Chapter 41: The Married Beta Eats Shrimp

Chapter 41 The Married Beta and the Shrimp Meal

Bai Yu followed Song Huaiqian out of the classroom, exchanging a few words in a question-and-answer manner.

Noticing Bai Yu kept his head down and wasn't speaking proactively, Song Huaiqian asked, "Are you afraid of me?"

Bai Yu shook his head, "No, Professor."

Song Huaiqian fixed his gaze on Bai Yu, "I've never been harsh with students. It's just that I have high standards for compositions. If they meet my expectations, I won't be overly critical."

Bai Yu looked up at Song Huaiqian, "Then, Professor, have I met your expectations?"

"You have. Tonight, I'll have it on repeat until I fall asleep." Song Huaiqian walked ahead, leaving a whiff of benzoin in the air.

Bai Yu paused. He was happy that Song Huaiqian recognized his work, but "looping until falling asleep" seemed a bit exaggerated—perhaps he said it on purpose.

A tall, slender male student walked over, looking at Bai Yu with envy. "You're amazing—great at your major, and the professor likes you so much. You've really made your mark in this class. Not like me—I'm not good at my major, and my pheromone level isn't high either."

This student was Fu Yusheng, an inferior omega with a lemon scent to his pheromones. He was often mocked by malicious people as "low-quality air freshener."

Bai Yu couldn’t detect it, but he thought lemon was quite fragrant—good for cooking, drinks, and scented candles.

In the past, Bai Yu had also experienced exclusion and isolation, so he understood how Fu Yusheng felt and tried to comfort him, "You can try to find what you excel at too. And you'll also find someone who likes your pheromones."

Fu Yusheng asked dejectedly, "What should I do if I'm mocked or bullied and feel sad?"

Bai Yu said, "If you only care about the things that matter to you, you'll quickly forget those sad moments. Keep it simple."

Fu Yusheng asked, "Then what do you care about?"

Bai Yu thought seriously, "My music, my younger sister, my friends, and Babao."

"Who's Babao?"

"A kitten I recently adopted." Bai Yu gestured to Fu Yusheng, "Just about this big."

The two walked together to their next class. As they walked, an edgy-looking guy with lip and ear piercings rushed excitedly toward Bai Yu, "Senior!"

Fu Yusheng's eyes widened in surprise as he pointed at the approaching boy, "Bai Yu, you actually know Qin Shaoxin, the heartthrob of the freshman dance department?!"

Bai Yu felt a bit awkward, "Uh, well... yes."

Qin Shaoxin walked beside Bai Yu, nudging his shoulder affectionately, "Yeah, the senior and I are really close. We won first place in 'Guess What I'm Acting,' I treated him to spicy strips, and he treated me to ice cream."

Bai Yu: "..."

Qin Shaoxin said with a smile, "There’s something I want to discuss with you. Do you have class now?"

The three had unknowingly reached their next classroom. Bai Yu pointed at the reddish-brown door nearby, "This is where our next class is."

Qin Shaoxin said, "I have class here too, but I’ll have to dash back later. Let’s meet for lunch at the cafeteria? The food on the second floor of South Court Cafeteria is really good. I’ll wait for you there."

Although Bai Yu didn’t know what Qin Shaoxin wanted to talk about, Qin Shaoxin had helped him several times, so meeting up was no trouble. He agreed, "Okay, you should hurry to class."

Qin Shaoxin gazed at Bai Yu. His hazel-brown eyes were bright, and his lips were rosy and full.

"So obedient—let me pat your head."

Qin Shaoxin reached out to pat Bai Yu’s head.

Bai Yu let out an "Hey!" and tilted his head to avoid it, "Don’t talk to your senior like that!"

Qin Shaoxin took a few steps back, waved at Bai Yu with a smile, and then turned and ran off.

Bai Yu shook his head helplessly and said to Fu Yusheng, "That’s just how he is—a very lively and cheerful junior."

Fu Yusheng seemed lost in thought. He had once seen Qin Shaoxin backstage at the school welcome party, and Qin Shaoxin hadn’t been like this back then.

After the performance that evening, Fu Yusheng, as part of the logistics team, was helping clean up stage props when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a handsome omega confessing his feelings to Qin Shaoxin in a dimly lit backstage area.

That omega had many admirers, and rumors said he had been pursuing Qin Shaoxin since high school. The boy handed over a love letter with both hands, saying he would do anything for Qin Shaoxin if they could be together.

Qin Shaoxin rejected him curtly and coldly, "Give up. I’m already into someone else. Please don’t bother me again."

The Qin Shaoxin back then wasn’t this bubbly and friendly. His eyes had been full of joy. Could the contrast be this stark around people he was familiar with?

Bai Yu didn’t notice the pensive look on Fu Yusheng’s face. "Let’s go, we should head in."

The two entered the classroom, found seats in the back row, and soon the bell for class rang.

*

At noon, Bai Yu arrived at the second floor of South Court Cafeteria as planned. As soon as he went upstairs, he saw Qin Shaoxin already waiting there.

Qin Shaoxin waved to Bai Yu, "Over here."

Bai Yu walked over and placed his backpack on the chair. "How are you so early? I left right after class ended, but you still got here before me."

"Of course—I left early, so I was definitely faster."

"Wasn’t it a core class?"

"It was, but as long as we meet the dance practice standards, we can leave early."

"I see." Bai Yu looked at the extensive menu above the cafeteria counter. "Let’s go order some food first."

The two went to the counter and picked a few homestyle dishes. Bai Yu estimated the total was under a hundred yuan and declared boldly to Qin Shaoxin, "I’ll treat you today."

Qin Shaoxin raised an eyebrow, "Did something good happen, Senior?"

The cafeteria was gradually filling with people, and the noise grew louder. Bai Yu leaned in closer, "Remember that piece I let you listen to?"

Qin Shaoxin’s breath caught, "I remember. Did you get the results?"

"Yeah, in class today, the professor evaluated everyone’s composition assignments. I was the only one who got an A+." Bai Yu showed Qin Shaoxin the grading sheet from his Form Analysis Course, marked with a vivid red ‘A+’.

"That’s great! I told you it sounded amazing."

At the checkout counter, Qin Shaoxin pressed his meal card against the sensor and paid first.

Bai Yu asked, "Didn’t we agree I’d treat you?"

"Let me treat you, Senior, because I really need to ask you for a favor." Qin Shaoxin rarely showed such a serious expression. He casually picked up most of the dishes. "Just grab the chopsticks."

Bai Yu took two pairs of chopsticks from the sterilizer and muttered, "What is it that’s so serious?"

They returned to their seats. Bai Yu felt a little hot, so he took off his thin jacket, revealing a baggy, soft white T-shirt underneath. His fair arms draped the jacket over the back of the chair as he sat down across from Qin Shaoxin.

In places Bai Yu didn’t notice, Qin Shaoxin’s gaze swept over him like wildfire.

Taking off a jacket shouldn’t stir any deeper urges—especially for a dancer who had worn all kinds of performance outfits, some even quite revealing.

But why did Bai Yu's simple act of taking off his jacket, revealing a normal short-sleeved shirt underneath, carry a vibe that was enticing but not trying too hard?

Qin Shaoxin stared for so long that Bai Yu eventually looked back at him.

"What is it exactly?"

"Well, it's like this," Qin Shaoxin began slowly. "The school anniversary is coming up, and our department assigned our class to create a dance performance to be filmed as a documentary and showcased on the school’s official website. The teacher put me in charge of the choreography."

"The teacher assigned you to choreograph? You must be really skilled, especially for a work that’s going to be a documentary."

"It's not a big deal," Qin Shaoxin said modestly, looking at Bai Yu with hopeful eyes. "I was wondering if you could compose the music for me. I’ll pay you. Would that be okay?"

The Composition Major requires second-year students to earn twenty practical credits by participating in at least two medium-sized music performances or orchestrating for film or theater.

If Bai Yu composed the music for Qin Shaoxin, and Qin Shaoxin successfully filmed the documentary, Bai Yu could also earn credits. It was a win-win situation, and there had been many cross-disciplinary collaborations like this in the past.

However, Bai Yu hesitated slightly. "There’s one issue... You’re studying classical dance, and I'm not that strong in pure classical music. I can only try—I’m not sure if I’ll be able to help."

He had only returned to school a few months ago, and his composition skills were still inconsistent. If he did well, it would be fine, but if he ended up causing trouble, it would be a disaster.

Qin Shaoxin reassured him, "It’s okay. I'm sure you can come up with something great."

Since Qin Shaoxin said so, Bai Yu agreed. "Then you can tell me things like the style, theme, elements needed, duration, and the feeling you want for the music. I’ll see if I can create it for you."

"How about you come by our dance studio regularly to watch me practice and get inspired? It might be hard to come up with good ideas based on just a few words."

"Sure."

Qin Shaoxin peeled the shell off a shrimp and placed the meat on a plate. "I’ve peeled the shrimp for you, so you don't have to."

"Okay, thank you."

As Bai Yu ate his vegetables, he felt Qin Shaoxin watching him intently, as if eagerly hoping he would try a piece of the peeled shrimp. Since his junior was asking for a favor, it wouldn’t be right to refuse, so he picked up a piece and ate it.

Qin Shaoxin watched Bai Yu chew, his Adam’s apple bobbed as if he himself were tasting the food, intertwining with that soft tongue, swallowed down, and becoming one with him.

"Mm, you eat too. Don’t just focus on peeling the shrimp," Bai Yu said, his cheeks puffed out as he took a sip of orange soda, his lips glistening with moisture.

Qin Shaoxin smiled at Bai Yu. "Alright."

*

After finishing two classes in the afternoon, Bai Yu and Qin Shaoxin went to the dance studio.

The Dance Department had its own building, located to the right of the administration building. Dance Studio A2 on the first floor was the largest room, normally requiring a reservation to use, but Qin Shaoxin had a key from the teacher and could go anytime.

After taking the elevator to the sixth floor, they walked to the door of Studio A2. Qin Shaoxin opened the door, revealing a quiet, spacious dance room with large mirrors embedded in the walls and shiny practice bars reflecting the figures of Bai Yu and Qin Shaoxin.

Bai Yu asked, "How many people will be in this dance performance?"

Qin Shaoxin placed his backpack on the floor in the corner. "We’re planning on five people. But since there’s no music or choreography yet, I haven’t called them over."

Bai Yu stood by the wall, watching Qin Shaoxin take off his jacket and do a dance that was both airy and powerful, with light and shadow falling on the sunset-lit brown floor.

After finishing, Qin Shaoxin was slightly out of breath and walked over to Bai Yu with a smile. "What do you think? Since it’s for the school anniversary documentary, this dance shouldn’t feel small-scale. I want music that tells a story, but it can’t be too upbeat—that would be boring."

Bai Yu pondered for a moment. "The music should start calmly. It should gradually build to something grand, and then have a lingering, subtle ending. Not too rigid, but not too soft either?"

"Yes, you and I really are in sync. You got it right away," Qin Shaoxin said, taking a drink of water from his backpack.

Bai Yu replied, "That’s because you dance well and can express your ideas through movement."

"I dance well?" Qin Shaoxin walked up to Bai Yu, looking at him seriously.

Bai Yu: "Very well."

Qin Shaoxin smiled and threw himself into the dance even more.

Honestly, he'd heard those two words a million times—many people had said similar things to him—but hearing them from Bai Yu made him happy.

Bai Yu sat against the wall in the dance studio, carefully watching Qin Shaoxin dance and focused on figuring out the melody.

When they left the studio, Qin Shaoxin asked, "Is your computer fixed? If not, you could come to my place to compose."

Bai Yu said, "It’s fixed. I got it fixed over the weekend. It’s working now."

Qin Shaoxin smiled, though he seemed a bit disappointed. "Alright. I was hoping we could game together sometime. Maybe once you're done with your work?"

"Sure."

A strong evening wind blew, messing up the hair on Bai Yu’s forehead. He waved to Qin Shaoxin and headed for the subway station.