The Beta Fake Young Master Just Wants to Decline the Shura Field - Chapter 8

Xiao Chi subconsciously stroked Jiang Lanyi’s brow, massaging it. As he pulled his hand away to check if the furrow had smoothed out, he unexpectedly locked eyes with a pair of still-hazy eyes.

Their breathing intertwined. Xiao Chi remained in his hunched-over posture, his expression calm and collected. “Awake? Drink some water.”

Jiang Lanyi still felt dizzy. After realizing who was in front of him, his shoulder blades constricted sharply, and his upper body jolted upward, only to be pressed back onto the bed by Xiao Chi.

He protected his chest. “Do you still want to…” “Get some rest. Don’t move around,” Xiao Chi said, turning a blind eye to his defensive posture.

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, he placed Jiang Lanyi’s hand back under the covers. Only then did Jiang Lanyi realize that his palm had just been held by this man.

The brow that had just been smoothed out knit together tightly again. Jiang Lanyi spoke in a gruff voice, “Xiao Chi, do you know that you…” Without letting him finish, Xiao Chi leaned in closer, his voice slightly hoarse. “I don’t want to know.”

He did not want to know how much Jiang Lanyi hated him right now.

Jiang Lanyi was choked up by those five words. The normal social distance had been breached again; he lay listlessly in bed, while Xiao Chi’s body blocked most of the light, the shadow cast upon him enveloping him completely.

“Just move away from me first,” Jiang Lanyi closed his eyes. But Xiao Chi did not move. Jiang Lanyi opened his eyes to glare at him, a glare that caused Xiao Chi to inexplicably lick his lips, still speaking in that hoarse voice, “…I don’t want to do that, either.”

Without waiting for him to speak again, Xiao Chi picked up a jar of ointment from the nightstand and opened it. “The doctor has already been here. He said you need to apply this.” The creamy white ointment had a faint medicinal scent mixed with menthol, presumably for pain relief and soothing effects.

With several parts of his body aching, Jiang Lanyi’s expression shifted. “I will do it myself. You should leave.”

Xiao Chi’s gaze darkened. He did not move, but he did not leave either. Jiang Lanyi reached out to take the jar of ointment still held in Xiao Chi’s hand, but Xiao Chi did not give it to him.

“I am sorry. Today was just an accident,” he said, softening his voice. “I have already taken the suppressant. I will not do anything to you, Jiang Lanyi.” The calm exterior of an alpha is highly deceptive. Jiang Lanyi seemed somewhat persuaded, and his grip on the quilt loosened slightly.

Private physicians have access to high-grade medicine. Judging by the jar in Xiao Chi’s hand, the quality of the ointment was absolutely top-tier. Therefore, the suppressant Xiao Chi took should have already handled the issues brought on by his rut.

Xiao Chi looked at him frankly and added unhurriedly, “Besides, I actually knew I was entering my rut recently, so I intentionally avoided you. It was you who came to knock on my door first.”

That was true. “But you were the one who started ignoring people and giving them the cold shoulder,” Jiang Lanyi retorted.

Trying to make him take the blame? Not a chance.

Xiao Chi pursed his pale lips. His lips were relatively thin, and his upper lip looked as if it could be pushed open by his canines at any moment. Jiang Lanyi glanced at them and then looked away.

“I am sorry. I did not mean to blame you. This is all my fault; I was not in a good state at the time,” Xiao Chi apologized in a low voice again. “I did not mean to give you the cold shoulder.”

“Cold shoulder” or not, the wording was so cheesy. Jiang Lanyi shuddered at the goosebumps on his skin. “Then, you do not need to be so overly enthusiastic toward me either.”

Clearly, after this brief banter, his spirit had recovered a little. Xiao Chi tentatively leaned closer. “I will leave once I finish applying the medicine for you. After all, I am the one who…”

Jiang Lanyi hurriedly interrupted, “No need, I can do it myself. Really, you should go get busy.”

He needed to first study exactly where this medicine was used and how to apply it. Even though Xiao Chi guaranteed that he was in control, having the shadow of what just happened looming over him, Jiang Lanyi was still afraid that Xiao Chi could not distinguish between a beta and an omega in bed.

Fortunately, Xiao Chi did not insist too much. “Then I will wait until you are finished applying it. The doctor said it needs to be covered thoroughly. You cannot see, so I will help you check.”

Covered thoroughly? Thoroughly, cover it?

Jiang Lanyi’s ears felt like they had been set on fire. He took the ointment jar and, under Xiao Chi’s calm gaze, quickly browsed the instructions. He let out a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness, it is a topical medication for the gland. It is not anything else, not somewhere that requires taking off clothes.

Following the application guide, Jiang Lanyi scooped a bit of ointment into his palm to warm it up, then lightly covered the back of his neck with three fingers, slowly rubbing the ointment in.

He turned his body slightly to the side. Xiao Chi could only see a portion of the swollen, soft flesh coated in the oily, creamy ointment, becoming crystal-clear as if it had been drowned in someone else’s saliva, emitting a soft, seductive fragrance.

It was the scent of a camphor tree. Although the pheromones Xiao Chi injected had not been implanted, they would not dissipate that quickly either.

The reason a top-tier alpha is called “top-tier,” aside from their vigorous pheromone secretion which can promote their own physical growth, is that their impact on other bodies is also very significant.

Unfortunately, Jiang Lanyi is a beta. For the first time in his life, Xiao Chi felt so regretful.

If he were an omega, just from this one time, he would probably already be pregnant. Jiang Lanyi would give birth to their baby.

Under the influence of dominant genes, this baby might grow up to look very much like him, with drooping eye corners and thin lips. But if it were a second child, it would probably look more like Jiang Lanyi.

“What are you smiling at?” Xiao Chi lifted his eyes quietly. Jiang Lanyi had already finished applying the medicine and was looking at him with slight confusion.

“I am just checking if you have covered everywhere,” Xiao Chi did not answer his question; he tilted his head, focusing on his wound. Jiang Lanyi was also worried that he had not applied the medicine well, so he turned his neck to show Xiao Chi.

As guarded as he was, there was no need to be on guard against Xiao Chi when his gland was already covered in oil. Considering Xiao Chi only ate boiled food or food pan-seared in olive oil every day, looking at his own greasy, shining neck now, he probably would not have much of an appetite.

Jiang Lanyi thought optimistically, but the moment Xiao Chi saw the back of his neck, his Adam’s apple slid involuntarily, and his tongue quietly pressed against his teeth.

A beta’s gland only occupies a small spot on the spinal process. It was a place that originally showed no obvious organ, but now it bore several intimate tooth marks. They were all made by him.

They had bled, they had scabbed over. He wondered if they would leave scars. Was Jiang Lanyi prone to scarring? If so, even if a permanent mark was impossible, leaving a permanent scar did not seem so bad.

“How is it? Is it okay now?” Jiang Lanyi had not heard a sound for a long time and did not know if Xiao Chi had checked carefully, so he turned back to ask him.

He saw Xiao Chi’s eyes were deep and heavy, his gaze locked onto his neck, wondering what he was contemplating. Jiang Lanyi suddenly became nervous. “Why do you have that expression? Is my injury very serious?”

Xiao Chi handed him the lid of the ointment jar. “No, it is just a small wound.”

Jiang Lanyi felt relieved. See? He thought, it felt fine to the touch. Xiao Chi had acted like he was going to cause a life-threatening injury; it was really scary.

“Rest well for these next few days. If you need anything, look for Housekeeper Zhang,” Xiao Chi said. Jiang Lanyi agreed verbally, found his phone, and did not look up again.

Seeing that he seemed to be replying to messages, Xiao Chi rubbed the cold ointment jar. “Have you received any interview notifications?”

Although he had not spoken to Jiang Lanyi all week, Housekeeper Zhang had reported every detail to him: how many companies Jiang Lanyi had applied to, how many written tests he had passed, and when the interviews were.

Jiang Lanyi nodded. Recalling his inhuman experience at Xunwan, he shuddered, but still bit the bullet and asked, “Um, are Justin and David busy these days?”

Justin and David were the two mock interviewers Xiao Chi had arranged for him last time. Although they were “daggers hidden in smiles” and their critiques were merciless, Jiang Lanyi had benefited greatly and had learned to solve many job-hunting problems by asking them for advice.

Xiao Chi asked, “Do you want to schedule an in-person time with them?” Jiang Lanyi nodded. “I have a group interview the day after tomorrow. I am quite interested in that position, so I want to prepare in advance.”

Xiao Chi took the phone from him, looked at the group interview notification, and his expression was hesitant, as if he had something to say but could not bring himself to. Jiang Lanyi had recently learned to read some of his micro-expressions and asked, “Is something wrong?”

Seeing that the bewilderment in his eyes was not fake, Xiao Chi returned the phone to him. “You previously said that during your school years, your main focus was on professional studies and club activities, right?” Jiang Lanyi looked at the group interview notification again, very certain that the English words indicated being shortlisted rather than rejected. “That is correct.”

“Even if you did not do internships, are you unaware of what the Jiang family’s businesses are?” Xiao Chi asked very slowly, with no hint of sarcasm, but Jiang Lanyi froze instantly.

He quickly realized. “Is this company under the Jiang Group?”

Xiao Chi searched for the Jiang Group’s business map online. Jiang Lanyi took a rough look, and his complexion instantly turned as sour as if he were about to kill someone.

And as perceptive as Xiao Chi was, he did not need to check Jiang Lanyi’s email to guess what was happening. A large portion of the companies that had accepted Jiang Lanyi’s resume must be related to the Jiang Group.

Sucheng has a developed economy and mature industrial and commercial sectors, offering many job positions to graduates every year. However, some family businesses have long histories and deep-rooted influence. The Jiang family, having cultivated the land here for decades, was one of them.

If one wants to find a well-paying job in Sucheng, there is absolutely no way to bypass the Jiang Group or its business partners.

Not to mention the distant ones, even the Xiao Group behind Xiao Chi was related to the Jiang family by marriage. A cousin of Jiang Lanyi’s (an alpha) had married a female cousin of Xiao Chi’s (an omega).

“It is just an interview. Employment is a two-way choice. If you do not want to go, you can stop.” Before Xiao Chi could finish, Jiang Lanyi had already shaken his head.

It was almost July; the spring recruitment season was already nearing its end. The positions that opened earlier were already geared toward the next batch of autumn recruits.

Regarding the companies that had thrown him an olive branch, Jiang Lanyi could already confirm that 80% belonged to the Jiang Group just from that one glance.

What is this? Is the Jiang family pitying him? Or are they telling him that without the Jiang family’s support, he is nothing?

And that was true. He was now almost penniless, staying at a childhood friend’s house who was not exactly a close friend, and because of the disparity in genetic strength, he—a beta—had been marked by an alpha in heat, and had just woken up.

“Jiang Lanyi.” Someone was calling him, but he did not hear it.

What did last autumn’s first round of graduate school admissions mean now? He had no money; he could not even support himself. How could he go abroad to study? The application for government-sponsored study abroad had closed in March. What about a student loan? Should he try for a student loan? But that amount of money would not be enough for him to study abroad either.

“Jiang Lanyi.” Two hands were placed on his shoulders, shaking him until he regained his focus.

Xiao Chi always called him by his full name like that, as if he could never get tired of it.

“If you do not want any of these positions, then do not go. Can you not still apply for graduate school? Just consider the tuition fees as a loan from me.”

“Xiao Chi.” Jiang Lanyi hugged his knees. “Hmm.” Xiao Chi did not say anything more, waiting for him to make up his mind.

But when Jiang Lanyi spoke again, he asked, “In the evening, you held my legs, called my name, and told me not to leave, not to go see him.”

His heartbeat seemed to have stopped. The silence in the room made Jiang Lanyi’s voice sound like it was echoing. “At that time, you were sure you were talking to me, right?”

He used a tone of realization, as if he had discovered some kind of secret.

Support