The Popular/Charismatic Beta Always Thinks They Are Universally Disliked - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: I Willingly Divorce Him

“Have both parties reached an agreement on issues concerning children? Including custody, and payment of child support.”

“We do not have children.”

“Have both parties completed negotiations on issues such as asset division and debt assumption?”

“…Yes.”

“Please ensure that the divorce agreement was voluntarily drafted and signed by both parties, and that there is no coercion, deception, or concealment involved.”

“I guarantee it.”

“…Mmm.”

“To collect data on the influence of gender on marriage, we need to understand the reasons for your application for divorce registration. May I ask why you are choosing to divorce by agreement after two years of marriage?”

Because the ID specified his gender, the staff member did not mistake Wei Yuzhi for an Alpha. She politely, coolly, and distantly turned slightly to the tall, handsome Omega, asking calmly and professionally, rather than gossiping:

“Mr. Wei, why are you choosing to divorce this Beta gentleman?”

It’s nothing more than sparse pheromones, a degraded scent gland, an impossible mark, and the near-impossibility of conceiving children.

She maintained a courteous smile, coldly, scornfully, and placidly offering the answer in her heart.

Out of a hundred Alphas and Omegas who divorced a Beta, ninety-nine would give the above answer, as if they didn’t know their partner was a Beta before getting married.

Out of a hundred people who fall out of love, ninety-nine are Alphas or Omegas.

Having witnessed countless broken marriages, countless separating couples, and countless hearts changing, this Beta woman admitted she harbored a difficult-to-suppress malice toward the so-called superior genders, at least in the realm of marital emotion.

Generally speaking, Omegas are commonly active thinkers, emotionally expansive, and possess a gift for high sensitivity, making them extremely active in the fields of art, law, business, and economics. Correspondingly, Alphas are generally physically superior, highly resilient to pressure and risk, and possess a natural aura of leadership and dominance. High-pressure environments such as the military, politics, and emergency medicine are their proving grounds.

Rational and pragmatic Betas form the vast foundation that keeps society running. They are observers of elegant art, followers of rules and regulations, and subordinates to leaders and dominators.

The Beta woman did not receive an answer from the Omega in front of her for a long time, so she frowned slightly, wanting to urge him. Just as her patience was about to run out, the gentleman said expressionlessly:

“Emotional breakdown.”

He no longer loves me.

The hand that had tightened until it could not be clenched even slightly more slowly relaxed. Wei Yuzhi expressionlessly gazed down at the divorce application form in front of him. If he were to release a torrent of pheromones sufficient to cause a riot now, if he were to tear up this neat form, if he had previously arranged for He Xin to manipulate the divorce registration office Wen Zhiyi chose, if he had his lawyer nitpick the issues in the divorce agreement…

But all these “ifs” would only prevent Wen Zhiyi from divorcing him; they wouldn’t make Wen Zhiyi stay by his side.

Would a Wen Zhiyi who was forced by the shackles of marriage to stay by his side be happy?

He finally learned to consider the problem from Wen Zhiyi’s perspective, but accompanying this realization was the gentle query from the registry staff:

“Final question, are both of you willing to divorce?”

“Yes, please review our documents.”

Wen Zhiyi’s gentle, relaxed voice, seemingly without burden or reluctance, clearly fell into Wei Yuzhi’s ears. He suddenly pressed down on the back of his hand, desperately suppressing all the surging emotions until the veins on his arm bulged. He realized Wen Zhiyi’s voice could be so indifferent. He had once believed this Beta’s voice could only be the gentle, lingering whisper he heard at night.

Don’t ask me again.

He said in his heart.

Don’t ask me this question again.

But the Beta woman, who hadn’t received an answer from Wei Yuzhi, was a very dutiful staff member. She looked at the Omega with the cold expression and slightly trembling fingers, and objectively and rationally repeated:

“Mr. Wei, are you willing to divorce Mr. Wen?”

“…Yes.”

Yes, he willingly divorced Wen Zhiyi, willingly ended this marriage that he was utterly unable to let go of, because he knew this was probably the only thing Wen Zhiyi wanted to hear from him at this moment.

…

The subsequent process was the standardized document review. The Beta woman meticulously compared their documents with their physical features, rigorously verifying the ID cards and the marriage certificate. Wen Zhiyi and Wei Yuzhi lowered their heads, filling out the divorce application forms placed before them.

Wen Zhiyi carefully completed his identity information. When facing the blank “Reason for Application” column, he thought for a moment and chose to give the same answer—Emotional Issue.

Divorce, after all, is 99% this problem.

Little Wen pushed the application form toward the window after writing the four characters, not caring if Wei Yuzhi saw the reason he wrote. Having completed this series of actions, Wen Zhiyi boredly glanced around.

He noticed Wei Yuzhi was writing very slowly.

What is he writing?

Wen Zhiyi rested his chin on his hand, boredly waiting for him to finish, and gently tapped the table a few times. Sensing the Beta woman’s gaze, he looked up and smiled faintly at her. His long, straight, dense lashes fluttered slightly with the curve of his eyes, and the frameless glasses on his nose bridge made the eyes, which were bright with a smile, appear restrained, rational, and cold.

Then Wen Zhiyi suddenly saw a gray progress bar appear next to this woman.

“…”

Wen Zhiyi dropped his smile.

By this time, Wei Yuzhi had also finished his application form. As he pushed the thin form toward the window, Wen Zhiyi inadvertently caught sight of the dense handwriting on it. Because Wei Yuzhi habitually only wrote fluid, continuous running script, he didn’t immediately recognize what the other person had written.

Wei Yuzhi, who had also completed his form, was staring at the marriage certificate in the staff member’s hand.

He was looking at their marriage certificate.

They were spread out, compared, verified, and turned over, then closed.

It was as if two crimson hearts were being carefully kneaded and compared, and the person performing this task was seriously trying to find out if there was still a possibility for these two hearts to rejoin.

“Please keep your receipt. The thirty-day divorce cooling-off period will begin today. If either party has any objection, please bring the receipt back here.”

Wen Zhiyi raised an eyebrow and took his receipt, commenting casually: “Divorce cooling-off period… is it to lower the divorce rate? Wouldn’t a marriage cooling-off period be more useful? After all, many people divorce because they were too hasty in making the decision to marry in the first place. Hmm, can I submit an opinion in this comment book?”

After receiving the Beta woman’s nod, he unhurriedly picked up a pen and wrote his suggestion in the comment book.

Wei Yuzhi, standing beside Wen Zhiyi, watched him frown in thought, then gradually relax his brow and complete his comment in the book, without saying a word.

He noticed that Wen Zhiyi wrote more words in this comment book, which had been flipped through by countless people, than he did on the divorce application form.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Wen Zhiyi led the way out. He habitually lifted his arm to look at his watch and found that only twenty minutes had passed since they walked into the hall.

So, divorce is such a quick process.

He subtly curled his lips, chuckling at his unfounded sentiment.

Of course, divorce is a quick process. The termination of any relationship in this world is just an instant. Before that instant arrives, you might be oblivious, you might even hold expectations for the future direction of the relationship, but at a certain moment, at the very instant that extremely special moment arrives, you will know—

It’s now.

Now, you can say goodbye.

And that instant for Wen Zhiyi and Wei Yuzhi had arrived.

Little Wen waved at He Xin, who was sitting in the car not far away, considering it a greeting. Over the past two years, He Xin, as Wei Yuzhi’s confidant, had been caught up in this marriage quite a bit.

He Xin, receiving Little Wen’s signal, also smiled and waved back.

He Xin was distracted while greeting Wen Zhiyi, but his smile was impeccable, gentle, and appropriate. He knew his boss was probably not in a good mood right now, so he contemplated whether to use his annual leave to avoid this period.

In any case, I need to reduce the frequency of appearing before the boss.

He Xin gave himself a little pep talk.

The driver, who had been feigning death the whole way, whispered a suggestion: “Why don’t you take an umbrella and go meet the boss? At least let him feel our enthusiasm. As the saying goes, don’t hit a smiling person with an outstretched hand. If we act a little servile, surely CEO Wei won’t just lose his temper?”

He Xin clicked his tongue. He couldn’t understand how he had managed to mentor such an idiot—

Wei Yuzhi’s driver also came from the secretarial group of the Wei Group’s headquarters. Technically, he was a distant relative of the Wei family. The second-generation playboy, who spent all his days eating and drinking, was thrown to Wei Yuzhi by his own father to learn. He wasn’t sure if the kid had learned anything, but he was certain his driving skills had improved significantly.

“…The boss and Mr. Little Wen’s last moment of private time. You want to go up with an umbrella and be a third wheel?” He Xin elegantly rolled his eyes, patiently teaching, “Learn to read the room. Even the new Secretary Li understands better than you.”

The idiot second-generation nodded, half-understanding, signaling he had absorbed everything!

He Xin nodded in satisfaction. Teachable indeed.

…

Meanwhile, Wen Zhiyi was reaching into his bag. He suspected this backpack was connected to a mysterious, vast black hole, otherwise, why could he never find what he urgently needed?

Finally, with Wen Zhiyi’s persistent efforts, a small, cold, hard ring abruptly touched his fingertip. He instinctively probed deeper into the backpack, and the ring, by a remarkable coincidence, looped onto his finger.

“…Fine, at least I found it.”

He thought.

He slightly curled his finger, successfully pulling the ring out of the backpack.

“This.” Wen Zhiyi held up the ring, turning back to Wei Yuzhi. “Returning it to you.”

With this sentence, Wei Yuzhi lowered his head slightly to look at the ring in Wen Zhiyi’s palm.

The ring showed no trace of metal from the outside. The entire ring, including the band, was crafted from a single, deep, brilliantly colored blue diamond. The person who originally designed the ring completely disregarded the loss of raw material, using a luxurious, extravagant, and bold design cut, ultimately presenting it through extremely complex and delicate craftsmanship.

It was placed lightly on Wen Zhiyi’s hand when Wei Yuzhi proposed at Mount Kailash two years ago. Before that, it had always remained on the finger of Wei Yuzhi’s grandmother. The ring, sized for a female Omega’s slender finger, was actually a little tight on Wen Zhiyi’s ring finger.

In countless past gem auctions held in Jing City, a certain brightly colored blue diamond had set a record for a single gem auction, which remained unbroken even after more than ten years. Yet, the purity and carat weight of that gem could not be compared to the one in Wen Zhiyi’s hand.

Two years ago, Wei Yuzhi took the ring to Mount Kailash for the purpose of praying for his grandmother. Before he departed, the elegant and gentle Ms. Wu, whose hair was like snow, smiled while watering flowers and suggested to Wei Yuzhi that if he met someone he wanted to bring home, he should put this ring on them.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Ms. Wu examined the lustrous ring, then looked at her grandson’s expressionless face, self-comforting after a sharp intake of breath, “Even if it’s just for this ring, they might consider you, right?”

Even if it’s just for this terrifyingly valuable ring, they might consider it before leaving, right? But Wen Zhiyi wasn’t after this ring, so naturally, he wouldn’t consider it at all when leaving.

The ring could barely fit on Wen Zhiyi’s ring finger, and it was even less possible to fit on any of Wei Yuzhi’s fingers other than his pinky. Thus, two years ago, Wen Zhiyi was instinctively surprised by the brightly colored diamond ring on Wei Yuzhi’s pinky, which was completely incongruous with his temperament.

Merely noticing Little Wen’s questioning glance, Wei Yuzhi calmly removed the diamond ring and, holding Little Wen’s finger, put it on him. Thus, Wen Zhiyi, completely unaware of the gem market, accepted Wei Yuzhi’s proposal amidst the flapping, multicolored prayer flags at the Sky Burial Platform.

He was simultaneously surprised and confused, wondering how someone could carry a proposal ring with them, while looking up to receive the kiss Wei Yuzhi leaned down to place on his eyelashes.

Recalling the events of two years ago again, Wei Yuzhi realized that Ms. Wu had only taught him how to put the ring on Little Wen’s hand; she hadn’t mentioned what he should do if Little Wen ever wanted to return the ring. So, he could only frown, looking at the blue diamond about to be returned to him, feeling as if facing a formidable enemy, as if standing at the edge of an abyss.

He gazed down at the diamond ring, as if looking at a heart that would, under no circumstances, ever open to him again.

“I asked He Xin. This is your grandmother’s ring, so it must be very important. It’s too inappropriate for it to be with me,” Wen Zhiyi said with a candid, cloudless gaze. “It should go where it belongs, back into the hands of the person who should own it.”

“…The place it belongs most is here.” Wei Yuzhi pointed to Wen Zhiyi’s hand, expressing his intent very clearly.

The young Beta he was looking at smiled and said seriously, “The ring I gave you should also be returned to me.”

The item Wen Zhiyi was currently returning to Wei Yuzhi was the single proposal ring. They also had a pair of wedding rings, which Wen Zhiyi had selected and paid for at a boutique two years ago, then excitedly placed on Wei Yuzhi’s finger.

These plain diamond rings were not expensive. When Wen Zhiyi bought them, he simply chose the most beautiful rings within his means, much like the other efforts he had put into this marriage.

Wei Yuzhi, of course, didn’t need him to pay for it, even stating that he could provide gems more precious than the brightly colored blue diamond. He believed Little Wen deserved better, even the best gems in the world.

But he didn’t realize that Wen Zhiyi had given more than just a pair of rings. Nor did he realize that all he could offer was the better gem Wen Zhiyi didn’t need.

So, in the arguments over the past two years, which had become so severe that both were nearing a breakdown, he had once taken off this ring in front of Wen Zhiyi, coldly declaring: everything Wen Zhiyi had given him was completely under his control, just like this ring. Since he could pick it up, he could easily put it down.

Even when Wen Zhiyi shook his head in disappointment, Wei Yuzhi remained unmoved. He stubbornly and repeatedly demanded that Wen Zhiyi yield to him, verbally admitting he couldn’t leave him, and verbally admitting he had long gotten over his ex.

Wen Zhiyi, who had finally initiated the end, now held out his hand to him, calmly demanding that Wei Yuzhi return his ring.

“You brought it with you,” Wen Zhiyi looked at Wei Yuzhi’s clenched right hand. “In the car, that was the ring you were looking at, wasn’t it? Since you’ve already prepared to return it to me, then—”

He extended his hand toward Wei Yuzhi.

Wei Yuzhi looked down at this hand.

Slender, long, with varying lines and natural curves, like an unfurling flower stem, and also like a sword presented before his eyes.

No.

He brought the ring not because he was prepared to return it to Wen Zhiyi, but because he couldn’t find any other item with Wen Zhiyi’s traces. Keeping it by his side day and night was like carrying a small, warm heart with him. It pulsed faintly, night and day, warning him to hold onto himself.

Wei Yuzhi wanted to shake his head, to deny it, to say he hadn’t brought the ring, but he saw Wen Zhiyi’s calm, cold gaze and knew that any more lies would be futile.

The last thing Wen Zhiyi wanted to hear now was a lie.

So, he gently placed a simple, light ring into Wen Zhiyi’s palm.

“I thought you had lost it.” Wen Zhiyi smiled faintly as he took the ring. He looked at the wedding ring in his palm, unsure how to deal with it, so he casually put it into the backpack he was carrying.

Perhaps later he would buy a second ring to give to a second person, and that would be the time this ring would be permanently put away.

Wen Zhiyi didn’t spend much time looking at the wedding ring he successfully retrieved. Seeing that Wei Yuzhi had no intention of taking back the blue diamond, he, in a rare moment, voluntarily took the other’s hand and placed the dazzling and precious proposal ring into his palm.

Under the bright, scorching midday sun, which was too intense to look at directly, Wei Yuzhi paid no attention to the ring placed in his palm. His long, straight lashes, which formed a cold, rigid curve as he looked down at Wen Zhiyi, trembled slightly. He gazed at the Beta standing before him and noticed a genuinely sincere glow in the other’s eyes.

It was dazzling, fragmented, and easily shed, like the glistening scales of a deep-sea fish, gaining brilliance with every free movement.

“Are you happy?”

He turned his head away from Wen Zhiyi, asking in a seemingly relaxed yet forced tone.

“Ask me that question in thirty days,” Wen Zhiyi gave a vague answer. “Well then, see you in thirty days.”

Little Wen waved his hand nonchalantly, pulling out his phone to call a taxi.

“…I’ll take you.” Wei Yuzhi frowned, watching him scroll through the ride-hailing app interface. He truly couldn’t stand watching Wen Zhiyi wait for a car in the near-40-degree heat. Sensing the command in his tone, Wei Yuzhi awkwardly added, “May I?”

Wen Zhiyi refused without lifting his head: “No, you may not.”

“…”

Little Wen didn’t look up to see Wei Yuzhi’s expression, nor did he care what the other person was thinking after being rejected, but it was clear Wei Yuzhi wouldn’t give up easily. He spoke again: “Let He Xin take you. I’ll take another car.”

?

Wen Zhiyi looked up, as if seeing a ghost, almost suspecting that the Wei Yuzhi in front of him had been swapped. After refusing again, he quietly moved a little further away from the other person.

Wei Yuzhi stood rooted to the spot, silently watching Little Wen. It seemed he would stand there until Little Wen left, wearing a shirt and trousers in the 40-degree heat. Wen Zhiyi felt hot just looking at him.

“I won’t lose it,” Wei Yuzhi said again after a brief silence. He could already vaguely see a taxi slowly approaching at the traffic light. “The ring you gave me, I absolutely won’t lose it.”

“…Oh.” Little Wen didn’t know how to respond, so he dryly squeezed out one word.

Upon receiving this extremely perfunctory reply, Wei Yuzhi instead chuckled lightly. All the pain and disgrace he had shown over the past half-hour were once again neatly contained, seamlessly and methodically.

He was never someone who could be easily tripped up. Since Wen Zhiyi was still here, and the divorce cooling-off period hadn’t passed, the question of how to win Wen Zhiyi back was a thousand times more important than his painful emotions.

Wei Yuzhi put the diamond ring back on his pinky finger. He looked at Wen Zhiyi again, saying in an extremely flat yet serious tone: “Because I love you, I won’t lose the ring you gave me, and convincing you of that will be my sole goal for the next thirty days.”

For the next thirty days?

Wen Zhiyi almost laughed. He shook his head, turned, and got into the taxi that had arrived in front of him, without leaving a single word for the Omega who was about to become his ex-husband.

He didn’t presume to change others, nor did he expect their change, so he simply dismissed Wei Yuzhi’s words.

If change were so easy, what did the past two years of disillusionment even count for?

Wen Zhiyi didn’t look at the man standing behind him. Instead, with an unusually light heart, he kept watching the scenery speeding past the car window, satisfied that he had taken care of a major issue.

Like a breakup, a divorce is nothing significant.

He thought.

…

How to make himself look more mature, more like a professional?

Wen Zhiyi looked at the expressionless youth in the mirror. After a moment’s thought, he chose to put on his frameless glasses.

Today was the first day of his internship at Zhongcheng Law Firm. He opted out of a casual T-shirt, choosing a soft, approachable, yet not overly casual cotton-linen shirt. Following Elder Wen’s suggestion, he casually spiked his hair twice with styling product and prepared to head out.

His hair was smooth and straight, usually hanging slightly downward. After a week without a trim, his fringe had grown longer. Only by styling it in another direction could he keep it from drooping over his eyebrows. The casually styled hair made Wen Zhiyi appear aloof, lazy, and nonchalant.

But the frameless glasses perched on his nose perfectly neutralized this temperament. A light-colored cotton-linen shirt, well-pressed suit trousers, and a neat dark leather backpack—rationality, restraint, and a lack of desire almost overflowed from Wen Zhiyi. Yet, his overly young features created a subtle, ambiguous, and intimate mix between a pure-hearted youth and a gentle husband with every unconscious frown or raised glance.

He declined Elder Wen’s offer to drive him to work and headed for the CBD subway with his backpack.

Commuting!

Wen Zhiyi felt like canned food squeezed in a can, rotating, flowing, squeezing past, and twisting with the surrounding crowd.

He quietly gripped the straps of his backpack, listening boredly to an Alpha next to him playing Dou Dizhu (Fight the Landlord) on his phone.

The clanking sound of the subway made it hard for Wen Zhiyi to clearly hear what cards the Alpha was playing. He regretted not wearing headphones before getting on the subway. Now, he could only stare at the surrounding people and, in a synchronized fashion, subtly prick up his ears to listen to the card game.

The Alpha seemed to sense the intense stares around him and his card-playing actions became hesitant.

Wen Zhiyi clicked his tongue, closed his eyes to rest, bored. Given the density of the crowd in the subway, he believed that even if he accidentally fell asleep, he would surely wake up still standing.

Suddenly, a light tug gently pulled at his shirt corner.

Wen Zhiyi subconsciously turned around and saw a delicate face.

He very subtly glanced at the person’s nape.

An Omega-specific scent gland protection patch.

It was a male Omega.

The person was about the same height as him. Wen Zhiyi could see the other’s eyes just by looking straight ahead. He saw the Omega give him a kind smile, then tentatively whispered, “Wen… Zhiyi?”

“You are?” Wen Zhiyi asked, puzzled.

“Shi Xuening. From Lawyer Xie’s team at Zhongcheng. I’m the one who sent your acceptance email.” The Omega, standing slightly behind Wen Zhiyi, happily introduced himself. “I saw your resume, so I recognized you. If nothing unexpected happens, I should be your mentor. What a coincidence to meet you on the subway in advance.”

Wen Zhiyi greeted “Lawyer Shi,” secretly marveling at this strange coincidence.

Given Jing City’s terrifying morning rush hour traffic, taking the subway was undoubtedly a more cost-effective choice than driving. So, running into a lawyer from the same firm on this subway line seemed quite reasonable, too?

“No need to call me Lawyer Shi. I’m five years ahead of you. Just call me Senior. I also did my Master’s at Peking University.” Shi Xuening winked at Wen Zhiyi, apologizing slightly that he truly couldn’t free his hands to shake hands.

Wen Zhiyi expressed understanding, as he couldn’t even perform the simple act of taking his headphones out of his pocket.

Jing City Subway! Morning Rush Hour!

“Don’t worry, although Lawyer Xie is the big leader, he doesn’t come to the main office much. He’s usually out on business trips or stays in his own office. You’ll usually interact with lawyers at my level.” Considering it was Wen Zhiyi’s first day of internship, Shi Xuening thoughtfully reassured him, “When we get to the office, I’ll point out everyone’s workstations. Just familiarize yourself with the people.”

Wen Zhiyi nodded, politely thanked him, and did not initiate any further conversation.

When entering a new environment, it’s crucial not to rush into deep friendships simply because of others’ enthusiasm. Wen Zhiyi did not rush to show favor due to Shi Xuening’s friendly demeanor. He maintained a polite and restrained boundary, chatting casually with the other person.

The team he had joined primarily focused on litigation, so the workload wasn’t overwhelming. From his conversation with Shi Xuening, he learned that the team basically didn’t work overtime on weekends, which conveniently allowed Wen Zhiyi to continue his tutoring job for the Wei family. He was quite satisfied with this.

“Let’s add each other on WeChat when we get to the office, for work coordination.” Shi Xuening’s gaze subtly shifted away for a moment, but the next second he met Wen Zhiyi’s eyes again, asking softly, “Is that okay, Little Wen?”

There was no reason for Wen Zhiyi to disagree.

In fact, an hour later, when they entered the office, almost all the lawyers asked Wen Zhiyi to add them on WeChat for work coordination purposes.

His mentor, Shi Xuening, gave Wen Zhiyi access to the public network drive and slowly explained a few points to note before getting busy with his own work. Little Wen quickly looked through the documents posted in the work group, trying to appear busy.

Just as Little Wen was occasionally clicking the mouse and typing on the keyboard to pretend to work, Shi Xuening sent him a message.

Shi: Lawyer Gu’s team next door has taken on a new project. They are urgently recruiting interns, but they probably won’t find a suitable candidate in a short time, so their manager temporarily borrowed a few interns, including you, from Lawyer Xie. You’ll have to follow Lawyer Gu’s team for a while, but it shouldn’t be too long. Lawyer Gu’s team is always popular and recruits interns quickly!

…This is the retribution for slacking off.

Wen Zhiyi sighed softly.

He knew exactly who “Lawyer Gu” in Shi Xuening’s message was.

Wen: Okay, when should I go to their office? RoseRose

Shi: You can stay in our office normally. If there’s work, Lawyer Gu’s side will send it directly to you. Other than that, you need to attend their team training sessions. Wrestling Penguin Wrestling Penguin

Wen Zhiyi was briefly relieved.

The morning passed quickly. Wen Zhiyi didn’t receive any work from Gu Yansheng’s team. Given that he was on loan, Shi Xuening didn’t assign him any work either.

He walked toward the staff cafeteria, chatting with a few lawyers, pondering in his heart how long Gu Yansheng would hold out.

The firm’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all served buffet style. Wen Zhiyi had woken up too early for his commute and hadn’t had much appetite until now, so he just grabbed some fish, shrimp, and vegetables and found a quiet spot to sit down.

After lunch was the rest period. The firm provided folding beds and small blankets for everyone, but as Wen Zhiyi was a new intern today, he hadn’t been accounted for in the bedding supplies.

Shi Xuening, who was carrying a folding bed and preparing to head to the nap room, happened to see Wen Zhiyi taking off his glasses, intending to simply close his eyes and rest at his desk. Since their office chairs all had high backs, he could roughly manage to sleep by leaning back.

Shi Xuening hesitated for a moment. A lawyer passing by followed his gaze and saw Wen Zhiyi leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed and a slight frown.

The window curtain wasn’t fully closed, letting in a shaft of sunlight that illuminated half of Wen Zhiyi’s face. The ordinary daylight instantly looked like saintly light in an oil painting.

“I ate two extra bowls of rice just looking at that face this noon,” a colleague murmured. “Do you think he has a partner? I can’t see any sign of one, but even if he does, he’s definitely not married, right?”

“I think now is a good opportunity.”

Another lawyer joined the discussion, raising an eyebrow and smiling: “If you guys aren’t going to, I should be the one to offer help in his time of need.”

“You won’t get to be the one offering help, kid,” the first lawyer who joked scoffed, subconsciously touching the protection patch on his nape. “A Beta who looks this innocent is just asking for it—”

Asking for what?

He didn’t continue.

A Beta’s degraded scent gland meant they could not be marked. Although an Alpha could still inject pheromones into this degraded tissue, allowing them to briefly feel a “pseudo-mark,” these pheromones would be cycled out within 24 hours because they couldn’t be absorbed.

Shi Xuening heard the colleague’s vulgar and frivolous words and instinctively turned his head and frowned slightly.

Just as the three were discussing “offering help,” the administrator from the office next door approached with a folding bed and a soft, clean blanket. Seeing the three gathered at the doorway, the administrator asked in surprise: “Are you all having a meeting here? Aren’t you going to take a break?”

The handsome, frivolous-looking lawyer who started the joke casually replied: “I enjoy standing here. What are you doing here? Are you also rushing to ‘offer help’ to our new little intern?”

“What are you muttering about?” The administrator lady shook her head, pointed to the private office at the end of the corridor, and then held out the bedding in her hand. “Lawyer Gu said there’s a new intern today and asked for this to be prepared a few days ago. I’m just bringing it to him.”

After relaying Gu Yansheng’s words, the administrator lady realized a contradiction—

As a senior partner, Gu Yansheng’s private office not only had a soft, comfortable sofa but also a separate resting room. Couldn’t this intern, who was specifically looked after by Lawyer Gu, just sleep in the separate resting room? Why the extra step of preparing bedding?

Wen Zhiyi’s choice resolved her little puzzle.

He smiled, thanked the administrator, and headed toward the public nap room with the bedding.

So, Lawyer Gu already knew he would choose that?

The administrator lady shrugged and left.

…

Work resumed as usual in the afternoon. Gu Yansheng did not hold back after all. His team sent Wen Zhiyi a document requiring revisions.

This was not particularly difficult or complicated work, but the lawyer coordinating the work stated that Lawyer Gu’s requirements were always very strict, so Wen Zhiyi should preferably go to his office in person.

Wen: When will there be someone in Lawyer Gu’s office?

Yang: You can go anytime. Lawyer Gu has been here all day, except for a brief time during the lunch break.

…Has been here all day.

Wen Zhiyi expressionlessly looked at the computer screen. How important could an assignment given to an intern be that it required the partner to personally coordinate it?

He scrolled the mouse through the document speechlessly, certain that this document was nothing more than a pretext.

So, when Little Wen, carrying his laptop, headed straight for the private office at the end of the corridor and pushed the door open, he saw Gu Yansheng standing by the desk, talking on the phone.

The handsome, elegant Beta, tall with long legs, curved his lips slightly toward him, putting a finger to his lips in a ‘shush’ gesture. He then deliberately cut the conversation short, giving brief instructions to the person on the other end of the line before decisively hanging up.

“Good afternoon, Zhizhi.” Gu Yansheng smiled gently, naturally taking the laptop from Wen Zhiyi’s hands. He very casually took a bottle of bayberry juice from the refrigerator and leaned down to place it in front of him. “Let it sit for a bit before drinking, or you’ll get a stomach ache.”

Wen Zhiyi looked at Gu Yansheng warily. The other person was exactly 10cm taller than him, just 1cm short of 1.9 meters, but Wen Zhiyi still had to look up slightly when meeting his gaze.

Gu Yansheng chuckled internally at his wary posture.

“What exactly did Lawyer Gu call me over for?” Wen Zhiyi opened his laptop. Because the computer was placed on the large office desk, he had to lean forward slightly to find the file. The smooth lines stretching from his shoulder and neck down to his back curved gracefully and beautifully. The meticulously pressed shirt at his waist also developed subtle, ambiguous, and intimate creases.

Gu Yansheng’s smile slowly faded.

The gentle, elegant, and appropriate smile peeled away like a mask from his incredibly handsome face. He watched Wen Zhiyi with deep eyes—the long, slender wrist with subtly taut tendons resting on the desk, the immaculately pressed trouser cuffs, the perfect lines between his nose bridge and eyes when he frowned and turned his head.

“…I asked you a question?” Wen Zhiyi’s respect for his superior was worn away by Gu Yansheng’s sudden silence. He repeated the question with some impatience.

Since the dinner at the Wen family house last time, Gu Yansheng had not appeared before Wen Zhiyi again. He obtained Wen Zhiyi’s contact information through his parents, but Wen Zhiyi naturally hadn’t accepted his friend request.

When Wen Zhiyi turned his head, he was met with an expression from Gu Yansheng that was almost blank.

…Is he changing faces?

He had always known Gu Yansheng’s true personality, so he accepted this well.

Gu Yansheng, his smile gone, slowly walked up to Wen Zhiyi until the distance was so close that Wen Zhiyi started to frown: “Your parents’ suggestion last time, I think it’s excellent, but this is a matter between two people, so I need to ask—”

“There’s nothing to ask,” Wen Zhiyi held back his broad chest, which seemed eager to move closer, realizing that this Beta was far from as calm as he looked; the muscles in his chest were tense like stone. “I’m already married. You should know that.”

“Then get divorced,” Gu Yansheng said expressionlessly, seizing Wen Zhiyi’s arm that was held out to stop him. “I know you’re close to divorce.”

“At least not yet.”

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t care.”

“But I do.”

Gu Yansheng closed his eyes, then smiled again: “Wei Yuzhi is no good. If you want a divorce, I can help you.”

Wen Zhiyi agreed with the first half of the statement but was noncommittal about the second half.

After struggling free from Gu Yansheng’s grasp, Wen Zhiyi flexed his wrist, which was slightly red from the grip. Looking at the mask Gu Yansheng had put back on, he suddenly smiled, a cold, almost ruthless expression born of impatience, and slowly said:

“Actually, you know this has nothing to do with Wei Yuzhi. As you said, if I were to accept you, I would just get divorced. But even if I divorce, I still won’t—”

“Because of five years ago, right?”

The immense scar that they had both deliberately avoided was suddenly and completely ripped open, flesh and blood exposed. But beneath the scar was not flesh and blood, but silence, festering decay, and helplessness. Gu Yansheng, calmly elegant with a smile playing on his lips, decisively tore open the wound in his heart that had never healed. He had wanted to use this to prove that Wen Zhiyi still reacted to him, or still reacted to the wound he had inflicted, but it was only when Wen Zhiyi brushed past it indifferently time and time again that he realized—

The only one who still reacted, the only one who still suffered the pain, was himself.