Transmigrated As The Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife Of A Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 10

“He is Meng Ze’s Omega,” He Linrong said.

“They will be divorced soon.”

He Linrong laughed. She grabbed Su Jiyu by the collar, staring into his amber eyes, so like his father’s and said, “I told you long ago, the Omega you marry must be worthy of the Su family’s status. That Zhao Zhiyi comes from an ordinary background, has nothing to his name, and has been married before… How could I possibly let an Omega like that enter the Su household?”

Su Jiyu spoke flatly, “But I just happen to like him. What can be done?”

He Linrong backhanded him again. “Your marriage has never been your own business. You had better remember that clearly.”

Su Jiyu coughed up a mouthful of blood. The crimson stain on his pale cheek made him look like a beautiful ghost crawling out of hell. The biting wind made his throat sting and his voice raspy, yet he still let out a laugh. “I’ve listened to you since I was a child. I’m already tired of it.”

“I brought you into this world.” He Linrong reached out and straightened Su Jiyu’s crumpled collar. Her movements were almost tender, but her gaze was colder than the fallen snow. “You are my property. Of course you should listen to me.”

“Do not defy me,” she whispered. “Our family already has one useless person in your father; I have no desire to raise two. I would find it exhausting.”

Su Jiyu kept his eyelids lowered, no one could see the emotions in his eyes.

He Linrong brushed past him and entered the warmth of the indoors, leaving Su Jiyu standing alone on the balcony in the howling north wind for a long, long time.

This was Zhao Zhiyi’s first time attending an auction, and he found it quite novel. Yu Tao, however, started yawning the moment she sat down. Propping her chin up, she said, “This is so boring. Do you want to play Fight the Landlord?”

Meng Ze warned, “Yu Tao.”

“…Never mind,” Yu Tao muttered, shutting up submissively.

A charity auction wasn’t as formal as a professional one, the price of the items depended more on the owner’s status. Yu Tao whispered to Zhao Zhiyi, “Just watch. My brother’s items will definitely be bid up really high.”

Zhao Zhiyi asked, “Why?”

“They want to get on his good side,” Yu Tao said with a pout. She lowered her voice significantly. “Even though my dad has been managing the company since Aunt Meng got sick, everyone knows in their hearts that the company is still called ‘Meng Group,’ not ‘Yu Group.'”

Zhao Zhiyi remarked, “If your dad heard that, you’d definitely get a beating.”

“I’m just speaking the truth,” Yu Tao sighed. “I can’t think what he’s doing is right just because he’s my father.”

Zhao Zhiyi was a bit surprised.

“What’s with that look?”

Zhao Zhiyi replied, “I originally thought you weren’t very bright, but I didn’t realize you actually had principles.”

Yu Tao was furious. “What do you mean ‘not very bright’? I’m very smart!”

Zhao Zhiyi nodded dismissively. “Yes, yes. A real genius who needed her brother to donate a building just to get into A University.”

Yu Tao: “…”

When it came time for Meng Ze’s cufflinks, it was exactly as Yu Tao predicted, they fetched the highest price of the night. Zhao Zhiyi felt like he no longer recognized currency units, the money he earned working three jobs a month wasn’t even as much as the pocket change these people spent in a single evening.

“It’s finally ending,” Yu Tao said with a sigh of relief. “When we get back, want to grab a late-night snack? I want barbecue.”

Zhao Zhiyi said, “I’m not going back to your house…”

Just as he finished speaking, the host on stage announced, “The final item was donated by President Meng’s spouse, a white gold ear clip set with a gemstone.”

“Wow, that’s your thing,” Yu Tao said.

Zhao Zhiyi murmured, “So it was white gold and a gemstone? I always thought it was silver and a plastic bead. If I’d known, I would have swapped it for something else.”

Meng Ze calmly placed a bid, immediately doubling the starting price. Zhao Zhiyi asked, “What are you doing?”

“Didn’t you want it back?” Meng Ze said. “I’ll just buy it back.”

Zhao Zhiyi: “…”

Paying double the price to buy it back… you rich people really have money to burn.

Originally, since Meng Ze had bid, everyone assumed this was a little romantic game between him and his spouse and didn’t intervene. Suddenly, however, someone doubled the price again. Everyone was shocked, wanting to see who was so blatantly crossing Meng Ze, but the opponent didn’t show their face, simply using a waiter to place the bid.

Meng Ze’s expression didn’t change as he raised the bid again.

The opponent didn’t back down and continued to drive the price up.

The back and forth continued until the price quickly surpassed even Meng Ze’s cufflinks.

After the opponent raised the price yet again, Meng Ze was about to lift his paddle when Zhao Zhiyi quickly pressed his hand down. “Forget it, forget it. If they like it that much, let them have it. It’s not mine anyway.”

Meng Ze frowned. “You really don’t want it?”

“I don’t want it,” Zhao Zhiyi said firmly.

Meng Ze lowered the paddle and gave a soft “Mm.” “I’ll give you something more beautiful later.”

Zhao Zhiyi: “Whether it’s beautiful isn’t important. What matters is whether it’s expensive.”

Meng Ze: “…”

The mysterious guest ultimately won the ear clip. As the auction dispersed, Zhao Zhiyi still hadn’t seen Su Jiyu. He sent Su Jiyu a message asking if his foot still hurt, but there was no reply.

In truth, Zhao Zhiyi’s main concern was that if Su Jiyu were seriously injured, Meng Ze would definitely cause trouble for him. After all, in the original novel, Meng Ze was the kind of psychopath who would demand an entire hospital be held accountable if Su Jiyu so much as scraped his skin. Zhao Zhiyi’s actions would be considered a high crime, enough to get his whole lineage executed.

A driver came to pick up Yu Tao, while Meng Ze drove Zhao Zhiyi home. In the car, Meng Ze suddenly asked, “Have you never learned to dance before?”

“Unless something unexpected happens, I should just be an ordinary person. I don’t have a use for high-level social skills like dancing,” Zhao Zhiyi said, spreading his hands. “Before this, I never thought I’d marry into a wealthy family.”

Meng Ze said, “There will be many more occasions like this in the future.”

The implication was clear: You have to learn.

Zhao Zhiyi felt it wasn’t necessary. After all, he and Meng Ze would be divorced soon. Once they divorced, all this glitz and glamour associated with Meng Ze would become a thing of the past.

“I’ll teach you,” Meng Ze said.

“Huh?” Zhao Zhiyi thought he misheard. “What?”

“I said, I’ll teach you.”

Zhao Zhiyi replied, “But I already promised Su Jiyu…”

Meng Ze’s expression cooled slightly. The car had already stopped at the bottom of Zhao Zhiyi’s apartment. He suddenly leaned in close, pinning Zhao Zhiyi into the corner between the seat and the door. Zhao Zhiyi smelled a cold, aggressive scent, the smell of Gin.

That was Meng Ze’s pheromones.

“You stepped on him like that today, and you still have the nerve to trouble him?” Zhao Zhiyi heard Meng Ze’s voice, tinged with a hint of a smile, above his head.

Zhao Zhiyi: “…”

I knew it!

Even though Meng Ze hadn’t said anything before, he was actually quite angry. Wasn’t he being sarcastic now? He was getting too close to Su Jiyu, and Meng Ze was warning him in a roundabout way.

“If you teach me…” Zhao Zhiyi coughed lightly. “Aren’t you afraid of the pain?”

Meng Ze said, “We can try.”

“Trying is fine, but why are you… leaning so close?” Zhao Zhiyi wrinkled his nose in slight distaste. “The smell of an Alpha on you is suffocating.”

Meng Ze paused, then unbuckled Zhao Zhiyi’s seatbelt and said, “Get out of the car.”

Back in his apartment, Zhao Zhiyi politely poured Meng Ze a glass of water and adopted the serious posture of a student. “Teacher Meng, where do we start?”

Teacher Meng said, “The reason you step on your partner’s feet is that you aren’t familiar with their steps. Follow me once first.”

He held out his hand to Zhao Zhiyi. Zhao Zhiyi gave a final warning: “I really have no talent. If I step on you and it hurts, feel free to shout. I won’t laugh at you.”

Meng Ze took his hand. “Step on my feet.”

“…What?”

Meng Ze’s tone was casual, truly like a professional teacher. “I’ll familiarize you with your partner’s steps first. Step on my feet, and I’ll lead you through it once.”

Zhao Zhiyi was stunned.

Is Meng Ze a genius? To avoid being stepped on, he just had him stand on his feet?

“I’m very heavy,” Zhao Zhiyi hesitated.

Though he was thin, he was still a 178cm adult male. His weight was no joke. Putting his full weight on Meng Ze’s feet… wouldn’t Meng Ze get a fracture?

The floor heating was on. After entering, Meng Ze had taken off his overcoat and suit jacket, leaving only a black shirt. He carelessly loosened his tie and tossed it onto the sofa, saying, “Come.”

Zhao Zhiyi looked at his Adam’s apple, feeling a bit nervous. “Then, here I come?”

“Mm.”

Zhao Zhiyi stepped up cautiously. He clearly felt Meng Ze’s body stiffen and immediately asked, “Are you okay?”

Meng Ze’s reaction wasn’t because of the weight, but rather…

It was too soft.

Soft and smooth, the body temperature of another person pressed against him like a prairie fire, burning from the soles of his feet all the way to his heart, eventually causing the tips of Meng Ze’s ears to turn a faint crimson.

“It’s fine,” Meng Ze said in a low voice. “Alphas aren’t that fragile.”

Zhao Zhiyi: “Oh right, Dr. Zheng said you’re very durable.”

“Don’t learn those messy phrases in the future.” Meng Ze put his arm around Zhao Zhiyi’s waist and patted his back. “Keep your back straight.”

Zhao Zhiyi straightened up. Meng Ze looked down at him through his lashes. “Focus on how I move.”

Zhao Zhiyi nodded.

As expected of an Alpha, Meng Ze was still at ease even while carrying a person through a dance. He even gave Zhao Zhiyi the illusion of “I think I’ve learned it.”

Snow was drifting outside again. The wind rattled the glass and shook the branches like distorted, nameless monsters, but the living room was bright and warm. As the music ended, Meng Ze asked, “How was it?”

Zhao Zhiyi nodded. “I think I can do it now.”

As it turned out, Zhao Zhiyi could not.

By the third time he stepped on Meng Ze, Zhao Zhiyi felt that even an apology was hollow. “How about we just forget it? My limbs are uncoordinated; I’m naturally incapable of learning this stuff.”

Meng Ze frowned, seemingly unwilling to believe that anyone could truly be this clumsy. “Try one last time.”

“Fine.” Zhao Zhiyi took Meng Ze’s hand again. He concentrated, listening to the beat and following Meng Ze’s lead with extreme caution. This time, his performance was actually quite good. Halfway through the song, he still hadn’t stepped on Meng Ze. He couldn’t help but look up happily. “I’ve improved, right?”

Because of his joy, his eyes were bright and sparkling, so beautiful it caused a momentary lapse in focus.

He had been practicing for a long time, and a thin layer of sweat had broken out on his skin. The sweet scent of orange blossom slowly wafted out, lingeringly enveloped by the scent of gin. But in his excitement, Zhao Zhiyi didn’t notice.

“Yes, great improvement.”

The corners of Zhao Zhiyi’s mouth curled up with pride. The music reached a climax, and he held Meng Ze’s hand to twirl. As the saying goes, pride comes before a fall. The “Student Zhao,” who had just made a bit of progress, became overconfident. During the turn, his ankle twisted. He let out a low cry of pain, lost his balance entirely, and fell toward the floor.

Meng Ze immediately reached out to catch him. Not only did he fail, but he was also dragged down by Zhao Zhiyi. The two of them crashed onto the floor in a heap of tangled limbs. Zhao Zhiyi clutched his head and groaned in pain, “It hurts…”

Compared to him, Meng Ze had it worse. At the moment of the fall, he had pulled Zhao Zhiyi into his arms, absorbing most of the impact himself. He turned his head, intending to ask how Zhao Zhiyi was, but his lips accidentally brushed against a piece of skin that was burning hot, soft, and radiating an intense scent of orange blossom.

Feeling the person in his arms trembling, Meng Ze realized that was Zhao Zhiyi’s gland.