Chapter 2: What Exactly Did President Xie See in Him?
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“So fragrant…” Shen Shuhan murmured to himself, tilting his head as if savoring the air. “White magnolia. That’s his pheromone scent? I never would have guessed. I thought it’d be something far more aggressive.”
After speaking, Shen Shuhan paused, as if realising something, then cast Shen Shuyi a disdainful glance. “Right, I forgot. You Betas can’t smell pheromones. Why am I even telling you this…”
Even though it was a floral-type pheromone, the honored guest had only been here a short while, and already a few lower-ranked Alphas in the banquet hall were nearly fainting under the pressure of such a strong pheromone. Luckily, the Shen family had prepared for this. The servants discreetly escorted those weaker Alphas upstairs to guest rooms to rest, and some guests, worried their Omegas might be affected, also requested rooms.
Once part of the crowd left, the banquet hall became much less crowded.
The dinner continued until nearly eight o’clock. Guests who weren’t relatives of the Shen family gradually said their goodbyes and left the main house, moving together into another smaller sitting room.
By then, only the Shen family and a few close relatives remained.
On the sofa in the main seat sat Shen Father, alongside a tall man in a black suit with a straight, commanding posture.
Shen Shuyi finally got a clear look at the man’s face.
His features were sharp, his eyes pitch-black, and the entire face radiated a severe, unyielding pressure.
At some point, a few relatives who had gone upstairs brought their Omegas back into the sitting room, freshly dosed with suppressants.
Shen Father and the stepmother sat beside the main guest. There weren’t enough seats for everyone, so most people stood. Even Shen Shuhan, who usually enjoyed the spotlight, kept a low profile and stood quietly at Shen Shuyi’s side.
Shen Shuyi glanced at him.
He never liked these kinds of occasions. If his father and stepmother hadn’t called him repeatedly, insisting he attend, he would never have shown up.
But today’s matter had nothing to do with him.
Many years ago, the Shen and Xie families had agreed to an arranged marriage between the younger generation, with the promise that both families would support each other’s businesses in the future.
In the past two years, the Xie family had expanded rapidly, now becoming a vast business empire, while the Shen family had remained as it was. In terms of status, the Shen family could no longer hope to match the Xies.
Still, a few months ago, Xie Chen Zhou, the head of the Xie family, suddenly approached Shen Father to revisit the marriage agreement. Naturally, Shen Father didn’t refuse and quickly agreed.
By all accounts, Shen Shuhan was the best candidate to represent the Shen family in such a union. But Xie Chen Zhou had never clearly stated which Omega from the Shen family he intended to marry. Shen Father had tried to probe several times, but the man’s attitude remained ambiguous. That was why tonight’s dinner had turned into something of a “wife selection.”
Though perhaps “blind date” sounded better.
Shen Shuyi had no opinion on the method. Blind dates were a common way to choose a partner—and it had nothing to do with him anyway.
“Who do you think President Xie will pick?” two relatives whispered behind him.
“Shuhan, probably. It’s about time he got married.”
“True, he’s handsome enough, but he’s not Ye Mingxi’s biological son.”
Beside Shen Shuyi, Shen Shuhan’s body went rigid.
“I heard Mingxi wants Xie to wait two more years. When Xingyao turns eighteen, he can marry President Xie instead.”
“Won’t the age gap be too much? I think President Xie is about twenty-five.”
“An Alpha should be older. Makes them more caring.”
“I don’t think he looks the caring type…”
“He’s certainly intimidating, but who wouldn’t want to marry their Omega to him? High-ranked Alphas are rare, and the genetics… their children would be outstanding.”
“You’ve got a point.”
As they chatted, Shen Madam smiled, patting Shen Xingyao’s hand, and asked him to play a song on the piano.
With poise, Shen Xingyao walked over and began to play.
Shen Shuyi heard the faint sound of Shen Shuhan grinding his teeth beside him.
When the piece ended, Madam Ye Mingxi smiled at Xie Chen Zhou, who sat motionless in the center of the sofa. “Just a little tune from the boy, nothing special.”
Xie Chen Zhou’s expression didn’t change. His deep voice rumbled, “Madam, the Shen family has more than three children, correct?”
She froze for a moment.
“Yes, yes,” Shen Father quickly replied with a laugh. “This is the eldest, Shen Jinsheng, and the second, Shen Jinzhi. Both are Alphas.”
“I have eyes, Uncle Shen,” Xie Chen Zhou said flatly.
That “Uncle Shen” made Shen Father’s back stiffen. Quickly, he called out, “Shuhan, come here!”
Shen Shuhan clicked his tongue, about to obey, but the man’s dark, oppressive gaze swept over like a physical force.
For some reason, Shen Shuhan found himself frozen in place, unable to move under that inexplicable pressure.
The man rose to his feet, glanced around the room, and walked straight toward them.
One step. Two steps.
Shen Shuhan was already preparing words to decline, but then the man stopped right in front of Shen Shuyi, lowered his head, and asked, “Will you marry me?”
In an instant, it was as if a spotlight had descended upon Shen Shuyi from the heavens. Every eye in the room turned toward him.
It was as though the Shen relatives were only now remembering that Shen Father had another child named Shen Shuyi. Whispers began to spread.
“Who’s that?”
“Yi Heng’s fourth son, Shen Shuyi!”
“He’s a Beta?”
“Yes, didn’t you know?”
“Shuhan’s younger brother?”
“The one the second wife gave birth to.”
The murmurs reached both Shen Shuyi and Xie Chen Zhou’s ears.
Xie ignored them entirely, his black eyes locked on Shen Shuyi.
Shen Shuyi felt as if that gaze could strip him to the bone.
A low hum filled Xie Chen Zhou’s ears.
It was an old problem. tinnitus and fleeting hallucinations, especially when he was on the verge of losing control of his pheromones.
He wanted to mark the person before him, sink his fangs into the back of his neck, flood him with his scent until every inch of him was claimed.
No one else would be able to touch him.
No one else would be able to have him.
Only himself.
Always himself.
Red veins spread in Xie Chen Zhou’s eyes as he fought to hold his pheromones back.
But Shen Shuhan still sensed something amiss. His nose twitched. Looking around, he saw several Alphas quietly leaving the sitting room.
He’s interested in Shuyi?
Shen Shuhan frowned.
It was surprising, but also a relief.
As long as the stepmother and Shen Xingyao didn’t get their way, it didn’t matter who he picked.
In truth, Xie Chen Zhou’s taste wasn’t great, but Shuyi was still his brother. Better him than Xingyao. At least this way, Shuhan wouldn’t be forced into marriage. Everyone wins.
Shen Shuyi, however, didn’t see it that way.
He didn’t know that every wisp of pheromone Xie Chen Zhou couldn’t hold back was winding around him like venomous snakes, resting on his shoulders, threading through his hair, brushing against his brow, coiling around his waist and hips.
It was like invisible hands stroking over every inch of him, until he was completely submerged.
If he had been an Omega, those pheromones might have sent him into heat on the spot.
Unfortunately, Shen Shuyi was just a Beta, oblivious to the rare but overwhelming scent surrounding him.
He frowned.
Truth be told, he didn’t want to get married. He had nothing against this man personally, but his presence was far too overpowering.
It made Shen Shuyi uncomfortable.
In his own plans, if he ever married, it would be to another ordinary Beta like himself. They’d have a couple of children and live quietly.
But this man was an Alpha.
An Alpha and a Beta could never mark each other. For a Beta, that didn’t matter. but for an Alpha, it could be fatal.
Especially for a high-ranked Alpha. The stronger the pheromones, the harder they were to control. Without regular release, an Alpha could lose all sanity and become a beast.
Even with suppressants and slow-release agents available, few Alphas could live their entire lives relying on them.
It simply wasn’t natural.
Still, Beta–Alpha marriages weren’t unheard of.
At the end of the day, it came down to one thing: Shen Shuyi didn’t want to.
A marriage without any foundation of feelings could never be happy.
He looked past the broad shoulders of the man before him, toward his father and stepmother seated in the center of the room.
“Xie… Chen Zhou…” Shen Father stood, weighing his words before approaching to persuade him. “This is Shuyi. He’s a Beta, so perhaps…”
“I have eyes, Uncle Shen,” Xie repeated, this time with a faint edge of impatience.
A shiver ran through Shen Father at those words.
It was only then that he realized it wasn’t the words that frightened him, but the sheer oppressive weight of Xie Chen Zhou’s pheromones.
“Shuyi is twenty, in his third year at Z University. He’ll graduate next year. When were you thinking of holding the wedding?” Shen Father changed his tone entirely.
Xie looked at Shen Shuyi again.
Shen Shuyi remained silent, still frowning.
His father’s gaze joined Xie’s, firm and unyielding, as if the decision had already been made. “Shuyi can get married anytime. If he has classes, he can just take a few days off.”
After all, in a Beta-only school like Z University, graduating or not hardly mattered.
Shen Shuyi was far from pleased.
But the relatives behind him were already murmuring.
“How lucky.”
“Who’d have thought a Beta would catch President Xie’s eye?”
“Shuyi’s so plain.”
“What exactly did he see in him?”
“He looks reluctant.”
“Impossible. Who would be unwilling for such a match?”
“He’s still young.”
Perhaps Shen Shuyi’s displeasure was too obvious, because even his father began to sound annoyed. “It’s settled.”
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Translator note: 📌
Thank you for reading 💖 see you again in the next chapter, my lovely cherries 😘
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