My Fierce Beta Husband is Surprisingly Sweet | Chapter 11 | The Predator's Gaze | Novela.app

Chapter 11 - The Predator's Gaze Upon entering the room, Li Zi shed her heavy overcoat and hung it by the door, the chill of the outside air still clinging to the fabric. Li Zhenting, meanwhile, busied himself with the luggage, methodically unpacking the duffel bag. He pulled out the clothes and toiletries they would need for the next few days, moving with a practiced efficiency that spoke of his desire to make the space feel like home, however temporary it might be. Predictably, Li Zi spotted her "exclusive items" tucked away in the bag, alongside a folded yoga mat and a pair of dumbbells. She picked up one of the weights, a look of amused disbelief crossing her face. "You brought these along? Are you planning to work out even while I’m right here?" Li Zhenting paused, his hands still hovering over the bag. "…I haven't finished my routine for today. I need to do a few sets of sit-ups and push-ups later." "You really don't find it a hassle, do you?" Li Zi remarked, setting the dumbbell back down with a soft thud. "How else do you think I maintain this physique?" he muttered, his voice trailing off. *It’s not like it stays this way on its own... especially when you said you liked this kind of build,* he thought, though he kept the sentiment to himself, his lips curving into a slight pout. "Besides, you have to work on your project tomorrow while I’m at the school for revision. I’ll finish my sets then. I won't be doing them at night." "Oh? So you’ll be spending the night with me instead?" Li Zi teased, her voice dropping an octave, laced with a playful challenge. "…Obviously," he replied, refusing to rise to the bait. He grabbed a tank top and a pair of athletic shorts, intending to head into the bathroom to change, but a pair of long, slender legs stepped into his path, blocking his way. "What are you doing?" he asked, blinking in confusion. "Change right here." The owner of those legs reached out and pulled the bathroom door shut, sealing off his escape. The atmosphere in the small room shifted instantly, becoming thick with a subtle, electric tension. Li Zi’s tolerance for alcohol was never particularly high; the small amount she had consumed earlier had successfully stripped away her usual layers of reserved dignity, leaving her feeling uncharacteristically bold and impulsive. Li Zhenting looked at her silently for a moment. Seeing the stubborn glint in her eyes, he didn't argue. He began to slowly peel off his outer layers, hanging his jacket next to hers. Beneath it, he wore a brown hoodie over a high-collared wool sweater. As he pulled the hoodie over his head, the snug fit of his undershirt accentuated the lean, powerful lines of his frame. A pair of delicate hands reached out, circling his narrow waist. Her fingers slipped beneath the hem of his wool sweater, tracing the firm, defined lines of his obliques. Li Zhenting’s core tightened instinctively—his waist had always been a sensitive spot, nearly unbearable to the touch—yet he did not pull away. He stood perfectly still, allowing her to explore. "You’ve lost weight again," Li Zi noted, her "inspection" concluding with a soft click of her tongue. She finally withdrew her hands, and Li Zhenting took the opportunity to pull off the sweater and quickly slip into his tank top. The garment struggled to contain him; his full pectoral muscles were only partially covered, while the rest of his broad chest and the intricate ink of his tattoos remained exposed. Once he had swapped his trousers for the shorts, his physique—perfectly balanced, athletic without being overly bulky—seemed to make the cramped room feel much brighter. "I’m going to start my sets now. Do you want to take a shower first?" Li Zhenting asked, clutching his yoga mat. He noticed she wasn't wearing her coat anymore; after standing outside for so long, he thought a hot bath would do her good. "No, I’ll wait for you. We can go together," Li Zi replied, shaking her head. She turned and sat on the edge of the bed, pointing toward the empty space by the window. "Go ahead. I’ll watch." *Watch? That’s... a bit strange.* His ears flushed a faint crimson. It was a mundane workout, something he did every day, yet under the steady gaze of the woman he loved, it felt entirely different—charged with an intimacy that made his heart race. He unrolled the mat, smoothed it out, and quickly forced himself into a focused state. Li Zi leaned back lazily against the headboard, occasionally glancing at her phone, but mostly keeping her eyes fixed on him. "By the way, how is your grandmother’s health lately?" she asked suddenly, the thought surfacing from nowhere. "Ah, the doctors say she’s doing well. Her spirits are high, and she’s made several friends at the nursing home." Li Zhenting’s mind drifted back to his childhood. After her initial brain hemorrhage, the hospital had issued critical condition notices every few days. It was only after a different surgeon took over her case that her health began to stabilize. That surgeon had been the lead on her operation, a man of immense reputation who was usually far too busy to handle post-operative care personally. Yet, surprisingly, he had requested to oversee her recovery himself. It wasn't until much later that Li Zhenting realized the doctor was a familiar face: Li Zi’s father, Yan Yan. Even after all these years, Li Zhenting’s voice remained thick with gratitude when he spoke of it. Though the illness had left his grandmother partially paralyzed, the fact that she was alive was a miracle. Back then, he had started taking on part-time jobs to supplement their income, rushing home after school to care for her. Those years had been grueling, a relentless cycle of exhaustion, but he had survived because he had Li Zi. He stole a glance at her as he moved through his exercises. To his younger self, no matter how bitter the hardship, seeing Li Zi—or even just sharing a few words with her—was enough to give him the strength to grit his teeth and keep going. By the time he reached high school, his already mediocre grades had plummeted. The sheer physical and mental toll of balancing work, school, and caregiving had left him in a fragile state. His grandmother, sensing his struggle, had begged him to stop looking after her. But he could never agree to that. He had researched professional care facilities and domestic helpers, only to find them either prohibitively expensive or notoriously unreliable. In his moment of greatest desperation, during a follow-up appointment, Yan Yan—having heard of the situation from Li Zi—mentioned a specific nursing home. The staff were professional and dedicated, and more importantly, the costs could be largely subsidized through a special state application for families in extreme hardship. Li Zhenting’s circumstances made him a prime candidate. He had been hesitant to accept charity, especially from Li Zi’s parents, but with no other options, he had applied. To his shock, the application was approved almost instantly. "And yet, every time I invited you to my house, you refused to come," Li Zi grumbled. It was a point of contention. To this day, Li Zhenting had only set foot in her home twice: once to formally thank her family on behalf of his grandmother, and the second time... during Li Zi’s very first rut. Aside from those instances, he seemed to go out of his way to avoid her parents, maintaining a deliberate, careful distance. As usual, Li Zhenting dodged the question. He stayed silent, focusing on his sit-ups. Soon, beads of sweat began to roll down his neck and across his torso, giving his firm muscles a glistening sheen that held Li Zi’s gaze captive. She set her phone aside on the pillow, stood up, and took a single step forward. Without warning, she sat down directly on his shins. "I’m here to supervise. Continue." *How am I supposed to continue like this?* Li Zhenting sighed inwardly, forced to adjust his posture. He flattened his legs slightly to make the Alpha—who was clearly in the mood for some mischief—more comfortable. "Hoo..." He exhaled sharply with the effort. With every rise of his torso, he came inches away from the Alpha staring down at him. Her skin was exceptionally pale, her features a refined reflection of her father’s. She didn't possess Yu Tianwu’s flamboyant beauty, nor the sharp, capable look of her other roommates. Instead, she reminded him of the classical landscape paintings favored by Song Dynasty masters—elegant, with brows like ink-washes. Perhaps due to some distant foreign ancestry, her eyes held a faint tint of blue. It was a gentle color, yet her gaze was often cool and distant. Her high, elegant nose always brought to mind the only line of poetry he had ever managed to memorize: *"The mountains are the ripples of her brows, the water is the gathering of her gaze."* His grasp of literature was poor, and he hadn't truly understood the poem at the time, but when the teacher had read it aloud, his mind had automatically conjured Li Zi’s face. The words had been seared into his memory ever since. To the world, Li Zi was poised, polite, and perhaps a bit aloof. She had been precocious since childhood, a girl who acted more like a reliable adult than a child. And yet, how could someone like her ever look at him? A stalker, a delinquent, a boy with no parents and a future as ordinary as dirt—how did he end up here?