Beta Doesn't Mean a Bottom

Controlled Detonation

Chapter 19

Shen Qiao’s breathing was steady beside him.

Warmth filled the bed—comforting, familiar, dangerous.

Lin Wanyue lay facing the wall, the blanket pulled just below his nose, eyes wide open in the dark.

Sleep never came.

Not after the way Shen had carried him. Not after the way he’d smiled and spoken with such quiet affection. Not after the way his voice softened when he said, “You were waiting.”

That wasn’t how the story was supposed to go.

The gala had been the first break. Now this—gentleness, attention, the warmth of someone who wasn’t planning to walk away.

Shen Qiao was no longer behaving like the man in the novel.

And that made him unpredictable.

Lin couldn’t wait any longer.

He had planned to drag out the original timeline. Hold back, distance himself, slowly unwind the bond until it frayed on its own. But if the story wasn’t playing its part, then neither would he.

He’d bring the first crack himself.

A clean break. The kind that couldn’t be explained away by kindness or comfort. Something irreversible.

Lying still beneath the covers, Lin made his decision.

He would fake the pregnancy now.

The emotional spiral it triggered in the original novel had been slow and brutal—but that was when Shen still had time to doubt, to step away. If Lin moved first, and framed the timing just right, it would force everything to collapse faster. Earlier.

He closed his eyes, not to sleep, but to shut out the fragile warmth pressing against his back.

Shen Qiao would believe him.

He always did.

---

By morning, Lin was already awake.

Shen shifted beside him once, mumbling something half-conscious, before rolling over and dozing off again. Lin sat up quietly, moved through the room like fog, and dressed without sound.

He left a light impression in the pillows, just enough to look like he’d gone to the bathroom. No notes. No noise.

Outside, the air was cool, the streets thin with early traffic.

Lin kept his face down, hoodie up, terminal tucked securely into his sleeve. The ride to the hospital was short. The entrance unremarkable. Discretion had been his top priority when selecting this place weeks ago, and it hadn’t changed.

The receptionist barely glanced at him.

The doctor didn’t ask questions.

He played his part—nervous but hopeful, soft-spoken, hands in his lap. The kind of Beta who wanted to be sure. The kind of person who looked like they were about to cry if the result came back wrong.

It didn’t take much to secure what he needed.

A digital report. Stamped, watermarked, and automatically synced to a cloud backup. Printed copy sealed and handed over with a warm smile and wishes for a healthy pregnancy.

Lin thanked them with lowered eyes.

Then he walked out and never looked back.

---

He returned home mid-morning.

Shen was still asleep, his arm stretched toward Lin’s side of the bed as if searching for something warm to pull close.

Lin stood in the doorway for a moment, watching silently.

His fingers tightened on the envelope in his pocket.

Tomorrow, he would tell him.

Tonight, they would have one more peaceful dinner. One more moment of quiet.

Then the lie would land.

And the story would crack in half—this time, on Lin’s terms.

---

End of Chapter 19.