The Beta from the countryside (11)

The Gu Family's eldest son had always been a man of few words. After that, he simply asked Xue Ci how he was doing at school.

Though his voice sounded much the same as before, Xue Ci could tell he was in a much better mood.

When Gu Xu, who was sitting nearby, saw Xue Ci put away his phone, he was a little surprised. He had made the call, yet his brother had only talked to Xue Ci and hung up without saying a word to him.

It was as though he were just a tool for his brother to find an opportunity to talk to Xue Ci.

Feigning indifference, Gu Xu asked, "What did my brother say to you?"

Xue Ci answered truthfully, "He just asked how I was doing at school."

Classes were over, and only a few people remained in the classroom. When Gu Xu saw Xue Ci start packing his schoolbag, he asked, "Going back to the dorm?"

Xue Ci nodded.

"I'm going back too. Want to go together?"

Xue Ci hesitated. "I still have to wait for the class president."

Though more than half the class called Xie Yishu the class president, it sounded different coming from Xue Ci.

More intimate, more affectionate, with a rising lilt at the end, as though he were acting spoiled.

Gu Xu hid his annoyance and tried to keep his tone normal. "All right, I'll wait with you."

Seeing how slowly Xue Ci was packing, he said, "I'll do it."

Xue Ci was a little surprised. Gu Xu seemed to be in a pretty good mood today.

In keeping with his persona, he didn't refuse. He pushed the test papers and books in front of Gu Xu and quietly reminded him, "Put each subject's homework notebook inside its textbook, and put them upright in the schoolbag, or they'll get creased."

Xue Ci had plenty of requests, but the usually impatient Gu Xu merely grunted in acknowledgment, showing no sign of impatience.

The Alpha moved swiftly and soon had most of the things packed. With time to spare, he couldn't help wanting to stare at Xue Ci, but when he glanced over-was this idiot actually going to pack the guy surnamed Xie's schoolbag?

He immediately pressed a hand to Xue Ci's shoulder. Soft skin and warmth reached his palm through the thin fabric, and the sensation was like brilliant fireworks bursting in his mind.

"...I'll pack it." His face stiff, Gu Xu ultimately settled for saying those few words.

He couldn't be bothered to badmouth the guy surnamed Xie in front of Xue Ci. It would only make him look petty.

Xue Ci tilted his head.

Gu Xu must have been in an exceptionally good mood today.

Maybe it was because his birthday was coming up.

In the end, the three of them returned to the dorm together. The two Alphas with Xue Ci between them didn't look very happy, but neither dared show it too openly, and both held back the pheromones they had been using to attack each other.

A week before the birthday banquet, Xue Ci received a call from Gu Ling. His custom-made outfit was finished, and he needed to come back and try it on.

The Gu Family's car was already waiting at the school gates. Gu Xu and Duan Xingyan were going back with him.

After getting into the car, Xue Ci noticed something-

The members of the Gu Family all seemed to like window seats. Just like last time, he was squeezed in the middle again, his arms and thighs pressed tightly against bodies firm enough to make him uncomfortable.

It felt as though the oxygen had been taken away too, and Xue Ci's cheeks turned pink.

Fortunately, Big Brother wasn't there.

Otherwise, there wouldn't have been enough room.

This was Xue Ci's first time back at the Gu residence since starting school. As soon as he got out of the car, he ran to the garden to see the flowers and plants he had tended. Grandpa Butler had taken excellent care of them. Their petals were bright and lovely, their stamens wrapped in layers, only part of them shyly showing.

Less than half an hour later, Hu Shenglan and Gu Ling arrived too and had someone bring the three outfits in from the car.

Gu Ling handed Xue Ci his clothes. The outfit was white, with a subtle underlying pattern and an elaborate, courtly design. The shirt collar alone displayed the fine, exquisite workmanship.

Someone without taste wouldn't have known to ask for a design like this.

It was Xue Ci's first time wearing this kind of clothing, so he took a little longer. Just as he finished putting on the jacket, someone knocked on the door.

When he opened it, Gu Ling stood there, his expression blanking for a moment.

Xue Ci's elaborate, fitted outfit outlined his slender waist, with two straight legs beneath it. His small face was pale, his eyelashes lowered, and he looked unreal, like a little prince who had stepped out of a fairy tale.

"Did I put it on wrong?" Xue Ci asked cautiously when he saw Gu Ling staring at him.

"No."

Gu Ling came back to his senses and reached out to straighten Xue Ci's collar.

Both his hands were close to Xue Ci's neck, and they were very close together. Yet Xue Ci remained oblivious, looking up and smiling at him. "Thank you, Big Brother."

A heavy, uneven thudding came from Gu Ling's heart.

His prominent Adam's apple bobbed. His voice was deeper than usual, with a texture like stone ground against stone.

"It suits you."

Very beautiful.

Gu Xu and Duan Xingyan wore custom-made suits with more youthful designs. Duan Xingyan wore no tie and had left two buttons on his shirt undone, much like his casual, languid personality.

But both looked more mature than they usually did at school.

Hu Shenglan stood up and walked a circle around Xue Ci, repeatedly lamenting that she hadn't given birth to someone like him.

"So pretty, so pretty!"

The praise made Xue Ci's ears burn. He thanked her softly, then pressed his lips together and smiled at her.

Hu Shenglan suddenly remembered a corseted princess-style dress she had seen on TV.

It should suit Xue Ci too.

She really wanted to try it.

She glanced at Gu Ling, who stood beside Xue Ci. Come to think of it, Gu Ling had personally supervised every step of making this outfit, down to the pleats in the shirt.

The care he had put into it, and the distance between the two of them now... Hu Shenglan grew thoughtful. She had thought Gu Ling was so devoted to his work that he wouldn't have such thoughts about anyone.

And then there was Duan Xingyan. For the past two years, the boy had refused to have a birthday banquet because he disliked such occasions, and he hadn't attended any family events either. She hadn't expected him to agree this year.

As for the reason, Hu Shenglan had guessed most of it.

But... there was only one Xue Ci. What if they fought over him later?

Time at school seemed to fly by, and soon it was the end of the month. Xue Ci was to be picked up on Friday afternoon.

Thinking of being squeezed in the back seat with Gu Xu and Duan Xingyan, he found an excuse to delay things with Gu Ling and managed to secure a ride by himself.

He had discovered that although Gu Ling looked sharp and aloof, he was actually very easy to talk to.

The weather had turned thoroughly hot. The leaves curled in the sun, and the cicadas chirped tirelessly.

Xue Ci refused to let Xie Yishu hold an umbrella over him, saying he wasn't that delicate. Xie Yishu didn't insist, instead wrapping him up tightly in a sun-protection jacket and doing his best to shield him from the sunlight with his body along the way.

The dorm was some distance from the school gates, and quite a few clubs were holding activities along the way. When one of the girls saw Xue Ci, she came over carrying a box.

After hearing her brief introduction, Xue Ci learned that her club was holding an event to promote accurate knowledge of physiology. He accepted a bound pamphlet. "I'll read it carefully."

The girl mistakenly thought Xue Ci was an Omega and assumed Xie Yishu, standing beside him, was his boyfriend. She took a condom from the box and handed it over.

It was only after Xue Ci took it that he saw what it was.

His ears burned, and he felt a little awkward, but he didn't think it was anything strange, so he forced himself to stay calm.

After nodding and thanking her, he gave one to Xie Yishu.

"I don't need it." Xie Yishu bent down. "Do you know how to use one?"

"Hm?" Xue Ci blinked in confusion.

"I've never used one, so I don't know how."

I see...

There was finally something Xie Yishu didn't know. Xue Ci said solemnly, "I've seen it on TV. I can teach you."

Xie Yishu's lips curved. "Okay."

After Xue Ci left, he looked at the little thing in his palm.

Xue Ci's scent still lingered on it.

When Xue Ci got home, there were three people in the living room. Besides Gu Xu and Duan Xingyan, Xin Yue was there too.

Xin Yue said he had nothing to do over the weekend and had to attend the banquet anyway, so he might as well come early and keep his brother company.

Of course, Gu Xu looked disdainful when Xin Yue said that. He scoffed inwardly, wondering why he had never noticed how disgusting Xin Yue was before, going on about how important a nineteenth birthday was and how, as his brother, he wanted to come keep him company.

The adults were all away, busy with preparations for the birthday banquet, and the atmosphere in the villa was relaxed. Xin Yue had even brought a game of Aeroplane Chess, just right for the four of them to pass the time.

Xue Ci had never played before and was eager to try.

Xin Yue smoothly took a cushion off the sofa and laid it beside himself. "Xue Ci, sit here."

Gu Xu glanced over.

He genuinely felt that Xin Yue's attitude toward Xue Ci was unlike that of an ordinary roommate. He was far too attentive.

He opened his mouth, but when he saw that Xue Ci had already sat down, he closed it again.

The rules were simple. The four gathered around and played two rounds, both of which Xue Ci won. The game money in the other three players' hands added together still came to less than his.

They don't seem to be as good as me.

Xue Ci boasted quietly to 11.

Every time the host spoke up of his own accord, 11 got excited. It immediately took physical form and rubbed its round body against Xue Ci's cheek.

The rubbing tickled a little, and Xue Ci reached out and stroked it with his slender fingers.

It was fluffy.

The Beta's expression softened. The others could tell he was in a good mood too, and they played more casually, as though deliberately losing all their money to Xue Ci.

But halfway through the game, Xue Ci suddenly began to feel unwell.

It took effort to lift his hands, and his limbs felt weak.

His skin itched and tingled, faintly hot and much more sensitive than usual. Even the movement of air stirred up by the Alphas' casual motions made him tremble slightly.

How strange...

"Buzz"-

The phone in his jacket pocket suddenly vibrated, right against his waist. The discomfort nearly made Xue Ci moan. He bit his lower lip to hold it back, and a vivid peach flush spread over his skin.

Afraid the phone would vibrate again, Xue Ci struggled to take it out of his jacket and put it on the floor, but accidentally pulled something else out with it-

There was a very soft sound.

But it was clear to the Alphas, with their sharp sight and hearing, and they all looked at the thing that had fallen to the floor.

Once they saw what it was, their expressions tightened, alarm bells ringing in their minds.

Xue Ci hadn't noticed that the atmosphere had changed, like a herbivore unaware of the pack of wolves around it. He discreetly picked the thing up and stuffed it back into his pocket.

Little did he know that the Alphas could see his eyelashes trembling with nerves, his short breaths, and his pink-tinged fingers as clear as day.

The author had something to say:

Sadly, there's only one baby, sob sob sob sob.