After Transmigrating into an ABO World with My Rival - Chapter 21

On Saturday, Chen Yanzhi and Fu Tingyue went to the Lin residence together. Upon learning that Fu Tingyue was coming, the entire Lin household lined up at the entrance early to welcome them. The display was dauntingly grand.

Only Lin Xubai remained completely indifferent to Fu Tingyue’s arrival. His mind was entirely occupied with how to draw Fu Tingyue away so he could spend time alone with Chen Yanzhi and, subsequently, confess his feelings.

At this moment, Chen Yanzhi had no idea what was about to happen. He stepped out of the car happily and walked side-by-side with Fu Tingyue. When he saw Lin Xubai, he intended to dash over, but Fu Tingyue pressed a hand firmly on his shoulder.

Seeing so many people around, Chen Yanzhi uncharacteristically kept his temper in check. He flashed a smile at Lin Xubai and followed behind Fu Tingyue as they entered.

The Lin family had made such a spectacle that Fu Tingyue was immediately surrounded, leaving Chen Yanzhi feeling a bit like a third wheel. Fortunately, this didn’t last long. Lin Xiangcheng invited Fu Tingyue and Chen Yanzhi to take their seats. Chen Yanzhi beckoned Lin Xubai over; the latter checked with his father before taking the seat next to Chen Yanzhi.

While Fu Tingyue spoke with Lin Xiangcheng, Chen Yanzhi lowered his voice and whispered to Lin Xubai, “Why such a huge production?”

Lin Xubai smiled gently. “My father arranged it. Does it make you feel uncomfortable?”

“Not really, just a bit surprised,” Chen Yanzhi said casually. He then smiled at Lin Xubai. “You look a bit different today.”

Lin Xubai froze, a flash of panic appearing on his beautiful face. “Different how?” Is there something improper about my appearance?

Chen Yanzhi couldn’t quite place it at first. He rubbed his chin and observed for a long time before it clicked. “I’ve got it! Your hair is different. You dyed it.”

Previously, Lin Xubai had always maintained the image of a “good boy” with natural black hair. But today, his hair was brown and permed. Lin Xubai was naturally good-looking, and the small curls suited him perfectly, making him look even more adorable.

Lin Xubai scratched his head bashfully. “You noticed. I’d never tried it before and just wanted to see.”

Chen Yanzhi smiled. “It looks great. It really suits you.”

Lin Xubai’s face turned visibly red. He stole a glance at Fu Tingyue and lowered his voice. “Yanzhi, can you come somewhere with me in a bit? I have something I want to tell you.”

Chen Yanzhi didn’t agree immediately. “Can’t you say it here?”

Lin Xubai lowered his eyes shyly and whispered, “It’s… a rather private matter. It won’t take much of your time, just ten minutes.”

“Okay, but I have to tell Fu Tingyue first, or he’ll get moody again.” Chen Yanzhi grumbled quietly, then turned and tugged on Fu Tingyue’s arm. “Fu Tingyue, I’m going to step away for a bit. I’ll be back soon, don’t worry about me.”

Fu Tingyue naturally picked up a dessert Chen Yanzhi liked and asked softly, “Where to?”

Chen Yanzhi ate the dessert with a look of satisfaction. He swallowed before answering, “Xiaobai says he has something to tell me. It’ll take about ten minutes.”

Fu Tingyue spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear: “I want to go too.”

Chen Yanzhi knit his brows and tsked. “Go where? He said it’s private and can only be told to me. Just wait for me here.”

Hearing this, Fu Tingyue immediately felt a sense of foreboding. He narrowed his eyes and glanced at Lin Xubai; the latter guiltily averted his gaze and hung his head.

Fu Tingyue looked back into Chen Yanzhi’s eyes and nodded. “Fine. Go ahead. I’ll wait for you here.”

So, he finally couldn’t hold it back anymore? Good. Giving him a chance to say it out loud is the best way to cut off his lingering hopes.

Lin Xubai, who had been eavesdropping, breathed a silent sigh of relief but was simultaneously confused. He had expected Fu Tingyue to try and stop them, yet he had agreed. Did Fu Tingyue truly only see Chen Yanzhi as a “best friend”? But what kind of best friend would drench the other person in so many of his pheromones? Nearly everyone who encountered Chen Yanzhi assumed they were in that kind of relationship.

Regardless of the confusion, he could finally tell Chen Yanzhi the secret in his heart. Success or failure, he wouldn’t have any more regrets. Even if Chen Yanzhi hated him afterward, he wanted to say it.

Chen Yanzhi naively thought Lin Xubai was facing some unhappiness at home and wanted to vent. He followed Lin Xubai to the backyard. Having visited the Lin house several times, he was familiar with the area. The backyard had a beautiful artificial lake where one could feed the fish.

True to form, Chen Yanzhi grabbed a handful of fish food and scattered it into the lake before turning to ask, “Xiaobai, what did you want to tell me?”

Just as he turned around, Lin Xubai suddenly dove into his arms and hugged him tightly. Chen Yanzhi froze for a second. Coming to his senses, he patted Lin Xubai’s shoulder supportively, but didn’t hug him back. He asked with concern, “What’s wrong? Did your family try to set you up on another blind date with an Alpha?”

Lin Xubai, who was slightly shorter than Chen Yanzhi, leaned against his shoulder. Seeing that Chen Yanzhi didn’t reject the contact and even voiced concern, Lin Xubai acted on impulse. “Yanzhi, I like you. Will you date me?”

“Huh?” Chen Yanzhi thought his ears were ringing. He looked stunned. “Xiaobai, what did you just say?”

Lin Xubai looked up at him, his face full of tension. “I like you…”

Chen Yanzhi immediately took two steps back to put distance between them. For once, his bright face was full of panic and shock. “Wait, wait. You’re joking, right?”

Lin Xubai said hurriedly, “I’m not joking. I’m serious.”

After the brief panic, Chen Yanzhi calmed down and spoke as gently as possible. “I don’t like guys. I’m sorry. But we’re still good friends. Maybe after some time, you’ll realize you don’t actually like me, and you’ve just confused friendship with love.”

Lin Xubai looked devastated, his eyes instantly turning red. “Yanzhi, I’m not some seventeen-year-old boy; I’m not going to confuse love and friendship. I’m an Omega and you’re a Beta; we can be together.”

In truth, he knew Chen Yanzhi didn’t like him. He truly only saw him as a friend. But Lin Xubai couldn’t accept it.

Chen Yanzhi finally realized that the gender divisions in this world were different from what he knew. He was constantly bringing his mindset from the old world into this one, which was a mistake. He and Fu Tingyue understood each other because they shared a past and came from the same place. But Lin Xubai didn’t. In his world, Alphas and Omegas could date, and Betas and Omegas could too; it wasn’t a simple male-female divide. He had been too lacking in boundaries.

Looking at Lin Xubai’s insecure yet hopeful eyes, Chen Yanzhi spoke firmly. “I’m sorry, Xiaobai. I don’t like Omegas. To be precise, I don’t like male Omegas.” He couldn’t be ambiguous; he had to be clear so Lin Xubai wouldn’t misunderstand.

A large tear rolled down Lin Xubai’s cheek. He asked with red-rimmed eyes, “Then what about Fu Tingyue? Do you not like him either?”

Chen Yanzhi didn’t hesitate for a second. “Fu Tingyue and I are just best friends. Of course I don’t like him.”

Lin Xubai was about to argue, but then he looked up and saw Fu Tingyue standing on the balcony. The words died in his throat. He clenched his fists and fought back tears. “Can we still be best friends?”

Chen Yanzhi breathed a silent sigh of relief. “Of course. You’re my only friend besides Fu Tingyue. I’ve always treated you as a great friend.”

Lin Xubai let out a watery laugh. “I don’t know whether to cry or laugh.”

Chen Yanzhi returned to his usual carefree self. He wiped Lin Xubai’s tears and said, “Laugh, of course! Let me tell you, I’m a real handful. No one can stand me except Fu Tingyue. It’s much better for us to be friends. Besides, you’re so good-looking, plenty of people will like you.”

Lin Xubai didn’t know what to say. Chen Yanzhi truly had zero feelings for him. He took the tissue from Chen Yanzhi and blew his nose. “I really do like you. You’re the best person I’ve ever met.”

Chen Yanzhi pinched Lin Xubai’s soft cheek and grinned. “How old are you? You haven’t met that many people yet. There are plenty of people better than me. But we really aren’t a match. I’ve heard Omegas need a lot of care, but I’m the one who needs to be cared for. I’d let Fu Tingyue feed me if I could! You think I’m great as a friend, but you might not think so as a lover. I’m actually very lazy and useless. If it weren’t for Fu Tingyue, I wouldn’t even be able to survive.”

Three out of every five sentences involve Fu Tingyue, yet he says he doesn’t like him.

Lin Xubai sighed and looked up at Chen Yanzhi with a smile. “Thank you for still wanting to be friends. But I can’t stop liking you for now, so I need some time to clear my head.”

Chen Yanzhi was understanding. “Of course. Just tell me when you’re ready.”

He comforted Lin Xubai for a while longer until the boy was finally settled. When he turned around, he saw Fu Tingyue standing in the hallway like a ghost. Feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt, he gave Fu Tingyue an awkward smile.

Fu Tingyue said expressionlessly, “Time to go home.”

Chen Yanzhi patted Lin Xubai’s shoulder. “Xiaobai, I’m heading back then. Contact me whenever you’ve sorted out your feelings.”

Lin Xubai’s nose was red and his eyelashes were wet, making him look fragile and beautiful. “Mm. I won’t see you out. Safe travels.”

Chen Yanzhi waved, then walked over to Fu Tingyue’s side. He didn’t dare look at him and just walked forward with his head down, muttering, “It’s late, we should definitely get home quickly.”

Fu Tingyue glanced at Lin Xubai, gave a polite nod, and left with Chen Yanzhi.

Once in the car, Chen Yanzhi didn’t speak. The atmosphere was strangely awkward. Finally, unable to take it, he cleared his throat. “You heard everything?”

“Lin Xubai confessing to you?” Fu Tingyue said bluntly. “I heard it. I also saw you thoughtfully wiping his tears and comforting him.”

Chen Yanzhi tsked and ducked his head, muttering, “Don’t say it. You scared the life out of me.” He truly hadn’t expected Lin Xubai to like him. He had always just seen him as a best friend.

“Scared now?” Fu Tingyue’s tone was a bit helpless. “I warned you long ago, but you didn’t take it to heart.”

Chen Yanzhi said with zero confidence, “But I’m a Beta! Don’t most Omegas end up with Alphas?”

Fu Tingyue patiently educated him: “Betas are in the middle. They can date Alphas or Omegas; it’s not unusual. Keep your distance from now on. Don’t let this happen again.”

Chen Yanzhi leaned back in the seat, frustrated. “The main thing is that I don’t like guys!”

Fu Tingyue suddenly asked, “Not even me?”

Chen Yanzhi didn’t look at him. He said listlessly, “Stop it. It’s not funny.”

Fu Tingyue’s tone was serious, his voice deep. “I’m not joking. I really want to know.”

God knows how jealous I was seeing him wipe Lin Xubai’s tears. I truly want to lock him up so he can’t go around attracting trouble.

Chen Yanzhi couldn’t be bothered with him and closed his eyes to fake sleep. He was busy thinking about how to maintain distance with Omegas and Alphas in the future. He knew he was attractive to Alphas—many at school mistook him for an Omega—but he honestly hadn’t thought an Omega could like him too.

Because of the incident, Chen Yanzhi didn’t see Lin Xubai for several days. However, he was popular enough that he wasn’t lonely.

He wasn’t sure if it was because of the cold snap, but he’d been feeling unwell. It was just a low-grade fever, so he didn’t take it seriously, took some medicine, and went to class. When the fever didn’t break for several days, he assumed it was just a minor cold and didn’t tell Fu Tingyue.

Today, he went to school as usual. With two classes left in the afternoon, he began to feel increasingly unwell. He could faintly smell a very light scent of lime on himself; since his body wash was lime-scented, he didn’t think much of it. He requested leave from the teacher and went home.

Secretary Jiang had recently become Chen Yanzhi’s dedicated driver. The moment Chen Yanzhi came out, Jiang noticed something was wrong and immediately dialed Fu Tingyue.

Chen Yanzhi leaned against the seat, his cheeks flushed and his brow tightly knit. “Don’t call him. I just feel a bit unwell. It’s probably just a cold from the drop in temperature.”

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Tang turned his pheromone wristband up a notch. He took a suppressant from the glove box and injected it into himself without hesitation. He then said to Chen Yanzhi with a serious tone: “It’s not a cold. You’ve differentiated.”

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