Chapter 25 You call yourself "Ex-Husband Brother"? "Yan Quan, this time, whoever plays the game pays the price..."

"Bang—" A huge sound echoed in the empty ceiling. Yan Quan couldn't tell for a moment whether something in reality had been broken, or... his own edifice of rationality was collapsing.

There was only one thing Yan Quan clearly understood—this guy was vengeful and had come seeking revenge.

I really... messed with a mad dog.

"Huh?! What did I just hear?!"

Wait... there's too much information for me to process. Yan Quan and A4 know each other?

[This is insane! Shouldn't the focus be on Yan Quan's suspected past as an Alpha?]

What the heck? A transgender person? Or an Omega pretending to be an Alpha?

[Wow, it all makes sense in an instant... Yan Quan is both alpha and omega, beautiful and cool.]

"Holy crap!! I usually call you 'husband' in private, I never imagined you really were my husband, Quanbao?!"

I love you even more now, my husband, so sweet! (muah!)

This is terrifying... Yan Quan's fans seem to have lost their minds.

"I told you, we're over."

Yan Quan dug her knuckles deep into her flesh, finally regaining her composure and calmly meeting Yan Ceyan's gaze: "Are you still hung up on me?"

"Ex-boyfriend."

Each word was pulled out clearly and slowly, instantly igniting another round of comments from netizens.

[Holy crap! There are even bigger ones here!]

[Ex-boyfriend? Did Yan Quan date A4 before?]

[Damn, Yan Quan used to be an Alpha, and A4 used to date Yan Quan → A4 is gay.]

[This is so damn abstract! Where did this production team find so many niche sexual orientations? (Shocking!)]

I now have reason to suspect that the Dogecoin program team plagiarized the neighboring show "Car Swap Romance" and deliberately created this kind of ex-girlfriend literature.

[Wonderful! Exes, male admirers, and current suitors all gathered together—this is a feast for the eyes!]

[This ex-boyfriend seems to be having a bad relationship with Yan Quan. Do they not get along? (Touches cheek in thought)]

Sister, guess why it's called "ex-boyfriend"? (It cracked me up!)

I seriously suspect their breakup wasn't amicable; they're now completely disgusted with each other.

[Yan Quan's fans, come out and refute this!! Weren't you so confident before that A4 would fall in love at first sight?]

[A4, I support you! You must prove that there are men in this world that Yan Quan cannot win over!]

[A4, go go go! I'm all in, betting everything on you. You absolutely mustn't fall for Yan Quan's charms too!]

"A good horse doesn't turn back to eat the grass it already grazed. A4, please, please don't get back together with me! (Hands clasped together)"

[A4, hold on! Protect the last vestiges of glory for our Alpha male guest!]

"Ahem..." A gentle voice suddenly broke through the tense atmosphere: "Why don't we go inside and sit down to talk?"

“Sit down and talk about our recent situation. After all, Yan Quan may have forgotten some unimportant things from the past.”

Fu Duannian, holding a lemonade pitcher in one hand and adjusting his glasses with the other, asked with a smile:

"You agree, right, Yan Quan's ex-boyfriend?"

The key point is "unimportant past events".

[Damn, that's a stealthy kill! They've instantly ranked all four of A's identities.]

I knew it! Professor Fu always takes a holistic view, plans ahead, and takes precautions. :)

"We're all adults now, we should be able to let go of what we've taken."

"It's normal for adults to have ex-boyfriends."

Shan Haotian and Murong Yuan arrived one after the other, both staring at Yan Ceyan in a confrontational manner, and spoke one after the other.

The imposing voice shook the ceiling several times: "Yan Quan said he's broken up with you completely! I advise you to keep your distance from Yan Quan!"

[The time when the two were most united in their hatred of the enemy]

The enemy of my enemy is my friend!

Sending flowers, different departure times, speech patterns... you two have quite a few subtle, unspoken connections.

Why don't you two become a lesbian couple too? I think you two have good chemistry.

Please support our cult-like, dissident CEO x puppy!

Why not a puppy x CEO? It has to be a younger man/older woman dynamic!

"AA relationship..." Ji Yao's eyes lit up instantly, and she pushed through the crowd of onlookers, Fu Duannian, to squeeze next to Yan Quan: "So Yan Quan, you are too..."

I knew this kid was going to get excited.

[You seem quite amused after finding out Yan Quan is also gay, but the problem is he's an Alpha, and you're an Omega (bitter smile)]

Never mind, it's just a mutual appreciation between people with different sexual orientations, it's so damn amazing!

"Ji Yao, I beg you to read more books! You're acting like one of those 'ghostly' kids turning on their computers in an internet cafe."

"..." Yan Ceyan's cold gaze swept over the three A's and one O's surrounding them, his tone quite mocking:

"Yan Quan, they are truly loyal to you."

They protect their owners just like dogs.

"How many days will you be out this time? Ten days, half a month..." Yan Ceyan stared directly at Yan Quan, a subtle, unreadable emotion flickering in his eyes: "Or... a year?"

The two were very close, and Yan Ceyan's warm breath was carried by the wind blowing in from the doorway, gently touching Yan Quan's nose.

Fu**ck... It's that faint floral scent again.

"Whoosh—" The back of her neck began to burn with stress, silently screaming about the turbulent waves surging within her body.

From the tips of your hair to your heels, every inch of your skin cells... is thirstily calling for the comfort of pheromones.

Because Yan Quan is a marked omega, marked by Yan Ceyan... omega.

From the moment the lifelong mark was branded on him, Yan Ceyan's every move had an almost addictive attraction for Yan Quan.

But Yan Quan knew very well that he had to suppress these feelings. Utter hatred, mutual attacks, the most vicious words of mockery, stabbing at each other's weak points...

He and Yan Ceyan had reached a point where there was no way to end things amicably. He had already made his choice seven years ago, after that mutually destructive outcome.

Yan Quan never regretted going down a path that seemed destined for ruin.

"How long will I play? How will I play? How pathetic and despicable is the person being played..."

Yan Quan slowly raised her head, her bright and beautiful face as if wearing a porcelain mask, arrogant and looking down on everyone.

"Ex-boyfriend, don't you know best?"

As soon as the voice finished speaking, Yan Quan clearly heard Yan Ceyan gasp out... his suppressed anger almost bursting out of his chest.

Yan Quan knew that no one knew better than him how to provoke Yan Ceyan. It was just like... no one had ever been better at dealing with the cold-faced devil in the class than Yan Quan.

"Then we'll wait and see, Yan Quan."

Yan Ceyan finally suppressed the emotions surging in his chest and stared intently at Yan Quan.

His dark eyes were like a deep, icy pool, his gaze like that of a mad wolf that had been lying in wait, about to devour Yan Quan alive.

"Let's see who's outsmarting whom this time."

[Ahhh, is this something I can say? My ex-husband is so sexually charismatic!!]

Wait a minute?! They've already come up with a nickname so quickly? "Ex-Husband"???

This half-baked, half-acquainted, mutually disliked feeling of divorce... what else could it be but an ex-husband?

Anyway, I'm totally shipping them! The intense, tug-of-war between them is just divine! I'm totally rooting for the ex-husband!

"I think you CP fans are really hungry. These two are like oil and water, how could they possibly get back together?"

[Add one, A4 seems to be seeking revenge; it feels like the two characters' endings were very tragic.]

[Take this one, our precious baby is all the rage!]

The scene was in complete chaos, and the production team conveniently fanned the flames by broadcasting announcements over the loudspeaker in a 360-degree surround sound:

"Welcome to the Love House, new Alpha member! To help everyone get to know each other better and increase interaction, please move to the lounge area."

"The 'Guess Who I Am' mini-game is back for a limited time! All original members of the house, please carefully observe the new Alpha member and write down your guesses about the new Alpha member's profession, age, hobbies, and other identity information on the blank whiteboard!"

"The member of the original cabin who guesses the most correctly will receive a hidden surprise prepared by the production team!"

The cold, electronic broadcast sounded rather malicious: "Of course, there will be a punishment for guessing the fewest correct answers~"

[This is rigged! The production team is definitely rigging this! Who the hell can beat Yan Quan?!]

[The production team has really stopped acting; A4 is Yan Quan's ex-boyfriend! They've probably done it multiple times already. How could Yan Quan not know his profession and age?]

〖Sisters are true, their words may be rough, but the reasoning is sound (click)〗

[I suspect Yan Quan has a crush on someone on the show; this is too much of a favoritism! Is Yan Quan going to debut on a dating reality show?]

"You're spouting nonsense...Are you blind?"

[Seriously... Does our precious baby really need the show's internal favoritism? The price of one of Yan's real estate projects could produce 10 of these low-budget dating reality shows.]

Forget it, Yan Quan's fans are a bunch of trolls, I'm not going to stoop to their level.

"When they can't win an argument, they resort to insulting us for being rude?"

Even assuming the worst, the fact that Yan Quan was able to get her ex-boyfriend on a TV show is certainly a testament to her talent.

Why didn't the other girls on the show invite their ex-boyfriends on the show (with such self-righteousness)?

[Don't you listen to what you're saying? Is it something to be proud of for an ex-boyfriend to go on a TV show seeking revenge?]

"So what? It proves our precious baby has always been a heartthrob (confident)."

It's no wonder that the viewers in the live chat reacted so strongly, with each side sticking to their own opinion and arguing fiercely.

After all, Yan Quan had the identity of an "ex-boyfriend," giving him an overwhelming advantage in guessing A4's identity information; it would be strange if he didn't win.

The "winning reward" was as natural as breathing for Yan Quan. It felt like the production team had deliberately "customized" a game script for the "royal" Yan Quan...

To be honest, if I hadn't known the show's dramatic strategy of escalating conflict and Ji Yao's true royal identity, I wouldn't have known it.

Yan Quan almost thought the production team was praising him and deliberately "going easy" on him.

"Before you formally answer the questions on the board, each of you can ask me one question." Yan Ceyan, with his narrow eyes half-closed, stated the game's flow in an AI-like indifference:

"The questions cannot directly involve personal information; they can only serve as supplementary indicative statements."

"Ask me now."

The words landed in a deep, resonant tone, seemingly addressed to everyone. Yet, Ce Yan's gaze was fixed solely on Yan Quan, as if Yan Quan was the only person he could see.

Just like that night when they faced off in the torrential rain, those sharp eyes stared at Yan Quan without any attempt to conceal their gaze.

...Yan Quan's heart trembled uncontrollably.

Rewind seven years, and the savage and unrestrained hyena abandoned its arrogant pride and willingly exposed its vulnerable neck, bowing down to the hunter.

Being manipulated, shackled... and tamed into an obedient, well-behaved puppy that gets soaked in the rain.

At that moment, his voice was heavy, carrying a hint of pleading, yet unexpectedly resolute: "Yan Quan, ask me."

"I won't lie if you ask."

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Author's Note: Yan Ceyan: How long can this ex-husband, who's secretly incredibly jealous but outwardly putting on a brave face, maintain this strong act? We'll wait and see. [Dog head with rose in hand]