Transmigrated As The Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife Of A Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 9

Zhao Zhiyi stared blankly at Su Jiyu. “…What?”

Su Jiyu took his hand, leading him naturally and affectionately toward Auntie Liu and Chenchen. “This is my mother’s close friend, Auntie Liu. Over here is Auntie Chen, and Auntie Li…”

He went through the introductions with a gentle, warm voice. Finally, his gaze settled on Zhao Zhiyi. “He is my boyfriend. We only just made it official, so we hadn’t intended to go public this early.”

Zhao Zhiyi: “??” When did I ever make things official with you?

“…So he really is an Omega.” Auntie Liu had been certain Su Jiyu was just brushing her off, but now that he actually had a boyfriend and such a beautiful one at that she cleared her throat. “I was only worried you’d be lonely without someone by your side. It’s good that you have a partner.”

Su Jiyu nodded. “I know you mean well, Auntie.”

Still suspicious, Auntie Liu began the interrogation. “What’s your name? What’s your educational background? Where are you from? How many people in your family?”

“Auntie Liu.” Su Jiyu pulled Zhao Zhiyi behind his back, frowning slightly. “He’s timid and quite introverted. It isn’t appropriate to ask so many questions the first time you meet.”

“Oh my, I’m just so happy for you,” Auntie Liu said with a chuckle. “That’s just how I am. Don’t mind me, little one.”

Zhao Zhiyi had no choice but to shrink behind Su Jiyu and play the part of the socially anxious child.

Even though Su Jiyu had produced a boyfriend, Auntie Liu was reluctant to give up. It took more effort before Su Jiyu finally managed to send the gaggle of meddling relatives away. The moment they left, Su Jiyu immediately released Zhao Zhiyi’s hand and tucked his own arms behind his back, reverting to that posture of a schoolboy who’d done something wrong. “I’m sorry.”

Zhao Zhiyi had originally been quite annoyed, but the apology took the wind out of his sails. He stuttered for a few seconds before saying, “How could you do that?”

“Forgive me, it was a move of necessity.” Su Jiyu lowered his head like a dejected puppy. “That Omega named Chenchen is Auntie Liu’s niece. Her company’s capital chain has run into trouble recently. They likely wanted to use this to gain help from the Su family. If I didn’t have a ‘boyfriend,’ it would have been very difficult to handle.”

Zhao Zhiyi thought to himself that it was no wonder Auntie Liu acted like she wanted to scrub Chenchen clean and toss her onto Su Jiyu’s bed. Why else would an elder be so manic about a blind date? There were profits at stake.

Su Jiyu raised his amber, misty eyes, his fingers lightly tugging at Zhao Zhiyi’s sleeve. His voice was very, very soft. “Are you angry?”

Facing such a sincere apology and such a pitiful puppy-dog look, Zhao Zhiyi couldn’t stay mad. He sighed. “No, it’s not a big deal.”

“Are you worried Meng Ze will be angry if he finds out?”

Zhao Zhiyi replied, “Why would he be angry?”

…Wait!

Zhao Zhiyi was suddenly struck with terror.

In the original novel, the reason Meng Ze and Su Jiyu had their public meltdown was because Meng Ze witnessed someone introducing a date to Su Jiyu, and Su Jiyu hadn’t refused, he’d even exchanged contact info. Now, that “trigger” Omega seemed to have… become himself??

No… calm down. Meng Ze shouldn’t go so far as to suspect something was going on between him and Su Jiyu.

“Don’t worry, he won’t be,” Su Jiyu said. “He understands my family situation.”

That gave Zhao Zhiyi some peace of mind.

He was clearly being used as a shield. As long as Meng Ze had a brain, he wouldn’t suspect a physiological Omega and a psychological Omega of having any improper relationship.

Still… did this count as avoiding the famous scene where the two of them tore into each other tonight?

“She’s still watching over there,” Su Jiyu said somewhat helplessly.

Zhao Zhiyi followed his gaze. Sure enough, even though Auntie Liu was mingling and laughing in the crowd, her eyes kept drifting back to them, as if she would charge back in with Chenchen the moment she spotted a flaw.

Auntie, you’re really giving it your all, aren’t you?!

“May I invite you for a dance?” Su Jiyu extended his hand. “Let’s pretend to be close to make her give up completely.”

The crystal chandeliers in the banquet hall were bright and dazzling. The transparent light fell upon Su Jiyu’s features, making Zhao Zhiyi recall the stylist at the salon calling him a “descended angel.”

At this moment, Su Jiyu truly looked like an angel fallen to the mortal realm. While the crowd bustled about for profit, he was like a handful of clean, fresh snow without a speck of filth. When he bowed to offer an invitation like this, almost no one could refuse.

But Zhao Zhiyi had his own concerns. “I don’t know how to dance. The last time I danced was for a Children’s Day performance in sixth grade, a medley of ‘Little Apple’ and ‘Most Dazzling Folk Style.’ Are you sure?”

Su Jiyu chuckled. “I’m not very good at it either.”

Zhao Zhiyi knew he was lying through his teeth. The original novel mentioned that Su Jiyu’s family had high expectations for him, he’d been raised on music, art, and philosophy since childhood. Basics of high-society socializing like dancing and equestrianism were second nature to him.

“Don’t regret this,” Zhao Zhiyi warned.

Su Jiyu: “I won’t.”

Zhao Zhiyi placed his hand in Su Jiyu’s, and the two stepped onto the dance floor.

Not far away, Yu Tao was standing by her brother’s side listening to some elders ramble when she suddenly noticed something. “Brother! Look! Isn’t that Zhao Zhiyi and Brother Yu?”

Meng Ze looked over with a frown and realized it was indeed the two of them.

Yu Tao whispered, “Brother, what’s wrong with you? You’re right here, yet you’re letting my sister-in-law dance with someone else?”

“Also… since when did Zhao Zhiyi and Brother Yu get so close?”

Meng Ze: “I’d like to know that, too.”

He stared at the pair gliding through the dance floor, his expression cold.

Because of their outstanding looks, many people were watching them. Everything looked quite picturesque until…

Su Jiyu’s frame stiffened. Zhao Zhiyi asked worriedly, “Sorry, I stepped on you. Does it hurt?”

“It’s fine,” Su Jiyu’s smile remained unchanged.

A few seconds later, Zhao Zhiyi: “…Ah, sorry.”

Su Jiyu: “It’s nothing.”

A few more seconds later, Zhao Zhiyi: “…I really didn’t mean it.”

“I know.”

A few more seconds after that, Zhao Zhiyi: “…Are you okay?”

“…Yeah.”

Yu Tao covered her eyes and gave her brother a thumbs-up. “So you did have foresight.”

Her expression was pained. “I hope Brother Yu’s feet haven’t been stomped flat…”

Meng Ze, of course, hadn’t had any such foresight. He glanced at Su Jiyu’s still smiling face and scoffed inwardly: Keeping up appearances till the end.

Actually, it wasn’t that Zhao Zhiyi had never learned ballroom dancing. At his high school’s coming of age ceremony, the teachers had organized the whole class to learn. Zhao Zhiyi should have been a popular choice, but in the end, he sat by the water dispenser all alone, for the simple reason that everyone else only had one pair of feet, and none could survive Zhao Zhiyi’s treading.

When the song ended, Zhao Zhiyi immediately let go of Su Jiyu’s hand. “Are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital? The shoes I’m wearing today seem pretty painful when they hit someone…”

“…It only hurts a little.” Su Jiyu actually turned around to comfort Zhao Zhiyi. “You actually danced quite well.”

Zhao Zhiyi muttered, “That sounds exactly like the script I used to comfort you when you were making that cake.”

Even though Su Jiyu said he was fine, Zhao Zhiyi was still worried and helped him find a seat. Over by the crowd, Auntie Liu was fuming. “Looks like there’s no chance.”

Chenchen asked, “Why?”

Auntie Liu sighed. “Look at him. He got stepped on like that and he’s not even angry. If that isn’t true love, what is?”

Chenchen: “…Fair point.”

“Brother Yu!” Yu Tao came over with a glass of juice, looking concerned. “Are you okay? You look a bit pale.”

Zhao Zhiyi saw Meng Ze following behind her and felt a pang of guilt.

Even though Meng Ze and Su Jiyu were always hurting each other, Su Jiyu was Meng Ze’s darling. If someone else hurt him, Meng Ze would definitely be furious.

“Maybe I just haven’t rested well lately, it’s nothing.” Su Jiyu looked up at Meng Ze and smiled slightly. “I borrowed Zhiyi to solve a little problem. You won’t be angry, right?”

Meng Ze said coldly, “Why trouble others with your own affairs?”

Su Jiyu turned to look at Zhao Zhiyi and sighed softly. “Maybe I’m just useless. I’m not as capable as you, there are many things I can’t solve alone and I need help. It just so happens that Zhiyi is kind-hearted and willing to help me out.”

“Zhiyi, thank you.”

Zhao Zhiyi felt quite embarrassed. “No, no, it was nothing. Don’t take it to heart. Um… are your feet really okay?”

Meng Ze pulled him back to his side and frowned. “Do you want to take off his shoes and check right here?”

Zhao Zhiyi: “…”

Ah, is Meng Ze jealous?

That made sense. One shouldn’t let just anyone see their darling’s body. Zhao Zhiyi understood perfectly.

“Meng Ze.” Su Jiyu propped up his chin. “Don’t be mean to him.”

Meng Ze: “?” I wasn’t.

Meng Ze felt something was off, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. For some reason, he felt like he smelled a hint of “Green Tea” in the air.

Suddenly, Su Jiyu’s phone buzzed. He opened it and his relaxed expression vanished, replaced by a flawless, stoic mask. “Excuse me, I have to step away. My mother is looking for me.”

Yu Tao was worried. “Brother Yu, you…”

“It’s just a small matter.” Su Jiyu patted Yu Tao’s shoulder. “Have fun.”

He thought for a moment, then turned to Zhao Zhiyi. “Zhiyi, when you have time later, let me teach you how to dance? Just like how you taught me to bake.”

“Sure,” Zhao Zhiyi nodded.

Once Su Jiyu had left, Meng Ze asked, “You’ve only met him a couple of times, and you’re already this close?”

Zhao Zhiyi immediately clarified, “No, we’re just normal friends. Don’t worry, Su Jiyu is definitely the best of friends with you.”

Meng Ze: “…What nonsense are you talking about?”

Two Alphas sticking together all day, isn’t that greasy?

Zhao Zhiyi remembered something and asked tentatively, “Um, you don’t have any other plans tonight, do you?”

He was really worried that if these two didn’t have their falling out here, they might go somewhere else to do it. If he were just a bystander it wouldn’t matter, but now that he’d taken the place of the Omega from the original story, he was afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

“No.” Meng Ze paused. “If you need something from me, I have time.”

“Just asking, it’s nothing.” Zhao Zhiyi felt completely relieved. “Is the auction about to start? Let’s go.”

Su Jiyu followed the message his mother sent and arrived at the open-air balcony.

His mother, He Linrong, was a famous “iron lady” in City A. If the family business hadn’t been restricted to Alpha heirs, she would never have chosen to marry Su Jiyu’s father that useless man who loved art and knew nothing of business.

Over the years, almost all the Su family industries were managed by He Linrong, and managed excellently. Because she had held a high position for so long, she commanded a room without saying a word.

“Mom.” Under the thin moonlight, Su Jiyu walked up to his mother, who was no longer young but still well-preserved and elegant. “You were looking for me?”

He Linrong remained expressionless and raised her hand, delivering a sharp slap to Su Jiyu’s face.

The banquet hall was noisy and chaotic, but the balcony was tranquil and quiet, even the sound of snow falling from pine branches in the garden could be heard clearly. This slap was extremely loud and forceful. Su Jiyu’s head was knocked to the side, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

“What exactly is your relationship with that Omega?” He Linrong asked coldly.

“Didn’t I say it already?” Su Jiyu smiled, slowly licking away the blood. “He’s my boyfriend.”