Chapter 32 - Shao Ye: I Like You, I Don’t Regret It.

Shao Ye stood there, frozen, as if someone had cast a spell to paralyze him.

He couldn’t move. His mind was a complete mess, full of chaos.

"No way, I’m..."

He trailed off, his voice shrinking to a mere whisper. The words "I’m straight" got stuck in his throat, swallowed down before they could even leave his mouth.

His heart was a tangle of confusion, thoughts flying everywhere.

At this point, he couldn’t bring himself to say that old fallback line anymore.

He had already given up so much just to save Lu Zhanxing's life—he'd already paid the highest price he could. But now, out of nowhere, there was a kid. What the hell? He was completely blindsided, not even close to ready for this. The whole thing made him sick, and he felt completely out of control.

He had seen other male Omegas with big bellies before, and those images flashed across his mind, but he never once imagined he'd be in the same position. He couldn’t even begin to link himself to those images. It was terrifying.

The thought of what was coming—pregnancy, childbirth—it sent a shiver down his spine. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he shuddered.

When Shao Lan found out her brother was pregnant, she nearly blew a fuse.

Her eyes burned with fury, fists clenched so tight they almost bled, ready to march over there and rip Lu Zhanxing apart, piece by piece.

But she knew she couldn’t. She had to keep up appearances in front of her brother.

When she saw the terror in Shao Ye’s eyes, though, a small sense of relief washed over her.

She thought to herself: Of course, my brother won’t submit to a man. As long as he doesn't have to face Lu Zhanxing, as long as he forgets about him, eventually, he’ll forget everything. And maybe—just maybe—I can erase that lifelong mark on him, too.

So, she put on her best concerned face and said, “Brother, this is dangerous. Do you know how many Omegas die every year from complications during childbirth? The baby’s still small; it’s easy to terminate now. You won’t feel anything, just a quick nap, and it’s over. Let’s make this problem go away, okay?”

Her voice was filled with fake worry, but underneath it, there was a flicker of cunning and urgency that wasn’t hard to miss.

For some reason, hearing those words made Shao Ye’s skin crawl.

He didn’t want this kid. The whole thing had thrown his life into chaos. But, as soon as he thought about it being Lu Zhanxing's kid, something else stirred inside him.

He had no idea what had happened to Lu Zhanxing—if something had gone wrong with him, this kid would be all he had left of him.

Maybe it was the fact that this child carried half of Lu Zhanxing’s genes, but ever since he found out about the baby, it felt like Lu Zhanxing was with him. Every minute, every second, the thought of him was right there. It was strange and unsettling, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel attached to it.

His mind was a battlefield—fear of the unknown, resentment over the situation, but also an aching pull towards the baby, and the thread that connected him to Lu Zhanxing.

After what felt like an eternity of inner conflict, Shao Ye looked at his sister and said, “Ah Lan… give me some time. I need to think this through.”

His voice trembled, a mix of helplessness and a quiet plea.

Shao Lan’s expression darkened in an instant. Her gaze fixated on Shao Ye’s belly, eyes flashing with venom and murderous intent.

She gritted her teeth and forced a smile, “Fine, you take your time. But remember, you need to take care of yourself. Your health comes first.”

Her concern was laced with something cold, something that didn’t sit right.

“Yeah, I know,” Shao Ye murmured, lowering his head.

Once he left the room, Shao Lan immediately turned to the doctor, her voice dripping with malice, “Slip some sleeping pills into his dinner, then get rid of that bastard. Make him into a specimen, you hear me?”

The doctors shivered, uneasy, but they didn’t dare defy her—nodding in silent agreement.

All of this was overheard by Boss Bai, who was hiding in the corner.

Boss Bai watched as the doctors went off to carry out her orders, a whirlwind of complicated emotions stirring inside him.

He had once been a powerful Alpha, feared by all, but now he was just a plaything in Shao Lan’s hands. How could he ever face his lost love again, knowing what had become of him?

And then, there was Shao Ye… carrying Lu Zhanxing’s child.

There was no chance for him anymore.

Boss Bai closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and made a silent vow.

If Shao Ye really did love Lu Zhanxing, then all he could do now was support him.

He straightened himself up, adjusted his clothes, and with a firm resolve, rolled his electric wheelchair towards Shao Ye’s room.

At the door, he was stopped by the guards, who eyed him with suspicion.

He looked them dead in the eye and said, “I’m a friend of Shao Ye’s. The Commander sent me to keep him company.”

The guards were wary, their eyes scanning him, not convinced. “You say the Commander sent you. What proof do you have?”

Boss Bai remained calm, showing them the mark on his gland. “This is the proof. The Commander trusts me to be with Shao Ye.”

The bodyguards froze, thrown completely off-kilter. The guy in front of them was an Alpha—no doubt about it. So how the hell had he been marked?

They double-checked. No mistake. The mark was there.

And not just any mark. That black butterfly on his gland? It was unmistakably the signature of their brand-new Commander.

A heady mix of mandala blossoms and manjusaka lingered in the air, just enough to smell it. Reluctant, wary, and confused as hell, they let him pass.

Inside the room, Boss Bai stood face-to-face with the mess of a man Shao Ye had become. The guy sat at the edge of the bed, slumped, looking hollow—like someone had yanked his soul clean out of his body.

The door clicked open, and Shao Ye’s head rose slowly, gaze dead as a winter's night. But the moment his bloodshot eyes landed on Boss Bai, something inside him ignited—pure, raw fury.

Without warning, he launched himself like a raging lion, grabbing Bai by the collar and slamming him hard. The sound of flesh on flesh cracked through the air as Shao Ye delivered slap after brutal slap.

“You snake-faced bastard!” he roared, his voice shaking with unrestrained rage. “What the hell did you do to my sister?!”

Boss Bai didn’t fight back. He just stood there, taking it, face swelling with every blow. Guilt weighed him down like cement.

When Shao Ye finally paused to catch his breath, Bai swallowed hard, tasting blood. “Shao Ye,” he rasped, voice low and full of regret, “I won’t make excuses. This is all on me. But I don’t regret it.”

“Bullshit!” Shao Ye’s fist came out of nowhere, crashing into Bai’s face and splitting his lip. Blood poured freely, but Bai didn’t flinch.

“You destroyed her!” Shao Ye’s voice cracked, trembling with pain. “My sister—she was good, kind! Now she’s nothing but a bloodthirsty monster. And you have the nerve to say you don’t regret it?!”

The punches slowed. Shao Ye’s anger bled into exhaustion, leaving him shaking. His chest heaved, and tears brimmed in his eyes, threatening to spill. He looked ready to collapse.

Boss Bai lowered his gaze, ashamed. “You’re right,” he murmured. “I ruined everything. And now, I’ve got nothing left. I probably won’t even live much longer. But if I could do it all over…” His voice cracked. “I’d still choose the same.”

“You’re insane.” Shao Ye glared, but something in his expression wavered.

"I used to...really like you."

"From the moment I first laid eyes on you, standing in the wreckage of the Dust Dwellers, I knew. You had this spark, this fire that told me you’d become someone extraordinary—an Omega that would shake the damn foundations of the world."

"But don’t think I took you in out of the goodness of my heart. I had my reasons, my agenda. You hadn’t differentiated yet, but that didn’t matter to me. I could’ve made it work, could’ve played the long game. And then you vanished. Gone, without a trace."

"I tore through the Dust District looking for you. Nothing. Do you have any idea what that does to a man? Watching the world eat people alive every day, swallowing them up like they never existed? I almost lost my goddamn mind."

"And now here you are, spitting rage at me. Guess you figured it out, huh? Yeah, I used your sister as a stand-in. What the hell else was I supposed to do? Except—plot twist—she turned out to be an Alpha. That threw a wrench in my plans, so I paid a fortune, made a deal with the devil, and got two rogue scientists to experiment on her."

"The goal was simple: transform her into an Omega. But things went sideways. Instead of creating a regular Omega, we made something else. Something stronger. An Omega who could crush Alphas like they were nothing more than bugs underfoot."

Shao Ye’s eyes burned red, rage dripping from every punch he landed. He hammered Boss Bai’s face again and again, leaving it a wreck—bruised, swollen, blood streaming from his busted nose and split lips.

“You’ve destroyed everything! My life, my sister’s life—everything! If I could turn back time, Boss Bai, I swear I’d put a knife in your gut the first damn second we crossed paths!”

Boss Bai didn’t even flinch. He just gave that hollow, beaten-down smile of his, like he knew he deserved every hit and didn’t have the spine to argue.

"I know you hate me. Hate what I did to her. Hate what I did to you. But if I could go back, do it all over again? Yeah, I’d still bring you in. I don’t regret that for a second. Hell, I don’t even regret using your sister as a stand-in. The one thing I regret is letting you walk away three years ago, at that damn dock. Should’ve never let you out of my grip."

"Hate me all you want, but I don’t take back a damn thing." Bai’s lips twitched into a bitter smile. “I don’t regret meeting you in the slums. I don’t regret anything—except letting you slip through my fingers that day at the docks.”

Shao Ye froze, chest tight.

“If I’d kept you,” Bai continued, his voice taking on a sharp edge, “killed Lu Zhanxing when I had the chance, married you, marked you—none of this would’ve happened. None of it.” His words dripped with venom and regret.

Shao Ye let out a strangled laugh, rolling his eyes. “You’re un-fucking-believable. You think you’re some tragic hero? Please. You’re just a selfish prick who ruins everything he touches.” He turned away, disgusted, too tired to keep fighting.

Bai closed his eyes, letting the silence stretch. Then, softly, almost to himself, he chuckled. “You’re probably right.”

When he spoke again, his tone was lighter, but the words landed heavy. “Look, I’ve said my piece. But listen—your sister? She’s not who she used to be. And she’s dangerous now. Especially to you…and the kid.”

Shao Ye flinched like he’d been struck. His hand instinctively went to his stomach, shielding it.

“She’s planning to slip a sedative into your food,” Bai said, matter-of-fact. “Then she’s going to rip that baby out of you and turn it into a damn specimen.”

Shao Ye’s face turned ghostly pale. His whole body shook as he stared at Bai, horror etched into every line of his face. “You’re lying. She wouldn’t…”

“She would.” Bai’s tone was cold, cutting. “But hey, believe what you want. I just thought you should know. Whether you keep that kid or not, it should be your decision—not hers.”

With that, Bai shot him one last glance—something like pity flickering in his eyes—then walked out.

Moments later, a maid entered with a tray of food. The scent was delicious, intoxicating. But Shao Ye couldn’t move, couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe.

The words hung in the air, suffocating.

———TN: Rate, Vote, Comment.