Side Story 2: Bai Chen x Bai Ke (1)
1.
The sky was a hazy, grayish-white, and a curtain of rain, like a knitted tapestry, fell silently over the city. Inside the Bai family's old mansion, the air was so heavy it was hard to breathe.
On the sofa in the living room, a middle-aged man in a suit with gray hair and a tense, unsmiling face sat upright, looking at the documents in his hand with a furrowed brow. A middle-aged woman in a red evening dress sat beside him, also looking displeased.
Bai Chen sat opposite them, his face calm and his eyes indifferent, as if everything in front of him had nothing to do with him.
Bai Ke walked down the spiral staircase at a leisurely pace, and this was the scene he saw. He sneered inwardly, but on the surface, he seemed completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere inside the room. He turned around and smiled, asking the housekeeper to make him a pot of black tea.
Hearing the noise, Bai Chen looked in his direction.
The Beta youth before me was tall and slender, his long, shapely legs encased in light blue jeans. The top two buttons of his white shirt were undone, revealing his beautifully shaped collarbone. He had fair skin, delicate features, captivating fox-like eyes, and full, slightly upturned red lips, as if beckoning a kiss.
Undeniably, she is a top-tier beauty, even more beautiful and alluring than some Omegas.
Unfortunately... it's a Beta.
This wasn't what Bai Chen actually thought, but rather something his parents had been saying all along.
Bai Ke noticed his gaze, turned her head to look at him, and then smiled mischievously.
It looks just like a cute-looking but cunning fox with a black heart, slowly swaying its beautiful tail to lure the hunter into its trap.
Bai Chen's brow twitched, and he looked away.
The old Bai Keke wasn't like this.
Ten years ago, on a sunny afternoon, Bai Chen returned home from school as usual and saw a strange little child in his living room.
Mr. and Mrs. Bai smiled and said to him, "From now on, he will be your playmate."
Bai Chen, carrying his schoolbag, gave the child only a cold glance before turning and heading upstairs.
He had no concept of his parents vying for his affections, nor did he feel any sense of crisis that the arrival of another child would jeopardize his inheritance rights. He didn't care about others, and perhaps, he never cared about himself either.
Bai Chen was born so cold and indifferent; it seemed that no emotion could leave a trace in his heart.
Mr. and Mrs. Bai downstairs exchanged a glance and sighed deeply.
When Bai Chen was a child, he always had this expressionless face. No one could see into his thoughts, and no one could evoke any emotion in him. They took him to the hospital out of concern, but the doctor's answer was: everything is normal.
They even tried to comfort them, saying that some Alphas are just like that by nature and there's no need to worry.
The Bai family is a typical AO family. Bai's mother, being a female Omega, is somewhat sentimental, and Bai's father is busy with work, so she naturally focuses her attention on her son. But Bai Chen's current state truly breaks Bai's mother's heart.
For his wife's sake, Bai's father finally suggested that they have another child.
But Bai's mother refused without hesitation.
Her health was weak, and it was already difficult enough for her to conceive Bai Chen. Putting that aside, she didn't secretly want another child of her own. The plot of brothers turning against each other for money and power in wealthy families is endlessly entertaining. Although Bai's mother complained that Bai Chen was not affectionate, she still cherished this son in her heart.
Besides, while Bai Chen might be a bit aloof, he excels in other areas, consistently ranking at the top in everything he does. Looking at the wall covered in trophies and certificates, Bai's parents, though silent, were incredibly proud.
Finally, after discussing it, the two decided to contact a welfare organization to sponsor a child and have him fostered in their home to keep Bai Chen company.
That little child is Bai Ke.
Everything was just as Bai's mother had hoped. Bai Ke was well-behaved and adorable, with fair and beautiful skin, a gentle and sweet personality, and a very intelligent mind, almost fulfilling all her expectations for her child.
Bai's father was also very satisfied with him, treating him as his own son and being generous with money. He transformed an orphan who had no parents and needed financial assistance even to go to school into a rich young master dressed in designer clothes.
The only drawback is that when Bai Ke differentiated, it differentiated into a Beta.
Originally, Bai's mother had almost considered marrying Bai Ke to Bai Chen if he differentiated into an Omega. After all, Bai Chen didn't care about such things, and they were familiar with Bai Ke, so everything was just right.
pity.
So when Bai Ke walked out of the differentiation room, she saw her mother's undisguised disappointment.
He frowned inwardly, but maintained a demure smile on his face.
However, after Bai Chen differentiated into a Beta, his parents' feelings for him faded considerably, and as Bai Chen gradually entered marriageable age, their focus shifted back to him.
Whether he is a biological son or an Alpha, he is different from a child like him who comes from an orphanage and has no blood relation to him.
Bai Ke had no objection to this. To be precise, from the moment he received the sponsorship, he had put himself in the right position and had been wearing a docile and obedient mask in front of the Bai family couple for the past ten years.
When Bai Ke was brought back to the Bai family, she was already nine years old, considered a "spoiled" child in the orphanage. Everyone who came wanted to find someone young and naive, so they could easily build a relationship with her. Five years old was considered too old in their eyes, let alone a nine-year-old.
Because of his background, Bai Ke had to struggle in the mire of society at a young age, learning the harsh realities of human nature. Fortunately, he was naturally intelligent and had exceptionally good grades; if he persevered, his future was limitless.
On the day Bai's parents left, he was reading in his room when he suddenly heard a series of exclamations outside. He knew that some rich person had probably come over again. Although he knew it had nothing to do with him, he still looked up curiously.
The gate opened, and a pure black Maybach slowly drove into the orphanage's small courtyard. The usually arrogant director and deputy director stood aside, bowing and scraping, and smiling obsequiously as they helped open the car door.
A man in a suit and a beautiful woman with elegant manners. Both were dressed in fine clothes and had an extraordinary air about them; it was clear at a glance that they came from a wealthy and prestigious family.
After the two got out of the car, the man said a few words to the director, while the woman looked around at the children who were full of curiosity and longing, her expression unreadable, as if she was disappointed or something else.
Bai Ke looked at her face quietly through the window, a slight smile curving his lips.
A whisper as soft as a bird's feather suddenly reached his ear, telling him that his chance to change his life was right in front of him.
Bai Ke put down her pen, stood up, walked to the mirror, changed out of her worn-out, loose-fitting printed T-shirt, found a pure white shirt, tidied her hair, cleaned her nails and ears, and then slowly walked out of the room.
He timed it perfectly. As he walked out of the room, the director was leading the couple to the director's office to look through all the orphans' files.
In the corridor, Bai Ke met the Bai family couple face to face. In that instant, he clearly saw a look of amazement in the woman's eyes.
Bai Ke was very clear that his appearance and intelligence were both outstanding, which were his advantages. What he had to do was to try his best to use his advantages to cover up the disadvantage of being too old.
Finally, he managed to get the Bai couple to take him home.
On the surface, he played house with Bai's mother, embodying the image of a loving mother and filial son. In secret, he quietly accumulated energy, waiting for the opportunity to soar to great heights.
Bai Ke never trusted anyone except himself.
As it turned out, his idea was not wrong. After differentiating into a Beta, all the previous favors were taken away, and only the cold numbers in the account maintained the weak emotions.
If Bai Ke naively believed that her parents truly loved her and gave them her heart, she would surely feel immense pain and torment due to the stark contrast between her past and future feelings.
Fortunately, he didn't, so even though he was treated coldly, his heart remained calm.
Lost in thought, the maid had already brewed some black tea and respectfully pushed it over on a small serving cart.
Bai Ke snapped out of his daze and nodded to her with a smile. Taking the trolley, he didn't rush back to his room. Instead, he picked up an upside-down teacup and gently placed it on the tea tray. His long, slender fingers hooked the teapot handle, and he lifted it up. The bright red tea flowed slowly into the cup in a thin stream.
The finest black tea has a rich and fragrant aroma. Bai Ke picked up the teacup, took a sip, and kept her eyes fixed on the sofa.
On the other end, Bai's father put down the documents in his hand and sighed heavily: "Bai Chen, it's not that your parents are forcing you to do anything, it's just that you're of age now. If you have someone you like, you can bring them home anytime, but if you don't, you can't avoid arranged marriages."
Mother Bai also said softly, "Yes, I saw the second young lady of the Luo family at the banquet before. She and her mother are both Omegas, very beautiful, and well-mannered. They won't do anything messy after marriage. You can take a look and have a meal with her, but it doesn't mean you have to marry her. If you're not satisfied, there are other options."
Bai Chen looked at the scattered photos of women on the coffee table and closed his eyes in annoyance.
After finally managing to appease Bai's parents and agreeing to have a casual meal with the second young lady of the Luo family, Bai Chen raised his hand and rubbed his temples.
He heard a soft sound in front of him, and opened his eyes to find himself facing Bai Ke's smiling face.
"It must have been tough," Bai Ke said, handing him a teacup. "Here, have some tea to calm your nerves."
Bai Chen glanced at him expressionlessly: "You seem to be enjoying the show."
Bai Ke paused for a moment, suppressing the hidden pain in her heart, then smiled and said, "I'm happy, how could I not be happy?"
Bai Chen was used to his way of speaking, so he didn't say anything more, reached out, took the cup from Bai Ke's hand, and took a sip.
Not far away, the maid looked slightly puzzled.
Was she mistaken? The teacup that Young Master Bai just handed out seemed to be the one he had just used.
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