Chapter 203

Chapter 203

"What are you all doing here?" Bai Xingshu's face was filled with complete bewilderment.

In his eyes, aside from Lin Li and Lin Lie, who were somewhat acquainted, there was no reason for the other two to be gathered together—let alone right outside his dorm room.

What the hell was this?

Bai Xingshu's completely innocent and utterly clueless question instantly left everyone speechless.

All of them inexplicably felt a stab of irritation.

In the end, it was Song Xiyan who spoke first. His attitude was the most composed, even considerate, as he pointed out to Bai Xingshu, "You should check your messages."

Song Xiyan's relatively calm demeanor stemmed from the fact that, after being rejected, he had already made peace with the idea that Bai Xingshu might end up with someone else.

But acceptance didn't mean he could remain entirely unruffled when, in the middle of his research at the lab, he heard from a colleague about the bombshell gossip involving Bai Xingshu and Lin Li.

That night, Song Xiyan lay awake, unable to sleep, so he got up early to prepare for the Mechanical Engineering Department's junior-year boot camp.

Or so he told himself. Whether intentionally or not, he found himself wandering over to Bai Xingshu’s dorm building.

Since he was already there, Song Xiyan had originally planned to just observe from a distance without disturbing Bai Xingshu. But then he spotted the three already standing outside Bai Xingshu’s door, the air thick with tension.

Song Xiyan: "..."

The scene took him back to that get-together early in their freshman year.

Since he'd once had feelings for Bai Xingshu—and still did—Song Xiyan couldn’t just walk away. So he paused for a moment before slipping into the group.

Lin Lie, of course, knew Song Xiyan as a rival. Lin Li had also heard about Song Xiyan from Lin Lie before, so neither was particularly surprised by his appearance. Seeing Song Xiyan approach, Lin Lie immediately and unceremoniously included him in the line of fire.

It wasn’t until this moment, witnessing Lin Lie’s attitude, that Luo Yu realized… even Song Xiyan from the Song family had feelings for Bai Xingshu.

But whether it was one person or several, Luo Yu wasn’t holding back. As the first to arrive outside Bai Xingshu’s dorm, his attacks were no less fierce.

He, too, had been unable to sleep.

Originally, Shen Geng had promised to update him later, but then both of them had gone silent.

After stewing for a long time, Luo Yu couldn’t hold back any longer. When neither responded to his messages, he ended up camping out at the dorm entrance bright and early.

He could accept Bai Xingshu being with Shen Geng, but he absolutely couldn’t stand the idea of Bai Xingshu and Lin Li together.

Who the hell did Lin Li think he was?!

Unable to endure another second, Luo Yu just wanted to get to the bottom of this the moment either Bai Xingshu or Shen Geng stepped out.

However, before he could see either of them emerge, the Lin brothers arrived at the dorm building instead.

Lin Lie’s expression was dark, seething with rage that anyone could sense.

Of everyone, Lin Lie had undoubtedly been the hardest hit by the previous day’s events.

So after failing to reach Lin Li through messages or calls, he marched straight over to Lin Li’s dorm.

In his eyes, his older brother—who knew full well about his feelings for Bai Xingshu—had pulled something like this, which was a total betrayal.

Lin Li wasn’t surprised either. When Lin Lie showed up, his expression remained unreadable.

To every accusation Lin Lie threw at him, he gave the same reply:

—"If you're not willing to accept it, go tell Bai Xingshu how you feel. He won't stop you."

It was a perfectly reasonable response, but definitely not what Lin Lie wanted to hear.

As expected, the two brothers immediately came to blows.

After the fight ended, Lin Lie could no longer deny the truth. No matter how much it pained him, he had to admit—reluctantly—that his brother was right.

If he wanted to confess to Bai Xingshu, this was his final chance.

His heart churned with mixed emotions. Despite his bitterness, despite his resistance, even knowing how things might turn out, Lin Lie had no choice but to make his way toward Bai Xingshu’s dorm.

There was no way Lin Li would let him go alone, so he followed closely behind.

Somehow, all four of them ended up there together.

Lin Lie and Luo Yu quickly lost their tempers. One glance was enough to ignite their hostility.

Lin Lie sneered, "What are you doing here after being rejected?"

Luo Yu shot back, "As a friend, I'm simply here to wish Bai Xingshu well—unlike *someone* who clearly doesn't belong here."

The younger pair grew increasingly agitated, while the older two maintained their composure, though they couldn’t even bear to look at each other.

They made no attempt to hide their mutual dislike.

When Bai Xingshu arrived, the four of them tried to appear slightly more composed, easing the tension somewhat—but the air still crackled with hostility.

Bai Xingshu naturally sensed it, which only deepened his confusion.

Only after hearing Song Xiyan's words did he finally understand—he had forgotten to check his messages the previous day.

Why? While walking with Lin Li, his phone had been constantly buzzing with notifications.

And when Lin Li unexpectedly agreed so completely to the arrangement, Bai Xingshu was unprepared. Overwhelmed by the flood of messages, he silenced his system, intending to sort through them later—to ensure the mission proceeded smoothly.

But once he returned to his dorm, everything spiraled out of control, and he completely forgot about them.

Now, Bai Xingshu finally looked down at his communicator.

He mainly checked messages from the four people present—but upon searching, he found only three had contacted him.

Lin Li, as the “winner,” had no need to say anything.

Only Lin Lie, Luo Yu, and Song Xiyan had sent messages.

The content was largely the same: asking what was going on between him and Lin Li.

Song Xiyan had sent one message. Luo Yu had sent three. Nothing too serious.

But Lin Lie had sent dozens.

The first few were filled with pure confusion—what was happening between Bai Xingshu and his brother?

Then quickly shifted to disbelief. Impossible. No way. Demanding answers on why they went to Lovers’ Lake. After a long silence, Lin Lie messaged again—saying he needed to talk.

After getting no reply for some time, Bai Xingshu eventually saw a confusing message from Lin Lie:

—I don’t agree.

Much later came one last message.

—Bai Xingshu, please don’t be with Lin Li.

Reading the messages, Bai Xingshu felt an intense, strange emotion coming through. It was powerful—and unsettling.

Before he could think further, Song Xiyan’s shocked voice broke the silence: “Xingshu, what’s that scent on you?”

The words hit like a bombshell.

The Alphas present had noticed a faint but provocative scent that roused hostility within them.

But their mutual dislike had masked it—until now, when they realized the scent was coming from Bai Xingshu.

And it wasn’t Bai Xingshu’s own scent. It was the scent of an Alpha's claim—a warning to back off.

In an instant, the three Alphas in front of Bai Xingshu turned and glared at Lin Li.

“He hasn’t even presented yet! How could you do this?!” Luo Yu shouted, swinging at Lin Li.

Lin Li reacted quickly, dodging the punch and blocking it firmly, then kicking back sharply and sending his brother reeling from the sneak attack.

But Lin Li’s attention wasn’t on them. His eyes, dark with unreadable emotion, flicked toward Bai Xingshu—and then to…

Shen Geng, who stood silently beside Bai Xingshu.

He said nothing, silently taking the blame.

Luo Yu, still furious, tried to lunge again—but Bai Xingshu grabbed his arm.

“Lin-ge didn’t do it! It was just an accident!” Bai Xingshu hurriedly insisted.

At this, Lin Li paused—then gave Lin Lie another kick, snapping, “That scent isn’t mine.”

The others might not have known, but Lin Lie was his own brother—he should’ve recognized his scent.

That extra kick was no accident.

As he spoke, Lin Li’s gaze locked onto Shen Geng, his fists clenching, nails biting into his palms.

Guilt twisted in his gut.

In his mind, Bai Xingshu had come to him to avoid Shen Geng—yet now…

He hadn’t kept his promise. He hadn’t protected Bai Xingshu.

Under Lin Li’s sharp, accusing glare, Shen Geng didn’t back down.

He hadn’t wanted Lin Li to take the blame. Or Bai Xingshu either.

“I did it,” Shen Geng admitted without hesitation, stepping forward and pulling Bai Xingshu’s hand off Luo Yu.

The admission shocked everyone but Lin Li.

They all knew Bai Xingshu was a Beta—so his roommate should’ve been a Beta too—still unpresented.

Luo Yu was the first to react, asking in shock, "Bro Shen, did you present as an Alpha?"

Bai Xingshu gave a light cough and gently pulled his hand free from Shen Geng's grip.

Both Song Xiyan and Luo Yu had confessed to him before, so such behavior was definitely inappropriate with them around.

This action made Lin Li stare for a moment longer.

"It's nothing, just an accident," Bai Xingshu said, trying to brush it off.

All the Alphas present fell silent.

Unlike Bai Xingshu, who came from another world, they knew very well that the intense scent clinging to him was practically the same as a temporary mark.

Such intimacy couldn't easily be dismissed as just an "accident."

Originally, Song Xiyan had thought that no matter what happened, he being there might help Bai Xingshu out. But now, as he listened, he couldn't help but size up Shen Geng with frosty eyes, his voice icy: "He hasn't even differentiated yet!"

In this world, although adulthood was legally set at 18, pursuing an undifferentiated person was still considered morally wrong.

Shen Geng lowered his gaze, accepting the accusation.

"My fault."

Shen Geng's sincere apology might as well have been a challenge to the other Alphas present.

Regardless of whether they knew Shen Geng's identity, they all gritted their teeth.