Chapter 9

Chapter 9

A letter of invitation lay on the dining table.

On it were the gilded characters announcing the engagement banquet of the Qi Group.

Lin Ze glanced at it, then quickly averted his gaze.

Qi Wensheng had connections with the Li family, so inviting Li Xiujin made sense.

"The engagement banquet for Qi Wensheng's daughter."

As if he thought Lin Ze hadn't seen it, Li Xiujin spoke up.

"Hmm."

Li Xiujin put down his knife and fork, leaned back in his chair, and stared at him.

Lin Ze pretended everything was normal, lowering his head to eat. Yet the moment he took a bite, a burning sensation spread across his lips...

As if they had been rubbed raw...

As the engagement date approached, Lin Ze thought it over seriously and called Qi Qian to apologize, saying he couldn't attend.

Qi Qian hung up angrily.

The day before the banquet, Qi Wensheng called him, furious. "I've truly spoiled my daughter rotten! She says if she doesn't see you tomorrow, she'll call off the engagement banquet!"

Lin Ze was eating alone at the manor. Hearing this, he hurriedly put down his fork. "Uncle, don't worry. Put Qi Qian on the phone, let me talk to her."

"She's locked herself in her room and won't answer the door for anyone."

Already pushing eighteen, yet still so willful. Lin Ze sighed. "Uncle, tell her I'll be there tomorrow."

After changing his mind, Lin Ze considered informing the alpha, but suddenly realized that despite being married for so long, they had no direct contact. He always learned about the alpha's whereabouts and return times through Fu Zhi.

He called Fu Zhi's number, but it rang for a long time before he answered. "Sorry, Colonel Lin, I was tied up. What do you need?"

"Will the General be back tonight?"

"If he finishes work, probably not until the day after tomorrow."

"Alright, I understand."

He wouldn't be back until the day after tomorrow. Remembering the alpha's displeased expression at the dining table that day...

Forget it, he'd just sneak a quick look...

The next day happened to be a weekend. After getting up, Lin Ze opened his wardrobe, found a suit he hadn't worn in a long time, and put it on. Perhaps because he'd been eating too much lately, the once-loose suit now clung tightly to his body.

Lin Ze gave himself a quick glance in the mirror, confirmed nothing looked out of place, and went out.

When Qi Qian turned eighteen, Qi Wensheng spent a fortune to buy her a castle-style villa. When Lin Ze arrived, a continuous stream of luxury cars were parked at the villa entrance, with elegantly dressed guests stepping out...

Not wanting to draw too much attention, Lin Ze entered through the back door. A corridor led directly from there to the living room—a corridor he and his teammates had walked from age sixteen to twenty...

Back then, Qi Qian wasn't just his fiancée; she was also a friend to him and his teammates. They used to come over to play with her often.

Lost in thought, he saw Qi Qian at the end of the corridor.

No longer in cartoon pajamas complaining about their late arrival, but wearing a beautiful gown, an omega all grown up.

"Why are you so late? I've been waiting for you," Qi Qian said angrily.

Before Lin Ze could apologize, a handsome alpha approached with concern. "Qianqian, why did you run off alone? Your hair and makeup aren't even done yet."

"Ugh, I'm coming right back," Qi Qian said impatiently, then introduced him to Lin Ze. "This is my fiancé."

Lin Ze looked him over carefully. Handsome, with kind eyes and brows, clearly a good-tempered alpha who could tolerate Qi Qian's ways. Lin Ze smiled. "Hello."

The alpha warmly shook his hand. "Hello, hello."

Someone else came to take Qi Qian for hair and makeup. She had to say to Lin Ze, "Go find my dad to chat. He hasn't seen you in a long time either."

"Your father just received an important guest; he's probably busy now," the alpha said.

"An important guest? Who?"

"I'm not sure either. We'll probably find out soon."

"It's fine, let Uncle take care of his business," Lin Ze said.

"Well, if you need anything, just ask the servants."

"Okay."

After Qi Qian left, Lin Ze took a glass of wine, found a secluded spot to sit, and quietly waited for the banquet to begin. His gaze wandered idly until it suddenly caught a figure that looked just like Fu Zhi...

But Fu Zhi had gone on a business trip with Li Xiujin and wouldn't be back until tomorrow. How could he be here...

Just as Lin Ze tried to get a better look, his view was blocked by an omega.

"Um, hello... are you also a friend of Qi Qian's?" the omega stammered.

"Yes. And you are?" Lin Ze asked, puzzled.

"I'm also Qi Qian's friend... Um, could I get your contact info?" The omega blushed shyly.

Lin Ze was slightly taken aback before he understood.

"I'm already married."

The omega looked disappointed.

After handling that, when Lin Ze tried to find that familiar figure again, it was gone.

Lin Ze thought maybe the lighting was too dim and he had been mistaken.

After a while, the music suddenly stopped. A spotlight shone on the center of the banquet hall, and Qi Qian, now fully styled, along with her fiancé, slowly walked to the center.

Qi Wensheng also appeared, but strangely, the important guest was nowhere to be seen...

Qi Wensheng clearly took his daughter's engagement banquet very seriously. He spoke at length to the gathered guests, laughing heartily at times, even shedding tears, until Qi Qian impatiently cut him off, and he reluctantly concluded.

Then it was Qi Qian's fiancé's turn to speak. It was evident he truly loved Qi Qian; his gaze upon her was full of affection, and the promises he made were resolute...

The guests offered their blessings one after another...

Hidden in the corner, Lin Ze, for some reason, thought of the alpha...

It was only after getting married that he learned the alpha was four years younger than him, just 23—a young high-achiever. Clearly, he could have found a better-suited omega, so why marry a monster like him, who was irredeemably evil and physically deformed...

Luckily, they had a secret marriage. Once the alpha realized *Lin Ze* couldn't have children, they could divorce without affecting his alpha's career...

Lin Ze quietly slipped away from the crowd. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly stopped.

At the military academy, besides physical training, they also learned reconnaissance skills—like memorizing someone's features at a glance. To his right, a blond alpha was drinking, and on the left wrist holding his glass, a black wristband was visible.

Lin Ze instantly went on alert and walked toward him. The blond alpha raised his glass again, his sleeve sliding back to reveal the full wristband.

Exactly the same.

Lin Ze quickened his pace, but several people suddenly approached from the right, blocking his way.

“Well, well, if it isn’t our great Colonel Lin!”

Lin Ze ignored them, trying to walk around, but they blocked him again. At Qi Qian’s engagement party, he didn’t want to cause a scene, so he simply warned them calmly, “Step aside.”

The other man sneered.

Amid the commotion, the blond alpha who had been drinking earlier had already disappeared.

Only then did Lin Ze look at the man's face—a very familiar one. Lin Ze still remembered him backstage at an interview, handing him a handwritten letter about how much he looked up to him, liked him, and wanted to become someone like him.

“Huh, that's strange, isn’t Qi Qian’s fiancé supposed to be you? Why are you here?” Jiang Jingchuan said mockingly.

“You forgot, Colonel Lin got dumped.” someone nearby chimed in.

“Oh, so he was—dumped.”

He had actually endured many such taunts before. At first, Lin Ze truly felt guilty and heartbroken, but later, he became numb.

Lin Ze just made a sound of acknowledgment and turned to leave. He didn’t want anything to go wrong on such an important day for Qi Qian.

But Jiang Jingchuan wasn’t about to let him go. He reached out to grab Lin Ze, but before he could touch him, his arm was twisted and pinned back. The pain made him curse instantly, “Who the hell—”

The rest of his words were abruptly swallowed as he saw a handsome but chillingly cold face.

By now, a crowd had gathered.

Jiang Jingchuan recognized who it was but still mustered the courage to say, “This has nothing to do with you, don’t... don’t butt in...”

Li Xiujin tightened his grip on his arm and announced solemnly, loud enough for everyone around to hear:

“I am his husband.”

The onlookers fell silent for a moment before erupting into shocked murmurs.

Lin Ze, who heard every word clearly, swayed slightly.

After getting into the alpha's car, Lin Ze’s phone kept vibrating. Qi Qian’s name kept popping up, and finally, Lin Zhuo’s...

Lin Ze was in no mood to check. Pale-faced, he thought, this shouldn’t have happened—announcing their relationship—because it would get him into serious trouble.

Even though the public feared him, they still respected him. If they found out he had married someone irredeemably evil, he would also be cursed and despised...

“You,” Lin Ze covered his eyes, unable to hold back, “shouldn’t have said that...”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Ze felt the alpha, who had never truly looked at him before, finally fix his somber gaze on him...

The silent car filled with intense pressure...

The alpha was angry, very angry...

Lin Ze’s arms trembled slightly.

The alpha didn’t say a word the entire way. After dropping him off at home, he left.

He didn’t return all night.

Lin Ze also didn’t sleep all night. The next morning, his phone pushed him a news notification—Guangzhao Energy’s CEO Li Xiujin married young, and his spouse turned out to be him.

The news didn’t survive for more than two minutes before disappearing, and the user who posted it had their account deactivated.

It was still a day off. Lin Ze stayed at home, restless, glancing at the door from time to time. When he heard a car, his heart couldn’t help but race.

The alpha only occasionally said things that embarrassed him, but he was actually... very good to him.

The newly changed office, the students who no longer dared to cause trouble in class...

Including yesterday, when he announced their relationship—that was also to protect him...

Yet he had said such ungrateful words...

Lin Ze heard footsteps...

He didn’t know if the alpha had calmed down...

If not, what could he do to make the alpha calm down...

But he only saw Fu Zhi.

Fu Zhi was slightly taken aback to find him waiting at the door. “Colonel Lin, are you waiting for the General?”

“No, no...” Lin Ze lied awkwardly.

Fu Zhi still told him, “The General didn’t inform the shareholders in the group about marrying you. He’s dealing with them now...”

“Then you...”

“I came to get the General’s medicine...”

“Medicine?”

“It’s like this: Our General suffered some trauma when he was young and often couldn’t sleep at night. Over time, it developed into chronic headaches. After marrying you, it improved a lot, but last night, he didn’t sleep at all, and it started again.”

After Fu Zhi left, Lin Ze stood there in a daze for a long time. What kind of childhood trauma could cause someone to never sleep properly?

That night, the alpha still didn’t return.