Chapter 4: Day Four of Pretending to be A

Chapter 4: Day 4 of Pretending to be an Alpha

Day 4 of Pretending to be an Alpha

Country A.

At the Chi family's suburban villa.

The entire household was busy packing luggage for the young master of the Chi family, which included two boxes of hats, seven boxes of sneakers, and twenty-two boxes of clothes.

A well-built Alpha stood in front of the wall mirror in the walk-in closet, putting on a trendy jacket.

He glanced at the mirror and frowned immediately: "It doesn't go with my necklace."

The assistant quickly apologized with a smile and brought Chi Cheng a few of the latest jackets: "Young Master Chi, try these on."

The assistant thought to himself that only Young Master Chi would spend tens of thousands on a jacket to match a necklace worth a few hundred and still complain about the mismatch.

"What are you showing off for? You don't act like a young master of the Chi family at all," Chi's father, watching his son who had been trying on clothes in the walk-in closet for a long time, said with a stern face and a serious tone, "I'm warning you, don't forget why you're returning this time."

Chi's mother chimed in: "You and the youngest son of the Chu family are 100% compatible. Our family really needs the Chu family's help right now, so don't blow this chance."

Chi Cheng, while changing clothes, said impatiently: "What era is this to still care about AO compatibility? Isn't that old-fashioned?"

After saying that, Chi Cheng glanced at his parents' stern faces in the mirror and raised an eyebrow: "Sorry, I forgot you're stuck in the last century."

"You—" Chi's father held back his anger and glared at Chi Cheng, "We've set up so many blind dates for you, and you always bail halfway through. Now that you're 100% compatible with Chu Yun, you're still not happy. What do you even want?!"

"Okay, okay, don't yell at him," Chi's mother played the good cop, "Xiao Jun, your parents know you had a crush on Chu Yun when you were little..."

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Xiao Jun," Chi Cheng's face darkened, "And who said I liked him when I was young?"

"Xiao Jun" was his childhood nickname.

Chi Cheng's original name was Chi Chengjun, which means 'galloping steed'.

Later, he thought the name was too old-fashioned and insisted on changing it, dropping the 'Jun' character.

Chi's father brushed it off: "You didn't like him? Then why were you always running next door when you were little and only coming home after dark? Their family only had Chu Yun as an omega, right?"

Chi Cheng stiffened, his expression somewhat unnatural, and he stubbornly said: "I don't remember."

"As long as you're willing to return and show your attitude, the Chu family will definitely prioritize you," Chi's mother continued, "The only obstacle is Chu Yun's older brother Chu Mo, who probably doesn't like you much. But it's okay, as long as Chu Yun likes..."

"Who told you he doesn't like me?" Hearing this, Chi Cheng stopped trying on clothes and angrily interrupted his mother, "Mom, can you stop talking nonsense?"

Chi's mother quickly said: "Of course Chu Yun likes you."

"I'm not talking about Chu Yun!" Chi Cheng raised his voice.

Both of Chi Cheng's parents were stunned.

"Not Chu Yun, then Chu Mo?" Chi's father realized, "You were indeed annoying when you were young. If I were Chu Mo, I'd be annoyed with you too."

Chi Cheng, with a dark face, slammed the door and left the walk-in closet.

Chi's father was furious: "What's wrong with you?! You can't take a few words of criticism! Speaking of which, look at Chu Mo, both alphas, how come there's such a big difference between you..."

Chi Cheng ignored the voices behind him.

Back in his room, Chi Cheng opened a box containing various items.

Some building blocks, dolls, envelopes...

And a white shirt.

Chi Cheng took out the white shirt and laid it out on the bed.

The shirt wasn't Chi Cheng's size, and the style wasn't something he usually wore.

It looked well-preserved and new, but there were still signs of age on it.

Chi Cheng picked up the shirt and gently sniffed it. It had the clean scent of mint laundry detergent.

But it didn't evoke the familiar feeling from back then.

Soon, Chi Cheng would return to his home country to meet the owner of this shirt.

Chi Cheng carefully placed the shirt into a kraft paper bag, checked the time difference, and let Chu Yun know he was coming back.

Chu Yun was surprised: "Why are you suddenly coming back?"

Chi Cheng: "Because of that damn match percentage."

Chu Yun: "Oh, then don't come back. We're not a match."

Chi Cheng: "Thank goodness for that."

Chu Yun had always been irritated by Chi Cheng.

People always teased him about Chi Cheng liking him.

But he knew very well that Chi Cheng didn't like him at all.

On the contrary, every time Chi Cheng came to the Chu family, he wasn't there to play with Chu Yun but to attract the attention of his older brother, Chu Mo.

Chi Cheng was an only child and envied Chu Yun for having a brother.

Especially when he saw Chu Mo picking up Chu Yun from kindergarten, he would watch Chu Mo intently.

Chi Cheng once said to Chu Yun: "I wish Chu Mo were my brother."

And Chu Yun's response was: "Don't you dare try to take my brother!"

At first, Chi Cheng just pulled pranks to get Chu Mo's attention.

Like accidentally knocking over building blocks, kicking a ball at Chu Mo, or getting Chu Mo to clean up his messes.

Until one time, when Chu Mo, who had just started high school, received a love letter after school, and Chi Cheng, still in elementary school, caught sight of it.

Jealous and bitter, Chi Cheng snitched to Chu Mo's parents, saying that Chu Mo was planning to elope with a girl.

Chu Mo was called into the study by his parents and reprimanded, which infuriated Chu Yun, who then beat up Chi Cheng.

When Chu Mo came out of the study, he just said two words to Chi Cheng:

"Pathetic."

He didn't even give Chi Cheng a proper glance.

Chi Cheng, whose scheme had failed, felt humiliated, his eyes red with anger, and quietly shed tears—though Chu Yun couldn't fathom why this tattletale had anything to cry about.

From then on, Chi Cheng became downright nasty.

He kept soiling Chu Mo's clothes, losing Chu Mo's handkerchiefs, sabotaging Chu Mo's meetups with friends...

Even when Chu Mo's differentiation test results came out, Chi Cheng would deliberately use a pen to change the predicted "alpha" to "omega."

He sneered up at Chu Mo, who was much taller than him: "How could a pretty face like you be an alpha?"

Chu Mo, ever the mature one, didn't engage and simply ignored him every time.

Chi Cheng, however, kept up his mischief and continued until he went abroad.

Therefore, upon receiving the news of Chi Cheng's return, Chu Yun shot a message to Chu Mo.

Chu Yun reminded Chu Mo: "Brother, that brat's had it out for you since we were kids, and now that he's back, you're in for a world of trouble again."

"Against me?" Chu Mo was puzzled, "I don't remember that."

Chu Yun was shocked: "Brother, how could you forget such a blood feud??"

Chu Mo's memories of Chi Cheng's childhood were very vague.

After all, in the first few years after transmigrating, he was busy adapting to his character;

Once school started, he couldn't afford to slack off, grooming himself to be a top-tier CEO in the future;

When approaching differentiation, the test report showed he might differentiate into an omega, so he had to find ways to hide his true secondary gender…

Chi Cheng was a story character, and before he came of age, Chu Mo kept his distance from him.

His memories of Chi Cheng were indeed very few.

Chu Yun sent another message: "It's good that you forgot, that kid is bad news."

There was a touch of glee in his tone.

Chu Mo: ???

Why does it feel like Chu Yun hates Chi Cheng more than I, the overprotective brother, do?

A few days later.

At the entrance of the Chu Group building.

In a high-end car, Chi Cheng held several paper bags in his hand, gazing up at the skyscraper through the car window: "Uncle Zhou, are you positive this building... is Chu Mo's?"

His eyes were full of shock and admiration.

The driver, Uncle Zhou, replied: "Young master, you've asked three times already. This prime real estate sits right in the heart of the CBD, bought by Mr. Chu, and the building was funded by him."

At this moment, Chi Cheng finally understood what his father meant when he said, "You're both alphas, how are you two so different?"

"So, do you think Chu Mo'll be thrilled to see me?" Chi Cheng asked Uncle Zhou, "After all, it's been so many years."

Uncle Zhou paused for a beat before answering: "Of course."

Chi Cheng had always been a confident person, but at this moment, he felt a bit uncertain.

After all, he had done many over-the-top things to Chu Mo in the past.

Chi Cheng expressed his concerns to Uncle Zhou.

"Young master, Mr. Chu is already a man of such stature, why would he care about these things?" Uncle Zhou calmly comforted Chi Cheng, "So it’s the perfect chance to clear the air."

Chi Cheng's confidence surged as he glanced at the pile of gifts he had prepared for Chu Mo.

In addition to the gifts, Chi Cheng's bag had a shirt.

These were all preparations Chi Cheng had made for his apology.

The moment he opened the car door, Chi Cheng was already imagining the scene of Chu Mo being moved to tears.

Inside the company building.

Chu Mo stepped out of the elevator, and the people around him immediately scattered like startled animals, while still greeting him.

Chu Mo only gave them a slight, indifferent nod, having no time to respond to each one individually.

For the past two days, he had been busy outmaneuvering Xie Songchen, trying various methods to kick him out of the secretarial department, all of which ended in failure.

He was worried about how to get things back on track.

At that moment, a tall alpha walked into the company’s lobby.

Everyone's attention was fixed on him.

This alpha was very tall, with short light brown hair, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist.

He wore a silver necklace, a black hoodie under a trendy jacket, and white jeans.

He looked radiant and handsome, full of charm.

Chi Cheng's gaze searched through the crowd and quickly landed on a man in a suit.

The man was tall and slender, with fair skin, and the suit fabric perfectly accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist.

He walked through the crowd with a cold expression, like a star among the crowd.

The man was clearly an alpha, with sharp, well-defined features and an aura so powerful it was impossible to ignore.

But he had a charm that went beyond the typical ABO distinctions.

Seeing the people around him fall silent, Chu Mo couldn’t help but look up, puzzled.

Not far away stood an alpha with short light brown hair, broad shoulders, long legs, a handsome face, but a dazed expression.

The moment their eyes met, Chi Cheng nearly dropped the bags he was holding.

Chi Cheng snapped back to reality.

His throat tightened as he swallowed.

Then, he mustered his courage and walked boldly toward the man who was both unfamiliar and familiar.

"Long time no see, Chu Mo," Chi Cheng looked at the man in front of him and couldn’t help but notice that his appearance had become even more impressive than a few years ago, "These are the gifts I brought for you, don’t get too emotional..."

Chu Mo frowned in confusion and interrupted him, "Sorry, who are you?"

Chi Cheng paused, his smile freezing for a moment.

After a beat, he forced a smile and said word by word, "Chu Mo, it's been years, and you've become even better at joking."

"Just tell me your name," Chu Mo, already annoyed, had no time for riddles.

Chi Cheng could no longer hold onto his smile.

He gritted his teeth and spat out two words:

"Chi. Cheng."

Chu Mo was taken aback.

He hadn't linked the tall alpha in front of him to the little brat from his childhood.

But he didn't remember any prior context where Chi Cheng came to the company to find him after returning to the country?

Without any prior context, Chu Mo usually chose to keep his distance from the original characters.

He looked at Chi Cheng with a blank expression, responded with a casual "Oh," and asked, "What do you need?"

Chi Cheng grew even angrier at Chu Mo's cold demeanor.

He couldn't bring himself to say the apology he had prepared.

"Chu Mo, you really don't remember me at all?" Chi Cheng looked at Chu Mo, suppressing the anger in his heart, and frowned as he asked, "Back when we were kids, I stuffed mud into your pants pocket, making you late for class—can you really forget that?"

The crowd exchanged looks at this.

Who would dare do such a thing to President Chu?!

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Chu Mo's face, but he quickly masked it. "I don't remember."

"Fine, just fine," Chi Cheng clenched his fists, his chest heaving, too angry to speak. "You..."

He deeply regretted bringing all those gifts today, including that treasured shirt he had kept for years.

It all felt like a joke now.

Chu Mo arched an eyebrow, his voice icy, "And what about me?"

Chi Cheng hissed through clenched teeth, "Chu Mo, I never thought you'd be like this, after all I've done to hold onto that for so long..."

Just then, a familiar figure walked through the door.

Xie Songchen had gone to the dry cleaner to fetch a shirt.

A few days ago, Chu Mo's shirt had been stained with coffee, and Xie Songchen had specifically taken it to the laundry after work.

Chu Mo hadn't expected that, in order to stay in the secretary department, Xie Songchen would be willing to do such trivial tasks after work.

Xie Songchen walked up to Chu Mo and handed him the shirt, neatly packed in a dust-proof bag, "The shirt's been washed and pressed, the shop took great care, no shrinkage or damage."

Through the clear bag, a pristine high-quality shirt was visible.

Chi Cheng was momentarily stunned.

He instinctively glanced at the plain kraft paper bag he was holding, the shirt he had washed himself, and the fabric that was poorly ironed...

Chu Mo looked at Chi Cheng and asked, "What were you trying to say earlier?"

Chi Cheng had meant to tell Chu Mo that he had kept this shirt for him for a full nine years.

But at this moment, Chi Cheng found it difficult to speak: "I..."

He wasn't sure if Chu Mo still wanted this old shirt.

Xie Songchen looked at Chi Cheng: "Sir, if you have something for Mr. Chu, you can give it to me first."

Chi Cheng had already decided not to take out the clothes.

At this moment, Xie Songchen's use of the word "sir" triggered the emotions Chi Cheng had been holding back.

He suddenly looked at Chu Mo, handed him the bag in his hand, and declared firmly:

"This is the shirt I've kept for you for nine years."

Chu Mo was taken aback.

Xie Songchen's gaze fell on the kraft paper bag.

The crumpled kraft paper bag Chi Cheng had carried all the way on the plane stood in stark contrast to the pristine dust bag Xie Songchen held.

"I washed it myself, but I'm not sure if it shrank or got damaged," Chi Cheng blurted out, his Adam's apple bobbing as he continued, "And it's not ironed very well either."

With that, Chi Cheng looked away, not daring to meet Chu Mo's eyes.

Xie Songchen stared at Chi Cheng's trembling hand for two seconds, then shifted his gaze to Chi Cheng's face.

The young alpha's anxiety was unmistakable.

It was as if he wasn't handing over a piece of clothing, but a cherished memento.

Xie Songchen masked the emotions in his eyes.

"This shirt..." Chu Mo scrutinized the shirt, a puzzled look in his eyes, "Is it mine?"

Chi Cheng's hand hung frozen in mid-air.

Xie Songchen, standing nearby, said in a calm tone, "It's a shirt from nine years ago. It's understandable if you don't remember."

Chi Cheng's face turned to ice in that instant.

His cold eyes betrayed a deep sense of disappointment.

That disappointment was exactly the same as when he was a child, vying for Chu Mo's attention, only to be ignored.

The next second, Chi Cheng dropped the kraft paper bag at Chu Mo's feet, landing with a soft thud.

He said in a nonchalant tone:

"I kept it out of guilt after staining it back then. Since you don't remember, you might as well toss it."

After saying this, he turned on his heel with an air of arrogance and left everyone watching his retreating figure under the gaze of everyone.