Seeing Yu Sui swaying on his feet, Lu Jinxia steadied him by the arm. “If I can dig it up, others can too.”
Those words drained what little color remained from the young man’s face.
“How did the original plot even survive to the later stages? Why is my identity info as fragile as a paper screen?” Yu Sui couldn’t help venting to the System.
[Maybe you’re even more loathsome now, and the protagonist’s finally caught on?] the System speculated.
Yu Sui choked. “What do we do now?”
[We absolutely can’t let it get out.]
Taking a deep breath, he looked at Lu Jinxia. “What do you want?”
“Why did you join Star Sea Entertainment?” Lu Jinxia asked, his expression full of scrutiny.
The two of them stood very close at that moment. Yu Sui racked his brain for a way to salvage the mission and forgot to push him away.
His back pressed tight against the elevator wall as the man before him loomed over him, exuding the innate pressure unique to an Alpha.
The beautiful young man’s eyelashes trembled nonstop.
Ding—
“Holy shit!”
The elevator doors suddenly slid open. An Alpha from one of the company’s other groups passed by and caught sight of them in what looked like a lip-lock. He let out a startled yelp. “You two…”
Only then did Lu Jinxia realize how close he’d gotten to the young man. His cheeks flushed red, and he coughed lightly as he let go of Yu Sui.
But that reaction only confirmed the member’s suspicions.
“The elevator isn’t a makeout spot,” the member said, unable to fathom the image of two Alphas pressed together like that. Without waiting for an explanation, he spun on his heel and bolted.
Yu Sui’s face darkened at those words. What the hell was this guy babbling about?
Lu Jinxia’s heart pounded wildly. Just now, it had seemed like… all he’d had to do was lean down a little.
Yu Sui wanted nothing more than to get away from him right then. “How much to keep quiet?”
Lu Jinxia’s heart went cold in an instant. “You think I’m trying to blackmail you?”
Yu Sui didn’t reply, but his eyes plainly said, Isn’t that exactly it?
That look left the young man fuming, his breaths coming short and sharp. But thinking of what might happen if Yu Sui’s secret got out, he forced himself to stay calm. “I just want you to lay low. The company won’t let you off easy if they find out.”
With that, he stepped out of the elevator first.
Yu Sui blinked in surprise. “The protagonist really is a good guy.”
[Yet you show zero gratitude.] The System sighed.
Jiang Nianxing had ordered some things online—expedited and discreetly packaged.
By now, night had fallen completely. A notification pinged on his phone: his delivery had arrived.
Out of sheer embarrassment, he didn’t want to pick it up with the others tomorrow and risk them spotting something suspicious.
So under cover of darkness, he disguised himself and took the elevator down to the company’s parcel station.
He hugged a box to his chest, heading back upstairs.
That was when he spotted the usually taciturn Shen Anliu, who had just returned from outside.
He hadn’t planned to say hello, but they ended up in the same elevator.
“What happened to you?” Jiang Nianxing asked, puzzled.
Shen Anliu had his hands shoved in his pockets, his mask covering most of his face. Without his usual mild demeanor, he looked rather cold when he stayed silent.
Lost in his own world, the young man snapped back to attention at the question.
He mustered some energy, his tone apologetic. “Good evening, Senior. I didn’t mean to ignore you earlier. There was just… a family matter.”
Jiang Nianxing frowned slightly but said nothing. Inwardly, though, he grew wary. This Xiao Shen wasn’t as straightforward as he seemed.
Ding—
The elevator doors opened, and Jiang Nianxing left with his package.
Shen Anliu watched his retreating back, lowering his head as his lips pressed into a thin line.
He touched the phone in his pocket, recalling the instructions from above, conflict swirling in his eyes.
“This is the only path to make you blow up fast enough for that person to notice you.”
Standing at the dorm door, Shen Anliu took a deep breath and pushed it open.
He figured it was late and Yu Sui had already turned in. To his surprise, the young man sat at the desk, typing away at his computer.
He closed the door and licked his lips. “Bro, why aren’t you asleep yet?”
Yu Sui had been in the middle of subtweeting Lu Jinxia, lost in his own spiteful theories, when the question jolted him rigid. Feeling guilty, he slammed the computer shut and changed the subject. “Why are you back so late?”
Hearing the concern in the young man’s voice softened something in Shen Anliu’s gaze, though it grew complicated. He turned away. “Some family stuff, so…”
“Oh. Go wash up then. It’s late.” Yu Sui brushed it off.
Shen Anliu nodded.
As the young man grabbed his clothes and headed to the bathroom, Yu Sui watched his back, hurriedly posted one last update, then climbed into bed.
In the shower, under the stream of warm water, Shen Anliu hung his head.
He was a Beta surgically altered into an Alpha, an orphan taken in by the organization. They had shown him great kindness; he couldn’t repay it with betrayal.
Infiltrating Star Sea Entertainment was all to get close to the behind-the-scenes boss. He didn’t yet know the exact reason why.
The boss only appeared to the company’s top idols and kept an extremely low profile, never showing up even for Star Sea’s founding.
TYE was the company’s hottest boy group, so that’s where they’d placed him.
The other members were all-around talents; he couldn’t necessarily outshine them in skill. So the organization had initially crafted him an image as a gentle, humble Alpha—possessing all of an Alpha’s strengths without the flaws, perfect for drawing fans.
Yu Sui hadn’t been part of the plan. And yet, he’d fallen for the young man at first sight.
After that livestream, he’d meant to seek him out but got a call from above.
When they met, his handler praised him. “You did great. Not only did you stick to your persona, but interacting with that Alpha pulled in tons of fans. He’s a fan magnet—bind yourself to him tight and seize the opportunity.”
The organization assumed his overtures to Yu Sui were just hype. Shen Anliu felt stifled but couldn’t reveal the truth, lest it put the young man in danger.
Fresh from the shower, he approached Yu Sui’s bed.
The young man lay on his side, face relaxed in sweet sleep.
Shen Anliu leaned down and brushed a hand over Yu Sui’s cheek. “I’m going to use you next…” I’m sorry.
Thinking of Yu Sui’s feelings for him, Shen Anliu straightened up, steeling his resolve. He’d make it up to him some other way.
Only after the footsteps faded did Yu Sui crack his eyes open.
“As expected, he’s been faking it the whole time. Now I can fully relax.”
[Good as long as you’re at ease.]
He slept soundly through the night.
Ding-dong, ding-dong—
The group chat exploded with notifications, giving Yu Sui a throbbing headache.
He yanked the blanket over his head.
Shen Anliu emerged from the bathroom, checked his phone, and saw Jiang Nianxing spamming sarcastic emojis, nonstop @-ing Lu Jinxia.
Lu Jinxia hadn’t replied once; it was a total solo show.
Puzzled, he @-ed Jiang Nianxing to ask what was up.
The barrage stopped. Jiang Nianxing replied with a single “Nothing.”
Huh?
Shen Anliu blinked in confusion but didn’t dwell on it.
He called out to Yu Sui twice with no response, so he decided to grab breakfast from the cafeteria first.
Heading back with food in hand, he spotted his two teammates. He moved to greet them but saw them duck toward a quiet stairwell—clearly for a private chat.
Maybe company gossip? Shen Anliu lightened his steps and trailed them.
“What’s gotten into you?” Lu Jinxia didn’t get why his roommate was losing it first thing in the morning.
“You know damn well!” Jiang Nianxing snapped, seeing how nonchalant he was. “Did you take that outfit?”
“What are you talking about?” Lu Jinxia played dumb.
“The dorm uses fingerprint locks. Only we two can get in.” Jiang Nianxing shot back. “Did the clothes grow wings and fly away?”
That morning, with his roommate out, he’d stashed his purchase—only to find Yu Sui’s outfit missing.
His mind jumped straight to Lu Jinxia.
After all, no one else could enter.
Seeing the righteous indignation on his face, Lu Jinxia frowned. “If I heard right, you stole that outfit from the captain’s locker first, didn’t you?”
In a few sentences, Lu Jinxia laid out what he’d overheard and his guesses. His roommate gaped speechlessly for a long moment, confirming it. “What right do you have to accuse me? That was something Yu Sui bought for Shen Anliu—super intimate, barely more than scraps of fabric. Why’d you take it? Hard to imagine?”
His tone dripped sarcasm. Jiang Nianxing averted his eyes. “I… I was just…”
“Stop. Spare me the high-and-mighty excuses.” Lu Jinxia cut him off with a raised hand. “And don’t change the subject. What about that box you snuck in yesterday? What’re you planning?”
His roommate had crept back last night with some package. Last time he’d been sneaky, it’d been about stealing clothes. This time?
Lu Jinxia had checked the box later, traced the seller from the label, and discovered it was full of…
“You spied on my private stuff?” Jiang Nianxing scowled. “How could you?”
“I won’t let you use that filth on Yu Sui!” Lu Jinxia spat out the vulgar details. He thought of Yu Sui not being a real Alpha—if that happened, he’d never survive it, probably couldn’t even get out of bed the next day.
“You… you think it’s for him?” Jiang Nianxing stared in disbelief.
Lu Jinxia arched a brow. “Isn’t it?”
Seeing the misunderstanding, Jiang Nianxing figured the cat was out of the bag anyway and explained his theory.
Lu Jinxia’s eyelid twitched. “You’re saying Yu Sui wants to train Shen Anliu into a personality-free pet? And you’re too softhearted to watch a teammate suffer, so you’ll step in?”
“You hear how insane that sounds? Anyone gonna buy it?” Jiang Nianxing scoffed.
Just one wall away, Shen Anliu’s eyes widened in shock, his ear tips burning crimson.
So Yu Sui liked him that much. It was a bit twisted, sure, but… such intense feelings…
The guilt deepened as he thought of exploiting him.
In the end, he made up his mind. Call it atonement—as long as it made Yu Sui happy… he’d gladly be the young man’s dog.
Shen Anliu slipped away quietly, heading straight for Lu Jinxia and the others’ dorm.
Getting their fingerprints had been child’s play.
He spotted some clothes in a box under Lu Jinxia’s bed. Pulling them out, he gave them a few glances. His face flushed and his heart pounded.
This was just too…
As he left, he conveniently took the items Jiang Nianxing had bought.
He’d never said he wouldn’t be Yu Sui’s dog. If this guy wanted to steal his spot, fat chance!
.
“Bro…”
Yu Sui heard someone calling him. He frowned in displeasure and opened his eyes. In an instant, he was fully awake.
Shen Anliu was kneeling beside his bed.
He wore fluffy dog ears and a black collar. His short-sleeved shirt up top was torn to rags…
No—what was this young man trying to pull with that getup?
Yu Sui bolted upright in bed. “You…”
“Bro, I really like this shirt,” Shen Anliu said, a touch of shyness in his voice. The shirt had been a size too small, so he’d simply ripped open the front fabric. Now his chest and back muscles were on full display—sexy and brimming with raw wildness.
At those words, Yu Sui glanced at the shirt. It looked familiar…
No way! How had this shirt ended up back on Shen Anliu?!
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