Chapter 40: Hating That Alpha’s Beta Part 1

At that moment, only two people had returned to the villa. However, with the room’s camera switched off, the audience was left staring at a blank screen, and protests quickly filled the chat.

The production team must have noticed the complaints. Someone knocked on the door, gesturing for them to turn the camera back on.

The screen flickered to life, revealing Yu Sui’s stunning face. Even shot from below, it was utterly flawless.

[Screen lick!]

[Our Sui Sui is gorgeous.]

[What were they doing with the camera off?]

[Hehe.]

It was a good thing Yu Sui couldn’t see the comments. Otherwise, his guilt would have given him away in an instant.

He retreated to one corner of the sofa and lay back, fiddling with his phone. Beside him, Jiang Nianxing focused intently on tweaking the lyrics and melody.

[Gotta say, a serious Xiao Jiang is pure charisma.]

[They look so cozy together—like a couple’s daily routine.]

[Hehe, Xiao Jiang just leveled up big time.]

The barrage was filled with harmony.

The other groups, however, were far from harmonious.

He Baiyan and Bai Jia were a non-starter when it came to collaboration. Stuck at a café, they sat in silence with no plans for an MV, each absorbed in their own tasks with heads bowed.

Shen Anliu and his partner wandered aimlessly around the amusement park, their minds elsewhere. When they finally settled in the rest area, there was zero interaction between them.

Huo Tian and An Lu had chosen a pottery shop, but they had no interest in artistic pursuits. At one point, they both slipped off to the bathroom and struck some kind of deal.

Meanwhile, Lu Jinxia and Zuo Meng had gone to a pet store.

Zuo Meng cradled a small dog, gently stroking its fur as he lowered his voice. “I remember you really like puppies, Jinxia.”

Lu Jinxia’s expression soured in an instant.

He had once owned a puppy, but it had met a gruesome end—and the culprit was the terrifying man standing right in front of him.

Deep down, Lu Jinxia had always felt guilty about his little dog. It was his fault it had died. After that, he never dared to keep another pet, not even after escaping that household and gaining his independence.

“I thought you’d changed,” Lu Jinxia said with a delighted laugh. “Good to know you haven’t. That’s perfect.”

His laughter rang out bright and clear, but the puppy in Zuo Meng’s arms suddenly erupted into frantic barking. It was as if it sensed the danger, unleashing its cries to drive away the threat.

Zuo Meng’s face darkened instantly. His grip on the dog tightened bit by bit.

The store was spacious enough, and with the two of them alone in a private room, no staff member was rushing in anytime soon.

Zuo Meng’s hand clamped around the puppy’s neck, veins bulging along his forearm. It was clear he intended to snap it.

Lu Jinxia’s breathing grew heavier. He felt himself slipping back into the whirlpool of that fateful year. He’d escaped once, but now… again… yet again…

No. Back then, he hadn’t protected his dog in time. This time, he wouldn’t repeat the mistake.

Lu Jinxia glanced at the camera. He snatched a toy from the floor and hurled it straight at the lens.

Bang!

The camera shattered and fell, plunging the screen into darkness. The audio cut out completely.

The viewers were baffled.

[What just happened?]

[Did something go wrong?]

[Why did Lu Jinxia smash the camera?!]

[Where’s the production team?]

Confirming the camera could no longer capture them, Lu Jinxia unleashed his mental power. Gritting his teeth, he lunged forward and slammed a fist into Zuo Meng’s face. “You think I’m still that same weakling from before?”

Zuo Meng never saw it coming. He hadn’t prepared for any resistance.

A stabbing pain exploded in his head. His whole body reeled backward, and the puppy seized the chance to leap from his arms.

Lu Jinxia’s eyes darkened. A smile tugged at his lips, growing wider by the second. “Zuo Meng, you wonder how I’ve survived all these years at Star Sea Entertainment?”

He drove a kick into the other’s abdomen, his intent murderous.

Zuo Meng sensed the danger and dodged, but the blow still caught him in the back.

He let out a muffled grunt of pain, sweat beading on his brow.

Staring at Lu Jinxia, Zuo Meng suddenly found the young man unrecognizable—strangely unfamiliar, and more than a little frightening.

His face twisted in rage as he unleashed his own mental power.

Both their heads throbbed with a relentless buzz.

Zuo Meng scrambled to his feet for a counterattack, only to be kicked down again.

The raw thrill of fists meeting flesh mingled with the discomfort of their clashing mental powers. Lu Jinxia’s face paled, but his eyes gleamed with excitement.

He knew he’d never cower in fear again. He could face his ugly past head-on. He had been reborn.

The commotion drew the production staff. They burst through the door and first spotted the puppy cowering in the corner. Then their eyes fell on the two men locked in combat.

As betas, the staff weren’t directly affected, but they could still sense the peril in the air.

“Stop fighting!”

Several crew members rushed forward and pried them apart.

“What happened here?” one demanded.

“Just some brotherly roughhousing,” Lu Jinxia said with a raised eyebrow. “Right?”

Zuo Meng’s hands trembled. His mental power was no match for Lu Jinxia’s, nor was his talent—which was why he’d always envied and suppressed the other man in every way possible. But now, all his buried insecurities lay exposed before him, leaving him no room to retreat.

He knew Lu Jinxia was no longer the pitiful pushover he could control with a few words.

Yet airing this out loud would do him no favors. Gritting his teeth, Zuo Meng nodded unwillingly.

Hearing that, the staff didn’t press further. After all, the two were brothers—maybe they’d just been arguing about family matters.

Lu Jinxia straightened his clothes. His head pounded, but his mood had never been better.

He reined in his aura and approached the puppy, which had its tail tucked between its legs. Crouching down, he scooped it up. “Can I buy this puppy?”

The staff, assuming he was trying to build a dog-lover image, nodded without objection.

It was a Pomeranian, its white fur strikingly beautiful. Now nestled in Lu Jinxia’s arms, it seemed to sense his kindness and boldly licked the back of his hand.

Lu Jinxia smiled.

The viewers were on edge, desperate for answers. Finally, the pair emerged—Lu Jinxia in high spirits with a new puppy in tow, Zuo Meng looking utterly wretched. They barely exchanged words, leaving the audience clueless about what had transpired.

Back at the villa, Jiang Nianxing finished his composition. He played it for Yu Sui and asked for feedback.

“Mm-hmm.” Yu Sui’s response was utterly perfunctory.

“This song’s called ‘Sui Sui,'” Jiang Nianxing added.

Yu Sui eyed him. The man’s ear tips were flushed red, like he was shy, but utterly resolute.

“Whatever,” Yu Sui said. What else could he say?

[Aww, Sui Sui~]

[Xiao Jiang slipping in a confession, huh?]

[So romantic.]

[How did Jiang Nianxing suddenly get it? And going full rollercoaster on us.]

[Must be sensing the competition.]

[Look at them—they’re definitely dating now.]

Once the song was done, Jiang Nianxing switched off the camera and dragged Yu Sui off to rehearse.

Appreciating the gesture of saving face, Yu Sui had no choice but to play along. Fine—he dreaded the consequences of refusing anyway.

Yu Sui’s lyrics were minimal and straightforward, which eased his mind.

Things went smoothly from there. They ran through it a few times before a staff member’s voice urged them from outside.

Jiang Nianxing packed up and stood.

Yu Sui helped by carrying the laptop as they headed downstairs.

The other groups had returned, but their expressions suggested unpleasant times.

As the pair descended, every head turned their way.

He Baiyan’s eyes narrowed. Those two had kissed.

Shen Anliu noticed it too.

Deep down, He Baiyan had been conflicted about the task, always citing bad timing as an excuse to avoid getting close to Yu Sui.

But he knew if he didn’t act now, suspicions would mount.

Lu Jinxia flashed Yu Sui a grateful smile. In return, Yu Sui noted his improved color—no longer looking half-dead—and smiled back.

Jiang Nianxing’s mood soured instantly. He reached out, gripped Yu Sui’s wrist with possessive force, and pulled him downstairs to sit together.

Yu Sui wanted to pull away but remembered the threats. He could only seethe inwardly and yield.

The subtle struggle didn’t escape the others’ notice. The TYE members found it odd.

Huo Tian figured his former teammate had finally made a move—excellent. He was eager to expose the sleaze.

An Lu was thrilled too. Clearly, Yu Sui despised Jiang Nianxing, and with the latter’s overbearing nature forcing them together, things were bound to deteriorate further.

Everyone harbored their own thoughts, keeping surface interactions minimal.

“No idea how you all got along with your new partners these past few days,” the director announced. “Next up, let’s head to the music room.”

Last time, the instruments had gone unused. Today, they were all in play.

Huo Tian’s group kicked things off with a rap—wholly unrelated to love songs, but packed with pointed disses.

The production team broke into a cold sweat. Live broadcasts couldn’t be edited.

Next came Lu Jinxia’s group? No—the performances followed in order.

By now, Yu Sui felt more at ease. His lyrics were sparse, nothing to fret over.

Jiang Nianxing cradled a guitar and settled in front of the microphone on stage. After a quick tune-up, he gazed at Yu Sui beside him.

Throughout the song, he sang with his face half-turned, his eyes soft, his voice irresistibly husky.

Yu Sui turned away, uncomfortable.

Yet that very interaction had viewers shipping them hard.

Outward boldness was fake; awkward tension was real.

[Did Xiao Jiang secretly binge rom-com tutorials?]

[Check out everyone else’s faces, lol.]

[One by one, like total incompetent husbands. Dying.]

[No MV, but I’m voting for this song.]

As before, voting opened at the start of each performance and closed after a set time.

The song wrapped up, and the next group took the stage.

In the end, only Shen Anliu’s group bothered with an MV—a half-hearted handful of shots. Their song was just each singing their parts separately.

The group with the highest completion score was Yu Sui’s, followed by Huo Tian’s, though the latter had gone off-topic.

And so, Yu Sui took first place.

Securing the top spot left Yu Sui beaming with joy, the corners of his mouth curving upward unconsciously.

“Congratulations on claiming first place,” the director announced. “For the next game, you’ll get to pick your teammates first—but no teaming up with each other.”

Jiang Nianxing’s smile vanished in an instant. “What kind of reward is this?”

He made no effort to hide his disappointment.

[Unhappy. Can’t team up with Sui Sui anymore.]

[Yeah, this feels more like a punishment.]

[Damn, the production team knows how to play dirty.]

[So winning can sometimes mean losing?]

[Great, now I’m looking forward to the next game’s “reward.”]

Jiang Nianxing shot Yu Sui a deeply resentful look.

The pressure hit Yu Sui like a mountain. “No choice—it’s the rules.”

Deep down, though, Yu Sui was thrilled at the chance to shake him off, at least temporarily.