AP Chapter 68

Chapter 68 – Familiar Scene

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 a year, Shen Dai returned to the research institute, mentally preparing himself for the visit.

He was once Professor Liu Xi’s most valued student. But he took a year off due to ‘illness’, which dealt a significant blow to his career. Now, he’s back to formally resign, and he’s unsure how to face the curious and surprised looks from his former colleagues.

As the former senior of the lab, he was expected to host a farewell meal. But after much consideration, he decided to keep things low-key.

All the necessary paperwork was ready, and Cheng Zimei accompanied him to the HR department to complete some procedures. Professor Liu Xi had the final authority over personnel decisions. As long as he approved, Shen Dai’s resignation would be official. Shen Dai only needed to cancel his previous medical leave, which was approved by the company, to complete the process. He submitted the application via the company’s internal network, and the process would take a few days.

Under Cheng Zimei’s ‘cover’, Shen Dai didn’t encounter any familiar faces. That is except for Zhou Lan, who unexpectedly bumped into him while returning from an errand.

Despite wearing a baseball cap pulled low, Zhou Lan recognized him immediately. “Senior Shen?”

Shen Dai was momentarily stunned but then smiled faintly, “Zhou Lan, long time no see.”

“Have you recovered? Are you coming back?” Zhou Lan quickly glanced at Shen Dai. Despite hearing many rumours that Shen Dai’s sick leave was related to Qu Moyu, seeing Shen Dai looking quite gaunt, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness, made Zhou Lan feel uncomfortable.

“I’m here to resign.”

Cheng Zimei sighed softly from the side.

Zhou Lan’s eyes dimmed, unsure of what to say.

Looking at Zhou Lan, Shen Dai said calmly, “You’re now a full researcher, congratulations. Keep learning and work well with the professor and Senior Sister Cheng.”

Zhou Lan nodded, “I will. Senior Shen, let me treat you to a meal.”

“Actually, I should be treating you all. But I have other things to do today. Sorry, and thank you.”

“…Will we still meet in the future?” Zhou Lan asked quietly.

“Of course. I’m just changing job places, not careers. We’ll run into each other at industry events.” Shen Dai smiled, “I’ll let you know once I settle down.”

Zhou Lan forced a smile, wanting to say more but ultimately holding back.

As they walked out of the research institute’s gate, Shen Dai took a deep breath and looked back at the place where he had worked for seven years. It was a prestigious institution in the industry, where he once pursued his career and dreams, believing he would work there for many more years. Leaving was painful. There was a mixture of frustration and regret in him. He was filled with anxiety about the future. But this was the path he chose and he had to continue on it.

Cheng Zimei felt deeply saddened as well and whispered, “Ah Dai, do you really have to leave?”

Shen Dai nodded slightly, “Zimei, I feel most guilty towards our teacher. Please take good care of him, and make sure he drinks less strong tea and smokes less.”

Cheng Zimei’s eyes turned red, “Don’t worry.” She blinked forcefully and forced a smile, “It’s okay, people have to look forward. I believe you can succeed wherever you go.”

Shen Dai also smiled, “I believe in myself too. We’re just not in the same company anymore, but we can still illuminate each other on the academic path.”

“Yes!” Cheng Zimei linked arms with Shen Dai, “Let’s go. Take me to see my little nephew.”

While Shen Dai was at the company handling his resignation, his grandmother helped take care of Qiu Qiu for the morning. Shen Dai was initially very worried—worried that Qiu Qiu, unfamiliar with his grandmother, would be fussy, and worried that his grandmother, being older, might not have the stamina. He constantly checked in via WeChat while handling his matters. To his surprise, when he returned to the hotel, Qiu Qiu had been well-behaved, endearing himself to his grandmother.

Cheng Zimei was also thrilled to see Qiu Qiu. She held him and gave him several kisses, exclaiming in an exaggerated tone, “Oh my… Qiu Qiu is so fragrant and adorable! Whose cute alpha baby is this? Auntie wants to kiss you!”

After accepting the red packet and a bunch of baby products that Cheng Zimei insisted on giving, Shen Dai felt embarrassed. “You bought so many things. How am I supposed to carry them on the plane? You’re spending your raise recklessly, aren’t you?”

“I don’t have kids to support, so why not spend it on you?” Cheng Zimei joked, “Qiu Qiu is so handsome. He’s going to be super handsome when he grows up. Auntie will wait eighteen years for you.”

“These clothes will become too small after just a few wears,” Shen Dai said, holding up a piece to size it against Qiu Qiu, noting how cute it was.

“It’s fine. Just remember to take pictures of him wearing them and send them to me,” Cheng Zimei said. Then, her tone shifted to a more sombre one, “Are you really moving to Lancheng? Have you thought it through? Wouldn’t it be better to stay in your hometown?”

Shen Dai’s grandmother also looked at him with a helpless expression but didn’t dare to persuade him. She knew that if he could avoid it, he wouldn’t choose to leave his hometown. She didn’t want her words to make things more difficult for him.

Shen Dai smiled wryly, “Senior Brother Bai can offer me a job. I also sent out a few resumes here. But the pay won’t compare to Xingzhou’s. Mainly, the cost of living in the capital is too high. Hiring a full-time nanny here costs more than double what it would in Lancheng.” He didn’t even mention the rent; even though he had a house, it was currently occupied by his grandmother and Shen Qin. He couldn’t live in the company dorms with a child. Renting another place, hiring a nanny, and raising a child would be too much of a financial burden.

Cheng Zimei sighed as well. She glanced at Shen Dai, then at Qiu Qiu. The child resembled Shen Dai at first glance. But the more she looked at the child, the more he looked like Qu Moyu. Qiu Qiu was clearly a child who could inherit a fortune worth billions, yet Shen Dai was living so frugally. She felt a deep sense of unfairness on his behalf. But she knew Shen Dai’s character; he would never do anything like his despised father. There were many things she wanted to say to Shen Dai, but she feared reopening his wounds. So she kept them to herself.

After lunch, Shen Dai’s grandmother went home. Cheng Zimei had taken the day off to spend the afternoon with Shen Dai and Qiu Qiu. They carefully avoided discussing the past year’s struggles and hardships, instead focusing on topics like academic papers, industry trends, and the progress of projects Shen Dai had previously been involved in. These were topics that made Shen Dai’s eyes light up again.

In the midst of their conversation, Shen Dai’s phone rang.

He thought it might be a response to his job applications since few people knew his new number. But when he checked, it was a number he couldn’t forget, even though it had no name attached. He immediately hung up.

Cheng Zimei didn’t think much of it at first, as it’s common not to answer unknown numbers due to the prevalence of spam calls.

But then the phone rang again. This time, Shen Dai not only hung up but also considered blocking the number.

Just then, a text message popped up: I’m downstairs at your hotel.

Shen Dai’s heart clenched. He bit his lip gently.

“What’s wrong? Who is it?” Cheng Zimei asked as she waved Qiu Qiu’s little hand.

Shen Dai said, “Zimei, I was going to treat you to dinner. But something came up. Maybe you should go home first. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow or the day after.”

“It’s no big deal; it’s just a meal. But you don’t look well,” Cheng Zimei said, puzzled, as she glanced at his phone. “Did you get some bad news?”

How could Shen Dai explain this? Qu Moyu was downstairs.

Another text came through: Come downstairs, or I’ll come up to find you.

Shen Dai sighed as he held on to his phone, unsure of what to do. He didn’t want to see Qu Moyu, nor did he want Cheng Zimei to find out.

“What’s going on?” Cheng Zimei leaned over to glance at the screen, “Who is this…?”

“…”

“Damn!” Cheng Zimei suddenly guessed, “Is it the Crown Prince?” She walked to the window with Qiu Qiu in her arms and looked down, spotting Qu Moyu’s car. She stared at Shen Dai with wide eyes.

Shen Dai stood up with his face pale. “Zimei, can you watch Qiu Qiu for a bit? I’ll go down… and come right back.” He knew Qu Moyu well enough to know that when he wanted something, he wouldn’t give up. It was better to go down than have Qu Moyu come up.

“Go ahead.” Cheng Zimei looked at Shen Dai with concern, “Are you… okay?”

Shen Dai only shook his head slightly.

Downstairs, Shen Dai hesitated as he saw the black Phantom parked outside the entrance. But he still reluctantly approached.

As he neared, the driver’s door opened. Lao Wu, dressed in a jacket and wearing white gloves, stepped out, nodding respectfully to Shen Dai before opening the back door of the car.

The familiar scene replayed in Shen Dai’s mind, reminding him of various times he’d been invited into this car: attending family dinners at the Qu household in a tailored suit, catching a ride to work when he was running late, sneaking into the parking lot after work to meet Qu Moyu. Each time had marked a deepening of his feelings for Qu Moyu.

But this time, the open car door felt like an abyss, hiding a ferocious beast that might consume him whole.

Yet, he had nowhere else to go.

Summoning his courage, he got into the car.

Qu Moyu was there, still impeccably dressed in a suit. His long legs were crossed as he sat on the leather seat. However, his hands were empty, with no documents or tablets. They were clasped together on his lap as he tilted his head to look at Shen Dai.

Qu Moyu looked thinner than when they had last met in Lancheng, and clearly more worn out. For an S-class Alpha, whose energy levels were far above average, this fatigue was unusual unless he had been under extreme physical or mental strain.

As soon as Shen Dai was seated, Lao Wu closed the door and stepped aside to smoke.

Qu Moyu, sitting close to Shen Dai, caught a faint scent of night-blooming epiphyllum. His fingers twisted together. The pain helped him control the urge to pull Shen Dai into his arms. He had endured hellish torment during his susceptibility period and had warned himself not to scare away his prey by being too hasty.

Shen Dai, avoiding Qu Moyu’s gaze, looked down and asked, “What else do you want?”

“Where’s the child,” Qu Moyu asked softly.

“In the room upstairs.”

“My mother wants to see him.”

“… ” Shen Dai couldn’t find a reason to refuse. Without Mrs. Qu’s help, he wouldn’t have been able to give birth to Qiu Qiu. It made this request entirely reasonable.

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*Translator’s Note: See you guys next week. Sorry sometimes I missed reading some comments but I’ll try to reply more often. Thank you for reading my translation. Love you guys! -K

Next update: 2022.07.04

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*Proofread by 2024.08.01* I will proofread these chapters slowly 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.