Jiang Sen was about to grab me by the collar and give me a beating, but my mind was still humming with a song.
Stop singing, damn it, what’s wrong with this brain of mine!
I met Jiang Sen’s gaze and could faintly see a slight twitch at the corner of his eye. His sharp, upturned black eyes seemed to hold a storm within them. He looked furious, to say the least.
“Speak,” Jiang Sen demanded.
“Nothing happened between us,” I said.
As soon as the words left my mouth, Jiang Sen opened the car door and stepped out.
The next moment, the passenger door swung open, and Jiang Sen stood there, reaching in to grab me and yank me out of the car.
I shouldn’t have been in the car; I should’ve been under it.
My stupid brain started singing again, and I tried to suppress the chaotic thoughts, but before I could, Jiang Sen clearly had no intention of holding back. He punched me.
In an instant, my vision went black, and stars danced before my eyes.
Thanks, I’m awake now.
But Jiang Sen wasn’t. He fully embodied the image of a privileged upper-class alpha—irrational, violent, impulsive, and aggressive when angry.
He continued to release an overwhelmingly aggressive pheromone.
My throat and nose burned as if on fire, making it hard to breathe, and my own combative instincts were almost ignited.
Jiang Sen pinned me against a tree with his knee pressing into my stomach, his voice harsh. “Speak!”
Damn it, how is it that the world of the wealthy is even more violent than ours, the lower class?
I tried to tilt my head back to create some distance, but he only pressed harder, the pain in my abdomen intensifying. Finally, I struggled to say, “Nothing happened between us, but I—I won’t answer you—”
Tears of frustration welled up in my eyes, the warmth of them bringing me a bit of clarity.
He grabbed my chin, his dark, ink-like eyes piercing into me as if they could see straight into my soul. “Fine, I’ll dislocate your jaw. How about that?”
Jiang Sen’s fingers were cold, the chill seeping into my bones.
Move, think, come up with something—don’t die here.
Chen Zhiwei, show some backbone!
My mind raced as his grip tightened, slow and deliberate. I gritted my teeth inwardly, looking up at him with silent tears streaming down my face, but I leaned into his grip, making it easier for him to choke me.
I used to be homophobic, but now I’m cured. I’d even throw myself at him if it meant surviving.
What’s wrong with an alpha being dominated by another alpha? Survival is all that matters.
Jiang Sen seemed surprised, staring at me for a few seconds, his brows furrowing even deeper, his gaze darkening. After a moment, he let go in disgust, and I fell to the ground, relieved.
“You look pathetic,” Jiang Sen said, crouching down to eye level, his aura growing more oppressive. “I’ll ask you one last time—how far did you go with him?”
“Is that all you care about?” My voice was hoarse, each word strained with pain. “Do you care that he doesn’t love you, or that he cheated on you? Have you ever truly acknowledged his feelings?”
Jiang Sen: “His feelings?”
He paused, then suddenly laughed. “So, you’re helping him?”
“I see now,” Jiang Sen said, as if he’d figured something out, his tone mocking. “Let me guess why you’re covered in his pheromone.”
I averted my gaze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Guess, please guess. Use that alpha narcissism of yours to piece it together!
“He initiated it,” Jiang Sen said slowly. “He’s using you to provoke me, to test my feelings for him, isn’t he?”
True, but it’s also partly to get back at you and partly because he’s actually into me. Wait, could it be that his interest in me is just my alpha narcissism talking?
I fell into self-reflection.
Jiang Sen continued, “That’s exactly like him—boring, childish, and stupid.”
Absolutely.
I couldn’t help but agree.
We’re both alphas, after all, with the same prejudices.
But unfortunately, I’m an honest person, so I could only look at him with anger and disappointment. “What do you even see him as? You were the one who pursued him first. Why can’t you cherish him? He clearly—”
I stopped myself, pretending to regret my words.
“There it is,” he said, nodding with a smug expression. “You can’t keep a secret, can you?”
Jiang Sen was in a great mood. He stood up, brushed the wrinkles from his clothes, and even extended a hand toward me.
I noticed he was wearing gloves with dark gold patterns, as if he’d just come from work. The luxurious silk gloves covered his slender, elegant fingers, complementing the sapphire cufflinks at his sleeves, exuding an air of nobility.
Damn it, think you’re better than me just because you’re rich? Stop showing off!
I slapped his hand away and struggled to my feet without a word.
Jiang Sen wasn’t offended. Instead, he looked at me with amusement. “Now you’ve got dignity?”
“I’m curious,” he said, a smirk playing on his lips. “How far are you willing to go for him? In his eyes, you’re just a tool to provoke me. Or are you so desperate that you’d even enjoy being his dog?”
“Did you ever truly love him?” I asked, my expression complicated.
“He’s from a good family, and he’s good-looking. That’s enough,” Jiang Sen said, his eyes locked on me, not missing a chance to humiliate me. “Only someone like you would think love is important. But I get it—people like you have nothing else to offer but emotions.”
He laughed, clearly enjoying himself.
But in the next moment, Jiang Sen’s smile vanished, replaced by a cold expression. “Follow me. Get in the car. I have some things to investigate.”
Investigate? Ah, so he’s already figured it out.
But it’s too late now—the case is closed.
I kept my head down and followed him into the car.
Once inside, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the rearview mirror. My face and the corner of my mouth were bruised. It was hard to look at.
Jiang Sen pulled up a file on his terminal and activated the recording function.
He recited a series of numbers before asking, “You were born in Central City Three?”
“Yes,” I nodded. “My parents were servants for a wealthy family there.”
Jiang Sen scoffed. “Last four digits of your citizen ID.”
I gave him the numbers, and he accessed a high-level information database, the faint blue light illuminating his face.
Tch, so much for absolute privacy. Turns out it’s just a matter of access.
He scanned the information, then looked at me. “You attended Delisa Middle School until the fifth grade, then suddenly dropped out and moved to City Twelve. And you even dropped out of a three-year vocational school in your second year there.”
Jiang Sen muttered to himself, “A three-year vocational school? Unbelievable.”
With increased life expectancy, the education system had also changed. Elementary school lasted eight years, middle school ten, and university eight. Of course, in backward cities like Ten, Eleven, and Twelve, life expectancy hadn’t improved, so the old education system remained.
I wanted to laugh at his upper-class astonishment but kept a straight face. “Delisa Middle School is affiliated with Ivatin Public School. It’s essentially a school for the children of servants, designed to teach us how to be good attendants for the young masters and mistresses. The tuition is high, and the curriculum is tailored to that purpose.”
Jiang Sen didn’t comment, just waited for me to continue.
I added, “But I didn’t want to be a servant. I wanted more freedom. As you can see, I’m poor, pitiful, and pathetic, but I’d rather work in a factory in City Twelve, earning my own money, than sell my smiles. I can’t be obsequious, and I can’t sweet-talk. I know there are opportunities out there, and with a little effort, I could rise quickly, but that’s not what I want.”
“You—” Jiang Sen frowned, then said after a long pause, “But now you have no dignity either.”
Enough already. I’m just playing along—don’t call me out on it.
I was annoyed but kept up the act, forcing a bitter smile.
Jiang Sen clearly didn’t want to dwell on the topic. He asked, “Then why did you drop out of vocational school? It seems to me you’re just lazy and unwilling to work hard.”
I replied calmly, “I ran out of money.”
“As far as I know, the twelve central cities offer subsidies,” Jiang Sen said calmly, as if he had caught my oversight.
“You’re such a young master,” I couldn’t help but laugh softly. “The subsidy is enough for tuition, but as long as I’m studying, I can’t earn money.” I looked at Jiang Sen. “Clothes cost money, food costs money, textbooks cost money. Some practical classes require going to factories, and transportation costs money. Even participating in events requires registration fees, not to mention toiletries—”
“Enough,” Jiang Sen interrupted me. His usual composed demeanor had dissolved, and the air of detached nobility around him seemed to crumble. After a long pause, he hesitantly said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
How strange. He didn’t feel sorry when he hit me several times, but hearing about the hardships of someone from the lower class made him apologize.
But it didn’t matter. The goal was to play the victim successfully.
After Jiang Sen finished speaking, he continued his interrogation, though perhaps he wasn’t entirely convinced that my hardship was genuine. His next question was even sharper: “Before the incident, you had a dispute with the workshop supervisor, Olbert. I’m curious why your relationship improved. Were you afraid of retaliation and took the initiative to reconcile? Is this your idea of dignity?”
If we didn’t reconcile, how could I plot against him? But he did touch on the key point.
Unfortunately, it was too late. Now, there’s no evidence.
“He was the one who took the initiative to reconcile,” I said with a troubled expression. “He said it was just a moment of impulsiveness, but now he’s been suspended, and the people in the workshop all have issues with him. He hoped that after his reinstatement, we could appear to have a good relationship. But honestly, I didn’t want to. I don’t like his character.”
Jiang Sen nodded. “Go on.”
I continued, “But during his suspension, he was in a difficult situation. He showed me a lot of IOUs. He said he was supporting his disabled sister, and her treatment costs a lot of money. He also told me his family was a mess, with both parents addicted to gambling, and they even sent people to beat him up for money. I remember one incident clearly—someone did come to his door to collect debts.”
“I disliked him, but his sister was innocent, and his parents were partly to blame for how he turned out.” I smiled faintly, with a hint of helplessness. “When I was studying at Delisa Middle School, my older brother had already dropped out to work. He paid a lot of my tuition because our parents’ income wasn’t enough to support both of us. When I dropped out and came here to attend vocational school, I soon received news of my brother’s death. He died from overwork. So, I forgave Olbert.”
Brother, since you’re now an undocumented person, let’s just say you’re dead.
Jiang Sen activated his authority again and, after checking, asked, “Did you maintain a friendly relationship with him afterward?”
“Reluctantly,” I recalled. “Actually, most of the time, he talked, and I listened. To be honest, he told me he was planning something and wanted me to join, even offering to let me take the lead. I didn’t fully understand, but he kept asking for my citizen sequence card and often said their organization members liked me. Even during our last meeting, when he was arrested, he kept telling me not to be afraid and to come with him.”
“It wasn’t until I was in prison that I realized what he was really doing,” I said bitterly. “If only I had asked more questions and tried to talk him out of it.”
Jiang Sen’s expression remained calm, but as he listened, his face grew increasingly strange. Finally, he asked, “Did it never occur to you that he might have been using you as a scapegoat? Letting someone more well-liked like you take the risk for him?”
“That’s impossible,” I quickly retorted. “Although his personality was a bit flawed, I don’t think he was that kind of person. Someone who allowed himself to be exploited by his parents and still worked tirelessly couldn’t be that bad.”
“So, even now, you still believe what he told you?” Jiang Sen tapped his terminal and displayed the data in front of me, saying calmly, “Shall I read his family information to you?”
No need. Of course, I knew. His sister was working to support him because he had gambling and drug addictions.
His parents were in their seventies or eighties, and their pension accounts were in his hands. He even had a husband he abused.
I pretended to examine the information carefully, then began to tremble, looking shocked. “How… how could this be? It’s impossible. He… he was actually… why… how…”
I clenched my fists, wanting to shout a hundred thousand “whys” to the sky. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jiang Sen’s gaze filled with complexity.
“I misjudged you. I truly…” Jiang Sen pressed his fingers to his forehead, sighed, and said, “I shouldn’t have speculated about you like that.”
Jiang Sen added, “You can get out of the car. After this is over, I’ll help clarify things with the factory for you.”
“I don’t understand what you mean,” I pretended not to notice his apology and said seriously, “Thank you for helping me see Olbert for who he really is, but I don’t want your pity. The way you treat Yalian disgusts me. If I accept such pity, my dignity becomes something that can be priced. But—”
“You could treat Yalian better. He likes you, and perhaps you like him too.” I smiled slightly and added, “As for my job, consider it punishment for accidentally causing your misunderstanding. I have hands and feet; I can find a new job.”
Jiang Sen stood frozen, staring at me for a long time, his dark eyes flickering like flames. “How could you… Forget it. Do you think you’re being noble and carefree? There was a choice that would have been good for both of us. Why insist on being such a stubborn do-gooder? If I hadn’t figured it out earlier, you would have died, do you understand? Or is it just that people like you—”
He stopped himself. The disdain for people from the lower class that he could have easily voiced now seemed to be held back.
I opened the car door, got out, and looked at him. “My father told me to be an honest person. Good people will be rewarded.”
That night, after he said that, my brother and I learned to lie.
Jiang Sen fell silent, his expression growing increasingly grim.
I added, “Could you extend your hand?”
Jiang Sen looked at me, puzzled, but still held out his hand.
I took his hand and placed a blue gemstone cufflink in his palm. “You dropped this when you hit me. I picked it up. It looks expensive, so make sure to keep it safe.” After saying this, I turned and walked away. I counted to three and heard the car door open behind me.
Within seconds, Jiang Sen caught up and grabbed my hand. He gritted his teeth slightly and lowered his noble head. “I’m sorry. I… thought you were the kind of person who would do anything to climb the social ladder, with no self-respect.”
Of course, I am. Otherwise, how do you think your gemstone cufflink ended up in my hand?
