Chapter 26: The Beta Who Hates Alphas Part 1

The four stared at the messages in disbelief, automatically ignoring Jiang Nianxing’s photo.

“How are you so sure that’s Yu Sui?” Lu Jinxia pulled his gaze away, unconvinced deep down.

He Baiyan frowned in confusion. Didn’t Yu Sui already have Shen Anliu? And now he was after Jiang Nianxing too…

Did he plan to turn every team member into his lapdog?

Shen Anliu’s eyes were fixed on the content, struggling to accept it. Yu Sui had never said anything that intimate to him.

He pressed his lips tight. Was it because he was too boring? Had Yu Sui lost interest in him?

Hearing his teammates’ doubts, Jiang Nianxing immediately explained the whole story.

“So, he’s interested in me now.” He directed this at Shen Anliu, his tone dripping with provocation.

“Bro didn’t chase me off. First come, first served—you’re the one who has to hide.” Shen Anliu shot back.

Jiang Nianxing choked. “A house flower doesn’t smell as sweet as a wild one.”

Lu Jinxia quietly looked away. Were these two insane?

Seeing no reply from over there, Yu Sui figured they must be fuming. In a good mood, he went to wash up and change clothes.

He had just finished eating in the cafeteria and was about to take the elevator to the practice room when he ran into He Baiyan outside.

“Something up?”

“Yeah.” He Baiyan considered his words, probing. “You really don’t mind what Jiang Nianxing did to you? Don’t you hate alphas?”

“They’re all guys, and who got the better end of the deal isn’t clear anyway.” Yu Sui delivered the line with a blank expression.

He Baiyan clenched his fingers. He was almost certain now.

Alpha-phobia meant deep in the closet—hating them yet liking them, twisted into this mess.

With Shen Anliu and Jiang Nianxing already hooked, who was next on his list…

“I’m warning you: don’t treat everyone like idiots.” He wouldn’t accept something so ridiculous, groveling at the young man’s feet, wagging his tail and obeying without dignity.

Those deep eyes seemed to bore right through Yu Sui. The young man’s body stiffened, his guilty eyes blinking rapidly.

He Baiyan narrowed his eyes. So he really was next?

Yu Sui started sweating bullets. Had He Baiyan figured out he’d used that alt account to harass Jiang Nianxing?

Remembering how he’d planned to prank his roommate only to get lectured by the captain, Yu Sui felt a chill. He tossed out, “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” and hurried off.

Seeing Yu Sui refuse to engage, He Baiyan frowned and messaged someone to investigate that account.

In the dance studio.

The three were practicing, with Shen Anliu and Jiang Nianxing locked in a contest—who could hit harder, whose moves were sharper and more precise.

Clearly, Yu Sui’s words had fired up Shen Anliu.

Lu Jinxia watched their tireless rivalry, the corner of his mouth twitching. He stepped aside to grab some water.

Just then, the door swung open.

Seeing Yu Sui walk in, the two competitors didn’t rush over to greet him. Instead, they simultaneously launched into high-difficulty moves.

Backflips, floor slides, splits, backbends—the pair strutted like peacocks fanning their tails.

Lu Jinxia quietly turned away.

Stunned in place, Yu Sui vented to the System. “Do they not have bones?”

[Protagonists, duh—they’re loaded with killer skills,] the System replied indifferently. [And in this track, protagonists nail high-difficulty stuff no sweat.]

Yu Sui caught the implication and couldn’t bear to watch the two anymore.

Noticing Yu Sui looking their way, they both sprang up with carp leaps, then broke into a steamy shirt-lift tease of a borderline dance.

“Pfft—” Lu Jinxia spat out his water. What kind of sleazy human spectacle was this?

Shen Anliu’s ears burned red as he danced like that, feeling a bit embarrassed. But remembering Yu Sui liked watching dances, he threw himself in harder.

Jiang Nianxing wouldn’t back down. As the more experienced senior, his moves flowed more naturally, his expressions on point.

“What’s with them?” Yu Sui asked the only normal teammate.

“Who knows.” Lu Jinxia fought a laugh, thinking that account definitely wasn’t Yu Sui’s—otherwise, the young man would’ve gotten the hint.

Hearing that, the two froze and finally stopped.

“M-Master… how was my dancing?” Jiang Nianxing almost called him “Master,” but thought better of it in broad daylight and switched.

Not one to lose, Shen Anliu asked, “Bro, whose was better?”

Yu Sui felt provoked. He was all thumbs and no coordination himself, yet these two could hit the stage, and they had the nerve to ask him? It rubbed him wrong.

“Not great.” No way was he praising them.

Jiang Nianxing figured Yu Sui was just shy—after all, he’d said online he wanted to kiss him.

Shen Anliu deflated. So he really had lost interest?

“Yu Sui, you’re rested—let’s get back to practice,” Lu Jinxia said, breaking the awkward vibe in the room.

This time, Yu Sui didn’t argue.

In the plot, after recording their first group dance, the company sent them out to eat, where paparazzi caught wholesome team bonding shots.

Obviously all staged for promo.

But that meal kicked off the protagonists’ unstoppable spiral.

Shen Anliu’s hot search from interacting with teammates had extreme solo fans raging that the company was using their idol as a stepping stone for newbies. One snuck into the restaurant posing as staff and spiked his drink with laxatives.

The cannon fodder overheard the extreme fan on a group call and swapped it for something stronger. He even abused his position to sneak in a couple paparazzi, hoping to snap Shen Anliu’s embarrassing pics.

Naturally, it flopped. The protagonists guessed the setup and shifted venues early. The cannon fodder’s desperate rush to the bathroom to “catch them in the act” raised eyebrows online, piling more hate on the already disliked guy from the live stream.

Though things were accelerating faster than the original plot—with the protagonists already tangled up—this plot point had to play out.

Yu Sui struggled to keep pace, but with no foundation, it was seriously tough.

“Maybe we can tweak the moves,” Jiang Nianxing paused to suggest. “Simplify this part a bit.”

Shen Anliu nodded in agreement.

Lu Jinxia had no objections.

Yu Sui felt embarrassed, his expression souring—which fit the cannon fodder’s mindset perfectly.

He Baiyan returned and heard his teammates. He glanced at the sulking young man on the sofa. “Fine.”

As veterans, the three quickly reworked the choreography in one session.

Next came syncing up.

With the four’s positioning, the visuals had to match the music—crisp, uniform, perfect poses.

The three nailed it effortlessly. Yu Sui sighed, laboring to follow.

“Bro, you’re doing great already.” Seeing the sweaty, sprawled-out young man with zero poise, Shen Anliu’s eyes softened in praise.

He Baiyan nodded, inwardly surprised Yu Sui had kept up the whole time without slacking.

Jiang Nianxing ached for his condition and fetched a towel to hand over.

Yu Sui took it, about to thank him, but glared upon seeing who it was and snatched his hand back with a cold huff.

Jiang Nianxing’s face flushed. Was this flirting? In front of Shen Anliu too—that was too thrilling.

Shen Anliu’s eyes darkened. He felt like the incompetent husband in some drama, watching his “wife” flirt with another guy but too spineless to speak up.

“We can reassign the vocals too.” He Baiyan called them over and fired up the equipment.

Shen Anliu quietly helped Yu Sui up and led him to the sofa.

They sat and listened as the captain divvied up parts.

Yu Sui got the easiest lines; the others split the rest.

The vocal and dance coaches dropped by, checked it out, and left satisfied.

Yu Sui’s throat was hoarse from singing. Sipping water, he finally got a feel for it, blending in less awkwardly.

Evening rolled around. They ate in the cafeteria, still chatting about the song. Exhausted, Yu Sui finished and set down his chopsticks. “I’m heading out.”

Shen Anliu watched his back, sighing softly. “Bro’s really giving it his all.”

“True.” Lu Jinxia nodded.

He Baiyan glanced at him on hearing that, then lowered his eyes.

Jiang Nianxing puzzled over it. Alphas had it easy talent-wise—why was Yu Sui pretending he couldn’t?

Was it to get some hands-on teaching?

Jiang Nianxing slapped his cheeks. Too crafty.

Lu Jinxia saw the guy next to him smack himself and silently carried his tray farther away, scared of catching whatever crazy.

Back in his room, Yu Sui showered, dried his hair, and flopped onto the bed. “Idol life’s no joke.”

[Host, you’re amazing,] the System marveled. [Never touched this before, yet you kept up and looked legit. Genius!]

Yu Sui’s lips curved up. “Eh, not bad.”

In high spirits, he pulled out his phone to harass Jiang Nianxing.

The others had just finished eating and were heading back to the dorms.

In the elevator, a clear “ding” rang out.

Instantly, all eyes turned to Jiang Nianxing.

He looked guarded.

“Yu Sui messaging you again?” Lu Jinxia teased.

Shen Anliu’s heart soured at that. Was his dancing that bad? Why no messages for him?

He hadn’t planned to share, but Lu Jinxia’s tone irked him. Jiang Nianxing pulled out his phone, glanced, and caught his breath.

[WeChat] y: I want to hear you pant. Okay, baby~?

So killer—Yu Sui was too much…

Shen Anliu peeked at his frozen expression and frowned.

“He called me baby,” Jiang Nianxing bragged to Shen Anliu. “You get that treatment?”

This was really hitting him where it hurt.

Lu Jinxia still couldn’t believe it. He figured the guy must be paranoid. If the young man hadn’t just left his phone untouched, he would’ve sworn it was all self-staged.

The elevator ride was downright awkward. Midway, some members from another group waiting for the elevator spotted them and bolted in terror.

They’d picked fights with their new teammate before, but now they weren’t even pretending anymore—their faces were grim and terrifying.

He Baiyan kept his face cold. Lu Jinxia stood silently, leaning against the elevator wall, head down and lost in thought. And Jiang Nianxing’s smile was the creepiest of all.

How could anyone smile in a company like this?

That alpha had never put any stock in superstition, but now he was planning to draw lots at a temple for some peace of mind.

Yu Sui wasn’t surprised when he got no reply.

He was sprawled on his bed, scrolling through videos, when his teammates returned.

Shen Anliu, who usually greeted him enthusiastically, stayed dead silent today, bustling around noisily with who-knows-what.

Yu Sui frowned. “Can you keep it down?”

Shen Anliu glanced toward the bed at his words. “Bro, what do you think of Jiang Nianxing?”

He wondered if that account even belonged to Yu Sui at all.

“Him?” Yu Sui raised an eyebrow, not sure why he was asking.