Chapter 43: The Alpha-Hating Beta Part 1

Hearing those words, Yu Sui felt tempted.

“Let me think about it,” he said.

“No matter what punishment you decide on, I’ll accept it.” With that, He Baiyan straightened his clothes and gazed at him. “Let me carry you to the bathroom to freshen up.”

“No need!” Yu Sui replied, his face full of wariness.

Disappointment flickered across He Baiyan’s features. “Alright then.”

He left the room looking back every few steps.

Once He Baiyan was gone, Yu Sui headed to the bathroom with a scowl on his face.

“System.”

[Host, are you alright?] The system came online, startled by the sound of his voice.

“I…” Yu Sui trailed off awkwardly as he explained He Baiyan’s misunderstanding.

[This…] The system fell into thought. [But he’s such a smart guy. Do you really believe he’d make such a ridiculous mistake?]

Yu Sui paused. “What are you saying?”

[These days, whenever you interact with the others, he gets jealous. This has to be deliberate,] the system said, spinning a conspiracy theory. [He knows your identity and has been playing the long game. How could someone that scheming make such a basic error? It’s all to throw you off balance.]

“But what’s in it for him?” Yu Sui didn’t understand.

[The benefits are endless,] the system explained. [By pretending to mess up and then making amends, he gets to hype your romance in the most natural way possible. When everything you’ve done comes to light, he can wash his hands of it completely.

Don’t forget they all have established fanbases, with He Baiyan having the biggest following. Hyping your ship lets him attract new fans while leaning on his existing ones.

You’re the perfect pair, complementary in every way. But if your scandal blows up, he can step forward and say the hype was just to help you out. He’ll get a surge in popularity without alienating the shippers.

He Baiyan’s the real master player here.]

Yu Sui was taken aback. “But why didn’t he do this from the start…”

[He probably didn’t expect things to progress this far with Shen Anliu. So he resorted to desperate measures—if it doesn’t break, it won’t stand.]

“What should I do then?” Yu Sui frowned.

[Play along and mess with him. There are tasks for that anyway,] the system suggested.

Yu Sui nodded, though his heart still felt heavy.

These people would go this far for a bit of hype…

After returning to his room, He Baiyan anonymously posted online asking how to make amends.

[So your friend got ahead of himself and almost slept with the guy?]

[Was it an accident or on purpose?]

[Wow, jumping to conclusions like that? No way it wasn’t intentional.]

[He didn’t call the cops after the kiss? Maybe he’s not as opposed to you—or rather, to your friend—as he seems.]

[He has a lot of options? Sounds like you’re just one fish in his pond, and he’s a pro angler.]

[Silly kid, you’ve been played.]

[He’s probably giving you a heads-up in advance—no responsibility coming your way. So he says stuff like that to see if you’ll keep falling for it.]

He Baiyan read the comments and froze for a moment. Was that it?

He recalled how Yu Sui had seemed angry but not repulsed by him. So the young man’s words had been a warning…

His throat bobbed as he swallowed. Had he been played?

He barely slept that night. The next morning, he got up early to make breakfast.

He waited eagerly in the living room. When Yu Sui finally came down, he greeted him softly. “Sui Sui.”

“Mm.” Yu Sui didn’t give him a warm look.

He Baiyan grew even more convinced by the online comments. After all, he’d been so out of line—Yu Sui giving him the cold shoulder made perfect sense.

“There’s breakfast in the kitchen.”

Hearing that, Yu Sui headed to the kitchen.

He Baiyan followed close behind.

He had already disabled the cameras in the area. Step by step, he drew nearer, his eyes fixed on Yu Sui’s fair face. “Sui Sui, have you decided how to punish me?”

“I…” Yu Sui frowned at the question. “Let me think properly. Stay away from me.”

“Nothing I do to make up for my mistakes will be enough,” He Baiyan said with utter sincerity. “I can issue a public apology, quit the show and leave the company, or even turn myself in.”

Yu Sui blinked in shock. “You… you…”

[The main character can’t leave Star Sea Entertainment, or our tasks are doomed,] the system reminded him.

He Baiyan turned to leave.

Yu Sui grabbed his arm. “Don’t be impulsive.”

He Baiyan’s body stiffened. Deep down, he was now certain those online comments were right.

“Sui Sui, I know you’re kind at heart, but I…” He turned, guilt etched on his face. “I’m beyond redemption.”

“No, He Baiyan, listen to me!” Yu Sui interrupted. “This incident—I did get something out of it too…”

He gritted his teeth. “Anyway, just don’t do anything like this again.”

“You… you’ve forgiven me?” He Baiyan asked in surprise.

“No, it’s not forgiveness. Just stop jumping to stupid conclusions.” With that, Yu Sui picked up his breakfast and left.

He Baiyan finally understood. From now on, their dynamic had flipped to master and servant. He could only get close when Yu Sui allowed it.

A sense of relief washed over him. As long as he could still stay by Yu Sui’s side…

The others got up one by one.

After breakfast, the production team directed them to pack their bags and board the vehicles.

The TYE members naturally sat together.

Yu Sui leaned against the window, drowsy. Jiang Nianxing sat beside him.

The young man turned his head and saw Yu Sui’s head nodding off. Without a second thought, he reached out to steady it, letting him rest against his shoulder.

Yu Sui, half-asleep, didn’t resist.

[Yes! We’re racking up huge points in the age-gap ship!]

[I just have one thing to say: Can’t the others step it up?]

[Shouldn’t this be the part where you break the fourth wall? You’re all way too quiet.]

Both vehicles were deathly silent, leaving the audience bored out of their minds.

Many viewers headed to Weibo to watch yesterday’s highlight clips.

Some fan editor had mashed up fake romance clips with the door-cracking confrontation footage. The tension was off the charts.

[Why not just act it out for us?]

[Yeah, I want to see them perform.]

[When’s the game coming out?]

It was a little past one in the afternoon when they finally reached the village.

The long ride had left everyone in foul moods.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to cook today.

The production team had rented several adjacent houses.

They drew lots to decide roommates.

Everyone’s eyes turned to Yu Sui.

In the end, Lu Jinxia drew the lucky lot.

He clutched the slip of paper, steeling his resolve bit by bit.

Yu Sui breathed a quiet sigh of relief. In his eyes, this teammate was the only normal one among them.

The others didn’t look too pleased, but they kept quiet.

The cameras here weren’t following them everywhere.

Huo Tian and An Lu slipped away quietly, finding a secluded corner.

“How’s your prep going?”

“I’ve got the Omega Pheromone Perfume. He’ll lose control of his pheromones for sure.” An Lu flashed a sly grin.

“If those two end up fighting and half-killing each other because of pheromones, Star Sea Entertainment will cut them loose without a second thought,” Huo Tian said, narrowing his eyes.

The two hashed out the rest of their plan.

After the meal, they split into teams to wander the village for inspiration.

“Looks like there’s fish over there in that stream,” An Lu said, peering into the distance. “Shall we check it out?”

Nothing else noteworthy was around, so they agreed.

The water was crystal clear, the stones pristine—but the fish were tiny.

Lu Jinxia got an idea and bent over his phone to jot it down.

Huo Tian signaled the cameraman to follow him farther away.

As the group drifted apart, An Lu gave Lu Jinxia a shove.

Lu Jinxia stumbled forward. Yu Sui and the others reacted too late to grab him.

Caught off guard, Lu Jinxia plunged into the water with a pained cry.

“Sorry.” An Lu sensed something was wrong. He’d only meant to wet Brother Lu’s clothes—how had he ended up falling? “I accidentally bumped into Brother Lu… I…”

Yu Sui shot him a glance before moving to jump in and help. Jiang Nianxing blocked him. “I’ll go.”

Ignoring his clothes, Jiang Nianxing waded in and hauled Lu Jinxia up.

Lu Jinxia had scraped his knee badly. He’d turned his head just in time, or his eye might have been hurt too.

Even so, his cheek was gashed open.

He lifted his head, blood mixing with the water and streaming down. It was a gruesome sight.

“What happened?” A staff member who saw it paled in shock.

“Ask him,” Yu Sui said, staring at An Lu.

The camera shook, capturing the moment. The viewers were horrified.

The staff hurriedly shut off the equipment.

“Get him to the hospital, quick.”

Arguing fault now was pointless. An idol’s face came first.

The staff helped Lu Jinxia away.

That left the four of them.

Jiang Nianxing’s face darkened as he glared at An Lu. “You’re dead meat.”

“It really was an accident.” An Lu put on a pitiful act and turned to Yu Sui. “Brother Yu, I swear I didn’t mean to…”

“Tch, why waste time talking? Let’s just throw down,” Huo Tian said with a raised brow, fanning the flames.

“We should head back first,” Yu Sui said. He tugged at Jiang Nianxing’s sleeve, worried he’d snap.

“Don’t chicken out,” Huo Tian taunted.

Killing intent flashed in Jiang Nianxing’s eyes.

Yu Sui’s expression soured too. “This isn’t over.”

“Brother Yu, it really wasn’t on purpose…” An Lu finally grasped the gravity of the situation and started to panic.

He sidled up to Yu Sui. “Could you… put in a good word for me…”

Yu Sui laughed in disbelief. “It was clearly deliberate.”

No sooner had he spoken than An Lu pulled something from his pocket—a spray bottle.

A pungent fragrance hit them full force. Even Jiang Nianxing beside him couldn’t dodge it.

Yu Sui sneezed.

An Lu stepped back, covering his mouth and nose. “Before you start looking for trouble, I’m afraid you’ll…”

He mimed slitting his throat. “This is Enhanced Pheromone. I’m just waiting for you to turn into vegetables.”

Huo Tian watched the two men with expressions twisted in discomfort, a gleeful smirk on his face. “Your tactics are really low-rent.”

“If it’s too meticulous, they’ll be on their guard,” An Lu said, arching a brow. “Right now, everyone’s attention is fixed on Lu Jinxia’s injury. By the time they turn back and realize those two are missing…”

“Jiang Nianxing, you have this day too,” Huo Tian said with a hearty laugh. “Don’t think I didn’t know that bottle of pheromones back then had your fingerprints all over it.”

Jiang Nianxing bit his lip at those words, forcing himself to stay rational. “You guys are really…”

His pheromones leaked out uncontrollably.

Huo Tian and the other both felt a wave of discomfort and fell silent, turning to leave without another word.

Beside the now-deserted creek, the two sat on the bank.

Those pheromones carried traces of that drug’s effect. Even though Yu Sui wasn’t an alpha, he had fallen victim to it.

He bit his tongue, desperate to cling to clarity, but the waves of loneliness crashed over him with ferocious intensity—he had a vague sense of this sensation before.

Sweat streamed down his cheeks as Yu Sui struggled toward the water.

Jiang Nianxing watched him, his own stance unsteady, yet his eyes burned with an intense light.

“Sui Sui.” He seized Yu Sui’s arm and pulled him into his arms. “You’ll catch a chill if you go in there.”