Pretending to Be an Alpha in an All-Alpha Boy Band - Chapter 51
Chapter 51: Rebound
“What are you two doing?”
Ying Mingche asked the same question as Jiang Heng, but unlike Jiang Heng, he wasn’t completely clueless. The sensory overload from their shared empathy had already allowed him to reconstruct the scene in his mind.
The soft, delicate sensation—though small—combined with the wet, lingering taste left little doubt: his brother had devoured Xiao Yuan.
A jumble of excitement, frustration, and regret coalesced into shock. He had always known his brother was no saint, but he never imagined he would be so brazenly perverse, actually making a move on Yuan Shiyuan right on the set of a commercial shoot.
With Ying Mingche’s arrival, the door swung open completely. Corridor light streamed into the room, illuminating the two figures entangled on the makeup chair, one of whom bore his own spitting image.
Standing nearby was another Alpha, his expression dark as a husband caught his wife in the act.
Compared to Jiang Heng’s presence, Ying Mingche at the door felt utterly out of place, like a clown who had stumbled onto a film set.
“Did I… come at a bad time?”
Ying Mingche closed and locked the door, the sharp click of the lock echoing harshly in the silent room.
It was at that moment that Yuan Shiyuan realized he was surrounded by three Alphas.
He suddenly felt like a teenager caught bringing his boyfriend home to “sneak a taste of forbidden fruit” in the living room, only to have his family jump out from every corner, staring accusingly…
“No, you’re here at exactly the right time,” Yuan Shiyuan blurted out, his toes curling in embarrassment. He cleared his throat awkwardly, finally finding his voice.
“The more the merrier for something like this. We can even learn some techniques from each other.”
Jiang Heng’s head snapped up, utterly incredulous. “What did you say about learning?”
Yuan Shiyuan started to raise his hand, but seeing his wet, reddened fingers, he silently lowered it and hid it behind his back.
Ying Mingxi noticed his small gesture and chuckled softly, seizing Yuan Shiyuan’s hand and leisurely tracing the seams between his fingers with his thumb.
“We were just rehearsing, getting into character for the audition,” he replied smoothly, answering for Yuan Shiyuan with perfect composure.
“My apologies, I was so absorbed in the scene that I didn’t notice you.”
“Really? Does rehearsal require such… intimacy?”
Did you have to make Yuan Shiyuan’s fingertips flush red? And shove his fingers into Yuan Shiyuan’s mouth to swirl them around?
Jiang Heng curled his lips into a cold smile. “So, what ‘feeling’ did you discover?”
“That’s a rather personal matter,” Ying Mingxi replied with gentle yet firm refusal. “I’d prefer not to share it with anyone.”
Yuan Shiyuan pretended to be busy, looking down and fiddling with his fingers.
Thank goodness Jiang Heng didn’t ask me directly. I wouldn’t have known how to answer while maintaining some dignity.
Ying Mingxi was particularly skilled at licking. Plus, Yuan Shiyuan hadn’t smelled Ying Mingxi’s pheromone in ages, making the sensation fresh and stimulating. At the time, his mind had been a complete blank, capable only of registering the word pleasure.
Yuan Shiyuan had assumed the conversation would end there, but then Jiang Heng grabbed a chair and sat down directly across from them.
“Is that so?”
“Didn’t you say this was audition practice? The more people present, the easier it is to learn the skill, right? But you’re keeping everything hidden, secretly practicing on your own. Isn’t that… rather odd?”
“We’re a team, after all,” Jiang Heng said, his face full of mockery.
Ying Mingxi meticulously wiped Yuan Shiyuan’s fingers, his service instincts strong, his movements gentle and patient. In no time, he had cleaned the soaked fingers.
“So, what do you want?”
“Tell me exactly what just happened.”
Jiang Heng’s gaze locked onto Yuan Shiyuan’s reddened fingertips, then shifted to his flushed face. “Every detail. I want to know everything.”
Ying Mingxi glanced up at Jiang Heng, a soft laugh escaping his lips. “Didn’t you see it all yourself?”
Jiang Heng’s expression instantly darkened.
Yuan Shiyuan could clearly sense the clashing S-rank pheromones warring in the air.
To defuse the escalating tension, he spoke first: “It was nothing, really. No details to tell. Brother Mingxi was just worried about my marking function getting injured, so he checked my teeth. Since he was already checking, we figured we might as well practice creating an intimate atmosphere.”
“We’re going to have to practice it sooner or later anyway. As for how it felt…”
Yuan Shiyuan strained to recall sensations beyond pure pleasure. “A tingling all over? Feeling like I couldn’t quite control my body, like I wanted to fidget and move around a lot.”
Ying Mingxi had noticed this acutely, as had Jiang Heng, who was observing from the side.
Yuan Shiyuan had a small habit: whether feeling comfortable or nervous, he would always try to grab something to distract himself. Or he might tilt his head and nuzzle the other person’s jawline, as if offering a reward.
Jiang Heng also remembered Yuan Shiyuan’s subtle shifts in expression. When his knuckles disappeared completely, he would tremble violently, his tear-drenched lashes fluttering, his heels and knees rubbing together, and he would hum and whimper.
As Jiang Heng silently savored these memories, Ying Mingche pulled up a chair. “Anything else?”
Wasn’t that enough?
Yuan Shiyuan wracked his brain, looking like a student suddenly called on to answer a question in class, his brow furrowing slightly.
“There was also… a sort of…” He groped for the precise words. “Itchy? Warm?”
Too embarrassed to specify the itching and warmth in his glands, Yuan Shiyuan prayed they wouldn’t ask.
But fate, as it often does, had other plans. Ying Mingche pressed, “Where exactly did it itch? Where did it feel warm?”
Jiang Heng retrieved a pen and paper from the side and began taking notes.
Ying Mingxi opened a bottle of mineral water and offered it to Yuan Shiyuan, who nearly spat the water out when he heard.
“Do you really need to ask such detailed questions?” Yuan Shiyuan, stared at by the three Alphas, felt so mortified he wished he could burrow into the ground. “And you’re even taking notes? That’s going too far!”
“I’m just observing and haven’t participated in any practice sessions,” Jiang Heng said earnestly, meticulously recording Yuan Shiyuan’s earlier comments. “To better summarize and learn, I need to document your every sensation.”
Stymied by Jiang Heng’s academic zeal, Yuan Shiyuan could only say, “My stomach feels itchy… and hot.”
It wasn’t exactly a lie. Deep inside his abdomen, he did feel both itchy and hot.
“I have a question too,” Ying Mingxi said softly, but before he could finish, Yuan Shiyuan ruthlessly clamped his hand over his mouth.
“No more questions!”
Even though Yuan Shiyuan was still cradled on Ying Mingxi’s lap, having to answer post-coital inquiries from three Alphas was pushing his patience. Even a good-natured, straight guy like him couldn’t help but snap under the relentless questioning.
“Alright,” Ying Mingxi said, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes. With his lower face covered, his voice came out muffled and indistinct. “I just wanted to ask if you were comfortable. If not, I’ll do better next time.”
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
“It’s not that I can’t answer.”
The answer was obvious. If Yuan Shiyuan had been uncomfortable, he wouldn’t have looked so dazed, or even actively embraced the Alpha, demanding pheromones.
In the makeup room, three Alphas surrounded Yuan Shiyuan, their gazes fixed on his face as they waited for him to speak the answer himself.
“Mmm…”
“It felt really good.”
The S-rank pheromones hovering in the air seemed to freeze for a moment before their concentration exploded, permeating the room.
Jiang Heng stared thoughtfully at Yuan Shiyuan’s slightly pursed lips. When answering, Yuan Shiyuan had subtly turned his head away, as if someone were forcing him to speak. His pale pink hair lay obediently against the nape of his neck, carrying an irresistible, faint fragrance—the kind that made you crave more with every whiff.
Jiang Heng averted his gaze, returning to his notes.
Yuan Shiyuan couldn’t see what Jiang Heng was writing. The oppressive silence, coupled with the Alphas’ intense stares, left him no choice but to brace himself and add, “It’s not my fault, is it? Brother Mingxi, you’re just too good at… you know. I was completely dazed the whole time.”
Whether it was the licking of his fingers or the inspection of his canines, combined with the pheromone-enhanced sensations, it had all felt exceptionally good.
Ying Mingche’s voice dripped with melancholy: “So you still prefer my brother to me, huh?”
Yuan Shiyuan readily admitted, “Because Brother Mingxi is just better. You always push boundaries, but he never does. He has such a good sense of restraint, and I feel so comfortable around him.”
Ying Mingche looked as if the sky was about to fall. “So… you’re not comfortable around me?”
“I didn’t say that,” Yuan Shiyuan retorted. “If you want to think that way, I can’t stop you.”
Ying Mingche seethed with anger and jealousy. Just moments ago, Yuan Shiyuan had been standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, but now he was turning his back on him, even cozying up to his brother and saying he was better.
Ying Mingxi sighed helplessly. “Shiyuan, don’t think of me as so perfect.”
“But you really are wonderful,” Yuan Shiyuan insisted, recalling the earlier moment. “I’m not used to such close physical contact with other men. You must have noticed I was tense earlier, which is why you stopped so suddenly…”
Ying Mingxi gazed at him, his voice soft as a lover’s whisper. “Or perhaps… I simply wanted more?”
“Hmm?”
“Enough.”
Jiang Heng closed his laptop, stood up, and extended a hand to Yuan Shiyuan. “You’ve been here long enough. Let’s go. The staff have prepared a larger makeup room for you.”
“I’ll take you there myself.”
Yuan Shiyuan swiftly got to his feet, packing the body chain he’d taken off earlier into its box.
Jiang Heng naturally took the box and positioned himself protectively behind Yuan Shiyuan. His tall, broad frame formed an impenetrable barrier, shielding Yuan Shiyuan from the gazes behind them.
As Jiang Heng turned to leave, he glanced back.
Two identical faces smiled at him simultaneously, their eyes gleaming with the familiar Alpha’s challenge.
“Is that really all?”
“They didn’t do anything… weird to you?”
Yuan Shiyuan had barely taken two steps when the Alpha beside him urgently grabbed his shoulder and pinned him against the wall.
Jiang Heng’s grip wasn’t harsh, but it carried an unyielding force. His gaze swept over Yuan Shiyuan like a scanner, up and down.
His tense demeanor betrayed his fear that Yuan Shiyuan had been taken advantage of.
Seeing Jiang Heng so visibly anxious for the first time, Yuan Shiyuan couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Seriously, nothing happened,” he assured him, raising his hands and opening his mouth wide. “Just like I said.”
“We were just trying to get closer through physical contact. After all, we need to film intimate scenes, so we need to get used to each other’s touch and proximity.”
At this thought, Yuan Shiyuan sighed. “Brother Mingxi probably wanted to practice kissing scenes with me just now, but I’m not comfortable with it yet. I instinctively flinched away… Thank goodness it was just practice.”
If such a reaction occurred during filming, it would be terribly unprofessional and disrespectful to his partner.
Luckily, he still had time to overcome this instinctive aversion.
Jiang Heng’s emotions were a tangled mess. A nameless fury simmered within him, though he rarely lost control of his temper. He knew he had no right to be angry.
Just like last time, when he’d faced Yuan Shiyuan’s younger brother.
“Just practice?”
“What else would it be?”
Yuan Shiyuan, knowing Jiang Heng meant well, patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, it’s just practice.”
But Ying Mingxi’s deeply immersed expression had clearly gone beyond the realm of mere practice.
From the suggestive way he swallowed his finger deeply, to the flirtatious kneading of Yuan Shiyuan’s nape, to the coaxing tone in his voice…
None of it looked like normal practice.
Ying Mingche’s desperate scramble for attention only confirmed Jiang Heng’s suspicions. He clearly knew what his brother had done, which explained his lack of surprise.
Those two brothers are colluding like wolves—not a decent bone in either of them.
“You’re overreacting. That won’t do.”
“We should practice together sometime, or you’ll never pass the audition.”
“Now that I’ve got the hang of the technique and feel, don’t worry, I’ll help you.” Yuan Shiyuan, sensing Jiang Heng’s anxiety, playfully bumped his shoulder with a fist, putting on a buddy-buddy act.
Yuan Shiyuan’s worried words instantly made Jiang Heng’s expression freeze.
Jiang Heng lowered his hand from Yuan Shiyuan’s shoulder and awkwardly retreated a step. He straightened his collar, reverting to his usual cold, aloof persona, though his tone carried an unnatural stiffness.
“Really?”
Yes. They were about to rehearse intimate scenes—from holding hands and hugging to kissing, and even more intimate scenes… He shouldn’t be making such a fuss.
“But I still think the Ying Mingxi brothers are… odd.”
If Jiang Heng had replaced the name “Ying Mingxi” with “Ying Mingche,” Yuan Shiyuan would have nodded in agreement. But Jiang Heng deliberately emphasized Ying Mingxi.
Yuan Shiyuan had always held a favorable impression of Ying Mingxi, who consistently ranked among the top performers at Scepter. Ying Mingxi had always been considerate of his feelings and very attentive. He shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions about someone who genuinely cared for him.
“Maybe Brother Mingxi is just really getting into character,” Yuan Shiyuan suggested.
Yuan Shiyuan tilted his head back and sniffed the air, detecting the Cabernet Sauvignon pheromone—pungently aggressive. “You should suppress your pheromones,” he said. “A lot of the staff are Alphas and Omegas. It wouldn’t be good for them to smell that.”
Jiang Heng: “……”
“Alright,” he conceded.
The corridor lights cast a stark glow across the Alpha’s face, illuminating the darkness beneath his eyes with particular clarity.
Yuan Shiyuan smiled. “Sure, we were going to practice anyway.”
The new makeup room was larger and brighter. As soon as Yuan Shiyuan appeared, the staff swarmed around him.
“We need to touch up your makeup to match the haute couture colors.”
“His eyelashes are so long! No need for mascara…”
“Forget it, don’t touch him. Let’s not ruin Shiyuan’s natural beauty.”
The styling team surrounded Yuan Shiyuan, utterly at a loss. They had originally planned to enhance his makeup, but his cheeks were flushed with a natural blush, and the corners of his eyes shimmered with a rosy hue.
Without a single touch of makeup, he looked even more stunning than if he had been meticulously styled.
“What’s with your mouth?” Bo Jin frowned, staring at Yuan Shiyuan’s lips. The redness was particularly striking, almost unnaturally vibrant.
Just now, Yuan Shiyuan had returned with Jiang Heng…
Bo Jin shot Jiang Heng a sidelong glance, his eyes filled with deep, probing scrutiny.
Jiang Heng stood with his arms crossed, letting Bo Jin examine him, a faint, challenging curve playing on his lips.
“I forgot my backpack in the other makeup room,” Yuan Shiyuan suddenly remembered as the stylist was curling his hair.
“I’ll send a message to Brother Mingxi and the others. They should still be there, right?”
Bo Jin, ever skeptical of the twins’ reliability, replied, “They probably don’t even remember what your backpack looks like. I’ll just go get it myself.”
Coincidentally, the twin brothers hadn’t replied to his message either. Yuan Shiyuan nodded. “Then I’ll trouble you with that.”
As Yuan Shiyuan glanced up, his peripheral vision caught a figure in the corner of the makeup room.
Pei Yanbing stood there, seemingly having appeared without notice.
“Captain?” Yuan Shiyuan exclaimed in surprise, rising to approach him. “What are you doing here?”
The makeup room was bustling with activity, and Pei Yanbing had always loathed physical contact. Earlier at the venue, he had remained in a distant corner, avoiding the crowd.
Yuan Shiyuan hadn’t seen Pei Yanbing earlier and assumed he had left early.
But now, seeing him standing alone in the shadows, his gaze fixed intently on Yuan Shiyuan, it was clear he hadn’t left the venue at all.
Pei Yanbing had been watching from the shadows, observing Yuan Shiyuan laughing and chatting with others, even putting his arm around their shoulders or bumping fists like old friends.
Sometimes Ying Mingche would reach out to pinch his cheek or wrap his arms around him from behind. Yuan Shiyuan didn’t resist, merely casting lazy, sidelong glances at the other man, as if warning him not to go too far.
For Pei Yanbing, even the most ordinary social touch remained an unattainable fantasy.
Just watching Yuan Shiyuan make physical contact with others ignited his skin hunger like wildfire. Yet he could only stand alone in an unnoticed corner, observing Yuan Shiyuan like a ghost.
And imagine himself in place of those who approached Yuan Shiyuan.
Pei Yanbing never considered making the first move.
As such a dull and boring person, he couldn’t even strike up a conversation. Approaching Yuan Shiyuan would only bring trouble.
But Pei Yanbing never anticipated that Yuan Shiyuan would notice him in the corner and come straight to him.
Yuan Shiyuan’s light pink hair, curled and styled, swayed with each step like dancing pink notes.
As Yuan Shiyuan approached, Pei Yanbing’s vision seemed to brighten, as if the world itself had become more vibrant.
“Captain, are you uncomfortable here?” Yuan Shiyuan asked, lowering his voice. “There are so many people.”
Pei Yanbing stared blankly at the pink-haired Alpha before him, a faint fragrance wafting from him.
“I’m not uncomfortable,” he replied awkwardly, caught off guard by Yuan Shiyuan’s unexpected appearance. “You… you look beautiful today.”
Yuan Shiyuan flashed a radiant smile. “Thank you, Captain. You look very handsome today too.”
“You’re so handsome that I’d notice you even in a crowded corner.”
Pei Yanbing froze, his usually impassive face betraying clear astonishment.
Yuan Shiyuan had actually complimented him?
This wasn’t some insincere flattery. One might question Starry Night Entertainment’s methods of forming boy groups, but never their aesthetic sense. Scepter’s five “human refrigerators” were undeniably handsome, no matter where they stood.
At that moment, Pei Yanbing was wearing gloves, and every button was meticulously fastened to the very top, leaving barely any skin exposed. He radiated an aura of asceticism and aloofness.
“Thank… you,” Pei Yanbing murmured, his voice low and husky. Beneath his skin, his blood began to boil, awakening some deep-seated desire.
“But, Captain, you don’t look very well,” Yuan Shiyuan observed keenly, noticing the brief tremor in Pei Yanbing’s breathing and the restless stirring of his pheromones. “Is your susceptible period approaching?”
“…No. I’m just a little warm,” Pei Yanbing said hastily, averting his gaze, his earlobes flushing crimson.
“Then I’ll get you some water.”
As Yuan Shiyuan turned away, a staff member pushing a cart approached from behind. They were about to collide, less than half a step apart, when—
Pei Yanbing strode quickly toward Yuan Shiyuan, his gloved fingertips just about to brush the hem of Yuan Shiyuan’s robe when another figure, faster and more decisive, swept Yuan Shiyuan into his arms, spinning them both out of the path of the cart.
Clang—
Props scattered across the floor: shimmering rainbow streamers and sculpted figurines spilled everywhere, forming a vibrant, multicolored river that divided the clear-cut spaces.
“Are you alright, Shiyuan? Did you bump into anything?”
“Are you hurt?”
The staff rushed to check on Yuan Shiyuan’s condition, their concern palpable, anxious that he might have been injured.
Jiang Heng gripped Yuan Shiyuan’s shoulders, bending down to inspect him for injuries, while others crowded around, fearing for his safety.
Meanwhile, Pei Yanbing stood motionless in a corner, his outstretched hand frozen in mid-air. He watched Yuan Shiyuan, surrounded by the crowd, then saw Yuan Shiyuan enveloped in the pink-haired alpha’s embrace, his figure almost completely obscured.
Slowly, he lowered his head, staring at his empty palm.
Not for the first time.
Every time Pei Yanbing tried to approach Yuan Shiyuan, he was interrupted by an accident or someone else’s preemptive move.
How can you live with this… illness? Aren’t you disgusted by yourself?
Who would ever want to be friends with you?
…
The ringing in Pei Yanbing’s ears grew louder. He suddenly recalled the doctor’s earnest warning from not long ago:
“Your skin hunger is worsening. Suppressing these urges for too long will inevitably lead to a violent backlash. If you start experiencing sleepwalking, hallucinations, or other symptoms, it means your condition has reached a severe stage.”
“At that point, you’ll crave physical contact with extreme intensity, perhaps even deeper intimacy.”
“It’ll be like having a severe sex addiction.”
“……”
After a long silence, Pei Yanbing finally said, “That day will never come.”
The doctor didn’t share his optimism. He reiterated, “You must stay away from highly compatible Omegas, or you’ll inevitably lose control.”
Pei Yanbing watched Yuan Shiyuan’s figure surrounded by the crowd, his empty fingertips trembling violently.
Then he heard his own calm, resolute reply from that day in the consultation room:
“I won’t lose control.”
Absolutely not.
Author’s Note:
Oh, you definitely will. I guarantee it! 🤭💖
Thank you, darlings, for the thunderbolts and nutrient solutions!! I manually flipped through over a hundred pages, so I’m sorry if I missed anyone’s contributions. Thank you all for your generosity!
Thank you to all the darling readers for your generous gifts!
A special thank you to:
“Never Trust Unfinished Infinite Flow Novels Again!” for the rocket launcher,
“Xue Yin” for the rocket launcher and depth charge,
“Stirring the Milky Way” for n rocket launchers,
“Baby’s Kisses (Motherly Shou Edition)” for n grenades,
“Centipede Dream Girl Loves Cauliflower” for a grenade,
“Sleep When Tired” for a grenade,
“Linglingling” for a grenade,
“Hammurabi” for a grenade,
“V Me 50” for a rocket launcher,
“Pig Cola Lele” for a rocket launcher,
“Panda” for a rocket launcher,
“Never Trust Unfinished Infinite Flow Novels Again!” for a grenade,
“One Blade, One BL Centipede” for a grenade,
“Yi Mingluan” for a grenade and rocket launcher,
“April Is Your Lie” for a grenade,
“A Heartbroken White Cabbage” for a grenade,
“Fish Lord” for n rocket launchers and grenades,
“Little Pond” for n rocket launchers,
“My Mother Wei Ying” for a grenade,
“Little Mimi Chef” for a rocket launcher,
“An Attack Who Doesn’t Beg Like a Dog for His Shou Isn’t Worthy of Being an Attack” for a rocket launcher,
“Total Right Position Approval” for n rocket launchers,
“Moon Deer (Spoiling the Right Position Edition)” for a rocket launcher,
“Winter Yi” for a rocket launcher and grenade,
“Velvet Latte” for a grenade,
“Little Tian Datian” for a rocket launcher,
“,” for a rocket launcher,
“Xiao Mian” for a rocket launcher,
“Hate Female Abuse Novels” for a grenade,
“Shou Single Push” for n rocket launchers,
“Qing Qing” for a grenade,
“Tomato Scrambled Eggs” for a rocket launcher,
“Shou-Controlled, Shou-Obsessed, Dog-Blood Lovers, Stay Away from GK Lit!” for a rocket launcher,
“Shou-Controlled, Shou-Obsessed, Dog-Blood Lovers, Stay Away from GK Lit!” for a grenade,
“Cool Critic” for a rocket launcher,
“The Entire Internet’s 300 Million Dafu, Clamping Until Tired” for a rocket launcher and grenade,
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“Lefteous” for a grenade,
“Star (Right Position Bias Ghost GK 4K+)” for a rocket launcher and grenade,
“Wangling” for a rocket launcher,
“Geng Bao (Shou-Loving Edition)” for a depth charge and rocket launcher,
“Aurora” for a rocket launcher,
“My Beloved Shou Is Supreme” for a grenade,
“LL” for a rocket launcher,
“Total Right Position Approval” for a rocket launcher,
“An Attack Who Doesn’t Beg Like a Dog for His Shou Isn’t Worthy of Being an Attack” for a rocket launcher,
“Tangyuan Little Kitten” for a rocket launcher and depth charge,
“Moon Deer (Spoiling the Right Position Edition)” for a rocket launcher,
“Baby’s Kisses (Motherly Shou Edition)” for a grenade.
Thank you to all the darlings for your generous gifts!