Chapter 5
The “old place” Lin Yu mentioned was a cake shop in the university town, not far from where they both studied.
Before the shop changed owners, Lin Yu had worked part-time here, and they usually met here on weekends.
It was still winter break, so the shop wasn’t crowded. The few customers inside only gave the white-haired newcomer a curious glance before turning back to their conversations.
Bai Yan pushed open the revolving door of the cake shop and saw the Beta sitting by the window. Two steaming cups of milk tea sat on the table. Lin Yu was typing away on his phone, engrossed in something.
The Beta boy had a brown wolf-cut hairstyle and was dressed simply, with the sole exception of a black hearing aid in his left ear.
It wasn’t until he caught sight of Bai Yan approaching that Lin Yu put his phone away and slid the milk tea in front of him with practiced ease.
“Here, you’re late today. Unsweetened gardenia, hot. Have a sip.”
“Thanks, A-Yu.” The Omega chuckled, his voice hoarse. He took off his scarf and draped it over the back of the adjacent chair, revealing a flushed face.
“You have a cold?” Lin Yu immediately frowned, his sharp ears catching the rasp in Bai Yan’s voice. He reached out and gently pressed the back of his hand to his friend’s forehead.
“Good, no fever,” the Beta said, sighing in relief, then immediately berated himself. “I should have just gone to your rental place. My fault for being too lazy to walk a few extra steps.”
As a friend who had grown up with Bai Yan, he knew better than anyone just how fragile Bai Yan’s constitution was. Even a slight chill, if not treated with medicine promptly, could develop into a high fever by the next day.
If the news he had wasn’t so important, he wouldn’t have been in such a rush to meet up.
Hearing his words, the Omega’s expression stiffened. He said softly, “It’s alright, I took my medicine.”
He took a small, concealing sip of his milk tea. The light, milky flavor of gardenia spread through his mouth, and the warm liquid flowed down his throat, chasing away the chill from his walk.
Lin Yu, lost in his guilt, didn’t notice his friend’s unusual behavior. He sighed. “Alright, Yanyan. I’ll make it quick, so you can go back sooner.”
“Yanyan, last night I transferred my wages to the orphanage’s account, but it was returned this morning. I called to ask and found out that the Pei Corporation—you know, the one in the Huayang Twin Towers—made a huge donation to Huixin a few days ago. Not only can the orphanage continue to operate, but they can also buy land to build a new building!”
“Although the orphanage’s crisis is resolved, and we don’t have to send money back anymore,” the Beta said, his brow furrowed in suspicion.
“I still think it’s a bit strange. For a huge corporation like Pei, even if they’re doing charity for show, there’s no need to be so grand about it. Don’t you think… there might be some kind of scheme involved?”
Bai Yan didn’t dare to look at him, guiltily fiddling with his fingers. His eyelashes trembled as he mumbled, “I don’t think so. What if… the company’s leader had a change of heart?”
Help me, he thought. Seeing Lin Yu’s righteous eyes, he suddenly realized that the words he had rehearsed on the way here were impossible to say.
Lin Yu snorted, his eyes fixed coldly on the window. “Yanyan, you’re just too naive. Let me tell you, rich people are all full of schemes. Few of them are any good. They look glamorous on the surface, but who knows how many bad things they’ve done behind the scenes.”
“That Chen Wen who just went to jail, from the news? He seems to be from Pei Corporation too. Said he made some major mistake. In reality, he was caught for embezzling public funds and taking bribes.”
“Rich Alphas are even worse. Every single one of them, flaunting their wealth and power, messing with who knows how many Omegas!”
Bai Yan stared blankly. “How do you know, A-Yu?”
The Beta choked, forcing himself to look calm. “I just know, that’s all.”
“Like father, like son. Maybe that Pei Corporation CEO is the same. Celibate and unmarried on the surface, but with a whole harem of lovers behind the scenes.”
“They’re not all bad people, are they?” The Omega, who was currently being “messed with” by a rich Alpha, couldn’t lift his head. He buried his face in his milk tea to calm his nerves.
Lin Yu had a habit of letting his eyes dart around when he was feeling guilty. He had been trying to force himself to calm down, but this time, his eyes actually caught something.
The Beta narrowed his eyes, his tone shifting abruptly. “Yanyan, where did you get that scarf?”
Bai Yan jolted.
He instinctively glanced at the scarf beside him and stammered, “The weather’s still a bit cold, so I bought a new one.”
Lin Yu’s face darkened. “You used your thousand-yuan part-time salary to buy a ten-thousand-yuan scarf?!”
Bai Yan was stunned. It’s that expensive?!
Lin Yu crossed his arms and stared directly at the Omega opposite him, his face growing darker by the second. “What are you hiding from me? Fess up!”
Staring into his friend’s blazing eyes, Bai Yan’s mouth fell open. He finally gave up and surrendered sheepishly.
The young man swallowed hard, his voice soft as he begged for forgiveness. “A-Yu, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hide it from you. I actually came today to tell you about this. Please don’t be angry when you hear it.”
Twenty minutes later.
“What! Is what you’re saying true? How could you not discuss something this big with me!”
Lin Yu was furious. He shot up from his seat and slammed his hands on the table, his suddenly raised voice echoing through the quiet room.
Immediately, the few other customers in the shop turned to look their way.
Bai Yan knew his friend’s temper. He quickly pulled on his arm and put a finger to his lips in a “shushing” motion, whispering, “Be careful of your ears.”
Lin Yu glared at the Omega, a look of utter exasperation on his face. But seeing the worry in his friend’s eyes, he couldn’t stay angry and sat back down.
The Beta took a harsh sip of his milk tea and said resentfully, “Well, well, Bai Yan. And I thought you were my best friend. Where did all those years of anti-fraud awareness go? How dare you get into a flash marriage!”
Bai Yan pressed his hands together in front of his lips, batting his moist, almond-shaped eyes as he apologized weakly, “I’m sorry.”
He had basically told Lin Yu everything about his arrangement with Pei Tingyu, only concealing the details of the contract as required. I’m sorry, Lin Yu, the Omega thought silently. When the contract is over, I’ll tell you everything.
Lin Yu was simmering with anger. After thinking it over, he finally lowered his voice and asked, “Are you sure he’s Pei Tingyu? It’s not some kind of ‘pig-butchering’ scam, is it?”
Bai Yan nodded, biting his straw sheepishly. “Maybe Mr. Pei was just ready to get married, and one day he logged into the AO system. And then… he saw my picture… and maybe, possibly, it was love at first sight?”
The Omega’s voice grew softer and softer until even he lost confidence in his own fabrication and squeezed his eyes shut.
I’m sorry, Mr. Pei. I’m really not good at lying.
But to his surprise, Lin Yu glanced at his friend’s beautiful face and adopted a look of understanding.
His Yanyan is so cute. That Pei Tingyu would have to be blind not to like him.
What was done was done. No matter how much Lin Yu disapproved, there was nothing he could do.
Before leaving, the Beta nagged Bai Yan relentlessly, reminding him that you can know a person’s face but not their heart. Who knew if Pei Tingyu was a wolf in sheep’s clothing?
If he messed around behind his back, he shouldn’t be afraid. The Omega rights laws were very comprehensive now. Even if they divorced, that old man would pay a hefty price.
Bai Yan nodded like a bobblehead, listening obediently. Even though he was a few months older than Lin Yu, sometimes it was the Beta who took better care of him.
After saying goodbye to Lin Yu, Bai Yan collapsed back into his seat, all his energy drained.
The young man wiped the fine sweat from his brow, thinking, pretending to be married is so hard. What am I going to do when I have to deal with the people from the AO system?
Sigh. I’ll just let Mr. Pei worry about it.
Shencheng International Airport, VIP Entrance
“Mr. Pei is so young and accomplished, yet so busy. I feel terrible for troubling you to come all this way in person.”
The middle-aged man in the suit had a fawning smile on his face. A large crowd of subordinates followed behind him, all clustered around a tall, noble-looking Alpha.
Pei Tingyu gave a polite nod. “CEO Wang, you’re too kind. Since it’s a partnership, there’s no question of it being a bother.”
“It is Mr. Pei who is too modest,” the Buddha-like CEO Wang said with a chuckle, then asked casually, “Is Mr. Pei sure he can’t stay one more day? I have a hot spring resort under my name nearby. If you’re interested, we could go right now.”
Pei Tingyu gave him a meaningful glance. “That won’t be necessary. There’s someone waiting for me at home.”
A flash of surprise crossed CEO Wang’s eyes. It was no secret in the industry that Pei Tingyu was single. For him to suddenly say something like this… what did it mean?
But he was a shrewd man. CEO Wang’s expression remained unchanged as he exchanged a few more pleasantries and then took his leave.
The trip had been urgent, and they hadn’t had time to file a flight plan for the private jet, so they had to take a commercial flight back to Haicheng.
The rest of the entourage was put up in a hotel arranged by the branch office. They had been working hard for months, and Mr. Pei had granted them a special half-month of paid leave.
Of course, Assistant Song’s share was replaced with a six-figure bonus.
Pei Tingyu strode into the airport, his custom-tailored, deep blue suit fitting him perfectly, outlining the bulging muscles of the Alpha. His long legs were encased in suit trousers, and as he walked, he exuded an aura of awe-inspiring dignity that warned strangers to keep their distance.
Assistant Song followed beside him, his expression solemn. As they passed a luxury brand store in the VIP area, he suddenly let out an unexpected cough. “Mr. Pei.”
The man’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly as he stopped. “Speak.”
He had been working non-stop for days, and his mood was foul. He was not in the habit of shopping at the airport. His assistant had better not be either.
Assistant Song cleared his throat and said suddenly, “Mr. Pei, you left on a sudden business trip and didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to Young Master Bai Yan. Should we prepare a gift for him?”
As a qualified Beta assistant with a seven-figure salary and separate bonuses, Song Jian had already done extensive research the moment his boss had asked him to contact Bai Yan.
According to his research, 90% of overbearing CEO Alphas would develop feelings for their contract marriage partners over time, having two children in three years.
The remaining 10% would, after a period of disdain and arrogant remarks, find themselves alone in a cold, empty villa.
The CEO would grow increasingly despondent, drowning his sorrows in alcohol, until he finally admitted that he couldn’t get used to life without his Omega wife, and then, with red-rimmed eyes, regretfully chase after him.
Although he didn’t think Mr. Pei would be the latter, an assistant’s most important task was to preemptively mitigate risks for his boss.
Assistant Song quietly awaited his boss’s instructions. After hearing his assistant’s words, the cold-faced Alpha’s brow, surprisingly, smoothed out.
The man was silent for a few seconds, then strode toward a luxury brand store nearby, his tone icy. “Wait outside.”
“Yes, sir.” The tension in Assistant Song’s back eased. He had been right. Mr. Pei was indeed different when it came to Young Master Bai Yan.
Mm, looks like I need to start preparing for a wedding.
Pei Tingyu strode gracefully into the brand store. Under the exquisite lighting, the merchandise looked even more valuable. It had been a long time since his mother passed away that he had gone out of his way to pick a gift for someone.
A sales associate approached with a polite smile. “Hello, sir. How may I help you?”
“Our brand is positioned at the high end. Our cosmetics, jewelry, and apparel are all top-tier in the industry. They are perfect for both gifts and personal use. Would you like a recommendation?”
The Alpha’s face was cold as he politely declined. “No, thank you.”
The man’s eyes swept around the room. He walked a few steps further in. The items in the front hall were mostly jewelry, sparkling under the glass display cases.
Pei Tingyu frowned, recalling the unconcealable surprise and caution on the young man’s face when he received the wedding ring. He didn’t think these things would suit the Omega’s tastes.
He glanced around again and suddenly caught sight of a display of plush toys.
Under the warm yellow light, the well-made toys looked adorable and exceptionally soft.
The man’s expression grew interested, and he strode toward that counter.
The sales associate was surprised but maintained her professional smile. “Our brand’s plush toys are also very popular. The designers are all top international talents, and the stuffing is made from high-end, baby-grade cotton.”
The man’s gaze fell on a particular spot, a dark shadow flitting across his black eyes. “This one.”
Among the colorful and cute toys, a small, snow-white rabbit squeezed into a corner was not particularly conspicuous.
The little rabbit’s white fur was fluffy and soft, its body round, and its long, soft, floppy ears drooped in front of it. Its two red eyes were wide and pitiful, and a single, embroidered, crystal-clear teardrop hung from the corner of one eye, looking incredibly lifelike and adorable.
It was surprisingly fitting for a certain someone.
Pei Tingyu’s lips curved. “Please wrap it up.”
“Of course, this way, please.”
The sales associate dutifully asked if he needed gift wrapping and a card. After receiving an affirmative answer, she took a card from a drawer in the counter, placed it in the gift box, then carefully wrapped the box and placed it in a paper bag before handing it to the customer.
“Thank you for your patronage, sir. We hope to see you again.”
Pei Tingyu gave a polite nod.
It wasn’t until the man was long gone that the sales associate sighed to herself. As expected, all the high-quality Alphas are already married with children.
What a lucky little treasure, for his father to remember to pick out a gift even on a business trip.
Little treasure, little treasure, I hope you like it.
