Apex Predator - Chap 7

Being the wife of Qu Moyu, Shen Dai had no choice but to take his place near the head of the table where Qu Shen was seated.

As executive chairman of the Xingzhou corporation, Qu Shen was not the largest shareholder (that would be Qu Moyu’s paternal grandfather), but he was at present the biggest decision maker.

The old man of the Qu family had been retired for many years, and the various branches of the corporation had been split into three groups between his two Alpha sons and one Alpha daughter. While the most significant of these was the Rare Earths and Non-Ferrous metals group in the hands of his second son, Qu Shen, his eldest son controlled the chemical production and energy projects which were undergoing exponential growth.

The siblings of Qu Shen’s generation had fought very bitterly. When Qu Moyu was born, Qu Shen thought that the future of the company was now firmly in his grasp. An S-class Alpha would most certainly become the next leader of the company. Except he hadn’t anticipated that the following year, Qu Chengchen would be born.

Qu Moyu was from a cadet branch of the family and not the first grandchild. And while Qu Chengchen was the son of the firstborn child, he was not the first grandchild either. Moreover, he was a younger brother. Therefore, in terms of succession, both had as much claim as the other. So it came down to who was more cut out for the job and who was more worthy and capable.

Grandfather Qu knew that the existence of the two S-class Alphas would undoubtedly bring about endless internal friction. He had controlled the situation in the past few years with checks and balances. Only, it was a pity that he was old now, and the infighting between his children was becoming more and more evident.

Thinking of some gossip that Cheng Zimei had told him, Shen Dai couldn’t help but steal a glance at Qu Chengchen, who was seated at the other end of the table. For several reasons, he couldn’t stand this person.

”My dad made me get you a gift.” Qu Chengchen said cheerfully, ”Happy birthday Uncle.”

”That’s very kind of you. Chengchen, you’re an adult now, you need to behave with propriety.”

“Yes, I’ve offended my sister-in-law. I’m really mortified.” With a smile on his face, Qu Chengchen quipped, “Talking about that, sister-in-law and I are already closely related. Xiao Yue happens to be Sister-in-law’s younger half-brother.”

While Qu Moyu appeared calm, the expression on his face could be described as rather gloomy. Seated beside him, Shen Dai could palpably sense the fluctuation of his aggressive pheromones. Even though he had stopped releasing them, the two of them were situated too close together, and Shen Dai felt a little suffocated.

“The things you have to do for money…”, thought Shen Dai to himself. After being subjected twice in a row today to the pheromone influence of two top-tier Alphas, he had no appetite for any of the dishes set out in front of him.

A few elders hastily tried to smooth things over: “We’re all family, we’re all family here. Come on now, how about I open that bottle of wine I gave to Second brother?”

This birthday banquet felt more like a corporate dinner – people were only discussing business. Shen Dai hid in Qu Moyu’s shadow, eating and drinking in silence. Secretly he wished he could just go back early and get some sleep.

Throughout the meal, he could sense someone observing him from the side. He knew that it had to be Qu Chengchen. Though someone’s gaze couldn’t hurt him, it made him feel ill at ease.

He knew that Qu Chengchen had deliberately used pheromone suppression on him and tried to embarrass him. Though he was only an innocent bystander, from the point of view of Qu Chengchen, his mere existence was getting in his way.

Qu Chengchen had thought that by marking You Baiyue and breaking up the marriage alliance between Qu Moyu and the You family, he could obstruct the vital interests of all parties involved. He had not accounted for Shen Dai to come into the picture, which also indicated that You Xinghai preferred not to cooperate with Qu Chengchen. Therefore, his ploy had failed.

All the same, Qu Chengchen’s efforts had not entirely been in vain. You Baiyue was an exceptional Omega and very suited for him.

When it came to You Baiyue, Shen Dai’s feelings were mixed. He had no way of feeling any real jealousy towards a person he had never met and had nothing in common with. Although he had often come across his extravagant and upper-class lifestyle online, he never felt that he was entitled to any part of it.

Except it appeared that fate had been surreptitiously drawing them together, forming an indirect connection between them. He tried hard not to think about how where he was currently seated should have been You Baiyue’s place.

If the marriage between Qu Moyu and You Baiyue had gone on as planned, they no doubt would have had a grand and luxurious wedding, covered extensively by the media, and showered with many compliments and blessings. All the guests today would have been huddled around the well-matched newlyweds to socialise.

Not that he desired any of these things – they belonged to the domain of You Baiyue. But he couldn’t lie to himself. How he wished he really was Qu Moyu’s wife.

They were on the road back. Qu Moyu had brought his sullen mood into the car.

After a moment’s hesitation, Shen Dai finally forced himself to speak, not knowing the next time they would meet.

He said softly, “President Qu?”

“Mn.”

“I wanted to ask if I could go back home every weekend. My grandmother is living there all by herself.”

Qu Moyu gave him a glance, “So you do have requirements after all.”

Shen Dai was completely taken aback, “Pardon?”

“Before the marriage, I asked if you had any requirements. Why didn’t you bring it up back then?”

“I, I hadn’t thought of it at the time.”

“But there could be any number of things that you didn’t think of at the time. Are you going to bring them up in this piecemeal way from now on?”

He had nothing to say in reply.

The corners of Qu Moyu’s lips lifted slightly, “Don’t be anxious. I’m not blaming you. It’s just seeing how you – as an ordinary person – had a rare bargaining chip in your hands, yet chose to do nothing. I can’t appreciate this kind of senseless behaviour. But then again, thinking about it, you’re just an Omega after all.”

Shen Dai was stunned.

“Of course, you can go back home. Why would I keep you from seeing your family?”

“…Thank you.”

“As I’ve said, as long as you do what is required of you, you will have freedom and respect. You performed very well today.”

“Thank you.”

“But I must remind you to be wary of Qu Chengchen,” said Qu Moyu, half-turned towards him. He looked fixedly at Shen Dai, his pair of pupils dark and profound. The blue of the car’s ambient glow just happened to reflect faintly in his irises, adding a touch of strange magic to his gaze.

“From the time he was young, he had the habit of competing with me for everything, even for things that he didn’t want.”

Shen Dai frowned slightly, “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Why do you think he marked You Baiyue?”

“So that he could break up your engagement, and break up the partnership you had with You Xinghai.”

“That’s right. And since he didn’t succeed, his attention might shift elsewhere,” Stroking the ring on his index finger lightly, Qu Moyu continued, “Part of our partnership comprises your loyalty. I cannot allow the person with the designation of my wife to embarrass me. When I put it this way do you understand what I mean?”

A deep inhalation of breath. “I understand, but today he released…”

”I know, I’m only reminding you,” said Qu Moyu, turning his head away slightly.

“It’s not that I think little of you. But refusing an Alpha can be rather difficult – for an Omega.”

Shen Dai looked down without saying a word.

That “You’re just an Omega after all” and subsequent “For an Omega” – Everybody knew that Alphas did not consider Betas and Omegas as their equals, no matter what the rest of the world was saying. Even ordinary Alphas were not considered by S-class Alphas to be their equals. Still, knowing that Qu Moyu looked down on him didn’t make him feel good.

“If he offends you, you tell me.”

“….Yes.” Whenever he was with Qu Moyu, he could feel an intangible pressure. Perhaps this feeling was what “Accompanying one’s sovereign can be like accompanying a tiger.” was referring to – that it was risky to get close to powerful people. At times he even wondered if this person from the past, the one who held him firmly in his arms and gently whispered in his ear to calm him, really even existed at all. The truth was that he feared Qu Moyu a little.

The Friday after work, Shen Dai made his way back to his grandmother’s house. For the time being he had yet to come up with an explanation for how he had suddenly acquired ten million yuan, so he made up something about getting a project bonus.

Over the weekend, he had planned to first accompany his grandmother to the hospital and switch her onto a better treatment option. After that, he would go on his own to look at a couple of houses. Preferably a place that could be moved into as soon as possible with a bit of tidying: Either furnished or pre-owned would work. The most important criteria was that it had to be clean and bright, with a balcony that received adequate sunlight for his grandmother to take care of her plants nicely.

He returned to the company dormitory on Sunday evening. Otherwise, the commute between his grandmother’s and the office the following day would have taken over two hours. As he lay in bed playing with his phone, he suddenly received a tabloid link from Cheng Zimei. He clicked on it at once to have a look. It was a couple’s photograph that You Baiyue had taken with Qu Chengchen and posted to his Weibo page. Both of them looked stunning. The aesthetic sensibility and ambience of this photograph was out of a still from an idol drama.

A famous internet celebrity like You Baiyue would always draw immense attention, no matter if it were for something he was wearing or where he was eating, let alone a courtship with the young master of the Qu family – who also happened to be an S-class Alpha.

You Baiyue could be said to be the favoured son of the heavens. His family background, wealth, genetics and looks were all top-rate. Even the spouse he chose was out of most people’s reach. Invariably, his existence would make people lament that the heavens were unfair.

Chang Zimei followed with a text on WeChat: Wow, check out Qu Chengchen! I heard some gossip that he and our dear Crown Prince were both chasing after You Baiyue. But in the end, the Crown Prince didn’t get picked.

Shen Dai felt his heart sink a little: Really? How is that possible?

She replied: That’s what I thought too! You just have to look at him to know he’s a player. He’s just twenty-three and already he’s been caught with so many internet celebrities in the past couple of years. How can you even compare him to the Crown Prince? He’s the first in line to inherit. And he’s such a gentleman. Plus he’s sensible, morally upright and focused on his career. What’s up with You Baiyue’s taste?

Shen Dai: You never know when it comes to things like love.

Cheng Zimei sent over a face with a disappointed expression: Players are the best at sweet talking, that’s probably why. A spoiled princess like You Baiyue must have fallen for that. Doubt they’ll last though.

Shen Dai thought to himself, Qu Chengchen had already marked You Baiyue, so it wasn’t likely that they would break up so easily. Although one thing that he didn’t quite understand was that during the process of being marked, the odds of conceiving were extremely high. And since You Baiyue was an S-class Omega, his chances were even higher, up to ninety percent or more. Yet You Baiyue didn’t appear to be expecting. There was no news about an engagement or upcoming wedding on his Weibo page either. How could this be the case? Could it be that they hadn’t planned on getting married?

Cheng Zimei was still indignant on behalf of Qu Moyu: The person that the Crown Prince marries in the future will definitely be someone with the whole package: Family background, looks, education. You Baiyue is too superficial. He can’t match up to our Crown Prince.

Shen Dai had a sudden sense of shame. No doubt what she was saying was true, but the person she was referring to was the one that Qu Moyu would “truly” marry.

1. The things you do for money… | The original phrase here was 钱难赚，屎难吃 “Money is hard to earn, shit is hard to eat”. Making money can be difficult, and it is sometimes necessary to do things that are unpleasant or undesirable in order to achieve success.

The phrase has a second part which was not included in the original text: 求人膝盖要弯曲 “When asking for help one needs to bend their knees”, which implies that asking for help requires one to humble oneself