The Beta from the Countryside (14)

The pupils of the two Alphas standing downstairs both contracted slightly.

Xin Yue had run into Duan Xingyan just as he was about to leave the banquet, so he had made up an excuse to return to the Gu home with him.

As soon as they came in, they heard all that.

What did he mean, "wanted to touch him with my mouth"??

What on earth had Gu Xu done to Xue Ci?

Xin Yue's head buzzed. Forgetting all reason, he rushed upstairs in a few strides-

Gu Xu's hair was half wet, his messy bangs hanging over his forehead and obscuring his dark eyes, which looked much more haggard than usual. Pheromones that had yet to dissipate completely still clung to him.

Blood rushed to Xin Yue's head. "What did you do to Xue Ci?"

Gu Xu felt guilty only toward Xue Ci. Seeing Xin Yue so agitated, he frowned deeply. "What are you doing here?"

"I..." Xin Yue didn't dare raise his voice too much either. "I came to see Xue Ci. Good thing I did, or were you going to mark-"

Gu Xu cut him off coldly. "What nonsense are you spouting? I used an inhibitor injection."

Xin Yue looked at Gu Xu's arm. There was indeed a bruise left by an inhibitor injection.

He felt a little more at ease.

But when he thought of what Gu Xu had just said, he was still uneasy.

"When you're in your susceptible period, you should lock yourself up. Why are you going into heat all over the place?"

Xin Yue looked at him with disgust, irritated at the same time.

Xue Ci was so gentle that he wouldn't even fight back if someone bullied him.

Gu Xu looked away, opening his mouth and closing it again. "I... only hugged him."

He did feel guilty, but the way Xin Yue cared so much struck him as strange.

He said coldly, "Of course I knew who he was when I hugged him. Who do you think made me enter my susceptible period?"

Xin Yue froze, at a loss for words.

The atmosphere froze.

Having said something no different from a confession, Gu Xu felt especially awkward. He scratched his hair. "I just... hugged him, that's all. I didn't do anything else."

Xin Yue frowned. "Didn't you just say you wanted to-"

"Why don't you say it even louder?"

Duan Xingyan, standing a few meters away, spoke coldly to the two of them.

Xin Yue shut his mouth at once and glanced toward Xue Ci's bedroom door.

The two tall Alphas fell silent, their expressions stiff.

Gu Xu hadn't managed to speak to Xue Ci and had been thoroughly scolded on top of that. His mood couldn't have been worse. Even so, he didn't dare raise his voice again. He signaled Xin Yue with his eyes, telling him to go downstairs.

Downstairs, Xin Yue was less impulsive than before, but he still wanted to know what Gu Xu had done to make Xue Ci so angry.

Only after going to the kitchen and drinking two bottles of water in succession did Gu Xu recount what had happened since he returned from the banquet.

Of course, he concealed part of the truth-he had entered his susceptible period just from seeing the photos Hu Shenglan had taken of Xue Ci. And when Xue Ci struggled a few times in his arms, he had actually... Even Gu Xu himself found it unbelievable.

When Xin Yue heard that Xue Ci had personally made Gu Xu soup to sober him up, his expression dimmed.

He knew Xue Ci was fond of Gu Xu.

He had thought that since Gu Xu strongly opposed the marriage arranged by his family and didn't care about Xue Ci, he could treat Xue Ci well over time and Xue Ci would come to like him instead.

But now Gu Xu was completely smitten.

Perhaps before long, the two of them would settle their marriage.

Xin Yue ought to be happy for his brother.

He should wish them well, then put away his own shameful thoughts about Xue Ci.

But why did his heart ache faintly?

Xue Ci, hiding in his room, knew nothing about the strange atmosphere outside.

After struggling out of Gu Xu's arms, he had quickly locked the door and even checked the windows.

He didn't know why Gu Xu was so angry.

Xue Ci pursed his lips.

In the end, he attributed it to an Alpha's volatile temper under the influence of his susceptible period.

He found some ABO physiology lessons through 11 and studied them carefully, not even hearing the argument outside his door.

When he read about how Alphas behaved in heat, Xue Ci was so frightened that he immediately touched the back of his neck.

The skin there had grown hot where Gu Xu had pressed his nose against it. It ached and tingled, and it still felt uncomfortable.

The material said that biting the gland was only a temporary mark. To mark someone completely, an Alpha would put all his pheromones into the reproductive cavity and then knot, increasing the chances of conception.

The whole process would last about a week.

Why couldn't he understand those words when they were put together...? Xue Ci closed the information screen and curled up under the covers. Gu Xu's words, "Alphas are all dogs that piss everywhere," kept popping into his head, and he slept fitfully all night.

He also had a terrifying dream in which he encountered a tall, powerful Alpha who kept sniffing around his neck and ears and even sucked on his fingers.

Xue Ci woke in fright and got out of bed covered in cold sweat.

His phone showed that it was eight in the morning, and there were quite a few unread messages.

He opened them. Gu Xu's messages were at the top, and they were all apologies.

The rest were from his three Alpha roommates.

Alphas... It dawned on Xue Ci that everyone around him was an Alpha.

Perhaps because of last night's dream, he was now a little prejudiced against Alphas.

Xue Ci put down his phone, looking dispirited. He carefully opened his bedroom door and poked half his head out. Only after seeing that Gu Xu wasn't outside did he feel reassured enough to go downstairs.

Grandpa Butler was preparing breakfast. Xue Ci sat down in a chair, and the progress bar suddenly rose by a lot.

The plot was progressing smoothly.

He opened his phone. Gu Xu was sending messages along with money transfers.

[Your bank account has received 1,000,000.00 yuan.]

[I was wrong last night.]

[Your bank account has received 5,000,000.00 yuan.]

[Please talk to me, Xue Ci.]

Xue Ci was surprised. He was considering returning the money when someone sat down in the chair beside him.

He turned.

Duan Xingyan was looking at him, a very large Shiba Inu plush cushion in his arms.

After confirming that the Beta had no injuries apart from the red mark on the back of his neck, Duan Xingyan's expression relaxed.

Xue Ci was still staring longingly at the plush in his arms.

The Alpha chuckled.

"I bought it for you. Do you want it?"

Xue Ci said nothing.

Duan Xingyan was patient and coaxed him gently. "Are you still angry?"

Only then did Xue Ci slowly shake his head. "I'm not angry."

He lowered his eyes, his eyelashes thick and curled, his profile soft and well-behaved. "I'm just... a little afraid of Alphas."

"I don't count as an Alpha."

Xue Ci froze, his eyes widening as he looked at Duan Xingyan.

An Alpha's gland was powerful but fragile, and it shouldn't be casually shown to outsiders, especially if it had been damaged. But now, Duan Xingyan leaned forward and exposed the back of his neck completely to Xue Ci. "My gland was lost a long time ago. I don't have pheromones, and I can't go into heat."

There was an old scar on the back of Duan Xingyan's neck. Deep and long, it looked as fierce as a winding centipede.

It was clear that he had been badly hurt at the time.

Duan Xingyan had thought he would mind, but actually telling Xue Ci about it made him feel relieved instead.

It was as though the scar had served its greatest purpose yet-he had used it as an opportunity to get closer to Xue Ci.

Now Xue Ci knew the secret he had hidden in his heart.

"That must have hurt."

Xue Ci spoke very softly.

Duan Xingyan smiled as though it didn't matter. The next moment, he felt a warm, soft touch linger on it.

Xue Ci... was touching his scar.

The old scar had long since stopped hurting or itching, but Duan Xingyan felt half his body go numb at the touch. He looked carefree and easygoing, but he actually hated being touched by others.

Xue Ci's fingertips were warm, making his skin tingle and his back tremble.

His heartbeat began to falter.

He had only wanted Xue Ci not to dislike him, but now he had gained his sympathy instead. As though he had gotten a taste of something sweet, Duan Xingyan mentioned seemingly casually, "I lost a lot of blood back then."

Sure enough, Xue Ci lowered his eyes and began to comfort him. "It's all in the past now. Actually, you're amazing even without pheromones. You get good grades and you're good-looking. Lots of people will like you."

Duan Xingyan looked at him. "Will someone like me?"

Xue Ci nodded firmly.

Duan Xingyan chuckled and dropped the subject. He sat up straight and handed Xue Ci the plush in his arms. "Here. I picked out the biggest one."

Xue Ci rested his head on the Shiba Inu and hugged it, his eyes curving. "Thank you."

He suddenly remembered that yesterday had also been Duan Xingyan's birthday.

"Wait for me!"

Duan Xingyan watched Xue Ci put down the cushion and hurry upstairs. He came back down shortly afterward, panting softly from running, his lips rosy.

"This is for you."

Xue Ci handed him a box of scar-removal medicine, which he had bought with points from the system store.

It should... work better than the medicine in this small world.

Duan Xingyan stared for a long moment before slowly accepting it.

The warm, harmonious atmosphere here made Gu Xu, coming downstairs, look like an orphan.

He sat down across from Xue Ci, glancing at him constantly. Several times he tried to bring up what had happened last night, but Xue Ci wouldn't even look him in the eye.

Even by the end of breakfast, he hadn't found a chance to speak to Xue Ci.

After breakfast, Xue Ci didn't return to his room. He went out to the garden to tend to the roses. No sooner had he left than Gu Xu followed and crouched down beside him.

The Alpha was too close. When his shoulder brushed against Xue Ci's, Xue Ci instinctively covered the back of his own neck with his hand.

"I... didn't mean to do that." Gu Xu was a little embarrassed and also felt dejected by Xue Ci's wariness. "I was wrong. Are you still angry?"

Xue Ci actually had a very good temper. Even without following the original plot, he was no longer angry.

He shook his head to show he wasn't angry anymore, then turned his attention back to the roses.

The easy forgiveness left Gu Xu feeling unsettled.

He stared at Xue Ci's soft, rosy profile and the back of his neck, where Gu Xu's nose had left a red mark.

On most people, the mark would have faded by the next day, but Xue Ci seemed more delicate.

He was delicate, and Gu Xu had made him uncomfortable, so even with his good temper, he didn't want to talk to him.

When Xue Ci stood up, Gu Xu panicked and immediately half-blocked his way. "You... why don't you slap me, or kick me?"

Xue Ci: "?"

Seeing Xue Ci's expression finally change, Gu Xu acted like a shameless elementary schooler. He grabbed Xue Ci's arm and leaned his face closer. "Go on, hit me. Use all your strength."

Xue Ci had never heard a request like that before.

It seemed... an honest person couldn't refuse someone.

"You don't know how to slap someone? I-"

Before Gu Xu could finish, his face jerked to the side with a smack. A faintly sweet breeze swept past his ear, and a few seconds later, his left cheek burned.

Xue Ci had actually hit him.

And he had used a lot of force.

His cheek stung and tingled, and something like a rush of heat shot up his back.

"Y-you're bleeding from your nose!" Xue Ci exclaimed softly.

Had he used that much force? He had slapped him hard enough to give him a nosebleed.

The young man looked at a loss. Just as he was about to lean closer to check the injury, Duan Xingyan wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Go wipe it off."

Duan Xingyan glanced expressionlessly at Gu Xu, who had been left dazed by that slap.

Gu Xu came to his senses and turned away in embarrassment.

After a few steps, he realized something.

The blood had rushed not only to his nose, but also to... a certain place.

The author had something to say:

He got off on it again.

A quote from the guy secretly getting off on it: "Why don't you slap me?"