Chapter 39 [VIP]

Chu Ling's suggestion that Pei Xingzhi move back in was not just a polite remark. Pei Xingzhi had barely hesitated before Chu Ling immediately pulled him to his new dormitory.

It was right upstairs from Pei Xingzhi and Xie Nanyi's dormitory.

"When did you move here?!" Pei Xingzhi was shocked. He couldn't believe that the Omega who was penniless and had to share a dorm room with him not long ago had moved here in such a short time.

Does Omega have some special award that provides a path to advancement?

"This isn't my dorm; I'm just staying here temporarily." Chu Ling opened the door, led Pei Xingzhi inside, and explained, but his every move didn't seem like that of someone just staying temporarily.

"Stay here?" Pei Xingzhi was taken aback, then pointed to himself. "Is it alright for you to bring me here?"

"It's fine, there are three rooms here anyway, so leaving that room empty is fine." Chu Ling's nonchalant attitude made Pei Xingzhi very suspicious, but he still trusted the academic genius a lot. Although he couldn't believe it, he still followed him inside.

"Shen Lichuan?" Chu Ling called out to the innermost room, but no one answered.

"Not here? That's strange." Chu Ling frowned and muttered to himself. Pei Xingzhi, feeling that he should be quiet since he was living under someone else's roof, stood behind him somewhat awkwardly.

"Forget it, let's ignore him." Chu Ling shook his head and turned to look at Pei Xingzhi.

Having just finished his exams that morning, Pei Xingzhi was carrying only a small backpack stuffed with various odds and ends—he was practically "leaving with nothing." Although Chu Ling had some personal items, Pei Xingzhi would still need to go back and get his clothes.

"Are you going back?" Considering his relationship with Xie Nanyi, Chu Ling still asked.

"I...I dare not go back." Pei Xingzhi looked down at his toes, like a child who had made a mistake.

His temper today was completely unreasonable. No matter how wealthy Xie Nanyi's family was, he was still just a college student not even twenty years old. The school would never arrange for all Betas to undergo such a test just because of his own desires. He completely ignored this point in his anger this morning, and now that he thinks about it, the responsibility for this matter does not lie entirely with Xie Nanyi.

He was so sensitive to the word "engraving" that he completely lost his mind when Xie Nanyi appeared there.

His acquaintance with Xie Nanyi was largely due to the influence of the imprint. Although he didn't know why Xie Nanyi was so certain that he was his imprinted Beta, Pei Xingzhi knew clearly that he didn't have the imprint; he was just an ordinary Beta.

As long as the mark exists, it will constantly remind Pei Xingzhi that Xie Nanyi is pursuing you not because of how good you are, but simply because you have that so-called mark.

But this mark does not exist.

He used something false to keep Xie Nanyi's heart, but that false thing never truly belonged to him and would eventually have to be returned.

He could accept Xie Nanyi pursuing him for any reason, even if it was just because of his appearance. But he couldn't tolerate Xie Nanyi's concern for him being based solely on something as intangible as an imprint.

That wasn't his; he couldn't accept that he was chosen not because of himself.

"Never mind, I'll go get it for you." Seeing his state, Chu Ling didn't say much, but told him to go back to his room and rest while he went to get Pei Xingzhi's things.

Pei Xingzhi didn't say anything more, nodded listlessly, and went back to his room.

Pei Xingzhi lay on the unfamiliar bed and suddenly felt a stinging sensation in his eyes.

What about the time he spent living with Xie Nanyi? What was his status at the time when he accepted her advances with a clear conscience?

What kind of person is he in Xie Nanyi's eyes?

Pei Xingzhi felt a dull ache in his heart; he couldn't discern Xie Nanyi's love for him. The only person he cared about, from beginning to end, was Ke Yin.

When Pei Xingzhi woke up again, it was already evening.

He thought he would have a hard time falling asleep in the new environment, but he ended up crying himself to sleep.

He rubbed his slightly swollen eyelids, abandoning his attempt to feign weakness after seeing his listless face in the mirror.

Chu Ling had seen him make a fool of himself before, so there was no need for him to put on an act in front of him.

Thinking this, Pei Xingzhi frankly opened the door. Chu Ling was standing in front of his door, raising one hand and hesitating whether to knock.

"You're awake." Chu Ling lowered her hand and took a step back to make room for him to leave.

"Um."

"I brought your things for you," Chu Ling said, pointing to the boxes in the living room. "I didn't know what you wanted to wear, so I just grabbed a few clothes hanging outside the closet. Xie Nanyi put the rest in for you. See if you need anything else, and I'll go get it for you."

"Thank you." Pei Xingzhi's voice was muffled. He had never been so listless before. Chu Ling licked her lips, unsure of what to say to make Pei Xingzhi feel better.

"Um, are you hungry? Would you like to get something to eat?"

"I'm fine..." Pei Xingzhi hadn't finished speaking when his stomach growled against his will. "I guess I'm a little hungry."

"Let's go eat then." Afraid that he might think something else, Chu Ling quickly put the suitcase into his room and pulled him out.

Pei Xingzhi was unusually quiet today, and Chu Ling wasn't one to talk much either. The two sat at the dining table in an eerily quiet atmosphere.

After finishing their meal in silence, Chu Ling pressed Pei Xingzhi into a chair and went to the front desk to pay the bill. He was really worried about letting Pei Xingzhi wander around alone in his current state.

The two were seated by the floor-to-ceiling window. It was close to the holiday season, and to match the festive atmosphere, a thin layer of snow had fallen outside, and the windows were fogged up due to the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors.

Pei Xingzhi looked at the couples walking hand in hand outside, and unconsciously wrote Xie Nanyi's name on the window.

Pei Xingzhi tapped the glass lightly with his finger, and after realizing what he had just written, he immediately wiped away the mark. When Chu Ling returned after paying the bill, Pei Xingzhi was staring blankly at the mark.

"Let's go." Chu Ling patted his shoulder, and Pei Xingzhi stood up and followed him slowly.

The restaurant wasn't far from the school, and the two of them, having just finished eating, decided to walk back.

"Chu Ling." Pei Xingzhi suddenly called out to him. "Do you think Xie Nanyi likes me?"

Those involved are often blinded by their own perspectives, so can bystanders truly see the nature of their relationship?

"Do you like it?" Chu Ling turned around and met Pei Xingzhi's gaze. "I don't know."

"I don't know what your relationship is, or what your feelings are." If Pei Xingzhi himself can't understand it, how could he possibly understand it?

He really had no advice to offer on matters of the heart, especially since the way their relationship was developing didn't seem like something a normal person would expect. He simply couldn't understand why Pei Xingzhi was so conflicted about Xie Nanyi.

"So, do I like him?" Pei Xingzhi asked, seemingly ignoring his reply.

"I don't know." Chu Ling's answer remained the same. "You don't even know about your own affairs, so how would I know?"

Yes, they themselves don't even know what their feelings are.

"If you want to know, you can go and talk to him yourself." Chu Ling patted his shoulder lightly, gesturing for him to look ahead.

Not far away, Xie Nanyi stood beside a coffee shop sign, the dim streetlights casting shadows on his head and reflecting the fine snowflakes falling on him. Seeing Pei Xingzhi looking over, he pulled his scarf up and hastily averted his gaze.

Pei Xingzhi wasn't sure what he was thinking at that moment, and he disliked this indecisive side of himself. Whatever the final outcome, he wanted to make things clear.

"Xie Nanyi." Pei Xingzhi walked up to him, looked up at him, and said, "Let's talk."

Xie Nanyi walked ahead, with Pei Xingzhi following behind, stepping in the footprints he left in the snow. The two stopped at the corner of the alley, looking at each other in silence.

They were saying their goodbyes in the morning, then had a fight in the morning, and by evening they didn't know what to say to each other.

The contradictions of life are so dramatic.

"Xiao Zhi, I'm sorry." Xie Nanyi broke the silence first. "I..."

As soon as he uttered the words, Xie Nanyi suddenly realized he didn't know what he was apologizing for. He thought he had everything under control, but looking back now, everything they had experienced seemed like a fleeting dream, ultimately just an illusion.

Dreams come easily and go quickly. Before he was even prepared, the dream he had woven for himself was shattered by Pei Xingzhi.

He was too arrogant. His superiority since childhood had made him forget how to consider other people's feelings. He had long since claimed Pei Xingzhi as his own possession, ignoring Pei Xingzhi's existence. He had his own thoughts and emotions, which Xie Nanyi could not control.

He treated today's events as a joke, unaware of the profound insult this inflicted on Pei Xingzhi. His lack of respect for his lover destined him to lose her.

He deliberately obscured his feelings for Pei Xingzhi, and pursued him for so long in a muddled manner under the guise of his father, while his own true feelings were hidden and forgotten.

"Xie Nanyi, I only want to ask you one question." Seeing that Xie Nanyi couldn't bring herself to say it, Pei Xingzhi simply asked his question first.

Xie Nanyi was deceiving him, but he wasn't entirely innocent either. If he hadn't repeatedly indulged her, Xie Nanyi wouldn't have gone this far with him. He could ignore everything from the past, but now, he just wanted a definite answer.

"What's the problem?" Xie Nanyi asked softly. He had a rough idea of ​​Pei Xingzhi's question and was now just waiting for him to pronounce a death sentence on him.

"You approached me because of the mark."

"Yes." Xie Nanyi had no room for argument.

"If this imprint were on someone else, would you choose to get close to that person?"

"Xiao Zhi, I..." Xie Nanyi wanted to retort, but Pei Xingzhi looked into his eyes and stopped him from speaking.

"You only need to answer yes or no."

"yes……"

"I understand." Pei Xingzhi nodded, indicating that he had finished asking his questions.

"Xiao Zhi, today's checkup..." Xie Nanyi stopped halfway through her sentence.

How should he explain this to Pei Xingzhi?

Could it be that today's examination was arranged by his father to test whether Pei Xingzhi was truly his imprinter? If the two were a good match, his father would use various means to force Pei Xingzhi to marry him. If they weren't a good match, then he would abandon Pei Xingzhi and choose someone else.

Both are based on the imprint, making Pei Xingzhi an object to be chosen by them.

"What happened during the examination?" Pei Xingzhi gritted his teeth, trying to appear calm. He didn't want to hear any answers from Xie Nanyi; he didn't want to know that everything they had gone through was because of the imprint.

"It's nothing." Xie Nanyi looked away; he couldn't answer.

"I'll move the rest of my things from your place as soon as possible, but it might have to wait until next semester."

Pei Xingzhi swallowed the bitterness in his heart; he had probably already gotten the answer.

Xie Nanyi made his purpose clear from the beginning: he was an Alpha trapped by the mark, and he only needed his own mark Beta. That Beta could be Pei Xingzhi, or someone else. He was not a necessary choice for Xie Nanyi.

He wanted love over instinct, but Xie Nanyi could only follow her instincts.

He cannot tolerate being in a passive position in any relationship. What he wants to be is to always lead others, like Pei Xingzhi. If he cannot get the response he wants, then all he can do is cut his losses in time.

They are not a good match.