Sixth Day of Pretending to Be an Alpha

While Chi Cheng was in a daze, Chu Mo had a server in the corner bring over red wine and glasses, coldly watching Chi Cheng. “Before these bosses get angry, I advise you to be sensible and toast them.”

In the original story, Chu Mo and his group looked down on Chi Cheng, whose family had fallen on hard times, and forced him to toast everyone. Of course, Chi Cheng refused and smashed the wine glass in front of the bosses. 

Soon after, the Chi family’s business chain was suppressed and retaliated against by the bosses, pushing the Chi family to the brink of bankruptcy. 

It was then that Chi Cheng realized he bore the responsibility for the rise and fall of the entire Chi family and couldn’t act impulsively anymore. He secretly vowed to one day become a more successful boss than people like Chu Mo.

After learning to control his temper, Chi Cheng became invincible in the business world, easily taking down the bosses who had humiliated him with his superior appearance and shrewd tactics. In the end, when Chu Mo faced a financial crisis, Chi Cheng extended a helping hand. But the price was that Chu Mo had to pour him a drink. This part of the story marked Chi Cheng’s awakening.

“Pour them a drink?” As expected, Chi Cheng immediately bristled, almost wanting to smash a bottle over the bald boss’s head. “Chu Mo, are you crazy?!”

Chu Mo looked at Chi Cheng, speaking in a cold and harsh voice, “Chi Cheng, I’m asking you to pour drinks and apologize to the bosses because you were once my neighbor, understand?”

Chi Cheng fell into a long silence upon hearing this. But the scene of smashing the wine glass from the story didn’t happen. Chi Cheng took a deep breath, ran into the private room, grabbed a bottle of something unknown, and poured it into a wine glass with a “clang clang.”

Then, he handed the wine glass to Chu Mo. Only then did Chu Mo see what Chi Cheng had poured into the glass. Under the bright lights, the amber-colored cola bubbled in the wine glass, looking somewhat comical. Chu Mo was stunned. The next second, he looked at Chi Cheng in disbelief.

The bosses nearby, seeing this, began to gloat—Chi Cheng dared to humiliate President Chu like this, he was done for!

“President Chu, can you tolerate this?”

“This kid is clearly trying to oppose you.”

“The Chi family had issues before, and your Chu family helped them several times. What an ingrate!”

However, Chu Mo didn’t react as everyone expected. His gaze fell on the cola in the wine glass, his expression complex under the bright lights.

“Chu Mo, you never could drink alcohol.” 

Chi Cheng gripped the base of the wine glass tightly, looking at the noble and fair-skinned Alpha in front of him, speaking word by word. Then, he let out a cold laugh, mocking, “Every time you attended a banquet as a kid, you’d toast under the elders’ requests, then sneak off to the bathroom to throw up. Later, you’d secretly switch the wine for cola. Did you think I didn’t know?”

Chu Mo froze. He didn’t expect Chi Cheng to remember this. As the “enemy of Alphas,” Chu Mo couldn’t show any weaknesses. He gritted his teeth, speaking coldly, “That was all before I differentiated.”

“Really?” Chi Cheng’s gaze burned as he stared at Chu Mo. After a moment, his eyes fell on Chu Mo’s shirt pocket, slowly speaking, “If I’m not mistaken, you should have stomach medicine in your pocket, right?”

Chu Mo was taken aback, his eyes full of surprise—how did Chi Cheng know even this?!

Seeing Chu Mo’s astonishment, Chi Cheng stepped forward, lowering his eyes to stare into Chu Mo’s. Chu Mo was 1.82 meters tall, but Chi Cheng was even taller, like a towering wall blocking Chu Mo’s view.

Chu Mo feigned calmness, “What, do you want to fight?”

The nearby bosses panicked too. Besides Chu Mo, who seemed to have some combat ability, no one else could be a match for Chi Cheng. They fled in panic, shouting for “bodyguards,” scattering like birds and beasts.

Chi Cheng ignored the bosses’ comical retreat, holding the wine glass in one hand and reaching for Chu Mo’s pocket with the other. The two were very, very close. The cold scent of whiskey mixed with tobacco from Chi Cheng’s body wafted into Chu Mo’s nose. Though it wasn’t pheromones, it made Chu Mo freeze in place, his fingertips cold.

The oppressive aura from the powerful Alpha in front of him made Chu Mo’s eyes widen. Caught off guard, Chu Mo found himself flustered in front of the boy who used to only play pranks. 

He wanted to step back to create distance, but Chi Cheng’s large hand had already reached into his shirt pocket.

The next second, a half-used strip of stomach medicine was pulled out of Chu Mo’s pocket by Chi Cheng. Chi Cheng held up the strip of medicine, shaking it under the light, his gaze fixed on Chu Mo, “What is this?”

Chu Mo’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his hair standing on end. At that moment, he suddenly realized that the boy in front of him was no longer the little boy from back then but the second male lead of this book. The top-tier wealthy Alpha whose pheromone strength was no less than the main male lead’s.

Chi Cheng was also stunned at this moment. He realized he was too close to Chu Mo, startled, and quickly stepped back two steps. In his panic, he almost tripped himself. 

The wine glass in his hand fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. Just like in the original story, Chi Cheng smashed the wine glass. But Chu Mo didn’t expect it to happen in this way.

Chi Cheng’s ears were a bit hot. He retreated into the dim purple light behind him, hiding his unnaturalness. The atmosphere between the two was a bit awkward. After a moment, Chi Cheng broke the ice, his voice slightly hoarse, “You’re still the same as before.”

The next second, he looked at Chu Mo, holding the stomach medicine, and coldly spat out two words: “Still pretending.”

“My business is none of your concern.” Chu Mo looked at him, reaching out his hand, “Give me back the medicine.”

Chi Cheng’s anger had dissipated earlier. He frowned, placing the stomach medicine back into Chu Mo’s hand, and said unhappily, “Who wants to care about you?”

After saying that, Chi Cheng pressed down the brim of his baseball cap and turned to leave. Chu Mo didn’t expect Chi Cheng to remember his stomach issues all this time. 

He always thought Chi Cheng was a carefree kid. Could it be that Chi Cheng was trying to get close to Chu Yun and was deliberately trying to please him? Judging by Chi Cheng’s attitude, it didn’t seem like it. It was probably just to mock him.

The bosses who had been hiding in the corner watching the scene came out after Chi Cheng left. They hurriedly tried to appease Chu Mo, “President Chu, don’t take it to heart with that kid.”

“Exactly, President Chu, that kid probably heard about your stomach issues from somewhere.”

“Speaking of which, President Chu, if your stomach is uncomfortable, you shouldn’t drink…”

Chu Mo glanced at them, his tone calm, “My stomach is indeed uncomfortable, so I won’t be staying.”

In the parking lot, Uncle Zhou listened to Chi Cheng’s complaints, looking at his gloomy face, and comforted, “Young master, Mr. Chu might just not want you to offend those big bosses. He’s doing it for your own good.”

“I don’t need it.” Chi Cheng frowned, saying, “I’ve seen these social niceties since I was a kid. Before you have strength, what truly valuable things can you get by nodding and bowing?”

Uncle Zhou was taken aback, then said, “Young master, I don’t understand business matters.”

But he could sense that the young master had grown a lot over the years. The decline of the family couldn’t have left Chi Cheng unaffected; it was just masked by his flamboyant exterior.

“I’m angry because,” Chi Cheng paused, his voice a bit hoarse, “he still sees me as the little brat from back then.”

Uncle Zhou was silent for a moment, then gently said, “After all, it’s been many years since you’ve seen each other.”

Chi Cheng didn’t speak. After a while, Chi Cheng watched the low-key business car leave in the rearview mirror, lightly pressing his thin lips. In the darkness, he said to Uncle Zhou, “It’s late, we should go home.”

After Chu Mo returned home, as soon as he entered the door, Chu Yun came up to him, “Brother, you’re back.” He thoughtfully handed Chu Mo some slippers and poured him a glass of honey water, “You drank, right? This will help with the hangover and is good for your stomach.”

Chu Mo took a sip of the honey water, looking at Chu Yun’s expectant face, unable to help but smile, “Still up so late?”

“I was just doing some coursework,” Chu Yun scratched his head, saying, “and waiting for you.”

Chu Mo knew Chu Yun was very disciplined, usually finishing his coursework at the library before coming home. He just wanted to wait for Chu Mo.

“Our little Yun is the most considerate.” Chu Mo reached out to ruffle Chu Yun’s hair, surprised to find that his brother seemed to have grown taller again. Chu Mo felt a bit awkward; the protagonist’s buff was too strong, already over 1.85 meters…

Chu Yun also noticed Chu Mo’s gaze, standing straight and comparing his height with Chu Mo, “Brother, am I considered tall for an Omega?”

“Not just tall for an Omega,” Chu Mo looked at Chu Yun, jokingly saying, “Sometimes I even suspect you’re an Alpha.”

Chu Yun paused. He looked at Chu Mo, grinning and showing his canines, “Good genes in our family.”

“By the way,” Chu Mo remembered the novel’s plot had already started, unable to resist probing, “Has Xie Songchen been looking for you recently?”

According to the novel’s progress, the two should have already started getting close. In the original story, Xie Songchen interned at Shengmo during the day and often sought out Chu Yun after work.

Chu Yun thought for a moment, seriously answering, “Xie Songchen has been looking for me more often than before.”

He was telling the truth. Xie Songchen had indeed been seeking out Chu Yun more frequently lately. For example, a few days ago, Xie Songchen suddenly asked Chu Yun, “What kind of coffee does your brother like?”

Chu Yun found it puzzling, and after much questioning, he learned that Xie Songchen had become Chu Mo’s secretary. Later, Xie Songchen would ask him daily about trivial matters concerning Chu Mo.

Upon hearing this, Chu Mo mistakenly thought that their relationship had progressed and felt a sense of joy inside. On the surface, he maintained his demeanor as a brother-protecting Alpha, coldly saying, “That kid really doesn’t know his limits, daring to talk to you.”

“Don’t worry, brother, I could never like him,” Chu Yun said.

However, Chu Mo didn’t take this statement seriously at all. In his view, this was just because the main characters hadn’t confessed their feelings yet. Before confessing, the main characters always deny their feelings for each other. It’s a typical novel trope, and he understood it well.

“But, brother, why did you make Xie Songchen your secretary?” Chu Yun suddenly asked, looking at Chu Mo. “He doesn’t seem like a secretary at all.”

Chu Mo was taken aback, “Not like a secretary?”

“Yeah,” Chu Yun said seriously, “He’s always been a loner at school, has no friends, skips classes often, and doesn’t take the professors seriously.”

What Chu Yun said wasn’t much different from Xie Songchen’s usual image at the company.

“Ahem,” Chu Mo coughed, “You’re right, he’s indeed not suited to be a secretary. I’ll find an opportunity to transfer him to another position.”

The awkwardness in his tone was hard to hide. Chu Mo did want to move Xie Songchen out of the secretary department. After all, he needed to help Xie Songchen grow from a newcomer to a company big shot within three months. However, Xie Songchen had been serving tea and water in the secretary position for several days now.

Chu Mo tried various ways, having Li Shuo assign a bunch of difficult tasks to Xie Songchen, but he always managed to complete them effortlessly. 

After the “changing clothes” incident, Xie Songchen became the most unique presence in the secretary department. Among a group of Omega and beta secretaries, just standing there, Xie Songchen stood out. 

Moreover, while others wore the department’s uniform, Xie Songchen wore his own suit, making him even more conspicuous. Even though his suit was the cheapest, he wore it better than anyone else.

That morning, Chu Mo was still trying to find a way to get Xie Songchen out of the secretary department.

“Have you finished organizing the documents I gave you this morning?” Chu Mo coldly questioned the tall figure in front of him, “If you can’t even finish this work…”

“Finished,” Xie Songchen calmly placed a stack of documents on the table, “The electronic version has been sent to your email, and all departments have been copied.”

Chu Mo: “…”

Chu Mo: “Regarding last month’s foreign subsidiary financial report…”

“The content of the international financial report has been sorted and translated, both in Chinese and English, and sent to your email.” Xie Songchen looked at Chu Mo, speaking unhurriedly.

Chu Mo took a deep breath. Even as the boss, he found this workload daunting, yet Xie Songchen managed to complete it in such a short time. Truly worthy of being the main character.

A strange thought flashed through Chu Mo’s mind—firing Xie Songchen would be a loss for the secretary department. Ahem, no, he had to get the plot back on track and help Xie Songchen grow into a big shot.

While Chu Mo was seriously contemplating how to get Xie Songchen out of the secretary department, Xie Songchen’s calm voice suddenly rang out:

“When will you give me clothes?”

Chu Mo was taken aback, “Clothes? What clothes?”

Xie Songchen glanced at the colleagues in the secretary department’s uniform, then at his own cheap suit. Chu Mo immediately understood his meaning, feeling a “thud” in his heart—could it be that the main character wanted to stay in the secretary department long-term?

Chu Mo frowned and asked, “Xie Songchen, do you intend to stay in the secretary department?”

Xie Songchen looked at him expressionlessly, “You’re the one who put me here.”

Chu Mo finally understood what it meant to “invite a god that’s hard to send away.” He rubbed his forehead helplessly, “The secretary job is more suited for Omegas or betas. You’re an Alpha.”

After a moment of silence, Xie Songchen asked, “I don’t think I’m unsuitable.”

Chu Mo almost choked. Was this kid here just to oppose him?

“You and I are both Alphas, you should understand what I mean—it’s not about doing a bad job, but about suitability.” After thinking for a while, Chu Mo finally came up with a reason, “Xie Songchen, I’m a straight A, I like Omegas, not Alphas.”

Chu Mo was forced to use such a clumsy and frivolous excuse. Upon hearing this, Xie Songchen froze. He stared at Chu Mo, his Adam’s apple bobbing. A strange emotion flashed through his eyes.

Chu Mo was about to say something else, “So, Xie Songchen, you should go back…”

“I don’t understand.” Xie Songchen looked at Chu Mo, his tone suddenly cold, his gaze as if looking at a stranger, “But since that’s what you think, I respect your choice.”

With that, Xie Songchen walked out of the office, leaving only his back. Chu Mo was stunned. Why did Xie Songchen suddenly agree?

Chu Mo sat at his desk, puzzled. He hadn’t even had time to feel happy about this unexpected success. Just then, Li Shuo hurriedly walked into the office. With a serious expression, he said to Chu Mo, “President Chu, the negotiation time with Dingming Group has been moved up. They seem to want you to personally attend.”

“The current CEO of Dingming is Zhou Ming, I don’t want to negotiate with that guy.” Chu Mo frowned, waving his hand dismissively, “Let the company’s business team handle it…”

At this point, Chu Mo suddenly paused. As Li Shuo was about to leave, Chu Mo called him back, “Wait, are you sure Dingming moved the time up?”

Li Shuo nodded, “I’m sure.”

A hint of surprise flashed across Chu Mo’s face. The business negotiation between Dingming and Shengmo was an important plot point in the original story. 

This negotiation was a major challenge Chu Mo gave to Xie Songchen. In the novel, Chu Mo knew how difficult Dingming’s CEO Zhou Ming was, so he deliberately used the excuse of “training Xie Songchen” to assign this negotiation project to him, waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

Chu Mo originally thought that Shengmo and Dingming were unlikely to reach a cooperation, and he could use this opportunity to fire Xie Songchen. But he didn’t expect that Xie Songchen would turn the tables and successfully negotiate the project against all odds. This was a crucial step in Xie Songchen’s growth.

Now, with Dingming moving the negotiation time up, it meant this plot point was also coming sooner. “This project,” Chu Mo looked at Li Shuo, speaking seriously, “I want to give it to Xie Songchen.”

Li Shuo was taken aback. He almost dropped the documents in his hand. “Xie Songchen?” Li Shuo widened his eyes in disbelief, “He’s a secretary, and an intern at that!”

Has the boss gone mad?!

Chu Mo ignored him, standing up and heading for the door. Li Shuo followed behind Chu Mo, trying to persuade him to reconsider, “And, President Chu, you know Zhou Ming is a renowned negotiation expert…”

When Chu Mo reached the secretary department, Xie Songchen was packing his things. He didn’t react much to Chu Mo’s arrival.

“Xie Songchen,” Chu Mo cleared his throat, speaking to him, “There’s a system development project with a real estate group that I think would be perfect for you to negotiate…”

Without hesitation, Xie Songchen replied, “I’m not going.”

Chu Mo was taken aback, quickly saying, “If you successfully negotiate this project, you’ll receive a substantial bonus.”

Chu Mo added, “I believe you can do this well.”

While packing his things, Xie Songchen didn’t even look up, “Didn’t you say some things aren’t about doing well, but about suitability?”

He was quoting Chu Mo’s earlier words, his tone carrying a hint of sarcasm. Chu Mo was stunned. Was Xie Songchen… throwing a tantrum?

Chu Mo was shocked! This cold and aloof iceberg actually had emotions?!