Chapter 36: The Alpha-Hating Beta Part 1

Even though he couldn’t see a thing, the man untied the ropes with effortless ease.

Yu Sui’s expression turned grim. He would never wear clothes like these again.

He reached out to stop him. “Let’s talk.”

“It won’t take long.” He Baiyan’s voice was hoarse. “What do you want to know about me?”

He pressed a kiss to the young man’s hair.

“Don’t you think chatting like this is… a bit too much?”

“Are you feeling shy?” He Baiyan’s gaze darkened. It was maddening—Yu Sui was so bold yet so bashful, a perfect contradiction that played right into his weaknesses.

“Shy my ass!” Yu Sui couldn’t hold back his curse. He grabbed the man’s hand. “He Baiyan, do you even know what you’re doing?”

He Baiyan sensed the weight behind the question. It probably tied into the young man’s interest in him.

“Weren’t you the one who locked me in here?” His eyes shimmered with amusement. “I’m just getting revenge.”

Yu Sui went rigid. So it really was revenge?

But…

“You can’t…” he muttered. You couldn’t get that intimate.

He Baiyan watched him squirm but still push back, knowing Yu Sui secretly enjoyed the back-and-forth.

“Don’t you have alpha-phobia? Don’t you hate men?” He Baiyan nipped at his ear. “For someone like you, getting close to an alpha must be pure agony.”

Yu Sui stiffened again, his guilty eyes darting away.

He’d completely forgotten about that persona.

Seeing Yu Sui tense up and fall silent, He Baiyan grew even more wicked. “So, I’m getting my revenge.”

Yu Sui let out a muffled grunt and snapped back to reality, his face darkening further.

Those words lined up perfectly with what the System had said. So this kind of revenge was real?

Did that mean the others…

“What are you thinking about, Sui Sui?” He Baiyan’s eyes narrowed as Yu Sui zoned out. Was his answer not good enough?

No, maybe the revenge wasn’t thrilling enough yet.

His hand slipped back under the clothes.

He Baiyan felt the frantic heartbeat against his palm and swallowed hard. “Sui Sui, I want to…”

He tugged.

Yu Sui shuddered. “He… He Baiyan, I was wrong. Really wrong… You…”

“Just stop struggling, Sui Sui.” He Baiyan had lost his composure; Yu Sui’s wriggling was making things incredibly awkward for him.

Yu Sui felt it at his waist…

His face drained of color. “I…”

In the darkness, he couldn’t make out the man’s expression and didn’t dare move. His struggles weren’t strong enough anyway. What if He Baiyan lost control?

He bit his lip, desperate not to let any embarrassing sounds escape.

But he couldn’t hold back.

The audience, watching the pair reach this point, were dying of anxiety. There were no cameras—who knew what they were up to?

In the living room, the eliminated players watched the others’ progress on the big screen.

But as the surveillance feeds switched around, the two of them never appeared.

Jiang Nianxing, now eliminated, frowned. What a coincidence.

Soon, word came that Lu Jinxia had been eliminated too.

Now only Yu Sui’s pair, Huo Tian, Shen Anliu, and Zuo Meng remained.

Lu Jinxia’s expression was stormy. Zuo Meng had targeted him deliberately, trying to rile him up.

He wanted no contact with the man and simply let Shen Anliu eliminate him.

As soon as he sat down, Jiang Nianxing leaned in. “Did you see the captain with Yu Sui?”

Lu Jinxia shook his head. “What’s up?”

“After I got eliminated and came back, I never spotted them on the big screen.” Jiang Nianxing looked serious.

Lu Jinxia recalled He Baiyan’s subtle maneuvers earlier and how the man hadn’t made a move this whole time—only to vanish now.

The game had zero connection to the boy band angle, which made it hard not to suspect deliberate setup.

“We’ll have to wait till they return.” Lu Jinxia said.

Yu Sui and his partner finally emerged from the Little Black Room.

His steps were unsteady; the man was practically half-carrying him as they headed to the bathroom.

He Baiyan kept his cool remarkably well. Afterward, he just held Yu Sui close, sitting on the floor without using his hands.

But his breath ghosted Yu Sui’s ear, and with their legs spread apart as they sat—even though the man was handling himself—it led to occasional brushes against Yu Sui.

Yu Sui didn’t dare move a muscle. He feared the man might actually do something, his heart in his throat.

So focused on guarding against it, every slight touch felt magnified a thousandfold.

Yu Sui gradually lost his way, overwhelmed by discomfort.

He Baiyan sensed the shift and his gaze darkened. He said nothing, but each “accidental” contact grew bolder.

When he heard the sounds Yu Sui couldn’t suppress, a triumphant smile crossed his face.

Still, he stayed silent, letting them lean into each other.

Sure enough, Yu Sui said nothing—his reason had long evaporated.

Nothing more happened; Yu Sui just went limp and boneless.

The door opened, light flooding in.

He Baiyan stared at the flush on Yu Sui’s cheeks, the misty sheen in his eyes, and his breath hitched.

Had Yu Sui planned this too?

The vivid expressions hidden in the dark now shone through.

His arm around Yu Sui’s waist tightened. “You win.”

Yu Sui blinked in confusion, still dazed from the intensity.

[Host…]

“You…” Yu Sui felt mortified. He’d been led astray so easily.

[The protagonist is deeply scheming. You can enjoy it, but don’t lose yourself.] The System’s tone turned stern.

The embarrassment in Yu Sui’s mind vanished instantly. “But… why did I accept it so easily?”

[Based on veteran experience, men are body-and-mind separated.] The System said earnestly. [Once it feels good, they don’t care about liking it or not.]

Yu Sui nearly choked on his own saliva. “So I’m a scumbag?”

[Don’t think of yourself that way. It wasn’t you initiating.] The System comforted him.

Yu Sui wasn’t comforted at all. He sank into disbelief that he was a “scumbag.”

The two made their way silently to the sink.

He Baiyan turned on the faucet, washing his hands first before straightening Yu Sui’s clothes.

But the redness in his eyes and on his lips couldn’t be hidden.

Perfect for some hype, though.

Yu Sui felt the chill of those fingers and shoved the thoughts aside. “I can wash myself.”

He pushed He Baiyan away, head down.

He Baiyan saw he was upset and racked his brain for where he’d fallen short.

His gaze drifted lower.

He froze. Was it because he hadn’t gone all the way, leaving Yu Sui unsatisfied?

That setting was thrilling, sure, but if someone came by…

Still, He Baiyan wasn’t the reckless type.

“Sorry, Sui Sui.” He apologized, but he really couldn’t just let go.

Yu Sui heard the fake sincerity and nearly spat blood. Putting on this act now, just to play it up for the cameras later?

He felt so stifled. He Baiyan really was the worst.

“Oh.” He replied coolly.

He Baiyan recalled Yu Sui’s impulsive, carefree personality—he never thought that far ahead.

His eyes flickered. “I’ll come find you tonight, Sui Sui.”

Yu Sui’s face filled with wariness at those dreadful words. “What are you planning?”

“You’ll find out then.” He Baiyan held back, leaving room for imagination.

Yu Sui’s expression soured. “I advise you not to go too far!”

He Baiyan caught the implication: he definitely would.

His gaze softened. “Got it.”

Yu Sui decided he’d lock the door tonight.

Just then, the broadcast announced for them to return to the living room.

Yu Sui tensed, terrified someone would notice.

He Baiyan, however, was back to normal.

The pair left one after the other, reentering the audience’s view.

[They finally came out.]

[That long? Definitely… heh heh heh…]

[Sui Sui cried again. Poor thing.]

[Is the captain even human? Making him walk on his own.]

[Captain He, you’re too cold. Can’t you lend a hand?]

[Did they fight? The vibe between them is off.]

Yu Sui didn’t want to walk in sync and quickened his pace.

He Baiyan kept a steady distance, a faint smile in his eyes.

On the big screen, Bai Jia watched in shock.

No way—two alphas…?

Jiang Nianxing fixated on Yu Sui’s swollen lips. He rejected me, but kisses someone else?

He wasn’t ready to give up just like that?

What did that aloof guy have going for him?

Everyone else was in the living room now. Huo Tian took first place, but with the other two absent, the production team ruled them out for passive play.

Back in the living room, all eyes landed on them.

He Baiyan stood tall, looking no different from before.

But those who knew him could tell he was in high spirits.

Yu Sui, meanwhile, stayed quiet, his mood sour.

“You two are eliminated for passive participation,” the director announced. “The final winner is Huo Tian.”

The man claimed another victory.

No one cheered for him.

Everyone was too busy wondering what Yu Sui’s pair had been up to off-camera.

[How’d his lips get so swollen? So mysterious~]

[What’s this our CP fans can’t see?]

[Yeah, treating us outsiders like this.]

Once seated, the director revealed the winner’s reward.

“You can decide tomorrow’s team pairings.”

Huo Tian’s eyes lit up wickedly as he glanced at Jiang Nianxing.

The other man’s face had been grim all along. Feeling the stare, he looked up.

Huo Tian smirked inwardly at the provocation. He’d make him regret it.

He followed the staff member into a small room, where they began forming teams.

The cameras hadn’t captured any of it, and the director didn’t announce the results right away.

After a whole afternoon of chaos, dinnertime was fast approaching.

The fridge was fully stocked with ingredients, but the contestants had to prepare the meal themselves.

Yu Sui was completely unfamiliar with cooking, so he stayed far away from the kitchen.

He Baiyan rolled up his sleeves, tied on an apron, and turned to Yu Sui. “What do you want to eat?”

Yu Sui knew he was just trying to play up their team spirit for the cameras. His mood soured at the thought, and he immediately rattled off a long list of complicated dishes to make things difficult.

“Mm.” Far from growing impatient, He Baiyan jotted them all down patiently. “Not too spicy, though, right?”

He offered alternatives on a few of the dishes.

“I want it super spicy,” Yu Sui shot back defiantly. Even if he couldn’t dodge the forced hype entirely, he wasn’t about to make things easy for the guy. This wasn’t about building goodwill anyway.

He just needed the other man to attract fans.

“But your lips are already chapped,” He Baiyan pointed out.

“Pfft—” Yu Sui spat out the water he’d just sipped. “You… what the hell are you talking about!”

He exploded in outrage, his fur practically standing on end like an angry cat.

The commotion immediately drew a crowd.

“What happened?”

They all sized up the pair.

Yu Sui’s cheeks burned bright red as he glared daggers at He Baiyan.

“My mistake,” He Baiyan said. He licked his lips, a thread of amusement lacing his voice, then grabbed a paper towel to wipe up the water on the table.

“What’s going on here?” Lin Xiaoyi glanced back and forth between them, his eyelid twitching.

Their vibe was…

No one answered, so Lin Xiaoyi said nothing more and went off in search of Shen Anliu.

Once inside the bathroom—after confirming there were no cameras—Lin Xiaoyi’s expression grew deadly serious. “Your teammates are all going all out. At this rate, you’re going to have a hard time keeping them in check.”

Shen Anliu’s face remained impassive, but his thoughts were on Yu Sui and that other man. No one knew the young man’s recent shifts better than he did.