8 Which Wife?

~Previously~

"So… How are you?" 

"I'm fine?" Jian Yu answered, uncertainly. He moved a black piece of his. 

"I heard you are a beta?" Zeke stated more than asked, making his move on the piece, his eyes never left Jian Yu. 

Jian Yu fidgeted in his seat and nodded. He felt his soul was being stabbed repeatedly by that piercing gaze, however, he tried to keep his poker face intact, strong and confident. 

"Wow, this is my first time making friends with a Beta!" Zeke gushed out. Jian Yu felt his eyebrows twitched. 'Friends?' 

"So, tell me, how is life as a beta?" He asked. 

Jian Yu hummed. "A beta… is just a beta, just like any other beta around, I am pretty much the same." 

"That's so… normal," Zeke said, surprised. 

"Well, what do you expect from the life of a beta?" Jian Yu retorted, somehow he felt offended at that. "It's your turn, by the way." 

"Oh… okay, so--" Zeke never took his eyes off Jian Yu. All the while looking at Jian Yu, he moved his chess piece. "Can I ask something?" 

"You are already asking." 

"Don't be so uptight," Zeke tutted out. "Is it true that Beta also goes through the estrus period?"

Jian Yu choked on his saliva. Heat crept up from his neck and lit up his entire face in red. 

"What?" Jian Yu spluttered. "You can't just ask that to anyone--" 

"Does that mean you do?" Zeke leaned closer, interested. "Do you find someone to help you with that or do you do it alone?"

"S-Sir Roderick, that's--" 

"Oh I like that, I wouldn't mind being called Master too," Zeke smirked, leaning backward to give Jian Yu some space, not forgetting to cross his arms over his chest. 

"Personal information…!" 

"Oh, I guess you don't like it that way," Zeke hummed out. "Maybe an old traditional courting way?" He muttered to himself. 

"Listen to me--" 

Jian Yu's face was as red as ever, it could even put tomatoes to shame. 

"Do you like flowers or maybe chocolates? What about other kinds of sweets? Do you wear jewels?" Zeke interrogated. 

 "What?" 

"I like chocolate a lot! Be sure to remember that," Zeke added.  

"You should be asking that to Lady Clement, not me!" Jian Yu exclaimed. 

"Hush, we're in the library, Mr. Bodyguard," Zeke reprimanded cheekily. "And oh, by the way, checkmate." 

Startled, Jian Yu looked down at the chess piece. Indeed, his king had nowhere to move, Zeke's pieces had secured all the route. 

"How--"

Jian Yu stood up and banged the table with his palms, shocked at how the event turned. "That's impossible! I demand a rematch!" 

"My pleasure," Zeke beamed. "Anything for you." 

Jian Yu, unable to accept defeat, scattered the chess pieces and arranged them accordingly, all the while ignoring Zeke's beaming face. He looked smug and proud in Jian Yu's eyes. 

However, it was different from Zeke's point of view. When Jian Yu stood up, Zeke felt like God had sent an angel down exclusively for him. 

Sunlight shone through the glass window, creating a halo around Jian Yu. His flamed cheeks added an even more unique effect, making him look glamorous. The pout on his face when he lost, oh no, Zeke gulped down harshly. 

He needed to control his Alpha pheromones or else, it was going haywire. He fanned himself slightly, was his rut close? It should be another month though. He had always kept an eye on his rut schedule. 

"Again." 

Zeke flashed his famous smile at Jian Yu.

'I wouldn't gain anything if these kept on,' Zeke thought to himself. 'Winners should get some reward in return.' 

Before Zeke could open his mouth to speak, a bell rang, signaling the end of class. 

"Oh shoot!" Jian Yu looked startled. He immediately stood up and collected his outer suit, the chair he was sitting on toppled over. 

"What's wrong?" Zeke asked. 

"I have to pick up Lady Clement," Jian Yu answered while putting on his outer suit. He went around the table and stood in front of Zeke, looking up at him. 

"Sir Roderick, I am sorry for wasting your time playing with this humble servant, I have to take my leave," Jian Yu made a deep bow. He heard the seat was being pushed back and saw Zeke's polished dress shoes disappear from his view as Zeke stood up from his seat. 

Feeling a pat on his head, Jian Yu looked up from his bow, surprised. 

"No worries, I had fun too," Zeke chuckled. "Let us have another match in the future." 

"Of course, Sir Roderick."

"Be careful."

"Thank you for your concern, Sir," Jian Yu made another bow before leaving, more like running out of the library. 

"Please call me by my name next time…" Zeke trailed out, but Jian Yu was no longer there to hear any of it. 

He exhaled before dropping back to his seat and stared at the chessboard they played. Reaching out, he took the queen chess piece of the black sides and held it in his palm. 

"Smart, but not enough to beat me," He grinned, squeezing the chess piece in his palm. 

He put the chess piece back on the table and stretched his arms up, relaxing his stiff joints before cleaning up. He placed them back inside the box and went to the librarian to return it. 

"Zee!" 

The door of the library slammed open. Mika stood there, panting after running a marathon, in his case. 

"Where the hell are you?!" He exclaimed, ignoring the glare sent by the librarian. 

"Be quiet, this is a library, respect it," Zeke chastised, however, inside he was laughing at Mika. 

"Your wife was shot!" 

Now, that got Zeke's attention. 

"What?" He snapped his head to look at Mika. 

"A-ha! You are worried!" Mika attempted to snicker, but his snicker came out as a snort due to his panting. 

Zeke had no time to rebuke him and made a gesture for Mika to continue. 

"There was a shooting happening in front of the gate right now!" Mika panted out. "Aren't you going to ask me which wife?" 

For the first time, Zeke admired how much self-control Dong-Hyun had when facing Mika.