Chapter 74 Can’t Pretend to be A Anymore 3

Chapter 74: This Alpha Act Can’t Keep Up (3)

The Alpha Act Can’t Keep Up (3)

The firm embrace that came his way gave Chu Mo the sense of security he had been missing all this time.

Xie Songchen’s words left Chu Mo speechless for a moment.

Xie Songchen didn’t blame Chu Mo, nor did he back down because of his words.

Xie Songchen was only blaming himself.

For a second, Chu Mo stopped breathing, feeling the warmth of the other’s body and the steady beat of his heart.

The feelings of anxiety and unease vanished in an instant.

Chu Mo froze, letting Xie Songchen hold him.

After what felt like forever,

his Adam’s apple bobbed as he hesitated before speaking:

"...Thank you."

Xie Songchen held on tighter. "If my words can make you feel even a little better, then quit obsessing over your phone all day. Talk to me instead..."

The Xie Songchen of the past would’ve never said something like this.

But at this moment, Chu Mo sensed a strength in Xie Songchen he’d never seen before.

It was a kind of strength he had never felt from anyone else.

Just a single embrace seemed to hit Chu Mo right where he was weakest.

Before long, Chu Mo snapped out of that fleeting comfort.

Reason told him he couldn’t indulge in this embrace.

It’d make him weak.

"I wish I could ignore all of this too," Chu Mo said, cooling his tone as he pushed Xie Songchen away and put space between them. "But you know, if Chu Yansheng really wants to come after me, now is the perfect time—he could easily convene a board meeting to remove me."

Xie Songchen stared at Chu Mo for a moment.

After a pause, he said,

"No one in the Chu family deserves it more than you."

His tone was dead serious.

"I think so too," Chu Mo replied naturally.

Perhaps Xie Songchen’s embrace had given him some comfort, because at this moment, he got his edge back as the heir and CEO.

Xie Songchen paused, then chuckled. "Guess some things never change."

Chu Mo looked down.

No, he hadn’t.

He kept up his alpha façade, too afraid to reveal his real gender.

Xie Songchen noticed the subtle shift in Chu Mo's emotions and spoke up at the right moment:

"If this is getting to you, try to forget about it for now."

Chu Mo shook his head. "I don’t have much time to react. Chu Yansheng will make his move soon."

If the truth about the heir’s gender comes out, it would cause immense damage to the Chu family.

Yet, Chu Mo was the most suitable and well-liked heir—replacing him would also create turmoil within the company.

Chu Mo could easily imagine Chu Yansheng pacing restlessly in his villa at this very moment, completely losing it.

"Served him right for forcing me into an engagement," Chu Mo thought.

Xie Songchen fell silent for a moment.

He didn’t push further.

He also understood that this was something Chu Mo had to face himself—no one else had a better solution.

At this thought, a flicker of guilt crossed Xie Songchen's eyes.

After a long pause, Xie Songchen spoke up first:

"You been okay staying here?"

"It's been good," Chu Mo glanced around. "You’ve done all the housework, so I’ve had it easy. Also, your place is super cozy."

During this time, though the two lived under the same roof, Xie Songchen had given Chu Mo plenty of personal space.

This sense of boundaries made Chu Mo feel at ease.

"Stuck inside for days—aren’t you bored?" Xie Songchen asked, concerned. "How about I take you out for some fresh air?"

Chu Mo hesitated. "But... the reporters—"

"They haven’t found you yet," Xie Songchen replied. "I’ve been keeping an eye out these past few days to see if any reporters are tracking you nearby. So far, there aren’t any."

Chu Mo’s throat tightened.

"Why do you treat me so well?"

"Good?" Xie Songchen said plainly. "If I like you, isn’t this what I should do?"

No hint of expecting anything in return.

Chu Mo couldn’t help but laugh.

Sometimes Xie Songchen seemed like an ice-cold statue.

Other times, he felt Xie Songchen’s heart was the warmest and most genuine.

"If you do a lot but don’t know how to show it," Chu Mo said with a faint smile, putting on his boss voice to "educate" Xie Songchen, "then you’ll never get ahead at work."

"Let me butter you up, Boss Chu," Xie Songchen said as he pulled out his car keys. "Might help clear your head for the PR mess."

With everything on the line, Chu Mo was completely lost.

Xie Songchen had a point—instead of confining himself in the room, he might as well get some air.

Maybe his luck would change.

With that thought in mind, Chu Mo smirked, using the same tone he'd used as Xie Songchen's boss:

"Remember to prepare my coffee."

Xie Songchen made an "OK" gesture. "Got it."

Twenty minutes later.

Chu Mo, all bundled up and wearing sunglasses, slid into Xie Songchen’s passenger seat.

The newly appointed CEO Xie Songchen was back to playing secretary. He came out of the coffee shop carrying a cup of coffee, handed it to Chu Mo after getting in the car, and said,

"Here's your coffee, Mr. Chu."

Chu Mo took the coffee, took a small sip, and then stopped short.

It was his favorite latte.

This private preference of Chu Mo’s—even now, Xie Songchen still remembered it clearly.

"You…" Chu Mo paused mid-sip, found himself staring at Xie Songchen, at a loss for words.

Xie Songchen buckled up and glanced at Chu Mo. "What's wrong?"

Chu Mo was burning with questions.

Yet at this moment, he felt that it should be Xie Songchen asking him the questions instead.

But Xie Songchen never did.

Things like Chu Mo’s engagement partner, Chu Mo’s true gender, whether they were compatible…

It was as if Xie Songchen didn’t care at all.

Chu Mo was thrown for a loop.

Did Xie Songchen still like him?

If he did, why didn’t he ask these questions?

But if he didn’t, why did he still remember that Chu Mo liked lattes?

Chu Mo went quiet.

Xie Songchen waited for a while but got no response from Chu Mo.

An awkward silence settled over the car.

"...Well, you haven't lost your touch as a secretary," Chu Mo bit back what he really wanted to say and finally spoke. "After all these years, you still remember what coffee to buy."

Xie Songchen glanced at Chu Mo, his tone calm. "Someone once swore up and down they hated milky coffee."

"Cough, cough…" Cornered, Chu Mo coughed a few times, his ears going pink. "Well, how’d you know I’m a latte guy?"

Xie Songchen, called out like that, was left scrambling too.

He quickly looked away, then muttered after a moment:

"What’s wrong with being observant?"

Xie Songchen didn’t answer further.

Chu Mo had no way of knowing whether Xie Songchen had asked Chu Yun or secretly observed it himself.

Xie Songchen drove the car out of the city center, taking Chu Mo for a drive.

"Cooped up in a room for days, finally out and about." Chu Mo gazed at the scenery outside the window and couldn’t help but sigh. "Good thing those reporters haven’t found your place."

Seeing Chu Mo much more relaxed, Xie Songchen’s lips twitched into a smile.

As they drove over a big bridge, Xie Songchen suddenly spoke up:

"I’ve got another idea you might like even more."

Chu Mo blinked in surprise, shifting his gaze from the scenery to Xie Songchen. "What?"

Xie smirked. "Let’s put the top down."

Only then did Chu Mo realize the car was a convertible sports car.

"Xie, we’re currently avoiding reporters," Chu Mo paused before continuing. "No guarantee we won’t get recognized if we stand out too much."

Xie Songchen just shrugged. "Worth a shot?"

The next second, before Chu Mo could react, Whoosh! The roof retracted smoothly and silently.

The car sped across the bridge, the wind whipping past them. Chu Mo’s hair was blown back, revealing his sharp browline and straight nose.

This was freedom.

All the exhaustion and anxiety of the past few days melted away.

If not for the seatbelt, he might have even stood up and shouted.

Chu Mo was startled by his own dangerous impulse.

At that moment, he realized just how many bottled-up feelings he needed to release.

The flood of hate online, the internal company pressure he had to face, and the pressure from his family.

All this time, Chu Mo had been like an ostrich, hiding out at Xie Songchen’s place just to catch his breath.

Now, as the sports car zipped across the bridge, the wind whipping past and the blur of scenery made him suddenly aware of how long since he’d last felt this free.

"Thank you—"

Chu Mo shouted through cupped hands toward Xie Songchen over the wind.

Xie didn’t catch it and yelled back, "What—?"

Chu Mo shouted again, louder this time: "Thank you—"

This time, Xie Songchen caught it.

He quirked a smile but didn’t speak, his face lit up with a joy Chu Mo had never seen before.

Chu Mo suddenly realized that during this time, Xie Songchen had always been by his side, his eyes always laced with quiet concern.

But Xie Songchen had never voiced his concerns.

He simply stayed silently by Chu Mo’s side, looking after his every need.

Now, seeing Chu Mo happy, Xie Songchen seemed to finally relax from being so wound up.

Once they'd crossed the bridge,

Xie Songchen put the top up.

The car went quiet, allowing them to hear each other’s voices again.

"In high school, I was way too hard on myself," Xie Songchen's voice cut through the quiet. "Back then, I really wanted to get into the same university as you. Do you know what a long shot that was?"

This was the first time Chu Mo had heard Xie Songchen open up about his high school days.

Chu Mo raised an eyebrow. "How much of a long shot?"

"Sometimes the pressure was enough to make me lose it," Xie Songchen said, looking ahead. Though his words were complaints, his tone carried a hint of nostalgia. "But just thinking about that goal gave me motivation again. Whenever I did poorly on a test, I’d come here to clear my head—well, back then, it was on a bicycle."

Chu Mo hadn’t expected Xie Songchen to have gone through all that stress for that goal too.

Unable to hold back, he asked what was on his mind.

"Of course there was pressure," Xie Songchen said calmly. "But when someone has a goal, pressure can turn into motivation. So I’m grateful that back then, I had you as my goal."

"...You're getting way too good at this," Chu Mo said, touched but unable to resist teasing. "Don't even bat an eye now."

Xie Songchen went still for a beat.

Then he realized that such words were pretty much a love confession, and his ears turned red.

An awkward silence fell over the car.

Fortunately, the car soon arrived somewhere quiet.

Xie Songchen turned to Chu Mo. "Want to take a walk?"

Chu Mo nodded, pulled on his cap and face mask, and got out of the car.

They ended up by a park.

As they strolled, Chu Mo suddenly chuckled.

Xie Songchen asked, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, just getting sentimental," Chu Mo said, looking at the ground. "After running companies all these years, now I have to go out wearing a hat and mask because of something like this."

Xie Songchen glanced at Chu Mo and finally worked up the nerve to ask:

"So… where does this leave us?"

All these days, Xie Songchen had avoided discussing this matter with Chu Mo.

He was afraid of pushing him too hard.

"I..."

Chu Mo faced only two options: publicly revealing his gender or continuing to conceal it.

Both choices felt overwhelming right now.

Just then, they reached a fork in the path.

To the left was a narrow, winding trail, slightly overgrown, leading to a quiet bamboo grove at its end.

To the right was a wide cobblestone path leading to a busy area.

Chu Mo needed somewhere quiet.

So, he turned to Xie Songchen and asked, "Which path would you take?"

Xie Songchen paused.

He glanced into the distance and answered without hesitation, "I’ll take whichever path gets me where I want to go."

His tone was firm, his reasoning straightforward.

Chu Mo looked toward the bamboo grove and asked, "But what if I want to go to the bamboo grove but don’t know what’s there—there might be snakes or tons of mosquitoes. Should I still go?"

"If it were me," Xie Songchen said, pausing to meet Chu Mo’s eyes as he spoke deliberately, "I would go."

Chu Mo hesitated before answering, "Even... if you don’t know what the consequences might be?"

"The unknown scares me less than never trying," Xie Songchen lowered his eyes, as if recalling something from the past.

Chu Mo realized Xie Songchen was more idealistic than he’d thought.

"Failing after trying beats never trying out of fear."

After saying this, Xie Songchen held Chu Mo’s gaze.

At this moment, Chu Mo couldn’t look him in the eye.

In a way, Xie Songchen was braver.

A thought crossed Chu Mo’s mind: should he tell Xie Songchen about his gender?

Xie Songchen had never outright asked if Chu Mo was an omega.

But Chu Mo still felt guilty about that basketball game six months ago.

It was a big game for Xie Songchen, but he played hurt—for Chu Mo. And Chu Mo had lied, saying he was an alpha.

At this thought, Chu Mo took a deep breath, fists tightening unconsciously.

He was about to speak up, to finally come clean.

"Xie Songchen... the truth is..."

Xie Songchen watched silently at Chu Mo.

Chu Mo swallowed hard. "Actually, I..."

The words died on his lips.

"Actually what?" Xie Songchen looked at him, completely puzzled.

"Actually, I'm..."

Chu Mo opened his mouth, but the word wouldn’t come.

Just as he hesitated over whether to tell the truth—

A burst of camera flashes suddenly lit up nearby.

A swarm of paparazzi appeared out of nowhere, armed with cameras and rushing at Chu Mo and Xie Songchen!

"Chu Mo is over there! Hurry!"

"He’s with Xie!"

"Chu Mo, care to explain the engagement banquet scandal?!"

"The shareholders are demanding answers—what do you have to say?!"

Already on edge, Chu Mo was startled by the sudden commotion.

Xie Songchen reacted swiftly, grabbing Chu Mo's hand and pulling him aside. "Let's go!"

Chu Mo snapped into action and hurried after Xie Songchen.

The two of them sprinted through twisting alleyways, desperate to lose the journalists behind them.

Soon, Xie Songchen pulled Chu Mo along into the bamboo grove.

Chu Mo didn’t dare pause, his mind racing.

They dashed through the bamboo forest and barely reached Xie Songchen’s car before the journalists could catch up.

Both men looked ragged, gasping, still rattled.

Xie Songchen didn’t hesitate, quickly starting the sports car and peeling away from the chaos.

About ten minutes later.

Xie Songchen had shaken off all signs of the journalists.

The two finally breathed again.

Before Chu Mo could say a word—

Xie Songchen’s voice came from beside him:

"What... were you going to say?"

With that, Xie Songchen looked at him.

Their gazes locked.

Chu Mo felt his heart hammering.

His heart threatened to burst.

Then it hit him—

There was no running now.