Guide To Lying Flat And Getting Rich As A Kept Alpha - Chapter 29
29
The scent of her pheromones began to grow stronger. Luo Hetu couldn’t hold back and supported her back, instinctively deepening the kiss. Her fingers curled tightly, restraining the increasingly intense desire to take things further and consume her entirely.
How long Cheng Youqing kissed her, Luo Hetu couldn’t recall. Apart from the initial shock, she barely had time to savor it. Most of the time, she was holding herself back.
A “defective alpha” was still an alpha. A defective alpha might not function fully, but it didn’t mean they lacked desire.
Alphas were biologically wired to be driven by pheromones—a species that, during a heat cycle, might seek out a motorcycle exhaust pipe if no suitable partner was available. Though Luo Hetu didn’t experience heat cycles, being kissed by an omega like Cheng Youqing in a cramped warehouse in the afternoon was enough to stir her. If she claimed to feel nothing, she wouldn’t just be a defective alpha—she wouldn’t even be Luo Hetu.
Luo Hetu had always been attracted to women.
In the quiet of the night, she had thought about it: even without the influence of pheromones, she had no reason to dislike Cheng Youqing. She even mocked herself for it—liking Cheng Youqing was like someone asking if she liked a billion dollars.
Was that even a question of whether Luo Hetu liked her?
Forcing herself to think in circles, her fingers gripped the fabric of Cheng Youqing’s clothes tightly. Only when Cheng Youqing had kissed her enough and pulled back, gasping for breath, did Luo Hetu stop.
Her heart was racing too fast. Overwhelmed by the pheromones, her body felt feverish. Even brushing against Cheng Youqing’s hand made her pause and focus for a long time to resist the urge to grab it.
So, a tall, muscular alpha with smooth, beautiful lines, standing over 1.7 meters, was left weakened after being kissed by an omega. She pressed her hand to her chest and said, “Give me a moment. I need to rest.”
Cheng Youqing was about to say something but, seeing Luo Hetu’s drained, almost ghostly appearance, fell silent for a rare moment.
Before coming, Cheng Youqing had given herself a dose of suppressant, which was why she could stand firm throughout the encounter. If Zhou Chenghuan saw her like this, she’d surely curse her out, but she had her own plans. Luo Hetu didn’t know how important today was to her. Cheng Youqing was used to preparing thoroughly for any negotiation.
She glanced at her watch and sat on another sofa, addressing Luo Hetu. “I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll keep this brief. I checked, and you indeed lack glands. You’re a defective alpha.”
So, she had kissed her just to… lick her teeth?
Though Luo Hetu didn’t care about the label, the words still stung.
As the one who had been forcefully kissed, Luo Hetu felt justified in shooting Cheng Youqing a resentful look.
The corner of Cheng Youqing’s eye twitched slightly, almost imperceptibly, as if Luo Hetu had imagined it.
“Miss Luo, I’d like to make you a proposal. You can take your time to consider before responding.”
She paused, and Luo Hetu remained silent. Her breathing had evened out, but the heat hadn’t subsided—it was stronger than ever, making her uncomfortable.
“Would you be willing to marry me?”
Keeping it brief meant Cheng Youqing only had time to say that one sentence, urging Luo Hetu to think it over carefully but not to take too long before rushing off.
For the rest of the afternoon, Luo Hetu was like a shell of herself. Even when a client from across the ocean berated her in English, she barely reacted.
The deal fell through, and her reputation score on the forum hit rock bottom.
The receptionist noticed that after the refined and striking omega left, Luo Hetu was completely off. Now, she was sitting at her computer, chewing on her fingers.
“Net admin! Net admin! The computer’s frozen!” someone shouted.
Luo Hetu drifted over to fix it, then drifted back, picking up a bottle used for watering plants two days ago and gulping down two big sips.
Receptionist: …
After drinking the plant water, Luo Hetu spun in place twice, grabbed her bike keys, and ran outside.
Receptionist: “Net admin! If you leave, what happens if their computers crash again?”
The net admin had no time to respond. She only regretted that Ye Qingzhu wasn’t around—she needed someone to talk to but didn’t know who.
She was about to ride off but decided it was too far and considered taking a cab. After standing on the street for a while, she hesitated again and ran to a nearby convenience store to use their public phone.
The call was answered by Cheng Youqing’s assistant.
“Who is this?”
“It’s…” The name she usually tossed out casually stuck in her throat as she grew inexplicably nervous. “Luo Hetu. Is Ms. Cheng busy?”
“She’s about to start a meeting. She just got out of the car and entered the venue. If you need her, I can call you back when she’s free?”
Luo Hetu said it wasn’t necessary.
After hanging up, she spun in place again, nearly forgetting to pay. She hurriedly returned, pulled a yuan from her pocket, and didn’t even notice when the shopkeeper tried to give her 50 cents in change. She left in a daze.
What kind of omega was Cheng Youqing?
Who just says, “Will you marry me?” and then leaves?
Even an informal proposal should at least feel somewhat proper!
Luo Hetu squatted by the roadside, clutching her hair.
Cheng Youqing’s meeting didn’t end until after 6 p.m. After the main session, she spoke with a few trusted confidants. When she left the meeting room, her beta second uncle was waiting in her office.
The exhaustion on Cheng Youqing’s face turned cold.
“Hey, Qingqing, Zheng Dalong came by again. What do you think of his son?”
“Not much.”
“Give him a chance. He’s a top-tier alpha, a perfect match for you. He studied finance abroad, and their Wanlong Group has been doing well in recent years, ranking high in Jiang City. Cheng Group probably can’t even make the top ten anymore. Don’t be too picky. Among these options, he’s the best match…”
“Second Uncle.” Cheng Youqing sat in her office chair, looking at the middle-aged man. “Do I need to remind you how Cheng Group fell out of the top ten?”
Her uncle hadn’t expected her to call him out like this, and his expression soured.
Cheng Group was already a mess, long out of the top ten. He’d only been trying to help the company, investing a bit too eagerly and ending up with massive debts when the other party went bankrupt.
Because of this, the board had stripped him of any real authority, leaving him with just his shares. And yet, his niece was still humiliating him? He was only looking out for her. Compared to those reckless, hedonistic alphas who only lusted after Cheng Youqing’s beauty, Zheng Xiaolong was leagues above—no contest. Cheng Youqing wasn’t young anymore, and an omega’s greatest societal value was in reproduction. She had little advantage left there. With Cheng Group drowning in debt, how many decent people would willingly take on this mess?
Talk about ingratitude.
Her uncle huffed. “If that’s how you feel, I won’t meddle. Marry whoever you want.”
He left the office. Cheng Youqing leaned back in her chair, exhaled deeply, and smiled faintly.
She was going to marry whoever she wanted.
Her rebellious phase had come a bit late, but now, she felt quite defiant.
Cheng Group was a massive entity with many factions. Her second uncle was one of the greedy, foolish ones, but he was manageable. There were others, far more cunning, scheming behind her back, trying to pair her with alphas connected to their interests. She knew it all.
She was like an ancient emperor, pressured by ministers to choose an empress, while the candidates were torn apart by factions vying for power through her marriage. As for the company’s mounting challenges and decline, they couldn’t care less.
She couldn’t wait to see their faces when they learned she’d chosen to marry a penniless defective alpha.
The next day, Luo Hetu finally saw Cheng Youqing again. She hadn’t slept all night, sporting dark circles under her eyes.
They sat in an elegantly decorated coffee shop steeped in history. A neatly dressed waiter brought two cups of coffee and desserts. The waiter looked far more polished and spirited than Luo Hetu’s haggard face.
Cheng Youqing assessed her carefully and said, “You don’t look good today. I’m starting to have second thoughts.”
Luo Hetu: …
This woman was going to drive her mad.
“Is it fun to toy with me?” she asked, her face stern.
“I was genuinely busy yesterday. My assistant told me you called, but I thought you might be asleep, and it’s not something to discuss over the phone or pager. Besides, I assumed you’d need time to think. It’s only the second day.”
“I don’t think being casually asked to marry by a CEO is something I can just calmly wait around for until you’re free.”
“So, what do you want to ask?”
Luo Hetu frowned. “Ms. Cheng, you’re the one making this baseless proposal out of nowhere. You owe me an explanation.”
Cheng Youqing was in a good mood today. She nodded, took a sip of coffee, and spoke slowly. “First, I need to get married.”
“The group already thinks I’m too young and unfit to lead. I only became chairman because my alpha mother’s shares, combined with my own, gave me a substantial stake, and I’ve achieved some results over the years to quiet their objections. But now, my second uncle has racked up billions in debt, the company’s cash flow is broken, and the board’s solution is to push for a marriage alliance to weather the crisis.”
Luo Hetu: “…Is my understanding off? For a marriage alliance, you’d need someone wealthy, and I don’t have money.”
“Exactly. That’s their idea, not mine. My idea is that I’ll marry, but I’ll choose who I want. They want to control me, and I refuse to let them have their way.”
Luo Hetu: “That’s just you being rebellious.”
“Maybe a little.”
“So I’m just a tool for your rebellion, someone you casually picked to mess with.”
“Not quite. Choosing a spouse isn’t like picking cabbage—you have to be selective. First, I don’t want a man. No reason, I just don’t like men.”