The Beta Fake Young Master Just Wants to Decline the Shura Field - Chapter 1

The asphalt road reeked of sun-baked rubber. Jiang Lanyi hauled two large suitcases, panting as he came to a halt under the shade of a tree.

The July sun was fierce and merciless. He had been drenched in sweat the moment he stepped out the door; after only thirty minutes of walking, his clothes were completely soaked, clinging coldly to his skin whenever a breeze flickered by.

“Damn it,” he muttered. When he used to drive, he never noticed it, but now that he was hoofing it, he wondered why this mountain road felt endless. He could not even see the shadow of the antique-style pavilion halfway up the hill.

Just as Jiang Lanyi was about to pull out his phone to check the navigation, the roar of a sports car engine thundered from ahead. He ducked further into the shade.

What kind of person would drive up the mountain at noon? Only those heading to the Jiang residence to talk business or beg for favors would travel this far.

A Bentley Continental GT tore through the air. First, Jiang Lanyi was slapped on the left cheek by the rushing wave of heat from its momentum, and then he was slapped on the right by the even more scorching exhaust fumes. He shuddered in disbelief.

His pent-up grievances finally found an outlet. He spat toward the receding Bentley, “Screw you! Did you not see the 25 mph speed limit on the curves? Is your brain in the trunk following along behind you?”

His throat, deprived of water for half an hour, was hoarse beyond recognition, and his voice cracked slightly.

Jiang Lanyi’s chest heaved. He blinked away the stinging bitterness in his eyes and gave the old roadside tree a resentful kick.

The dappled shadows of the tree swayed, and to his surprise, the Bentley actually stopped in front of him. It had reversed all the way back. Jiang Lanyi stood there, speechless.

He thought to himself that he had only cursed a few times. He wondered if this person was really going to make a scene.

The window rolled down slowly, revealing a man’s meticulously styled hair, a sharp and sexy jawline, and a pair of eyes with slightly downturned corners that exuded a sense of detachment.

“Did you just curse at me?” the man asked. His voice was clear and pleasant, like a cool mountain spring.

“No, I did not,” Jiang Lanyi replied. He instinctively spread his arms a bit, trying to hide the suitcases behind him.

But the gesture was clearly futile. Xiao Chi had already scanned his “travel companions” and asked, “Are the three of you hiking?” Jiang Lanyi flipped him the middle finger.

This man, Xiao Chi, had been at odds with him since they were children.

Family background and looks aside, those were things decided in the womb. What was truly infuriating was that if Jiang Lanyi won second place in a world-class drumming competition, Xiao Chi would take first in saxophone. If Jiang Lanyi reached the level of a Class II athlete in middle school long-distance running, Xiao Chi would break the city record for the high jump.

They attended the same schools in the same grade. No matter how hard he worked, Xiao Chi’s name always sat firmly above his on every exam ranking.

The ultimate insult, however, was their secondary gender differentiation. Xiao Chi lived up to all expectations, becoming a top-tier Alpha with innate advantages in intelligence and physical prowess. When the news broke, the Xiao Group’s stock skyrocketed. Everyone claimed the Xiao family had produced a prodigy.

But Jiang Lanyi differentiated into a Beta. No one within the Jiang family mentioned it, but everyone in the know secretly whispered that it was a pity.

Among the three genders—Alpha, Beta, and Omega—Alphas were naturally seen as leaders due to their powerful abilities. However, Alphas were prone to irritability and losing control, requiring Omega pheromones to neutralize the aggression in their genes. Thus, Omegas became a scarce resource.

The Beta population, which Jiang Lanyi now belonged to, could not perceive pheromones, and the glands on the back of their necks were merely a thin layer. While there was no shortage of highly capable Betas, under the shadow of the Alpha’s halo, achievements that required a lifetime of struggle seemed mediocre by comparison.

In the world of elite arranged marriages, it was always the highly sought-after Alphas and Omegas who held the most market value.

And yet, in a Jiang family of three Alphas, a Beta had suddenly appeared. Everyone at the time thought it was just a fluke of genetic probability. Who would have thought things would turn out this way?

It was incredibly frustrating. After being baked by the sun for half an hour, the last thing Jiang Lanyi wanted to see was Xiao Chi’s calm and effortless face. It only emphasized the widening gap between them.

He felt that comparison was the thief of joy. He wondered why his childhood curses had not worked even a little bit.

Finding himself in the most pathetic state of his life in front of his arrogant childhood rival, Jiang Lanyi did not want to hear any more ridicule. He gritted his teeth, grabbed his 28-inch suitcase, and began walking down the mountain again, one heavy step at a time.

Xiao Chi heard him muttering something under his breath about “thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west” and “do not look down on a poor youth, do not look down on a poor middle-aged man, do not look down on a poor old man.” Xiao Chi was silent.

“Where are you going?” Xiao Chi asked.

Jiang Lanyi kept his head down and marched two meters forward. “It is none of your business. Are you going to give me a lift?”

“Yes.”

“If you will not give me a lift then… wait, what?”

He stopped and spun around abruptly. As he turned, several large beads of sweat flew from his cheek and hit the ground. “You are going to give me a lift?”

“Yes.” Xiao Chi noticed a drop of sweat about to fall into the other’s eye. His finger twitched slightly, but Jiang Lanyi had already wiped his face and walked over.

Jiang Lanyi had the kind of skin that never tanned. Now, flushed pink and drenched in sweat, he did not look sticky. Instead, he looked as refreshed as if he had just stepped out of a shower. Xiao Chi’s grip on the steering wheel tightened.

Jiang Lanyi smacked his hand against the Bentley’s door, leaving a sweaty print. In his foul mood, his young master temperament was impossible to suppress. “Then get out and help me move my boxes.”

A great man knows when to yield and when to stand tall. To Jiang Lanyi, any rival who offered a hand was a good rival.

The trunk of the sports car was small, designed for golf clubs or tennis bags. One 28-inch suitcase barely fit; the other had to go in the back seat.

But those four wheels had been rolling on the mountain road for a long time and were covered in dust. He had heard Xiao Chi was a germaphobe. He wondered if Xiao Chi would really allow it.

Jiang Lanyi peeked at Xiao Chi’s expression. He hoped that if Xiao Chi was going to help, he would go all the way. Their eyes met. Feeling a bit guilty, Jiang Lanyi cleared his throat. “Do you have any tissues? Should I wipe it down?”

Xiao Chi pressed the button to move the front seat forward. He lifted the 20kg suitcase with one hand and effortlessly laid it across the back seat. The dirty wheels made direct contact with the orange leather interior, leaving four gray streaks.

Jiang Lanyi said, “You did that yourself. I am not paying for the detailing.”

Xiao Chi had already sat back in the driver’s seat. “Do you even have money right now?”

Jiang Lanyi was silenced by the question. When he walked out of the Jiang house, aside from two suitcases of essentials, he had not taken any credit cards. His mobile accounts had been unlinked. He had effectively left with nothing.

Besides, he was not supposed to be on the Jiang family registry anyway. Nothing belonging to the Jiangs had anything to do with him anymore.

Xiao Chi saw him huddled in the passenger seat out of the corner of his eye, his shoulders slightly hunched. He weighed his words. “Did you have a fight with your parents?”

Jiang Lanyi blurted out, “No.” Then he added, “Do not ask.”

He had not figured out how to tell Xiao Chi yet. He was afraid Xiao Chi was only giving him a ride for the sake of the Jiang family. He needed to at least get off the mountain safely first, otherwise his legs were going to snap.

Since Jiang Lanyi told him not to ask, Xiao Chi actually stopped. He focused on the road, keeping the speed exactly at 30 km/h.

Jiang Lanyi thought Xiao Chi was being fake because he had just been speeding. He curled his lip in annoyance.

Xiao Chi suddenly said, “You are cursing me again.”

Jiang Lanyi nearly bit his tongue. “Why would I curse you?”

Xiao Chi’s lips curled into a very faint smile. “Why are you stuttering then?”

Jiang Lanyi crossed his arms and looked out the window. “I am just surprised. I did not think you were the type to make baseless accusations.”

Seeing that he was still sharp-tongued and no longer as despondent as before, Xiao Chi reminded him, “You still have not said where we are going.”

Jiang Lanyi said vaguely, “Just the city center for now.”

“The Hilton Terrace? Or the Royal Palace Mansion?”

Both were famous luxury hotels in the city. Jiang Lanyi used to host parties in their banquet halls frequently. His eighteenth birthday was at the Hilton Terrace, and his graduation dinner was at the Royal Palace. But he could not afford either of them now.

Still, Jiang Lanyi kept a straight face, as if he were simply being stubborn. “Either one is fine. I have not decided yet.” As far as he was concerned, Xiao Chi would drop him off and leave. Xiao Chi would not see where he actually went.

Jiang Lanyi had it all planned out. Although he could not use the Jiang family’s money, the scholarships he had earned during his undergraduate years added up to nearly 20,000 yuan. With that, he should be able to last until he found a job.

He thought about finding a job and wondered if the spring recruitment cycle was over. He wondered if he could still find something. His resume was not ready, and he did not take his laptop. He realized he would have to find an internet cafe tonight to handle things.

“We are here. Get out,” Xiao Chi said, turning off the engine.

The shifting light and shadows made Jiang Lanyi snap his eyes open. His breath hitched for a second. He had actually fallen asleep in Xiao Chi’s car.

“Where is this?” he asked. He looked out the window. It was a basement parking lot that clearly was not ordinary. High-end luxury cars were everywhere, looking like a large-scale international auto show.

When he stepped out, he was terrified of scratching the Rolls-Royce Cullinan parked next to them. He could not afford to pay for that even if he sold himself.

Xiao Chi had already taken both suitcases out. “You said ‘anywhere,’ so I drove back to my place.”

“Your place?” Jiang Lanyi stumbled in surprise.

“It is not exactly my family home. It is just where I stay most of the time.”

With his luggage and his lifeline held hostage, Jiang Lanyi could only follow. “Then will you arrange for a driver to take me out later?” He thought simply that Xiao Chi was probably just being lazy, bringing him here first before calling a driver to drop him off somewhere else.

But Xiao Chi only said, “We will see.” Jiang Lanyi wondered what that was supposed to mean.

The luxury flats here were one unit per floor. The silent elevator was sprayed with a faint and soothing fragrance. In a matter of seconds, they reached the 36th floor.

Xiao Chi gave him a pair of unopened men’s slippers and told him to feel free to look around before heading into the open kitchen.

Jiang Lanyi did not hold back. He circled the living room, admiring the model displays, and finally stood by the wide floor-to-ceiling window, looking down.

He immediately felt dizzy and realized he had forgotten he was a bit afraid of heights.

Jiang Lanyi backed away two steps, turned around pretending to be calm, and locked eyes with Xiao Chi again. “Did you contact the driver?”

Xiao Chi handed him a chilled bottle of strawberry-flavored sparkling water. “No.”

Jiang Lanyi blinked and said, “Okay.”

It was shocking to him. Xiao Chi was actually going to make him walk out of here on his own. If he had known, he would have sucked up the nausea and memorized the layout of the sky garden just to know where the main gate was. Otherwise, he would get lost the moment he went downstairs, which would be embarrassing.

“You can sleep in whichever room you like tonight,” Xiao Chi said. He took a sip of his water and tapped his phone screen a few times. “I sent you the floor plan. Pick one.”

Jiang Lanyi’s phone vibrated. He did not check it. Instead, he asked in confusion, “What are you saying? Are you talking to me?”

Xiao Chi looked left and right. “Is there anyone else here?”

“No, wait,” Jiang Lanyi said. He was almost laughing from frustration. He waved his hand in front of Xiao Chi’s face. “I am Jiang Lanyi.”

Xiao Chi’s eyelashes did not even flicker. “My uncorrected vision is 20/10.”

“Then why would I stay at your house?”

“You have run away from home. Do you have the money for a hotel?”

Jiang Lanyi was silenced once again.

“Do not worry, I will not say anything to your parents. But if you are running around outside, they will worry. You might as well make do here for a while,” Xiao Chi said. “What, are you afraid I will eat you?”

Jiang Lanyi gave a fake smile. “I never realized you were so humorous and so kind.”

Xiao Chi’s tone remained flat. “Consider it a thank-you for when you saved me as a kid.”

Only then did Jiang Lanyi remember the time he had pulled Xiao Chi out of the artificial lake when they were nine years old.

He had been tall for his age back then, with a frame sturdier than his peers. He had been practicing swimming since he was five. Pulling a little beanpole who was half a head shorter than him was no trouble at all. Who knew the little beanpole would hit puberty like he was on growth hormones, shooting up like a bamboo stalk?

Jiang Lanyi wondered what Xiao Chi’s pheromone scent was. He thought it was some kind of tree, perhaps bamboo.

“If you are really that worried, I will have someone take you to the city center right now.” Seeing no response for a long time, the coldness in Xiao Chi’s eyes became unmistakable, and his index finger tapped impatiently against the side of his phone.

Jiang Lanyi pulled the tab on the can. There was a popping sound. “Do you charge rent?”

“Are you paying?”

“I do not have money, and I do not have my life to give, either.”

Xiao Chi let out a short and mocking huff. Jiang Lanyi knew he was being ridiculed. But ridicule was free. He decided that if he kept it out of sight, it would be out of mind. He would let Xiao Chi mock him.

“Move in once you have chosen. I am going to rest.” Xiao Chi did not pursue the rent topic. He tossed the empty can into the trash and returned to the master bedroom.

Jiang Lanyi heard the soft click of the door closing. There were three seconds of total silence before he slowly exhaled and sank onto the sofa.

The string that had been pulled tight in his brain for hours finally went slack. He ruffled his hair and pressed the icy soda can against his face, which was still radiating the leftover heat of the day.

He did not have to worry about accommodation for now. But he wondered what he should do next.

Inside the master bedroom, Xiao Chi was also pressing a cold hand against his forehead.

His suppressant bracelet had been removed. The rich scent of camphor wood flooded the room like a tidal wave, instantly submerging the entire space.

It was slightly pungent and bitter at first, but as time passed, it settled into the raw and green scent of earth after rain, wrapping around him. And it was still leaking out.

But it did not matter. Jiang Lanyi was a Beta. He could not smell it.

If he were an Alpha or an Omega, he would have been terrified by the wildly fluctuating aura the moment he woke up in the passenger seat.

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