Beta on the Run: Mr. CEO, Take it Easy! - Chapter 6

Chi Xinglan spent the night in a daze, tossing and turning, waking up multiple times. His stomach felt heavy and leaden. He managed to get up and find the medicine cabinet, swallowing a few Gastritis-Relieving pills, but it wasn’t long before he rushed to the bathroom and vomited them all back up.

It was as if his body had developed a rejection of medication; he had no idea what was happening to him.

Lately, he had been feeling constantly nauseous—especially whenever he thought about the possibility of Liang Xiao being with someone else. He couldn’t suppress the wave of revulsion that followed.

Could it be that I’ve fallen for Liang Xiao to such an extent?

The moments of their five years together flooded his mind, frame by frame.

“Can I call you Xiao Chi?”

“Don’t call me President Liang. Let’s not be so distant; just call me by my name.”

“Xiao Chi, don’t be afraid of me.”

“Xiao Chi, I will treat you well.”

“Xiao Chi.”

The repeated calls of “Xiao Chi” echoed in his head at this very moment.

Five years ago, Liang Xiao was his only literal lifeline. Five years later, Liang Xiao was a love he could never voice aloud.

They met at the wrong time, in the wrong place, and started in the wrong way. Therefore, his affection could only remain buried deep within his heart.

He loved Liang Xiao. From the second year of their acquaintance until now, it had been nearly four years.

Falling in love with one’s benefactor—one’s “patron”—was an utterly absurd thing to do.

In truth, during that first year, their relationship had been incredibly stiff. Back then, Chi Xinglan hardly ever left the house, locking himself away in his room. He spent every day waiting for Liang Xiao to return.

An Alpha in their rut (heat cycle) was more terrifying than he had ever imagined.

There was crying, breakdowns, and attempts to run away, only to be caught and pulled back time and time again.

“Xiao Chi.” “Don’t be afraid.” “Just one last time.”

That was the greatest lesson he had learned over the years: never easily trust an Alpha in heat.

From that day forward, Chi Xinglan continued to curl up in the corner every day, waiting for Liang Xiao to come home. All he had to do each day was wait.

He feared Liang Xiao. He feared Alphas in their rut—those unpredictable Alphas who might treat him as nothing more than a tool for release.

At the same time, he felt fortunate that he was a Beta and not an Omega; he wouldn’t be forced into heat himself. He didn’t need an Alpha’s pheromones, and he didn’t need an Alpha’s pity.

But Liang Xiao wasn’t like that. He was gentle.

Even during his rut, he exercised extreme restraint over his Alpha instincts and never committed violence against him. He would kiss Chi Xinglan’s eyes when he cried to soothe his emotions. He would hold him tenderly when he lost control.

During their five years together, Liang Xiao would come home every day to eat with him and coax him to sleep. On his way home from work, he would occasionally bring back a bouquet of flowers. From time to time, he prepared little surprise gifts, as if solely to make him happy.

It took Liang Xiao a long time to get Chi Xinglan to slowly accept him.

He would cook for Chi Xinglan and kneel on one knee to put on his shoes. Everything Chi Xinglan said received a response, and every matter was seen through to the end.

Occasionally, this gave Chi Xinglan a sense of “upended roles”—who was actually the one being taken care of? It also made him wonder if Liang Xiao might actually like him a little.

If they were just a contractual relationship, and if his only purpose was to help Liang Xiao through his heat cycles, was there any need for Liang Xiao to be this good to him?

He didn’t dare ask for the answer, nor did he dare to dream of it. He had thought he and Liang Xiao would continue like this forever.

Until six months ago.

An Omega named Wen Ran had taken the initiative to find him.

The future he had dreamed of seemed to shatter bit by bit. The questions he had avoided for so long were now laid bare before him.

Thinking of Liang Xiao, Chi Xinglan’s mood sank. Was he happy with Wen Ran tonight? Will he come back tomorrow? Does he still need me?

How could a Beta ever compare to an Omega? An Alpha in heat should naturally need an Omega more.

A dull pain throbbed in his stomach as tears soaked his pillow. It wasn’t until the first rays of dawn filtered into the room that Chi Xinglan finally drifted into a deep sleep.

Liang Xiao didn’t return until noon, smelling of alcohol.

The housekeeper had already cleaned the house. Seeing him return, Auntie Chen looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Liang Xiao was in a hurry. As soon as he entered, he went straight to the bathroom, stripped off his alcohol-scented clothes, and showered several times. He let the scent of the body wash cover him entirely before stepping out.

He hadn’t rested at home last night; instead, he had been out drinking all night with friends at a club. If Chi Xinglan smelled that scent on him, he would surely be upset.

After much deliberation, Auntie Chen said nervously, “Sir, Xiao Chi seems unwell. Would you like to go check on him?”

Hearing this, Liang Xiao immediately headed toward the bedroom. He opened the door softly so as not to disturb Chi Xinglan’s sleep.

He saw Chi Xinglan curled up on the bed, his face pale and bloodless, his brow furrowed in deep unease.

Liang Xiao’s approach caused Chi Xinglan to wake up suddenly. The moment he saw Liang Xiao, all the grievances he had swallowed seemed to surge back into his heart, and his eyes reddened instantly.

He gripped Liang Xiao’s hand and asked softly, “Where did you go?”

His voice was dry and raspy, sounding pained.

Liang Xiao frowned, feeling his forehead. He sighed in relief only after confirming there was no fever. “Are you feeling unwell? Why do you look so pale?”

Chi Xinglan replied, “I’m fine.” He stubbornly asked again, “Where were you last night?”

He shouldn’t have asked. He had no right to ask. But he just wanted to know.

Liang Xiao explained, “I just went home for a meal, and then went drinking with friends in the evening. It was all Alphas, no ‘messy’ people. I rested at the club for a while and didn’t want to disturb your sleep, which is why I’m back so late.”

Looking at Chi Xinglan’s relaxed expression, Liang Xiao felt an immense sense of satisfaction. Is he asking about my whereabouts because he cares about me?

Chi Xinglan had never questioned his schedule like this before. In the past, he had seemed indifferent, as if he didn’t care at all.

A drop of water from Liang Xiao’s hair slid down his cheek and fell onto the back of Chi Xinglan’s hand, splashing like a tiny flower. Only then did Chi Xinglan realize that Liang Xiao was currently shirtless. He inconspicuously scanned him and saw no suspicious marks.

Liang Xiao had just explained it to him, after all.

After a long moment, Chi Xinglan finally gave a delayed response: “Oh.”

He had thought Liang Xiao would spend the night at his own family home, accompanied by a beauty, reluctant to return. It turned out he wasn’t with Wen Ran.

Did I misunderstand something?

Seeing him lost in thought, as if dazed, Liang Xiao lifted him out of the covers and said warmly, “Is something hurting?”

Chi Xinglan’s complexion was better than before, though still slightly pale. Liang Xiao stroked his stray hairs and coaxed, “Should I call a doctor?”

Chi Xinglan immediately shook his head. “It’s just that the weather has turned cold recently, and my stomach is acting up. I have this little issue every year; it’s no big deal.”

As he spoke, his stomach let out a loud growl. He hadn’t eaten much yesterday and had vomited everything he did manage to get down.

Liang Xiao said, “Then go wash up first. Auntie has already prepared the food.”

The lunch the housekeeper had prepared was actually the hotpot from the night before; she had simply re-washed the untouched ingredients.

“Sir, Xiao Chi was very happy yesterday. He said he wanted to have hotpot with you and bought a lot of ingredients,” Auntie Chen mentioned. “But it seems the food wasn’t touched at all. Did he not eat dinner?”

Seeing the spread and the hotpot on the table, Chi Xinglan was momentarily stunned.

Liang Xiao asked, “Do you want anything else?”

Chi Xinglan shook his head. He didn’t know why, but while he had no appetite last night, he was ravenous now. He ate heartily and consumed a lot. Despite vomiting everything for the past few days, he seemed to have suddenly recovered.

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