Chapter 35: Day Thirty-Five of Pretending to be A

Chapter 35: Pretending to Be an Alpha – Day 35

After reading the messages sent by Xiao Chen, Chu Mo fell into deep thought.

He couldn’t guarantee whether Xiao Chen would encounter the main characters from the source material in the future.

If he didn’t sign a long-term contract with Xiao Chen, complications could arise at any time.

But if he signed the contract…

The longer he spent with Xiao Chen, the more likely it was that his identity as an omega would be exposed.

Chu Mo was torn.

On the other side of the screen.

Chen Songxie stood under the streetlight, anxiously waiting for Chu Mo’s reply.

He kept refreshing the chat but no reply came.

Chen Songxie checked his phone’s network, wondering if it was broken.

Just then.

A notification appeared:

“Boss: You’re funny.”

“Boss: Since you’ve got jokes, I’ll consider it.”

His eyes dimmed slightly, feeling a little disappointed.

But he quickly shook it off and replied to Chu Mo, “Then I’ll wait for your decision.”

Playing it off as a joke.

Chu Mo naturally took Xiao Chen’s words as a joke as well.

The story marched on.

Early the next morning.

Chu Mo checked his agenda and saw the plot advancing.

The Dingming Group project led by Xie Songchen had wrapped up smoothly.

His clout in the company had grown—officially, he was Chu Mo’s secretary, but in reality, he had already become one of the unofficial power players in the Business Department.

Chu Mo was very satisfied with the progress of Xie Songchen’s professional trajectory.

Next, Chu Mo planned to assign a gaming project to Xie Songchen.

The game, titled *Island Warfare*, was a tactical survival shooter that had been written off for its odd mechanics.

To hang Xie Songchen out to dry, Chu Mo dumped the project on him, intending to use it as an excuse to fire him.

However, the game became an overnight sensation upon release, turning into a breakout hit.

Xie Songchen, as the core figure of the project, not only stayed but also received a promotion and raise.

Chu Mo was so furious over this that he couldn’t sleep well for three days.

This also marked a crucial step in Xie Songchen’s ascent to power.

During the company meeting, Chu Mo handed over the doomed project to Xie Songchen in front of everyone.

At the same time, Chu Mo said with icy sarcasm, "The success of the Dingming Group project means nothing. Given Secretary Xie’s capabilities, I’m afraid this game won’t even break even."

In reality, the R&D budget was actually modest.

In the novel, it was considered a textbook success story of low investment and high returns.

"If the project fails to meet expectations," Chu Mo said to Xie Songchen, spacing out each word, "then I’ll have no choice but to let you go, to give the shareholders an explanation."

Chu Mo’s tone carried a hint of gloating amusement.

Ever since running into Xiao Chen at the bar last night, Xie Songchen had been stewing in tension.

During meetings, Xie Songchen no longer had to handle grunt work expected of junior secretaries.

But he still prepared a latte for Chu Mo before the meeting.

The latte was at the perfect temperature, perfectly balanced, with just the right amount of sugar.

For some reason, however, Chu Mo felt it seemed off today.

Was it because Xie Songchen’s expression was frostier than normal?

Facing Chu Mo’s gloating, Xie Songchen replied calmly, "I won’t let Mr. Chu down."

But his expression clearly showed he was a million miles away.

After the meeting ended.

Xie Songchen entered the office and placed the project materials for *Desert Island Warfare* on Chu Mo’s desk.

Once he finished going over the deliverables.

Xie Songchen hovered by the desk instead of leaving immediately.

He looked at Chu Mo, hesitated for a moment, then blurted out:

"I misunderstood Xiao Chen yesterday."

His voice carried a hint of apology.

Chu Mo did a double take.

He hadn’t expected Xie Songchen to bring this up voluntarily.

And even apologize for it.

"Ahem, it’s nothing," Chu Mo immediately puffed up as Xiao Chen’s boyfriend and said, "You’re not close to him, so misunderstandings are natural."

Xie Songchen hummed in acknowledgment.

He then added, "When you have time, pass along my apology."

Xie Songchen suddenly acting so polite made Chu Mo feel rather uncomfortable.

He was used to Xie Songchen's perpetually frosty attitude, who looked down on everyone.

"...Yeah, I'll tell him," Chu Mo said after a brief silence.

At that moment, Xie Songchen looked directly at Chu Mo and suddenly asked:

"You trust him so much—he must have many qualities you like, right?"

At this, Chu Mo froze, his expression turning slightly awkward.

He didn't even know Xiao Chen's real name—how could he answer this question?

"Ahem, of course."

To avoid exposing himself, Chu Mo plowed ahead and began listing Xiao Chen's good points: "He's tall, muscular, handsome, agile, and has a great personality..."

As Xie Songchen listened to Chu Mo praising Xiao Chen, his lips thinned slightly.

After last night's incident, Xie Songchen had been wondering what exactly Chu Mo liked about Xiao Chen.

Hearing Chu Mo's words now, Xie Songchen felt Chu Mo deserved better.

Could these points really make up for the fact that Xiao Chen was a playboy?

"That's about it for his good points," Chu Mo said after a long while, concluding, "In my eyes, he's the perfect omega."

That's perfect?

Burying his confusion, Xie Songchen lowered his eyes. "Is that right."

After a pause, Xie Songchen suddenly asked another question: "Then, have you marked him?"

After asking this, Xie Songchen felt a twinge of nervousness.

He fixed Chu Mo with an intense stare, afraid he might hear "yes."

Only when Chu Mo replied "No" did Xie Songchen relax.

His throat worked as he swallowed, putting on an indifferent front as he said flatly, "Got it."

With that, Xie Songchen left the office.

Chu Mo couldn't quite figure out why Xie Songchen had asked these questions.

And what was that last "Got it" supposed to mean?

Evening.

H-Da.

Xie Songchen had been in a funk lately—his roommates had all noticed.

During work hours, Xie Songchen remained emotionally stable, acting completely normal.

But once back in the dorm, his bad mood was palpable.

Finally, one roommate had had enough and asked, "Xie bro, what's been going on with you lately? Every time we get near you, we feel the chill."

Xie Songchen looked up at him: "I’ve got a question for you."

His roommate blinked in surprise: "What?"

"If there's an alpha who hasn’t been in a relationship for long, and his partner is a trashy omega, but he's blinded by him," Xie Songchen said expressionlessly, "what can be done to make them break up?"

At this, they all naturally assumed Xie Songchen was talking about a friend of his.

They jumped into the discussion, loving the drama.

"Your friend ran into a trashy omega?"

"That’s easy—just expose his true colors."

"No way. If the alpha’s already got rose-colored glasses, exposing the trashy omega won't make him believe it."

Xie Songchen felt his roommate had hit the nail on the head.

He nodded and said, "He’s got that omega on a pedestal."

Without realizing it, Xie Songchen’s voice turned sulky, tinged with jealousy.

The roommates didn’t pick up on it and kept arguing.

"Then you can't expose it directly. You have to find a way for the alpha to figure it out himself."

"By then, the alpha’ll be cleaned out."

"True. Maybe we should make the alpha get a crush on someone else. Then he'll naturally distance himself from the trashy omega."

Xie Songchen froze: "Get a crush on someone else?"

The roommate who suggested the idea explained, "Yeah, make the alpha realize there are omegas in this world who are better-looking, have better personalities, and are more reliable. Boom, problem solved."

The others chimed in, agreeing.

"From what you described, they haven’t been together long. This might actually work."

"Exactly. Since his partner is a trashy omega, we have to use standard tactics to save your friend."

"Basically, we’re breaking them up."

Xie Songchen drifted into thought upon hearing this.

It hadn’t crossed his mind—he didn’t want Chu Mo liking anyone else.

Except… him.

The thought hit him—wait, himself?

His heart skipped a beat.

Wait—why not just make Chu Mo fall for him?

If Xiao Chen’s appeal was being 6’2”, looking like an alpha, and throwing hands...

So did Chu Mo have a thing for omegas who acted like alphas?

Xie Songchen's heart started pounding.

His racing heart felt like it might leap out of his throat.

At this moment, a bold idea he'd never even considered suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Chu Mo's ideal omega criteria, Xie Songchen met almost all of them.

—Except for one thing: Xie Songchen wasn't an omega.

In front of an alpha, no matter how omega-like another alpha might appear, they'll never win an alpha's affection.

The odds were about one in ten thousand.

In other words, even if Xie Songchen perfectly matched all of Chu Mo's preferences except for gender, the chance of Chu Mo falling for him was still only one in ten thousand.

The chances were slim.

Xie Songchen had known this from the very first moment he fell for Chu Mo.

However.

At the time, Xie Songchen didn't give up. He spent years studying hard and eventually got into H University, which gave him the best shot at joining Chu Group.

All to get closer to Chu Mo.

And now, Xie Songchen...

He wasn't about to give up.

Xie Songchen couldn't stand to watch Chu Mo be deceived by that alpha-like omega.

He had to figure out how to save Chu Mo from this relationship.

Once his mind was made up,

Xie Songchen didn't sleep a wink.

Early the next morning, he went straight to the library, getting there before the students preparing for graduate entrance exams.

As soon as he entered the library, he weaved through the crowded library and approached the front desk.

Stone-faced and icy-voiced, he stated the name of the book he wanted to borrow.

The librarian froze.

After a moment, the librarian thought they'd misheard and cautiously repeated, "What book did you say you wanted to borrow?"

Xie Songchen calmly repeated the title.

This was the book he had found perfect for his situation after staying up all night researching.

Soon, the librarian, masking their surprise, pulled the book from the new releases shelf and handed it to Xie Songchen—

"Beginner's Guide to Flirting with Alphas for Omegas: Step-by-Step Success."

Xie Songchen took the book, swiped his card, and checked it out without another word.

Behind him, the librarian stared in disbelief—an alpha was seriously checking out an omega's guide to flirting with alphas?!

On his way back, Xie Songchen took a deep breath.

Xie Songchen had always been a top student since childhood. No matter what book it was, he could remember it perfectly after just one read.

He believed this book would be no exception.

He knew he wasn’t an omega, but he was confident he could do even better than any omega.

After some thought, Xie Songchen decided that just reading the book wasn’t enough.

After all, he had never been in a relationship and needed more practical guidance.

After careful consideration, Xie Songchen found an online relationship coach who sold video courses.

The coach asked Xie Songchen to describe his specific situation so she could give personalized advice.

Xie Songchen cut straight to the chase: “The person I like is an alpha who already has a boyfriend. He recently started dating a toxic omega partner, and I’m worried he might get deceived. So I want to try—”

“Is there any way to make him develop feelings for me and forget about that toxic omega?”

Upon receiving the message, the relationship coach was completely stunned.

Eventually, she replied:

“Listen, to put it bluntly, what you’re attempting is commonly known as ‘being a homewrecker.’ We don’t encourage such behavior.”

“Of course I’m not a homewrecker,” Xie Songchen shot back defensively to the coach. “I’m just worried he might get tricked by a bad person.”

Although Xie Songchen wasn’t sure whether an alpha male like him could make Chu Mo fall for him,

he was determined to try.