Chapter 40: Hating That Alpha’s Beta Part 2

Hearing the reassurance eased Jiang Nianxing’s expression a bit. “You pick first.”

Yu Sui scanned the room.

Lu Jinxia watched him expectantly. After all, the young man had stood up for him earlier that day—it seemed like a real possibility.

He Baiyan kept a calm facade, though inwardly he was calculating the odds of Yu Sui choosing him.

Shen Anliu pressed his lips together tightly, ignoring the pointed glances from Lin Xiaoyi.

“Maybe everyone can campaign for themselves a little,” the production crew chimed in, stirring things up.

“Yu Sui,” Lu Jinxia spoke first. “I’d love to team up with you.”

He Baiyan cleared his throat. “Sui Sui, I promise I’ll make you happy.”

Yu Sui sensed something suggestive in those words and quickly looked away.

He Baiyan’s lips curved into a smirk.

Their blatant flirting drew a frown from Bai Jia. How were the others so useless?

The live chat exploded into cheers once more.

Shen Anliu gazed at Yu Sui. “Just go with your heart.”

Lin Xiaoyi’s expression turned serious as he stared at Shen Anliu. Something felt off about the guy.

This attitude was way too passive for a professional.

No one else spoke up.

Seeing Shen Anliu’s aloof demeanor, Yu Sui recalled how the man had only approached him for the buzz earlier. “Would you team up with me?”

Shen Anliu blinked in surprise. “Me?”

“Mm-hmm.” Yu Sui nodded.

Out of everyone, he’d chosen him.

Shen Anliu’s ears flushed bright red. “I… I’d be happy to.”

His voice came out hoarse, laced with shyness.

Their exchange sounded like wedding vows to Jiang Nianxing, who scowled in irritation.

[Aren’t you picking teammates? Why does it feel like a marriage proposal?]

[Our Xiao Shen gets shy so easily.]

[Just get together already—for my sake!]

[When’s the wedding?]

[Bet two hundred—put it on Star Sea Entertainment’s tab!]

Lin Xiaoyi let out a breath of relief. So it was all reverse psychology.

With Yu Sui’s pick done, it was Jiang Nianxing’s turn. He selected Lu Jinxia, and the rest were paired randomly by drawing lots.

“The next game is Blind Wolf Tag.”

“Please head to the playing field, everyone.”

The group made their way to a spacious room on the first floor of the villa. In the center stood a large inflatable platform, reminiscent of something from an amusement park.

“This game requires teamwork,” the team leader explained. “Of course, your teammate might choose not to cooperate.”

“The blindfolded player is the wolf. They have to catch the other guests and guess their names, while their teammate directs them from the edges.”

Hearing the teammate’s role laid out like that, Shen Anliu let out a quiet sigh, a flicker of disappointment crossing his mind.

Yu Sui, on the other hand, was delighted. He’d rack up the views without any close contact.

But he soon realized he’d celebrated too soon.

In the first round, he was the wolf.

Shen Anliu positioned himself at the platform’s edge, ready to guide him properly.

As soon as the game began, though, Jiang Nianxing didn’t even bother hiding. He kept drifting closer to Yu Sui instead.

Since merely touching someone didn’t count—you had to guess their name—it led to plenty of physical contact.

To keep his target from escaping, Yu Sui grabbed hold of him and reached for the young man’s face. But Jiang Nianxing dodged nimbly.

Yu Sui chased relentlessly. With unsteady footing on the bouncy surface, they both tumbled down.

Jiang Nianxing nearly bit his tongue, stifling any sound.

Yu Sui climbed back up slowly and groped for his face again.

Then, his hand received a quick kiss.

“Jiang Nianxing!” he snarled through gritted teeth.

“Sui Sui’s so smart,” Jiang Nianxing replied with a grin.

Yu Sui itched with rage.

[Is this how you’re supposed to play the game?]

[Xiao Jiang isn’t even pretending anymore.]

[My teeth are aching from this.]

[Xiao Shen, Xiao Shen—you can only watch. Production team, you ruin everything!]

[The pitiful boyfriend’s life—such bad luck.]

[So sweet, so sweet. Especially that doting look when teasing Sui Sui.]

Just moments before, Yu Sui had clutched Jiang Nianxing’s shirt. The man barely resisted, retreating step by step as Yu Sui advanced, until they reached the edge.

Jiang Nianxing struggled just enough to make Yu Sui instinctively wrap an arm around his waist.

A loving smile never left the man’s lips. His hands hung loosely at his sides, showing no intent to push away—he simply lowered his head with pure indulgence.

That slow tug-of-war, laced with temptation and underscored by an epic BGM track, had fans screaming in delight.

The others wore incredibly complicated expressions.

Lu Jinxia hadn’t realized it could be played like this. He felt a sudden itch to try.

He Baiyan’s face remained impassive, but his probing gaze gave him away.

Shen Anliu felt a pang of frustration and resolved to shield Yu Sui from then on.

Yet he could only call out directions like “left,” “right,” “forward,” or “back”—no names. So Yu Sui fell for it again.

Lu Jinxia went rigid in his arms, blushing furiously, as still as a statue.

Sensing something off, Yu Sui frowned. “Lu Jinxia?”

“Sui Sui, you’re so clever,” Lu Jinxia praised.

Yu Sui released him. “Is this how you play games?”

He felt utterly toyed with, his tone sharp with displeasure.

“I…” Lu Jinxia faltered anxiously.

He Baiyan could tell Yu Sui craved a real challenge, not easy prey.

So he didn’t pull the same stunt.

Time ran out, and Yu Sui had caught two.

Next up: Jiang Nianxing’s group.

Blindfolded, he zeroed in on Yu Sui.

The intense stare made Yu Sui shiver; he quickly looked away.

Lu Jinxia barely offered directions, and anyway, Jiang Nianxing ignored them.

Here, the alpha’s natural gifts shone through.

Superior hearing, sight, touch—far beyond a beta’s.

Jiang Nianxing cornered Yu Sui.

One arm snaked around the young man’s waist, the other cupping his face. “Let me guess who this is. So tricky.”

“You’re going too far,” Yu Sui snapped, glaring.

“Who’s talking?” Jiang Nianxing chuckled. He tossed out a random name and let go.

Yu Sui nearly spat blood in fury.

Finally, Shen Anliu couldn’t sit idle.

He jumped into the mix, turning it into a chaotic chase to protect Yu Sui.

Huddled behind Shen Anliu, Yu Sui whispered to the system, “Think this’ll spark something between them?”

[Who knows.]

Yu Sui watched with eager anticipation.

Then came Jiang Nianxing’s merciless elimination of Shen Anliu.

Disappointment crashed over Yu Sui.

Jiang Nianxing stopped teasing him and targeted the others.

He nailed every catch.

In the end, only two remained on the field.

It was pure eagle-hunting-chicken.

He advanced leisurely, blindfold no hindrance at all.

Yu Sui dodged frantically, sweat soaking through his clothes.

His competitive fire had ignited.

Time expired without a single grab on him.

Removing his blindfold, Jiang Nianxing frowned. “Should’ve caught you first. Then I’d have swept the round. Ah well.”

A triumphant smile spread across Yu Sui’s face. “Serves you right.”

“Sui Sui, that stings,” Jiang Nianxing whined, sidling up with a pout.

Yu Sui shoved him away. “You were the one messing with me.”

“I just wanted to give you a real game experience. Didn’t think it’d backfire.” Jiang Nianxing shrugged with mock regret.

Yu Sui’s grin widened. The man had only himself to blame.

“Bro, you’re seriously impressive,” Shen Anliu said, stepping forward. “So agile.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lu Jinxia chimed in with praise.

The TYE crew shared a moment of perfect harmony.

[What a wholesome vibe.]

[Sui Sui’s so cute—he actually bought it.]

[Jiang Nianxing, I underestimated you before. You’ve found your lane, and you’re a god in it!]

[Too sweet, too sweet.]

[Everyone together, please?]

[Sweetness off the charts!!!]

This segment perfectly captured the group’s camaraderie, and “team spirit” quickly trended on the hot search.

Viewers who clicked in and watched the clip came away with one takeaway: Team spirit? Nah, it was just Sui Sui’s harem.

The remaining rounds lacked that spark—pure efficiency, quick and ruthless.

Yu Sui stared in astonishment. How did they even know who was who?

When the games wrapped, Yu Sui placed dead last.

“The sole winner, by time, is Lin Xiaoyi.”

The guest had flown under the radar, staying low-key throughout, yet he’d dominated like he had cheats enabled.

“It’s nearly lunchtime. Rewards and punishments will be announced this afternoon.”

They dispersed to freshen up in their rooms before heading downstairs to cook.

Yu Sui flopped onto the sofa, drained from all the activity.

He’d made a token effort in the kitchen, only to get shooed out.

The usual team members bustled about preparing the meal.

“Idle hands and all—how about a game?” An Lu suggested.

“Truth or Dare?” Bai Jia proposed.

“Sure,” Lin Xiaoyi agreed, a glint flashing in his eyes behind his glasses.

As they spoke, all eyes turned to Yu Sui.

He wanted to refuse but couldn’t.

Six players, one king card among them.

In the game, the King could arbitrarily call out a number and assign a punishment.

Yu Sui thought to himself that his luck probably wouldn’t be that bad.

However, in the first round, the King selected him.

Lin Xiaoyi glanced toward the kitchen. “You—feed Shen Anliu some water.”

Yu Sui heard this and realized Lin Xiaoyi was there to help play up his pairing with Shen Anliu. He didn’t refuse.

He poured a glass of water and headed to the kitchen.

[I have a feeling Xiao Sui is in for it.]

[Our Xiao Shen’s wingman is finally stepping up.]

Shen Anliu was washing vegetables.

The kitchen wasn’t small, but with four grown men crammed inside, it felt a little crowded.

The viewers seeing this couldn’t help but sigh over the eye candy.

[Handsome faces, killer bodies, they can sing and dance—and they cook too. Sui Sui’s living the dream.]

[Cooking skills are a huge bonus.]

[The captain’s just too perfect.]

Yu Sui walked in and immediately drew several gazes.

His body stiffened. “Ahem…”

“Is Sui Sui hungry?” Jiang Nianxing asked.

“No.” Yu Sui’s lips twitched as he turned to Shen Anliu. “Are you thirsty?”

The others, who had been busy, immediately stopped what they were doing and stared at Yu Sui.

He felt the pressure mounting.

Shen Anliu swallowed, his cheeks flushing pink. “A little.”

How could he not be moved, getting this kind of concern in front of everyone—especially from his love rival?

Jiang Nianxing’s smile vanished. “Sui Sui, you really know how to take care of him.”

The words dripped with resentment and thick jealousy. Yu Sui tensed up but steeled himself, holding the cup to Shen Anliu’s lips and letting him drink.

Shen Anliu basked in everyone’s jealous stares, his mood lifting even higher. He lowered his head and took a few sips. “Did Brother come all this way just to bring me water?”

“Big dare,” Yu Sui explained.

“Oh, got it.” Shen Anliu was still pleased; after all, no one else had gotten this treatment.

Yu Sui kept his eyes down, avoiding the others’ expressions as he slipped away.

“Brother’s water is so sweet,” Shen Anliu said, his tone provocative.

The other men glared at him in fury. Even He Baiyan couldn’t keep his cool.

The chat exploded over that line.

[Hey, hey, Xiao Shen—you know what that sounds like, right?]

[Impossible not to read into it.]

[Ahem, I get to hear this for free?]

[Wonder what happens off-camera…]

[How sweet are we talking?]

[Spill it already!]