Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Saturday afternoon, Wen Jueqian accompanied his father Wen Yunshan to visit the Xu residence.

Before leaving, Wen Yunshan had already briefed him on the basic situation of Xu Zechu, the Xu family’s Beta daughter.

Wen Jueqian brought along some of Beichen’s public materials and his own exam preparation documents. He still held a faint hope: perhaps, as his father had said, he would only need to provide some consultation rather than become their long-term application consultant.

The Xu residence was located in an upscale villa district, with simple modern architecture, but its scale and grandeur far surpassed that of the Wen family.

A servant led them to a reception room on the second floor. Three people sat on the main sofa: Xu Zhaoming, the head of the household, his Beta wife Zhou Ru, and their daughter Xu Zechu.

Wen Yunshan stepped forward with Wen Jueqian to offer greetings. Xu Zhaoming rose to receive them. At first glance, he even seemed amiable, but when he spoke, the slick, worldly shrewdness of a businessman revealed itself:

"Yunshan, have a seat. Today’s mainly about the kids, no need to be too formal."

Wen Jueqian’s heart sank a little. These words seemed casual but actually set clear boundaries.

His father’s real purpose for this visit was to increase Hemo Pharmaceutical’s financing line for Wenyuan Medical, but Xu Zhaoming clearly wasn’t about to make any easy promises.

Wen Yunshan’s expression remained composed as he turned his gaze to Xu Zechu and smiled: "So this is President Xu’s daughter? She looks sharp and composed at first glance." He gestured sideways toward Wen Jueqian: "This is my son Jueqian, currently a senior at Beichen. If Zechu gets into Beichen, you’ll be her senior."

Wen Jueqian went along with his father’s gesture of goodwill. He stepped forward and nodded politely: "Hello, Uncle Xu, Aunt Zhou."

Xu Zechu stood up from the sofa. She had inherited her mother Zhou Ru’s features—delicate and pretty, with dark brown hair tied into a neat ponytail at the back of her head. Her demeanor was composed.

"Hello, Senior Wen." Her choice of address told Wen Jueqian how determined she was to get into Beichen.

"Hello, Junior Xu." Wen Jueqian replied in kind.

Zhou Ru seemed satisfied with this opening and spoke up: "Since the two kids have met, let them chat on their own. With us old folks around, they’ll feel awkward." She gave Xu Zechu a slight nod.

Wen Yunshan immediately agreed: "Yes, yes. Jueqian, tell your junior all about Beichen."

Wen Jueqian caught the look his father gave him and nodded silently.

————

The study.

"Senior, have a seat." Xu Zechu seemed more relaxed than she had been in the reception room. The moment Wen Jueqian sat down in the single sofa, she fired off one question after another: "What would you like to drink? Tea, coffee, or juice? I’ll have the staff prepare it."

"Just warm water, thank you."

Wen Jueqian had barely picked up his cup when Xu Zechu hit him with her next question: "Did you really get into Beichen as a Beta? I’ve heard that Beichen’s admissions are very unfriendly to Betas—just the fact that Betas have to meet the same physical standards as Alphas is enough to weed out a lot of people."

Wen Jueqian set down his water cup and looked at her calmly: "Beichen does have some hidden barriers, but it hasn’t completely closed the door on Betas. You can check the school’s published admissions data every year: Betas make up about 30%, Alphas 50%, and Omegas 20%."

Xu Zechu bit her lip lightly, her voice lowering a bit: "But in this world, Betas make up 60% of the population, while Alphas are only 25%."

Wen Jueqian understood what she was getting at. A larger population pool with a lower admission rate—Beichen’s implicit discrimination against Betas was plain to see.

He tried to reassure her: "Precisely because of that, the Betas who do get in prove they’ve got even more going for them."

Xu Zechu nodded: "I understand. Senior, do you want to take a look at my transcript?"

Wen Jueqian carefully reviewed the materials Xu Zechu provided. They were impressive, sure. But among Beichen applicants, this was just the baseline.

"Your grades are solid, but physics is your weak spot—you’ll need to bring that up." Wen Jueqian circled a few points with his pen. "What about competitions?"

Xu Zechu retrieved a certificate from her bookshelf: "Would the Progress Core System Efficiency Optimization Challenge count?"

Wen Jueqian: "It’s got enough weight. Is it a gold?"

"Silver."

By early evening, Wen Jueqian finally wrapped up the day’s consultation work.

Wen Yunshan had gone off to play golf with Xu Zhaoming, and Zhou Ru insisted Wen Jueqian stay for dinner at the Xu residence.

At the dinner table, besides Zhou Ru and Xu Zechu, there was also Xu Zechu’s older brother, Xu Zefeng, an Alpha. He was six years older than Xu Zechu and already in university.

During the meal, the occasional glances Xu Zefeng shot his way made Wen Jueqian uneasy.

Wen Jueqian lowered his eyes, focusing on his plate, trying to ignore the stare.

After dinner, Wen Jueqian politely declined Zhou Ru’s offer to stay longer and left the Xu residence in the car his father had left for him.

Sunday morning, Wen Jueqian rarely felt like sleeping in. But when the alarm rang, he still got up on time, washed up, and headed to Ruiping Kanghe Hospital.

In the office, Wen Yanxu was already there.

The two quickly got to work.

They were in the final stretch of data processing. After more than eight hours straight, Wen Jueqian’s eyes were getting sore.

"Tired?"

It took Wen Jueqian a beat to register the question. His misty silver-gray eyes looked dull and tired as he shook his head: "No."

Wen Yanxu let out a soft laugh and glanced at his watch: "Let’s call it early today. We’ll stop once we finish this module."

"I’m not tired," Wen Jueqian insisted. "Let’s stick to the plan and finish it. We can’t afford to fall behind."

Wen Yanxu didn’t argue, only saying: "It’s about time to eat anyway. Let’s grab something first, then come back and keep going."

Wen Jueqian glanced at his phone. 5:30 PM.

The two saved their progress and left the office. Wen Jueqian followed Wen Yanxu for a bit before realizing they weren’t headed toward the hospital cafeteria.

"Where are we going?"

"A change of scenery." Wen Yanxu turned his head to look at him. "You must be tired of the hospital cafeteria by now."

They drove for twenty minutes and pulled up in front of a Japanese restaurant. The storefront was low-key—just a warm yellow lantern and a wooden sign.

They stepped into the entryway, took off their shoes, and walked onto the tatami, where a server in a kimono led them to a private room.

Wen Jueqian was indeed hungry, but he maintained his dining etiquette. He ate quietly, but the food on his plate vanished all the same.

Wen Yanxu sat across from him, looking relaxed. He ordered sake, which was warmed and served by the attendant. Wen Yanxu lifted his cup and took a smooth sip, his Adam’s apple moving slightly with the swallow.

Noticing Wen Jueqian’s gaze lingering on the cup, Wen Yanxu set it down and asked: "Want a taste?" He naturally poured a small cup for Wen Jueqian.

"No thanks," Wen Jueqian shook his head. "I still need to go back and continue processing data."

But Wen Yanxu simply pushed the cup closer: "Try it. Sake has a low alcohol content."

Wen Jueqian looked at the liquid for two seconds. He imitated Wen Yanxu’s manner and took a small sip. The liquid was smooth on entry, carrying the sweetness of rice and a faint floral-fruity aroma—none of the harsh bite of baijiu.

“First time drinking sake?” Wen Yanxu asked.

Wen Jueqian nodded. “Tastes better than baijiu, honestly.”

“Want some more?”

“No, I’m good, thanks.” Wen Jueqian set the cup back on the table, feeling a little awkward. Whether it was the alcohol or the fact that the other man’s eyes had been on him the whole time, he couldn’t tell.

After dinner, Wen Yanxu suggested they walk back.

The early autumn breeze brushed his slightly flushed cheeks with a cool touch. He glanced at Wen Yanxu beside him—the man’s handsome profile was sharply defined, his skin still cool and pale, his eyes clear and alert, with no trace of alcohol.

He drank more than me, Wen Jueqian thought.

“Want ice cream?” Wen Yanxu suddenly stopped.

Following his gaze, Wen Jueqian saw a cozy ice cream shop not far off, with cute cartoon drawings on the sign.

Before he could answer, Wen Yanxu was already walking toward the shop, so Wen Jueqian had to follow.

There weren’t many customers inside.

Wen Jueqian insisted on paying this time around.

When they ordered, the clerk cheerfully offered, “Do you want to upgrade to the couple’s set? We have a deal today—the couple’s set is super cute.”

Wen Jueqian’s mind drifted, catching only bits like “deal” and “design,” and he nodded without thinking.

When the clerk handed him the two ice creams, Wen Jueqian froze.

The ice creams were shaped like roses—pale pink and creamy white layers, with heart-shaped chocolate pieces on the edges.

The clerk beamed. “Here’s your full-score love ice cream, enjoy!”

Wen Jueqian took them awkwardly and walked over to Wen Yanxu, who was sitting in the corner looking at his phone. His voice got quieter with each word: “The ice cream’s ready... there was a mix-up when I ordered, and it accidentally came out like this...”

Would he think I did it on purpose? Would he think I’m some scheming Beta trying to get ahead?

Wen Jueqian was so embarrassed.

Wen Yanxu looked up, his gaze landing on the two “roses,” pausing for two seconds.

Just as Wen Jueqian’s embarrassment was about to hit its peak, he was finally saved.

“It’s okay.” Wen Yanxu reached out and took one of them, his fingertips brushing Wen Jueqian’s cold hand, leaving a brief warmth.

“It’s cute. Want to take a picture to remember this?”

He motioned for Wen Jueqian to hold up the other one, then pulled out his phone. In the shot, the two delicate “rose” ice creams sat side by side, looking sweet in the warm light.

After snapping the photo, Wen Yanxu suddenly leaned in and, guiding Wen Jueqian’s hand, brought the ice cream to his lips.

“Here, try it.”

Wen Jueqian froze, instinctively parting his lips a little and giving it a small lick with the tip of his tongue.

Wen Yanxu watched that hint of pink, his gaze darkening for a moment before returning to normal. He took a bite himself and said, “Not bad.”

Wen Jueqian kept his head down, eating the ice cream in small bites, his ears staying red for a while.

With the meal, the walk, and the ice cream, they got back to the hospital at nearly eight in the evening, then worked overtime until eleven to finish the last bit of progress.

When Wen Jueqian got home, his mom Qin Jingqiu saw how tired he looked and asked gently, “Why are you so late today?”

“I missed yesterday, so I’m making up for it today.” Wen Jueqian’s voice sounded tired.

Qin Jingqiu’s lips moved like she wanted to say something, but in the end she just said, “Go to bed early. You still have school tomorrow.”

“Mm, you should get some rest too, Mom.”

Wen Jueqian went back to his room, closed the door, and stood against it for a moment before washing up and going to bed.