After Transmigrating as a Beta, I Got Messed Up with an Alpha (BL) - Chapter 47

In the darkness, the scent of cold cypress was amplified.

Perhaps because Huo Juan had a low-grade fever today, he seemed slightly less able to restrain his pheromones. Pei Yule felt the fragrance was even more intense than usual.

However, since they were already in bed, he didn’t care if his limbs felt soft anymore. He maintained a one-person distance from Huo Juan and closed his eyes amidst the room full of scent.

Although he acted like a “flower-thief” every evening by being all handsy during therapy, when it came time to actually sleep, they stayed in their own lanes, maintaining that gap until they drifted off.

…Though, by the time he opened his eyes the next morning, Pei Yule was inevitably clinging to Huo Juan like a koala.

It happened every single time.

Fortunately, Huo Juan never said anything about it, which saved Pei Yule from too much shame. Initially, he found it unacceptable and suffered from self-doubt and annoyance, but as it became a routine, he grew calm. This is just how I sleep; it is what it is. He had completely thrown caution to the wind.

Lack of sleep soon caught up with him. The yawns he’d shown in front of Fei Yisa weren’t faked; he had barely slept enough lately. At first, it was because he wasn’t used to being surrounded by pheromones. Later, as he grew familiar with the scent, he spent too much time researching just how much contact was needed to soothe Huo Juan without causing a loss of control, which consistently pushed him past his usual bedtime.

Day after day, he felt like he’d been out moonlighting as a thief.

With the rare early night tonight, his body—already softened by the habitual pheromones—succumbed to exhaustion. Almost as soon as he closed his eyes, he was drifting off.

Huo Juan slowly opened his eyes. With extremely light movements, he turned his face toward Pei Yule. His night vision was excellent; even in the darkness, he could accurately capture Pei Yule’s features.

He reached out his hand slightly. The curve of the profile, the arc of the falling hair… and the breath that was gradually becoming steady. Though within reach, he couldn’t touch without permission.

He had spent a month making Pei Yule get used to his proximity, but on the bed, the boy still kept his distance. Unless he was sound asleep, he would maintain that one-person gap, a subtle expression of his will to refuse.

Huo Juan’s fingers, hovering in mid-air, slowly curled and retracted.

…It would be better if I could hold something more substantial.

He silently withdrew his hand, waiting as time ticked by.

The person beside him breathed steadily. After an unknown amount of time, the previously motionless figure shifted. Mumbling something, Pei Yule kicked the duvet aside and stretched out a leg, unceremoniously draping it over Huo Juan.

Huo Juan seemed to have expected this. He gently pulled the duvet over himself, tucking in the leg resting on him as well. Because of the pheromone disorder, Pei Yule thought Huo Juan was always fragile, but in reality, the boy himself had a weaker constitution. He had caught a chill in the shower a while back and coughed for days, only having fully recovered for about forty-eight hours.

Yet his sleeping habits were terrible. While awake, he was afraid of the cold; once asleep, he seemed to find the duvet annoying and constantly kicked it away.

Likely sensing the warmth of another person, the one who had draped his leg over the Alpha grunted softly. He moved and shrank instinctively, closing the one-person gap. Two hands also wrapped unceremoniously around the other man.

Huo Juan currently had a low fever, making his body temperature higher than usual. In the dead of winter, it was like hugging a space heater that wouldn’t burn you—it couldn’t have been more comfortable.

Once Pei Yule was sound asleep, he didn’t wake easily, but he still knew how to enjoy himself. He nuzzled like a child, resting his head in the crook of Huo Juan’s neck, his breath blowing against the Alpha’s throat at close range.

“…”

Huo Juan remained motionless. He didn’t reach out to embrace the boy despite the initiative; he simply let himself be used as a bolster. He let the boy nuzzle again and again, and let the restless hands move around to find a more comfortable placement.

He wouldn’t do what he had promised not to do. And he certainly wouldn’t do it while Pei Yule was unconscious. If he was going to do it, he would choose a time when the boy was wide awake, doing it meticulously to coax out every reaction.

Even though the veins on the back of his hand were bulging from restraint, Huo Juan stayed still.

Resisting instinct was not easy, especially under the influence of the disorder. However, when he decided to “move in,” he had already decided he would never hurt this person. To win someone over, to get Pei Yule to open his heart, certain sacrifices were necessary.

As long as he could get this person to be with him willingly, it was all worth it.

So… in the darkness, a silver light flickered.

If Pei Yule had accepted Huo Juan’s invitation to shower together, he would have realized that the “loss of control” hadn’t actually improved; in fact, the situation had grown more severe. Because they were so close, yet he couldn’t truly have him, the restless, unbearable impulse was always there.

The only reason was that Huo Juan had locked all the possibilities of losing control inside the joint of his left arm. If he didn’t roll up his sleeve, no one would see.

Pei Yule tried to muffle the thermometer as much as possible, cautiously touching the sensor just below Huo Juan’s ear. Even though he’d tried to cover it, the “beep” was still crisp in the quiet morning.

He quickly looked at the Alpha on the bed, whose eyes were closed. Before he could even sigh in relief that the man hadn’t woken up, his eyes caught the numbers on the display, and his brow knit together.

38.4°C.

Higher than yesterday. Clearly, the fever reducers and the early night had no effect; Huo Juan’s condition had worsened. While not a high fever yet, it was a moderate-to-high one.

No wonder he’d felt the person beside him was scorching when he woke up; he’d even felt a bit of sweat himself. It turned out he’d been hugging a guy who was constantly radiating heat.

Pei Yule was truly worried, so he hadn’t waited for Huo Juan to wake up before getting the thermometer.

What should he do? It was a school day. He didn’t know if Huo Juan intended to go, but leaving him home alone… felt wrong. Truthfully, Huo Juan had rarely had a fever this past month. Though Pei Yule habitually checked his temperature daily, it had only spiked during the first two days they lived together and the low fever last night. This was the first time it had gone this high.

Even though this guy was tall and seemed to handle everything perfectly, Pei Yule knew from experience that when you’re sick, you really need someone by your side.

Should I skip class? But what would Huo Juan think if he did? It seemed a bit much; strictly speaking, it was just a fever. Wouldn’t doing that just expose his feelings completely? Or should he tell Xu Yanxi and have someone arranged to take care of him? Xu Yanxi knew they lived together, anyway.

While Pei Yule was mulling it over, the Alpha on the bed fluttered his eyelashes and slowly opened his eyes.

“Ah, sorry, did I wake you?” Pei Yule leaned in close, whispering: “Your temperature is higher. Should we go to the hospital for an IV?”

He knew Xu Yanxi’s family owned a hospital. If Huo Juan ever had a real problem, he usually went there. He’d heard from Xu Yanxi that during the Rut last month, Huo Juan had been confined in a different hospital, supposedly under the Huo family name.

Huo Juan’s eyes gradually cleared. He glanced at the time on his phone, neither accepting nor rejecting the hospital suggestion, but instead reminded him: “You should go to class.”

It was almost eight o’clock; he’d be late if he didn’t leave soon.

“What about you?” Pei Yule frowned. “If you don’t want the hospital, stay home. I…” He hesitated, then said: “Maybe I’ll call in sick…” Whatever, if I’m exposed, I’m exposed. I can’t just leave a sick person at home.

“I’m fine, it’s just a bit of heat.” Knowing Pei Yule was worried, Huo Juan said: “I won’t take a cold shower again, don’t worry.”

That wasn’t the only reason. Pei Yule opened his mouth to speak, but saw that Huo Juan had already gotten out of bed and was putting on his jacket properly. He said to Pei Yule: “I’m really okay. Go to school.”

He knew Pei Yule took his studies seriously. From the way he acted in class and his diligence during the first tutoring session, he knew the boy was sincere about his grades. He would never let himself be the reason the boy missed class. That was a bottom line.

Pei Yule looked at the Alpha. He seemed normal; even his complexion looked fine. Who would know he was running a fever? After thinking it over, Pei Yule decided to go to school. Huo Juan was acting too normal; aside from the high temperature, his dressing, speaking, and movements were identical to usual. If Pei Yule insisted on staying to “nurse” him, it really would look like he was making a mountain out of a molehill.

So he chose school. But before leaving, he couldn’t help but nag: “Don’t cook today. Rest well at home. I’ll be back early.”

“Mm.” Huo Juan leaned against the wall in the entryway and watched him leave.

Once Pei Yule was gone, Huo Juan took off his jacket and walked slowly back to the living room. He did feel hot, but it wasn’t unbearable. Compared to the agonizing torture he faced every night, this fever was nothing.

Huo Juan didn’t take the heat seriously. He stood in the living room for a few seconds, his gaze falling on the dining table. There was a bowl of breakfast Pei Yule had made for him before leaving.

Although they’d agreed he would do the cooking when he moved in, Pei Yule was a very fair person. If he woke up early, he’d make breakfast; he usually fought to do the dishes, too.

Cute. Huo Juan had never really understood what the word meant growing up—it was like he was born lacking that specific emotion—but since meeting Pei Yule, that person always gave him that feeling.

Cute. I want to possess him.

He walked to the dining area, sat down, and ate the simple bowl of noodles Pei Yule had prepared. It wasn’t good—the noodles were even a bit soggy—but he ate every bit of it, leaving nothing behind.

After breakfast, Huo Juan was idle, so he found the novel from the sofa yesterday and flipped through it. He was curious; since he clearly sensed Pei Yule liked the book, he wanted to know the content. He read at lightning speed and finished it quickly. The plot was engaging, the characters were vivid, and the themes were solid; it was indeed a good read to pass the time.

Remembering Pei Yule had told him to find the rest in the bookcase, he entered the bedroom and approached the large shelf on the right. He could tell Pei Yule loved books; the shelf was packed with volumes of all sizes, most of them new and neatly arranged.

He walked over, searching the dense rows for the sequel to the novel he’d just read. Just then, his phone “pinged” with a message. He retracted his hand and pulled out his phone to unlock the screen. As he did, his elbow accidentally bumped a thick, protruding notebook on the shelf.

As the phone screen lit up, the thick notebook fell to the floor, and the items tucked inside scattered across the ground.

—Juan-ge, Happy Birthday! You’ve been “living in” for so long and you’re still not at school at this hour? How’s the progress?

Huo Juan ignored the message. He silently turned off the screen and looked down at the floor.

As the notebook had splayed open, the floor was covered… with photos of Fei Yisa.

Candid shots.

Xu Yanxi put away his phone. He’d been too busy yesterday and forgot to congratulate his childhood friend immediately. Thinking the guy might be busy too, he’d intended to say it in person the next day.

However, after waiting half the morning at school—even past the bell—neither Huo Juan nor Pei Yule had arrived. He started imagining that since a certain Big Boss had reached adulthood, maybe some “floodgates” had opened and things had become endless.

So he’d playfully sent a message, and as expected, received no reply. Not bad, double-tardy with Pei Yule on his birthday…

While he was grinning like a fox, he looked up and saw Pei Yule slip into the classroom just ahead of the teacher.

Huo Juan wasn’t there. Xu Yanxi was confused. He watched the hurried Pei Yule take his seat, his mind full of questions. “Why are you alone?”

The moment Pei Yule saw Xu Yanxi, he remembered he needed to ask him to find someone to look after Huo Juan. Seeing the teacher hadn’t arrived yet, he whispered: “He has a fever, quite a high temperature, so he stayed home. By the way, can you find someone to check on him…?”

Fever? …Poor Lord Juan.

Pei Yule stopped talking; he didn’t understand why Xu Yanxi looked so sympathetic.

Xu Yanxi was silent for a moment, then spoke in a somber, pained tone: “Brother Pei, do you know what the date is today?”

“?” Pei Yule didn’t know why he was asking. He instinctively checked his phone. February 2nd. He answered hesitantly: “Uh, the 2nd?”

What did that have to do with anything? He wanted Xu Yanxi to find someone to care for Huo Juan; the guy shouldn’t have a problem finding help. After all, when Huo Juan hit his Rut in the empty classroom, Xu Yanxi was the one who brought people to take him away.

“Yes, the 2nd.” Xu Yanxi took a deep breath and deliberately sighed in a slow, dramatic way: “How tragic. Today is Juan-ge’s birthday, and he’s home alone with a fever. That’s a pretty miserable birthday experience.”

Juan-ge, as your brother, this is the most I can do for you.

Birthday? Pei Yule was stunned.