Zhou Yi was still asleep when he received a call from Shang Yichen. Being awakened from a pleasant dream in the middle of the night was not a good feeling, especially at such an early hour.

However, no matter how tired Zhou Yi was, after the call ended, he got out of bed without a word of complaint, sprayed some suppressant spray, took some suppressants, and then drove to meet Shang Yichen.

The reason Zhou Yi left the warmth of his bed at 2:30 in the morning to drive 20 kilometers to a bar to pick someone up was simple: the person who had called him was his wealthy benefactor, the one who was supporting him.

Zhou Yi was a substitute lover to a domineering CEO, and as part of the employment relationship, he had to follow the rules and demands set by his benefactor. Fulfilling his various needs was Zhou Yi’s responsibility.

Therefore, as a qualified substitute, Zhou Yi didn’t mind being called in the middle of the night to pick up his benefactor. Even if Shang Yichen suddenly decided to climb Mount Tai in the middle of the night, Zhou Yi would be willing to go along to the summit.

After all, his benefactor paid him 200,000 yuan a month, after tax.

With money as the motivation, Zhou Yi was very professional.

Shang Yichen didn’t even need to send the address. Zhou Yi found the bar’s private room with precision, opened the door, and was met with the loud noise inside.

The smell of cigarettes and alcohol filled the air. The big screen flashed, and men and women swayed to the loud music, mixed with the sound of laughter.

Zhou Yi skillfully avoided the crowd and spotted his benefactor sitting in the middle of a sofa at the back of the room, shaking a wine glass, surrounded by a group of rich young men drinking together.

Zhou Yi walked up directly and called out, “Mr. Shang…”

Shang Yichen raised his eyes lazily, glanced at Zhou Yi, and seemed to appreciate him. “You came pretty quickly…”

Zhou Yi stood there confused.

Shang Yichen turned his head toward another man sitting in an armchair and said, “Meng Rongze, you lost.”

Upon hearing that name, Zhou Yi’s expression remained neutral, but internally, he felt a surge of disgust, fear, and rejection, emotions left over from the original owner’s past experiences.

As someone who had died and been reborn in another world, using someone else’s body to live on, Zhou Yi calmly looked at the man who caused these unpleasant feelings.

Meng Rongze, with a cigarette in his mouth, leaned back on the sofa, exhaling a smoke ring. “Ah, bad luck, bad luck. I didn’t expect you’d get here in half an hour. Ah Chen, your little substitute is really loyal, even at this hour, always available. It’s really enviable.”

Zhou Yi immediately understood that they were treating him like a bet in some game.

“Remember to transfer the money to my account,” Shang Yichen said casually, finishing the last sip of his drink.

“Ah, really heartless…” Meng Rongze exhaled smoke, looked Zhou Yi up and down, and smiled ambiguously. “Xiao Yi, haven’t seen you in a while… I heard you had a car accident recently. Are you okay?”

Zhou Yi felt his gaze, as though he were being inspected like a cheap product.

To avoid giving anything away, Zhou Yi acted as though nothing was wrong, lowered his head, his fingers gripping the fabric of his clothes so tightly that they turned white. “Thank you for your concern, Mr. Meng. I’m fine…”

“That’s good, but luckily it didn’t damage your face. After all, for a Beta like you, your face is the only thing of value. Ah Chen likes that face of yours the most. You should take care of it, or else you won’t be able to be the substitute anymore…” Meng Rongze’s words seemed playful but were heavily laced with sarcasm.

After hearing this, Zhou Yi started to understand why the original owner had such negative feelings toward Meng Rongze. Given how verbally cruel he was, it was obvious he must have said many hurtful, degrading things.

Zhou Yi could feel the eyes of the people around him, all eager to see him embarrassed. Shang Yichen’s gaze also passed over him, but he showed no intention of intervening. It seemed everyone in the room was waiting to watch his discomfort.

At this moment, Zhou Yi felt utterly isolated.

However, with the new soul inhabiting this body, Zhou Yi was no longer going to stand stiffly, unaware, in a corner being mocked.

Zhou Yi lifted his face slightly, a faint smile on his lips, but his eyes were dim and somewhat lonely. He pinched his leg hard, forcing out a few unshed tears, looking like he was on the verge of crying. In a mature voice, he said, “I’ll be careful, Mr. Meng…”

From the moment he entered this body, Zhou Yi knew what his advantage was: his small face, his upturned eyes, a mole beneath his eye, and pupils that seemed larger than average, glistening like pools of water. Even when he didn’t express much, people would still feel an innate sense of sympathy for him.

In this situation, using a vulnerable expression, as if tears could fall at any moment, was the perfect way to amplify that sympathy.

Moreover, his face bore a striking resemblance to Shang Yichen’s “white moonlight,” and by displaying a sad, aggrieved expression, he was certain Shang Yichen would not be able to ignore it.

As expected, after Zhou Yi spoke, Shang Yichen shot a meaningful look at Meng Rongze. “Rongze…”

Meng Rongze, who had been preparing to watch Zhou Yi’s discomfort, seemed to be caught off guard by this reaction. He froze, staring at the expression of desolation in Zhou Yi’s eyes. His heart shook slightly, and an unexpected sense of pity arose.

Perhaps because Meng Rongze’s gaze was so direct, Shang Yichen frowned, set his cup down, and gestured at Zhou Yi with his chin. “Come here and help me…”

Upon hearing Shang Yichen’s words, Zhou Yi quickly suppressed his tears and obediently walked forward to assist him. This method of “playing the victim” had to be done with subtlety, or it would become tiresome.

Shang Yichen lazily got up, slung his arm around Zhou Yi’s shoulder, and began to walk toward the door. He addressed the people around him, “We’re leaving.”

The rich young men immediately tried to keep him there, but Shang Yichen refused them one by one.

Once they got in the car, Zhou Yi thoughtfully buckled Shang Yichen’s seatbelt, then reached to get a small blanket from the backseat and carefully covered him.

As he withdrew his hand, Shang Yichen grabbed his wrist. Zhou Yi, confused, looked at him. “Mr. Shang?”

Shang Yichen stared at him for a moment, then released his grip on Zhou Yi’s wrist, instead cupping his chin and forcing it upward. “Turn your face…”

Zhou Yi winced as his chin was pinched, and inwardly cursed. The close contact only revealed the strong scent of alcohol, smoke, and a heavy pheromone scent—overpowering and sharp.

This made Zhou Yi on edge, even though he had sprayed the suppressant and taken the medication before leaving. He instinctively held his breath, afraid the pheromones might push him closer to the edge of his heat cycle.

After all, Zhou Yi was a Beta in front of Shang Yichen. If he were discovered to be an Omega, given Shang Yichen’s distaste for Omegas, his job as a substitute lover would be over.

He had been given 200,000 yuan a month, a high-end apartment with meals and utilities covered, and although his benefactor came over occasionally, they didn’t have to engage in anything physical. This arrangement was far more attractive to Zhou Yi than his previous life as a 996 worker.

Zhou Yi didn’t belong to this world originally. He had grown up as an orphan and had to survive by doing various odd jobs, from factory work to serving as a hotel employee and washing dishes in a restaurant. In the end, he managed to get a sales job and was stabilizing his life before he died in a car accident.

The most painful part was that he had just received a sales award and a generous bonus when he died.

It was as though the heavens couldn’t bear his miserable fate, and after his death, Zhou Yi found himself inhabiting this body with the same name.

However, Zhou Yi found the original owner’s life to be disappointing. He had been caught up in the typical “substitute lover falls for the benefactor” trope.

At first, he had followed Shang Yichen to repay a debt, but over time, he had developed feelings, always available for him, trying to please him. Yet Shang Yichen never showed any affection, always looking at someone else.

It was a tragic story that Zhou Yi couldn’t help but feel disdain for, especially since the original owner had played the role of a substitute lover in such an unprofessional way.

After accepting the memories of the original owner, Zhou Yi found it hard to understand why the original owner didn’t try to take advantage of the situation—buying a car, getting a house, and living a comfortable life, while waiting for the contract to end. Instead, he had sacrificed his dignity for love, which seemed foolish to Zhou Yi.

Now, with a chance to live a better life, Zhou Yi quickly adapted to this world and played his role as required by Shang Yichen.

It seemed he had a natural talent for acting. To this day, Shang Yichen had never suspected him.

When Shang Yichen made his request, Zhou Yi adjusted his breathing and thought of the tax-free income he would receive at the end of the month. Even though his jaw ached from being pinched, Zhou Yi immediately displayed the professionalism of a substitute lover, leaning his head to the position that pleased Shang Yichen, allowing his gaze to roam over his face.

“It really looks like… Xiao Ning…” Shang Yichen murmured, studying Zhou Yi’s profile that resembled Gu Shuning’s. After a few minutes, he released his grip, acting as though nothing had happened, and said casually, “Let’s go home.”

Zhou Yi massaged his sore jaw, secretly flipped him off in his mind, but maintained a gentle smile and answered softly, “Alright, Mr. Shang.”

The car quickly arrived at the apartment building, and the two of them went upstairs to their separate rooms. Zhou Yi helped Shang Yichen remove his coat, then brought him slippers and helped him into the bedroom.

Shang Yichen lay half-drunk on the bed, staring absent-mindedly at Zhou Yi, who was tucking the covers for him. The contour of his face looked exactly like Gu Shuning’s.

Just as Zhou Yi was about to lift his head, Shang Yichen said, “Don’t move…”

Zhou Yi had no choice but to stay in place, letting Shang Yichen gaze at his face.

Standing bent over, holding that position for over ten minutes, Zhou Yi was starting to feel the strain.

Shang Yichen, with his lack of consideration for others, released his pheromones freely. For Zhou Yi, who was close to his heat period, every second was torturous.

He held his breath, doing his best to endure, not daring to move.

After about half an hour, Shang Yichen closed his eyes and fell into a drunken sleep, mumbling incoherently in his sleep.

Zhou Yi, standing close, could hear him calling out “Xiao Ning.”

Zhou Yi wasn’t surprised and felt nothing. He slowly straightened up, moved his stiff neck, and rubbed his shoulders.

Though he was used to Shang Yichen’s occasional eccentric behavior, he still found him odd.

Most people would use a substitute to satisfy their physical needs, but Shang Yichen seemed to treat it more like a role-playing game.

Zhou Yi didn’t understand his motives, but it wasn’t his problem. He would just play his part and collect his 200,000 yuan each month.

With that thought in mind, Zhou Yi stretched, turned, and went back to his room to finally get some sleep after a long night.