What to Do If Beta Cannot Be Marked? - Chapter 11

Chi Jinxian felt he hadn’t quite understood Yuan Si Bai’s words, but the phrase “pajama pants are dirty” seeped into his ears like air – subtle yet irresistible. Unlike air, however, it brought no comfort, instead igniting tiny flames across his scalp that immediately spread like wildfire through his usually thick hair. Chi Jinxian thought he would burn to death in this morning’s socially embarrassing situation.

Yet his hair remained hair, his head remained his head, and he remained himself. Beyond a momentary numbness and confusion, nothing around him had actually changed.

Chi Jinxian shifted his gaze away from his unspeakable area, his pupils capturing the small damp patch on the fabric before him. Instantly, the flush he’d felt upon waking surged back through him.

Ah, how utterly mortifying! Chi Jinxian’s eyes widened as he threw himself back onto the bed, desperately burying himself beneath the blankets while pleading miserably: “Dad ah, please go downstairs!”

Yuan Si Bai deliberately tugged at the corner of his quilt, immediately meeting with greater resistance from within. Unable to suppress his laughter, he said: “Why be shy? It’s completely normal.”

“Ah Dad, please stop talking.” Chi Jinxian’s voice wavered, barely above a whisper. After a moment’s thought, he wriggled the blanket-covered form closer to Yuan Si Bai, extending a few fingers from beneath the covers to tug at the other’s sleeve in supplication.

Yuan Si Bai was thoroughly amused now. “Alright, alright, I’ll head down first. Change quickly and come down for breakfast – you still have classes to attend.”

“Mhmm, mhmm.” Chi Jinxian’s nodding motion made the entire blanket shift, like a cute little animal hiding itself. Yuan Si Bai had no intention of further embarrassing him – though Chi Jinxian already felt thoroughly embarrassed and humiliated – and immediately turned to go downstairs.

Listening as Yuan Si Bai’s footsteps faded into the distance until they disappeared entirely, followed by the soft click of the closing door, silence enveloped the room. Chi Jinxian waited a while longer before cautiously parting the blankets just enough to reveal one beautiful eye.

Though nothing but infinite daylight streamed through the window and the room stood empty, Chi Jinxian still felt countless eyes watching him – not staring at his physical reaction, but peering into the depths of his delusions. Today’s incident had left him utterly exposed.

How could he have had such a dream? How Lu Zhi had pinned him down, what position they were in when he whispered in his ear, how dominantly he’d demanded those words he wanted to hear – even when reduced to tears, Lu Zhi showed not a hint of hesitation. That restrained expression, that slightly hoarse voice, all appeared vividly before his eyes, as if something that hadn’t happened before would inevitably occur in the future.

Chi Jinxian felt his entire chest pounding, the overwhelming excitement leaving him utterly flustered.

They say Alphas possess strong territorial instincts, particularly toward their partners, exhibiting what could be called beastly possessiveness – most evident during their Heat Period. Yet Chi Jinxian couldn’t possibly imagine this side of Lu Zhi. Setting aside the God Lu he knew, just in his general impression, Lu Zhi could only ever be rational and unaffected.

So this morning’s dream was truly absurd.

Chi Jinxian let out a low, pained whimper from his throat, then forcefully pulled the gap in the quilt closed, burying himself once again in the confined space. He thought, there’s no way he could dare look at Brother Lu Zhi today he was too ashamed.

Having been caught so directly in such an unrestrained state, Chi Jinxian kept his head bowed low during the meal, as if wishing he could rest it on his own shoulder.

Chi Sui, who had just secured half a year of freedom, was still riding high on his excitement for several days. And when he was happy, he disliked seeing others unhappy especially Chi Jinxian, or else he’d assume this troublesome kid just wanted to make him work, holding some kind of grudge. So, seeing Chi Jinxian so listless now, Chi Sui grew irritated: “Hey, you brat, do you have a problem with me?”

The false accusation was utterly absurd. Chi Jinxian lifted his head just the tiniest bit, his eyes large and unusually bright peering upward at the other, making it look especially like he was rolling them.

“When have I ever had a problem with you?”

Seeing him roll his eyes, how could Chi Sui not get angry? He frowned, set down his chopsticks, and said, “Who are you rolling your eyes at? Let me tell you, I’ll be home for the next six months. If you want to keep picking my roses, you’d better behave like a good boy.”

Chi Jinxian, the “good boy” who was just a year away from adulthood: “…”

“Yuan Yuan, look at him,”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Chi Sui’s indignant complaint was cut short by Yuan Si Bai, who knew the real situation and chuckled lightly to stop him. Only then did the meal table return to a quiet atmosphere.

After finishing the meal, while selecting the most beautiful rose blooming in the garden that day, Chi Jinxian was still worrying about whether he should pick one or not, because he really wasn’t sure if he’d dare make eye contact with Lu Zhi today.

But then it occurred to him: aside from heaven, earth, and himself, no one else knew about his dream, not even his younger dad knew that it was because he’d dreamed of Lu Zhi that he,

So why feel guilty? If they really got together in the future, wouldn’t they do naughty things? Of course they would.

Just like always, Chi Jinxian snipped off a rose with a bit of its main stem, expertly wrapped it up, carefully tucked it into his backpack, and ran off to school.

Only, he had overestimated his own nerve.

The moment he entered the classroom and merely caught a glimpse of Lu Zhi sitting upright in his seat out of the corner of his eye, the scenes from last night’s dream uncontrollably flooded his mind, reminding him of how he had defiled his Brother Lu. All the courage he mustered that morning was useless now. Afraid others might see the flames of embarrassment rising from his head, Chi Jinxian silently lowered his head and sat stiffly upright in his seat, only managing to mutter a quick, soft, “Good morning, Brother Lu.”

Lu Zhi glanced up at him, gave a quiet “Mm,” and didn’t initiate further conversation, making the morning feel unusually strange.

The person who usually went all out to squeeze his way into Lu Zhi’s life was suddenly subdued today no chattering, no constantly turning back to look at him. After two classes, Jiang Baixiao, Chi Jinxian’s deskmate, couldn’t hold back any longer. He nudged Chi Jinxian’s elbow with his own and called out to him first:

“Cash.”

It was still class time, so they didn’t dare speak too loudly. Chi Jinxian turned to look and leaned in a little closer. “What’s up?”

Jiang Baixiao cautiously glanced at the teacher on the podium safe before asking, “Did you have a fight with God Lu?” When mentioning someone, he symbolically glanced back out of the corner of his eye. Normally, Chi Jinxian would have immediately followed his gaze to look at Lu Zhi, but today, not only did he avoid looking, his eyes even darted away nervously.

“No,” he said, though somewhat guiltily, yet inexplicably self-righteous. “How could I possibly quarrel with Brother Lu? I like him too much to ever make him angry.”

“Then why haven’t you spoken to the class monitor all day?” Jiang Baixiao was both curious and suspicious. He had thought Chi Jinxian had suddenly grown a backbone, but it turned out Chi Jinxian was still the same old Chi Jinxian hopeless. So, he channeled his suspicion into curiosity and said, “It’s not because of what happened with Lu Wan yesterday, is it? The news about you saying you’d become his sister-in-law has already spread. I was about to praise you for being bold enough to say anything, but why are you chickening out today?”

“Who’s chickening out? It’s not that.” Chi Jinxian hesitated, wanting to say more but holding back.

Behind them, Lu Zhi, the class monitor, let the two of them chatter away in front without caring whether they were talking or not. Not only that, but at some point, he had shifted his gaze from the blackboard and was now staring intently at his textbook. It was unclear whether he was listening to the teacher’s lecture or preoccupied with something else.

“Usually, the class monitor’s desk has your love-filled milk,” Jiang Baixiao hinted, glancing meaningfully at Lu Zhi’s desk. “Today, it’s empty. Where’s your milk?”

“In my backpack,” Chi Jinxian muttered somewhat despondently.

Jiang Baixiao: “Not giving it to him?”

“I will, I will,” Chi Jinxian replied, still not daring to look back, and only speaking up to say, “I’ll give it to him this afternoon along with the love letter and rose.”

Afraid that Jiang Baixiao’s curiosity would lead to more prying questions, Chi Jinxian quickly withdrew to his own space and stopped engaging.

As for the milk, it was just like the roses and love letters, Lu Zhi had never accepted them. Every morning, Chi Jinxian would deliver the milk as if preparing a simple love-filled breakfast, hoping Lu Zhi would drink it, but he never did. The milk would remain in the exact same spot on the desk until the afternoon, only to disappear by the next day. No one knew whether Lu Zhi threw it away or if someone else took it. Lu Zhi didn’t care, and Chi Jinxian only cared about giving it.

So Chi Jinxian thought it would be the same to give it all together after school in the afternoon he needed to digest his feelings first. He could even secretly slip it into Lu Zhi’s backpack.

When the class bell finally rang, Chi Jinxian wanted to go out for some fresh air even though Lu Zhi sat right behind him and he knew Lu Zhi wouldn’t be staring at him, today he felt as if there were a gaze burning into his back, making him restless. Chi Jinxian was even afraid that his own delusions would betray him out of sheer embarrassment.

Lu Zhi watched his nearly fleeing figure, his brows gradually furrowing.

The pen twirled unconsciously between his fingers, as if he were troubled by some difficult problem or vexing matter, showing a rare and obvious irritation.

At noon, Chi Jinxian followed as usual to the cafeteria, took the initiative to buy food, and sat across from Lu Zhi, he just didn’t lift his head much.

Jiang Jin also found it strange and asked, “What’s on your mind, little cash?”

“Huh?” Chi Jinxian looked up from his food, his expression puzzled. “No, why do you ask, Brother Jiang?”

When Jiang Jin looked up and saw his face, he didn’t find it strange anymore, it was the same sunny expression as usual. Raising an eyebrow, he said, “I’ve seen you hanging your head since school ended. Thought something was wrong.”

Chi Jinxian sheepishly touched his hair and smiled. “Nothing’s wrong. Just thinking.”

As if a smile alone wasn’t enough, he added two unconvincing “hehe”s, coming off rather silly.

Jiang Jin naturally chuckled along.

Lu Zhi kept his eyes lowered, eating quietly without a word throughout.

Senior year of high school was hectic, with physical education classes only available this semester, gone by the second semester, and just one session per week.

Class Ten and Class Nine of senior year had PE together during the last period in the afternoon. After school, they could play a bit longer before evening self-study.

Jiang Jin was from Class Nine. He borrowed a basketball from the equipment room and waved at Lu Zhi, who had just arrived on the field. “Lu Zhi, coming?”

Lu Zhi walked over. Since two people couldn’t play a proper game and it wouldn’t be much fun, Jiang Jin called a few boys from his class, and Lu Zhi intended to invite some classmates too though Lu Zhi had the reputation of “God Lu” and others were hesitant to approach him, the boys in his class especially loved playing basketball with him.

The reason was simple: Lu Zhi was too good.

Class monitor Zhong Qing, Mada, and He Sui forgot all about who Lu Zhi was the moment they heard he was playing basketball, eagerly shouting, “Monitor, count me in ”

Lu Zhi said, “Come on.”

Thus, before the game even started, it had turned into a rivalry between classes.

If he weren’t so inept with ball sports, Chi Jinxian would have joined too.

Somehow, Chi Jinxian had decent athletic talent since childhood running, long jump, swimming, he was okay at all of them. But the moment he touched a ball, he’d inevitably become the one always fetching it, no matter what kind of ball. What seemed simple in others’ hands, he just couldn’t master.

Maybe he’d been killed by a ball in a past life. Chi Jinxian had accepted it calmly, and besides, just watching Lu Zhi play on the court was satisfying enough.

But today, Lu Zhi seemed a bit fierce. Usually, he wasn’t gentle on the court either, but he knew friendship came first he’d let the other side score, then he’d score, and by the end, the point difference never exceeded three.

That was his greatest skill, as if he could control the entire game’s score. But today was different. He played aggressively, his moves unpredictable, quickly widening the score gap.

Still, he held back. By the time the class was nearly over, the difference was just two three-pointers, Class Ten led Class Nine by six points.

Jiang Jin was exhausted, resting with hands on his knees, panting. “Lu Zhi, are you targeting me?”

He was parched, his throat felt like cracking, and his voice sounded smoky.

Lu Zhi lifted his shirt to wipe sweat, giving him a puzzled look.

Sitting on the grass with Jiang Baixiao, Chi Jinxian stared wide-eyed, swallowing hard without any pride. Jiang Baixiao sighed like a weary father.

A grown child no longer heeds his mother.

Jiang Jin said, “Why do you keep intercepting me?”

“Overthinking it,” Lu Zhi replied, dropping his shirt expressionlessly.

“Fine.” Jiang Jin stood up. “Another round?”

The other students were also resting, waiting for the signal.

Lu Zhi said, “No.”

Jiang Jin nodded, bent down to pick up the basketball at his feet, intending to return it to the equipment room later. When he looked up, he saw Chi Jinxian walking over with a bottle of water.

Chi Jinxian approached the two of them, his eyes slightly lowered. Though he still wasn’t really looking at anyone, he was no longer acting as strangely as he had been that morning.

“Lu-ge, would you like some water?” Chi Jinxian asked.

Zhong Qing and the others had only taken a couple of steps away when they turned their heads at the sound, their faces wearing sly, amused expressions as they let out teasing coughs.

Chi Jinxian shot them a fierce glare, almost baring his teeth.

Jiang Jin clicked his tongue, thinking to himself, Lu Zhi would never accept it. He always draws a clear line between himself and Chi Jinxian.

As for himself, Jiang Jin genuinely felt that Lu Zhi had been targeting him throughout the game. Now, he was so exhausted he felt on the verge of collapse and was desperately thirsty.

Sure enough, Lu Zhi said, “No.”

Jiang Jin had been waiting for Lu Zhi’s refusal. Immediately, as if spotting a savior, he exclaimed, “If he doesn’t want it, I’ll take it! Xiao Xianjin, you saw how badly I was beaten up just now, I’m practically dying of thirst. Can I have it?”

As he spoke, his gaze was practically burning as he stared at the water bottle in Chi Jinxian’s hand.

Understanding his meaning, Chi Jinxian quickly said, “Oh,” and handed the bottle over, saying, “Here.”

Jiang Jin was almost moved to tears. He unscrewed the cap and downed half the bottle in one go, making Chi Jinxian worry he might choke.

Lu Zhi glanced at Chi Jinxian. His eyes were very dark, and staring into them for too long felt heavy and intense.

Perhaps aware of this himself, Lu Zhi quickly averted his gaze, but the shadow in the depths of his eyes remained. After Jiang Jin finished drinking most of the water, Lu Zhi asked, “Not thirsty anymore?”

Jiang Jin let out a satisfied sigh and said, “Not anymore.”

Lu Zhi nodded, took the water bottle from Jiang Jin’s hand, and stuffed it into Chi Jinxian’s arms. Then, he started walking back toward the basketball court, saying, “Let’s go again.”

Jiang Jin, who had just decided moments ago that he was done playing and was going to return the basketball: “?”