What to Do If Beta Cannot Be Marked? - Chapter 34

Though it was quite impolite, the moment Lu Zhi’s words landed, Chi Jinxian’s mind immediately conjured images of Lu Wan and Ai Duoyan. Moreover, being called “Xiao Chi” left Chi Jinxian somewhat bewildered, Lu Zhi had never addressed him like that before; this was the first time.

But Chi Jinxian didn’t dwell too much on the unusual form of address, because Lu Zhi’s tone sounded angry, far more intense than the day he had pinned Chi Jinxian against the door and warned, “I’ll make you cry every time I see you.” Even through the phone screen, Chi Jinxian was startled, a shiver instinctively running down his spine.

He sat up in bed and, without asking what had happened, softly coaxed, “Brother, don’t be angry. Let’s chat, okay?”

Lu Zhi remained silent for a long while. It was unclear whether he found the remark presumptuous, hadn’t grasped its meaning, or simply felt no need for comfort.

Only his breaths, one after another, traveled through the screen slightly heavy, a clear sign of his unstable emotions.

“Brother, please don’t be upset, okay?” Chi Jinxian added.

This time, Lu Zhi responded with a deep, guttural “Mm.”

But Lu Zhi didn’t engage in much conversation with Chi Jinxian. Instead of being soothed by the other’s coaxing words, his already frenzied state of mind only intensified.

After telling Chi Jinxian, “We’ll talk later,” Lu Zhi hung up on his own. Simultaneously, the living room erupted with pheromones so overwhelming they seemed capable of destroying heaven and earth.

Thud! Bang! Lu Wan, who had been trying to pull his stepfather upstairs, abruptly halted, his legs buckling as he crashed to the floor. He instinctively reached for the sofa but only managed to grasp the coffee table, his fingers knocking over the snacks he had been eating moments earlier.

“Wanwan!” Ai Duoyan, as if finally snapping back to reality, paled and hurriedly knelt to check on Lu Wan.

Lu Wan lay sprawled on the floor, his fingers gripping the edge of the coffee table with desperate force, yet he couldn’t rise. Ai Duoyan’s voice trembled with panic as he half-knelt beside him. “Wanwan, what’s wrong?”

The Heat Period, triggered by the current situation, surged forth. The Suppressant injection he had taken upon returning home seemed to have suddenly lost its effect. Lu Wan felt an overwhelming urge to harm or destroy something or else to engage in sex.

“My brother.” Lu Wan lifted his bloodshot eyes to glare at Lu Zhi, who stood perfectly composed, watching his disgraceful display with detached amusement. Abandoning all pretense of dignity, Lu Wan rasped hoarsely, “Lu Zhi is using his pheromones to suppress me! Dad, I’m cold… so cold.”

Ai Duoyan froze for a moment before quickly wrapping his arms around Lu Wan. “Is that better?”

As a Beta, Ai Duoyan couldn’t sense pheromones. If Lu Wan hadn’t spoken up, he would never have known that Lu Zhi, standing motionless nearby, was capable of such an act.

He looked up, glaring furiously at Lu Zhi, his own eyes reddening. “Lu Zhi, didn’t Fang Shou tell you that Xiao Wan is in his Heat Period? What are you doing?!”

In response, Lu Zhi replied indifferently, “What does that have to do with me?”

Ai Duoyan was instantly rendered speechless.

For a long moment, the group remained locked in a stalemate. Lu Wan’s shoulders trembled, and before long, he broke down sobbing. Huddled in Ai Duoyan’s embrace, his shivering grew uncontrollable, a clear sign of his intense distress.

Ai Duoyan took a deep breath, softening his tone as he spoke. “Lu Zhi, after all, you’re his…” brother.

“Shut up,” Lu Zhi cut in coldly, his voice a warning. “If you keep spouting nonsense, you can take him to the hospital tonight.”

The few servants in the household had long been frozen in fear by the scene. Lu Wan claimed Lu Zhi was using his pheromones to suppress him, yet aside from Ai Duoyan, no one else in the living room could sense any pheromones being released by Lu Zhi.

It was as if he had targeted only one person.

“Dad… oh, Dad…” Lu Wan trembled violently, so overwhelmed he could barely form coherent words, his face streaked with tears.

A servant, who had retreated to a corner in fear, quietly slipped over to the house phone and picked up the receiver.

Lu Zhi’s gaze fixed on Ai Duoyan, his expression unreadable. “Do you remember what happened the last time you said those words?”

Witnessing his own child in agony yet feeling utterly powerless, Ai Duoyan’s heart ached unbearably, his lips turning pale. It took him a moment to realize Lu Zhi was addressing him, but soon enough, he recalled the incident Lu Zhi was referring to.

He was talking about the words he had heard upon entering “Maybe it’s because I killed Yan Yue.”

Half a year after Yan Yue’s death, Ai Duoyan moved into this villa with Lu Wan. From their very first meeting, Lu Zhi had shown intense dislike and rejection toward them. Over the years, things had remained relatively civil, until Lu Zhi’s third year of junior high. For reasons unknown, Ai Duoyan seemed to lose his mind and deliberately provoked Lu Zhi with those very words perhaps thinking Lu Zhi would be driven mad by this “truth.”

And indeed, Lu Zhi went mad.

Right at the school gate, in front of Lu Wan who had just stepped out, Lu Zhi hurled his backpack and violently beat Ai Duoyan half to death.

The irony was, as an adult, Ai Duoyan had only managed to fight back twice not for lack of desire, but because he was utterly incapable.

He stood no chance.

But that wasn’t enough. At the time, Lu Zhi had somehow gotten hold of a knife, radiating pure menace.

It was only when Fang Shou, who had come to pick up Lu Zhi, rushed out of his car and restrained him that he calmed down.

Coincidentally, Lu Zisheng arrived soon after, releasing his unique paternal pheromones to soothe Lu Zhi.

Yet Ai Duoyan had no doubt that Lu Zhi had intended to kill him that day or at the very least, was determined to take both their lives.

He was not even 15 years old at the time.

Broadly speaking, they had lived together for several years, but it was in their sixth year under the same roof that Ai Duoyan truly understood: Lu Zhi was an absolute madman, one no one could afford to cross.

Because he valued nothing, not even his own life.

The same night, but a world apart in atmosphere.

Four people sat around the dining table at the Chi residence Qi Suiyi had “kidnapped” Chi Jinxian on their way home from school, claiming he was still upset about being ignored that morning and demanding compensation. With no other choice, Chi Jinxian, while being choked by Qi Suiyi, called his grandfather and asked if his uncle could stay at their house for the week.

During this time, Chi Yuan Shen asked if Qi Suiyi had made him say that. Chi Jinxian almost tattled! But in the end, he surrendered under the pressure of a hand tightening around his neck and said no he just really wanted to stay with his uncle for a few days. Only then did Chi Yuan Shen stop questioning further.

“How are your studies lately? Caught up with your little nephew yet?” Chi Sui shoveled food into his mouth without even looking up, casually striking up a conversation with Qi Suiyi.

Hearing this, Qi Suiyi rolled his eyes and retorted, “Third Brother, must every conversation with you start with grades? And why always compare me to little An? Are you doing it on purpose? Trying to use me as a foil to show how well An An studies?”

Chi Sui scoffed. “Does that even need highlighting? Isn’t it just the truth?”

Qi Suiyi: “…”

Chi Sui swallowed the food in his mouth, lifted his head to sweep back his hair, and said with deliberate nonchalance and affectation, “Although my unfilial son is a bit rebellious, at least he hasn’t disappointed me academically. He’s not entirely useless. You, on the other hand not only rebellious, but also not great at studying. Tsk, and you even dared to skip a grade.”

“…” Qi Suiyi glared at Chi Sui with displeasure and protested, “Who did I skip a grade for? And my ranking has always been within the top 300 at school! There are thousands of students in the senior year alone at First Interstellar Alliance High School. How am I not great at studying?”

Chi Sui pretended not to hear and continued eating leisurely.

Qi Suiyi, irritated by his calm attitude, snapped, “How am I rebellious?”

At this, Chi Sui lifted his gaze and reminded him, “‘I’m going to be a big star’?”

Qi Suiyi: “…”

Chi Sui: “Tsk.”

Qi Suiyi put down his chopsticks entirely and echoed with a “tsk” of his own. “Does your dad know you talk about his son like this?”

After an awkward silence, Chi Sui let out an impatient hiss and gritted his teeth. “Hey, you little brat…” He even stood up from his seat, looking as if he was about to resort to physical force. Alarmed, Qi Suiyi also jumped up and dashed to Yuan Si Bai’s side, pleading rapidly, “Brother Yuan, Brother Yuan, Brother Yuan save me!”

Just as someone was really about to charge over, Yuan Si Bai raised his hand and smacked the person’s arm lightly, chiding, “Chi Sui, are you three years old?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle afterward, feeling helpless. He had no idea why this household was always in such a state of chaos.

Chi Sui stopped in his tracks, grabbed Yuan Si Bai’s hand, and smiled apologetically, though his gaze still held a hidden threat as he looked at Qi Suiyi. When he returned to his seat, he pointed menacingly at the other, determined to have the last word: “If your dad doesn’t know I talk about his son like this, why don’t you hurry back to your dad’s house and complain? Why are you staying at my place?”

“Ugh,” Qi Suiyi scrunched up his face and muttered discontentedly, “You’re so petty.”

He said it, but he didn’t dare push too far, afraid that his third brother might actually get angry and call Chi Yuan Shen to take him back.

After all, one troublemaker in the family was enough, especially since Chi Sui was the second eternal troublemaker who never knew how to yield, not even to his own son, let alone his younger brother. He was even more confrontational with him.

After everyone sat down, Yuan Si Bai reached out and smacked Chi Sui again, signaling him to keep quiet otherwise, he’d get hit again. Only then did the dining table fall silent once more.

And in that silence, they all noticed one thing, Chi Jinxian hadn’t spoken a single word from start to finish.

Unlike his usual lively and energetic self at all times, today he sat obediently in his seat, eating his meal with extreme docility, though his movements were slow, clearly lost in thought.

“An An?” Yuan Si Bai called softly.

No response.

Yuan Si Bai called again, still receiving no reply. His brows furrowed slightly, and just as he was about to reach out to feel the other’s forehead, Chi Sui suddenly remarked sarcastically, “Son, did you hear that? Someone’s knocking it’s the celestial Lu Zhi.”

“Huh? Brother Lu? Where?!” Chi Jinxian jolted as if resurrected, abruptly lifting his head from his bowl and staring straight at the door.

Chi Sui: “…”

Yuan Si Bai: “…”

Silence fell over the dining table. Chi Sui’s sarcasm suddenly lost its edge, leaving him feeling utterly drained.

Only Qi Suiyi, after a moment of confusion, burst into laughter and said to Chi Sui, “Third Brother, your understanding of Xiao An is way off. Our An An isn’t just rebellious he’s practically lost his soul.”

Chi Sui: “…”

Mocked like this, Chi Jinxian immediately realized his dad had tricked him. He withdrew his gaze from the door and shot Chi Sui a resentful look, saying, “Da Chi, are you three years old?”

“…” Chi Sui was almost amused by the absurdity, retorting, “When you’re having a meal with your family, is your brain only filled with your future partner? And it’s not even certain if they’ll become your partner.”

“How can it not be certain? Don’t talk nonsense,” Chi Jinxian refuted seriously. “Brother Lu and I are even closer than before. He’s started accepting my gifts, and after high school graduation, he’ll definitely be my official partner.”

Qi Suiyi chimed in appropriately, “See, both of you brothers? At school, he’s exactly this spineless and unprincipled.”

Chi Jinxian shot him a glare: “Do you want to go home?”

“I don’t!” Qi Suiyi knew when to yield and declared, “Everything you say is right! I support you!”

Yuan Si Bai promptly intervened to steer the conversation back on track, asking, “What were you thinking about so deeply earlier?”

Chi Jinxian fell silent for a moment, then called out in a somewhat downcast tone, “Xiao Dad.”

Yuan Si Bai responded, “Hmm.”

Hearing that the family’s beloved seemed genuinely upset, the other two immediately straightened up.

“Before coming down to eat, I called Brother Lu because I had something to give him,” Chi Jinxian put down his chopsticks, looking worried. “But he was clearly angry, in a very bad mood, and said… something about his family… anyway, his words were harsh. Does he not get along with his family?”

“That’s someone else’s family matter. As outsiders, it’s not our place to comment,” Yuan Si Bai said gently after a moment’s thought, his tone soft yet firm. “But An An, because you’ve told me how much you truly like Lu Zhi, and your dad and I also think he’s a good kid excellent at school, we won’t deliberately stand in your way. However, aside from Lu Zhi, I hope you don’t get too involved with the Lu family.”

Chi Jinxian didn’t understand, saying, “But if Brother Lu and I end up together in the future, won’t I be part of the Lu family?”

“If the Lu family remains the way it is now,” Chi Sui suddenly interjected gravely, “Xiao Dad and I will not agree.”

What kind of state was that? Chi Jinxian wanted to ask, but Chi Sui’s expression wasn’t one that invited joking around, so he didn’t dare. He opened his mouth several times, hesitating, but ultimately stayed silent.

In the end, it was Yuan Si Bai who softened his tone and said, “Actually, it’s nothing. No matter the era, certain things happen frequently in society, but we don’t want and won’t let you end up in such an environment.”

After speaking, he turned to Qi Suiyi. “You too, Xiao Sui. Your dad wouldn’t make you unhappy, right? Forcing you to study doesn’t count.”

Seeing the topic shift to himself and hearing Yuan Si Bai claim that Chi Yuan Shen wouldn’t make him unhappy, Qi Suiyi opened his mouth to retort, “Where?!” He had plenty of unhappy moments! But Yuan Si Bai had already blocked his escape route, making him shut his mouth again, speechless.

All he could do was nod in agreement. “Sister-in-law is right. The corporate culture of our Chi family is truly excellent.”

Chi Sui couldn’t maintain his cold expression and let out a soft “tsk” of laughter.

“If you think Lu Zhi isn’t doing well right now, you can chat with him and comfort him, provided he’s willing to talk to you. Otherwise, you might just make things worse.” Seeing that everyone had almost finished eating, Yuan Si Bai began clearing the bowls as he spoke. “But don’t pry into others’ family matters. That’s very impolite you might cross certain boundaries. Plus, you could get dragged into it, which wouldn’t benefit anyone.”

Yuan Si Bai pushed all the collected bowls toward Chi Sui, who carried them to the kitchen. Before leaving, he ruffled Chi Jinxian’s hair. “Remember what your little dad said.”

Chi Jinxian ducked to avoid the attack and said, “I know.”

Yuan Si Bai’s words had indeed sunk into Chi Jinxian’s mind.

After washing up, he and Qi Suiyi returned to their respective rooms, claiming it was still early and they could do some homework.

In reality, Qi Suiyi closed his door and immediately started gaming intensely, while Chi Jinxian took out his phone to message Lu Zhi.

It wasn’t too late yet, and usually, Lu Zhi would reply to Chi Jinxian’s messages. But today, there was no response.

It seemed he either didn’t have his phone with him or was too tied up with something to reply.

At the Lu family villa, Lu Zisheng was called back by a servant’s phone call.

But in the twenty minutes it took him to return, Ai Duoyan had already administered another dose of Suppressant to Lu Wan.

It was useless.

In the end, they still had to go to the hospital. Lu Zisheng drove them.

The servants had been dismissed, and the spacious villa suddenly felt empty, leaving only Lu Zhi inside.

He stood quietly in the living room for a moment, then placed his backpack on the sofa and bent down to clean up all the things Lu Wan had destroyed in his uncontrollable state earlier.

Cups, fruit plates, even the coffee table all shattered to pieces.

Slowly and meticulously, he picked up the debris and tossed it into the trash bin. In just over ten minutes, the living room was restored to its original cleanliness.

After tidying up, he sat silently on the sofa, staring blankly ahead. It was as if all the light in the room avoided him, leaving not a single glimmer on his figure.

His phone vibrated insistently, but he didn’t take it out to check.

After who knows how long, the vibrations stopped. Lu Zhi picked up his backpack, stood, and prepared to go upstairs.

Just then, there was a sound at the front door.

Lu Zisheng had returned.

“Lu Zhi.” The door had just closed when Lu Zisheng called out to the person who had already ascended several steps of the staircase.

Lu Zhi stopped and turned to look at him. Due to the height difference, his gaze carried a hint of condescending pity.

Lu Zisheng’s face showed obvious anger as he said in a deep voice, “Do you know what happens when a powerful Alpha uses pheromones to stimulate another Alpha in their Heat Period?”

“If circumstances align, him going mad would be the least of it.”

Lu Zhi responded coldly, “His weakness is my fault?”

“Lu Zhi!” Lu Zisheng exclaimed.

“I warned him,” Lu Zhi turned his body fully to face Lu Zisheng, showing no trace of remorse, “to watch his mouth.”

Lu Zisheng frowned deeply, realizing Lu Zhi wouldn’t lose his temper without reason, and his tone softened considerably. “What did he say?”

Lu Zhi didn’t answer directly, instead stating, “If Ai Duoyan could sense pheromones, both he and his father would be in the hospital right now.”

Lu Zisheng’s expression darkened, looking at him almost accusingly.

“Father,” Lu Zhi said, “if I hear Ai Duoyan mention my dad from his mouth a third time, I’ll kill him.”

He stood on the stairs against the light, his expression shadowed and unreadable. Every word he spoke was uttered with extreme calm neither through gritted teeth nor with deep hatred yet this very quality made him terrifying.

Lu Zisheng fell silent, not taking Lu Zhi’s words as a joke at all.

Because he had done such things before.

“What did he say about Yanyan?” This time, Lu Zisheng’s tone no longer carried blame or interrogation, showing signs of switching sides.

“Did he kill my dad?” Lu Zhi retorted.

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Lu Zisheng scolded impatiently, “Murder is illegal. How can you believe such words?”

“Yanyan committed suicide.” His tone was sorrowful, as if he didn’t want to bring up the matter, but after a moment of silence, he reminded him quite firmly, “It has nothing to do with anyone else.”

“Mm,” Lu Zhi stepped up the stairs, saying, “If I really believed it, he would have been dead last time.”

Mentioning last time, Lu Zisheng suddenly remembered when he hurried anxiously to the school gate and released his paternal pheromones to comfort Lu Zhi, only to find it had minimal effect.

Lu Zhi wouldn’t accept comfort from his own father.

The road had been crowded, and the location was right at the school entrance. It was easy to imagine how quickly the news would spread.

Even though Lu Zisheng used his authority as a General to suppress the matter vigorously, quite a few people still knew about it now.

The image of Lu Zhi looking like a madman kept circling in Lu Zisheng’s mind. He couldn’t understand why his child had become like this.

His behavior back then had been truly frightening. Eventually, even doctors were called in, saying he needed to be injected with sedatives.

But at the last moment, Lu Zhi suddenly calmed down, staring blankly beyond the layered crowd.

His eyes quickly filled with tears, and he cried uncontrollably like a genuine 15-year-old boy.

Lu Zhi saw a boy of about fourteen or fifteen blocked outside the crowd. He seemed to be telling the adult beside him that he wanted to see what was happening at the middle school gate.

But the adult firmly grabbed his arm and dragged him away, apparently not intending to let him join the commotion.

Following the adult’s example, naturally, neither of them glanced toward the scene.

Scraping through the deepest recesses of his memory, Lu Zhi couldn’t determine exactly how long it had been since he last saw the boy only that it had been several years. He wasn’t even certain if it was the person he once knew.

After calming himself, he stumbled through the crowd, his voice hoarse with tears: “Xiao Chi.”

But he had expended too much energy just moments before, and could only manage a faint, breathy whisper.

He chased forward, watching as the other person opened the car door and got in, while he himself was caught and held back by Lu Zisheng, who had rushed over.

Lu Zhi was exhausted. He couldn’t break free from his father’s grip, and could only keep crying, his gaze fixed on a single point.

He moved his lips soundlessly, murmuring, “Xiao Chi, don’t go.”

Thump! Lu Zhi’s eyes snapped open. Startled awake, his elbow accidentally knocked against the bedside table in his haste to sit up. The sound was muffled in the deep of the night, yet he seemed completely unaware of the pain, his breathing heavy as he stared into the near-total darkness.

But the figure from his dream showed no sign of fading away. Over and over, he chased after the person he had seen, yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t catch up.

And he felt as though he were about to vanish on the spot.

At 2:40 a.m., when everyone had already fallen into a deep slumber, Lu Zhi sat silently on the edge of his bed for several minutes before picking up his phone the one he hadn’t touched since answering a call earlier that evening.

There were many messages from Chi Jinxian.

Some were meant to comfort him, others to share amusing or delicious things, and still others to tell him how much he was loved. In short, Chi Jinxian would bring up any topic he could think of.

Lu Zhi stared at the last message “Goodnight, bro” and pressed his lips together in silence.

A minute later, his fingers trembling slightly, he typed a few words into the input box, much like the whispered pleas he had repeated over and over that year when he chased after a certain figure but could never catch up.

Lu Zhi: Xiao Chi, save me.