Apex Predator - Chap 3
Beads of sweat started to form on his forehead. The person in front of him appeared at once close yet distant, at once hazy yet clear. His mind went numb, in an instant he lost all ability to reason, whatever emotions he had before vanished. He had the sensation that this was unreal, this was extremely unreal.
In the midst of all this, Qu Moyu sat calmly observing him.
Shen Dai stuffed his hands into his pockets and lightly clenched his fists. A long time passed before he settled down. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak, “We… I didn’t know it was…you.”
“You didn’t know it was me,” Qu Moyu repeated, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
Shen Dai wanted to bury his head in shame. Admittedly, what he just said sounded rather far-fetched. If it were him, he wouldn’t have believed it either.
“Are you disappointed?”
“Not at all. not at all,” Shen Dai hurriedly replied.
”In that case, let us get back to the question,” Qu Moyu continued, “What are your requirements after the marriage?”
Shen Dai slowly drew in a breath and countered, “What are your requirements?”
“The primary motivation for this partnership is the mutual benefit and cooperation of both parties, therefore what I require from you is to sign an agreement before the marriage. This agreement would clarify the ownership of assets, as well as other marital rights. After the marriage, you would function as a conventional wife, all while maintaining discretion, keeping a low profile, being loyal and knowing your boundaries. “
Qu Moyu said all this quickly and effortlessly. Evidently, all these words had been prepared in advance for this moment.
Shen Dai nodded his head.
“Our lawyer, Mr Chen will discuss the specific details with you,” said Qu Moyu, giving the person next to him a look.
Lawyer Chen smiled and nodded, “Very well.”
“That being said, what about your requirements? I will provide you with a lifestyle in accordance with what I would provide my wife. There is no need to feel embarrassed, This is simply the respect that you are entitled to. You can also make adjustments to your place of residence to keep your current way of doing things. So, based on all that I’ve said so far, do you have any opinions?”
Shen Dai caught sight of Qu Moyu giving his watch another glance and came to a disappointing realisation.
Sitting here face to face were two people on the precipice of becoming husband and wife.
This sudden and major turn of events shook his spiritual world, causing the earth to tremble and the mountains to shake. His whole life was about to go through unforeseeable and drastic changes. Against the impending storm and surging tides of fate, his only safeguard from the unknown was his own inner calmness.
But for Qu Moyu, this whole matter was only worth the brief interval between lunchtime and his next meeting, like a routine task to be quickly dealt and dispensed with.
For him, the occasion of marriage was not an “occasion”, but the “mutual benefit and cooperation of both parties”.
Shen Dai’s fever began to cool. Qu Moyu was right, after all, this was only a partnership. In the first place, he had agreed to marry a stranger to clear his debts. It was only after he realised his fiancé was Qu Moyu that he started to indulge in fantasies. He was the one bringing unnecessary emotions into the picture.
Shen Dai raised his head. For the first time, he looked Qu Moyu straight in the eye.
For an Omega like him to meet the gaze of a first-grade Alpha took tremendous courage.
He was the herbivorous prey looking up at the carnivorous predator, though the latter displayed no intention at all to attack.
He asked, ”President Qu, where will I live after the marriage? Will it be far from the office?”
Qu Moyu was taken by surprise. “Do you intend to continue working?”
“…I can’t continue working?” Shen Dai became hesitant. He didn’t just have a good job – it was his ideal role. If this was the price he needed to pay then it was too steep.
“Of course you can, It would be a shame for the company to lose an outstanding employee such as you.”
He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
“Engineer Shen, for matters of legality and procedure, you may discuss them at length with Lawyer Chen. If you have any questions or requests, feel free to bring them up. I still have other things to attend to, so I’ll first be leaving,” said Qu Moyu as he started to get up.
”Alright. President Qu, don’t let me take up any more of your time,” replied Shen Dai, following suit.
Qu Moyu was too tall. If Alphas were generally tall, then he could be said to be exceptionally so. He was like a wall that cast a shadow on Shen Dai’s body. Shen Dai tilted his head to look up at him.
From the time that Shen Dai entered the room, Qu Moyu’s oppressive aura had yet to dissipate. Instead, it had become even stronger. Nonetheless, he still came across as courteous and sophisticated.
While Alphas were prevalent in everyday society, S-class Alphas were far and few between. The ability of S-class Alphas to use a technique known as pheromone suppression was frightening. It was like possessing a lethal weapon capable of breaking a person both physically and mentally. In fact, laws had been introduced prohibiting its usage to prevent people from getting hurt. Though Shen Dai had never encountered it before, he had heard about it from others.
In spite of this, Qu Moyu treated people around him in a gentle manner – a mark of his upper class refinement, giving Shen Dai an even more favourable impression of him.
After Qu Moyu departed, Shen Dai exhaled in relief.
“Engineer Shen, please have a seat, we still have many more details to discuss,” said Lawyer Chen politely, pulling out a thick document file from his briefcase.
Upon seeing it, Shen Dai remarked, “That’s the prenuptial agreement.”
“Well, ‘Prenuptial agreement’ is more of a blanket term. Not only does this contract cover asset ownership, but also rules of confidentiality, goodwill and reputation, individual rights and obligations during the marriage, to name a few. Of course, as mentioned by President Qu, these are merely the requirements on our end. You may also put forward your own. I will help facilitate the negotiations and communication.”
Shen Dai picked up the file and briefly skimmed it through. “This is really too thick.”
“That won’t be an issue. I can stay and wait while you read it carefully.”
Lawyer Chen continued, “Although the contract is yours, you won’t be permitted to remove this copy from the office without signing it first.”
“Of course, if you don’t wish to read it, I can easily summarise the key points for you.”
“Please do.”
This marriage will not exceed a duration of five years, and the date of termination will be chosen at President Qu’s discretion.
You will be required to keep the marriage entirely confidential, both during the marriage and after its dissolution. Similarly, any sensitive information you learn regarding President Qu and the Qu family is to be kept entirely confidential.
Within the duration of the marriage, you are expected to fulfil your obligations as a wife, outlined by President Qu before: maintaining discretion, keeping a low profile, being loyal and knowing your boundaries.
This term, “knowing your boundaries”, refers to doing your utmost to abide by President Qu’s arrangements, yet at the same time not interfering in his private life and work.
In regards to your day-to-day living, the housekeeper of the Qu family will follow up with you on this in person at a later time.
Aside from that, you may be expected to cooperate with You Xinghai and President Qu to handle the transfer of certain resources. This being the main aim of the partnership: the integration of the resources of the two companies – with the family ties between you and You Xinghai forming the basis of President Qu’s trust.
You will not be entitled to any assets acquired by President Qu before and during the marriage. Additionally, you will not be permitted to conceive President Qu’s child without authorisation.
Nevertheless, President Qu will still provide you with additional compensation once the marriage is dissolved, on condition that you respect all the terms of this agreement. You would receive the freedom and respect that you deserve, as well as a substantial alimony.
Shen Dai quietly watched as Lawyer Chen carried on.
The lawyer’s professionalism and reasoning were impeccable, but Shen Dai could not help but feel a slight uneasiness. Though he wasn’t what you would call an idealist, he couldn’t bring himself to view marriage as an entirely utilitarian affair.
No doubt, his marriage was a transaction, but he wasn’t cynical enough to believe that was how marriages should be. He was only doing it for lack of better options. But whether it was You Xinghai, Qu Moyu, or the person standing in front of him, they all viewed this marriage as a matter of course.
Shen Dai interrupted, saying, “I’ll agree to everything and sign it directly. Let’s not waste any more of your time.”
Lawyer Chen gave him a token smile, not in the least bit surprised. “Very well.”
He handed Shen Dai a pen. “All the places marked with a label will require your signature and a fingerprint.”
Shen Dai immersed himself in signing the documents. He mused that he was effectively signing his own indenture. Had it not been an inappropriate time and place, he might even have started laughing.
When it was finished, Lawyer Chen meticulously checked it twice.
“Thank you for your cooperation”
“You’re welcome. In that case, I’ll head back.”
“Do you really not have any requests?” asked Lawyer Chen, switching from his professional tone to one that hinted he was trying to offer a bit of advice.
“As President Qu stated, you could ask for a higher standard of living, or even bring up a few legitimate needs.”
“As long as I don’t owe anyone money, my standard of living is decent enough, thank you”
Shen Dai nodded his head to give his regards and left in a leisurely manner.
When he returned to the laboratory, everyone paused what they were currently working on to turn around in unison and look at him.
Shen Dai smiled, “Don’t gossip, it was nothing.”
Shen Dai was the most senior member of the team. He carried a bit of respect, having been brought on board around the time the experimental group was first established. If he didn’t want to talk, nobody would dare gossip. This is what he liked most about the field of academia, people attached more importance to experience and results rather than gender.
Things were different with Cheng Zimei. They had been classmates before and could talk about anything under the sun. Other than their Professor, only Cheng Zimei knew about Shen Dai’s debts.
The moment that he sat down, Cheng Zimei pulled a chair over to his side and asked in a low voice, “What’s the situation?”
Shen Dai looked at her and said, “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, it’s just that I don’t know how to explain.”
“No worries, my great scientific research can wait.” Cheng Zimei blinked innocently and looked at him.
“I signed a confidentiality agreement,” said Shen Dai, feeling a little embarrassed.
“What! That’s so mysterious,” Cheng Zimei stared at him, wide-eyed. But she knew what Shen Dai was like. If he didn’t want to talk, there was no way anyone was going to pry his lips open. If not for his father’s crippling debts he would never have sought help from others in the first place.
Forcing a smile, Shen Dai said, “Anyway, it was good news.”
“Great, as long as it’s good news,” Cheng Zimei laughed and added, “When you get rich someday don’t forget about me.”
Shen Dai also laughed.
“Oh right, which department did you visit at headquarters? Did you manage to bump into the Crown Prince?”
”No I didn’t.”
“That’s a pity.”
“What’s a pity?”
“Don’t play dumb. Do you really think I don’t know? Every time you come across the Crown Prince you’re totally awestruck.”
Shen Dai replied nonchalantly, “Isn’t that normal? He’s just too good-looking.”
“That’s true. Sometimes I really wonder, how is it possible for a man that perfect to exist in this world? What kind of top-tier Omega could possibly be worthy of him?”
You Baiyue would be worthy, thought Shen Dai to himself.
This was one of the things that puzzled him the most. Why would You Baiyue allow himself to be marked by someone else, when his fiancé was already a flawless S-class Alpha? From the tone of voice that You Xinghai had used, it didn’t seem like a case of assault, more likely it was a case of the ‘disobedient child bringing misfortune to his family’, so to speak. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of pity on You Baiyue’s behalf.
To effortlessly earn ten million and marry Qu Moyu at the same time, it was as if the heavens were stuffing a winning lottery ticket into his mouth. Yet at the same time, he couldn’t feel joyful, having learnt from countless predecessors that nothing good could come out of an undeserved windfall.
1. the ‘disobedient child bringing misfortune to his family’ (孩子不懂事家门不幸) | A child’s actions or behavior can have a significant impact on the reputation or well-being of their family.
2. …that nothing good could come out of an undeserved windfall. | The proverb used here was 德不配位，必有灾殃, from the Neo-Confucian philosopher Zhu Xi’s book “Aphorisms for Governing the Family”, which means “Calamity will befall those who are lacking in virtue”.
This proverb suggests that there is a natural order in the world, and those who lack the moral character or virtue to match their social status and rewards will eventually face negative consequences.
