Beta Chapter 36: Both

Chapter 36: Both

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Duan Yizhou took the cake from the kitchen, placed it on the dining table, and opened the exquisite packaging box. What caught the eye was a round four-inch Black Forest cake with a white swan on top. The rich milky aroma wafted through the air. Luo Songran looked at it, swallowed saliva, and involuntarily moved closer. “How come you bought a cake?”

“Do you want some?” Duan Yizhou propped his hands on the table, smiling as he saw the little glutton approaching. “Want some?”

“Yes,” Luo Songran immediately sat back at the table, completely changing his attitude from before. He looked at Duan Yizhou with a smile, looking very obedient. “Brother Yizhou, you’re so nice.”

As he reached out to touch the cake, his hand was grabbed, leaving him stunned.

“I have a condition.” Duan Yizhou held Luo Songran’s wrist, stopping him from touching the cake. “As long as you finish your meal, I’ll allow you to eat the cake. You can choose not to eat, and I’ll give the cake to the kid next door.”

Luo Songran pursed his lips and pulled his hand back. “…If your cooking wasn’t so bad, I wouldn’t mind eating.”

His gaze fell back on the beautiful swan cake in front of him, his hand itching to touch the cake box. He really wanted to eat something sweet, especially cake. But because he was allergic to eggs, many sweets were off-limits. The more he couldn’t have them, the more he craved them.

“I ordered this cake specially. It’s egg-free, so you can eat it. My request is simple: finish your meal, and then you can have it.” Duan Yizhou noticed the little guy sneaking his hand toward the cake box and knew he was really craving it. But he still had to finish his meal, even though Duan Yizhou knew his cooking wasn’t great.

Luo Songran hesitated for a moment, then picked up the bowl and started eating with his chopsticks. “It’s just finishing a meal, right? A man should be adaptable. Once I finish, I’ll eat.”

This was a cake without eggs, something he couldn’t easily get even from a cake shop. Even if he wanted to order it, it would take time. At home, he couldn’t be bothered to ask Dad to make it for him. After all, it seemed like a waste of time just to satisfy his craving for cake, so he usually didn’t bother.

How did this man know what he wanted to eat? Did he have some kind of intuition?

Perhaps because he was in a good mood, he even finished the unappetizing meal.

Duan Yizhou sat at the dining table, watching the picky little guy obediently finish his meal, feeling a bit of accomplishment. Though this sense of accomplishment was due to the cake’s influence, at least he was willing to eat. After all, there was a baby in his stomach, and he couldn’t let him skip meals.

“I’m done!” Luo Songran flipped the empty bowl to show Duan Yizhou, raising his eyebrows. “Can I have the cake now?”

Duan Yizhou looked at him and suddenly smiled, reminiscent of a preschooler showing off to the teacher after finishing a meal.

Seeing him smile, Luo Songran was a bit puzzled. “What’s so funny?”

“I’m laughing at how well-behaved you are.” Duan Yizhou smiled and picked up the cake knife to cut a slice, handing it to him. “If you can’t finish it, it’s fine. Don’t force yourself. If you want more tomorrow, I’ll have someone make it for you.”

Hearing this, Luo Songran felt like Duan Yizhou was doing it on purpose. He pursed his lips, took the cake, and said thank you. “You’re just pretending. I’m not that well-behaved.”

With his personality, he had been scolded countless times by his siblings since he was a child. Otherwise, he would probably have been hung up and beaten. Only Duan Yizhou would call him well-behaved. He even suspected that this man was in love, really silly…

“Still not well-behaved, but you said thank you to me.” Duan Yizhou clasped his hands on the table, looking affectionately at Luo Songran as he ate his cake. “I’ll be busy all day tomorrow and might not be able to pick you up.”

“You go ahead. I have a full schedule tomorrow too.”

When Duan Yizhou heard this, he felt a twinge in his heart for a moment. “RanRan, do you remember what you said to me when you saw me busy before? You would get mad at me, stick to me, and tell me not to be so busy, asking me to accompany you.”

Luo Songran licked the cream off the fork and looked at Duan Yizhou. “I was just lying to you back then. It must be heartfelt this time.”

Duan Yizhou’s gaze fell on the cream on his lips. Seeing him biting the fork, his innocent face made it even more apparent, though he knew it, hearing it still hurt. “Do you act cute like this with those people too?”

If that were the case, no one could resist Luo Songran’s cuteness. Just like him, he completely fell for Luo Songran in such a short time. Even after knowing about the kid’s deception, he still stubbornly refused to let go, which showed that he truly couldn’t resist Luo Songran.

And his only confidence now was the baby in Luo Songran’s stomach and the marriage certificate. This was his leverage to hold onto Luo Songran and his own selfishness and unwillingness.

He even thought that even if Luo Songran had many ambiguous relationships, none of them could compare to him. He was Luo Songran’s legitimate and legal husband.

Luo Songran seemed to sense that Duan Yizhou’s tone was off. He raised his gaze, meeting Duan Yizhou’s deep gaze head-on, tightening his grip on the fork. His eyes flashed slightly, and he casually said, “Yeah. Are those people even worthy? They’re just after my money and power.”

“I won’t anymore,” Duan Yizhou’s eyes darkened slightly. He continued, “I promise to do what you ask. I also hope you’ll fulfill my request: no ambiguous relationships with others, and no acting cute with anyone outside of family.”

The nonchalant tone made Luo Songran feel a subtle pressure, reminding him of the dominance Duan Yizhou displayed when he carried him back to the bedroom without saying a word in the garage. It was a tingling sensation climbing uncontrollably up his spine.

Luo Songran lowered his head and finished the cake on his plate, mumbling, “Okay.”

“I’ll be very busy tomorrow. If you can’t find me, look for my assistant, Jiang Yi. You can have fun, but don’t go everywhere, especially no street racing. Remember to eat on time and come home on time. I’ll be back as soon as possible.” Duan Yizhou thought about the chip’s observation period, which was almost over. He couldn’t locate Luo Songran without his consent if he wanted to obtain the chip’s data.

But he doubted that Luo Songran would agree.

“I’m not a child. Stop hovering over me all the time.” Luo Songran stabbed at the cake with his fork, as if venting his frustration. He muttered under his breath, “…You only care about the child in my stomach.”

Duan Yizhou frowned at his words but didn’t reply. He didn’t want to upset Luo Songran again. In his heart, his concern was always for Luo Songran. The appearance of the child was unexpected, a surprise, but also a shock. He couldn’t predict what would happen next. For now, he just wanted to keep Luo Songran, by any means necessary. He wanted both the person and the heart.

The next day, outside the school gate, Duan Yizhou unfastened Luo Songran’s seatbelt, giving him instructions, “Remember to eat lunch properly and come home early. I’ll bring you something delicious.” 

Listening to Duan Yizhou’s nagging, Luo Songran shook his head speechlessly. “You’re even more nagging than my dad.” With that, he opened the car door, dropped a “got it,” and walked towards the school with his violin case.

Duan Yizhou watched him walk into the school gates until he disappeared from sight before driving away.

The campus was lively in the morning, filled with laughter and chatter as many students had morning classes. Groups of three or five walked out of the dormitories and cafeterias, chatting happily.

“RanRan!”

Luo Songran was about to head towards the music building when he heard someone calling him. He looked up and saw his dorm mate A. “Oh, do you have classes this morning too?”

“Yeah, I’m going to practice soon.” Dorm mate A walked up to Luo Songran and naturally wrapped his arm around his shoulder, leaning in to whisper, “There’s a race on the mountain road tonight. Are you coming?”

Initially, Luo Songran didn’t feel anything when alphas approached him. But now, for some reason, he felt a bit uncomfortable. He subtly moved to the side, pretending to look at his violin case. “A race on the mountain road? Who organized it?”

There was a private supercar club on the mountain road, and he was one of the top members. However, after the incident at the last race, he was ready to quit the club.

Dorm mate A didn’t notice anything amiss. “It’s organized by Yu Meng. He asked me to ask if you’re coming tonight. He wants to race with you.”

Luo Songran’s expression darkened when he heard the name. He sneered, “He dares to invite me? I haven’t settled the score with him for the last incident yet, and now he’s coming to me?”

“He said he couldn’t reach you, so he asked me to pass on the message. He admitted that it was an accident last time and wants to apologize sincerely to you. That’s why he organized the race tonight.”

Luo Songran glanced at dorm mate A. “Don’t get too close to him. He’s not someone easy to deal with. If I tell you this, and you still want to get close to him, then consider what I said unsaid.”

Although the incident of him being bumped into was ruled as an accident, it was clear that Yu Meng didn’t want him to win the race. It wasn’t about the rankings; he just wanted to mess with him.

“What should I do tonight then? Should I refuse him now? Should I say you’re not going tonight?” Dorm mate A heard the displeasure in Luo Songran’s tone and hesitated.

“Go, of course.” Luo Songran said expressionlessly, “He likes provoking me, right? Tonight, I’ll let him provoke to his heart’s content.

If he loved provoking so much, why didn’t he just become a monkey? Such a foolish alpha. So what if he’s a beta? He’ll still crush him.

At the Galaxy Group, in the lobby of the group, a young alpha dressed in a perfectly tailored silver-gray suit had a cold and stern face. Although he was accompanied by assistants, his strong presence was impossible to ignore.

“President Duan, that’s Yan Nanchen, the president of the Galaxy Group,” Duan Yizhou’s assistant Jiang Yi reminded him in a low voice.

Duan Yizhou looked over, and not far away was the young and handsome alpha, Yan Nanchen, the fourth-generation president of the Galaxy Group, also Luo Songran’s second cousin. In a roundabout way, this young second cousin was also his brother.

Gotta watch my image. He stepped forward, extending his hand towards Yan Nanchen with a smile. “President Yan, nice to meet you. Your reputation precedes you.”

“Mr. Duan, nice to meet you too. Your reputation precedes you as well.” Yan Nanchen shook hands with Duan Yizhou. As they got closer, Yan Nanchen caught a faint scent on the man. His gaze under his glasses deepened slightly.

Citrus rose.

Duan Yizhou felt the handshake from this cousin was a bit firm, and he seemed a bit aloof. Nevertheless, he tried to maintain his smile. Looks like this cousin has a temper.

 

 

 

 

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