What to Do If Beta Cannot Be Marked? - Chapter 19

Thud. The basketball in Jiang Jin’s hand slipped and fell onto the ground. Since it was on the grassy field, the ball barely bounced a few times before coming to a stop, not disturbing the two figures, one sitting and one crouching. Jiang Jin himself wasn’t bothered either; he didn’t even bother to pick up the ball, staring fixedly at Lu Zhi as if he’d seen a ghost.

Chi Jinxian felt unnerved by the stare. He swallowed nervously and answered quickly, “I don’t want to.”

As if he hadn’t expected this response, Lu Zhi’s expression remained as indifferent as ever, not even changing when he asked, “Do you want to touch it?” Only when Chi Jinxian finished speaking did he let out a clear, questioning “Hm?”

Jiang Jin was amused by Lu Zhi’s confusion and couldn’t hold back a snort. He bent down to pick up the ball, spinning it on his fingertip again like a spectator watching a show.

Chi Jinxian also murmured a soft “Hm?” but Lu Zhi didn’t respond.

After a moment’s thought, Chi Jinxian still couldn’t figure out what his “Lu-ge” meant. Finally, steeling himself, he whispered his true thoughts so quietly it was almost inaudible: “I do.”

“Mm.” Lu Zhi seemed satisfied and said, “Keep thinking about it, then.” He stood up to head back to the court. Jiang Jin stopped spinning the ball and called out to him, baffled, “Not thirsty anymore?”

The person who was about to leave paused in his tracks.

During the half-hour break, unless something urgent came up, Jiang Jin and Lu Zhi usually played until class started without stopping. Today was an exception.

After Lu Zhi scored another basket on him, Jiang Jin grew irritated, thinking that this guy seemed to be targeting him again for some unknown reason. He casually wiped his sweat with his shirt and glanced to the side, noticing Chi Jinxian looking at his phone in an odd posture. The little bit of expression visible on his face seemed to carry a different kind of thought. And the water beside him looked refreshing.

Jiang Jin was thirsty.

“Cash ”

Lu Zhi caught the ball as it fell through the hoop and turned to look at Jiang Jin. “Why are you calling him?”

“Hey, Lu Zhi, look at what he’s doing. I called him, and he didn’t even react.” Jiang Jin walked over to Lu Zhi, his eyes still fixed on the sidelines. “I’m a bit thirsty.”

Lu Zhi withdrew his gaze from Chi Jinxian and stared expressionlessly at Jiang Jin, as if he were about to say something like, “You’re thirsty, but you didn’t bring water?”

After a moment of silence, he only replied indifferently, “I’m thirsty too.”

Jiang Jin: “…”

Jiang Jin: “???”

“Wait, Lu Zhi, that’s too much,” Jiang Jin tried to reason with him. “Everyone knows that water is for you. I just want to borrow a bottle. I’ll pay you back with two after school.” Then he started calling again, “Cash ”

As if shouting loudly enough would make Chi Jinxian give him the water instead of Lu Zhi when both of them were thirsty.

But this Double Standard Punishment hadn’t fallen upon him just yet, because Chi Jinxian still showed no reaction. Not only that, he even quietly bit one of his knuckles, looking exceptionally well-behaved, yet somehow, with a hint of rebelliousness.

Jiang Jin fell silent for a moment and said, “He seems a bit off.” Then, looking at Lu Zhi as if seeking advice, he asked, “Do you know what he’s doing?”

Lu Zhi dribbled the ball once lazily, guessing at random, “Looking at enlarged photos of naked bodies.”

Jiang Jin: “?”

Jiang Jin’s two shouts failed to earn even a glance from their intended recipient, but they did attract the attention of another person sitting in front of Chi Jinxian.

Cheng Fei held a bottle of water, his expression tangled with indecision, as if unsure whether to help Jiang Jin call out to Chi Jinxian to get Lu Zhi’s attention, or simply stand up and approach Lu Zhi directly.

But with neither option pursued decisively, he missed the perfect opportunity.

By the time he finally resolved to approach Lu Zhi with the water, Lu Zhi and Jiang Jin had already headed toward Chi Jinxian one after the other.

Thus, the earlier scene unfolded.

“Ah, Brother Lu, are you thirsty?” Chi Jinxian’s eyes brightened slightly, his actions matching his words with swift efficiency as he immediately extended the water bottle.

“Here!”

“Mm.” Lu Zhi accepted it, unscrewed the cap, and took two sips. “Thanks.”

“Aren’t you going to drink more?” Jiang Jin watched him hand the half-finished bottle back to Chi Jinxian for safekeeping and asked with a faint smile.

One of Lu Zhi’s eyebrows lifted almost imperceptibly, provoking him deliberately.

Jiang Jin was nearly furious: “Cash, next time could you treat me like a human being? Don’t just focus on chasing Lu Zhi, what if I happen to die of thirst?”

The accusation was blatant. Chi Jinxian hugged the water bottle Lu Zhi had just drunk from, his emerging smile quickly suppressed. He looked somewhat bewildered and murmured softly, “Ah, I can only afford one bottle at a time.”

Jiang Jin: “Why?”

As if embarrassed, Chi Jinxian lowered his head and scratched his hair, fabricating an excuse: “I’m poor. If I had too much money, I wouldn’t be able to mooch meals.”

Jiang Jin: “…”

So buying one extra bottle of water would brand you as wealthy, is that it?

Lu Zhi took the basketball from Jiang Jin’s arms and headed toward the court. Jiang Jin, left speechless, turned and followed.

If Lu Zhi hadn’t explicitly stated that he didn’t like Chi Jinxian, Jiang Jin would definitely have asked more questions out of curiosity and confusion.

“Hey, is that junior waiting for you?” Jiang Jin nudged Lu Zhi’s shoulder, snatching the basketball that nearly slipped from his grasp due to the surprise, and spun it on his fingertip while glancing toward Cheng Fei, who had stood up.

Lu Zhi acted as if he hadn’t noticed his gaze, staring straight ahead. “How do you know he’s a junior?”

“Tch.” Jiang Jin chuckled. “I’m a forum enthusiast, I love watching dramas, especially yours and Cash’s. The moment that junior went to find you, it spread all over the forum. He’s a sophomore, you know?”

“No.”

“He’s in the same class as Lu Wan.”

Lu Zhi glanced sideways at him, his expression cold. Jiang Jin shrugged slightly. “And he’s kind of friends with Lu Wan, I guess.”

In ancient times, there was collective punishment and hating someone’s entire family; today, the Alliance isn’t much different.

It was unclear whether Lu Zhi paid any attention to Jiang Jin’s words, as he didn’t respond further. When Cheng Fei nervously stepped forward to block his path, Lu Zhi didn’t even pause, cutting off the words Cheng Fei hadn’t yet spoken: “Don’t block the way.”

Cheng Fei tightened his grip on the water bottle and truly didn’t dare take another step.

Physically on the field, mentally fixated on abs, and having just been caught red-handed, the “boop boop” incident wasn’t even over yet. Chi Jinxian couldn’t handle any more embarrassment and paid no attention to what was happening ahead.

He simply put away his phone, picked up the water Lu Zhi had drunk from, and hurriedly called out to Lu Zhi, who had just reached the court.

“Lu-ge, I haven’t finished my homework yet, so I’m heading back first. I’ll take your water with me!” Without waiting for a response, he lowered his head and hurried off.

Jiang Jin instinctively glanced toward the source of the voice, and because of that split-second distraction, he missed a shot!

“Hey, Lu Zhi! That was a cheap shot!”

Qi Suiyi was surprised to see his nephew return from the playground after just a few minutes. “What? You’re back without that Land Dog Coin? Did he piss people off again?”

Chi Jinxian, who had been about to rush straight to the classroom, stopped in his tracks. His eyes turned cold as he glared threateningly. “Qi Suiyi, watch your language.”

“Tch.” Qi Suiyi wasn’t intimidated at all, rolling his eyes. “Lu Zhi isn’t back, so why are you here? So spineless.”

“None of your business,” Chi Jinxian retorted.

Nan Mengbai listened to their banter for a while and, much like when he had left earlier, chuckled again. The other two turned to look at him. Nan Mengbai exchanged a glance with Qi Suiyi, seemingly hinting for an introduction, but Qi Suiyi just blinked, not getting the message.

So much for relying on him. Nan Mengbai straightened up, his gentle eyes fixed directly on Chi Jinxian as he took matters into his own hands. “I’m Nan Mengbai.”

“Huh?” Caught off guard by such a straightforward introduction, Chi Jinxian froze for a moment before snapping back to reality. “Oh, hi. I’m Chi”

“I know. Chi Jinxian,” Nan Mengbai said with a smile.

“Ah, I know you too,” Chi Jinxian replied, a bit embarrassed. “You’re amazing at drawing.”

“Really? Then, can I get your contact info?” Nan Mengbai’s smile widened, as if he couldn’t wait.

“Huh?” Chi Jinxian said.

“Wait, how did we suddenly jump to exchanging contacts?” Qi Suiyi had found their back-and-forth amusing at first, but now he sensed something off.

Nan Mengbai shot Qi Suiyi an annoyed look, feigning displeasure. “Sui Yi, I was about to get his number. Why did you have to interrupt?”

“What did I do?” Qi Suiyi retorted with an amused side-eye, thinking, Why are so many people eyeing my treasure? It wasn’t just Lu Zhi he disapproved of, anyone with ulterior motives toward Chi Jinxian was unwelcome!

Even if Nan Mengbai was a friend, that didn’t make it okay.

And Chi Jinxian himself had no intention of sharing his contact info. Seizing the moment while the other two were talking, he hastily waved and said, “Maybe next time if we cross paths,” before darting back to the classroom.

Qi Suiyi felt relieved and satisfied.

“Do you have a thing for your childhood friend?” Nan Mengbai asked, watching Chi Jinxian disappear into the classroom, his tone genuinely regretful this time.

So close.

“What nonsense are you spouting?!” Qi Suiyi was startled, his eyes wide with disbelief. Thankfully, he wasn’t drinking water, or he would’ve sprayed it all over Nan Mengbai’s face!

“Then why are you blocking me from getting to know him?”

“I’m not just blocking you,” Qi Suiyi retorted, rolling his eyes. “Besides, he didn’t want to give it to you himself. He ran off.”

Nan Mengbai: “…”

A brief silence fell between them. Class was probably starting soon, students were already trickling back from the playground to the teaching building, with only the basketball court still buzzing with activity.

As if piecing something together from the quiet, Qi Suiyi suddenly hissed, “You don’t have a crush on Little Cash, do you?”

Nan Mengbai gazed downstairs, his eyes seemingly distant. He remained silent until the moment classes were about to begin, when he fixed his gaze on a tall, straight figure walking toward the teaching building. The innate tenderness and warmth in his eyes had vanished.

Students in the corridor returned to their classrooms one by one. Qi Suiyi also went back, but Nan Mengbai remained leaning against the railing with his elbows, standing there absentmindedly.

Lu Zhi’s hair appeared to have been rinsed with water, still damp at that moment. A few strands fell over his forehead, brushing against his eyelashes, making his already dark eyes appear even more profound and inscrutable.

“Could you please share Chi Jinxian’s contact information with me?”

Just as the surroundings had emptied and Lu Zhi was about to return to his own classroom, Nan Mengbai, who had been admiring the campus scenery, suddenly turned his head and made this request.