Chapter 43 [VIP]

Because he had been moving around a lot in the dorm last semester, Pei Xingzhi didn't have much stuff. The driver was able to lift all of Pei Xingzhi's things by himself, and even had some strength left for Pei Xingzhi to hand him the backpack on his shoulder.

"No need, I'll take it myself." Pei Xingzhi quickly waved his hand, feeling guilty about pressuring the driver like that.

Ultimately, it's all Xie Nanyi's fault.

Pei Xingzhi followed the driver into the elevator. As the floors increased, so did the anxiety in Pei Xingzhi's heart.

Of course, this feeling is not the same as "the closer to home, the more timid one becomes." Pei Xingzhi is not that sentimental, and his feelings for Xie Nanyi are not that straightforward.

He now experiences more awkward situations like "meeting his ex-boyfriend on a blind date" or "trying to hook up with someone he met online, only to find out it was his ex-boyfriend."

Actually, this statement doesn't quite fit, since they never really confirmed their relationship.

Back then, Pei Xingzhi held the initiative, but now everything has changed.

He didn't object to being with Xie Nanyi, but he dared not wonder how much of Xie Nanyi's sincerity towards him truly lay in their relationship. Were his past pursuits truly his own intentions? How much of this contract had he been involved in...?

Putting aside their talk of "imprinting," the thoughts that come from the heart are the least reliable. He was afraid that he had fallen in love, while Xie Nanyi was only interested in "imprinting."

Neither of them dared to speak, nor did either dare to take the initiative to express their opinion.

Whether it's love or instinct, no one can say for sure.

"bite"

"Mr. Pei, we've arrived."

The elevator reached the designated floor, but Pei Xingzhi hesitated to move. The driver spoke up to remind him, got off the elevator first, and gestured for him to proceed.

"You don't need to do this... I'm not surnamed Xie..." He had only made a deal with the Xie family, and he hadn't really become a member of the Xie family. The sudden change in his identity was something he couldn't adapt to at all.

"Mr. Pei, you're joking. You're about to get engaged to the young master, so you'll be the young mistress of the Xie family." The driver was very conscientious about his duties, and even though no one was around to supervise him, he was actively playing his role.

For the past ten years or so, Pei Xingzhi had never imagined that he, as a Beta, would one day be associated with the words "young mistress".

Evil capitalism! Evil bourgeoisie!

This corrupt society has actually caused him, a simple and innocent top student, to degenerate into this kind of image.

This was a nightmare.

Pei Xingzhi touched the goosebumps on his arm, unable to hide the look of disgust on his face any longer.

"Don't call me that. Just call me Pei Xingzhi. I'm not some young mistress."

So he said he really hated those people in positions of power.

"Go knock on the door." Afraid that the driver would say something even more amazing, Pei Xingzhi quickly took the luggage from his hands and urged him to knock on the door.

He's unilaterally reconciled with Xie Nanyi now, but who knows what Xie Nanyi's attitude is? Young masters like him all have some temper, and their minds are full of twists and turns.

He said he didn't care, but he was secretly very upset. What if he was still angry with him? If he went over there directly, wouldn't he just be asking for a scolding?

Thinking this, Pei Xingzhi took a few steps back. If he opened the door and was surrounded by Alpha pheromones, he could run faster.

“Mr. Pei, you can just open the door.” The driver saw through his thoughts, suppressed a smile, and continued, “The door lock recognition you left here is still working, you can open it directly.”

"..."

The driver's expression gave Pei Xingzhi a strange sense of exposure, as if he were secretly having a relationship with someone, but everyone already knew. Pei Xingzhi still cared about his image in front of others, so he coughed lightly and strolled leisurely to the door.

“哢”

Facial recognition successful, door opens automatically.

"Mr. Pei, I've left the things here. I need to go back and report, so I'll be leaving now." The driver finished speaking and, without waiting for Pei Xingzhi to say anything, hastily boarded the elevator, leaving Pei Xingzhi with a dashing departing figure.

He insisted on coming even though we told him not to, and now that we need him to ease the awkwardness, he just ran away.

Pei Xingzhi gripped the doorknob helplessly, but he simply didn't have the strength to turn it.

The thought of seeing Xie Nanyi again as soon as he pushed open this door made Pei Xingzhi feel as if his hands were being bound by something, and he no longer had the strength to push the door open.

How should he face Xie Nanyi?

He didn't know how to face Xie Nanyi.

Pei Xingzhi had imagined a thousand times what it would be like to meet Xie Nanyi again, but he rejected every single one of them.

Because they are almost impossible to encounter.

The potential for a Beta is ultimately limited; no matter how hard he tries, he's only reached the starting point of Alpha and Omega. The innate gap is insurmountable; they are from two different worlds.

Pei Xingzhi understood that his past rejections were probably tinged with a bit of spite. Even if Alphas and Betas were together, they could never be truly equal. He didn't want to become a slave to Alphas; he wanted to retain his purest self.

Without this imprint, Xie Nanyi and Pei Xingzhi might have met at a research conference. However, Pei Xingzhi might not have had that opportunity, because he was just a Beta without pheromones, and the closest profession he could access to the central government was medicine.

The desire to move forward was drowned in the deep sea by his innate mediocrity; Pei Xingzhi's countless struggles were nothing but a spent force. Excessive tension can only lead to breakage.

But a hypothesis is just a hypothesis; no one can assume reality.

Pei Xingzhi closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door.

Now that he has already tied himself to Xie Nanyi, he must make good use of the Xie family's resources.

Pei Xingzhi was never one to be content with the status quo.

That being said, when Pei Xingzhi stepped into Xie Nanyi's space again, he suddenly didn't know what to do with his hands and feet.

How should he face Xie Nanyi?

Should she pretend nothing happened and greet him as before, or simply ignore him and fulfill her obligations according to the contract?

Pei Xingzhi didn't know.

The dormitory was very clean, and he couldn't smell any pheromones. He wondered if Xie Nanyi was in the dormitory at this moment. He hoped he wasn't there, so he would have a moment to think.

Everything here is exactly the same as before he left, as if Xie Nanyi had also abandoned this place, freezing time here at the point before they departed.

After going around in circles, it seems we've returned to where we started.

He pushed open the door to his room. He had left in a hurry, only asking Chu Ling to take the necessities for him, leaving behind some miscellaneous things. Xie Nanyi didn't throw his things away, whether out of reluctance or simply because she felt they were unnecessary, it was unclear.

Since he had already decided to stay here, Pei Xingzhi didn't intend to make himself uncomfortable. He called a housekeeper to clean the place thoroughly, making sure every corner was clean before taking out his belongings.

Now he was certain that Xie Nanyi was not here.

With all that commotion, if he were here, that fussy young master would definitely have come out and made a scene. The fact that the door next door is still locked after all this time means Xie Nanyi hasn't returned since he left.

He had initially been somewhat apprehensive, but now he was fairly certain that Xie Nanyi genuinely didn't care about him. His persistence was merely due to the imprint; to safely pass through his vulnerable period, he needed to be imprinted with a Beta to help alleviate his symptoms. Pei Xingzhi was already here, so there was no need for him to rush.

If things really develop as he envisions, it wouldn't be bad at all. All he needs to do is help Xie Nanyi get through her vulnerable period, and he'll get so many resources for nothing. Besides, Xie Nanyi herself is quite good; even without these resources, she'd be highly sought after outside.

He doesn't have to sell himself to an ugly, fat man and still gets paid; the person "keeping" him is a high-quality Alpha with excellent looks. So it seems like he's the one who's making a profit.

Anyway, Xie Nanyi doesn't always need him. He only needs to pay a small price to get so much. This is an opportunity that many people would rather die for.