The Beta from the countryside (04)

Xue Ci had a small frame and didn't look like he had much flesh on him, but he felt soft when he crashed into him.

Gu Xu felt as though he had caught a cat, which had rubbed against him in passing.

He steadied his racing heart and reached out to support the back of Xue Ci's neck. Xue Ci rubbed the tip of his nose and looked at him with damp eyes.

Acting all coquettish as soon as he got home.

Gu Xu looked away and withdrew his arm. "What are you doing?" he asked, his tone somewhat unnatural.

Then he glanced at Gu Ling. "Brother, you're back. Have you two met? What were you talking about just now?"

There was a barely perceptible urgency in his voice.

Gu Ling gave a faint "Mm." His lips parted, but in the end he said nothing, instead looking at Xue Ci as though waiting for him to speak.

Xue Ci secretly tucked the underwear into his pocket, thinking he had moved fast enough that Gu Xu wouldn't notice.

"I came downstairs to see if you were back."

The Beta sounded so aggrieved, like a wife complaining after waiting a long time for her husband to come home.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when the heat that had just faded surged through Gu Xu again.

The living room fell quiet. The two young men, close in age, stood facing each other like a young couple still getting to know each other after an arranged marriage between their families. Their eldest brother, who was eight years older than them, stood a few meters away. A minute ago, he had still been holding a piece of his younger brother's intended spouse's underwear.

The butler's arrival broke the undercurrent at just the right moment. After he introduced Xue Ci to Gu Ling, Xue Ci obediently called him "Big brother" again.

"Young Master Xue Ci, Madam Hu has already had the clothes, toys, and books delivered." The butler smiled at Gu Ling. "Oh, and President Gu, Madam said she would trouble you to help Young Master Xue Ci with his entrance exam."

Gu Ling frowned slightly.

It would be more efficient to hire a tutor for something like this.

He was about to suggest it when he saw Xue Ci looking at him with round eyes.

The Beta's hair was soft, and a lingering flush still colored his cheeks. Besides surprise, there seemed to be a little anticipation in his light-colored eyes. He was rather different from the Gu family's children.

He was the grandson of the family head's close friend, after all. It would be impolite to refuse outright.

At worst, he could raise him like a younger brother.

In the end, Gu Ling accepted the task.

He didn't stay long and returned to the company to deal with paperwork, but the image of Xue Ci's delicate skin suddenly popped into his mind.

He probably wouldn't be easy to raise.

Meanwhile, Xue Ci had no time to worry about studying under the watchful eye of Gu Ling, who looked like he was good at criticizing people. His immediate priority was to get hold of Gu Xu's clothes and complete the task in time.

Unfortunately, Gu Xu was still waiting for a late-night snack and showed no sign of going to take a shower.

Xue Ci was a little worried.

In the kitchen, Gu Xu had just asked the butler to prepare two late-night snacks when he turned around and saw Xue Ci staring straight at him.

His back involuntarily stiffened, and pheromones spilled uncontrollably from his body.

The Alpha's pheromones had a rich, mellow woody scent, but unfortunately, Xue Ci couldn't smell it.

Seeing that the deadline was approaching, he simply asked, "Aren't you going to take a shower?"

What was this about taking a shower...? The Alpha scratched his hair awkwardly, then lowered his head to sniff himself. He had only spent those two hours out with friends, hadn't played basketball, and didn't smell unpleasantly of sweat.

Even though he didn't understand why Xue Ci was urging him to shower, he still said "Oh" and strode upstairs.

He hadn't expected Xue Ci to follow him.

When they reached the bathroom door, Gu Xu finally couldn't hold back. "You... why did you follow me?"

"Your jacket's dirty. I'll take it and wash it for you."

With ten minutes left before the task deadline, Xue Ci's voice grew urgent, sounding soft and sticky, as though filled with water. Even the air around them seemed damp and sweet.

At the mention of washing clothes, Gu Xu's back felt as though it had been scorched by fire, and his ears burned. He froze for two seconds before putting on a cold front and refusing.

The Alpha's attitude made it look nonnegotiable.

He had probably guessed that Xue Ci would ruin his clothes in the wash.

At the thought of thirty points about to fly away, Xue Ci gave a disappointed "Oh" and lowered his head.

11 landed on his shoulder. [The protagonist is so mean! Don't be sad, Host. There'll be lots more tasks in the future.]

Less than two seconds after 11 finished cursing him, a flash of white entered Xue Ci's view. He looked closely and saw that it was a wristband used for basketball.

He looked up. Gu Xu was looking away, not at him. "If you want to wash something, wash this."

Xue Ci reached out, then hesitated with his hand suspended in midair.

[Does this count too?]

11 nodded vigorously. [It does, Host! This wristband is very expensive. It can count as a piece of clothing.]

Xue Ci quietly apologized to the wristband. Pressed for time, he took it and ran downstairs excitedly.

His retreating figure was as cheerful as a fledgling that had just learned to fly.

He had finally coaxed him away.

He wouldn't do this sort of thing again.

Gu Xu returned to his room and suddenly remembered that Xue Ci seemed to have taken something from his brother's hand earlier too.

Would he take anyone's clothes?

Those jumbled thoughts ran through his head all night. When Gu Xu woke up the next day, he radiated a gloomy air. Xue Ci was downstairs too, sitting ramrod straight at the dining table, looking exactly like a child waiting for a teacher to hand out food at kindergarten.

Gu Xu sat down on the other side.

Xue Ci clutched the washed wristband in his hand. His task today was to make the protagonist unhappy.

Judging by Gu Xu's expression... it felt like he had already completed it.

"Are your classes this afternoon?" Xue Ci found an opportunity to speak while lunch was being prepared.

Gu Xu gave an "Mm." A trace of the irritation he'd woken up with still lingered between his brows, making him look unapproachable.

Xue Ci pursed his lips. He was about to mention that the wristband had been ruined in the wash when the person across from him suddenly spoke. "Are you reading at home today?"

"Mm, big brother said he'd help me mark the important points."

Gu Xu's tone was lukewarm. "Did you see him this morning?"

"Mm."

After that perfunctory answer, Xue Ci handed over the wristband. After a whole night in the washing machine, it was so wrinkled that its original shape was completely unrecognizable.

"I'm sorry," he apologized quietly. "Once I've saved up enough money, I'll buy you an identical one," he said sincerely.

Gu Xu raised his eyes, gave it a brief glance, and took the wristband back without showing any disgust.

But the notification that the task was complete sounded.

?

Apparently, he was so angry he'd suffered internal injuries and no longer wanted to talk to him.

Gu Xu looked rather scary with that cold expression. Xue Ci steered clear of the storm and didn't stay in the living room, eating even his lunch in his room.

Not long after lunch, Gu Ling's assistant delivered the books with the important points marked and some past exam papers.

The main story in this world took place at the noble academy, including his later pursuit of the protagonist and his giving up. To advance the plot, his current major goal was to pass the entrance exam.

He needed to study hard.

Xue Ci rallied his spirits.

Even 11, beside him, had tied a red strip of cloth bearing the word "Strive" around his round belly.

But... why did his eyelids feel as though they were glued together whenever he looked at a book?

A breeze stirred the curtains, carrying the room's hazy scent to the doorway.

After knocking several times without a response, Gu Ling opened the door and found himself enveloped in a faint, sweet, misty fragrance.

The room was quiet, the air-conditioning set to a comfortable temperature, and the window was open a crack.

The room's occupant was lying over the desk and didn't seem to notice anyone coming in.

Gu Ling involuntarily softened his steps. Only when he drew closer did he realize Xue Ci had fallen asleep.

He was completely relaxed, his head resting on his arm, curled into a small bundle. His shoulder blades pressed against his soft clothes, their curves clearly visible. The soft flesh of his cheek was squished against his arm, his nose was small, and his eyelashes trembled slightly like wings.

A sheet from an entrance exam lay beneath his arm.

Gu Ling shifted his gaze to it, and his pupils contracted slightly-

He had only answered four multiple-choice questions in total.

Three were wrong.

"I finished it, and I checked it over once too." There was a hint of guilt in Xue Ci's obedient voice. Anyone caught red-handed falling asleep over their books would have felt the same. He also hadn't expected Gu Ling, who was so busy he practically lived at the company, to set aside time specifically to tutor him.

Parents helping with homework were all scary. Their voices rose to three times their usual volume, and their patience dropped straight into the negatives.

He wondered whether Gu Ling would be the same.

Perhaps he would be even worse than the average parent.

Xue Ci involuntarily straightened his back and watched the man checking his exam paper nervously.

The sky was growing dim, and the desk lamp was on. Its light cast Gu Ling's profile half in shadow, making his expression impossible to read.

"This question-"

The deep voice sounded beside his ear. Xue Ci's shoulders flinched, and he immediately leaned closer. "I think I still need to check it one more time," he said quietly.

His voice sounded pitiful.

That fluffy head was rather cute, though.

Even the usually strict Gu Ling couldn't say what he was feeling. He had helped Gu Xu with homework a few times before, and his mood had been completely different from this time. He pushed the paper over and saw Xue Ci breathe a sigh of relief.

Although he had gotten many answers wrong, Xue Ci was serious about it. He checked his calculations on scratch paper and corrected his answers as he went. With the Alpha watching right beside him, he didn't dare take up too much space with his arm and moved it only within a small area. As a result, his elbow accidentally brushed an eraser onto the floor.

Xue Ci had just lowered his head to look for it when he heard Gu Ling say, "Keep checking."

He wasn't even allowed to pick up the eraser.

Xue Ci set his little face and concentrated fully on checking the paper.

"The fifth fill-in-the-blank question." After pointing out the wrong answer, the man shifted his gaze to the floor.

After giving the floor a quick search, he pulled out the chair and bent down toward the space beneath the desk.

The Alpha had long arms and legs, broad shoulders, and a sturdy chest. Most of his body remained outside the space under the desk, his back nearly pressed against the desktop. The outlines of powerful muscles could just be seen beneath his white shirt.

After retrieving the eraser, Gu Ling turned his face outward, only for the tip of his nose to nearly brush Xue Ci's calf the next second.

The man's body stiffened slightly.

The chair was a little high for Xue Ci, whose body was still developing. Neither of his legs could reach the floor properly, and only his toes touched it lightly.

It was early summer, and the temperature was still a little cool. Cotton socks covered his ankles, squeezing the soft flesh at their edges into slight bulges. His skin had a misty look to it.

It looked very soft and supple.

As though...

A deep press of a nose into it would make water well up.

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