What to Do If Beta Cannot Be Marked? - Chapter 12

Zhong Qing and the others were almost out of the basketball court, but whether Chi Jinxian would successfully hand over the bottle of water he was holding remained a matter of keen interest among their classmates. After all, Lu Zhi had even given him his meal card, how far off could the day be when he’d start accepting gifts?

Driven by curiosity about the romantic developments between God Lu and Little Cash, Zhong Qing glanced back. Before he could even spot Chi Jinxian beside him, he saw Lu Zhi raise a hand in their direction.

Mada, puzzled, asked, “Class monitor, is the class president waving at us?”

Instinctively obedient to the class president’s cues, Zhong Qing halted his steps, sounding slightly bewildered. “Not sure.”

Meanwhile, He Sui, who was beside them, took it a step further and immediately turned back toward the court.

The opposing team had quickly gathered all their players. Jiang Jin, left with no choice and worried that if his side was short-handed, Lu Zhi would still insist on playing, which would surely end in a crushing defeat for him, hurriedly cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone. He shouted toward his former teammates who had just left the court, straining his vocal cords until he finally managed to call them back.

During school days, it seemed anything was fun as long as it wasn’t class. The dismissal bell had already rung, and evening self-study would begin in an hour. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone was still sweaty and their “affection” for basketball needed no rekindling, they agreed to play for another half-hour. The remaining time would be spent showering in the locker room borrowed from the student athletes after all, they had also borrowed it earlier to change into their sports uniforms, which they kept specifically for PE class.

Chi Jinxian had no idea they were about to engage in an unprecedented fierce match. Lu Zhi wanted to finish the game, shower, and only then eat, so Chi Jinxian planned to wait on the sidelines.

But before he could even reach the spot on the lawn where he had been sitting earlier, Lu Zhi turned and asked him, “Did you bring the meal card?”

Hearing this, Chi Jinxian immediately pulled the card from his pocket and said, “Right here.”

Lu Zhi gave an “Mm,” spun the basketball in his hand, and said casually, “Go to the cafeteria on your own. Jiang Jin and I aren’t going. Don’t follow us.”

“Huh? What?” Before Chi Jinxian could respond, Jiang Jin interjected irritably, “Who said I’m not going? We’re only playing for half an hour is there no time to eat?”

Lu Zhi ignored him, turning back toward the court. But after a couple of steps, he paused again. As if deep in thought, he lowered his gaze and, after a long moment, said to Chi Jinxian, who hadn’t left yet, “Go back to the classroom and get some water. I’m thirsty.” He even added a rather polite “Thank you.”

For some reason, Jiang Jin suddenly felt something was off. Why did Lu Zhi seem like a jealous, petty boyfriend?

But that couldn’t be right. Even now, whenever Chi Jinxian mentioned liking him, Lu Zhi would frown, his face full of impatience.

Jiang Jin thought to himself, There’s no way Lu Zhi would stoop to being an ordinary mortal. It must be that I’m mistaken.

Mentioning thirst and wanting water reminded Chi Jinxian of how Lu Zhi would lift the hem of his shirt to wipe sweat after playing, a sight identical to the physique in last night’s dream. It seemed he had seen Lu Zhi play so often that he’d grown familiar enough to place him in his dreams and commit improprieties with him.

Suddenly, Chi Jinxian felt thirsty too.

As if afraid someone might notice something, he nodded vigorously like a pecking chick, waved his arm, and dashed off, calling out, “I’m on it, Lu-ge! Have fun, you guys!”

After the person had run out of sight, Jiang Jin suddenly had an indescribable intuition he probably wouldn’t be able to have a good time anymore.

Except for when they first started at First Interstellar Alliance High School and had just met, when Chi Jinxian and Lu Zhi weren’t in the same class, Chi Jinxian had been called to the principal’s office and spent half a day reflecting at home. After returning, he began his confession campaign.

Every time class ended or school was dismissed, Chi Jinxian would inevitably appear at the entrance of Lu Zhi’s classroom, accompanied by exquisite envelopes, fiery red roses, and rich milk tea in his hands.

Without exception, those items were always returned exactly as they were brought.

During those ten days to half a month, whether they were in the same grade or upper grades, everyone became extremely familiar with the name Chi Jinxian. On one hand, they marveled at how beautiful this kid looked, while on the other hand, they mocked how thick-skinned this classmate really was.

No matter how they tried to drive him away, he wouldn’t leave. Couldn’t they see that Lu Zhi didn’t even look at him properly?

But later, through comparison, everyone discovered that Chi Jinxian was actually treated relatively well.

Lu Zhi only had two attitudes toward his other pursuers. One was directly telling them “We’re not suitable, don’t disturb my life.” Boys and girls at fifteen or sixteen were at the age where their self-esteem was strongest. Faced with such a stern attitude, even if Lu Zhi were a god, they wouldn’t take a second step. The other was simply saying “Thanks for liking me, but please move aside so I can pass.” In the important moment of confession, being told to move aside was even more embarrassing than direct rejection. Anyone would have reason to be angry, and of course, no one would pursue someone so arrogant and conceited a second time.

Only with Chi Jinxian , rejection didn’t work, telling him to leave didn’t work. Perhaps Lu Zhi wanted to completely ignore and disregard him, as he never again used either of those two approaches with Chi Jinxian.

At most, he would just make him take his things back, and when the other person confessed, he would preemptively say “I don’t like you.”

Later, some people tried to imitate Chi Jinxian, thinking that if they persisted like he did, they wouldn’t be rejected so harshly either.

But facts proved otherwise. Lu Zhi remained exactly the same as before.

So there were those who disapproved, and those who were jealous inwardly, which led to classmates mocking Chi Jinxian. Everyone said this person was really something to put it nicely, he was persistent and wouldn’t give up until he hit the wall; to put it bluntly, it was still about how thick-skinned he was.

But just when the situation was becoming serious enough that it might evolve into school bullying, everyone suddenly fell silent.

At that time, Chi Jinxian had been tirelessly courting for less than two months. Lu Zhi ignored him as usual, but somehow, Chi Jinxian used some method, and suddenly one day, he started following behind Lu Zhi to mooch meals or rather, to mooch congee!

Although he just followed quietly without saying a word, it still shocked all the students in the school with Lu Zhi’s protection, no one dared to actually do anything to him.

So from then on, today was the first time Chi Jinxian wasn’t following behind Lu Zhi to eat.

Chi Jinxian found it boring to eat alone, so he dragged Jiang Baixiao and squeezed into the cafeteria, swiping his own meal card.

“You’re still hungry? Why are you buying another portion?” Jiang Baixiao waited for him at the food service window, rubbing his stomach. Watching the cafeteria lady take out a container to pack the food, he couldn’t help asking curiously.

But he immediately regretted asking. Why did he ask! What did he mean by “another portion”! His friend Lu was still on the sports field without having eaten!

Sure enough, Chi Jinxian said, “I’m full. I bought this for Brother Lu.”

Jiang Baixiao sighed heavily, feeling like the meal he had just eaten had instantly digested and turned into gas, making him even fuller.

After leaving the restaurant, Chi Jinxian bought another bottle of water from the vending machine. He handed the meal to Jiang Baixiao to take back to the classroom, keeping only the water bottle as he said, “Baixiao, you go back first. Remember to put the meal on Brother Lu’s desk. I’m going to the sports field to find him. Thanks, bestie, mwah!”

All these words were thrown over his shoulder without even a backward glance at Jiang Baixiao.

Jiang. Tool. Baixiao: “…”

There were still twenty minutes until evening self-study. When Chi Jinxian arrived, he found that Lu Zhi had already showered in the locker room and changed back into his own clothes, his hair still dripping wet.

Some droplets clung to his temples, tracing the lines of his cheekbones downward, disappearing into the collar of his shirt, creating an aura of sensuality.

Perhaps annoyed by the dripping, Lu Zhi ran his fingers through his hair, tousling it roughly to shake off the water and help it dry faster. But the droplets refused to cooperate, a few splashed onto his prominent Adam’s apple, making his fair skin appear even more tantalizing.

Chi Jinxian’s throat was dry, but his Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily. He didn’t dare look directly at Lu Zhi, merely rushing up to him with his head bowed and saying, “Brother Lu, here’s some water.”

Lu Zhi seemed to notice him only then, shifting his gaze from the periphery to stare directly at Chi Jinxian, stopping his hair-tousling.

He said “Thanks,” took the water, unscrewed the cap, and drank it all in one go, but his eyes inadvertently lingered on the half-empty bottle in Chi Jinxian’s other hand the one Jiang Jin had drunk from.

Lu Zhi tossed the empty bottle into the trash and strode out of the sports field with long steps. Chi Jinxian glanced around but didn’t see the class monitor or Jiang Jin, so he casually asked, “Where’s Brother Jiang? Aren’t we waiting for him?”

There was a brief silence beside him. Chi Jinxian turned to look.

“Locker room,” Lu Zhi said. “No need to wait.”

Chi Jinxian made an “Oh” sound, glanced at the water in his hand, and frowned slightly. “Does he still want his water? Should I take it to his classroom later? Even though there’s only a little left.”

Again, there was no immediate response from beside him, but the footsteps halted.

Lu Zhi lowered his gaze slightly, staring at the hand holding the water bottle, and suddenly asked coldly, seemingly out of context, “You carried this to the restaurant and brought it all the way back?”

“Huh?” Chi Jinxian had almost never heard Lu Zhi speak such a long sentence to him before. Instinctively, he wanted to look up, but the moment he caught sight of that face, his mind went haywire again. His barely lifted head instantly dropped back down, almost like playing a nodding game. He explained softly, “After he finished drinking, you handed it to me. I didn’t know where to put it, so I.”

“I told you to throw it away,” Lu Zhi’s tone carried a hint of insistence, not particularly pleasant.

Chi Jinxian found it odd, but he didn’t let himself dwell on why it was strange. Obediently, he ran to the trash can and tossed the half-empty bottle inside.

“Brother Lu, I bought you a meal. You should go back and eat it soon,” Chi Jinxian said after returning to Lu Zhi’s side.

Lu Zhi didn’t respond. The two walked side by side toward the teaching building. As they approached the entrance, Chi Jinxian kept his head slightly lowered, having not made eye contact with Lu Zhi all day.

Completely different from usual, a heavy silence hung between them. Lu Zhi’s slightly long bangs, still damp from his recent wash, had begun to dry and now fell softly, partially obscuring his brows and eyes. They also veiled the gradually dimming light deep within his pupils, making it obscure and hard to decipher.

As soon as they stepped into the academic building area, the surroundings grew noisy with the sounds of classmates roughhousing. Lu Zhi found it irritating, his brows furrowing impatiently, his breaths becoming deeper and more stifled.

He was about to tell Chi Jinxian to stop following him when the person beside him suddenly spoke up: “Brother Lu, what’s wrong?”

Lu Zhi paused slightly, as if surprised by the question, and turned his head. “What?”

“You seem a bit upset,” Chi Jinxian guessed softly.

Lu Zhi fell silent for a moment before replying, “Tired from playing ball.”

Hearing this, Chi Jinxian, who had been affected by Lu Zhi’s mood, quickly nodded and breathed a sigh of relief.

He would rather be unhappy himself than see Brother Lu upset. Knowing it was just fatigue from playing ball put his mind at ease.

“Chi Jinxian,” Lu Zhi suddenly called his name.

“Ah,” Chi Jinxian responded. “What is it?”

The staircase to the first floor was right ahead. With only about fifteen minutes left before evening self-study, most students were already gathered by their classroom doors, and the lower floors were nearly empty.

Lu Zhi stopped walking and asked, “Why have you been walking with your head down all day?”

Chi Jinxian’s eyes, which had been fixed on the ground, widened instantly. His breath hitched. The realization that his thoughts had been seen through struck him like a drill, sharp and swift, burrowing straight into his chest. It didn’t exactly hurt, but it left a numb, buzzing sensation.

Beneath the numbness, a more distinct feeling emerged, a mix of secret shame and excitement.

” I haven’t.” he stammered, the broken sentences nearly betraying him completely.

Chi Jinxian couldn’t see his own face, but he felt his ears growing hot extremely hot!

Even without eyes on the top of his head, Lu Zhi’s gaze had already fixed intently on the tips of Chi Jinxian’s ears.

“Why haven’t you dared to look at me all day?” Lu Zhi rephrased his question, his tone indifferent, as though he were merely asking a simple question.

“I” Chi Jinxian had never been interrogated like this before. He had no experience with it his way of pursuing someone had always been open and undisguised, so there had never been any need for questioning. But now, his thin-skinned nature was taking effect, and his ears were surely giving him away. His mind turned to mush, and he couldn’t fabricate an excuse on the spot. Without much internal struggle, Chi Jinxian, who had just that morning resolved to keep his secret bit his lower lip and whispered softly, “I, last night. I, um had a dream where I kissed Brother Lu So, I didn’t dare look at you, I was embarrassed.”

At the critical moment, Chi Jinxian’s mind reminded him to save face! So, picking and choosing his words, he confessed part of the truth about his act of disrespect toward God Lu.

Lu Zhi looked at his now bright red ears. Unnoticed, a glimmer of clarity had returned to his eyes, and his brows had relaxed imperceptibly.

When no response came from above, Chi Jinxian assumed his voice had been too soft and Lu Zhi hadn’t heard him and probably didn’t care to ask again.

Convinced of this, Chi Jinxian was about to take a deep breath and exhale when Lu Zhi spoke again, his tone neutral.

He asked:

“Just a kiss?”