The Popular/Charismatic Beta Always Thinks They Are Universally Disliked - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Descending the Mountain

The journey down the mountain was quite silent. Wen Zhiyi and the others successfully returned to the base camp in less than half the time it took to ascend. The rest of the journey could be completed by riding horses or mules, eliminating the need for a laborious walk down.

They did not descend with Wei Yuzhi. The others, who had witnessed Wei Xingjiang being severely punched, cautiously chose to ignore the scene. Most members of the team had subtly realized that the young Alpha who had joined their snow mountain trip halfway through was no ordinary person.

Naturally placed at the center of attention, with a confident and outgoing powerful aura, and a constant flow of refined manners in his actions and speech—this was clearly a high-level Alpha from an exceptionally affluent family.

Upon returning to the base camp, the group packed up, intending to descend immediately. Wei Xingjiang, who had acted as if nothing had happened the entire time, appeared to have regained his composure. Wen Zhiyi, amused by his rare silence, nudged his shoulder: “What did Wei Yuzhi mean by ‘stopping classes’? It sounds like a secret punishment only you people know about.”

“You’re very interested?” Wei Xingjiang slightly bent his waist and firmly stepped on the stirrup, smoothly and decisively swinging his body onto the tall, muscular horse. He raised an eyebrow at Wen Zhiyi from his vantage point. “Simply put, it’s confinement, and sometimes you get beaten, but that punch just now should probably offset it.”

Wei Yuzhi had struck mercilessly with full force. Wei Xingjiang even suspected his molars were slightly loose. He used his tongue to prod the inside of his swollen cheek, determined to see a dentist immediately upon returning to Jing City.

He continued: “But that thing is mostly bluster, all bark and no bite. Since I can remember, I’ve only been seriously confined twice. The last time was because I discovered Feng Yun and Wei Zhao fooling around, so I poured ice water on them and threw a lighter onto their bed. I guess Wei Zhao was so angry because the shock almost made him go limp.”

He felt a slight regret; he shouldn’t have poured the ice water first. The silk pajamas, once soaked, wouldn’t burn at all.

In other words, Little Wei, who seemed extremely rebellious and fond of playing around, was actually a staunch anti-adultery warrior.

That’s the root of the problem, Wen Zhiyi thought to himself.

He gripped the reins with one hand and the saddle horn with the other. Using force in his arms while kicking with his long legs and contracting his core muscles, he lightly landed on the horse’s back. The entire process was impossibly clean and elegant.

Little Wen slightly loosened the reins, stroked the horse’s mane, and steered his steed to walk parallel to Wei Xingjiang, trying to sound as casual as possible: “How old were you then?”

“Early teens, maybe eleven or twelve?” Wei Xingjiang touched his chin nonchalantly, not remembering clearly. After answering the question, he counter-asked Wen Zhiyi with a slight smile, “You’ve ridden a horse before? Your posture is beautiful.”

The answer was, of course, that he had, and Wei Yuzhi had taught him hand-in-hand.

“Psychological trauma coupled with physical punishment. Mr. Wei’s way of handling that matter was inappropriate and has, to a considerable extent, caused your current state.”

Wen Zhiyi turned his head to look at Wei Xingjiang.

“Are you trying to analyze me, to give me psychological counseling?” Wei Xingjiang’s mount slightly picked up its pace, trotting unevenly. His body adjusted its posture with the animal’s movement. “After that incident, I basically lived at the club I took you to last time and rarely returned to the Wei family, except for family gatherings during the holidays. And now, there’s an extra time slot for tutoring.”

Wen Zhiyi offered a slight smile, his tone very calm. This was the first time he had so frankly brought up the topic with Wei Xingjiang:

“Just chatting. You see, the fact that you are attracted to a Beta several years older than you has a relatively reasonable explanation—perhaps that scene made you unable to accept Omegas, and you clearly don’t like Alphas, so Beta became the best choice. I have some emotional experience and can handle issues more maturely. If you insist on evaluating whether a relationship is healthy before starting one, then I am indeed a good choice.”

Wei Xingjiang, who had been listening calmly to this long discourse, slowly cracked a smile. This smile finally carried a hint of the angry, speechless, and suppressed emotion he had shown when he first met Wen Zhiyi. He stared at Wen Zhiyi, enunciating every word: “So, you want to prove that I merely ‘chose’ you?”

He let out an extremely short, mocking laugh: “Speaking of health, do you think you are a very healthy choice for me? You are my cousin’s ex-husband, my teacher, a Beta who is four or five years older than me. What part of this gave you that illusion?”

It was precisely because he knew he was definitely not a healthy choice for Wei Xingjiang that Wen Zhiyi initiated this conversation. He could see through the various deeper meanings behind Wei Yuzhi’s actions on the summit.

This was an unavoidable confrontation. Even though he hadn’t accepted Wei Xingjiang, the high level of “ill will” that Wei Xingjiang showed—hmm, he briefly checked, it’s maxed out now—would inevitably lead to his opposition with Wei Yuzhi.

And given the deep, unhealed rift that had existed between Wei Xingjiang and his father for years, was it truly appropriate for him to create serious conflict with other members of his family?

Should an eighteen-year-old Alpha be pushing his family to this extent?

Wen Zhiyi didn’t know, and he believed Wei Xingjiang didn’t know either. That’s why he was forcing Wei Xingjiang to think about this issue.

He wasn’t arrogantly scrutinizing or dissecting the other’s feelings, nor was he casually deconstructing Wei Xingjiang’s intentions. Instead, he was telling the latter: You need to think carefully. You need to decide seriously.

Intense, passionate love can sometimes be a trap that leaves you bruised and battered.

The young Alpha, with the mocking smile, suddenly squeezed the horse’s belly with his legs, urging his steed closer to Wen Zhiyi’s mount. This close distance risked the horses colliding. He slightly twisted his waist, leaned his upper body closer to Wen Zhiyi, and then, with an intense, gritting-teeth force, suddenly lowered his head to find Wen Zhiyi’s lips!

He succeeded.

Wen Zhiyi only had time to quickly twist his neck. His lips and Wei Xingjiang’s barely touched, more like a friction so light it was almost non-existent than a kiss.

But it was a kiss nonetheless, and it did happen.

“Do you still have unrealistic illusions now?” Wei Xingjiang smiled lightly, touching his own lips. “Did I make myself too available, too easy to summon and dismiss, making you think I truly have no temper?”

This doesn’t look like having no temper at all.

Wen Zhiyi, who had been unexpectedly kissed, was amused. He mimicked Wei Xingjiang’s action of touching his own lips and said slowly, with a touch of coolness: “…Should my reaction now be one of furious indignation, preferably with a touch of shyness?”

“Is that all it takes?” The windproof mask he wore earlier had been removed. Wen Zhiyi maintained this smile. A lock of his neatly combed-back hair fell loosely over his brow. That gentle, restrained, low-desire sexiness once again mercilessly struck Wei Xingjiang’s heart. “A brush of lips is enough to excite you into declaring war?”

Being an adult who had dated twice and been married once, Little Wen secretly applauded his quick-witted on-the-spot reaction.

Feigning composure is still composure.

Wen Zhiyi tightened his grip on the reins, expressionlessly speeding up his mount.

This brat.

He gritted his teeth.

Fine, young Alphas are like this. Serious topics aren’t suited for this scenario.

Wen Zhiyi, who finally raised his hand to roughly wipe his lips after enduring for a long time, thought furiously.

Wei Xingjiang, who was left behind, was indeed momentarily stunned.

He hadn’t expected Wen Zhiyi’s reaction to be this.

The young Alpha, whose first kiss experience was incredibly haphazard, looked at the Beta’s back ahead, instinctively wanting to catch up and say something, but found he truly couldn’t think of anything to say in that brief moment.

The only thing firmly occupying his mind was Wen Zhiyi’s casual smile just now.

Sexy. He couldn’t think of any other word to describe it.

Little Wei, with zero romantic experience and completely zero sexual experience, shamefully realized he was actually relishing the memory of a “kiss” that could barely be called one, as well as that smile.

A very embarrassing rookie move.

The first thing Wen Zhiyi did upon returning to the mountain base club was take a satisfying shower. He washed away the fatigue, then sprawled on the bed in a starfish position, wishing he could lie there forever.

Once the mind relaxes, the fatigue that was forcibly suppressed by sheer willpower returns relentlessly. Wen Zhiyi yawned as soon as his head hit the pillow, involuntarily drifting toward sleep.

…Wait, he can’t sleep yet.

He forced his eyelids open with extreme difficulty, slowly reached for the phone by his pillow, at least remembering to message Wen Zhijie that he was safe.

“Send a few pictures so I can see your little face. Miss you after two days.”

Big Wen replied instantly, despite this being a time he should be working.

Little Wen clicked his tongue, listlessly took a selfie with half his face buried in the pillow, and sent it across with sleepy eyes.

“You’re a rail, you’ve gotten so thin.” Big Wen’s extremely exaggerated voice message made Wen Zhiyi twitch his mouth. “Hurry home and eat up. What time is your flight tomorrow?”

“Forgot,” Wen Zhiyi answered honestly. “Should be in the afternoon.”

“I’ll pick you up then. I have something I need to tell you,” Big Wen wanted to keep him in suspense mysteriously, but unfortunately, Little Wen wasn’t cooperating. He was the type of person who had little curiosity about such things since childhood, so Big Wen could only frustrate himself every time he tried to build suspense.

“Mhm, so mysterious, I really want to know, please tell me,” Little Wen played along expressionlessly.

Big Wen, having been brushed off, feigned a heartbreak gesture, wiping away imaginary tears, then spoke seriously: “Remember that investor I mentioned to you before? Their representative seemed a bit unhinged. I caught him trying to dig up information about the two of us, and he was disgustingly hiding in the restroom.”

He hesitated, then added with a touch of uncertainty and fear: “Also, he seems to be a Gynophile Alpha (Alpha who is attracted to Omegas).”