Chapter 63: The Married Beta Male Drawn into the Scent of Benzoin

The next morning, the air was crisp, and his breath plumed in the cold.

Bai Yu slipped into the car, rubbing his palms together. "Secretary Zhou, how have you been lately?"

Secretary Zhou replied, "Quite well. I had a seven-day holiday. It would have been even better with a couple more days off."

"...That wouldn't work."

If Situ Jing granted Secretary Zhou more time off, he would surely remain at Yanting, which meant Bai Yu would have to be at work.

Secretary Zhou checked the day’s temperature and glanced at the back seat. "It’s going to snow today. Aren't you dressed a bit lightly?"

Bai Yu adjusted his fleece-lined coat, worn over a beige chunky-knit sweater. "I'm plenty warm. I used to wear much less in winter."

"Alright then." Secretary Zhou started the car and headed towards the school.

Upon reaching a street near the school, Bai Yu exited the car and walked towards the school gate.

The aroma of *jianbing* (savory crepes) and steamed buns wafting from Liujia Alley, combined with the sight of students walking by, made him feel as though he had returned to reality.

This was where he belonged.

Entering the classroom, he found many students already present, scattered throughout the room. Fu Yusheng waved him over.

Bai Yu walked to the back and sat beside Fu Yusheng.

Fu Yusheng noticed that Bai Yu’s skin appeared even fairer than before, with long eyelashes, a slightly pink nose, and glossy lips—a captivating look that made him stare a little longer than intended.

"Are you feeling better now?"

Bai Yu met Fu Yusheng’s gaze and smiled. "Much better."

Fu Yusheng leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Did you know Qin Shaoxin has gone abroad?"

Bai Yu’s hand, flipping through his textbook, paused. "No, I didn’t. Is he going as an exchange student?"

Fu Yusheng said, "No. He’s studying abroad and won't be returning here."

Bai Yu’s expression froze for a moment. So, Situ Jing had kept him from school all this time, waiting for Qin Shaoxin to leave. But this outcome wasn't entirely bad.

"He’s very talented. Studying abroad is a good thing for him."

Fu Yusheng sent Bai Yu a message on his phone. "He asked me to send this to you. He said there’s something very important he needs to tell you and insisted you log into this email account to read the messages. The password is the date of your first meeting."

After the school anniversary event, Qin Shaoxin had sought out Fu Yusheng to ask why Bai Yu hadn’t been at school.

Learning that Bai Yu was out sick, Qin Shaoxin added Fu Yusheng as a friend and asked him to notify him when Bai Yu returned to school, as his own social media accounts had been confiscated by his family, preventing him from contacting Bai Yu.

Yesterday afternoon, Qin Shaoxin suddenly told Fu Yusheng that if Bai Yu came to school today, he should give him the email address. If not, he should inform Qin Shaoxin.

Fu Yusheng was perplexed, unsure what had transpired between the two to make a simple message so complicated.

But Qin Shaoxin was in a great hurry, saying he was about to board his flight and wouldn't be able to see messages later, so Fu Yusheng agreed to help.

Bai Yu stared at the email address, hesitating whether to log in.

Qin Shaoxin was already abroad—what "very important thing" could he possibly need to tell him?

After a moment’s thought, he decided that reading one email couldn't hurt.

Bai Yu remembered meeting Qin Shaoxin for the first time in Xingzhou. That day, Situ Jing hadn’t returned to the hotel, and Bai Yu was dining alone when Qin Shaoxin brought him a delicious dessert. He had even taken a photo of it.

He opened his photo album, sorted by date taken, found the picture, and thus had the password. Then he copied the email address and logged in.

There was one unread email. Opening it, he saw two paragraphs:

"Bai Yu, the Qin family has weathered the crisis, and my sister has arranged for me to study abroad. After that day, I was very worried about your safety. Before leaving, I went to see Situ Jing. He was exactly as I imagined—arrogant, cold, and extremely controlling. His promise of a 'one-year agreement' was also a lie. He said he might keep you by his side forever."

"If you wish to escape his control, I can have my sister arrange for someone to discreetly help you leave and join me, leaving no trace. This email will remain active. I’ll be waiting for you."

Bai Yu closed the email after reading it.

His immediate thought was that Situ Jing’s words were false, merely intended to make Qin Shaoxin give up.

Situ Jing was possessive, but he had also said he wouldn’t stay with Bai Yu forever.

Their relationship had begun due to Situ Jing’s pheromone anomaly. Once he was past the observation period and fully recovered, why would he remain with a beta, unless he had lost his mind?

If he were to seek Qin Shaoxin’s help again, it would undoubtedly entangle the Qin family once more. They might have been forgiven once, but a second time might not be so easily overlooked.

His best course of action was to quietly see out this year and then smoothly leave Situ Jing.

If circumstances changed, he would deal with it then—but it seemed unlikely.

Bai Yu slipped his phone back into his pocket, showing little reaction.

Fu Yusheng, too curious to restrain himself, couldn’t help but ask, "What exactly happened between you two? Qin Shaoxin left so suddenly, and many are saying his family interfered to separate you, which is why he left. Some even asked me, since we’re close, if I knew anything."

"That’s not it."

"Then what is it?"

Bai Yu thought for a moment, then simply said, "We were never together. I just hope he can be happier and stop piercing himself."

Fu Yusheng didn’t quite grasp the latter part of the statement but didn’t press further.

Bai Yu quickly changed the subject, pointing to his new textbook. "Can I borrow your notes?"

"Sure, here you go." Fu Yusheng handed him the notebook.

Bai Yu saw that Fu Yusheng had taken extensive notes, covering three-quarters of the textbook. "The professor is moving this fast? We’re already on chapter twelve?"

"Yeah, only five chapters left. The professor said he’s accelerating the pace. If there’s extra time, we’ll work on our final arrangement project independently."

With a few minutes left before class, Bai Yu quickly reviewed the notes, jotting down key points in his textbook.

Fu Yusheng also mentioned, "The documentary filmed by the dance department won an award during the school festival, and the school also gave you an arrangement award."

Bai Yu looked up. "Really?"

"Yes, Professor Song accepted it on your behalf. He was quite pleased and even wrote a music review for you. Our department’s musical, though, was a bit lackluster—only second prize. The main creators were Mu Qingkong and a sophomore. Professor Song wasn’t too happy about it."

As they spoke, Mu Qingkong, Pei Wenliang, and Yao Jia entered the classroom one after another.

Mu Qingkong’s slightly curly hair was impeccably styled, and he was warmly dressed. He walked in with an air of superiority, laughing and chatting with Yao Jia.

Yao Jia spotted Bai Yu and subtly nodded towards Mu Qingkong. "He’s here."

Mu Qingkong's smile vanished, replaced by a look of disdain.

Pei Wenliang scoffed, "I thought he’d take a whole semester off. Why is he back so soon?"

Pei Wenliang spoke loudly enough for Bai Yu to hear from the back row, but Bai Yu ignored them, keeping his head down as he wrote notes.

After class, Song Huaiqian called Bai Yu over to collect his award certificate and prize money. Bai Yu walked towards him.

Song Huaiqian’s expression seemed somewhat displeased. His features were sharply defined, giving him a stern look when not smiling. He wore a cross pendant around his neck, a black turtleneck sweater, and a wool coat.

This was likely because his family were all Christians, with an uncle serving as a clergyman. Having grown up singing in the church choir, his music often carried a spiritual, ethereal quality, influenced by his upbringing.

Song Huaiqian greatly admired the music created by his student Bai Yu. Sometimes, he would even fall asleep listening to Bai Yu’s compositions on loop.

He had never been so profoundly moved by anyone’s work before. Though he didn’t know why, he found himself eagerly anticipating each new piece, like a starving animal anxiously waiting to be fed.

He maintained his usual reserved and aloof demeanor, only occasionally glancing at Bai Yu during lectures.

After class, he would deliberately linger for a while, waiting for Bai Yu to approach so they could exchange at least a few words.

Most of the time, Bai Yu would leave in a rush, as if avoiding him. Only when Song Huaiqian called his name would Bai Yu come over.

This time, Bai Yu had secretly arranged music for the dance department, which caught Song Huaiqian completely off guard. Not only had Bai Yu not mentioned it to him, but none of his classmates knew about it either. He had composed the piece in secret without telling anyone.

It wasn’t until the voting segment during the school anniversary event that Song Huaiqian noticed Bai Yu’s name in the credits of the dance department’s documentary.

As Bai Yu approached the lectern, Song Huaiqian stood tall and imposing like a mountain, facing Bai Yu and pausing for a few seconds.

"Why didn’t you tell me you were doing the arrangement for them?"

Bai Yu pursed his lips. "Professor, I was afraid the arrangement wouldn’t be good enough."

Song Huaiqian handed Bai Yu the award and the prize money in a red envelope. The silver ring on his left pinky finger gleamed. "But it turned out quite well, didn’t it?"

Bai Yu accepted the award and envelope with both hands, about to say thank you, but Song Huaiqian didn’t release his grip.

Instead, he tugged Bai Yu a step closer.

Suddenly, Bai Yu was enveloped in the scent of benzoin that surrounded Song Huaiqian, compelled to look up and meet his eyes.

Up close, he noticed a hint of green in Song Huaiqian’s pupils, a sign of sharp eyesight, but his gaze was tinged with annoyance.

Song Huaiqian said, "I’m here to support you. Whenever others encounter issues with their arrangements, they come to me promptly. But you’ve never asked for my help."

In truth, Bai Yu’s mindset remained the same as before—he saw Song Huaiqian as a judge. He only thought about perfecting his work and then presenting it to him, never considering asking for help.

Moreover, Song Huaiqian’s consistently aloof and distant demeanor made Bai Yu hesitant to disturb him.

Bai Yu parted his lips slightly, his voice quiet. "I’ll come to you in the future, Professor. I’ll let you know when I have new work."

Something within Song Huaiqian was placated, though it wasn’t quite enough. His eyes flickered to Bai Yu’s lips before he looked away and released his grip.

Bai Yu tucked away the award and envelope, about to bid farewell. "Well, Professor, I should—"

Song Huaiqian interrupted him. "Tell me how you came up with this piece. I suspect you have more than one version."

His escape thwarted, Bai Yu replied, "Well... I actually made two versions. There’s another one that the dance department didn’t use."

As they spoke, a classmate approached. "Professor, I’d like to listen too."

Bai Yu breathed a silent sigh of relief, glad he wouldn’t have to face Song Huaiqian alone. Turning his head, he saw it was Mu Qingkong.

Mu Qingkong approached with a feigned smile. "Bai Yu, you’re so talented! Even your arrangement for the dance department won an award!"

In front of Song Huaiqian, Bai Yu managed a strained smile. "Thank you. You’re excellent too, Class President."

Song Huaiqian said, "Let me hear the other version as well."

Bai Yu played both versions, with Mu Qingkong listening in.

After listening quietly, Song Huaiqian preferred the first version, which wasn’t chosen. Coincidentally, Bai Yu also favored the first version.

Mu Qingkong pretended to listen intently but wasn’t truly paying attention. Seizing an opportunity, he asked, "By the way, was this piece a collaboration with Qin Shaoxin? I heard you two have good chemistry?"

Bai Yu clenched his hands, feeling tense. In the past, he hadn’t cared about his teachers’ opinions, but now he didn’t want Song Huaiqian to have a negative impression of him.

Song Huaiqian paid little attention to Mu Qingkong’s question and continued discussing the piece with Bai Yu, effectively dismissing Mu Qingkong. "The outro in the first version is very catchy. Why didn’t they use it?"

"Perhaps because, as a dance piece, its rhythm was a bit too subtle."

Song Huaiqian spoke at length, while Bai Yu mostly listened, occasionally nodding or responding briefly.

Before they knew it, the classroom had emptied.

Seeing that all the students had left, Song Huaiqian didn’t linger. He simply reminded Bai Yu, "Catch up with the major coursework. Don’t fall behind for the final exam."

Bai Yu nodded. "Okay, Professor."

After Song Huaiqian left, only Bai Yu and Mu Qingkong remained in the classroom.

Mu Qingkong crossed his arms. "Bai Yu, do you dislike me? You didn’t answer my question earlier."

Bai Yu didn’t even glance at Mu Qingkong and walked straight out.

Outside the classroom, Pei Wenliang and Yao Jia were standing by the door. Bai Yu brushed past them.

Yao Jia slung an arm over Mu Qingkong’s shoulder, watching Bai Yu’s retreating figure. "We have two more classes this afternoon. Want to hang out at my apartment? It’s nearby."

Pei Wenliang looked at Mu Qingkong. "Shall we go?"

Mu Qingkong found Bai Yu increasingly irritating. Aside from targeting him, nothing else held his interest. He yawned boredly. "Let’s go."