Chapter 110
Back in his dorm, after washing up, Xiao Xiao lay on his stomach in bed, searching his phone for information about alpha glands.
Whether it was an omega or an alpha, their glands were extremely fragile. But it was an omega’s nature to be the one who was marked. So, when an alpha bit their gland to mark them, they felt pleasure alongside the pain.
For an alpha, however, there was only pain.
He searched online for why an alpha’s gland might have so many needle marks, but everyone’s answer was that they didn’t know. No one could explain why an alpha’s gland would be covered in them, though some guessed it might be due to an illness.
Xiao Xiao thought about it. He was with Gu Qian every day, and Gu Qian was always full of energy. He wasn’t taking any medication or showing any signs of being unwell. He didn’t seem sick at all.
After searching for a while with no results, he finally gave up and fell asleep.
He had the next day off. Xiao Xiao slept until the afternoon before getting up and heading to An Le’s place. He wanted to cherish these moments; after An Le got married, they wouldn’t be able to have sleepovers whenever they wanted.
This time, An Le had a surprise waiting for him: two very handsome suits. Xiao Xiao had never worn such a nice suit in a professional setting and was thrilled. The two of them hid under the covers, whispering to each other for half the night. The next morning, they went straight to an amusement park with dark circles under their eyes and had a blast all day.
The whole time they were there, an alpha followed them to protect An Le. Gu Qian was right—Lu Heng was a good alpha. He had arranged for what looked like a very reliable bodyguard for An Le. The bodyguard was a bit greedy, but a greedy bodyguard was a good thing. It meant that later, when he took An Le to the hospital for an eye exam and An Le didn’t want Lu Heng to know about his condition, they were able to secretly bribe the bodyguard to keep quiet.
The results of the exam left An Le devastated, and it took Xiao Xiao a long time to comfort him. But thankfully, the doctor said there was still hope for An Le’s eyes.
But that all came later.
As if fate was determined to take away everything he held dear, time flew by, and soon it was An Le’s wedding day.
The wedding was lavish, and Lu Heng seemed incredibly attentive to An Le. Xiao Xiao felt a mix of happiness, envy, and sadness. He was happy that An Le had found such a good home, but he was also a little envious, because he wanted that for himself, too. And he was sad because An Le truly didn’t need him anymore.
No one needed him anymore.
And Gu Qian… although Gu Qian had given him a chance, he still didn’t know if he could actually win him over. Besides, Gu Qian probably didn’t even like him. He was a beta, after all. Even if he did manage to get with Gu Qian in the future, they would probably just date for a while before breaking up. An alpha’s ultimate destiny wasn’t with a beta.
Maybe it was just a game to him.
Xiao Xiao was keenly aware of this likely outcome, but he couldn’t suppress the fluttering in his heart. Gu Qian had given him an opportunity, and he wanted to seize it.
He watched An Le finish the ceremony and head towards the back dressing room, and he quickly followed. He had always known Lu Heng was powerful and cared deeply for An Le, mainly because Lu Heng needed An Le to soothe him during his rut. But he never imagined Lu Heng’s family was such a mess.
Lu Heng’s mother was unhinged, like a madwoman. She started screaming at An Le and threw some kind of liquid. Worried, Xiao Xiao jumped in front of An Le, and the liquid splashed all over his clothes. Thankfully, it was just water, and he was fine, just soaked.
An Le was frantic with worry and wanted him to go change, but Xiao Xiao felt it would be awkward to change in An Le’s dressing room.
Just then, Gu Qian arrived.
“I’ll take him to change his clothes,” Gu Qian said.
Xiao Xiao looked at Gu Qian and, in the end, went with him.
The venue was huge. Xiao Xiao followed Gu Qian to a private lounge. He looked down at his wet clothes, his face burning with embarrassment. “But I didn’t bring a change of clothes,” he mumbled, his head bowed.
Compared to An Le, he might seem cheerful and outgoing, but deep down, he was still insecure. In front of the polished and brilliant Gu Qian, he couldn’t bring himself to look up.
Gu Qian gazed at the beautiful beta before him. The white shirt was soaked through, and the red buds on his chest had hardened slightly from the cold water, creating two small, distinct points against the fabric. The wet shirt had become somewhat transparent, and Gu Qian took in the entire sight.
He thought for a moment, then took off his own jacket, which was saturated with his pheromones, and draped it over Xiao Xiao’s shoulders. “That’s a shame,” he said in a low voice. “Wear my jacket for now. I’ll have someone bring you a new shirt.”
Feeling the residual warmth from the jacket, Xiao Xiao’s face instantly turned red. “N-no, that’s okay,” he said flustered. He didn’t dare wear Gu Qian’s clothes, and he certainly didn’t want to trouble him by having a shirt specially delivered. He instinctively tried to refuse.
But Gu Qian insisted. “No, it’s not okay. In your current state, you have to change.”
Xiao Xiao didn’t immediately catch his meaning. “Why?” he asked, confused.
Gu Qian smiled and took a step forward. He slowly reached out and poked one of the small, pink points on Xiao Xiao’s chest. “You’re exposed,” he said with a grin. “If you run into an alpha who likes betas, you definitely won’t be going home tonight. You might even end up like An Le, having an… accident, and then getting married.”
Startled by the touch on his chest, Xiao Xiao instinctively tried to back away, but he couldn’t escape the lingering sensation of Gu Qian’s finger. The small point felt like it was on fire, suddenly burning hot. He glanced down and saw it had become even more prominent.
Forgetting everything else, he clutched the jacket Gu Qian had given him and wrapped it tightly around himself, his face completely flushed.
But Gu Qian wasn’t done with him yet. He continued to tease him about having an “accident” like An Le. That’s right, An Le had been marked by accident. Since he was a beta and couldn’t be marked, for him it would just be an accidental hookup.
“If you run into a responsible alpha, you’ll get married,” Gu Qian continued. “If you run into an irresponsible one, well, you’ll be the one at a disadvantage. And if you happen to run into an alpha who’s already taken… tsk, tsk… you’ll get beaten up.”
Mortified, Xiao Xiao finally snapped, “Boss, can’t you just for once imagine something good happening to me?”
All that happened was he got splashed with water. How could Gu Qian’s mind jump to so many… consequences? And all of them bad.
“Besides,” Xiao Xiao added, “there aren’t that many alphas who like betas.”
“There are plenty,” Gu Qian said, walking to his side. He casually slung an arm around his shoulders and began walking him out. “You should have seen it at the bar two years ago. Lots of alphas like to play with betas because… betas are fun, and there’s no responsibility.”
If you messed with an omega, you could easily get sued. If the omega came from a powerful family, the alpha might have to pay a bloody price.
But betas were different.
Betas couldn’t get pregnant and couldn’t be marked. There was no “Beta Protection Association.” They were… perfect for being played with. They almost never caused any trouble. It was just that betas as beautiful as Xiao Xiao were rare, so most were still safe.
Xiao Xiao let himself be led away by Gu Qian, so lost in thought that he didn’t notice Gu Qian never made a call to have clothes brought over. His mind was consumed by Gu Qian’s words. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “What about you? Do you also like to… play with betas?”
If you don’t, why would you let me pursue you? And if you do, what am I supposed to do?
Xiao Xiao’s mind was in turmoil, terrified of hearing the answer.
But Gu Qian’s reply was completely unexpected. “I don’t like betas,” he said. “Betas can’t be marked. Even if you leave your pheromones on them, they disappear after a few days. I don’t like that feeling.”
He doesn’t like betas!
Xiao Xiao froze. In an instant, he felt like a walking corpse, his mind buzzing as he followed Gu Qian. He didn’t hear a single word of what came next.
Gu Qian was smiling as he continued, “I like to leave a permanent, never-fading scent on my lover, so that anyone can tell at a glance that they belong to me.”
He was unabashedly displaying his possessiveness, trying to prepare Xiao Xiao. But Xiao Xiao heard none of it.
His mind was stuck on one thought: If Gu Qian doesn’t like betas, why did he agree to let me pursue him?
Was he lying to him? It had to be. That was just like Gu Qian—a slap, then a piece of candy, leading him around in circles.
Xiao Xiao was heartbroken.
He was so lost in his misery that he didn’t even realize his clothes had dried on their own. He just kept clutching Gu Qian’s jacket, walking back to his dorm in a daze.
After An Le got together with Lu Heng, he had less time for Xiao Xiao. Now that he was married, Xiao Xiao knew they would have almost no time to hang out together at all.
So, he threw himself into his work.
When he went to the office the next day, it was the same as usual. The omega colleagues were avoiding him again. It had been like this for the past two years. Every so often, the omegas would steer clear of him, and even the alphas wouldn’t talk to him. The strange thing was, they didn’t seem to dislike him. They would give him snacks and help him when he needed it. They just kept their distance periodically. He had asked why before, but no one ever gave him a straight answer.
Only the other betas didn’t avoid him.
Xiao Xiao finished his work, but Gu Qian was out meeting a client. With nothing to do, he rested his head on his keyboard, staring into space.
Just then, an omega colleague hurried over and dropped a pile of snacks on his desk. “Xiao Xiao,” she whispered, “they hired a new alpha today. I don’t really like dealing with alphas. Could you help me out? I’ll supply you with snacks for a week!”
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