Chapter 32: The Married Beta Enters a Melon Field

Chapter 32 The Married Beta Steps Into Drama

In the dining room, the crystal chandelier gleamed overhead. The long table was laden with a lavish spread, and servants moved with quiet efficiency, their only sounds the soft clinking of plates.

Situ Jian was already seated at the head of the table, a female Omega in a blue fishtail dress to his left. They conversed intimately, a white poodle circling playfully at their feet.

Upon entering, Situ Jing’s displeasure was immediate and obvious. "It’s my birthday. Why did you invite Lin Xiaoran?"

Bai Yu stood behind Situ Jing, observing the trio. A memory surfaced: Situ Jing’s phone call in the garage, words like "green tea" and "won’t agree to marry." Could he have been talking about this Lin Xiaoran?

Lin Xiaoran offered an awkward smile and stood. "Perhaps I should come another day."

"Xiaoran, it’s just a meal. Everyone should sit down and eat," Situ Jian said, gently pulling her back. He then turned to scold his son. "Jing, watch your tone! Why are you calling her by her full name?!"

Situ Jing sneered. "Then I’ll just call her 'Green Tea'—saves me the trouble of saying another word."

Situ Jian glared at his son, and the dining room’s atmosphere instantly solidified into tension.

Lin Xiaoran patted Situ Jian’s back soothingly. "It’s alright. Please don’t let me cause trouble between you and your son."

A tall, flamboyantly dressed man with dyed blond hair and sunglasses entered the dining room. Spotting Bai Yu behind Situ Jing, he curiously lowered his sunglasses for a better look. "Brother, did you get a new secretary?"

Situ Jing replied, "Secretary Zhou is on leave. This is my little assistant."

Bai Yu nodded at Situ Hui. "Second Young Master."

Situ Hui took his seat. His father, attempting to ease the tension, said to his eldest son, "Hui’s here too. Everyone, sit down."

The butler pulled out a chair for Situ Jing. "Young Master, please have a seat."

Only then did Situ Jing sit, glancing back at Bai Yu. He lowered his voice. "Don’t wander off. Stay right here."

"Understood, Sir."

Dinner would take an hour at most. Bai Yu stood behind Situ Jing, waiting for the meal to end so he could leave and go home to rest.

The clinking of cutlery against plates filled the room. Bai Yu stood bored when he suddenly met Situ Hui’s gaze, who wore an enigmatic smile.

Bai Yu returned the smile, then looked down to check if anything was amiss with his attire. After confirming everything was fine, he let out a relieved sigh.

He wondered: Had Situ Hui been in some movies? He looked familiar. And what did that smile mean?

Situ Jian looked at his two sons and said solemnly, "Jing hasn’t been back for a long time. Since everyone is here, I’d like to announce something: I plan to marry Xiaoran within this year."

Lin Xiaoran placed her hand over Situ Jian’s, and the two shared an affectionate glance before turning to Situ Jing. "I truly love your father. I hope you can bless our union."

Bai Yu wondered how Situ Jing would react, given his temperament. But Situ Jing remained silent, cutting into the lamb chop on his plate without a word.

Situ Hui was the first to rise. He picked up his wine glass and walked over to Lin Xiaoran. "Then let me congratulate you in advance, Father."

Lin Xiaoran looked happily at Situ Jian. "See? Everyone wants us to be happy!"

As Lin Xiaoran stood to toast with Situ Hui, he suddenly splashed the red wine directly into her face.

"Ah!"

Drenched in red wine, Lin Xiaoran’s eyes widened as she cried out to Situ Jian beside her, "Darling!"

Bai Yu covered his mouth. Things were really heating up!

Situ Jian slammed the table and stood. "Situ Hui, what are you doing?"

Situ Hui showed him the empty glass. "Didn’t you see what I did? I’ll pour a few more glasses on her to wake her up from her dream of marrying into a wealthy family."

As Situ Hui reached for the wine bottle, Situ Jian rushed over to snatch both the bottle and glass from him, and the two began to scuffle.

"You wretched scoundrel!"

"You senile old man!"

"Do you think an Omega like you can beat me?"

"I’ve learned *sanda*—don’t underestimate Omegas!"

Situ Jian and Situ Hui fought fiercely, while Lin Xiaoran’s makeup was completely ruined, red wine staining her dress as she stood by, crying pitifully. The dog on the floor barked frantically.

Situ Jing remained seated, popping a piece of lamb chop into his mouth and taking a sip of red wine, like an audience member enjoying the spectacle.

Bai Yu glanced at the servants and butler around them—they seemed accustomed to this kind of drama and made no move to intervene.

Bai Yu walked over to Butler Xie and asked quietly, "Butler Xie, what are you doing?"

The butler replied, "You’ll understand in a moment."

After counting to three, Situ Jing set down his wine glass. "Enough!"

The two stopped fighting. Situ Hui patted his clothes and returned to his seat. Situ Jian pulled a nearby chair and sat down, legs spread wide. Lin Xiaoran tended to Situ Jian’s bloody nose.

Situ Jing twirled the knife on his plate, the icy glint in his eyes reflecting the blade’s sharp edge. "If you want to get married, fine. You two can live in any of the properties under my name and use the supplementary credit cards—the primary cardholder is me. That way, the Situ Family business and debt issues won’t affect your personal lives. Additionally, you must sign a marital property agreement. Lin Xiaoran, can you accept that?"

Lin Xiaoran’s tear-streaked face showed a flicker of shock. "What?"

Situ Jing arched an eyebrow at her. "Signing the agreement ensures the Situ Family’s assets stay in the family. If you truly love my father, why would you care about money? If you can’t accept it, then you don’t really love him."

Lin Xiaoran: "?"

Situ Jian slammed the table again, his face flushed red. "Am I your father, or are you mine?"

Situ Jing said indifferently, "Have you ever played the role of a good father?"

Situ Jian stood up again, confronting Situ Jing. "Are you still blaming me for not taking good care of you? Still holding your mother’s death against me?"

As these words landed, the dining room fell into dead silence—so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Even the dog stopped barking, nervously watching its owners’ movements.

Bai Yu had never heard Situ Jing mention his mother and had no idea what expression Situ Jing might have now. Across the table, Situ Hui looked pale, as if recalling something painful, and fell silent. His father’s expression also darkened.

Clearly, this was a forbidden topic.

Situ Jing said, "I’m speaking objectively. Without me, your company would have gone bankrupt long ago. Without money, would you even have met her? When you’re sick and bedridden, needing someone to take care of you, see if she still wants a broken-down old man like you!"

Situ Jian was furious, pointing at Situ Jing but unable to speak for a long moment. Finally, he spat out, "You—you’re defying heaven and earth!!!"

Situ Jing looked coldly at his father. "Don’t you bear responsibility for how my brother and I turned out? How was he kidnapped by someone he knew? After the kidnapping, they nearly killed him. Now he’s like this—have you ever properly looked after him?"

Situ Jian’s eyes reddened, his hands trembling. "Do you think I wasn’t devastated when he was kidnapped? You always drag up old history!"

Situ Hui stood up. "Brother? I’m on your side!"

Situ Jing turned to his brother, mercilessly saying, "Aren’t you always getting into scandals with this one or that one? Haven’t I cleaned up after you enough? Get your act together!"

Bai Yu stood behind Situ Jing, realizing, shocked, that he treated everyone this way—like a machine gun, spraying fire indiscriminately across the room. Also, the Situ Family sure has a lot of drama.

Lin Xiaoran steadied Situ Jian. "Don't get so worked up, your blood pressure is rising."

Situ Jian pointed at his son across the table, who remained indifferent and cold-hearted. "Everyone has faults, but not you—you're the savior, the load-bearing wall of this family, huh?"

Situ Jing raised an eyebrow. "Otherwise, you take over?"

"Forget this meal!"

Situ Jian slammed his hands on the table as if intending to flip it, but the table was too heavy to lift. Instead, he yanked the tablecloth, sending all the plates and wine glasses crashing to the floor, shattering.

Situ Jing elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin and set it down. "I'm finished. I'm leaving."

Seeing Situ Jing get up and leave, Bai Yu hurried after him.

The little dog, which had been cautiously watching the owners' movements, immediately cowered and lay flat on the ground as Situ Jing approached, staring intently at Situ Jing and Bai Yu as they passed.

Suddenly, a wine bottle came hurtling from behind, shattering against the wall with a loud crash, sending glass fragments flying everywhere.

Just as Bai Yu raised his arm to shield himself, Situ Jing grabbed his wrist and swiftly pulled him forward.

A shout came from behind. "His mouth is like arsenic—who on earth did he inherit that from?"

Situ Hui crossed his arms. "Who else? Definitely Grandpa."

When they reached the parking lot, the two got into the car. Bai Yu didn’t start the engine immediately but instead rummaged through his backpack for something.

Situ Jing closed his eyes, massaging his temples. "What are you looking for? Drive!"

"Wait a moment."

Bai Yu found a band-aid and took hold of Situ Jing’s left hand, which had a bleeding cut from the glass.

The warm, dry touch made Situ Jing open his eyes. He watched as Bai Yu lowered his head, tore open the band-aid, and placed it over the back of his hand.

Bai Yu’s thick eyelashes fluttered twice. In the quiet car, only their breathing could be heard, creating a sense of comfort and safety, as if isolating them from the chaos, ugliness, and conflict outside.

After gently pressing the band-aid onto Situ Jing’s hand, Bai Yu looked up at him. "All done."

Situ Jing cupped Bai Yu’s chin, his gaze dark. "Ridiculous, isn’t it?"

"What?"

"My life."

"No."

If Situ Jing’s life was ridiculous, then what was his own?

After returning to Yanting, they spent a tumultuous night.

Bai Yu regretted voicing what he was thinking earlier at the company, which led Situ Jing to press him relentlessly. "Has your ability declined? Answer me!"

"No, no, you’re amazing… please let me go."

Situ Jing held him close, warm breath brushing his ear. "Have you forgotten? It's my birthday today. Don't I deserve a little something?"

Bai Yu’s vision swayed as he clung to Situ Jing’s arm, remembering how Situ Jing had sent him a 210,000-yuan red packet on his own birthday. What could he give in return? "But I have nothing."

"Don’t pass out! Let me enjoy myself, understand?"

Situ Jing cupped the back of Bai Yu’s neck and kissed his lips fiercely, his arms tightly wrapped around Bai Yu’s waist as if trying to press him into his ribs.

Bai Yu was enveloped in the man’s tall shadow, his tear-dampened eyelashes trembling. He gently moved his lips in response, mustering the strength to hook his arms around Situ Jing’s back and embrace him.

...

As dawn broke, Bai Yu’s alarm rang. Situ Jing turned it off, and the two lay side by side on the bed with a slight distance between them.

"Get over here," Situ Jing commanded.

Bai Yu, aching and weak, moved closer to Situ Jing, resting his head on Situ Jing’s arm and acting as a human pillow.

Situ Jing’s breathing was steady as he inhaled the scent of fig on Bai Yu, preparing to sleep just like that.

Bai Yu whispered, "Yesterday, I heard an executive asked for over five million. The money you’ve spent on me is equivalent to what an executive costs."

Perhaps the night’s activities had put Situ Jing in a good mood. His voice wasn’t impatient but carried a hint of helplessness and warmth. "You only realized now? The value you create is far less than what an executive brings me."

Bai Yu lifted his head slightly to look at Situ Jing. "Your health, sex, and the value an executive brings you—these can’t be compared."

Situ Jing opened his eyes. "So?"

Bai Yu carefully chose his words, speaking softly. "If you want to talk, I’m here to listen."

"Talk about what?"

"Your mother."

Bai Yu thought that although Situ Jing had appeared far calmer than his father and brother during last night’s argument, he must have been hurting inside. If Situ Jing was willing to talk about it, it might help him feel better.

That way, the five million spent on him would feel more worthwhile.

The man beside him was silent for a while. Just as Bai Yu thought he had fallen asleep, he said in a low voice, "There’s nothing to say."

Since he didn’t want to talk, Bai Yu didn’t press further. He simply said, "Happy birthday."