Chapter 63 – Grudges
Novel Title: 顶级掠食者 (Alpha Predator)
Author：水千丞 (ShuiQianCheng)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 沈岱 (Shen Dai -MC), 瞿末予 (Qu Moyu -ML))
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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After leaving such a venomous remark, Qu Moyu slammed the door and left. Shen Dai, unable to take a moment to mend his repeatedly shattered heart, quickly ran into the bedroom to check on Qiu Qiu.
Qiu Qiu had been crying so hard that he was hiccuping. His face smeared with tears and snot, looking utterly pitiful.
Shen Dai gently supported Qiu Qiu’s neck and carefully cradled him in his arms. He softly patted his back. “It’s okay, Daddy’s here. Don’t be scared. Don’t be scared.”
The pheromones Shen Dai released calmed Qiu Qiu. His cries gradually turned into whimpers. His little body twitched, his face flushed, and a string of tiny water droplets clung to his long eyelashes.
Shen Dai used a tissue to wipe Qiu Qiu’s face, then wiped his clothes soiled with tears and snot. But the more he wiped, the more water droplets fell onto the clothes. His vision blurred, and he quickly wiped away his own tears. He told himself this was nothing. He had endured the excruciating pain of removing the ‘mark’ without anaesthesia, two months of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, pain and discomfort all over his body, the heartache of going to prenatal checkups alone, and a hundred sleepless nights after Qiu Qiu was born. Each of these torments was worse than Qu Moyu’s few cruel words. But he had survived them all. He had endured the weakest physical and psychological period of his life. And now he had someone he would protect with everything he had. Nothing could defeat him anymore.
Shen Dai barely slept through the night. Qiu Qiu’s emotions were very unstable. He cried when he was hungry, demanded milk, then fell asleep only to wake up crying again two hours later. This cycle repeated throughout the night. Shen Dai was physically and mentally exhausted, catching only a few fragmented moments of sleep until Xiao Die returned at noon.
Xiao Die was startled to see Shen Dai’s swollen, dark-circled eyes. That, and also his dispirited state. “Mr. Shen, what happened? Did Qiu Qiu have trouble sleeping again?”
Shen Dai nodded. “I ordered some takeout. After you eat, could you watch Qiu Qiu for a while? I need to get some sleep.”
“Sure. Eat quickly and then go get some rest.”
Shen Dai felt very hungry but couldn’t eat much. The takeout had too much oil and was heavily spiced, making it difficult to swallow.
“Mr. Shen, have you used Professor Bai’s pheromone essential oil? Isn’t it supposed to soothe Qiu Qiu?”
“I did. But sometimes, it just doesn’t work.” Shen Dai couldn’t tell Xiao Die that Qiu Qiu was frightened by his own biological father. How ironic it was that the pheromones meant to comfort and accompany a child’s growth were the very ones that induced terror in him.
“That’s a real hassle. What if Professor Bai’s pheromones stop working altogether? What will we do with Qiu Qiu then?”
Shen Dai was worried too. But what could he do about it now?
Xiao Die realised she shouldn’t have brought it up and quickly changed the subject. “Mr. Shen, you know what? I was so mad today.”
“What happened?”
“We had an internal meeting at the research institute this morning. I was really excited because my seat was close to the Crown Prince. Wow, he’s so tall and handsome, really imposing. Truly an S-class alpha.”
Shen Dai stiffened when he heard this.
“But today he was acting so strangely. It seemed like he was deliberately picking on Professor Bai.”
“…”
“Just the day before yesterday, at the project discussion meeting, the Crown Prince praised Professor Bai and our research institute to the skies in front of Yan Mingxiu and the media, every word more flattering than the last. But today, with just our people around, he made a few remarks that were clearly barbed. Professor Liu had to step in to defend Professor Bai. And even then, the Crown Prince almost left him speechless. I don’t get it. Was he intentionally trying to put people in their place?”
Shen Dai put down his chopsticks with a sombre expression. He found it hard to believe that Qu Moyu, someone who valued his career so much, would use public office to settle private scores. His mentor was a respected figure in the academic world. Meanwhile, Bai Xiangwan, though young, was a top-notch talent coveted by every institution. How could Qu Moyu humiliate them in public?
Xiao Die sighed, “It’s hard to understand the boss’s intentions. Professor Bai has it tough.”
Shen Dai realised that Qu Moyu’s anger was even greater than he had imagined. If not for him, neither his mentor nor Senior Brother Bai would have had to suffer this. He had to think about his next step. Once Qu Moyu calmed down, he would certainly start questioning Qiu Qiu’s paternity. That shaky timeline would be easy to unravel with a little investigation.
What would Qu Moyu do if he found out Qiu Qiu was his child?
Shen Dai didn’t dare to think about it and couldn’t predict the outcome. The only thing he had to do was to keep Qu Moyu away and protect his child from any harm that man could bring.
Later, Shen Dai received a call from Liu Xi. He instinctively felt it was related to the meeting that morning.
As expected, Liu Xi hesitated before saying, “Ah Dai, does President Qu know you’re here?”
Shen Dai thought, More than just know. He followed you to my home last night. But he couldn’t say that. It wouldn’t solve any problems and would only make his mentor feel guilty. So he asked, “Why do you think that?”
“He picked on Xiangwan during the internal meeting this morning, making things quite unpleasant. Then in the evening, he invited me to dinner alone, saying he wanted to communicate. I guess he was trying to make amends. But during dinner, he started asking about you.”
Shen Dai’s breath was caught in his lungs. “What did he say?”
“He didn’t say anything explicitly. He just asked if your position in the company would be kept, clearly trying to test me.”
Shen Dai whispered, “Teacher, I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”
“It’s not that serious. Even if he knows I helped you settle here, he won’t do anything to me. But you need to be careful. Qiu Qiu is an illegitimate child, and for families like theirs, that’s a significant risk involving many interests.”
“… I understand.”
This phone call made Shen Dai spend another sleepless night. For him, the best option now was to stay at the research institute in Lancheng. But Qu Moyu’s sudden appearance had probably closed off that path. On one hand, he wanted to give Qiu Qiu a stable life. On the other hand, he was still concerned about his grandmother. Perhaps he should go back to Beijing and find another job.
The cooperation between Xingzhou and Longke was officially signed. On Monday, most of the research institute’s staff were taken by bus to a mine area more than sixty kilometres away to attend the groundbreaking ceremony.
Bai Xiangwan sent Shen Dai some photos from the scene, portraying his ambition. This was an important achievement in his career, and he was filled with hope for the project’s future.
Qu Moyu’s figure inevitably appeared in the photos, which Shen Dai tried his best to ignore while sincerely congratulating Bai Xiangwan.
Suddenly, Bai Xiangwan called him.
When Shen Dai answered, it was very quiet on the other end. Bai Xiangwan sounded tired. “We’ve been up since five or six in the morning. The meeting is finally over. I’m in the lounge now.”
“You must be exhausted,” Shen Dai said with a smile. “Once the project starts, you’ll probably be even busier.”
“Being busy is fine. These pointless meetings are just a waste of time.” Bai Xiangwan yawned. “I’ve been entertaining guests these past few days and haven’t had a chance to visit you… and Qiu Qiu. How is he? Is he still having trouble sleeping?”
“Much better. Your pheromone essential oil works wonders.”
“That’s good to hear. My place is a bit far from the city. So we’re staying here tonight. Xiao Die’s phone died, and she asked me to let you know.”
“Alright, we’ll celebrate when you get back. Congratulations again, Senior Brother.”
“I hope you can be part of this project. I talked to the teacher. Once things settle down, we’ll handle your transfer.”
Shen Dai was silent for two seconds before replying in a low voice, “Alright, we’ll talk about it after you’re less busy.”
Xiao Die wasn’t coming back tonight. Qiu Qiu was exceptionally well-behaved, falling asleep around nine. Cherishing this rare bit of personal time, Shen Dai updated and organised his resume.
It was almost eleven when Shen Dai finished his work. Feeling tired, he washed up and was about to go to bed when the doorbell suddenly rang.
Shen Dai’s heart raced with the rhythm of the doorbell. Who would come at this hour? Probably…-
He jumped out of bed and paced nervously by the bedroom door. He had a premonition and didn’t even want to check who it was. But if the doorbell kept ringing, it would wake Qiu Qiu up. Reluctantly, he walked over and peered through the peephole, confirming that it was Qu Moyu standing outside.
In the dimly lit hallway, the distorted image of a tall man wrapped in a black coat created a horror movie atmosphere. To Shen Dai, Qu Moyu’s presence was enough to make him panic. He turned around, leaning his back against the door, and tried to steady his breathing.
The doorbell finally stopped ringing.
The two remained silently on either side of the door, waiting.
After a long moment, Qu Moyu’s voice broke the silence, “Open the door. I don’t want to disturb the neighbours.”
Shen Dai forced himself to stay calm and said, “Promise me you won’t scare my child again.”
Qu Moyu clenched his fists and said in a low voice, “I won’t. I just want to talk.”
Shen Dai had no choice but to open the door.
Qu Moyu walked in uninvited, just as boldly as last time. He was covered in dust from his travels. His clothes carried the chill of an early spring night, making Shen Dai shiver.
Shen Dai stood on guard to the side, watching as Qu Moyu removed his coat and tossed it onto the sofa. The man then sat down as if he owned the place.
“Sit,” Qu Moyu indicated towards a nearby single sofa with a nod of his chin.
Shen Dai felt a tingling at the back of his neck. But he still slowly walked over and sat down.
Qu Moyu placed a file folder on the coffee table. His face was unreadable. His tone was calm. But his dark, deep, vortex-like eyes were fixed intently on Shen Dai. The mere act of leaning forward made Shen Dai feel as if he was being stalked by a predator.
Qu Moyu motioned with his eyes for Shen Dai to look at the file.
Shen Dai picked up the file folder and slowly pulled out the documents inside. When he saw the name ‘Shen Yue’, he felt his blood freeze. His movements became stiff.
Shen Yue was Qiu Qiu’s full name.
“I checked his birth date. He is my son. If you don’t admit it, we can do a paternity test.” Qu Moyu’s voice was steady. His chin was slightly raised, exuding an authoritative aura. It created a tension like a drawn bowstring, ready to release, though Qu Moyu himself didn’t realise it. It was his usual stance at the negotiation table. He spoke unhurriedly, “You owe me a lot of explanations.”
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*Translator’s Note: I think Senior Brother Bai likes SD. Sadly, he won’t have a chance because of that shameless piece of fish! Who needs to explain anything to him? Huh! Eat my foot! -K
Next update: 022.06.27
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*Proofread by 2024.07.30* I will proofread these chapters slowly and randomly when I’m free. I prioritise the mature chapter first because of censorship. So please understand if there are any delays or discrepancies. TQ.
Proofread version of the rest of the novel will only be available on Novels Space.space while Mature Chapters will be released on my Blog.
