Apex Predator - Chap 52

Shen Dai spent the entire evening sitting by the window, from darkness until daybreak. From here one could overlook most of the front courtyard of the Qu residence where Qu Moyu’s car would pass every morning and evening.

When he had first arrived at the Qu residence, he would spend every evening working while keeping an ear out for the clamour of the engine. The minute he heard Qu Moyu return, he would walk to this very spot, pull apart a narrow opening in the curtains, and secretly watch him get down from the car. Even a fleeting glance like this was enough to give him a feeling of contentment.

After all, in the past, all he could do was try his luck once a year to catch a glimpse of him from afar. At what point did he start becoming greedier and greedier?

Qu Moyu said: that from the first time he had asked for his WeChat, he could already read his thoughts.

Though he had longing back then, he still stayed rational. Wanting always in his heart of hearts to get closer, yet exercising the utmost self-control.

If only they could have just stayed forever in that moment of time. It was enough if he just mentally dealt with the petty disappointment of secretly liking someone he shouldn’t.

But later on, as they grew closer and closer, he found himself falling deeper and deeper, wanting more and more. It was like he was speeding ahead in a car with malfunctioning brakes, knowing full well that all it would take was a bump in the road for him to be smashed to smithereens, yet being powerless to stop.

Sure enough, everything went out of control and crashed.

He didn’t dare believe that things between them could have just changed overnight, or that Qu Moyu could be this cold-hearted and ruthless, even less that he could have let himself fall into such an unbearable situation.

He lowered his head and peered down at his flat stomach, resting the palm of his hand gently on top of it.

Obviously, there were no signs of pregnancy yet, but it still felt as if he were already “touching” the presence of a new life. This kind of sensation was really miraculous. Was he truly capable of conceiving another human being?

Having already witnessed firsthand Shen Qin’s misfortune for the greater part of his life, he thought that the one thing he couldn’t bring himself to do in this lifetime was to have an illegitimate child. Of course, one shouldn’t bring an unwanted child into the world. But what he was experiencing was even more unbearable than having an illegitimate child. He and his Alpha had once looked forward to this child with joy, only to find out later that it was just the hormones during rut playing tricks on them. As he was signing the divorce papers, every stroke of the pen had been a knife gouging his heart.

The cold and ruthless eyes of Qu Moyu that hovered in his mind were like the ferocious eyes of a beast, and he couldn’t get them out of his head; Bright pupils glowing with resoluteness, anger, and impatience – everything but affection.

How ridiculous that he was still clinging to a thread of hope, thinking that this was just a misunderstanding between them, that as long as they could clear it up, they could reconcile.

Qu Moyu had laid it out so clearly- the truth of the matter was not at all important, not important at all. What was important was that he was not worthy of having the mark of a top Alpha, nor was he worthy of bearing a top Alpha’s child. Which was why, even if he were innocent, the divorce settlement and the decision to “handle what was breached in the contract” would still be waiting for him when Qu Moyu woke up.

You Baiyue was right. He had overestimated his own abilities. How could he have thought himself capable of moving a top Alpha’s heart? How could he have misinterpreted Qu Moyu’s tossing him a few scraps of kindness out of pity as a sign of his fondness for him? How could he have taken the words said by an Alpha in a state of rut as a commitment?

But aside from overestimating his abilities, aside from liking a person that he shouldn’t have, he hadn’t done anything evil. Why did he have to suffer such a punishment? What right did Qu Moyu have to treat him like this!

It was time for this one-sided love to end.

Going by the script that he had anticipated since the beginning, he was meant to enter a marriage contract with a total stranger, receive the money, and then settle the debt. If the person involved hadn’t been Qu Moyu, all these new issues wouldn’t have cropped up, and he wouldn’t have found himself in this predicament.

All there was left to do now was to get things back on track, conclude the marriage, and terminate the pregnancy. His first consideration, ensuring his grandmother’s recovery and taking good care of her, had been achieved— it was already enough.

As for his “vague and imaginary” feelings, they were completely worthless.

It was time to end it.

But then, even if there was no trace left of what little he and Qu Moyu had before, the existence of this child was already very real.

Shen Dai abruptly exerted pressure on his stomach, causing discomfort even to himself. He wasn’t sure of what his intention was—whether he was trying to sense the child’s presence more clearly or wished for the child to vanish entirely.

This was his and Qu Moyu’s child!

He was hurting so much, in his stomach, even more in his heart, but he found himself unable to shed a tear, and he couldn’t find space for hatred either. This night being so long, he broke apart and shattered past and future, pros and cons, emotions and logic, contemplating them thoroughly. That should suffice to come up with a decision that was both most logical and advantageous for himself.

He was not going to follow in Shen Qin’s footsteps.

Perhaps fearing that Shen Dai might have a change of heart, Lawyer Chen had planned a very tight ‘schedule’ for the next day.

First thing in the morning, he and Qu Moyu would get divorced, then they would head to the hospital.

Old Wu wasn’t driving the Phantom Sedan but instead took the MPV to pick them up, which Lawyer Chen had prepared in advance.

Shen Dai was seated beside Qu Moyu, head turned towards the window the entire journey. He pretended to be lost in his thoughts but in truth, he was enveloped by Qu Moyu’s all-pervasive ebony wood pheromones. At any given time, he found himself incapable of freeing himself from this constant scent, and if the both of them were near each other, the stronger it became, and all the more intoxicating.

He was afraid that if he just turned around to look, he might start uncontrollably begging Qu Moyu not to toss him away like this. His sense of purpose had always outweighed his sense of self-worth – he would never have sold himself to repay his debt otherwise, but as soon as he knew that something was impossible to achieve, he would not pointlessly go after it.

Qu Moyu kept stealing glances at Shen Dai, who had left him with only the view of the back of his head and his slender, fair neck. The pheromone-blocking patch on his nape was partially concealed under the roots of his hair. Tear it off, and it would reveal two faint pink bite scars—the eternally indelible imprints he had left on his omega’s gland when he marked him.

He was itching so much to tear it off, and once again examine the mark which symbolised his total possession.

He had been so busy dealing with various matters during this period that it had been a long time since he had been in such close proximity to Shen Dai. Inside the airtight interior of the car, his nostrils were completely filled with the simple and elegant fragrance of the epiphyllum. Shen Dai, having been marked by him, seemed to be welcoming full bloom after maturation. The once faint pheromones now occupied all his senses with ease. And he was the only one who could smell it— because this flower only bloomed for him.

This was his omega, the sole person in the entire world that he had marked.

He only had to think to this one point, and an indescribable urge would spring up within him – he had always been wary of this urge.

The car came to a stop. Lawyer Chen broke the silence inside the car. “President Qu, Mr Shen. Let’s get down. I’ve already got the necessary people in place. As long as both of you follow procedures, everything will be taken care of quickly.”

Shen Dai was silent as he stepped out. Following Lawyer Chen, the three of them entered a private office. Lawyer Chen took two red booklets out of his briefcase and placed them in front of the clerk.

There was a pause in Shen Dai’s breathing. His gaze dazedly fell upon those two marriage certificates

It seemed to be the only real thing that connected him to Qu Moyu, and now, it too, would be gone.

When the clerk held out his hand to take the marriage certificates, Shen Dai suddenly grabbed them in a preemptive move that left everyone stunned.

Shen Dai opened the pages of the marriage certificate. He gazed at the only photograph of the two of them. One was reserved, the other going through the motions – nothing at all like an affectionate couple about to embark on a new life together, which they never were to begin with.

A business transaction that he insisted on treating as real.

Qu Moyu was also gazing at the wedding photograph. His chest tightened, a feeling of inexplicable discomfort washing over him. Recalling the day of the marriage, he had arrived in haste, then departed with equal haste, with another meeting awaiting him. He had barely looked his “wife” in the eye; Instead, he deliberately maintained his distance. Everything that followed afterward had repeatedly shattered his principles. And although he could have called for it to stop, he never did, not until…

Shen Dai closed the marriage certificate, putting it back exactly as it had been. Apart from answering the clerk’s questions, he didn’t utter another word. He was terrified that a mere moment of carelessness would reveal the wounds over his entire body.

Red booklet in, red booklet out. A marriage certificate turned into a divorce certificate. Qu Moyu was in the middle of severing the link between them with each stroke, eager to absolve himself of any relationship with him.

Shen Dai looked at Qu Moyu. That was the first time today that he looked directly at him. Just looked at him, with those reddened eyes.

Did it hurt? Not anymore. He was numb.

Qu Moyu’s body stiffened for a moment; he placed his hands behind his back and gripped them tightly, emitting a faint sound from his bones.

Back in the car again. The next destination would be the hospital.

With the rumble of the engine’s ignition, Shen Dai was suddenly overcome by a sense of dread. Perhaps it was only then that he finally ‘understood’ what he was about to do – he was about to kill his own child.

He was so anxious. His heart was pounding. Beads of sweat were constantly forming on his forehead. He was unable to sit still.

Through pheromone communication, Qu Moyu immediately perceived the fluctuations in Shen Dai’s mood. The latter’s sadness and fear seemed to be contagious. He couldn’t help but whisper, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Dai lowered his head without saying a word. He was enduring, enduring the weight of everything on his shoulders at this very moment.

Upon seeing Shen Dai’s pale complexion, his slender back trembling, and that fragile, helpless appearance, Qu Moyu’s expression turned even more gloomy. He looked at Lawyer Chen in silence, leaned back in his chair, and forced himself not to look at Shen Dai.

Seated at the front, Lawyer Chen turned his head upon overhearing, gave Qu Moyu a look, and quietly shook his head, signalling to him not to pay any attention to Shen Dai at this time to avoid any emotional conflict.

The car reached the hospital. Once again, Qu Moyu spoke up, “Both of you get down first.”

Lawyer Chen and Old Wu both opened the doors and got out at the same time.

Qu Moyu gently pulled back the sleeve of his shirt and glanced at his watch, adjusting his mood with this gesture. Once again, he spoke up, “You don’t have to feel wronged. I’ve already set up a trust fund of ten million in your name. As long as you continue to keep this matter a secret and don’t do anything stupid, you will be able to withdraw a certain amount of money from it every month. If you wish, you can continue working at the Research Institute. I’ll give you all the benefits I promised you at the beginning, when the time is right. This is as much kindness as I can give you, based on… the time that you spent by my side.”

Shen Dai caught one of his fingers with his other fingers and twisted it, twisted it until it hurt, but he still didn’t let go.

Trembling slightly, he stated, “I’d like to be transferred.”

“What?”

“I’d like to be transferred. To Gansu.”

Shen Dai was by no means an impulsive person, particularly when it came to decisions as important as moving to a different city. This was something that he had been thinking about the night before. He had no intention of throwing away his precious job. But as his professor had said, there was talk everywhere at the moment. He didn’t want to work in that kind of atmosphere, and especially not somewhere so close to Qu Moyu. Perhaps a change of environment would be what would save him.

Having understood what Shen Dai was saying, Qu Moyu felt a sudden rush of anger to his head. They had hardly even finished the divorce procedures and Shen Dai already wanted to get away from him?! Could it be that this Omega was in a hurry to get rid of his child and start a new life for himself? He glared at him, then coldly spat out a single word, “Fine.”

Shen Dai pulled open the car door and got down.