What to Do If Beta Cannot Be Marked? - Chapter 5

“Little Cash, hold my backpack! I’m going to the restroom!” A shadowy mass came flying toward him from above. Chi Jinxian’s breath hitched, and without daring to react excessively, he instinctively reached out and caught the incoming object.

As the backpack landed securely in his arms, Chi Jinxian had no choice but to tear his gaze away from Lu Zhi. He hastily half-rose and leaned most of his body out the window, just in time to see his deskmate and “sister” Jiang Baixiao frantically darting into the corner of the hallway, the disappearing hem of his clothes leaving a trailing afterimage.

Over ten minutes later, Jiang Baixiao sauntered in through the front door, humming a cheerful tune, looking as blissful as if he’d just returned from a date.

“Did you get a boyfriend? So happy?” Chi Jinxian leaned in and whispered the moment Jiang Baixiao sat down.

Jiang Baixiao stuffed his backpack into the desk compartment, paused briefly at the question, then immediately caught on and leaned closer as well. “Then guess who my boyfriend is?”

He spoke with such gravity, his expression serious and tone earnest, it almost seemed real.

Yet Chi Jinxian didn’t doubt him at all; instead, his curiosity was piqued. He nearly pressed his ear to Jiang Baixiao’s mouth. “Wow, who is it?”

He blinked repeatedly, his gaze fixed on Jiang Baixiao with an almost unbearably innocent look. When he stared at someone intently, his eyes held only that person.

Jiang Baixiao stared back at him for two seconds, then suddenly let out an “Ah!” Clutching his chest dramatically, he feigned being struck by an invisible sniper’s bullet. “Oh, Little Cash, why aren’t you an Alpha? Even a Beta would do, I’d definitely chase after you! Just like how you chase after God Lu.”

Snap. Just then, a soft but audible sound of a book closing came from behind them, loud enough for those nearby to hear.

Lu Zhi indifferently put away the book he had been reading and removed his earphones.

Oh no he’d spoken too carelessly and brought up the other party involved, right in front of him! This was practically asking for death. Jiang Baixiao’s body stiffened slightly, his mind filled with only that single thought.

“Ah? Don’t do that.” Everyone said Lu Zhi famously disliked Betas. Chi Jinxian withdrew, sneaking a glance backward, and muttered under his breath as if to cover up, “I’m not a Beta.”

Lu Zhi pushed his chair back, stood up, and walked out through the rear door. As he left, the corner of his eye seemed to flicker toward Jiang Baixiao, though it was hard to tell. Though nothing explicit happened, it carried an implicit, heavy pressure that sent a shiver through Jiang Baixiao’s entire body. Yet he felt that Lu Zhi’s gaze wasn’t because he’d been discussing him openly it felt more like, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“Brother Lu went to the restroom.” Chi Jinxian gripped the windowsill with both hands, turning back to speak to the now-silent Jiang Baixiao, looking every bit the “longing wife” waiting for her husband. “Huh? Baixiao, what’s wrong?”

He retracted his “longing wife” hands and shook Jiang Baixiao’s arm. The latter, jostled back to warmth, whimpered pitifully, “God Lu glared at me. It was terrifying.”

“Impossible,” Chi Jinxian refuted earnestly. “Brother Lu has a very good temper. Besides, you’re an Omega so adorable. How could he possibly glare at you?”

Jiang Baixiao: “…”

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, love makes one’s IQ plummet, but Chi Jinxian isn’t even dating him yet!

“Lu Zhi has a good temper?” Jiang Baixiao scrunched up his face, not daring to say the name too loudly again, his vocal cords straining to the point of distortion. “Have you never browsed our school’s forum?”

“Nope,” Chi Jinxian said. “I’d rather spend the time writing Lu-ge another love letter than reading that.”

Jiang Baixiao: “…”

Chi Jinxian: “Besides, I don’t need to read it to know what it’s mostly about. Anyway, I know I’m famous, and Lu-ge is too. See how well we match, hehe.”

He laughed so hard his bright eyes curved into crescents, the light within them scattering like crushed diamonds, as if he’d never known frustration in his life.

Jiang Baixiao felt another pang of exasperation, clutching his chest with the pained expression of a worried old father, utterly dismayed.

But Chi Jinxian just kept laughing: “And most of that stuff is just rumors anyway. Why bother reading it and ruining my mood for no reason? I eat, sleep, sleep, eat, and chase after Lu Zhi every day, I’m perfectly happy. Nothing else is going to bring me down.”

Jiang Baixiao’s heartache, blurred vision, and limp leg vanished instantly. The old father transformed into a refined big sister, and he actually found Chi Jinxian’s reasoning quite sound!

“Alright then. The forum really is full of fake stuff, but you believe me, right?”

“Yep.”

“So listen to me Lu Zhi’s temper is seriously bad.” Jiang Baixiao slung an arm around Chi Jinxian’s neck, whispering conspiratorially.

“God Lu and I went to the same middle school. He’s famous, but almost no one dares to get close to him. Look, he doesn’t even have a deskmate nobody dares sit with him.” Jiang Baixiao tilted his chin meaningfully. “Know why?”

After two years of pursuing him, Chi Jinxian was still gullible enough to take the bait, blinking instinctively. “Why?”

“Lu Zhi gets into fights all the time and uses his pheromones to overpower people. Other Alphas say when he unleashes his oppressive pheromones, it’s terrifying no one can stay standing.” Jiang Baixiao leaned so close he was practically nibbling Chi Jinxian’s ear, his tone dripping with drama. “I heard he even broke someone’s leg once, completely shattered their arm too.”

“…” Chi Jinxian turned to look at him, deadpan. “That’s ridiculous.”

Though he couldn’t smell pheromones, Chi Jinxian believed Lu Zhi could make other Alphas weak in the knees. But breaking arms and legs? That sounded like pure gossip.

No school would keep such a dangerous student.

Frustrated by his naivety, Jiang Baixiao tightened his arm around Chi Jinxian’s neck. “Forgot my nickname?”

Chi Jinxian answered: “Martial Arts Alliance Know-It-All.”

“Forgot how I got it?”

“Because Know-It-Alls understand heaven above, earth below, and all the gossip and curiosities in between, omniscient.”

“Exactly!” Jiang Baixiao chuckled, scratching his “little sister’s” chin. “Believe me?”

Chi Jinxian said: “No.”

Jiang Baixiao: “…”

“Hey, I’m getting angry now!” Jiang Baixiao pinned him down, squishing half of Chi Jinxian’s face against the desk. Chi Jinxian didn’t resist at all, just raised a hand laughing and said, “I’m sorry, good sister! Spare me this once!”

“I’m telling you, I really ”

Thud.

Lu Zhi was back.

When the second oppressive gaze landed on his back, Jiang Baixiao instinctively glanced behind him. After meeting Lu Zhi’s indifferent, unreadable eyes for a second, a numbing sensation like an electric current began sizzling up his spine to the crown of his head. His hands instantly loosened, swiftly releasing Chi Jinxian, and he sat upright in his seat with rigid posture.

Lu Zhi lowered his gaze, pulled out his chair to sit down, and put on his headphones. His long legs suddenly seemed to have nowhere to rest, one leg crossed over the bar under his own desk and landed on the bar of the front row.

Unclear about the meaning behind this leg placement, Jiang Baixiao simply pulled his small stool closer to the aisle.

Chi Jinxian glanced down at the leg blocking him in his seat and thought, How could Lu Zhi possibly have a bad temper or be prone to hitting people? Look how well-behaved he’s been these past two years.

It’s all just rumors.

Two classes passed like this. The aching, swollen sensation started deep in his lower abdomen, then slowly spread to his thighs. From there, it flowed upward against gravity, rising all the way to the top of his head. Chi Jinxian shook his legs repeatedly, chewed on his thumb for a while, and occasionally glanced down at the leg that had shifted positions several times but remained squarely in the way.

The next moment, the bell for the long break rang as scheduled. Chi Jinxian jolted, nearly losing control on the spot!

He could have simply stepped over the leg beneath him, but Chi Jinxian would never pass up any opportunity to talk to someone.

He turned slightly and whispered to Lu Zhi, “Brother Lu, I need to get out.”

Lu Zhi lifted his gaze, indifferent. “Go.”

Chi Jinxian gripped the edge of the desk with one hand, leaned over slightly, and patted Lu Zhi’s leg. Lu Zhi’s face instantly turned cold, and he jerked his leg back abruptly!

With the obstruction gone, Chi Jinxian grinned at Lu Zhi like a fool with two “hehe” laughs, then vanished without a trace.

He ran incredibly fast.

But after leaving, he didn’t return for a long time.

The class bell rang, the teacher entered and began lecturing, but Chi Jinxian still hadn’t returned. When the third class ended and the fourth began, he was still absent.

As the fourth class was about to end, just as Jiang Baixiao was preparing to rush to the cafeteria the moment school let out, something suddenly poked him in the back. Upon closer sensation, it felt like the tip of a pen, someone behind him was poking him,

Behind him, behind him?!

Jiang Baixiao cautiously, ever so cautiously, turned his head just a bit, as if the person behind him weren’t human but a ghost.

His voice trembled as he spoke, “Cl-class monitor?”

“Where’s Chi Jinxian?” Lu Zhi asked in a tone as detached as if he were inquiring about what to eat for lunch.

“Huh?” Jiang Baixiao was momentarily confused, then quickly understood and replied, “Oh, I messaged him during the break to ask. He said he took leave to go to the hospital.”

Lu Zhi frowned slightly and said nothing more.

“Maybe he’ll be back soon,” Jiang Baixiao added.

Lu Zhi: “Mm.”

“Reporting.” Chi Jinxian appeared at the classroom door, chest heaving and breath uneven clearly, he had run back.

Good students had privileges. The teacher casually asked where he had been and then allowed him to return to his seat, continuing with the lesson.

“Cash, why did you go to the hospital? Are you sick?” Jiang Baixiao had only asked where he’d gone before class started and hadn’t had time to inquire further.

Chi Jinxian steadied his breathing, still slightly panting, before softly answering Jiang Baixiao after a moment: “No, I just went to the hospital for a check-up. My dad suddenly said he was coming during class break, so I went.”

He had forgotten to mention the Smart Ring lighting up last night when leaving this morning, so he sent a message to his father during the first break mentioning it and said he would go to the hospital after school. Unexpectedly, Yuan Si Bai brought Chi Sui to pick him up, insisting he go immediately and not delay.

The teacher on the platform had already closed the book, giving the students some free study time.

Five minutes later, the school bell rang. Jiang Baixiao said goodbye to Chi Jinxian and shot out like a missile.

Chi Jinxian quickly stood up and followed Lu Zhi.

Jiang Jin appeared just as the back door opened, looking at Lu Zhi and asking, “Going to the third floor today?”

Lu Zhi didn’t speak, and Jiang Jin knew this meant agreement. But Lu Zhi’s brows remained furrowed, and Jiang Jin couldn’t tell why, curiously studying him for a moment.

Then he turned to look back huh, there was no little follower behind them today… wait? Jiang Jin looked more closely oh, there still was, just keeping some distance.

For some reason, Chi Jinxian was following five meters behind Lu Zhi at noon today.

In the ant-like flow of students after school, though distant, he was indeed following.

After two years of unwavering, lightning-fast persistence, why suddenly keep such distance? Jiang Jin was baffled, beginning to feel puzzled.

Turning to look back again huh? This time, he truly couldn’t spot him.

Just then, Lu Zhi beside him suddenly stopped, as if waiting for someone. He glanced sideways, his gaze firmly locking onto a spot, as if his peripheral vision was entirely occupied by that figure.

Following his gaze, Jiang Jin saw Chi Jinxian, bent over by someone’s weight, struggling to stand up while swatting at the arm wrapped around his neck.

Qi Suiyi.

“You appeared out of nowhere again you scared me to death!” Chi Jinxian tried to pry off the arm around his neck, exasperated. “Let go of me, I’m going to crash a meal!”

Even as he spoke, his feet stubbornly moved forward, step by difficult step.

“Tch, and they’re letting you?” Qi Suiyi pinched his cheek, making him face reality.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Chi Jinxian retorted, punching him with a grimace that looked ready to bite.

Qi Suiyi wasn’t really trying to stop him, muttering “ungrateful” before asking, “Weren’t you at the hospital? What’s the verdict?”

“Don’t know yet. Results tomorrow.”

Jiang Jin stood with Lu Zhi, watching the two approach closer, and sincerely remarked, “I heard they’re childhood friends? They really get along well.”

The moment he finished speaking, Jiang Jin sensed something off. Turning his head, he saw that the person who had only been frowning moments ago now wore a trace of menace on his face.

Similar to the precursor two years ago when he was about to throw a punch.