Pretending to Be an Alpha in an All-Alpha Boy Band - Chapter 28
Chapter 28 Maid Outfit (First update + Second update + Third update)
The Alphas sat in a circle and began to strictly calculate their upcoming expenses and the plan to work off the debt.
They dismissed tasks like washing dishes outright. Their debts were considerable, and each of them had fixed daily expenses; they had to use their time efficiently to maximize returns.
Fortunately, room stays were calculated by the 24-hour day, and renewals could be done day by day. It wasn’t like ordinary hotels where, even if you checked in at midnight, you still had to check out at noon the same day.
Yuan Shiyuan asked, “How much are the suite and the regular double room per night?”
The waiter answered, “The suite you’re currently staying in is 800 star coins per night; a regular double room is 300 star coins per night.”
The six of them occupied three rooms in total.
Yuan Shiyuan carefully surveyed the suite’s size, then tilted his head and asked quietly, “Is your double room big?”
Bo Jin answered, “Including the bathroom, the room isn’t even as big as the living room in your suite.”
The regular double rooms were very small, but at least they had two single beds. Last night, just thinking about having to share a room with another Alpha made Bo Jin feel nauseated.
Luckily Jiang Heng hadn’t come back at all; he had the double room all to himself and didn’t have to worry whether Jiang Heng was in danger.
Bo Jin was living extremely comfortably.
But it turned out Jiang Heng was the most comfortable of all. No wonder Jiang Heng didn’t return to his room—he had a plan all along, which explained why, once the rooms were assigned, he hurried straight to Yuan Shiyuan’s suite, anxious to secure the best spot.
Ying Mingche had Ying Mingxi helping him, which wasn’t surprising. What did surprise them was that Pei Yanbing also showed up to join the fuss…
Bo Jin scanned them thoughtfully.
He had been too naive.
Ying Mingxi said, “Shiyuan, are you thinking we should squeeze into a double room?”
“Yes. We could be a little inconvenienced and cram together to save on room fees each day,” Yuan Shiyuan said with worry, “but the regular double rooms are too small.”
By Bo Jin’s description, the regular double rooms had very limited space and could barely accommodate two people; more than two would probably require stacking up like a game of human Jenga.
But the suite was too expensive… Even if all six of them stayed in the suite, it would still cost a lot.
“Then stay in the suite,” Bo Jin said. “The living room can fit two single beds—aren’t there folding beds? Then two more can sleep on the floor, two on the beds.”
“That way everyone can squeeze in.”
“And the suite is cheaper than three regular double rooms.” Even if it only saved 100 star coins.
The other Alphas agreed that it was feasible.
Then the problem arose. Yuan Shiyuan asked, “Which two will sleep in the beds?”
Multiple gazes landed on Yuan Shiyuan at the same time; the Alphas turned their faces toward him. He looked back, puzzled: “Me again?”
“And the other one? Who sleeps with me?”
Even under this arrangement, only two people could sleep in the beds, which felt unfair to the others.
Yuan Shiyuan understood why they wanted him on a bed: among Alphas, pheromones can clash, and only his pheromones were mild enough to be tolerated by the others. Also, he was the youngest in the group, so they felt they ought to show some care for the youngest.
This worked in his favor—he would secure a bed. As for who would sleep with him? Whatever.
The Alphas, who usually had no sense of boundaries, suddenly became very reserved; no one spoke up.
Yuan Shiyuan understood that too.
Many Alphas rejected sharing sleeping quarters with another male, let alone sharing the same bed. If they were forced to sleep with him, their pheromones might flare up.
But Yuan Shiyuan didn’t worry about that—his pheromones were obedient and well-behaved; without his permission, they wouldn’t fight with other Alphas.
“Since no one is saying anything, you must not want to. I’m different — I really want to sleep with you.” Ying Mingche seized the chance. “Then I’ll gladly accept.”
Yuan Shiyuan naturally couldn’t be so rash. He asked, “Do you all want to sleep with me?”
That sounded a bit odd, so he rephrased, “Do you want to bed?”
This time they answered, “Yes.”
Wanting was understandable. The bed was so soft and comfortable—nothing like the hard, thumping floor.
Yuan Shiyuan said, “Then let’s take turns. You each come in sequence.”
Who would go first became the next question.
They rolled dice to decide.
Whoever rolled higher would go first.
Those with lower rolls dutifully accepted sleeping on the floor.
Yuan Shiyuan glanced at their numbers and was surprised: “Captain, you’re so lucky? You got a six…”
Then came Bo Jin, Ying Mingxi, Jiang Heng, Ying Mingche. That was also their order for staying with him.
Bo Jin wasn’t first, which irked him a bit, but second wasn’t bad—better than last.
Having lost a step yesterday, today he finally seized the initiative. Perhaps fate was making up for him.
“Our fixed daily expenses are 800 for the room, plus 100 per person for tips and 100 for cleaning… six of us, that’s 2,000 star coins total.” Yuan Shiyuan’s head ached; he opened his eyes each day already owing 2,000.
Jiang Heng reminded them, “Also include restroom fees.”
The restroom wasn’t just for washing up; it was for bathing and using the toilet. That cost couldn’t be avoided or reduced.
Although 100 star coins bought one hour of restroom time, who could guarantee everyone would need to use it within that hour?
You couldn’t force everyone to align their bathroom needs to that single hour.
What if someone held it in and got sick?
“Why that face? You don’t mean you need to go now, do you?” Ying Mingche glanced at the restroom timer. “The countdown just ended.”
“If you need to go, we’ll go wash a few dishes first so you can use it afterward.”
Yuan Shiyuan: “No, I don’t feel anything right now.”
At the thought of even paying to use the toilet, despair welled up. “I’m not even daring to drink much water now, afraid I’ll have to spend money.”
A faint laugh sounded nearby.
Ying Mingxi smiled: “It won’t be that bad. The five of us working together will earn a decent income—we won’t let you be unable to afford the bathroom.”
Yuan Shiyuan: “It’s just saving where we can.”
“I thought of a way we could save money.”
Ying Mingche hooked an arm around Yuan Shiyuan’s shoulder and pulled him close into his embrace. With his other hand he pinched Yuan Shiyuan’s chin and turned his face. “You pee on my clothes, and when I shower later I’ll wash them at the same time.”
“…No need to be that frugal.” Just imagining it made Yuan Shiyuan frown.
Jiang Heng tugged at the corner of his mouth: “Why don’t you just say you’ll drink it then.”
Ying Mingche shrugged indifferently: “I don’t mind, but Princess Yuanyuan wouldn’t be willing—she’d think I’m dirty.”
Yuan Shiyuan couldn’t stand it anymore: “Can we stop talking about this topic? I just finished breakfast and don’t want to puke so early.”
—Cracking up laughing..
—○’s expression is too funny: shocked, disgusted, incredulous, questioning life, and full of contempt toward Ying Mingche.
—Can this actually air in the restroom? And why does YMC look so disappointed? Don’t tell me you actually want to drink it..
—Although I know ○ is very beautiful, YMC you’re being way too greedy.. I can’t take it. [covering face]
——I’m really afraid Little Yuan is about to keel over…
Besides the restroom fees, there was another crucial place they had to spend money: they had no spare clothes.
Last night, Bo Jin and the others had bought pajamas and such at the ship’s shop; at that time they still could use electronic payment, but now they could only pay with star coins. Clothes could be washed at night and dried to wear the next day, but what about underwear?
Wear them during the day, wash them at night, then sleep naked? Wearing the same pair over and over?
Buying disposable underwear and toiletries would cost more…
The more Yuan Shiyuan calculated, the worse his headache became; it felt like money was needed for everything. After he put down his pen, the world seemed to spin.
“This really is getting on a pirate ship…” he murmured.
Yuan Shiyuan rummaged in his small backpack. “I have a few samples in my bag, but not many… we don’t need to buy toiletries; we can ration the water and that’ll probably hold for a while.”
The more he spoke, the more bitter he sounded.
He dug out a few individually packaged disposable underwear. “There are a few disposable pairs left, we can split them.”
Bo Jin glanced and said, “I can’t fit into those.”
Jiang Heng checked the size: “Yeah, they’re a bit small.”
Ying Mingche slapped the table and laughed loudly.
The remaining three Alphas didn’t even get a chance to speak before Yuan Shiyuan coldly swept the disposable underwear back into his backpack. “Don’t wear them.”
“Just sleep naked tonight.”
Were they seriously taunting him in a roundabout way?!
Yuan Shiyuan’s face turned uncharacteristically stern; his features tightened beneath his pink hair, his lips pressed into a line. He silently packed the items back into his bag, and with a soft zip pulled the zipper closed.
He looked pretty fierce.
“That’s not what we meant,” Bo Jin explained. “The size is really a bit small for you.”
“We can’t wear them.”
“Oh.” Yuan Shiyuan replied coldly.
“Really, that’s not what we meant…”
Yuan Shiyuan deliberately kept a straight face and pretended to be busy opening and closing the backpack zipper.
The S-rank Alphas realized they had upset Yuan Shiyuan; they felt helpless and were afraid saying more would make things worse.
“Shiyuan, what they mean is your waist is too narrow; we can’t possibly wear them,” Ying Mingxi spoke first. He came to Yuan Shiyuan’s side, placed his palm over Yuan Shiyuan’s lower abdomen, slid his hand to the side of his waist, and lightly pinched.
The Alphas’ gazes inevitably dropped—from the broad hand to the slim, narrow, delicate waist under it, and then up to Yuan Shiyuan’s face.
Yuan Shiyuan’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.
Ying Mingxi withdrew his hand and spoke gently, “Your waist is only that slim.”
They all worked out regularly, had great proportions—broad shoulders and narrow waists—and were natural clothes-hangers. But none of their waists were as tiny as Yuan Shiyuan’s.
Thin, slight, and with a resilient firmness, as if it could be encompassed with one hand.
Yuan Shiyuan still didn’t speak.
The S-rank Alphas were at a loss, starting to say something several times but stopping, afraid of making him angrier. Despite their astonishing talents in many areas, none of them knew how to soothe someone.
After a moment, Yuan Shiyuan couldn’t hold it in and suddenly laughed.
“Alright, I’m not that easy to anger,” he said. “I was teasing you.”
“Really?”
“Really, really.” Yuan Shiyuan had a pretty good temper to begin with. He stood up, “Let’s go; we’ll look for jobs.”
“Once I’m sure you’ve all found work, then I’ll go back to the room and turn on the air conditioner.”
Only then did the Alphas’ expressions improve.
Yuan Shiyuan was puzzled—why did they insist he rest? Working was one of his strengths.
Most of the jobs were gathered on the top floor; there were also shops downstairs offering positions, but comparatively fewer, and the pay wasn’t as good as on the top floor.
Yuan Shiyuan accompanied them to interviews at several shops.
In the end, Pei Yanbing went to the upscale restaurant to play piano; if customers requested a violin, he could earn an extra commission.
Ying Mingxi and Ying Mingche wore mascot costumes to hand out flyers.
Bo Jin took a job at a musical instrument store, offering trial lessons to customers.
Jiang Heng went to the racetrack to audition as a mechanic.
At first, the boss treated it as part of the show, half-joking—how could these idols actually fix cars?—but as the interviews proceeded, he grew more serious.
“Can you really do it?”
“Yes, I learned before.”
Although regular cars and race cars aren’t the same thing, the boss still approved: “Pretty professional.”
Everyone found work smoothly except Yuan Shiyuan, the only one without a job. He asked in surprise, “You can fix cars?”
Jiang Heng: “The threshold’s low. With a master teaching you, you can learn.”
Yuan Shiyuan was quite surprised.
He had assumed the whole group were celestial dragons; he hadn’t expected there would be ordinary people like himself.
After the interviews, it was lunchtime.
Yuan Shiyuan got hungry again.
But the others didn’t say they were hungry, so he felt awkward bringing it up. Unexpectedly, Jiang Heng just glanced at him and said, “The buffet is only 50 star coins. Go eat.”
Jiang Heng shoved 50 star coins into Yuan Shiyuan’s hand.
“How did you know I was hungry?” Yuan Shiyuan didn’t understand—his stomach hadn’t even grumbled.
Jiang Heng: “Guessing.”
Feeling embarrassed to eat alone, Yuan Shiyuan offered, “I have some snacks in my bag. Let’s eat those together.”
Ying Mingche snatched the 50 star coins away, folded them, tucked them into Yuan Shiyuan’s pocket, and patted him lightly.
“What, are you worried about Jiang Heng’s money?” he snorted. “Mind your own business—just go eat. They’re as strong as donkeys; they won’t starve.”
Yuan Shiyuan had no choice but to go to the buffet.
At that hour the buffet wasn’t crowded; Yuan Shiyuan took his small backpack with him.
He filled his stomach first, then grabbed a napkin. While wiping his mouth, he kept an eye on his surroundings.
Without changing his expression, Yuan Shiyuan stuffed the paper napkin into his backpack.
Then, with an unflustered look, he walked to the bakery section and quietly slipped bread and similar items into his bag, along with an essential—water.
Soon a waiter noticed Yuan Shiyuan moving food and immediately stepped forward to stop him: “Hey—!”
This wasn’t acceptable!
This violated the show’s rules.
The waiter was about to say so, but then he saw the pink-haired Alpha in front of him, one hand pinching a shoulder strap, fingers slender and pale, and above them a face full of pleading.
Yuan Shiyuan looked up at him with a pair of moist, bright eyes.
The waiter felt his heart struck.
His face flushed quickly. Although he was a beta, it was as if he were being drawn by pheromones; he mumbled dizzily, “O-okay, I saw nothing.”
The waiter immediately left, and before long returned with a bag. “Your backpack is too small—use this bag… a black bag, easier not to be noticed.”
“Really?” Yuan Shiyuan’s surprised smile widened as he took the bag. “Thank you so much!”
“Of course!” The waiter’s voice trembled. “Do you want more bags? I can get you a few—”
The production team watching the cameras: ??
Their person had already defected?!
—Nice, very nice! Smart Little Yuan, mom gives you a thumbs up!
—Good thing my baby isn’t starving. I almost thought Little Yuan would have nothing to eat.
—ysy is pretty smart and very variety-show savvy. He even knows to bring a lot of food out—probably to share with his teammates? Spend one coin and everyone can have lunch.
——That waiter cracked me up. At first he was so stern, but one look from Little Yuan and he was putty in his hands.
——Little Yuan really is a beloved darling. [smug]
Yuan Shiyuan came back laden with two huge bags of snacks.
The Alphas waiting at the entrance instinctively stepped forward to help him carry them.
Bo Jin asked in surprise, “You stole all the stuff from inside?”
Yuan Shiyuan shot him a sideways glance. “What do you mean ‘stole’? I took it out in the open, and I paid for it, thanks.”
“There were a lot of edible things in there—bread and stuff that should keep us going for a few days. I couldn’t bring hot dishes, so the waiter only gave me a few takeout boxes and I packed some of it up. The texture might not be great.”
“Everyone just make do and eat it.”
Jiang Heng froze. “You brought food for us?”
“Of course. How could I eat it all by myself?” Yuan Shiyuan said. “You guys don’t know how nervous I was in there—I was terrified of being discovered.”
“But how could I let you go hungry?” he added. “You’ve all been working so hard.”
“……”
The Alphas felt a sudden, inexplicable tug at their chests, followed by a strange electric thrill.
Yuan Shiyuan only needed to fill his own stomach, yet he kept thinking of them. After stuffing himself at the buffet, he had gone all hamster-like and started hoarding food for them.
Being constantly cared for and carried in someone’s thoughts felt, undeniably, wonderful.
The hot food they’d brought out had mostly cooled, but they unanimously agreed it was the most delicious thing in the world.
Yuan Shiyuan was already full, so he took a moment to study the layout around them. He had a poor sense of direction and was a bit of a lost person, so he needed to remember some landmark items.
He looked around for a long time and felt like many places looked the same—no real differences.
That wasn’t good.
Suddenly, Yuan Shiyuan noticed someone taking photos ahead.
“Are there any part-time modeling jobs here?” a light bulb went off in his head. “Actually, Mingxi, you guys could be models. Isn’t wearing mascot suits to hand out flyers too hot?”
“Anyway, Ying Mingche is 192.5—his height is definitely enough.” They’re twins, so their heights should be similar.
Handing out flyers on the midday, open sea in heavy mascot costumes would probably cause heatstroke, right?
Bo Jin warned, “You remembered Ying Mingche’s height so precisely? Down to the decimal?”
“He told me just yesterday. I’m not losing my memory,” Yuan Shiyuan said. “I’ve got a good memory.”
“Oh.” Bo Jin said, “I’m 194.82.”
Even while sitting, Yuan Shiyuan needed to tilt his head back to look at Bo Jin.
He withdrew his gaze. “Oh.”
“That’s bare height,” Bo Jin added. “Ying Mingche’s height was with shoes on.”
Yuan Shiyuan replied perfunctorily, “Mm-hmm.”
So being that much taller even in bare height is impressive, huh :).
With lunch taken care of, the Alphas were ready to start their part-time jobs in earnest.
On his way back, Yuan Shiyuan unexpectedly found that maid café he had been obsessively searching for.
The maid café he’d been trying to find for so long was suddenly right in front of him!
Yuan Shiyuan cocked his head and took another look.
Bo Jin turned his head back for him. “Still thinking about wearing a skirt?”
“What do you mean I want to wear a skirt?” That sounded weirdly phrased.
Ying Mingche turned his head from ahead. “What skirt?”
The other Alphas, like they’d caught a keyword, quickly turned to look as well.
“You heard wrong,” Yuan Shiyuan changed the subject.
Ying Mingche also saw the maid café ahead; he reached out and pinched Yuan Shiyuan’s cheek. “You wouldn’t actually want to wear a skirt, would you?”
“Little maid Yuan?”
“Be careful of perverted customers.” Ying Mingche looked at him and chuckled softly. “But someone like you really can’t help attracting perverts.”
Yuan Shiyuan: “…Where did that come from.”
What was a perfectly respectable job somehow got twisted in their mouths. He said dryly, “Even if I work there, I’d just wear a skirt to sell coffee. Why do you guys talk about it like I’m going to shoot a film?”
Ying Mingche: “I’d rather do films than go there.”
Yuan Shiyuan: “If you want to do films, just say so.”
“Who would shoot with me?” Ying Mingche looked at him. “With you?”
Yuan Shiyuan: “Fine. As long as the pay’s right, don’t just say with you—add a few more people and I’m in.”
“…?”
Usually quick-witted Ying Mingche was, for once, at a loss for a comeback.
After safely returning Yuan Shiyuan to the suite, the Alphas switched to work mode. He hadn’t been lying down long before boredom set in; he couldn’t sleep.
The part-time work spirit was blazing.
It was boring to stay alone in the room—his phone wasn’t entertaining, and he couldn’t nap. With this free time, he might as well go sell coffee at the maid café.
Wait, why were Bo Jin and the others insisting he stay in the suite? Why couldn’t he go work too?
Even if he didn’t wear a skirt to sell coffee, there were plenty of other part-time jobs he could do.
Yuan Shiyuan found it strange that Bo Jin and the others’ refusal to let him go out to work resembled the attitude of some big-A chauvinist Alphas who wouldn’t let their wives work outside.
But the problem was—he wasn’t their wife, was he?
He’s an Alpha. How could he be everyone’s wife at once? There wouldn’t be enough of him to go around.
He hadn’t been in bed long when, just as he was about to sneak out to work, Bo Jin sent a video.
They were even checking up on him!
Yuan Shiyuan quickly lay back down, pulled the blanket up to his chest, and tapped the video.
The screen showed a face with messy pink hair and faintly flushed cheeks.
Bo Jin seemed momentarily startled, then his tone grew a bit awkward: “Were you sleeping just now?”
Yuan Shiyuan immediately started acting. He shot a glare and said irritably, “You know that and still ask?”
“Just seeing if you were behaving yourself.”
Bo Jin said, “If you still can’t let go of the idea of wearing a skirt for films—especially group ones—you’d isolate me; if you don’t tell me, I can’t stop you. What am I supposed to do?”
“That film joke still can’t be let go, huh?” Yuan Shiyuan propped his head up. “And I didn’t isolate you. The breakfast thing was an accident…”
Bo Jin didn’t buy it: “Accidents that many?”
“I’ll remember to invite you when I do films in the future, okay?”
Bo Jin went quiet.
After the video call ended, Bo Jin remained thoughtful.
Although their group’s fame was still small, there was no way they’d sunk to doing films. What Yuan Shiyuan said was a joke, but it made him think… maybe a bit too deeply.
He also found himself untimely remembering the fan fiction about Yuan Shiyuan.
He had to admit, Yuan Shiyuan’s fans were bold writers. Their wording was blunt and direct, portraying Yuan Shiyuan like a little figure that could be posed however one wanted.
Lately, Bo Jin sometimes went online to read fan fiction about him and Yuan Shiyuan.
Unfortunately, their CP had very few fans and produced little content. That was the thing he couldn’t understand the most.
Why did fans ship Yuan Shiyuan with other Alphas?
Clearly, he was Yuan Shiyuan’s roommate—why couldn’t people see that he was the one closest to Yuan Shiyuan?
Yuan Shiyuan never expected that Bo Jin’s possessive jealousy would be so intense.
Perhaps last night’s and this morning’s “isolation” had put Bo Jin on alert—he became extremely suspicious and even started checking up on them.
He was afraid Yuan Shiyuan would do things behind his back again.
Yuan Shiyuan, on the other hand, complained that Bo Jin really was full of big-A chauvinism.
Too bad he wasn’t the type to sit still, and he hated being controlled. He pretended to be sleeping but had actually sneaked out early to work.
Yuan Shiyuan wasn’t great with directions; he got lost and couldn’t find the maid café.
He had to ask passersby.
A passerby gave him a direction; he still didn’t find the maid café, but he did find where Jiang Heng worked.
Since he was already there, Yuan Shiyuan went inside.
Jiang Heng was working. He had taken off his jacket; the black tank top clung to him, damp with sweat, outlining broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His shoulders were wide, his chest well defined—he looked powerful.
When Jiang Heng saw Yuan Shiyuan approach, he paused and immediately wiped the grease from his hands.
“How did you end up here?”
“I was bored, so I came to find you.” Actually he’d gotten lost and wandered in by accident.
Yuan Shiyuan said, “Do you need help here? Let me help—you and I could earn double pay.”
On the top floor there was a racetrack where many customers raced. No Alpha could resist extreme sports, but unfortunately he didn’t even have a driver’s license.
Even chasing thrills, he wasn’t reckless about his life.
“No.” Jiang Heng said, “This place is tiring and gets dirty.”
He reeked of machine oil from head to toe; it smelled awful, especially on his hands. So when he spoke to Yuan Shiyuan, he kept a little distance, worried his smell would bother him.
“Go back and take a nap,” Jiang Heng said. “I’ll work a bit longer and come back to hang out with you soon.”
“No.” Yuan Shiyuan didn’t want to go back so early. “Why don’t you take me to the maid café and I’ll audition there?”
Jiang Heng seemed easygoing; if he could cover for him later, that’d be great. Yuan Shiyuan didn’t want more nagging from Bo Jin—he’d hide things from him as much as possible.
As for the others… they weren’t as paternal as Bo Jin, so they should be easier to deal with.
“Doing nothing is so boring. I want something to do.”
“Heng-ge, take me with you.”
Yuan Shiyuan stepped forward, hooked a finger in Jiang Heng’s pocket, and tugged lightly. He tilted his head up and whispered, “Please.”
“……”
“You really want to audition for the maid café?”
The boss glanced at Yuan Shiyuan and smiled. “Our dress code requires a uniform—do you know what that is? Maid outfits, sailor suits… they’re all skirts.”
“You’re an Alpha.”
Yuan Shiyuan: “So what if I’m an Alpha? Boss, you can’t discriminate against Alphas.”
Boss: “If you can do the work, we’ll hire you. But we’ll do a simple test—if you pass the audition, you can start right away.”
They came to the espresso machine. “Do you know how to use a coffee machine?”
“Yes.”
Of course Yuan Shiyuan knew—this was his strength. He added, “I can do latte art.”
Yuan Shiyuan demonstrated quickly.
His hand was steady; a multi-layered heart floated on the coffee. He said, “I can do other shapes too.”
The dense milk foam under his hand formed different patterns: little swans, tulips, tiny cats…
A staff member watching was surprised: “Your hand is so steady!”
Yuan Shiyuan curled his lips a little, feeling proud.
“I can do lots of patterns,” he said. “If a customer requests a design, as long as it’s not too complicated, I can do it.”
Boss: “You passed the interview.”
Latte art was child’s play for Yuan Shiyuan.
Choosing what to wear, however, left him in a tangle.
The changing room was lined with outfits—all kinds of skirts—and the other cabinet held white stockings, black stockings, garter stockings, and the like, with small accessories such as cat ears and leg rings.
To Yuan Shiyuan, the skirts didn’t differ much from one another.
Too lazy to mix and match, he grabbed a complete maid outfit set at random.
When Yuan Shiyuan looked in the mirror again, he wore a classic black-and-white maid dress. A giftlike red bow tied at his neck, and below his collarbone there was a small heart-shaped cutout revealing a patch of pale skin. On his head sat black-and-pink cat ears; soft lace wrapped around his wrists with little bells that jingled with the slightest movement.
Turning his head, he could even see a fluffy tail hanging down behind him.
Yuan Shiyuan swished his hips; the tail followed and made a delicate, bell-like tinkle.
He had thought an Alpha wearing this would look strange…
But it wasn’t as odd as he had imagined.
Outfit sorted, next came the stockings.
Yuan Shiyuan unwrapped a pair of black garter stockings on a whim. He chose them simply because their color matched the maid uniform. But when he pulled the garter up, the lace that joined at his upper thigh sat tight against his skin, rubbing with every step and movement.
At first it was bearable, but after only a few steps his knees went weak. He leaned forward against the wall, palms braced on a cabinet, and breathed slowly.
Never mind…
Maybe garter stockings just didn’t agree with him.
When he’d filmed with the leg ring before, he hadn’t been this sensitive or uncomfortable.
Yuan Shiyuan quickly took the garter stockings off. He didn’t want to put the worn pair back on the shelf, so he told the boss and stuffed them into his pocket.
He changed into white stockings and then officially began his shift.
Cradling a menu, Yuan Shiyuan greeted customers warmly whenever they approached. “Hello, what would you like to drink?”
“Yes! Yes!” A slim Omega answered eagerly.
Yuan Shiyuan recognized him—the assistant he’d met during the magazine shoot last time, Song Mian.
“What a coincidence, seeing you again.” He guessed the guest was an NPC arranged by the production team. He bent to pull out a chair and placed the menu on the table, thoughtfully explaining, “What would you like? Drinks marked with a star are our specialties… If you order coffee, we can customize the latte art.”
“I’ll have the most expensive one!”
Song Mian didn’t even look at the menu. He tilted his head up and saw the bow at Yuan Shiyuan’s neck. Embarrassed, he averted his eyes, then noticed the lace and little bell on Yuan Shiyuan’s wrist…
He swallowed, and when his gaze dropped further he went instantly dumbstruck.
White—white stockings…
Such long, such pale legs… so white.
Song Mian felt lightheaded; his breathing grew rapid. He stole a cautious glance at Yuan Shiyuan’s face, who was still smiling warmly.
Ashamed, he looked down. He was such a terrible person… Yuan Shiyuan was smiling so brightly, and he was thinking all these messy things.
I’m sorry, Shiyuan, for thinking impure thoughts about you.
“I want that one—ten cups!” Song Mian pointed at the priciest drink, priced 800 star coins.
The more expensive the drink, the higher the commission—this should have benefited Yuan Shiyuan, but he still shook his head. “Can we start with one cup first? If that’s not enough, we can order more and try different flavors.”
“Drinking too much coffee in one day isn’t good,” he added softly. “And you might not even finish it.”
When Yuan Shiyuan spoke, he bent his waist slightly; the heart-shaped cutout beneath the red bow at his collar slipped down a little. Though the skin deeper inside couldn’t be clearly seen, its faint glimpse carried an indescribable allure.
Song Mian felt his eyes weren’t enough—he was dizzy from staring, unaware of what Yuan Shiyuan had said, nodding with his face flushed bright.
“Okay, one hot latte,” Yuan Shiyuan said. “Any specific design? If not, I’ll improvise.”
Song Mian was surprised. “You can do latte art?”
“Yes. If it’s not too difficult, I can do it.”
“I like all of them!”
After saying that, Song Mian realized his voice had been a bit loud, so he lowered it and murmured, “Anything you make, I like…”
“Then I’ll improvise.” Yuan Shiyuan smiled at Song Mian and was about to leave when the Omega tugged his sleeve.
Yuan Shiyuan turned his head; the Omega quickly let go, cheeks flushed a deep red, seemingly finding it very hard to speak, yet still mustering the courage.
“Can I… touch your tail?”
Yuan Shiyuan was surprised, then generously brought the tail around in front of him and offered it to Song Mian. “Of course.”
“You can touch it however you like, guest.”
Yuan Shiyuan could tell Song Mian was a fan.
Although Song Mian rarely spoke and often just watched from afar, every time he looked at Yuan Shiyuan his eyes shone with joy.
It was an unmistakable affection.
Touching the tail wasn’t an excessive request, especially from a fan who supported him.
It was just that, for some reason, after touching the tail Song Mian wore an expression like someone pleasantly tipsy, slightly flushed.
Yuan Shiyuan tugged his tail in puzzlement—there wasn’t any drug in it, right?
“Please wait a moment, I’ll bring your coffee right away,” he said. “If you like, you can watch me do the latte art from beside me.”
Without another word, Song Mian ran over to Yuan Shiyuan’s side.
He praised him the whole time: “Shiyuan-ge, you’re amazing!”
Such praise pleased Yuan Shiyuan—he liked being complimented. “I’ve practiced a long time. I’ll make you another one, a marshmallow puppy design… it’s so cute, you’ll definitely like it.”
The look in Song Mian’s eyes when he looked at Yuan Shiyuan could no longer be described as mere admiration.
Elsewhere, Pei Yanbing had earned quite a bit of money. Thanks to his handsome looks and beautiful violin playing, many people ordered solo violin performances.
Occasionally he would run into his fans, or fans of Yuan Shiyuan.
Many of them excitedly tugged at him and asked, “Where’s Yuan Yuan? Is he nearby?”
Pei Yanbing: “He’s sleeping in the room.”
Seeing that they wouldn’t get any more out of him, the fans left disappointed.
After finishing a piece on the violin, Pei Yanbing went to the manager. “I need a ten-minute break.”
He stepped outside to get some air.
The café inside was relatively quiet, but outside the crowd was thick and noisy. He wasn’t used to such clamor; he preferred to hide in a corner like an invisible man.
Walking down a long corridor, Pei Yanbing found a shady spot under the pavilion and looked out at the distant sea. After about five or six minutes, he turned his gaze back and was about to return to the restaurant when—
Through the glass wall to the side, a pink-haired alpha in a skirt walked by, carrying a tray and setting coffee down at a table.
Back in the café, Yuan Shiyuan had just delivered a customer’s coffee; the guest insisted on tipping him. He flashed a warm smile—he didn’t know what the guest had said, but he nodded gladly.
Then he offered the cat ears from his head to the guest and nuzzled the guest’s palm with the side of his head.
Pei Yanbing watched Yuan Shiyuan with his back to him; as Yuan bent forward, the hem of his skirt naturally flipped up, revealing his long legs in full—a dangerously angled view.
A pair of slender, pale legs were sheathed in a layer of soft, translucent white stockings. In the glass’s reflective light, the pink at the back of his knees was unusually pronounced; if one got any closer, they might even see areas that shouldn’t be seen so clearly.
Pei Yanbing’s pupils suddenly dilated.
Author’s Note:
On the first day he wore a maid outfit, Little Yuan; on the second day: _____