After Transmigrating as a Beta, I Got Messed Up with an Alpha (BL) - Chapter 45

Pei Yule, adopting the attitude of an elder, finished putting away the groceries he had bought. He then turned back to the living room sofa and gestured with his chin toward the short sofa across from him, signaling Huo Juan to sit there.

Seeing that backpack of Huo Juan’s, he understood perfectly. This guy was clearly planning to stay for good.

Pei Yule rubbed his nose, feeling as if he had overlooked a very important detail. How could he forget that Huo Juan was incredibly stubborn? From the moment he’d met the guy, he knew that once Huo Juan made up his mind, he wouldn’t change it easily.

Huo Juan originally wanted to sit next to Pei Yule, but seeing the look in his eyes, he obediently sat in the designated spot.

Pei Yule had actually let him in; Huo Juan had assumed he wouldn’t be this calm. After all, when he’d left after that “stolen kiss,” the boy had completely frozen up. While he’d had other ideas before coming here, this development was even better.

If Pei Yule knew what Huo Juan was thinking, he’d give a dry laugh and tell him it was because the most embarrassing moment had already passed. As the “older” person now, he absolutely wouldn’t allow himself to be led by the nose again.

Seeing Huo Juan seated, Pei Yule asked calmly, “How long were you out there?”

He’d gone out for about two hours, and he didn’t know how long the guy had been standing at the door.

Huo Juan replied, “…About an hour and a half.”

In other words, he’d likely changed clothes, grabbed his things, and come right back. His timing was impeccable; he’d arrived right after Pei Yule left. Good for him.

Pei Yule glanced at the backpack tossed casually on the floor and asked knowingly, “Are those clothes?”

Huo Juan: “Mm.” He then added: “And suppressants.”

And ‘mm’ to you, too. This guy was really banking on him, wasn’t he? Did he think his repeated soft-heartedness last night meant he’d found a weakness? …Even if he had actually let the guy in.

And what kind of suppressants? Surely not the “U-type” drug with the side effects? But since the guy had promised not to use them if he didn’t want him to, he likely wouldn’t lie. They were probably regular suppressants. For all his flaws, the guy had never lied about a promise.

Pei Yule looked up at Huo Juan. The Alpha sat on the sofa with an unreadable expression. Sunlight spilled through the window, bathing him in a soft glow that emphasized his striking looks. But no matter how handsome he was, he was still a man—even more of a man than Pei Yule himself.

Technically, a youth.

This youth, no matter how you looked at him, was worlds apart from his ideal type. Could he pick this person up and kiss him? No. The reverse, however, would be effortless.

According to this world’s settings, a top-tier Alpha wouldn’t be the one “below,” so… would it be him?

Vivid descriptions from the novel—of lost control, dripping sweat, and racing pulses—flashed through his mind. Pei Yule immediately cut the thought off. What on earth was he thinking? The guy was still a minor. (Even if he didn’t look like it from head to toe.)

Pei Yule coughed and asked, “What about a place to stay? Not looking anymore?”

Huo Juan watched him silently, not saying a word. Silence was his answer.

Pei Yule felt both amused and irritated. Earlier, the guy had told him he’d only stay one night and find a place today; now that he’d brought clothes, it was obvious what he intended.

Worse yet, he wasn’t truly angry. When he’d seen him at the door, he’d actually felt an odd sense of, “Of course.” He was truly caught.

He glanced at Huo Juan—who was the total opposite of his ideal type—and sighed inwardly. He had no experience; he didn’t know what to do in this situation. Just start dating naturally? …But the guy was still a minor. More importantly, he had zero intention of being the one “below”; that was too much for his pride. Blushing and gasping… he’d rather just die.

Pei Yule decided to maintain the status quo. They were both young; maybe it was just a passing phase. Once the guy snapped out of it, he’d be as indifferent as Pei Yule was now toward the memory of that “class flower.”

Defining himself as a heartless scoundrel, Pei Yule decided the priority was solving Huo Juan’s pheromone disorder. It was a ticking time bomb. He didn’t want to see him that thin again; it was genuinely frustrating.

Pei Yule spoke: “You can stay.”

Since he couldn’t kick him out, he’d set a new set of “Three Rules.” He locked eyes with the Alpha, whose gaze had shifted slightly. “But I have conditions.”

Pei Yule held up one finger: “First, if anything like the bathroom incident last night happens again, you’re out.” He had to make the severity clear; health was vital, and anyone who neglected their own body deserved a scolding.

A second finger: “Second, no acting like a creep without permission. Remember you’re a guest.”

A third finger: “Third, while you’re here, you’re the one cooking.”

He had to get some benefits, or he’d be at a disadvantage. Besides, his own cooking was a disaster that would only make both of them suffer—maybe even worsen the guy’s condition. Using this solid logic, he handed over the chef’s duties. He then leaned forward over the table, propped up by his hands, and added one last condition: “Finally, I want you to cooperate with me. We need to find the cause of your pheromone disorder and why I have an effect on it. We need to solve this properly as soon as possible.”

Huo Juan stared at the serious Pei Yule. His palms curled slightly. He nodded and said, “Okay.”

Deal.

Pei Yule sat back. “Tomorrow, we’re going to the hospital for a check-up.”

He had to get to the bottom of this. He knew Huo Juan had likely already been checked thoroughly. If his family couldn’t solve it, a new check-up likely wouldn’t find anything—but the one who needed the check-up wasn’t Huo Juan, it was himself. Since contact with him calmed the pheromones, there was something in him that the Alpha needed.

However, the normally agreeable Huo Juan refused for the first time: “No.”

Pei Yule thought he was resisting the check-up. “It’s not for you, it’s for me. I want to see if there’s something about me that helps. We should have done this sooner; maybe we’d have a solution by now…”

“No,” Huo Juan repeated.

Pei Yule didn’t understand. “Why? I said it’s not you, it’s me—”

“That’s exactly why.” Whether or not they found anything, a record would expose everything about Pei Yule. His family would wonder why he was always with a Beta. If they looked, they would find that a Beta could affect him. He could imagine what they would do.

Before he’d found Pei Yule yesterday, he’d discarded all his electronic devices. He didn’t want the boy in danger. In school, he might be seen as just a “pet” he was teasing, but a hospital visit was different.

Pei Yule realized and was stunned for a moment. “…Would I actually be in danger?” He’d wondered why Huo Juan had never taken him for a check-up before.

Huo Juan stood up, walked to Pei Yule, and crouched down in front of him. Before Pei Yule’s widening eyes, he took the boy’s hand. He started with just a fingertip, then slowly pressed his fingers against Pei Yule’s one by one. His voice was deep: “There is nothing wrong with you. You don’t need a check-up. My pheromones have chosen you, that’s all. It’s happened before; the difference was that the one with the disorder was an Omega, and the one who calmed them wasn’t an Alpha, but a Beta.”

Even though Huo Juan’s tone was slow and not at all suggestive, it made Pei Yule feel restless. He pulled his hand away—the guy hadn’t been gripping it tightly, just resting his fingers there. Pei Yule glared at him: “What was the second rule again?” Don’t pretend you’ve forgotten so fast.

Huo Juan was calm. He raised the hand that had just been touching Pei Yule’s. “I’m just telling you that your presence alone soothes my pheromones.” Not being a creep, just proving a point.

“…I’m hungry!” Pei Yule stood up. “Talk over. I bought lots of food, go cook.” Since Huo Juan was still crouching, Pei Yule looked down at him from a dominant position. “The third rule, remember?”

Watching Huo Juan obediently enter the kitchen to cook, Pei Yule sat back down and buried himself in the sofa. For a few seconds, he felt a wave of self-disgust. Where’s my maturity? As an adult, he should have handled that better instead of letting his heart race over one sentence.

He grabbed a cushion and banged his head against it, then looked toward the kitchen to make sure he hadn’t made too much noise. Luckily, Huo Juan had his back turned. He looked at that tall but noticeably thinner back and pursed his lips. He couldn’t help it. Once he’d realized his feelings, everything the guy did became impossible to ignore. Letting him stay… he didn’t know if he was making a mistake.

After they ate, Huo Juan fed him a small, exquisite piece of cake that wasn’t too sweet. Just as his guard was about to vanish, he saw the Alpha—fresh from a shower—automatically head into his bedroom and take up his bed. He started to think he really had made a mistake. How did he forget that once you give him an inch, he takes the whole bed?

“I won’t do anything,” the Alpha promised. “If I do, you can kick me out.”

Pei Yule knew he shouldn’t agree, or it would be harder to say no later. But he had something else he wanted to do—the most important reason he’d let Huo Juan stay.

He walked over and stood over Huo Juan, staring down at him. “You said you lose control… at what point does it happen?”

Huo Juan’s gaze darkened. Before he could answer, Pei Yule reached out a hand: “Give me the suppressants.”

Pei Yule felt that instead of being passive every time, he should take control of the rhythm. If contact made him lose control, where was the limit? Could he help him more effectively? Maybe if they found the pattern, they could control it. And to ensure things didn’t go too far, he’d keep the suppressants for peace of mind.

Huo Juan paused, his voice husky: “If I truly lose control, even with suppressants, you might not be able to use them.” Just like at the gala. He could easily pin him down.

“But you’ve never hurt me,” Pei Yule replied, then gave him a look. “And if you thought there was a problem, you wouldn’t have come into my room.” He must be sure he could control it. Since he was here, they had to solve the pheromone disorder. Seeing Huo Juan didn’t answer, Pei Yule shook his hand. “Come on, suppressants.”

Huo Juan wordlessly pulled two syringes and a pack of capsules from his jacket. Carrying them on him. So the guy really didn’t want to hurt him. Pei Yule softened. He took the items and put them in easy reach. Then, he reached out again—this time pressing his hand against Huo Juan’s chest.

“Hah…”

Pei Yule yawned, rubbing his tired eyes while picking at his cafeteria meal. “Did you become a thief lately? You look like you’re sleep-deprived every day,” Fei Yisa remarked. “I thought you went to bed early.”

A ‘thief’ is right. Busy with “hands-on” work every night like some kind of rogue. He couldn’t say that, so he brushed it off: “Been studying hard lately…” It wasn’t a total lie; he had been studying every night. He wasn’t the clueless Pei Yule anymore.

Fei Yisa believed him. “True, your grades have gone up a lot.” Before, the guy would get middle school questions wrong. Fei Yisa’s grades were mediocre too, and with graduation less than a year away, he had a university in mind. “What’s the secret?”

The “secret” was having a tutor every night. Once Huo Juan saw his terrible grades, it became an unwritten rule. Huo Juan’s idea. Pei Yule saw a group of people across the cafeteria. He couldn’t tell Fei Yisa the secret—not because he minded him knowing, but because explaining it would mean confessing a lot. “Just spending more time on it at night,” he said vaguely.

“Guess I should study more at night too,” Fei Yisa murmured, though books made him sleepy. He noticed Pei Yule’s gaze and asked: “Speaking of which, you and Huo Juan… seem to have zero contact lately?” Since when? Two, three weeks ago? He noticed they no longer avoided each other, but they had no interaction at school.

…Because we see each other every day at home, and school is too conspicuous. Huo Juan hadn’t come to class at first after moving in, but after settling things with his family, he’d returned. And he was still living at his place. Facing three unanswerable questions, Pei Yule gave Fei Yisa some of his pudding. “Here, eat this.”

Fei Yisa shot him a suspicious look but fell for the sweet distraction and stopped asking. Pei Yule breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, Fei Yisa was easily bribed.

After school, Pei Yule arrived home and was greeted by the scent of food and a dense aroma of cold cypress. Taking a deep breath, he felt his mouth water and his body grow slightly soft. Even though he was used to it, the “weak knees” symptom wouldn’t go away.

He changed his shoes and entered the living room to find the tall Alpha on the sofa—asleep or just resting. He hadn’t returned for the afternoon classes; he’d come home early. If he kept skipping, would he actually fail? Living together for nearly a month, Pei Yule was used to this sight.

He walked over to wake him, but a hand suddenly reached up—

Alarm bells rang. Pei Yule jumped back, successfully evading the reach. Seeing the “capture” failed, the Alpha opened his eyes and stared at him silently. Pei Yule looked at him for two seconds, said nothing, and went to the kitchen to wash his hands and prep for dinner.

Just as he lifted the lid of the pot, before he could turn around, he felt his back stiffen. A scent of cold cypress was right behind him.