After Getting Pregnant, I Fought for a Divorce from My Alpha - Chapter 17
Shen Xiao stood beside An Xiangdi, gently patting his back.
An Xiangdi leaned over the sink, throwing up everything he’d eaten at lunch. Only when his stomach was completely empty did he finally feel a bit better.
After rinsing his mouth, he stared blankly at himself in the mirror. His usually fair complexion was now unnaturally pale, and the discomfort from vomiting had turned the corners of his eyes red.
“You okay? Could it have been something wrong with the fried noodles at lunch?” Shen Xiao frowned deeply. If it really was the noodles, then he was the culprit.
“I’m fine.” An Xiangdi took a deep breath and let Shen Xiao half-carry him back to the bed to lie down again.
“You should go to the hospital this afternoon,” Shen Xiao said, still worried.
“No, it’s too much trouble. Besides, I have to go to the company tonight,” An Xiangdi waved his hand and refused flatly.
Shen Xiao pressed his lips together and placed a hand on his forehead. Confirming there was no fever, he said, “If you feel uncomfortable later, tell me. Also… I’ll go to the company with you tonight.”
“Go where?” An Xiangdi lazily opened his eyes, not fully registering what he meant.
“Your agency,” Shen Xiao replied, lying down beside him and wrapping an arm around his waist, coaxing him gently.
Surrounded by the scent of white brandy pheromones, An Xiangdi gave in easily. “Mmm, but I’m just going to preview a new song—it’ll be boring.”
“Not boring at all.”
At 7 PM, An Xiangdi arrived at the recording studio right on time. Unexpectedly, aside from Li Guan and a few music producers, Zhao Zeyun was also present.
But none of that compared to the shock of Shen Xiao arriving with An Xiangdi.
“Why… why did you bring Shen Xiao?!” Li Guan’s face turned green the moment he saw Shen Xiao. The warning he’d received a few months ago over The Eyes Hidden in the Corner still haunted him.
“What, are you scared of him?” An Xiangdi sneered, suddenly thinking it wasn’t a bad idea to bring Shen Xiao along after all.
“Scared? Who’s scared?” Li Guan tried to puff himself up, but one look from Shen Xiao had him pulling his hand back. “Go on in. Don’t waste time out here.”
Since they were already here, An Xiangdi thought he might as well let Shen Xiao come inside with him.
The producers had already prepared the demo. When they pressed play, the small studio was filled with An Xiangdi’s voice.
His voice was technically a standard baritone—nothing extraordinary at first listen—but he infused each detail with thought and special handling. His control over his vocals was impressive.
Plus, most of his songs were originals, blending electronic music with conventional elements. The result was something addictive, like it had its own kind of magic.
When the track finished, the effect was undeniably satisfying.
“No need to change anything. Let’s keep it like this,” An Xiangdi decided on the spot.
“Alright. As for the release date…” the lead producer still wanted to hear An Xiangdi’s thoughts.
“By this weekend—can we do that?” Shen Xiao suddenly spoke, catching even An Xiangdi by surprise.
“This weekend?” An Xiangdi was confused. It was Tuesday, and while the song didn’t need editing, there were still promotional steps and marketing prep to handle. How could they be ready in just a few days?
“That’s impossible! And this is An Xiangdi’s matter. Even if you two are—” Li Guan started to protest, but another sharp look from Shen Xiao shut him up.
Zhao Zeyun’s face went pale. “Mr. Shen, isn’t releasing it so soon a bit rushed?”
“I don’t think so. Xiangdi’s two episodes of The Stage aired just two days ago. He mentioned his new song in them. Fans are already eagerly waiting—some hunger marketing is fine, but too much can backfire,” Shen Xiao said calmly. “Unless our producers have some technical limitations?”
Shen Xiao wasn’t a top executive at Royal Entertainment, nor was he some industry heavyweight. Yet his presence alone silenced the room.
Standing nearby with his hands behind his back, An Xiangdi silently marveled—so Alpha pheromone suppression could be used like this too.
“If no one objects, then…” Shen Xiao turned to Li Guan, deliberately skipping over Zhao Zeyun. “Manager Li, do you still have a problem?”
“Why are you making decisions about An Xiangdi’s music?” Li Guan could only latch onto that point.
“Then I’ll decide,” An Xiangdi immediately said. “Release the song at ten a.m. this Sunday. I’ll handle the pre-release arrangements. And I’ll cover any overtime fees.”
“Alright. If there’s any issue, we’ll talk in the group chat,” the producer agreed. The production could be completed today, and the marketing didn’t concern them.
An Xiangdi also called the promotions department to inform them of his plans.
Although the promotions team found the timeline odd, the extra incentive he offered was enough to get them working quickly.
After leaving the studio, An Xiangdi hadn’t taken more than a few steps before a wave of nausea hit him again. Something felt wrong. He forced it down and said to Shen Xiao, “I need to use the bathroom.”
“Okay. I’ll wait by the elevator,” Shen Xiao replied but headed toward the stairwell instead.
Li Guan and Zhao Zeyun had taken the stairs. Shen Xiao’s footsteps made no sound. As he descended, he soon heard the two whispering in a shadowy corner.
“This was your terrible idea!” Zhao Zeyun seethed.
“How was I supposed to know Shen Xiao would show up?!” Li Guan complained. With the song now scheduled for release, only stopping the promo team could delay it—but that wasn’t easy.
“I’m going to the promo department tomorrow.” Zhao Zeyun gritted his teeth. No way was he letting An Xiangdi’s new song release go smoothly.
“And then what?” Shen Xiao’s voice rang out as he stood above them, arms crossed, staring straight into the shadows. “Delay the release, then launch your own song, and accuse An Xiangdi of plagiarism?”
Zhao Zeyun’s face turned ghost-white. Li Guan shrieked, “That’s slander!”
“Slander?” Shen Xiao played a recording from his phone. “Sound familiar? Sixteen measures total—eight of them identical to Xiangdi’s. You even used his humming track from the chorus as your background vocal. I’m starting to doubt you really graduated from Berkman Conservatory.”
Zhao Zeyun was speechless, especially when Shen Xiao delivered the final blow.
“Zhao Zeyun, the only son of Royal Entertainment’s CEO—if you can’t compete fairly, stop coveting others’ achievements. You don’t deserve them.”
“And Li Guan,” Shen Xiao sneered. “Either walk away on your own, or wait to be blacklisted by the industry.”
With that, his pheromones surged. The oppressive pressure left the two of them gasping for air. Zhao Zeyun even burst into tears and collapsed on his knees, terrified.
Shen Xiao put away his phone and walked out of the stairwell.
He found An Xiangdi leaning against a wall, playing a mini piano game on his phone.
Shen Xiao ruffled his hair. “Let’s go.”
An Xiangdi glanced at him, then at the now darkened stairwell, and smirked before following Shen Xiao into the elevator.
After leaving Royal Entertainment’s building, Shen Xiao had just pulled the car onto the road when An Xiangdi said, “Wanna drive by the riverside?”
“Sure.”
The clear river shimmered under the lights, with colorful strips of LEDs casting a dreamlike glow. May weather was perfect for a drive—not too hot or cold.
After cruising for a while, An Xiangdi said softly, “So in the end, you helped me after all.”
“Just happened to be there.”
“Deliberate,” An Xiangdi exposed the lie.
Shen Xiao chuckled. “Do you still remember Zhao Zeyun?”
An Xiangdi blinked. “So he really is one of my bad romances?”
Shen Xiao almost choked on his own jealousy. It took a moment before he replied, “Four years ago, you both joined an international music competition. He was in your group. You were the only two left from China—and you eliminated him.”
“So he’s holding a grudge?” An Xiangdi frowned. “Or maybe… he’s jealous?”
“Jealous,” Shen Xiao agreed. “He’s the only son of Royal’s CEO. Suffering a loss to you, he’s been trying to sabotage you ever since. He even arranged for Li Guan to be your agent.”
“And since he’s got connections, the company didn’t interfere. But they still gave me some autonomy because they were afraid I’d terminate my contract?”
“Something like that.” Shen Xiao made a U-turn, heading back.
“Then maybe I really should terminate my contract,” An Xiangdi thought of the video of Qiu Cheng he had at home. It was time to send it to the film association. “But seriously… how do you know all this?”
Shen Xiao pursed his lips and stayed silent.
“You investigated me?” An Xiangdi raised a brow.
“No, just investigated Zhao Zeyun. You said he was one of your bad romances,” Shen Xiao deflected, hiding the other reason.
An Xiangdi narrowed his eyes, resting his chin in one hand as the breeze blew in. “Jealous baby.”
…
The next morning, An Xiangdi was woken by another wave of intense nausea. Judging by the sounds in the kitchen, Shen Xiao was making breakfast. Normally, he’d go out hungry to eat right away—but today, he had zero appetite.
Rushing to the bathroom, he dry-heaved over the sink for a long time, but nothing came up.
After washing up, a vague, unrealistic suspicion began to grow in his mind. Anxiously, he messaged Dr. Qiao.
-An Xiangdi: Dr. Qiao, do you happen to have time recently?
-An Xiangdi: I wanted to ask—do I still have that issue you mentioned before? You said my pheromones were abnormal and my reproductive cavity likely couldn’t sustain pregnancy?
-An Xiangdi: Lately… I haven’t been feeling well.
-An Xiangdi: About a month ago… my Alpha gave me a lifelong mark.
He didn’t expect a reply right away, especially not early in the morning. But the next second, Dr. Qiao messaged back—clearly alarmed.
-Dr. Qiao: You formed a knot?!
-Dr. Qiao: Morning sickness?!
-Dr. Qiao: Come to the hospital immediately today!