Tao Nian gave him a light punch, “Just say you think I’m short. You’re not that much taller than me anyway.”

An Xun pretended to be hurt and leaned in, “I’m sorry, babe. Forgive me, okay?”

Tao Nian looked at him proudly, “I’ll forgive you just this once.”

“Wow, you really took the bait.”

Their voices were drowned out by the cheering of the crowd.

An Xun stayed close to Tao Nian, pulling him into the center of the dance floor to shake their heads and dance. An Xun always stood out wherever he went, especially in his pristine white shirt which seemed to glow under the lights like a haloed saint, catching the attention of the alphas around.

Tao Nian’s physique deterred many alphas from approaching, but they didn’t leave. Instead, they lurked nearby like predators stalking their prey. The cheap perfume they wore mixed into a foul scent. An Xun sneezed several times and after finishing the last sip of his drink, he pushed Tao Nian towards the stage to party.

He had no interest in the dancing alphas. Whenever he thought of alphas, he couldn’t help but compare them to Bo Xiangzhou, feeling like he must be crazy, even though Bo Xiangzhou really did seem perfect to him.

As the alpha on stage neared the end of his performance, he picked up a shredded shirt and sauntered over, moving away from the colorful spotlights. His physique, covered in sweat with clearly defined abs, became even more apparent. The crowd turned their attention to him, and under a barrage of flirtatious comments, he winked at them, causing an uproar. He flexed his chest muscles, and a few bold ones even yelled, “Husband, I love you!”

“He’s so saucy,” An Xun covered his eyes, then signaled to Tao Nian to cover his ears, “People are so open now, they actually like this kind of flamboyant trash.”

An Xun felt his eyes were getting dirty.

“Yes, yes, none of them are as good as your husband. You have high taste. If your husband knew you were comparing him to a bar performer, he’d probably be spitting blood,” Tao Nian teased, “Here you are in a bar, still thinking about your husband. You’re so obsessed, I doubt you could sleep alone at night.”

An Xun responded, “I can definitely sleep. He’s on a business trip, not dead.”

While they joked, the alpha on the stage finished showing off his body, draping his shirt over his shoulder and letting his fingers trail down to the edge of his pants.

As he began to unbuckle his belt, An Xun hugged Tao Nian’s arm, slightly afraid, “Shit, we won’t get caught by the vice squad, will we?”

Just thinking about it made An Xun feel suffocated, like it would be the death of him. He already imagined Bo Xiangzhou’s face looking very unpleasant, as if he wanted to devour him.

Tao Nian straightened his face, “You’re overthinking it. This level of show isn’t that serious.”

The alpha on stage merely unbuckled his belt and started walking back and forth as if looking for a target. His gaze finally settled on an omega who whistled at him, and he flirtatiously tossed his shirt to them.

“So that’s how it’s played,” An Xun noted. “Why wasn’t it like this a few days ago?”

Tao Nian explained tiredly, “This entertainment was added last month, and it’s only available on Sundays. Babe, I think you and I don’t fit in here. Say a few good words for me in front of your husband later, otherwise, it makes me look like some kind of delinquent.”

“That’s an exaggeration.”

“Not really.”

After tossing his shirt, the alpha was left with a belt. He had thrown to the left before, and now he spread the wealth to the right.

An Xun’s lips curled up as he pulled Tao Nian into conversation. His eyes were beautiful, and his body exuded a strong aggressiveness. His eyes were full of wild arrogance, especially the haughty air bought with money, firmly capturing the alpha’s gaze.

He found a spot to squat at the edge of the stage, blew a few rogue whistles, and with a confused look from An Xun, he took out a red string to tie around the belt and tossed it over leisurely.

“Damn!” It’s coming at him!

An Xun was immediately terrified and hid behind Tao Nian, “Fuck this, don’t throw it to me!”

He has a husband! If Bo Xiangzhou saw him bring a belt home, he wouldn’t be able to explain it!

Tao Nian, not knowing where he got such strength, possibly driven by a survival instinct, dragged his body, twice his size, through the crowd from the right to the left.

The crowd was in chaos, some laughing and some teasing.

An Xun was still in shock, unaware that this farce had been clearly captured by someone else.

The bar was cleverly designed with a hollow middle on the second floor, providing an unobstructed view of the first floor’s scene, especially the stage, allowing the occasional guest coming out for air on the second floor to see everything.

Facing the dancer, An Xun’s back was to an alpha leaning over the second-floor railing watching the spectacle. He rhythmically tapped the wooden railing, making a very faint sound, extremely hesitant but eventually decided to send the video to a friend he had just chatted with half an hour ago.

·

While Bo Xiangzhou was busy with work and a forum he had to attend elsewhere, he planned to return home a few days later, but his schedule ended up being faster than expected.

An Xun had been out having fun these days, sending photos to every place he visited to reassure him. But Bo Xiangzhou had seen An Xun’s pitiable state too many times. Even with a friend around who could be somewhat intimidating, he was still worried that the friend wouldn’t be able to protect An Xun from being bullied.

This omega never spoke up when bullied.

So, after finishing the forum, he rushed back to Jiang City overnight. He got off the plane and into his private car, not resting for even a minute on the way.

He was just about to ask An Xun where he was when Cheng Song coincidentally sent a greeting.

[Cheng Song]: Did you get off the plane? Why don’t you come and hang out at YOLO CLUB before rushing home?

Bo Xiangzhou, without a second thought, replied coldly with the words, “Not going.”

The other party was silent for almost a minute before sending a message that baffled him.

[Cheng Song]: You’ll regret not coming.

[Cheng Song]: From what you’ve seen these past few days, what kind of person do you think your wife is?

He might have felt he was being too hesitant, so he gave up struggling, resignedly sending a video.

[Cheng Song]: Xiangzhou, I didn’t recognize the wrong person, did I?

The video was stable, shot with equipment so good that even when zoomed in several times, the faces were still clear.

Bo Xiangzhou’s expression gradually cooled. An Xun’s face was very recognizable, almost impossible to mistake.

The video showed An Xun squeezing through the crowd to watch a performance, his expressions and his style, and the swear words that could only be heard when the volume was turned up, were not things he would normally do.

Bo Xiangzhou couldn’t quite describe the feeling in his heart, whether it was the rage of being deceived or a stronger interest in exploring An Xun’s unusual character.

The driver turned and entered the main road of Jiang City, arriving at the bar in less than twenty minutes. Cheng Song met him at the back door, and they stealthily bypassed the crowd to reach the second floor.

The normally demure and pitiable omega was now twisting his hips among the crowd, looking somewhat drunk. He was unsteady on his feet but didn’t forget to drink and pull his friend to dance. His wide shirt fluttered with his carefree dance moves, and his fair skin was eye-catching. Several alphas pretended to pass by casually, but their eyes were practically glued to his collarbone.

Unaware, his eye corners twinkled with drunkenness, and his rosy lips were moistened by alcohol, his mouth never stopping.

If it weren’t for Tao Nian by his side, this lip-red, teeth-white omega would eventually be gnawed to the bone by those alphas.

This was too unusual. Seeing An Xun’s very recognizable face, his shock was no less than Bo Xiangzhou’s. He had heard a while ago that An Xun had been beaten by Liu Tang until his leg was broken, and Shen Qingrang was so angry he almost broke ties with the Liu family, who had no choice but to send Liu Tang abroad, planning a marriage with the young master of the Fang family by the end of the year.

Bo Xiangzhou had cleared up the broken leg issue, but his impression of An Xun had indeed changed. He used to think this omega was timid, then he thought An Xun was like a dodder flower, unable to survive without Bo Xiangzhou’s protection, but now…

Drunk among the crowd, blowing kisses to the dancer on stage, and then hugging his friend to kiss his face, the omega suddenly became a stranger.

Even though they had the same face, the personality differences made them feel like two different people.

Cheng Song was astonished, “He… doesn’t have split personality disorder, does he?”

“No,” Bo Xiangzhou was certain. “If he had a mental issue, I would have noticed long ago. Whether it’s an act or he’s drunk himself into imagining he’s someone else, I’ll find out tomorrow.”

“Good luck,” Cheng Song said. “The way he drinks looks pretty skilled; he must be a veteran. Honestly, if this is his real personality, it’s not too bad, better than being bullied.”

Bo Xiangzhou said nothing, his gaze following An Xun below. An Xun was drunk, his lips moving, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing.

Bo Xiangzhou: “Did you bring someone?”

“I brought one.”

“Let him go down and listen to what he’s saying.”

Cheng Song had brought an assistant, who, after receiving his order, was somewhat confused but still did as instructed.

His height was an advantage as he squeezed through the crowd and quickly located the target person.

An Xun hooked his neck around Tao Nian, hanging all over him, woefully saying, “Baby, just thinking about having to live a dry life again makes me feel terrible. Damn it, he can keep his old man’s routine to himself, but why does he have to control me so strictly?”

An Xun’s speech was disorganized. “You go back and sleep with him for me. He bites so painfully… I’m thinking of breaking into his liquor cabinet… Honey, if my husband knew I was drinking, he’d beat me… Once I’ve got his money, I’ll run away abroad with you.”

“Stop drinking! How are you going to get home tonight!” Tao Nian tried to snatch his drink, but An Xun leaned aside, allowing him only to steady An Xun first. He seized the moment, hehe’d with a laugh, and guzzled another drink.

Tao Nian grabbed him, snatched his drink away, and said fiercely, “Drink again and I’ll throw you out on the street!”

An Xun’s expression immediately became aggrieved, “…You’re threatening me. I want to go back to my husband.”

Bo Xiangzhou would never throw him out on the street.

Tao Nian was speechless, “Go find your husband then, you talk about him every three sentences, people who don’t know might think you’ve gone mad.”

An Xun hugged him, treating Tao Nian as his only support. He was so drunk he wasn’t lucid, seeing everything as blurry double images. He wobbled his head and half-squinted his eyes as he bumped into the bar’s large column.

“I think I saw my husband…”

“…Your husband’s out of town.”

Tao Nian was utterly speechless. Not wanting to entangle further with a drunk, he saw it was about time. An Xun was in no shape to go home, so he decisively picked him up, settled the bill, hailed a cab outside, and took him back to his own home.

Meanwhile, the assistant repeated An Xun’s words, stammering.

Bo Xiangzhou felt even stranger inside. His anger dissipated, or perhaps he had never really been angry from the start.

Thinking from An Xun’s perspective, if a huge pie fell from the sky, anyone would be scared. That he could act without flaws was also a skill.

Maybe it was to secure a better standing in the Bo family. If the Old Madam knew he was drinking and swearing, she might not be as fond of him as she is now.

Cheng Song patted his shoulder, barely holding back a laugh, “Your wife still has you in his heart. Look how he misses you, even mistaking a pillar for you.”