What to Do If Beta Cannot Be Marked? - Chapter 29

Chi Jinxian had forgotten what he originally came for. He only remembered the night breeze being somewhat cool, yet it did nothing to dissipate the heat on his face. Instead, it intensified his unusual demeanor more vibrant than the last lingering streak of sunset on the horizon.

Perhaps because he kept his head lowered, Lu Zhi couldn’t stand it any longer and asked, “Burning with passion?”

“…” Chi Jinxian felt mocked and immediately looked up, retorting, “Isn’t it passionate enough?”

Lu Zhi didn’t respond, but his eyes inexplicably darkened not oppressive, yet seemingly capable of drawing one deep into them.

The car that had been quietly parked by the roadside since school ended, appearing empty, suddenly stirred. The driver’s side window rolled down halfway, revealing a young, handsome face in the fading twilight, exuding an air of elegance.

Chi Jinxian had seen him before the person who came daily to pick up and drop off Lu Zhi. He glanced in their direction as if reminding Lu Zhi it was time to leave, then rolled the window back up.

“Lu, you should head back now,” Chi Jinxian said.

Lu Zhi didn’t move, but a vague “Hmm?” escaped from the depths of his throat.

“…” Chi Jinxian opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again before shutting it once more. He felt bullied by Lu Zhi but couldn’t pinpoint any evidence. Besides, he harbored a secret fondness for it himself.

Chi Jinxian let out a soft sigh, recalling all the bold and fiery emotions he’d expressed to Lu Zhi through screens. Suddenly, the shame vanished, and he blurted out, “Bro, hurry back. See you on Monday.”

“I’m heading home too.”

“Mm.” Lu Zhi turned to leave, the rose bouquet in his arms rustling with the movement, the crinkle of cellophane being tightly gripped and the friction between rose petals.

The gentle breeze carried the floral fragrance around them. Chi Jinxian had never realized that crimson roses could feel so refreshing.

His mood was unprecedentedly light.

Lu Zhi opened the rear door, carefully placing his backpack and the bouquet on the opposite seat.

Then, he peered through the window to search for Chi Jinxian. Chi Jinxian was no longer there, he had already turned onto the street leading home.

“Uncle Fang, take him home,” Lu Zhi said. “It’s dark now.”

“Alright.”

The engine started, and instead of following the usual route, the car slowly headed in the direction Chi Jinxian had gone.

They kept their distance Chi Jinxian recognized this car, and getting too close would surely alert him. Yet, they could still make out Chi Jinxian’s bouncing figure as he headed home.

He moved like a sprite of the night, seemingly brimming with endless energy at every moment, forever carefree. It appeared utterly simple, yet it was something many could never attain in a lifetime.

Lu Zhi couldn’t grasp it either.

Unfamiliar architecture gradually came into view as Chi Jinxian dashed into the garden villa, disappearing entirely.

Fang Shou glanced at Lu Zhi’s distracted expression in the rearview mirror and asked, “Does this place feel familiar?”

Lu Zhi withdrew his gaze and replied, “No impression.”

His face genuinely bore a trace of puzzlement.

Having silently ensured the other’s safe return home, the car quietly turned around to retrace its path.

Before the wheels could start rolling again, Lu Zhi said, “Uncle Fang, let’s go to my father’s cemetery.”

Fang Shou’s hands on the steering wheel paused slightly, his eyes half-lowered.

He didn’t respond, but drove straight toward the destination.

Quiet nights always easily evoke all kinds of thoughts in people. Even with the brightly lit world outside, it still can’t prevent one’s mind from tearing apart from oneself.

Lu Zhi lightly rested his chin on one hand, staring unblinkingly at the evening scenery flashing past the roadside.

Even the architectural sign of Alliance First Elementary School was reflected in his eyes many years ago, Lu Zhi had attended school there.

At the entrance, two small figures of uncertain reality seemed to appear.

“Little Dad, that big brother is so handsome. He looks like the Snow White prince from the stories you told me his hair is so black, his eyes so bright. So handsome!”

The autumn afternoon sunlight hadn’t yet set, slanting through people’s hair. A little child held an adult’s hand, excitedly pointing at him standing alone at the school gate as he said this.

The child’s face was exquisitely beautiful like carved jade, with two overly bright large eyes like black grapes, exceptionally dazzling.

Lu Zhi didn’t know who he was referring to, but his eyes instinctively glanced quickly in that direction.

Then he saw the child running toward him.

While running, he shouted: “Little Dad, I want to be friends with him ”

Lu Zhi forgot what he felt when they faced each other, only knowing that the other’s excessive enthusiasm made him hesitate and retreat, even unconsciously taking a small step back.

But the child didn’t understand retreat at all, still calling him “big brother.”

He also said: “Big brother, will you be here tomorrow? I’ll pick the most beautiful rose for you, okay?”

The next day, he indeed waited at the same spot, just to encounter the handsome big brother he saw yesterday and give him the bright red rose in his hand.

At their second fleeting meeting, Lu Zhi thought for a moment, then without further hesitation, extended his small hand and accepted Chi Jinxian’s vibrant flower.

Just like today.

“Xiao Chi’s roses.” The cemetery at night was silent except for the wind. Lu Zhi crouched on the ground, gently placing the bouquet in his hand before the tombstone. The wind rose, making the petals tremble. “Brought them to show you, but I can’t give them to you. I need to plant them when I get home.”

He gazed directly at a certain face on the tombstone, as if facing a living relative.

Lu Zhi no longer seemed like a taciturn, mature youth, appearing to have many things to say.

He said softly: “Today’s visit was rather rushed. Next time I’ll bring flowers for you.”

Everyone said Lu Zhi resembled Lu Zisheng more, but Lu Zisheng often told Lu Zhi, “You’re very much like your father.”

Lu Zhi thought so too.

He shared Yan Yue’s jet-black hair, overly dark and bright eyes, and nearly flawless features.

Their biggest difference probably lay only in their overall aura.

Beneath the characters “Yan Yue” on the tombstone was a photo that, despite decades of wind and rain, showed no distortion at all.

Yan Yue gazed directly at the world outside, eyes slightly curved as if containing all the deep affection between heaven and earth, the corners of his mouth curled in a delightful smile. His gentleness seemed to imprint deeply in others’ minds even through the features of a mere photograph.

Yet his epitaph wasn’t so gentle.

At the bottom right corner of the tombstone, two lines of small characters were deeply engraved:

【Be good to him. I will take everything with me to the grave.

I am watching you at all times.】

When Yan Yue first passed away, Lu Zhi was still young and didn’t understand the meaning of these words. Children naturally revolve their world around their parents because they fear loss and being alone. So Lu Zhi once asked Lu Zisheng why his father had written such words on the tombstone.

At that time, Lu Zisheng held his small hand as they stood in the cemetery, his gaze dark and unfathomable as he stared at Yan Yue’s photo. In a low voice, he replied, “He hated me.”

Lu Zhi was even more confused.

“He was reminding me, warning me to treat you well.” At this point, Lu Zisheng fell into an eerie silence before letting out a soft sigh, seemingly with a bitter smile. “You are the child we both shared, how could I not treat you well? Xiao Zhi, your father didn’t trust me… Yan Yue no longer believes in me.”

Every word of this conversation entered Lu Zhi’s ears and even his mind, but he couldn’t comprehend any of it.

In his memory, his father and dad had always gotten along well. Whether there had been misunderstandings or arguments between them, he had never witnessed any.

So there probably weren’t any.

Except that his father seemed to have had someone else outside.

Ai Duoyan moved into the Lu residence with Lu Wan less than half a year after Yan Yue’s death. Lu Zhi stood at the top of the staircase, watching the two unfamiliar visitors with an expressionless face.

From that moment on, he never asked Lu Zisheng again about the meaning of the words on his dad’s tombstone.

“Dad,” Lu Zhi murmured, gently stroking the rose petals, trying to create the illusion that the wind and flowers were responding to him. “It seems like he doesn’t remember me at all.”

“I don’t know if he truly doesn’t remember or if he’s pretending not to.”

The day Chi Jinxian fell ill, when Yuan Si Bai took him from Lu Zhi’s arms and called out “Xiao Zhi,” it troubled Lu Zhi just as much as Chi Jinxian’s two-week silence.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Zhi picked up the rose, held it close, and stood up, looking as though he was about to leave.

The night was deep and damp with dew. Under the moonlight, the bluestone path appeared veiled in a misty sheen of moisture.

Shrouded in the cool night breeze, Lu Zhi left the cemetery and got into his car.

He thought, Chi Jinxian…

“Buzz.”

Lu Zhi’s gaze faltered slightly, and the light filtering through the car window seemed to tremble in the depths of his pupils.

A contact labeled 【Spoiled Brat】 had sent two new messages.

Cash Pool: 【Bro.】

Cash Pool: 【Are you home yet?】

With no classes for the next two days and having frantically caught up on notes this week, Chi Jinxian had no assigned homework left. What to do and how much to do now depended entirely on self-discipline.

After all, it was their final year of high school self-control and willpower were what mattered most.

Having just “made up” with Lu Zhi, Chi Jinxian’s heart was still racing with excitement. His first priority, of course, was to confirm and deepen this thrilling development.

Barefoot, he lay sprawled on the sofa playing with his phone, his legs kicking restlessly up and down in a chaotic dance. In his fidgeting, he accidentally knocked a cushion onto the floor and made no move to pick it up.

Yuan Si Bai and Chi Sui had just returned home and were busy in the kitchen. Although Chi Jinxian had mentioned bringing food back before leaving, Yuan Si Bai noticed it was still early, and since neither adults nor children had work or school the next day, he decided to prepare a late-night snack himself.

As soon as Yuan Si Bai stepped out, he saw Chi Jinxian’s face beaming with a smile and couldn’t help but grin along. “You’ve been down for two weeks, what happened today to put you in such a good mood?” he asked, bending down to pick up a cushion that had been kicked off by someone’s foot. He patted it clean and placed it on the other side of the sofa to prevent further mischief.

Chi Jinxian turned his head and cleared his throat lightly. “Nothing much, just gave someone a rose.”

Yuan Si Bai smiled knowingly without pressing further.

Just then, a phone vibrated. Lu Zhi had replied!

Instantly, Chi Jinxian lost interest in continuing the conversation and refocused his attention where it belonged.

Lu Zhi: 【Almost there.】

Cash Pool: 【Huh? Why aren’t you home yet?】

Lu Zhi: 【Something came up.】

Chi Jinxian replied with an “Oh, okay.” Then, as if unsure what to say next, he kept typing and deleting messages in the input box.

Perhaps because the chat interface persistently displayed “The other party is typing, ”, and Lu Zhi happened to notice it, Chi Jinxian’s repeatedly edited message never got sent. Instead, Lu Zhi beat him to it with a question.

Lu Zhi: 【What’s wrong?】

Startled, Chi Jinxian reflexively sat up straight on the sofa.

After a moment’s thought, he decided not to back down and asked: 【Brother, didn’t you say you hate Betas?】

If it weren’t for that, he wouldn’t have dared to speak to Lu Zhi for so long, afraid that doing so would make Lu Zhi draw a clear line between them.

But what happened this afternoon was real, and it had restored quite a bit of Chi Jinxian’s courage.

Lu Zhi: 【Mm.】

Lu Zhi: 【Didn’t say I hate you.】

Hates Betas, but doesn’t hate you.

Chi Jinxian felt as if something soft was gently tickling his heart itchy and warm and the corners of his mouth unconsciously lifted into a smile.

【Brother, why did you suddenly accept my rose and love letter today?】

After sending the message, there was no response from the other side.

Cash Pool: 【Brother, do you like me even a little bit now?】

Cash Pool: 【[Little bunny nervously twitching its ears JPG.]】

The soup still needed a bit more time to simmer. Yuan Si Bai stepped out of the kitchen after checking on it and saw Chi Jinxian wearing an expression as if awaiting a life-altering verdict. Unable to hold back, he asked, “What’s going on now?”

Without taking his eyes off his phone, Chi Jinxian let out a nervous sigh and said, “My love life hinges on this moment.”

Yuan Si Bai: “…”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Yuan Si Bai said, lightly tapping Chi Jinxian’s head with a rare stern tone. “With your lovestruck tendencies, if you start dating tomorrow, you’ll be at the bottom of the class by the day after.”

“…” Chi Jinxian felt insulted, even though his dad hadn’t used a single harsh word. He shot Yuan Si Bai a resentful look and said, “No dad talks down to their own son like that I know, I was just saying. Besides, Brother Lu is definitely going to reject me anyway.”

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, his phone vibrated softly. The moment Chi Jinxian glanced at the screen, he let out an exaggerated sigh of disappointment.

Lu Zhi: 【No.】

Sigh, just as expected.

Cash Pool: 【Not even a little?】

Lu Zhi: [No.]

Since there wasn’t, Chi Jinxian grew even more curious about how the day had unfolded. He tapped away at his phone, determined to find out why Lu Zhi had taken the initiative to accept his rose.

As if reading his mind, before Chi Jinxian could send his message, Lu Zhi sent an explanation on his own.

Lu Zhi: [Habit.]

Habit? Habit of what? Chi Jinxian stared at the two characters, lost in thought. Habit of me giving him rose love letters every day? But before today, Lu-ge never accepted them even once. If he never accepted them, how could it become a habit? Unless,

An idea he hardly dared to believe rushed into his mind. His heart, which had barely fluttered over the past two weeks, seemed determined to make up for all the missed beats today. In the kitchen, Yuan Si Bai’s simmering soup bubbled softly, harmonizing perfectly with Chi Jinxian’s thunderous heartbeat.

Cash Pool: [Ge, do you mean]

Cash Pool: […you’re used to me being around?]

Cash Pool: [[Staring blankly while waiting for gege’s reply JPG.]]

One second later.

Lu Zhi: [Mhm.]

Chi Jinxian threw his phone aside and leaped up from the sofa, shouting like a madman, “This is a qualitative leap in progress!”

If it’s habit now, then the next step must be liking, right?!

If habit has already arrived, can liking be far behind?!

Yuan Si Bai was startled by his sudden outburst and gently scolded, “Xiao An, you’re already an adult. Why are you still so reckless?”

Chi Jinxian’s eyes sparkled with joy as he chirped happily, “Xiao Dad, once I graduate from high school, I’ll bring home a boyfriend for you. His name is Lu Zhi!”

“…” Yuan Si Bai sighed helplessly, as if seeing a reflection of Chi Sui from years past in him. Truly father and son endless energy every single day.

“Your dad is planting his roses in the backyard. Go call him back for a late-night snack,” he said.

“Got it!” Chi Jinxian replied. Before slipping on his slippers and dashing out, he quickly picked up his phone and sent a few more messages.

Cash Pool: [Habit is great!]

Cash Pool: [If it’s habit now, then by the time we graduate high school, maybe ge will like me!]

Cash Pool: [I’m so happy, ge, I really like you!]

Cash Pool: [Xiao Dad asked me to call my dad for dinner. Bye, gege~]

The backyard was brightly lit, as clear as day. Vast stretches of roses, illuminated by the lights, took on a radiance different from daylight. Their petals seemed sprinkled with glowing diamond dust, twinkling faintly.

Chi Sui held a shovel, bent over as he carefully dug holes in the soil of the Glass Flower Gallery, then tenderly planted the small seedlings beside him.

His expression was so focused, it was as if he were performing the most devout act in the world.

When Chi Jinxian reached the backyard and had just called out “Dad,” before he could say anything else, Chi Sui jumped at his sudden appearance. He straightened up and raised a hand to stop him, saying, “Just stay right there. Don’t come in carelessly.”

Chi Jinxian paused in his steps and said, “You’re so stingy.”

“Tch.” Chi Sui propped one hand on the shovel and brushed back the strands of hair falling over his forehead with the other. “You never called me stingy when you kept taking the love roses I planted for your Xiao Dad.”

“Oh dear,” Chi Jinxian tried to reason with him, “Buying flowers from the florist every day is just throwing money away. What a waste.”

Chi Sui let out a sarcastic “Hmph” and buried himself back in his gardening.

“Besides, none of the flowers from any florist bloom as beautifully as the ones my dad grows,” Chi Jinxian praised with genuine admiration.

After saying this, he squatted on the ground, propping his cheeks in his hands as he watched Chi Sui busy himself, completely forgetting why Yuan Si Bai had sent him out here in the first place.

“…You little rascal, stop buttering me up. Don’t think I don’t know you’re just trying to make it easier to plunder my roses more openly and without guilt later,” Chi Sui scolded with a laugh. But despite his words, he was secretly delighted by Chi Jinxian’s flattery, and even his digging motions became more precise and energetic.

Yuan Si Bai waited ten minutes in the living room without seeing anyone return, so he had to personally intervene. When he spotted Chi Jinxian joining Chi Sui’s gardening activities in the yard, he sighed helplessly, “So neither Big Chi nor Little Chi wants to eat anymore, is that it?”

“You two really, I sent Xiao Chi to fetch Da Chi, never expecting the little one would get stuck here too.”

“Huh?” Chi Sui turned to glance at Chi Jinxian, who was handing him flower cuttings. “Your Xiao Dad told you to call me for dinner?”

Chi Jinxian nodded. “Yeah.”

Chi Sui glared suspiciously. “Then why didn’t you tell me?”

Still squatting and planting flowers, Chi Jinxian explained, “You looked so absorbed in your work, I didn’t have the heart to disturb you.”

“…” Without another word about being absorbed or not, Chi Sui immediately dropped his shovel and dashed out of the Glass Flower Gallery in three quick strides to find Yuan Si Bai, shouting over his shoulder, “Your Xiao Dad must have made something delicious, you brat! You were probably afraid I’d compete with you for food, so you deliberately didn’t tell me.” Then, quite cleverly, he analyzed Chi Jinxian’s earlier behavior: “After you helped me plant a few rose cuttings, you’d have gone back to the living room completely guilt-free to enjoy the meal, then turned around and told your Xiao Dad that I planned to finish gardening before eating and not to wait for me. Hmph, don’t think your scheme would work!”

He had to admit, Chi Sui had seen right through him!

Watching Chi Sui’s long legs about to disappear, Chi Jinxian panicked. But the rose in his hand was half-planted, and he believed in finishing what he started. As he hurriedly worked, he lifted his head and yelled after Chi Sui, “Dad, listen to me! Xiao Dad didn’t make anything special at all, really!”

Before the words faded, and despite his unfinished task, Chi Jinxian abandoned the half-planted rose and chased after him.

After resuming daily contact with Lu Zhi, Lu Zhi inquired about Chi Jinxian’s condition. Aside from how the pheromone deficiency disorder had developed, Chi Jinxian told him almost everything.

Surprisingly, Lu Zhi even asked with concern whether he would experience pain like this again in the future. Chi Jinxian replied that he wouldn’t.

Although it seemed as if they had reconciled perfectly, as if nothing had ever happened and certainly not as if there had been nearly two weeks of silence between them others were unaware of this.

The school forum’s homepage was still filled with posts like [Chi Jinxian is a Beta], [God Lu Really Hates That Chi Guy], [God Lu and Chi Jinxian Have Fallen Out], and [Lu and Chi Can Never Be a Pair Again].

The buzz never died down.

However, after watching Chi Jinxian chase after him for two years, everyone felt a bit regretful that they might no longer witness such scenes.

After all, the three-year-long “desperate admirer act” hadn’t reached its full performance, and they hadn’t witnessed the complete show.

Yet while sighing with emotion, everyone had to admit that this time Chi Jinxian was quite clever. Realizing that Lu Zhi disliked Betas, he no longer rushed forward to invite dislike but instead hid himself like a mushroom.

From now on, the campus might frequently witness his figure taking detours whenever he caught sight of Lu Zhi.

But who told Chi Jinxian to keep hiding his Beta identity from Lu Zhi? Of course, he deserved it.

With this sense of schadenfreude, First Interstellar Alliance High School welcomed a new Monday.

The Dean of Students remained dignified and stern, personally catching students with improperly worn uniforms at the school gate, every word he spoke full of vigor.

Having arrived late for the last flag-raising ceremony, Lu Zhi came relatively early today.

But as soon as he entered the school gate, a familiar voice sounded behind him.

“Brother Lu!” Chi Jinxian ran into the school, first greeting the Dean of Students with a “Good morning, Dean,” before excitedly rushing toward the person who had stopped upon hearing his voice and waited for him briefly.

Students coming and going at the school gate had already unconsciously pricked up their ears.

They felt the situation was developing somewhat strangely.

It was late autumn, and the morning was a bit chilly. Chi Jinxian’s uniform zipper was neatly pulled up to his chest no longer all the way to his neck.

Underneath, he wore a beige thin hoodie, its slightly oversized hood hanging behind him. It didn’t look odd at all; instead, it added a touch of vitality to his appearance.

Lu Zhi turned slightly sideways and only resumed walking when the other approached.

“Brother, good morning,” Chi Jinxian said with a smile.

Lu Zhi glanced at him. “Mm.”

The passing students were dumbfounded, including Qi Sui Yi, who had managed to arrive early for once.

Qi Sui Yi watched as the two figures ahead walked closer and closer, almost shoulder to shoulder, his brows furrowing uncontrollably.

He thought to himself, Didn’t that Land Dog ignore my nephew? A while ago, Chi Jinxian was so depressed that he felt like beating Lu Zhi up. Why was Land Dog Coin walking so close to him now? Playing hard to get or playing coy?!

If it weren’t for the fact that Lu Zhi had urgently handed Chi Jinxian over to his third brother when he fell ill, he would definitely confront Lu Zhi right now!

But since he couldn’t start a conflict with an outsider, he could at least lecture a family member. Qi Sui Yi stared expressionlessly at Chi Jinxian’s hopeless back and called out, “Cash.”

It was his uncle’s voice. Chi Jinxian froze, instinctively turning to look, but as soon as his head began to turn, he felt a sudden weight on his head, a tightness around his neck, and his vision went dark!

A series of unknowns halted his attempt to look back.

Someone had covered his head with his hoodie! Not only that, but the strings on both sides of the hood were abruptly pulled tight!

Chi Jinxian’s entire face was hidden inside the hood. After a dazed moment, he numbly reached up to pull the hood aside, continuing to walk alongside the person next to him, and revealed one confused eye to look at Lu Zhi. “Brother?”

Lu Zhi’s expression was wooden, his hands still holding the two strings of the hood, unsure whether he had forgotten to let go or something else.

In a cool, almost warning tone, he said, “Focus on walking.” Then, with a somewhat forceful command, he added, “Don’t look back.”