Chapter 71 Exposed

Chapter 71: Unmasked

Unmasked

"Ladies and gentlemen," the host stood on stage, delivering the welcome speech, "welcome to the engagement party of Mr. Chu and Mr. Du. Our ceremony is about to begin. Please look forward to it."

Xie Songchen sat in a corner.

A waiter handed him a wineglass filled with red wine.

Xie Songchen took the glass, gripping it hard enough to nearly shatter it.

Soon, journalists noticed Xie Songchen.

"Isn't that CEO Xie?"

"Why is he here? I heard he was on bad terms with the Chu family?"

"CEO Chi and Zhou Jingyan are here too? Looks like the Chu family’s relationship with them isn’t as bad as rumored?"

"Who knows? There are rumors that the Chu family had major fallout with these three tycoons."

"Tell me, what exactly happened six months ago? Why does no one know to this day?"

Xie Songchen’s presence naturally sparked all sorts of speculation and discussion.

Now, as an up-and-coming CEO, he was impossible to miss.

All at once, the lights dimmed.

A spotlight shone on the entrance to the stage.

Xie Songchen’s eyes fixed unwaveringly on that spot.

When Chu Mo, dressed in a tailored white suit, made his entrance arm-in-arm with Du Lin, the room burst into thunderous applause.

*Crash.*

Xie Songchen’s wineglass fell to the floor.

He drew a shaky breath, fighting to keep his composure.

Fortunately, the seats were in darkness, or he would’ve instantly made headlines.

Chu Mo kept drawing deep breaths, trying to hide his nerves.

Du Lin’s face was flushed with happiness.

At this moment, he seemed like the happiest *omega* in the world.

Guests murmured admiringly:

"President Chu is so lucky to marry an omega from a prestigious family."

"Du Lin is so handsome, and he’s the Du family’s youngest heir—what a catch."

"President Chu is also many people’s dream 'alpha'."

"They’re perfect together..."

"Perfect match, my ass!"

A snide remark came from a corner but was quickly drowned out.

Chi Cheng clenched his jaw in the shadows.

He wished he could charge the stage and yank Du Lin away from Chu Mo's arm.

Watching Chu Mo and Du Lin as the picture-perfect golden alpha and jade omega couple, Chi Cheng took a deep breath, fighting the urge to flip a table.

"The proposal starts with a bouquet. Let’s welcome our would-be bride, Du Lin, to present the flowers to our would-be groom, Chu Mo!"

Du Lin felt a sudden pang of nerves.

As an alpha posing as an omega, he had switched up the tradition so the bride gives flowers instead.

He wanted to claim Chu Mo as his—as an alpha.

Though he couldn’t come clean about being an alpha yet, he believed that in the near future, he would stand proudly beside Chu Mo.

By then, every alpha would be green with envy.

Du Lin gulped and thrust the bouquet of roses toward Chu Mo.

All eyes locked onto them.

Chu Yansheng smirked in approval.

Chu Yun was bittersweet but happy for his brother.

Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that... his brother seemed... off today?

"Talk about extra," Zhou Jingyan muttered under his breath from the farthest corner. "Since when is it the bride’s job to give flowers?"

Hiding in the shadows, Zhou Jingyan let his inner cynic run wild.

If his fans heard him now, they’d be shocked—was this really the golden retriever alpha everyone loved?!

Chu Mo took a deep breath and accepted the flowers from Du Lin.

The next act was coming up.

Chu Mo planned to shut the engagement down on the spot during the ring exchange.

Given the current situation, it was guaranteed to blow up.

But he had no choice.

"Next, the couple will exchange wedding rings. These small rings carry their hopes and dreams for the future..."

Du Lin and Chu Mo each took out their ring boxes.

Du Lin also inhaled deeply.

He had arranged a surprise after the ring exchange—a live pheromone compatibility test.

The machine was primed backstage.

As the two of them simultaneously took out their ring boxes, cheers erupted in the hall.

Xie Songchen shot to his feet.

His fingers involuntarily clenched into fists, nails biting into his palms. The pain was intense, yet he was oblivious to it.

Just like half a year ago, when he got injured during a basketball game.

His eyes were fixed solely on Chu Mo's every move.

Chu Mo's mother was already overcome with emotion, hoping to witness her son becoming the happiest alpha in the world.

The Du family was even more thrilled; after all, this was a marriage arrangement with the Chu family.

Chi Cheng, sitting in the audience, could barely breathe.

He even wanted to bolt from the room.

Zhou Jingyan dug his nails into his thigh to stop himself from rushing onto the stage.

"Now, please exchange rings."

As the words hung in the air.

Du Lin beamed as he opened the ring box.

He had waited half a year for this moment with Chu Mo.

"Will you marry me?" Du Lin murmured.

He still wanted to be engaged to Chu Mo as an alpha.

Chu Mo felt a cold sweat breaking out.

He summoned every ounce of willpower to stay calm.

If his heart rate got too high, his specialized inhibitor would fail.

Today was also his heat, and he was at high risk of scent leaking.

Watching Du Lin extend the ring, Xie Songchen's heart lodged in his throat.

He had never been so on edge.

Xie Songchen couldn't stomach watching this scene unfold.

He wanted to rush onto the stage, seize Chu Mo's hand, and escape.

Yet, as soon as this impulsive thought surfaced, another voice taunted Xie Songchen:

"What if Chu Mo truly loves Du Lin?"

Xie Songchen's mouth went dry, his feet rooted to the spot, unable to move.

He watched, eyes burning, as the two on stage waited in agony to exchange rings.

As if awaiting a death sentence.

The next second, he went rigid with shock—

Under everyone's gaze, Chu Mo opened the ring box.

The ring box was empty.

The crowd burst into murmurs:

"Where's the ring? Did the groom-to-be lose it?"

"Gasped—What's going on? Is this carelessness or something else?"

"Is Chu Mo having second thoughts?"

Du Lin's eyes went wide.

He couldn't believe Chu Mo would misplace the ring.

But then, Du Lin looked up at Chu Mo and saw a trace of determination on his face.

Du Lin suddenly understood.

As everyone buzzed with confusion, Chu Mo picked up the microphone, ready to speak.

However, Du Lin grabbed the microphone from Chu Mo's hand:

"The reason the ring box in President Chu's hand is empty is because we've prepared another surprise moment."

Du Lin wasn't about to let Chu Mo reject the engagement.

He wanted everyone present to witness their compatibility score of 95%.

Chu Mo gaped at Du Lin: "What?"

A surprise moment??

The crowd looked just as confused.

The startled members of the Chu family and the Du family exchanged confused looks.

Xie Songchen, standing below the stage, scowled—what was Du Lin playing at?

Du Lin had waited for half a year, sticking by Chu Mo's side during that time.

He wasn't about to let this engagement fall through.

So, in front of everyone, Du Lin announced clearly:

"Actually, my compatibility score with President Chu is 95%. And now, the surprise moment I've prepared is an on-site pheromone test, so everyone can witness our compatibility!"

As he finished speaking, Chu Mo's eyes went wide with shock.

The crowd broke into cheers.

"Oh my god, they're made for each other!"

"Am I really seeing this perfect match happen?"

"Just imagine how great they'll be together!"

Through all the cheering, a few faces turned stormy.

Xie Songchen hadn’t expected this omega named Du Lin to be such a troublemaker, actually planning to do a scent-matching test in front of everyone!

This was clearly a provocation aimed at all the competition!

Sure enough, as soon as Du Lin said this, many omegas in the audience who admired Chu Mo looked crestfallen.

Who would want to see the alpha they liked get matched up with another omega?

Especially when their compatibility was as high as 95%!

“God damn it! One engagement banquet isn’t enough for him to show off, is it?” Chi Cheng couldn’t take it anymore, clenching his fists so hard his knuckles popped.

Chi Cheng’s parents, standing nearby, didn’t catch what he said, still immersed in the romantic atmosphere.

Mrs. Chi: "Kids these days sure know how to put on a show... I wish I had something this romantic back in my day."

Before Mr. Chi could respond, Chi Cheng angrily snapped, "Romantic? Bullshit! I’ve never seen someone so shameless!"

The Chi parents were stunned—they had just praised him for maturing over the past six months, so what’s with the sudden outburst?

Amid the cheers.

Zhou Jingyan’s fingers were shaking.

He couldn’t accept that the person he liked was about to get matched up with someone else.

Right in front of him.

Zhou Jingyan’s nerves were stretched taut, worse than his debut performance jitters.

As Du Lin finished speaking, the crew brought out a matching machine and connected it to the venue’s large screen.

Xie Songchen glared daggers at the screen.

He hated that he was an alpha and couldn’t get matched up with Chu Mo.

Chu Mo hadn’t expected that Du Lin’s casual remark about a "matching segment" would actually be brought on stage.

And Du Lin wasn’t taking no for an answer.

Chu Mo stared at Du Lin in disbelief, lowering his voice to a level the microphone couldn’t pick up:

"Are you out of your damn mind?!"

Du Lin’s face twisted with uncharacteristic stubbornness. "We’re soulmates—why can’t we let everyone see?"

"But I don’t like you," Chu Mo ground out between his teeth.

"You’re an omega pretending to be an alpha, and I’m an alpha pretending to be an omega. You’re mine." Du Lin gripped Chu Mo’s wrist, smiling as he spoke words that made Chu Mo’s blood run cold.

"Beep—"

The machine whirred to life.

Du Lin dragged Chu Mo toward the machine. "Now, we can prove to everyone that we’re soulmates."

Every step they took toward the machine landed like a kick to Xie Songchen’s gut, knocking the wind out of him.

Chi Cheng's eyes widened in disbelief.

Zhou Jingyan's entire body stiffened.

They had never endured such an agonizing moment.

Chu Mo tried to wrench free from Du Lin's grip but unexpectedly found his body unusually weak.

Chu Mo's pupils dilated abruptly.

He suddenly realized that his heart hammered wildly, beyond his control, affected by the abrupt turn of events.

Unable to hold back, Chu Mo snapped at Du Lin, "Cut this shit out now!"

Seeing Chu Mo's nervousness and fear only excited Du Lin even more.

His whole life, people said he didn’t act like an alpha—but now, he was itching to announce to everyone that Chu Mo was an omega and he was the alpha.

Du Lin yanked Chu Mo toward the machine.

The machine was already hooked up to the network.

Du Lin had rigged the system with their names and set a rule: match rates below 95% wouldn’t be displayed.

Thus, Du Lin was confident that once Chu Mo’s pheromones were captured by the machine, only his name would appear.

Keeping a vise grip on Chu Mo’s hand, Du Lin taunted, "Come on, Boss Chu."

Chu Mo fought to break free.

Then, Chu Mo’s scent burst forth uncontrollably from his neck glands.

Chu Mo clamped a hand over his neck, but Du Lin still caught the scent.

Du Lin’s mouth watered, throat parched.

He immediately aimed the machine’s collection device at Chu Mo’s scent glands.

Before the crowd could process the scene—

Bold text lit up the screen:

"Pheromones detected: Subject Chu Mo. Analyzing match..."

Xie Songchen’s face contorted in despair.

Chi Cheng’s face drained of color.

Zhou Jingyan squeezed his eyes shut.

As predicted, Du Lin’s name topped the list.

"Match rate: 95%. Designated Alpha: Du Lin."

Du Lin’s lips curled in triumph.

In an instant, the entire hall erupted in cheers and applause, everyone offering blessings to the happy couple.

Xie Songchen felt like he couldn't breathe, his back drenched in sweat.

He stared blankly at the scene before him.

At this moment, his nine years of unrequited love were utterly crushed, vanishing like soap bubbles.

Chi Cheng broke out in a cold sweat, his stomach twisting in sharp pain.

It seemed his stomach problems had suddenly acted up.

The intense stimulation left Chi Cheng reeling, unable to distinguish between dream and reality.

Zhou Jingyan's ears rang with a persistent ringing.

All surrounding sounds faded into the background at that moment, leaving only the machine's announcements.

Just as the three were engulfed in despair,

the machine suddenly sprang back to life.

Then, three more lines appeared—

• Compatibility with Chu Mo: 100 percent, matched partner: Xie Songchen.

• Match with Chu Mo: 100 percent, matched partner: Chi Cheng.

• Compatibility with Chu Mo: 100 percent, matched partner: Zhou Jingyan.