The Popular/Charismatic Beta Always Thinks They Are Universally Disliked - Chapter 60

Chapter 60: The First Period

Wen Zhiyi gently applied medical cotton swabs dipped in iodine to the large area of contusions on Wei Xingjiang’s back. Following the direction of the muscle fibers from his shoulder to his lower back, large-area contusions could easily become inflamed and suppurate if not carefully treated.

Wei Xingjiang felt a little ticklish.

He could have applied the medicine to his own back using a mirror, which was his original intention, but when Wen Zhiyi displayed an expression of gentle concern, he suddenly felt as if he was in more pain.

It was just a small flesh wound, not even the most severe injury he had sustained since childhood, yet now he felt intense pain.

He understood once again why Wei Yuzhi was so desperately clinging to Wen Zhiyi.

Even the coldest person could feel pain in front of Wen Zhiyi. A stubborn rock, whose heart was completely closed, would feel no pain no matter how much it was battered, unless a fragile flower grew from its deep, damp crevices.

“How did you and Wei Yuzhi meet?” Wei Xingjiang supported himself on the edge of the bed with straightened arms, still looking nonchalant as he casually asked Wen Zhiyi.

Wen Zhiyi increased the pressure in his hand slightly. He was just about done applying medicine to Wei Xingjiang’s back. After tossing the used swab into the metal tray, he decisively tossed the ointment into Wei Xingjiang’s lap.

He sneered lightly: “You have the energy to gossip already?”

Wei Xingjiang, running a high fever, honestly shook his head, his voice thick with congestion: “It’s not gossip, it’s reconnaissance of the enemy. How does that saying go? Know yourself and your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without peril.”

…He’s using Sun Tzu’s Art of War now.

Wen Zhiyi smiled. He wasn’t offended by Wei Xingjiang’s question, but that didn’t mean he was willing to satisfy the other party’s curiosity. He had never told anyone about his first meeting with Wei Yuzhi.

And he believed Wei Yuzhi hadn’t either.

“There’s nothing to tell,” Little Wen replied lightly. “But you, why—”

He didn’t finish the rest of the sentence, but Wei Xingjiang knew what he wanted to ask.

People like Wen Zhiyi are sometimes difficult to guess, yet sometimes easy to see through—in his heart, all acts of violence must have a reason, so he couldn’t comprehend that there are actually many acts of senseless evil in the world.

Wei Xingjiang turned to face Wen Zhiyi. He looked into Wen Zhiyi’s eyes, seeing his own reflection in the beautiful, dark pupils. He said: “Wei Zhao wants me to go into the military to be tempered for a few years. I was quite willing before, but not now. Even if I have to go, it can’t be these next few years.”

Anytime but the few years after he had just met Wen Zhiyi.

He stared into Wen Zhiyi’s eyes and suddenly curled his lips into a smile. He had known since childhood that his small canines were prominent, so he almost never showed a smile this wide.

Wei Xingjiang looked earnestly at Wen Zhiyi, using an extremely strange, casual yet solemn tone to lay out his entire net worth to the other person: He owns an office that primarily handles offshore trusts, with all business assets legally independent of the Wei Corporation. Additionally, he has several offices involved in soft industries like jewelry appraisal and acquisition, cultural artifacts, and antiques. Investment funds, wineries, and yachts are all minor assets.

Little Wei, who was acting on a whim, pondered for a moment, suddenly stood up, ran to another room on the same floor, and returned holding a cell phone. His expression told Wen Zhiyi that the process of acquiring and hiding this phone was definitely not easy.

He casually pulled up a few documents on the phone, displaying them in front of Wen Zhiyi as if claiming credit, raising his eyebrows and smiling: “See? I told you it’s all true. Even without Wei Zhao, without the Wei Corporation, I can still make you happy. I originally planned to endure for a few more years, but now I’ve changed my mind. As long as you don’t want me to leave, I won’t go to the military.”

Biting down and enduring all the mental and physical control and violence, secretly biding his time and gradually strengthening himself, painfully yet satisfyingly carving out every bit of power he could swallow and digest from Wei Zhao’s hands—Wei Xingjiang had tried so desperately to seize everything that would grant him freedom and sunlight.

And now he laid everything bare before Wen Zhiyi, the one thing he hated most was having his will changed, yet at this moment, he clearly told Wen Zhiyi: As long as you nod, as long as you are willing, to hell with his life plan, to hell with his endurance and patience. I can change my mind right now and resist all the way. I will never leave your side.

As long as Wen Zhiyi nodded, as long as Wen Zhiyi also didn’t want to leave him.

But how could Wen Zhiyi possibly nod?

How could he possibly carry the burden of another person’s life choice?

How could he allow a person who had endured pain for freedom for many years to destroy his own defense when he finally possessed a degree of strength?

And what appeared even before these self-interrogations was this: He knew these were not the fundamental reasons. If he truly decided to accept Wei Xingjiang’s feelings, if he was prepared to take on the other person, then these issues wouldn’t matter. He had the courage two years ago to hold Wei Yuzhi’s hand and enter the Bureau of Civil Affairs, and two years later, he certainly had the courage to face any storm with the person he loved.

Wen Zhiyi was never the type to use the excuse of “doing it for the other person’s own good” to refuse or retreat. He would force his partner to face things with him and also force his partner to consider whether or not they wanted to face things with him. If they loved each other, then all major life decisions should be made together.

He was not afraid to commit his entire life, nor was he afraid to bear the lifetime of his partner.

But not with Wei Xingjiang.

He felt compassion for Wei Xingjiang, heartache, and the kindness based on the most basic empathy, but absolutely not the love needed to support the other person’s entire life.

So, Wei Xingjiang saw the Beta in front of him slowly shake his head, gently saying: “Don’t.”

He heard Wen Zhiyi’s voice, as gentle and restrained as ever, say: “You have to be responsible for your own life. Think about what you’ve endured, sacrificed, and the path you’ve gritted your teeth to follow. You won’t give up here, right? You won’t change your will or abandon your life plan for someone who doesn’t like you, much less love you, right?”

Wen Zhiyi couldn’t read the other person’s mood from Wei Xingjiang’s face. He thought he had made himself clear enough, and this young Alpha, who once had a clear goal but was now temporarily adrift, could surely understand.

You must walk this path yourself. You must think for yourself. You must understand what you truly want. The road to the final fruit will inevitably contain countless dazzling, colorful illusions, but you must never stop for them.

Wei Xingjiang’s fingers gripping the phone slowly tightened until they were faintly white. He slowly whispered: “…Do you really not like me at all? Not even a little bit?”

He used his other hand, which wasn’t holding the phone, to gesture a very tiny distance.

Wen Zhiyi shook his head.

Wei Xingjiang suddenly turned his back. He was completely silent, but his breathing became increasingly rapid. Wen Zhiyi suspected that if he were to turn him around now, he would see a face wet with tears.

However, Wei Xingjiang was not Chen Que, and Alphas with developed tear ducts were exceedingly rare. The vast majority of them rarely shed non-physiological tears in the lifetime after their differentiation.

Wen Zhiyi never found out whether Wei Xingjiang cried or not. He left the first-aid kit behind and departed.

After leaving the villa, Wen Zhiyi ran into Feng Yun. She looked as radiant as ever. Little Wen nodded to her as a greeting, and the Omega smiled, calling out to him: “Mr. Little Wen, how is Wei Xingjiang’s condition?”

“There shouldn’t be any major issues,” Wen Zhiyi recalled Wei Xingjiang’s injuries carefully, selectively ignoring the young Alpha’s broken and wounded heart. “But I suggest you call a professional doctor. The side effects of the inhibitor you gave him are severe.”

Feng Yun slowly raised her hand to brush the hair hanging by her ear, carefully tucking it behind her ear, then smiled as she replied to Wen Zhiyi’s suggestion: “I will relay that to Mr. Wei. Thank you for your concern.”

Wen Zhiyi suddenly remembered Wei Xingjiang’s confession of his feelings in the club back then, so he gently said to Feng Yun: “Miss Feng, Wei Xingjiang should be grateful for your concern. After all, he truly sees you as an older sister.”

Feng Yun’s retreating figure paused. She was walking towards the second floor, where the Wei family study was located, which was also where Wei Zhao was. The elegant, slender back slowly stopped, but she ultimately did not turn around.

Facing away from Wen Zhiyi, her voice was light yet contained a kind of heavy power, slowly saying: “Mr. Little Wen, you shouldn’t come here again recently. Many things are not decided by you or me. Some things were determined the first time we stepped into this place.”

The intensely anxious, fearfully trembling little girl from the past was now the solid link between the Wei Corporation and the Feng family.

Wen Zhiyi did not reply. After completely exiting the Wei family villa, he looked up at the sunlight, understanding that he might never walk in here again.

Wei Xingjiang would follow Mr. Wei’s arrangements and enter the military. He would also divorce Wei Yuzhi and return to his proper path. The story that began in the summer would finally end as the summer was about to depart.

After Wen Zhiyi left, Feng Yun did not immediately head to the study. She looked at the other female Omega who appeared in the living room and offered Wang Han a polite, slight smile.

When facing Wei Zhao’s lawful wife, she never seemed to feel embarrassed about her identity or feel guilty toward the other woman.

The person who needs to feel guilty is the one who orchestrates all of this. It will be a long while before it’s her turn to repent.

Wang Han still maintained an expression of contemptuous harshness. Her beautiful face lost much of its charm due to this expression, but it was clear that she didn’t care about her image in front of anyone except Wei Zhao, including Wei Xingjiang.

She didn’t need Wei Xingjiang to love her, although the latter was the only child she had carried for ten months and given birth to.

As Feng Yun’s figure disappeared up the stairs, Wang Han slowly looked down at the text message on her phone, which was from Assistant Fang.

It said Wen Zhiyi brought a first-aid kit to see Wei Xingjiang.

That would suffice.

She knew which backup medicines should be in the kit, most importantly the inhibitor sustained-release capsules.