Can Alpha Also Be A Wife? - Chapter 18
Chapter 18: Played Quite Well…
“Lin Sheng, did you hear about the explosion on the east side? A few guards were killed.”
Each miner had a fixed schedule. Yu Heng worked Tuesday through Saturday, Lin Sheng from Monday to Friday, and Lu Huai from Sunday to Thursday.
The remaining days were free.
It was Sunday—Lu Huai’s off day—so Yu Heng finally had a chance to chat with Lin Sheng.
Lin Fansheng looked up. “An explosion? That’s odd. Don’t we always follow safety protocols strictly during mining?”
They worked on the west end—far from the incident.
“No idea,” Yu Heng replied, shrugging. “But word is spreading fast. A lot of the miners are demanding to leave. Benson’s furious and said he’s going to patrol the area himself.”
He shared what little he’d heard, not knowing much beyond gossip.
But Lin Fansheng’s attention sharpened.
Benson’s patrolling?
That was rare.
The man rarely left his office. He and Lu Shihuai had staked the place out multiple times hoping for a window, but Benson was practically glued to his chair.
After a complaint had been filed about his negligence, Fu Mingxi managed to intercept it in the system. To help Lin Fansheng, he forwarded it to Hillier Star’s central terminal.
The star’s governor was known for being upright. He sent investigators immediately.
Though they uncovered signs of misconduct, the final report was falsified—and the evidence mysteriously vanished.
Benson got off, untouched.
Fu Mingxi suspected tampering but chose not to interfere directly, fearing they’d tip their hand.
Since then, they’d been waiting for a second shot.
Outwardly, Lin Fansheng chatted easily with Yu Heng. Inwardly, he was already thinking about how to infiltrate Benson’s office and access those elusive “Second and Third Plans.”
He and Lu Shihuai had been pretending to be a couple to keep Yu Heng from getting curious about their activities.
Whenever Yu Heng was on shift, they used their off-days to gather intelligence—like now.
They’d already scoped the area. Benson was out.
Time to move.
Benson’s office wasn’t just guarded—it was a fortress.
Infrared sensors. Coded locks. Fingerprint, retinal, and gene recognition.
Plus, an absurd number of security cameras. The place screamed paranoia.
But none of that mattered against Fu Mingxi’s tech.
Following his instructions, Lin Fansheng reached the office door. Just as he was about to enter, Lu Shihuai’s voice came urgently through the communicator.
“Benson’s headed back.”
Without hesitation, Lin Fansheng backed off, blending into the shadows with practiced ease.
He slipped away and rejoined Lu Shihuai in their hiding spot.
“What happened?” he asked.
“He must have a way to monitor the office remotely,” Lu Shihuai murmured. “See anything?”
Lin Fansheng closed his eyes, mentally retracing the scene.
The gadgets were the usual show, but outside the office…
Guards. Dust. Insects…
His eyes snapped open. “Butterflies.”
Just before he got close to the door, a butterfly had fluttered away.
Actually, several butterflies had flown off when he stepped near the secured zone.
“That’s how he’s being notified,” Lin Fansheng said. “Butterflies. Somehow he’s using them.”
He sketched the winged creatures into the communicator.
His drawings weren’t artistic—they were precise. Functional.
Lu Shihuai studied the patterns, trusting Lin Fansheng’s keen eye.
“They react to sound? Scent?”
“Can’t be sure,” Lin Fansheng said, frowning. “But I’ve seen that butterfly somewhere before…”
Before he could recall, Lu Shihuai tugged at his sleeve. “He’s back.”
Sure enough, Benson stormed down the corridor, face twisted in rage and a whip in hand.
He kicked one of the defense robots and snarled, “Useless trash!”
Around him, vibrant butterflies hovered and danced, their wings catching the light in hypnotic patterns.
Lin Fansheng gave Lu Shihuai a quick glance. “Let’s go.”
They vanished into the shadows.
Back in the dormitory, Lu Shihuai wasted no time stripping off Lin Fansheng’s clothes.
Lin Fansheng, already used to this drill, cooperated.
They changed outfits quickly. Lu Shihuai sprayed odor neutralizer all over them.
They had no clue how the butterflies tracked targets—scent, pheromones, subtle markers? It was all on the table.
Just to be safe, Lu Shihuai rumpled Lin Fansheng’s clothes, marked his neck with fake love bites, and messed up his lips.
Then he did the same to himself, even digging into his neck with his nails. But Lin Fansheng’s self-healing was too quick—it erased the marks almost immediately.
Frustrated, Lu Shihuai pulled out an Omega cosmetic and deepened the false bruises.
Lin Fansheng’s ears twitched slightly.
Then—without warning—he pushed Lu Shihuai up against the wall.
At that exact moment, the dorm door slammed open.
The dorm supervisor barked, “Why aren’t you two at roll call?!”
Lin Fansheng jolted, scrambling to close his collar. “Roll call?”
Behind him, Lu Shihuai calmly adjusted his shirt.
The building manager paused, seeing their disheveled state—and immediately looked away, awkward.
“Benson’s ordered everyone outside. Says someone stole from him.”
Lin Fansheng said quickly, “Sorry, Ah Huai and I were just… busy. Didn’t notice the time.”
The manager cleared his throat. “Right, right. I’ll cover for you.”
In a few seconds, they had pulled themselves together. Lin Fansheng tugged Lu Shihuai out, smiling innocently. “We’ll head down now.”
But Lu Shihuai glanced at his fingers—carmine red stained the tips.
A second later, bl00d trickled down.
He tugged Lin Fansheng’s sleeve. “Asheng, I’m bleeding.”
Both Lin Fansheng and the dorm supervisor looked at the injury.
Lin Fansheng blinked innocently. “Sir…”
“Go on, go on,” the manager waved, flustered.
“Thanks!” Lin Fansheng said sweetly, dragging Lu Shihuai into the bathroom.
He left the door wide open and cleaned the cut in full view, totally unbothered.
The water washed away all traces of cosmetic residue.
From outside, the building supervisor could hear everything.
Lin Fansheng huffed, “Told you not to put your fingers there. Of course you bled. Serves you right.”
The supervisor took a sharp breath.
Put fingers where?!
This kid… was playing a little too well.
“And you didn’t wait for me last time either!” Lu Shihuai grumbled.
Cold, silent Lu Huai is the feisty type?!
“Shut up!” Lin Fansheng hissed, blushing. “This isn’t the place for that. Wait until we get the money—then you can do whatever you want.”
The building manager heard everything, word for word.
He stared at Lin Sheng’s gentle demeanor in disbelief. Lu Huai really scored, huh.
How does that ordinary-looking guy end up with someone like that?
He frowned. I’m better looking, aren’t I?
“You promised,” Lu Shihuai whispered.
“I did. No regrets,” Lin Fansheng whispered back.
Watching them whisper sweet nothings like no one else existed, the dorm supervisor couldn’t take it anymore.
He cleared his throat loudly. “Enough stalling. Move!”
Lin Fansheng jumped, embarrassed. “Right! Coming!”
Lu Shihuai followed slowly, ever so casual.
He laced their fingers together as they walked.
Then shot a quiet glare at the supervisor.
The supervisor glared back, thoroughly annoyed. What’s with the PDA? You think you’re the only couple here?
He turned away with a huff, leading the way.
Behind him, the two exchanged silent messages through their interlocked fingers.
Lu Shihuai: Where did you even learn to talk like that just now?
Lin Fansheng: Heard the miners chatting. Not bad, right?
Lu Shihuai: Honestly? Unexpectedly convincing.
It caught him off guard.
He’d barely managed to keep his composure.
Lu Shihuai: Maybe talk to the miners less from now on.
Lin Fansheng: Information is vital.
With so many miners around, even scraps of gossip could lead to valuable intel.
Lu Shihuai: …Fine.
He gave in.