Chapter 69: The Married Beta is Patted on the Head

Chapter 69: The Married Beta Gets a Head Pat

In the afternoon, Bai Yu saw an updated notice in the class group chat: "This afternoon's class has been rescheduled to next week."

Everyone cheered, excited to leave early for Christmas.

Bai Yu was supposed to meet Song Huaiqian after class and wasn’t sure if he was still on campus, so he texted him.

Bai Yu: [Professor, are you on campus? Our class was rescheduled, so there’s no class today.]

Song Huaiqian: [Wait for me a moment, I’m not on campus—I’ll drive over.]

Bai Yu sat on a bench beside the school garden for a while.

In the chilly, damp winter air, Song Huaiqian’s figure appeared not far away. His well-defined features showed little expression, as if deep in thought. A silver cross necklace gleamed around his neck, and he carried a bag in his hand.

Bai Yu waved at Song Huaiqian, "Over here."

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he thought Song Huaiqian looked slightly nervous when he saw him, his ears turned red.

Song Huaiqian handed the bag to Bai Yu, "See how the repair turned out."

Bai Yu took out the pants and examined them. The torn section had been repaired into an elegantly slanted white feather, realistic and seamless, perfectly covering the damage. He was pleasantly surprised.

"Thank you, it’s really well done."

Seeing Bai Yu’s smiling eyes, Song Huaiqian’s lips unconsciously curved upward.

Bai Yu placed the pants back into the bag. "By the way, how much was the laundry fee? Let’s split the cost."

Song Huaiqian said, "No need, it wasn’t much."

Bai Yu handed the vinyl record and an apple to Song Huaiqian, "Here, Merry Christmas."

Song Huaiqian hesitated, first accepting the apple from Bai Yu before taking the record. "Merry Christmas."

"That day you said the arrangement progress was at 0%. How about now?"

"Still 0%."

"Are you running into problems?"

Bai Yu frowned, looking somewhat troubled. "This theme is pretty broad—I still can’t figure out how to approach it."

Song Huaiqian checked the time on his phone. "It’s still early. If you’re free, we could find a café to sit and talk."

Bai Yu happened to want someone to talk it over with, so he agreed. "Sure."

The two went to a nearby café, sitting by the glass window and each ordering coffee.

Song Huaiqian stirred his coffee, then gently placed the silver spoon on the saucer. "I was the one who set this theme."

Bai Yu smiled awkwardly. "Oh, I see."

Song Huaiqian said, "I chose 'Living in the Moment' to encourage everyone to create music with different emotions and elements, to avoid homogeneous competition. It’s also a test of how well everyone interprets the theme."

Bai Yu held the warm coffee cup with both hands and took a sip. "So, what does 'Living in the Moment' mean?"

Song Huaiqian looked out the window at the bustling street scene. "Right now is living in the moment—the things people experience every day: birth, death, work, rest, travel, separation, reunion, love, everything beautiful and not so beautiful."

Bai Yu watched the passersby and traffic, growing more confused. "There’s so much. How should I choose?"

Song Huaiqian’s gaze returned, settling on Bai Yu’s fingers tracing the rim of the coffee cup. "I think you should consider what you have."

"What I have?" Bai Yu drifted into thought, searching his mind for something he could express.

Song Huaiqian reminded him, "Your previous compositions were good, but the emotional expression was somewhat shallow. If it were me, I’d want to hear deep emotional expression from you—your most profound memories and feelings."

Bai Yu suddenly paled. "The most profound memories... What if they’re not good?"

Song Huaiqian said, "Who said music has to express only good things? You can also express your pain. It’s not just happiness that resonates with people."

Bai Yu nodded slowly. "I understand."

Though Song Huaiqian’s words were meant to help Bai Yu, they were also tinged with personal interest—he wanted to understand Bai Yu better. But after making the suggestion, he noticed Bai Yu seemed to sink into unpleasant memories, his mood visibly subdued.

He wondered if he had gone too far.

Meeting Bai Yu’s eyes, Song Huaiqian changed the subject. "Perhaps you could also listen to more works by other musicians."

"I have been. Many musicians have released new albums lately, and I’ve been listening to them."

Bai Yu shared some of the songs he’d been listening to recently. His taste was pretty varied—he saved anything that caught his ear—and it turned out some of his playlist overlapped with Song Huaiqian’s.

Their similar music tastes gave Bai Yu and Song Huaiqian plenty to discuss: the drumbeats in a certain song were excellent, a certain musician’s style changed drastically after dating a wealthy person and lost its spark, and so on.

Song Huaiqian listened, occasionally offering his own insights. His eyes lingered on Bai Yu, unable to look away, feeling like it was never enough.

When their conversation began to wind down, Song Huaiqian checked the time on his phone. "I have many hard-to-find out-of-print vinyl records at home that I’ve collected. If you’re free this afternoon, we could go back and listen to them. You might find some inspiration."

Bai Yu toyed with the rim of his coffee cup, hesitating.

Song Huaiqian asked, "Do you have other plans?"

"No."

Bai Yu was torn. It was still early, and he didn’t want to go back yet.

He remembered the vinyl record Song Huaiqian had given him before—the sound quality was indeed impressive. Would it be okay to go to the professor’s place to listen to records for a while before heading back? It shouldn’t overstep any boundaries.

Song Huaiqian stood up, walked over to Bai Yu, leaned down, and gently patted his head. His eyes were gentle and reassuring. "Wait here for me. I’ll go to the parking lot to get the car and pick you up. Don’t go off with any strangers."

"...I’m not a child."

Bai Yu watched as Song Huaiqian went to the front counter to pay the bill, then walked out and turned right down the street.

Before long, a silver Mercedes convertible appeared on the street outside the window, its soft top and streamlined body exuding a retro charm.

Song Huaiqian lowered the window and waved to Bai Yu, "Come over."

Bai Yu walked out and got into the car. "Is your place far from here?"

"Not too far from campus—about a thirty-minute drive." Song Huaiqian glanced at Bai Yu. "What about your place?"

Bai Yu’s eyes darted away, his fingers unconsciously gripping the edge of his shirt. "Not too far, not too close. It takes about forty minutes by bus, a bit faster by subway."

Song Huaiqian started the car. "It’s only two in the afternoon—no hurry. I can drive you back later."

"It’s fine, I can go back on my own." Bai Yu smiled at Song Huaiqian.

The car drove down the road, passing several traffic lights before turning right and driving a little farther, arriving at a luxury apartment complex.

After parking the car, the two took the elevator up.

The apartment was located on the top floor, with furniture and wallpaper/decor primarily in white and blue tones. A Bible and a framed family photo were placed on the table, while rosemary and lemon trees grew on the balcony in the distance. The air was filled with the scent of benzoin.

Song Huaiqian helped Bai Yu hang his coat and pointed to the cabinet next to the entertainment center wall in the living room, saying, "There are many records over there. Go pick one and put it on the record player."

Bai Yu selected a blues record and placed it on the turntable. The slow, laid-back music filled the entire space.

The tranquil atmosphere here made Bai Yu feel very relaxed.

Song Huaiqian made two glasses of lemon water and sat opposite Bai Yu. The two listened quietly to the music from the record player.

After a while, Bai Yu looked tentatively at Song Huaiqian and asked, "Can I make my confession to you?"

Song Huaiqian nodded, "Yes."

Bai Yu pursed his lips, collecting himself for a moment. "On the night I jumped into the lake, I had a fever and dreamed of my stepfather."

Song Huaiqian frowned slightly, "Your stepfather?"

"Yes, he was the one who stabbed my thigh. Whenever I have a fever or feel unwell, I always dream of him."

Bai Yu placed his hand on his leg. The scar was long gone, but he still remembered its exact location.

Song Huaiqian asked, "What was the dream about?"

"After my mother passed away, right when I was presenting, he wanted to make me an omega..."

Bai Yu told Song Huaiqian everything about his stepfather. "When my younger sister was sick, I once saw a shadowy figure resembling him at the hospital. My sister saw it too. Not knowing where he was or whether he would return has always been my deepest fear."

Song Huaiqian stroked his chin, his expression pained. "He won't come back."

"Really?"

"I don’t have the ability to foresee the future, but I don’t think he will. Even if he does, you’re all grown up now. You’re no longer that child who could be controlled by him. You have the ability to deal with him, and you can also ask me for help, or ask your friends for help."

The gloom in Bai Yu’s eyes faded slightly. "Thank you."

Song Huaiqian comforted him, "There’s nothing wrong with being a beta. No interference from pheromones, no rut or heat cycles—it’s freeing."

Bai Yu nodded in agreement, "I think so too."

Song Huaiqian was a beta, which was indeed one of the reasons Bai Yu trusted him more—he was just like him.

Bai Yu took a sip of the lemon water on the table. It was made with baking soda, sugar, ice, and freshly sliced lemons from Song Huaiqian, and it smelled wonderful. "Do you have any troubles? I can be someone to talk to too."

Song Huaiqian felt that Bai Yu had an exceptional strength—he was very good at adjusting himself, as if he had built a transparent filter that filtered out the negative stuff others brought into his life. No matter what he experienced, his essence remained unchanged, untainted.

Moreover, he had a cute side, adhering to the basic rule of equal exchange—trading objects for objects, secrets for secrets.

Song Huaiqian rubbed his index finger and said slowly, "I—"

Bai Yu suddenly changed his mind, "You probably don’t have any troubles, right?"

Song Huaiqian asked, "Why do you think that?"

Bai Yu looked around. "You’re a university professor, a well-known composer in the music industry. You have a respectable job, your own house, your own car, plenty of material comforts, spiritual richness, respect from others, and no responsibilities like marriage, family, or children. This is already the life many people aspire to—what troubles could you possibly have?"

Song Huaiqian looked at the family photo frame on the table. "Everyone has troubles."

Bai Yu also noticed the photo. It featured a dozen or so people, spanning old, middle-aged, young, and children. An elderly man wearing a red priest's vestments embroidered with a cross stood in the central position, with a large cathedral in the background.

Song Huaiqian lit an incense stick and placed it on a tray on the table. The white smoke drifted upward lightly. "I was born into a very old family in Country Y. 'Song' is my mother’s surname; my original surname is Capet. I’m mixed-race. The Capet family has an ancient agreement with St. John's Papacy: each generation must select one person to fulfill the agreement."

Bai Yu looked at him curiously. "What agreement?"

Song Huaiqian said, "Two hundred years ago, during the war in Country Y, the Capet family was nearly entirely massacred, leaving only one ancestor. In desperation, he fled to a church seeking refuge. A priest took him in, but the priest was later killed by rebel soldiers. After burying the priest’s body, the ancestor made a vow that henceforth, the entire family would believe in God, and each generation would select one beta to study at a seminary and become ordained to serve the Papacy."

Bai Yu listened carefully to Song Huaiqian’s story. "The first part is quite moving, but... why choose a beta to send for studies?"

Song Huaiqian spread his hands. "Because, in traditional views, betas don’t possess the superior genes that alphas and omegas have to pass on. But sending descendants to serve the Papacy for this agreement is considered a praiseworthy act."

Bai Yu frowned, lost in thought. "So, will you become a priest too?"

Song Huaiqian twisted the silver ring on his left pinky finger. "Perhaps."

"Is that your trouble?"

"No, I’ve been studying theology since childhood and have long grown accustomed to it. After generations of effort, the Capet family has formed deeply entrenched connections with St. John's Papacy. If I go there, I will succeed to the bishop position. However, the current bishop is still alive and well, so I still have plenty of time to devote to the music field."

Bai Yu nodded slowly. "That’s why you wear a pinky ring—you’ll go to the Papacy in the future, so you must remain celibate."

"My life could indeed follow this set path. If I stay on course without deviation, I would have no troubles." Song Huaiqian turned his gaze to Bai Yu. "But recently, I’ve fallen in love with someone."

Bai Yu’s round, tea-brown eyes widened in surprise. "Then what will you do?"

Song Huaiqian shook his head slowly. "I don’t know yet. I’m still thinking."

Bai Yu tentatively asked, "Does that person love you?"

He was somewhat curious about such a forbidden relationship and also worried about Song Huaiqian’s future.

Song Huaiqian raised his hand and touched his chin, saying only, "My relationship with him is very complicated."

The incense stick on the table burned, emitting a calming fragrance, and the ash broke off and fell into the ceramic tray.

Song Huaiqian was not a good person. The religious upbringing from his childhood had cloaked him in a holy aura of faith.

He could use this aura to easily open many people’s hearts, making them share their secrets with him.

Faith and authority can be weapons underestimated by people. They manipulate hearts in an intangible, gentle guise, even compelling people to die for them.

Now, Song Huaiqian had also opened Bai Yu’s heart and seen the secrets hidden within, but he found himself in another predicament.

Bai Yu looked up to him too much—there was only reverence and admiration, with no additional feelings whatsoever.

What Song Huaiqian needed to figure out was how to smoothly transform authority and faith into another, more intimate relationship.

He wanted to be with Bai Yu.

Regardless of anything else.

Song Huaiqian lowered his eyelids and pointed to the records on the cabinet. "Put on another record you like."

Bai Yu selected a new record and placed it on the turntable, still looking at Song Huaiqian with concern.

At that moment, Song Huaiqian got a phone call. "Yes, tell me..."

He stood up and patted Bai Yu's head, signaling that there was no need to worry about him, then taking the call and heading to the music room.

Bai Yu remained on the sofa, continuing to listen to the music until he eventually fell asleep there.

After finishing his tasks, Song Huaiqian came out and saw Bai Yu lying on the sofa. He found a blanket to cover him, then knelt on both knees beside the couch, gazing at him obsessively.

Bai Yu rested his head on his own hand, his long, upturned eyelashes and tightly closed lips accentuating his delicate features. His snow-white neck was covered with soft down, and his body curled up like a small animal, appearing docile and well-behaved. A pure, holy beauty radiated from him.

Song Huaiqian gently stroked Bai Yu's cheek and whispered hoarsely, "You are the angel, and I am the demon."

The man stood up, silently snapped a photo, and walked toward the room at the end of the hallway.