ACBAM 2: Agreement

Pushing the door open, the first thing that came into view was the alpha standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

The alpha was very tall, with broad shoulders and long legs. It was at least 1.9 meters visually.

In the elegant private room, he had a presence that was impossible to ignore.

Gu Weiyang’s gaze shifted from the window to Su Shijin as the door opened.

His eyes were dark, his emotions unreadable.

In that instant, Su Shijin felt like he was being stared down by a wild beast, making him instinctively want to take a step back.

As that thought crossed his mind, his body acted on its own.

With a thud, Su Shijin’s back bumped into the door.

The host was a little too dedicated. After seeing him enter, they closed the door right away, without making a single sound.

Su Shijin immediately felt a little embarrassed. His reaction just now seemed a bit rude.

But Gu Weiyang didn’t seem to dwell on it. He casually nodded at him and said, “Have a seat.”

Su Shijin’s throat moved slightly as he swallowed. He gave a slow nod and said softly, “Mr. Gu.”

“Mm.” Gu Weiyang sat down at the table first, raising his hand to place the thick menu across from him. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I just ordered a few things. Take a look.”

The thought of quickly saying what he needed to and turning to leave was instantly pushed back down.

…

“Alright.”

Su Shijin sat down across from him.

Only after seeing him lower his eyes to flip through the menu did Gu Weiyang slowly withdraw his gaze, turning slightly to look out the window. His fingertips tapped the table twice in silence.

After a minute or two, Gu Weiyang figured he had probably finished browsing. He reached out to press the service bell, calling the waiter in.

Tucked inside the menu was the receipt of the items already ordered. Su Shijin felt that Gu Weiyang’s choices suited his tastes quite well, so he only added two desserts.

The waiter noted the dishes, took the menu from him, respectfully stepped back two paces, then turned and left the room.

As the door closed without a sound, the room returned to the slightly awkward silence from when they first met. The sound of rain outside the window became so clear it seemed to echo inside.

Hmm? No…

It sounded a little too clear.

Su Shijin looked up at the floor-to-ceiling window and finally noticed that a small side window had been open the entire time. The sound of rain, mixed with the damp scent of moisture, dripped steadily into the room.

He had been in here for so long and only just noticed.

“Cold?” Gu Weiyang followed his line of sight and saw the window he had left open.

“No, it’s fine.”

Gu Weiyang’s concern caught Su Shijin a little off guard, but he assumed it was just polite courtesy toward a blind date, and didn’t think much of it.

Early spring rain was indeed chilly, but the private room was heated to a comfortable temperature, and Su Shijin truly wasn’t cold.

On the contrary, discovering that the enclosed space had some fresh air coming in through the open window actually helped him relax a bit. At least he didn’t feel as tense as when he had just sat down.

Gu Weiyang’s gaze brushed over his elegant features. Seeing that he truly didn’t mind, he didn’t ask further.

The room fell silent again for no apparent reason, neither of them speaking for a while.

There was a cup of tea in front of Su Shijin—he didn’t know when it had been placed there, but it was still warm.

He picked it up and took a sip, moistening his slightly dry throat.

When he looked up at Gu Weiyang, he saw the other man also sipping tea while watching the rain outside, with no intention of starting a conversation just yet.

The atmosphere, which should have felt awkward, surprisingly felt calm and harmonious under the circumstances.

Su Shijin blinked and withdrew his gaze, his eyes returning to the rippling surface of his tea.

Su Shijin stared at the tea, a little lost in thought.

He was trying to figure out how to turn the other person down in a more tactful way—at the very least, not too directly—so that it wouldn’t seem like he was rejecting him because of the rumors circulating outside.

Just judging from the brief few minutes they had spent together, his impression of Gu Weiyang wasn’t bad.

He didn’t come off as overbearing or ill-mannered.

Su Shijin was the kind of person who wouldn’t bother being polite if someone treated him badly.

But since the other party had been nothing but gentle, Su Shijin found it hard to stay firm. 

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be sitting here, actually planning to have a calm meal with him.

As for all those rumors outside about him being moody, violent, twisted…

Aside from being a little startled by his gaze when he first walked in, everything else felt pretty normal.

It wasn’t out of the question that Gu Weiyang was deliberately showing a gentler side to soften Su Shijin’s first impression of him.

Su Shijin took another sip of water, but figured it didn’t really matter.

Whatever Gu Weiyang’s personality was like, it would all be revealed during this meal. Even if the politeness was just an act, it didn’t make a difference. After this dinner, there was a good chance they would never cross paths again for the rest of their lives.

Just as he was thinking that, there was a soft knock on the door, pulling Su Shijin out of his thoughts.

Gu Weiyang withdrew his gaze from the window and responded to the door.

The private room door was gently pushed open, and the servers came in, pushing in the food cart.

Gu Weiyang had already ordered the dishes before Su Shijin arrived. The kitchen had everything prepared early so the food came out quickly.

In no time, the table was filled with a variety of dishes.

Young Master Gu seemed to be the type who didn’t like being waited on. Once the servers finished bringing in the food, he dismissed them, and the room was once again left with just the two of them.

Su Shijin was staring at the dishes in front of him, debating whether to eat first or clear the air, when the alpha across from him suddenly reached out and slid a dish over to his side.

The broad hand, marked with faint old scars, abruptly entered his line of sight, momentarily throwing Su Shijin off. He blinked in confusion and looked up.

“This one’s pretty good. Try it,” Gu Weiyang said.

“Ah… okay.” Su Shijin, looking a little dazed for once, instinctively took a bite of the dish Gu Weiyang had pushed toward him. The rich flavor burst across his tongue—it really was delicious.

From the look on his face, Gu Weiyang could tell that the dishes he had picked were probably right up to Su Shijin’s taste.

The conversation naturally shifted to the food, led along by Gu Weiyang. Su Shijin tried several times to speak up about something else, but felt too abrupt to interrupt each time, so he ended up going along with the topic.

Luckily, the things Gu Weiyang brought up were all pretty casual—for example, “This dish is a bit spicy. Do you like that?”

Su Shijin said it was fine, and Gu Weiyang just nodded.

It was really pretty good. There wasn’t a single dish on the table that Su Shijin didn’t like.

He was a little shocked at himself for not being picky at all.

Gu Weiyang casually asked about his current job. When he found out Su Shijin was a veterinarian, he seemed a little surprised, though not entirely.

“Then can I call you Dr. Su?” Gu Weiyang asked.

A lot of people called him that, so Su Shijin didn’t mind.

At the very least, it felt a lot more natural than being called “Mr. Su.”

“Call me whatever you like,” Su Shijin replied.

Gu Weiyang smiled. “You don’t need to speak so formally with me. Just relax.”

Su Shijin paused for a second, then agreed.

They chatted here and there, and before Su Shijin realized it, the meal was already over.

Gu Weiyang had the servers come in to clear the table, then brought out the final two desserts.

They were the ones Su Shijin had added to the order. It was milk-coffee ice cream and a small mousse cake.

With the window open, the aroma of the meal drifted out, leaving only the light sweetness of the cake lingering in the room.

This time, Su Shijin didn’t even have to think about how to bring it up—Gu Weiyang steered the conversation straight to the main point himself.

He stood up and took a document from the side table, opened it, and placed it in front of him.

Su Shijin, with a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth, glanced down in confusion—only to see something titled Marriage Agreement.

Su Shijin: ?

The spoon in his mouth nearly fell out from shock.

—

It wasn’t like Su Shijin had never heard of a marriage agreement before.

After all, plenty of heirs and heiresses from wealthy families signed those with their partners to prevent losing half their assets in case of an unexpected divorce.

But this was the first time Su Shijin had seen a marriage agreement like this one. It was as if the other person was afraid he wouldn’t take enough money. It listed every single asset under Gu Weiyang’s name, from major companies to minor properties. Beyond real estate, there was also a long list of liquid assets—page after page, to the point where Su Shijin’s eyes started to blur.

The agreement stated that the two of them would enter into a contractual marriage for one year.

After one year, if Su Shijin wanted a divorce, he could do so at any time.

And he would be entitled to half of all the assets that are currently under Gu Weiyang’s name.

…

Su Shijin fell silent.

He suspected someone had cast a spell on Gu Weiyang because why else would he draw up a marriage agreement that offered him absolutely no benefit? He was handing over half his fortune!

Su Shijin’s own net worth wasn’t even a fraction of that. He hadn’t inherited the Su family’s business and was just a humble veterinarian—there was nothing about him worth scheming for.

Which only made Su Shijin more convinced that Gu Weiyang had been seriously misled.

Holding his spoon, Su Shijin pushed the contract back with a serious look on his face and asked, “Mr. Gu, have you actually read this agreement?”

Gu Weiyang leaned lazily against the back of his chair. Hearing the question, he lifted his eyes to look at the omega across from him, who was frowning slightly, and nodded. “I’ve read it.”

Su Shijin’s brows furrowed even deeper. “Then you should know this agreement isn’t fair to you.”

Gu Weiyang tilted his head, puzzled. “What’s unfair about it?”

“You’re giving away more than half of your fortune,” Su Shijin tapped the document firmly with his slender fingers, as if worried he wasn’t taking it seriously. “And look—right here—it says that during the contract period, the omega has the right to refuse helping the alpha during susceptibility phases.”

Gu Weiyang nodded. “Yes, it does say that.”

“And,” Su Shijin continued, “during the omega’s heat, they’re allowed to request a temporary mark from the alpha or to ask the alpha to stay away entirely during those days, in case the pheromones trigger a reaction.”

“That’s right. It’s for the omega’s safety,” Gu Weiyang said. “You should know—omega pheromones during heat can easily cause alphas to lose control. If I’m home, I can’t guarantee I wouldn’t pose as a threat to your safety.”

He paused, then added, “Especially if you don’t want to be marked.”

Su Shijin was honestly stunned by this level of selflessness and self-sacrifice.

“…Mr. Gu.”

Su Shijin struggled to speak, his eyes filled with deep suspicion over Gu Weiyang’s mental state. “Are you marrying an omega just to keep one on display at home?”

Gu Weiyang let out a low laugh, the sharp edge to his presence briefly softening.

He leaned lazily against the back of the chair, one large hand curled around his teacup as his fingers slowly traced the rim. His gaze—undeniably bold—lingered on Su Shijin’s delicately furrowed face.

“Why not, Dr. Su?” Gu Weiyang asked softly in return.

“After all, you really are very beautiful, aren’t you?”