What's Wrong with This Alpha? - Chapter 83

Chapter 83 – Drunk Again

During Aunt’s wedding reception that evening, the bouquet toss went awry when Duan Yi unexpectedly caught it. Duan Ji Huai’s face cycled through a kaleidoscope of expressions, nearly causing him to faint from sheer frustration on the spot.

Xiaoduan Mom, enjoying the spectacle, whispered to Duan Yi, who was awkwardly clutching the bouquet and wishing he could disappear into the floor, “Oh, sweetie, you’ll definitely get married before your brother.”

Duan Shaoheng, at twenty-two, had inexplicably become desperate to marry. He’d lost all interest in his career, focusing solely on finding a girlfriend, getting married, and starting a family. His resentment at missing the bouquet was palpable, his glare at the flowers in Duan Yi’s hand almost solidifying into visible animosity.

After Duan Yi took a couple of bites of cake, Xiaoduan Mom, noticing his sour mood, asked, “Don’t you like the bouquet?”

“I’m not in a hurry to get married,” Duan Yi replied.

“Then give it to your brother,” Xiaoduan Mom suggested. “He’s dying to get married.”

Duan Yi’s hand froze mid-air, as if reluctant. “That’s not how it works,” he protested. “Whoever catches the bouquet keeps it. You can’t give it away. The second person to catch it will never get married.”

Duan Yi spoke with such conviction that Xiaoduan Mom couldn’t help but chuckle to herself.

Duan Yi’s ears gradually flushed red, as if a secret he couldn’t voice had been exposed. He forced himself to remain calm, refusing to panic under pressure.

“What’s so funny? You’re so annoying!” he snapped, his embarrassment turning to anger.

Clutching his bouquet, Duan Yi stormed off.

When he found Sheng Yunze, the man was surrounded by several young women clamoring for his WeChat ID.

Each woman was slender-waisted, long-legged, fair-skinned, and beautiful. Duan Yi leaned against the doorway, watching them press their requests.

Sheng Yunze caught sight of him out of the corner of his eye and finally deigned to speak, “Move.”

The young women were visibly embarrassed. They hadn’t expected the aloof, cool guy to reject them so bluntly.

Turning to look, they saw Duan Yi and wondered, Who’s that?

Then they noticed the undisguised smile in Sheng Yunze’s eyes and their hearts skipped a beat. They couldn’t help but speculate about Duan Yi’s identity.

Boyfriend?

“Who are they?” Duan Yi asked.

Sheng Yunze noticed the bouquet first, then heard his words. “Don’t know them.”

Duan Yi retorted sarcastically, “Really don’t know them, or am I interrupting?”

Sheng Yunze raised an eyebrow, deliberately provoking Duan Yi. “You’re disturbing me.”

Duan Yi instantly flared up, his face contorting into an “=口=” expression. Ignoring his suit, he leaped onto Sheng Yunze, feigning a shoulder throw. “Sheng Yunze! You son of a—!”

“Hey, stop messing around—” Sheng Yunze chuckled, wrapping his arms around Duan Yi. “There’s a card in my pocket poking me.”

Dealing with Duan Yi was easy for Sheng Yunze. He gripped Duan Yi’s waist, effortlessly lifting him forward, his smile fading. “Don’t go throwing yourself at handsome men in public.”

The flowers were crushed against Duan Yi’s chest, several white roses falling to the ground.

Duan Yi glanced down, feeling a pang of regret. He crouched to pick them up, and Sheng Yunze noticed his unusual attentiveness to the flowers. “Where did you get these?”

Duan Yi looked slightly embarrassed. “My aunt threw her bouquet.”

He glanced up at Sheng Yunze, adding defensively, “Just so you know! I wasn’t hinting at anything! I caught it by accident!”

Sheng Yunze retorted, “Even if you were hinting at marriage, it wouldn’t work. Are you even old enough to get married yet?”

After speaking, Sheng Yunze couldn’t resist teasing Duan Yi, “You didn’t even hint at why you brought it here? Weren’t you the one so eager to marry me?”

Duan Yi scoffed, “Who hinted at anything? Tch. Where’s my son?”

Sheng Yunze tucked the white roses Duan Yi had picked up into the bouquet, then, without any regard for the public setting, leaned in and kissed Duan Yi on the lips. “He’s playing at my mom’s place.”

Duan Yi startled and quickly pushed Sheng Yunze away.

Damn it! He could clearly hear the girls behind them gasp!

Sheng Yunze licked his lips. Sweet. He frowned. “Are you wearing lipstick?”

Duan Yi: =口=!

“It’s lip balm, okay?!” His face flushed with embarrassment. “Lip balm and lipstick are different! What kind of grown man wears lipstick…?”

Besides, it was Xiaoduan Mom who had insisted he wear it. She and the makeup artist had ganged up on him, claiming his lips were dry and forcing him to apply it.

Turns out, the lip balm was a color-changing kind with an orange scent, making his lips look slightly redder than usual after application.

The hotel lobby was always bathed in warm light, so Sheng Yunze hadn’t noticed Duan Yi’s lips until he kissed him just now, when he tasted a hint of sweetness.

“I don’t believe you,” Sheng Yunze declared, sounding quite righteous. “You definitely put on lipstick. There’s no difference between lipstick and lip balm.”

“It’s really just lip balm, okay?” Duan Yi retorted, exasperated. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the lip balm, and showed it to Sheng Yunze. “See? This is it.”

Sheng Yunze couldn’t care less about the lip balm. He pinched Duan Yi’s cheek. “Unless you kiss me again and let me taste it, I won’t believe you.”

Duan Yi squirmed. “In broad daylight, under the clear sky—School Beauty, stop being so lewd!”

“Just let me take a look,” Sheng Yunze insisted. “Your lips are redder than usual. You can’t tell me you didn’t put on lipstick.”

Before Duan Yi could react, Sheng Yunze whipped out his phone and snapped several photos of Duan Yi’s face, grinning mischievously as if trying to capture this rare “girlish” side of him.

Duan Yi panicked and lunged for the phone. “Holy shit! You took pictures of me making that ugly face?!”

Sheng Yunze raised his phone high, instantly putting it out of Duan Yi’s reach.

“What ugly expression of yours haven’t I seen before?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Duan Yi gritted his teeth. “You son of a bitch… You didn’t save any of those old ugly expressions! So why save this one?! To admire it later?!”

Sheng Yunze gave a simple, straightforward, and surprisingly logical reason, “To make memes.”

Duan Yi froze. “Brother, your reason is so pure and unpretentious that I can’t even think of a counterargument right now.”

Sheng Yunze turned off his phone and, in the same motion, pressed his lips heavily against Duan Yi’s, then licked them. “Next time, try a different flavor.”

Duan Yi’s ears flushed red. “I’ll try a different flavor when you learn to use the beauty filter on your phone when taking my pictures.”

The evening banquet was a social affair, filled with people wearing professional, fake smiles.

Sheng Yunze and his sister were about to be dragged around to meet a whole bunch of people they didn’t particularly want to know.

But Sheng Yunze bolted away at lightning speed, leaving Sheng Yunxi half a step behind to be caught red-handed by Father Sheng.

Teary-eyed, she was introduced to the sons and daughters of Father Sheng’s friends.

Meanwhile, Duan Yi and Sheng Yunze found a quiet corner to drink their beverages.

Whenever Duan Yi was alone with Sheng Yunze, he couldn’t help but recall their earlier disagreement that afternoon.

Though he didn’t blame Sheng Yunze and knew his points were valid, Duan Yi simply couldn’t bear the thought of Sheng Ming and Sheng Xi leaving his side.

He had already lost them once. Now that the two children had reappeared in his life, wasn’t this fate’s arrangement—like the Destiny Stone from that old cartoon he used to watch?

No one will take them away from me, Duan Yi thought rebelliously. He was fiercely protective of his own.

To avoid conflict with Sheng Yunze, Duan Yi cleverly refrained from mentioning the two treasures. Knowing they were safe with Mrs. Sheng, he relaxed and devoted his full attention to Sheng Yunze.

However, their quiet corner didn’t remain undisturbed for long. Duan Ji Huai soon found them.

Sheng Yunze managed to slip away, but Duan Yi was trapped.

Several of Duan Ji Huai’s business partners were present, and Xiaoduan Mom, a woman who loved to show off her son’s talents, had already bragged about Duan Yi’s artistic flair on social media. Upon meeting him, the partners insisted their own children get to know Duan Yi better.

Duan Ji Huai knew exactly what they were up to. Normally, he wouldn’t refuse if their requests weren’t excessive. But now that Duan Yi was an Omega, and the young people coming over were all Alphas, Duan Ji Huai hesitated for a long time. Just as he was about to decline, the partners started piling on with more empty flattery, leaving him no graceful way out. Their insistence was overwhelming. Just a brief meeting, he thought. With so many people around, what could possibly happen?

He sent Duan Yi a text message, telling him to meet him by the piano in the southeast corner.

Duan Yi was surprised by the message. He didn’t mind going, but why had his dad, for the first time ever, asked Sheng Yunze to come along?

Doesn’t Dad usually dislike Sheng Yunze?

Sheng Yunze glanced at the message and hesitated as well.

“Your dad isn’t planning to lure me over and have me killed, is he?”

Duan Yi rolled his eyes. “This is a society governed by law, Brother! Have some faith in yourself!”

By the time Duan Yi and Sheng Yunze arrived, two young men and a young woman were already waiting by the long table.

Duan Ji Huai introduced them. All three were students in Beijing, though he didn’t mention their academic performance—probably because it wasn’t anything to brag about.

One of the young men looked vaguely familiar. He was quite tall, and his eyes lit up when he saw Duan Yi.

“You young people chat,” Duan Ji Huai said. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Duan Ji Huai gave Duan Yi a meaningful look, then glanced at his son’s lower abdomen with an even more peculiar expression.

He hadn’t forgotten Duan Yi’s “morning sickness” incident.

His heart was a tangled mess as he cautioned, “Don’t drink any alcohol, understand?”

Duan Yi: ???

It seemed to take all of Duan Ji Huai’s courage to add, “It’s not good for the baby.”

Duan Yi: ?????

“What’s gotten into my dad?”

As soon as Duan Ji Huai left, Duan Yi immediately took a swig of alcohol to assert his rebellious spirit, glaring at his father’s retreating figure in mock horror.

“He looked so weathered just now, did you see that?”

Sheng Yunze didn’t respond, but the tall teenager spoke up first. “Duan Yi, do you remember me?”

Duan Yi turned to look, thinking: Isn’t that obvious? If I remembered you, would I have struggled to recall your name earlier?

He awkwardly cleared his throat. The tall teenager didn’t seem to mind. “I’m Cao Ming.”

Duan Yi: …Completely blank.

Cao Ming scratched his head. “We met at your house when we were kids. You were hiding in a tree, crying. I thought you were a tree spirit until you jumped down and broke my leg…”

Holy shit?!

Duan Yi was stunned. What ancient, embarrassing history is this?! Shut up!

But then he remembered. “You’re Uncle Cao’s son, right?”

Cao Ming chuckled. “Yeah, you went south for school, and we haven’t seen each other since.”

“Oh, right,” Duan Yi replied. “You’ve grown so much, I didn’t recognize you.”

Cao Ming was a year or two older, probably in college now.

Duan Yi had no desire for a lengthy conversation, but Cao Ming proved surprisingly talkative. They’d only played together for a few days as kids—how could they possibly have so much to reminisce about?

Sheng Yunze subtly tugged at Duan Yi’s sleeve, signaling his displeasure. Duan Yi quickly interjected, “Well, you guys keep chatting. I’ve got to run.”

“Duan Yi!” Cao Ming called after him.

Duan Yi turned back. “You haven’t been to Beijing in ages, right?” Cao Ming asked. “How about I show you around?”

“No need,” Sheng Yunze replied, rejecting the offer on Duan Yi’s behalf. Duan Yi glanced at Sheng Yunze. “Don’t you want to go out? We could all go together.”

Sheng Yunze: …

Sensing his displeasure, Duan Yi asked again, “Are you not happy?”

Sheng Yunze: “–Does it look like I’m happy?”

Cao Ming, taking Duan Yi’s silence as agreement, eagerly exchanged WeChat contacts with him, then raised a glass in a toast. “I’ll come find you tomorrow!” he said cheerfully.

“Sure, whatever,” Duan Yi replied.

Cao Ming held his phone, his face flushed slightly. “Did I tell you all the details on WeChat that night?”

Sheng Yunze had already dragged Duan Yi away, leaving only a hurried, “Yeah, sure!”

“Ouch, Brother, that hurts!” Duan Yi was already feeling tipsy after just two drinks, not even sure what kind of alcohol it was.

He leaned in close to Sheng Yunze. “Why are you getting jealous of everyone? He’s the son of the CEO my dad’s working with on a project. I can’t just disrespect him—that would be disrespecting my dad too, right?”

Sheng Yunze replied flatly, “Oh.”

Duan Yi knew he was sulking!

He jogged alongside Sheng Yunze, continuing, “Seriously, I don’t even like him, Brother. Can’t you be more confident? After seeing your face, even Wang Zuxian looks plain to me now. You’re the most handsome, the most gorgeous… And I hate his pheromone scent—it’s suffocating! I felt so stuffy when I got that close just now…”

Sheng Yunze: “What pheromone scent? Were you deliberately sniffing him?”

Duan Yi wrinkled his nose. “Why would I deliberately sniff an Alpha’s pheromones? He probably just forgot to use his inhibitor, right?”

Seeing Sheng Yunze stop walking, Duan Yi leaned against him, his voice softening into a sweet, drawling tone with a distinct Jiangnan accent, like a child begging for affection. “Can you carry me? I don’t want to walk anymore.”

Sheng Yunze noticed Duan Yi’s slightly slurred speech, his flushed cheeks, and his unfocused, hazy gaze.

He’s already drunk after just a few drinks? Sheng Yunze thought, feeling both speechless and helpless.

Duan Yi clung to him, “Did you forget to spray inhibitor too? Your pheromone scent is so much nicer than his. It’s really strong today…”

Sheng Yunze finally grew wary. “Duan Yi, did your Heat come early this time?”

He had calculated that it shouldn’t start for another five days.

Duan Yi didn’t register a word except “came.” He stared blankly at Sheng Yunze, nearly crossing his eyes. “What came?”

Sheng Yunze clicked his tongue and scooped Duan Yi up in a horizontal carry.

Duan Yi’s body suddenly lifted into the air, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around Sheng Yunze’s neck. “Hey, Brother, you’re not supposed to carry me like this! I don’t want to be carried like this! It’s too embarrassing! Change the position! Change the position!”

Sheng Yunze ignored the drunkard, and Duan Yi squirmed in his arms like a live fish for a moment.

Then, as if remembering something, he started yelling again, “My flowers! Where are my flowers?!”

Sheng Yunze retorted sarcastically, “Don’t you want them?”

“I do! I do!” Duan Yi blurted out under the influence of alcohol. “I want them for my wedding!”

Sheng Yunze chuckled. “You’re still too young to get married!”

Duan Yi wrapped his arms around Sheng Yunze’s neck, his eyes sparkling as he gazed up at him. “I want to get married too.”

Sheng Yunze nearly succumbed to Duan Yi’s puppy-like gaze, but he steadied himself. “No.”

Duan Yi protested, clinging to him like a child. “Yes, you will! Marry me, Brother! I have so much money, I’ll give it all to you. I’ll buy you a big house, a big plane, and a big car… What’s the biggest, most expensive car? I’ll buy you a bus, okay? No one else has one…”

Sheng Yunze retorted sarcastically, “Oh, thank you so much. Can I ride for free? No coins required?”

“You’re welcome!” Duan Yi replied cheerfully.

He suddenly fell silent, nestling obediently against Sheng Yunze’s chest. After a long pause, Sheng Yunze heard Duan Yi whisper, “Can you not send Sheng Ming and Sheng Xi away?”

Sheng Yunze didn’t answer.

Duan Yi clutched at his lapels, sobbing silently, his voice choked with emotion. “If you think it’s too much trouble, I’ll take care of them. I won’t bother you…”

After a moment, Sheng Yunze sighed. “Duan Yi, I never said it was a bother.”

Duan Yi buried his face in Sheng Yunze’s chest, remaining silent for a long time. Sheng Yunze could only feel the faint tremors of his chest, unable to describe the complex emotions stirring within him.