Pretending to Be an Alpha in an All-Alpha Boy Band - Chapter 16
Chapter 16 The Bloodbath
Yue Xiao stared at the charred hole in the tie. Normally poor at social interaction and bad at reading emotions, he could at this moment clearly feel that Yuan Shiyuan seemed to dislike him.
Or maybe, sometime along the way, Yuan had simply stopped liking him.
If even someone as insensitive to others’ feelings as he could sense that, then Yuan’s dislike of him must be even stronger.
But why? Yue Xiao couldn’t understand—at first their relationship had been clearly good.
The lone cigarette butt was tossed into the extinguisher. Yue Xiao watched it for a moment, took off his tie, and wrapped it layer by layer.
He folded it away into his pocket as if it were some precious keepsake.
No matter what Yuan Shiyuan thought.
He had always sincerely regarded Yuan as a teammate, and had genuinely believed Yuan would be part of Necro as a member.
“Necro debuted as a boy group?”
In the makeup room, the Alphas were chatting idly. Bored, they scrolled their phones; Bo Jin had come across a post and suddenly asked.
“Yeah, it just happened in the past couple days. Everyone online is talking about it,” Zhuang He said. “What did you see?”
Bo Jin: “You wouldn’t want to know.”
No need to guess—of course it was trash-talking.
Scepter had been formed a year ago; each member looked and performed well, but the group had remained effectively invisible. In netizens’ terms, it was like a nuclear strike that produced the effect of three weaker blows.
Necro had just launched, but took the opposite approach: no loud promotion, they debuted quietly. They marketed themselves as mysterious, unique, and low-key—and it made them a trend.
Ying Mingxi had also seen it; he tugged at the corner of his mouth. “What’s the point of talking smack? We’ve heard worse. It’s just them mocking that we spent so much money and didn’t even make a splash—saying they can be famous without promotion.”
Ximi Entertainment was good at exploiting artists, but one thing Zhuang He had to admit: they knew how to manufacture boy groups. With idol groups popping up constantly—most projecting youthful, sunny, handsome images—Necro burst onto the scene in a defiantly singular way.
Necro—the original meaning “death,” “dead spirit.” Just their name tied them to mystery and darkness. Their style and looks were niche and eerie, their music blending elements of Horrorcore and Death metal, producing an aesthetic far removed from mainstream tastes and nothing like a traditional boy group.
Necro’s rise in popularity was predictable.
After all, pursuing the niche is itself a mass behavior.
“You hear them bragging—how could they not do promotion? They preach indifference outwardly, but behind the scenes they bought a bunch of trending posts and marketing accounts,” Zhuang He tried to rile them up. “All that talk sounds nice, but Ximi Entertainment just wants to craft a ‘mysterious prodigy’ image in the industry.”
“A lot of people fall for that now.”
The room fell into an eerily quiet mood; Zhuang He felt a cold sweat. He was far too familiar with that kind of silence.
He warned, “Calm down, everyone. Don’t do anything rash here.”
Bo Jin let out a fake laugh. “What can we even do? Beg fans to cry for us? Make trouble for the magazine?”
Netizens loved to mock Scepter for spending money but failing to get popular—that their wealth couldn’t save them. Fans and rival groups’ followers often tallied the enormous costs of each album against their poor sales, while nobody mentioned the awards the group’s arrangements had won.
The more the netizens said those things, the more the group wanted to prove themselves by talent, not by background.
Were they really going to act like whining children over this and go find the magazine to teach them a lesson—so the magazine would know the price of breaking a last-minute contract?
If they did that, that would be the real humiliation.
Zhuang He was being completely overanxious.
The Alphas in Scepter didn’t react much.
But the team had added a new member who’d previously been a trainee at Ximi Entertainment—now that was juicy material.
[ysy must be regretting it to death right now… Why did he have to fight with Ximi? If he’d stayed obediently at Ximi, he wouldn’t be stuck with a washed-up group now.]
[Small-timer acting big, ends up getting crushed. Serves you right.]
[Yuan’s really unlucky… That face of his could be famous anywhere, and he ends up with Scepter… I’m beginning to wonder if Scepter has bad luck feng shui — they attract doom.]
[Scepter should just rename themselves “jinx team.”]
Since Scepter’s formation, Ying Mingche had endured endless ridicule and had long developed a steel-clad mindset. Even when he was publicly torn apart before, he could stay calm and treat it as a joke.
Seeing people badmouth Yuan Shiyuan irritated him more than he expected.
Ying Mingche switched to a burner account to surf the web and shot back at the idiots, reporting posts with a frenzy even as his temper flared.
Zhuang He saw it and laughed: “You buying into what these netizens are saying? ‘Acting all diva’—it was an Alpha trying to take advantage of him, and he refused.”
“Take advantage?” An Alpha?
The air froze instantly.
“Why so surprised. Stuff like that happens a lot in entertainment.” Zhuang He said.
Jiang Heng: “Wasn’t it supposed to be a monetary dispute?”
“That’s what they put out publicly. Do you think you can publicly accuse someone of coercion like that? There’s no solid evidence.” Zhuang He said. “All we can do is push for the largest possible financial compensation and a public apology. There’s nothing else we can do.”
“…”
They were both surprised and not surprised.
With Yuan Shiyuan’s looks, it was easy to attract twisted fans who liked Alphas. What made them feel complicated was seeing how energetic and bubbly Yuan seemed every day; you wouldn’t guess he’d suffered something like that.
He was the one who’d been harmed, had done nothing wrong—and yet he had to endure strangers’ malice.
He never told anyone and instead suffered alone.
Like a cat with a painful tug on a tail hair—silent, not crying out, just finding a corner to lick its wounds.
When they learned an Alpha had tried to coerce an Alpha, Bo Jin’s first reaction should have been disgust; instead he felt pity.
Maybe because he and Yuan shared similar miseries—both had been harassed by Alphas. And Yuan’s soft, easygoing nature and thick skin meant that even if he’d been touched or harassed, he might have been slow to recognize it as abuse and thought it was just a greeting.
The makeup room grew even quieter; only the dull hum of the air-conditioner’s outdoor unit filled the space.
Zhuang He tried to lighten the mood and rally them: “It’s normal they have a surge in popularity right after debut. Now that we have Shiyuan, our heat isn’t bad either. Still kind of obscure, but at least we can latch onto a trending topic now and then.”
“Maybe some fans even urged Yuan to go back—so snap out of it, everyone. Don’t embarrass him, and don’t let him hold his head low in front of former members!”
“It’s almost two. The staff still haven’t replied—we shouldn’t wait any longer; they’re really disrespecting us, leaving us hanging. When Shiyuan comes back from the restroom, we’ll leave.”
Zhuang He put on a breezy tone, “I’ll take you all out for a feast.”
With the gig canceled, that’s the only consolation they could give themselves.
Ying Mingche’s burner account was temporarily banned for excessive flaming, so he switched to scrolling the forum.
He’d built a pretty high level there.
And just then he remembered seeing a post earlier that said one of Yuan Shiyuan’s biggest “dream boyfriend” fans owned a custom full-body latex suit.
This custom suit belonged to one of Yuan Shiyuan’s former teammates, a member of the boy group Necro.
What was his name again…
“Su Luochen.”
Yuan Shiyuan stopped in his tracks and glanced toward the end of the corridor. “How long are you going to keep hiding?”
A tall figure stepped out from around the corner—an Alpha with blond hair and blue eyes, looking as if he’d just run into something delightful; his steps were light.
The long hallway made the smile on the Alpha’s face shine even brighter as the distance between them closed.
Yuan Shiyuan lightly frowned.
“Why that expression? Aren’t you happy to see me?” Su Luochen sounded pleased, the corners of his mouth lifting. “Then again, you already met Yue Xiao, so you’ve had your fun.”
“You’re especially happy to meet Yue Xiao, aren’t you?”
He jabbered on again with nonsense that was hard to understand.
During his time at Ximi Entertainment, Yuan Shiyuan had met a lot of people, but Su Luochen was definitely one of the most memorable. Su Luochen was the reason Yuan had become wary of people who greeted him with excessive warmth.
Su Luochen’s gaze roved greedily over Yuan Shiyuan’s face, yet his expression remained cold.
What’s going on? It’s only been a little while, and Yuan Shiyuan looks even more handsome—Starry Night Entertainment must be treating him well.
He smiled at everyone, could put an arm around anyone—except him, to whom he was impatient and indifferent. That’s just not fair.
The mood fermented like bacteria in a dark corner. The Alpha basked in sunlight; his blond hair flashed brightly. He lifted the corner of his mouth and smiled. “Don’t you want to know why I’m here?”
As if granting a gift, Yuan Shiyuan said the first words: “No, I don’t.”
His voice was really pleasant.
Su Luochen’s smile widened. “Fine.”
“You don’t want to know, but I’m going to tell you anyway.”
Unfortunately, Yuan Shiyuan had no intention of humoring him; he turned and started to walk away. Su Luochen quickened his pace to catch up. Just as his hand was about to be grabbed, Yuan Shiyuan jerked free.
He had wanted to punch Su Luochen, but reason prevailed and he restrained himself.
In that hesitation, Su Luochen seized the chance and suddenly slammed Yuan Shiyuan against the wall. The instant their bodies touched, Yuan’s breathing went haywire; a feverish, sick light flickered in Su Luochen’s eyes.
They did have a big size difference, but Yuan Shiyuan wasn’t weak. His lean frame possessed explosive power; he nimbly used the momentum, shifted his body, bent his knees, and drove his knee into Su Luochen’s lower abdomen.
Su Luochen made a muffled grunt and dropped to one knee in front of Yuan Shiyuan, clutching Yuan’s wrist tightly even as he tried to catch his breath.
He seemed puzzled. “Shiyuan, why did you put on girl-group makeup?”
“What, are you saying Shiyuan is actually a girl?”
“Oh—I forgot, I was the one who did your makeup.” He dragged out the words in a long tone and let out a low laugh. “Do you like it?”
–
“Why isn’t Shiyuan back yet?”
Zhuang He glanced at the time; something didn’t feel right. Did using the restroom take this long?
The bathroom wasn’t that far away.
The Alphas rose in unspoken agreement, ready to go look for Yuan Shiyuan together.
The restroom was close to the makeup room; after walking only a few steps, they heard strange sounds—a heavy, ragged panting mixed with noises of physical struggle.
From the sounds… it seemed like one-sided beating?
They quickened their pace, but encountered another figure ahead.
Yue Xiao had come out to look for Su Luochen; he hadn’t expected to run into one of Yuan Shiyuan’s current teammates so coincidentally.
His tie was already off, but he felt a hot pang in his chest without thinking. His gaze swept forward, but he didn’t catch sight of that light-colored figure.
Yuan Shiyuan was not there.
Yue Xiao pulled his gaze back regretfully and said, “Since Yuan Shiyuan isn’t here, I’ll speak more freely. He has some misunderstandings with our company—I want him to come back. He won’t be able to develop well under you.”
Starry Night Entertainment’s weakness at producing boy groups was widely acknowledged. He added, “I’ll cover his breach-of-contract fee.”
Yue Xiao, a member of Necro at Ximi Entertainment, was also one of Yuan Shiyuan’s former teammates.
He and his three friends had known each other since childhood and grew up together; netizens jokingly called them the F4. Later, Yuan Shiyuan joined Ximi Entertainment and remained close to them, which was one of the reasons people assumed he had powerful backing.
After all, royalty only mixes with royalty.
According to internet sleuthing, Yuan Shiyuan and those guys seemed to get along well, but no one knew exactly what happened afterward that caused the friendship to slowly fade.
There was a lot of rumor-mongering online; many even thought Yuan Shiyuan had been rejected by the F4 and kicked out of his original group.
Now it seemed that wasn’t the case.
Starry Night Entertainment’s astronomical breach fees were notorious in the industry. Yue Xiao was being astonishingly generous—willing to pay Yuan Shiyuan’s contract buyout? Were they really that close?
Trying to poach someone in front of the current members—did he think they were dead easy to steal?
“Oh? Really?”
“You think way too highly of yourself.” Ying Mingche smiled with no warmth, then added with mock sincerity, “But I’m curious—has the ‘daddy’ Alpha vibe come back into fashion?”
“Are your fans really starved for fatherly affection?”
Before Yue Xiao could reply, Jiang Heng on the other side said lightly, “He’s not someone who’d act like a father to people.”
“But yeah, he does look pretty old.”
“…”
The two S-rank Alphas stood like opposing camps, boundaries clear. The atmosphere tightened with hostility; Zhuang He felt both surprised and gratified.
Their team had never once formed a unified front or shown such cohesion—it turned out to be because they were being provoked by one of Yuan Shiyuan’s former teammates!
Except the gunpowder smell didn’t feel like the reaction to a former teammate…
It felt more like encountering a former boyfriend.
“You guys—” One mouth can’t match many. Yue Xiao was no match for their barrage; besides, he didn’t know how to argue.
Ying Mingche sneered coldly: “You act like you knew what was good for him after he was gone, like you bought the stock when it rose—where were you when he was being railroaded and bullied?”
“Do you think you’re in some wife-chasing crematorium drama?”
“…” Yue Xiao was stunned for a moment, bewildered. “What do you mean by being railroaded?”
“That’s on you—Ximi Entertainment is your old company. Would you not know?”
“I honestly didn’t know.”
Yue Xiao frowned and said, “I’ll look into it.”
At that moment, a subtle sound came from ahead.
The sound was a mixture of two people’s—precisely the ones they were searching for. Worried something had gone wrong, the group immediately rushed forward.
What they saw left them speechless.
Yuan Shiyuan was sitting atop a blond, blue-eyed Alpha; his pink hair was disheveled and stuck to his temple. He casually lifted his shirt hem and wiped the sweat from his jaw.
Normally easygoing and good-natured, he now showed a domineering, aggressive side that sharply contrasted with his excessively delicate face.
“I haven’t settled the score from before.”
“You really think I wouldn’t lay a hand on you?”
From this angle, Yuan Shiyuan’s figure was very pretty—not as bulky as a typical Alpha, but not frail either. A thin layer of abdominal muscle was tight and resilient. His skin was very pale; at the moment his whole body flushed a beautiful rosiness, even his hair was pink.
With his chest rising and falling in uneven breaths, chaotic panting, the wet red at the corners of his eyes, and a waist so slim one hand could encircle it, Yuan Shiyuan assumed a victor’s pose and dominated utterly—this scene read less like a violent fight and more like a tangle of lust.
The Alphas stopped in their tracks, stunned by the unexpected sight.
Soon they saw an even more shocking moment.
Yuan Shiyuan was gripping Su Luochen’s collar, preparing to swing, when the blond, blue-eyed Alpha suddenly lifted his hips, catching him off guard.
The blond, blue-eyed Alpha was in a very good mood; he licked the blood at the corner of his mouth with pleasure. “Why’d you stop? Put some strength into it.”
For a moment Yuan Shiyuan’s expression ran the gamut—his breathing faltered at the blond Alpha’s abrupt action. His face darkened to an extreme, mingled with the stunned impact of a straight man being blindsided.
Yuan Shiyuan’s feelings were complicated: he feared that if he hit Su Luochen, Su would enjoy it; but not hitting him left him boiling with frustration. In the end, unable to bear it, Yuan Shiyuan grabbed his hair and drove a savage punch.
Being dominated, bruised, bloodied to the point of almost vomiting blood—any Alpha would consider that a profound humiliation. Yet the blond Alpha showed not a trace of displeasure; instead he looked utterly satisfied, even as if… he was enjoying it.
They quickly realized this wasn’t a trick of the eye. Alpha pheromones have many effects; besides suppression, they can be used to seduce. The pheromones emanating from the blond Alpha were drenched in a blatant, heady invitation.
From this vantage point the Alpha on the floor could almost be ignored, but Yuan Shiyuan’s face was clearly visible. It was easy to put oneself in his place.
Yuan Shiyuan’s neck, exposed as he bent his head to gasp for air, was damp with sweat, sprinkled with tiny beads. Under his pink hair his face glowed with a vivid flush as he looked down at the blond Alpha beneath him.
In the stifling heat the S-rank pheromones fluctuated. The Alphas seemed to forget the purpose of their visit and stared fixedly at the scene.
A faint scent drifted through the air—caught only fleetingly, yet undeniably present. It seemed to be… coming from Yuan Shiyuan.
Though light, the scent carried an irresistible force that made Alphas bow in surrender. Accompanied by a powerful allure, it compelled them to edge closer.
A little closer…