Chapter 73 Can’t Pretend to be A Anymore 2

Chapter 73 The Alpha Act Is Falling Apart

The Alpha Act Is Falling Apart

Chu Mo had never imagined that one day he would end up doing this with Xie Songchen in a car.

And after ditching his engagement party, no less.

Xie Songchen’s driver tried to pretend he hadn’t seen anything, but his eyes couldn’t help glancing at the rearview mirror.

Neither of them had any experience.

A few minutes later, the kiss ended abruptly when the car braked hard, causing their noses to collide painfully. "Jesus!"

The pain brought Chu Mo back to his senses, and only then did he realize what he had done.

This was the same kiss that had appeared in his dreams half a year ago.

That flutter in his chest just now—it was exactly the same as back then.

Chu Mo’s heart was pounding again.

To keep his suppressants from wearing off again, Chu Mo took deep breaths and looked away from Xie Songchen’s swollen lips.

Xie Songchen bit his lip, his throat working as his gaze locked onto Chu Mo’s face.

His ears were even redder than his lips.

Xie Songchen coughed a few times and turned his head to hide his awkward reaction.

Neither of them spoke.

The driver mumbled, “Sorry.”

His apology just made things worse.

Xie Songchen’s hands rested on his thighs, his fingers unconsciously tightening.

After what felt like forever, he finally broke the silence:

“Just now…”

“Earlier…”

They spoke almost simultaneously.

Chu Mo looked at Xie Songchen, who, under his gaze, murmured, “Go ahead.”

The air went still again.

Chu Mo choked back the words on the tip of his tongue.

After what felt like forever, he finally said slowly:

“Earlier, thanks.”

“If you’re thanking me for getting you out of the engagement banquet,” Xie Songchen paused, glancing at Chu Mo before his voice steady again, “the last five minutes were thank you enough.”

Chu Mo's face turned beet red.

He shot Xie Songchen a glare and snapped, "What makes you think I was doing that just to repay you?!"

Xie Songchen wasn't annoyed by these words—instead, he let a smirk tug at his lips.

"Don't get cocky just because you're CEO now," Chu Mo said as he landed a punch on Xie Songchen's arm. "That was just a momentary lapse..."

"Gotcha..." Xie Songchen hissed in pain.

He remembered Chu Mo practiced boxing every week.

Chu Mo suddenly recalled that Xie Songchen had a low pain tolerance.

He immediately withdrew his fist, coughed lightly twice, and frowned. "What, still this afraid of pain even as a CEO?"

Xie Songchen rubbed his arm where he'd been hit and chuckled. "Gotcha."

Chu Mo blinked.

He couldn't help but look at Xie Songchen, their gazes meeting.

Then, Chu Mo also couldn't help smiling back.

At this moment, the tension between them thawed.

After six months apart, many things seemed different, yet somehow unchanged.

"So, where are you planning to go next?" Xie Songchen asked as the car arrived at the entrance of his apartment building. He said.

The apartment was located in the city center, very close to Xie Songchen's company.

Chu Mo figured this was a property Xie Songchen had purchased.

After a moment's thought, Chu Mo replied, "I'll head back once I sort out what to tell the media."

"I won't overstay my welcome," he added.

Xie Songchen went quiet for a beat before nodding.

He still didn't ask any questions about the pheromone match test.

Following Xie Songchen's lead, Chu Mo entered the apartment through the underground parking garage.

Xie Songchen's home was a high-end duplex penthouse—clearly expensive.

It was evident this place served as an after-hours sanctuary.

The moment Chu Mo stepped inside, he couldn't help but exclaim: It was too clean, like something out of a magazine.

"I originally wanted to take you to the villa district," Xie Songchen said as he grabbed some house slippers for Chu Mo. He thought for a second and then added, "But that place isn't exactly private. Thought you could use some space right now."

Chu Mo was surprised by Xie Songchen's thoughtfulness.

Right at that moment.

Xie Songchen casually turned on the TV, where breaking news was being broadcast with the headline: *“Scandal at Chu Group Heir Chu Mo's Engagement Banquet—As an Alpha, He’s Actually 100% Matched with Three Other Alphas?!”*

The host, with an exaggerated expression, dramatically announced:

"At the just-concluded engagement banquet of Chu Mo, heir to the Chu Group, an unbelievable scene played out! During the pheromone compatibility test (a standard practice in their society) between Chu Mo and Du Lin, heir to the Du family, it was unexpectedly revealed that Chu Mo is perfectly matched with multiple alphas! And coincidentally, these three alphas were also present at the scene..."

Chu Mo froze.

Xie Songchen quickly changed the channel.

Another station was broadcasting live from the hotel, where Chu Yansheng and the Du family were scrambling to handle the unexpected incident.

Du Lin had already bolted from the scene, just like Chu Mo.

Everyone was stunned by this bizarre twist, speculating whether it was a glitch in the system or if Chu Mo had been faking his secondary gender all along.

News related to Chu Mo blew up on trending lists, and soon, he was bombarded with nonstop calls from all over the world.

Chu Mo had no choice but to turn off his phone.

Meanwhile, journalists had surrounded both the Chu residence and the Chu Group headquarters, waiting for Chu Mo to make an appearance.

For the next two days, Chu Mo stayed in Xie Songchen's apartment, too scared to leave.

With no way to reach Chu Mo, a flood of speculation quickly spread.

Some questioned whether Chu Mo was an omega, lying to everyone for personal gain.

Others speculated that this was a PR stunt by the Chu family, with Chu Mo using the opportunity to boost his profile before later blaming a glitch in the system.

There were also those who suspected the Du family of orchestrating the scandal...

In this society, pheromone matching dictates social and romantic bonds, so the revelation kept Chu Mo at the top of trending lists across major media platforms.

The Chu Group's stock tanked.

Soon after, many of the Chu Group's rival companies began jumping in to attack, releasing so-called "dirt" on Chu Mo in an attempt to bet against the company’s stock.

The stock freefall worsened.

It was foreseeable that unless Chu Mo stepped forward, the situation would escalate into a full-blown PR disaster.

Chu Yansheng's past words seemed to come true at this moment.

Public opinion of Chu Mo had shifted from initial curiosity to pure disgust and resentment.

Many netizens left scathing comments under news articles:

"Why hasn’t he addressed this? Does he think he can just hide?"

"Whether it’s a stunt or lying about his gender, Chu Mo’s dodging the issue is cowardly."

"As the heir of a major corporation, how can he show no accountability?"

"I’ll never buy Chu Group products again. Chu Mo is such a coward—letting the stock price crash without even attempting an explanation."

"An explanation wouldn't help anyway. If he admits to being an omega, wouldn't that just make everyone look like fools?"

"Get a new heir—now!"

The overwhelming public outcry grew louder and louder.

Chu Mo huddled in a beanbag chair in the corner, browsing the news on Xie Songchen's laptop, goosebumps rising on his skin.

Clearly, even if Chu Group intervened now, it would be difficult to quell this storm of public opinion.

Chu Mo's palms grew clammy with sweat.

For now, Chu Yansheng still hadn't responded.

But Chu Mo knew Chu Yansheng's character only too well—it wouldn't be long before he called a shareholders' meeting to announce replacing Chu Mo as the heir.

Everything Chu Mo had worked so hard for over the years seemed to be teetering on the edge right before him.

Not disclosing his gender would provoke public backlash.

Disclosing his gender would still provoke public backlash.

There appeared to be no way out.

Then another news headline popped up—

*"Chu Group's Stock Continues to Plummet, Investors Protest Outside Headquarters Demanding Answers."*

Chu Mo's chest tightened, and he was about to click on it when his laptop was abruptly taken away.

Xie Songchen snapped the laptop shut with a sharp click and said expressionlessly, "Cut down on screen time."

Chu Mo could tell Xie Songchen was trying to shield him from these news reports.

He pushed himself up from the beanbag and said to Xie Songchen,

"Even if I don’t read these news articles, I’m just pretending it's not happening. Right now, everyone outside is talking about me."

Xie Songchen frowned. "None of this is on you."

Chu Mo froze, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Xie Songchen put the laptop away, looked at Chu Mo, and said word by word,

"Society has pushed this farce into the spotlight simply because someone wants to drag you down from the top. You’ve always been the figure all alphas looked up to—they’d love nothing more than to see you shattered to pieces."

Chu Mo froze, stunned into silence, the words hanging heavy in the air between them.

He hadn’t expected Xie Songchen to cut right to the heart of it so bluntly.

"Looked up to…" Chu Mo’s throat felt dry, his voice hoarse. "Do I… really count as someone to be looked up to?"

After years of playing the alpha role, Chu Mo had always felt like he was just going through the motions.

Whether it was the original assignment or his family's demands.

Even the engagement had been just another box to check—to "let Xie Songchen and the others pursue their own happiness."

Since childhood, Chu Mo had shouldered too much.

The burden had clouded his understanding of his own place.

He couldn't even face his true self.

"Of course," Xie Songchen said to Chu Mo with complete seriousness, "You are the one everyone looks up to, including me. I've been looking up to you ever since the moment you saved me."

Chu Mo stared blankly at Xie Songchen.

Compared to Xie Songchen saying he liked him, the admiration in Xie Songchen's words seemed to touch him even more.

"What if one day..." Chu Mo swallowed hard, his voice just above a whisper, "I mean, if one day, you find out I'm not what you imagined... that I'm not as perfect as I seem, would you still look up to me?"

After speaking, Chu Mo looked down.

But he felt that at this moment, he wanted to see Xie Songchen's answer.

So he looked up again and met Xie Songchen's eyes.

"Not as perfect as you seem..." Xie Songchen gazed at Chu Mo, a little confused, "What do you mean?"

All these days, Xie Songchen had never asked about Chu Mo's gender.

Nor had he asked for the truth behind the whole situation.

He simply stayed quietly by Chu Mo's side, just as he had when he was his secretary.

"What I mean is," Chu Mo looked at Xie Songchen, slowly and deliberately, revealing his true feelings, "if I weren't the heir to the Chu family, if I didn't have the identity of a CEO, or even if I've deceived you in many things..."

As he spoke, Chu Mo's voice started shaking, and he could barely go on.

Unconsciously, it was as if he let his guard down, showing Xie Songchen a crack.

Within that crack lay a world Xie Songchen had never seen before.

Xie Songchen stood frozen.

After a moment,

Xie Songchen pulled Chu Mo close.

His voice, muffled but heartfelt, reached Chu Mo's ears and heart:

"Then I would blame myself for not discovering the real you sooner."