HS Chapter 6

‘He’s a Beta.’

Pei Ying made the judgment.

Because there was no trace of Omega pheromones in the air. If it had been an AO intimate encounter, this would have been impossible.

So, this was just an ordinary Beta without glands.

Even though he looked nothing like the word “ordinary”.

Pei Ying saw him leaning lazily against the bar counter, head tilted slightly back, the delicate Adam’s apple bobbing as he drank. The water in the glass was steaming slightly, and a few drops overflowed after wetting his lips.

His lips were a light pink, and because of the transparent water stains, they seemed even more crystalline.

Pei Ying thought his brother probably hadn’t kissed him too intensely, or else those nicely shaped lips should’ve shown a deeper, brighter color.

The bar on the first floor was on the side closer to the kitchen, originally designed to satisfy the homeowner’s needs for hand-brewed coffee.

But Pei Ying didn’t like coffee. So after moving in, he had added a set of hand-cranked cocktail making tools to the bar.

His tongue pressed against a sharp canine tooth as the malicious tendencies in his heart stirred.

Betas were usually dull. They made up the largest portion of the population. Their basic traits were having no bad habits, like a cog in a giant freighter, always endlessly working, passively accepting the so-called “oppressive” inequality in the pyramid-shaped structure of the Federation society.

There were few Betas in District One, most were employees of big families.

The conglomerates preferred to raise Alphas as potential heirs, while the smaller families leaned toward grooming Omegas for marriage alliances with the major houses.

Pei Ying had no interest in boring, bland Betas.

But right now, he kind of wanted to see what kind of decadent expression the other party would show after being made to drink an entire glass of rum.

Would those light pink lips flush red because of it?

Would his skin perhaps turn into some dazzling shade?

After realizing that the young man might actually be his older brother’s lover, Pei Ying’s sympathetic nerves became even more active, blood pumping, and he even felt a burst of excited tremor.

Xin Hexue had already sensed the veiled gaze falling on him from early on.

Not to mention, from the moment that gaze stuck to him, Xin Hexue had started hearing the system’s notification.

[Pei Ying love value +1]

[Pei Ying love value +1]

[Pei Ying love value +1]

And now, the frequency of this notification had inexplicably started speeding up.

Xin Hexue knew this character, but he was rarely mentioned in the plot. As the second young master of the Pei family, he was always one step lower than his older brother Pei Guangji in everything and the Pei family didn’t seem to care much about this person either.

In the script, there was almost no mention of Pei Ying interacting with him.

Xin Hexue figured this character was probably just a bonus add-on, since according to the system’s reminder, Pei Ying was not a target for collecting heartbreak value.

So, the love value points must’ve been casually accumulated.

Without warning, Xin Hexue’s right hand suddenly went weak and trembled. Then, a harsh sound rang out as the glass smashed onto the floor with a loud crash.

It shattered into pieces, and the broken shards and water created a huge mess.

The young man leaned on the edge of the bar counter, covering his lips as he coughed, the sound growing tighter.

From the view of his lean back, his entire figure looked like a young willow branch on the edge of a river, rising and falling in the midst of the raging wind and waves.

The pitch-black hair also trembled slightly along with it.

Pei Ying suddenly felt a strange panic, as if his heart had been gripped by someone. All the chaotic thoughts vanished in an instant.

He came down the stairs, supported the other person to avoid the shards of broken glass, and sat down on the sofa.

Xin Hexue seemed to have steadied himself a little.

Pei Ying could feel the body in his arms trembling slightly all along.

A low, muffled cough escaped from the throat, unable to be suppressed, as if it sounded right beside Pei Ying’s ear.

“Thank you.” The young man sat on the sofa, his tone somewhat uncertain as he asked gently, “Guangji?”

Pei Ying’s face immediately darkened.

He pinched Xin Hexue’s chin and lifted it, his brows and eyes carrying a youthful defiance, speaking coldly: “Take a good look. I’m not him.”

His movement was rather rough.

Xin Hexue lowered his eyes, his eyelashes trembled slightly, and he brushed away the other party’s hand.

Pei Ying looked at the faint red mark on the other person’s jaw and his gaze shifted slightly.

Just now…

He clearly hadn’t used much force.

“Sorry.” Xin Hexue sighed. “My face blindness is quite severe.”

Pei Ying was stunned.

Not because of the fact that Xin Hexue had face blindness, but because the other person suddenly cupped his face.

Too close.

So close that Pei Ying could clearly see the traces of tears at the corners of Xin Hexue’s eyes from earlier when he was coughing, spreading into the redness of his eyes, as if water had soaked into a bit of cinnabar.

He was moving closer to observe him.

Pei Ying realized Xin Hexue’s intention.

Those hands moved up along the sides of his face, then slid back down.

Xin Hexue’s body temperature felt cool to the young and spirited Alpha, brushing against his earlobe.

It sent a tingling jolt down Pei Ying’s spine.

‘What the hell?’

‘Is this person messing with me?’

Xin Hexue stepped right on Pei Ying’s line of tolerance, slowly let go of his hands, and said gently, “Your hair has blue highlights, and your left ear has an earring.”

Pei Ying’s natural hair was jet-black, with Klein blue dyed on the inner layers. His left ear had two silver cone-shaped studs.

Xin Hexue nodded, as if carefully memorizing these traits.

“You’re different from Guangji.”

[Pei Ying love value +5]

Pei Ying stared at him with dark, intense eyes.

The love value points from this rebellious little brother were surprisingly easy to farm.

Xin Hexue lowered his gaze, looking careless.

K suddenly asked: [Are you okay?]

He had just seen the host coughing painfully.

[?]Xin Hexue replied strangely, [I was faking it.]

He teased, [Gege, why are you as stupid as him?]

K: […]

Xin Hexue sounded pleased, [I know, when you care, you get flustered.]

His acting had always been good, he had just slipped up a little.

The shattered glass from the shattered glass had scratched his calf.

Pei Ying also noticed the faintly seeping blood as well. He stared closely for a few seconds. “Why hasn’t it healed yet?”

Oh, he forgot.

The other party was just an ordinary Beta, maybe not even genetically modified.

For the Pei family, such a wound could heal completely within one minute.

Pei Ying felt that the trickling red was extremely harsh to the eyes.

He stood up and silently went to find the household medicine kit, and at the same time, had the cleaning robot tidy up the messy floor.

Maybe it was because of what Xin Hexue had just said that pleased him, Pei Ying, as if possessed, crouched down to help him treat the wound.

He raised his eyebrows and asked, “Even my brother can’t bear to let you use a gene enhancer?”

The drugs that were sold at sky-high prices on the black market were nothing more than a number sitting in the Pei family warehouse.

Pei Ying didn’t think Pei Guangji would be so stingy with his lover.

Xin Hexue’s gaze flickered and avoided the topic.

Pei Ying didn’t press further either.

He stared at the treated wound and found that although Xin Hexue had a tall figure, he had a slender frame. Pei Ying could probably encircle his calf with just one hand.

When the cotton swab dipped in medicine touched the wound, the calf tensed up, revealing clear lines.

‘Was it really that painful?’

Pei Ying had even forgotten what his last question was when Xin Hexue finally answered softly, “My body isn’t well, the side effects of the medicine are too strong.”

Even the most basic physical enhancement drugs on the market couldn’t be used on Xin Hexue.

Pei Ying responded absentmindedly, “Mm… oh.”

His gaze occasionally swept over the hickeys left on Xin Hexue’s neck, some red, some pink, ambiguous and beautiful.

Even the dip of his collarbone carried a hint of pink.

“Are you Guangji’s younger brother?” Xin Hexue asked a bit shyly. “He never mentioned it, so I thought you were him earlier.”

Pei Ying licked his canine tooth unhappily, “…Mm.”

Maybe feeling it was improper to continue chatting dressed like this, Xin Hexue avoided and said, “I’ll go upstairs first.”

“Pei Ying.”

He suddenly spoke. Facing the young man’s confused gaze, Pei Ying scowled and repeated, “My name is Pei Ying.”

Pei Ying felt like a fool and threw out a line, “Isn’t there still something cooking in the kitchen? You eat. I’m going to sleep.”

He stomped up the stairs heavily.

………

Because the script mentioned very little about Pei Ying, and the other party hadn’t done anything bad, Xin Hexue’s impression of him was decent.

Besides, the rebellious little brother’s love value should be easy to farm, and he already had a preliminary plan in mind.

After returning to the room and seeing the Alpha still lying alone on the floor, Xin Hexue asked: [You just electrocuted him unconscious…he didn’t get electrocuted stupid, did he?]

K: [No.]

With the system’s reassurance, Xin Hexue felt at ease.

Out of kindness, he tossed a blanket over Pei Guangji.

Xin Hexue curled up back in bed and peacefully fell asleep. In K’s eyes, it was a posture like that of a curled up kitten.

………

[Pei Guangji love value +1]

[Pei Guangji love value +2]

[Pei Guangji love value +3]

Half-asleep, Xin Hexue couldn’t help but cover his ear with the corner of the blanket, but quickly realized the sound came from deep within his mind.

‘What now, this early in the morning?’

‘Doesn’t Pei Guangji need to sleep?’

[Pei Guangji love value +1]

[Pei Guangji love value +2]

Xin Hexue couldn’t take it anymore and opened his eyes.

Pei Guangji was already neatly dressed, his shirt impeccably wrapping his strong, well-built upper body. There was no trace of the scratches Xin Hexue had made on his back the night before.

He was standing by the bed at the moment, looking down at him with a dark, unreadable gaze.

Xin Hexue couldn’t help but wonder if Pei Guangji had noticed his unusual behavior last night.

Before Xin Hexue could speak, the Alpha in front of him suddenly opened his mouth to apologize. “I’m sorry. I lost control last night.”

Pei Guangji’s biological clock was very regular. He always woke up at six.

So when he woke up this morning, the aftereffects of the rut period left his mind in a daze. He had no memory of what happened the previous night, just a few scattered flashes.

After he stored away the evidence of Xin Bao in the small apartment, the rut period had hit suddenly, followed by fragmented scenes…

The young man pressed down in the aircraft, the tears rolling down his cheeks under the lights, the warm, seamless embrace.

He pressed his still-aching forehead.

When he woke up, the room was a mess. He himself was still lying on the floor, while Xin Hexue was curled up on the inner side of the bed, his sleeping body forming a soft arc. The exposed skin outside the blanket was full of marks.

Pei Guangji’s expression darkened.

In the past, his rut period would last from three to five days, sometimes even a week. During that time, he would lock himself in a room to get through it.

This was the first time it ended in a single night.

He must have tormented Xin Hexue very badly.

Pei Guangji hated the way large families bred offspring through genetic engineering. The Alpha offspring born this way were no different from irrational beasts during rut periods, completely devoid of reason and not even human.

Even though he hated it so much, he still couldn’t stop himself from acting this way.

Pei Guangji asked cautiously, “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

He moved abruptly, wanting to lift Xin Hexue’s blanket to check for injuries and determine whether he needed to call the Pei family’s medical team.

Xin Hexue frowned. The blanket brushed against the wound on his leg, causing an itchy sting.

He couldn’t help but let out a “tss” sound, pressing down on the blanket and propping himself up to sit, not letting Pei Guangji succeed.

He understood that Pei Guangji had misunderstood something.

So he went along with it. He lowered his lashes, his face pale, and pulled the blanket back over himself and lay down again, showing a resistant attitude. His voice was muffled and hoarse. “Mr. Pei, I want to sleep a little longer.”

Pei Guangji’s rut had come so suddenly that he hadn’t even had time to cancel his work schedule. Since it ended in just one night, there were still a pile of work matters waiting for him.

He lowered his gaze, sweeping over Xin Hexue, whose face was hidden under the blanket, only a few strands of black hair visible on the pillow.

When Pei Guangji was washing up that morning, he had found Xin Hexue’s discarded clothes in the bathroom. Since he had bathed himself, it probably wasn’t that serious.

He put on his suit jacket and, as he left the bedroom, still reminded, “Remember to come downstairs for breakfast after you wake up.”

A soft response came from the bed: “Mm.”

………

When Pei Guangji went downstairs for breakfast, he ran into Pei Ying. He frowned and said, “Jiang Jing should’ve informed you yesterday to spend the night at a friend’s place.”

Jiang Jing was Pei Guangji’s personal assistant.

Pei Ying bit into his bread, picked up the soy milk, and slung his school bag lazily over one shoulder. He smiled carelessly, “Gege, you know me. I don’t have any friends.”

“And there was a heavy rainstorm last night. It was really hard to find anywhere else to stay.” Pei Ying paused. “Oh, you might not know.”

While the rain was pouring, his muddle-headed big brother had been hugging a Beta, trying to mark territory.

He shrugged. “I’m going to be late, so I’ll head off first.”

Pei Guangji said coldly, “From now on, don’t go near the second floor.”

Pei Guangji planned to let Xin Hexue stay here for now. According to the information, Xin Hexue had suffered from school bullying during high school due to his face blindness, and he had a certain level of social anxiety disorder.

This villa halfway up the mountain had a good location. The nearest area with crowds was at least a half-hour walk away. Most of the surroundings were mountains and water, so it was quiet enough.

As for Pei Ying, Pei Guangji didn’t think this Beta was important enough to make his own biological brother go through the trouble of moving out.

Pei Ying thought about the young man from last night and, for some reason, the bone stud on his earlobe, where Xin Hexue had touched, felt warm.

He walked out and replied to Pei Guangji, “Got it. I won’t go to the second floor.”

………

Xin Hexue was simply eating after getting enough sleep.

[Pei Guangji love value +1]

[Pei Guangji love value +1]

[?] Xin Hexue couldn’t help but ask, [What’s wrong with him now?]

System K checked and answered, [He took away the clothes the host changed out of last night.]

“Knock! Knock!”

After hearing Pei Guangji say “Come in” from inside the office, Jiang Jing walked in with coffee. He pretended not to notice his boss dragging the shirt that had been on the desk down beneath it.

But when he was leaving, he turned around and looked at his clearly out-of-it boss, and asked with concern, “Young Master, do you need me to call a doctor?”

Pei Guangji countered, “What for?”

Jiang Jing probed, “Your withdrawal symptoms seem a bit severe.”

Alpha and Beta really weren’t a good match.

Because no matter how hard one tried, an Alpha could never mark a Beta. All attempted marking behaviors were meaningless.

That kind of frustration could cause an Alpha to experience severe withdrawal symptoms after rut periods.

Usually, an Alpha would at least stay close to their Beta partner for a few days to suppress the emotions.

Jiang Jing speculated, “Do you need to go home and rest? Or should I call Mr. Xin over?”

Pei Guangji’s face was stern. “No need. Go take care of your own business.”

Jiang Jing exited silently.

Pei Guangji tightly clenched the thin white shirt in his large hand, on which there was still a faint green sandalwood scent.

A notification sound rang out and Pei Guangji opened his communicator.

The chat box showed a contact he had just added last night.

[Was it you who sent the ointment? I used it. It’s much better now. Thanks.]

Pei Guangji thought for a moment and started tapping in the input box.

After some typing, deleting, and editing, he finally sent: [Mn.]

He had consulted the Pei family’s medical team. For a Beta, accommodating an Alpha for the first time would be very difficult…especially given how he had acted without reason last night. It was likely there had been no proper preparation, and Xin Hexue was probably injured.

Pei Guangji had someone use a drone to deliver ointment to the villa. After using it, it should feel better.

[Pei Guangji love value +3]

Xin Hexue finished drinking his cream of mushroom soup and said to K: [Isn’t he a little too easy to fool?]

This kind of person, even if you cured him, he’d still be tricked into buying a health supplement production line in his old age!