Pretending to Be an Alpha in an All-Alpha Boy Band - Chapter 34
Chapter 34 New Record
Silence spread.
The production team of Struggling to Survive excelled at manufacturing conflict; their experienced crew knew audience psychology inside out. At this moment, however, the seasoned team was collectively speechless—the footage before them was too shocking and unexpected.
The Alphas in the room reacted instantly, forming a tight barrier to hide Yuan Shiyuan behind them. Bo Jin efficiently draped a jacket over him, but it was too late—the camera had already captured Yuan Shiyuan in his white shirt and included him in the livestream.
A strip of porcelain-white calf still peeked out from under the too-long hem, flickering between several S-rank Alphas’ legs and only making the attempt to cover it seem more conspicuous.
Pei Yanbing stepped in front of the camera. “Is there a problem?”
His calm tone made the entire directing team inexplicably feel like intruders.
“We…” The cameraperson instinctively peered into the room, but there was nothing to see. He withdrew his gaze with a pout, remembering their main purpose. “The livestream feed cut out suddenly. We came to check it.”
The Alphas didn’t budge.
Yuan Shiyuan tried to lean forward but was grabbed and pulled back by the nape of his neck. He raised an eyebrow at Jiang Heng and joked to ease the mood, “Aren’t you going to give me some camera time?”
Jiang Heng froze; the usually stern expression showed a rare flicker of fluster. “No.”
As a newcomer, Yuan Shiyuan should be given exposure so the audience could get to know him. But…
Jiang Heng’s gaze habitually dropped. With a jacket draped over him, Yuan Shiyuan’s legs looked even paler against the black coat.
“Wait.”
Ying Mingxi knelt on one knee and wrapped Yuan Shiyuan’s thighs with a towel. “That should do it.”
“Thanks, Brother Mingxi.” Yuan Shiyuan stepped toward the camera. Under his messy pink hair, his eyes shone startlingly. “What about the food we ordered?”
“The restaurant said it’s been sent over. Did you see it on the way here?”
“Yes, yes!” A staff member hurriedly raised a food box. “We brought it with us!”
“Then bring it in.”
The crew poured into the suite to check the equipment. Bo Jin pressed Yuan Shiyuan down onto the soft cushion behind the coffee table. Under him there was not only a jacket but another coat tightly covering his legs.
Yuan Shiyuan was unbearably hot. He pinched the jacket hem and lifted it a little, only to be pushed back down by Bo Jin.
A palm pressed over his hand, the other palm pressing through the jacket onto his thigh with a firm but controlled force.
“Don’t show your legs.”
Yuan Shiyuan suddenly realized—Bo Jin didn’t like seeing the legs of the same sex.
On the first day they met, Bo Jin had made no attempt to hide his aversion.
“But it’s so hot.” Yuan Shiyuan protested, then added, “Can the air conditioner be turned lower?”
Jiang Heng: “It’s already on the lowest setting.”
The mixture of S-rank pheromones in the suite made everyone inexplicably restless and overheated.
Pei Yanbing, who had a cleanliness obsession, immediately cleaned and disinfected the table. Bo Jin tore open the food packaging; the twins set the utensils with practiced synchronicity. Jiang Heng rearranged the dishes, putting the foods Yuan Shiyuan liked in front of him.
Yuan Shiyuan could only sit cross-legged where he was, watching longingly, unable to reach for anything.
In the end he gave up and became a bystander.
“Eat.” Bo Jin opened a pair of disposable chopsticks and shoved them into Yuan Shiyuan’s hand.
After a long day, Yuan Shiyuan only felt alive again once he had hot food in his stomach.
“By the way.” He looked at the staff. “Once we pay off our debts, can we move around freely?”
“Yes. But many activities on the cruise require additional fees,” the staff member reminded him.
“No problem.”
Making money was Yuan Shiyuan’s strong suit.
He was very interested in many of the activities on the cruise; when he was little his parents had taken him on one, but he got seasick and spent the whole time sleepily dozing.
In front of Yuan Shiyuan was a delicate blue-and-white porcelain bowl used specifically for holding snacks so their flavors wouldn’t mix with the hot food. He scooped out one osmanthus bird’s nest tangyuan; the first bite was soft and springy, sweet without being cloying, with a fresh floral note of osmanthus and a faint sweetness like lotus root.
He counted them—no more, no less—exactly six.
One tangyuan for each of the six of them, just enough to share.
Suddenly, Jiang Heng placed another osmanthus bird’s nest tangyuan into the little bowl.
“Wait—”
Just as Yuan Shiyuan was about to realize the misunderstanding and politely refuse, he heard Ying Mingxi say, “Do you like tangyuan?”
Ying Mingxi also put a tangyuan into the bowl.
As if a chain reaction had been triggered, Bo Jin, Ying Mingche, Pei Yanbing, and the others followed suit. In the blink of an eye, Yuan Shiyuan’s small bowl had piled up into a tiny mountain of tangyuan and could hold no more snacks.
Yuan Shiyuan was both amused and exasperated—he had only been checking whether there were enough tangyuan, not craving them. But faced with his teammates’ care, he obediently cradled the bowl and buried his face in it to eat.
“Eat your main course first.” Bo Jin stopped him and picked out a sizzling, oil-glazed lamb chop, “Dessert comes last.”
—Wuhu! Finally connected, let me see what’s going on here.
—Oh my, the livestream just started and Little Yuan is being fed? This old-married-couple vibe, looks like they’ve been at it for a while. [LOL]
—Where’s the production team? The new voting results are out, hurry and show us! ASAP!!
The production team looked constrained.
Struggling to Survive cared deeply about the audience’s experience and centered the show on viewer interaction. A live-format variety show couldn’t be edited into the most interesting, most polished clips like a traditional program.
To make things more engaging, the production team had set up a real-time voting segment, letting viewers decide what would happen next.
The outfit prepared for Yuan Shiyuan earlier was also chosen by high-like votes from viewers.
The option currently at the top of the leaderboard was: [Ask them what they were doing just now! Were they imparting? It must be!! [angry][hot]]
Likes had already broken one hundred thousand!
The PD pretended to be adjusting equipment but stealthily edged closer, then casually asked, “We didn’t interrupt you, did we?”
“Oh right, when the door opened earlier, you seemed pretty busy?”
“What were you doing?”
—I’m impressed with the PD, could you ask any more casually? [covering face]
—Super nonchalant question, huh? [grimace]
Yuan Shiyuan reached for the drink in front of him, but Bo Jin beat him to it and brought the drink to his lips, tearing off the seal and inserting a straw as he did. His knuckled fingers pinched the straw and gently pressed it to Yuan Shiyuan’s mouth, creating a slight indentation.
“We were taking a shower.”
Yuan Shiyuan sucked on the straw; his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. He protested, “Director, you’re going too far—you’re even controlling restroom time!”
The PD awkwardly grinned and pressed, “Just a shower?”
Did he not believe them?
Not only did the PD not believe it, the viewers in the livestream didn’t either.
The PD looked at Pei Yanbing. “I remember the captain was holding Shiyuan’s clothes at the time, right?”
Pei Yanbing: “I was getting ready to do laundry. I saw his clothes in the dirty hamper, so I was going to put them in the washer.”
—No way.
—Lying? Captain, you have severe cleanliness issues—would you pick up someone else’s clothes?
—Ohhh~ Our Little Yuan is the darling wife, not anyone else. [dog head]
The PD turned to Jiang Heng: “Weren’t you done showering? Why did you suddenly take off your clothes?”
Jiang Heng didn’t understand what was so strange about the question: “The room was hot.”
“Hot at 18 degrees?!”
“Hot.”
Jiang Heng answered expressionlessly. He really was hot—he got hot while showering, the lingering Alpha pheromones in the shower made him irritable, and there was no time to ventilate.
Only Yuan Shiyuan’s pheromones could ease it a little, but they brought a new kind of “discomfort,” a restlessness as if the susceptible period were about to begin.
“And you?” the PD stared at Ying Mingxi. “Don’t tell me you were hot too, so you took off your pants to cool down.”
The PD’s barrage of questions finally made the Alphas vaguely realize something was off.
Ying Mingxi said helplessly, “If I told you I was just adjusting my belt, would you believe me?”
“Not really,” the PD admitted, voicing what the danmaku were thinking too, “You put your belt on after showering?”
“My pajama pants were too big, so I had to use a belt to make do. Later I felt uncomfortable—maybe the belt was too tight—so I was going to adjust it.” Ying Mingxi emphasized, “I really had no intention of taking off my pants.”
Each Scepter member trained year-round, kept strict figures, and were the kind of broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted “big-fridge” types people joked about online (except Yuan Shiyuan).
Their waists truly weren’t especially bulky.
“How about you, Mingche? What did you mean by ‘it’s my turn’?”
Ying Mingche looked puzzled: “My turn to shower, of course.”
“Are you sure you didn’t misspeak?”
“What else could it be? We agreed to take turns—everyone else finished, so it was my turn.”
Saying that, Ying Mingche turned and grabbed Yuan Shiyuan’s hand, saying earnestly, “When it’s my turn to shower later, I want to smell your pheromones too.”
“You won’t deny me, right? That’s not fair.”
“You already gave them to the others, so I want some too.”
—Oh, what a terrible line!
—I’m really impressed with you, ymc. While the other As are desperately steering things toward innocence, you just ruin all their efforts. [covering face]
—”Take turns” “gave” “smell pheromones”—no, this is too chaotic; is there any fanfic I can read to get a bite? [shy]
—So is it taking turns to shower or…? I already have my own conclusion. [goofy smile]
It’s just releasing pheromones, how big a deal is it. Yuan Shiyuan: “Okay, okay, release, release. Let go of me first, we’re eating.”
Ying Mingche was finally satisfied; he saw soup clinging to the corner of Yuan Shiyuan’s lips and casually wiped it away with his fingertip.
The movement was natural and practiced, as if he’d done it countless times in private.
Seeing that, Bo Jin frowned and handed over a napkin, pointing at Yuan Shiyuan’s lip: “There’s something dirty.”
Ying Mingche looked at him, and a faint smell of gunpowder subtly spread.
—Brother Huo is lighting up—possessiveness up!
—ymc, I won’t allow you to touch my wife’s mouth!!
The atmosphere became really strange. The PD stared blankly, still wanting to press the matter, but Ying Mingxi smiled and interrupted: “Director, what exactly do you want to hear?”
The PD, feeling guilty, waved his hand: “Nothing, just asking.”
The gazes coming from all around grew increasingly odd.
Yuan Shiyuan felt the weirdness too but couldn’t find the root. He suddenly raised his hand: “Wait, director, I have a question.”
“We have twelve minutes left of restroom time, but you suddenly came in to adjust the livestream equipment… the time deduction feels a bit unfair.”
“Could we get a little compensation?” Yuan Shiyuan lifted his wet, glistening eyes. “Could the restroom be free of charge?”
His words hit the PD like a punch to the heart, and he blurted out, “Of course, sure!”
Yuan Shiyuan, afraid he’d go back on it, immediately thanked him: “Thank you, director! You’re the best.”
The planning team watched on in silence.
Only then did the PD realize what he’d promised, but he didn’t regret it. Even if asked again, he couldn’t have said no to Yuan Shiyuan’s expectant face.
“One last question—did we really not disturb you?” the director asked, unwilling to drop it.
Yuan Shiyuan: “No.”
“Really not?”
“Really not.”
The staff practically turned the room inside out; they left in a huff. Even as they walked away, their eyes kept gluing to the pink-haired alpha surrounded by the group.
Their gazes were full of disappointment, curiosity, and a faint, secret excitement.
Yuan Shiyuan blinked and suddenly realized: “Did they misunderstand something?”
—My baby, why are you only noticing this now?!
—Laughing mouse, ○ just now realizing you’re so shy?
—Help ○ he’s really pure… but then again, he’s still young!
“Of course they misunderstood.”
Ying Mingche smiled meaningfully. “Look at that shocked, half-speechless expression—they probably think we were having a group thing.”
“Who wouldn’t get the wrong idea seeing us like this?”
Yuan Shiyuan tilted his head in puzzlement. “Us? With who?”
He glanced around, “There isn’t anyone else here, right?”
Multiple gazes landed on Yuan Shiyuan at once.
The air froze for a few seconds.
Yuan Shiyuan fell silent for a moment, then suddenly widened his eyes and, incredulous, pointed at himself: “Me? You all together on me??”
—wc that blunt??
—Little Yuan, you just said it so fresh and pure?
—Oh no, the A’s faces all changed.
—No problem, the livestream’s on, go wild—I’m loving this. [holding a rose in mouth]
—Mom, Dad, I’m born!
The teammates didn’t answer.
Yuan Shiyuan could understand—the topic was indeed awkward for straight As. But remembering the staff’s expressions, he belatedly realized what the problem was.
No wonder everyone had been looking at him oddly.
Especially the Betas hiding in the corner—their looks practically shone, like Xiao Huang’s expression when reading ship fanfiction.
“Then it’s a big misunderstanding,” Yuan Shiyuan hinted, glancing at Jiang Heng.
Jiang Heng: “I really was very hot earlier.”
Yuan Shiyuan looked meaningfully at Ying Mingxi.
Ying Mingxi said helplessly, “My pajama pants really were huge.”
There was absolutely nothing wrong with those answers.
Completely normal actions—when pieced together, they somehow read as erotic.
Yuan Shiyuan was a straight A; being misread as the target of other men naturally made him shiver. But since nothing had actually happened, he waved it off casually, “Forget it, the innocent will be proven innocent.”
“We’re all straight As—what could possibly happen? It’s just showering.”
“Besides, we didn’t shower together. And even if we did, so what? We’re all Alphas.”
As long as the other wasn’t an A—everyone could share a bed.
Ying Mingche was dumbstruck.
Jiang Heng’s eyes darkened. “You’re oddly confident about us.”
“Do I have any reason not to be?” Yuan Shiyuan asked, puzzled. “We’re all S-rank.”
In Yuan Shiyuan’s understanding, S-rank Alphas have strong pheromone repulsion.
His certainty that there were no A-leaning members in the group also came from the fact that they were all S-rank.
Generally speaking, A-leaning tendencies are more common among lower-rank Alphas. First, lower-rank Alphas, because of pheromone suppression, are prone to complicated admires-or-fears toward higher-ranked Alphas; second, among lower-rank Alphas themselves, pheromone repulsion isn’t as severe.
The higher the rank of an Alpha, the stronger their pheromone repulsion. They feel sick at the scent of the same kind; being together is out of the question.
S-rank Alphas are extremely unlikely to lean A.
An S-rank alpha boy group, all straight, is reassuring.
That confident attitude irritated Ying Mingche: “You trust us that much?”
Even if they really tried something, Yuan Shiyuan could still get away. He wasn’t some little plush doll who couldn’t fight back once grabbed.
Yuan Shiyuan gave him a sidelong glance. “What can you even do?”
“Are you saying you could somehow make me give birth to eight babies in one go?” he teased with a laugh. “I’m an Alpha, you know.”
—Even if baby you’re an Alpha, don’t be too confident, okay? Mom’s begging you. [sob]
—Fine, I’ll write that tonight! Right now! Immediately!
The reception room fell into an odd silence.
After a while, a sigh sounded by his ear.
Ying Mingxi suddenly moved close from behind, his arm draping across Yuan Shiyuan’s lower back, his warm palm pressing, in a way that left no room for refusal, onto Yuan Shiyuan’s lower abdomen.
“Shiyuan.”
“An Alpha’s reproductive cavity is only regressed, not nonexistent.”
Ying Mingxi’s fingers pressed flat against Yuan Shiyuan’s lower abdomen, sliding upward, stopping just below the stomach, and gently pushed down.
He could clearly feel Yuan Shiyuan’s abdomen tense and twitch; then he let go and said in a soft voice, “If you apply force frequently enough… there is a way to pry it open.”
“So don’t be too complacent, Shiyuan.”
Yuan Shiyuan froze where he stood.
The other S-rank Alphas looked at him calmly; the overly quiet atmosphere made him unaccountably alert.
Yuan Shiyuan stayed cautious for barely two seconds before shrugging it off.
Putting aside that they weren’t A-leaning, even if they were—so what?
Could they really, in front of the whole internet and the livestream cameras, take him like that?
“……”
After the meal, Ying Mingxi and Jiang Heng cleared the table.
Only then did Yuan Shiyuan notice that they all had pajamas.
“I knew Mingxi had pajamas—he bought them yesterday… but why do you all have them?”
Ying Mingche coughed awkwardly. “Maybe the production team had a change of heart and gave them to us.”
“Are you sure?”
“Okay fine, I bought them secretly.”
Ying Mingche said, “I couldn’t help it. You can’t sleep in a bathrobe, that’s uncomfortable. Besides, I bought you one too.”
Yuan Shiyuan: “Then why didn’t you say anything when my bathrobe chafed and I was wearing a shirt without pajama bottoms?”
Ying Mingche: “Because I didn’t want to see you in pants.”
—Good, honest. [thumbs up]
—This dog is really lecherous, taking everything, no acting at all. [covering face]
—The others who pretend not to care at least try to act; they want to look at Little Yuan’s pretty legs but at least put on a show…
Ying Mingche’s blunt honesty left Yuan Shiyuan at a loss for words. The pajamas weren’t expensive and wouldn’t affect his repayment, so he didn’t complain.
He quickly changed into the new pajamas: soft white cotton printed with little tangyuan. After he moved a couple of steps, the pants started to slip down.
The waist was indeed a bit large… but he had no belt and couldn’t adjust it like Ying Mingxi.
Yuan Shiyuan could only tie a knot at the side.
Just then, Bo Jin pushed the door open. He glanced at the fleeting curve of Yuan Shiyuan’s waist and said awkwardly, “The staff said there’s music on the deck tonight. Want to go check it out?”
“Sure.” Yuan Shiyuan tried walking a few steps; the pants finally stayed up. “Let’s go see. It’s boring to sleep so early anyway.”
The white tables and chairs on the deck were set crookedly; the sunshades billowed in the sea breeze. Below the tiered steps, ready-made instruments were laid out.
Pei Yanbing, who had arrived first, played a piece on the violin, busking and earning extra money for the team.
“Did the production team provide the piano and violin?” Yuan Shiyuan looked around the well-equipped performance area.
“Yes.”
“Captain, then I’ll play the piano.” Since they were going to busk, how could they let Pei Yanbing do it all alone?
The night breeze was gentle, and a mellow violin melody flowed from Pei Yanbing’s hands. Yuan Shiyuan sat upright at the piano; as his fingers danced across the black and white keys, the piano sound blended perfectly with the lapping of the waves.
Suddenly, without warning, Pei Yanbing’s tempo accelerated. He turned his head, and in the clear moonlight his gaze met Yuan Shiyuan’s.
With just that look, Yuan Shiyuan understood, and his hands quickly matched the new rhythm. His long fingers moved nimbly over the keys; rapid, forceful notes struck like a sudden downpour.
The cruise gradually quieted; only the two intertwining instruments remained, indistinguishable from one another.
It was as if they were completely cut off from the world, performing this piece atop the sea.
More and more people gathered to watch.
“When did the cruise hire such professional performers?”
“Is there a show tonight? They’re professionals, right?”
“Wait, aren’t they guests on Struggling to Survive? Which group are they from…”
The tempo quickened and quickened. As the crowd held its breath, the music softened, easing like an outgoing tide.
At the instant Pei Yanbing put away his violin, Yuan Shiyuan suddenly struck a heavy chord.
The first note fell, immediately followed by a virtuoso display like a gale and storm!
Yuan Shiyuan’s fingers made wide leaps across the keys, seeming intent on stirring up a tempest.
Pei Yanbing’s pupils contracted as he fixed his eyes on the figure lost in the music.
This piece…
—Holy crap, isn’t this piece widely recognized as extremely difficult? It’s famous as a showy virtuoso work, a professional-level repertoire, one of the hardest pieces in the world. Why does it sound so effortless under ○’s hands?!!
—ysy can play piano?!
—Playing is one thing, but he’s this good… Whoa, those fingerings are insane, amazing! Totally professional level!
—Who is this artist? Tell me their name! I can’t, I’m in love—he looks so handsome when he plays!!
—Oh my God ○ never sold an image, so low-key, and turns out we’re this talented! Mom is so proud!! [smug]
—Magazine sales just shattered platform records; multiple e-commerce sites are at the top, easily wiping out the rivals—beautiful and skilled… fangirling wins, I’m dying of happiness!
—Is that speed even humanly possible?!
The sea breeze lifted the stray hair at Yuan Shiyuan’s forehead, revealing his calm, focused eyes. Moonlight washed over him; he seemed completely immersed in his own world.
Agile fingerwork paired with dazzling technique brought this high-difficulty piece to its pinnacle.
Members of the production team slipped onto the deck to watch; the chief director stared at the monitor, unable to hide his shock.
How old is Yuan Shiyuan? To have this level…
He’s only eighteen!
A sudden phone call interrupted the director’s thoughts. Seeing the caller ID, he answered, “I’m recording a show, can—”
He kept his eyes on the screen, afraid to miss a single note. As he was about to hang up, a voice came through, stopping him.
“Don’t hang up, I’m so annoyed. I just left a program… I really can’t with these people—if they can’t play the piano but insist on showing off, and then it’s been pitch-corrected in post and still sounds awful, and they even have fans praising it. Ha, it’s a joke…”
There was sudden silence on the other end of the line. The woman cried out, “What the hell? Who’s that big shot?! Which maestro are you listening to now?!”
“He’s a guest on our program, a rookie idol… keep your voice down, don’t interrupt me!”
“Idol?” The caller’s voice cracked in shock. “An idol could be at this level? If my grandfather heard him, he’d definitely take him on as his last disciple…”
The rhythm at her ear was still accelerating. She couldn’t stand it: “How far does this go? His hands were already fast enough, and now he’s even faster? I really hate these naturally gifted contestants!”
“Do you even want me to live anymore?”
“Stop making noise! I’m hanging up!”
“Hey, wait, don’t hang up—my grandfather might actually take a liking to him! What’s this idol’s name?”
“Yuan Shiyuan!”
“Amazing!”
The deck was packed, erupting in thunderous applause and cheers. The danmaku had long since been drowned out by frantic screams and gifts; people from all over the world were united in this auditory feast and only began celebrating once the performance ended!
The final note was torn apart by the sea breeze, and only then did Yuan Shiyuan fully step out of his world. His face was faintly flushed, residual passion from the performance lingering; the pink hair at his temples was damp with sweat, the tips trembling slightly with each breath.
Faced with the surrounding exclamations and praise, Yuan Shiyuan gave an embarrassed smile, panting lightly as he stood to take a bow. Standing on the cruise ship’s deck, he felt as if he were under the spotlight of a world-class concert hall, impossible to take one’s eyes off.
Pei Yanbing’s fingers, gripping the bow, trembled uncontrollably; he stood just a step away, looking up at Yuan Shiyuan from close range. The gazes of the other Alphas were uniformly heated.
Soon, someone brought more good news: “Scepter’s daystar magazine sales exceeded two million within ten minutes; total sales have surged to fifty million! They’ve set a new record for magazine revenue, beating second place by over thirty million!”
“They’re firmly sitting at number one—undoubtedly the top magazine in sales!”
“Scepter really made it, huh!”
Author’s Note:
The little underdog is going to blow up, aren’t you going to thank ○ baby [kisses][kisses]