Chapter 79: The Married Beta Gets a Small Tattoo

Chapter 79: The Married Beta's Small Tattoo

Situ Jing and Chen Xun walked towards the spa on B1 level of the hotel. Both had been engrossed in their own affairs lately, barely seeing each other for two months, so they seized the chance to catch up.

Chen Xun teased, "Ah Jing, you're really protective of your little sweetheart. Don't tell me you're even keeping it from your family?"

Situ Jing replied indifferently, "Others might not know, but my father certainly doesn't."

Chen Xun narrowed his eyes and smiled. "You really think your old man is a fool?"

Situ Jing scoffed lightly, "If he weren't stupid, why would he go after Lin Xiaoran?"

As they waited for the elevator, five men—a mix of young entrepreneurs and middle-aged businessmen—caught up to them, all eager to speak with Situ Jing.

Chen Xun raised an eyebrow. "Who are they?"

Situ Jing glanced at the group. "Hengyu Company has a small development project. I outsourced it, and we're currently bidding for manufacturers. Four or five showed up at this engagement banquet."

Chen Xun shoved his hands into his pockets, looking puzzled. "I remember you just opened a super factory in Country T not long ago. How small is this project that you're outsourcing it?"

"Just a hundred million," Situ Jing said casually. "In my operations, we focus on things with bigger profits."

Hengyu Technology boasts a dedicated R&D center with two primary product development directions: commercial and medical smart devices. However, there's a third, undisclosed R&D path: high-end military equipment.

Having known Situ Jing for years, Chen Xun rarely heard him divulge details, only that his dealings ran much deeper than what appeared on the surface. It was hard to guess what he meant by "bigger profits."

Chen Xun sighed, "The waters run deep indeed!"

Situ Jing chuckled, "Isn't the entertainment industry just as deep?"

"Haha, mine is nothing—just petty politics, like children playing house." Chen Xun stopped talking as the group approached.

The crowd gathered around Situ Jing. "Mr. Situ, long time no see! Care to join us at the spa?"

Chen Xun joked, "You're the host, yet you've become the honored guest."

Situ Jing smiled faintly. "Today's banquet had unexpected trouble. I should be the one inviting you."

"Accidents happen—we understand!"

"Absolutely!"

"As long as Mr. Situ's father is healthy and the family is harmonious, that's what matters."

...

Situ Jing smiled, but his deep eyes betrayed little emotion.

Seeing that he didn't refuse, the crowd grew more eager and escorted him into the spa.

Five years ago, Situ Jian stepped back from the spotlight, letting his son Situ Jing take over all the family businesses.

At the time, Hengyu Group was on the verge of collapse due to poor management. Only three stable projects were profitable; most others were losing money, and there was a significant internal deficit.

Initially, no one had high hopes for him. Even shareholders at Hengyu Headquarters publicly stated that he would never succeed.

Situ Jing made a bet with one shareholder: if annual revenue grew by 20%, the loser would leave Hengyu. At the time, 20% seemed impossible, yet Situ Jing achieved it. He restructured Hengyu Technology with drastic measures, achieving remarkable results over five years.

By the time everyone realized it, Hengyu had become a vast commercial empire, and Situ Jing's name frequently appeared in financial headlines.

This business magnate always appeared dignified and impeccable in public, guarding his privacy carefully, so even now, outsiders couldn't grasp his true nature.

But alphas all have the same desires, right?

They planned to cater to his preferences.

As the group was about to ask Situ Jing which spa service he preferred, he already headed toward a private VIP room.

Chen Xun explained, "Mr. Situ isn't comfortable public bathing. You all go ahead; we'll meet in the private room later."

The group asked, "What about you?"

Chen Xun pointed to the room next to Situ Jing's. "I'll be in there."

Half an hour later, everyone gathered in the private room after their spa sessions. Waitstaff brought drinks and snacks.

Situ Jing leaned back on the sofa, arms crossed, listening as the manufacturers touted their advantages, their words laced with subtle jabs and rivalry. He remained expressionless.

Chen Xun sipped his drink nearby, occasionally adding a light-hearted comment.

As they talked, a group of strikingly beautiful omegas entered, dressed in sheer clothing that revealed their slender waists with every movement.

One manufacturer smiled obsequiously. "I've heard the aromatic essential oil massages here are excellent."

As he spoke, an omega boldly approached Situ Jing, placing a hand on his shoulder and releasing a faint scent of tuberose. "Sir, let me help you relax."

Tuberose scent among omegas is as rare as panda blood—rumored to excite any alpha instantly, regardless of compatibility.

They really went all out.

Situ Jing's expression cooled as he looked down at the hand on his shoulder. "Remove it," he said emotionlessly.

The omega withdrew her hand but, assuming a submissive posture, knelt beside him and touched his thigh. "Sir, it would be my honor to serve you."

Situ Jing looked down at her. He had never touched anyone offered to him before, and he had even less interest now.

If only the face looking up at him were someone else's...

A moment later, Situ Jing stood and walked out.

*

Bai Yu slept lightly in the unfamiliar environment and woke at the sound of the door opening.

He sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes, and looked toward the door without turning on the light.

The bedroom door opened from the outside, light illuminating the man's handsome features, his sharp jawline casting a shadow.

"Awake, or didn't sleep?"

"Awake."

Bai Yu got out of bed and walked toward Situ Jing, arms outstretched for a hug.

Suddenly, Situ Jing pushed Bai Yu's shoulder away, creating distance between them.

Bai Yu stopped a step away, looking at him in confusion. Did he not like that?

Situ Jing removed his jacket and headed straight to the bathroom, a faint smell of alcohol trailing behind him.

Bai Yu flipped the light on, poured a glass of water, and took a seat at the foot of the bed to wait for Situ Jing.

At that moment, he thought that if it had been his former self—before meeting Situ Jing—he would have found the situation absurd.

Now, he was eagerly waiting for Situ Jing to possess him, but it had nothing to do with love. He simply wanted to repay Situ Jing for his help and financial support.

If he didn't repay it in time, the balance of their contract would tilt, making it difficult to settle things when the contract ended six months later.

If Bai Yu saw himself as a kept man, he was an unqualified one. He didn't understand what Situ Jing was thinking or how to please him.

But Situ Jing was also an awful master.

He kept trying to tame Bai Yu, demanding his complete obedience, while constantly reminding him that their relationship would end someday.

Therefore, Bai Yu needed to maintain the right distance—not too far, not too close. It wasn't easy for him.

He could only stick to tit for tat: whatever Situ Jing gave, he would repay in kind.

Soon, Situ Jing came out of the bathroom in a black robe and walked over to Bai Yu, gently stroking his face.

Bai Yu looked up at him and could see droplets of water glistening on Situ Jing's toned chest.

He pressed his cheek into Situ Jing's palm, nuzzling gently.

Situ Jing paused for a moment, withdrew his hand, and then pushed Bai Yu down onto the bed, burying his face in Bai Yu's neck and taking a deep inhale.

Bai Yu let out a soft moan as Situ Jing gripped his wrists, kissing him from his slender neck down to his Adam's apple, chin, and finally his lips.

The room grew hotter, and Situ Jing's breathing grew increasingly heavy. A sudden chill swept over Bai Yu as his clothes were stripped away.

With closed eyes, Bai Yu responded gently to Situ Jing, wrapping his arms around the man's strong waist.

Suddenly, Situ Jing placed a hand on Bai Yu's temple. "Open your eyes. Look at me."

Bai Yu's eyelashes fluttered as he opened his eyes and gazed at Situ Jing.

Truthfully, Bai Yu was a little afraid to look, worried he might see his own reflection in Situ Jing's eyes.

However, Situ Jing's gaze was deep, reflecting nothing. Instead, it seemed to pull Bai Yu in, like some fearsome beast.

Bai Yu knew Situ Jing was growing more excited.

Situ Jing led Bai Yu to the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room. From this high-rise overlooking the nightscape of Yunjing, he gazed down at the world he controlled, while holding Bai Yu tightly in his arms, claiming him utterly as waves of desire surged higher and higher.

Bai Yu's palms pressed against the glass, tears trickling from the corners of his eyes and down his neck. His body trembled uncontrollably. "I... I can't stand anymore."

In a dizzying spin, Bai Yu was lifted into Situ Jing's arms. Situ Jing's hot breath fanned his neck. "This is just the beginning. Don't you dare faint tonight."

Bai Yu's dazed eyes cleared as he mustered the strength to cling to Situ Jing's shoulders.

That night felt exceptionally long to Bai Yu.

There was no argument or punishment between them, and Situ Jing wasn't in his heat cycle, yet he seemed to lose all control, not stopping until early morning.

*Maybe because he'd been drinking*, Bai Yu thought.

Exhausted, Bai Yu lay limp against Situ Jing's chest as the man carried him to the bathroom.

They sank into the bathtub together, with Situ Jing holding Bai Yu in front of him and dropping a bath bomb into the water.

The bath bomb fizzled, releasing bubbles that drifted across the surface.

Bai Yu wasn't used to bathing with others, but he sensed Situ Jing was in a good mood—even washing him gently—so he didn't ruin the mood.

He began rinsing himself off and noticed a new mole on his right arm. After scrubbing it a few times and confirming it wouldn't wash off, he held up his arm to study it.

Noticing Bai Yu staring at his hand, Situ Jing asked, "What is it?"

Bai Yu showed him his right arm. "A mole appeared here. I don't know when it showed up—I just noticed it today."

The mole was small, like a dot from a ballpoint pen.

Situ Jing held Bai Yu's arm and examined it. "You can have it removed."

"No need. I like these marks of change," Bai Yu replied, withdrawing his hand and continuing to wash himself.

"Everyone has marks of change—moles, scars, wrinkles, tattoos, spots. Except for scars and tattoos, whose origins are clear, other changes often go unnoticed."

From his angle, Situ Jing could see Bai Yu's pale, slim back and the small bird tattoo on his right shoulder blade.

The tattoo was no larger than a palm, depicting a bird in flight with wings at different angles and its head tilted upward. It was unclear what kind of bird it was.

Situ Jing rested his hand on the tattoo. "When did you get this tattoo on your back?"

Bai Yu reached back to touch it. "Before I came to Yunjing for university."

"What kind of bird is it?"

"A lark."

"Why a lark?"

Seeing that Situ Jing seemed genuinely patient and in a good mood that night, Bai Yu explained quietly, "That summer, I saved someone from drowning at the beach. She was a tattoo artist who stayed in Nangang City for a while. Before she left, I asked her to tattoo a photo of my mother on me."

"The tattoo artist said portraits contain too much detail and would require a large area. If I regretted it later, removal would be difficult. Also, tattoos fade over time, and touching up a portrait wouldn't look good. She suggested I choose something else."

Situ Jing remarked, "Maybe she just lacked the skill to do it?"

Bai Yu shook his head. "I don't know. After thinking it over, I asked her to tattoo a lark instead. It was my mother's favorite bird—she said larks have the most beautiful, melodious songs. I miss her a lot."

The bathroom fell silent. Bai Yu felt Situ Jing tracing his tattoo, his fingertips warm.

Bai Yu glanced back at him. "What's amazing to me is that from birth to death, a person may forget anyone, but they never forget their mother. It's not just because you inherit 50% of her DNA—there's a deep connection. She's the one who brought you into this world."

Outside, a drizzle began to fall, tracing intersecting patterns on the glass.

Bai Yu continued rinsing himself, washing the areas covered in hickeys.

Suddenly, he heard Situ Jing's low voice. "I got it when I was twelve."

"What?" Bai Yu didn't understand and turned to look at him.

A subtle change flashed in Situ Jing's eyes as he took Bai Yu's hand and pressed it to a scar on his waist.

Bai Yu's fingers traced the small, slightly raised scar. He recalled the first time he accompanied Situ Jing through his heat cycle, when he had asked how the scar came to be.

At the time, Situ Jing hadn't replied.

Why was he mentioning it now?

Bai Yu didn't overthink it, only feeling that perhaps at this moment, Situ Jing wanted someone to listen to him.

"Is it from that car accident?"

"You've heard about it?"

"I've heard bits and pieces."

Situ Jing paused, seemingly lost in thought for a moment. He unnaturally brushed his wet hair back with his hand, suddenly unsure why he had brought this up.

He had never spoken about this in detail to anyone other than his psychologist.

Perhaps it was the atmosphere, or perhaps Bai Yu's experiences had stirred up memories of the past. In the end, he felt that telling Bai Yu wouldn't make much difference.

"My mother was a high-ranking female omega, with Tian Yi He pheromone, always a proper, elegant, and noble woman. She loved wearing champagne-colored dresses and sitting in the piano room playing the piano. She taught me how to play herself."

Bai Yu nodded patiently in response, "Hmm."

Situ Jing drew a deep breath and continued, "When I was twelve, an international piano competition was held in Vienna. The day after the competition was the local Windmill Festival. My mother and I had agreed to set aside a day to visit the festival before returning. But after the competition, Song Huaiqian came to me, crying and issuing harsh threats, saying he would defeat me someday."

"I lost all desire to visit the Windmill Festival and asked my mother to arrange a flight back home that same night so I could start practicing immediately. At the time, private flights required at least 24 hours' notice, so we had to take a commercial flight back and have a driver pick us up."

Bai Yu nodded, "And then?"

Situ Jing looked down, "It was a Bentley. I was sitting opposite my mother, looking at the sheet music, when suddenly I heard the screech of brakes. A tanker truck crashed into us."

The car shook violently and flipped over. When the shaking stopped, Situ Jing had a ringing in his ears, felt a sharp pain in his waist, and had no feeling in his legs. A warm liquid flowed from his face down to his neck.

When Situ Jing came to amidst the chaos, he saw his mother shielding him. An alloy steel beam had pierced clean through her chest, narrowly missing his heart, while another had penetrated her lower back and stabbed into his abdomen.

The driver in the front seat had been crushed beyond recognition by the tanker truck and died on the spot.

"My face was covered in her blood. The wound in her chest kept bleeding, like a broken water faucet, continuously flowing down my neck and soaking my clothes. I tried to stop the bleeding, but the wound had severed an artery, and it couldn't be stopped. I tried to pry the seats apart to rescue her, but I couldn't move at all, unable to exert any force."

"The fuel leaking from the tanker truck was spreading and was about to flow under our car. That moment was the darkest time of my life. She told me not to be afraid, that someone would come to rescue me soon. But after saying that, she died right in front of me."

Bai Yu asked, "Did someone come to rescue you later?"

Situ Jing's tone turned slightly cold, "Yes, the rescue team cut through the alloy steel beam and pulled me from the wreckage."

"But when my mother was lifted out from under the car, she was badly injured and mangled all over, with a large gaping wound on her chest, her clothes in tatters. My mother, who had always been proper, elegant, and noble, was left in such a pitiful state, surrounded by a crowd of paparazzi who swarmed in, their cameras flashing, exposing her in the most humiliating, bloody, and broken form to everyone."

"I was placed on a stretcher and wanted to get up to stop the paparazzi from taking photos, but the doctors held me down, saying my injuries were severe and I needed emergency surgery, otherwise I might die. But who was there to save my mother?"

Bai Yu's eyes grew red, "What about your father?"

Situ Jing gave a bitter laugh, "At that time, he wasn't as submissive as he is now. When my mother and I were in the accident, he had no idea. Guess what he was doing?"

"What was he doing?"

"Caring for his first love while she was in confinement after childbirth."

Situ Jian had always been a neglectful father and not a faithful man.

He had been in a relationship before marriage, but it was opposed by both families and ultimately didn't work out. A month after breaking up, he turned around and married Situ Jing's mother.

In the seventh year of their marriage, he happened to reunite with his first love, who was also married by then, and they resumed their affair.

Before the car accident, Situ Jing's mother had contacted Situ Jian, asking if he could come pick them up personally.

Situ Jian lied, saying he was busy with work, and told her to arrange for a driver to pick them up.

After Situ Jing's surgery, he was in the ICU. He didn't see his father even after he was out of danger; it was always his aunt and younger brother who visited him.

The day Situ Jing was transferred out of the ICU, he overheard his aunt scolding his father at the stairwell, "Ignoring the life and death of your own wife and child, who told you to take care of someone else's wife? The child she gave birth to isn't even yours, are you insane?"

Situ Jing stood in the corner watching his father. He saw no trace of guilt on his father's face, only numbness and distraction. "She said she wanted to eat the Portuguese Egg Tarts I make."

His mother had never liked egg tarts, so he knew Situ Jian was talking about that first love.

He watched as his aunt slapped Situ Jian twice, then slowly walked back to his hospital room.

Situ Jing had shown intelligence beyond his years even as a child and held a strong sense of vengeance.

As soon as he came to, he told his aunt to suppress the news of the car accident and ensure no photos of his mother were leaked.

Overnight, the news of the Situ family's mother and son's car accident disappeared; you couldn't even find it by searching.

Soon after, he began investigating the cause of the accident—whether it was deliberate or an accident.

He suspected his father's first love, his father, and the Situ family's business competitors, but no issues were found with the wrecked Bentley, and no evidence of tampering by any of the suspects was uncovered.

In the end, he had to suspect himself—if he hadn't insisted on returning home early that day, would the accident have happened?

After his mother's funeral, his younger brother once asked Situ Jing why he hadn't shed a single tear, as cold and detached as a machine.

But in reality, for a long time after the accident, Situ Jing was trapped in those dark, abyss-like memories—the warm feeling of his mother's blood flowing over him, lying on the stretcher seeing his mother's mangled body illuminated by camera flashes, and Situ Jian's shameless remark at the hospital.

Situ Jing also wanted to forget these memories, to erase these images from his mind. He stopped playing the piano, had the piano room torn down, and destroyed everything in the house related to his mother, keeping only her most beautiful image in his heart.

Unfortunately, Situ Jing's memory of his mother's former appearance gradually faded, while the memory of the accident remained clear and intact, like an inescapable nightmare, occasionally resurfacing to remind him—that perhaps he was the one who killed his mother.

Yet, he couldn't stop.

Even if he woke up every day wanting to die, hurting as if his heart were bleeding, he couldn't show it.

He couldn't let the Situ family's legacy collapse, nor could he allow those circling like vultures from the outside to pick it apart.

So, when Situ Jing met Bai Yu and the two sat together on the lawn outside the insect museum, listening to Bai Yu talk about his own mother, he suddenly felt a sense of kinship, as if he found a moment of peace in Bai Yu's words.

Even though their statuses and wealth were like heaven and earth, and their principles and personalities vastly different.

Bai Yu shrugged, and Situ Jing lifted Bai Yu's chin, seeing him cry again, tears welling in his eyes.

"Are you crying for yourself or for me?"

Bai Yu choked out a sob, "You."

For some reason, seeing Bai Yu cry for him made Situ Jing feel a strange flutter in his heart, "Too flattering."

Bai Yu turned around, threw his arms around Situ Jing's shoulders, and held him tightly.

Sometimes, Bai Yu thought Situ Jing was terrible, but at this moment, he felt sorry for him.

Perhaps long-term stress, anxiety, and unprocessed traumatic memories were the root causes of Situ Jing's abnormal pheromone syndrome.

"Don't think that way," Bai Yu said softly, rubbing his back, trying to comfort him.

Situ Jing frowned, "Are you treating me like a child?"

Bai Yu sensed that Situ Jing was trying to subtly push him away and quickly said, "Do you remember what I said? When two people hug, their heartbeats sync up. Feeling each other's warmth and heartbeat can bring a sense of peace and support."

Situ Jing found it childish and ridiculous, but he spared some patience, wrapped his arms around Bai Yu's waist in return.

The two held each other tightly, stood silently with eyes closed for a while, listening to the sound of their heartbeats.

Thump… thump… thump…

Their heartbeats beat in sync.

Bai Yu whispered softly into Situ Jing's ear, "Isn't it like two pairs of wings fluttering in sync?"

Situ Jing heard it.

Though it was absurd, he found himself somewhat immersed in the sensation.

Situ Jing buried his face in the crook of Bai Yu's neck, but as they held each other, his body started reacting. He had already come several times that night and hadn't planned on doing anything in the bathroom, but Bai Yu's tight embrace only intensified his reaction.

By the time Bai Yu noticed, it was too late.

Situ Jing pushed him down firmly against the edge of the bathtub and covered him.

"Mmph!" Before Bai Yu could make a sound, his lips were covered.

Water from the bathtub splashed onto the floor, and the sound of panting echoed in the bathroom.

...

"There's something I want to ask."

"What is it?"

"Who placed that white piano at the engagement banquet?"

"Lin Xiaoran." Situ Jing paused, then asked flirtatiously, "Do you think I was too harsh on her?"

Bai Yu shook his head. "Everyone in the Situ family knows about your mother. There's no way Lin Xiaoran didn't know the piano was a taboo subject for you. Even so, she deliberately placed it in such a conspicuous spot—she was clearly trying to provoke you."

"Smart. You can even figure out something so complicated. Now you know how to handle her in the future, right?"

"..."

Bai Yu thought to himself, Did Situ Jing really think he was a fool who never thinks anything through?

Occasionally, he did think things through.

"Since the engagement banquet was canceled, how will you handle Lin Xiaoran from now on?"

"She can never replace my mother's place. If Father likes her, he can keep dating her. I just hope he doesn't cause any more trouble. Emotional value and sex aren't scarce resources for the wealthy. Even if you stand still, pretty people will throw themselves at you. Renting is far cheaper than marriage."

Bai Yu gripped the edge of the bathtub, his fingertips turning white, as wave after wave of pleasure hit him, sending electric thrills throughout his body.

At the same time, he thought to himself, So this is how cold and rational Situ Jing's attitude toward marriage and emotions is.

Of course, Bai Yu felt that Situ Jing's perspective was understandable.

He occasionally came across news reports while scrolling through videos: some wealthy alpha businessman and his omega wife didn't sign a prenuptial agreement, and after a messy divorce, the alpha lost half his fortune. The omega had her mark removed and turned around and found a younger alpha boyfriend.

It was reasonable for Situ Jing to be cautious about protecting his family's assets.

In truth, he himself was also just another rental to Situ Jing.

A tool for venting desires and sharing thoughts, with just six months left on the contract.