What to Do If Beta Cannot Be Marked? - Chapter 38.2

When Chi Jinxian returned home, the scene at the school gate was still vivid in his mind. Ren Yiran’s image lingered stubbornly, growing clearer and clearer.

After this afternoon, the events of the past week since Ren Yiran transferred began to stir restlessly in his mind. Chi Jinxian couldn’t help but wonder: after he left, what would Ren Yiran say to Lu Zhi? Would he confess how much he liked him?

And how would Lu Zhi feel about it?

Thinking about what Jiang Baixiao and Qi Suiyi had said recently, as well as some discussions on the forum, it seemed that compared to Ren Yiran, he really didn’t have many advantages.

Ren Yiran and Lu Zhi had grown up together. They understood each other, knew each other’s likes and dislikes.

Perhaps it was because he had never crossed paths with Lu Zhi in all those previous years, or maybe it was the deepest, most possessive part of his heart playing tricks on him. Even though, judging by Lu Zhi’s current attitude, Ren Yiran clearly posed no threat, Chi Jinxian still felt a twinge of jealousy over those missing years.

He thought, humans are indeed greedy creatures, never truly satisfied.

Once you gain something, you always want more.

“Sigh.” Chi Jinxian couldn’t hold back a sigh as he pushed the door open and entered his home. He patted his cheeks to snap himself out of it.

Yuan Si Bai had just stepped out of the study when he heard this sigh, sounding like that of a little old man.

Leaning over the second-floor railing, he chuckled and asked, “What’s wrong? Why the long face?”

Chi Jinxian looked up at Yuan Si Bai, took off his backpack, and tossed it onto the sofa. His face still scrunched up, he said, “Dad, I’ve changed. You need to talk some sense into me.”

“Huh?” Yuan Si Bai started coming down the stairs, asking as he descended, “What’s the matter?”

“I’ve become so greedy now, never knowing when enough is enough,” Chi Jinxian said with utmost seriousness, reflecting on himself. “Have I been spoiled rotten?”

After a moment of silence, he added in surprise, “Have I been spoiled by Brother Lu?”

The moment he heard that name, Yuan Si Bai understood what was going on. It was simply a matter of receiving some partial affection in a relationship, yet still feeling it wasn’t enough wanting that person to belong entirely to oneself.

It’s just human nature; no one can control it. Those who can are machines.

But this is precisely what makes being human so wonderful. Having emotions and desires is proof of how important someone can be to you.

He and Chi Sui had gone through this long ago, and to this day, they still felt the same way.

Yuan Si Bai shuffled in his slippers, poured two cups of hot water, and said with a smile, “Even the most selfless person has joys and sorrows.”

“What do you want me to persuade you about?” He took a sip of water and handed the other cup to Chi Jinxian, saying gently, “A little greed is just human nature. I want you to be happy and carefree, not to become a rational, emotionless AI.”

“Oh no, no, no,” Chi Jinxian said, thanking his little dad, placed the water on the coffee table, and collapsed onto the sofa. Dramatically clutching his chest, he feigned a tone of distress, “Even my little dad is spoiling me now. Won’t I just become utterly unrestrained in the future?”

After saying this, he felt it was too silly and couldn’t hold back a snort of laughter.

Yuan Si Bai laughed along with him.

“What’s gotten into him again?” Upstairs, Chi Sui, disturbed by the laughter from below and unable to focus on work in his study, couldn’t resist pushing the door open. He stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at the two laughing hysterically on the sofa with a pained expression.

Chi Jinxian stopped laughing and teased, “None of your business.”

Chi Sui: “…”

“Hah,” Chi Sui sneered, striding downstairs. “You eat my food, drink my drinks, live in my house, and it’s none of my business?”

“You’re monopolizing my wife you think it’s none of my business?”

Chi Jinxian: “…”

“When I came back, Little Dad was already out of the study,” Chi Jinxian retorted seriously. “When did I monopolize my little dad?”

By then, Chi Sui had reached them. He raised his hand and pressed it against Chi Jinxian’s head, shoving him from the sofa onto the wool carpet. Through gritted teeth, he said, “Didn’t he still leave because he heard the living room door open?”

“Hmm, you little brat, acting innocent after getting your way.”

Before he could find out why Chi Jinxian was acting crazy, Chi Sui was the one who lost it.

He nearly ground his teeth to dust, saying, “I was in the middle of nibbling on someone when they ran off. Do you think you. mmmph!”

“Chi Sui!” Yuan Si Bai, who had been heading to the kitchen, froze mid-step upon hearing such shameless words. Horrified, he dashed over and fiercely clamped a hand over Chi Sui’s big mouth, furious.

“Stop talking nonsense!” he stammered, flustered and almost at a loss for words. “I’ll hit you!”

In his agitation, the tips of his ears turned red, and soon the blush spread, dyeing his entire ears crimson.

Chi Jinxian, sitting on the floor, was utterly stunned.

In his memory, it seemed that with each passing year, his father paid less and less attention to his own son’s existence and feelings. As Chi Jinxian grew older, it felt like his father was one step closer to kicking him out of the house. And before that happened, Chi Sui had become increasingly brazen in his affection with Yuan Si Bai.

Chi Sui finally managed to pry Yuan Si Bai’s hand away, gasping for breath and struggling to speak.

He said, “Go ahead, hit me.” With that, he grabbed both of Yuan Si Bai’s wrists with one hand, immobilizing him.

“You!” Yuan Si Bai was so angry he ran out of words. He struggled several times to break free from Chi Sui’s grip, then threatened fiercely, “You’re sleeping in the study tonight!”

With that, he turned and stormed off, slamming the kitchen door shut with a bang. Through the transparent glass on the upper half of the door, his figure was visible, gripping a knife with the intensity of someone wielding an axe to chop wood.

Chi Sui’s heart trembled with fear. Trembling, he muttered, “It’s over. Before I even get to sleep in the study, I’ll be six feet under. Your little dad is definitely going to poison the midnight snack and finish me off.”

After giving his assessment, Chi Sui reconsidered and felt he had spoken incorrectly, amending himself: “No, that’s wrong. There’s no way I’m sleeping in the study. I refuse. I’ll just hold my wife and sleep.”

Chi Jinxian: “…”

After the somewhat absurd scene that had just unfolded, Chi Jinxian suddenly felt as though his meridians had been unblocked, no longer thinking his own greed had been excessively indulged.

Compared to his father’s daily subtle resentment over his own son monopolizing his wife, Chi Jinxian’s desire to get closer to Lu Zhi seemed utterly trivial.

He couldn’t compete.

Moreover, Yuan Si Bai had always been gentle and mild-mannered. Chi Jinxian rarely saw him flare up or blush.

The key was… it was actually kind of amusing. Chi Jinxian thought to himself, his younger father was right, people are most endearing and normal when they experience the full range of emotions, including joy, anger, sorrow, and desire.

But Chi Jinxian had one question. He got up from the floor, settled back on the sofa, hugged a cushion to his chest, and called out, “Dad.”

Chi Sui was still standing rigidly in place, pondering how to coax Yuan Si Bai tonight as if serving a punishment. Hearing this, he lowered his gaze. “Hmm?”

“Uncle is still at our house, right? Does he know you’re being this disrespectful in your old age?” Chi Jinxian asked sincerely. “Is he in his room playing games?”

“Tch,” Chi Sui scoffed, curling his lip. “He was called back home by his father.”

“Ah?” Chi Jinxian said. “Wasn’t he supposed to go back next week?”

Chi Sui walked toward the kitchen, explaining as he went, “He was called back for a lecture. He’ll be back.”

With that, he reached the kitchen door in a few strides. Not daring to open it, he just peered through the glass with a squint and a smile, saying, “Yuan Yuan, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Can we discuss this? How about not sleeping in the study? Sleeping there would be the death of me.”

Just moments ago, he had boldly declared he wouldn’t sleep there, and now he was pleading for organizational approval from higher-ups. Truly adaptable.

Chi Jinxian watched in awe, pulling out his phone to message Qi Suiyi and ask why he had gone home.

“Because Seventh Miss missed me.” Just a minute after sending the message, the living room door swung open.

Qi Suiyi walked in, laden with large and small bags, who knew what was inside with a look of utter despair on his face.

Chi Jinxian craned his neck to look and also grimaced in shared despair they were all books.

“On the surface, Grandma missed you, but secretly, Grandpa wanted to lecture you, right?” he said.

Qi Suiyi set down the books and collapsed onto the sofa as if he were about to die from exhaustion.

After school, he had happily returned, eager to get in a few more rounds of gaming. Little did he expect that just as he was about to reach Third Brother’s house, Chi Yuan Shen called him, saying, “Your mother hasn’t seen you in a week and misses you. Come home for a bit.”

Come to think of it, Seventh Miss, Qi Ming Shu was an exceptionally beautiful and elegant woman. Even though her children had grown up one after another, and despite the average human lifespan now being 180, which kept her looking as youthful as a girl, she still minded being called Grandma after all, her third son’s child, Chi Jinxian, was nearly an adult.

If the eldest and second sons had children, those kids might already be starting families and careers, and they’d certainly have their place in the company. But the eldest’s partner was an Alpha like him, so they couldn’t have children. The second son was focused on being a singer and didn’t even have a partner, so having children was out of the question.

Whenever this topic came up, Chi Yuan Shen father of four sons would lament their lack of ambition, despising his sons as if they’d all been neutered.

But Qi Ming Shu, who had long foreseen her destiny as a grandmother, had established a household rule: no one was to call her “Mom” or “Grandma” only “Seventh Young Lady.”

Because of this, whenever she went out and was addressed as Seventh Young Lady, people assumed she was unmarried, leading to frequent flirtations.

Chi Yuan Shen was infuriated by this. In his anger, he’d take it out on his sons, fuming, “Call her Mom! Call her Mom! No respect for elders!”

But Qi Ming Shu held the highest authority at home, leaving his words secondary.

Over the decades, they’d grown accustomed to this naming convention.

Compared to the older, long-grown adults in the Chi family, Qi Suiyi was the beloved youngest child, and Qi Ming Shu often found herself missing him.

Until he returned home,

Chi Yuan Shen dug out all the books Qi Suiyi had neglected over the past week, saying, “No matter which brother’s house you stay at, studying is your top priority. Cut back on games, daydream less. Don’t embarrass me by letting your little nephew surpass you academically.”

Then he pointed at him and added, “Since you don’t want to be home, I’ve gathered your books. Take them and move out.”

Qi Suiyi protested, whining with a pitiful expression, “Does Mom know you’re treating me like this?”

Only to be kicked out of the house by Chi Yuan Shen’s cursing and scolding.

“HAHAHAHAHA.” Chi Jinxian couldn’t hold back his laughter, seemingly picturing the scene from Qi Suiyi’s mournful description.

Qi Suiyi lay sprawled on the sofa, utterly defeated, and commented, “Being born into the Chi family is great, but being Chi Yuan Shen’s son is the greatest suffering of this lifetime.”

Chi Jinxian laughed uncontrollably.

“Huh?” Qi Suiyi craned his neck from between the sofa back and the air, peering into the kitchen. “What’s Third Brother doing? Why is he getting handsy with Sister-in-Law in the kitchen? Oh no, Sister-in-Law’s grabbing a knife to chop him! What did Chi Sui do?!”

After much struggle, Chi Sui had finally squeezed into the kitchen, whispering sweet nothings and humbling himself to Yuan Si Bai.

But Yuan Si Bai wanted no part of it and told him to get lost.

“Ah, that,” Chi Jinxian said with a laugh. “He acted inappropriately for his age and crashed and burned.”

Qi Suiyi: “Huh?”

Amid Qi Suiyi’s confused query, the four members of the Chi household finished dinner in a strange atmosphere.

While Chi Sui was washing dishes, Yuan Si Bai had already returned to the bedroom and locked the door, forcing Chi Sui to gently tap on it repeatedly, calling, “Yuan Yuan, Yuan Yuan.”

As Chi Jinxian headed back to his room, passing by Chi Sui, he feigned sympathy and said, “Tsk, good night, Dad.”

Qi Suiyi, following him to the adjacent bedroom, didn’t understand but instinctively echoed, “Tsk, good night, Third Brother.”

Chi Sui: “…”

Little brats. They ought to be buried in a pit.

Based on past experience, Chi Sui wouldn’t rest until he got back into the bedroom tonight, even if it meant climbing through the window. He’d never settle for the study.

But he still needed to show remorse. Serves him right for shooting his mouth off and now facing the consequences of chasing his wife through hell.

Hearing the faint muttering from the living room, Chi Jinxian couldn’t help but think of Lu Zhi.

Whether as a child or now grown up, Chi Jinxian had always adored the dynamic between his two fathers. He wondered, if he and Lu Zhi were together in the future, what would it be like?

He definitely wouldn’t be like Chi Sui and Yuan Si Bai, Lu Zhi was too reserved and spoke very little.

But it didn’t matter, because he was as passionate as fire!

Just as he was thinking this, his phone beside him suddenly vibrated without warning with a “buzz.”

Chi Jinxian, who had been in the middle of a dream, was startled by the sound.

He opened his phone and saw that it was his future husband. When he clearly read the content, he felt even more startled and doubtful.

Lu Zhi: [Is there anything you want to ask?]

Chi Jinxian’s heart skipped a beat. Logically, this wasn’t the kind of statement that could stir one’s emotions.

But he felt that Lu Zhi could accurately guess everything he wanted to know and was proactively offering him a way forward.

Cash Pool: [Yes!]

Cash Pool: [Bro, there is.]

There were many things he had long wanted to ask.

A minute later, Lu Zhi replied: [Since there is, why didn’t you message me?]

Before Chi Jinxian could finish editing his message, Lu Zhi sent a second question: [Look at the time. If I hadn’t come, would tonight have just passed like this?]

For some reason, Chi Jinxian felt Lu Zhi sounded a bit fierce.

He quickly sent a voice message to Lu Zhi, his tone somewhat timid perhaps not unlike Chi Sui, who was still standing at the bedroom door.

[No, bro, I was just thinking about how to… start. I was afraid of asking something that might upset you, and then I’d be upset too. You know me once you agreed to let me ask, I definitely couldn’t hold back. I was just about to message you!]

After a while, whether Lu Zhi believed him or not, he replied: [Ask.]

Seeing that single word, Chi Jinxian felt a bit troubled. He really had a lot of questions, but he truly didn’t know where to begin.

If he accidentally crossed a line, he might end up even worse off than Chi Sui, who was still trying to placate someone at that moment.

After much deliberation, Chi Jinxian slowly typed a sentence into the input box.

[Bro, you and Ren Yiran will you two make up?]

Lu Zhi replied quickly and with apparent firmness: [No.]

What could have happened to make Lu Zhi so resolute, disregarding over a decade of childhood friendship?

Chi Jinxian thought that if he asked, he could learn from it and remind himself not to make the same mistakes.

So he asked: [Bro, can I ask, what did he do?]

A few minutes later, a new message appeared on the constantly lit phone screen.

Lu Zhi: [Not long after the high school entrance exams, he swapped the Suppressant I needed for my Heat Period with an aphrodisiac. I was almost forced into a relationship with him.]