Pretending to Be an Alpha in an All-Alpha Boy Band - Chapter 69

Chapter 69: Trust

“Brother Mingxi?”

Yuan Shiyuan’s pupils widened slightly. He glanced instinctively at his smartwatch—it wasn’t even six o’clock yet.

What was Ying Mingxi doing here at this hour?

Ying Mingxi stepped out of the shadows, the morning light slowly washing over his hair and shoulders, transforming his dark silhouette into warm, golden hues.

As if sensing Yuan Shiyuan’s thoughts, he said gently, “I was out for a morning run and just happened to be passing by. What about you?”

“What are you doing here so early?”

His tone was casual, as if merely making polite conversation.

Yuan Shiyuan naturally couldn’t tell the truth. “I was just out for a morning run too,” he replied offhandedly.

“Ah, I see.” Ying Mingxi’s smile remained warm, as if he hadn’t doubted Yuan Shiyuan’s words for a moment. He took half a step forward and draped the jacket hanging from his elbow over Yuan Shiyuan’s shoulders.

Perplexed, Yuan Shiyuan followed Ying Mingxi’s gaze downward, then abruptly clamped his legs together.

In his haste to cover his tracks, he’d forgotten to put on fresh underwear…

He was currently hanging out in his birthday suit!

His sweatpants were loose-fitting, making it difficult to notice at first glance, but upon closer inspection, the faint outline was still visible. Ever attentive, Ying Mingxi noticed and immediately offered him his jacket.

The oversized jacket draped down to mid-thigh, offering a measure of modesty. Though it was a bit warm, it was certainly preferable to the mortification of being exposed.

Yuan Shiyuan murmured softly, “Thank you, Brother Mingxi.”

Ying Mingxi looked at Yuan Shiyuan, then reached out to straighten his collar and zip up the jacket. His fingers brushed lightly against the ends of Yuan Shiyuan’s hair, and his gaze lingered on the small patch of reddened skin at the nape of his neck.

“You seem to… leave marks easily,” Ying Mingxi murmured.

“What?”

As Yuan Shiyuan pressed the elevator button again, the doors slid open with another ding. He hadn’t quite caught what Ying Mingxi had said and tilted his head in confusion, only to see Ying Mingxi smile.

“Never mind. The elevator’s here. Let’s get in.”

Just as the elevator reached the ground floor, a delivery courier was hovering nearby. It turned out Ying Mingxi had ordered breakfast.

“Want to eat together?”

“Sure!” Yuan Shiyuan replied immediately. This was perfect timing; he had something he wanted to discuss with Ying Mingxi anyway.

The curtains in the empty room weren’t drawn tightly, leaving a gap.

Yuan Shiyuan sat slowly eating breakfast, feigning nonchalance as he asked, “Brother Mingxi, could I borrow your phone?”

“I left something nearby and want to ask Brother Zhuang to check the surveillance footage.”

The music room was quite a distance from the dormitory, and Yuan Shiyuan worried that by the time he returned to his dorm to charge his phone and send the message, it would be too late. He needed to contact Zhuang He immediately to have the recordings near the music room deleted.

Fortunately, Zhuang He had a habit of waking up early to fish, so he was almost certain to be checking his phone at this hour.

Ying Mingxi paused mid-motion of unwrapping his meal box and glanced up at Yuan Shiyuan. “Are you talking about the surveillance cameras near the music room?”

“Yes.”

“There aren’t any surveillance cameras near the music room.”

Ying Mingxi handed Yuan Shiyuan his phone, already on the WeChat page, seemingly unconcerned about his privacy being compromised. He explained, “The captain dislikes being on camera. There aren’t any surveillance cameras in the corridors around the music room, nor inside the room itself.”

Yuan Shiyuan froze, then took the phone and suddenly looked up with a smile. “Brother Mingxi, do you know something?”

“Should I know something?” Ying Mingxi countered with a gentle smile. “Or rather, is there something you want me to know?”

“I don’t know,” Yuan Shiyuan shrugged, lowered his head, and opened Zhuang He’s chat window. After briefly explaining the situation to Zhuang He, he sent a voice message as proof.

After deleting and editing, leaving only innocuous exchanges, he handed the mobile phone back to Ying Mingxi.

“It’s just that, Brother Mingxi, you seem to know everything. It’s like there are no secrets around you.”

“So you see me as some kind of all-knowing being?” Ying Mingxi chuckled, leaning forward slightly. “I’m not as omniscient as you think. I’m just good at observing—a habit I developed while caring for animals. I pay close attention to details.”

He paused, his tone apologetic. “Did my earlier words make you uncomfortable? If so, I apologize.”

“I’m sorry.”

“But please believe me, I genuinely meant no harm.”

Ying Mingxi turned to face Yuan Shiyuan, his light-colored eyes catching the morning light. His expression and words were so sincere it was impossible to doubt his sincerity.

“I know you meant no harm,” Yuan Shiyuan replied, not taking the matter to heart. “Brother Mingxi, you don’t need to be so serious, and you definitely don’t need to apologize. It wasn’t a big deal to begin with.”

“Not important?”

Ying Mingxi was taken aback. He rarely contradicted anyone, but now he countered, “But I believe everything about you is important.”

“Brother Zhuang has always protected each of our privacy. Even though we’re teammates, he would never carelessly reveal our weaknesses to another member.”

“Exposing weaknesses undoubtedly gives others the opportunity to hurt us.”

Competition existed even within boy groups. No one could guarantee that the current harmonious camaraderie would remain intact tomorrow.

Zhuang He had concealed this from the other members precisely because Yuan Shiyuan was still young and new to the world. As the elder, he felt responsible for considering these risks and preventing others from exploiting Yuan Shiyuan’s vulnerabilities.

“Though I don’t know exactly what happened, I agree with Brother Zhuang.”

“If you want to tell me, if you want me to know, then I’ll know. If you don’t, I can remain forever ignorant.”

Yuan Shiyuan had long mentally prepared himself for the possibility that Ying Mingxi might learn he was an Omega. Now, it was confirmed: Ying Mingxi truly knew.

So, this speech… was it Ying Mingxi pledging his loyalty?

After Ying Mingxi’s lengthy explanation, Yuan Shiyuan didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he continued eating his breakfast at his usual leisurely pace.

He seemed completely unaffected by Ying Mingxi’s words, as if Ying Mingxi didn’t exist at all.

Yuan Shiyuan quietly ate his rice ball. When his throat felt dry, he glanced at the soy milk. Before he could react, the Alpha beside him had already torn open the straw’s plastic wrapper, inserted it into the carton, and, pinching the straw between his fingertips, gently held it to Yuan Shiyuan’s lips.

“It might be a little hot…”

The words had barely left his mouth when Yuan Shiyuan was scalded. He jerked his head away, the straw slipping from between his teeth with a sharp hiss. “Sss—”

Ying Mingxi immediately grasped Yuan Shiyuan’s chin, scrutinizing his tongue.

Yuan Shiyuan’s parted, swollen red lips revealed a portion of his tongue, its tip a wet, scarlet red. As he panted softly, wisps of warm, moist white steam escaped from his tongue’s tip.

Up close, Ying Mingxi could see more clearly. Yuan Shiyuan’s mouth and tongue were a deep, almost raw red—crimson and swollen, with a fresh bite mark near the tip.

“…”

Ying Mingxi’s gaze lingered on the bite mark for two seconds before he asked softly, “Are you alright?”

“It’s nothing, just a little burn.”

A little hot? Yuan Shiyuan thought Ying Mingxi was overreacting, but he still offered a polite thanks. “Thank you, Brother Mingxi.”

The stiff, formal response drew a wry smile from Ying Mingxi. “You’re thanking me for doing nothing at all?”

“Why should I trust you?”

Yuan Shiyuan suddenly asked the question, catching Ying Mingxi completely off guard and unprepared.

Yuan Shiyuan set down his rice ball, turned his head, his delicate features striking beneath his pink hair. Yet when his face was expressionless, he radiated a sharp, cold aura.

His gaze locked directly into the Alpha’s eyes. “Can I trust you?”

“You need to give me something to prove you’re trustworthy.”

The air suddenly fell silent.

Outside the glass window, the sky grew brighter, morning light streaming through to cast shifting, transparent shadows between them. Ying Mingxi’s light-colored eyes reflected Yuan Shiyuan’s face as his gentle features sank into deep, thoughtful seriousness.

“You can trust me,” the Alpha replied without hesitation.

Then, Ying Mingxi considered it carefully, not rushing to answer. “Shiyuan, you’re right. I need to prove I’m worthy of your trust. Give me some time to think it through properly, okay?”

“I don’t want to give you some half-hearted answer.”

To bind each other, either both parties shared a common interest or held leverage over the other. But what secrets did Ying Mingxi possess that he could trade with Yuan Shiyuan?

If he confessed some so-called secret as a show of sincerity, it would only seem disingenuous. Yet for the moment, he couldn’t think of a better way to prove his sincerity.

“Just kidding, Brother Mingxi,” Yuan Shiyuan said, his tone light.

“Don’t take it so seriously.”

Yuan Shiyuan, who had been wearing a cold expression, suddenly smiled. He subtly raised an eyebrow at Ying Mingxi, indicating it had all been a joke.

Deep down, however, he was becoming increasingly convinced that Ying Mingxi could be trusted.

Ying Mingxi now realized that Yuan Shiyuan had been testing him earlier. He showed no displeasure, returning the smile.

“What if I wanted you to trust me?” he leaned closer, closing the distance between them. “Can I take that seriously?”

Yuan Shiyuan glanced at him sidelong, cutting straight to the point. “Are you sure you want to help me? What I need might be something you can’t accept.”

“My current situation… it’s rather dire.”

Before Yuan Shiyuan could finish, a cool fingertip suddenly pressed against his lips. Ying Mingxi’s voice was gentle. “It’s alright. You don’t have to tell me.”

The slender, well-defined fingers slowly withdrew from his lips, brushing down his jawline before settling on Yuan Shiyuan’s wrist. Ying Mingxi gently cradled the hand, pressed his cheek against the back of Yuan Shiyuan’s hand, lowered his gaze in an utterly submissive posture, and pleaded.

“But you can use me however you wish.”

“Please consider me.”

“I’ll be the most obedient one.”

The Alpha’s cheek pressed against the back of Yuan Shiyuan’s hand, the warmth seeping through his skin, impossible to ignore.

After a long silence, Yuan Shiyuan finally spoke slowly. “You haven’t even asked what I need.”

“If I’m not mistaken, it’s the pheromone of an S-rank alpha…”

“But just releasing pheromones is no longer enough to satisfy my needs,” Yuan Shiyuan interrupted, his tone tinged with resignation.

Ying Mingxi froze, maintaining his original posture as he looked up at Yuan Shiyuan.

Yuan Shiyuan cut to the chase: “Right now, I only need a temporary mark. But soon, even that will likely lose its calming effect.”

“After that, I’ll require a deeper level of pheromone exchange. For example, your—” He paused, then clearly enunciated two words: “Silent Night.”

“……”

The large hand gripping Yuan Shiyuan’s wrist suddenly tightened. Shock was clearly etched on Ying Mingxi’s usually gentle face, as if Yuan Shiyuan’s words had struck him like a bolt from the blue.

“This… Do you really need to go that far?” he stammered, a rare occurrence.

Seeing Ying Mingxi’s reaction, Yuan Shiyuan knew he would likely find this difficult to accept. But he didn’t mind and simply stated bluntly, “My cravings are immense right now.”

“Before, just smelling pheromones was enough. Now, superficial absorption doesn’t work. I need a deeper pheromone exchange—temporary marks, and after that, Silent Night.”

“……”

Ying Mingxi’s expression grew increasingly bewildered.

He had vaguely suspected Yuan Shiyuan’s secondary differentiation might require S-rank alpha pheromones. But he never imagined the extent of Yuan Shiyuan’s need for them.

So that’s why Yuan Shiyuan chose Pei Yanbing.

Why Pei Yanbing specifically, when they’re both S-rank alphas?

I’m an S-rank alpha too. I can provide the same S-rank pheromones Pei Yanbing can.

Seeing Ying Mingxi’s silence, Yuan Shiyuan tried to withdraw his hand. “Brother Mingxi, I know this sounds absurd. It’s perfectly understandable if you can’t accept it…”

“I’m sorry, Shiyuan. I was just distracted for a moment. I do accept it.” Ying Mingxi gripped Yuan Shiyuan’s hand tightly. “I’m just a little surprised… and worried.”

“Worried?”

“About your health.”

Ying Mingxi leaned closer until their thighs nearly touched, his voice filled with concern. “Could this affect your health? Otherwise, why would you need such a massive amount of S-rank alpha pheromones?”

“No, it won’t,” Yuan Shiyuan answered honestly. “The doctor said I’m perfectly healthy, just that my Omega traits haven’t fully developed. Plus, suppressing my heat period for so long means it could suddenly erupt.”

“That’s why I need so much S-rank alpha pheromone.”

“I see…” Ying Mingxi exhaled in relief. He pulled Yuan Shiyuan into a tight embrace, his thin lips brushing Yuan Shiyuan’s. His voice, heavy with suppressed emotion, resonated in the space between them. “I can do this, Shiyuan.”

“Anything you need, I’ll give you. Like I said, you can use me however you want.”

“Whether it’s just a temporary mark or… Silent Night.”

When he spoke those last two words, Yuan Shiyuan felt Ying Mingxi’s grip tighten, his breath growing ragged and burning against his ear, as if he were struggling to suppress something.

Before Yuan Shiyuan could probe further, Ying Mingxi’s breathing evened out.

“Brother Mingxi, thank you for being willing to help. But while you might accept Silent Night, I can’t,” Yuan Shiyuan said softly, pushing him away with a sigh. “Next time I need a temporary mark, I’ll contact you again.”

“For now, I can only accept temporary marks.”

Ying Mingxi froze, then a strange joy surged through him. He smiled. “Of course, Shiyuan. You’re the one using me, so you can do whatever you want.”

“I won’t mind.”

“But…” Ying Mingxi began, feigning casual curiosity, “Is Silent Night really the most effective method? How exactly does it work?”

“How else would it work? You just insert it directly, then set it internally,” Yuan Shiyuan replied, the thought making his head ache. He frowned, his brow furrowing with frustration. Imagining his underdeveloped Xiao Xue, he felt like the sky was about to collapse.

“Let’s hope it never comes to that day.”

“Did the doctor say that? Because Silent Night has a high concentration of pheromones, they recommended internal insertion to suppress the heat period?” Ying Mingxi pondered this, then gently suggested, “If that’s the case, perhaps physical contact isn’t necessary. What if the Alpha extracts Silent Night beforehand, and then you use a syringe to inject it…? Would the effect be the same?”

“Or… does it have to be fresh, immediately after…?” The Alpha seemed a bit embarrassed, delicately uttering the word, “…pheromone?”

Yuan Shiyuan froze, then his eyes lit up with sudden excitement. “You’re right! Maybe we don’t need to actually do it. If we can just extract the Silent Night and then I find a way to insert it… wouldn’t that work just as well?”

“For example, we could extract Ying Mingxi’s essence, load it into a syringe, and then slowly inject it all into Xiao Xue. Wouldn’t that be a kind of artificial insemination?”

“We don’t necessarily have to do it, do we?”

Yuan Shiyuan’s face, previously clouded with melancholy and frustration, instantly lit up. He threw his arms around Ying Mingxi in a tight embrace. “Brother Mingxi, you’re a genius!”

Caught off guard by the sudden hug, Ying Mingxi froze for a moment. He chuckled softly, wrapped his arms around Yuan Shiyuan’s waist, and lifted him onto his lap.

He gently curled a finger around a strand of pale pink hair, brought it to his nose, and inhaled deeply. “Shiyuan, I’m just speculating. We’d need to ask a doctor for specifics.”

“Maybe the essence loses its potency after leaving the body…” The Alpha paused, then suggested, “Or… we could find a chance to test it ourselves.”

“Perfect! We need to practice our intimacy scenes anyway, right? We can experiment with this method while preparing for the audition.”

“No problem!” Yuan Shiyuan agreed without hesitation.

How big is a syringe? How big is an orange segment? It’s obvious which is bigger, Yuan Shiyuan thought to himself.

Swallowing an orange slice was like scaling a mountain for Xiao Xue, but something the size of a syringe needle slipped down as easily as breathing.

After their earlier exchange, Yuan Shiyuan had already accepted Ying Mingxi into his inner circle.

Now, Ying Mingxi cradled Yuan Shiyuan face-to-face on his lap, his fingertips gently pinching the edge of a steamed soup dumpling as he brought it to Yuan Shiyuan’s lips.

Freshly saturated with pheromones, Yuan Shiyuan was in high spirits, his appetite surging. He graciously devoured several of the tiny soup dumplings.

Yuan Shiyuan had long since shed his initial aversion to sitting on an Alpha’s lap. Having acquired extensive experience from

Yuan Shiyuan casually offered the shrimp dumpling to Ying Mingxi’s lips. Ying Mingxi froze in startled delight, never expecting Yuan Shiyuan to personally feed him.

He lowered his head, parted his lips, and instead of biting the dumpling directly, his tongue lightly, almost imperceptibly, brushed across Yuan Shiyuan’s fingertip, leaving a wet trail before letting his tongue roam between the sensitive crevices of Yuan Shiyuan’s fingers.

Throughout this intimate exchange, the Alpha’s gaze never wavered from Yuan Shiyuan’s face.

Bang!

A violent strike against the glass window echoed through the room.

The sudden, thunderous noise made Yuan Shiyuan whip his head around.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling window stood a tall, looming figure.

Bo Jin’s face was pressed against the glass like a phantom, his features distorted into a grotesque grimace. His brows were furrowed in a deep scowl, and his eyes were bloodshot, spiderwebbed with red veins, his pupils locked onto the intimate tableau of the two men inside—like a vengeful demon come to claim its due.

Yet Ying Mingxi seemed utterly oblivious to Bo Jin’s presence. Even under Bo Jin’s burning gaze, he deliberately sucked the shrimp dumpling off Yuan Shiyuan’s fingertip.

“O-pen… the… door!” Bo Jin ground out each word with furious deliberation.

His incandescent rage was no different from that of a husband who had caught his wife in the act with her lover.