Chapter 5: Dark-Skinned Rugged Honest Man 5

Jiang Rang spent the entire day learning ironing techniques. The butler, who seemed to have received orders from the master of the house, specially arranged for one of the servants previously in charge of this task to teach him.

Almost instantly, the beta recalled the man’s words from that morning.

Things without value should naturally be discarded.

In the end, that piece of clothing had been thrown away because of him. His clumsiness had caused a loss to the master’s household.

Plagued by guilt, Jiang Rang learned with exceptional focus. Though he had little formal education, the young man proved adept at picking up new skills. In less than half a day, he had grasped the basics of ironing.

That evening, when Jiang Rang helped the exhausted and aloof omega undress once more, his movements were far more deft.

The young man still blushed and averted his gaze, but it was a vast improvement over the awkwardness of the first day.

Just as Jiang Rang finished tidying the room and bathroom and turned to leave, a cool, indifferent voice stopped him.

The speaker was half-reclining against the headboard, dark bedding draped halfway over his waist. Sleek black hair cascaded across his chest. Qi Yu’s pitch-black eyes fixed steadily on the young man as he said slowly, “The third shelf up, second book from the left on the bookcase. Bring it here.”

The omega watched as the young man slowly rubbed the hem of his shirt, as if afraid of soiling the book. The gesture might have seemed crude from anyone else, but from this beta, it carried a solemn, cautious reverence.

Jiang Rang hadn’t paused for a break all day, fine beads of sweat dotting his forehead, yet he seemed oblivious to it. Once he had the book in hand, his expression eased slightly as he brought it to the bedside.

Qi Yu narrowed his eyes, his dark gaze drifting slowly from the thick volume to the young man’s broad palm, where veins stood out faintly.

They were rough hands, callused from years of farm labor.

Hands that held no particular appeal—yet Qi Yu’s attention lingered on them.

After a long moment, the man lowered his gaze. Dark circles shadowed his eyes like a pall, lending him an air of listlessness, defeat, and detachment.

In a hoarse voice, he said, “Turn to page fifty-six. Read it to me.”

With that, he gently closed his eyes and tilted his head back. As tension drained from his body, the damp moss pheromones wafting from the omega gradually spread through the air.

He listened quietly to the soft sounds of the beta flipping pages beside him. The muted rustle, steadied by the reader’s patience, took on a rhythmic cadence.

Only after a long while did Qi Yu hear the beta servant’s voice.

Nerves clearly gripped the man; his throat sounded parched, the words stumbling out haltingly.

“As long as you entertain even the slightest resistance while accepting this misfortune, it can only bring you… um…”

Qi Yu’s thin eyelids fluttered open just enough to catch the young man’s flushed cheeks and the sturdy rise and fall of his chest with each anxious breath. The white shirt stretched taut, forming lewdly exaggerated curves.

A rare, secretive flicker of amusement stirred in the young male master.

He knew this illiterate bumpkin from the countryside grew tense in his presence—many people panicked at the mere thought of approaching him. Yet for once, Qi Yu found himself wanting to heighten that tension, to coax more intriguing expressions from that earnest, upright face.

So the brooding man remained silent, his dark, bloodshot eyes sliding slowly from the beta’s gaze down to his lips.

Sure enough, moments later, the beta licked his lips awkwardly, fingers tightening on the book. In all honesty, he said, “Sorry, Mr. Qi. I didn’t go to school much, so I don’t know some of these words.”

“Shame.”

The omega’s voice cut in lightly, coolly, laced with an implicit command.

Jiang Rang wasn’t entirely dim-witted. He straightened up at once, his grave expression almost comical.

In his still-unpolished rural accent, he read aloud with utmost seriousness.

“As long as you entertain even the slightest resistance while accepting this misfortune, it can only bring you shame. But if you regard it as a mark of divine grace—as a cross bestowed because your shoulders are broad and strong enough to bear it—then it ceases to be the root of your suffering and becomes instead the wellspring of your joy.”

The young man clearly grasped little of the passage’s meaning, yet he recited it with unwavering obedience.

As if any word from Qi Yu were an infallible edict.

The omega slowly shut his eyes, long strands of thick black hair tangling across the pillow and half-veiling his profile. He listened to the occasional hitches in the young man’s voice at his ear, then fell utterly silent, as though he had drifted into deep sleep.

Gradually, the young man trailed off, his tone carrying a note of dejection.

The quiet space was filled only with the sound of breathing, but Qi Yu could feel the oppressive pressure and heat from the approaching body. He waited silently, anticipating the moment when this beta, who had piqued his interest somewhat, would reveal his true intentions.

This man might be someone dispatched by the opposing faction within the Li Family, or perhaps an insider planted by someone at the company who resented an omega like him wielding such power.

Qi Yu had always understood one truth: there were no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.

He was confident in his ability to mesmerize others, but as an omega, he still gripped the silver, razor-sharp scissors hidden beneath the bedding.

The moist moss scent in the air grew ever thicker, almost dense enough to drip with murky liquid.

After a long moment of silent waiting, the omega felt a nearly gentle force tucking the blanket over his chest. The sturdy, upright-looking beta focused intently, as if worried he might fall ill, carefully securing every corner of the blanket layer by layer. He raised the air conditioning temperature, then softly turned off the light and retreated from the room.

Once everything had fallen completely silent, Qi Yu slowly opened his eyes in the darkness. His gaze fixed on the sliver of light leaking through the door crack for a long while before he gently closed them again, sinking slightly deeper into the bedding.

~~~

Jiang Rang’s days at the master’s house gradually grew more comfortable.

The young man’s life was fulfilling in every way. As Mr. Qi’s personal attendant, he handled nearly all of the man’s affairs single-handedly.

Qi Yu was meticulous about details—nothing in his room could be out of place, the water for washing had to be precisely 38 degrees, his ironed clothes could not have a single wrinkle, and there was a fixed bedtime reading routine every evening.

Jiang Rang’s education was limited, so he didn’t recognize some of the words. A special teacher had even been brought in to teach the young man to read.

The beta was truly grateful to Mr. Qi. The simple young man from the countryside had no cunning twists in his mind; he knew only one thing: Qi Yu had given him the chance to earn money and change his life, a tremendous favor to him and his entire family.

So even if Mr. Qi treated people with a cold face and a gloominess like that of a ghost, in the beta’s eyes, he was a good man with a warm heart beneath the icy exterior.

Jiang Rang threw himself into his work with boundless energy every day. Though the tall, sturdy, and honest youth was mostly quiet and reserved, he always had an eye out for tasks. Even if something wasn’t his responsibility, he would pitch in to help.

In this way, he naturally grew familiar with the other servants.

Perhaps because they saw how reliable he was, Mr. Qi began entrusting him with cleaning the study as well. Once, Jiang Rang had inadvertently glimpsed the thick stacks of documents on the desk, each bearing figures starting in the tens of millions.

To be honest, Jiang Rang had never seen so much money in his life.

The gap between people was simply too vast for him to feel even a hint of envy or jealousy.

He flexed his taut arms, gathered the cleaned cloth and broom, and was just about to leave the study when the butler called out to him.

The butler was in a hurry and let out a sigh of relief upon seeing him. “Jiang Rang, Mr. Qi wants you to take a file from the desk in the study to the company. The driver’s already waiting outside.”

The honest beta pursed his lips, still a bit unclear on the situation, but he was accustomed to following orders. He quickly set down his cleaning tools, wiped his large, nervous hands vigorously on the hem of his black apron, and turned back into the study.

It was Jiang Rang’s first time riding in such a luxury car. The driver even bowed slightly to open the door for him. The beta instinctively bowed back, his handsome face flushing bright red with embarrassment.

The Qi Family’s company was located in the heart of the city. The silver skyscraper reflected countless dazzling rays under the sunlight, as if even the hazy light in the air had been forged from gold.

Dressed in his servant’s uniform, the beta entered the building with trepidation. He tried to keep his back straight, but he still felt out of place.

Fortunately, the Front Desk Sister was exceedingly kind. She seemed to have received instructions already and led him straight to the express elevator.

With a soft ding, the elevator doors opened. Inside the office, a man in a gray-blue suit and polished leather shoes slowly swiveled his chair, revealing half of his impeccably handsome profile.

He had the quintessential alpha appearance: thick short hair combed back just so, with a few stray strands falling over his forehead. His features were strikingly noble, his bone structure breathtakingly refined. Yet the lazy elegance in his eyes and brows lent him an air of hazy, unattainable allure.

His narrow eyes drifted indifferently toward the uneasy beta, who was glancing around after stepping out of the elevator. He tapped his long, elegant fingers on the desk and drawled, “President Qi, the one you’ve taken a fancy to isn’t him, is it?”

The black-clothed man sitting across from him silently lifted his gaze. His excessively pale cheeks and the shadows beneath his eyes lent him a gloomy, almost sickly air.

The office was enclosed by transparent glass walls, and the master had not activated the privacy mode. Thus, when Qi Yu glanced over, his eyes met the beta’s joyful gleam, as if the young man had spotted a familiar face.

The youth waved eagerly, as though afraid the other might miss him.

Truth be told, the beta looked rather foolish like that, yet so vividly alive that it was impossible not to stare.

The alpha seated to one side, who had watched the entire exchange, propped his palm against his chin and let out a low chuckle. The man’s eyes were not pure black but swirled with hints of ink-green, exuding an aristocratic indifference.

He regarded the tall beta youth with evident interest, though the depths of his gaze held the habitual disdain of one in authority.

The man tapped the desk lightly, his deep voice laced with faint amusement. “President Qi, I won’t comment on your tastes, but don’t forget our plan.”

“That replacement seat in Parliament from the Li Family—we have to secure it.”

“The Li Family isn’t under your full control anymore. That fellow may be ill, but he hasn’t handed over power yet. Not unless you get another one in the oven.”

He toyed with the pen in his hand, his refined features gradually sharpening. “Betas don’t have strong fertility to begin with. Even as an omega, you’re not guaranteed to conceive anytime soon. Besides, are you sure this one wasn’t sent by them to test you?”

The man with the ashen complexion slowly closed the document in front of him, interlacing his slender white fingers. His pitch-black eyes fixed on the alpha across from him without a trace of emotion, his lean face caught in shifting patterns of light and shadow.

Steam rose languidly from his tea, carrying with it the voice of the omega renowned for his ambition and ruthless tactics.

“Chen Jingxu, it seems your Big Brother has landed quite the blow on you in the political arena lately. It’s turned you into a dog barking at shadows, snapping at every little thing.”

Chen Jingxu’s face drained of color in an instant. Clearly struck by some memory, the alpha’s throat bobbed nervously. After a long pause, he forcibly relaxed his posture, reclaiming his usual air of languid composure.

Yet when his narrow eyes landed on the beta who had knocked and entered the room, they darkened with calculating intent.