The Coveted Gloomy Beta Roommate Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Anxiety: He’s Secretly Researching a Topic I Don’t Know About Again.

Zhou Lin’s pupils contracted slightly, and he paused for no reason.

The gland was the most sensitive area for AOs. Even a Beta wouldn’t casually show it to others, yet Tang Xingye was actively asking someone else to touch it.

Is this seducing me?

He wantonly scrutinized Tang Xingye. His soft hair reached his shoulders, complementing his cold, beautiful face, always giving people a sense of cool cleanliness.

Zhou Lin was a good judge of character. At first glance, he could sense that beneath Tang Xingye’s cold and reticent exterior, there were vaguely hidden, somewhat dark thoughts.

Accustomed to docile and flattering faces that were all the same, someone like Tang Xingye—looking pure and clean yet carrying a certain desire—piqued his interest. It was like discovering a fun and amusing toy.

When he quietly lowered his head, it made Zhou Lin want to smash that cold shell to reveal the softest, most fragile interior and see the scenery inside.

Seeing that the other person didn’t move, Tang Xingye raised his dark eyes. His voice was vague and soft as he uttered a questioning “Hmm?”, seeming confused. His gaze was faint, neither shy nor intentionally seductive, as if he were simply waiting for a favor.

Zhou Lin had originally intended to tease him with a hint of malice, deliberately reminding Tang Xingye of today’s incident to see his troubled expression.

But the other party’s completely defenseless attitude made Zhou Lin feel a bit strange. Looking at the faint pink marks on his neck, he looked away slightly, then deliberately looked back.

Tang Xingye seemed to really lack common sense about ABO, being so dense about ruts and glands. He wondered how his dead Alpha husband had taught him.

Surely not like what the forum says: [Tang Xingye isn’t seducing people; he was actually coaxed into engagement by an old man.]

[How would a beautiful Beta from the mountains understand true love? As soon as an Alpha was slightly gentle, he thought the other person was a perfect, dutiful husband.]

[Poor little Beta, coaxed into an engagement at such a young age. I dare not imagine how the Alpha bullied him. Tricking him into wearing revealing clothes, bullying him until his stomach couldn’t hold anymore, getting wet, swollen, and spraying, crying in grievance without getting any pity.]

[Fortunately, heaven has eyes. Such an Alpha died early and didn’t delay the boy’s future.]

Zhou Lin tore open the packaging and applied the band-aid to the poor, red, and swollen skin. When his fingertips touched the back of Tang Xingye’s neck, he could clearly feel the temperature of the other’s skin. Warm, delicate, completely different from this person’s distant temperament.

“Done.” He retracted his hand, his voice lower than usual.

Tang Xingye gave a soft “Mm.” When he raised his hand to adjust his collar, his fingertips accidentally brushed past Zhou Lin’s palm. The touch was light, lasting only a split second, but it made Zhou Lin’s nerves suddenly tighten. Then, he met Tang Xingye’s smiling eyes.

Tang Xingye hooked his lips slightly, revealing an extremely faint smile. This smile softened the coldness in his brows and eyes, making that inexperienced, young wife vibe even more obvious.

“Thank you.”

Thank you?

These words fell clearly into Lin Mo’s ears.

Thank you for the lousy excuse Zhou Lin found to touch your gland?

Lin Mo couldn’t imagine how Tang Xingye’s gland could be injured. Rarely lifting his eyes, he turned to look at them. When he looked up, he saw Zhou Lin rubbing his fingertips, his gaze obscure and unclear.

Tang Xingye finished washing up and crawled back into his bed. He pulled the bed curtains tight, ensuring not a sliver of light would leak out. Only then did he turn on his flashlight, fish out that palm-sized black notebook from under his pillow, and record today’s grudges.

He wrote quickly, the black handwriting gradually distorting and transforming into three hateful faces on the page. Zhou Lin’s hypocritical fake smile, Lin Mo’s indifferent attitude, and… finally, he wrote down his vicious curse for them.

“May they never find an Omega to marry in their entire lives!”

After writing this sentence, Tang Xingye stared at the line of words. The faces of his grandma and Wen Ze floated in his mind. Being watched by them, Tang Xingye pursed his lips, crossed out the line, his pen hovering in the air for a moment of hesitation, and finally wrote down a new curse:

“May their GPAs never surpass mine, forever pressed down by me.”

This punishment is good. Tang Xingye curled the corners of his mouth slightly. When he closed the small notebook, it made a soft click, like stamping a seal on this secret trial.

He took out another notebook, put on his earphones, played the audio on his phone, and organized the notes from today’s debate.

After finishing organizing and reviewing this wonderful debate, Tang Xingye’s brain was a bit hyper. He simply opened the app to check his messages.

A notification for a special follow popped up.

It was from Lu Zhi.

[Is the photo you?]

[Why aren’t you talking?]

Tang Xingye froze for a second. Is he hooked?

He knew no rich Alpha would refuse a proactive Omega. They were all faking it!

He saw the message and replied immediately, his typing speed much faster.

Candy Heart: [I wasn’t ignoring you, Big Brother. It was my roommate’s birthday, we went out for a late-night snack and I didn’t check my phone.]

Lu Zhi: [Mn.]

The other party replied very quickly.

Tang Xingye stared at that single “Mn,” cursed Lu Zhi as a hypocrite in his heart again, and continued to reply: [Big Brother, I want to show you my puppy. Does Big Brother like it?]

Lu Zhi: [Mn.]

Candy Heart: [Then can I chat with Big Brother tomorrow?]

Lu Zhi: [Mn.]

Tang Xingye looked at the three consecutive “Mn”s, revealing a faint perfunctoriness.

Would it kill you to say one more word?

He continued to send messages anyway, chatting with Lu Zhi intermittently. The other party spoke little but would always reply.

Candy Heart: [Okay, I’m sleepy, going to sleep now. See you tomorrow, Big Brother.]

Candy Heart: [Little cat sleepy.jpg]

Lu Zhi: [Mn, see you tomorrow.]

Lu Zhi sat in a daze at his desk. He lowered his eyes to look at the photo on the phone screen, his fingertips gently rubbing the edge of the photo.

He was too familiar with the curve of this lumbar dimple—last week when Tang Xingye was doing pull-ups, he had glimpsed the exact same curve.

The gland on his neck was still heating up, the roots of his teeth were a bit itchy, carrying the emptiness of the rut, wanting to bite and mark.

Lu Zhi stared at the words “See you tomorrow” for a long time. He should have gone back right now to lift that bed curtain and let Tang Xingye see the effect of these photos with his own eyes. But in the end, he dismissed the thought.

He tossed the phone aside and downed a glass of ice water, but it couldn’t suppress the itch at the roots of his teeth.

The burning heat was still there. He changed his shoes to go for a night run, trying to vent his energy. However, after two hours of exercise, as his muscle activity jumped rapidly, that surging desire became exceptionally clear instead.

His brain could recall every detail of that photo.

The hem of the clothes rolled up, revealing a small section of white waist, beautiful lines, distinct lumbar dimples.

Slender wrist bones, long and clean fingers, and an inconspicuous red mole on the inner side of the ring finger knuckle, so red it was increasingly vivid, like coagulated blood, waiting for someone to lick it clean.

Lu Zhi let out a turbid breath. He had already changed inhibitors three times, but the effect was getting weaker and weaker.

Blame his Pheromone Disorder Syndrome for creating a monster-like body. The long-suppressed desire was provoked today, showing signs of an explosive rupture.

[Why didn’t you endure it? Why aren’t you a normal Alpha?]

Why do I have to endure? Why can’t I be abnormal?

Lu Zhi stared at the inhibitor ring, this collar that had confined him for over a decade, making him live like a beast.

Don’t fall into the trap of questions from anyone. Throw the question back.

Lu Zhi suddenly felt a wave of relief. He just had to maintain superficial appearances.

He took off the inhibitor ring, took his phone, walked into the bathroom, and gripped his secret.

In the final moments, the image of Tang Xingye leaning over suddenly floated into his mind. That soft fragrance seemed to wrap around his nerves, seemingly unintentional yet maliciously provoking him again and again.

He suddenly opened his eyes.

In the steam-filled bathroom, there was nothing but the strong scent of cocoa.

Tang Xingye checked the time. It was two o’clock. He was about to sleep when he suddenly heard the faint sound of pages turning.

Instantly, his spirit was jolted, and his consciousness cleared up significantly.

He turned on his phone to confirm the time: 2:20. Still studying at this hour?!

Tang Xingye sat up slowly and quietly pulled the bed curtain open. He saw Lin Mo on the diagonally opposite bed with his desk lamp on, softly turning the pages of a book. His eyesight was good; he could even see the words on the page.

His furrowed brows instantly relaxed. I borrowed and read this book ages ago.

Lin Mo picked up the canned coffee at hand. The muscle lines on his arm rose and fell slightly. As he tilted his head back to drink, his Adam’s apple rolled, the movement very distinct.

Adam’s apple?

Tang Xingye suddenly remembered the Alpha’s gaze when he had just come out of the shower.

They were looking at his Adam’s apple?

Tang Xingye couldn’t help but touch his own Adam’s apple.

Lifting his chin slightly, Tang Xingye rubbed his fingertips against his neck, feeling the protrusion. It seemed much smaller compared to an Alpha’s.

Unwilling to give up, he turned on his phone’s front camera, pressing and pinching incessantly, trying to confirm that his wasn’t small either. Only when his neck was rubbed red did Tang Xingye sigh and lie back on the bed.

The bigger the Adam’s apple, the smaller the ability.

Self-regulation complete. Tang Xingye stopped dwelling on it.

The very light sound of a chair moving came from outside the bed curtain. Tang Xingye immediately held his breath until he heard the click of Lin Mo’s desk lamp turning off. In the darkness, he felt for the notebook under his pillow and wrote blindly from memory:

[Staying up late to compete causes hair loss; no matter how strong an Alpha is, no one wants him.]

Tang Xingye didn’t expect to bump into Lin Mo in the washroom when he got up early. He looked at the faint dark circles under the other’s eyes, but there was no sign of decadence. Is this guy a robot? Sleeping less than four hours a day?

“Morning.”

He turned sideways to make way, greeting him casually, not expecting a response. After all, they had always only been nodding acquaintances.

Unexpectedly, Lin Mo didn’t move and gave an “Mm.” His gaze lingered on Tang Xingye’s wet hair tips for a second, his tone flat. “So early?”

Tang Xingye was a bit surprised. His hair was still dripping water. He wiped it away casually and answered briefly, “Group project.”

Lin Mo glanced at Tang Xingye’s freshly washed face. Messy hair stuck to the side of his face. On his jade-white neck, red finger marks ruined the aesthetic, looking like he had been deliberately rubbed. The gland still had a slightly curled band-aid on it, inviting reverie.

“Playing by yourself?” Lin Mo looked away, his cold voice carrying a trace of fluctuating emotion.

Tang Xingye was completely confused. “What?”

Lin Mo didn’t answer again. He turned the door handle, picked up his laptop bag, and turned to leave. His footsteps were rhythmic and restrained in the empty corridor, leaving only Tang Xingye standing there.

Tang Xingye stared at his flushed neck in the mirror, and suddenly a thought darted into his heart like a venomous snake.

—— Lin Mo is secretly researching a topic I don’t know about again.

Tang Xingye lowered his eyelids, feeling a little anxious.