The Beta from the Countryside (13)

The chill gradually dissipated, leaving the blankets filled with damp warmth.

Xue Ci woke two hours later. His hair was a mess, his cheeks bore several red marks from where they had been pressed against the pillow, and his unfocused eyes made it obvious he was still groggy.

11 was thrilled to see him awake and wanted to snuggle up to him. But remembering that its host was uncomfortable, it retreated dejectedly.

It bumped the switch on the little orange lamp beside the bed. Its light was not too harsh.

[Host, your skin hunger has arrived ahead of schedule.]

[The plot develops a little differently in every world, but your skin hunger arriving early won't affect your upcoming tasks.] The system ball comforted Xue Ci. [It's only two days early, so it's not much. Besides, after an episode of skin hunger, you won't have another one for several days.]

Xue Ci was still dazed. It took him a moment to give a sluggish nod.

No one around him had ever suffered from this strange condition, and he had only skimmed over it in books.

A prolonged lack of affection led to an intense craving for physical contact and hugs from others, or even deeper forms of intimacy.

It was a psychological disorder.

For the unfortunate Xue Ci in this world's setting, developing skin hunger later on made perfect sense.

Xue Ci raised his arm and found his skin sticky and uncomfortable. A fine layer of sweat still covered him, so he got up and climbed out of bed. The oversized T-shirt that had been bunched around his waist slipped down with the movement.

Its hem swayed loosely.

Although he had already made it through the worst of it, Xue Ci still felt afraid when he recalled the sensation of his skin trembling and his limbs refusing to obey him.

Skin hunger was harder to endure than he had imagined.

Xue Ci took a change of clothes to the bathroom. When he came out, he found the villa quiet, with only Grandpa Butler there.

"The two young masters went to the old residence for tomorrow's birthday banquet. You were resting at the time, so Madam didn't call you." Afraid Xue Ci might think he had been left behind, the butler made sure to explain. "Are you hungry?"

His stomach was empty.

Xue Ci touched it and nodded.

The young masters of the Gu family all kept irregular schedules, so fresh ingredients were always stocked in the refrigerator. It was already nine at night, and the butler prepared some easily digested seafood congee for Xue Ci.

Xue Ci thought of Xin Yue. "Has my classmate gone back to his room? Has he eaten?"

"You mean Young Master Xin Yue? He's already gone home." The butler handed him a phone. "He went upstairs to bring you your phone, but he saw you were asleep, so he asked me to give it to you."

Xue Ci took the phone and opened his messages.

Aside from notifications in the class group chat, the remaining messages were from Xie Yishu and Duan Xingyan. None of them were important.

After replying, Xue Ci called Xin Yue.

The call connected after only two rings. The Alpha's voice was lower and huskier than usual, with a little less of its youthful quality. "Hello, are you awake?"

Xue Ci nodded. A second later, he realized they were on the phone and the other person couldn't see him, so he gave an emphatic "Mm." "Did you go home early?"

"Yeah... something came up at home."

Xue Ci didn't notice the guilt in Xin Yue's voice and felt a little regretful. "Grandpa Butler's seafood congee is really good."

He pursed his lips. "You'll have to come over and try it next time."

After the call ended, the Alpha on the other end slumped over his desk in shame.

He had just taken a cold shower, but the pheromones remaining on his body kept surging, and his head was still full of all sorts of scenes.

Xue Ci was so good to him, yet he kept thinking about those things... Xin Yue forced the less-than-proper images out of his head. But that night, he dreamed of something even more excessive.

In the dream, Xue Ci held him and cried until his voice was hoarse, but he still kept bullying him.

The dreams came and went all night, nearly driving Xin Yue mad.

He despised himself-he really was a hopeless pervert.

The birthday banquet was being held at an estate in Fog City. The estate stood halfway up a mountain, with a pleasant temperature and beautiful scenery. The roses of various colors in the courtyard had been left untrimmed, blooming in all their natural beauty.

Gu Xu and Duan Xingyan weren't the only people being celebrated at the birthday banquet. The Gu family also wanted to take the opportunity to formally introduce Xue Ci to the public.

Of course, they didn't intend to make the engagement agreement between the Gu family and Xue Ci public. That was a matter of the younger generation's personal wishes.

Xue Ci would be introduced as the grandson of an old friend of the Gu family head.

Simply put, they wanted everyone to know that Xue Ci had the Gu family backing him and wasn't some pitiful orphan they could easily bully.

Holy Spiral Academy had a strict class hierarchy. As an ordinary person entering the school, Xue Ci was bound to be isolated and excluded to some degree. The child had a tragic background and had never been valued. He had gone through great hardship to come from the countryside to find them; they didn't want their kindness to leave him worse off than before.

After the announcement, everyone's eyes fell on the beautiful young man surrounded by several of the Gu family's young masters.

The adults didn't know Xue Ci, but nearly all the guests his age attended the aristocratic academy.

Xue Ci was well known among them because of his looks. Before this, they hadn't known about this connection.

"Is he really a Beta?"

"I heard he has an engagement with the Gu family. Gu Xu often talks to him at school, and Duan Xingyan shares a dorm with him."

"I thought he and Xin Yue were a couple."

"I heard Xie Yishu protects him every day too."

"No wonder Xie Yishu came today. He's never attended a Gu family birthday banquet before."

"But his looks really are, tsk."

It was Xue Ci's first time attending a banquet like this, and he felt a little uncomfortable.

Hu Shenglan patted his head. "There are little cakes and drinks on that cart over there. If anyone comes to talk to you, just ignore them. I'll have Gu Xu come find you when he's free."

Xue Ci nodded solemnly.

He really was a little shy around strangers, so as soon as he spotted a tall, familiar figure, he immediately stuck close to him.

A soft weight settled against the crook of his arm. Xin Yue knew who it was without turning around.

The scent... was all too familiar.

His broad shoulders tensed. He turned to see Xue Ci looking up at him, cheeks puffed out, looking a little aggrieved. "I've been looking for you for ages."

Acting spoiled.

Xue Ci really depended on him. And Xue Ci in formal clothes today...

Xin Yue stared until Xue Ci nudged him with his arm in displeasure. He immediately looked away, his face flushing red. "I, I was looking for you too."

Seeing someone familiar made Xue Ci feel much more at ease.

He went over to the cart with Xin Yue, who fetched the cakes while he sampled them.

He just felt that something was a little off about Xin Yue today. His face seemed to be red the whole time. Maybe his suit was too hot.

"Are you hot?"

Xin Yue's shoulders stiffened. "Wh-what?"

"You seem a little hot." Xue Ci took the handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to him. "Let's go inside."

Xin Yue took the handkerchief, brushed the tip of his nose against it, and took a deep breath.

Elsewhere, Xie Yishu watched the two of them not far away, his gaze cold as they shared a cozy moment.

The tall Alpha was like an obedient dog that couldn't be driven away, following close at Xue Ci's side.

Xie Yishu's eyes gradually darkened, his expression unreadable.

Don't smile like that at other stray dogs.

Two hours had passed since the banquet began. Xue Ci had toured the entire estate and was thoroughly bored, so he planned to go home early.

He checked Gu Ling's location with 11. When he got there, he found Gu Ling talking to someone, so he waited behind him.

The person Gu Ling was speaking to noticed Xue Ci as well and stopped talking.

Gu Ling realized something and quickly turned around. When he saw Xue Ci, his formerly cold features softened. "What is it?"

Xue Ci said quietly, "I want to go home."

"Tired from having fun?" Gu Ling casually removed a small petal that had landed on Xue Ci's head. "I'll have my assistant take you back. Don't wander off."

Little did he know that his friend behind him was too stunned to speak.

He had known Gu Ling for years and had never seen him speak so gently to anyone. Could it be... His friend looked at Xue Ci's face again.

Well... he could understand.

An hour later, Xue Ci returned to the villa as he had wished. According to the plot, he was afraid Gu Xu would dislike his gift, so he hesitated and never gave it to him. Seeing that Gu Xu had gotten drunk at the birthday banquet, he made him a bowl of hangover soup himself.

Xue Ci first searched online, then went to the kitchen to find the ingredients.

The butler didn't dare interfere with Xue Ci's sudden whim, but he watched from the side the whole time, afraid he would burn or hurt himself.

Following the steps online, Xue Ci spent over an hour making the hangover soup. Judging by its color alone, it looked quite convincing. But after a small taste, his little face scrunched up.

Did I put in salt instead of sugar...?

Xue Ci took an embarrassed sip of water.

There weren't enough ingredients left for another batch, and Gu Xu wouldn't drink it anyway. Xue Ci convinced himself, put the salty soup in the refrigerator, and went back to his room to rest.

According to the plot, Gu Xu wouldn't return to the villa until that night. Xue Ci played games for a while out of boredom, struggling to keep his eyes open until ten, when Gu Xu finally came back.

He climbed out of bed, still looking a little sleepy.

After confirming with 11 that Gu Xu had returned to his room to rest, Xue Ci took the hangover soup from the refrigerator and carried it upstairs.

Knock, knock.

He deliberately knocked hard.

Sure enough, Gu Xu looked very displeased when he opened the door, his eyes lowered and his lips pressed into a straight line.

He also carried a faint smell of alcohol.

Xue Ci could feel Gu Xu staring straight at him. He figured Gu Xu must be thoroughly annoyed with him.

"I made you some hangover soup."

He spoke quietly.

Gu Xu looked a little surprised, but he quickly looked away and reached out to take it.

Xue Ci dodged him, doing his best to be annoying. "Are you feeling unwell? I'll carry it inside for you."

It was Xue Ci's first time entering Gu Xu's room. It was furnished simply in gray, black, and white.

After setting the hangover soup on the table, Xue Ci wanted to say something else, but when he turned around, he nearly ran into Gu Xu's chest.

When did he get so close?!

Startled, Xue Ci tried to step back, only for his waist to bump straight into the table.

Gu Xu's eyes were dark and heavy, his breathing rougher than usual. Veins stood out prominently on the arm braced beside Xue Ci, and beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

It looked as though he could swallow Xue Ci whole the next second.

Xue Ci couldn't smell the heavy scent of woody pheromones in the room. Thinking Gu Xu was going to hit him, he seized a chance and hurried out of the room.

His steps were quicker than usual, but the Alpha behind him caught up in two or three strides.

Just before he reached his own room, Gu Xu embraced him from behind.

The Alpha was astonishingly strong. Xue Ci couldn't even find a way to put up a struggle. The air was slowly squeezed from his chest, his cheeks reddened, and he couldn't help letting out a soft whimper.

"...I, I can't breathe."

Xue Ci's voice was faint.

Gu Xu loosened his grip a little, but still didn't let go.

"So many people were looking at you today." The Alpha's voice was impossibly hoarse, as if he were desperately holding something back. "You're so beautiful."

"You're really so beautiful, Xue Ci."

Xue Ci paused.

He could tell something was wrong with Gu Xu. Gu Xu's burning body heat reached him through their clothes, making him very uncomfortable.

"Don't pay any attention to them."

"You're so clean."

"Those Alphas are all like dogs, pissing wherever they please."

The Alpha wasn't making sense. Xue Ci thought he was drunk and softly called his name, trying to bring him to his senses. "Gu Xu..."

He felt Gu Xu's body stiffen.

Then something pressed against the back of his neck.

Xue Ci was truly frightened. "Gu, Gu Xu..."

As if he couldn't hear him, Gu Xu pressed the tip of his straight nose against the fair, soft flesh at the back of Xue Ci's neck, soon leaving a small indentation.

The skin was rubbed red as well.

Xue Ci was scared witless and whimpered softly without thinking.

The bridge of Gu Xu's nose no longer pressed against him, but his burning breath washed over Xue Ci, making him shudder violently.

11 screamed in his head: [Host! He's in rut!!! He wants to pump his pheromones in! The pheromones will go into your neck-]

Xue Ci knew.

It meant marking him.

Even though he had no gland, it would still leave the back of his neck wet and swollen.

It would hurt a lot.

Xue Ci was very afraid of pain. Terrified, he used all his strength to turn halfway around, his waist and legs moving wildly.

He didn't know what he had touched, but Gu Xu finally let him go. The beads of sweat on Gu Xu's forehead gathered and rolled down as he let out a muffled, restrained groan.

When Xin Yue arrived at the Gu residence with Duan Xingyan, the entire villa was quiet.

The sound of knocking on the second floor was especially conspicuous.

The two had just stopped walking when Gu Xu's slightly dejected voice reached them clearly downstairs.

"...I was wrong, Xue Ci."

"I drank all the hangover soup. It was very good."

"And..."

"I wasn't going to mark you. I just... wanted to... touch you with my mouth."

Author's note:

The reason Gu Xu went into rut was that he saw the photos Hu Shenglan took of baby.

He's just simping without realizing it.

Of course, he got off on baby kicking him. Lucky him. [yellow heart][yellow heart][yellow heart]