The "Honest" Beta Deceived Day and Night by a Twisted Obsessive - Chapter 4

“I’m giving you time to run before the drug kicks in.” 

Duan Huaijing cursed under his breath, pocketed his phone, and tried to look natural as he slipped out of the banquet hall.

His acquaintance with “The Eye” had begun with a transaction when his grandmother was gravely ill and the family company was on the brink of collapse. Duan Huaijing hadn’t wanted his grandmother’s life’s work to go to waste. Just when he was out of options, “The Eye” appeared. He helped pay off the company’s debts and moved his grandmother to the best private ward. The only requirement for all of this was for Duan Huaijing to sign a contract.

Duan Huaijing had to fulfil the contract by engaging in physical contact proposed by “Party A” every week. This included, but was not limited to, kissing and holding hands. The contract was for five years; if Duan Huaijing paid back the money during this period, the time-based rules would be voided.

It sounded simple enough, but the debt was astronomical. There was no way he could scrape that much together in a short time. Duan Huaijing was forced to be a lab rat, left at the mercy of another.

He stepped into the basement entrance and took a deep breath. His palms slowly relaxed, revealing crescent-shaped nail marks he had dug into his own skin. Judging by the movement of his lips, he was muttering a few choice insults at “The Eye.”

This place was usually used for storage. Deprived of sunlight year-round, the air was not only damp and eerie but also carried a faint, lingering smell of mildew. Duan Huaijing curled his fingers and held them under his nose, looking quite repulsed by the setting. He walked forward a few steps, glancing left and right, but saw no sign of “The Eye.”

He had been working with “The Eye” for a year, but he had never seen the man’s true face. Every meeting took place in a dim area where features were obscured, or the man appeared wearing a mask. Duan Huaijing had even wondered if the man was a Beta; otherwise, how could he never smell a trace of pheromones?

With a thud, the door was pushed open from the outside.

Fine motes of dust danced and swirled by the rusted gate. The person standing at the entrance was backlit, making their face impossible to see, but their proportions were superior. As they strode toward him, they looked tall and steady.

“The Eye” had arrived.

With every step the man took, those tiny particles reflected in the shafts of light like the lingering smoke of a battlefield. Their direction shifted with his movement, forming strange, cloud-like shapes beneath his feet.

Even without seeing the man’s eyes, Duan Huaijing could feel a powerful sense of purpose. It was as if a predator were staring down its prey, certain of victory as the target hid in its burrow.

“Meeting again, baby.” The man’s voice was likely lowered on purpose, masking its natural tone.

Although Duan Huaijing had cursed the man countless times in his head, the moment he actually saw him, the innate pressure the man exerted made the timid Duan Huaijing unable to utter a word of protest. He lowered his eyelids, avoiding eye contact. A year of cooperation had taught him what the process was. He said, “Make it quick. I still have a banquet to attend.”

He had no idea how much he looked like someone placing themselves on a chopping block to be slaughtered.

The man didn’t say a word. The sound of his soles hitting the floor echoed in the silent space until he stood directly in front of Duan Huaijing. Duan Huaijing could feel a strange heat nearby, so close that he could touch it if he just moved a finger.

Duan Huaijing admitted to himself that he was somewhat afraid of him. Standing before “The Eye,” he felt exposed, a sensation that made every pore on his body shiver.

The man grabbed Duan Huaijing’s hand. The moment he was caught, Duan Huaijing’s arm went stiff. His struggling strength felt like a dying chick kicking its legs in the man’s palm.

He watched as “The Eye” took out a handkerchief and patiently wiped his palm. It tickled; Duan Huaijing wanted to curl his fingers, but “The Eye” anticipated the move and firmly pinched his fingers to keep them still.

The man’s voice, processed through a voice changer, sounded like a masked villain from a television drama—cold and sinister. It felt like a hand wandering around a fragile neck, capable of mercilessly strangling him into suffocation at any second.

“Didn’t I tell you? Don’t let those low-lifes touch you.”

“The Eye” flicked his gaze up. Duan Huaijing lowered his head to avoid the look, presenting only the crown of his head, and pulled his hand back forcefully. He knew the man was still interested in him and wouldn’t hurt him. Emboldened by this, he said, “You really think too much of yourself.”

In his heart, he hated everyone. He was jealous of everyone; he couldn’t stand anyone being better off than him. His disguise was flawless—he was used to faking it—but there was one exception: “The Eye.” The man had seen him in many of his most pathetic and twisted states. While he was two-faced, “The Eye” wasn’t exactly a good person either. They were two of a kind.

Therefore, in front of this man, he could shamelessly reveal his true self.

The man fell silent, whether because of the words or because the sensation in his palm had suddenly vanished. His hand remained suspended in mid-air. After two seconds of silence, he let out a nearly imperceptible sigh, reached forward again, and pulled Duan Huaijing’s hand back to finish wiping it.

Once finished, before Duan Huaijing could react, the man seemed to become a different person. Without warning, he hooked a hand behind the back of Duan Huaijing’s head and pressed his cool lips against his.

The movement was hurried at first. It wasn’t until Duan Huaijing winced and shrugged away from the pain of having the inside of his lip bitten that the man slowed down. The man’s lips slowly wandered down, lingering at Duan Huaijing’s Adam’s apple, kissing the protrusion repeatedly but stopping short of taking it into his mouth.

Duan Huaijing couldn’t stand this kind of torture. His fingers slid restlessly into the man’s hair, and he gripped tight, pulling the man’s head toward him. In the haze, he thought he heard the man let out a couple of muffled chuckles.

His Adam’s apple was kissed until it glistened. Duan Huaijing’s breathing grew uneven. He stammered, “That’s  enough.”

Instead of stopping, the man went further, moving to the back of Duan Huaijing’s neck. He was like someone who hadn’t tasted meat in ages, unwilling to set the bowl down even after a full meal.

A Beta has no glands. Furthermore, the man had injected a pheromone blocker before coming, so there wasn’t a trace of scent in the air. No matter how much they kissed or how intimate they became, no scent would linger on the Beta. Once the wind blew a moment later, no one would know who he belonged to.

A Beta is forever free.

The man was as stubborn as a child denied a sweet, biting the skin at the back of the neck until it was covered in teeth marks, yet failing to leave a lasting mark.

Duan Huaijing let out a hiss of pain, his composure breaking slightly. “I’m a Beta. You can’t mark me.”

A dark glint flashed in the man’s eyes, and a surge of desire crashed within him. His current state was exactly like an Alpha entering their heat sensitive and highly libidinous. To his ears, Duan Huaijing’s casual remark meant one thing: his beloved would eventually leave him, and another person would leave their marks on that body.

Duan Huaijing didn’t know his words were being interpreted this way. He was still wondering why the man was looking at him so strangely, as if he might devour him whole the next second.

The man’s head leaned close to his neck again. Duan Huaijing wanted to speak, but the man covered his mouth first. A slick, damp sensation slid against his neck, like a venomous snake coiling and twisting.

“Disgusting!” Duan Huaijing managed to shout the word through his throat, though it was muffled.

Hearing this, the man looked up, a bizarre smile playing on his lips. He suddenly gripped the hair at Duan Huaijing’s forehead, forcing him to look up. “If you’re licked by someone disgusting, then you’re disgusting too.”

In this position, the lines of Duan Huaijing’s neck were pulled taut and smooth, like a bow strung and ready to fire. The weak light from outside spilled over his delicate skin, making it look for a moment like translucent, flawless white jade.

He had no idea how seductive he looked. His chest heaved with anger. He raised his hand and mercilessly grabbed the hand tangled in his hair, biting down hard.

“Why don’t you just die?!”

A bite mark was left on the side of the man’s hand. He didn’t care. Instead, he used his bitten hand to reach out his thumb and wipe away a silver thread of saliva from the corner of Duan Huaijing’s mouth.

“If I die, who else is going to make you feel this good?” the man said unhurriedly as he wiped.

Then, one hand forcefully tilted Duan Huaijing’s chin up, forcing his mouth open to reveal a small, crimson tongue. The man’s fingers pinched it, moving it back and forth like a toy. Duan Huaijing couldn’t break free; he was forced to keep his mouth open. To avoid drooling, he had to suckle on the man’s fingers. If he didn’t, the liquid would drip out like a leaking tap.

“So beautiful. I won’t give those hungry dogs a chance to see you like this.”

The man leaned close to Duan Huaijing’s ear and whispered softly, “I’ll haunt you even as a ghost.”

A wave of revulsion washed over Duan Huaijing. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard footsteps and the sound of people talking outside. His back went rigid.

Sensing his emotion, “The Eye” freed a hand to gently pat and stroke his back. Duan Huaijing struggled to push him away, but the person in front of him didn’t budge. The sound of fingers teasing his lips and tongue a sound that would make anyone’s ears burn, seemed to ring around him like a loudspeaker in the cramped space.

“Someone will hear!” Duan Huaijing said, his tongue pressing hard against the man’s fingers, his speech slurred.

He thought the man would back off out of caution, but instead, the man pressed forward, whispering in his ear: “Then keep your voice down.”

Duan Huaijing felt like he was going to pass out.

He couldn’t remember much of how his mouth was toyed with or how they kissed after that. His entire focus was on the door, terrified that someone would walk in and see this scene. Fortunately, few people ever came to the storage room. Once the sounds outside faded, Duan Huaijing breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

The banquet was nearing its end. As the fiancé of Old Mrs. Xie’s grandson, he couldn’t afford to not to show his face.

Just as he was about to leave, “The Eye” stood behind him. His gaze “licked” over every part of his body as he spoke, dropping a bombshell.

Duan’s mother had illegally purchased an aphrodisiac.

Duan Huaijing’s footsteps paused for a second. Then, acting as if he hadn’t heard anything, he walked out the door without looking back.

****

The storage room door opened and closed. Dust danced in the gap, sealing away the unknown underground transaction within.

Duan Huaijing returned to the banquet. He specifically looked for his mother but didn’t see her. He pulled his gaze back nonchalantly, intending to find a random spot to sit. He had only taken a few steps when his mother, emerging from some corner, blocked his path. “Xie Ming has had too much to drink. Take this hangover soup to him.”

With the knowledge of the aphrodisiac weighing on him, Duan Huaijing looked at the liquid in the bowl and felt it was a dose of undrinkable poison. He lowered his eyes, looking the picture of a timid coward. “We just had a row yesterday. He won’t want to see me.”

If this were truly just hangover soup, it wouldn’t be so bad. But if there really was a drug in there, any trouble Xie Ming had later would surely be blamed on him. The saying “even a tiger won’t eat its cubs” didn’t apply to Duan’s mother; to her, he was merely a currently useful piece of merchandise.

If he weren’t the “daughter-in-law” of the powerful Xie family, and if it weren’t for the fact that he was the eldest and thus tied to the childhood betrothal, his mother would have replaced him with his brother in a heartbeat. All of this was because she saw Xie Ming was now with someone he actually loved. She felt a sense of crisis. To prevent things from going sideways and to ensure her younger son could also benefit once Duan Huaijing married into wealth, she performed these acts that ostensibly seemed to be for his own good.

Duan Huaijing just wasn’t good at speaking; his tongue was clumsy, but that didn’t mean he was stupid.

A glint flashed in his mother’s eyes, and she narrowed them. “How do you know he won’t see you if you don’t go?”

Duan Huaijing had been physically and verbally abused by her for years. If this were at home and she hadn’t received the answer she wanted, she would have started meting out “family discipline.” Thankfully, they were in public, so she still cared somewhat about her image.

However, muscle memory made Duan Huaijing’s body shiver instinctively. He didn’t know how to argue or refuse. He could only lower his head further to express his reluctance. Standing beside the arrogant woman, he looked quite pathetic to the onlookers. “I’m just afraid the soup will go to waste.”

His mother was relentless, shoving the tray into his hands. “I truly regret giving birth to a son like you. You have no common sense. Just take it over there and play it by ear.”

Duan Huaijing knew there was no escaping it today. Carrying the tray, he dawdled toward Xie Ming’s room, praying the man had already left. Reaching the corner of the stairs, he noticed his mother following not far behind, as if she were terrified he would quit halfway.

Duan Huaijing pretended not to see her. He walked slowly with his head down. On the stairs, he “unintentionally” pretended his balance was unsteady, causing a bit of the soup to spill out. He saw a glimmer of hope and, with a serious glint in his eyes, pursed his lips and let his “unsteady wrist” spill some more.

But his mother had been generous with the portion. No matter how much he spilled, there was still soup in the bowl, and no matter how long he took, he eventually reached the door.

Feeling the burning, pressing gaze from behind, Duan Huaijing steeled himself and knocked.

Don’t open, don’t open, don’t open. Whoever opens is a puppy.

He prayed and cursed at the same time.

The door opened anyway. His last bit of hope was crushed by the sound of the door creaking.

“This is hangover soup my mother made for you. Will you drink it?” Duan Huaijing said this loudly, intentionally letting the eavesdropping mother hear. He kept his head down, avoiding eye contact. As he spoke, he raised the tray, and “regrettably,” his wrist wobbled again, spilling more.

Hidden beneath his messy fringe, his eyes were bright like a mouse that had stolen some grain. To avoid exposure, the look vanished in an instant. He lowered his gaze to hide his emotions and said quickly in a low voice, “It’s fine if you don’t want it. I know you drink other things, so I’ll just take it away then.”

The person whose gaze rested on the top of his head finally spoke. The voice was deep and pleasant. “He and I swapped rooms temporarily. Do you want to go find him?”

Duan Huaijing snapped his head up, spilling more soup.

How is it Xie Yun???

Xie Yun was usually dressed impeccably, without a single wrinkle on his clothes like an emotionless robot. But now, his tie was loosened and hanging haphazardly. The top button of his shirt was undone, giving him a more casual, languid look.

Duan Huaijing’s first thought was: Did I wake him up?

A second later, another thought surfaced. He thought: I might as well roll with it. Let my mother think the person inside is Xie Ming. Otherwise, if this dirty trick didn’t work on Xie Ming this time, he would be forced to do something else next time.

Xie Yun leaned against the doorframe. Seeing Duan Huaijing lost in thought, he didn’t rush him. A second before Duan Huaijing looked up to speak, he shifted his gaze away.

“I have something to say. Can I come in first?” Duan Huaijing asked, feeling quite apprehensive. As long as he got through the door, his mother wouldn’t know who was inside.

Sensing something, Xie Yun glanced behind Duan Huaijing and saw the suspicious-looking mother. After two seconds of hesitation, he nodded and stepped aside.

A second before entering, Duan Huaijing used his peripheral vision to check his mother’s position. She was leaning over the railing, craning her neck just to see what happened next. Duan Huaijing pulled back his gaze, lowered his eyes, and walked into the room as if nothing were wrong.

“I’m not sure when Xie Ming will be back. This hangover soup.”

Duan Huaijing was still constructing a lie for his mother. Hearing this, he looked up in a daze and saw Xie Yun take a sip from a glass of ice-covered water. The man’s gaze swept over him and landed casually on the tray he was still holding.

Duan Huaijing let out a couple of “ohs” and placed the soup on the table. “It’s fine. I just heard he… he drank quite a bit and came to check.”

“Mm.” Xie Yun took a sip of the ice water, his voice sounding as if it were coated in a layer of frost. “I’ll pass the message along.”

“Then. thank you, Big Brother.” Duan Huaijing struggled to come up with that single sentence.

His mother was still outside. It was too early for him to leave. To make his stay in the room look like he actually had something to do, he began racking his brain for a new topic. But his mind only held three questions: “Have you eaten?” “What did you eat?” and “Was it good?”

Xie Yun might not have felt it, but inside, Duan Huaijing’s mental self was already pouting. What kind of person is this? A guest has been standing here this long and he doesn’t even ask them to sit on the sofa.

A message from “The Eye” came through at that moment. Duan Huaijing felt as though he’d found a lifesaver. He had never found the notification sound so pleasant. He quickly opened his phone.

Then, he froze.

 I got it wrong just now. It’s your fiancé’s brother who was drugged with the aphrodisiac. 

Baby, where are you right now?

Duan Huaijing felt as if a thunderclap had exploded in his ears. He was utterly stunned, his limbs refusing to move.

Wh-what?!

At that moment, Xie Yun walked out of the kitchen area, holding two glasses in his well-defined hands. Duan Huaijing, still reeling from the message, watched as Xie Yun expertly set the glasses on the table and poured some water.

The movements were fluid and the hands were handsome. It should have been a pleasant sight, but it took until Xie Yun’s second attempt to get his attention for Duan Huaijing to snap out of it.

“I’m not feeling well today, so the hospitality is a bit lacking. Have some water to wet your throat. If Xie Ming comes back, I’ll message you.” Xie Yun was poised and polite. There was none of the sarcasm or disdain common in the ancestral home.

However, his voice was somewhat raspy. He even turned his head to cough twice mid-sentence.

If it were any other time, Duan Huaijing would have complained in his head: He’s already kicking me out and I’ve hardly been here.

But now, he couldn’t say a word. He felt like the centre point of a tug-of-war, with two sides of his mind at a standstill. His mother was watching like a hawk outside, and he was alone in a room with his fiancé’s brother, who was drugged and might be forced into his heat at any moment.

Duan Huaijing sat like a primary schooler in class, hands resting helplessly on his knees. He tried to scavenge some words of concern from his brain, but disappointingly, he had spent so much time cursing people that his vocabulary lacked kind words.

Duan Huaijing managed a dry: “Are you… alright?”

Xie Yun’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and a laugh escaped his throat. “Mm.”

“It’s just an accidental aphrodisiac.” He said it as casually as if he had just had a meal.

“Oh.” Duan Huaijing held the glass with both hands and gave a vague response, his gaze wandering.

It would have been better if he hadn’t known. Now that he did, he couldn’t calm down. Neither of them spoke.

A moment later, Xie Yun suddenly looked at his wristwatch. “Less than five minutes left.”

Duan Huaijing was confused. He instinctively asked: “What?”

“Less than five minutes until the aphrodisiac kicks in.” Even though he was the one drugged, his tone was nonchalant. It almost made Duan Huaijing feel it was no big deal.

Until he felt a burning gaze fixed on him. His body went rigid, and just as he was about to move uncomfortably, Xie Yun’s words made his brain crash.

Xie Yun said, “I’m giving you time to run before the drug kicks in.”

Support