Chapter 20

Chapter 20

*

The hospital witnessed its second miracle.

Within a mere month, the hospital successfully treated two patients who had been injected with the Secondary Gender Transformation Agent. This marked an unprecedented historical achievement. After all, those who previously claimed the Secondary Gender Transformation Agent could truly induce secondary differentiation had only ever surfaced in the shadowy corners of the internet.

No one had ever seen a real case.

These two cases reduced the mortality rate of the Secondary Gender Transformation Agent from 100% to 99%. Of course, that’s purely from a statistical standpoint.

Two men stood guard outside the hospital room. Under Pei Ningyu’s orders, they were to take turns watching over Fu Chu without interruption. Upon seeing Pei Ningyu arrive, they immediately bowed deeply.

"Has he woken up?"

One of them glanced into the room and confirmed, "He has."

When Pei Ningyu entered the room, Fu Chu was toying with the lilies by the bedside. He was someone who always executed even the most tedious etiquette flawlessly, yet the moment he saw Pei Ningyu, he frowned slightly. "What happened to your face?"

Pei Ningyu instinctively wanted to recoil from Fu Chu’s hand as it reached toward his face. But after a brief hesitation, he allowed it—he needed to adjust to their changed relationship and ensure Fu Chu understood his current position.

After all, they were no longer equals or rivals. From now on, they would be an Alpha/Beta pair, with a clear hierarchy.

This was a tacit acknowledgment of Fu Chu’s impending role as his Beta.

Fu Chu remembered that before, even Gu Shize was absolutely forbidden from such behavior. He pursed his lips, his expression matter-of-fact. "Did I do this to your face?"

Pei Ningyu lied outright. "No."

Fu Chu’s voice held a thread of amusement. "Then you’re here to see me, at least?"

Pei Ningyu gripped Fu Chu’s chin, forcing him to look up. His sharp eyes pierced into Fu Chu. "That’s right. I came to check on my Beta, to make sure he hasn’t forgotten me."

Back at the Fortress of Mirrors, Fu Chu would often sink into deep thought during idle moments. No matter how much he reflected, he couldn’t recall a single instance of peaceful coexistence with Pei Ningyu at the base. Every time they met, it was either a war of words or an all-out physical fight—never a moment's peace.

The main instigator was always Pei Ningyu—he had always harbored hostility toward Fu Chu.

Everyone at the base knew that Pei Ningyu and Gu Shize had grown up together.

But to be precise, the three of them had grown up together.

Pei Ningyu had always been this arrogant, with a face too striking to dislike, yet he flaunted it shamelessly, constantly testing people’s patience. He had never shied away from causing trouble.

Gu Shize, on the other hand, was spineless, endlessly indulging Pei Ningyu without limits, pampering him, handing over every good thing he had like tribute, all for Pei Ningyu’s sake.

Fu Chu had always despised Gu Shize’s behavior and had mocked it countless times over the years. But in truth, long ago, he'd done the same.

The real rift between them had formed during their first year at the base—the one and only time Fu Chu had ever taken first place in a league competition. Before that, and ever after, it had always been second place for him.

Thirteen years old—

Fu Chu still remembered it clearly. In the empty training room, Pei Ningyu’s eyes had flickered before two glistening tears rolled down his cheeks.

Just as Fu Chu, flustered, reached out to wipe them away, Pei Ningyu hit him with: "Fu Chu, give me first place."

He had never seen Pei Ningyu like this—tears dripping nonstop. Fu Chu had shook him anxiously, asking what was wrong, but after that one sentence, Pei Ningyu refused to say another word.

Fu Chu had held him dumbstruck, unable to describe the feeling, only knowing it wrenched his heart unbearably.

In Fu Chu’s mind, Pei Ningyu was supposed to be swaggering, lording it over everyone, looking down on them with that trademark mocking glint in his eyes. He was supposed to keep others at arm's length, making them beg and fawn over him.

Why was he crying?

Pei Ningyu only needed to soften his usual sharp and intense aura by a fraction, letting just a sliver of gentleness show, and Fu Chu would be completely wrecked.

Yet, he cried—broke down sobbing, leaving Fu Chu frantic.

What’s more, as he spoke, he rolled up his sleeve, exposing an arm so pale it looked almost unnatural, covered in faint bruises and finger-shaped marks. Softly, he said, "If Pei Xu finds out I only came in second, he’ll kill me."

Of course, this was a lie—though Fu Chu only realized that much later.

After so many years of dealing with Pei Ningyu, he was used to Pei Xu being painted as a monster by Pei Ningyu. Naturally, he didn’t doubt the words were false.

Especially when Pei Ningyu turned to look at him, his stunningly beautiful face hitting Fu Chu right in the heart—how could he not believe him?

Fu Chu pressed his hand against Pei Ningyu’s arm, his heart aching. Too young to hide what he was feeling, he frowned in anger. "How could he treat you like this?! Ning Yu, let’s go to your house—"

At the mention of this, Pei Ningyu fell silent again. After a long pause, a mocking expression gradually surfaced on his face, his dark eyes laced with cold amusement as he abruptly cut in, "If you won’t let me have it, just say no. Stop making excuses."

This person could cry one moment and rage the next, his moods changing as fast as a flickering flame.

"I didn’t say I wouldn’t give it to you," Fu Chu immediately softened his tone when he saw Pei Ningyu’s anger, no longer carrying the earlier fury of wanting to confront someone. "I just hate it… If Pei Xu keeps treating you like this, what’s next? Will you have to give in every time?"

Pei Ningyu’s profile turned icy, like a lake thinly coated in frost. His lips went white with the force of his sneer, his gaze fixed on Fu Chu. "Of course there won’t be a next time."

"Next time, my championship will be rightfully earned."

Fu Chu helped Pei Ningyu pull down his rolled-up sleeve. He was about half a head taller, his shadow swallowing Pei Ningyu whole. "I hope so."

Yet, just this one additional remark was enough to anger Pei Ningyu. One moment, his eyes were still glistening with tears; the next, his smile dropped, replaced by a coldness that cut like a knife, leaving a raw ache.

"What do you mean by that? You think I can’t win?"

Fu Chu: "No! Ning Yu, how could I think that—"

Back then, he blamed himself for being foolish, wondering why Pei Ningyu never treated him kindly. Now, looking back, none of that mattered. Pei Ningyu was just like that—volatile, erratic, impossible to pin down.

Pei Ningyu harshly cut off his explanation. His dark eyes flickered with a quiet, seething resentment, only enhancing his striking, delicate beauty. "So fake. Hah, I thought we were close…"

His tone shifted, leaving behind one sharp, icy jab: "I never realized you cared so much about the competition… What a letdown."

Pei Ningyu sneered. "If you don’t want to help, don’t force yourself. We can just go our separate ways. Don’t act like you care if you’re just going to insult me."

Pei Ningyu knew—he knew exactly how worried and desperate Fu Chu was, fearing he’d be beaten by Pei Xu. Yet he deliberately said these things to torment him.

"No, that’s not—"

Fu Chu froze, completely lost. He watched as Pei Ningyu coldly shook him off and strode out of the training room without hesitation.

In the end, he still gave up the medal.

That star-shaped medal, which he had once cherished and polished over and over, soon found its place in Pei Ningyu’s glass display case—just another forgettable piece in his trophy case.

But at the time, Fu Chu didn’t feel regret. Day after day, he waited for Pei Ningyu’s invitation, giving him a chance to touch that star medal once more.

He firmly believed that medal would strengthen their friendship, showing Pei Ningyu he was the one who really had his back—not Gu Shize, nor anyone else.

But that’s not how it played out. After that, Pei Ningyu shut him out completely.

Back then, he couldn’t understand why. Was it all because of those three words—"I hope so"? Or was it his hesitation that did it?

It wasn’t until later that Fu Chu realized that whether he conceded or not, no matter what he said, the moment he took first place, Pei Ningyu would never be on good terms again.

In the years that followed, Pei Ningyu dominated every competition at the base, claiming first place in all of them. Among the base's members, some like Gu Shize genuinely admired his achievements, while others seethed with resentment, eagerly waiting for the day he would falter and lose to someone else.

Fu Chu belonged to neither group.

He chewed over this memory alone—one so outrageous that no one would likely believe it if he spoke of it. The idea that Pei Ningyu would ever cry and beg someone to concede first place to him was pure fantasy.

Now, in the quiet of the hospital room, this rare moment of peace between them was almost intoxicating.

Fu Chu snapped out of his thoughts. "So, Ningyu, have you decided how you're going to treat me? I'm your Beta now, and I told you—you can do whatever you want with me."

Faced with Pei Ningyu’s innate bastardry, Fu Chu remained calm and unfazed. Even with his fate entirely in another’s hands, he still carried himself with an aristocratic bearing.

People with nothing to lose often maintain a cool indifference—because they face far fewer threats than others.

Not getting the panicked reaction he had hoped for, Pei Ningyu’s expectation of leaving a lasting psychological scar in Fu Chu’s heart once again fell short, which irritated him. "Of course I’ve decided. My German Shepherd can’t wait for you to pop out a few more litters of pups."

Fu Chu’s smile deepened. "Really?"

He lowered his voice. "Then should I call it 'husband'... or should I call *you* 'husband'?"

"Hm? *Husband*."

Fu Chu watched as Pei Ningyu’s face twitched with shock and revulsion, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. His lips parted slightly, speechless, while his ears flamed scarlet with sudden heat.

*He already has two Betas—how is he still this easily flustered?*

*Does Pei Ningyu just use those two for nothing but stress relief?*

*He’s the one who insisted on making me his Beta, yet the moment I say something even slightly suggestive, he can’t handle it.*

Fu Chu swiftly changed the subject before Pei Ningyu could become so flustered that he’d bolt from the room. "When are you taking me back to the Pei family? I don’t like hospitals. Send someone to pick me up soon."

Sometimes, Fu Chu played his role so well that people forgot he, too, was a spoiled rich kid—his innate arrogance no less than Pei Ningyu’s.

He said it like it was obvious. "Pei Ningyu, I want a wedding. If I don’t get one, the whole base will laugh at me. And it *has* to be held in the Leod Administrative District—my mother’s grave is there. I want her to see..."

*What kind of wedding does a Beta deserve?*

*And he dares to be picky about holding it in the Leod Administrative District? Does Fu Chu think he’s an Omega?*

Just hearing the word *husband* had triggered his fight-or-flight in Pei Ningyu’s mind. Now, listening to Fu Chu talk so casually about returning home with him, his emotions were in turmoil.

Only one question burned in his thoughts: *Is Fu Chu’s psychological gender Alpha?*

*If Fu Chu’s psychological gender is Beta to begin with, then treating him as one wouldn’t even humiliate Xu Sidu.*

*Wouldn’t that mean humiliating Fu Chu just... makes him enjoy it more?*

*Isn’t this just torturing myself for someone else’s benefit?*

He wasn’t a homosexual to begin with. Taking an Alpha had never been his intention—he’d only done it because he wanted to see Fu Chu’s tearful expression, and that alone had piqued his interest.

Pei Ningyu’s perfectly sculpted face, now clouded with hesitation, lost some of its usual frostiness.

Seeing his expression, Fu Chu wisely stopped talking. He could tell—Pei Ningyu was probably genuinely regretting his bold declaration in front of Pei Xu and Fu Rong about making Fu Chu his Beta.

If he kept pushing, Pei Ningyu might just pack his bags and flee overnight, leaving him dumped at the hospital.

*He’s already played the Beta role—if he doesn’t even get through the Pei family’s front door, that’s not happening.*

*No way he’d let that happen. He’d crawl in if he had to.*

Suppressing the slight upward twitch of his lips, Fu Chu forcibly bit back the words on the tip of his tongue, effortlessly switching his expression to one of disdain and anger.

His usual laid-back act vanished, replaced by a sharp chill as he arched a brow. "What, were you about to say, *‘What does a Beta need a wedding for?’* Pei Ningyu, I’m not some ordinary Beta—don’t think you can phone it in with me the way you do with the others."

"Even if I’m in your hands now, I’m still Fu Chu."

The words *"Come humiliate me, I deserve it"* might as well have been written across Fu Chu’s shit-eating grin—so much so that it was easy to forget how unapproachable he could be when his expression turned solemn and cold.

Pei Ningyu eyed him with a piercing stare, scrutinizing.

Fu Chu lazily rested his chin on Pei Ningyu’s shoulder, his voice flat and unreadable, but the warmth of his breath against Pei Ningyu’s ear only poured gasoline on the fire.

"Pei Ningyu, do you hate me so much because I got you whipped by your brother?"

"Must be exhausting, living forever in your brother’s shadow."

"Does Pei Xu pull down your pants to paddle you like a misbehaving child?"