After Transmigrating as a Beta, I Got Messed Up with an Alpha (BL) - Chapter 30

Huo Juan’s voice was very low, devoid of any discernible emotion.

Pei Yule was turning twenty-one after the New Year. Whether considering his real age or his mental maturity, he felt he was definitely more mature and steady than this group of high school seniors.

Initially, he felt embarrassed, but under the silent gazes of Huo Juan and Xu Yanxi, a stubborn competitive streak suddenly surged within him.

What’s wrong with adult products anyway!

Even if his only companion so far had been “Madam Five-Fingers,” he wasn’t exactly a naive boy. What was the problem with being seen looking at adult toys? Even if it was actually just a misunderstanding, even if it were real, isn’t it normal for a man to look at these things? He’d use them one day!

Why was he acting all flustered, like a kid caught watching a “live-action version” by his parents?

He should act even more composed than them.

Stay steady. Don’t panic.

In a matter of seconds, several thoughts flashed through Pei Yule’s mind. He put on a perfectly natural smile: “Oh, that… I was just passing by and saw this, so I got a bit curious.”

With such an open and honest face, it was hard for anyone to tease him. Xu Yanxi nodded with a smile: “True, it’s only natural for teenagers to be curious about this.”

You talk like you aren’t a teenager, Pei Yule thought. Actually, you guys are probably all younger than me. The original owner was a senior, and miraculously had the same birthday as him—the fifth day of the first lunar month. Since they were all high school seniors, unless they were born before that date, these two Alphas were definitely younger than him.

Pei Yule said, a bit defiantly: “You’re a teenager too! I’ll be an adult in two months! Age-wise, I should be older than you.”

So, don’t act like he was a child. As the one who would reach adulthood first, it would be perfectly fine for him to use these products in two months.

Pei Yule avoided looking at Huo Juan. One look at him and he couldn’t help but recall the images from his dream, which made him feel like something inside him had shattered. He waved his hand, trying to dismiss them: “This isn’t suitable for you to look at yet. You guys must have things to do, so go on and do whatever you need to.”

He had actually learned to use age to suppress others.

Xu Yanxi, who truly was a few months away from adulthood, tasted the feeling of being speechless for the first time.

“Alright, alright, ‘Big’ Classmate Pei,” Xu Yanxi changed his address. Seeing Pei Yule’s smug little expression, his hand itched to tease him, but under Huo Juan’s watchful eye, he restrained himself. He reminded him: “Even if you’re older than us, you’re still not an adult yet.”

That was true. Pei Yule was stumped for two seconds, but then he puffed out his chest confidently: “I’m not buying anything right now. I’m just looking, is that a crime? I’ll have a chance to use them eventually.”

It was fine until the last sentence. Upon hearing it, the expression on Xu Yanxi’s face turned subtle again. He glanced at Huo Juan once more. Huo Juan remained expressionless, his thoughts unknown. Xu Yanxi turned back with a muffled laugh and said to Pei Yule: “It’s not impossible. I also hope you have a day where you can use them…”

“Xu Yanxi.” Huo Juan interrupted him.

Oops. Talked too much, he’s angry. Indeed, that sentence bordered on sexual harassment.

Xu Yanxi stopped talking. Facing Pei Yule’s confused face, he knew he had overstepped and quickly changed the subject. “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. You’re all by yourself—where are you headed?”

Pei Yule replied: “I’m going to get something to eat.”

He was determined not to look at Huo Juan, trying once more to send them away: “You guys go do your thing, don’t mind me.”

Go quickly, don’t interfere with my time to find food and go home for a nap.

He was waiting for Huo Juan and Xu Yanxi to leave, but he saw Huo Juan suddenly reach out, grab his hood, and give it a gentle tug, pulling him a few steps closer.

“Hey…”

Although it didn’t hurt, Pei Yule clearly felt something was slightly off with the other person. He tried to grab his hood back but failed. He looked at him in confusion. Seeing those handsome features, he looked away again and asked sulkily: “What are you doing?”

Xu Yanxi stopped talking, his eyes darting back and forth, enjoying the show.

Huo Juan looked down at Pei Yule, who refused to look him in the eye. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the products reflected in the shop window. After a moment of silence, he said: “Eat lunch with us.”

Pei Yule didn’t want to see his face yet, and with Xu Yanxi there, he didn’t want to walk with them either, feeling he’d just be teased. He tried to refuse: “No, I…”

Huo Juan said: “I don’t feel very well.”

“…” Pei Yule paused.

He had spent some time with Huo Juan now. For this Alpha, whose pride was through the roof, to admit he was “uncomfortable,” he must be feeling really bad… right?

He knitted his brows and looked up at Huo Juan.

Huo Juan saw the boy finally look at him, though his eyes held a trace of hesitation. Without a change in expression, he repeated himself, this time with emphasis: “I am uncomfortable.”

Pei Yule hesitated. His sense of responsibility and his desire not to see Huo Juan fought each other. In the end, responsibility won out: “Really…?”

Huo Juan nodded: “Mm.”

“…”

Xu Yanxi felt this trip was worth it. That Huo Juan actually knew how to act spoiled!!

It was acting spoiled, right!

From the time they were born in the hospital until now, they had known each other for nearly eighteen years. His friend, who always seemed to have no human emotions, actually had a day like this! Xu Yanxi was truly seeing a new world. He was practically in awe of Pei Yule for being able to bring out this side of Huo Juan.

“…Alright!” Pei Yule decided. “I’ll eat with you.”

The one having the dreams was himself; Huo Juan was innocent. He couldn’t refuse to help right now just because of his own weird dream, especially when Huo Juan had admitted so frankly for the first time that he was uncomfortable.

Since Huo Juan had decided, Xu Yanxi naturally wouldn’t voice any objections. He knew perfectly well when to cause trouble and when to be as quiet as a chicken. He pretended not to see Huo Juan reaching toward Pei Yule, nor did he intend to tease him. Humming a little tune, he walked ahead on his own.

Pei Yule looked at the hand Huo Juan offered him. Seeing only strangers around, he hesitated for a moment before reaching out and actively grasping Huo Juan’s hand. He remembered Huo Juan saying that if he took the initiative, the treatment would be more effective.

So, without overthinking, he directly gripped Huo Juan’s hand tightly.

In his old life, he would have felt awkward holding hands with a man on the street. But perhaps because this world was different from the one he knew—with six genders and the common sight of two men or two women holding hands—his previous perceptions had gradually shifted. Now, even taking the initiative to hold Huo Juan’s hand didn’t feel repulsive.

As long as it wasn’t in front of acquaintances, strangers wouldn’t give them a second glance.

The dry, warm palm was different from his own cold fingertips; holding it actually made him feel much warmer. Pei Yule breathed a long sigh of relief, erasing the last bit of hesitation in his heart. As he was pulled along by Huo Juan, his gaze swept over the rows of indescribable products in the shop window, lingering for just a moment.

Actually… he wasn’t not curious… After all, this was the first time he’d seen these things—which usually only existed in books, short videos, or manga—so directly.

Huo Juan noticed his gaze lingering. His fingers tightened slightly in their clasp as he asked nonchalantly: “Are you that interested?”

“Cough, cough!” Pei Yule was suddenly choked by his own spit. He wasn’t that interested! He was just purely curious, so why did the guy make it sound like he was some pervert? Then again, he had just been bragging about “having a chance to use them eventually,” so it was normal to be misunderstood. He rubbed his nose and decided to tell the truth: “I’m not ‘interested,’ just a bit curious.”

Huo Juan nodded: “Mm. You’re still young. It’s not suitable.”

Hey, hey… Pei Yule was speechless. Student Huo Juan, Xu Yanxi just admitted it—you guys are younger than me.

If I’m ‘still young,’ then it’s even less suitable for you, okay?

However, looking at Huo Juan, who was taller than him and looked more like a man in both appearance and aura, he opened his mouth but decided to say nothing. He pretended not to hear, dropping the topic to avoid an endless cycle.

But he did become curious about one thing: “So you’re only seventeen? In that case, am I the ‘Big Brother’?”

The Alpha’s development was truly infuriating. How did this guy not look like a seventeen-year-old boy at all! Standing nearly 1.9 meters tall with an aura somewhere between a teenager and a young man—if he and Huo Juan stood together, with his natural curls and baby face, he was clearly the one who looked like a minor.

Although he had taken over the original owner’s identity, he had researched it and found that this body was likely his own, as it was identical in every way. This meant that even though his body was technically twenty-one, he looked several degrees more childish than Huo Juan.

Pei Yule looked at his messy curls in the shop window reflection and wondered if a different hairstyle would make him look more mature.

Huo Juan locked eyes with Pei Yule through the window reflection, his tone dropping slightly: “Three more months, and I’ll be eighteen.”

Therefore, he wasn’t saying he was a “brother.” He didn’t have a brother, and he didn’t need one.

Pei Yule didn’t catch the underlying meaning. Calculating it, he felt he had won and snapped his fingers: “I have two months left! So I really am the ‘Big Brother,’ and you…”

The rest of the words were swallowed. Pei Yule met Huo Juan’s slightly cool gaze and realized he might have been a bit too smug. What he just said—in Huo Juan’s eyes—wouldn’t it sound like he wanted to be Huo Juan’s “older brother”?

…How would he dare.

He gave a forced laugh: “…I was just talking.”

But Huo Juan clearly didn’t accept the joke. He said concisely: “You are not my brother.”

“Fine, fine, I get it.” Pei Yule was a bit sulky. What’s wrong with being the older brother if I’m older? Although the idea of being this Alpha’s “big brother” took quite some guts, he didn’t actually want to take advantage of him. Would it hurt to just play along? He even had to point it out.

Ai, ai, ‘Big’ Classmate Pei doesn’t understand what Huo Juan cares about at all. Xu Yanxi was laughing quietly up ahead. Seeing they had reached the Sichuan restaurant where they had a reservation, he wiped the tears from his eyes and looked back: “We’re here. By the way, ‘Brother Pei,’ can you eat spicy food?”

Xu Yanxi ignored the glare Huo Juan shot him. He asked Pei Yule with a grin. Unlike Huo Juan, he didn’t have the same feelings for Pei Yule, so calling him “Brother” carried zero mental burden—it rolled off his tongue quite smoothly. Anyway, he was the youngest child with several older brothers at home, so calling one more person “brother” wasn’t an issue.

However, he had a bad track record. Even though Pei Yule heard him call him “Brother,” he wasn’t happy. Instead, his eyes widened, he got goosebumps, and he firmly refused: “Don’t call me that—yes, I can eat it.”

He couldn’t be called “Big Brother,” but he could eat spicy food. In fact, Pei Yule was someone who couldn’t live without spice. Unfortunately, due to health issues, he often had to restrict his diet and rarely got to eat a big meal to his heart’s content.

Now, with no family watching him, a table full of fragrant and fiery Sichuan dishes made Pei Yule’s eyes sparkle. He was extremely glad he had agreed to eat with them.

Boiled Beef, Mapo Tofu, Twice-cooked Pork, Spicy Shrimp, Laziji (Spicy Chicken), and Hot Pot… everything he wanted to eat was there.

Pei Yule secretly swallowed his saliva. The annoying “hungry chicken” in his stomach, which had been quiet for a while, was starting to act up again. You couldn’t blame him; since he transmigrated, he’d lived alone and been frugal with the original owner’s parents’ money. The meal he had with Huo Juan during the sports meet was already a luxury. It had been a long time since he’d had such a feast.

So, even when he realized they were in a private room with a man around thirty years old, he didn’t lose his nerve. He sat down decisively next to Huo Juan, lured by the spread.

No amount of “crematorium” tension could stop a foodie.

Furthermore, Pei Yule noted that the waiter only served four bowls of soup, meaning no one else was coming, yet there was so much food. Huo Juan and Xu Yanxi likely had things to discuss with that man, so his purpose as an outsider was to be responsible for making this giant table of food disappear. They could talk, he would eat, and food wouldn’t be wasted—a win-win situation!

He had attended these kinds of social dinners in university; just keep your head down and eat, and you won’t go wrong. Thus, he made up his mind to wait for them to pick up their chopsticks before he made his move.

Xu Yanxi’s uncle, Fu Lihang, looked at Pei Yule, then at his seat next to Huo Juan. Seeing that both his nephew and Huo Juan were acting perfectly natural, he arched an eyebrow and asked: “Who is this little friend?”

As the elder was asking, Pei Yule forced his attention away from the Sichuan dishes. He opened his mouth, wanting to tell Fu Lihang he was their classmate.

“He is Pei Yule,” Huo Juan answered for him. He took a bowl of soup from the lazy Susan and placed it in front of Pei Yule, saying: “Don’t mind us. Eat.”

“Uh…” What about the elder? Pei Yule looked at Fu Lihang. Even if Huo Juan told him to eat, he still had to check the elder’s attitude.

Xu Yanxi shrunk his presence, silently pulling a bowl of soup in front of himself, then placed one in front of his uncle as well. He didn’t bother with Huo Juan’s; the guy didn’t like soup anyway. Then he began to act as an outsider, letting his thoughts wander.

Fu Lihang had already gleaned something from this little interlude. When had Huo Juan ever taken such care of someone else? Even toward elders, he was usually cold. He shot Huo Juan a meaningful look, then glanced at his nephew who was pretending to be in a trance. Knowing Pei Yule was being cautious—if he didn’t move, the boy probably wouldn’t touch his chopsticks—Fu Lihang picked up his own and casually took a piece of meat. He gave Pei Yule a gentle smile and said: “Yes, you should eat too. I’m Xu Yanxi’s uncle. Since Ah-Juan brought you, you can call me ‘Uncle Hang’ just like him. Don’t be too formal.”

His smile was very similar to Xu Yanxi’s. But he felt much harder to deal with. At least Xu Yanxi was young; even if he was always smiling, it was obvious when he was unhappy. He wore his heart on his sleeve. This man, however, gave away nothing.

But Pei Yule didn’t sense any unfriendliness. The man probably just saw him as a normal junior.

“Oh, okay, Uncle Hang.” Pei Yule followed suit. Before he could pick up his chopsticks, a slice of beef suddenly landed in his bowl.

“Cough.”

Before Pei Yule could react, Xu Yanxi let out a small cough, because that beef had been served by Huo Juan.

With things like this, the “thank you” on the tip of Pei Yule’s tongue felt awkward. To make matters worse, Huo Juan immediately served him a spicy shrimp. Seeing that even Fu Lihang was looking over with great interest, Pei Yule felt he had to stop this. He moved his bowl away slightly and said: “…I’ll do it myself.”

He hoped they would just talk about their business and leave him alone. Let him eat the whole table solo.

He stopped worrying about anything else and put the spicy shrimp in his mouth. The shrimp was already peeled; you could just eat it. One bite, and it was perfectly crunchy.

Come to think of it, if the shrimp had shells, how would these three men peel them by hand? It was a different preparation than what he was used to, but it was delicious. Pei Yule felt his taste buds instantly awakened by the fragrant, numbing, and spicy flavors. He threw himself into the meal.

Huo Juan saw that Pei Yule was eating well and stopped serving him. He turned his attention to Fu Lihang and called out: “Uncle Hang.”

Fu Lihang looked at Huo Juan, whom he had also watched grow up. He shook his head slightly: “Originally I wanted to know why you insisted on it, but now I understand. I’ll give it to you.”

He was a doctor and knew Huo Juan’s condition. Although he guessed that wanting the U-type drug was to suppress impulses, there were many ways to do that without necessarily taking U-type drugs. U-type drugs were indeed the fastest and most effective, but the side effects were numerous and shouldn’t be used lightly.

However, after seeing Huo Juan, he understood why he wanted the U-type drug. He hadn’t expected Huo Juan to be interested in a Beta—and an underage one at that. This was likely why Huo Juan let him see him taking care of Pei Yule. Normally, he would be more cautious and wouldn’t bring someone before him so easily.

Huo Juan was too clever; he knew exactly how to convince him.

With just a few words, they had settled everything. Xu Yanxi nearly spit out his soup. He put down his bowl and stared at his friend and uncle: “That was it?”

He had wasted so many words!

“Once a decision is made, there’s no need for more words.” Fu Lihang turned the focus to him, frowning: “Never mind Huo Juan. You—hasn’t your suppressant usage been a bit high these past few months? Find some time to come to the hospital for a check-up.”

Xu Yanxi didn’t expect the fire to turn on him when he was trying to stay low-profile. He groaned: “I haven’t used that much, it’s a normal amount.”

Fu Lihang ignored the denial. The facts were right there; it wasn’t something he could just shout away. He said: “Anyway, find time for a check-up. Don’t force me to catch you myself.”

“Uncle!”

“Protest denied.”

While they were bickering, Pei Yule saw Xu Yanxi lose an argument for the first time. He looked at Huo Juan, who was acting like an outsider while serving him two more pieces of chicken. It was quite fascinating. He had only been eating for a few minutes. He asked quietly: “You’re done talking already?”

“Mm.” Huo Juan noted how many times Pei Yule picked up his chopsticks, silently gauging his tastes.

He liked shrimp and beef. Chicken was average. He didn’t touch the Mapo Tofu at all. A meat-lover, indeed.

A thought flashed by, and he asked: “Do you have time tonight?”

“Hmm?” Pei Yule spat out a chicken bone and picked up another peeled shrimp. He looked at Pei Yule blankly. “What’s up? I don’t have anything planned…” After all, it was a school holiday; his original plan was a nap.

Huo Juan said flatly: “Xu Yanxi brought me two five-pound lobsters this morning. Do you want to come eat them?”

Thinking that just lobsters might not be enough food, he added: “There are other ingredients too. It’s too much; I can’t finish it all.”

Five-pound lobsters!

Seeing Pei Yule’s eyes light up, Huo Juan said: “After we finish eating here, we can find somewhere to walk it off, and then head to my place for dinner?”

Pei Yule was completely seduced by the five-pound lobsters. He forgot all about the dream and nodded repeatedly: “Okay, okay.”

He had only ever eaten three-pound lobsters! Five pounds was a first. Lucky! Today is a real treat.

Seeing them acting as if no one else was there, Fu Lihang gave a cough and said meaningfully: “Yanxi, if there are five-pound lobsters, why didn’t you show your uncle some respect?”

Although he didn’t lack five-pound lobsters, his nephew’s filial piety was precious.

“About that…” Xu Yanxi saw Huo Juan deceiving the boy without blinking an eye, and even using him as an accomplice to his face without fearing exposure. His eyelid twitched. He wanted to say something but didn’t expose him. He said to Fu Lihang:

“…I’d like to know that, too.