Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Li Yuyue's face darkened, veins throbbing at his temples as he instinctively released pheromones, attempting to assert dominance.

A foul smell filled the air, and Li Yang's expression shifted slightly, his hand tightening around the doorknob behind him.

Fortunately, Li Yuyue remembered he was a Beta—pheromones had no effect—and quickly withdrew them.

Su Shaoning remained silent throughout, only shooting Li Yuyue a venomous glare when the pheromone suppression affected him.

"Being liked as a Beta is a blessing you earned in your past life," Li Yuyue said, standing up with a smile as he approached. "Li Yang, that Quality Alpha from last time is not an option for you. Lower your standards and take this one instead."

He produced a contract and flashed it mockingly. "I’ve already brought the agreement. Sign it, and our family gets a million. If you can conceive a child, it’ll be ten million."

"Fine." Li Yang agreed curtly and reached for the contract. "You’re right."

Surprised by how easily he’d been convinced, Li Yuyue stared at him before turning to fetch a pen. "That’s more like it."

Seizing the moment, Li Yang wrenched the door open and fled, leaving behind a stream of furious curses.

Ignoring them, he ran to a safe spot and examined the contract in his hands.

Every clause was a calculated trap.

After reading it, Li Yang pieced together that the defective Alpha had issues with his pheromones, making conception difficult—yet he still wanted a child.

Who knew how many Omegas had been tricked before him? Now they were targeting Betas. What were they planning?

For a Beta to conceive, a gland transplant procedure was likely the only way.

Li Yang felt ice in his veins. Before tearing up the contract, he hesitated, then took out his phone.

Half an hour later, a knock sounded at the door.

Li Yuyue, who had been preparing to chase after him, froze. Assuming Li Yang had returned, he flung the door open, insults already on his tongue—only to gape at the unfamiliar faces before him.

"We received a report alleging you attempted to sell your child," said the two officers in uniform, scrutinizing Li Yuyue. "Come with us."

Furious, Li Yuyue glared at Li Yang, who stood behind them expressionless, before forcing a smile. "This is a misunderstanding! It’s just a lovers’ quarrel. The boy's just being difficult. I’m his father—how could I sell him?"

"Regardless, you’ll need to come with us for questioning."

Muttering curses, Li Yuyue was led away, leaving only Li Yang and Su Shaoning in the house.

"Your father’s lost his mind. There was nothing I could do." The suffocating silence stretched until Su Shaoning finally spoke, voice thick with guilt.

Li Yang brushed past him into his bedroom, indifferent. "He’s not the only one who lost his mind."

Su Shaoning’s face flushed red, his complicity exposed.

The offer had been tempting—he had been tempted. And with Li Yuyue’s relentless persuasion, he’d ultimately chosen not to stand up for Li Yang.

At the very least, the other party was wealthy. Wasn’t that better than marrying some nobody Beta?

"That Alpha who brought you home last time would never have been genuine. This one at least will treat you well," Su Shaoning said.

Li Yang replied tonelessly, "How can you be so sure?"

"I’ve lived long enough to see things clearer than you." Su Shaoning sighed. "These days, there’s no such thing as love—just transactional relationships."

Li Yang didn’t respond, swiftly packing his belongings.

"What are you doing?" Su Shaoning started as he hoisted his bag onto his shoulder. "Yangyang, are you leaving?"

"Don’t call me that." Li Yang grabbed the money he’d saved and headed for the door, phone in hand. "If you have even a shred of familial love left, don’t stop me."

"You won’t escape. When your father finds you, things will be worse than they are now." Su Shaoning didn’t physically stop him but murmured distantly, "You’re a Beta. What’s so bad about this?"

Li Yang couldn't bear to utter another syllable.

Fearing Su Shaoning might change his mind, he hurried out. As he tried to pocket his keys, they missed his pocket and hit the floor with a dull thud.

Li Yang glanced down.

This wasn’t his home. He wouldn’t be coming back.

The hallway lights went out. Standing in the darkness, the young man lifted his foot and kicked the keys back to the doorstep before walking away without a second glance.

Thankfully, Li Yang had long grown accustomed to solitude in the real world.

Otherwise, he couldn’t imagine how the original occupant of this body would’ve found a way out in such circumstances.

With his backpack, Li Yang booked a hotel room near his school.

He couldn’t return to campus yet—Li Yuyue would track him down, using his father's authority.

The thought of fleeing the city crossed his mind.

Strangely, the first person he recalled was Ying Xi.

The image of the young man with cold, angular features surfaced in his mind. Li Yang shook his head, shaking off the unwelcome thoughts.

Plugging in his phone, he began searching for nearby cities.

His thoughts were scrambled. He’d thought himself calm and detached, but only now did he realize his fingers had been shaking violently.

Alarmed, he clenched his fists, trying to steady them—unsure why he was so furious.

Unable to find an answer, he gave up.

He scoured listings in multiple cities and job listings, only to be rejected by employers for being a Beta.

The world’s logic was absurd. Without pheromones or their influence, shouldn’t Betas have an *easier* time finding work?

Li Yang dropped his phone and let out a shaky breath.

Sitting on the floor, his back against the hotel bed, he left the lights off—only the pale glow of his phone illuminating his face.

Soon, the screen went dark, leaving him in utter darkness.

If resistance failed, maybe he should just marry Ying Xi. After all, he wasn't indifferent to him...

Drowsy, Li Yang snapped awake, sitting upright with a shudder.

His breathing was uneven, eyes wide. It took him a moment to realize—he’d been in the grip of fear.

He was *afraid*.

To him, this was still an alien world. He’d barely been here eight weeks.

Li Yang stood up and turned on the light.

The bright, warm light slowly calmed his unease. He quickly took a shower and only remembered he hadn’t eaten dinner once he was in bed.

His phone vibrated—Su Shaoning had sent him a message asking where he was and expressing regret for what he’d done.

It wasn’t until his eyes ached from dryness that Li Yang realized he had been staring fixedly at the message, his emotions so tangled he couldn’t tell which was stronger.

He didn’t remember when he fell asleep, but he had a disturbingly real dream.

In the dream, Su Shaoning and Li Yuyue loomed over him, looking down contemptuously.

"Why are you a Beta?"

"Betas are worthless, don’t you know?"

"You’d better pray for a secondary gender presentation."

"I really regret ever having you."

Li Yang bolted upright, the dream’s lingering dread still gripping him. He couldn’t tell if it was the original owner’s memories or just a chaotic nightmare, but the overwhelming surge of resentment left him reeling.

Did he hate Su Shaoning and Li Yuyue?

This wasn’t the kind of intense emotion a transmigrator like him should have.

Sunlight seeped through the gaps in the curtains—it was already 10 a.m. Li Yang had slept for thirteen hours and was starving. He ordered breakfast.

His phone buzzed with unread messages.

Aside from Su Shaoning pleading for forgiveness, there was a barrage of threats from Li Yuyue.

Li Yang sent a string of middle-finger emojis and blocked them both.

The rest were from Wen Yun and Ying Xi.

Wen Yun: "Why didn’t you come to class? Did something happen?"

"Are you sick? Where do you live?"

"Li Yang, text me back when you see this. I’m worried about you."

Breakfast arrived. Li Yang opened the door to take it, eating as he replied to Wen Yun.

"I’m fine. Just burnt out from studying lately, so I took some personal days."

Ying Xi’s chat had ten unread messages. At first, he asked if Li Yang was feeling unwell, but later, he seemed to have guessed something. The last message read: "Li Yang, I want to help you."

Li Yang took slow bites of his sandwich. He initially planned to reply with the same words but changed his mind and wrote instead:

"I’m fine. I don’t need help."

Ying Xi replied instantly: "Where are you?"

Those three short words hit Li Yang with a wave of complicated feelings. He typed a response, then quickly deleted it, unsure how to answer.

At the same time, a new notification popped up at the top of his screen—a message from Li Yuyue, sent using Su Shaoning’s phone.

"You ungrateful little shit, did you really think I wouldn’t find you just because you’re staying in a hotel? I’m your father. If I want to, I can find you no matter where you hide."

Li Yang had just finished eating. He immediately got up and walked to the window, opening it to glance outside.

The third floor wasn’t too high—he could make a run for it.

The outside was quiet. Li Yang looked through the peephole, confirmed it was safe, then put on a mask, scooped up his stuff, and headed for the fire escape.

Almost the moment he stepped into the stairwell, the elevator doors opened nearby, and Li Yuyue’s angry shouts rang out.

"Room 313, hurry up and find it! Once I get my hands on him, I’ll tie him up and beat some sense into him. The little shit doesn’t know what’s coming."

Li Yang quickly hid in the shadows, watching silently as Li Yuyue and Su Shaoning blew past the fire escape.

He crept down the stairs as quietly as possible, flagged down a cab, and told the driver to go, but when asked for a destination, he blanked.

Li Yang looked out the window, rubbing his temples.

He’d been naive. In this novel’s setting, he was nothing but cannon fodder. For all he knew, the plot might have already dictated that he’d be forced into marriage by now.

Recalling the past two months of uneventful life, the whiplash was unreal, like a dream.

He blocked Su Shaoning and scrambled to think of a place where he wouldn’t be found.

His phone wouldn’t stop buzzing—Ying Xi was calling. Li Yang declined.

In the chat, the same demand hung there: "Where are you?"

For a fleeting moment, Li Yang wanted to rush to Ying Xi and ask just how deep his feelings went.

He was startled by his own thoughts and cracked open the window.

The biting wind hit his face, making him shudder before he quickly closed the window again.

At this moment, the gap between them snapped into focus—he and Ying Xi were parallel lines never meant to cross, absolutely never to intertwine.

"Can I see you?" Ying Xi sent another message.

Li Yang looked down, typing quickly: "I’m fine. Don’t worry about me."

Ying Xi: "Then when will you come back to class?"

The words were tentative, testing. Li Yang could tell Ying Xi was walking on eggshells, afraid of making him uncomfortable.

He exhaled and replied: "In a couple of days."

The rumble of the car replaced conversation. Li Yang killed his phone and told the driver to head to the train station.

The money he had saved over the past two months—three thousand—was enough to get him a fresh start in another city.

The car soon stopped. Li Yang got out and ducked into the station, shoulders hunched against the wind.

As he took out his phone to book a ticket to the closest city, he received another message from Ying Xi.

"Li Yang, will I see you again?"