The "Honest" Beta Deceived Day and Night by a Twisted Obsessive - Chapter 1

“Your fiancé is trending on social media for checking into a hotel with someone and you’re still just sitting at home? How many times do I have to tell you? If you want to capture a man’s heart, you have to start by giving him a child! Why are you so useless!”

The room was vast, yet sparsely furnished with only a few haphazard items. Duan Huaijing stood alone as his mother’s exasperated voice shrilled through the phone speaker.

On the video call screen, Huaijing kept his head bowed in a posture of habitual submissiveness. He didn’t bother reminding his mother that, as a Beta, he couldn’t get pregnant, nor did he argue against her outdated ideas. Experience had taught him that for every word he spoke, his mother would have a hundred more waiting to throw back at him.

This had been the rhythm of his life since childhood. As long as he looked like he was listening, his mother would eventually tire herself out and stop.

Sure enough, after a few more minutes of grumbling, her fire began to die down. “Did you hear what I said? Once there’s a child involved, I don’t believe for a second that Xie Ming will keep chasing wild flowers outside!”

Huaijing nodded, though he didn’t take a single word to heart.

This whole “fiancé” business only existed because his father had died saving Xie Ming’s father years ago. Out of gratitude, the two families had arranged a marriage between the Xie’s son and the child still in Mrs. Duan’s womb.

Consequently, from the moment he was born, Huaijing possessed a high-society fiancé that everyone envied. But this fiancé didn’t like him; on the rare occasions they met, Xie Ming greeted him with nothing but a cold face and a look of pure disdain.

Over the years, his fiancé had rarely spared him the time of day, yet Huaijing saw him constantly usually on the trending charts, surrounded by an ever-changing rotation of socialites.

His mother, her throat now dry, took a sip of water before returning to her favourite pastime: badmouthing everyone she knew. She lacked social grace and loved to show off, which left her with few friends. Huaijing, with his quiet, yielding nature, was the only one she could vent to.

Suddenly, a notification popped up on Huaijing’s phone, as ominous and unavoidable as a debt collector’s summons.

The day after tomorrow is Friday. Don’t forget our agreement.

Huaijing felt like a man ensnared by vines. He could flee to the ends of the earth, but as long as the person on the other end pulled the string, he was forced to resurface. It was a weary sense of inevitable surrender.

Agitated, he lowered his head further so his mother couldn’t see his expression. He caught a quick glimpse of his surroundings out of the corner of his eye before clearing the message, burying the secret back where it belonged.

Having run out of other people to criticise, his mother turned her sharp tongue back on him.

“I’ve been talking for ages and you’re acting like it’s got nothing to do with you. Are you a wooden block? Look at your younger brother, why can’t you learn a thing or two from him!”

Huaijing finally reacted, offering a soft “mm” in response.

His mother rolled her eyes. “How did I give birth to something so spineless? You’re like wet mud that can’t be plastered onto a wall.”

He had been scolded so often that the words no longer stung. He merely mumbled under his breath, “Mud can still be used for patching walls.”

His mother didn’t catch it. “What was that?” she barked.

Huaijing said nothing, acting as if nothing had happened. Seeing that they had been talking for an hour, he made up an excuse. “They’re calling me for dinner.”

His mother’s attitude shifted instantly. “Then hurry up! You’re not a great Buddha; you can’t expect people to come and invite you personally. You’re in someone else’s home, try to be sensible.”

After hanging up, Huaijing let out a long breath, feeling as though that single conversation had drained every ounce of his energy.

He stood up and trudged slowly to the door. Peeking through a crack to ensure the hallway was empty, he finally ventured out.

He was currently staying at the Xie family’s ancestral estate. With the matriarch’s birthday approaching, the old lady, who loved a crowd had summoned everyone to the house to wait for the celebrations. In practice, this meant the house was packed, and no one left unless absolutely necessary.

Huaijing had lied to his mother. In this wealthy, powerful household, he had no standing and no allies. Seeing the others made him feel like a country bumpkin entering the city; it was nothing but pure awkwardness. To avoid this, he went out of his way to miss mealtimes, waiting until everyone else had finished before heading to the kitchen to see if there were any leftovers.

As he stepped out, a group of children playing hide-and-seek in the manor exchanged looks and curled their lips.

“He’s so thin, looks like he’s malnourished.”

“He doesn’t even show up for dinner; he just picks at leftovers on purpose. That’s Uncle Xie’s fiancé?”

“His behaviour is a bit rat-like, but don’t you think he’s actually really handsome?”

“Please, good looks won’t put food on the table. Look at him, he’s practically starving to death anyway.”

“Will he tell on us for saying this?”

“He won’t. From what I’ve seen, he’s a bit dim and can’t even stand up for himself. Don’t worry, he won’t say a word.”

Huaijing heard them. From the very first day he arrived at the estate, he had been met with disdain by almost everyone he encountered. It was as if by not looking down on him, they would somehow be tainted by his “filth.” Only by insulting him could they feel clean.

They hated Huaijing, and Huaijing hated them right back.

He hated their hypocrisy, their snobbery, and the hollow silence of the manor that sat beneath the forced festive noise. In short, he hated everything about this place.

But he couldn’t leave. The moment the thought of running crossed his mind, his mother would deploy a mix of physical and mental pressure. She would spend twenty hours a day lecturing him on his “duties,” eventually turning it into a guilt trip about how hard her life was and how he shouldn’t be an ungrateful wretch.

While scavenging for food in the kitchen, he accidentally overheard the maids gossiping. He had no interest in eavesdropping, but a few fragments drifted his way regardless.

The gist was that the current head of the Xie Group his fiancé’s older brother, had returned.

The man was described as young, formidable  and decisive, the polar opposite of his playboy younger brother. Despite being only three years older, he carried the steady, weathered aura of someone who had seen it all.

Huaijing stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth and thought dismissively, “How different can people from the same family really be?”

Before the maids could notice him, he slipped away, hugging the walls.

He retreated to a deserted corner of the back garden. With practiced ease, he set up his phone stand, adjusted the angle to focus on his sketchbook, and started a live stream.

Almost immediately, fans flooded the room, showering him with compliments and casual chatter. Huaijing replied to them one by one.

He was an artist with tens of thousands of followers. Thanks to his polished style and fresh concepts, his popularity had been steadily climbing over the last few years.

When a fan asked why he was speaking so softly, Huaijing leaned closer to the screen and whispered, “Immersive drawing experience.”

In reality, he was terrified of being overheard or discovered. His features were somewhat cold and distant, but he had a naturally “good boy” look a delicate, fragile quality that instinctively made people want to protect him.

“Why a surprise stream today?” Huaijing read a comment and paused. “Because I’m broke.”

The chat filled with jokes and technical questions about his art. For the first time all day, Huaijing felt the tension leave his body. He chatted as he drew, a genuine smile lighting up his face like a winter plum blossom, bringing a splash of vivid colour to the desolate garden.

This hobby was his secret sanctuary, and his fans were the ones who saw him through countless lonely nights. Naturally, he shared his good news with them first. “I’m starting work at a gaming company tomorrow. Yes, I passed my probation.”

The comments were a wall of praise. Everyone knew how prestigious that company was and cheered that he would finally be able to show his true talent.

As he was finishing a sketch, a long-time fan’s request caught his eye amidst the scrolling text.

“Ahhh! I’ve loved your work for so long, Zhixing-laoshi! Could you draw a chibi version of someone for me? It’s okay if you’re too busy, I know you’re usually swamped!”

Huaijing thought of his own unremarkable life and gave a shy smile. “It’s no trouble. I have time. Do you have any specific requirements? Send them over.”

The fan was ecstatic. “Thank you, Teacher! Just do your thing, no special requirements. I’ll send the reference photo now!”

When the notification popped up, Huaijing clicked on the photo. His fingertips froze.

Seeing his expression, the fan grew nervous. “Do I need to pay extra?”

Huaijing snapped out of it. “No, it’s fine. I can draw this.”

The person in the photo just looked. familiar.

He worked quickly, and before long, sharp-eyed viewers began to recognise the subject.

“Isn’t that the guy who went viral recently just because of a shot of his hands at a press conference? I don’t think he’s in the entertainment industry.”

“Wait, are you talking about Xie Yun, the CEO of the Xie Group?”

At the mention of that name, Huaijing finally realised why the face looked familiar. Xie Yun was his fiancé’s older brother.

They had met very few times; the last encounter must have been five years ago.

The chat suddenly detoured into gossip about the CEO.

“Baidu says he’s 28 and an Alpha. He looks like a total model just standing there. That mature, distant vibe is to die for, and he’s still single!”

“Hahaha! I heard he had a persistent Omega pursuer once. The Omega thought they could wear him down, but Xie Yun made them work three days of overtime straight. The poor person was traumatised.”

“Yes! I heard that too! That little Omega ended up quitting and studied so hard they passed the civil service exam instead.”

The autumn wind carried a bitter chill. Huaijing gripped his stylus a little tighter as he read. So what if he has a nice face? Nothing to be proud of.

He was just a heartless, workaholic machine who didn’t know the first thing about being kind to people.

As Huaijing outlined the eyes on the paper, he went to speak but choked on the cold air instead. After a few coughs, he forgot what he was going to say. He bit his lip, thinking with a hint of quiet rebellion: “When I’m that age, I’ll definitely be more impressive than him.”

In the silence of the night, as the wind rustled through the flowerbeds, he suddenly heard the snap of a twig.

Huaijing froze. With practiced speed, he tucked away his drawing tools and flipped his phone over, listening intently.

But the sound didn’t return.

Was I imagining it?

Once he was sure there was no one there, he went back to his drawing. As the portrait took shape, he found himself thinking back to that first meeting five years ago.

Back then, he had just learned about his arranged marriage. His parents had forced him to give up his long-term art studies just so they could mould him into a “compliant, useful” son and wife for a high-ranking family. He had been hiding in a corner, crying his eyes out.

When he finally ran out of tears and looked up, he found a man staring at him. He had wanted to say something, but he was so shaken that all that came out was an awkward hiccup.

The man had looked him up and down. Huaijing had curled into a ball, trying to hide himself as he backed away in a panic.

He never expected that this elegantly dressed man would say: “You look a lot like a cat I used to have.”

Huaijing hadn’t understood. He blinked. “A cat?”

Five years ago, Xie Yun had stood on the steps, his gaze hooded and his dark eyes devoid of emotion. He said simply, “But it died.”

Then, with an air of noble command, he added, “Will you come with me?”

At the time, Huaijing hadn’t understood what that “come with me” really implied.

Dragging his thoughts back to the present, Huaijing glanced at the chat and realised he’d been zoning out. His stylus lingered on the ear of the man in the drawing for a long time.

The chat was still full of praise for Xie Yun. Reaching into his memory, Huaijing lifted his hand and added a small mole to the portrait’s earlobe.

He didn’t know Xie Yun well, but five years ago, he had internally given the man a label:

A high-risk individual with a pathological need for control.

As the night grew late and the air turned frigid, Huaijing decided to finish the face and end the stream. Just as he was finishing the last strokes, his ears caught the sound of someone approaching.

He lightning-fast stowed his “evidence” and held his phone upright, pretending to scroll through videos. Only when the person drew close did he look up with a look of feigned daze, as if he were just a boy lost in his phone.

A maid held out a coat. “It’s cold out. Don’t catch a chill.”

Huaijing usually disliked this maid as much as the others; she was typically indifferent and radiated disdain even from a distance. Why the sudden change in heart?

Despite his dislike, he knew better than to be difficult on someone else’s turf. He lowered his head and draped the coat over his shoulders.

Suddenly, acting on a strange instinct, he looked past the maid into the darkness behind her.

There was no one there.

The coat felt warm against him. The wind no longer felt cold; instead, a scent lingered around him a pleasant, calming aroma of cedar and snow.

A name flashed through his mind.

He remembered that for the Old Madam’s birthday, Xie Yun had also returned home.

Support