Ninth Day of Pretending to Be an Alpha

Chu Mo quickly stood up, put down his wine glass, and asked Li Shuo in a low voice, “What exactly happened?”

“Zhou Ming made a few jokes as the negotiation was about to end,” Li Shuo reported nervously. “Then he whispered something to Xie Songchen, which made him angry—and he hit him…”

Disbelief flashed in Chu Mo’s eyes. This shouldn’t be happening, right? He clearly remembered that Zhou Ming only exposed his perverted nature later in the novel. Even if Zhou Ming revealed his interest in Chu Yun now, Xie Songchen wasn’t the type to act impulsively and start a fight.

What exactly did Zhou Ming say to him?

Chu Mo didn’t have time to think it through. He strode out of the private room, not even bothering to knock on the adjacent door before pushing it open.

Inside, both teams were holding back Xie Songchen and Zhou Ming, afraid the two would start fighting again. The entire negotiation scene was in chaos.

Chu Mo’s sudden arrival made the room fall silent for a second.

His gaze instinctively found Xie Songchen—and he immediately noticed a cut on his lip. Clearly, Zhou Ming had fought back.

When Xie Songchen saw Chu Mo, he fell silent. He knew he’d done something wrong and avoided eye contact, looking away. His bangs cast a shadow over his face, making it hard for Chu Mo to see his expression.

At that moment, Zhou Ming looked directly at Chu Mo and said, curling his lips with a cold tone, “President Chu, I’ve heard a lot about you. Your subordinate really gave me a welcome gift.”

Although Zhou Ming spoke sarcastically, his gaze remained locked on Chu Mo’s face. It was rare for him to see someone who looked even better in person than in photos or videos. Chu Mo’s features were even more striking in real life.

“What happened?” Chu Mo ignored Zhou Ming, directly bypassing everyone to stand in front of a certain Alpha. “Xie Songchen.”

Xie Songchen was taken aback. He pressed his lips together, fists clenched, and answered in a hostile tone, “I hit him.”

He made no attempt to defend himself.

Zhou Ming spread his hands and said, “See, President Chu? I didn’t falsely accuse your employee.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Zhou,” Chu Mo looked at him calmly. “Xiao Xie is an intern. For my sake, please don’t hold it against him.”

Xie Songchen hung his head lower. Upon hearing Chu Mo’s words, his fists clenched tighter, nails digging into his palms.

Zhou Ming glanced smugly at Xie Songchen and replied with a gloating tone, “Your employee treated me like this, and you think an apology is enough? If you don’t show sincerity, I don’t think we should continue this cooperation.”

Chu Mo looked at Xie Songchen and said calmly, “Xiao Xie, no matter what, you were the one who started it. Apologize to Mr. Zhou.”

From this angle, Chu Mo could only see Xie Songchen’s tightly pressed lips and tense jawline. But somehow, in that moment, he felt a hint of… grievance?

Like a big dog being scolded for fighting to protect its owner.

“I won’t apologize,” Xie Songchen said stubbornly, his voice low and lips drawn tight.

Intuition told Chu Mo that things weren’t that simple. So he turned to the other Shengmo employees and asked, “Can anyone tell me what exactly happened earlier?”

A few of the bolder employees spoke up, one after another.

“Mr. Zhou said he wanted your WeChat.”

“Xie Songchen refused, and Mr. Zhou asked if he was reluctant to give it.”

“Then Mr. Zhou said maybe he was afraid you’d like him, so he didn’t want to give it.”

“Mr. Zhou whispered something to Xie Songchen, but we don’t know what he said.”

Chu Mo was stunned. They fought not because of Chu Yun?

Listening to everyone’s accounts, Zhou Ming began to feel guilty. He forced a calm expression and said to Chu Mo, “President Chu, I was just joking. Your subordinate didn’t need to take it so seriously, right?”

Chu Mo pieced things together and roughly figured out the truth. It seemed Zhou Ming had mocked him in front of Xie Songchen. And seeing his boss being belittled, Xie Songchen couldn’t tolerate it. Zhou Ming had probably whispered something even more humiliating about Chu Mo, which provoked Xie Songchen to hit him—out of Alpha instinct.

That was the only explanation that made sense. Otherwise, Chu Mo couldn’t understand why Xie Songchen got so angry.

He hadn’t expected Xie Songchen to stand up for him.

He glanced at the Alpha, who still had his head lowered. He looked like he knew he was in the wrong but stubbornly refused to apologize.

Chu Mo had originally intended for him to apologize, but now he changed his mind.

He walked over to Xie Songchen’s side. Xie Songchen looked up in surprise, startled by his approach.

Chu Mo now stood opposite Zhou Ming, meeting his gaze calmly. With a faint smile, he said slowly, “Mr. Zhou, wanting to add me on WeChat is a small matter. As long as you sign, I’ll send you a good morning message every day.”

Hearing this, Xie Songchen was so angry he almost stormed out of the room.

Chu Mo subtly pressed his hand on his shoulder. Xie Songchen’s brows furrowed as he barely contained the anger burning in his eyes.

“It better be true,” Zhou Ming said, unable to suppress a grin. “I’ve heard President Chu is popular in every ABO circle, and now I’ve seen it for myself.”

Chu Mo gently pushed the contract in front of Zhou Ming, sliding over his WeChat QR code at the same time.

“Then please sign, Mr. Zhou,” Chu Mo said, nodding slightly with a faint smile.

The scene perfectly mirrored the video Zhou Ming had liked earlier.

For a moment, Zhou Ming was entranced.

Beside him, Xie Songchen’s frown deepened.

Zhou Ming had originally planned to sign the contract anyway. Now that Chu Mo had given him a graceful way out, he took it happily.

He waved his hand, signed the document, and had his assistant stamp it.

With Chu Mo’s personal appearance, the contract was finalized in just a few minutes. The entire Shengmo team breathed a sigh of relief.

Everyone—except Xie Songchen. He wasn’t happy at all. His face was cold enough to send out chills.

Once the negotiation was confirmed complete, the smile on Chu Mo’s face cooled slightly.

Zhou Ming stood up and extended his hand for a handshake.

“Mr. Zhou, since we’re about to cooperate, let’s be clear about one thing from the start,” Chu Mo said, not taking the offered hand. He looked at Zhou Ming and stated word by word, “Respect for me and my subordinates is the foundation of our cooperation.”

Zhou Ming’s hand froze mid-air. His expression darkened. “President Chu, what do you mean by that?”

Beside him, Xie Songchen was startled. He looked up at Chu Mo in surprise.

“Dingming has many business dealings with the Chu Group,” Chu Mo said, his tone polite but with an undercurrent of frost. “We’ve worked with several of your CEOs, and it’s always been this way.”

The Chu Group was a giant in H City—ranked even on the national level. In front of them, Dingming was barely worth mentioning. Many of its upstream and downstream operations relied on Chu Group partnerships.

Zhou Ming was just a small CEO, not even worth mentioning before the heir of the Chu family.

Even so, Chu Mo still gave him the dignity of basic courtesy. But this method—courtesy first, then pressure—caught Zhou Ming off guard.

Chu Mo leaned forward, resting one hand on the table, and reached out to grab Zhou Ming’s collar.

It was the exact same gesture Xie Songchen had made earlier—but Chu Mo’s aura was even more overwhelming.

Zhou Ming, who had faced down Xie Songchen without fear, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

“If you ever lay a hand on my subordinates again,” Chu Mo said, enunciating each word with force, “it won’t be as simple as it is now.”

Each word was like a blade, cutting Zhou Ming’s breath short.

No one in the private room dared to speak. Even Xie Songchen was frozen in place, disbelief written across his face.

Thinking of the cut on Xie Songchen’s lip, Chu Mo released Zhou Ming’s collar and patted his face twice—not lightly.

The force wasn’t enough to cause damage, but it was deeply humiliating.

Zhou Ming’s Adam’s apple bobbed. After a moment of stunned silence, he replied in a low voice, “I understand.”

Chu Mo withdrew his hand, straightened up, and returned to his usual calm demeanor. He curled his lips slightly.

“Pleasure doing business.”

But the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Then, without another word, Chu Mo led his team out—leaving behind a sense of absolute victory.

The Dingming team was left in stunned silence. Everyone held their breath, afraid Zhou Ming would lose his temper.

But Zhou Ming simply sat in his chair.

After a long pause, he reached up to touch the spot on his cheek where Chu Mo had slapped him.

His Adam’s apple rolled again.

He was a little thirsty.

Meanwhile, Xie Songchen got into the same business car as Chu Mo. Chu Mo sat next to him, frowning as he scolded, “You’re just an intern. What were you thinking? How dare you lay a hand on Zhou Ming?”

Xie Songchen frowned but said nothing.

After a moment, he suddenly spoke. “That guy is a pervert.” As he said this, his expression darkened.

Chu Mo was taken aback. He knew Zhou Ming was a pervert, but he didn’t expect Xie Songchen to realize it so quickly.

“What exactly did Zhou Ming say to you?” Chu Mo couldn’t help but feel curious. “Why did you suddenly hit him?”

Xie Songchen pressed his thin lips tightly together, his expression cold. “Don’t ask. I won’t say.”

His tone was firm.

Chu Mo knew Xie Songchen’s personality—if he didn’t want to answer, he definitely wouldn’t. Whatever Zhou Ming had said remained a mystery.

Chu Mo snorted coldly. “Fine. Don’t say it then.”

On the way back to the company, the scenery outside the car window kept sliding by. Xie Songchen stared out, his fingers clenched tightly. The only sound in the car was the occasional voice from the GPS.

After hesitating for a moment, he suddenly turned to Chu Mo and said, “Earlier… thank you.”

Chu Mo was stunned. The next second, his eyes widened in surprise.

What did Xie Songchen just say to him?

Thank you?!

Chu Mo was so shocked he couldn’t speak for a moment.

After saying this, Xie Songchen quickly turned his head and looked back out the window, pretending nothing had happened. But Chu Mo still noticed—the tips of Xie Songchen’s ears were red with embarrassment.

“Thank me for what?” Chu Mo sat upright, adopting a superior posture and frowning. “Do you think I’m the kind of person who wouldn’t stand up for my subordinates?”

“Doesn’t seem like it,” Xie Songchen replied expressionlessly.

Chu Mo: “…”

After a long silence, Xie Songchen suddenly asked, “Aren’t you angry?”

He glanced at Chu Mo, as if casually—but there was a flicker of unease in his eyes.

Of course, Chu Mo wasn’t angry. Zhou Ming had disrespected him, and he was happy to see someone stand up for him. What surprised him was that someone like Xie Songchen—who usually resembled an iceberg—would get so angry.

“It’s alright,” Chu Mo paused, then added, “Not as angry as you.”

Xie Songchen was taken aback. The next second, he pressed his lips together and looked back out the window, his expression faintly annoyed.

“If you want to stay at Shengmo, don’t be so impulsive in the future,” Chu Mo said coldly, turning to look at him. “An Alpha who resorts to violence like you could never marry into the Chu family.”

Hearing Chu Mo mention “marry into” again, Xie Songchen fell silent. After a moment, he replied, “You should be saying that to yourself.”

Chu Mo frowned, puzzled. He didn’t understand what Xie Songchen meant.

“Earlier, you shouldn’t have hit Zhou Ming,” Xie Songchen said, looking at Chu Mo with his brows furrowed. “You were rewarding him.”

Chu Mo looked confused. “Rewarding him?”

Xie Songchen’s brows furrowed even deeper. He pressed his lips into a line and turned away again, looking out the window without saying another word.

Chu Mo was left with a face full of questions. Didn’t I just slap Zhou Ming twice? How was that a reward?

⸻

Back at the company office, Chu Mo looked at the cut on Xie Songchen’s lip and had an assistant fetch a first aid kit.

Xie Songchen was caught off guard, then frowned. “No need.”

“Your lip was injured by Zhou Ming,” Chu Mo said, frowning at him. “If you don’t treat it, others might think I did it.”

It wasn’t an exaggeration. Everyone in the company thought there was a “brotherly feud” between Chu Mo and Xie Songchen.

However, Xie Songchen remained resistant. “I said, no need.”

The assistant arrived with the first aid kit. Chu Mo coldly ordered, “Sit down.”

Xie Songchen was taken aback. The next second, Chu Mo directly pushed him into the president’s chair.

The young college student sitting in Chu Mo’s seat had an inexplicable blend of cute and comical vibes.

Chu Mo insisted on treating the wound—because he was worried it might scar. What if it affected the main character’s romantic development?!

“You don’t want to apply medicine, and I don’t want to help you,” Chu Mo scoffed coldly. “Honestly, I hope it scars so Xiao Yun won’t fancy you.”

Xie Songchen’s face darkened. “I won’t scar from just a cut on the lip.”

Chu Mo picked up a cotton swab, dipped it in iodine, bent down, and began to treat the wound.

“Hiss…” As soon as the cotton swab touched the injury, Xie Songchen gasped.

Chu Mo noticed that his hands were gripping the arms of the swivel chair tightly. His whole body was leaning back, spine stiff. He was so tense that even his thigh muscles were taut, stretching his trousers tight.

Chu Mo paused. Was this kid really that afraid of pain? The original novel didn’t mention this detail.

He carefully wiped the wound again, and Xie Songchen visibly shuddered. He clearly had a low pain tolerance.

“Afraid of pain?” Chu Mo sneered, ruthlessly mocking him. “How can you be an Alpha like this?”

Xie Songchen was taken aback, then instinctively retorted, “Why would being an Alpha hurt?”

Chu Mo was stunned. The next second, his face turned red with embarrassment.

He snapped, “Xie Songchen! I mean—how can you be of any use as an Alpha if you’re this scared of pain?!”

What on earth was this kid thinking?!

“Ah!” Xie Songchen suddenly cried out in pain.

Chu Mo had unknowingly pressed too hard in his flustered state. He looked awkwardly at the reddened corner of Xie Songchen’s mouth, pressed his lips together, and muttered, “…Bear with it.”

His tone was gruff, but there was a hint of comfort buried in it.

Xie Songchen looked at Chu Mo, momentarily stunned.

At that moment, the two of them were very close—so close that Xie Songchen could see the tiny mole on Chu Mo’s nose, the fine hairs along the bridge, the long, elegant lashes above his cool eyes…

Chu Mo accidentally made eye contact with him.

The next second, Xie Songchen’s whole body stiffened, muscles tightening as he instinctively closed his eyes, leaning harder against the chair. He looked more nervous than a child about to get a shot.

“…Is it necessary to be so nervous?” Chu Mo couldn’t help but laugh softly.

Then he cleared his throat, returning to his usual stern tone. “Good thing Xiao Yun isn’t with an Alpha like you, or he’d be miserable.”

Xie Songchen’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but he said nothing.

As Chu Mo carefully cleaned his wound, Xie Songchen quietly opened one eye and snuck a glance at him.

The next second, his lips curled into a small smile—but the stretch tugged at his injury, and he let out another cry of pain.

“Can you stop moving, Xie Songchen…” Chu Mo said, exasperated.

Hearing this, Xie Songchen obediently stopped moving and let Chu Mo continue.

The pungent scent of iodine filled the room.

It was a smell Xie Songchen usually hated most.

But at that moment, it seemed to carry the faintest hint of sweetness.