Chapter 22: Jealousy

As one of the emerging architectural landmarks in Nanjiang, this commercial district was built around a five-star hotel. To match the hotel’s high-end positioning, the shopping mall also followed a luxury route. Even the private cinema was designed as a membership-only venue with a strong emphasis on privacy.

Once inside the screening room, Wen Xi understood with a single glance that Lu Xianyan had meticulously arranged this. The room was filled with a dazzling array of equipment and toys that made one’s head spin. This was hardly a “private cinema”; calling it a fetish room would not be an exaggeration.

Thanks to Lu Xianyan, Wen Xi saw the “thirty” she had casually mentioned to Cheng Si—a realistic yet exaggerated design that made her brows knit slightly.

“So, you like this kind?” Lu Xianyan picked up the object to toy with it, his voice suggestive. “An Omega couldn’t handle this sort of thing, but an Alpha certainly could.” “You’re overthinking it,” Wen Xi replied. “I simply think it’s ugly.”

“Then what kind do you like?” Lu Xianyan tested the waters. “I can have one custom-made.”

The room was dimly lit. The girl sat in a spot the light couldn’t reach, her posture relaxed, her eyes devoid of emotion. One hand rested on the armrest—slender and supple, as perfect as a work of art. Lu Xianyan felt a tightening in his lower abdomen; a tremor of numbness surged through his heart. He swallowed involuntarily, unable to stop himself from imagining a scene where he leaned in to lick her skin.

With those thoughts swirling, he moved over and knelt on one knee by her feet. Perhaps he would be grabbed by the hair and thrown aside, or perhaps she would kick him… regardless of the outcome, the prospect fascinated him.

“Give me a try?” Lu Xianyan’s tone was incredibly sincere. “If you don’t try, how do you know you won’t like it?”

Looking at Lu Xianyan’s punchable face, Wen Xi was in a foul mood. For a person like this, hitting or scolding him would only make him more excited. She wasn’t interested in doing something so thankless. Thus, as Lu Xianyan leaned closer, she raised her foot and pressed the tip of her shoe against his throat with moderate force, warning him not to advance a single millimeter.

“I’m curious,” Wen Xi said suddenly. “How many people have you wagged your tail and begged like this in front of?”

Lu Xianyan hadn’t expected her to ask that. His palms grew damp with sweat, and a sudden wave of panic washed over him. However, he knew that if he wanted Wen Xi to choose him, he had to be honest. He bit his lip and answered truthfully: “They haven’t seen my face. Everyone’s boundaries are different. My name is Lu, after all, and I am an Alpha, so I never accept any… invasive behaviors.” He paused, then fully knelt before her like a prisoner, offering his total sincerity: “Wen Xi, if it’s you, I think I could.”

Wen Xi looked down at him and let out a short, sharp laugh. “Do I look that unselective to you?”

“What?”

“I told you,” Wen Xi said, her eyelids lifting slightly as the tip of her shoe pressed harder, grinding his fragile Adam’s apple into the flesh, nearly cutting off his breath. “You are dirty. I am not interested in dirty things.”

Lu Xianyan’s spine stiffened. Cold sweat began to break out, but he didn’t retreat. Amidst his suffocation, he tried to defend himself: “I’m not…”

“That’s part of the reason, and there’s another part—” Wen Xi interrupted, her gaze scanning downward from his broad chest. In this position, the change in his suit trousers was plain to see. She watched with cold indifference. As Lu Xianyan’s face grew increasingly pale, she retracted her foot and spoke with clinical detachment: “As you can see, I’ve already tested it. I am indeed not interested in you.”

Whether as a puppy trying to please a master or an Alpha seeking a mate, Wen Xi’s words were enough to crush his self-esteem. Lu Xianyan looked at her in disbelief.

For a long time, he had possessed a keen, almost supernatural intuition in these matters. Female Omegas, compared to other genders, tended to have a stronger sense of moral shame; many didn’t even realize there was a hidden side to their inner selves. He enjoyed the process of guiding them from “innocent cuties” into “grand demon lords.”

But Wen Xi—the one he had identified at first glance—actually told him after a “trial” that she was not interested.

Damn. Lu Xianyan felt a wave of crushing defeat.

“You’re the one who called it a marriage alliance, so why do you have delusions of finding a compatible partner? Everyone plays their own games,” Wen Xi’s cold voice fell from above. “As far as I know, you aren’t the only unmarried junior in the Lu family. Your siblings, Lu Yunwei and Lu Yinzhi, could both be candidates for an alliance with the Wen family. I still have that much power of choice.”

With every name she mentioned, Lu Xianyan’s expression became more pained.

Wen Xi clicked on the small lamp beside her, the soft glow making her face appear divine. “If you ever dare to act like a ‘slut’ toward me again,” she curled her lips, her voice dropping into a dangerous register, “I won’t be coming back.”

Lu Xianyan slowly stood up. His throat was red from her tread. He accepted her humiliation, his voice hoarse: “Yunwei will only be dirtier than me.”

“And Lu Yinzhi?” Wen Xi tapped her knuckle. Lu Xianyan: “He’s also impossible.” Wen Xi: “I don’t mind that he’s an Omega.”

“It’s not that,” Lu Xianyan replied. Seeing her openness toward Omegas, he gave a self-deprecating smile. He paused, then said half-truthfully, “He’s not in good health. He’s currently hospitalized.”

“Is that so?” Wen Xi mused. “Then perhaps I should pay him a visit.” Lu Xianyan suddenly became guarded. “Do you think I’d be stupid enough to hand you over to him?”

Wen Xi found his reaction amusing and smiled. “What if I said I could make him willingly agree to marry Fu Wansen?”

At those words, Lu Xianyan’s pupils dilated. He stared at her in shock for a long time before he could calm down, his eyes filled with complexity. “How do you know about that?”

Wen Xi had no intention of answering. “That’s not important.”

Lu Xianyan turned her words over in his mind and gradually understood. “You’ve gone in such a large circle just to see Lu Yinzhi?”

“Think whatever you like.” Wen Xi smiled and repeated herself. “Take me to see Lu Yinzhi. I guarantee he won’t think about running away from the wedding anymore.”

Since Lu Xianyan had presented her with a “meeting gift” (the surveillance footage), she naturally had to prepare one for Lu Yinzhi. Fu Wansen was the “dead” female Alpha mercenary—she wondered if that news would be sincere enough for Lu Yinzhi.

“Of course, I’m not doing this for free.” Wen Xi set aside her brief thoughts and continued, “Based on my understanding of my brother, he’s likely already sent people to investigate my recent movements. Your Lu Military Technology… doesn’t it deal in network security services?”

Lu Xianyan: “Yes.”

Wen Xi, finally willing to reveal a piece of her true self, took out her phone and wrote three dates in her notes. “Help me replace the surveillance footage from the south entrance of the Scented Sea City apartments for these three nights without leaving a trace. That shouldn’t be hard, right?”

Lu Xianyan scanned the dates. “It’s only been half a month, and you’ve taken that Omega home three times?” “Haven’t you been tracking me for a long time?” Wen Xi sneered. “Why act so surprised about something you already knew?”

Lu Xianyan: “Aren’t you afraid of being discovered?” “No,” Wen Xi said. “But I’m afraid of trouble.” If Xu Linshen forced her to leave him again, with Cheng Si’s foolishly stubborn character, who knew how many more “two-year periods” he would spend waiting in the shadows.

Lu Xianyan was unwilling to accept losing to an Omega who had nothing. He simply lacked the ability to see the future. If he had known he would meet Wen Xi, he would never have let anyone else touch him.

But he was at a natural disadvantage. He had no choice now, especially since Wen Xi was far more calculated than he imagined. She didn’t need his guidance at all to leave him utterly defeated. She was just a student, yet when he was her age, he had been a reckless rebel.

Finally, Lu Xianyan said, “Deal.”

With business concluded, the two walked out together. As they took the sightseeing elevator down, Lu Xianyan clenched his fist and couldn’t help but add: “I truly want to marry you. Even if you keep playing with him… that’s fine too.”

Wen Xi ignored him. She went into StarChat and opened her chat with Cheng Si to reply to the question she missed this morning. [?: Next time. I’m busy today.]

It was as if he had been waiting for her reply; he asked again instantly. [4: What are you doing? Can I know?]

Wen Xi frowned slightly. Generally, without her permission, Cheng Si wouldn’t take the initiative to ask such intrusive questions. She naturally didn’t answer. [?: No.]

The other side fell silent. Wen Xi could almost imagine Cheng Si’s dejected expression. She asked: [?: What are you doing?] [4: Part-time job.] [?: What kind?]

This time, Cheng Si took a moment to reply. [4: Handing out flyers.]

Ding— The elevator reached the first floor, and the doors opened.

Perhaps suggested by the words “handing out flyers,” she caught sight of someone not far away holding a stack of leaflets, wearing a dog mascot suit. She actually had a momentary hallucination that it was Cheng Si.

Lu Xianyan, keen on observing her, followed her gaze. “It looks like a milk tea shop nearby is promoting a new product. Do you want some?”

As he spoke, the person in the mascot suit seemed to hear him. Very tactfully, they walked over and handed him a flyer. Wen Xi had initially wanted to refuse, but then she imagined Cheng Si handing out flyers. If people took them and went into the shop, would he get a higher commission? “Let’s get some,” she said, her heart softening.

Lu Xianyan turned to go buy the milk tea.

Trapped inside the mascot suit, Cheng Si looked at Wen Xi waiting nearby. The bitterness surging in his chest made his eyes red. He began to self-destructively recall the marks he had just seen on that man.

Wen Xi and that man had been in the private cinema for an hour. After coming down… that man’s Adam’s apple was red, his hair was messy, his pants were wrinkled, and the flush on his cheeks hadn’t faded. Even the knees of his suit trousers were stained with dust.

What kind of position was that? Was it… on the floor? Cheng Si thought with silent, burning jealousy.

Before he could fully process the tidal wave of emotion, the phone in the mascot suit’s pocket suddenly emitted a sharp vibration.

The next second, Wen Xi, who was currently sending a message to Cheng Si, abruptly looked up. Her sharp, inquisitive gaze landed directly on him.