[BL] Between an Alpha and Omega

U: Consequences

AN: Thank you for your patience~ This chapter was a doozy to write.

*****

Lights flashed and the chatter felt overwhelming. It was suffocating and made Li Suren want to scream.

It was frustrating that all these people wanted to question him about something so boring.

He sipped his wine, wishing he could just leave.

"You look pissy." His partner and now official fiancee whispered to him, smiling for the cameras. His eyes were burning with the same level of uninterest. "Things ain't going your way?"

"Obviously! This is terrible."

"Which part? Your heat cycle coming up, our engagement being announced, or how much we haven't seen Master in a while?"

"All of it, obviously!"

Li Suren had wanted to spend more time with his Sweetie but couldn't with his grandfather looming over him. He'd managed to keep the old man off his trail for a few years by pairing up with Chen Guiren but now he was seeing the consequence of his decision.

He had hoped their engagement would be kept under wraps a little longer. Just long enough to get their beta to consider him and Chen Guiren as mates. It's uncommon, sure, but not too out of the ordinary.

Yet the old man had surprised him by insisting that he stay at the main house and announcing his engagement in this way. Hell, he'd only learned of the man's plans a few hours ago.

"Cunning old bastard." He cursed under his breath, letting the sharp taste of wine soothe his anger.

"Agreed," Chen Guiren muttered back, glancing at his fathers. They were talking to reporters about their recent business deals.

While they were 'upstanding' citizens now, his father the lawyer was well versed in doublespeak. Whenever a journalist asked anything that could be spun negatively, he expertly navigated the pitfalls and made sure that person knew to be careful of his words. Slander was a crime after all.

While it was usually fun to watch, Chen Guiren was equally annoyed with the situation.

He liked Li Suren. Not as much as he liked Jun Yibai but definitely enough to be willing to share the beta.

As such, he didn't mind their engagement or it being announced to the public. Sure, he'd only learned about the plans a few minutes before they'd walked out, which was a dick move but he could understand why his dads hadn't told him. Really, his issue was how they were supposed to talk to Master after this.

Master was already leery of their attempts at being intimate. It was only by wearing him down that they'd gotten as far as they did.

If he found out they were engaged like this then...

He shuddered at the thought.

He'd have to get one of his people to suppress the news of their engagement for a day or so. It'd be expensive but better than his beta learning about this via trending pages.

"Have you talked to Young Master Gu yet?" Li Suren asked, sighing. While the party was a hassle, they still needed to use the opportunity to get their business on its feet.

The initial investments were the easy part. Chen Guiren had some cousins interested in their ideas and willing to support him for a set amount of time. He'd owe a lot of money afterward but that was only fair. After that, the few smaller investments made it easy to get a small building for their company.

Young master Gu, however, was harder to deal with. He was a veteran in the business field and while willing to invest, his conditions were not very favorable. Just convincing him to invest was an ordeal.