How Long Are You Going to Keep Acting Like A Beta? ABO - Chapter 13

After the issue of her hidden gender was resolved, Xu Yuxi began to hand over a lot of work to Shu Qian.

“The fact that the CEO Qi agreed to let you stay proves that you’re excellent. You should show your worth even more. I know some Omegas, limited by their physical factors, might think about getting married and settling down when they reach a certain age, but are you really okay with that?” Xu Yuxi lectured Shu Qian while also trying to instill a sense of independence in her.

“…Okay, Sister Yuxi.” Shu Qian was helpless. In fact, no matter what gender she was, she didn’t want to work hard. What’s more, Qi Qing’s reason for keeping her had nothing to do with her work ability, yet she was being forced to work hard.

Xu Yuxi smiled in satisfaction. She started giving important tasks to Shu Qian to help Qi Qing. And Shu Qian, as expected, did not disappoint her, handling many things in an orderly manner. Qi Qing also occasionally mentioned that Shu Qian was a good employee, so Xu Yuxi had Shu Qian learn more before she went on her wedding leave.

The thought of her wedding leave made Xu Yuxi remember that she hadn’t told Shu Qian yet. “Oh, right, Xiao Shu. I’ll be taking a long leave soon, so I’ll start handing over my work to you in the next couple of days.”

Shu Qian looked up in confusion. “You’re taking a long leave, Sister Yuxi?” Did the word “leave” even exist in a workaholic like Xu Yuxi’s dictionary?

Xu Yuxi’s face broke into a shy smile, and she held up her hand, showing off her ring. “I’m getting married. CEO Qi approved two months of paid leave for me. That’s why I need your help so you can get up to speed quickly. That way, I can feel at ease.”

“Really? Congratulations, Sister Yuxi. I’ll try my best to take over quickly so you can have a worry-free honeymoon.” Seeing how happy she was, Shu Qian gave her a sincere blessing. She hadn’t expected someone as busy as Xu Yuxi to have time to be in a relationship. If her workload was as intense as Xu Yuxi’s, she wouldn’t have any worldly desires left.

“It will be tough for a while, but I’ve already applied to the CEO Qi to give you a promotion and a raise.” Xu Yuxi gently patted her on the head. Shu Qian had joined a bit later, and her salary was still not as high as the other assistant’s, but because she was so capable, she was given more tasks. Now was the perfect opportunity to help Shu Qian get a raise.

What was more surprising was that the amount Qi Qing finally agreed to was higher than what she had originally requested.

Shu Qian was stunned, looking at her in surprise, then smiled. “Sister Yuxi, I’m so lucky to have you as my manager.” Even though their relationship was only work-related, Xu Yuxi always tried her best to be fair, and she genuinely cared about her in the office.

Even though she didn’t need it, she was still touched. Shu Qian took the initiative to ask, “Will you send me a wedding invitation?”

“Of course. I want to show my partner how excellent the girl I’m mentoring is. Even CEO Qi, who is so picky and has a bit of a bias against Omegas, agreed to let you stay.”

Xu Yuxi was truly a master of flattery. Shu Qian gave a shy smile.

Qi Qing had just entered the company and happened to pass by the assistant’s office. She saw the two of them smiling at each other, seeming to share a secret, and a hidden feeling of displeasure arose in her heart.

The Omega never seemed to give her a sincere expression. A few times, it was perfunctory, but most of the time, she looked like she was trying to avoid her. She would always stand far away whenever Qi Qing called her into her office, as if she were a monster. Yet, she was so clean and efficient with her work that she couldn’t find anything wrong. Qi Qing wasn’t the type of manager who would mix her personal emotions with work and deliberately make things difficult for her.

But when she was with other people, Shu Qian not only smiled, but she was also exceptionally sweet. The obvious preferential treatment made Qi Qing feel a surge of annoyance whenever she saw Shu Qian.

Xu Yuxi would be taking her leave soon, and Shu Qian would temporarily take over as her secretary.

Qi Qing silently walked into her office.

“I’ve already completed the check-in. We can go in now.” Shu Qian returned to see Qi Qing sitting at her desk, frowning and staring silently at something in her hand.

Qi Qing gave a hum and handed the document to Shu Qian. “The purchase amount exceeds ten million. According to the rules, it needs to be sent to the head office for approval. They actually broke it up into smaller pieces, dividing it into several orders to keep it under ten million.”

Shu Qian followed behind Qi Qing, her eyes only on her stern back. She sighed inwardly.

When Xu Yuxi was around, they would only have to go on a business trip once every few months. Yet, every time she temporarily took over, it would just happen to be a time that required a business trip. She didn’t want to be alone with Qi Qing, but fate seemed to enjoy playing tricks on them, constantly creating opportunities for them.

Is the Alpha-Omega fate that powerful? Or is she just too unlucky?

Shu Qian had no answer because she refused to accept the second hypothesis. However, besides the initial chaos of her gender being exposed, Qi Qing had kept her distance and maintained a professional attitude, which finally made her feel relieved.

As for Qi Qing’s ambiguous behavior in those few days, Shu Qian just considered it the work of her pheromones. In fact, she sometimes felt an inappropriate possessiveness when she saw Qi Qing. But this was a state caused by Alpha and Omega biology. The emotions that arose from it were influenced by the marking and couldn’t be taken seriously.

She had thought it through clearly and wouldn’t be delusional. So, Qi Qing’s cold and unfeeling attitude made Shu Qian feel at ease.

But she was also aware of the unrealistic fantasies that occasionally surfaced in her heart. What Omega hasn’t dreamed of being loved and married by a domineering CEO or a gentle and considerate Alpha when they were young? And Qi Qing… even from her perspective, she was good-looking and rich. Who wouldn’t like her?

But a fairy tale is just a fairy tale. Even if the story came true, she wouldn’t be the protagonist.

Don’t lose yourself. Don’t be treated as an Alpha’s subordinate. Live a free life. This was her mother’s hope and love for her.

As soon as her pheromone imbalance was resolved, she would leave immediately.

Shu Qian lowered her head to hide the coldness in her eyes.

After they got off the plane, they took the car sent by the branch company.

“We have a dinner meeting with Vice President Lin later,” Shu Qian said, checking the schedule in the car and reporting to Qi Qing. “And a review meeting at 8:30 tomorrow morning.”

Qi Qing sat up straight, leaning against the back of the seat, listening quietly to Shu Qian. She looked serious, but in reality, being in a small space with the Omega, her body felt her scent and naturally relaxed.

Although both of them had on inhibitor patches, those who had been marked were especially sensitive to each other’s scent. Just like now, Qi Qing could always smell the apple scent, an apple mixed with Qi Qing’s scent.

The reassuring scent made her a little dazed. Certain images flashed uncontrollably in her mind.

“CEO Qi?” After speaking for a long time and not getting a reply, she looked up and saw that Qi Qing seemed to be lost in thought, her face serious. But tomorrow’s schedule still needed her confirmation, so Shu Qian had no choice but to call out to her again.

Qi Qing finally reacted, giving her a blank look. “Tomorrow’s schedule is fine as it is.”

“Okay.” Shu Qian felt a little bewildered by that look, but seeing that Qi Qing quickly looked away, she just assumed she was overthinking it. With the work confirmed, the car returned to silence.

After a while, Qi Qing suddenly said, “Vice President Lin loves to pressure people to drink. But he’s been at the branch for a long time, and he’s not a troublemaker, so you can give him some face.”

Shu Qian was confused until dinner, when she finally understood the meaning of Qi Qing’s words.

Vice President Lin loved to pressure people to drink, but he didn’t dare to pressure Qi Qing, so Shu Qian drank it all.

Shu Qian had a habit of drinking socially, and she had a decent tolerance for alcohol. But wine tasting and chugging were two different things. Even with her high tolerance, she couldn’t handle the other person’s constant toasting. But she held her ground, determined to get the other person drunk as well.

The result was that Vice President Lin drank more and more enthusiastically, and Shu Qian didn’t want to be outdone. In the end, just over an hour into dinner, both of them were drunk.

Although Qi Qing had intentionally tried to get her drunk, she hadn’t expected Shu Qian to be so stubborn. After arranging for Vice President Lin to be sent home, she immediately took Shu Qian back to the hotel.

“CEO Qi?” Shu Qian’s eyes were filled with drunkenness, but her posture was surprisingly straight.

“Hm?” Qi Qing heard a hint of a whine in her “CEO Qi” and her tone subconsciously softened.

“CEO Qi, my third heat seems to be coming soon. Can I not have my annual leave deducted?” Shu Qian looked down, a little wronged.

Her appearance made Qi Qing look at her several times, trying to see if she was really drunk or just faking it. But when she heard her mention her annual leave, Qi Qing laughed and couldn’t help but tease her. “You can.” When she saw Shu Qian smile, she added, “If you use overtime to make up for it, I won’t deduct your annual leave.”

Shu Qian’s smile froze. “Overtime?”

Since they were the only ones in the elevator, Qi Qing was in a rare good mood and smiled without saying anything, leaving Shu Qian to stare blankly.

When the elevator reached their floor, Shu Qian followed Qi Qing out. When they arrived at her room door, Qi Qing turned and took her personal belongings from her hand. “You’re tired today, too. Get some rest.” After she finished speaking, she waited for Shu Qian to say goodbye and leave.

After a few seconds, Shu Qian looked at Qi Qing with eyes that were either drunk or sober and said, “CEO Qi… can I work overtime today?”