Chapter 22: Day Twenty-Two of Pretending to be A

Chapter 22: Faking Alpha Day 22

Faking Alpha Day 22

Chu Mo frowned and asked Chi Cheng, "Why are you stopping me?"

A flicker of discomfort crossed Chi Cheng's face.

He recovered smoothly and replied, "I'm not stopping you. You're the one who went back on your word."

The two locked eyes, and the tension thickened.

"Get out of my way," Chu Mo said coldly.

The more Chu Mo wanted to go to the game, the more Chi Cheng doubled down on stopping him.

As Chu Mo stepped out of the elevator, Chi Cheng took a step forward and grabbed his arm.

After a beat, Chi Cheng dropped his voice slightly:

"If you agree to invest in the project, I’ll back off."

He suppressed the resentment and jealousy in his heart.

For Chi Cheng, securing Chu Mo’s investment was the top priority right now.

Only then would he have more opportunities to get closer to Chu Mo.

Chu Mo never thought Chi Cheng would be so persistent just to secure an investment!

Had Chi Cheng learned to swallow his pride after being humiliated last time?

Chu Mo had to admit—this kid had grown a backbone.

Chu Mo’s goal in breaking down Chi Cheng was to make him grow.

As long as Chi Cheng could become a top dog, the plot would be fulfilled.

To make it to the basketball game, Chu Mo gritted his teeth and decided to invest in his startup.

"Chi Cheng, of course I can invest in you," Chu Mo sneered, clenching his jaw. "But if this project fails, you owe me every penny plus interest—and never show your face around me or my brother again. Understood?!"

Despite his words, Chu Mo knew Chi Cheng wouldn’t fail.

Chi Cheng’s gaze sharpened as he stared at Chu Mo and asked earnestly, "And if I succeed?"

"You’re pushing your luck now," Chu Mo glanced at his phone—the game had already started ten minutes ago.

In a hurry to get to the venue, he tossed out, "If you succeed, you can name your terms."

Chi Cheng went still.

The next second, he released Chu Mo’s hand.

Watching Chu Mo walk away, Chi Cheng set his jaw, his eyes darkened with complex emotions.

He swore to himself—he would make this project a smash hit.

He wanted to be the only alpha in Chu Mo's eyes.

He wanted to be the most important alpha in Chu Mo's life.

After leaving the investment meeting, Chu Mo headed straight to the national league game at the basketball court.

As Chi Cheng had predicted, the traffic was terrible.

Minutes dragged by, and Chu Mo kept checking his watch, getting more and more anxious.

Inside the basketball arena.

The game was down to its final quarter.

H University's team was barely ahead.

During the break, Xie Songchen picked up a white towel on the sidelines and wiped off his sweat, his face stone-cold.

His teammates were muttering to each other.

"Xiao Xie is playing so aggressively today, like he's got it out for the other team."

"I feel like he's off his game though? His scoring rate isn't as high as usual."

"Still, Xiao Xie put up big numbers today—hands-down MVP!"

Xie Songchen told himself he didn’t care whether Chu Mo would come or not.

Yet, his eyes kept darting toward that empty seat in the stands.

Chu Mo never showed up.

His face fell for just a second.

But he quickly masked it, continuing the game as if nothing was wrong.

In the final quarter, Xie Songchen left everything on the court.

Zhou Jingyan’s words from earlier kept ringing in his ears.

If Chu Mo showed up right then, he wanted him to see his best performance.

"Beep—"

The whistle blew, marking the end of the game.

Xie Songchen scored the game-winning putback, and H University’s team pulled ahead at the crucial moment, taking the title.

The crowd went wild, with many chanting Xie Songchen’s name.

Still hoping against hope, Xie Songchen lifted his gaze to the stands.

The VIP section remained empty.

He clenched his jaw, saying nothing before he finally looked away.

During the celebration.

Amid the cheers of his teammates, Xie Songchen stayed oddly quiet.

Winning the match didn’t seem to lift his mood at all.

While everyone was celebrating the championship, Xie Songchen calmly said, "I’ve got something to handle—I’ll step out for a bit," and walked straight out of the court.

As Xie Songchen reached the gym entrance,

a familiar face showed up just then.

Chu Mo had rushed to the gym right before the game ended.

He’d expected to see Xie Songchen and Chu Yun in a celebratory hug.

But the second he walked in, he was met with Xie Songchen’s frosty glare.

At the sight of Chu Mo, the usually cold and aloof Xie Songchen paused mid-step.

In an instant, Xie Songchen’s frown deepened, his glare cold enough to freeze hell.

"The game is already over," Xie Songchen said coldly, his lips pressed into a thin line. "Why are you even here?" His voice dripped with anger and accusation.

Chu Mo stiffened.

He saw that H University had clinched the win.

So why did Xie Songchen look so pissed off?

Was something eating at him?

Seeing Chu Mo’s clueless expression, Xie Songchen’s face turned stormier.

"Chu Mo," Xie Songchen struggled to contain his emotions, each word gritted out, "I shouldn't have given you that ticket in the first place."

Chu Mo's eyes widened in shock—

Was Xie Songchen actually mad he'd skipped the game??

On second thought, it made sense—after all, the ticket was precious.

Clutching the ticket in his hand, Chu Mo instinctively explained, "Look, I didn't mean to be late. I was at Chi Cheng’s investment meeting earlier and came straight here when it wrapped up, but there was traffic..."

This only made Xie Songchen's face darken more. "So, you missed my game because of Chi Cheng?!"

The question threw Chu Mo.

Why was Xie Songchen focusing on Chi Cheng?

Chu Mo couldn't overthink this now—he just wanted to move the plot along.

"Since you won the game," Chu Mo tried to change the subject, shooting Xie Songchen a pointed look, "why aren’t you celebrating with them?"

He was nudging Xie Songchen toward hugging Chu Yun.

Xie Songchen stared at Chu Mo expressionlessly, clenched his jaw, and asked coldly, "Do I look like I wanna celebrate right now?"

Right then,

Chu Yun caught sight of Chu Mo across the way.

He waved at Chu Mo and yelled, "Bro!"

Subsequently, Chu Yun strode toward Chu Mo.

Chu Mo thought to himself, the original plot was indeed going to unfold.

Once Chu Yun arrived, Xie Songchen would likely embrace him.

However.

Before Chu Yun could reach Chu Mo,

an unexpected incident occurred.

The crowd in the venue had yet to disperse.

Many spectators flooded into the court, some asking for autographs from the players, others wanting to play a game, and still others attempting shots.

The post-game scene was momentarily chaotic.

Amidst the chaos, a basketball suddenly and swiftly flew from Chu Mo's left side!

Chu Mo caught a glimpse of the ball out of the corner of his eye but didn't have time to react.

"Watch out!"

Xie Songchen, with a stern face, suddenly dashed forward, wrapping his arms around Chu Mo and raising his elbow to shield him from the basketball.

The momentum from the sudden movement caused them to lose their balance, and both tumbled to the ground.

In mid-air, Xie Songchen twisted his body, holding Chu Mo tightly in his arms.

"Bam—"

Xie Songchen slammed onto his back on the floor.

Chu Mo remained unharmed, safely held in his arms.

The stadium went dead silent.

Chu Mo stiffened as realization dawned, his entire body tensing.

At that moment, Xie Songchen had just finished exercising, reeking of sweat and testosterone.

He was radiating heat.

Wearing a sweaty basketball jersey and shorts, he contrasted sharply with Chu Mo’s expensive tailored suit.

Their gazes locked.

Chu Mo could feel the rise and fall of Xie Songchen’s chest with each breath.

Perhaps due to the exertion from the game, Xie Songchen’s breathing was coming in short bursts.

The ice in Xie Songchen’s eyes wavered for a split second.

Right then.

Chu Yun shouted from nearby:

"Xie Songchen! What are you doing?! Get off my brother—now!"

Chu Mo was completely stunned.

God, what the hell? This isn’t how it’s supposed to go!

The plot was supposed to be Xie Songchen hugging Chu Yun, with him catching them red-handed, right?

How did it turn into Chu Yun catching *him* and Xie Songchen in a compromising situation?!

Chu Mo shuddered.

He didn’t have time to say anything, scrambling to his feet.

Chu Mo took several steps back, putting space between them.

Seeing this, Xie Songchen stood up as well.

His elbow was slightly red from the impact, yet he acted like he didn’t feel a thing.

In the ABO world, physical contact between an omega and an alpha was extremely dangerous.

Chu Mo could feel the intense aura Xie Songchen gave off.

That quick hug sent chills down his spine.

“Xie Songchen, why’d you butt in?” Chu Mo snapped, swallowing hard. “It’s just a damn basketball—do you think an alpha like me can’t dodge a ball?”

Xie Songchen was still pissed Chu Mo had skipped the game.

Yet, his ears burned red anyway.

Xie Songchen looked away, scowling. “Just because you’re my boss.”

Chu Yun, who had been watching from the side, stared in disbelief.

This was the first time he’d ever seen Xie Songchen react so strangely.

Normally, Xie Songchen never showed a flicker of emotion over trivial matters.

Right now, Xie Songchen’s behavior was almost like…

An alpha pissed his date stood him up?

Chu Yun was startled by his own thought.

What date? That was his older brother—a hardcore straight alpha!

There’s no way Xie Songchen could like a straight alpha, right?!

To prevent this from happening again, Chu Mo spoke firmly. “Don’t help me next time. Isn’t touching another alpha gross to you?”

With that, his voice gentler now, he turned to Chu Yun. “Xiao Yun, let’s go.”

Chu Mo shouldered past Xie Songchen, heading toward the stadium exit.

Chu Yun darted after him. “Brother, wait for me!”

Before leaving, Chu Yun gave Xie Songchen a loaded look.

Xie Songchen lowered his eyes, hiding the raw disappointment in his eyes.

The words Chu Mo just said piled onto Xie Songchen's already sinking mood.

Yes, both of them were alphas.

That’s exactly why.

Chu Mo shut down any contact with him.

Chu Mo couldn’t care less about his game and had only come to watch his younger brother, Chu Yun.

A hardcore straight alpha like Chu Mo would never understand Xie Songchen's feelings.

Thinking of this, it just made him more worked up.

He shouldn’t have let himself fantasize about a straight alpha in the first place.

Xie Songchen’s fingers clenched on their own.

After Chu Mo left, Xie Songchen stood there, frozen, for ages.

Just as he was about to leave—

Suddenly, a small box on the ground snagged his attention.

It seemed to have fallen out of Chu Mo’s pocket when he’d taken that spill earlier.

Xie Songchen frowned.

After a moment, he slowly walked forward, bent down, and picked up the box.

The second he read the label, Xie Songchen’s eyes widened abruptly.

The box was blaring the word *Inhibitor*.

Chu Mo dropped this?

Was Chu Mo carrying an inhibitor??

Since when does a straight alpha *carry something like this?!*