Chapter 40: What do you take me for

Xu Lin felt as though all his strength had been drained, as if struck by a dull hammer blow that left him unable to think.

He stared fixedly at the stage, like a weathered wooden carving.

He could not move his feet. He could neither step forward nor retreat.

The Alpha and Omega stood together on stage, flanked by their respective families—two households, laughing and joyous, harmonious and pleased.

They were all very satisfied with this match.

Shuangshuang had said their pheromone compatibility was very high.

Is that so? Was that the reason?

Because he was a Beta? So Ji Jinxuan had chosen someone else?

But he hadn’t become a Beta just yesterday.

No.

No. Ji Jinxuan was already married to him. They had been married for six years. They had spoken vows. They had exchanged rings. How could he act as if nothing was wrong and get engaged to someone else?

How could he do this?

If he was with someone else, then what was Xu Lin? What were their six years together?

Xu Lin’s nails dug into his flesh, his teeth nearly biting through his tongue.

Uncontrollable rage and despair engulfed him. He shifted his feet, wanting to charge forward regardless of the consequences and grab Ji Jinxuan by the collar to demand answers.

He was already married to him.

He was already—

Countless fine needles burst the balloon that had been inflated to its limit.

With a pop, they shattered the rusted gears in Xu Lin’s mind.

And stopped him in his tracks.

---

No one knew.

Their wedding had no guests—only a priest, and Zong Xi. No flowers, no applause, no marriage certificate, no champagne tower, no blessings from others, no family witnesses.

Nor had they ever registered their marriage.

Xu Lin had nothing.

Only an ill-fitting ring.

Hadn’t he been told the wedding could not be grand? Hadn’t he been told they had to keep it secret?

So why were none of those restrictive conditions present now?

Because the other party was an Omega more suited to him?

Because the two families were well-matched, a perfect union?

Xu Lin stood frozen in place.

Ji Jinxuan on the stage seemed to sense something. His gaze shifted downward, moving to where Xu Lin stood—and after he spotted him, his pupils seemed to contract for half a second.

Xu Lin was certain Ji Jinxuan had seen him. He was certain their eyes had met in midair.

But in less than a second, Ji Jinxuan looked away.

He ignored Xu Lin below the stage.

As if he had not seen him at all.

As if Xu Lin were nothing but an insignificant wisp of air, a total stranger.

Caught red-handed, he did not even show a shred of guilt or any extra emotion.

He was not going to explain himself either?

“Heh.”

A laugh escaped Xu Lin.

He pulled at the corner of his mouth, letting out a mocking breath.

The lively atmosphere around him became unbearable. He could not stay any longer. If he remained, Ji Jinxuan would not spare him another glance. He would only humiliate himself further.

Taking advantage of the dimmed lights, Xu Lin turned and walked away.

He walked faster and faster, bursting through the main entrance, his steps chaotic and frantic as he stumbled forward aimlessly. He had been walking for some time when someone suddenly grabbed him.

He turned around. It was Shuangshuang, still holding a plate of food in one hand.

She was out of breath, “Why did you run off so fast? I came back with the food and saw you rushing out. I called after you but you didn’t even turn around. I’ve been chasing you for ages… What’s wrong?”

Shuangshuang saw Xu Lin’s red-rimmed eyes and froze.

He looked like he was about to cry.

Xu Lin looked at her, and after a long pause, asked in a hoarse voice, “What’s your full name?”

Shuangshuang was completely confused. “What?”

“Your full name.”

“Zong Ningshuang.” Though puzzled, she answered. “Did I never tell you?”

…Zong Ningshuang.

Zong Ningshuang.

Xu Lin asked, “What is Zong Xi to you?”

“You know my brother?” Zong Ningshuang was astonished.

So that was it.

Now he understood everything.

Xu Lin brushed Zong Ningshuang’s hand off his arm and said only, “I’m going back.”

Seeing his state, she did not try to keep him. She tossed aside the cumbersome plate in her hand and said, “I’ll take you!”

“No need.”

Zong Ningshuang insisted, “You don’t have a car. How are you going to get back? Let me at least take you to the parking lot.”

Xu Lin got into the car, turned his head to look out the window, and said nothing more.

Zong Ningshuang did not dare to pry.

She fidgeted with the hem of her dress, wondering what had suddenly come over Xu Lin, and how he knew her brother.

“What is this place?” Xu Lin suddenly asked. “The Ji family estate?”

“Mm.” Zong Ningshuang nodded.

Xu Lin’s hands on his knees clenched into fists, “How long have they known each other?”

“Who?” she asked.

“Ji Jinxuan, and that Omega.”

“…” Zong Ningshuang paused. Not only did Xu Lin know her brother, he knew Ji Jinxuan too?

“You—”

She was about to ask something, but Xu Lin cut her off, “Can you tell me?”

She pressed her lips together, suppressed her many questions, and answered honestly, “I don’t know the exact timeline, but the engagement was decided over a year ago. Pushing it back, they probably met around two years ago, maybe more.”

Xu Lin blinked his dry eyes and said, “I see.”

So long ago.

Had he been with her during that year or more he spent away from home? Had he been sneaking out every night to plan for today’s engagement?

No wonder he kept it from him.

How could he keep it from him?

How could he place Xu Lin in such an absurd and ridiculous position?

Had he already fallen for someone else?

As the car passed a certain spot, Xu Lin spotted something in the distance and suddenly said, “Stop.”

The car stopped, and he rushed out immediately, with Zong Ningshuang following behind him.

Before them stood an old church.

Xu Lin walked inside. The enormous stained-glass window was just as he remembered it.

He looked surprised, “This place is—”

Zong Ningshuang observed the building’s appearance and said, “It’s a church.” She muttered, “But I don’t think it used to look like this.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s been abandoned for a long time. Hardly anyone ever comes here. When did someone fix up an old abandoned house like this? That’s strange.”

Abandoned…

An old house.

Xu Lin asked, “Is this also on the Ji family estate?”

Zong Ningshuang nodded. “The whole mountain belongs to them. We haven’t actually left their property yet. That’s why I said I’d drive you. If you had to walk out on foot, it would take forever…”

Her voice gradually faded from Xu Lin’s ears.

He looked at the floor where he and Ji Jinxuan had stood and spoken their vows.

His fingers traced the stained-glass window before him.

Their wedding photo had been taken right in front of this very window.

He had framed it, treasured it, hung it above his bed, and looked at it for six years.

And yet it had never been a church at all.

Just a worthless old building.

Xu Lin suddenly burst out laughing.

He laughed until he could not catch his breath, doubling over, leaning against the stained-glass window to stay upright, but still the laughter would not stop.

His hoarse, choked laughter echoed through the silent church, like weeping and wailing all at once.

Zong Ningshuang was frightened by him, at a loss, afraid to step closer, “Xu Lin…”

Xu Lin lifted his head, and a single large tear fell from his reddened eyes, striking the ground and shattering into pieces.

Zong Ningshuang froze.

She did not know what he was laughing at, nor what he was crying for.

But she could feel it.

The inexpressible anguish and sorrow that Xu Lin was carrying at this moment.

Zong Ningshuang drove Xu Lin to the parking lot where they had left their bikes. After he changed back into his clothes, he mounted his motorcycle and rode off without looking back.

“Hey—” she wanted to say something more, but Xu Lin was already gone. All she could do was watch his figure fade into the distance. “What on earth is going on…”

Xu Lin sped all the way back to the villa. Seeing the dark, lifeless house from afar, he suddenly felt a strange unfamiliarity with the place he had lived in for six years.

He parked the bike haphazardly outside and stood in the yard, looking up at the villa hidden deep in the mountains.

Everywhere was pitch black, like an ornate coffin.

He had thought this was home—his and Ji Jinxuan’s home. But now, he was no longer sure.

At this very moment, Ji Jinxuan was getting engaged to someone else, surrounded by guests, receiving the blessings of family and friends. In the Ji family’s house, before everyone, he had openly acknowledged his partnership with another. They would marry, have a honeymoon, and in the eyes of the outside world, Ji Jinxuan’s partner would henceforth be only that Omega.

So what was Xu Lin supposed to do?

He was only worthy of a wedding in an abandoned old house, spending six years confined in a secluded mountain with no freedom, without even a legally valid status. If he wanted to seek justice, he would have no one to turn to—and who would believe him if he told them?

Before today, he had always been satisfied with his wedding. He had assumed Ji Jinxuan had his reasons, and that no matter who he married, the wedding would be the same. So he had kept a good attitude, without a trace of imbalance.

But nothing invites comparison like two things side by side—it becomes instantly clear how much care was put into each. Compared to today’s grand affair, his own was shabby and pitiful, losing by a mile without any suspense. Was it because it was him, so this was all he deserved?

So Ji Jinxuan was not incapable. He simply did not want to.

His marriage alliance partner had such high compatibility with him. Compared to that Omega, Xu Lin, a Beta without even a trace of pheromones, naturally held no value worth cherishing.

Xu Lin’s eyes burned. He blinked, holding back the throbbing pain in his chest.

He walked into the foyer and saw the ring box on the cabinet.

Ji Jinxuan’s ring lay quietly inside.

Xu Lin reached out and brushed his fingers over it, then jerked his hand back as if stung by its icy coldness.

He did not turn on the lights. He sat on the sofa, completely drained, his eyes fixed vacantly on a single point in the air. There he remained, hidden in the darkness, waiting silently.

From nightfall until dawn.

At 7:42 in the morning, the sound of the door opening came from the foyer, footsteps approached, and Ji Jinxuan appeared before him.

He had said he would be back the day after tomorrow, and so he was.

Ji Jinxuan was no longer wearing the white suit from yesterday.

He walked up to Xu Lin, crouched down, and looked up at him from a slightly lower angle.

He gently took Xu Lin’s hand, which rested on his knee, with an almost cautious tenderness.

Xu Lin nearly laughed. He had never realized Ji Jinxuan was such a good actor. But he could not laugh.

Xu Lin had not slept all night; dark circles ringed his eyes. His gaze fell on Ji Jinxuan’s hand, on the ring finger.

He had put their ring back on, but Xu Lin felt no joy.

Just thinking about how that spot had been occupied by someone else yesterday made him feel suffocated.

He silently pulled his hand away from Ji Jinxuan’s grasp.

Ji Jinxuan’s palm came up empty.

His fingers curled slightly as he called his name. “Xu Lin.”

Xu Lin’s voice was flat, “Don’t you have anything to say to me?” He said, “I’m listening to your explanation.”

Ji Jinxuan paused for a second, then asked, “How did you end up there? Who brought you?”

Hearing this, Xu Lin’s carefully controlled composure collapsed instantly. He shot up from his seat, finding him utterly absurd, “You got engaged to someone else, and instead of explaining yourself to me, you’re asking why I showed up at your engagement party?

“I haven’t even blamed you—I gave you a chance to explain, and you turn around and blame me instead? What, are you angry that I stumbled upon your happy occasion? Angry that I didn’t give you a generous gift? Angry that I didn’t wish you a happy engagement? Ji Jinxuan, are you crazy or am I crazy? Are you taking me for a fool?!”

Xu Lin shoved Ji Jinxuan aside and grabbed whatever was within reach, throwing it at him—just some light throw pillows that did no damage when they hit.

He felt like he was falling apart, in body and in spirit. He did not want to have this hysterical fight with Ji Jinxuan, so he had held out all night, waiting for Ji Jinxuan to come back, waiting for an explanation. Every minute and every second of the night had been agonizingly long, and he had clung to this thread of hope to get him through to morning.

But when he finally came back, instead of an explanation, he got an interrogation first? How ridiculous.

Xu Lin looked calm—but only on the surface. He was not so unbreakable.

Ji Jinxuan seemed startled by Xu Lin’s sudden outburst. He reached out helplessly to embrace him, but Xu Lin would not let him touch him. Eyes wide with fury, he screamed, “What do you take me for?!”

In the scuffle, Xu Lin accidentally struck Ji Jinxuan across the face. The slap was not held back. Ji Jinxuan’s head turned to the side, and red finger marks quickly appeared on his cheek.

The sharp sound of the slap made Xu Lin freeze. He stopped moving. He had not meant to hit him.

Ji Jinxuan blinked and turned his head back.

Xu Lin’s hand was still suspended in midair, a flicker of shock crossing his face. He stood there and slowly lowered his hand.

In the past, even a small injury on Xu Lin would have sent him into a flurry of concern, fussing over him. But now he only looked at him and did not come closer.

Xu Lin suddenly felt so tired.

“If you really… intend to be with that Omega, if you don’t love me anymore, if you’ve grown tired of our life together, you should have told me sooner. You shouldn’t have dragged me along for this long.” Xu Lin paused here, took a deep breath. His voice was trembling, and he steadied himself before continuing, “Let’s go our separate ways.”

He wanted to say “divorce,” but then he remembered that he and Ji Jinxuan had never registered their marriage, and saying “divorce” seemed a little absurd. At this thought, a bitter saltiness filled his mouth again.

“I won’t hold your lies against you anymore. I won’t hold your betrayal against you anymore. Let’s part on good terms.”

Ji Jinxuan grabbed Xu Lin’s wrist, his voice somewhat urgent, “I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you everything. But… can you please not be angry with me?”

Xu Lin said nothing, only staring at him.

Ji Jinxuan lowered his eyes, his lips opening and closing—he, usually so articulate, seemed to be searching for the right words.

“The engagement is fake. I have no relationship with that Omega. I’ll call off the engagement with her. This engagement banquet today—I was trying to accomplish something.”