Guide To Lying Flat And Getting Rich As A Kept Alpha - Chapter 46
46
At six in the evening, Cheng Youqing got off work.
Luo Hetu was sitting nearby, holding a book. She had originally planned to use the book as an excuse to do some questions in the system, but at some point, she started staring blankly at Cheng Youqing.
Xiao Tong: “Host, you have 30 seconds left to answer the question.”
Xiao Tong: “Host, you have 20 seconds left to answer the question.”
Xiao Tong: “Host?”
The host had no time to respond to her.
The host was busy watching her wife.
Cheng Youqing was signing documents, one after another, carefully reading through each page of material, marking them up, and signing her name at the end.
She frequently made phone calls. Whenever she spotted something amiss, she set her pen aside, picked up the landline, and confirmed the contents of the documents with others. Using her eloquence, she would coax, criticize, or lose her temper to achieve her goals.
If her subordinates saw her like this, even for just a short while, they would feel intimidated. The chairman was indeed the chairman—highly efficient, with a fiery temper, decisive and swift in her actions. She handled everything immediately, adapting her tone to suit the personalities of different subordinates, saying whatever was necessary to achieve her goals. She could intimidate her subordinates into willingly completing their tasks, whether actively or passively. By six o’clock, she had finally finished her work. As for how her subordinates would have to work overtime next, that was no longer her concern.
But Luo Hetu wasn’t one of her subordinates.
She sat nearby, watching Cheng Youqing’s ruthless capitalist behavior. With a cold, glamorous face, Cheng Youqing spoke insincere pleasantries, her words sharp and cutting when criticizing, yet her expression softened and her voice took on a charming lilt when she needed to persuade.
Her hand gripped the pen, writing nonstop.
Luo Hetu stared at her without blinking.
Xiao Tong: …
“Host, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back. You went over the time limit for answering today, so 50 gold coins will be deducted…”
Luo Hetu: …
Having to pay to watch her own wife? Who made this outrageous rule?
When Cheng Youqing, having finished her work, looked at Luo Hetu, she saw her slumped in an armchair, looking very displeased.
“What’s wrong with you?” Having handled her work smoothly, the chairman was in a relatively good mood and kindly showed concern for her wife.
Luo Hetu looked at her, pursing her lips. “Nothing.”
She had let her desire cloud her judgment.
Cheng Youqing didn’t press further. “Let’s go.”
They left the office one after the other. When the elevator reached the first floor, the receptionist stood up early to bow to Cheng Youqing.
As Cheng Youqing passed the front desk, she paused and turned around. “In the future, when she comes, let her go straight upstairs.”
The receptionist nodded, then took a careful look at Luo Hetu.
Cheng Youqing tilted her head toward Xiao Zhang. “Inform the office logistics team as well.”
Xiao Zhang: “Got it.”
Though it came a bit late, it was still said.
Like a sudden surprise, Luo Hetu felt that all her earlier mental turmoil on the way up was irrelevant. She hadn’t expected Chairman Cheng to be so good at this push-and-pull game, making her feel happy one moment and down the next.
At the entrance, the driver got out of the car. Cheng Youqing said to Xiao Zhang, “Have a pleasant evening.”
Then she slid into the driver’s seat herself.
Luo Hetu also said goodbye to the driver and Xiao Zhang before slipping into the passenger seat.
“You’re driving yourself?”
“It’s after work hours. I don’t want too many people in the car.” Cheng Youqing said, buckling her seatbelt. She glanced at Luo Hetu. “Unlike some people, who’d probably want to stuff another alpha into my car to protect me.”
Luo Hetu: …
If she wasn’t mistaken, this was probably about Shisan.
She genuinely hadn’t thought of this. Those gang members were all capable alpha fighters, and over time, Luo Hetu hadn’t paid attention to their gender. Shisan was a quiet, reserved girl who always used suppressants properly, so there was no noticeable scent.
But thinking it over, assigning an alpha bodyguard to an omega wife did seem problematic. In the ABO world, pheromones could influence behavior, unlike in later times when men and women could work together normally. When an alpha and an omega got too close, trouble could easily arise.
So Luo Hetu began to sweat. “She didn’t do anything to you today, did she?”
Though she thought Shisan wouldn’t, she couldn’t help but worry. “Did you feel uncomfortable? I’ll tell her not to come tomorrow.”
But the bodyguard should still be an alpha. In an era where motorcycle gangs snatched bags on the street, Luo Hetu wasn’t entirely comfortable without an alpha protecting her.
Cheng Youqing glanced at her expression and started the car silently. “You’re worried I felt uncomfortable?”
“Yeah.”
“Your thinking is strange. For an omega, an alpha’s pheromones are attractive. Most of the time, they don’t make us uncomfortable.”
Luo Hetu froze.
“Unless it’s a deep marking. A temporary marking only causes aversion to other alphas for about a day, and then it turns into a craving for alpha pheromones, especially during a heat cycle. At that point, any alpha will do.”
Luo Hetu pressed her lips together. “But you’re not like that. Don’t you dislike alpha pheromones?”
“I dislike them consciously, but during my heat cycle, it’s tough for me too. All alpha pheromones become tempting to me. If my mental defenses collapse, I can’t guarantee I won’t just grab the nearest alpha and let them mark me.”
Luo Hetu, just imagining it, curled up in her seat, feeling aggrieved.
How could this be?
“So, Luo Hetu, you still don’t seem to have any sense of urgency about your situation. Because of pheromones, it’s hard to judge cases of assault. The law strictly protects omegas, but infidelity within marriage is so common it’s countless. Everyone claims they were swayed by pheromones. In the end, seeking an outside alpha or omega to satisfy desires is barely considered a moral failing anymore, let alone grounds for divorce.”
“Do you still think putting an alpha by my side is a small matter?”
Luo Hetu no longer thought so. She glanced at Cheng Youqing, her heart aching as she hugged herself mentally.
The idea of Cheng Youqing casually grabbing an alpha to mark her felt like a dull knife cutting through her heart. Yet she didn’t know what to say to stop her. She was her legal spouse, true, but when things were this commonplace, what could a redundant alpha like her say?
The car stopped near a commercial street. Private cars were rare these days, and there was no need for parking lots—just an empty lot would do. Cheng Youqing parked the car and didn’t rush to get out. She turned to look at the visibly upset alpha.
“Luo Hetu.”
The somewhat sad alpha, called by her name, looked up to see her wife so close. Her lashes were long, and those cold, distant eyes held tiny stars that could only be seen up close. Her nose and mouth were exquisitely beautiful.
The more beautiful she was, the more aggrieved Luo Hetu felt.
She could find another alpha to mark her.
Luo Hetu’s voice was dry. “What?”
“I’m telling you this not because I want to find someone to mark me or to cheat on you in front of your face.”
So you’d cheat behind my back, then?
Since she kept avoiding her gaze, Cheng Youqing’s voice turned colder. “Look at me.”
Luo Hetu raised her eyes to meet hers.
They looked at each other for a moment before Luo Hetu averted her gaze again.
Cheng Youqing: “What, you don’t even want to look at me now? Are you listening to what I’m saying?”
Luo Hetu mumbled, “I’m listening.”
“Then why are you sulking? You’re the one who messed up.”
Sure, it’s all my fault.
Cheng Youqing suddenly felt a headache. She thought she’d made herself clear enough. She was the one who had endured another alpha’s pheromones all day, yet somehow, Luo Hetu was the one looking aggrieved and upset.
She still hadn’t realized her mistake.
The chairman looked at her innocent, clean, and delicate face, and suddenly wanted to buy something soft—something that wouldn’t hurt too much but would sting a little—to give her a few smacks and teach her a lesson.
“Do you know what you did wrong?”
Luo Hetu whispered, “I shouldn’t have married you.”
“What did you say?”
Luo Hetu raised her voice slightly. “I’m not worthy of you at all.”
Cheng Youqing: …
Luo Hetu regretted it immediately. Why had she impulsively said something so petulant? Their marriage was a mutual decision, and now it seemed like she was some dissatisfied, needy lover.
She had wanted something she shouldn’t have and developed feelings she shouldn’t have, which made her seem unreasonable, like a spoiled mistress.
So she quickly backtracked. “Sorry, I said the wrong thing.”
The street was noisy, with groups of kids riding bicycles, shouting as they sped by, their bells ringing one after another. The sedan parked among them stood out, quietly out of place.
Cheng Youqing let out a breath, her hand resting on the seat. “I’m telling you not to casually assign another alpha as my bodyguard. Do you understand?”
Luo Hetu nodded.
“When another alpha is around me, their pheromones affect me, make me uncomfortable, and can disrupt my heat cycle. Do you get that?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re my wife. When you casually put another alpha near me, it feels like you haven’t considered my feelings or taken our contract seriously. Understand?”
“Understood.”
“Good. So what should you do now?”
Luo Hetu’s mouth moved faster than her brain. After saying she understood, she finally processed what Cheng Youqing was saying. After mulling it over, she realized Cheng Youqing wasn’t saying she wanted another alpha.
She was saying that Luo Hetu had caused her omega distress and even actively put another alpha near her wife, testing whether her wife would cheat on her.
Oh.
Well then.
Luo Hetu scratched her head, shrinking into an even smaller ball, embarrassed. “I really messed up. I’ll take you to eat something nice. Whatever you want to do, we’ll do it.”
“That’s what I want, not what you want.”
Luo Hetu had plenty of ideas, but did she dare say them? She didn’t.
“Then tonight, I’ll take you out to have fun. I haven’t done much myself anyway. As for the bodyguard, I’ll tell Shisan not to come anymore. But I’m still worried about you. How about, starting tomorrow, I be your bodyguard?”