Match the aggressive alpha with the omega

Chapter 2: The Xu Family's Compensation

"Can Can... Can Can, please open the door..." A woman's voice, tinged with sobs, came from outside. "Can Can, open the door. Mother needs to talk to you. How could Major General Xu do such a thing...?"Can walked away from the window and opened the door.As soon as the door opened, the woman standing outside, dressed in the latest long gown from some luxury brand, entered with reddened eyes. Seeing Can, she reached out, trying to give him a hug. "Can Can, don't be sad. Your father will definitely find a way..."The woman was Can's mother in this world, Li Manman, also an omega.People in this world had an average lifespan of over two hundred years. Even though Li Manman was already in her forties, she looked as if she were the same age as Can. Can wasn't accustomed to being so physically close to people of the opposite gender, even if this person was his mother, so he dodged the hug.It was an unconscious action on Can's part, but Li Manman, preoccupied with her own thoughts, didn't notice anything unusual. She naturally lowered her hand, her face still showing a look of concern."Can Can, don't be too heartbroken." The two of them sat down on the sofa as Li Manman tried to comfort her son."I'm fine," Can replied. And he really was.However, Li Manman believed Can was pretending to be strong and became even more upset on his behalf. Tears started to fall immediately. "Can Can, your father only just found out about this, and he's furious. Right now, he's contacting the Xu family. Don't worry. Major General Xu must be messing around. Maybe that omega seduced him, and that's why he betrayed the engagement...""Mm." Can had adapted well to his identity as an omega, and since Li Manman assumed he was heartbroken, he didn't bother to explain further. He merely responded nonchalantly, letting her continue. "Everyone knows about your engagement with Xu Lihan, and now that the Xu family has broken it off, they are at fault. No matter what, we won't let you be mistreated. Soon, they'll have to give us an explanation..."Can looked at Li Manman's eyes, which were full of worry and care, but his heart remained calm.Omegas were inherently sensitive and fragile creatures, and Li Manman's concern and sympathy for Can were genuine. She truly wanted to stand up for her son, but Can knew all too well that this sincerity could never outweigh her love for her husband.Even if Li Manman was currently baring her heart to Can, the moment Shi Wen showed the slightest hint of displeasure, Li Manman would betray Can without hesitation.Of course, Li Manman wouldn't really harm him physically, and Shi Wen wouldn't want to damage his precious omega son's appearance. What he did was simply use Can for countless benefits, ever since Can was a child. And Li Manman never once intervened; at most, she'd hold Can afterward, crying with guilt and worry.In Can's past life, he had no parents, and when he found out he had a complete family in this life, he had initially been filled with anticipation.But Can quickly realized that there was no warmth in Shi Wen's eyes when he looked at him. There was only a sense of usefulness and satisfaction. Li Manman's feelings toward Can were genuine, but they were purely superficial and did nothing to stop her from aiding Shi Wen in exploiting her cherished omega son.At first, Can had been moved by the warmth in his mother's eyes, until Li Manman betrayed him time and time again, always choosing Shi Wen over him without hesitation. Only then did Can's heart gradually grow cold.Now, as he gazed into the sincerity in Li Manman's eyes, Can's heart was utterly calm.After a while, Shi Wen, Can's nominal father, entered the room as well. His face showed guilt, but there was an uncontrollable satisfaction in his eyes.As soon as he spoke, Shi Wen revealed his plans for Can. "Can Can, regarding the matter between you and Major General Xu, the Xu family is also very apologetic. However, Major General Xu is quite stubborn. He's set his mind on that omega he met halfway and has already marked them. So, the engagement between our families must be dissolved..."Shi Wen looked at the increasingly exquisite and beautiful Can, a flash of satisfaction crossing his eyes, and his tone softened. "But the Xu family has compensated us and promised to help you find another excellent alpha during the delay in your pairing time."After saying the good part, Shi Wen appropriately displayed a bit of reproach. This method of combining reward and punishment was his favorite. "Can Can, I'm not blaming you, but an alpha and omega need to spend time together. How many times have you seen Xu Lihan, even though you've been engaged for so many years? Even if he's busy with military work, you could have actively sought him out. You can't entirely blame Lihan for this. No omega behaves as coldly as you do..."Listening to Shi Wen's words, Li Manman's expression gradually changed from initial worry to similar reproach. However, seeing her son's stiff face, "holding back his grief," she grew worried again."Since you and Major General Xu aren't meant to be, we'll find another excellent alpha. There's still a year of delayed pairing time, so we're not in a rush." As Can expected, with Shi Wen around, Li Manman's words had completely forgotten her previous statement about not letting Can be wronged.Can had reached the final year before his mandatory marriage. The day after tomorrow, he would begin matching with other alphas. Citizens dissatisfied with their matches could apply for a one-year delay, which the system would approve to allow them time to find another marriage partner. After a year, any still-unmarried citizen would be forced to marry their match.Both Li Manman and Shi Wen had their eyes on this year. The quality of alphas in the system's matches wasn't usually high, and Shi Wen still wanted to use Can for a political marriage to strengthen the family. He certainly wouldn't let Can match randomly with someone else.Of course, in Shi Wen's mind, he was doing this for Can's good. Marrying into a powerful family and living a life of luxury was much better than marrying a struggling alpha and waiting for them to become successful over time—such a notion was a commoner omega's self-delusion, far removed from the world of powerful families.Can was already used to their behavior. Because he had no expectations, he wasn't saddened by it anymore.After all, the Shi family had raised him safely until now. As long as they didn't go too far, Can didn't mind their little schemes. Marriage, which was a major event for other omegas in this world, didn't mean much to him.Can had cultivation techniques in his mind and spiritual power within his body. This world wasn't that dangerous. Even if his aptitude was poor, he could cultivate slowly and live far longer than most. Marriage, to him, was only a small part of life, something he could take or leave.Can had already planned: if he got along well with his marriage partner, he would accompany them through life. But if the relationship soured, he would find an opportunity to fake his death, retreat into seclusion for decades, and wait until everyone had forgotten him. Then, he would assume a new identity and live elsewhere.Li Manman, seeing the cold and despondent expression on Can's face, suddenly remembered the birthday banquet scheduled for tomorrow. Instinctively, she looked at Shi Wen. "Brother Wen, since Major General Xu has called off the engagement, we'll need to change the plans for Can Can's birthday banquet tomorrow. Do you think we still have time?""Birthday banquet..." Shi Wen frowned. He had indeed forgotten about that.Shi Wen had originally planned for Can's 20th birthday banquet to coincide with his marriage to Major General Xu. When negotiating with the Xu family, they had agreed that Xu Lihan would return that day. But unexpectedly, Xu Lihan had secretly married another omega behind the Xu family's back.The Shi family had already sent out invitations, and everyone had assumed that day would be the wedding between Xu Lihan and Can.Now, the banquet's significance had become awkward."Why don't we just celebrate it with our family?" Li Manman suggested, her face still pale from today's events. "After what happened with Major General Xu, I've received no shortage of mocking calls on my terminal. If we let them come tomorrow, I'm afraid Can Can won't be in the mood..."Today, Li Manman had endured many subtle taunts about their family clinging to the Xu family while the Xu family couldn't care less. Tomorrow, many would likely come just to watch the spectacle.Shi Wen thought for a moment and then refused. He needed to use the birthday banquet to spread the news about the Xu family's compensation. He wanted the other families to know that even though Can hadn't married into the Xu family, the relationship between the two families remained intact.As for the feelings of the two omegas in his family, Shi Wen didn't understand why omegas would let others' words make them sick. Dismissing their concerns, he said, "Just pretend you didn't hear anything. Don't let it bother you.""The birthday banquet must still go on. Go check the venue and remove any inappropriate decorations. It's fine if the events are shortened. At the end, just let people mingle freely." Although they had received compensation from the Xu family, Shi Wen still felt humiliated by Xu Lihan's last-minute cancellation. He specifically emphasized, "Be thorough. Remove everything related to Xu Lihan."Li Manman, not daring to argue with Shi Wen's orders, glanced guiltily at Can and then nodded in agreement. "...Alright."Can didn't pay much attention. In name, it was his birthday banquet, but in reality, it was Shi Wen's social event. All he had to do was make an appearance at the beginning, then find a corner to rest.ZWith Li Manman personally overseeing the decorations, by the end of the night, everything unsuitable had been removed or replaced. The next day, they bought some new decorations to fill the gaps. By six or seven in the evening, guests started arriving one after another.As Can had expected, after he stood on stage at the beginning and received a flood of compliments, the rest of the night was spent with Shi Wen flaunting his relationship with the Xu family.Uninterested in Shi Wen's performance and not wanting to be disturbed by others, Can found a corner and used a small concealment spell that caused people to subconsciously ignore him.Watching the guests who started to approach him, only to walk back and forth a few times in confusion before turning away, Can, satisfied, picked up a small cake and took a bite, closing his eyes in contentment.At the same time, in the Si family's villa district, a man who had been writing at his desk suddenly became dazed for a moment before slowly regaining his senses.Seeing the strategic battle command he had been writing, the man's gaze turned cold and violent. He raised his hand and tore apart the valuable document, which had taken him almost two years to write.After a long silence, a cold laugh echoed through the quiet room.