Chapter 12: The Married Beta Gives a Bracelet

Chapter 12: The Married Beta Male Gives a Bracelet

Bai Yu changed into a white printed short-sleeve shirt and denim shorts, then stood before the mirror to tame his unruly hair. Next, he peeled off a Barrier Patch and applied it to the spot on the back of his neck that had been repeatedly bitten.

The first time Situ Jing bit his neck, it had been excruciating, but now the pain was less acute. He wasn't sure if it was betas' inherent adaptability or some other reason.

With the Barrier Patch in place, Bai Yu headed out.

In the city center, sports car display screens cycled continuously, open-air cafés buzzed with patrons, and the clean streets occasionally saw supercars glide by.

Following his map, Bai Yu found a snack street tucked away in a deep alley. He ducked into a bustling small shop and ordered the local specialty, laksa.

Just by its name, it was hard to tell what laksa was made of. After a few minutes, a server in a tank top brought the dish to Bai Yu’s table. He picked up his chopsticks, stirring to reveal rice noodles, dried shrimp, coconut milk, and fried fish cakes. The taste was a delightful blend of sour and spicy.

Next, Bai Yu ordered char kway teow and rojak. The prices were incredibly reasonable; even eating until he was stuffed, the bill barely topped a hundred dollars.

When Bai Yu presented his black card to pay, the owner gave him an extra glance, then smiled and said, “Please come again.”

Situ Jing sat in a conference room, listening to a project lead’s presentation, his phone vibrating intermittently.

He assumed Bai Yu was out shopping for luxury items, and given the frequency of the notifications, he must be buying a lot. But when he checked his phone, he saw: “Dear customer, your bank card *** was used at 12:20 today for 20 Star Coins.”

“—15 Star Coins.”

“—10 Star Coins.”

“—5 Star Coins.”

“—0.5 Star Coins.”

Situ Jing frowned slightly. What on earth was he doing?

The project lead paused, thinking he had made a mistake.

Situ Jing turned off his screen. “Continue.”

After eating, Bai Yu bought two pieces of bubble gum for fifty cents. Blowing bubbles as he chewed, he began searching for a gift for Bai Li.

He had already picked up coffee and instant noodles at the supermarket, but the Pandora store was at MBS, which was a bit of a trek. Bai Yu hailed a taxi.

MBS was the city’s largest shopping mall, fronted by a majestic lionfish fountain sculpture. Inside, the expansive space teemed with people carrying luxury brand bags.

Pandora was hosting a pop-up event in the central plaza on the first floor, drawing a large crowd.

Bai Yu scanned the English poster with his phone, which translated to: “Participate in the ‘You Describe, I Guess’ game for a chance to win a free purchase.”

Many people were lining up. Pandora’s accessories were considered affordable luxury, but their prices were still a bit steep for ordinary people, so everyone was eager to try for a free item.

Bai Yu observed from the sidelines for a while. The game clues were all about local culture, and since he had no partner and wasn’t familiar with them, he decided to pass.

Just then, someone lightly tapped his shoulder. “Senior Bai Yu?”

At first, Bai Yu didn't recognize Qin Shaoxin, who had always been in uniform at the hotel.

Today, Qin Shaoxin wore his own graffiti short-sleeve shirt and ripped jeans, with three earrings in his right ear. He looked like a cool kid.

“Qin Shaoxin, what are you doing here? I thought you were still working your part-time job at the hotel.”

“I said it was my last week, but I actually have Saturdays off. I’m here to help my cousin with shopping. What about you?”

“I’m here to buy something for my sister.”

Standing beside Bai Yu, Qin Shaoxin caught a glimpse of the slightly curled edge of the Barrier Patch on the back of his neck.

The weather was too hot, and sweat had loosened the patch, allowing a faint trace of alpha pheromone to seep out—though Bai Yu remained completely unaware.

Last time, when Qin Shaoxin served him parfait at the hotel, he had also caught this scent—a sharp, woody fir aroma.

He has an alpha, and this alpha’s rank is pretty high.

But what does it matter?

If that alpha can’t accompany Bai Yu to the places he wants to go, letting him go out alone, what use is he anyway?

Perhaps that alpha doesn’t care much about Bai Yu either—every time Qin Shaoxin sees him, he’s by himself.

Qin Shaoxin shifted closer, reaching an arm around from behind Bai Yu to point at the poster by the Pandora pop-up store entrance, smiling as he asked, “It’s so lively—do you want to join?”

Bai Yu waved his hand. “Forget it, I’m not familiar with things in Singapore. No point in going then.”

“No problem, I’m pretty familiar with it. I’ll partner with you—you act it out, I’ll guess.”

Bai Yu grew eager. “Really?”

“I can’t promise I’ll guess everything right, but it’s okay if we lose. Let’s just have fun.”

Qin Shaoxin weaved through the crowd to speak with the host, then waved to Bai Yu. “Come over!”

Bai Yu walked over and joined Qin Shaoxin in line before stepping onto the stage to receive their cards.

The cards featured buildings and food items, which were easy for Bai Yu to act out. The last two cards, depicting people, were trickier—Bai Yu wasn’t sure if his gestures would make sense to Qin Shaoxin.

Qin Shaoxin rubbed his chin, thought carefully for a moment, and accurately guessed the names just before time ran out.

By the end of the game, Bai Yu and Qin Shaoxin had won the freebie.

Qin Shaoxin held out his hand to Bai Yu, who high-fived him. “You’re really quick.”

“That’s because we have good chemistry. I’ve played this before but never with such accuracy.”

Qin Shaoxin gently rubbed his palm that had high-fived Bai Yu and accompanied him into the store to look at bracelets.

Bai Yu bought the bracelet Bai Li wanted, and the Pandora staff gave him a red woven hand rope. “This was blessed at the White Dragon Temple—it brings peace and protection.”

Noticing Bai Yu’s confusion, Qin Shaoxin explained, “The White Dragon Temple is a famous temple here. The abbot is a revered monk, and woven ropes blessed at the temple have become a special local gift. MBS stores occasionally give them to customers.”

“I see. Not only did we get it for free, but also a hand rope. We’re having great luck today.”

Bai Yu took photos of the Pandora shopping bag, coffee, and instant noodles, then sent them to Bai Li: [Got it.]

Qin Shaoxin pointed at the items in Bai Yu’s hands. “Are all these for your sister?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re really good to her.”

“Because she’s family.” Bai Yu smiled, his eyes shining, his faintly pink lips glistening with moisture.

Qin Shaoxin gazed at Bai Yu’s face, completely unaware he'd been staring so long.

"Is there anywhere else you'd like to visit? I can take you."

Bai Yu remembered that Qin Shaoxin seemed to have something to do here. "Didn't you need to buy something for your cousin?"

"The bag she wanted is out of stock. I gave her the SA's contact info, and they'll ship it once it's available."

Bai Yu checked his phone—it was 3:25 PM. It was time to head back after shopping.

But since Qin Shaoxin had helped him, he wanted to thank him.

"Can I get you a drink?"

Qin Shaoxin nodded. "Sure, we've got time."

They went upstairs and found a boba place. Bai Yu couldn't have dairy, so he just ordered a lemonade, while Qin Shaoxin got a Longjing tea latte.

Bai Yu didn’t feel right using Situ Jing's black card and was about to pay with PayPal when Qin Shaoxin scanned his phone to pay.

"Didn't I say it's my treat?"

"Let me treat you this time, senior. We’ll definitely see each other often at school—you can treat me then."

"Alright." Bai Yu just thought he was being friendly; he’d found good company for the day in Singapore.

"If you have any questions when we’re back at school, feel free to ask me."

"Sure, I’ll probably take you up on that. Last time you mentioned you’re a composition major, right?"

"Yes." Bai Yu took both drinks, and they sat by the window, chatting as they drank.

Qin Shaoxin asked, "So what do you want to do in the future? Be a singer on stage or focus on composing and writing lyrics?"

"I think I’m open to both—on stage or behind the scenes. I don’t want to limit myself. What matters is that I can create melodies I love. Maybe I’ll become a producer. A single candle can light up a whole room—music can too. Music is like adrenaline for the soul."

At this, Bai Yu remembered he needed to review music theory when he got back. He hadn’t finished the borrowed notes, and school was starting in two months.

Qin Shaoxin looked at him curiously. "Do you have any songs you’ve written yourself?"

Bai Yu hesitated. "No."

He actually did, but they weren’t good enough to share.

Most of his past arrangements were just for assignments or exams—aiming to pass, not excel. Listening back now, they were just okay.

Bai Li’s illness had started three years ago, back when Bai Yu was in his senior year of high school. He’d barely made it through the gaokao.

After starting university, he hadn't really focused on classes, always scrambling to scrape together money for Bai Li’s treatment. Once she recovered, he’d need to think about his own future.

Qin Shaoxin said, "When you write a song someday, can you share it with me? I’d like to be your first listener."

"Sure."

Half an hour later, Bai Yu and Qin Shaoxin left the MBS mall together.

Bai Yu hailed an orange taxi that was passing by.

Qin Shaoxin opened the car door for him. "Do you need me to see you home?"

"No, that's alright." Bai Yu got in and waved goodbye.

Qin Shaoxin watched the car drive away, then smelled his right hand—the one he’d high-fived Bai Yu with. "A beta, but more captivating than an omega," he muttered to himself.

Bai Yu got out of the taxi and walked toward the hotel entrance, then suddenly remembered—he’d forgotten to buy anything for Situ Jing.

Situ Jing had given him the black card, and he’d bought so many things, but not a single one for him. Would he be angry?

Based on past experiences, he probably would.

Then Bai Yu glanced at the red woven bracelet inside the Pandora gift bag.

After hesitating for a moment, he opened his phone’s map to look up the White Dragon Temple, hoping it wasn’t closed yet.

*

By the time Bai Yu returned to the hotel, Situ Jing was already sitting in the suite’s living room.

It was dark outside. The man was wearing a black bathrobe, sitting on the sofa with a cigarette in his right hand. The lighter flared, a brief flame.

Bai Yu sensed his bad mood. "You’re back already? So early?"

Situ Jing’s gaze fell on Bai Yu. He exhaled a cloud of smoke, his slender fingers tapping ash into a crystal ashtray. After a moment, he asked, "Where have you been?"

"Trying local food and shopping. Sorry, I’m back a bit late."

Bai Yu walked over to Situ Jing and took the woven bracelet from the bag. "This is for you. Should I help you put it on?"

Situ Jing glanced at it skeptically. "What is this?"

"I went to the temple specially to get this for you. They say it’s very powerful—it brings peace and good health."

Bai Yu held the red bracelet in both hands, but Situ Jing didn’t take it.

Bai Yu thought about it—Situ Jing wore watches worth millions; it made sense he’d dismiss such a small trinket. As long as the thought got across, that was enough.

"If you don’t want it, I’ll take it back." Embarrassed, Bai Yu pulled back the bracelet and placed it on the coffee table, then started putting away his purchases.

He popped a piece of gum, chewing it while he cleaned up.

A while later, Bai Yu noticed Situ Jing was gone from the living room. The faint scent of tobacco lingered in the air.

The woven bracelet was gone.

Bai Yu looked all around the coffee table and the floor but couldn’t find it.