Chapter 17: The Beta Who Hates Alphas

After changing clothes, He Baiyan told him to head back first, then took his clothes and returned to the changing room.

Once he had left, a few minutes passed before someone pushed the door open.

Jiang Nianxing’s expression was complicated. He glanced around furtively from side to side before opening He Baiyan’s locker.

He picked up the tattered short-sleeved shirt and gave it a look, his fingers trembling. That bastard He Baiyan had actually forced Yu Sui to wear something like this!

He had never quite trusted those two. Seeing they still hadn’t returned, he made an excuse to get up and go call them.

That’s when he spotted He Baiyan’s retreating figure heading toward the bathroom, something clutched in his hand.

Puzzled, Jiang Nianxing quietly followed.

At the door, he overheard their conversation.

Yu Sui had bought clothes for Shen Anliu, and He Baiyan’s reaction had been extreme.

Jiang Nianxing was stunned. Was the captain jealous?

And why was Yu Sui so good to that Shen Anliu?

As he mulled it over, he heard Yu Sui admit it. The rest of the conversation made him realize this shirt was no ordinary item.

Before he could piece it together, chaotic noises erupted.

The stall door locked with a click.

Jiang Nianxing’s heart clenched. Were they fighting?

He gripped his phone tightly and hit record. If He Baiyan bullied Yu Sui, this would be the evidence.

But as he crept closer to the stall door, the sounds inside stopped, leaving only the captain’s threatening words.

Utterly shameless.

Jiang Nianxing was shocked. He hadn’t realized the man was such a beast.

To avoid alerting them, he slipped into the next stall, ears perked and breath held.

He Baiyan was forcing Yu Sui to undress and change into the shirt he’d meant to use against Shen Anliu.

Then came the sound of fabric tearing.

Jiang Nianxing nearly burst out.

But the captain solemnly claimed it was all for the team’s sake, to teach Yu Sui a lesson.

Jiang Nianxing didn’t buy that nonsense for a second. The man definitely had ulterior motives.

Now, seeing him keep this piece of incriminating evidence, Jiang Nianxing was more convinced than ever.

He Baiyan was probably planning to use the shirt to blackmail Yu Sui further—maybe even something worse.

He couldn’t let the young man fall into his trap!

Eyes gleaming, Jiang Nianxing swiped the shirt and stuffed it into his own locker.

He gathered his thoughts and returned to the lounge.

Yu Sui, his plan exposed, had lost all interest. He barely noticed Jiang Nianxing’s absence.

When He Baiyan came back and heard the young man had gone looking for them, he raised an eyebrow but didn’t dwell on it.

Jiang Nianxing entered the room and shot a glance at He Baiyan’s cold expression. Hypocrite! he thought.

His stare was too obvious. He Baiyan looked over, their eyes meeting briefly before both looked away.

With everyone gathered, they began the games.

Yu Sui sat in the center—after all, the fans loved teasing him.

These interactive mini-games were prepared specifically for the CP pairings, and both the members and the viewers knew it full well.

As for which two would be shipped, that was up to the fans to decide.

Yu Sui’s name flooded the screen.

He could only think the netizens truly hated him.

“The first game is the cookie challenge,” Lu Jinxia announced, acting as the stream’s host. No choice—the captain was terse, and the others lacked any professionalism.

He opened the package on the table: long pretzel rods, each end dipped in black and white chocolate.

“The two with the most votes have to eat the cookie together,” Lu Jinxia said, casting a sympathetic glance at Yu Sui.

Yu Sui was shocked. How had he not known about this game?

[Classic game—will they end up kissing?]

[I remember two members from some group under your company accidentally kissed. Their pheromones nearly clashed.]

[Yu Sui looks so repulsed.]

[Wonder who the lucky partner is.]

[Who’ll be the first to kiss a straight guy’s lips?]

Yu Sui’s skin crawled. Seeing that comment on screen triggered his alpha-phobia even more.

Meanwhile, the company—which had stayed out of the stream until now—sent a message to the captain via staff: to boost the show’s effect, let Yu Sui pick his own partner.

Yu Sui saw the message and seethed inwardly. Damn it!

“Bro…” Hearing it was Yu Sui’s choice, Shen Anliu’s mind raced. His puppy-dog eyes gazed soulfully at the young man.

“Ahem, if it’s tough for you, I can cooperate,” Jiang Nianxing offered reluctantly, though his eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Don’t forget…” He Baiyan started, intending to remind him that he was Yu Sui’s chosen CP partner.

But before he could finish, Yu Sui shot him a glare.

Yu Sui thought he was threatening him over the earlier incident, forbidding him from picking Shen Anliu.

Not that he’d planned to pick the protagonist shou anyway. If he could, he’d skip the CP game entirely—but he couldn’t defy the company…

The captain was out—truly vicious. His roommate was out—way too tolerant. Jiang Nianxing…

That guy had looked down on him before, so in the end, Yu Sui turned to Lu Jinxia.

The young man froze. He hadn’t expected this to happen to him.

“I…”

He did want to get close to Yu Sui to cure his phobia, but with the team’s usual slacking, he’d shelved those schemes to focus on work.

Was this what they meant by hard work paying off?

“Can you help me out?” Yu Sui asked. Knowing Lu Jinxia had germaphobia, he’d surely keep a careful distance—no risk of any horrifying accidents.

[Didn’t expect it to be our Xiao Lu!]

[Xiao Lu’s even blushing!]

[“Can you help me?” Straight guys are so good at acting cute.]

Seeing that, Yu Sui snapped irritably, “Don’t talk nonsense! How is this acting cute? It’s dead serious, okay?”

Hearing it, Jiang Nianxing frowned despite himself. Rejecting closeness with me, but picking Lu Jinxia…

What did he lack?

A sense of crisis welled in Shen Anliu, but he couldn’t force Yu Sui’s choice. He just gazed at him pitifully, hoping for a chance later.

He Baiyan pressed his lips together, saying nothing—his thoughts unreadable.

Lu Jinxia took a deep breath, striving for composure. “Sure.”

Seeing his cool demeanor, Yu Sui figured he didn’t want to get too close either and relaxed a bit.

The two sat in the middle, the others watching with a mix of resentment and envy. No one even pretended to hide it.

Under such scrutiny, being this intimate with another man made Yu Sui’s body tense up again.

He took a pretzel rod and bit one end.

Lu Jinxia bit the other.

They had no choice but to stare into each other’s eyes.

They were too close—shoulders brushing, clothes overlapping, body heat mingling with their breaths.

Lu Jinxia’s heart thumped wildly. He could smell Yu Sui’s scent.

Those clear eyes reflected his own image, giving Lu Jinxia the illusion that they were all Yu Sui saw.

Unknowingly, Lu Jinxia nibbled the pretzel, inching closer without hesitation.

Yu Sui sensed the dominance in his gaze and actions. His heart skipped. Men really had no good intentions—knowing about his alpha-phobia, Lu Jinxia was willing to hurt himself just to get revenge!

Beside them, Jiang Nianxing hadn’t expected Lu Jinxia to go for it. As their lips neared, he reached to yank him away.

Shen Anliu prepared to speak up too. Company punishment be damned—he couldn’t let Yu Sui get taken advantage of.

But before either could act, Yu Sui panicked first.

Without thinking, he let go of the pretzel and jerked back. In his fluster, he lost balance and toppled right into his roommate’s arms.

Shen Anliu’s ears turned red, his pupils contracting. Happiness had come so suddenly.

Body rigid, he wrapped an arm around Yu Sui’s shoulders.

In that moment, Yu Sui was consumed by the fear of nearly being kissed by a man, forgetting he’d just leaped from wolf’s den to tiger’s mouth.

The stream chat had exploded the instant they locked eyes.

Now, seeing the usually gentle Lu Jinxia reveal such alpha aggression, viewers screamed.

[That’s Xiao Lu’s true nature, huh.]

[He’s an alpha—how could he stay that gentle?]

[The kid was totally planning to sneak a kiss.]

[Damn, Lu Jinxia’s stare like he wants to devour Yu Sui.]

[Did he release pheromones on the sly? Why’s Yu Sui so scared?]

[Obviously—a straight alpha facing down another alpha’s kiss? Terrifying.]

[Straight alpha? But now he’s fully in Shen Anliu’s arms—and he leaned in himself.]

[Let’s make it a threesome.]

[Straight guy~]

The crowd hooted.

Yu Sui vented to the system, “He’s ruthless—willing to go down with me just for payback.”

[Their minds aren’t exactly normal,] the system replied.

“How long are you two gonna hug?” Jiang Nianxing growled at Shen Anliu through gritted teeth, convinced the guy was no saint either, seizing the opportunity.

Shen Anliu’s gaze darted guiltily at the words.

Only then did Yu Sui snap out of it, realizing he’d been held by Shen Anliu the whole time—and the stream had seen it all…

Yu Sui: …?

Yu Sui: !!!

He sprang up like a coiled spring, nearly clipping his leg.

“I… I…” Yu Sui’s expression was indescribable. He could already imagine the explosive comments. “Gonna hit the bathroom real quick.”

Help! His heart couldn’t take this. Best to flee for now.

Seeing his hasty retreat, Jiang Nianxing chased after, fearing someone else would beat him to it.

Shen Anliu froze, eyes evasive—probably embarrassed, especially since Yu Sui’s ears were red.

Lu Jinxia had simply followed his heart, wanting to close the distance. Yu Sui’s extreme reaction left him regretting it, scrambling for an apology.

But Yu Sui had bolted.

Even the netizens hadn’t expected such a big reaction from him.

[His ears are red. Did he realize he’s deeply closeted?]

[The straight guy’s embarrassed.]

[So cute.]

[Today’s stream is pure entertainment gold.]

[TYE really struck treasure this time.]

[Hahaha…]

Even though two members had dipped out, the netizens weren’t upset at all. They kept eagerly dissecting every expression and thought from those brief few minutes.

Lu Jinxia glanced at the barrage of comments, guilt written all over his face. “It’s my fault. I’ll go apologize to him.”

Now the livestream only had their reticent captain and one beaming new member left, and neither of them said a word.

New viewers trickled in, confused as ever, only for the chat to immediately fill with explanations.

[Check Weibo—it’s already on the Hot Search.]

[TYE’s trending for something positive for once.]

[You all missed a massive drama. Love and hate among these guys…]

Yu Sui slipped into the changing room next door. He ruffled his hair in utter frustration. “I’ve made such a fool of myself! And now the netizens might suspect my orientation. Damn it!”

[The more you obsess over it, the more they’ll hype it up,] the System consoled him.

“Yu Sui.”

As he pondered how to face the livestream later, the door creaked open. It was his teammate, Jiang Nianxing.

“Anything up?” Yu Sui looked at him.

“I…” Jiang Nianxing shut the door, worry etched on his face. “You okay?”

“What would be wrong with me?” Yu Sui’s tone was cool.

“Good, as long as you’re fine.” Jiang Nianxing let out a breath of relief. His gaze drifted to the cabinet. Then he added, “What clothes did you buy for Shen Anliu?”

Yu Sui’s body went rigid at the words. How did he know?

“What clothes?” The task to retaliate against the protagonist gong was already done. Yu Sui had no interest in round two.

“You know, that really…” Jiang Nianxing’s cheeks flushed. “Sexy one…”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Yu Sui’s eyes widened. Don’t make it sound like he’s some pervert, okay?

He regretted everything.

“The one the captain forced you to wear. The one he tore to shreds.” Jiang Nianxing didn’t seem disappointed by the denial. He walked over to the cabinet and swung open the door.

“What do you mean, tore?”

Lu Jinxia, who’d followed along to apologize, overheard the explosive conversation and shoved the door open as he barged in.