Apex Predator - Chap 36
One after another the members of the Qu family arrived, until all of them were present.
Though some of them Shen Dai had met before, there were even more unfamiliar faces.
Old Man Qu’s four children had all branched out and established their own families. And now, there were already four generations under the same roof – what could be described as a prosperous and thriving lineage.
While Shen Dai quietly sat next to Qu Moyu, listening to him chat with his relatives, Qu Moyu’s parents were on the other side exchanging pleasantries with others. Qu Chengchen had also arrived and was presently playing poker with some relatives. Two children ran about the living room while laughing noisily, letting out ear-piercing shrieks from time to time. At this moment, the spacious and tranquil estate had finally gained somewhat of the lively and vibrant atmosphere of a home.
Just then, a young Alpha girl came over. She appeared to be about twelve or thirteen years old and very pretty. She was very politely wishing every one of her seniors, seeming like a little grown-up. “Older cousin, Happy new year. Older cousin’s wife, Happy new year.”
“Renren got taller again,” said Qu Moyu, gently patting the girl’s head and giving Shen Dai a wink. Shen Dai had several red envelopes tucked in the inner lining of his jacket, ready to hand out to the children of the family. Retrieving one from his pocket, he passed it to her and said, “Happy new year.”
She graciously accepted it. Then, looking towards Shen Dai, she asked, “They say you graduated from the University of Science and Technology and that you work at the Research Institute? Do you have a master’s degree? Have you already gotten your doctorate?”
“I’m in the midst of pursuing one.”
Nodding her head, she quickly scanned him once over. “Last year, during the Youth Cup Competition hosted by UST over the summer vacation, I won the first prize nationwide in the mathematics category. In the future, I’ll be able to get a recommendation for admission there, though I do have better alternatives, of course. What are your thoughts on the campus life there?”
Shen Dai was struck by how mature, put-together, and self-confident this girl was. With a combination of emotional and intellectual intelligence far surpassing her peers, displaying no hint of shyness and presenting herself well – was this just how Alphas from wealthy families were raised? At the same age, receiving a red envelope from his elders would have made him retreat awkwardly and hide, let alone being this articulate and taking control of the conversation.
All of a sudden, the thought of Qu Moyu’s older female cousin crossed his mind — how lofty the ambitions of an Alpha born to privilege must have been, and how intense the frustration of suffering a defeat in competition must have felt. This story became all the more heartbreaking the more you pondered upon it.
“I think it’s great,” said Shen Dai, smiling at her. “Though, I’m not sure if it will meet all your expectations.”
“I’m still not sure either. I’m quite keen on UST, but I’m still young, so I’m not completely settled on my plans for the future,” said Renren, returning Shen Dai with a smile of her own. “Pass me your WeChat contact! If I have any questions in the future I’ll be able to ask for your guidance.”
After she had walked away, several relatives began praising her. Shen Dai leaned in close to Qu Moyu and whispered, “Were you like this when you were young?”
Qu Moyu snickered, “Isn’t she adorable?”
“Adorable.” Only not very childlike.
“I was smarter than her,” said Qu Moyu. Reaching under the table to grab Shen Dai’s hand, he gave it a gentle squeeze.
Shen Dai instantaneously clasped Qu Moyu’s fingers. The two of them had already done every intimate deed imaginable together, yet this clandestine act of holding hands under the watchful eyes of others still stirred his heart. How he wished that this ambiguity and sweetness could last just a little while longer.
Later that evening, Grandfather Qu finally appeared. He was seated in a wheelchair, his face sallow and gaunt, with greying hair at his temples. His eyes had a cloudy appearance, and the backs of his withered hands were dotted with intravenous needle marks. Overall, his physical condition seemed very poor.
Shen Dai thought of a photograph taken in Grandfather Qu’s prime that he had seen hanging on a wall at a company exhibition.
His entrepreneurial achievements from that period were filled with thrilling successes and failures, which were all a topic of avid discussion among those within the industry. To him, this person was a legendary figure, one of the pioneers who had driven the flourishing growth of the Rare Earth industry domestically, with contributions that deserved to be recorded in history. It was only a pity that such a formidable entrepreneur could be so easily crushed by illness.
With his children and grandchildren standing in line on two sides, they wished him a Happy New Year in chorus.
Grandfather Qu nodded his head. “Everyone’s arrived. How wonderful to have such a big family.”
“Dad, you seem a lot more energetic today,” said Qu Shen, smiling.
“Grandpa managed to have half a bowl of rice and a few bites today. He also took a nap in the afternoon. So he saved up enough energy to celebrate the New Year,” responded the nurse, who was standing behind Grandfather Qu.
Unexpectedly, a wave of cheerful applause broke out.
Grandfather Qu chuckled and replied, “Looking at all you adults, nothing has changed, but children change after just three days. Wonderful.”
Only after the nurse had pushed him to the head of the dining table, did the rest take their seats one after the other to start the New Year’s Eve reunion dinner.
Over dinner, Grandfather Qu spoke at length with his family, delivering his words in a composed and deliberate manner. He touched upon various matters concerning the company, but his main focus was offering advice to his family members, encouraging husbands and wives to resolve their marital conflicts, for instance, or the question of educating children. Combined with his frail condition, it was all rather heartbreaking.
Once the meal was over, it was time for all children and grandchildren to take turns in wishing Grandfather Qu a happy new year. As the eldest, Qu Chengchen’s father had the honour of being the first to serve tea, accompanied by his wife. After they had gone around the second generation one by one, it was Qu Moyu’s turn to serve tea.
Shen Dai followed Qu Moyu, keeping close to him. He couldn’t help but feel anxious.
All the way back to his internship at Xingzhou, he had thought about being able to catch a glimpse of this legendary entrepreneur in person, although by then, the Old man was already semi-retired. Never ever did he imagine that he could be a granddaughter-in-law of the Qu family one day, if only just a temporary one.
The history of Grandfather Qu and the development of Xingzhou unfolded vividly before his eyes. This was the first time that he truly felt the immense power of the Qu family, and could see with remarkable clarity the unbridgeable divide that separated him from Qu Moyu.
The two of them held up the teacups and respectfully bowed. “Grandfather, Happy new year.”
Grandfather Qu nodded with a smile. When he looked at Qu Moyu, his eyes visibly lit up. This was his most favoured top Alpha successor, after all.
“How are things at the company recently?”
“Everything is fine. You can rest assured.”
“You must also make sure to take care of your health.”
“I will.”
Looking towards Shen Dai, Grandfather Qu said, “They’ve told me a few things about you. For an omega to have such a career is no small feat. But now that you have married into the Qu family, you need to make every effort to put your family first, and also take good care of Moyu in your day-to-day life.”
In a low voice, Shen Dai replied, “I understand.”
“Quickly give the Qu family a few Alphas.”
Though Shen Dai respectfully agreed, he felt a sense of helplessness in his heart. This legendary figure had suddenly lost his halo.
Gesturing to the nurse behind him, Grandfather Qu said, “This is a just small gift to welcome you. May you both have a good life together.” The nurse took out a red envelope and handed it to Shen Dai.
“Thank you very much.”
After all the grandchildren were done paying their respects, Grandfather Qu became tired, and the nurse pushed him back to his room to get some rest.
While Qu Moyu was dragged off by some of his elders to go play cards, Shen Dai took his mobile phone and went into the empty sitting room to make a video call to his grandmother.
Some people were watching TV, some playing cards, and others chatting, all of them waiting for the New Year’s Eve bells to ring and for the entire process of celebrating the Lunar New Year to end.
This room was decorated in a European style which could conveniently pass off as a hotel in a foreign country.
His grandmother bombarded him with questions, worried if he were adjusting to being overseas, if he was tired from the plane journey, among other things. Every now and then, Shen Qin would make an appearance in the frame, to update him on the menu for their New Year’s Eve dinner. With grandmother, son and grandson chatting together about everyday matters, the atmosphere was warm and harmonious. Shen Dai even found that his father was starting to grow on him.
After chatting for half an hour, his grandmother, worried that he might not be able to get over his jetlag, ended the call to let him rest.
Just as Shen Dai was leaving, he found himself face-to-face with Qu Chengchen. Did just happen to be coming in, or was he trying to block his exit? Whatever it was, Shen Dai was immediately on his guard.
Qu Chengchen appeared like he wanted to laugh. “What are you so nervous about? What can I even do to you?”
“Nothing good ever comes out of your mouth,” snapped Shen Dai. “What do you have to say this time?”
“You’re being so unfair to me,” said Qu Chengchen, the corners of his mouth curling up innocently. “I keep trying to help you, yet you always reject my good intentions.”
Shen Dai glared at him.
Moving a few steps closer to him, Qu Chengchen remarked, “Hmm…you have my big brother’s scent all over you.”
Shen Dai subconsciously wrinkled his nose, but immediately caught himself. Qu Chengchen had only been messing with him. In the absence of any deliberate marking or intentional release of pheromones by Qu Moyu, the scent of pheromones would quickly fade away after they had been in close contact.
Qu Chengchen chuckled to himself. “What I wanted to say is the same as the last time. I can help you get my big brother’s mark. That’s what you want more than anything, right?”
“I don’t believe you. And I’m not going to be used by you either,” replied Shen Dai, coldly. “How about saving your effort for actually improving your performance at work?”
“Why are you being so resistant? Isn’t this clearly a win-win situation?” said Qu Chengchen, crossing his arms. “Don’t you want him to be your alpha?”
“That’s absolutely none of your business.”
“Yes, or no?” said Qu Chengchen, looking directly into his eyes, his gaze piercing.
Under the formidable pressure of a top alpha, Shen Dai felt his legs start to weaken. Confronted with the intensity of that stare, he had lost all courage to argue or lie. He gritted his teeth and secretly tightened his hand into a fist. “Whatever I want, I will fight for it, but only in an upright and honest way.”
“Upright and honest?” Qu Chengchen could not keep himself from laughing. “Under normal circumstances, my older brother would never bestow his mark upon an omega lacking any power, influence, and even any good genes to speak of. Perhaps for now he finds you pleasing to the eye, enjoys the comfort of sleeping with you, and doesn’t mind keeping you by his side. But that’s the extent of it. He’ll toss you some trivial favours, nothing more. When a suitable wife candidate shows up, you’ll just have to step aside and watch him marry someone else. Uprightness? Honesty? With just the likes of you?”
Shen Dai was so furious his chest was pounding. Time and again, Qu Chengchen had tried to give him a hard time and humiliate him. But more than that, every word he said had struck a nerve, because every word of it was true.
“Because you’ve got so few chips in your hand, you can only gamble with so little and dream of hitting the jackpot. Upright and honest? Who are you kidding? Once you have his mark, it doesn’t matter how you got it – half the battle is already won!” Qu Chengchen winked. “Well, are you having a change of heart?”
“In your entire lifetime, have you even beaten him once?” remarked Shen Dai, icily. “What makes you think that you have the power to control something as significant as this?”
“Ordinarily, my older brother could be described as virtually invincible, someone with barely any weak spots. But at the end of the day, he is still human. During their yearly rut, even the most powerful top Alpha will become as vulnerable as a child.”
Shen Dai’s body froze for a moment, and in that extremely brief instant, he felt a trembling of his heartstrings; that was a type of feeling which could be called ‘wavering’.
1. that you graduated from the University of Science and Technology | Renren referred to Keda (科大 Science university) as a proper noun here. I don’t know if Keda is a commonly used nickname among locals for the Beijing University of Science and Technology (also known as BeiKe, Bei Keda, or USTB). or just a generic nickname for a fictitious university specialising in Science and Technology.
