Pretending to Be an Alpha in an All-Alpha Boy Band - Chapter 123
Chapter 123: Multiple Choice
“Brother, I’ve finished cleaning up,” Yuan Shize murmured, crawling to Yuan Shiyuan’s side and nuzzling his cheek against his brother’s calf.
“I have to return to the base soon,” he mumbled, his voice heavy. “It’ll be a while before I see you again.”
His tone was so mournful, as if they were a couple about to be forced into a long-distance relationship.
Yuan Shiyuan looked at him, puzzled. “We’re still in the same city, aren’t we? Hurry back if you have business. I have things to do later too.”
Seeing his brother’s indifferent expression—as if everything that had just happened could be casually dismissed—Yuan Shize felt even more aggrieved. He ventured softly, “Brother, I’m also an S-rank.”
An unnatural flush crept across his face. “Mom and Dad said I should help you if you ever need it…”
“Stop! I won’t need anything,” Yuan Shiyuan interrupted sharply, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, cutting off the increasingly unsettling words.
This fiercely resistant reaction only deepened Yuan Shize’s sense of grievance. “Why can other Alphas help, but not me? Brother, we’ve grown up together. We understand each other better than anyone else.”
“Isn’t it easier to trust someone you know well?”
That’s exactly the problem—you’re too familiar!
“We’ll talk about this later,” Yuan Shiyuan said, unable to argue. After all, he’d just pressed down on his brother’s head, and he felt a twinge of guilt.
“Just now… Big Brother clearly liked it too, didn’t you?” Yuan Shize pressed, leaning against Yuan Shiyuan’s chest, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. “Big Brother, you like me too, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have let me keep going.”
Yuan Shize understood Yuan Shiyuan well. If Yuan Shiyuan truly disliked something, no one could force him. If he passively acquiesced, it meant he not only didn’t hate it but even harbored a slight fondness.
Even if that fondness was minuscule—perhaps just a flicker of affection—it was enough to fuel all of Yuan Shize’s wild fantasies.
Yuan Shiyuan changed the subject. “You’re still so young. What’s on your mind all day?”
Could it be that I’ve been too lenient with him lately? he wondered inwardly. Has that made him so unruly that he’s started fantasizing about… serving his big brother like this?
Though they weren’t blood brothers, they had grown up sharing the same bed since childhood. Yuan Shize was undeniably clingy, but Yuan Shiyuan had always regarded him as his own younger brother…
If they were to actually follow their parents’ suggestion and have his brother satisfy his pheromone needs, what would they become?
Fratricidal incest?
As Yuan Shiyuan’s mind swirled in confusion, he heard his brother honestly reply, “I miss you, Brother.”
Yuan Shiyuan promptly rapped him on the head, retorting brusquely, “Enough already! Hurry up and pack your things; I’m heading out too.”
“Going to see those teammates of yours again?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Yuan Shiyuan gave a perfunctory reply, changed into his clothes, and grabbed his script. He noticed his brother standing alone in the distance, watching him busy himself, looking strangely pitiful.
Back at the welfare institute, the first time he saw Yuan Shize, the boy had been standing alone in a corner, staring blankly, just like he was now.
Yuan Shiyuan’s heart softened, and he turned back to caress his brother’s cheek. “Be good and don’t overthink things. And what Mom and Dad said… don’t take it to heart.”
No matter how desperately he needed pheromones, he would never lay a hand on his brother. Yuan Shize’s unusual behavior was likely due to his excessive filial piety and understanding, leading him to proactively offer his pheromones.
Yuan Shiyuan didn’t need Yuan Shize’s sacrifice.
If he truly needed pheromones, he would find an Alpha to resolve it himself.
Following the navigation, Yuan Shiyuan arrived at the hotel. He recognized it; Bo Jin had brought him here before, though they were in a different suite this time.
The suite Bo Jin had taken him to last time seemed to be a room the hotel reserved exclusively for him year-round, indistinguishable from home.
Throughout the journey, Yuan Shiyuan had already made his plan:
First, he would discuss the script with the others. If the situation warranted it, they would rehearse scenes. When the session ended and everyone was dispersing, he would randomly select two Alphas to help resolve his pheromone needs.
The group chat kept buzzing with messages. Apart from Yuan Shiyuan, all the other Alphas had already arrived.
So fast?
Just as Yuan Shiyuan was marveling at their speed, the elevator doors opened. He walked to the room and pushed open the door. Instantly, the five Alphas inside turned to look at him in unison.
The scene felt strangely familiar.
It was almost like stepping back to his first meeting with the Scepter team when he had just joined. Except for the absent Ying Mingxi and Bo Jin, the seating arrangement was nearly identical to that day.
Yuan Shiyuan stood in the entryway, momentarily dazed, as the five Alphas subtly closed in around him.
“Are you hot?”
Ying Mingxi naturally took Yuan Shiyuan’s backpack, while Ying Mingche seized the opportunity to wrap an arm around Yuan Shiyuan’s shoulder.
The others, though displeased, refrained from comment. Bo Jin closed the door, his expression cold but his hand unerringly grasping Yuan Shiyuan’s, guiding him to the sofa. Jiang Heng retrieved a bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator, twisted open the cap, and fed him a drink.
Pei Yanbing, positioned farthest away, kept his gaze fixed on Yuan Shiyuan through the crowd. Seeing him sit down, he quietly moved forward and slipped a small pillow behind his lower back.
The five Alphas’ coordinated actions flowed seamlessly, as if rehearsed countless times—smooth, effortless, and without interference. Despite their mutual animosity, they forced themselves to suppress their resentment for Yuan Shiyuan’s sake, maintaining a facade of peace.
“It’s scorching outside,” Yuan Shiyuan said, taking a sip of water from Jiang Heng’s hand. “Why are you all here so early?”
He pulled the script from his backpack. “I’ve read it several times, and the full version is a bit…”
Ying Mingche cut in, “Explicit?”
“Exactly,” Yuan Shiyuan said. “It feels like I’m reading smut.”
“Adults need a little spice,” Ying Mingche said, draping an arm over Yuan Shiyuan’s shoulder and flipping the page with his free hand.
A dense wall of text crashed into their vision, leaving no room to breathe.
Though devoid of explicit descriptions, the writing was relentlessly sensual and lingering, stirring nerves more potently than explicit words, silently brewing an atmosphere thick with ambiguity.
The Alphas surrounding Yuan Shiyuan fell into an unspoken silence. Some sat on the sofa beside him, while others stood behind, forming an almost encircling posture as they all lowered their heads to read the script together.
Just as Yuan Shiyuan reached a crucial passage, a hand casually settled on his shoulder.
He frowned, but before he could react, two more hands snaked around him from either side. One hovered loosely around his waist, while the other settled casually on his thigh…
Reading the script, and they’re already getting handsy?
Yuan Shiyuan glanced suspiciously left and right. Though the Alphas’ large hands rested on him, their gazes remained fixed on the script, their expressions solemn as if studying academic literature. It was as if their restless hands were merely unconscious movements.
Seeing the situation, he couldn’t very well say anything, nor did he want to disrupt the current atmosphere.
Time ticked by, minute by minute. Yuan Shiyuan remained immersed in the script’s plot, when suddenly, a faint warmth began to spread in his lower abdomen.
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“Why can I smell your pheromones?” Ying Mingche broke the silence, suddenly leaning close to Yuan Shiyuan’s ear and whispering with a low chuckle, “So fragrant.”
Yuan Shiyuan had exceptional control over his pheromones and had always kept them well contained. However, trace amounts would inevitably seep into his bodily fluids like saliva and sweat.
Given their high compatibility, it was only natural that they would quickly detect any anomalies.
Ying Mingxi gazed at Yuan Shiyuan’s prim posture, his legs pressed neatly together. His gaze then drifted to Yuan Shiyuan’s slightly pursed lips, their delicate seam glistening with a hint of moisture.
With gentle concern, he asked, “Shiyuan, are you… wet?”
Multiple pairs of eyes converged on Yuan Shiyuan, their gazes direct and unreserved.
Jiang Heng reassured him, “It’s a normal physiological reaction.”
“Mm-hmm.” Yuan Shiyuan found the scene somewhat unsettling but didn’t dwell on it. He quickly changed the subject, asking, “Have you all decided which roles you want to audition for?”
“Of course.”
Seeing their reactions, he knew they had already made their choices.
Ying Mingxi asked gently, “Shiyuan, you’ve been rereading the script repeatedly. Is there something you’re struggling with?”
Yuan Shiyuan nodded. “I’ve read it over and over, but I still can’t understand why the protagonist ultimately accepts a multiple-partner relationship.”
A hush fell over the room.
The Alphas turned to him abruptly, their expressions no longer as calm as before.
“Living with so many people… wouldn’t that be strange?”
Yuan Shiyuan found it hard to imagine how someone could simultaneously love multiple people.
He had expected to find understanding, but instead he was met with a prolonged silence.
Bo Jin suddenly spoke up. “If you were the protagonist and had to choose just one, who would you pick?”
In the original story, the protagonist had a loving boyfriend from school, but he found his boyfriend terribly boring. To the world, he appeared to be a docile boy, but at night, he would dress in women’s clothing, flitting between different Alphas and reveling in the forbidden pleasures.
Yuan Shiyuan froze, then answered honestly, “I’ve only read it less than ten times so far, so I haven’t delved deeply into the character. Based on my own feelings… I’d probably choose the legitimate boyfriend.”
“Because he’s spent the most time with me.”
Bo Jin’s expression instantly darkened.
Jiang Heng suddenly took Yuan Shiyuan’s hand. “Really?”
“That’s just how I feel right now,” Yuan Shiyuan explained. “People’s feelings change. I might think this way now, but I might not in the future. The protagonist is the same. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have struggled for so long, ultimately going from ‘choose one’ to ‘wanting them all’.”
Yuan Shiyuan was still in the script-reading stage, not yet having fully analyzed the character’s psychology.
It was natural that he didn’t fully understand the protagonist’s choices at this point, as he was judging the character through his own values.
Pei Yanbing, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. “If he chose him merely because of the time they’ve spent together… then in a few more years, the protagonist would have maintained a long-term relationship with his bed partner. The bed partner would also have spent a long time with him.”
“So it’s not about time,” he murmured. “It’s about realizing, over the course of their prolonged companionship, that he had fallen in love with the other person as well.”
“He loves both his current boyfriend and the bedmate he’s cheating with.”
Yuan Shiyuan froze, then seemed to awaken as if struck by sudden realization. “You’re right.”
In the original novel, the official boyfriend, upon discovering his lover’s ambiguous relationships with other Alphas, always chose silence, forbearance, and forgiveness. If the protagonist truly only loved his boyfriend, they could have simply reconciled and settled down peacefully, avoiding the need to continue entangled with the bedmate.
He straddled multiple relationships, unable to sever ties with any of them.
“That’s because the protagonist has more than just one emotional need,” Yuan Shiyuan analyzed earnestly. “He craves his boyfriend’s tenderness and gentleness, yet he’s also addicted to the thrill and pleasure of being with his bedmate… He’s greedy, with so many desires that no single person could ever satisfy them all.”
“So he chose to have it all.”
How could such a simple truth have eluded him for so long?
Yuan Shiyuan lowered his head, scribbling notes in his notebook. His face glowed, the corners of his lips tilting upward, clearly delighted at having solved a perplexing problem.
“I couldn’t understand it before either,” Bo Jin suddenly said, “why the second male leads could ultimately accept the harem ending.”
Under Yuan Shiyuan’s curious gaze, Ying Mingxi added, “Was it… fear?”
Bo Jin calmly affirmed, “Yes.”
The Alphas seemed to resonate deeply, but Yuan Shiyuan was completely lost. “Fear?”
“The fear of not being the chosen one, the fear of being the one cast aside.”
“Rather than live in constant dread, watching the person they love drift toward another, they’d rather accept sharing,” Bo Jin said softly, yet his words struck each Alpha’s heart with piercing clarity. “Unable to bear the risk of losing him, they chose to accept another’s presence.”
Yuan Shiyuan pondered this thoughtfully.
“What about you then?”
Ying Mingche slung an arm around his shoulder, adopting a playful grin. Half-teasing, half-serious, he asked, “If you had to choose just one of us, who would it be?”
“Why would I choose?” Yuan Shiyuan asked. “Aren’t we a team? We’re supposed to stick together.”
He spoke with a natural air of certainty, yet a hint of confusion lingered, as if he couldn’t fathom why Ying Mingche would ask such a strange question.
“What if we aren’t a team?” Ying Mingche pressed, his gaze unwavering, refusing to miss even the slightest flicker of emotion on Yuan Shiyuan’s face. “You’d have to choose your favorite among us. Could you do that?”
The atmosphere instantly grew heavy.
The Alphas’ hearts clenched painfully as they held their breath, awaiting Yuan Shiyuan’s answer.
“I couldn’t choose,” Yuan Shiyuan replied honestly.
He even furrowed his brow in genuine distress. “You’re all important to me… You’ve all been so good to me.”
He couldn’t understand why he had to make such a choice.
The Alphas were taken aback. Seeing Yuan Shiyuan’s genuine distress over this impossible decision, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
In that moment, they deeply understood the feelings of the second male leads in the original novel.
Rather than being abandoned, becoming the discarded option, it was better to accept their fate from the start.
At least that way, they wouldn’t lose everything—not even the chance to stay by his side.
“I… I like all of you,” Yuan Shiyuan murmured softly.
He saw every sacrifice, every kindness his teammates made for him. Sensitive and perceptive, he felt the sincerity in their actions, felt it clearly.
He cherished their care and affection, though he rarely voiced it. He valued their friendship deeply, even if he didn’t say it aloud.
Of course he liked them.
Every single one.
The Alphas’ pupils dilated slightly, their hearts skipping a beat. This was the first time Yuan Shiyuan had confessed his affection so directly.
“Thank you, Shiyuan,” Ying Mingxi said with a smile. He cupped Yuan Shiyuan’s face and gently kissed the corner of his lips. “I like you too.”
“Very, very much.”
The other Alphas, still stunned by this unexpected declaration, watched as Ying Mingxi seized the moment. Regretting their hesitation, they each grabbed Yuan Shiyuan’s hand, tugged at his hair…
Leaning in close to his ear, they whispered, again and again, “I like you.”
Yuan Shiyuan had grown up in a family overflowing with “love,” never hesitating to express affection, whether familial or platonic. Yet he wasn’t the clingy type, and being surrounded by several Alphas, holding hands, stroking his hair, and whispering “I like you” in his ear…
This display was still a bit overwhelming for him.
“Alright, alright…” His pink-tipped ears trembled slightly as Yuan Shiyuan cleared his throat awkwardly. “We’re all just good brothers here. No need to get so mushy.”
“We know what’s in our hearts. That’s enough.”
“Brothers?” Ying Mingche let out an exaggerated laugh. “Baby, aren’t we supposed to be rehearsing our kissing scene? Our bed scene? What kind of brothers do that?”
Yuan Shiyuan retorted with unwavering conviction, “That just proves we’re uniquely good bros.”
“Fine, bros it is,” Ying Mingche accepted the label with practiced nonchalance, adding with a teasing grin, “Some people even call their lovers ‘roommates’ or ‘teammates.'”
Yuan Shiyuan choked on his cough.
The Alphas’ gazes grew increasingly strange, tinged with a tenderness he couldn’t decipher. Sensing something amiss, he hastily grabbed his script and retreated to the small sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window.
He began reading the script alone.
Seeing Yuan Shiyuan’s nonchalant demeanor, the Alphas weren’t surprised. Being treated as a “brother” was better than being completely ruled out.
They had been genuinely terrified just now. When Yuan Shiyuan said he would choose “the one who has been with me the longest,” their hearts clenched instantly.
Among them all, Jiang Heng undoubtedly held the absolute advantage in terms of time spent together. Even if the others shared intimate moments with Yuan Shiyuan, it couldn’t compensate for the vast temporal gap.
Yuan Shiyuan was sentimental, and he leaned toward choosing the one who had been with him the longest.
This wasn’t difficult to understand.
They could start accompanying Yuan Shiyuan from this very moment, never leaving his side. A year, three years, five years, even ten years… Eventually, they would become the ones who had been with him the longest, meeting all his criteria.
Even if they were just “good brothers,” they would be Yuan Shiyuan’s longest-standing and closest “good brothers.”
Yuan Shiyuan curled up on the single sofa, the script spread across his lap, taking notes as he read.
At some point, he suddenly stopped writing, grabbed the small blanket from the armrest, and pulled it completely over his head and face, leaving only the tips of his pink ears visible.
The Alphas tacitly refrained from disturbing him.
After a long moment, just as they were beginning to think Yuan Shiyuan had fallen asleep, Pei Yanbing approached first.
Pei Yanbing knelt quietly on one knee beside the single sofa, then leaned down and gently kissed Yuan Shiyuan’s forehead through the blanket.
Yuan Shiyuan, who they had thought was asleep, suddenly threw back the blanket. He gazed calmly at the startled Pei Yanbing, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly.
“Captain, what’s this?” he asked, a lingering smile in his eyes. “Stealing kisses again?”
Caught red-handed once more, Pei Yanbing’s ears flushed crimson, yet he didn’t withdraw his hand. Instead, he intertwined his fingers with Yuan Shiyuan’s hand, which lay limply at his side.
He leaned closer, pressing his forehead against Yuan Shiyuan’s, and whispered softly, “Baby.”
“I like you.”
“……”
Yuan Shiyuan had grown accustomed to Pei Yanbing calling him “Baby” so casually.
But the sudden, palpable gazes converging from all directions still made him feel acutely self-conscious.
It was as if they were sneaking an intimate moment in public.
“What secrets are you two whispering behind our backs?”
Ying Mingche refused to be ignored. He strode over, draped his arm across the sofa back, deliberately wedging himself between the two with an innocent expression. “What secret whispers are you hiding from us? Share the fun!”
Ying Mingche had learned his lesson.
Whatever he did, he’d drag the other Alphas down with him. That way, even if he angered Yuan Shiyuan, he wouldn’t bear the blame alone.
Ying Mingxi joined them. “Now that everyone’s reviewed the script, shall we dive straight into rehearsals?”
“Kissing scenes… bedroom scenes,” Pei Yanbing said with studied indifference, his gaze fixed on the script. He’d stolen a few precious moments, only to watch them slip away like sand through his fingers.
Still, he clung to the one he desired in his grasp.
Yuan Shiyuan didn’t shake off his hand.
“Sounds good,” Yuan Shiyuan agreed. “Perfect timing—it’s been ages since we practiced.” He scanned the group. “Who’s up first?”
Ying Mingche lunged forward immediately.
He buried his face in Yuan Shiyuan’s stomach, pleading pitifully, “Please, let me go first!”
“I even wore my tongue stud today, just for you. I’ll make it worth your while.”
Ying Mingche stuck out his tongue to show Yuan Shiyuan, the silver tongue stud glinting subtly. Yuan Shiyuan frowned slightly; he hadn’t actually tried this sensation before…
“Alright, then—” Yuan Shiyuan began, but before he could finish, Ying Mingche pounced like a ravenous dog, pinning him against the single sofa.
The rough surface of Ying Mingche’s tongue licked around Yuan Shiyuan’s lips, leaving a damp, ticklish trail. Then, with impatient urgency, Ying Mingche forced his way between Yuan Shiyuan’s parted lips, his thick tongue tangling with Yuan Shiyuan’s softer one in a vigorous, swirling dance. He soon found Yuan Shiyuan’s most sensitive spot and repeatedly rubbed it with his tongue stud.
The icy metal, warmed by the heat of Ying Mingche’s mouth, created a bizarre temperature contrast against his scalding tongue, sending shivers through Yuan Shiyuan’s entire body.
Yuan Shiyuan’s hand, initially braced against Ying Mingche’s shoulder to push him away, gradually shifted to encircle the Alpha’s neck. His brow furrowed tightly, and soft, muffled groans escaped his throat.
This sensation… it’s so strange…
The other Alphas watched silently, none daring to speak.
Ying Mingxi’s Adam’s apple bobbed almost imperceptibly as the shared sensory connection transmitted Yuan Shiyuan’s sensations to him, creating a dual stimulation from the scene unfolding before his eyes.
“Ugh… wait, wait!”
Suddenly, a faint vibration pulsed through his wrist—a signal transmitted from Yuan Shize.
Like Yuan Shiyuan, Yuan Shize’s heart rate usually remained steady, rarely fluctuating like this. Now, sensing the alert from Shiyuan’s spiking heart rate, Shize seemed to have reacted in turn, his own heart quickening in response.
The vibrations grew more frequent, the tingling sensation intensifying against his sensitive wrist.
Meanwhile, the kiss deepened. Ying Mingche’s lips continued to devour his, the smooth surface of his tongue stud intertwining with the rough texture of his tongue, trapping Yuan Shiyuan’s soft tongue between them. The sensation ignited an immediate and intense reaction, heat flooding his body.
“No… let me up!” Yuan Shiyuan protested, his voice muffled and slightly nasal as he pushed weakly against Ying Mingche’s shoulder.
Reluctantly, Ying Mingche broke the kiss, but instead of releasing him completely, he tightened his arm around Yuan Shiyuan’s waist, pulling him upright and holding him close against his body.
Then, in a deliberate taunt, he flicked his tongue between their parted lips, snaring Yuan Shiyuan’s tongue and pulling it out in a possessive display for all the Alphas to see—a gesture as primal as a male staking his claim over his mate before rivals, asserting his dominance in the pack.