The Popular/Charismatic Beta Always Thinks They Are Universally Disliked - Chapter 41

Chapter 41: You Can Never Make Me Happy Again

“Hey, hey, did you guys hear? Li Zan, the person in charge of the office next door, is actually a ‘Stomach-A’ (weak Alpha)! They say he harassed Lawyer Shi during the team-building event, but forgot he was a ‘Stomach-A’ and couldn’t mark an Omega at all.”

“Is there anyone at Zhongcheng who hasn’t heard, hahaha? Being exposed as a ‘Stomach-A’ Alpha in public is total social death. If I were him, I’d immediately take a high-speed business trip and not return to Jing City for a whole year!”

“No wonder he always acted like he had extensive relationship experience; turns out it was to cover up the fact he’s a ‘Stomach-A’.”

“To be precise, Li Zan is no longer the person in charge of the office next door. Didn’t you see the personnel transfer notice from the big leader in the group chat? He’s been transferred to oversee overseas business, and the vacancy has been filled by Lawyer Shi.”

“…Lawyer Xie is quite fast. The incident happened Friday night, and the notice was issued so quickly.”

“How could it not be fast when it concerns Lawyer Li’s dear son? I heard a few big leaders argued fiercely over this personnel transfer. Lawyer Li promoted Shi Xuning to appease him, but Lawyer Xie also had someone he wanted to promote. After a long stalemate, it was ultimately Lawyer Gu who casually spoke up for Shi Xuning, which finally cemented his promotion as the person in charge.”

Before all the lawyers arrived for work on Monday, the incident that occurred at the commercial KTV last night had already reached everyone’s ears at Zhongcheng. All those present at the time had sworn secrecy, offering endless comfort to the grim-faced Lawyer Li and urging him to relax and cheer up.

Yet, behind his back, their phone keyboards were practically sparking. Not only at Zhongcheng, but the rumor had spread across the other red-circle firms in Yueshang Tower. The highly well-connected elite lawyers looked calm on the surface, but the rumor was becoming more and more ridiculous with each retelling.

Even friends interning at other law firms called Wen Zhiyi to ask what was going on.

Little Wen honestly recounted the entire content, while also expressing his deep sympathy for the victim in the incident.

Though it was debatable who the victim truly was.

What happened at the commercial KTV last night was like an extremely absurd stage play. The arrogant Alpha turned out to be a “Stomach-A” with a marking disorder. The Omega, who should have played the perfect victim, was also turned into an awkwardly situated figure in the rumors, repeatedly tied to the “Stomach-A” Alpha, becoming fodder for everyone’s post-meal conversations.

And the mastermind who intentionally presented this scene was perfectly proficient at vanishing into thin air, unhurriedly and methodically negotiating personnel transfers with the other two senior lawyers. Li Zan had lost face so spectacularly and was suspected of attempted forceful marking, effectively planting a landmine in his career. Even if he could inherit Lawyer Li’s business, it was absolutely impossible for him to reappear openly at the forefront.

Gu Yansheng stood right behind all those comforting Lawyer Li, watching Wen Zhiyi without blinking. When the latter sensed his gaze and looked back, Gu Yansheng gently and subtly took his hand, slightly bowing his head to ask him: “Is Zhizhi happy? The people you dislike won’t appear in front of you anymore.”

He was still treating Wen Zhiyi like the seventeen-year-old Beta who, when he disliked someone, never wanted to see them again.

Wen Zhiyi’s hand felt cold, and in that instant, he understood what Gu Yansheng had done.

However, this was very familiar to him; at least, it shouldn’t feel strange.

Gu Yansheng had always chased away people Wen Zhiyi disliked this way.

His methods in his youth were more aggressive and honest—occasional violent physical communication, language steeped in arrogance, and manipulative tactics filled with oppression… He had always been so cruel and unhesitating in excluding anyone detrimental to Wen Zhiyi, like violently squeezing impurities and filth out of the two clean shells.

After becoming an adult and enduring those five years of painful separation, he became more unscrupulous and more duplicitous. The more elegant and gentle his appearance, the deeper and darker the filth inside. He could effortlessly decide to completely destroy a person.

What he did was no longer just the youthful act of beating up the young punks who bullied Wen Zhiyi.

He already knew that he could no longer be Wen Zhiyi’s hero, and he seemed to have accepted this fact.

During Wen Zhiyi’s brief silence, Gu Yansheng held little Wen’s hand gently and quietly, transmitting his own body heat to the other, just as he had done countless times years ago, holding and warming him.

He really has changed so much.

Wen Zhiyi met his gaze calmly, unsure of his feelings.

He didn’t care about Li Zan or Shi Xuning, nor the stage play they had performed. To him, all of this was simply about who wanted something and paid the price for it.

Li Zan was competitive, vain, and frivolous, and almost never took his work seriously, so he paid the price of his reputation and career.

Shi Xuning was shrewd and calm, yet he was tricked by Gu Yansheng, missing the crucial information that Li Zan could not truly mark an Omega.

Wen Zhiyi used his slightly sweaty hand to slowly pry open Gu Yansheng’s fingers one by one. Gu Yansheng’s smile slowly disappeared with his actions until it became cold and profound.

The inexpressible complex emotion in Gu Yansheng’s eyes was calmly presented to Wen Zhiyi, deeper than his pupils, clearer than the sound of the wind, yet little Wen did not shy away from meeting his gaze.

Then he said softly to him:

“I’m not happy at all, Gu Yansheng. You can’t make me happy anymore.”

You can no longer make me happy just by looking at you, like you did five years ago.

No matter what Gu Yansheng did now, it couldn’t make Wen Zhiyi happy, especially not the venomous destruction of another person whom Wen Zhiyi didn’t even care about. Wen Zhiyi was never someone who derived joy from unreasonable “destruction.”

Anyway, after honestly satisfying the gossip appetite of his friends, Wen Zhiyi took a picture of Zhuangzhuang wearing the Elizabethan collar and sent it to Wei Xingjiang.

Young Master Wei, who replied instantly, surprisingly didn’t ask about the fat cat but asked an entirely unrelated question.

“Do you know the Zhu family’s illegitimate son? The Omega who hangs out with that psychopath from the Chen family every day?” Wei Xingjiang sat on the sofa with one leg crossed, the soft cloud sofa enveloping him. His long legs, thanks to his superior height, were placed on the coffee table as if there was nowhere else to put them. “I don’t know where he heard that you were my tutor. A few friends and I were having dinner the other day and he came up, saying he wanted to ask me about you.”

Zhu Qiao?

Wen Zhiyi frowned in confusion.

If he wants to know something, why doesn’t he just ask me directly? Why bother going to the trouble of submitting a request to the arrogant Young Master Wei?

“What did you say?” Little Wen put his foot down to stop the fat cat, who was trying to steal freeze-dried food amidst the chaos.

“Me?” Wei Xingjiang stretched languidly on the other end, casually saying, “I told him to scram. Is he trying to steal my thunder right to my face?”

Wen Zhiyi ignored the declaration about “stealing thunder.”

He was thinking about Zhu Qiao.

A month after Chen Que left without a word two years ago, Zhu Qiao also left the National Academy of Fine Arts shortly after, but unlike Chen Que, he specifically said goodbye to little Wen beforehand.

Perhaps because he had already let go of the relationship in his heart, he could leave frankly. Before Zhu Qiao left, he hugged little Wen in a familiar manner. The tall, long-legged Omega easily pressed little Wen’s face into his neck.

He looked at the calm, indifferent Wen Zhiyi, reaching out to touch the other’s earlobe. Under little Wen’s confused gaze, he gently and intimately placed his palm and wrist on the other’s shoulder and back. At the time, Wen Zhiyi, who was somewhat slow due to multiple sleepless nights, did not immediately push him away.

Zhu Qiao whispered, “If there hadn’t been Chen Que, would you have been with me back then?”

Wen Zhiyi was tired of the endless emotional entanglements, so he honestly shook his head, saying amidst Zhu Qiao’s bitter and helpless expression: “No.”

In reality, he didn’t know if that was true.

Perhaps it was only because he had Chen Que’s 100%, unreasonable love for comparison that he knew Zhu Qiao’s love was insufficient. And if there hadn’t been Chen Que, he might never have thought that Zhu Qiao’s 80% love was insufficient.

Stubborn persistence might truly have worked for Wen Zhiyi back then.

Zhu Qiao nodded and said nothing more.

He would ask Wen Zhiyi, If there hadn’t been Chen Que, would you have… but he wouldn’t truly try to imagine what would have happened without Chen Que.

Chen Que was perhaps his benefactor in life, discovering his artistic talent and lifting him from the awkward status of the Zhu family’s illegitimate son to the top of the oil painting department at the National Academy of Fine Arts. The Zhu family had many illegitimate children. Zhu Qiao was neither the most outstanding among them, nor did his mother have much ambition. Coupled with his good looks, he was constantly ostracized by his half-siblings, so he had a miserable life from childhood to adulthood.

Chen Que was certainly not some bleeding-heart saint. He simply recognized Zhu Qiao’s talent, and rescuing such a person was easier for the young master of the Chen family than casually picking up a piece of trash.

Zhu Qiao was like a piece of somewhat shiny trash he had casually picked up. Since Zhu Qiao himself was unwilling to be mediocre, he seized the opportunity Chen Que offered, becoming Chen Que’s friend for many years.

His life could not be without Chen Que.

So, when he pursued Wen Zhiyi, no matter how heartbroken he was, he could never truly speak to Chen Que about it. He could only ask Wen Zhiyi over and over: Do I really have no chance?

And Wen Zhiyi’s answer never changed from beginning to end.

He tiredly, firmly, and indifferently told Zhu Qiao: “No.”

Zhu Qiao was choked into momentary silence by Wen Zhiyi’s unwavering rejection. He gave a soft laugh, sighing as he withdrew the hand he had attempted to reach out and hold Wen Zhiyi’s.

He only needed an answer that proved he was not too much worse than Chen Que. Whether the answer was true or false, as long as it came from Wen Zhiyi, he would be satisfied.

Because Wen Zhiyi was the first person who, when faced with a choice between Chen Que and himself, had once chosen him.

In their first meeting at the social dance, when both he and Chen Que extended their hands, Wen Zhiyi chose him.

But Zhu Qiao ultimately did not get this answer.

So, with an inexplicable, base intention, he threw the video tape that Chen Que had asked him to give to Wen Zhiyi into the trash bin.

He knew he was indeed trash.