The Popular/Charismatic Beta Always Thinks They Are Universally Disliked - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Depart Go Go Go

Quick-drying base layers, fleece jackets, down jackets, hard-shell waterproof pants and jackets, windproof masks, goggles… as well as a large number of pills and powders to combat high altitude sickness, and energy bars for physical stamina.

Wen Zhiyi felt like a hero who had collected gear and potions along the way, preparing to slay a dragon.

Climbing a snow mountain is never an easy task. On the day the plane arrived in Yunnan, he signed an insurance policy for several million yuan at the local mountaineering club.

Looking at the hastily written characters “Wen Zhiyi” at the bottom of the white document, Wen Zhiyi was momentarily lost in thought.

He did not make this decision on a whim. If life was destined to be as fleeting as dew, then a deeply memorable experience would at least give him anchor points for different stages of his life.

This extremely brief moment of distraction was observed by Lin Chang, who was waiting beside him.

The handsome, older Beta took the pen from his hand and equally swiftly signed the characters “Lin Chang.”

“First time signing this kind of insurance?” Lin Chang raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t seem right. Have you been to an amusement park? You have to sign insurance before riding a drop tower. It’s essentially the same.”

A drop tower and climbing a snow mountain are probably still different, right?

Wen Zhiyi expressed doubt.

Lin Chang quickly walked into the snow-view suite allocated by the club, carrying both of their backpacks. Although the club’s location was already in a high-altitude area, it was still about nine kilometers away from the base camp at 4,000 meters above sea level. Everyone was staying at the club today before setting off for the base camp tomorrow morning.

The companions climbing with them were mostly Alphas. The only two Omegas were both female and were confirmed to be sharing a room, so little Wen was naturally assigned to a twin room with Lin Chang.

Lin Chang effortlessly carried the 20-30 kg backpacks as if they were toys, easily lifting them into the room with a slight flex of his arm. Wen Zhiyi, following him, couldn’t help but touch the muscle lines that flexed when he exerted force, marveling that, as a fellow Beta, Lin Chang’s training was indeed impeccable.

Over the course of the two-week training, little Wen had become completely familiar with Lin Chang. He sat cross-legged on the bed and proposed: “Do you want to shower first, or should I? Should we rest early tonight? After all, we have to depart punctually at 8 a.m. tomorrow for the base camp.”

Lin Chang looked at Wen Zhiyi’s slightly flushed cheeks and couldn’t help but smile faintly: “Did you take your high-altitude sickness medicine?”

Little Wen, who began unpacking his backpack and taking out clothes one by one, moved with an air of composure and unhurriedness. Perhaps because he had taken Rhodiola (high-altitude medicine) earlier, he felt he was in excellent condition.

Lin Chang pulled a small, round metal box from his bag, raised his chin toward Wen Zhiyi, and lightly tossed it onto little Wen’s bed, indicating with a smiling gesture for him to open it.

The moment the lid was lifted, a rich, deep fragrance quietly drifted into Wen Zhiyi’s nose. It was a small box of perfectly roasted dried lavender flowers. The English prompt at the bottom of the box clearly indicated it was for sleep aid.

Lavender is indeed a plant naturally associated with quietness, warmth, and the sun. The tranquil, shallow fragrance, like a splash of ice water in rolling oil, arrived perfectly. Wen Zhiyi’s overly active mood was soothed well. He clutched the box of small dried flowers and looked sideways at the man sitting opposite him.

The thoughtful man sat on the bed with his arms crossed, winking at Wen Zhiyi, appearing completely calm and composed.

“I’m allergic to lavender.” Little Wen also blinked, feigning innocence and purity as he met Lin Chang’s gaze.

The calm and composed older Beta’s lips instantly tightened. He instinctively sprang quickly from the bed, reaching out subconsciously to grab the dried flowers in Wen Zhiyi’s palm, momentarily overcome with an unrestrainable panic.

The moisture-wicking long-sleeve sports shirt meticulously outlined the sudden tension in Lin Chang’s muscles during his moment of panic. No matter how deeply ingrained his expression management was, his body’s reaction couldn’t lie; the arm thrust toward Wen Zhiyi was tense and clearly defined.

Amused by his sudden movement, Wen Zhiyi’s shoulders shook with laughter. He held his stomach and roared with laughter: “Did you actually believe that?”

Lin Chang froze on the spot.

He looked at Wen Zhiyi, who was laughing without restraint, and slowly a smile also curved on his lips.

Little Wen, sitting amidst a spread of warm clothes on the bed, suddenly noticed the disappearance of the light source above his head. He looked up to see Lin Chang suddenly leaning down. From this angle, the other’s face looked more angular, yet he was given time to react as the other slowly pressed towards little Wen.

Wen Zhiyi raised his hand to press against Lin Chang’s approaching forehead, raising his long eyebrows lightly, meeting the other’s gaze with confusion.

Lin Chang stopped smoothly, maintaining the close distance between them and smiling: “Just testing your temperature, seeing if you have a fever.”

Little Wen let out a long “Oh,” indicating acceptance of the explanation.

“Then don’t try to take my temperature while I’m sleeping, okay?” Wen Zhiyi gave a sweet smile. “I move a lot in my sleep. It wouldn’t be good if I hit you.”

Lin Chang nodded serenely, stating in a serious manner that he was absolutely not the type of person to take advantage of another’s situation.

While Lin Chang was taking a shower, Wen Zhiyi, who had already admired the Jinsha River and Tiger Leaping Gorge along the way, lay on the bed and started flipping through his photo album. The Jinsha River this season was as green as an immense piece of jade. The melted snow from the adjacent Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, carrying ice shards from the Zhongdian Plateau, roared down fiercely. The thunderous roar of the surging waves crashing against the cliffs was deafening. Wen Zhiyi was very pleased with his photography skills.

So he posted a nine-square photo grid on his Moments (social media), accompanied by a very aloof and simple caption: “Thanks for asking.”

Although he had appreciated countless beautiful landscapes both domestically and internationally, this was his first time doing a thoroughly prepared extreme outdoor sport, and he couldn’t help but update his long-dormant social media.

Shortly after this post went out, Wei Xingjiang, who finally learned about Wen Zhiyi’s leave from his butler, enthusiastically sent a flurry of messages.

“You ran off to have fun by yourself?” Young Master Wei straightened his legs with a foul look, unhappy as he tapped a glass, gesturing for the person next to him to pour him wine.

Wen Zhiyi dismissed the video call request he sent and sent a voice message instead.

“No, with friends. Why, are you interested too?”

The radar on Wei Xingjiang’s head automatically shot up, beeping incessantly.

“Which friends?”

“To be precise, several friends. You don’t know any of them anyway.”

Wen Zhiyi casually played with the small metal box in his palm.

Wei Xingjiang frowned and returned to Wen Zhiyi’s Moments. He zoomed in on a certain photo, carefully distinguishing the crampons and other mountaineering gear Wen Zhiyi had posted, then realized with a start: “You’re going to climb a snow mountain? September is indeed the time to climb Haba Snow Mountain.”

The energy of an S-class Alpha is bound to be a disaster if not vented. In his eighteen years of life, he had already climbed various hell-level snow mountains. An idea sparked, and he enthusiastically proposed to Wen Zhiyi: “How about I come find you? I’m bored anyway.”

“It’s fine if you want to come, but we won’t wait for you. Be careful not to get left behind.” Little Wen sneered.

Wei Xingjiang’s competitive spirit was completely ignited. He bit his lip, holding the phone while lightly kicking the cheering rich playboys next to him. He spoke in a voice filled with a pleasure he didn’t even realize, thanks to Wen Zhiyi’s approval: “I can beat you guys with one leg tied behind my back. But—Little Wen Gege, are you really not going to wait for me?”

The sight of the usually cold and arrogant Young Master Wei saying “Little Wen Gege” in a clingy voice was extremely potent. His friends, who were kicked with restrained force but still struggled to get up, stared in shock, rubbing the goosebumps on their arms.

Damn, how vulgar.

“I’m done showering. The towel on the shelf to your left is yours. Get ready to—Are you chatting?”

Lin Chang, covered in moisture, looked at Wen Zhiyi while wiping his hair. This perfectly natural question was recorded by Wen Zhiyi’s phone and, as expected, sent into the chat box between little Wen and Wei Xingjiang.

Wow, a slip of the hand.

Wen Zhiyi held his phone, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

The next second, the chat interface unsurprisingly began frantically popping up with call and video requests.

Seemingly realizing that Wen Zhiyi definitely wouldn’t answer, Wei Xingjiang frantically sent voice messages.

“Who finished showering? You two are sharing a room? Who is that man? Is he sick?”

“You are not allowed to take off your clothes and shower!”

“I’m coming to find you right now. Which club are you staying at? Send me the location.”

Wei Xingjiang, far away in Jing City, irritably ordered someone to book him a flight, planning to fly to Yunnan overnight. He didn’t care what time it was, bombarding his subordinates with calls to wake them up. With a face as cold as frost, he glared fiercely at the voice message from Wen Zhiyi. In the waiting interval, he wished he could grow wings and fly directly to the other party to catch them in the act.

He didn’t get a reply from Wen Zhiyi, but instead was met with an inquiry from Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao’s voice carried a clearly discernible huskiness, as if he had just emerged from a mire of desire. Wei Xingjiang took zero seconds to guess what the old man had been doing: “…Wei Xingjiang, why are you running off to Yunnan late at night when you should be staying put? Don’t forget who you have to meet tomorrow.”

Feng Yun’s white, soft arm quietly clung to Wei Zhao’s shoulder. Lying beside the Alpha, she calmly felt Wei Zhao’s chest vibrate slightly when he lowered his voice.

“If you care so much, go meet that Omega yourself. She’s about the same age as Feng Yun anyway, so I suppose you won’t feel much pressure.” Wei Xingjiang sneered. While efficiently checking the backpack that had been packed and presented to him in just over ten minutes, he retorted fearlessly to his father.

“…It seems you really think you’re important now.” Mr. Wei rubbed his temples, his expression becoming calm instead. He reached out and wrapped his arm around Feng Yun’s shoulder, his fingers lightly tapping her beautifully sculpted shoulder line without purpose. “Just because I only have you as a child right now?”

Wei Xingjiang laughed briefly, a hint of obvious malice showing on his young, handsome face: “If you had any other illegitimate children, I wouldn’t let them live to be an Alpha, let alone reach adulthood.”