Twelfth Day of Pretending to Be an Alpha

Not far away, Chi Cheng was just about to walk into the suit shop when he saw something unexpected.

Inside, a tall, familiar-looking guy was getting measured for a suit. That guy looked like Chu Mo’s secretary. Chi Cheng frowned in confusion.

Why would Chu Mo bring his secretary to get a custom suit?

Just then, the tall guy handed the tape measure to Chu Mo and said something to him. Chu Mo stood up, took the tape, and wrapped it around the guy’s waist.

The next second, the tall guy glanced in Chi Cheng’s direction. He tilted his head slightly, a subtle smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

If Chi Cheng’s eyes weren’t deceiving him, he could swear that smirk… was smug.

But soon after, the guy looked away, as if he hadn’t noticed Chi Cheng at all. Like it was just a coincidence.

Chi Cheng stood frozen in place.

⸻

Inside the shop, Chu Mo glanced at the number on the tape measure. “78.5.”

Chu Mo blinked in disbelief. “No way. Your waist is only this much?”

Xie Songchen was tall, with a build that looked slim in clothes but was muscular underneath. His chest, abs, and leg muscles were all well-defined. Maintaining such a slim waist while carrying that much muscle meant he had an incredible core—forming a perfect V-shape from behind.

It was no wonder the novel described him as having a terrifyingly strong waist.

To say Chu Mo wasn’t jealous would be a lie. His goal was also to achieve a top-tier Alpha physique—but clearly, he still had a ways to go compared to a real Alpha.

“Train your core more,” Xie Songchen said casually, as if it were no big deal. “You’ll get there.”

Chu Mo refused to admit his envy. He scoffed, “Hmph, you just train a bit more than I do…”

Just then, a sharp voice cut through the moment:

“Chu Mo!”

The CEO, whose name had been called, paused mid-measurement and looked toward the entrance. Xie Songchen turned his head too.

Chi Cheng stood at the entrance of the suit shop, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot.

“Didn’t you say you were busy with work today?!” Chi Cheng sneered, voice laced with betrayal. “I didn’t know your company went bankrupt and you were working as a shop assistant now?!”

Chu Mo froze.

He hadn’t expected to run into Chi Cheng here. Just an hour ago, he’d told him over the phone that he was “busy with work.”

Chu Mo quickly masked his embarrassment and responded confidently, “Of course I’m busy with work. The person with me is my secretary. Isn’t that proof enough?”

But saying “secretary” only made Chi Cheng even angrier.

“Secretary?!” Chi Cheng scoffed, eyes narrowing at the young Alpha behind Chu Mo. “A secretary who has the boss measure his waist? That’s a first for me.”

His tone was pure acid—jealous and biting.

Despite being mocked, Xie Songchen didn’t react with anger. Instead, he said calmly, “President Chu promised me a custom suit.”

Then he looked at Chi Cheng and added, “I feel bad for taking up the boss’s weekend.”

Chu Mo was stunned. Feel bad? When did this kid feel bad?!

Chi Cheng clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white.

“Great. Just great,” he said through gritted teeth, glaring at Chu Mo. “I’m not even as important as a suit for your secretary!”

His fingers trembled with rage. Since childhood, he’d always been the one turning others down—never the one being stood up. Remembering how he’d told Chu Mo, I’ll wait for you to finish, he suddenly felt like the biggest joke in the room.

“If you have something to say, just say it now,” Chu Mo said, trying to stay composed despite the guilt creeping up.

“I have nothing to say to you anymore!” Chi Cheng cut him off, voice sharp. He’d even gone out of his way to buy a new outfit to meet Chu Mo, only to find him shopping for someone else instead.

The more he thought about it, the more wronged he felt. Especially when Chu Mo stood there looking so calm—like none of this mattered.

Adding fuel to the fire, Xie Songchen said politely, “If you have something important to say, you can email me, and I’ll forward it to President Chu.”

Chi Cheng’s nails nearly broke the skin of his palm.

“You think I need to report my business with Chu Mo to a secretary like you?” Chi Cheng snapped, struggling to keep his last shred of composure. “Know your place.”

He turned to Chu Mo, eyes blazing, clearly holding back more words—but in the end, he swallowed them.

“Chu Mo, you’re something else.”

With that, Chi Cheng turned and stormed out of the suit shop.

⸻

“What the hell is wrong with him?” Chu Mo muttered, watching Chi Cheng’s retreating figure. He genuinely didn’t understand why Chi Cheng was acting like he’d just betrayed him.

Behind him, Xie Songchen’s expression was unreadable.

⸻

After leaving the shop, Chi Cheng called his best friend, Cheng Cheng, and demanded he come out immediately.

When Cheng Cheng arrived and saw him, he exclaimed, “Young Master Chi, why do you look like you just got your soul sucked out?”

Chi Cheng’s face was stormy. “Cut the crap. I got stood up. You’re stuck with me today.”

“Who the hell stood you up?” Cheng Cheng asked, stunned. “And made you this mad?”

“None of your business,” Chi Cheng snapped.

Cheng Cheng clicked his tongue. “Tsk. Let me guess. You finally fell for some hard-to-get Omega? I’m telling you, even if you’re handsome, using the wrong approach can totally backfire.”

Chi Cheng paused.

Cheng Cheng had teased him before about whether he liked someone. At the time, he’d brushed it off.

But now, caught in the heat of jealousy, his heart skipped a beat.

The next second, his brows furrowed deeply, and he said firmly, “Impossible.”

He was an Alpha.

And so was Chu Mo.

He could never like Chu Mo in this lifetime.

“Impossible?” Cheng Cheng looked at Chi Cheng with a knowing gaze. “Then why are you so upset?”

Chi Cheng pressed his lips together, teeth gritted. “He stood me up. He lied, said he was busy, and I caught him with another Alpha…”

His tone practically dripped with jealousy.

“Uh…” Cheng Cheng was momentarily at a loss. “I feel like…”

The more he tried to explain, the worse it sounded.

Chi Cheng said coldly, “I’m just annoyed. Clearly, I should be the more important person to him.”

He and Chu Mo had been rivals since they were kids. Chi Cheng had tried every way to get the attention of his neighbor, who was six years older than him. No matter what, he should’ve weighed more in Chu Mo’s heart than a secretary. Shouldn’t he?

Cheng Cheng stared at Chi Cheng for a long time. Honestly, this guy might be beyond saving.

“So,” Cheng Cheng asked, “what do you plan to do now?”

“For the next few hours,” Chi Cheng said coldly, “I won’t be looking for him.”

Cheng Cheng: “…”

Confirmed. Chi Cheng is hopeless.

⸻

Back at the suit shop, Chu Mo finished measuring Xie Songchen’s waist and had the staff adjust the numbers. After paying the deposit, the staff informed him that the suit would be ready in three days.

Xie Songchen looked like he was in a great mood.

Just as they were leaving the shop, Chu Mo received a business call. As they stepped into the elevator afterward, he said to Xie Songchen, “A client just called. I need to head to the neighboring city immediately.”

“Do you need me to come with you?” Xie Songchen asked.

“You’re just an intern. What use would you be?” Chu Mo said, voice laced with disdain. “I’m not paying you overtime on a weekend.”

“You could make me work overtime,” Xie Songchen replied, expressionless. “Make that expensive suit worth it.”

Chu Mo: “…”

Was that a joke? He didn’t know Xie Songchen even had a sense of humor, let alone cold sarcasm.

“Just make sure you perform well,” Chu Mo mocked. “Don’t get fired before the suit is even finished.”

“I’m sure I won’t leave Shengmo before the suit’s ready,” Xie Songchen said confidently.

“Hmph,” Chu Mo sneered. “You that sure of yourself?”

“If you’re going to dismiss a probationary employee,” Xie Songchen raised an eyebrow, “you need to give at least three days’ notice.”

Chu Mo paused. He remembered—the suit would take exactly three days.

So that’s what he meant. Another Xie-style joke. It seemed that when Xie Songchen was in a good mood, he liked to toss out dry little one-liners.

“Stop with the lip service,” Chu Mo said, suppressing a laugh and trying to keep a stern face. “As long as you don’t make a move on my brother, I won’t fire you.”

Chu Mo never thought he’d use the phrase lip service in relation to Xie Songchen.

“I’m not making a move on him,” Xie Songchen replied.

There was something more he wanted to say—but he swallowed it.

Before parting ways, Chu Mo looked at him with a half-smile. “You better not.”

⸻

After that call, Chu Mo was immediately swept up by a string of tedious, urgent matters. He didn’t finish work until late that night. By the time he finally drove home, it was nearly midnight.

He was used to the chaos of the business world, but even so, tonight had been exhausting. Besides the rice noodles from earlier that morning, he hadn’t eaten a thing. His plan was simple: eat something quick, crash, and wake up early for tomorrow’s golf meeting.

As he pulled up to the house, the headlights lit up a figure standing outside the villa.

Chu Mo hit the brakes.

Chi Cheng had been squatting at the Chu family gate for a long time. His legs were numb. It reminded him of when he was a kid—when Chu Mo was in high school and he, still in elementary school, would wait by the gate just to see him. Sometimes until his parents came to drag him home by the ear.

Seeing the familiar sports car approach, Chi Cheng was stunned. He quickly stood up, but his legs buckled. He grabbed the wall to steady himself, barely avoiding a fall.

Chu Mo rolled down the window, looking at him in confusion. “Chi Cheng? What are you doing here?”

Chi Cheng pressed his lips into a thin line. After a long silence, he frowned and asked:

“Why are you back so late?”

He’d waited so long, his voice was hoarse.

Chu Mo widened his eyes slightly. Chi Cheng had been waiting at the gate this whole time? He glanced at the clock—11:57 p.m.

“You didn’t…” Chu Mo’s brows knit together. “You didn’t wait for me all this time, did you?”

“No,” Chi Cheng lied, trying to make his hoarse voice sound more energetic. “You think I wanted to wait for you?”

Chu Mo opened the car door and walked up to him, studying his expression. “I bet you came to see Chu Yun, didn’t you?”

He was just about to tell Chi Cheng to leave when he heard—

“I said I’d wait to meet you after you finished. No matter how late.”

Chu Mo froze.

He turned to Chi Cheng in disbelief. In the quiet of the night, their eyes locked. But the next second, Chi Cheng stubbornly turned his head away, lips twitching downward.

“If you were three minutes later…” he muttered, voice low, “I would’ve left.”

Chu Mo stood stunned.

“After today, I’m definitely not waiting for you again.”

Chi Cheng’s voice was angry, but softer now. And in that hoarseness, Chu Mo could faintly hear a trace of something else.

A fragile, aching sadness.