Title: 顶级掠食者 (Alpha Predator)

Author:水千丞 (ShuiQianCheng)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists :沈岱 (Shen Dai -MC), 瞿末予 (Qu Moyu -ML)

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The bodyguard knocked on the door a few times. Seeing that Shen Dai refused to open the door and there was no sound, he might have gone off to call the staff.

Shen Dai went over to comfort Qiuqiu, who was awakened by the knock on the door. Looking at the faint moonlight outside the window, he could only see the dark forest beyond. This resort hotel is indeed a good place for criminals to hide. During the off-season, he hardly saw any other guests.

He waited patiently. He did not know which would come to him first. It could be You Xinghai or the police.

At this time, there was another noise outside the door. Shen Dai thought about what to do if the bodyguard got the keycard to his door. But in the next moment, his door suffered a heavy blow. There was a loud ‘bang’ sound. It was like thunder on the ground in the quiet room. The door panel trembled in conjunction with the wall and the crystal chandelier above his head also rattled.

Shen Dai’s heart was beating wildly. He could feel that something was wrong. Qiuqiu was also awakened due to the shock. He stared at the ceiling dumbfoundedly, forgetting to cry for a moment.

There was another loud bang and the door was kicked open.

Two burly men broke in. Shen Dai held Qiuqiu in his arms and asked sharply, “What are you doing?!”

Qiuqiu felt Shen Dai’s panic. His little hands grabbed Shen Dai’s clothes and he cried.

One of the men blocked the door to avoid other people getting in while the other man in black said briefly and quickly: “Take the child’s things and come with us.”

“Who are you? Where are you taking us?”

“No time to talk nonsense. I’ll give you two minutes. “The man said coldly, “If you don’t want to pack up, we will just leave.”

Shen Dai’s brain was dazed for a while and he couldn’t make sense of the current situation. If he was the only one, he would definitely have to deal with it. But for the sake of Qiuqiu’s safety, he didn’t dare to take the risk. He put Qiuqiu back in the stroller and stuffed the items into the nanny bag, deliberately delaying the time.

The man at the door whispered: “Here he comes. Let’s go.” 

The man in black grabbed the nanny bag with one hand and shouted: “Let’s go.”

“Wait a minute, I still have…”

“Go now!” The man in black snapped and paved the way.

Shen Dai gritted his teeth. He picked up Qiuqiu and walked out of the guest room. He was guarded by two people back and forth. They went downstairs through the emergency exit. There was a van waiting for them downstairs.

When he got in the car, Qiuqiu was still crying. Shen Dai only felt that his scalp was about to explode, so he could only coax his child first.

After the car had driven for a while, Qiuqiu calmed down for a bit. Shen Dai covered his eyes with a small blanket and asked the person beside him in a low voice, “Can you tell me now?”

The man in black took out his mobile phone and dialled a number. He then handed it to Shen Dai.

Shen Dai took a deep breath and answered the phone: “Who’s this?”

“Shen Gong, good evening.” A familiar voice came from the receiver, with a slow tone and a slightly raised end. It is a kind of laziness that seemed to indicate his indifference about everything.

“Qu. Cheng. Chen.” Shen Dai felt his body’s temperature drop sharply.

“Is my little nephew okay? Did he cry?” Qu Chengchen said politely, “I hope I didn’t scare him.”

“What are you trying to do?”

“I’m going to help you complete your plan.” Qu Chengchen chuckled softly, “At first glance, you haven’t done anything bad. But it turns out you’re still bold enough to play.”

“Speak clearly.” Shen Dai held the phone tightly, wishing he could crush the thin screen.

“You Xinghai asked me to cooperate with him. He felt that with you and Qiuqiu in his hands, he could deal with my eldest brother together. As for me, as soon as I heard it, I knew that you were playing tricks on him. He didn’t take you seriously, but I know you better than he does. You were able to pretend to be obedient in front of my elder brother back then but you have a lot of hidden claws.” Qu Chengchen teased, “You look like an ordinary omega, but what you do is different than how you look. You can be more cruel than an ordinary one.”

“So what do you want?” Shen Dai said coldly, “kidnapped me and my child. And then what?”

“Why is it me? It’s obviously You Xinghai who did it. Actually, your trick is quite clever. It would be enough so that You Xinghai can’t eat and walk around. But you will have a greater ‘use’ in my hands.” Qu Chengchen said slowly, “I also sent someone to take that bodyguard away and now, You Xinghai won’t be able to explain himself clearly. Isn’t this the result you want?”

“He is still You Baiyue’s father. You really don’t care about your past relationships.”

Qu Chengchen snorted lightly and said in a cold tone, “He must be with you at that time. When my big brother went against me, he didn’t care about me.”

“Have you contacted Qu Moyu?” 

“Not yet.”

“When will you do it?” Shen Dai glanced at the time on the dashboard. At this time, was Qu Moyu worried because he couldn’t find them?? Thinking of this, his heart felt suffocated.

It is impossible to calculate that Qu Chengchen will suddenly attack like this. He does not understand the power struggle in the company. He only knows that Qu Chengchen has been planning against Qu Moyu for many years. He wanted the main project of Xingzhou. He schemed to induce Qu Moyu to enter the susceptible period and made him suffer. It was a pity that he lost to Qu Moyu in the end. Not only did he lose the possibility to control Xingzhou, but he was even marginalised in the decision-making position. Now he can only be an idle shareholder. For an S-class alpha, being defeated is a huge shame. But losing the battle and refusing to fight back seems to be an even greater shame.

He should have thought for a long time that he would be involved in the struggle between these two brothers. How could he easily escape now?

Qu Chengchen sneered: “When he is the most anxious.” 

***

The car drove for a long time. Shen Dai was taken to a very unfamiliar place. It was probably a small county in the suburbs of Beijing, living in a very inconspicuous, extremely high occupancy rate. He was at the top floor of a low-cost apartment building.

The house is not small, but it is empty. There were only basic daily necessities, which were urgently prepared.

The man in black said: “If you have anything else to use, make a list and I’ll buy it for you.”

Shen Dai looked around: “I don’t even have a pen and paper, how can I write?”

“You tell me. I’ll remember.” He held his phone and looked at Shen Dai.

Shen Dai told him a lot of Qiuqiu’s daily necessities, some of which are foreign brands. Just hearing the name makes the man in black bewildered. He also needs to spell it for him letter by letter. Shen Dai patiently told him over and over again that some things are expensive and it’s not easy to get them. He has to go to a special mother and baby chain store. In fact, most of these things are provided by the Qu’s family.

After making the list, he specially instructed: “Be sure to buy according to the brand on the list. The child is very picky and he won’t eat other than what he is usually used to. Or else, he will definitely get sick.”

The man in black frowned and stared at the long list: “I got it.”

Shen Dai went to prepare milk powder for Qiuqiu while coaxing him. But in fact, he secretly observed the people guarding them.

He quickly gave up the possibility of ‘escaping’. He couldn’t take the risk of hurting Qiuqiu. He didn’t know what kind of deal Qu Chengchen would make with Qu Moyu, but he knew that Qu Moyu would definitely save them. What he most looked forward to seeing, and what he believed he would see, was not the police. But it was Qu Moyu.

When he realised what he was thinking, he was surprised at first. This is because at the most painful and helpless time in his life, he never dared to imagine Qu Moyu to come save him. It was Qu Moyu who put him in this situation in the first place. In his heart, Qu Moyu has changed from the original rescuer to the perpetrator. But now, no matter how much resentment and resistance he has towards Qu Moyu, at the most critical moment, he has to admit that Qu Moyu is the only person he can rely on.

Something has changed. Or maybe a lot of things have changed.

*** 

In the urban apartment, Qu Moyu sat on the sofa with his head lowered. Cheng Ruoze covered his bleeding forearm with a tissue and waited there without saying a word. Meanwhile, the nanny was crouched in the corner and shivered.

The living room is a mess. All the glass products are broken and the metal that is not strong enough, such as candlesticks, table legs, and such had all bent strangely. It was like a typhoon passing by, or an earthquake hitting. The shock wave that was too strong destroyed all the fragile appliances. Even the large floor-to-ceiling windows made of tempered glass, had terrifying spider web-like cracks on them. The flying debris scratched Qu Moyu’s cheeks and Cheng Ruoze’s hands.

Qu Moyu’s pheromones briefly went out of control the moment he received a call from Qu Chengchen and learned of Shen Dai being held captive. His mind was full of whether Shen Dai would be afraid, would he panic, would Qiuqiu keep crying, or would he be stressed again. He could not imagine what his omega and his child were going through at this moment. This kind of feeling like he is losing his most important person frightened him like digging his heart out. It was just like losing the feeling of control.

Throughout his teenage years, while other children were playing, he spent a lot of energy learning how to control his pheromones that were too powerful as an S-class alpha. It was the equivalent of a young child holding the launch button of a missile. He has never lost control since he was an adult. Whenever he releases aggressive pheromones, it must be intentional. But Shen Dai appeared in his life. Shen Dai could stir up his emotions and even manipulate his emotions. He could make him do all kinds of irrational behaviours and violate his principles.

He had tried to avoid having any weaknesses. They will become the target of the enemy. But he can’t do anything now because that person just appeared in his life. He can roar at the whole world, but he will turn his head and only whisper softly to his omega.

Seeing that Qu Moyu had calmed down, Cheng Ruoze quietly took two steps forward and whispered, “Mr. Qu, you need to deal with the wound.” 

The previous call was made by an unfamiliar number. Qu Moyu whispered: “I broke the window. Deal with that first.”

Cheng Ruoze was stunned for a moment: “Oh. Oh, okay.” He quickly rummaged through his phone to find the property’s phone number but at the same time, he carefully leaned over and handed some tissues to Qu Moyu so that he could wipe the blood off of his face.

Qu Moyu sent a message to the unfamiliar number: “I want to talk to him.” 

A few minutes later, a call came in. Qu Moyu immediately pressed the green button, but became cautious when speaking: “…Hello? “

“It’s me.” Hearing Qu Moyu’s voice on the other end, with just one word, made Shen Dai’s heart quiver. It was as if something wrapped him and Qiuqiu at that moment and he was brought away from the noise, cold and tension. Even if it was only temporarily.

“Ah Dai!” Qu Moyu took a deep breath, “Are you both okay?”

“We’re okay, but I don’t know where I am.” Shen Dai glanced at the person who was looking at him, who was using his mouth to signal him not to talk nonsense. In fact, he really can’t provide any information regarding the location.

Qu Moyu comforted him with a calm voice: “Don’t be afraid. You just take care of yourself and Qiuqiu. I will find you soon.”

“I’m not afraid. You come as soon as possible.” Shen Dai said, “Qiuqiu is not used to this place. I didn’t bring many things with me. Did I leave the windfall pacifiers at home? And his diapers, he just doesn’t want to use other brands.”

Qu Moyu frowned: “I’ll bring them for you.” Shen Dai never wanted to use those things prepared by Uncle Heng. Qiuqiu was also not a very picky child. Shen Dai mentioned this. It must be with another intention.

“Then come pick us up quickly.” Shen Dai said softly.

Qu Moyu’s heart tightened: “Don’t be afraid and wait for me.”

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Next update: 2022.09.12

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*Translator’s note: Yes. It’s Qu Chengchen, this sad bastard. Why can’t he just go ahead and live happily ever after with You Baiyue in the first place. Grr. -K