The Top-Tier Alpha Refuses to Be Pretty Cannon Fodder - Chapter 27

Lin Zhi turned around, his eyes widening instantly. “President… President Qi?”

How could Qi Xi be here?

Ever since he had been humiliated by Lu Yunxing last time, Lin Zhi had been looking for an opportunity to teach him a lesson. He had stalked Lu Yunxing for three days, and during those three days, Qi Xi had never once appeared. To Lin Zhi, it seemed Qi Xi’s interest in Lu Yunxing had already faded. He viewed Lu Yunxing as a pathetic creature who had been abandoned yet again.

Without an Alpha’s protection, he wanted to see how Lu Yunli would dare act tough with him. Once this little Omega was marked by another Alpha, he would see if Qi Xi still liked him!

But now, despite the heavy rain, Qi Xi was standing right there. Not only that, but he had beaten Lin Zhi’s men. The Alpha standing in the rain looked as if he had been there for a long time; his entire body was soaked, and his eyes were stained a deep, bloodshot red.

Unsure of Qi Xi’s intentions, Lin Zhi turned and spoke tentatively. “President Qi, I think today is just a misunderstanding.”

“Get lost, all of you,” Qi Xi growled.

The low shout, accompanied by a crack of thunder overhead, made Lin Zhi shrink back in fear. Qi Xi was furious. He followed Qi Xi’s gaze, which was fixed on Lu Yunxing standing beside him. It seemed Qi Xi had heard the words spoken just now.

Although he hadn’t accomplished his goal today, Qi Xi had heard exactly what Lu Yunxing said. Lin Zhi curled his lips. “Lu Yunxing, how much do you think Qi Xi heard?”

I do not like him.

How truly hilarious. Lin Zhi laughed and gestured for his men to leave the alley.

The rain continued to fall, leaving only two people in the alley. Through the curtain of rain, the gaze falling on him was burning and searing.

[520: Dear! Dear! What do we do!]

[Lu Yunli: What’s the panic? It’s just a sentence saying I don’t like him.]

[520: But if the protagonist despises you, won’t the plot revert to the original owner’s previous trajectory?]

[Lu Yunli: The mission is only accomplished once the character’s ending reaches 100 percent, right?]

[520: Yes.]

[Lu Yunli: The essence is different. There is still room to maneuver.]

Lu Yunli pulled back his thoughts and shifted his gaze away from Qi Xi. He began to walk forward, but the other’s gaze never left him. For a moment, even Lu Yunli was unsure what Qi Xi was thinking. As he tried to pass, Qi Xi grabbed his arm.

Qi Xi’s grip was tight, forcing Lu Yunli to stop. A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating his pale face. Rain slid down his cheeks and dripped onto the ground as Lu Yunli turned his head to meet those bloodshot eyes. Within that cold gaze, intense emotions were swirling, like a beast ready to strike and bite through his neck at any second.

Lu Yunli prepared himself for Qi Xi’s interrogation.

However, Qi Xi simply turned, reached out, and wiped the water from the little Omega’s face, brushing his hair aside. “You knew it was raining outside; why didn’t you take an umbrella?”

Lu Yunli was stunned. Why is Qi Xi…

He observed the expression in the other’s eyes and eventually answered, “I was in a hurry and forgot to bring one.”

Qi Xi let go of his arm and took his hand instead. “Why are your hands so cold?”

Lu Yunli pursed his lips. He opened his mouth to speak, but Qi Xi reached out and began taking off his own jacket. Only after he had taken it off did he remember his own clothes were also wet. He cursed under his breath, looking like a silly dog.

Lu Yunli frowned. “I am not cold.”

Qi Xi picked up the hand hanging at Lu Yunli’s side and warmed it in his own. “Liar. It is clearly very cold.”

The statement felt like a double entendre. Lu Yunli’s brow furrowed tightly.

Three days ago at the warehouse, after he had spoken his mind to the man, he had stayed in the lab for three days. During that time, he had not seen Qi Xi at all. He had thought that upon returning today, he would receive the divorce papers from Qi Xi. He never expected Qi Xi to appear here.

Lu Yunli looked down at their joined hands. “Brother Qi…”

“Come, I’m taking you home.” Qi Xi pulled him forward. “Tomorrow is your birthday. I bought you a gift and booked a hotel. Let’s go home and you can choose where you want to go.”

“Qi Xi.”

It was the first time he had called him by his full name. His voice was cold and carried a hint of detachment—the same disdain Lu Yunli had previously captured in the other’s eyes.

His fingers curled. Feeling the struggle in his hand, Qi Xi was forced to stop. Amidst the sound of the pouring rain, Lu Yunli stared at the other’s back and spoke. “Qi Xi, I cannot spend my birthday with you tomorrow.”

At the birthday banquet, he could only appear in the public eye as Lu Yunli. Therefore, Lu Yunxing had to disappear.

Lu Yunli watched the smile slowly fade from Qi Xi’s face. Just as he thought the man would get angry, the bloodshot look in Qi Xi’s eyes gradually receded. “That makes sense. You and your brother share the same birthday. You should go home and spend the birthday banquet with him.”

Qi Xi paused for a moment. “Then… I will drive you there.”

Lu Yunli looked toward the car parked at the alley entrance. “No need. The person picking me up is already here.”

Qi Xi turned and saw Rice stepping out of the car with an umbrella. Lu Yunli pulled his hand from Qi Xi’s grasp and walked toward Rice.

Qi Xi looked at his empty hand. It felt like a dandelion slipping through his fingers, or a rainbow in the sky that vanished in an instant. He raised his head and called out into the rain.

“Xingxing.”

A black umbrella was held over Lu Yunli’s head, and the car door was opened for him. A sudden surge of fear hit Qi Xi’s heart, as if the person before him would disappear in the next second. He called out again, his voice filled with urgency. “Xingxing! I am sorry for these past three years.”

The protagonist’s strong subjective will caused a current of electricity to flow through Lu Yunli’s body. He stopped abruptly, his hand gripping the car door.

Qi Xi took two quick steps forward and continued. “That day, your brother asked me what kind of feelings I actually have for you. I thought about it for three days, and I have my answer. Xingxing, can we start over?”

Unfortunately, I am not the original owner. It is too late for everything.

Lu Yunli glanced slightly over his shoulder at the man behind him. Then, enduring the pain in his body, he sat in the car without looking back.

Outside, the rain continued to fall. Lu Yunli looked out the window and saw Qi Xi standing where he had left him. The tall Alpha stood in the rain, shrouded in a deep sense of loneliness.

“Go.”

At the Galant Bar, Fang Yu rested his chin on his hand and fell into deep thought. “You are saying he does not like you?”

Qi Xi reached out to tug at his collar and poured a glass of wine. “I heard it. He said it with his own mouth.”

“How is that possible?” Fang Yu pondered for a moment. “Could it be because of the trending topics today? Is he angry with you?”

Qi Xi frowned. “What trending topics?”

“You do not know?” Fang Yu’s eyes widened as he pulled out his phone. “The internet has been in an uproar today.”

Qi Xi snatched the phone from Fang Yu’s hand and held it before his eyes. There, pinned at the top of the trending list, were several large words.

#Lu Yunxing Shameless

Qi Xi clicked on the topic. As he read the leaks and scrolled through the comments, his expression grew increasingly grim. On one hand, he was furious that these people were insulting Lu Yunxing. On the other hand, as he looked at the person described in the comments, it felt as though he was looking at a complete stranger.

Everyone claimed Lu Yunxing was uneducated and nothing more than a useless beauty, yet Qi Xi had seen for himself that Lu Yunxing possessed deep expertise in weaponry. Everyone said Lu Yunxing loved him and would do anything for him, yet after living with him for so long, Lu Yunxing had never bothered him with anything or even crossed a line for a moment.

It went so far that when he heard Lu Yunxing say those words today, he actually felt they were true. He really did not like him. Everything had been a lie.

And yet, Qi Xi could not help but want to get closer. He was deceiving himself, telling himself that perhaps the little Omega was just speaking out of anger.

Qi Xi took a sip of the wine on the table. A surge of irritability, like weeds in his heart, began to spread wildly. After a while, he hooked a finger into his tight collar and pulled it open. “Damn it.”

He cursed under his breath, his hand gripping the phone so hard it creaked. “Who leaked this?”

Fang Yu: “I do not know, but looking at the photos and content, it should be someone he knows.”

Someone he knows? Qi Xi’s mind went back to the person who had blocked the alley today. He seemed to recall seeing that person beside Xie Xingchi. Could it be him?

Thinking of this, Qi Xi’s face darkened. He took out his phone and dialed a number. “Remove today’s trending topics regarding Lu Yunxing immediately! Also, find out exactly who started this. Focus on the people around Xie Xingchi.”

If his guess was correct, Xie Xingchi likely had everything to do with this. Xie Xingchi’s intentions toward him were far more complicated than he had imagined.

Qi Xi slammed his phone onto the table and took a deep breath.

Fang Yu: “That secretary of yours…”

Qi Xi (grimly): “I will give Xingxing an explanation for this.”

He wanted to see exactly who dared to touch Lu Yunxing right under his nose. Fang Yu had known Qi Xi for many years, but this was the first time he had seen him so serious.

“Stop drinking.” Fang Yu reached out and took the glass from his hand. “Drinking is not as good as chasing your wife. I heard Lu Yunli is hosting a birthday banquet at the Shenghua Club tomorrow; Lu Yunxing will definitely be there.”

Fang Yu patted Qi Xi’s shoulder and leaned in to offer some earnest advice. “Ancestor, do not lose heart. These days, even divorced people can remarry, let alone the fact that you two are still a couple. If your wife is angry, you have to coax him. But who else besides you would be stupid enough to just run over and say they were wrong once they realized it?”

Qi Xi ran a hand through his hair. “Then what should I do?”

Fang Yu looked at him with a ‘hopeless’ expression and offered a tip. “You have to put it into action, of course. You just move your lips and say you want to start over? Put yourself in his shoes: if your husband did not come home for three years and then said that, would you believe it?”

Qi Xi’s frown deepened. “No.”

Fang Yu: “Well, there you go.”

Qi Xi fell into a silent contemplation. These past few days, he had followed Lu Yunli’s advice and tried to look at things from another perspective. If he were in that position, given his temper, he probably would have killed the person long ago. Back then, he must have been out of his mind to leave such a great wife at home alone while he stayed away.

“Ancestor, that is a person, not the machines you usually research. Read some books and learn something when you have free time.” Fang Yu pulled out a secret stash of books and shoved them into Qi Xi’s arms. “Take a good look at these.”

Qi Xi: “The Overbearing CEO Falls for Me? The CEO’s Stand-in Ex-Wife? My Billionaire Husband?”

Fang Yu: “These are genuine treasures from my wife’s private collection.”

Qi Xi: “…”

Fang Yu: “It is late. Go back quickly. Remember to dress well for the birthday banquet tomorrow and bring a gift. If the little Omega is happy, he might just forgive you.”

Qi Xi: “And if he does not forgive me?”

Fang Yu reached under the bar counter and pulled out a durian. “Then there is no hope. You might as well go kneel on this durian.”

Qi Xi: “…”

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