Chapter 37: The Beta Who Hates Alphas Part 2

“What’s up with you?” He walked to the bedside.

Yu Sui eyed his approach warily. “You can go now.”

He Baiyan stiffened. Use and toss away?

He clearly hadn’t had his fill yet, but he’d held back.

“Fine.” But He Baiyan quickly caught on—Yu Sui was doing it on purpose.

Teasing him with another reaction right in front of him, but denying the follow-through. Leaving him itching with anticipation, his mind full of the young man.

He pinched his fingers, his gaze softening. “Good night.”

Yu Sui wanted to curse him out, but he was afraid it might provoke something worse. He could only stew in silent frustration.

It was past two in the morning.

He Baiyan emerged from Yu Sui’s room, hair disheveled. The usually meticulous man had his shirt unbuttoned, looking more languid than ever.

It was a shame—he kept his head down, hiding his expression.

But the photo was enough.

He Baiyan’s image shot up the hot searches, the headline teasing and tantalizing. The comments section was a feast for the literary greats.

The next day, everyone woke to two baffling hot searches on Weibo. They clicked in, puzzled, and promptly lost themselves in the comments.

Yu Sui had a nightmare that night. His identity exposed, no value left to exploit, He Baiyan staring at him with icy eyes, scissors in hand…

He jolted awake.

Yu Sui clutched his chest and yelled, “Holy shit!”

It was past six. No chance of going back to sleep.

His head ached dully, so he headed to the bathroom for a shower and change of clothes.

In his foul mood, Yu Sui was out of sorts and forgot to turn on the room’s camera.

He pushed open the door and headed downstairs.

The viewers who’d been camped in the live stream for ages finally spotted him. The chat exploded.

[Sui Sui’s out!]

[Up this early? Didn’t sleep a wink?]

[Sui Sui’s walking all wobbly. That guy is such a beast!]

[No way, he left at two-ish, Sui Sui up by six—that guy must be useless if he can even get out of bed.]

[Captain He was up early too. Planned it?]

[The others are still out cold. You two sneaking off for a date?]

[The sleeping teammates, lol.]

[Cloudy, mostly cloudy.]

Yu Sui went downstairs to grab some water. He Baiyan, busy in the kitchen, poked his head out. Spotting him, he looked surprised. “Up so early?”

That dream had left Yu Sui rattled. Seeing the culprit now, he scowled. “None of your business!”

“Is it because of me?” He Baiyan noticed his bad mood and grew concerned.

“You think?” Yu Sui ground out.

He Baiyan paused, cheeks tinting red as he looked away. “Sorry.”

He suddenly couldn’t keep up the casual chat. He turned back to the kitchen.

Yu Sui had no interest in parsing his expression. He grabbed his water and slumped onto the nearby sofa.

[Holy shit?]

[Yep, because of the captain. Wait, can I even hear this?]

[Short convo, massive info dump.]

[Sui Sui’s pissed—Captain wouldn’t let go, huh.]

[In my lifetime, I see He Baiyan embarrassed! Kid, tsk tsk…]

[Alpha as expected. Took a beating yesterday but sitting pretty today. Built different.]

[He’s a 4S Alpha, right? Didn’t see it before—blind as a bat.]

[Our Sui Sui faced four teammates alone. Normal folks would’ve tapped out.]

[That’s 4S for you. Terrifying.]

For some inexplicable reason, the viewers developed a newfound respect for Yu Sui.

He Baiyan brought out breakfast. “Try it.”

Yu Sui glared at him but ate anyway. After all, things had ended badly for him in the dream.

He Baiyan sat across from him, watching him eat with soft eyes.

Yu Sui squirmed. “Stop staring.”

“Mm.” Treating it as shyness, He Baiyan looked away—then sneaked glances.

No words passed between them, but the vibe had everyone smiling unconsciously.

[Early bird gets the worm. Or breakfast.]

[I’m shipping, okay? I’m shipping!]

The other guests trickled down one by one.

They all paused at the sight of the pair, then greeted them.

He Baiyan was icy and distant with everyone else. The blatant favoritism sent the CP fans into a frenzy.

Yu Sui, sleep-deprived and grumpy, drooped his eyelids and leaned lifelessly on the sofa armrest.

The viewers got it.

Jiang Nianxing came down, gaze locking on Yu Sui.

He’d acted on impulse yesterday, but no regrets. If he didn’t push, he’d be cast aside for good.

Shen Anliu, abandoning his usual clinginess, sat quietly, eyeing Yu Sui and the others.

He hadn’t slept.

Lin Xiaoyi had shown him the Weibo hot searches last night. Curious, Shen Anliu clicked in—to find He Baiyan entering Yu Sui’s room and not leaving.

He’d wanted to storm upstairs, but reason held him back.

Instead, like the fans, he’d made an alt account to lurk in the live stream.

Past two, the guy emerged—clothes rumpled, body language screaming satisfaction.

At that hour… in that state…

His heart sank.

No right to be jealous, but Shen Anliu couldn’t help the sour ache.

His own intentions toward the young man weren’t pure. What gave him the right to complain?

A sleepless night, mind still in chaos.

Viewers mistook his expression for hurt over the hot searches.

The others hadn’t seen Weibo and had no clue about last night.

Jiang Nianxing aimed for the seat by Yu Sui. As he neared the sofa, he glanced sidelong at He Baiyan.

He froze. “What happened to your lip?”

All eyes snapped to He Baiyan.

[Yeah, real mystery.]

[Xiao Jiang… sigh…]

[This poor fool…]

The chat brimmed with loaded hints.

He Baiyan heard and lifted his eyes—straight to Yu Sui.

The young man tensed, ears blazing red. He looked up, then quickly ducked back down like a guilty thief.

A smile flickered in He Baiyan’s eyes. “It’s nothing.”

Yu Sui fumed at that laugh but stayed silent to avoid drawing more attention.

Jiang Nianxing caught the exchange. His face darkened.

He said nothing, took a seat, but his gaze darted between them.

Lu Jinxia arrived last, pale as ever. A curt greeting, then silence on the sidelines.

The TYE members each nursed their own quiet tension.

Paired with the hot searches, viewers pieced it together: jealousy and heartbreak.

So the chilly atmosphere wouldn’t draw accusations of diva behavior or fake camaraderie anymore.

After breakfast, the director appeared.

He gave Yu Sui and He Baiyan a long look, lingering on Yu Sui.

Work wrapped yesterday; he’d had staff tally the Weibo buzz.

Yu Sui dominated by a landslide—millions of new followers in a day.

From public debut to now, how long had it been? And no major works yet.

Terrifying.

Especially last night’s live stream peak: numbers held steady from evening to dawn, spiking at key moments.

The director looked away, gave opening remarks, then got to business. “First, viewer scores from yesterday’s teams.”

The big screen showed the results.

Every group: failing grades.

“Viewers think you’re mismatched,” the director said with mock regret. “So today’s teams follow yesterday’s winner, Huo Tian’s picks.”

All eyes turned to the young man.

Huo Tian lifted his chin, glee in his eyes at the drama.

Lu Jinxia and Zuo Meng.

Shen Anliu and Lin Xiaoyi.

He Baiyan and Bai Jia.

Huo Tian and An Lu.

Jiang Nianxing and Yu Sui.

The director finished reading. Lu Jinxia’s face grew grave. Zuo Meng smiled gently. “Jinxia, thrilled to be your teammate.”

Shen Anliu frowned silently. He Baiyan eyed Huo Tian, then Jiang Nianxing.

The latter’s grin stretched wide, gloom vanished. He beamed at Yu Sui, full of anticipation.

Huo Tian eyed the radiant smile, dismissing it as fake.

These ex-teammates were all posers, terrified of being outshone. Smiling mentors on the surface, rooting for failure underneath.

He looked forward to Jiang Nianxing sabotaging Yu Sui.

An Lu arched a brow. Huo Tian playing matchmaker? It didn’t clash with his plans.

Lu Jinxia bit his lip. Zuo Meng’s voice made him ill.

No rest yesterday—thanks to the guy’s phone message dredging up childhood trauma.

Refusing now? Zuo Meng might spill his illness and spin it big.

He held his breath, glancing at Yu Sui.

The young man had stood up for him before, so warm.

He yearned for rescue, but Yu Sui didn’t spare him a look this time.

Lu Jinxia knew he shouldn’t harbor such extravagant hopes. After all, the young man was surrounded by people, and he desperately wanted to squeeze his way in—to be noticed.

But…

Having basked in the sunlight, he suddenly found himself back in a damp, shadowy corner. He couldn’t quite adjust.

Unable to suppress his maudlin thoughts, Lu Jinxia’s mood grew darker by the second.

“Jinxia, are you feeling unwell?” Zuo Meng asked with concern, reaching out to touch his face.

Lu Jinxia dodged away. “Don’t touch me.”

His voice came out sharp. The reaction seemed aimed at the man in front of him, but it felt directed at everyone else too.

Everyone froze—including the director. The chatter died down as the group turned to stare at the two on the sofa.

Zuo Meng’s face filled with hurt. “Sorry, Brother was just worried about you.”

Lu Jinxia felt unbearably cold. He shivered violently as his illness, which had started to improve, flared up again.

Out of the camera’s view, Zuo Meng curled the corner of his mouth. Malice churned in his murky eyes. “If Jinxia’s not feeling well, he should see a doctor. He can’t just be so willful like this.”

He kept up the act of the doting older brother, no matter how rude his little brother’s tone.

Yu Sui had been drifting toward sleep, but that voice pulled him back. He glanced over.

Zuo Meng kept advancing, step by step—his words dripping with false concern that cut like a knife.

Yu Sui rubbed his temples. “Can’t you tell how much he hates you?”

Zuo Meng went rigid. Every gaze in the room shifted to Yu Sui.

The young man’s face wasn’t much healthier than Lu Jinxia’s, but his expression stayed the same. “You’re not from the same parents. Why should he play at brotherly harmony with you?”

His temples still throbbed faintly. Yu Sui rose to his feet, swaying a little. “I’m teaming up with him.”

He looked straight at the director and pointed at Zuo Meng. “My popularity should make that possible, right?”

The entire room fell into stunned silence. No one had expected Yu Sui to speak up like that—and the livestream chat exploded once again over his words.

[So damn handsome, Sui Sui!]

[Sui Sui when he’s fed up is so alpha, so cool and hot!]

[Exactly that “don’t give a damn” vibe. Sexy as hell.]

[Badass!]

[Yu Sui’s spot on. Not blood-related, and alphas are all about competition and beef anyway. Lu Jinxia just doesn’t wanna talk—no one’s getting bullied here.]

[Our Sui Sui knows he’s a star. Straight-up strong-arming the production team!]

[Go for it, baby! Team with whoever you want!]