Chapter One

Chapter One

On a summer evening, Bai Chen was engrossed in reading a hot gossip post about himself.

"I just love bashing Bai Chen: Let's dig into why Bai Chen made a move."

"Fellow gossip lovers, I'd like to call Bai Chen a walking acting school. You can all learn from him."

"[Picture][Picture][Picture]... These are all the screenshots from this variety show. Bai Chen performed well at first, nothing unusual."

"But! Let's go back to the leaked video, and look at it comprehensively... The leaked video happened after Bai Chen teamed up with the movie emperor in group B for this episode. [Picture][Picture]... After finishing the team-up with the movie emperor, Bai Chen walked back, Qiu Pinglu tried to hug him, but he pushed her away, and then Qiu Pinglu fell to the ground!"

"I watched this action three times, it was definitely a push! Without hesitation! No mercy at all!"

"In public, with cameras still rolling! Does he think he's all that?"

...

Below were countless comments and reposts quickly turning the post into a hot topic.

"Here for the gossip, bookmarking to read later."

"To be honest, he did push her away, is he acting like a diva? Who does he think he is to treat Qiu Pinglu that way?"

"Tsk tsk, he's just revealing his true nature, thinking the movie emperor has more clout, so there's no need to put effort into a rising star like Qiu Pinglu, who would have thought."

"Luckily Qiu Pinglu didn't make a fuss, she stood up right away, and Bai Chen didn't even apologize?"

"With such clear evidence, his fans are still defending him, saying Bai Chen is an Omega, so he's more cautious about these things. Speechless, it's the interstellar era, are you the legendary chastity arch incarnate?"

"...A scheming Omega, Alphas are very territorial, who can stand their Omega being a player?"

Player?

What kind of new confusing nickname is this?

The semi-transparent floating screen was glowing faintly, on the beanbag by the floor-to-ceiling window, Bai Chen paused for a moment before figuring out what the term meant, and couldn't help but chuckle.

...I never expected marketing accounts to be so invasive and good at stirring the pot.

As a minor actor signed to a small agency, not long in showbiz, and not formally trained, it's not easy for Bai Chen to reach his current third-tier status.

The trending variety show brought him a lot of popularity in the first few episodes, and this episode started well too, but suddenly this video surfaced online, clearly showing the time, place, and people—Bai Chen, looking back, also felt that his push was too abrupt.

Especially since his public image has always been that of a sweet Omega, this incident is clearly a major shake-up of his persona.

However, the reason he pushed Qiu Pinglu away at that time...

The communication alert on the smartwatch on the small round coffee table next to him rang, Bai Chen reached over with one hand, and without thinking, hung up.

...Then the communicator started vibrating frantically, still from the same number.

Bai Chen, realizing belatedly, glanced at the note prompt, blinked, and quickly answered, "Hello? Brother Song? I was just taking a shower, didn't hear..."

"I know you're looking at the trending topics! It shows you're online here!"

Song Lei's roar was clear even from a distance, "I guarantee, you're the first person to enjoy reading your own black post so much!"

"Ahem..."

Bai Chen nearly choked on his juice, coughed twice, and muttered softly, "Why isn't there a stealth mode on the website..."

"What other features do you want!" Song Lei's voice was frantic on the other end, "I can't decide if you're carefree or just rational! How can you stay so chill with the whole internet coming at you!"

"...What else can I do?"

The Omega took a deep breath, took another sip to calm himself, and smiled, "Bashing me won't make me lose ten pounds of weight, or get me an extra chicken leg for lunch... So, I guess I'll just have to roll with it."

"You..."

Song Lei was furious, "Put down that chicken leg and go post a statement now... I've already talked to Qiu Pinglu's agent; it's all a misunderstanding. You two are cool, everyone's cool, let's quickly put this to rest."

"I'll say you weren't feeling well, so you overreacted... Then take him out to dinner and apologize properly in private."

"...I'm not going to apologize to him."

Before Song Lei could finish, Bai Chen cut him off, "I'm not going to apologize to him."

"He was trying to take advantage of me; he should be the one apologizing."

Song Lei was surprised, he hadn't heard this detail before, "...Really?"

"It's true." Bai Chen said firmly, "And I'll tell you, his pheromones reek... He usually sprays perfume to mask it as pine, that's why I didn't want to get close to him."

"..."

Song Lei was momentarily speechless, never expecting that he would never be able to look at perfume the same way again.

Seeing that Song Lei understood, Bai Chen continued with a smile, "I was actually planning to take some time off... Anyway, we didn't buy the trending topic; it will naturally fade. Netizens' attention won't last more than three days, so chill."

Before Song Lei could get another word in, Bai Chen hung up, grabbed his freshly squeezed orange juice, took a sip when the communicator rang again.

He frowned a bit and hit answer, "Song, I've already made my point—"

"Excuse me, is this Mr. Bai Chen?"

Huh? Not my agent, Song Lei?

Bai Chen checked the screen; it was an unknown number. He hummed, "Hello, this is Bai Chen."

The voice on the other end said, "Mr. Bai, hello."

"This is the Imperial Royal Affairs Office, do you have a moment now?"

Bai Chen: ...???

He looked at the number again in shock, a hint of confusion in his eyes, "Who did you say you are?"

"The Imperial Royal Affairs Office, we handle the royal family's external affairs."

"Click!"

Bai Chen directly hung up—too scary, now even online scams are pretending to be such high-level departments?

He patted his chest, planning to grab some chips and continue browsing the trending gossip. But just as he stood up, the communicator rang again.

Bai Chen: ...He was wrong, he should have turned it off today.

This time, the screen showed another unfamiliar number.

Bai Chen had no intention of answering, but the caller was persistent, even more so than his manager, Song Lei. He returned with his bag of chips, but the ringing didn’t stop.

Reluctantly, he picked up the call, hearing the caller repeat, "Mr. Bai, hello, we are from the Imperial Royal Affairs Office..."

Bai Chen pursed his lips, pinched his own thigh, and with teary eyes, said, "Uh, I have no money, so don’t bother trying to scam me!"

"You see, celebrities might seem glamorous, but actually, someone like me, a low-tier celebrity, doesn’t make much money!"

"And I was just cancelled online last night! Do you know what that means?"

"It means I’ll be hated by the entire empire! Everyone will boycott me! No one will watch my works! Endorsements will be canceled, and all my gigs will be gone..."

He vividly described his future misery, using his superb acting skills, his Omega voice choked with sobs, pitifully saying, "Really, I only knew that entering the entertainment industry could make money, but I didn’t expect that after three years, I still can’t afford a seaside villa..."

Yes, the top villas on the famous tourist planet Haggis, you could buy a small planet, not to mention he couldn’t afford it, even the industry’s top actors couldn’t.

"To this day, I still live in a studio apartment assigned by the company, and I can’t even have hotpot!"

Yes, because every time he eats hotpot, he can eat three pounds of lamb alone, and Song Lei strictly forbids him from such overeating.

"And the things I want to buy, sob, I thought with hard work I could, but no, I’m so poor..."

Yes, he wanted to buy custom jewelry from a centuries-old imperial brand, exorbitantly priced, and the waiting list is already fifteen years long.

...In short, Bai Chen is just two words: poor.

The other end of the call fell silent.

Bai Chen thought he had succeeded, paused for a moment, only to hear soft murmurs on the other side, as if someone was whispering, or perhaps consulting with a superior, the atmosphere vaguely serious.

He was curious: I heard scam groups are almost going public. I wonder how big this one is?

But, since they dare to use the name of the Imperial Royal Affairs Office to scam money, they must have some nerve.

His mind was a mess, racing for a while, when suddenly the call resumed, a deep, pleasant, cello-like male bass resonated in his ear.

"Open the door."

Open... open the door? What door? What do you mean?

Bai Chen’s brain went blank, not reacting for a while to what this meant. At the same time, there was a knock on the door of his "company dormitory."

"Knock knock knock!"

Clear, forceful knocks, hard to ignore.

He shuffled over in his slippers, bewildered, and opened the door, instantly stunned—

Like a blood-stained, razor-sharp blade.

As if still carrying the lingering scent of the battlefield, and the overwhelming aura unique to a top Alpha, tall, straight, wearing a crisp black military uniform, a handsome man with a stoic expression stood before him, his cold gaze sweeping over Bai Chen’s messy hair, scanning the room.

Three bedrooms and a living room, spacious and comfortable, luxuriously furnished, definitely not the interior of an ordinary single dormitory.

Then, his slender fingers ended the call, his gaze lowering.

...with an indifferent expression, met Bai Chen's gaze.

Author's Note:

Next door, pre-order number one: "After Marrying the Evil God, I Committed to Widowhood" (The title might change).

Bai Yan is all about his career and has no time for love, but his drop-dead gorgeous looks draw swarms of admirers.

After drunkenly venting to a friend, rumors spread he was a widower.

To dodge the drama, he just went with it.

Bai Yan: Don't ask, just know I can't get over him.

An obsessed fan gifts him a carefully handmade item.

Bai Yan smiles and politely declines: "I'm sorry, he once showed me wonders and gave me gifts that touched my soul."

...By morning, the item crumbles into dust at a mere touch.

A CEO has flowers airlifted and arranged into a heart at his doorstep at dawn.

Bai Yan stays inside, politely telling him to take them back.

...That night, an unseen hand in the pool gently grasps his ankles, and the water's surface is blanketed with red roses.

A top star writes him a song, serenading him in a public confession.

Bai Yan simply puts on headphones: "Sorry, his voice speaks to me more than any song."

...A few hours later, a downpour drenches the city, each raindrop on Bai Yan leaving a crimson trace.

Over time, Bai Yan's widower status becomes more and more set in stone.

Until one day, the legendary man himself knocks on Bai Yan's door.

He's drop-dead gorgeous, dangerous yet irresistibly charming, and introduces himself with a smile: "Hello, I'm your husband, Fu Siyin."

Bai Yan: ??? Who are you again?

***

He once suffered the torment of hellfire in the abyss, teetering on the edge of death.

But a voice echoed in his ears, whispering love, tethering him to the world.

This brought him back to the human world.

Now, he's here, as he should be.

He'll take his beloved with him, never to part again.

————————————————————————

Next door, pre-order number two: "About My Lover Being the Boss in a Horror Game" (The title might change).

Xie Ning has a lover named Fu Yuanhe.

He's tall, handsome, young, and rich, gentle and attentive, caring for the slightly anxious and deeply reclusive Xie Ning.

There's just one thing—Fu Yuanhe often has to go on business trips.

Each trip lasts anywhere from three to five days, to unpredictable locations, and he always leaves in the dead of night.

Fu Yuanhe would gently kiss his forehead while he was half-asleep, saying he’d be back soon.

Upon returning home, he would bring back some mementos from his work.

Ancient masks from mysterious civilizations, blood-stained jade pendants, oddly shaped bone carvings...

Fu Yuanhe never allowed Xie Ning to touch these items, saying they weren’t clean.

Until one day, Xie Ning stumbled into the Abyss Game.

In one glance, he saw his lover’s familiar face sitting high on the throne.

Xie Ning: ???

Fu Yuanhe: !!!

***

It is said that in the highly lethal Abyss Game, there is a legendary player.

So legendary that people can only look up to him in awe.

Every time he clears a dungeon, the Boss chases after him, begging pitifully.

"Honey, I messed up, please let me sleep inside tonight..."