Chapter 28

Ruan Xi immediately heard about Auston spending a fortune to buy nearly half the auction center's items for Ruan Tang. After that, he hated Ruan Tang even more and was determined to get Auston into his hands.

No matter how beautiful Ruan Tang was, no matter that he had the Protagonist Halo, so what?

None of that could compare to the beauty of his soul and the golden finger blessed by the System. He believed that Auston just hadn't had a chance to get in touch with him and spend time with him. Once Auston did, he would soon cast Ruan Tang aside, realize that Ruan Tang was nothing but a pretty vase, and stop loving him.

Just like Shen Mozhi, Zhou Yao... and all the other people around Ruan Tang.

In any confrontation with him, Ruan Tang was destined to suffer a crushing defeat. It had always been this way, and it always would be.

Just thinking that from now on, all the glory and splendor Ruan Tang had gained from Auston would be taken away by him and belong to him alone, Ruan Xi couldn't help but get excited...

And to achieve this goal, he made many preparations, even deliberately adjusting the sound of his voice—

Soft and delicate, just the kind of tone Alphas found most appealing.

"Hm? What do you want?" Auston was in a good mood today, so he didn't flare up at someone approaching him out of nowhere. Instead, uncharacteristically, he asked him why.

He felt the person before him looked a bit familiar, but couldn't remember when he had seen him before...

He merely guessed to himself that it was probably some noble Omega he had encountered at a banquet somewhere. There were far too many people in the imperial capital who knew him but whom he didn't know.

When Ruan Xi saw him affable and seemingly in a good mood, completely unlike the terrifying figure of rumor, he immediately gained even more confidence. Even before using any System items, he was already brimming with self-assurance, feeling that his charm was boundless.

He looked at Auston gently and softly, making himself seem tender and harmless, and introduced himself: "I... I am Marshal Ruan Ming's sixth son, Ruan Tang's younger brother, Ruan Xi..."

When he spoke, his eyes were pure, yet carried a hint of a cat-like hook, a contradictory blend of innocence and allure, extremely seductive.

"Oh, so you're Ruan Tang's brother. What do you want?" Auston had initially not wanted to pay him any attention, but upon hearing that he was Ruan Tang's brother, he restrained himself a little.

He didn't know much about Ruan Tang's family relations or how he got along with this younger brother... He only vaguely remembered that Marshal Ruan Ming seemed to have quite a lot of children...

And Ruan Tang was born to his first wife.

"I... I have come to beg Your Grace to let my brother go and grant him and Brother Zhou happiness..." Ruan Xi, seeing that he was willing to talk to him, became even more confident. He looked at Auston with eyes full of entreaty, adopting an expression of kindness and harmlessness.

He wasn't particularly good-looking, but he had large, bright eyes...

When he looked at someone with wide eyes, he seemed as innocent as a fawn.

His words seemed innocuous on the surface, but they carried hooks that easily drew people in to probe further...

Especially, the implication in his words was telling an Alpha that his partner likely had a history with another Alpha — there was simply no Alpha who wouldn't be bothered by that.

"Oh? You want me to let your brother go?" Auston had been rather uninterested, but at these words, his interest was suddenly piqued.

"Yes, Your Grace..." Ruan Xi looked at Auston cautiously, throwing himself into his performance with even more fervor: "My brother and Brother Zhou are truly in love. It was all because I asked Brother Zhou for help that caused my brother to misunderstand. And Brother Zhou, due to some of my brother's actions, misunderstood that my brother was coveting wealth and status, that he was only with him because of his identity. That's why things ended up as they did..."

His voice was soft and sweet, seemingly telling a regrettable love story, but he was constantly digging pits and setting knives for Ruan Tang.

Auston rubbed his chin, watching him with great interest. He neither rebuked nor interrupted him but continued to listen to his fabrications.

"Although some of my brother's actions are indeed easy to misunderstand — he even admitted to Brother Zhou — I believe he must have had his reasons for doing so; he certainly didn't do it out of malice... Seeing them like this, my heart truly aches." His brows were furrowed, and his eyes had become moist, as if he truly felt deep regret over Ruan Tang and Zhou Yao's separation.

Auston's face was expressionless. He tapped the armrest of his wheelchair with his index finger and said indifferently: "If your heart aches, why are you telling me?"

He knew he was a madman, but this person who claimed to be Ruan Tang's brother seemed even more illogical than him...

"His heart aches — what the hell does that have to do with me!"

Ruan Xi hadn't expected him to be so indifferent and to focus on such an odd point. He was momentarily speechless, then quickly waved his hands and said: "No, no, no. I didn't mean to talk about my heart aching. What I wanted to tell you is that my brother didn't choose to marry you out of love; he did it to use you to get back at me and Brother Zhou..."

"He married you just to spite Brother Zhou." His face was completely flushed, making him look both cute and alluring.

Hearing this, Auston suddenly laughed: "So what?"

He had never thought that Ruan Tang had chosen to marry him out of love anyway.

"My brother didn't marry you out of love. Your union wasn't because you loved each other, but because of your own calculated schemes and purposes... The person my brother truly loves is Brother Zhou." Ruan Xi bit his lower lip and said, "Your marriage will never be happy. Your Grace, I beg you, please be merciful and let my brother go..."

Tears streamed down his face, heartbroken: "Although everyone outside says you are terrifying, and my brother even said before the wedding that you were the Bluebeard of the imperial capital, known for your crippled legs, ruined face, and bizarre temperament, I believe you must be a good person. You're not like what they say, are you?"

"Your Grace, can you let my brother go?"

Auston suddenly laughed.

The laughter squeezed from his throat was eerie and uncanny, like a ghost's.

It directly made Ruan Xi tremble with fear, frozen in place.

"You think too much. I'm not a good person at all. I am exactly that crippled, ruthless, ugly Bluebeard that people talk about." Auston looked at the trembling Ruan Xi, his eyes icy and his tone harsh: "Do you have some misunderstanding about me?"

Ruan Xi was speechless. Under his glance, almost involuntarily, the hairs all over his body stood on end.

"As for letting your brother go, don't even think about it. I don't care who he loves. Once he married me, he became my Omega... Unless I die, he will never leave me in this lifetime." He spoke each word icily.

With that, he didn't even spare Ruan Xi another glance, immediately turned his wheelchair and left...

Ruan Xi was extremely frightened as he watched his retreating figure, but then he thought: today was already the last day. Before this, he had been unable to find a way to get close to him. If he didn't succeed in seducing him today, to use a System item on him when his conviction wavered, making him transfer his feelings for Ruan Tang to himself...

Then he would be finished, and the Protagonist Halo he had so hard snatched would shatter.

He gritted his teeth, forcefully suppressing his fear, and caught up with Auston's wheelchair. He said loudly: "Your Grace, I don't know why you belittle yourself so much, but I know you are definitely not the person you describe yourself as... I... I have always admired you."

"My brother doesn't have you in his heart, only Brother Zhou. Why do you insist on trapping him and not let things take their natural course?" As he spoke, he reached out to grab Auston's hand.

Using physical contact to make Alphas feel a special throb and sensation toward him was one of Ruan Xi's usual tricks... He had almost never failed.

No Alpha he had touched could withstand it...

Although he didn't want to use this move so early, time told him that he couldn't wait any longer.

But before his hand could even touch Auston's skin, Auston raised his hand without mercy, his Spirit Power flaring up defensively, and directly flung him away.

Ruan Xi was smashed onto the floor.

Along with him, a heap of tables, chairs, and wine bottles were toppled over.

A series of clattering sounds rang out.

The entire banquet's clamor came to an abrupt halt.

Everyone stared at the scene in shock.

Ruan Xi looked at Auston in disbelief, never imagining that an Alpha could be so ungentlemanly, that he would attack an Omega who had just professed admiration for him in public. He was in so much pain that his face turned pale, and sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead. The Spirit Power attack caused him to directly vomit a mouthful of blood: "Urgh~"

Before he could even slowly pick himself up from the ground, he had already fainted.

Before he passed out, there was only one thought in his mind—

"This Alpha really is a madman."

Because of the huge upheaval on the scene, Ruan Tang, as the family member of the perpetrator, rushed to Auston's side almost at the same time as the banquet host.

Ruan Tang looked at the unconscious Ruan Xi on the floor in bewilderment, then at Auston whose face was livid, and hastily asked: "Your Grace, what happened?"

In the interlude of the banquet, Ruan Tang had already seen Ruan Xi approach Auston. He couldn't deny that when he saw that scene, his heart had jumped, and he had felt a sense of fear.

Because the way Ruan Xi approached Auston was exactly the same as how he had approached Shen Mozhi, Zhou Yao... and everyone else around Ruan Tang before.

And after Ruan Xi approached them like that, everyone around Ruan Tang would abandon him and switch to Ruan Xi's side.

Ruan Tang didn't know why, but he couldn't deny that Ruan Xi possessed a deadly allure for Alphas...

The moment he saw Ruan Xi, Ruan Tang had initially thought of stepping forward to stop him, but in the end, he chose not to. First, because if someone was destined to be attracted to Ruan Xi, they were bound to fall for him; it would be useless for him to intervene, and he might even be humiliated and slapped down by Ruan Xi in turn. Second, because he and Auston were called a married couple, but in reality, they were just two strangers bound together by a partner relationship.

Ruan Tang did not consider himself qualified to restrict Auston.

But after that, his mind had gone over and over the question: if Ruan Xi really seduced Auston and Auston was attracted to him, what would he do?

Ruan Tang thought it over and ultimately concluded that if that really happened, no matter how difficult, he would have no choice but to divorce.

He could accept that his partner was crazy, ugly, or disabled... but he absolutely could not accept that his partner had Ruan Xi in his heart, was infatuated with Ruan Xi.

That was Ruan Tang's bottom line.

But unexpectedly, Auston gave him such a surprise.

An Alpha who directly threw the universally adored Ruan Xi out and knocked him unconscious — Auston was the first one Ruan Tang had ever encountered in his life.