Chapter 40 Romance Trap

Chapter 40: The Romance Trap

When Mu Zhang finished getting ready and went to find Lin Juangui, the doctor had just finished applying medication to him.

"Don't release any pheromones for a while. An inflamed gland can be serious. If it keeps inflaming, your gland might fester, and then it would have to be removed."

Lin Juangui lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes framing a pale neck. He leaned casually against the sofa, reminding Mu Zhang of the trailing jasmine in the hallway outside his study—delicate yet resilient.

Meanwhile, the doctor was already packing up the medical kit. Lin Juangui thanked him and noticed Mu Zhang approaching.

"Would an Omega become like a Beta if their gland is removed?" Lin Juangui asked curiously.

The doctor shook his head. "Betas also have glands and can sense pheromones to balance their hormones. An Omega would suffer greatly without a gland. It's best to take care and not take it lightly."

"Alright, I understand."

Mu Zhang sat on the sofa at a distance neither too close nor too far from Lin Juangui.

He could see Lin Juangui's gland slightly reddened, covered with a layer of clear gel ointment.

"How did it get inflamed?"

Lin Juangui waved his hand dismissively, picking up his glasses from the side table and putting them on.

The doctor and servants tactfully excused themselves. Lin Juangui turned to look at Mu Zhang, whose eyes were slightly red, and felt the man was asking something he already knew.

"Just a minor injury, nothing serious. Why didn’t you call me during your rut period?"

Mu Zhang had just finished cleansing, with a few strands of hair still damp at the ends.

He gazed silently at Lin Juangui, his expression intensely calm and focused.

After a long moment, the Alpha finally spoke: "Your body is so weakened. If you release pheromones again…"

Mu Zhang didn’t finish, suddenly realizing that Lin Juangui’s gland inflammation was due to his actions.

Almost without thinking, Mu Zhang said to Lin Juangui, "I’m sorry. I was wrong, both in the past and now."

Lin Juangui raised an eyebrow in surprise, not expecting Mu Zhang to apologize so straightforwardly.

Ah, this apology was probably earned through days of pheromone exertion. Lin Juangui owed no gratitude.

"Should I say it’s alright?"

"You don’t have to."

Mu Zhang had always been someone who never needed to please others.

Years of arrogance and stubbornness had made him never bother to lower his head and see how ordinary people lived.

Even in dealing with his feelings for Mu Yuanqing, he had to compete and prioritize gain, truly embodying the Alpha’s aggressive instincts down to his bones.

If last time Lin Juangui needed Mu Zhang’s apology to comfort himself, this time he cared even less about it.

Mu Zhang could break his promise anytime—he had the privilege. Why should Lin Juangui take it so seriously?

So Lin Juangui didn’t dwell on Mu Zhang’s guilt. Why should he spare such naivety to waste on others?

Seeing Lin Juangui’s indifferent expression, Mu Zhang felt choked up, his breath trembling slightly.

When he’d steadied himself a bit, Mu Zhang asked if Lin Juangui had smelled his pheromones in the villa these past few days.

Lin Juangui shook his head. "No."

"That’s good."

Mu Zhang knew his pheromones weren’t liked by Omegas. Lin Juangui was even allergic to pitch. If not for his tricks and that contract, Lin Juangui wouldn’t have given him a second glance.

All these years, enduring his ruts alone in the manor’s basement was a form of self-imposed exile. Mu Zhang knew the conditions were poor, but he needed that darkness to conceal his animalistic urges.

He hated himself during ruts—uncontrollable, highly aggressive, devoid of rationality. For someone as proud as him, it was a crushing blow.

Lin Juangui’s presence changed all that, but Mu Zhang found little comfort.

He clearly knew he disliked Omegas, yet Lin Juangui made him reconsider. He even began to question whether his aversion to Omegas was justified.

Bai Qujing was innocent, so why had Mu Zhang projected his hatred onto her? Could Bai Qujing alone represent all Omegas?

Why should Lin Juangui suffer Mu Zhang’s inexplicable malice?

Mu Zhang had pondered this for a long time, feeling as if two forces were warring in his mind, giving him debilitating headaches.

But in the end, Mu Zhang chose to remain a silent observer, letting events unfold to see if he could get the outcome he desired.

To Mu Zhang, Lin Juangui was a wild card. Everything he did brought Mu Zhang unexpected surprises.

So Mu Zhang was willing to fulfill any request Lin Juangui made. After all, Lin Juangui had piqued his interest—he wanted to see what else Lin Juangui would do to change his perspective.

The villa was quickly modified. Lin Juangui’s ideas weren’t hard to implement. The first floor where Mu Zhang stayed was both shielded from light and soundproof. Lin Juangui wouldn’t know his every move, and he didn’t care either what Mu Zhang did.

Originally, Mu Zhang thought he’d go through this rut alone, but Lin Juangui still came during Mu Zhang’s most vulnerable moments and emitted calming pheromones. Otherwise, Mu Zhang wouldn’t have recovered his senses so quickly.

Through their time together, Mu Zhang had begun to understand Lin Juangui’s character.

Lin Juangui’s coming definitely wasn’t out of any affection for Mu Zhang but to fulfill contractual obligations.

He wouldn’t give Mu Zhang any leverage, consistent with his usual thorough and impeccable conduct.

So Mu Zhang spared himself wishful humiliation. Instead, he changed the subject: "Are you still the same Lin Juangui as before?"

Song Jie was Mu Zhang’s person. Lin Juangui knew any of his conditions would be relayed to Mu Zhang, so he showed no surprise.

"Would you mind that? There’s no need to read too much into the psychologist’s theories. Even if the things I imagine are real, so what? They wouldn’t make me worse."

Mu Zhang was the perpetrator. From start to finish, he had been hurting others, whether it was [Lin Juangui] or Lin Juangui.

Lin Juangui knew who he should hate. Those who abetted wrongdoing weren’t worth his attention.

Mu Zhang remained silent, his expression serious, listening carefully to Lin Juangui.

"Remember the day I finally got to meet and negotiate with you? My family had confined me for a long time. They wanted me to change into clothes that would easily appeal to an Alpha. I said the one interacting with Mu Zhang would be me—I couldn’t hide anything, nor did I have the ability to pretend in front of you for long. They couldn’t change my mind. Did you notice what I was wearing then?"

Mu Zhang knew—Lin Juangui wore black, just like him.

He also remembered what Lin Juangui wore during their first "chance encounter" at a banquet.

Mu Zhang stayed silent. The reminiscent expression on his face made Lin Juangui couldn’t help but laugh.

"You must still remember that at our first meeting, I wore a white suit. After all, that encounter was deliberately orchestrated by you."

That was the first meeting between [Lin Juangui] and Mu Zhang. To [Lin Juangui], it was dreamy and romantic. He knew Mu Zhang was much older, but who wouldn’t be drawn to such a gentlemanly and handsome Alpha?

Looking back, [Lin Juangui] was still too young and naive at the time. He didn’t stop to think why an Alpha of Mu Zhang’s caliber, at his age, still had no Omega at his side—either there was something physically wrong with him or something psychologically wrong.

Yet, [Lin Juangui] fell right into Mu Zhang's romantic trap. Even after becoming Mu Zhang’s lover, he would find all sorts of excuses to rationalize the inconsistencies for him.

Before meeting Huo Zeshen, Lin Juangui had never been in a relationship, but he had seen it all—both swindlers and their victims.

Mu Zhang’s tactics were more than enough to charm someone young. After all, time had softened his rough edges, making him calm and elegant. A simple smile from him could make people flock around him, just to catch another glimpse of his face.

But these tricks meant nothing to Lin Juangui. Though he often found himself at a disadvantage when dealing with Mu Zhang, he could precisely grab him by the throat, turning all of Mu Zhang’s plans to have it both ways into mere choices.

One shouldn’t be too greedy; some losses are inevitable.

To Mu Zhang, losing the old Lin Juangui was no great loss—he could afford it. But the current Lin Juangui would never allow himself to become a bargaining chip in Mu Zhang’s hands again.

"When I married you, I already thought—I won’t suck up to you. And later, I found that reality was just as I expected. Why should I try to please you? Clearly, all my tragedies and disasters were brought upon me by you. Yet you still act as if what I’ve received is some kind of favor or reward. Mu Zhang, I’ve never met anyone more hypocritical than you."

Lin Juangui spoke like a venomous serpent, the light in his eyes piercing enough to hurt. But he quickly reined in his smile.

He had long since run out of anger. There was no point in criticizing Mu Zhang now, especially since Mu Zhang wouldn’t take Lin Juangui’s words seriously anyway. He probably only cared about whether Lin Juangui could still communicate normally with others and whether he was willing to be used again.

"I’ve come to understand you fully, but anger won’t solve anything. Those emotions won’t stay with me forever. So, when will you arrange for me to meet Liang Shanyue?"

A subtle storm churned in Mu Zhang’s eyes, a struggle between surprise and pain that flared and then died down.

This was what made Lin Juangui special.

Often, Mu Zhang could only guess part of Lin Juangui’s logic but never his true intentions.

Mu Zhang had always admired Lin Juangui’s strategic mindset, which gave him the feeling that Lin Juangui was willing to sacrifice everything for him. But Lin Juangui wasn’t the type to give everything away.

He was far more complex than Mu Zhang had imagined.

Lin Juangui averted his gaze, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, shaking his head in resignation. "Short-term advantages can be replaced at any time. I prefer pursuing long-term benefits. This is a fundamental difference in our approaches. If it were me, I wouldn’t have let things with Liang Shanyue get so ugly. Even if he backs down now, he’ll use all sorts of underhanded tricks to make you miserable later. Why bother?"

Mu Zhang shook off his brief melancholy and confusion.

It seemed he had figured something out, found an answer. He looked at Lin Juangui with earnest eyes. "Lin Juangui, I wronged you in the past. I know you don’t care for my apology, and you don’t think I need your forgiveness. To you, we should be in a cooperative relationship, and that’s how it will remain. I will respect you and treat you as my partner."

Compared to before, Mu Zhang’s attitude had done a complete turnaround. At the very least, Lin Juangui’s status had been elevated slightly—he was now considered Mu Zhang’s so-called "partner."

Some honor.

This was the first time Mu Zhang had been completely honest with Lin Juangui. He finally told Lin Juangui what he was doing and why he had clashed with Liang Shanyue.

After listening, Lin Juangui nodded, unsurprised.

It was pretty much as [Lin Juangui] had guessed. Mu Zhang wanted to acquire the laboratory controlled by Liang Shanyue in Cloud Harbor Star, but Liang Shanyue was strongly opposed.

Mu Zhang’s plan was to send Lin Juangui to Cloud Harbor Star, start with Yao Zhi, and try to find leverage on Liang Shanyue.

At the same time, he would have Lin Juangui get to know Liang Shanyue, deliberately exposing his "weakness" to Liang Shanyue, waiting for him to take the bait.

Liang Shanyue, however, could guess Mu Zhang’s intentions. His family had already tipped him off, and he was prepared for it.

Lin Juangui was studying on Cloud Harbor Star, and his mental health was still fragile. After a visit to the counseling office, he left Yao Zhi completely smitten. Liang Shanyue wasn't happy, but at his birthday banquet, he found Lin Juangui quite charming—it was just that Yao Zhi lacked resolve.

He decided to step back, letting Yao Zhi do as he wished, while using the surveillance in the interrogation chamber to observe Lin Juangui’s reactions. He needed to know what role Lin Juangui was playing in all this.

The slap Lin Juangui gave Mu Zhang made Liang Shanyue think Lin Juangui knew nothing about the situation—a golden opportunity. But Lin Juangui had been too deeply hurt by Mu Zhang and was recuperating at home due to psychological issues. Liang Shanyue couldn’t meet with him, and his family couldn’t offer much more support. He was at his breaking point.

"It seems you’re not in too much of a hurry. He’ll cave eventually. But once this is over, what will you do next?"

Mu Zhang’s modus operandi had largely solidified over the years. Tian Guang needed a decisive leader like him, but if he wanted to clean up his image and break through to the core circles of the Federal Central Star, this approach clearly wasn’t enough.

Lin Juangui’s identity was incredibly valuable to Mu Zhang. By donating cultural relics, he had built up a high reputation. As Mu Zhang’s partner, he was in the perfect position to help Mu Zhang accomplish things he couldn’t do on his own.

This was exactly what Lin Juangui had mentioned when discussing marriage with Mu Zhang—he could help Mu Zhang fill a critical gap.

Mu Zhang had finally realized it. For the past six months, Lin Juangui had been proving his capabilities, but Mu Zhang, let prejudice blind him. He even repeatedly pushed Lin Juangui into danger, disregarding his safety.

This was the real reason for Lin Juangui’s disappointment and anger.

Fortunately, Mu Zhang was now acting more human. He was finally beginning to acknowledge Lin Juangui’s abilities.

Lin Juangui had paid a heavy price for this acknowledgment, but fortunately, things were progressing according to his plan.

Gaining Mu Zhang’s complete trust was only the first step. Once this step was taken, the rest would go much more smoothly.

The conversation lasted a long time. Mu Zhang let go of his prejudices against Lin Juangui, and Lin Juangui gained a new understanding of this protagonist.

Though Mu Zhang had a terrible personality, that seemed par for the course for a protagonist—his intelligence was certainly sufficient.

The challenges and inner demons the protagonist had to overcome still constantly surrounded Mu Zhang, preventing him from fully acting decisively in certain situations.

Lin Juangui was an outsider in this world, so his perspective was indeed broader. But he was also part of the game, unable to completely detach himself.

Mu Zhang and Lin Juangui reached a certain understanding. Both needed the benefits this marriage brought, but the marriage couldn’t be sustained by Lin Juangui alone. His strength was clearly insufficient—most of the time, it depended on the attitude Mu Zhang conveyed to the outside world.

"Alright, I know what to do."

Today, Mu Zhang was unusually compliant, but Lin Juangui remained cautious.

Last time was the same—he seemed to listen, but in the end, he still left Lin Juangui hanging. Who knew if Mu Zhang would talk the talk but not walk the walk?

Lin Juangui smiled as always, but the light in his eyes was cold.

Mu Zhang knew Lin Juangui would never trust him again.

After Lin Juangui’s condition improved slightly, he was questioned by the interstellar police.

He laid out the entire process of how he and Yao Zhi met, looking utterly innocent. "I thought he was a professional psychologist. I never expected things to turn out like this."

Those rather niche interests were just private tastes. Lin Juangui hadn’t harmed anyone, but if Yao Zhi misunderstood, that was his problem.

Lin Juangui already had psychological issues, and Yao Zhi’s actions had frightened him so much that he took days at home to recover.

The police left after getting the information. Not long after, Lin Juangui received a message from Liang Shanyue, asking to meet on Cloud Harbor Star.

Lin Juangui agreed. He was planning to return to school soon anyway—final exams were just over a month away, and if he didn’t catch up, he would surely fail.

Liang Shanyue simply called Lin Juangui directly.

He seemed quite exasperated, taking a deep breath before speaking. "I never thought that even now, you'd still be thinking about school."

"There must be a lot of talk about me on the Starnet lately. If I don’t go back to school soon, the school’s long-standing reputation will be completely ruined by Yao Zhi. Now that he’s in prison and unreachable for criticism, people will likely point fingers at me and blame me instead."

The rumor war between Mu Zhang and Liang Shanyue ultimately hurt Lin Juangui the most. While Liang Shanyue could change the subject with other topics to cover up his affair scandal, Lin Juangui lacked the ability to silence everyone. His psychological issues were already widely known, which could damage his future charitable image.

Liang Shanyue seemed somewhat remorseful. He understood how difficult it was for an Omega to make a place for themselves in society, and Lin Juangui was truly innocent in all of this.

"Let’s meet. There are some things I feel I can only say to you in person. Your partner is quite a formidable figure—you must know that, right? He’s watching you 24/7."

After a moment of silence, Lin Juangui smiled and said, "Alright."

Truthfully, Lin Juangui wasn’t in the best condition to travel. His gland was still inflamed and needed proper rest to recover; pushing himself too hard would only worsen his condition.

But the situation couldn’t be delayed any longer. He couldn’t afford to wait until Mu Zhang and Liang Shanyue had worn each other down before stepping in to clean up the mess—that would render all the suffering and hardship Lin Juangui had endured meaningless.

"I’ll go with you." Knowing Liang Shanyue wanted to meet Lin Juangui, Mu Zhang offered to take him to Yunhang Star on the Tianguang.

Lin Juangui was skeptical. "Are you sure Liang Shanyue won’t start something with you if you go…?"

"Blow up?"

Mu Zhang was confident. "He won’t. Our conflict is just about business, not something that requires a physical confrontation. If I’m near Yunhang Star, he won’t dare to do anything to you. If he remains stubborn, he’ll have more than just me to deal with."

Lin Juangui grew increasingly curious.

It seemed there was quite a story behind Liang Shanyue. Could this be an opportunity to uncover the tip of the iceberg regarding the Sword Group?

The Tianguang did indeed ride smoother than most starships, and Lin Juangui had a very comfortable sleep.

This time, he stayed in the room next to Mu Zhang’s bedroom, with many Tianguang members guarding the area.

As Lin Juangui prepared to take a craft to Yunhang Star, he saw Gu Mi, Ge Miao, and Zheng Shi—the lawyer who had previously had Lin Juangui sign the pre-marriage contract.

These were likely Mu Zhang’s closest aides. It seemed this trip was quite important to Mu Zhang.

"Any advice for me?" Lin Juangui asked calmly. Although he might not necessarily follow their suggestions, he could analyze Mu Zhang’s true intentions from their words.

Ge Miao smiled and told Lin Juangui to stay safe, while Gu Mi handed him a cufflink.

"This is a signal jammer. It will interfere with and disable any eavesdropping or surveillance devices on the other party."

Lin Juangui took the cufflink. "What about your own surveillance? Won’t this block that too?"

Gu Mi smiled very confidently. "Of course not."

Ge Miao and Zheng Shi glanced at Gu Mi, who blinked, realizing Lin Juangui had easily caught him slipping.

"Enough," Mu Zhang interrupted promptly. He told Lin Juangui not to get bogged down in details and to proceed at his own pace.

Finally, Mu Zhang reached out and gently tucked back the slightly grown-out hairs behind Lin Juangui’s gland. "I trust you’ve got this."

The gesture was somewhat intimate, but Lin Juangui paid it no mind and simply nodded.

After changing his bandages and having a doctor cover his gland with breathable material, Lin Juangui left the Tianguang starship.

Mu Zhang watched his back as he left intently. Zheng Shi suddenly asked, "Do you think he’ll act entirely in your interests?"

"No," Mu Zhang replied without hesitation.

Zheng Shi looked worried, “Then…”

Ge Miao, standing nearby, smiled with an understanding look: “The wife won’t harm her husband’s interests, but he won’t let himself suffer losses either.”

Lin Juangui is smart; he knows what to do and what not to do.

Mu Zhang is not one to leave loose ends—he prefers to wipe out threats completely to avoid future troubles.

This approach is indeed straightforward and efficient, but over time, it reveals many drawbacks. Unless he can dominate everything, no one would dare to work with Mu Zhang.

At this stage, Mu Zhang is still in his growth phase. He needs to leverage all available resources to solidify his position. His peak period has yet to arrive, and Lin Juangui will have plenty of opportunities to expand his own power base.

Shortly after arriving on Yungangxing, Lin Juangui received a message from Liang Shanyue, who was waiting for him at a barbershop and had already sent the coordinates.

The barbershop where Liang Shanyue was located sat in the bustling downtown area of the city center. The shop had been cleared out, and Liang Shanyue sat on a high chair in front of a mirror, allowing the hairstylist to skillfully trim his hair.

Hearing footsteps, Liang Shanyue opened his eyes. He looked Lin Juangui over carefully for a moment and said with emotion, “You’ve lost a lot of weight.”

Lin Juangui pulled a chair and sat next to Liang Shanyue, glancing at his reflection in the mirror before shifting his gaze to the faint dark circles under Liang Shanyue’s eyes. “Brother Liang, you haven’t been sleeping well either lately, have you? I thought… you would’ve gladly thrown Yao Zhi to the wolves.”

But according to Mu Zhang’s account, Liang Shanyue seemed to care deeply about Yao Zhi, putting constant pressure on the police and insisting on waiting for Lin Juangui to wake up and give a statement directly identifying Yao Zhi before considering the matter resolved.

Liang Shanyue appreciated Lin Juangui’s directness. He tilted his head to check his haircut, his tone light but carrying an unmistakable authority. “Yao Zhi was their way of testing my limits. I couldn’t afford to yield even a step. But I’m more curious about you.”

The hairstylist brushed away the loose hairs behind Liang Shanyue’s ears, gathered his tools, and quietly left. Liang Shanyue stood up and walked step by step toward Lin Juangui.

“If you weren’t deliberately placed in front of Yao Zhi by Mu Zhang, how could you immediately see through Yao Zhi’s quirks? If you knew everything, why did you slap Mu Zhang? Explain yourself.”

Lin Juangui smiled calmly. “What if I told you I'm completely innocent? Dr. Yao’s problem was his negligence toward his work. Even if I could tell at a glance which circles he moved in, it had nothing to do with me. He overstepped his boundaries, treating me like prey he’d set his sights on rather than a patient.”

Liang Shanyue knew this well—Yao Zhi sometimes even showed impatience in front of him, let alone at work in the school.

Lin Juangui reached out and gently brushed off a couple of stray hairs from Liang Shanyue’s clothes, sighing softly. “I’ve always focused on my classes at school. If I felt something was off about Yao Zhi, I’d simply switch to another psychologist. But I was inexplicably dragged into your and Mu Zhang’s affairs, and Yao Zhi even brought up my old trauma. Brother Liang, you stood by and watched too.”

“I apologize to you,” Liang Shanyue said, his face showing remorse. He pulled a chair over with his foot and sat facing Lin Juangui, looking helpless.

Lin Juangui smiled. “You and I aren’t related. It’s not surprising that you’d act in your own interests. But it really hurts. What kind of deal could make Mu Zhang treat me like this? I know I’m not that important to him, but did he really have to throw me to the wolves?”

Liang Shanyue suddenly let out a cold laugh. “Aren’t all Alphas like this? They talk about respecting Omegas, but when trouble arises, they immediately push Omegas out as shields. Aside from slightly better physical strength, what makes them better than me?”

Realizing he was getting worked up, Liang Shanyue took a deep breath, tapped his light brain, reached into Lin Juangui’s coat pocket, took out the cufflink, and crushed it forcefully.

“Lin Juangui, I called you here to talk, not to waste time on nonsense. I can see the ambition in your eyes. Just answer me one question.”

Lin Juangui looked at him inquiringly.

Liang Shanyue gripped Lin Juangui’s hand, his fervor undisguised. “Have you ever thought about replacing Mu Zhang?”