As dawn approached, Ming Shao ended the call. His business partner, Bin Yin, had a tone tinged with suspicion.
Ming Shao immediately understood and reassured him with a few words, but all he could hear was his own heartbeat. It wasn’t particularly intense, more like a subtle echo in a vast, intricate valley. At first, there was no reaction, but the moment he hung up the phone, the sound of his heartbeat seemed to reverberate back from the depths of that valley.
He leaned over the desk, his back heavy, thump thump—thump—
But something didn’t feel right. Ming Shao eventually pulled his hand back, letting it hover in the air. After a moment of lingering hesitation, he snapped back to reality and realized that all his efforts to stay calm had worn thin.
It felt like he had done something he wasn’t entirely comfortable with.
But why should he feel uneasy?
He wasn’t interested in Betas to begin with.
Besides, isn’t it normal for an Alpha to prefer an Omega? Though wouldn’t it be better if such preferences didn’t exist at all?
However, Ming Shao did notice that there was no one special in his life. The term “partner” felt too formal. This was just a family-arranged marriage between two unrelated individuals, not enough to sustain any real relationship.
As for Ming Shao, even though he was in his own home, he couldn’t help but remember that when they first got married, someone had suggested hiring a housekeeper to help out, ostensibly to care for both of them, but it also served as a kind of “spy.”
Ming Shao, who had never been fond of the Beta he’d married, thought it would be better to keep things simple. So in the end, he chose to handle everything himself.
It was just a marriage of convenience, just going through the motions.
So instead of thinking of his marriage partner as a spouse, it was more fitting to consider them a business partner.
When the cooperation ends, they would naturally part ways.
Thinking this, Ming Shao subconsciously brushed his hand against his side, tilting his head slightly, “The curtains are already drawn, so the Alpha naturally can’t see anything.”
Ming Shao regained his composure and exchanged a few more words with his business partner. After hanging up the phone, he was about to enter the room but hesitated at the door.
Actually, saying they were completely unrelated wasn’t quite accurate. Ming Shao remembered that the Beta he was married to, Shen Luo, was the third child in his family. He had an older brother who was successful in his career and a younger brother who was clever and mischievous. Compared to them, Shen Luo was far from outstanding.
However, Shen Luo’s older brother was an Alpha, and his younger brother, as soon as he reached adulthood, had been marked for life by someone from the Shen family. Otherwise, this marriage wouldn’t have fallen to Shen Luo.
Just as Ming Shao was thinking about this, there was movement inside the bedroom, separated by just one door.
Shen Luo took a deep breath, forcing a smile. His reflection appeared in the glass, accompanied by the warm, yellow light of the bedroom, casting a faint moon-like glow on the glass.
As if possessed by some unseen force, Shen Luo reached out toward the “moon” in the glass. The reflection did the same, but when he tried to get closer to the “moon,” he inevitably touched nothing but air.
Right, how could one reach the moon without finding emptiness?
It’s okay, Shen Luo comforted himself in his heart, even though his memories of this night would likely linger.
Time crept along the floor as the earlier preparations left him feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Today was supposed to be the 100th day of their marriage, but Ming Shao had probably forgotten.
Shen Luo smiled naturally, trying to hide the embarrassment that threatened to surface. He turned his head toward the wall, concealing his distress.
“…You probably already know,” Ming Shao said as he pushed the door open and entered, his lips pursed in hesitation before he finally spoke, “I don’t mean to target you specifically. You and I both know this marriage is just for show.”
“Mm, I know.” Shen Luo replied softly, his hands clutching the blanket tightly, his lips turning pale from being bitten too hard.
“I know.”
“Good, as long as you understand.” Ming Shao suddenly felt a bit irritable, and he abruptly ended the conversation.
Be my Patron ~ Buy me Ko-Fi
✨Be a part of the story – support my translations✨
✨Buy me some Ko-FI | Paypal to support my effort✨
✨✨Advance chapter at Patreon✨✨
