The Coveted Gloomy Beta Roommate Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Parrot: You Touch It!

Tang Xingye looked at the messy scene, bent down to pick up his materials, and shook off the dust. The two culprits, realizing they were in the wrong, silently packed their things.

Fortunately, aside from damage to tables and chairs, the documents were fine.

Tang Xingye felt that both Lu Zhi and Pei Lian needed to learn some rules. “Why were you fighting?”

Pei Lian: “He started it.”

Lu Zhi sneered, readily admitting, “…Why does he get to lick, and I want to too.”

Tang Xingye rubbed his forehead. Just over biting a finger? What the hell are you arguing about? Are Alphas in their susceptible period always this annoying?

He increasingly felt that Ji Chen was a rarely normal Alpha.

Lu Zhi remembered the voice message Tang Xingye used to brush him off and sounded quite unhappy. “Didn’t you say you were busy? You were busy with this?”

Tang Xingye was a bit puzzled. Wasn’t his meaning a clear polite refusal?

Tang Xingye: “If I told you, you’d be unhappy, so I just didn’t say it. It was for your own good.”

Lu Zhi felt something was off, but hearing the words “for your own good” from Tang Xingye instantly made him feel good. The corners of his lips curled up slightly.

So Tang Xingye cares about me that much. His jealous and irritable mood vanished instantly.

“You have a personal grudge? Go fight in the training room, don’t fight in front of me. The surveillance captured everything clearly. You broke things; you pay for the damages.”

“But you almost ruined my materials, so I’m punishing you.”

Lu Zhi’s eyes lit up, secretly hoping it would be a slap in the face. The corners of his mouth tilted up. “What punishment?”

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He wasn’t some Alpha with no self-respect who would proactively offer his face to be slapped just to make his “wife” happy like a lovesick fool.

He just felt that when Tang Xingye was angry, he should lose his temper. That was good.

Usually, when Tang Xingye encountered unhappy things, he would just glare at people and bottle it up. He would never slap anyone like he did now.

Tang Xingye hadn’t decided yet. He really didn’t have a hobby of hitting people. But if he didn’t teach them a lesson this time, who knew how bad it would get next time?

He thought for a moment, kept a straight face, and spoke sternly. “Hold out your hands.”

Oh, hitting palms.

Lu Zhi’s mouth drooped, but he obediently held out his hand.

Tang Xingye was impartial; he hit both of their palms. Using a method meant for disciplining children to hit their hands—these two should feel a strong sense of shame.

Tang Xingye used a disciplinary tone. “Do you know your mistake? Will you fight casually in the future?”

Seeing the two honestly admit their mistakes and apologize, Tang Xingye was satisfied.

The soft, smooth flesh grazed his palm. Gradually, a numbness and itch overtook the pain, producing a strange sense of pleasure.

Pei Lian’s Adam’s apple moved slightly. He held out his hand again. “I provoked him first. You should hit me one more time.”

Lu Zhi, still savoring the feeling, wouldn’t be outdone. “Me too. I struck first; the fault is mine. So you have to hit me one more time too.”

Tang Xingye: “…”

Great, wasted my breath.

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He smiled. The coldness in his brows melted away, and his smile was gentle, making the two Alphas’ hearts heat up.

He picked up his materials and walked straight to the door. “You two keep fighting.”

Bang! He slammed the door, leaving the two Alphas staring at each other in mutual disgust.

Tang Xingye went straight to Professor Ye’s office. He put the materials on the desk, wiped his hands clean, opened the cage door, pinched a sunflower seed, and held it gently at the edge of the cage.

“Apollo, time to eat.”

This little guy was extremely sensitive to smells. If his hands had the scent of other animals or pheromones, Apollo would be picky and refuse to eat.

The parrot didn’t move. It tilted its head, blinking big, watery black-bean eyes. Suddenly, it flapped its wings and screeched in imitation, “Time—to—eat—”

The ending note was dragged out long, carrying a triumphant tone.

Tang Xingye was startled, then couldn’t help but curl his lips slightly.

Seeing this, Apollo bounced spiritedly to the cage door, hooking its little claws onto the bars and gently pecking the seed from his palm.

After eating, Apollo pressed itself against Tang Xingye’s hand. Seeing the human didn’t move, it continued to press its head into the hand. It turned its little head, rubbed to confirm the hand was still there, and when there was still no movement after a while, it gently nipped with its beak and blinked its big eyes, signaling the feeder to move.

Tang Xingye: ? Is the little guy sick? Why does it keep rubbing against me?

“Idiot!” Seeing the pretty human missing the point, Apollo flapped its wings and shouted shrilly.

“You’re quite popular with animals.”

Lin Mo appeared from who-knows-where. He placed an experiment report on the desk. Tang Xingye was stunned. “When did you get back to school?”

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Apollo, dissatisfied that its feeder’s attention was drawn away by a stranger, spun a circle in his palm and dove headfirst into Tang Xingye’s shirt collar. The fine feathers brushed past the pink skin, startling a soft gasp from him.

As the little claws hooked the thin fabric and slid down, they left a fleeting red mark on his collarbone.

“Hey!” Tang Xingye scrambled to catch it, his fingers reaching into his collar. But Apollo continued to burrow down along his waist and abdomen. The tail feathers swept past his navel, causing his waist to tremble, the shirt hem undulating like waves.

Lin Mo’s gaze fixed deadly on the moving lump under the fabric. When the parrot stopped at the waist, the fingers he was drumming on the table suddenly clenched, nails scraping a sharp sound against the metal surface.

“…Get out.” Tang Xingye grabbed the back of his collar and shook it. Apollo climbed up along his spine instead. Its flapping wings lifted the shirt hem, revealing a strip of snowy-white waistline.

Finally, it popped its head out of the cuff. Tang Xingye’s wrist was already flushed a light red. The little guy smugly rubbed its beak against that skin.

Lin Mo stood aside, his gaze landing on Tang Xingye’s fingertips teasing the parrot, then drifting to the messy collar, his eyes dimming. His expression remained indifferent, but a certain craving surged in the depths of his eyes, cold and sticky as it entangled him.

“It seems quite clingy with you,” he said slowly, his voice so light it sounded like talking to himself, yet just loud enough for Tang Xingye to hear.

Seeing the big, dark, watery eyes blinking at him, Tang Xingye instantly forgave the bird’s behavior just now and replied casually, “Yeah, this little guy is especially good at acting spoiled.”

Apollo seemed to sense some invisible pressure. It suddenly stopped rubbing against the hand, raised its head alertly, turned its black-bean eyes toward Lin Mo, and spread its wings slightly as if guarding against something.

Lin Mo chuckled lightly and suddenly reached out, wanting to tap Apollo’s head.

Apollo jerked back, feathers puffing up. It suddenly flapped its wings and flew onto Tang Xingye’s shoulder, pressing its small head tightly against his neck, the picture of a poor thing seeking protection.

Tang Xingye stroked Apollo soothingly and moved away from Lin Mo. “Don’t touch it. It doesn’t like pheromones.”

Lin Mo’s gaze lingered for a second on the spot where the parrot pressed against Tang Xingye’s skin, a dark, unreadable emotion flashing through his eyes.

Apollo stared at Lin Mo, tilted its head, and gently pecked Tang Xingye’s earlobe.

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The peck tickled the tip of Tang Xingye’s ear. He instinctively tilted his head to dodge, tapping its little head with his finger. “Stop it.”

Apollo cooed and pushed its luck, burrowing into the hollow of his neck, wings fluttering against his jaw.

Lin Mo stood there, not understanding. His gaze shifted from the parrot to Tang Xingye’s faintly smiling profile.

—Truly an eyesore.

“It seems really attached to you.” Lin Mo’s eyes fell on Tang Xingye’s earlobe, pressed closely by Apollo. It was white and delicate; the red mark pecked out looked like a tiny mole. Lin Mo’s fingertips unconsciously tapped twice on the counter.

Tang Xingye said casually, “I’ve been the one feeding it lately. If it doesn’t cling to me, who should it cling to?”

Lin Mo took a step forward impassively. Apollo suddenly puffed up all its feathers, its sharp beak aiming at Lin Mo’s finger.

Tang Xingye hurriedly grabbed Lin Mo’s wrist. The palm was warm, fingers unconsciously brushing past the wrist. “Don’t touch it anymore. You go out first; it might really dislike your pheromones.”

Lin Mo looked at the fingers holding him—slender and pale, faintly pink against his skin, like a silent invitation.

Just this small patch of skin contact brought a wave of pleasure.

His Adam’s apple rolled gently. He suppressed the impulse to grab back and interlace their fingers, only giving a low “Mn.”

When he retreated to the door, he closed it casually, as if the scene just now was merely the parrot throwing a tantrum. But the moment the door gap closed, his gaze was still glued to Tang Xingye.

Zhou Lin was too impatient, Lu Zhi and Pei Lian were too stupid—they only made Tang Xingye wary. Only by maintaining normalcy would Tang Xingye not be alerted.

Tang Xingye calmed Apollo down and closed the office door. There were still a few feathers stuck to the side of his neck. He raised the finger that had been pecked red.

He waved it in front of Lin Mo, face full of complaint. “As soon as you came, Apollo got super fierce. It’s usually so good. Medical fees—you have to pay.”

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Lin Mo: “Okay, I’ll pay.”

Tang Xingye glanced at him in surprise. So easy to talk to? I have to squeeze some medical fees out of him no matter what.

Tang Xingye lifted the stray hair by his neck with his fingertips, revealing the exquisite, pale collarbone and the bright red mark, looking like a hickey, glaringly obvious on the snowy skin. “Look, is the skin broken?”

Lin Mo lowered his eyes, his voice turning a few shades huskier. “No.”

“Did you look carefully?” Tang Xingye frowned in dissatisfaction, leaning in closer.

“I looked.”

Tang Xingye was done. Rich people are so stingy. I wasted my breath praising Lin Mo just now. He sneered, suddenly grabbed Lin Mo’s wrist, and yanked it toward his neck.

“You touch it! It’s swollen, right?”

Lin Mo’s pupils contracted instantly.

“It is a bit swollen, right? I wiped it with an alcohol pad just now; I didn’t expect it to heat up.” Tang Xingye was telling the truth, but at the same time, he was calculating how much medical fee was appropriate to ask from Lin Mo. “Your pheromones caused this trouble. You take responsibility.”

The creamy, soft skin actively wrapped around his hand. The faint, cold fragrance made his breathing abruptly rapid, hooking out his feverish craving.

He instinctively wanted to pull his hand back, but Tang Xingye held it down firmly, accidentally touching the most tender flesh.

The hollow thirst in his heart was briefly satisfied, only to be infinitely magnified again.

I want to eat him. Swallow him whole. But he couldn’t right now; it would scare him away.

“Evidence is solid. Don’t think about denying it.” Tang Xingye raised an eyebrow, fragmented light dancing in his eyes.

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Lin Mo’s Adam’s apple rolled, his voice low. “Mn… How much do you want?”

Tang Xingye immediately curled his lips into a smile, like a little fox that had gotten its way. He released Lin Mo’s hand and pretended to calculate. “Comfort fee, medical fee, mental damage fee… Seeing as we’re roommates, I’ll give you a friendly price. Five hundred is fine.”

“By the way, give me some of your pheromones too.”

This price is what I get for teaching five classes. I have to make Lin Mo bleed a little.

Lin Mo transferred the money immediately.

The notification sound rang. Tang Xingye checked his phone, eyes widening slightly. “Why did you transfer so much? Want to pet Apollo until it’s bald?”