What to Do If Beta Cannot Be Marked? - Chapter 22

Nan Mengbai still stood by the window, gazing in the direction where the two had disappeared together. Perhaps his foot was starting to hurt, as his brow twitched slightly. After a moment, he hissed a cold breath, moved his ankle in a small motion, and smiled.

It seemed he found the scene that had just unfolded before him quite amusing.

Chi Jinxian followed Lu Zhi out of the school gate, occasionally leaning in to speak to him, determined to imprint his face into Lu Zhi’s vision until his own reflection filled the depths of the other’s pupils. Chi Jinxian felt thoroughly satisfied.

He seemed to possess boundless energy every day, hopping along like a little rabbit. While chatting, Chi Jinxian deftly slipped the love letter and rose into the side pocket of Lu Zhi’s backpack. “Well, see you on Monday, Lu-ge! As for the uniform, I.”

His words cut off abruptly, and Lu Zhi’s footsteps halted as well. Several faces stared at each other in surprise at the school entrance. Lu Wan cheerfully ran over to Ai Duoyan, calling out, “Dad, you’re here!” Ai Duoyan responded warmly, taking his backpack with care and affectionately ruffling his hair.

Standing beside them was an especially striking figure Lu Zisheng.

Having likely come straight from the Alliance base without returning home, Lu Zisheng was still wearing his authoritative, form-fitting uniform. The crisp military attire seemed to embody an even greater solemnity on him, as if daring anyone to defy him.

His sharply defined features appeared almost chiseled, giving off an air of aloofness.

Chi Jinxian couldn’t possibly equate this General Lu with the Lu Zisheng who had attended his birthday banquet.

Noticing Lu Zhi’s approach, Lu Zisheng’s stern expression softened considerably. He flicked the cigarette butt he had been holding to the ground and casually extinguished it with the tip of his military boot.

A strand of his meticulously styled hair fell across his forehead as he lowered his head, making him look less like a father and more like a carefree, rebellious scion.

Lu Zhi glanced sideways and said softly, “Don’t forget to wash the uniform.”

His voice was so quiet only Chi Jinxian could hear. Without waiting for a response, Lu Zhi turned away and walked toward Lu Zisheng.

Except for his first year of high school, when school had just started and although he pursued Lu Zhi fervently, Chi Jinxian hadn’t dared to talk to him much he had seen Ai Duoyan many times at the entrance of First Interstellar Alliance High School. Whenever students who didn’t board at the school were allowed to go home, Ai Duoyan would come to pick up Lu Wan. But this was only the second time Chi Jinxian had seen Lu Zisheng.

The last time had been exactly a year ago, on this very day.

Chi Jinxian thought Lu Zhi and General Lu were very alike not just in appearance, but also in their innate, piercing demeanor, especially that aura.

However, upon closer observation, General Lu’s aloofness tended to lean toward rebelliousness, while Lu Zhi’s aloofness grew increasingly severe, even tinged with a hint of deadly seriousness that permeated the air around him.

“Brother,” Lu Wan greeted with a bright smile, as if embodying fraternal respect, before turning to Lu Zisheng. With an air of possessiveness, as though he alone had a father, he said almost boastfully, “Dad, are you here to pick up me and big brother?”

Lu Zisheng reached out and gently patted his shoulder, responding in a deep voice, “Mm.”

“Hey, bro, what’s that on the side of your backpack?” Lu Wan narrowed his eyes, feigning curiosity when the person was still two meters away. “Is that a rose?”

Lu Zisheng and Ai Duoyan shifted their gazes following his words.

Lu Zhi stopped in his tracks.

Chi Jinxian’s heart skipped a beat, his eyes widening involuntarily. Once he processed the situation, his entire being was consumed by a single thought run!

What a joke! Having been caught red-handed stuffing roses, how could he not run?

Over the past two years, Lu Zhi had long known there was something in the side pocket of his backpack, he would inevitably notice it when he got home. But whenever he saw Chi Jinxian the next day, he never brought it up. Clearly, to Lu Zhi, it wasn’t a big deal; if he found it, he’d just throw it away.

But since he hadn’t witnessed it firsthand, Chi Jinxian didn’t want to imagine the fate of the roses and love letters. Nor did he want Lu Zhi to discard his roses right in front of him.

So Chi Jinxian ran faster than a rabbit, leaving a blur as he dashed past Lu Zisheng. He even paused politely to bow, as if greeting his father-in-law, and blurted out in a fluster, “Hello, General Lu.”

With that, his body, which had nearly lost its balance and tipped forward, instantly shot off again.

Lu Zisheng didn’t even have time to get a good look at the boy’s face.

It was only after the boy had vanished for a while that the image of that fair, delicate face solidified in his mind. Lu Zisheng clicked his tongue and said, “Wasn’t that Chi Sui.”

“Father,” Lu Zhi called out, interrupting him. When Lu Zisheng looked over, Lu Zhi’s expression remained unchanged as he said, “Uncle hasn’t planned to go public yet.”

Lu Zisheng fell silent, glancing at Ai Duoyan and Lu Wan beside him. His tone grew more serious. “Xiao Zhi, there are no outsiders here.”

Lu Zhi didn’t respond, his demeanor icy.

The two stood at an impasse for a moment before Lu Zisheng let out an almost imperceptible sigh and relented. Ai Duoyan asked, “Who was that? Chi something?”

“It’s nothing,” Lu Zisheng said, turning to him. “You two head back first. I’ll take Xiao Zhi to see his dad.”

Ai Duoyan’s brow furrowed unconsciously before smoothing out again. “Alright. Wanwan, let’s go home.”

After they got into the car and left, Lu Zisheng turned to open another, much more low-key vehicle.

The sky had grown quite dim. Even though the weather had been nice that day, there was no sunset glow on the horizon, only layers of muted evening clouds.

Lu Zisheng sat in the driver’s seat, the sharp lines of his profile as angular as the half-open window glass.

Lu Zhi bent down to pick up a cigarette butt that had been crushed under a military boot earlier, tossed it into the trash, and got into the car.

Chi Jinxian practically ran all the way home in one breath, terrified that if he slowed down even a little, Lu Zhi would call out to him from behind, throw his rose into the trash right in front of him, and sternly warn him never to send such things again.

Thankfully, that didn’t happen.

But in his mind, he cursed Lu Wan eighteen times over. He didn’t want to wrong anyone, but Chi Jinxian was convinced Lu Wan had done it on purpose!

It was just too much.

“Why are you running like that?” The moment he stepped through the door, Yuan Si Bai set down what he was holding and came over, frowning at Chi Jinxian, who was drenched in sweat. “Is someone chasing you?”

“Yep,” Chi Jinxian panted, raising a hand to push back his hair. With exaggerated seriousness, he said, “I was afraid Brother Lu that is, Lu Zhi was chasing me.”

Yuan Si Bai took the backpack Chi Jinxian had shrugged off his shoulder and laughed at his words. “Aren’t you the one chasing after him relentlessly? Why is it that if he were to chase you back now, you wouldn’t be happy about it?”

Running until parched, Chi Jinxian hurriedly poured himself a glass of water, drinking while waving his hand. Only after finishing did he feel much better: “Not that kind of chasing. Dad, I saw General Lu at the school gate today.”

“Well.”

“So you saw him, what’s so special about that?”

“Ah, Dad!” A sudden voice startled Chi Jinxian, making him stumble several steps back.

He stared wide-eyed, unblinking, at a certain spot on the sofa.

Chi Sui stretched his arms out from under the blanket, arching his back in a languid stretch, emitting a satisfied sigh from his throat as he took a deep breath after waking. Maintaining this pose for a minute, his slender yet strong hands gripped the edge of the blanket and pulled it aside, revealing his handsome face, now slightly weary.

“What are you staring at? Enemy from a past life.” Chi Sui glared resentfully at his son, likely due to just waking up his gaze held no intimidation, only a touch of grievance.

Chi Jinxian: “…”

“Dad! He scared me!”Chi Jinxian pointed an accusing finger, his voice full of grievance.”

After the accusation, he added, “Why are you sleeping at this hour?”

Chi Sui: “…”Chi Sui tightened his grip on the blanket and looked at Yuan Si Bai, equally aggrieved: ‘Yuan Yuan, I’m still sick.'””

“Serves you right.” Yuan Si Bai sighed helplessly, stepping forward to feel Chi Sui’s forehead. It wasn’t feverish anymore. Turning to Chi Jinxian, he explained, “Grandpa told him to go to the company today. He said he wouldn’t go during his six-month vacation period. Grandpa said he’d come over and see if he’d go or not.”

Chi Jinxian blinked: “Did Grandpa come? Did Dad get beaten?”

Chi Sui pointed angrily at him, as if his authority had been challenged: “Who are you saying got beaten?!”

“He came.” Yuan Si Bai said, “Before he arrived, your dad was afraid Grandpa would really show up, so he quickly said, ‘Dad, it’s not that I don’t want to go. I’d gladly dedicate myself to the family business, but I’m sick and can’t go.’ He thought that would stop the old man from coming.”

When imitating Chi Sui, his tone and expression were utterly lifelike absolutely spot-on.

Chi Sui pulled the blanket over his face, as if finally realizing the shame.

Chi Jinxian coughed: “And then Grandpa came specifically to check if he was really sick?”

“Yes.” Yuan Si Bai laughed, then shot a glare at Chi Sui. “Scared your dad into soaking in cold water for an hour. Not exactly a lie, see? He really got sick.”

Chi Jinxian immediately made a face that screamed “What kind of weirdo is my dad?”, his features scrunching up.

He marveled once again that their family hadn’t gone bankrupt and was instead growing bigger it was nothing short of a miracle.

His grandpa threatened to beat his own son to slack off, and his dad would rather soak in cold water than go to the company to rebel against his father!

No doubt, Uncle was the one suffering now.

“Then why didn’t he go back to his room to sleep?” Chi Jinxian asked. “He’s here just to scare people.”

Hearing this, Yuan Si Bai didn’t answer, only coughed lightly.

Chi Sui’s voice came from under the blanket, full of self-righteousness: “Can’t I be clingy?”

Chi Jinxian: “…”

“An An, are you hungry? I baked some cupcakes.” Yuan Si Bai started to go fetch them but suddenly paused. He gave Chi Jinxian a strange look, who grew puzzled and glanced down at himself. “What’s wrong, Dad?”

“An An,” Yuan Si Bai said with some confusion, “Does your school uniform seem too big?”

Chi Sui pulled the blanket down, his eyes fixed on Chi Jinxian as well.

Chi Jinxian: “!”

Being stared down head to toe by his two closest parental figures, and now directly questioned, Chi Jinxian blinked rapidly several times, the tips of his ears turning red.

His eyes darting away, he mumbled sheepishly in a small voice, “I my school uniform got dirty, so I’m wearing Lu, Lu Zhi’s.” After mumbling, he cautiously lifted his eyes, seeking affirmation, “Does it fit okay? Dad, does it look good?”

“Look at him just look at him!” Chi Sui gritted his teeth, shaking a finger at Chi Jinxian. So infuriated that he shot up from lying down, he said to Yuan Si Bai with exasperation, “Look at how pathetic he is!”

Chi Sui’s anger only made Yuan Si Bai appear even more composed. Hearing this, he let out a very soft, light laugh and humored Chi Jinxian, saying, “Mm, it looks quite nice.”

“Ugly as sin!” Chi Sui retorted, “They’re all school uniforms, what does it matter if one looks good or not!”

Chi Jinxian let out a small “hmph,” casting an accusatory glance at his father before smiling shyly at Yuan Si Bai.

He took the small cake handed to him by Yuan Si Bai, eating them one after another. Even with his mouth full, he couldn’t stop talking, mumbling indistinctly, “Dad, how’s our family’s relationship with the Lu family?”

If it’s good, then it’d be so easy for the two families to be joined in marriage someday!

“Not too sure,” Yuan Si Bai raised his eyes to glance at Chi Sui, saying, “Ask your dad. They’re the ones who know about business matters the Lu family is in business.”

Hearing this, Chi Jinxian fixed his bright, expectant eyes on Chi Sui.

Chi Sui: “…”

Chi Sui raised a hand to smooth his hair, as if about to sign a multi-billion dollar contract, and he was the one holding the power of life and death over it.

“Passable,” he said nonchalantly, “Anyway, no matter who it is, you won’t be wronged.”

Chi Jinxian thought that sounded pretty good too. After all, at the last banquet, Chi Sui had invited General Lu though later his dad said it was mainly to get a look at the celestial beauty that is Lu Zhi.

“However, my relationship with Mr. Yan is quite good,” Yuan Si Bai added.

Chi Jinxian froze, instantly picturing the man beside Lu Zisheng from earlier today. He’d never seen Yuan Si Bai interact with him before.

And for some reason, he didn’t really like that man.

The small cake in Chi Jinxian’s mouth suddenly lost its sweetness. He asked quietly, “Lu Wan’s dad?”

“Hm?” Yuan Si Bai sounded puzzled, seeming a bit confused. After a moment, he understood and said, “Lu Zisheng’s second son?”

Chi Jinxian nodded: “Yeah.”

Yuan Si Bai then chuckled lightly and said, “Of course not. He’s Lu Zhi’s dad.”

Chi Jinxian’s chewing came to an abrupt halt.

“But I didn’t have much interaction with him either, just saw him frequently for a period about ten years ago,” Yuan Si Bai reached out to close Chi Jinxian’s slightly agape mouth that had forgotten to chew, reminding him to keep eating.

“He was a very gentle Omega.”

Chi Jinxian hurriedly swallowed the food in his mouth and eagerly asked, “Then why haven’t you been in contact these past ten years?”

If they had stayed in touch, maybe he could have met Lu Zhi earlier, even grown up together as childhood friends. And judging by the look in Yuan Si Bai’s eyes when he mentioned this person, he clearly liked him quite a bit, so why suddenly…

Chi Jinxian’s thoughts were abruptly cut off as Lu Wan’s dad once again rushed into his mind, a wave of numbness surging straight to the crown of his head. He blinked in confusion, for no apparent reason, suddenly wanting very much to see Lu Zhi.

“He passed away,” Yuan Si Bai said.

In the cemetery where silence was only broken by the night wind, the usual closing hours became irrelevant the moment General Lu arrived.

Lu Zisheng, clad in a crisp uniform, leaned casually against the car door. The glowing ember of his cigarette flickered between his fingers, while the smoke exhaled from his thin lips veiled his face, obscuring his expression.

He gazed up at the bluestone path a short distance away, where a tombstone stood at a diagonal corner, perfectly positioned. Before it stood Lu Zhi, and Lu Zisheng could see a small part of his figure.

The next moment, he vanished from view.

Lu Zhi carelessly dropped his backpack to the ground and sat cross-legged on the grass.

In previous years, he would only linger here in silence, never speaking. But today, for some reason, he sat down as if he had something to say.

After a long internal struggle, he still couldn’t bring himself to speak.

It had been too long since he had seen the man, too long since he had heard his voice. The memories of their time together had almost faded. Lu Zhi had no idea what to say.

Then, a fiery red hue caught the corner of his eye, vivid against the night sky dotted with sparse stars. Suddenly, his emptiness felt redeemed.

He reached out and gently picked up the crimson rose, studying it intently for a long while before placing it softly before the tombstone.

His lips trembled slightly, and his voice came out hoarse: “It should still look the way you remember.”

After a pause, he added, “My Rose Manor is thriving.”

There were no roses in the cemetery only tranquil stone paths and those resting beneath the earth.

The night wind rustled through the pine needles, brushing against his clothes and hair, and quietly stealing the color from his lips.

It was already late. Down below, by the car, Lu Zisheng called out softly, “Xiao Zhi.”

A reminder that it was time to leave.

Lu Zhi heard him but didn’t rise. Instead, he reached out and lightly touched the rose placed before the tombstone.

“Dad.” The night wind was cold, and without a jacket, perhaps from the chill, Lu Zhi’s voice was raspy, his words barely audible even to the wind. “Someone wants to take him away.”

“…”

“Buzz.”

Lu Zhi glanced down at his pants pocket, feeling the residual vibration of his phone. The sickly aura that had enveloped him moments earlier vanished.

Without a second thought for the impropriety of checking his phone in such a setting as if introducing someone to a parent he pulled it out and opened it.

Cash Pool: 【Bro, seeing General Lu today totally stunned me (not really), I didn’t even get to finish my confession. Ahem, listen up no, wait, read carefully. Brother, I really want to hug you right now. Don’t call me a flirt, I just really like you [embarrassed]. I’ll like you for a lifetime! I hope I’ll be part of your lifetime too! Heart!】

At some point, a stronger gust of wind had swept the crimson rose from the edge of the tombstone, bringing it within Lu Zhi’s reach.

He read the unusual confession over and over, then picked up the rose beside him and murmured:

“No one can take him away.”

Far away, in a brightly lit, opulent living room, Chi Jinxian lounged on the sofa, planning to play a game while waiting for a reply. He hadn’t yet accepted Qi Suiyi’s invitation when a notification appeared at the top of his screen.

Lu Zhi: [Chi Jinxian.]

Chi Jinxian immediately abandoned Qi Suiyi and rushed into Lu Zhi’s chat window.

Cash Pool: [Yeah! I’m here, bro!]

Lu Zhi, with his schoolbag slung over one shoulder, walked along the bluestone brick path in the cemetery. Holding his phone in one hand, he glanced at it briefly. Under Lu Zisheng’s soft urging, his thumb moved lightly, typing a few words into the chat box.

The night breeze and the stars in the sky clearly displayed his words before Chi Jinxian’s eyes.

Lu Zhi: [Is your idea of adulthood having sex with me?]