Chapter 26: The Beta Who Hates Alphas Part 3

[This guy’s no pushover.] The System urged him to stay calm. [He’s not only casually flaunting his impressive assets but also trash-talking you in the process.]

Yu Sui was stunned.

[Don’t forget their line of work—rivalries and backstabbing are par for the course.] The System explained. [Once you two completely fall out, of course he’d milk it for all it’s worth. And hey, you have to compare to make himself look even better, right?]

“And me?” Yu Sui’s expression soured.

[No helping it. Cannon fodder exists to prop up the protagonist.] The System sighed.

Yu Sui’s face fell completely, but wasn’t that the whole point of cannon fodder—to get slapped down and make the protagonist feel good?

With a heavy heart, he trudged into the bathroom. He casually snapped a photo and sent it over. Whatever—it was going to get trashed anyway.

[WeChat] y: [Photo]

[WeChat] y: Big bro’s abs—impressive, right?

There was no reply for a long time.

[Sigh.] The System sighed again.

“What’s wrong?” Yu Sui asked, confused.

[His silence probably means he’s laughing at you.]

Heat flooded Yu Sui’s face in shame. “Isn’t this because you told me to send it like that?”

[Sigh, too bad we’re not in the protagonist’s circle.] The System sounded guilty. [You trust me so much, and here I am, unable to do anything for you.]

“Become the protagonist in one of these stories?” Yu Sui shook his head furiously. “I think being cannon fodder suits me just fine.”

Shen Anliu was blow-drying his hair when he noticed the young man sneaking into the bathroom. He set down the hairdryer and crept closer.

He twisted the doorknob, and there was Yu Sui, lifting his shirt to snap a photo for someone.

“Bro.” Shen Anliu couldn’t contain his jealousy.

Yu Sui’s hand jerked in fright, nearly dropping his phone. He turned with a displeased frown. “Something you need?”

“Who’d you send that pic to?” Shen Anliu’s tone dripped with sourness.

Yu Sui felt a pang of guilt. If this guy found out, who knew what he’d think? He quickly denied it. “No one.”

“Really?” Seeing Yu Sui hide it from him, Shen Anliu licked his lips. “You seeing someone, bro?”

“No.” Yu Sui repeated.

Hearing that the other party held no special status, Shen Anliu finally relaxed.

As for Yu Sui keeping it secret, didn’t that just prove he had a place in his heart? Why else act all sneaky?

Meanwhile, Jiang Nianxing stared at the abs pic from Yu Sui. His heart pounded, cheeks heating—until his smile froze.

He zoomed in on the details.

New bite marks had appeared on Yu Sui’s waist, stomach, and chest.

And… one side was even swollen.

From the looks of it, freshly made—by Shen Anliu, no doubt.

Jiang Nianxing was certain. But Yu Sui sending him a pic like this—wasn’t that a hint? Like, compete for rewards?

Swallowing hard, he got up and headed to the bathroom.

Lu Jinxia had just returned to the dorm when he spotted the young man’s flustered back. He caught on quick, his eyelid twitching.

He sat at his computer desk, sorting files.

The sounds from the bathroom grew increasingly uninhibited, volume unchecked.

Lu Jinxia darkened his expression and knocked on the door. “Can you keep it down? This isn’t a solo dorm.”

Jiang Nianxing had been lost in fantasies of the scene when the words jolted him. He yelped, “Holy shit!”—his face twisting unpleasantly.

Lu Jinxia slipped on his headphones, heading back to his desk, but then Jiang Nianxing’s phone rang.

He recalled his roommate adding what seemed like Yu Sui’s alt account—the two were progressing fast. This screamed pig-butchering scam.

If Jiang Nianxing got played, fine, but if it dragged them all down…

With that in mind, Lu Jinxia walked over and unlocked the phone.

Seeing his roommate begging for pics, his expression turned grave. This could blow up big or small—easy to spin as Jiang Nianxing harassing someone.

He tapped the abs photo, and his pupils shrank.

His fingertip lingered on the waist in the image.

From coaching Yu Sui’s dance moves over the past few days of training, he’d noted the shape of his navel—and the faint finger marks above it.

It all matched.

No, there were new ones now.

Especially the swollen spot…

So they really were…?

Lu Jinxia was shocked, utterly baffled.

The young man had been ice-cold to Jiang Nianxing in broad daylight, but behind closed doors…

The whole thing reeked of something off.

Over the next few days, he paid special attention to the pair—or rather, the trio.

Shen Anliu remained devoted to Yu Sui as ever. Jiang Nianxing, though brushed off, kept glomming onto the young man.

Yu Sui put on a stony face for everyone on the surface, but his roommate’s bathroom trips spiked at night.

Lu Jinxia suddenly remembered those toys his roommate had bought, bragging about being Yu Sui’s dog.

So, privately, they were playing those kinds of games?

He eyed the bathroom, listening to the water run.

Lu Jinxia figured his roommate was probably following some commands or punishments in there.

No good—if this leaked, he and He Baiyan would get dragged in, suspected of weird kinks too.

Unable to decide, he messaged He Baiyan: needed to talk.

He Baiyan, parked at his computer stalking Yu Sui’s account, pressed his lips thin.

He’d synced the young man’s account to keep tabs, preventing any reckless moves.

Who’d have thought, privately…

Especially Jiang Nianxing, constantly demanding those pics. No surprise he’d taken advantage during his Susceptible Period.

And Yu Sui had actually sent them. The marks on his body showed he and Shen Anliu had already…

He Baiyan stayed vigilant, convinced the guy would target him next.

He’d even rehearsed a firm rejection—but nothing came. Yu Sui didn’t even initiate chats with him.

It bruised the proud Alpha’s ego.

Did he not even qualify to be the guy’s dog?

Lost in thought, he got Lu Jinxia’s message. He shut his laptop and replied with a simple “Sure.”

Knock knock knock—

The door opened.

Seeing his teammate’s serious face, He Baiyan raised a brow. “What’s up?”

Lu Jinxia glanced around before stepping inside. “I suspect they’re playing those kinds of games.”

He laid out his roommate’s odd behavior—skipping the part about snooping on the phone, of course.

“So, you want…?” He Baiyan prompted.

“If this blows up, netizens will suspect us too.” Lu Jinxia rubbed his temples. “And the company won’t pass up a money-making gimmick—they’d probably rope us in…”

Seeing his teammate fretting over that, He Baiyan relaxed inwardly. “Don’t spread it around. Let me investigate.”

Lu Jinxia trusted the captain’s skills. “Won’t bother you anymore.”

Soon, it was time to film the group dance.

The song had a cool vibe, with the MV set in an underground garage.

They wore mostly black-and-white outfits: short sleeves, hoodies, long sleeves, and a cotton jacket. At a glance, it was like four seasons mashed together.

Yu Sui couldn’t quite get it. Jiang Nianxing called it trendy.

He wore an oversized long-sleeved shirt, shoulders and collarbone largely exposed, paired with knee-length shorts and shiny heeled black leather boots.

Yu Sui felt set up.

The sleeves were long, hem short—any arm raise would flash his waist. And he didn’t have eight-pack abs to flaunt. He could already imagine the bullet comments mocking him once the MV dropped.

He stepped out, and everyone’s eyes locked on his shoulders and collarbone.

The thin fabric was slightly sheer; against his black hair, the exposed skin gleamed snow-white, impossible to ignore.

“Bro.” Shen Anliu’s voice came out hoarse as he approached, tugging the slipped shoulder strap back up.

Yu Sui’s face fell as he sized them up. Jiang Nianxing sported the cotton jacket, but the inner layer was mesh-thin, clinging to his muscle lines—eight-pack abs practically bursting out.

Yu Sui’s eyelid twitched. He glanced at the others.

Comparatively conservative, but each showed off their builds through clever details.

Jiang Nianxing licked his dry lips, gaze dropping to Yu Sui’s legs.

The young man had only sent him abs pics—no legs. He hadn’t gotten it before, but now he did.

Teasing him to death, then stunning him today with this outfit.

What a pro.

The staff came by to check their prep.

Hair and makeup were done; the stylist gave a final once-over and flashed an OK sign.

The group headed to the underground garage.

First, the group dance, then supplementary MV shots.

After getting into position, the music swelled to life.

The four sang while hitting their choreography marks.

Post-production would overlay their pre-recorded vocals later, but for now, they still had to open their mouths and mime.

The problem cropped up the moment they started.

The four kept steady breaths and nailed their pitches perfectly. Only Yu Sui’s voice trembled, coming out sounding a bit weak.

He felt mortified, but luckily the song called for no extra expressions—just stone-cold cool-guy faces the whole way through.

They ran through several takes before finally getting the okay.

Yu Sui sighed inwardly once more: this business wasn’t cut out for just anyone.

Shen Anliu hurried over to steady him. “Bro, you good?”

Yu Sui waved his hand away on instinct, heedless of the crew standing right there.

Shen Anliu didn’t take offense. Instead, he kept hovering solicitously.

Jiang Nianxing rushed up too, jockeying for a share of Yu Sui’s attention.

Nearby, the staff snapped a few photos—click, click—to leak as fan service once the MV dropped.

Next came the plot segments. They had zero connection to each other, existing solely to showcase each member’s personality and hotness, naturally with plenty of fanservice brotherhood thrown in.

Take the current setup: Yu Sui perched on the car’s hood, hands braced wide on either side, leaning back. The aloof captain loomed over him, closing in step by step. It looked like a fight… or maybe something steamier.

Or this one: Yu Sui in the back seat, head pillowed on teammate Jiang Nianxing’s lap. He tilted up to meet his eyes, then reached out to toy with the necklace swaying against his teammate’s throat.

Once those two clips wrapped, realization dawned on Yu Sui. What fanservice brotherhood? This was straight-up shipping bait!

Fortunately, the rest of the shoot didn’t involve him.

After Lu Jinxia and Shen Anliu filmed their confrontational bit, his brows knitted together.

This didn’t match the script he’d first seen at all.

The original plot had no intimate moments between Yu Sui and those two. These were obvious late additions.

That day after their talk, the roommate had stayed the same, and the captain had dragged his feet on any action.

Lu Jinxia had figured He Baiyan was holding back for the group dance recording—to keep team harmony intact. Now he saw the truth: the captain was abusing his position for personal gain.

So all his teammates had turned into Yu Sui’s lapdogs?