Pretending to Be an Alpha in an All-Alpha Boy Band - Chapter 31

Chapter 31 Livestream Accident (Part 2)

There was only an hour allotted for showers, and with time lost to undressing and walking, each of the six of them had less than ten minutes to shower on average.

Yuan Shiyuan still had to wash his hair, so he had to race the clock.

Fortunately his hair wasn’t especially long and he was too lazy to bother with conditioner; if he moved quickly he could finish within ten minutes.

The last of the foam was rinsed away. To save time, Yuan Shiyuan didn’t bother wiping all the water off his body—he roughly dabbed a towel over himself, put on disposable underwear, threw on a bathrobe, and stepped out still dripping.

Yuan Shiyuan kept his head slightly bowed as he wiped water from the ends of his hair; his freshly washed, pink-tinged damp hair showed a distinct feathered texture.

He emanated the lingering warmth of hot water; rivulets ran down his face, some seeping into his loose collar, others tracing the lines of his legs and leaving a bright wet trail.

His snow-white skin steamed a delicate pink; the bathrobe hung loose and he wasn’t wearing anything under it, the tie sketching a slim waist.

Yuan Shiyuan didn’t notice anything amiss around him and continued focused on drying his hair. “Captain, you can go in. Oh, I put some pheromone in there—should still be pretty strong.”

“The body wash should be enough, but there isn’t much shampoo—only a 30ml sample… If you’re washing your hair, use it sparingly.”

“Don’t squeeze out too much.”

Yuan Shiyuan carefully reminded them, worried the Alphas might run out of toiletries. The room around them had gone very quiet; only their breathing sounded unusually clear.

He paused and looked up, as if sensing something.

Every Alpha was staring at him.

Though scattered around the room, their bodies were all oriented toward the restroom, and their gazes pressed down on him with a heavy, suffocating intensity.

What was going on?

He was only taking a shower—why did they all look so ravenous?

Had today’s work been that brutal?

Yuan Shiyuan met their circle of stares and their eyes finally settled on Pei Yanbing. “Captain?”

“Aren’t you going to go finish showering?”

“I’m going now.” Pei Yanbing rose to leave, then, as if remembering something, tilted his head for another look.

Is he looking at me?

Yuan Shiyuan instinctively lowered his head and realized his appearance was a little indecent.

His robe was disheveled, half a collarbone exposed; with a wider movement the robe might gape and reveal the thin muscle of his abdomen.

Since they were in front of the cameras, Yuan Shiyuan reached to pull his collar closed.

Ying Mingche hooked his hand into the collar and opened it again, exposing the damp collarbone to the air.

“The livestream’s main plug was pulled. Don’t worry, the audience can’t see.” He looked at Yuan Shiyuan’s collarbone and licked his canine, his gaze drifting downward like he wished he could see more. He said softly, “Why hide it? Afraid of us?”

“It’s so hot and you’re wrapped up like that? Take the bathrobe off. Anyway the viewers can’t see—if you streak naked it wouldn’t matter…”

Yuan Shiyuan slapped Ying Mingche’s hand away and declined politely, “There are still boundaries—I have some pride.”

The back of his hand was struck hard enough to send a tingling electric thrill across his skin. If any other Alpha dared to manhandle Ying Mingche like that, he would make them pay…

But Yuan Shiyuan’s hand was soft, and the slap came with the warm, fragrant afterglow of his just-finished bath.

It actually felt pretty nice.

Ying Mingche raised an eyebrow slightly. “What’s the matter? We’re all Alphas—are you afraid I’ll peek at you?”

“Fine—then I’ll streak later too. I’ll show you, we’ll look at each other.”

Yuan Shiyuan continued to refuse gently: “No, I’m afraid you’ll feel inferior after seeing it.”

Ying Mingche raised his eyebrows in surprise; he had sized up Yuan Shiyuan’s slight frame, yet spoke with surprising boldness.

He hooked his hand around Yuan Shiyuan’s shoulder and sniffed sideways: “You smell so good.”

This was the unanimous impression among the Alphas—Shiyuan smelled intoxicating.

A faint scent of body wash mixed with his natural aroma; steam from the shower swirled and spread it through the room, the blended fragrance stirring vivid imagination.

Yuan Shiyuan bowed his head to sniff, though he didn’t actually detect any particular scent.

“If I use your body wash later, will I smell the same?” Ying Mingche curled a damp pink strand of hair and, while Yuan Shiyuan wasn’t paying attention, secretly licked a droplet from it.

Ying Mingxi’s Adam’s apple slid down sharply.

From the moment Yuan Shiyuan entered the shower, the Alphas had been controlled by a strange agitation.

That persistent heat and dryness had, a moment ago, been momentarily satisfied—only to leave them craving more urgently…

Ying Mingche wore an expression of rapture; just as he was about to take a second lick, Bo Jin suddenly pushed him away from behind.

Caught off guard, Ying Mingche stumbled and hit the wall. Furious at having his fun interrupted, he snapped, “What’s your problem? Looking for trouble?”

Bo Jin: “I just don’t like you, okay?”

“Fine, that’s fine.” Ying Mingche smiled. “Then I’ll just punch you for no reason, is that okay?”

Seeing the two S-rank Alphas about to come to blows, Yuan Shiyuan immediately stepped between them. He hadn’t even had time to dry his hair: “Don’t fight, okay? The livestream was only cut temporarily. The production team won’t just do nothing—they could come barging in with cameras at any time…”

“I don’t want footage of our team fighting, members brawling on the show.”

Who cared? If they got filmed, so what—there was already tension in the team. Hadn’t they been caught fighting on camera before?

More than any notion of team honor, they cared about being provoked. The S-rank Alphas’ pride and territorial instincts drove them to lash out immediately.

Until the warm, soft touch pressed against their chests at the same moment, both angered S-ranks froze.

When they looked down, they saw a hand braced against their chests—fingers slender and pale, nails with a faint pink sheen; still damp and lightly fragrant from the recent shower.

Their gazes drifted up to a face flushed a pale red, brows slightly knit, long lashes glistening with moisture as they raised their eyes.

“Everyone calm down, okay?”

“What’s going on?”

Bo Jin wasn’t one to explain—if he wanted to act, he’d act without reason. But Yuan Shiyuan lifted his leg and tapped Bo Jin’s knee.

After a brief silence, he said, “He licked your hair.”

Yuan Shiyuan shot Ying Mingche a look: “You’re gross.”

The obvious disgust in his tone made Ying Mingche indignant. He protested, “I didn’t lick it, okay? I just smelled it—accidentally got too close and my tongue touched it. And I was just checking if you washed your hair clean. Why do you make it sound like I’m some kind of pervert?”

Yuan Shiyuan: “You’re not a pervert?”

Bo Jin sneered: “You see with your tongue? If your eyes were on his tongue, would you then French-kiss him every time you look at Yuan Shiyuan?”

Ying Mingche froze, unsure which word had struck a nerve; his heart raced as he shot back, “Who—who’s going to French-kiss him!”

“Nobody wants to French-kiss you.”

Yuan Shiyuan silently withdrew his hand. Thinking about his hair having been licked by another man gave him a chill down his spine. He kept dabbing at his ends with the towel, his expression solemn beneath his pink hair. “Then this is your problem—Bo Jin’s not wrong, and you don’t have any grounds to complain.”

Bo Jin watched Yuan Shiyuan take a step closer to him, then stand on his side, and the hostility in his eyes slowly eased.

He glanced at Ying Mingche with a hint of provocation, as if flaunting some victory from male rivalry.

Ying Mingche ground his teeth; Yuan Shiyuan’s look of disdain really hurt him.

Yet he had no way to argue, and could only flail: “But Bo Jin pushed me so hard it hurt—my hand is all cut… If it scars, I won’t be perfect anymore.”

“I won’t be a complete Alpha.”

It was only a scraped hand, not like he’d had a whole segment chopped off—what was he making a fuss about?

There was internal strife in the team, the captain was still in the shower, and even if Pei Yanbing were here he’d probably watch with disinterest. The other S-rank Alphas, at least, refrained from pouring gasoline on the fire.

Yuan Shiyuan could only step forward and take charge: “Don’t start trouble from now on. We’re all one family—can we live peacefully? And you, Ying Mingche, you can’t just lick me, not my hair either.”

“We need mutual supervision and a punishment system. If anyone quarrels again, they must accept punishment.”

Ying Mingche wanted to appeal, but when he saw Yuan Shiyuan’s warning look he could only give a dejected “Oh”: “I know.”

“You said you’d be obedient, right?” Yuan Shiyuan softened his voice and asked again.

Hearing Yuan Shiyuan’s gentle tone lifted Ying Mingche’s mood noticeably: “Of course.”

Sure enough, dealing with Ying Mingche required both a reprimand and a sweetener.

Having successfully defused the team conflict, Yuan Shiyuan was satisfied. His hair was half-dried, the ends still dripping.

He searched the room but couldn’t find a hair dryer.

“Shiyuan, are you looking for the hair dryer?”

“Yes.”

Across the room, Yuan Shiyuan met eyes with Ying Mingxi near the dining table. “Brother Mingxi, have you seen it? It’s not in the restroom or the living room.”

Ying Mingxi: “I think I saw one in a cabinet. Wait a second.”

Bo Jin had just returned from the balcony, alert: “What are you two doing flirting with each other?”

“Flirting?” Yuan Shiyuan was speechless. “Me and Brother Mingxi are just exchanging normal looks and talking.”

Brother Mingxi.

Bo Jin tugged at the corner of his mouth in displeasure and let out an ambiguous cold laugh. How cheesy—calling him ‘brother.’

Yuan Shiyuan had never called him that.

Bo Jin sat down beside Yuan Shiyuan with a cold face, watching his expression. Lately, Yuan Shiyuan’s relationships with the other members had grown closer, while he had become increasingly distant toward Bo Jin.

But it was Yuan Shiyuan who first suggested they be friends. Now they were friends, yet Yuan Shiyuan was so close with the other Alphas.

He’d been sitting here for so long without Yuan Shiyuan paying him any attention.

Fine—he didn’t care. Whether Yuan Shiyuan was cold to him, whether he paid attention to him or someone else, none of it was his business.

Bo Jin didn’t care.

Yuan Shiyuan, not sure what he was looking for, was about to stand up when his wrist was grabbed.

Bo Jin pressed him down onto the sofa, holding him so he couldn’t pull away or move.

In truth Yuan Shiyuan could have escaped, but he didn’t. He looked slender, yet his strength and explosive power in every way matched the other Alphas.

He asked, “What’s wrong?”

Why do you get so close to others?

Why do you leave as soon as I come?

You said you wanted to be friends—are we still friends now? If we are, why are you so cold to me?

Many questions melted away the moment Bo Jin’s palm touched the soft texture and Yuan Shiyuan looked up at him, wet-eyed, and they were all forgotten.

Yuan Shiyuan sat obediently on the sofa beside the Alpha, his wet hair sticking irregularly to his temples; the pink strands at his forehead were casually swept back, revealing a smooth, damp brow.

At this distance, Bo Jin could smell his scent most strongly.

Bo Jin didn’t speak. Yuan Shiyuan nudged his calf with his foot.

Only then did Bo Jin say, “You’re soaked—don’t move around.”

“You’re dripping water that’ll dirty the floor.”

“You’re the one leaving water on the floor.”

Yuan Shiyuan hadn’t noticed at first. He glanced at the floor and, sure enough, parts of the carpet and hardwood were damp from droplets clinging to his hair.

“Oh.” He muttered in displeasure, “Now you’re calling me messy? I was just trying to shower quickly so you all could come in sooner—so I came out wet on purpose.”

“If I had no heart, I could’ve stayed in there for fifty-nine minutes and saved one minute for the six of you to share.”

Yuan Shiyuan’s lips fluttered as he spoke, and Bo Jin watched him, slightly entranced.

“If you really stayed in there that long, I might’ve gone in with you,” Bo Jin said. “Showering together would save even more time.”

Ying Mingche, legs crossed, interrupted: “You go in? Then I’ll go in too.”

Looking for a show, he turned to Ying Mingxi and called, “Brother, let’s go together.”

“More people would save more time. I just don’t know if that small space can fit all of us.”

Yuan Shiyuan: “Of course it can’t. The bathroom separates wet and dry—it’s hard enough for two people. Don’t you realize how big you all are?”

“If I’m the one showering, you’d be lucky if one of you squeezed in, let alone two or three,” he said. “Impossible.”

“Too small. You can’t fit.”

Yuan Shiyuan had naturally considered that showering together would save time. But the problem was the space.

The shower was too small, and the other S-ranks weren’t as slim as he was. At best, the shower could barely hold him and one other S-rank.

Add a third person, and it wouldn’t work.

Yuan Shiyuan didn’t mind showering together—he’d been to public bathhouses before. Besides, they were all Alphas; there was nothing shameful about it.

“Shiyuan, I found the hair dryer.”

It had been tucked deep in a cabinet; if Ying Mingxi hadn’t remembered it, it might have been hard to find. He plugged it in and walked over to Yuan Shiyuan.

“I’ll do it.” Bo Jin reached out, and Ying Mingxi glanced at him before simply handing over the dryer.

Ten seconds later, Yuan Shiyuan sprang up from the sofa and leapt behind Ying Mingxi.

“This is an accident…” Bo Jin, holding the dryer, said, “It’s my first time blow-drying someone else’s hair—my hands are a bit rusty.”

Yuan Shiyuan: “So you’re using me for practice? Please spare my fragile hair.”

“Put down the dryer. I’ll dry it myself.”

Ying Mingche had intended to grab the job, but he was smart—he knew his inexperience would probably hurt Yuan Shiyuan. Better to give up the chance and let someone else embarrass themselves.

Bo Jin was the perfect example.

Jiang Heng, watching from the side, walked over just as Ying Mingxi spoke softly: “I’ll do it.”

Bo Jin reluctantly handed the hair dryer over.

“Where’s the money? I’ll count one last time.” Yuan Shiyuan was about to sit on the carpet when Bo Jin pinched his waist to stop him.

“Wait.” Bo Jin took a nearby coat and spread it on the floor. “The carpet’s dirty—sit on my clothes.”

Yuan Shiyuan sat down without any hesitation.

Snow-white legs pressed down on another Alpha’s black coat—an indescribable kind of sexy.

And of course Yuan Shiyuan himself didn’t notice.

He sat however he liked, legs casually folded, the bathrobe rolled back almost to his crotch without a care. Ying Mingxi stood behind him drying his hair while he bent his head to count money; his bare face, without makeup, was flawless. His eyelashes trembled as he counted, a film of moisture glazing his eyes.

He looked very pleased, with an inexplicable little smugness.

Bo Jin stared at Yuan Shiyuan’s legs and tilted his head to take a sip of water. “Ying Mingxi is really good at blow-drying,” he said. “Very practiced. Seems like he’s done this for a partner before, huh?”

Gossip? Yuan Shiyuan immediately perked up.

Ying Mingxi explained helplessly, “Usually when the little animals get wet, I dry their fur for them.”

He added, “I’ve never been in a relationship.”

Yuan Shiyuan withdrew his gaze, disappointed—looks like no juicy gossip after all.

“I can vouch for him—my brother’s never dated.” Ying Mingche said, “My brother can vouch for me too: I’ve never dated either. Virgin.”

“You sick?” Jiang Heng said. “Who asked you that?”

Yuan Shiyuan: “……”

He wanted to laugh, and at the same time thought, as expected—where Alphas gather, nonsense reigns and topics have no limits. Besides, the camera plug had been pulled, so the conversation was getting bolder.

Ying Mingche: “Why is it us talking and you not saying anything? How about you?” He looked at Yuan Shiyuan. “Have you ever dated anyone?”

Ying Mingxi’s fingers paused while blow-drying Yuan Shiyuan’s hair. Bo Jin and Jiang Heng fell silent and glanced over as well.

The dryer was on medium: the temperature was just right and the sound low. Warm air ruffled the pink strands, and Ying Mingxi’s fingers, moving among the hair, occasionally brushed the scalp.

Yuan Shiyuan closed his eyes in comfort, reflexively wanting to press his knees together, but his cross-legged position made that awkward so he gave up.

He slouched lazily and gave a sidelong glance. “Guess.”

“Guess?” Ying Mingche sounded annoyed and couldn’t help being sarcastic. “Then it must be true. Who is it? An Omega or a Beta? Definitely an Omega, right?”

Bo Jin drank irritably, and Jiang Heng leaned against the wall, contemplative. Then they heard Yuan Shiyuan say again, “You guess.”

Ying Mingche launched into a barrage of questions, but Yuan Shiyuan only told him to guess! He was left in limbo, unable to stop imagining what Yuan Shiyuan would be like in a relationship.

“You’re so good-looking—the person you’d date must be attractive too…” He stopped mid-sentence, conflicted. “But that’s impossible.”

“There can’t be anyone more handsome than you.”

“How can you do this? How can you be in a relationship so early.” Ying Mingche didn’t even know why he was fired up. “You’re only a freshman—so young and already dated? Maybe a lot? Back in middle school you must have dated a lot, right?”

Being as pretty as he was, Yuan Shiyuan surely had admirers of every gender.

“Do you change partners every day? Date someone different each day? Hold hands with an Omega today, have dinner with a Beta tomorrow, watch a movie with someone new the next day?”

“How can you be like this?” Ying Mingche, increasingly convinced, “You’re such a player, an A scumbag!”

Yuan Shiyuan couldn’t help chuckling but didn’t take the bait; he let them assume he’d dated, and even many times.

In reality, he had never dated anyone.

When he was studying, his parents had actually supported early relationships—they believed early romance was part of life experience. How many times could one fall in love early in life? As long as one kept appropriate boundaries, didn’t hurt the other person, and didn’t toy with feelings, it was fine.

But his younger brother forbade him from early dating and listed many dangers of it; that made sense to him. Later, when their mother suddenly fell ill, he was busy with all kinds of part-time jobs and dating became even less possible.

Ying Mingxi twirled a pink strand of hair around his fingertip and asked softly, “Really, Shiyuan?”

Yuan Shiyuan: “Not telling you.”

Jiang Heng: “Then it’s true.”

He felt a little disappointed but not surprised at all.

So many people liked Yuan Shiyuan; it would be perfectly normal for him to have dated—perhaps many times.

Bo Jin, face cold, poured Yuan Shiyuan a glass of water. “You’re something else—messing around at such a young age.”

“You’re flattering me.” Yuan Shiyuan took a sip. Under the complicated, inscrutable gazes of the S-rank Alphas, he suddenly smiled. “Actually, I’ve never dated.”

“I’m still so young,” he added, “and my life isn’t just about romance.”

A few of the Alphas’ expressions brightened.

Even Bo Jin’s cold face showed the faintest, almost imperceptible smile.

“And I haven’t met an Omega I like yet,” Yuan Shiyuan said. “Even if I wanted to date, I couldn’t.”

Wait—

An Omega??

The S-rank Alphas fell utterly silent. The air turned eerily still; the previously pleasant faces froze.

They couldn’t laugh anymore.