Beta Chapter 38: Their Future

Chapter 38: Their Future

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

“I’m very worried that you’re not feeling well.” Perhaps due to Duan Yizhou’s overly nervous attitude, his tone now became exceptionally gentle, extinguishing the original arrogance and timidity of the little ancestor.

Meeting Duan Yizhou’s gaze, Luo Songran’s teardrops trembled on his eyelashes and fell. He felt a bit overwhelmed by Duan Yizhou’s scrutiny and lowered his head. “I’m not uncomfortable.”

Is this guy in love? Does he really like him that much? Does he care about him this much? Is he actually afraid because he went to play with cars?

“Really, nothing?” Duan Yizhou wiped away his tears with his fingertips. “Nothing uncomfortable? Like, back pain, stomach discomfort, or even just feeling uneasy?”

Initially feeling fine, Luo Songran began to feel uncomfortable after being questioned by this man. He started to feel discomfort in his back, his stomach, and his mood grew even more gloomy. He leaned his forehead against Duan Yizhou’s shoulder and muttered, “Actually, I feel a bit uncomfortable now.”

Just now, he did feel a bit of discomfort in his stomach, maybe from the strong pushback sensation while racing.

Listening to the coquettish hums in his ears, Duan Yizhou’s restrained anger dissipated. In his eyes, there was only helplessness. He placed his palm on Luo Songran’s lower back and massaged him. “Here?”

“No.”

“Here?” Duan Yizhou followed his lead, gradually moving his palm upward, feeling the indentation of Luo Songran’s slender waist under the thin fabric.

Shaking his head, Luo Songran placed Duan Yizhou’s hand on his abdomen. “Here.”

Feeling the flatness of his abdomen beneath his palm, Duan Yizhou suddenly thought of a life being nurtured there. It felt like a warm stream rushing into his heart, bringing an uncontrollable excitement, his breath becoming heavier. The next second, his expression darkened abruptly. He nervously looked at Luo Songran. “Did I hit your stomach while driving just now?”

Seeing Duan Yizhou’s sudden change in expression, Luo Songran opened his mouth, but before he could speak, he was lifted up by Duan Yizhou. Unable to help but exclaim, “Hey, hey, hey, what—”

Without a word, Duan Yizhou carried him out. “To the hospital.”

“It’s not that serious, calm down, it’s just a little…”

“To me, even a tiny bit matters.” Hearing the pun in Duan Yizhou’s words, Luo Songran suddenly felt dumbfounded. He was quite trendy. Allowing Duan Yizhou to carry him, his gaze involuntarily fell on the man’s jawline, which was tense. Looking at him like this made him feel quite oppressed.

So, what was he afraid of? He wasn’t even afraid of Papa and the others, so why fear Duan Yizhou? He kept pondering this until he was put into the car. Why did Duan Yizhou make him nervous whenever he stopped smiling and became serious?

At the hospital—

“There’s nothing wrong, quite healthy. But I don’t recommend driving during pregnancy, especially in the early stages, as it’s more dangerous. In case of a collision, miscarriage is likely, especially since you’re a beta. The cavity is naturally smaller, increasing the risk. Even if you do drive, it should be gentle, but driving fast like this is absolutely forbidden.”

Luo Songran smiled awkwardly, nodding obediently.

Dr. Su glanced at the report in her hand, then looked at her friend Duan Yizhou, seeing his serious and nervous expression. “You, stop making the kid nervous all the time. Stay calm, or it might backfire.”

“Are you sure everything’s fine?” Duan Yizhou asked again.

Dr. Su nodded. “Sure, but keep an eye on him for the next few days. If there’s any abdominal pain, come to the hospital immediately.”

“Okay,” Duan Yizhou finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Luo Songran’s gaze had been fixed on Duan Yizhou’s hands clasped tightly on his knees until the doctor said it was okay and only then did he release them. Was he that nervous? He wasn’t nervous at all. So he murmured quietly, “They said there’s nothing wrong, making a big fuss over nothing.”

“Even the smallest thing here is a big deal to me. Don’t try to slide past me with cuteness. If there’s a next time, I won’t let you step out of the house.” Duan Yizhou heard the guy’s muttering and turned to look at him.

Luo Songran raised his head abruptly. “Duan Yizhou, you’re really making a big deal out of nothing.”

“You want to try?” Duan Yizhou said.

Luo Songran was speechless. Suddenly thinking about trying was terrifying. He drooped his head in grievance. “I’m sorry.”

Being taken advantage of was really uncomfortable.

Dr. Su looked at the pair in front of her and couldn’t help but smile. “Yizhou, don’t bully the kid. Look how pitiful he is. He’s carrying a baby, so you should take care of him more. A pregnant man’s heart is fragile.”

Seeing the little guy starting to act pitiful again, Duan Yizhou thought that anyone would feel sorry for him with this appearance, especially him. But only he knew how disobedient this guy could be. His current obedience was only because he was putting on a serious face.

However, let’s save some face for this little ancestor outside, or else I’ll have to deal with his temper tantrums when we get back.

As they walked towards the parking lot, Luo Songran rubbed his stomach.

Duan Yizhou had been paying attention to the little ancestor beside him. Seeing him rubbing his stomach, he furrowed his brows. “What’s wrong? Is your stomach hurting?”

Luo Songran shook his head, then looked up at Duan Yizhou. “I’m just really hungry.”

“What did you have for dinner?” Duan Yizhou took out the car keys, and the nearby car lights flashed.

“I had dinner at the cafeteria before going to the club to play with them.”

Duan Yizhou understood the implied meaning behind his words—that he had eaten properly before going to play. He couldn’t help but chuckle and reached out to pinch Luo Songran’s nape. “Do you want to go to the old town and have clay pot rice porridge?”

Feeling a bit itchy from the man’s touch, Luo Songran dodged his hand. Unaware, he didn’t notice an electric bike without headlights coming out and almost crashing into them. Duan Yizhou’s expression darkened, and swiftly, he pulled Luo Songran into his arms.

Beep—

“What’s going on? Jumping around in the parking lot.” The owner of the electric bike, his vehicle askew, almost slipped. He hurriedly stabilized his bike, then saw the people ahead and grumbled.

Luo Songran, now embraced by Duan Yizhou, felt anger surging when he heard the man’s words. Just as he was about to get angry, a hand suddenly covered his head, as if suppressing his anger.

“Sir, it’s wrong for my partner to act recklessly, but you didn’t have your headlights on. If you really hit someone, you would be fully responsible.” Duan Yizhou’s tone was steady as he spoke, his hand supporting the back of Luo Songran’s head, bringing him close, his face against his chest. “My partner is pregnant. Fortunately, you didn’t hit him. If you did, I wouldn’t be talking to you like this; it would be my lawyer discussing things with you.”

Strong heartbeat resonated against his solid chest, Luo Songran’s ears pressed against Duan Yizhou’s chest, his dominant tone and heartbeat vibrating in sync, every word of endearment making his ears burn. And it made his heart race.

…What’s this guy up to?

The owner of the electric bike glanced at the Porsche with its headlights on and knew better than to mess with someone like that. Apologizing hastily, he rode off on his electric bike.

“Are you okay?” Duan Yizhou bent down to check on the little ancestor in his arms. Seeing Luo Songran staring at him wordlessly, seeming puzzled, he rubbed the guy’s head and asked with a smile, “What’s wrong?”

The dim light in the parking lot didn’t allow him to see how red the little ancestor’s ears had turned. Luo Songran looked up at Duan Yizhou, hesitated, and then said, “… You, you—”

“What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong again?”

Hearing Duan Yizhou’s indulgent tone again, Luo Songran suddenly felt a chill down his spine. Trembling, he hurried to the passenger side and opened the door, getting in the car. “Let’s go have clay pot rice porridge later. You better learn how to cook from the boss. I don’t want to eat what you cook.”

Heart pounding. Why did he act so hastily, it was outrageous.

In the old town’s clay pot rice porridge stall—

“Are you two coming together this time? Same as before?” The stall owner wiped her hands on her apron, smiling kindly. “So, have you made up?”

“Made up?” Duan Yizhou was taken aback by the term.

Luo Songran didn’t quite understand what the stall owner meant either, but then seemed to recall something.

“The other day, the little one came alone and I seemed to have overheard you two arguing on the phone.” The stall owner pointed to the empty table and then wiped the tablecloth of the nearby table. “At that time, I saw the little one looking very angry. Did Little Duan provoke him?”

Duan Yizhou sat down on a chair, and seeing Luo Songran’s slightly awkward expression, he smiled faintly.

Seeing Duan Yizhou smile, Luo Songran felt a bit annoyed. “What are you laughing at? If it weren’t for you, would I be angry?”

“Yes, it’s all my fault.” Duan Yizhou saw that there were more people around here, so he pulled him to sit beside him, rubbed the back of his head, and whispered, “Don’t speak loudly when you’re unhappy. Take care of your throat. Whether you speak loudly or softly, it’s still anger. Why can’t we resolve things calmly?”

Luo Songran sighed softly. “So you think I’m being unreasonable.”

“Of course not. You have your reasons. I’m just worried about your throat.”

Luo Songran rolled his eyes, muttering quietly as he toyed with the edge of the table, “… You always think you’re right, always lecturing people. Getting older doesn’t make you great.”

Duan Yizhou noticed that the little guy didn’t speak so loudly anymore, knowing that he had taken it in. Seeing him reach for the edge of the table, he reached out to hold his hand, afraid that he might get pricked by the wooden table. “RanRan, from now on, let’s be honest about our temperaments, okay?”

“But sometimes I don’t want to talk when I’m angry.”

“Then you can find another way to tell me you’re angry. Like sending a bunch of emojis or typing gibberish. But not answering the phone makes me worry. Like this time, I didn’t know what I did wrong, but I knew you were angry. So I tried to cheer you up in every way possible, not for any reason, just because I’m willing to give you all my patience. I’m willing to cheer you up.”

“If one attempt at cheering up doesn’t work, then I’ll try again. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll keep trying.”

Under the bustling lights of the canopy, with the smell of hot porridge wafting around, laughter and chatter filled the air. Even the clinking of beer glasses from the adjacent barbecue stall could be heard.

Despite the noisy environment, it seemed to have no effect on this man. This extremely patient and gentle statement blended seamlessly into the cacophony. As the popular saying goes, ‘Are you allergic to romance?’ Obviously, Duan Yizhou was a man who wouldn’t be allergic to romance in any situation, even carrying romance and tenderness with him wherever he went. This wasn’t an innate ability but a skill learned from someone else.

Thump, thump, thump— Luo Songran felt his breathing getting erratic as if it was being disrupted by the heartbeat. He listened to this man speaking so affectionately and gently in the night market, feeling that it was inappropriate, but for some reason, it didn’t seem out of place at all.

It was strange. This man wasn’t like this a month ago, so how did he suddenly become so understanding? Was this the power of a top student?

“RanRan, from now on, let’s be honest about our temperaments, okay?” Duan Yizhou thought of Luo Songran crying tonight, and to be honest, he didn’t like seeing Luo Songran cry because of him, especially out of fear of his sternness.

Maybe it’s better not to be so strict in the future.

Luo Songran felt his head was a bit muddled, feeling a bit restless and irritated. “What future? Who knows what the future holds? Don’t think too far ahead; who knows what will happen.”

After saying that, he turned away from Duan Yizhou and put his hands on the table, propping up his head and playing with his phone. It sounded so nice, but what future did they have? He didn’t like Duan Yizhou anymore.

Under the brighter lights of the canopy, Duan Yizhou watched as Luo Songran propped his head up with his hand. In the flickering light, his ears were burning red. Unobtrusively, he tucked away this hint of redness behind his eyes, just like he locked away those two marriage certificates in the safe.

Future? With the marriage certificate in his hands, that was their future.

 

 

 

 

This Title is available for faster chapter releases through paid Patreon membership. Any proceeds go to keeping the website running. Check it out HERE.