What to Do If Beta Cannot Be Marked? - Chapter 46

“What’s wrong?” Lu Zhi asked as he entered the room after putting away Chi Jinxian’s belongings.

The moment he stepped in, he noticed Chi Jinxian seemed somewhat distracted. Before even approaching, he voiced the question.

Hearing the voice, Chi Jinxian snapped out of his thoughts about what he had seen on the paper, though his expression remained slightly dazed. “Ah? N-nothing.”

Since he didn’t ask, the other naturally wouldn’t offer an explanation. But deep down, Chi Jinxian felt the words on that paper were wrong and Lu Zhi had written them with such force, repeating them so many times.

He wondered who could make Lu Zhi treat them with such intensity. Could it be his white moonlight? Yet last time, with a bit of cunning, Chi Jinxian had asked Lu Zhi if, aside from Jiang Jin and Ren Yiran, there had been any other friends besides him during his childhood.

Lu Zhi had said no.

Could it be himself?

An illogical and even somewhat absurd thought made Chi Jinxian’s heart instinctively race. Not out of fear, but a kind of… indescribable tension.

It felt as if he had stumbled upon some unspeakable secret, and this secret was about the person he liked.

“Brother, you’ve already put my suitcase away?” Chi Jinxian took two steps closer, tilting his head up slightly to ask.

“Mm,” Lu Zhi replied. “Go unpack. Take your things out.”

Chi Jinxian said, “Okay.”

After the other left, Lu Zhi’s gaze swept around his room, as if searching for anything out of place.

A moment later, his eyes fixed on the desk. Lu Zhi’s brows involuntarily furrowed slightly.

Sandwiched between the “Five-Three” review book and the English test papers was a sheet of paper covered in his own handwriting words that were far from friendly.

He thought he had thrown it away after writing it yesterday, or at least tucked it away properly.

Lu Zhi’s eyes lowered halfway, concealing a light in their depths that was different from usual, making it impossible to discern what he was thinking.

But in his mind, an image of Yan Yue quickly formed.

One afternoon after school, Xiao Luzhi held a rose unhappily. Yan Yue crouched down to hug him, coaxing patiently, “Why is Xiao Zhi unhappy? Tell Daddy, okay? Daddy wants to know.”

Staring at the rose for a long while, Lu Zhi finally mumbled, “Daddy Xiao Chi didn’t play with me much today.”

Yan Yue asked him, “Why?”

“He has a new friend,” Lu Zhi whispered.

Then, he spoke again, saying, “Daddy, I want to lock Xiao Chi up, so he only has me. Can I?”

His tone was resolute, his gaze firm. Under the lingering sunset glow of that afternoon, he didn’t seem to be seeking permission at all.

Yan Yue’s face paled. He began to scold him, explaining that treating someone well wasn’t like this. But as he spoke, he suddenly covered his face with one hand and started crying.

Tears seeped through his fingers, as if they could seep that helplessness and sorrow into someone else’s heart.

Xiao Luzhi finally panicked, calling out “Daddy” repeatedly.

Yan Yue choked out, “Don’t be like your father.”

The winter sun outside the window shone through the glass, casting a golden beam across the desk.

A stray strand of light happened to fall on the exposed edge of the paper, making the words stark and glaring.

Lu Zhi’s brows furrowed deeply, uncertain whether Chi Jinxian had seen it.

If he saw it, would he be able to guess something? And if he did, what would his reaction be?

He cared about it all.

But the next moment, Lu Zhi suddenly heard voices from next door neither door was closed, so not a single sound was blocked out. Chi Jinxian was on a phone call.

Qi Suiyi’s name came up.

“My dear dad. You Qi Suiyi, are you crying because of me?” Chi Jinxian, who had just answered the call and was met with a burst of wailing, was stunned and bewildered.

Before he could even ask, “What’s wrong?” Qi Suiyi immediately started listing all his grievances.

Chi Jinxian couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His two dads had just left, and he already missed them so much that he couldn’t resist calling one of them.

He never expected that he had made his future tall, imposing Alpha uncle cry!

Qi Suiyi was so heartbroken he couldn’t control himself, angrily complaining, “Chi Jinxian, you damned scoundrel! Didn’t you promise to come stay with me and play games? If you don’t come, how am I supposed to play?!”

Chi Yuan Shen would slap him dead if he saw him playing games.

Sure enough, Chi Yuan Shen’s cold voice immediately came through from the other side: “Well, well, Qi Suiyi, so this was your plan all along. You’re asking for trouble, huh.”

Qi Suiyi’s sobbing paused briefly. He sniffled, then grew even more upset, bursting into even louder, earth-shattering wails that showed no sign of stopping.

Then, he shouted loudly on the other end, “You’re not allowed to eavesdrop on my phone call!”

“Waaahhh, Chi Jinxian, you’re too much! Tell me, which classmate’s house are you staying at?” Qi Suiyi asked, choking back sobs. “Who exactly made you abandon me? If your answer doesn’t satisfy me, from now on, I won’t have a nephew like you!”

Chi Jinxian crouched on the floor, unlocking the suitcase, then closing it, then opening it again.

The “click” sound alone repeated several times.

After a long pause, he finally spoke in an extremely soft voice: “Lu Zhi.”

Qi Suiyi’s crying stopped completely.

In contrast, noise erupted from Chi Jinxian’s side, creating a stark difference between the two ends.

Lu Zhi walked over and asked, “Who’s calling?”

Qi Suiyi even held his breath.

“Are you familiar with them?” Lu Zhi asked again.

Whether Qi Suiyi was sure or not, Chi Jinxian didn’t know, but Chi Jinxian himself was certain, Lu Zhi was doing it on purpose!

The doors were open, and the sound carried. How could he not hear whose name he had called?

And then asking “Are you familiar with them?” right in front of the person wasn’t that clearly meant to provoke?

“Screw your ‘not familiar’!!” Sure enough, Qi Suiyi suddenly roared furiously, his anger barely contained by the phone.

The two people in the room heard his furious shout clearly. Even Chi Jinxian, who was still crouched on the floor fiddling with the suitcase lock, instinctively moved the phone slightly away from his ear.

“Bro,” Chi Jinxian covered the phone and hurriedly looked up at Lu Zhi, saying, “Bro, don’t provoke him anymore. He’s about to explode with anger and is crying uncontrollably.”

“I haven’t even comforted him yet.”

Lu Zhi said expressionlessly, “Who told you to comfort him?”

“Let him cry his heart out.”

Qi Suiyi: “You dog surnamed Lu, listen to me! I, Qi Suiyi, will be your sworn enemy for life!!”

Perhaps because the person crying was utterly unreasonable, or perhaps because he had truly provoked a foul temper.

All pretense of indifference and restraint went out the window at this moment. Lu Zhi’s voice came out cold as ice: “What good would it come from sharing the same sky with you?”

His attitude was so forceful it seemed he was about to tear into the other person right then and there.

Until Chi Jinxian suddenly stood up and grabbed his arm, his face scrunched up in distress as he said, “There is a benefit, bro. This is my uncle.”

Lu Zhi: “…”

Lu Zhi: “……”

Lu Zhi: “.”

“What?” After an excruciatingly long silence, Lu Zhi finally spoke. Though his tone was soft, it was filled with disbelief.

Instantly, memories of how Qi Suiyi usually treated Chi Jinxian, how Chi Jinxian treated Qi Suiyi in return, and even Chi Jinxian calling him to wake up in the mornings, all played out before his eyes like scenes from a movie.

In that moment, Lu Zhi understood: the reason no one knew who Qi Suiyi was simply came down to the Chi family’s tradition.

Chi Jinxian had only told him today because Qi Suiyi was on the verge of crying himself to death, and the two of them had just been arguing…

The current situation was a bit tricky.

Sure enough, after half a second of silence on the other end of the line, Qi Suiyi started crying again, loudly exclaiming, “Lu, you bastard, send me your address right now, I’m coming over to knock on your door and strangle you”

“Ah, Uncle, don’t! Stop crying, Grandpa is still there,” Chi Jinxian coaxed him. “Summer vacation, after the college entrance exams, there are three whole months. I’ll spend all of it with you, okay? I won’t let Grandpa scold you, and I’ll let you play games.”

Qi Suiyi let out a sob, seemingly lost in the fantasy of that future life.

His crying noticeably quieted down.

In the end, probably still feeling unsatisfied, Qi Suiyi threatened, “Lu Zhi, just you wait! One day, you’ll be begging me, calling me ‘Uncle’! I beep.”

Lu Zhi grabbed Chi Jinxian’s wrist, pulled the phone toward himself, and hung up on Qi Suiyi, clean and swift.

On the other end, Qi Suiyi: “…”

On this end, Chi Jinxian: “?”

Lu Zhi met his gaze, pursed his lips, and explained with a straight face, “I was afraid he’d hold a grudge against me, so I hung up first.”

His expression clearly showed he was still in a daze. Lu Zhi had probably never encountered a situation like this in his entire life.

One moment he was in a heated argument with someone, and the next he was told that person was an elder. He was at a complete loss for words.

All he could do was retreat quickly.

Chi Jinxian couldn’t hold back a laugh, his eyes crinkling as he chuckled for a good while.

A hint of softness flickered in Lu Zhi’s eyes.

Before evening arrived, Fang Shou had gone out to buy ingredients and was now busy in the kitchen.

Chi Jinxian was in Lu Zhi’s room, doing homework together.

As they worked, Lu Zhi’s phone rang.

Lu Zisheng.

“Finish this problem. I’m going out to take the call. Uncle Fang will probably call us for dinner soon,” Lu Zhi said as he stood up and walked out.

Chi Jinxian was calculating the answer to the problem and waved him off without looking up. “Okay.”

“Father.” Lu Zhi went downstairs to the backyard, walking quite far.

Before him stretched a vast expanse of fiery red roses, blooming vibrantly under the Glass Flower Gallery.

Lu Zisheng asked, “I’ve been home these past couple of days, but you haven’t come back. Are you at your dad’s villa?”

“Mm,” Lu Zhi replied. “It’s the holiday. I’m staying here.”

“With whom?”

Lu Zhi’s instincts tingled with unease, and he didn’t answer immediately.

Lu Zisheng continued on his own, “Chi Sui’s son?”

“I heard he was the one who asked to come live with you?”

“Who told you that, Father?” Lu Zhi interrupted, his tone cold. “I was the one who proposed it. I visited Uncle Chi’s house today and discussed this matter with them.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Zisheng’s voice carried a hint of confusion: “You went to Chi Sui’s house?”

Lu Zhi didn’t answer, instead asking: “Who told you about this?”

After a moment of waiting without receiving a direct answer from Lu Zisheng, Lu Zhi understood: “Lu Wan?”

In the brief silence that followed, Lu Zhi said coldly: “He must be listening nearby, right? Didn’t he learn his lesson from last time’s hospital visit?”

“Lu Zhi.” Lu Zisheng called his name as if to warn him.

“Outsiders think he likes me, so when they hear we’re spending winter vacation together, they immediately have dirty, disgusting thoughts. But for ordinary classmates, is it strange for two boys to visit each other’s homes? Am I not allowed to have friends?” Lu Zhi spoke slightly faster, but every word was crystal clear. “What benefit would I get that would make him so eager to let you speculate like this? Because I come from a dysfunctional family?”

“Xiao Zhi,” Lu Zisheng cut him off in a deep voice, trying to ease the tension. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“You’re at a critical age right now. I’m afraid you might take the wrong path.”

“If you were the one who proposed it, you just needed to say so. There’s no need to be so sharp. I’m your father,” Lu Zisheng said. “And I only came to confirm. Although that child was born into the Chi family, I don’t want your partner to be someone frivolous.”

“I’m the frivolous one,” Lu Zhi said.

“Enough.” Lu Zisheng was clearly displeased.

“If you really don’t believe me, you can call Uncle Chi and ask them. I’m sure as parents, they would be very unhappy to hear such things,” Lu Zhi’s tone still carried an edge as he stated clearly. “Tell Lu Wan that if he says this to you, that’s one thing, but if he tells others or spreads rumors at school when it starts, I’ll beat him to death.”

After speaking, without waiting for a response, Lu Zhi directly hung up the phone.

Lu Zisheng remained in the living room with the phone still held to his ear. The dial tone had already been gone for quite some time before he slightly furrowed his brows and lowered the phone.

Lu Wan sat quietly on the opposite sofa, looking somewhat at a loss.

“Your relationship with your brother isn’t good,” Lu Zisheng raised his eyes and said. “If anything happens in the future, don’t tell me about it anymore.”

Several times now, because of Lu Wan and Ai Duoyan, he had directly questioned Lu Zhi, fearing their relationship would worsen.

But each time the results were unsatisfactory, and it only made Lu Zhi increasingly difficult to control, with visible cracks appearing in their relationship.

After speaking, he stood up, seemingly unwilling to stay home any longer, and walked toward the door.

Lu Wan called out: “Dad.”

Lu Zisheng didn’t stop walking: “Go to bed early with your stepfather.”

The living room door opened and closed. Lu Wan stared at the door for a long while before finally looking away, then ran to the kitchen saying: “Stepfather, don’t you think Lu Zhi is terrifying? Dad had years of friendship with the Ren Family. Even though he didn’t make things too ugly with them because of himself, he developed the intention to take down the Ren Family because of Chi Jinxian and he actually did it!”

Ai Duoyan lowered his gaze to stare at the bowl in his hands, remaining silent.

Lu Wan was still complaining, “He’s always threatening me and actually sent me to the hospital Dad, do you think he might really kill me someday?”

“Chi Jinxian likes him, and he’s Chi Sui’s son. If he latches onto the Chi family, won’t he become even more lawless?!”

“Enough,” Ai Duoyan interrupted him quietly.

“I can’t figure Lu Zhi out. Doesn’t he hate Betas? Doesn’t he dislike Chi Jinxian?” After a few rhetorical questions, Lu Wan’s face suddenly twisted with resentment. “Just wait. If he pushes me too far, I’ll send him to the hospital too.”

The winter night wind was chilly. Lu Zhi had only worn a turtleneck sweater when stepping out of his bedroom, and now the faint cold breeze from the backyard seeped through the dense knit stitches of the fabric.

It sharpened his senses considerably.

Lu Zhi stood motionless beside the garden lamp, clutching his phone tightly with pursed lips and silent demeanor.

A few faint stars dotted the night sky, the half-moon casting dim light. Lu Zhi glanced up at those pale specks and suddenly thought perhaps he shouldn’t have let Chi Jinxian come over.

But thinking of Qi Suiyi, even now knowing he was Chi Jinxian’s uncle, Lu Zhi still didn’t want Chi Jinxian living with him.

Lu Zhi didn’t understand what was happening to himself. Emotions and sensations he could once perfectly control were now increasingly slipping beyond his grasp.

He kept unconsciously wanting more.

Wanting,

“Brother.” A voice suddenly called from behind.

Lu Zhi snapped back to attention and turned to see Chi Jinxian rushing toward him excitedly, announcing, “I solved that problem! Uncle Fang asked me to call you for dinner… Wow.”

Before Lu Zhi could respond with “Got it” and follow him back, Chi Jinxian abruptly cut off with an astonished exclamation.

Lu Zhi instinctively tracked the figure already darting toward a particular direction.

Vast clusters of fiery red roses remained undiminished under the moonlight and garden lamps, their crimson hue striking directly at the heart, stirring irresistible palpitations.

Chi Jinxian even forgot how to speak, dumbly approaching the Glass Flower Gallery to gaze at the flowers he knew so intimately.

Lu Zhi followed and stood beside him.

After a long moment, Chi Jinxian turned with sparkling eyes to Lu Zhi, exclaiming excitedly, “Brother, you really do grow so many roses at home.”

Lu Zhi lowered his gaze, as if unable to meet his eyes, and didn’t respond.

“And Brother, whether you believe it or not, I noticed your Glass Flower Gallery looks just like my dad’s.” Chi Jinxian was marveling at what kind of fate this was, how could they not be meant for each other? “My dad’s garden is huge too.”

“Mm.” Lu Zhi responded noncommittally, then grabbed Chi Jinxian by the collar to drag him back inside. “Stop staring. Let’s go eat.”

Chi Jinxian had countless questions, but Lu Zhi completely ignored him, leaving him muttering to himself for a while before he finally quieted down.

The winter break only lasted twenty days. Chi Jinxian had to return home during New Year’s, and even though he’d come back afterward, their total time living under the same roof amounted to just about half a month.

Yet in those mere fifteen days, Chi Jinxian managed to create the atmosphere of a lifetime together.

While doing homework, sitting next to Lu Zhi still felt like a dream to him. Midway through solving problems, he’d turn his head to admire the beautiful view, only to have Lu Zhi, without even glancing sideways lift a hand to grip his chin and turn his face back every time.

After this happened repeatedly, Chi Jinxian had a question. He said, “Bro, I feel like our study efficiency is pretty high when we’re together. Why won’t you let me be your desk mate?”

Lu Zhi had maintained a solo desk throughout all three years of high school. Others didn’t dare sit with him, and though Chi Jinxian dared, Lu Zhi had seriously told the teacher it wouldn’t work.

Hearing this, Lu Zhi glanced at him and said, “My efficiency is indeed high. You spend ten minutes on problems and eight minutes staring at me is the high efficiency from looking at me?”

Chi Jinxian then sheepishly raised a hand to rub his nose and grinned at him.

When the two weren’t doing homework, Chi Jinxian still stuck close to him, almost following him step for step, afraid he might disappear in the blink of an eye.

In just over ten days, they had reached the point of sharing almost everything though Chi Jinxian did most of the talking.

During this time, Lu Zhi also asked about Chi Jinxian’s childhood, specifically whether it hurt when Qiao Ming took him away and injected that “Secondary Gender” drug into his body.

Chi Jinxian thought for a long time: “I can’t remember, but I’ve had dreams for several days where it hurts.”

Lu Zhi stared at him intently without responding.

Perhaps sensing the mood, Chi Jinxian didn’t want those past events to affect their current atmosphere. He put on a bright smile and said, “Speaking of which, Bro, Doctor Yang the uncle who developed the Inducer for my pheromone deficiency disorder, joked with me during my first episode that if I ever had an Alpha or Omega partner, maybe having them bite me could match the effect of the Inducer.”

He was purely joking about the matter, but Lu Zhi’s expression showed no trace of amusement. The moment the words landed, his gaze turned intense, staring straight into Chi Jinxian’s eyes as if wanting to swallow him whole.

Chi Jinxian stopped smiling and asked timidly, “What’s wrong, Bro?”

Lu Zhi asked him, “Who do you want to bite the back of your neck?”

“You,” Chi Jinxian replied without hesitation, then smiled again.

Lu Zhi then averted his oppressive gaze.

As if on cue, three days after this conversation, Chi Jinxian was about to go to the supermarket with Lu Zhi, Fang Shou had gone home for the day and would return in the evening, so he’d asked them to prepare ingredients first.

Just as they reached the entryway and before he could change his shoes, Chi Jinxian felt something was off.

A slow heat rose in his blood, followed by a slight pain.

It wasn’t severe, but the unusual sensation was still impossible to ignore.

Since falling ill, Chi Jinxian had roughly identified the pattern: initially, he had episodes once a month.

After two such episodes, the intervals lengthened, and this time, two months had passed since the last one.

Instantly alert, Chi Jinxian looked up and said, “Bro, I’m in a bit of pain.”

“What’s wrong?” Lu Zhi stopped what he was doing and asked instinctively, then immediately raised his eyes. “An episode?”

Chi Jinxian pressed his lips together. The visible signs weren’t strong; from this episode alone, one couldn’t imagine how terrifying his first one had been.

“Yeah.”

“Where’s the medicine?” Lu Zhi said, turning to head upstairs. “In your suitcase?”

But perhaps because his current condition was actually quite manageable and the pain wasn’t too severe, Chi Jinxian even managed a smile and said, “Brother, why don’t you try biting me first?”

Lu Zhi’s footsteps halted.

After a moment, he turned back and strode over, looking down at Chi Jinxian from a near-dominant position.

Chi Jinxian didn’t dare to laugh anymore, instinctively taking a step back, but there was only the wall of the entryway behind him, leaving him with nowhere to retreat.

He nervously swallowed and said, “I was just joking.”

Lu Zhi looked at him silently and said, “Turn around.”