Mr. Zhao’s lounge

Zhao Shu went to the restroom, and when he came out, he found the champagne table in complete chaos.

He casually grabbed a waiter and asked what had happened.

The man had originally been holding a mop, looking impatient.

But when he looked up and saw the young master in front of him wearing an even worse expression, he immediately recognized him as the Zhao family’s young heir.

Afraid that this short-tempered young master would get angry, the waiter quickly explained in a trembling voice that a server had knocked over the champagne tower.

After finishing, he looked at Zhao Shu anxiously, waiting for him to explode.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Shu only responded with a calm “Mm,” let go of him, and commented, “Why are there so many clumsy idiots everywhere,” before turning and walking away with his hands in his pockets.

The waiter stood there, stunned.

?

That’s it?

Young master, this really isn’t like you.

Zhao Shu stood in the middle of the banquet hall and looked around.

In the end, his gaze stopped at a corner.

Pei Qingyu was sitting there.

The chair beside him was pulled out.

Zhao Shu clearly remembered that before he went to the restroom, a black-haired Beta had been sitting there obediently.

He was gone just from the time it took to take a piss?

Zhao Shu frowned, walked over, and kicked the Alpha who was leaning against the chair playing on his phone.

“Where is he?”

Before Pei Qingyu could answer, Zhao Shu thought for a moment, then asked with a hint of disbelief,

“Don’t tell me he knocked over the champagne table again?”

Pei Qingyu looked up at him like he was looking at an idiot.

His thin lips moved slightly as he said concisely, “No.”

Seeing Zhao Shu visibly relax, he found him a bit amusing.

“If you’re so worried about him, why didn’t you keep an eye on him yourself?”

Zhao Shu’s expression changed slightly.

He didn’t even know where to start answering that.

He was avoiding Wu Qie.

The kind of avoidance where he couldn’t even meet his eyes.

Ever since this engagement existed, he had always thought that aside from the two families being one-sided about it, everything else was a problem between him and Wu Qie…

Until this afternoon, when that conversation with Zhao Guipu in the heavy rain at the cemetery made him realize something else entirely.

—The Wu family had a powerful, long-established business.

Unfortunately, Wu Qie was a Beta.

Wu Wenxiong and Li Junbi would never dislike their own son.

But not everything can be solved by idealism.

Reality proved that Betas have a natural submissiveness toward Alphas.

This meant that in future business situations led by Wu Qie, there would inevitably need to be a top-tier Alpha sitting at the negotiation table, controlling things from behind the scenes.

—On the other side was the Zhao family, which had multiple top-tier Alphas.

Zhao Qiushi’s precedent made Zhao Guipu deeply resent the mutual restraint between Alphas and Omegas.

In his view, Zhao Shu’s marriage partner could only be a Beta—someone who wouldn’t cloud an Alpha’s judgment.

The Wu family matched the Zhao family perfectly in status.

Wu Qie being a Beta made him practically heaven-chosen.

As for loyalty in marriage, or whether this unstable Alpha–Beta relationship was fair to Wu Qie, Zhao Guipu didn’t care.

That was the truth.

Knowing too much really was harmful to one’s health.

Right now, Zhao Shu had no idea how to face Wu Qie calmly.

He was so distracted that even when he was peeing, he almost missed his aim.

He knew his concern was unnecessary.

He could already imagine it—if he awkwardly explained his brother’s morally questionable reason for this arranged marriage, that Beta would probably just stay silent, then say:

“Oh.”

He wouldn’t care at all whether Zhao Shu might cheat with other Omegas in the future.

Damn it.

But just thinking about it made Zhao Shu feel uncomfortable.

So since the afternoon, he had been avoiding Wu Qie a little.

Unsurprisingly, Wu Qie noticed.

But he only noticed—that was all.

In Wu Qie’s eyes, Zhao Shu was probably no different from a moody, unpredictable brat.

After asking him once at the hotel entrance and getting no answer, even when they were in the same space afterward, Wu Qie never approached him again to ask anything further.

Strictly speaking, he didn’t even look at him once.

It felt a bit like the story of the boy who cried wolf.

If this story were told to Pei Qingyu, he would probably gloat and say:

“Now you regret it, huh? If you hadn’t been acting crazy before, you wouldn’t be ignored when something actually matters.”

Now, struggling alone on the edge of morality and legality (*marriage law), Zhao Shu felt that Wu Qie was truly heartless.

That black-hearted Beta.

…

The top-floor banquet hall had only three exits: two emergency stairwells and one main entrance.

To avoid causing further disruption, the manager dragged the troublemaking Omega into the stairwell.

What kind of day was this?

The Zhao family’s funeral.

Making a mistake on a day like this—once Mr. Zhao found out, he could easily dismiss not only this Omega, but also whoever hired him and even the manager on duty.

When Wu Qie pushed open the fire door, he heard crying, along with the manager roaring angrily:

“What kind of Omega are you?! Where’s your carefulness, your flexibility, your intelligence?!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry—”

“Not feeling well?! Hearing this is giving me a heart attack! If you’re unwell, stay home instead of causing trouble!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Manager, I can go apologize to Mr. Zhao—”

“Apologize? You think you can even see him?! Get out right now! Take the stairs down! If you run into a guest and they ask what happened, I’ll call the police immediately! Do you know how much that champagne wall costs?! Just those glasses alone are enough to ruin you! If you can’t pay, you’ll go to jail!”

“The stairs… this is the 73rd floor…”

“What, you still want to walk proudly through the banquet hall looking like this and take the VIP elevator?!”

The shouting echoed loudly.
Wu Qie felt like even the ground beneath his feet was shaking.

Turning the corner, he saw the student being scolded.

He was soaked through.
His white shirt was stained with champagne and wine, leaving blotchy marks.

If he walked out like this, anyone would ask what happened.

And that would be enough to get him into serious trouble.

Wu Qie coughed lightly.

The Omega in the corner flinched violently, looked up, and met eyes with him and the manager.

Feeling slightly awkward under their gazes, Wu Qie adjusted his watch and said,

“Hello. Could I handle this?”

The manager looked him over in the dim light.

A young male Beta.

Gentle-looking, non-threatening.

His features blended softly into the shadows, giving off a calm, approachable aura.

But his clothes and shoes were clearly expensive.

And the watch on his wrist—its blue diamond shimmered even in the dim light.

“May I ask who you are?” the manager asked.

“I’m his teacher,” Wu Qie replied.

…

Ten minutes later, Wu Qie walked out of the stairwell.

He was now wearing a white shirt and holding a cheap, wine-stained waiter’s uniform jacket.

After some effort, he had convinced the manager not to pursue the matter and to pay the student his wages.

He had even cited the law.

[Public Health and Secondary Gender Rights Act, Article 173:
If an Omega shows signs of heat and is unwell, their work must be terminated immediately, and their wages must still be paid.]

Standing there reciting legal clauses for 500 yuan…

The more Wu Qie thought about it, the more absurd and embarrassing it felt.

After sending the manager away, he quickly realized the student’s condition wasn’t good.

His heat was approaching.

His breathing was hot, and there was no way he could walk down seventy-three floors.

Wu Qie gave him his coat and told him to leave quietly using the staff elevator.

The Omega kept thanking him, his face flushed red.

“There might be my scent on the clothes…”

“It’s fine,” Wu Qie said with a smile.

“I’m a Beta. It doesn’t affect me.”

…

Holding the stained uniform, Wu Qie stepped out of the stairwell.

He glanced at the name tag.

Duan Bairui (Ω).

He remembered that the school’s scholarships were quite generous.

Students from poorer districts often relied on them to support their families.

So why was this student working here?

A gambling father?

A sick mother?

A useless brother?

A broken life?

Wu Qie let his imagination wander for a moment.

Then—

“Hey, why are you slacking off dressed like that?”

A voice came from behind.

Before he could react, someone rushed up and kicked him.

Wu Qie stumbled, turned around, and met a stranger’s gaze.

The man shoved a tray of expensive liquor into his hands.

“Take this upstairs.”

Wu Qie froze.

…

Meanwhile, Zhao Shu and Pei Qingyu were searching everywhere.

They found Duan Bairui instead.

Zhao Shu’s expression darkened instantly.

“Who the hell are you? Where did those clothes come from? Where is Wu Qie?!”

The Omega trembled violently.

Just as he was about to collapse—

A cool pheromone spread through the air, calming everything.

“Zhao Shu. He’s our classmate. He’s about to go into heat. If you keep yelling, he’ll collapse.”

Pei Qingyu stepped in.

…

At the same time—

Wu Qie had already reached the very top floor.

Three thousand square meters of decadence.

Dim lights.

Strange music.

Masked guests.

Omegas wearing collars, moving like commodities.

It felt unreal.

Wu Qie instinctively wanted to leave.

But before he could—

He saw a man stuff money into an Omega’s underwear, then bite into his neck.

The Omega trembled, crying out.

The scene was chaotic and excessive.

Disgust surged up instantly.

What kind of people attend a funeral in the morning and throw a party like this at night?

Wu Qie stood at the edge of the dance floor, completely out of place.

Then suddenly—

A hand touched him from behind.

His expression turned cold instantly.

“Take your hand off my ass.”

“I’ll count to three.”

“Three.”

The expensive bottle smashed straight into the Alpha’s face.