The Coveted Gloomy Beta Roommate Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Apology: What Can a Helpless Little Widower Do?

“Are you fucking crazy? Hitting me for a Beta?”

Ji Yu stumbled up from the ground, his clothes covered in dust. He spat out a mouthful of bloody foam, staring hatefully at the Alpha who had him pinned down and beaten.

The Alpha stood against the backlight, the sunlight plating his sharp silhouette with a golden edge. He tilted his head, the silver stud on his earlobe flashing with a cold light.

“Abusing family power to deduct people’s wages at will,” Ji Chen chuckled lightly. “You’re really capable, aren’t you?”

“Dad!” Ji Yu suddenly turned his head to look at the middle-aged man passing by with a thermos cup, his voice carrying a sob. “Are you just going to watch your son get beaten like this?”

“Of course I can’t bear to watch,” the man sighed faintly. A glimmer of hope flashed in Ji Yu’s eyes—after all, his father was Ji Chen’s elder, surely he would…

The man unscrewed the lid of his cup, leisurely blew away the tea leaves floating on the surface, took a sip under Ji Yu’s expectant gaze, then turned and walked away. “So, I’m going to go grade student papers. Ji Chen, don’t hit too hard; just keep him alive.”

“You old bastard! Am I even your biological son?!” Ji Yu’s eyes widened, and he couldn’t help but scream curses.

“You still have the face to speak,” the man’s voice faded into the distance along with his footsteps. “This time it’s a Beta, what about next time? I see you’ll even dare to forcibly mark an underage Omega in the future!”

“Who the fuck is interested in that kind of little bean sprout?!” Ji Yu roared, but in the next second, he was swept to the ground by a fierce whip kick.

“Alright, coquetry time is over. Now, it’s education time.”

After that, Ji Yu was beaten until he couldn’t speak.

The weather finally cleared up after the rain, and as the sky brightened, Tang Xingye’s mood improved significantly. Since that day, his relationship with Lu Zhi had become even colder and more distant than before, as if a thick wall of ice had been erected between them.

People in the club’s late-night passion group chat discussed secretly:

[Tsk, Lu Zhi made Wifey unhappy. That damn straight-cancer Alpha better get on his knees and apologize to my Wifey fast.]

[Lu Zhi, I gave you a chance but you’re useless. The most important thing about being the side-piece is coaxing people. So what if you’re roommates? What’s the use of living together? Just sniffing Wifey’s clothes secretly every day and stealing Wifey’s bathwater to drink? Hmph, I’m not envious at all… Boohoo, Wifey, let me lick your **.]

[But I just smelled Alpha pheromones on Wifey. It was mint, very strong, like he’d been marked.]

[!! Who! Who is secretly f***ing my Wifey!!]

Two Omegas who had just joined the club stole glances at Tang Xingye, who was still writing materials seriously, and whispered. They had seen various candid photos on the anonymous forum, but this was their first time seeing him in person.

His features were cold and beautiful, possessing that “flower on a high mountain” look that just made people want to ruthlessly desecrate him and bully him until he cried.

[Wifey looks beautiful even with a cold face. Look at this work photo I took of Wifey, not bad right?]

[Great pic, next second mine. Looking at the photo, thinking about Wifey scolding me with a cold face, then slapping me twice… I’m thrusting into Wifey even deeper, Wifey crying so pitifully… hiss ha… So good! Sorry Wifey, I was wrong, I’ll allow you to bully me gently next time.]

The change in the weird atmosphere was noticed even by Shen Qing. She quietly pulled Tang Xingye aside and tactfully asked if he had a conflict with Lu Zhi and if he needed her to mediate.

Tang Xingye lowered his head. He didn’t know how to explain the matter, so he could only gloss over it vaguely.

Shen Qing sighed. In the end, she simply instructed him that if he felt wronged, he should speak up and not bottle it up inside.

Looking at her worried expression, Tang Xingye felt like his throat was stuffed with cotton; he couldn’t say anything, only giving a muffled response.

Seeing this, Shen Qing laughed first, patting his shoulder. “Don’t look so guilty. It’s nothing to not get along with roommates. I just worry that you’ll wrong yourself for fear of offending people. Speak up if something happens; acting spoiled isn’t the exclusive privilege of Omegas.”

This made Tang Xingye feel even more guilty.

The door to the club conference room was knocked on. As if rescued, Tang Xingye turned to look. It was Zhou Lin. He stood at the door, waving at Tang Xingye, obviously looking for him.

Because of the wage deduction at the dessert shop, Tang Xingye didn’t really want to deal with Zhou Lin. But Shen Qing was still watching him, and he didn’t want the senior to worry, so he nodded slightly and walked out.

Zhou Lin stood outside, tall and upright. His brow bone was slightly high, his eyebrows long and sharp, his eye sockets deep but not aggressive; instead, the slightly drooping corners of his eyes gave him a gentle curvature. He always wore a thirty-percent polite smile when looking at people.

Tang Xingye hated this fake smile the most, but since the other party beckoned him to follow, he hesitated for a moment before following.

Zhou Lin suddenly spoke, “You’ve been avoiding Lu Zhi recently?”

Tang Xingye: “You should ask him that.”

Zhou Lin smiled faintly, no apology discernible in his tone. “I misspoke.”

Tang Xingye didn’t want to beat around the bush and spoke first, “You were looking for me?”

Zhou Lin’s smile widened. “That’s a strange thing to say. Can’t I come to find you without a reason?”

Tang Xingye wanted to say ‘no,’ but didn’t want to completely ruin the roommate relationship. “So you wanted to see me?”

Zhou Lin glanced at him strangely. “Someone wants to see you.”

In the Disciplinary Inspection Department meeting room, an Alpha with a lollipop in his mouth was staring blankly at the goldfish in the tank.

The light illuminated half of his face, while shadows outlined a sharp jawline. His features were aggressive, carrying an unruly energy, yet his brows revealed an un-faded youthful spirit, making him appear less overbearing.

Tang Xingye smelled the scent of iodine and first noticed the bandages wrapped around his wrist.

The Alpha sensed the gaze and straightened up. He was nearly a head taller than Tang Xingye, the shadow he cast completely enveloping him. He fished a lollipop out of his pocket and handed it over, the movement casual, like feeding a cat.

“Want some candy?”

Tang Xingye shook his head. He felt the Alpha in front of him looked familiar.

It took a while to recognize the Alpha’s identity. This was Ji Chen, the roommate he had interacted with the least. He remembered that on the first day of school, a set of expensive calligraphy tools sat on Ji Chen’s desk, along with a work that had won the Grand Prize in the National Calligraphy Competition casually lying around.

He had once secretly taken a photo of that calligraphy, tracing it over and over, trying to imitate that brushwork which seemed to penetrate the paper. But he could never capture that spirit, which was both sharp and free.

There were many rumors about Ji Chen. The most famous one was probably about getting physical with an instructor on the first day of military training, after which he was picked up by a car sent by his family. Miraculously, the incident was like a stone thrown into water—after one ripple, there was no follow-up, no disciplinary action, and no public criticism.

Ji Chen wasn’t annoyed by the rejection and withdrew his hand.

“Then let’s solve your trouble first.” Ji Chen’s lazy voice suddenly dropped, sounding like a different person from a moment ago. “Ji Yu, come over and apologize.”

Ji Yu was pushed to the front, stumbling before standing firm.

Tang Xingye looked at Ji Yu, whose face was beaten black and blue. He couldn’t place who this was until the guy spoke, and he recalled from a corner of his memory—the rich second-generation Alpha who deliberately looked for trouble in the shop last month.

Ji Yu bent his waist, gritting his teeth. “Sorry. I was wrong about the shop incident. I shouldn’t have deliberately harassed you.”

“It was all that manager’s idea,” Ji Yu added hurriedly. “This card has my pocket money for this month, about two million.”

Tang Xingye glanced at the card but didn’t take it. “Do you have money in your WeChat wallet? Transfer me four hundred. Pay back my deducted full attendance bonus.”

Ji Yu froze, his hand holding the card stiff in mid-air. He subconsciously looked at the Alpha standing aside. After receiving a warning look, he hurriedly took out his phone.

Looking at the successful transfer notification, Tang Xingye nodded lightly.

“Then do you forgive me now?” Ji Yu asked cautiously, eyes filled with earnestness. Tang Xingye’s answer would determine his subsequent punishment.

Tang Xingye: “This is the apology you owe, it doesn’t mean I will forgive you.”

Ji Yu’s face instantly turned pale. Beside him, Ji Chen suddenly laughed out loud and crushed the lollipop in his mouth.

“Uncle agreed to let you stay in the camp for three months.” Ji Chen’s words confirmed Ji Yu’s worst suspicion. “Reform yourself well.”

“Bro!” Ji Yu couldn’t help raising his voice, only to silence himself under Ji Chen’s glance.

He remembered how his brother looked when he was sent back last year—head shaved into a buzz cut, wearing camouflage, tanned as dark as charcoal.

The most terrifying part was when his brother flashed white teeth, smiling and patting his shoulder. “Brother, study hard. Don’t always think about having fun. Later you’ll know these pleasures are temporary. Contributing to society and becoming a person free of vulgar tastes is true happiness.”

“Alright, enough talk. The camp is my home now, I’m going back.”

Hearing this back then made his hair stand on end; eyes wide, he couldn’t believe it. Was this still his biological brother who loved Omegas, threw parties, and played with luxury cars?

He would rather take ten beatings than stay in that hellhole for three months.

Tang Xingye watched Ji Yu being taken away and whispered, “Thank you.”

Ji Chen waved his hand. “No need. They were the ones who told me about this. If you want to thank someone, thank them.” He pointed at Zhou Lin. “Besides, I should be the one thanking you.”

Tang Xingye paused, but the other party had no intention of explaining.

“Alright, Zhou Lin, I’m leaving. I’ll leave the rest to you.” Ji Chen flicked the plastic stick of the lollipop, landing it precisely in the trash can three meters away. He rolled his shoulders, the muscle lines under his black T-shirt looming with the movement.

Zhou Lin asked, “Going boxing again?”

Ji Chen’s eyes were startlingly bright, his whole being injected with vitality. “Yeah. Not boxing feels the same as not eating.”

He tilted his head to size up Zhou Lin, the corner of his mouth hooking into a wild smile. “Or maybe you’re interested in going a round with me?”

Zhou Lin calmly took a half-step back. “No thanks, I’m not good at it.”

“Eh—” Ji Chen dragged out the tone, twitching his mouth. “Boring.”

Though he said that, there wasn’t much disappointment in his expression.

“That’s truly my honor,” Zhou Lin chuckled lightly. “The people you find ‘interesting’ are all lying in the hospital right now. I don’t want to become one of them.”

“You’re slandering me in front of a new friend.”

“Then tell me, which one is still standing perfectly fine?”

“Him,” Ji Chen pointed at Tang Xingye standing to the side, his eyes shining with bright light. “I think he’s very interesting.”

Tang Xingye was looking down checking the bill on his phone. Hearing this, he looked up, his cold eyes revealing a trace of genuine confusion: ?

Zhou Lin frowned slightly, smiling with a subtle expression. “Ji Chen, he isn’t…”

“I know.” Ji Chen raised a hand to interrupt him, turning to look at Tang Xingye. He smiled heartily, the aggression on his body miraculously receding a few degrees. He took out his phone and shook it. “By the way, let’s add each other on WeChat.”

Seeing Tang Xingye didn’t respond immediately, Ji Chen smiled slightly, revealing a sharp tiger tooth. “I feel like you’re someone trouble finds often. If trouble finds you, you can come find me.”

He seemed to think of something and added, “But don’t misunderstand, I don’t mean ‘like’ in that way.”

When he said this, his gaze was so frank it bordered on innocent, as if he were just stating the most ordinary fact.

Tang Xingye raised an eyebrow slightly. He naturally wasn’t narcissistic enough to think adding a contact meant love, but having been the subject of rumors for so long, hearing this was refreshing.

After Ji Chen left, only Tang Xingye and Zhou Lin remained in the meeting room.

Zhou Lin smiled. “Ji Chen has that kind of personality. If you feel he offended you, just say it.”

Tang Xingye was noncommittal. “Oh.”

Zhou Lin poured him a cup of water. “If this matter hadn’t been seen, were you just going to endure it?”

Tang Xingye paused in his drinking and looked up at him. “What else?”

Those jet-black eyes were like lake water flowing under ice, calm and indifferent.

Zhou Lin was silent for a few seconds.

Yes, what could a helpless little widower whose husband had died possibly do?

Tang Xingye didn’t speak and continued drinking water.

Full lips parted slightly, holding the rim of the white paper cup. The lips were stained with water, gleaming with a bright sheen, tempting one to go up and lick them clean. Yet the beautiful owner had a quiet, innocent look, like soft frost and snow.

Zhou Lin’s gaze lingered on that touch of water for a second, his finger pad unconsciously rubbing against the cup wall before looking away.

Tang Xingye lowered his eyes, his long lashes casting a shadow beneath them, concealing the coldness in his eyes.

No way to deal with it?

Of course not.

Ingredient expiration dates, fire safety facilities, kitchen hygiene, illegally parked sports cars, etc. With just a little manipulation…

It’s actually quite easy to find some trouble without anyone noticing, isn’t it?