and nodded to Xiang Zhuo while leaning against He Fan.

He Fan’s apartment had great lighting. Although he lived alone, it was very clean. He helped Mu Yan sit on the sofa and went to the kitchen to stir a cup of warm sugar water. Mu Yan reached out for the cup, but before he could, He Fan held it to his lips.

“Can you do it yourself?” He Fan seemed to sense his hesitation. He let go once he was sure Mu Yan had a firm grip on the glass.

Mu Yan took a large gulp. As the sweetness spread, his clouded mind finally cleared. He Fan stood before him, looking down at him with an intensity that made Mu Yan feel self-conscious.

“Feeling better?”

“Much better. Thank you so much for today. Without you, I really don’t know how I would have handled it.”

He offered He Fan a smile—a polite, habitual one. To He Fan, this politeness felt like distance. He frowned slightly, a flash of displeasure crossing his face.

“Why are you being so formal with me? Even if it were just a regular neighbor, I would have helped.”

“But it is such a coincidence,” He Fan’s eyes were bright. “We haven’t seen each other in so long.”

Mu Yan lowered his head. It was true; they hadn’t seen each other in a long time. He hadn’t expected their reunion to find him in such a pathetic state.

He Fan had been his university roommate, two years his junior. Because there was an empty bed in Mu Yan’s dorm, he had been assigned there by chance. He was lively and cheerful; as soon as he moved in, he never stopped calling everyone “Senior.” Everyone in the dorm liked him.

Because of his part-time jobs, Mu Yan left early and returned late. While he was on good terms with his roommates, they weren’t particularly close. He Fan, however, became the closest to him due to his naturally outgoing personality. His way of addressing Mu Yan eventually changed from “Senior” to “Brother Xiao Yan.”

After he started dating Lu Chong, Lu Chong had once picked a fight over him. Back then, Lu Chong’s temper wasn’t as unpredictable as it was now. If he was unhappy, he would directly ask who Mu Yan had eaten dinner with, rather than sulking and making Mu Yan guess the reason.

“He is just a good roommate. We happened to meet at the canteen and ate together. Please don’t be angry.”

“He was even giving you food. Does he not know you have a boyfriend?”

“Xiao Fan is just like that. He gives food to the other roommates too. I am a Beta and he is an Alpha; he wouldn’t have any interest in me.”

Lu Chong’s face had darkened further. “I am an Alpha, too.”

“And I have never seen him give food to anyone else.”

That day, Mu Yan had to coax Lu Chong for a long time. It was only after he promised to stay at Lu Chong’s place for the entire week and not return to the dorm that Lu Chong’s expression finally improved.

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