The Popular/Charismatic Beta Always Thinks They Are Universally Disliked - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: The Divine Being in the Northwest

Wen Zhiyi touched the back of his neck.

The path, which he had been hiking since eight in the morning, traversing the primeval forest and mountain roads, was far from easy to navigate. Large, jagged, messy broken stones covered the roadside. Every step required attention to the ground, or he could easily sprain his ankle by stepping into a gap between the stones.

Sweating was inevitable, and he felt a trace of relief that, as a Beta, he didn’t need to wear a scent gland patch. He could sweat freely without worrying about a patch slipping off.

Dressed in all black long sleeves and pants, Wen Zhiyi nimbly stepped over various obstacles. He even had the leisure to look around at the clear, running streams, the beautiful, dazzling rhododendrons, and would even walk over to touch the rough trunks of exotic, giant trees.

The temperature was quite high where the sun hit, but the shady areas where the sun couldn’t reach could send a shiver down one’s spine.

He had chosen loose, comfortable wide-leg sports pants and a sweat-wicking, breathable sports shirt for his top. The slight stickiness from the sweat outlined the smooth, clear, beautiful lines of his shoulders, back, and waist. The deep black clothing made his skin look even fairer. Lin Chang, who was always observing him out of the corner of his eye from behind, almost suspected that if Wen Zhiyi were thrown into a snowdrift, he might not be easily distinguishable.

Lin Chang kept a slight distance from Wen Zhiyi, casually watching Little Wen run and jump ahead. In his mind, he was accurately estimating how much longer the other’s physical strength could last, a detail he likely knew better than Wen Zhiyi himself.

However, even with that distance, Wen Zhiyi’s face, which intermittently looked up and down, remained exceptionally clear and prominent. He had an extremely typical, elegant, and attractive East Asian look, but his facial bone structure and lines were also surprisingly deep and three-dimensional, especially the sense of depth presented from his forehead to the tip of his nose when he tilted his head.

The few Omegas in the group who lacked stamina had chosen to ride mules up the mountain from the start, planning to regroup with the hikers at base camp several hours later for the final summit push. The rest of the group, including Wen Zhiyi, chose to hike up. The accompanying guide kept the conversation light, making the journey feel less long.

“How much longer until the flat path? Is the rest of the way all mountain road?” Lin Chang grabbed a clump of fresh, vibrant foxtail grass (a common name for some grasses with long, tail-like heads) from the ground during a break. The guide was so nervous, thinking he was about to forage for mushrooms, that his eyes were practically glued to him.

Lin Chang’s flexible, long fingers casually folded and twisted the grass five or six times, weaving the rough outline of a wristband. He chatted with the guide while keeping an eye on Wen Zhiyi, his hands never stopping the weaving.

The uninhibited Wen Zhiyi had already laid down on a massive rock.

The boulder, which had been scorched by the sun and then retreated into the shade, was dry and comfortable to lie on, and even had a flat, wide surface. Wen Zhiyi wasn’t a clean freak, so he lay down without any psychological burden, like a fox curled up into a bagel shape, holding its tail contentedly.

The accompanying Alphas also asked the guide how much longer until the flat path.

The Tibetan guide, who looked honest and utterly reliable, laughed and gave the same answer he had given countless times: Soon, soon, it’s just past the next bend.

A female Beta groaned and plopped down on the edge of the rock where Wen Zhiyi was lying, deeply regretting not choosing to ride a mule an hour ago.

Wen Zhiyi smiled, moved over slightly, patted the empty space next to him, and winked with a smile: “Want to lie down and try? Lie down, and you’ll find that you’re not that different from Yuanmou Man (an early human fossil) from over a million years ago.”

No, you are vastly different from Yuanmou Man, the Beta girl thought to herself, looking at Wen Zhiyi’s breathtakingly beautiful face.

She, of course, had no reason to refuse. She grabbed Wen Zhiyi’s hand and climbed onto the head-high stubborn rock, lying shoulder-to-shoulder with him to gaze at the blue sky and white clouds, which seemed ten thousand meters away.

“If only I had a pillow made of peony petals,” she thought aloud, resting her head on her hand.

“Unfortunately, we only have rhododendrons here,” Wen Zhiyi lazily replied. He thought for a moment before realizing she was referencing Shi Xiangyun drunkenly sleeping among the peonies in A Dream of Red Mansions.

“Actually, there’s also foxtail grass.” Lin Chang, looking composed, handed them two wristbands woven from the long-tailed grass. This plant, Asparagus setaceus (Heavenly Bamboo, one of the common names for this type of grass), was entirely fuzzy, and its green color was so vibrant it seemed to flow. Both wristbands were exquisitely woven, and one was adorned with a few small wild flowers, adding a touch of rustic charm.

The Beta lying shoulder-to-shoulder with Wen Zhiyi shielded her face from the sun with her hand and joked to Lin Chang: “Mr. Lin, move over a bit more and shield us from the sun. Wouldn’t it be a shame if Little Wen’s face got tanned?”

She consciously took the wristband without the wild flowers.

Wen Zhiyi wasn’t concerned about getting tanned. He naturally didn’t tan easily. A few years ago, during freshman military training, the sun in Jing City was more brutal than usual, but after his skin peeled, he actually became fairer.

Lin Chang raised an eyebrow at the subordinate who was joking with him, but obediently adjusted his stance to shield them from the sun.

Fortunately, he trained regularly, so he could easily complete the next two or three hours of mountain road without rest.

If it were anyone else standing there instead of Lin Chang, they might have already chased away the subordinate and taken their place lying next to Wen Zhiyi.

The guide watched Lin Chang’s every move nervously. When he realized Lin Chang clearly knew which plants could be touched and which couldn’t, he breathed a sigh of relief and casually reminded the group again: “Don’t forage for mushrooms anywhere, and if you do, don’t smell them, and definitely don’t eat them. Any mushroom might knock you out, and you’ll end up lying stiff on a board.”

“He’s talking about you,” Wen Zhiyi teased Lin Chang, resting his chin on his hand.

Lin Chang smiled slightly. They were now at the first pasture along the route, arriving at a flat, open grassland. Looking forward, there were layers of forest sea shrouded in mist, and looking down, there were winding, rugged paths. It was astonishing to find this flat grassland sandwiched between the two terrains.

“I heard we’re having beef hot pot tonight,” Wen Zhiyi said slowly, looking at the cattle and sheep grazing leisurely not far away.

“The cows are so cute; we must eat more of them tonight,” the accompanying Alphas joked.

Is that right?

It must be admitted that Wen Zhiyi’s physical fitness had improved considerably over the past two weeks. At the very least, he could complete four-plus hours of mountain road, although Lin Chang had taken his twenty-plus kg backpack halfway through the journey.

By the afternoon, when they finally reached the base camp at 4,000 meters above sea level, little Wen, who had been sweating profusely all the way, was frowning and speechless. To prevent hypothermia, he had already put on his shell jacket, which made him look more energetic, judging by his attire.

Tired.

Wen Zhiyi was so exhausted he couldn’t utter a word and didn’t want to engage in conversation. The Alphas in the group who tried to joke with him were coldly ignored. His legs and lower back ached terribly. Fortunately, his hiking boots were light and comfortable; otherwise, a few blisters would have been inevitable.

Too tired to be hungry, Wen Zhiyi ate an energy bar in the room to recover his strength while the others gathered around the copper stove for beef hot pot.

To be precise, it wasn’t a room but a dormitory, as one room could sleep over ten people.

He quickly finished the energy bar, then took off his shoes and socks and washed up with hot water to relieve fatigue. Before the others returned, he changed into a completely new set of clothes from head to toe. The clothing worn during the daytime climb was highly unsuitable for the summit push at dawn. He needed to change into quick-drying clothes, or he would catch a cold just from sweating.

The nine companions were assigned to one room. After changing, Wen Zhiyi checked everyone’s backpacks, breathing a sigh of relief only after confirming that everyone’s gear had been safely transported to the base camp.

The club they hired practiced a one-guide-per-person policy. While there was only one lead guide for the daytime climb, everyone would be assigned a guide for the summit push at dawn, supposedly ensuring a 100% summit success rate.

Little Wen sighed again as he laid peacefully on the bed.

The mobile signal on the mountain was intermittent, and at the base camp at 4,000 meters, receiving messages was almost impossible. Wen Zhiyi shook his small phone, attempting to find a signal using the most primitive method.

“The northwest corner has better reception,” Lin Chang, who appeared in the doorway at some point, said, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed as he watched Wen Zhiyi’s ritual.

Wen Zhiyi was too lazy to get out of bed, so he dragged his body and wriggled a few times towards the northwest direction.

The Beta, twelve years his senior, sighed. He took the phone, walked to the northwest corner, and after a few minutes, handed the phone back to Wen Zhiyi.

He sat down on the edge of Wen Zhiyi’s bed and very naturally pressed the other’s calf, asking in a low voice: “Did you get any blisters on your feet?”

Wen Zhiyi’s face contorted from the pressure. He gasped briefly, then desperately controlled his expression: “No—Ouch, be gentler.”

As expected, WeChat was piled with 99+ unread messages.

Little Wen frowned, texted his parents to let them know he was safe, and then checked the messages in his friends’ group chat, choosing to selectively ignore the work group.

Are you kidding me? Even a workhorse gets its bridle removed on a snow mountain, let alone Wen Zhiyi.

Wei Xingjiang had sent him a picture of a boarding pass from Jing City to Yunnan. He really did rush over overnight.

There were also a bunch of likes and comments on his social media post. Wen Zhiyi briefly scanned them and didn’t pay them any mind.

There was also a friend request.

Wen Zhiyi’s typing finger paused slightly.

He knew who it was.

But he was no longer willing to return to the vortex that this person symbolized.

The world is vast. Even climbing one mountain takes over four hours, let alone retracing a path that could no longer be reversed and offered no direction.

The person who sent the verification message was still incoherent, seemingly having finally realized what he had missed, finally understanding that some things could not be left for others to decide.

He wrote in the verification message: I’m sorry, Zhizhi. Can Zhizhi please give me one more chance? This time, I will tell Zhizhi myself.

Chen Que finally had the courage to tell Wen Zhiyi himself. He had kicked Zhu Qiao out of the studio, and anyone who wanted to collaborate with his studio was forbidden from associating with Zhu Qiao. Zhu Qiao could no longer hide or survive in that circle.

Wen Zhiyi slowly typed a sentence, then handed his phone to Lin Chang, who, with an understanding nod, held the phone and walked to the northwest corner of the room.

In the local legends, there is a Divine Being in the Northwest who listens to suffering and grants fulfillment.