What to Do If Beta Cannot Be Marked? - Chapter 28

Chi Jinxian didn’t understand! But his legs instinctively went weak, unsure whether it was due to Lu Zhi’s current dominance or the momentary daze caused by Lu Zhi’s words.

Lu Zhi’s breath sprayed entirely by Chi Jinxian’s ear. Chi Jinxian couldn’t help but shrink his neck slightly. Seeing even this slight movement, Lu Zhi almost instinctively tightened his grip further. Chi Jinxian hurriedly spoke up, “I understand.”

Even after expressing his stance, the low pressure emanating from the person behind him remained intense. Having pursued him for two years, Chi Jinxian had never seen Lu Zhi like this before. He added, “I won’t run. Lu-ge, why would I run when I like you? I won’t run.”

These words seemed to have a calming effect. Lu Zhi’s grip indeed loosened slightly.

Yet the two of them remained locked in this posture for a while longer. After a long moment, Lu Zhi let out a low, heavy “Mm,” truly choosing to believe his words. Slowly, very slowly, he released Chi Jinxian, taking a slight step back to create some distance between them though only a little.

Chi Jinxian hung his head, using his uninjured hand the one holding his backpack to gently rub his reddened wrist. He turned around very slowly.

They stood close, the hems of their school uniforms brushing against each other, mirroring their masters’ entangled stance, like a secret whisper about to be murmured between lovers.

“Look up at me,” Lu Zhi’s voice suddenly sounded from above.

Chi Jinxian’s heart skipped a beat, but he lowered his head even further. Only when the breathing beside him noticeably deepened did he stammer in a small voice, “Lu-ge let’s talk about this, another time okay?”

Chi Jinxian had already concluded what Lu Zhi intended to say by cornering him here nothing more than drawing a clear line to prevent him from shamelessly pursuing him any further. After suddenly laying low for a week, to avoid any future risks, Lu Zhi undoubtedly hoped Chi Jinxian would remain this subdued from now on.

In response, there was no reply from beside him only Lu Zhi’s steady yet still somewhat heavy breathing.

The classroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, as if even each other’s heartbeats were laid bare, impossible to conceal. Chi Jinxian was never one to keep his composure for long; avoiding Lu Zhi for this past week had already drained nearly all his resolve. Now, standing face to face with him in this suffocating silence was unbearable.

Unable to stand the tension, Chi Jinxian nervously picked at the edge of his backpack. Just as he was about to say something, Lu Zhi’s voice, devoid of any discernible emotion, finally came from above.

“Why didn’t you reply to my messages?”

At these words, all of Chi Jinxian’s fidgeting halted abruptly. He quickly glanced up at Lu Zhi, guilt flashing in his eyes. The moment he saw the intensity in Lu Zhi’s gaze, a tingling sensation surged uncontrollably toward his nerve center, and his slightly prominent Adam’s apple unconsciously bobbed.

Much like the tone of his voice at that moment, Lu Zhi’s eyes were dark and heavy, as if nothing from the outside could penetrate his pupils. Yet he was staring unblinkingly at Chi Jinxian, as if his eyes held only this one person at that moment.

“Answer me,” Lu Zhi said.

“I.” Chi Jinxian only dared to glance briefly before quickly lowering his eyelashes again. “I don’t dare.”

Lu Zhi asked, “Reason.”

“You hate Betas,” Chi Jinxian said in a voice so soft it was barely audible.

Though their conversation seemed perfectly ordinary, perhaps because Chi Jinxian hadn’t gone this long without speaking to Lu Zhi in years, a profound sense of loss and grievance suddenly sprouted within him at the other party’s initiative.

There were probably few people left in the classroom, maybe even the entire campus. In such quiet surroundings, Lu Zhi heard his mosquito-like reply clearly.

He didn’t respond, but his brows had imperceptibly furrowed.

Chi Jinxian whispered even more quietly, “You’ll hate me.”

As these words fell, Lu Zhi’s frown deepened.

He seemed uncertain what to say next, and even appeared to regret impulsively keeping Chi Jinxian here. A visible trace of irritation rose in Lu Zhi’s pitch-black eyes, as if he’d encountered a difficult problem with no solution in sight.

When the person before him remained silent, Chi Jinxian’s earlier disappointment and grievance quickly transformed into something else. He began to fear that Lu Zhi might actually say the words he didn’t want to hear.

Just as he thought this might happen, Chi Jinxian shifted to open the door, preempting with forced bravery: “Lu-ge, don’t say you hate me, it would make me sad… I want to go home.”He wanted to add that he’d come back to comfort him when Lu Zhi was less upset, but felt Lu Zhi probably wouldn’t want to hear that, so he held his tongue.”

He likely couldn’t go home until this was fully resolved, as Lu Zhi showed no intention of letting him leave.

Hearing Chi Jinxian’s intentions, there was a soft “click” as Lu Zhi reached past him to lock the back door.

Now Chi Jinxian was genuinely wronged.

He raised his eyes to look at Lu Zhi, on the verge of tearing up. His voice trembled slightly as he accused, “What are you doing?”

Lu Zhi remained silent. After a moment, he lifted his arm and extended his well-defined hand palm-up before Chi Jinxian, a gesture asking for something.

Chi Jinxian was momentarily stunned, his grievances forgotten. Not understanding Lu Zhi’s meaning, he looked down at the hand, then up at the person, repeating this several times before finally whispering, “What… Lu-ge?”

Lu Zhi maintained his position, though the air around him grew colder for some reason. Still, he didn’t frighten Chi Jinxian further. After two seconds, he enunciated clearly: “Milk, roses, love letters. Give them to me.”

Chi Jinxian’s brain short-circuited, his breath catching, as Lu Zhi continued: “You know how many days you’ve missed. For every day short, you’ll make it up here in the classroom. If you can’t, don’t think about going home.”

Chi Jinxian blinked twice, processing slowly. When he realized what Lu Zhi had said, a wave of unreality left him utterly unprepared. First came disbelief: “Huh? What?”

Lu Zhi’s expression remained wooden.

Chi Jinxian finally snapped out of it, his face flushing red with excitement when he spoke again. Whether from nervousness or something else, he stammered intensely: “T-ten days! I know, but I didn’t bring it with me. I was planning to give it to you next week, I’ll go home and get it!”

Lu Zhi didn’t move, so Chi Jinxian quickly clarified his stance: “I’ll come back. I like you.”

What else could he do if he didn’t believe him? He couldn’t actually keep someone confined in the classroom.

Lu Zhi withdrew his hand and asked, “How long will it take to go home?”

Chi Jinxian: “Fifteen minutes!”

“Half an hour round trip?” Lu Zhi confirmed.

“Yeah!”

Lu Zhi grabbed his backpack from the desk, slung it over one shoulder, unlocked the back door, and pulled it open to leave with Chi Jinxian. Ten minutes later at the school gate, the car usually responsible for picking up Lu Zhi was parked low-key across the street as always. Lu Zhi only glanced in that direction but didn’t approach, signaling for it to wait.

“Is an hour enough?” Lu Zhi stopped and asked, standing in place.

Chi Jinxian immediately nodded: “Enough!”

“Mm,” Lu Zhi looked at him, “I’ll wait right here. If I don’t receive it within an hour, you don’t need to deliver anything in the future.”

Before the words fully landed, Chi Jinxian turned and ran, shouting as he went: “Brother Lu, wait for me!”

He ran swiftly, the evening breeze brushing past his clothes, making them flutter backward and outlining his slender frame.

That waistline seemed as if it could be encircled with just one hand.

Lu Zhi truly stood there, watching Chi Jinxian’s figure grow increasingly distant until he turned a corner and disappeared from sight.

“Is that the young master of the Chi family?” Suddenly, a question came from beside him.

Lu Zhi withdrew his gaze and glanced at the butler who had approached him the same person who usually picked him up from school. Back when his father was still around, he had also taken care of Yan Yue.

“Mm,” Lu Zhi responded.

“No wonder you came out so late today you were talking with someone inside?” Fang Shou asked gently, his tone carrying the ease and informality he only showed when alone with Lu Zhi.

Hearing this, Lu Zhi lowered his eyelashes slightly and gave another soft “Mm.”

After a long pause, he spoke as if to Fang Shou, yet more like to himself: “He hasn’t paid me any attention for a long time.”

A gentle breeze swept past, rustling their hair, but no further words were exchanged.

Fang Shou glanced at him sideways, unsure whose shadow he saw in him perhaps Yan Yue’s, but even more like Lu Zisheng’s.

After an unknown length of time.

“Uncle Fang.”

Fang Shou responded: “Mm.”

“Is Ai Duoyan still looking for my father’s notebook?” Lu Zhi asked.

“Perhaps,” Fang Shou said. “But with me at home, don’t worry too much.”

Lu Zhi didn’t respond, his eyes gradually darkening.

“No one knows where the young master’s notebook is,” Fang Shou continued. “Even if he searches for it daily without avoiding me, it’s unlikely he’ll find it.”

“I haven’t found it either.”

Lu Zhi finally responded with a quiet “Mm” and didn’t seek out new topics, standing straight and motionless.

He had said he would wait there, and he truly never took a single step away.

Fifteen minutes had passed Chi Jinxian should have reached home by now.

“Dad, Dad, Dad” As soon as he entered the villa garden, Chi Jinxian kept running along the cobblestone path without slowing down, shouting loudly.

Yuan Si Bai had heard his cheerful yet urgent tone from afar. His second-floor bedroom faced the front garden, so he hurriedly opened the window upon hearing the commotion. Seeing Chi Jinxian running at breakneck speed, he frowned and called out, “Slow down!”

By the time Yuan Si Bai came downstairs to the living room, Chi Jinxian had already pushed the door open, panting heavily.

“Why are you running so fast? You’re also back a bit late today.” Yuan Si Bai poured him a glass of water, wanting him to rest, but Chi Jinxian didn’t have time to drink it. He hurriedly said, “Dad, help me pack ten cartons of milk into my backpack. I’m going upstairs to get the love letters!”

“Huh?” Before Yuan Si Bai could react, Chi Jinxian had already bounded up the stairs two steps at a time.

His vigorous momentum nearly collided with Chi Sui, who was coming downstairs with a laptop. Chi Sui, startled, quickly raised the laptop to avoid disaster and yelled over his shoulder, “You little rascal, if you knock the laptop flying, you’ll be redoing the company’s data yourself!”

“Oops, sorry,” Chi Jinxian shouted as he ran into his room. “Dad, don’t be so stingy.”

Chi Sui: “…”

Chi Sui sighed helplessly, straightened his head, and continued downstairs. He asked Yuan Si Bai, “What’s up with him again?”

“Ever since he recovered from his illness, he’s been moping around until today. Why does he suddenly look ecstatic?”

Yuan Si Bai shook his head as he stuffed milk cartons into Chi Jinxian’s backpack. “I don’t know either.”

No sooner had he spoken than the little rascal’s figure came storming out of the bedroom and down the stairs again, startling Yuan Si Bai. He frowned and looked up, scolding gently, “Chi Jinxian, don’t jump three or four steps at a time and run so fast. What if you fall?”

“Oh. Got it.” Chi Jinxian immediately became much more subdued. When he reached Yuan Si Bai’s side, he looked up and smiled at him, making it hard for anyone to stay angry. Yuan Si Bai’s urge to scold him further died in his throat.

He could only ask softly, “What happened? You seem to be in a good mood.”

Hearing this, Chi Jinxian’s eyes curved into crescents, filled with starlight that made hearts flutter.

He said, “I’m giving Brother Lu love letters and roses!”

His backpack was stuffed with ten cartons of milk and ten love letters. Since neither of these items was as small as a fingernail, the backpack was already half full at a glance.

If he added ten roses, it would truly be packed to the brim.

Roses? Chi Sui had just sat down on the sofa and placed his laptop on the coffee table when alarm bells went off in his head. He immediately looked up to search for Chi Jinxian’s figure.

Right then, the image of Chi Jinxian bursting through the door with a large pair of scissors lingered in his sight for a split second. Chi Sui’s eyes widened, and he stood up shakily, pointing at the doorway and shouting, “Chi Jinxian, Chi Jinxian, what are you doing?! Get back here, you little”

“Yuan Yuan! That debt-collecting brat is going to strip my garden bare! Hurry and go after him to control him!” Chi Sui looked at Yuan Si Bai for help, his face a mix of grief and anger.

Considering Chi Jinxian’s recent gloom and his current excitement, along with the faint echoes of youthful romance from years ago, Yuan Si Bai roughly understood what was happening. He covered his lips with a fist and coughed ambiguously.

He said, “Let him go.”

Chi Sui: “…”

Chi Sui was furious: “I don’t want to! Those are the flowers I planted for you! This little beast, actually wants to pluck ten stems from me all at once.”

Having said that, he stopped seeking help and strode off with an air of bravado to find Chi Jinxian, his slippers slapping with the weight of leather shoes.

Yuan Si Bai had no choice but to quickly follow him out: “Chi Sui.”

When they reached the garden, Chi Jinxian’s figure became visible through the transparent Glass Flower Gallery he was crouching down, meticulously and carefully cutting fiery red roses with a pair of scissors.

After two years of plucking, he was thoroughly familiar with how to cut them. In just this short while, Chi Sui saw that he had already cut six stems!

Watching his vibrant, dewy flowers meet such an “untimely demise,” Chi Sui was overwhelmed with heartache. Pointing a trembling finger, he said, “You little beast, how dare you.”

“Dad, I love you,” Chi Jinxian looked up at him, grinning brilliantly, “You’re just so handsome!”

Chi Sui: “…”

Chi Sui froze in place, and after a few seconds, he pouted and crouched down.

Resting his elbows on his knees and cupping his cheeks with both hands, he stared unblinkingly at Chi Jinxian like a child, sighing and muttering dejectedly: “Ten stems, he cut ten of my roses.”

Yuan Si Bai couldn’t help but chuckle softly beside him.

Chi Sui turned slightly and looked up at him with a resentful gaze, so Yuan Si Bai coughed to clear his throat and suppressed his laughter.

“Ah,” Chi Sui continued to mumble, “Truly, when the son grows up, he no longer obeys his father, and even the roses can’t be kept.”

Yuan Si Bai coughed again, his cheeks flushed red from holding back laughter.

After Chi Jinxian finished cutting and looked at the ten most beautiful roses in the garden that day, he tried to reason: “Dad, it’s been ten days since I last came to the garden. Before, I always took one stem a day. One stem a day versus ten stems in ten days there’s no difference.”

Of course, that made sense, but seeing him suddenly walk out of the garden with a bouquet of roses in his arms, Chi Sui felt nothing short of a heart attack.

He said, “Just shut up.”

“Alright, get up now,” Yuan Si Bai tugged at his arm, whispering, “Acting like a child, what kind of behavior is that?”

Chi Sui looked up gloomily, pointed a large hand at Chi Jinxian, and said, “I’ve been through his phase too.”

Yuan Si Bai sighed inwardly.

“You’re disgusted by me,” Chi Sui said, his eyebrows drooping as he reflected on his mistakes facing the ground. “My son comes to collect debts, plucks my roses, and my wife doesn’t love me anymore, even scolds me.”

“When did I scold you?” Yuan Si Bai lightly patted Chi Sui’s shoulder. He glanced at Chi Jinxian, who was busy packaging the roses, and chided softly, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Then, as if slightly embarrassed, he added in an even softer voice: “I love you, I love you later, I’ll go with you to buy roses, and you can plant them when we get back. Okay?”

Over the years, Chi Sui had a specific place to buy fiery red rose stems; otherwise, without planting new ones, his garden would likely be stripped bare by Chi Jinxian.

This type of rose blooms with densely packed petals, layered and clustered together, its color more beautiful than the fiery clouds at the horizon, and each flower is about the size of a person’s palm. Importantly, it blooms all year round, as if untouched by the changing seasons.

Each petal carries a faint fragrance, yet the scent of the entire rose remains subtle and not overpowering.

Perhaps due to the variety, crimson roses are particularly difficult to cultivate. Too much sunlight is detrimental, yet complete absence of sunlight is equally problematic. Excessive exposure to wind and rain won’t do, but complete shelter from natural elements isn’t viable either. In short, the slightest negligence could lead to their demise. Even if they survive, they might stubbornly refuse to bloom.

When Chi Sui first vowed to plant a Rose Manor for Yuan Si Bai, he even promised to cultivate the most beautiful roses in the Alliance. He attempted the project three times, each ending in complete failure, nearly making him question his life’s purpose.

Each time he returned to plant new cuttings, they all withered away.

Finally, Yuan Si Bai could no longer bear watching him torment the plants and urged him to stop. Unconvinced, Chi Sui purchased another large batch of rose cuttings and seedlings.

He even installed an arched Glass Flower Gallery over this Rose Manor, with a remotely controlled retractable dome. Although three batches of rose seedlings had perished previously, failure had taught him valuable lessons. Chi Sui became exceptionally attentive to the fourth batch, mastering the precise timing to open the dome for the cuttings to bask in gentle breezes and sunshine, and when to close it to keep them protected in the greenhouse.

Perseverance paid off the crimson roses finally flourished! Each bloom grew more vibrant than the last.

Every day when opening the bedroom window facing the back garden, that sea of crimson resembled a rebirth, radiating dazzling and boundless energy.

“Then what are we waiting for?!” Chi Sui sprang up from the ground, eyes gleaming. He grabbed Yuan Si Bai’s wrist and pulled him toward the living room, declaring, “Let’s change clothes now!”

Yanked forward, Yuan Si Bai instinctively matched his pace to avoid stumbling and hurriedly told him to slow down, remarking, “Judging by your enthusiasm, this isn’t just about buying roses, is it?”

“Of course not.” In high spirits, Chi Sui was practically skipping with joy. “I’m taking my wife on a date.”

“But An An is still home.”

“We’ll be back just returning early will be fine.” He then turned to Yuan Si Bai, feigning pitiful accusation, “Yuan Si Bai, are you deceiving me? Don’t tell me you don’t want to go anymore.”

“We’re going, right now.” Yuan Si Bai pushed him lightly, urging, “Let’s go.”

Chi Sui immediately beamed with delight and called out to Chi Jinxian, who had already wrapped the roses: “Chi Xiao’an, your other dad and I are heading out be good on your own.”

They hadn’t bothered lowering their voices around Chi Jinxian, who felt a pang of envy and nearly sighed. But since he was holding a bouquet of roses himself, he didn’t want to dampen the mood and merely waved casually with feigned obedience: “Bye. Hurry up and go. Bring back food when you return.”

With his wrist still held, Yuan Si Bai couldn’t pause and quickly turned back to instruct: “Are you still planning to deliver the roses? Come back right after, and remember to message me.”

“Let’s go, Yuan Yuan.”

Chi Jinxian: “Got it.”

By the time Chi Jinxian cheerfully carried the roses back to the living room, his two fathers had already vanished. He never knew Chi Sui could change clothes so swiftly it was astonishing.

Perhaps because Chi Sui had dragged Yuan Si Bai off on a date, the word “date” lingered persistently in his mind. Gazing at the roses in his arms since he hadn’t delivered any for many days, wrapping each stem individually would be too time-consuming, so Chi Jinxian had cut larger wrapping paper to bundle ten crimson roses together, forming a small bouquet.

He seemed to have brought along the mood for a date, almost unable to restrain his fluttering heart.

His light jog toward the school gate was filled with buoyancy.

Lu Zhi had already been waiting in the same spot for forty-five minutes, yet he showed no trace of impatience. He remained exactly as he was when Chi Jinxian left.

Fang Shou, who had been standing beside him for nearly the same amount of time, repeated the question he had asked earlier: “Xiao Zhi, would you like to wait in the car for a while?”

Lu Zhi replied, “No need.”

It was deep autumn, and the daylight hours were no longer as long. The sky, which had been tinged with fiery clouds half an hour ago, now retained only a faint red glow, gradually darkening.

A figure in blue-and-white school uniform appeared around the corner, catching Lu Zhi’s attention. “Uncle Fang, you can wait in the car first,” Lu Zhi said.

Fang Shou acknowledged with a nod before turning to leave.

Chi Jinxian came running over, his expression excited, clutching a bouquet of roses in his arms and carrying a seemingly heavy backpack.

By the time he reached Lu Zhi, he was completely out of breath.

“Lu, Lu-ge Has it been an hour yet?” he asked, one hand firmly holding the flowers while the other pressed lightly against his abdomen, perhaps having strained himself from running too fast.

“Not yet,” Lu Zhi replied. “There are still ten minutes left. Catch your breath before speaking.”

Chi Jinxian took a moment to steady his breathing. Fortunately, his father often made him exercise, so his physical condition was decent, and he recovered fairly quickly.

“Lu-ge, here!” Chi Jinxian straightened up, his eyes reflecting the last remnants of red in the sky, bright and unwavering. He extended the roses toward Lu Zhi. “Ten stems not a single day missed. I’ve made up for all of them.”

Lu Zhi lowered his gaze, staring intently at Chi Jinxian for a moment before shifting his attention to the vibrant red bouquet.

For two years, he had never once proactively accepted Chi Jinxian’s rose love letters. It seemed he hadn’t anticipated this scenario either, and for a moment, Lu Zhi was slightly stunned even though he had been the one to ask for them after school.

After what felt like an eternity, Lu Zhi finally raised his hand gently. His distinct, bony fingers touched the bottom of the wrapping paper, producing a soft sound that signaled someone was willingly accepting it.

Chi Jinxian’s heart pounded wildly. He released his grip, and the roses didn’t fall to the ground. His eyes, unblinking, followed the flawless crimson as it nestled into Lu Zhi’s embrace, growing even brighter.

In that instant, he suddenly felt the scene was strangely familiar. The way Lu Zhi stood before him, hesitating over whether to accept the roses Chi Jinxian was certain he had seen it somewhere before.

A moment later, it came to him. He had seen it.

In a dream!

It was that little child whose face he had never clearly seen. He felt that the child’s hesitation over accepting the roses must have mirrored Lu Zhi’s expression now.

He didn’t know why he suddenly remembered this, but at the thought, Chi Jinxian couldn’t help but let a faint smile curl at the corners of his lips, as if he had truly “chased” Lu Zhi in his childhood.

“Oh, and the love letter and milk!” Chi Jinxian took off his backpack, unzipped it, and prepared to take out the contents. But just seeing the milk made him realize his hands wouldn’t be enough to carry everything, so he decided not to overestimate himself. Instead, he looked up at Lu Zhi and said, “Lu-ge, I need your backpack to put these things in.”

Hearing this, Lu Zhi held the roses with one hand and, without any objection, used the other to grab his backpack strap and hand it over to Chi Jinxian.

The latter immediately took it and began stuffing the items inside with great effort.

A minute later, everything that had been in Chi Jinxian’s hands and backpack now belonged to Lu Zhi. Satisfied, Chi Jinxian returned the backpack to Lu Zhi, a wide, bright smile spreading across his face.

Lu Zhi reached out to take it, slinging it over one shoulder, his expression unchanged.

The sky grew darker and darker. True night would descend completely in less than half an hour.

The two stood close, the dimming twilight doing nothing to hinder their bold and clear scrutiny of each other.

Chi Jinxian still hadn’t fully grasped the reality of everything that had happened today. He felt he needed to ask properly, ask his Lu-ge just what he thought of him now!

But his words had barely begun with “Lu-ge, I ” when Lu Zhi cut him off with a tone that was neither warm nor cold, yet carried a certain seriousness.

“Chi Jinxian.” Lu Zhi called his name.

Chi Jinxian responded, “Yeah. What’s up, Lu-ge?”

Lu Zhi gave him a deep look, then suddenly said with ambiguous meaning, “Weren’t you pretty bold when calling me ‘ge’ and ‘gege’ through the screen?”

“…” Chi Jinxian was a bit dazed, replying belatedly, “Huh?”

Lu Zhi added, “Why aren’t you calling me that now, face to face?”

“…”

From the day he started pursuing Lu Zhi, after getting his contact information, Chi Jinxian had never once called him “Lu-ge” through the screen. He always used more intimate terms, especially after realizing Lu Zhi never corrected him he grew even more smug.

But when they were face to face, Chi Jinxian became unusually timid, not daring to call him “ge” even once.

It was as if he had the word “coward” stamped on his forehead.

Though Chi Jinxian didn’t fully grasp Lu Zhi’s meaning, the words stirred up memories of his past slyness and shame, making him lower his lashes, too embarrassed to look at the other.

He blinked. “I,”

“Call me,” Lu Zhi suddenly spoke, his tone carrying an undeniable force.

Chi Jinxian stared wide-eyed at the ground, his ears turning red.

He seemed to understand what Lu Zhi meant by that.

A night breeze swept by, rustling the edges of their clothes, as if only the wind could set the mood around them now.

But as the breeze brushed past Chi Jinxian’s ears, it suddenly reminded him of the scene right after school when Lu Zhi had pressed him against the door and spoken close to his ear. His ears grew even hotter, betraying him again.

Chi Jinxian thought to himself, Why am I about to embarrass myself again? A passionate little rose shouldn’t be like this!

He lifted his head slightly, quickly met the gaze of Lu Zhi, who was still watching him quietly, then looked away, only to glance back again. After a moment, he parted his lips slightly and said, “Ge.”

The cellophane around the rose bouquet made a faint rustling sound, as if someone’s hand had involuntarily tightened around it, but it was gone in an instant.

Lu Zhi’s expression remained unchanged. “En.” Then he added, “And?”

Chi Jinxian raised a hand to rub his ear, his gaze darting everywhere but at the other person.

A few minutes later, he whispered, so softly it was almost inaudible, “Gege.”