After Rebirth, Married to a Deadly Enemy - Chapter 55

After Shi Zhen moved out, everything returned to how it used to be. Bai Xiangxing went to work on time, and Shi Zhen never showed any overly affectionate gestures anymore. Only Shi Ning would occasionally glance at them with a look of disappointment and regret. Every time Bai Xiangxing saw Shi Ning’s expression, he couldn’t help but feel amused. He wondered why this little guy, at such a young age, was so worried.

 

“President Bai, Bai Corporation is selling off its industries,” Wan Tong reported the recent changes in Bai Corporation to Bai Xiangxing.

 

“So soon?” With the old man Bai arrested, Bai Corporation would surely struggle under the management of Bai Cang and his son. Bai Xiangxing had anticipated that Bai Corporation might collapse, but he didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. The old man had only been arrested for less than a week.

 

“The pharmaceutical factory is the main source of liquidity for Bai Corporation. After we seized their business, their cash flow became tight. In the past month alone, their shipments have been robbed by star pirates three times. Apart from the losses of goods, they also incurred significant penalties for failure to deliver on time. With the old man Bai gone, many clients are coming to collect debts, so Bai Corporation has no choice but to sell off its industries,” Wan Tong explained.

 

These were all his doings. He indeed intended to undermine Bai Corporation through these means. While these tactics seemed like normal competition at first glance, almost every step was sabotaging Bai Corporation’s future. In his plan, Bai Corporation would collapse within three months due to the breakdown of its cash flow. The old man probably saw the end of Bai Corporation coming, which prompted his attempt to kill himself.

 

If the attempt succeeded, Bai Corporation would be saved. If not, Bai Corporation would collapse ahead of schedule.

 

“Selling off industries now is the smart move. Bai Corporation can’t hold on any longer. It’s better to sell now and salvage some assets,” Wan Tong said, then glanced at Bai Xiangxing with a hint of something unsaid.

 

Bai Xiangxing, seeing Wan Tong hesitating to speak, furrowed his brow. “If you have something to say, just say it.”

 

“Well… Bai Corporation’s foundation is still quite solid,” Wan Tong tentatively said.

 

“Interested in buying?” Bai Xiangxing raised an eyebrow.

 

“Manager Zhang asked me to inquire about your opinion.”

 

“Zhang Hongming? Not bad. How long has it been, and he already has such strategic insight?” Bai Xiangxing was somewhat surprised. Zhang Hongming had been handling finance for decades at Xinshi. It seemed like just a few months after taking over Xinshi, he was already engaging in such high-level operations like acquiring companies.

 

“It was suggested by someone under him. Two months ago, he hired a top talent from the Finance Department of Capital University as his assistant,” Wan Tong said.

 

“No wonder.” Bai Xiangxing chuckled. “That assistant must be quite talented.”

 

Wan Tong nodded and continued to look at Bai Xiangxing.

 

“What’s your suggestion?” Bai Xiangxing asked Wan Tong.

 

Wan Tong suddenly felt conflicted. From a business perspective, it would be a good choice for Xinshi to acquire Bai Corporation to expand itself. Just considering Bai Corporation’s entire pharmaceutical production line, acquiring it would mean Xinshi wouldn’t need to prepare new production lines. Xinshi’s pharmaceuticals were in high demand, so acquiring these production lines would immediately address the supply shortage, and they could even retain Bai Corporation’s existing workers.

 

But based on his understanding of his own boss, Bai Xiangxing probably wouldn’t want to take over Bai Corporation. When leaving the Bai family, Bai Xiangxing had said he wanted Bai Corporation to go bankrupt, not to take over Bai Corporation. It seemed he only wanted to destroy Bai Corporation.

 

How should he answer? Saying no to the acquisition might seem unprofessional. Saying yes might upset his boss. Although Bai Xiangxing’s emotions weren’t very obvious, Wan Tong could sense that his boss had been in a bad mood these days. Well, who wouldn’t be in a bad mood if they knew their own grandfather had hired someone to kill them?

 

“Purely from a business perspective, acquiring it is a good choice. If we don’t buy it, we won’t incur any losses,” Wan Tong said, then immediately regretted not being able to slap himself. What did it mean by not incurring any losses if they didn’t buy it? Of course, not buying it wouldn’t incur any losses in the first place!

 

Bai Xiangxing found Wan Tong’s expression of regret somewhat amusing. How could he not understand the meaning behind those words? Wan Tong supported acquiring Bai Corporation but was considering Bai Xiangxing’s feelings. It had to be said that Wan Tong understood him well. In the previous life when he destroyed Bai Corporation, he didn’t acquire it either. He was still considered part of the Bai family. Although he had been expelled, in the eyes of outsiders, he was still the heir of the Bai family. If he acquired Bai Corporation, it wouldn’t be considered bankruptcy but rather him snatching it back.

 

But what he wanted was for Bai Corporation to disappear completely, to cease to exist.

 

“Wrong. Not buying would definitely incur losses. It’s like seeing a hundred star coins on the road. If you don’t pick them up and someone else does, then you’ve lost a hundred star coins,” Bai Xiangxing said.

 

Wan Tong was stunned for a moment, feeling like there was something wrong with the logic, but upon careful consideration, it seemed correct.

 

After a moment, Wan Tong suddenly shook. “You agree to acquire it?!”

 

“Why wouldn’t I agree? It’s foolish not to make money when you have the chance. Let Zhang Hongming come up with an acquisition plan for me.” Xinshi was growing bigger, and every department needed to grow. Let’s see if this new assistant in the finance department was truly talented.

 

“Yes, I’ll do that right away.” Wan Tong nodded and smiled as he walked out.

 

After making this decision, Bai Xiangxing realized he didn’t despise Bai Corporation as much as he had imagined. Was it because of his rebirth? Whatever. At least it would save him a lot of money. He could use the saved money to buy armor for the Flame Team.

 

Wait, hadn’t he transferred money to Shi Zhen yet?

 

Recalling, he realized he hadn’t. He had been busy since returning, and Shi Zhen hadn’t mentioned it to him either. He completely forgot about it. Now that he remembered, he immediately called the finance department and borrowed fifty million star coins from the company’s account.

 

=

 

Military Department, training ground.

 

The Flame Team had just finished training and gathered together for a chat.

 

“The boss has been acting really strange lately, not even happy about getting promoted.” This morning, Shi Zhen accumulated enough military merits to be promoted to the rank of Major. This should have been a cause for celebration, but Shi Zhen remained expressionless throughout the process, even surprising the Major General who was in charge of conferring the rank. Afterwards, someone discreetly asked Liang Chen if Shi Zhen was unhappy about being promoted to Major.

 

“What’s there to be happy about being just a Major? The boss is destined to take over the Storm Legion in the future,” Liang Chen remarked.

 

“True.” Taking over as the commander of the Storm Legion would mean becoming a General. Compared to that, being just a Major didn’t seem like much. However, Shi Zhen was only twenty-six years old, already the youngest Major in the Storm Legion, and most importantly, all these military merits were earned by Shi Zhen himself through actual combat.

 

“It’s not about the promotion, it’s just that the boss has been acting really off lately. Could it be a relationship problem?” someone speculated.

 

“You guys just noticed?” Liang Chen sneered.

 

“I see. Do you know what’s going on?” everyone looked at Liang Chen.

 

“I’m not sure about the specifics,” Liang Chen shrugged.

 

“Tsk!” Everyone scorned him.

 

“Do you guys think, if there’s a rift between the boss and  Xing Shao, will we still have a chance to get our armor?” suddenly someone sighed and asked.

 

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at the person with disdain. “Are you still human? At a time like this, you’re still worried about armor?”

 

“I don’t want to either, but I’ve already paid the deposit,” the person said with some grievances. He really wanted a set of fourth-level armor for himself. After returning from Planet K, he immediately ordered a set of armor online that he had been eyeing for a long time. To prevent others from snatching it, he paid a deposit of a hundred thousand star coins in advance. Seeing that half of the two-week deadline had passed, the money promised by Xing Shao still hadn’t arrived.

 

“You idiot! Why did you pay the deposit in advance?” Liang Chen scolded.

 

“I didn’t expect the boss to quarrel with Xing Shao,” the person said somewhat dejectedly. “Do you think if I tell the boss about this, he can go back and pacify Xing Shao? I’ve saved up this hundred thousand star coins for almost a year.”

 

“You pauper!”

 

“You’re not a pauper, you already have fourth-level armor.”

 

“…”, Liang Chen, who already had fourth-level armor, fell silent.

 

At this time, Shi Zhen was in the logistics department repairing the armor. This mission was quite difficult, and during the battle, the armor was damaged to some extent. It had been almost repaired these days, and Shi Zhen came today to inspect it.

 

“How is it? Any areas where it’s not working smoothly?” the repairman asked.

 

“No, it feels even smoother,” Shi Zhen said.

 

“That’s because I adjusted a few designs to better suit your combat habits during battle,” the repairman smiled, “This armor of yours wasn’t custom-made, was it?”

 

“No, someone bought it and gave it to me,” Shi Zhen shook his head.

 

“It must be President Bai from Xinshi, right?” the repairman guessed.

 

A set of seventh-level armor was not cheap. A few months ago, the team leader Shi Zhen couldn’t even afford fifth-level armor. Suddenly being so extravagant, apart from his particularly money-savvy partner, there was no one else.

 

That’s right, in just a few months, turning Xinshi from the brink of bankruptcy into what it is now, Bai Xiangxing’s reputation for making money had even reached the military. He even heard that Bai Xiangxing promised to provide each member of the Flame Team with a set of fourth-level armor. This was indeed a generous move.

 

Shi Zhen nodded.

 

“I knew it. How could someone else afford to give you such an expensive armor? It could only be your partner,” the repairman said.

 

Shi Zhen’s originally expressionless face smiled slightly when he heard the words “your partner”: “How much is the maintenance fee?”

 

“No need. Although this armor of yours is private, it was used for military tasks, so the maintenance fee is waived. But you’ll need to sign a maintenance form in the military backend,” the repairman said.

 

“Where?” Shi Zhen signed this for the first time. Previously, when he went on missions, he wore military-issued armor and didn’t have to go through this process.

 

“You project it out, I’ll show you,” the repairman said.

 

Shi Zhen didn’t hesitate and projected the internal scene of his light brain.

 

After looking at it, just as the repairman was about to point to a green button inside, a message popped up from the lower right corner: [I’ve just transferred seventy million star coins to you. Take them to buy armor.]

 

Seventy million!!!

 

The repairman’s eyes widened in astonishment. He saw Shi Zhen immediately cut off the projection and replied to the message: [We don’t need that much.]

 

Bai Xiangxing: [The rest is your pocket money.]

 

Pocket money?? The repairman silently calculated in his mind. Relying on his familiarity with armor, he quickly estimated the approximate difference. Two million, at least two million star coins would be left over.

 

Two million star coins as pocket money, that was his salary for how many years.

 

“Where do I sign?” Shi Zhen asked the repairman.

 

“Oh, here.” The repairman couldn’t suppress his envy and admiration, “Major Shi, your partner is really good to you.”

 

Shi Zhen smiled and nodded.

 

Exiting the maintenance department, Shi Zhen took the Flame Team to buy armor. Although they didn’t mention it in front of him, Shi Zhen knew his soldiers best. These guys had already picked out the armor they wanted in private and were just waiting for him to bring them money to buy it.

 

A team of more than ten people went to buy armor, and it wasn’t until eleven o’clock at night that they finished. When Shi Zhen returned home, it was almost midnight.

 

Entering the living room, Shi Zhen found the TV still on. Did Xiao Ning forget to turn it off? As he approached the sofa, he saw Bai Xiangxing lying there.

 

Bai Xiangxing was wearing soft home clothes, covered with a blanket, curled up and lying sideways on the sofa, with a somewhat stiff posture. It seemed like he had fallen asleep while watching TV and slid down the sofa. Perhaps because he was uncomfortable sleeping, Bai Xiangxing’s brows were lightly furrowed, his lips slightly pursed, alluring and enticing.

 

No.

 

Shi Zhen quickly averted his gaze, not daring to look at Bai Xiangxing’s lips. He almost kissed him just now.

 

Damn it, he thought he could really become like before, but how could it be the same? He never truly possessed him like before.

 

Taking a deep breath, suppressing the palpitations in his heart, Shi Zhen walked around the sofa and approached Bai Xiangxing, intending to carry him back to the room.

 

“What do you want to do?” Shi Zhen’s hand touched Bai Xiangxing’s shoulder, waking him up. Bai Xiangxing seemed startled, shrinking back into the sofa, looking at Shi Zhen warily.

 

Seeing this, a moment of darkness flashed in Shi Zhen’s eyes, then he stepped back a step: “I thought you were asleep and wanted to carry you upstairs.”

 

“Carry me upstairs? Trying to take advantage of me?” Bai Xiangxing asked.

 

He did mind after all.

 

Shi Zhen hurriedly explained, “No, I just wanted to carry you upstairs.”

 

“Words can deceive people, but pheromones can’t.”

 

Shi Zhen’s face turned red in an instant.

 

“I’m sorry.” Shi Zhen dared not look at Bai Xiangxing.

 

Bai Xiangxing sighed. He knew that this kind of thing couldn’t be blamed on Shi Zhen. They were marked partners. Yes, although he could control his actions, as an Alpha, wanting to possess the Omega he liked was instinctual.

 

So it was strange that Shi Zhen didn’t have a reaction to his pheromones. But just now, when he realized it, he felt uncomfortable deep down. Not because of Shi Zhen, but because he had a reaction. Because of the Omega’s instinctual obedience and submission to the Alpha’s pheromones.

 

Elder Bai wanted to tame him, to turn him into a thorough Omega from body to mind, and Shi Zhen marking him was like evidence of Elder Bai’s successful taming. When he realized this, he was disgusted. Bai Xiangxing didn’t know what his expression was like at that moment, but judging from Shi Zhen’s proactive move to move out of the room, he must have shown it very clearly.

 

“It’s not your fault.” Bai Xiangxing sighed.

 

Shi Zhen felt relieved.

 

“We’re not suitable to stay together now. I’ll find a place to move out these days.”

 

“Where are you going?” Shi Zhen raised his head in surprise.

 

“We’ll live separately for now. When the one-year deadline is up, I’ll go get the mark removed, and then we’ll divorce,” Bai Xiangxing said calmly.

 

“Can’t we stay married?” Shi Zhen’s voice trembled slightly.

 

Bai Xiangxing looked up at him and said bluntly, “You should have felt it at the police station that day, otherwise you wouldn’t have moved out of my room. I feel disgusted in my heart. Of course, I’m not disgusted with you, but I can’t get over this psychologically. Besides, we originally agreed to divorce after a year.”

 

This was the best outcome he had thought of in these days, divorce was the plan, the mark was an accident.

 

Shi Zhen’s face turned pale when he heard Bai Xiangxing say he felt disgusted. He had guessed it was something like this, but hearing it firsthand was tens of times more shocking.

 

“Can’t we still get along like before? After the divorce, you won’t remarry, and I won’t either. Why can’t we maintain the status quo?” 

 

Bai Xiangxing opened his mouth to speak, but Shi Zhen, fearing he would say something he didn’t want to hear, hastily interrupted, “I know, my pheromones offended you just now. But, you’re the person I like. Seeing you triggers an instinctive reaction in my pheromones, which I can’t control. But I can control my actions. You’ve seen that these days, I’ve been behaving well. We can still be like before.”

 

“We can be friends after the divorce, it’s no different from now,” Bai Xiangxing said after hesitating.

 

“It’s different for me,” Shi Zhen persisted, “You’re still my partner.”

 

At least, my partner is someone I like.

 

Bai Xiangxing wanted to say that it wasn’t fair to Shi Zhen, and he would feel guilty too, but when he saw Shi Zhen’s somewhat fragile eyes, he suddenly couldn’t say it.

 

This was Shi Zhen, the future war god of the Alliance. How could such a person show weakness?

 

“Last time you asked me a question, you asked me if I would treat you the same way if you were still an Alpha. I actually answered you later, but you fell asleep. I don’t know if you heard it, so I’ll say it again now. It’s not because you’re an Omega that I like you.”

 

Bai Xiangxing widened his eyes slightly.

 

“I know you hate being treated as an Omega by others, but I would still like you.” 

 

Bai Xiangxing didn’t know how to respond. Shi Zhen’s affection was too strong, surpassing his imagination. He didn’t know how to react. After a while, Bai Xiangxing moved his body, wanting to stand up, but his legs had been curled up for too long and had gone numb. As soon as he stood up, he lost his balance.

 

Shi Zhen quickly caught him before he fell.

 

Bai Xiangxing looked up in surprise, and Shi Zhen immediately understood. He quickly withdrew his hand.

 

Bai Xiangxing lost his balance and fell back onto the sofa. It didn’t hurt, but the numbness in his legs was uncomfortable. He gritted his teeth and said, “You’ll die if you support me like this. Didn’t you say you want to go back to the way things were?”

 

Bai Xiangxing shouted at Shi Zhen, leaving him stunned, then ecstatic: “You agreed?!”

 

“What nonsense. Help me upstairs,” Bai Xiangxing said, raising his hand.

 

Shi Zhen grinned and took hold of Bai Xiangxing’s arm, helping him upstairs cautiously. Actually, this was inconvenient. Carrying him upstairs would be faster, but Shi Zhen dared not do so now.

 

Shi Zhen carried Bai Xiangxing back to the second-floor bedroom, carefully laying him down on the bed. “Rest, I’ll go out.”

 

“Who beat you up? It’s been days, and the bruises still haven’t healed,” Bai Xiangxing said. In fact, Bai Xiangxing had noticed the bruises on Shi Zhen’s face a long time ago, but he hadn’t been in the mood to ask at the time.

 

“I was distracted during training and got bumped by Guan Longfei,” Shi Zhen explained.

 

“Oh, then why didn’t you apply medicine?” 

 

Shi Zhen seemed to remember something and glanced at Bai Xiangxing, who remained silent.

 

Bai Xiangxing had just asked casually, but seeing Shi Zhen’s expression, he immediately sensed something was up and couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”

 

“The military doctor wouldn’t give me medicine, saying… he wants me to come back and act pitiful,” Shi Zhen explained with a smile. “These days, my mood hasn’t been good, and they think we’ve been fighting.”

 

“Act pitiful, huh?” Bai Xiangxing’s eyes lit up with interest suddenly. “Act pitiful for me to see.”

 

Shi Zhen looked at Bai Xiangxing in embarrassment, feeling like Bai Xiangxing was teasing him, but he had no evidence.

 

“Forget it, let’s just get a divorce,” Bai Xiangxing pretended to be angry.

 

Shi Zhen hurriedly held Bai Xiangxing back, his expression changing several times before finally showing a somewhat stiff expression as he said somewhat pitifully, “I… I’m injured too, can we… not get a divorce?”

 

Bai Xiangxing stared at him as if he had been startled.

 

Shi Zhen’s face flushed, wishing he could find a hole to hide in.

 

“Shi Zhen, I hate complicated relationships. Like it if you like it, dislike it if you dislike it. If we can be together, then let’s be together, if we can’t, then let’s completely separate,” Bai Xiangxing said.

 

What did Bai Xiangxing mean, was he changing his mind again? Shi Zhen’s expression changed.

 

Bai Xiangxing suddenly grabbed Shi Zhen’s shoulder, lifting his upper body and leaning close to Shi Zhen.

 

Shi Zhen’s pupils contracted, and he smelled the scent of the sea breeze.

 

“Just do it once, mark me,” Bai Xiangxing said. If you can’t figure something out, you won’t know until you try it.

 

Shi Zhen’s body sank, and he was already lying on the bed with Bai Xiangxing beneath him. He didn’t refuse because he knew this was Bai Xiangxing giving him a chance. Because he wanted to be with him and was willing to try.

 

The lights in the room were turned off at some point. The pitch-black environment made their senses more acute. Bai Xiangxing could feel Shi Zhen’s tenderness, but when his rough hand reached for his pants, he still stiffened.

 

Shi Zhen sensed Bai Xiangxing’s resistance and stopped his movements.

 

“Don’t stop,” Bai Xiangxing heard the determination in his own voice. “If you want to keep me, don’t stop.”

 

He resisted because the disgust in his heart was still there. But for Shi Zhen, he was willing to give it a try.

 

In response to Bai Xiangxing, Shi Zhen’s actions suddenly became rough.

 

In the heat of the moment, Bai Xiangxing gradually lost consciousness until he was exhausted. Then, with no strength left, he muttered weakly, “Bastard, didn’t we agree to do it only once?”