Chapter 4: The Married Beta Touches Abs

Chapter 4: The Married Beta Feels His Abs

Bai Yu emerged from the bathroom to find Situ Jing no longer in the bedroom.

He recalled telling Bai Li yesterday that he was off to a part-time job and would visit the hospital in the afternoon. Instead, he had been directly taken away by Situ Jing's men. He wondered if Bai Li had witnessed it.

Bai Yu sat on the edge of the bed and called Bai Li.

The moment the call connected, Bai Li’s surprised voice rang out, "Brother! You upgraded me to a VIP room and hired a nurse?!"

Situ Jing had acted swiftly. Before Bai Yu could even inform Bai Li, her room had already been changed.

Bai Yu could almost picture Bai Li’s frail frame leaping from the bed. She had likely suppressed her questions, not wanting to disturb him.

"Yes, I posted your situation on a charity fundraising platform, and a very kind benefactor reached out. We no longer have to worry about medical expenses or finding a match."

"Really? That’s wonderful! I was wondering why you didn’t come yesterday. A few men came looking for you at the ward door. I was worried you’d gotten into trouble, but it turns out it was good news. Brother, you won’t have to work anymore, right?"

"I still need to. There might be other expenses besides medical bills, but now I can return to school and work part-time while studying."

"Awesome! Brother, don’t neglect your studies, and take care of your health!"

"I know." Bai Yu sat on the bed, a hint of guilt in his voice. "This part-time job I took is out of town, so I’ll be gone for a few days. If you need anything, ask the caregiver to help you."

"I know, don’t worry about me."

Situ Jing, dressed in a perfectly tailored black designer suit, was in the living room, conducting a video conference with executives from the Southern Hemisphere on his computer.

With his personal matters settled, a mountain of company business still awaited him.

He needed to conduct the final interview for the CFO candidate, and an overseas acquisition project was also in full swing.

While listening to the CFO candidate present their work history, Situ Jing glanced at the open bedroom door, searching for Bai Yu.

The CFO candidate noticed the CEO in the video looking elsewhere, their heart leaping to their throat, their voice faltering.

After his call with Bai Li, Bai Yu was nestled on the small sofa in the bedroom, playing games.

The beige loungewear Secretary Zhou had brought was too large, its collar gaping open to his chest. His legs dangled off the sofa, his pink toes wiggling.

After the candidate finished their introduction, Situ Jing began asking sharp questions into the camera.

After two hours of gaming, Situ Jing walked into the bedroom, pulled off his tie, and blindfolded Bai Yu.

Bai Yu’s vision went black. He only felt Situ Jing scoop him up and toss him onto the bed, his hand sliding under the loungewear to knead his slender, thinly muscled waist, spreading his legs.

"Ah ha..."

In the morning, Situ Jing went to the bathroom to shower, the water drumming loudly.

Bai Yu hadn't slept all night and felt a bit hungry. He simply sat up, propped against the soft headboard, planning to catch up on sleep after breakfast.

When Situ Jing emerged from the shower, he met Bai Yu’s bold, appraising gaze. He walked to the bedside, tipped Bai Yu’s chin up, and asked, "What are you looking at?"

"Your scar."

Situ Jing’s defined, powerful muscle lines were beautiful, and even the scar on the left side of his abdomen looked distinctive—just a faint, diagonal mark, barely noticeable unless examined closely.

Situ Jing offered no explanation. "Eat breakfast."

Bai Yu went to the table and ate the sandwich but left the milk untouched.

As he was about to get up, Situ Jing asked, "Why aren’t you drinking the milk?"

"I’m lactose intolerant. Drinking milk or other dairy products makes me bloated and gives me diarrhea."

Situ Jing took a sip of coffee and looked up at Bai Yu. "Has it always been this way?"

"Yes, I was hospitalized as a child because of diarrhea from drinking milk."

"This phenomenon is very common among betas. It’s related to genetic flaws and inheritance."

Wealthy families can use world-class technology to enhance their physical health, but ordinary working-class betas don’t have that opportunity. Allergies don’t significantly affect daily life, so many people don’t bother with them as long as they avoid trigger foods.

Situ Jing called the hotel’s customer service and asked them to bring a cup of soy milk for Bai Yu.

Then, Situ Jing picked up his phone and entered a few digits. "Overhaul your wardrobe. Stop wearing those cheap, synthetic clothes."

Bai Yu’s phone chimed with a message. He opened it and found a transfer of 50,000 yuan. Besides the 80,000 yuan allowance, was this another bonus from Situ Jing?

Should he show some appreciation?

After a brief internal struggle, Bai Yu reached across the table and tentatively pecked Situ Jing lightly on the cheek. "Thank you."

The kiss was clumsy, fleeting, and cool.

Situ Jing’s Adam’s apple bobbed. "You really should wipe the sandwich crumbs from the corner of your mouth before coming near me."

Bai Yu clapped a hand over his mouth and immediately snatched a tissue to wipe. "Sorry."

"Get on the couch."

"What for?"

"You."

"Ah?" Bai Yu paused to process, his ears flushing. "...But what about the soy milk when it gets here?"

...

Seven days later, Situ Jing’s rut period ended. His gland was no longer inflamed or stinging, and his body temperature and heart rate had returned to normal.

Bai Yu was still asleep in bed, his thick lashes casting shadows, the arch of his back and the hollow of his waist exposed in the morning light.

Situ Jing tightened his tie, opened the door, and left.

Secretary Zhou came to pick up Situ Jing. "Boss, how long should I book the room for?"

"Two days."

Situ Jing got into the car and immediately began reviewing the executives’ monthly reports, looking revitalized and energetic.

*

Bai Yu woke up in the afternoon and noticed Situ Jing was gone. He guessed his rut period had ended and he had left. If he hadn't, Bai Yu would have been utterly exhausted.

Secretary Zhou sent a message: [The boss said the room is extended until tomorrow. You can rest longer before leaving.]

Bai Yu: [I need to visit my sister in the hospital. I’ll leave today.]

Secretary Zhou: [Okay.]

After leaving the hotel, Bai Yu went to a convenience store to buy an isolation patch, applied it to the back of his neck, and then took the subway to the hospital.

It had been a week since he last visited Bai Li, and he wasn’t sure how she was doing or how severe her reactions to the chemotherapy had been.

Arriving at the hospital's inpatient building, Bai Yu asked a nurse for the location of the VIP ward and took the elevator up.

The VIP ward was quieter and more spacious than the general wards. Bai Li was watching a variety show on TV and let out a surprised sound, "Huh?" when she saw Bai Yu.

Bai Yu subtly touched the top button of his collar, which was tightly fastened to conceal the hickey beneath. "What’s wrong?"

Bai Li looked at the clothes he was wearing. "Brother, you finally bought new clothes! This brand is quite expensive—a shirt alone costs ten thousand. Did you make some money?"

The clothes had been delivered by Secretary Zhou, and Bai Yu hadn't paid much attention to the brand. "They were a gift from the event organizer."

"Oh, I see. Brother, that's awesome! You look really handsome in this outfit!"

Still not fully recovered from the entanglement with Situ Jing over the past few days, Bai Yu simply smiled gently. "I’ll treat you to a nice meal today. What would you like to eat?"

"Something light... maybe mushroom broth hotpot?"

"Sure, I’ve been craving that too."

After Bai Li changed, Bai Yu accompanied her out of the hospital to a hotpot restaurant for mushroom broth hotpot.

After lunch, they returned to the hospital, but Bai Li still vomited, though not too much.

Then, several doctors came in to check on Bai Li—all of whom Bai Yu hadn’t met before.

The Situ Family had invested in half of the major hospitals in Yunjing City, and this hospital was one of them.

Bai Li’s attending physician had been replaced by a senior expert named Deng, whose name was on the hospital's bulletin board. In addition to his hospital duties, he also served as a professor at a medical university.

Dr. Deng checked on Bai Li and explained the recent treatment plan to Bai Yu: chemotherapy remained the primary approach while waiting for a matching donor. However, regardless of whether a match was found, Bai Li might need to go abroad for further treatment later.

Bai Yu was visibly startled by the doctor’s words. "Then..."

"Don’t worry, we’ll discuss the details with you when the time comes. If overseas treatment is necessary, we’ll make proper arrangements for you."

A week earlier, Dr. Deng had received notice from his superiors to take sole responsibility for the patient in this VIP ward. Additionally, the nursing station had been instructed to give special attention to the patient in the VIP room.

At the time, the nurses had speculated whether the patient was related to the Situ Family.

Dr. Deng maintained a professional demeanor, but he couldn’t help feeling curious about this fair-skinned, delicate young man, along with a tinge of pity.

Treating leukemia in its mid-to-late stages was already quite challenging. With the Situ Family’s resources to search the national bone marrow bank, there might be hope—but they had to wait.

Bai Yu nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Doctor."

Dr. Deng glanced at the medical records and recalled something. "Are you from Nangang City?"

"Yes, Doctor."

"Fourteen years ago, a chemical plant in Nangang City illegally discharged toxic wastewater containing carcinogens, polluting the surrounding land. The scandal didn't break until five years ago. Since then, quite a few leukemia patients from Nangang have come here for treatment. Are you also among the affected residents?"

"Yes. My mother worked at that chemical plant at the time and was pregnant with my sister." Bai Yu’s tone was eerily calm, as if he were merely commenting on the weather or what to eat for lunch.

Dr. Deng looked at Bai Yu’s slender frame. "I think you should also get a full physical."

Bai Yu shook his head. "No need. I’m very healthy."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," Bai Yu said firmly.

"Alright then. If there are any new developments, I’ll contact you right away." Dr. Deng turned and left.

When Bai Yu returned to the ward, Bai Li had just tiptoed back to her bed and lay down, her slippers spinning in the air before falling to the floor.

"Eavesdropping? If you want to know something, I can tell you."

Bai Li straightened her blankets and smiled at Bai Yu, but she soon grew weak, breaking out in a cold sweat on her forehead. After a moment, she asked, "What did the doctor say?"

"Nothing much. Just told us not to worry—they’ll find a bone marrow match."

"Mm. When I get better, I want to check out all the fun spots in Yunjing before going back to school!"