An Xun sat with his arms crossed on a bench by the roadside. Across from him were four bodyguards sent by the An family, all tall and muscular, dressed in pitch-black uniforms.

Four alphas to deal with one omega—classic An family dirty play.

An Xun smiled, swinging an empty beer bottle he’d snatched from a drunk on the street, “Which one of you wants to go first? But let me be clear, no using pheromone suppression, or if I die here, none of you are getting away with it.”

He wasn’t sure what orders the An family had given—whether they were supposed to bring him back safely or if anything was fine as long as he didn’t die.

The two sides stared at each other, and the atmosphere became tense.

After a few moments of hesitation, two of the bodyguards in the middle stepped forward at the same time. But before they could touch the hem of An Xun’s clothes, one got a red mark on his hand from a beer bottle.

The other two hesitated to move, likely mindful of the An family’s orders, and their actions were slow and cautious, giving An Xun an opening.

Quick as lightning, he grabbed one of them by the arm and twisted it backward. The man let out a painful cry, his face filled with disbelief. The other bodyguards, too, were clearly shocked. They hadn’t expected someone who looked as delicate as An Xun to have such strength.

An Xun looked annoyed, “Can you do it or not? If not, go back home and stop wasting my time while I’m trying to drink!”

Were these useless bodyguards sent by the An family just to disgust him?

His gaze swept over them like they were trash.

Alphas are naturally prideful, and being looked down on by an omega riled them up. They didn’t need An Xun to say another word before they started taking things seriously.

This street was nearly deserted at this time of night, so the sound of bodies hitting the ground didn’t cause any alarm.

After a few rounds of fighting, the alphas backed off. The blows from the beer bottle stung like hell. One alpha had a bleeding cut on his hand, and the others bore bruises on their faces. Yet, An Xun remained unscathed, blinking playfully at them.

“Don’t embarrass yourselves any further. Go home before those wounds get infected, okay?” An Xun stepped on the alpha at his feet, “What did you just call me earlier? Care to say it again? I’ll take your head off and kick it around like a ball.”

His head was already spinning from the alcohol, and after all the scuffling, he knew he wouldn’t last much longer. He waved them off and tried to leave, but one of the alphas, despite having a huge lump on his head, grabbed onto his pant leg. An Xun was about to kick him a few more times to leave some extra bruises when, in the next moment, the remaining alphas pounced on him again.

After finally shaking them off, An Xun collapsed back onto the bench, panting. Less than a minute later, reinforcements arrived.

A van parked thirty meters away, and seven more people got out.

He could handle the four earlier, but the newcomers were clearly more skilled. An Xun gritted his teeth, “You guys called for backup?!”

The leader said, “Young Master, please come home.”

Though the words sounded polite, they were full of menace.

Seeing that he couldn’t win this fight, An Xun conceded. He picked up the half-broken beer bottle and kicked each of the four alphas lying on the ground a few more times.

The car drove all the way to the An family estate. An Xun was seething, so angry that the alcohol had practically evaporated from his system. As soon as he got out of the car, he stormed straight into the living room.

An Xun glanced around the villa, sensing something was off. His hostility faded a little as he suddenly smiled. He plopped down on the leather sofa, leaning against the armrest, his head propped on one hand. With a sneaky grin, he said, “What, no power outage but you can’t afford to turn on the lights? Spent all your remaining money on bodyguards, huh? Good thing I was smart enough to sever ties with the An family early, or I’d be so broke right now, I wouldn’t even be able to turn on a light—just a few crummy candles left to burn.”

The living room, with its classical decor, was fitted with expensive crystal chandeliers that drained power. Even after putting everything they had into it, the An family hadn’t been able to fix their cash flow crisis and were now essentially bankrupt.

An Xun’s father and his precious son were nowhere to be seen, leaving only his stepmother, Chen Xiang, in the room.

An Xun placed the beer bottle on the coffee table, causing Chen Xiang to jump back in fright, clutching her chest, as if scared he’d smash the bottle over her head in a fit of rage.

An Xun, pleased with her reaction, chuckled, “I’m tired of all the chatter. It’s always about marriage, marriage, and more marriage. If you want to go back to living the rich wife life, I suggest you ditch your precious son. I think he and that fat pig would make a perfect match—they’re both worthless.”

Chen Xiang went silent, as if someone had struck her dumb. She no longer had the arrogant attitude she’d shown on the phone.

Her unusual behavior left An Xun puzzled. What’s this? Are they planning to sacrifice a massive chunk of the family fortune to beg me to marry someone?

Nonsense. Asking someone like him—who’s a sucker for good looks, strong hands, and rock-hard abs—to marry into such a nightmare would be pure torture. That kind of money wouldn’t even cover the mental hospital bills and eye surgery he’d need afterward.

An Xun clenched his fists. No way would he settle for less. Sure, he had no money now, but at least he was living comfortably. If he had money but was suffering, it wasn’t worth it.

After a long silence, Chen Xiang finally spoke, “These are the terms from the Bo family. Take a look.”

Her icy tone was laced with overwhelming jealousy.

“What do you mean?” An Xun was confused. What does this have to do with the Bo family?

Chen Xiang didn’t answer, but maintained a forced calm that barely masked her jealousy. Her twisted expression made her face look almost grotesque.

She sneered, “Such great luck. Aside from your high compatibility rate, I have no idea what the Bo family sees in you. You reek of alcohol, and you don’t have a single ounce of omega decency in you. You’re nothing compared to your brother.”

“Don’t say nonsense. I don’t have a brother. I’m an orphan—no parents, no siblings. Stop trying to act close to me.”

The marriage rate in Jiang City had hit a record low, and the government was panicking. Last year, they announced a plan to match suitable partners to boost the marriage rate. After three months of this program, the government had set An Xun up with several alphas, but none had passed his standards. Only their compatibility scores were remotely acceptable.

But who cares about compatibility when their looks were so bad you couldn’t even imagine kissing them?

After receiving one too many marriage reminders, An Xun blocked the civil affairs office from his phone.

He put down the beer bottle but quickly picked it back up, fearing Chen Xiang would try something shady and snatch it from him.

He picked up the contract and squinted at it for a long while before finally making out the details.

He had a 99% compatibility rate with Bo Xiangzhou. The Bo family wanted him to marry Bo Xiangzhou, a 31-year-old still without a partner, and as part of the marriage agreement, the Bo family would help the An family out of their financial crisis.

“Help” was putting it mildly. With Bo family’s status as the wealthiest family in Jiang City, this was more like rescuing them.

An Xun was full of questions. How on earth did Bo Xiangzhou agree to marry him? In reality, a family like the Bo’s would usually look for an omega with a matching background for an alliance. How did this good fortune land on him?

“Did you get scammed?” Or am I just drunk and imagining things?

“We’ve already agreed to the Bo family’s terms. You’ll marry whether you want to or not. The conditions have been negotiated, and once you two meet and set the wedding date, we’ll receive the benefits. You were called here today just to sign the contract,” Chen Xiang said, flipping to the last page, “Sign it.”

“You fucking sold me?!” An Xun threw the contract to the ground and stomped on it a few times, “You didn’t even discuss this with me! Do you believe I won’t destroy your whole house tonight?”

Chen Xiang asked coldly, “Will you sign or not?”

What humiliation! Absolute fucking humiliation!

With a rich, handsome husband and the detestable An family looming before him, An Xun hesitated. Bo Xiangzhou’s chances of being blind were rare, and if he missed this opportunity, he’d never find it again. The allowance he’d get in one month might be more than what he could earn in a lifetime. As for the An family…he wasn’t about to let them ride on the Bo family’s coattails.

An Xun picked up the contract again and read it carefully, one word at a time. After a few pages, he found a loophole: the Bo family had only promised to help this once. Knowing the An family’s ways, they would surely boast about this and stir up even more resentment, making the Bo family lose any positive impression of them. If he sabotaged things from within, it wouldn’t be long before the An family was bankrupt again.

When that day came, the Bo family probably wouldn’t bother helping such a hopeless case.

The beer bottle shattered on the ground, glass scattering everywhere. Seeing Chen Xiang’s pale face made An Xun feel slightly better. He grumbled reluctantly, “Fine, I’ll sign!”

Who wouldn’t want to live the good life? He’d tolerate this for a few years, and when the An family went bankrupt again, he’d be ready to kick them while they were down.

Waiting for an opportunity in the fragrant world of wealth? It sounded wonderful. The An family might be doing okay now, but there was no way they’d be living as good as him. After all, he’d heard that Bo Xiangzhou’s estate alone was worth several billion.

·

Jiahe Manor.

The butler knocked lightly on the door of the study. After receiving permission from Bo Xiangzhou, he entered and placed the coffee gently on the desk. He inadvertently glanced at the lit computer screen, where a profile of An Xun was displayed.

The butler knew that the manor would soon have a new resident, but he had never seen this person before. This was the first time.

The omega in the photo was delicate-looking, but his eyes were full of defiance, with a rebellious spirit that didn’t seem out of place on such a beautiful face.

The butler commented, “No wonder the old lady likes him.”

This omega perfectly matched the old lady’s taste.

Bo Xiangzhou, wearing a black silk shirt that highlighted his broad shoulders and long legs, looked up at the comment, “I’m not sure how he’ll be in real life, but he doesn’t seem like the quiet type.”

The butler advised, “Whatever the case, this marriage can’t be avoided. Trust the old lady’s judgment, Mr. Bo.”

Bo Xiangzhou hummed in response, not saying more. His gaze lingered on the photo of the smiling omega.

To date, he had never had someone he liked, so he didn’t really care who he married. Business marriages were common in their circle, and the Bo family hadn’t built their empire through alliances. He didn’t desire marriage, and was largely indifferent to it, but the old lady, who didn’t have much time left, insisted on finding him a suitable match.

Whether he was satisfied or not remained to be seen, but the old lady seemed overjoyed, even without having met the person yet.

Bo Xiangzhou couldn’t quite understand how she could sing praises for someone just from a photograph.

·

The meeting was set to take place at Chuchoter. When An Xun saw the assistant’s location message, he scratched his head and sighed about being a broke nobody. He normally avoided this newly opened high-end restaurant, but here he was, about to walk right in.

Even though it wasn’t on his own merit, he believed that relying on others was still a skill. Luck was also a part of one’s strength.

In three days, he’d come up with a dozen different strategies, confident he could win over Bo Xiangzhou. But when he saw Bo Xiangzhou’s preferences, he deflated.

Bo Xiangzhou liked quiet and obedient types. In the face of absolute cuteness, even his looks didn’t seem to matter much.

To put it bluntly, he didn’t meet a single one of Bo Xiangzhou’s preferences. In fact, even his gender might not be enough of an advantage.

An Xun stared at the message for a few seconds, then hid in a shaded spot to take a look at his bright pink shirt.

An Xun: “…”

Such an eye-piercing pink. He’d be laughed to death if word got out.

There was nothing he could do. Bo Xiangzhou liked obedient ones, so he’d have to pretend.

A couple nearby was chatting in hushed tones. Whatever they were talking about, they suddenly glanced at An Xun.

An Xun felt deeply embarrassed, and the irritability he had just managed to suppress bubbled up again. He shot them a “What the hell are you looking at?” look and stormed into the restaurant.

The moment he stepped inside, An Xun was utterly lost, unable to figure out which way was north, south, east, or west. High-end places really were different.

He knocked on the front desk, “Excuse me, can you tell me where room number one is?”

The receptionist was a male omega who looked like he was in a bad mood, with a hint of redness around his eyes as if he’d just been crying.

Out of concern, An Xun asked casually, “Hey, you okay?”

His tone was light and natural, with no real depth of concern, almost like he was just saying it for the sake of it. His calm expression, however, came off as sarcastic to the already emotionally fragile receptionist.

The receptionist shot back, “Are you okay? If you’ve got a problem, turn left, five hundred meters to the hospital.”

An Xun blinked for a few seconds, uncertain, “Did you just insult me?”

The receptionist said nothing, which was basically an admission.

An Xun exploded, “What’s wrong with you?! I ask out of kindness, and you insult me? Is this how your restaurant treats its customers? How did you even get this job?”

The commotion attracted the restaurant manager, and soon enough, An Xun was surrounded by waitstaff. The manager didn’t bother to understand the whole situation and, after one look at An Xun’s outfit, tried to have him escorted out without a word.

Judging people by their appearance, huh? An Xun was furious, “What’s your problem? Some manager you are, all brainless and can’t even figure out who’s in the right or wrong. With that attitude, you’re only fooling rich idiots.”

Leaning against the reception desk, An Xun refused to leave and was about to hurl more insults when a black Rolls-Royce pulled up outside the restaurant.

A wave of panic hit him. His instincts told him it was time to start acting.

An Xun lowered his head, and just as the manager was about to kick him out, he saw Bo Xiangzhou walk in. The manager instantly switched to a smiling face, ready to welcome the guest.

Bo Xiangzhou watched the drama unfold with cold eyes. Before the manager could send An Xun packing, An Xun timed it perfectly, lifting his head to catch Bo Xiangzhou’s gaze.

He was certain Bo Xiangzhou remembered what he looked like.

His stepmother had mentioned that Bo Xiangzhou had seen his photo and seemed quite satisfied.

Bo Xiangzhou paused, staring at him for a full half-minute, “An Xun?”

“Mhm,” came a soft reply.

An Xun kept his head down, his shoulders hunched, as if he’d been utterly wronged.

The manager, quick on the uptake, immediately changed his attitude, now excessively flattering, “Mr. Bo, you know this gentleman?”

An Xun found himself being escorted to Bo Xiangzhou’s side. He pretended to sniffle pitifully, wondering to himself, Was this obedient enough? Look at me, not even fighting back when bullied.

Suddenly, he felt like a total idiot.

The manager didn’t dare utter a single bad word about him, nor did he dare bring up the fact that An Xun had been yelling earlier. Instead, he showered him with praise, taking all the blame himself, bowing repeatedly in apology.

Bo Xiangzhou glanced at him. An Xun squeaked in a soft, delicate voice, “It’s okay~”

At that moment, he suddenly felt that pretending to be a pushover might actually be worth it.

However, Bo Xiangzhou’s body tensed for a moment, and his expression noticeably stiffened.

Had his squeaky voice…captivated him?