Chapter 57 Pretending to be A Day Fifty-Seven

Chapter 57: Day 57 of Pretending to Be an Alpha

The story soon reached the point where the protagonist, an omega, would stay in a luxury villa with several alphas.

Chu Mo finished most of his work in advance, treating this trip as a business outing.

He packed a bunch of Potent Inhibitors into his suitcase.

The suitcase was highly secure—without the password, not even a sledgehammer could crack it.

As soon as Chu Mo finished packing, there was a knock at the door.

Chu Mo stood up and opened it.

Chu Yun stood there, hesitating.

Under Chu Mo’s confused stare, Chu Yun finally asked:

"Brother, are you sure you want to go with me?"

"Of course," Chu Mo nodded. "Those alphas are going too. I won’t feel at ease."

Chu Yun really wanted to tell Chu Mo that those alphas actually had feelings for *him*, not Chu Yun.

He looked at Chu Mo and tentatively asked:

"What if I told you... those alphas might not like me?"

Chu Mo stiffened.

Surprise flickered in his eyes.

But he quickly concealed it.

Chu Mo assumed Chu Yun had figured something out.

His fingers unconsciously tightened.

"It’s better if they don’t like you," Chu Mo said in a dismissive tone. "But I still won’t let you go alone. After all, they’re alphas, and you’re an omega. Shooting a show together wouldn’t be safe."

Hearing this, Chu Yun remembered the question he had asked Xu Yi.

If he told Chu Mo that he was also an alpha, would Chu Mo still accept him as family?

Xu Yi’s answer was that Chu Mo would never reject him.

Chu Yun gathered his courage, ready to tell Chu Mo the truth.

Just then—

"You’re the only omega in the Chu family," Chu Mo reached over and tousled Chu Yun’s hair, saying seriously, "If I don’t protect you, how can I face our parents?"

Chu Yun froze.

After a moment, he opened his mouth but ultimately bit back his words.

Chu Yun still didn’t have the courage to reveal the truth to Chu Mo.

In the afternoon.

Chu Mo and Chu Yun rode in a luxury business car together to the show's filming location.

The competition was being filmed in City A, adjacent to City H.

City A was even more prosperous than City H.

The villa, located in the city center, was a quiet retreat in the middle of the city, with its sprawling grounds making it feel like an estate.

As soon as Chu Mo stepped out of the car, he saw the others who had arrived in the crew's vehicles.

Apart from some staff helping with luggage, the rest were the key players in this story.

These people were about to engage in a drama-filled showdown within this villa.

Xie Songchen was tall and slender, hauling a single suitcase and a gym bag.

He was dressed in practical sportswear for training and competing.

With broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs, he had that youthful charm, like the dreamy upperclassman from high school.

The moment he saw Chu Mo, his fingers unconsciously tightened, clenching the suitcase handle tightly.

Chu Mo also stopped dead in his tracks.

During this time, Chu Mo had been trying to keep his distance from Xie Songchen.

Now, it was part of the script, and Chu Mo couldn’t avoid it even if he wanted to.

"Xie Songchen, are you staying in this villa too?" Chu Mo said coldly, looking at Xie Songchen. "I hope you stay in your lane and keep away from... *ahem*... my brother."

Xie Songchen frowned at his words.

Chu Mo’s tone was still awkward when speaking to him.

Every time he talked to Xie Songchen, he kept remembering the things Xie Songchen had said to him.

Fortunately, Xie Songchen just pursed his lips and said nothing.

After speaking, Chu Mo immediately ushered Chu Yun into the villa.

As Chu Yun passed by Xie Songchen, he glanced at him.

He noticed that when his brother spoke to Xie Songchen, Xie Songchen seemed fairly normal.

But the moment his brother turned away, this dude was staring holes into him.

Xie Songchen couldn’t stop staring at Chu Mo.

Xie Songchen lingered for a beat too long before finally stepping into the villa.

Chu Mo breathed a sigh of relief.

He thought to himself that Xie Songchen seemed back to his usual self and would likely soon fall for the protagonist, Chu Yun.

Things would go back to how they were supposed to be.

Zhou Jingyan was dragging a huge suitcase packed with skincare.

These were all his manager's doing, as he was now a highly popular rookie idol.

The moment Zhou Jingyan stepped out of the car, his face immediately set him apart.

Thanks to the tutor Chu Mo hired for him, Zhou Jingyan's demeanor was completely reborn, towering above everyone else among ordinary people.

Compared to before, Zhou Jingyan appeared much more confident.

However, the moment he entered the villa and saw Chu Mo, Zhou Jingyan's idol persona instantly diminished by half.

He froze in place, unable to look away from Chu Mo.

After his failed confession, Zhou Jingyan had tried for ages to forget Chu Mo, this "straight alpha."

But try as he might, he couldn't do it.

Zhou Jingyan's hands clenched involuntarily, then he pinched his own thigh.

He cursed himself inwardly: *Why am I so pathetic? Why am I so lovesick? Falling for a straight alpha never ends well!*

"Zhou Jingyan," Chu Mo steeled himself to stay in character, looking at the handsome alpha at the door and said flatly, "You're staying here too?"

The moment Chu Mo spoke to him, Zhou Jingyan went rigid like a statue.

His mind was flooded with the memory of his rejected confession.

Zhou Jingyan nodded stiffly. "...Yeah."

At that moment, Chi Cheng and Chen Songxie also arrived at the villa.

Chi Cheng had the most luggage, even hiring a team of housekeepers to help move his clothes.

Despite being just an investor, he made more of a production than the actual participants.

The moment Chi Cheng entered, his gaze locked onto Chu Mo.

Chu Mo had been giving the cold shoulder to Chi Cheng lately, which left him feeling particularly miserable.

Chi Cheng took a steadying breath, wanting to approach Chu Mo, but someone beat him to the punch.

Chen Songxie walked straight up to Chu Mo and said, "Didn’t expect you to be here so early."

Chu Mo hadn’t expected it either—the one person he still trusted now was actually the villain.

"I was worried about Xiaoyun. There are too many alphas here," Chu Mo said, looking at Chen Songxie. "That’s why I asked you to come along—to help handle odds and ends."

Chen Songxie was someone Chu Mo had brought with him.

Hearing this, Chi Cheng froze.

Jealousy raged like a storm in Chi Cheng’s heart, eating at him—*Why does Chen Songxie get special treatment when we’re both alphas?!*

But Chi Cheng knew he couldn’t show it.

Otherwise, Chu Mo would only dislike him more.

As he spoke, Chu Mo scanned the room.

Without realizing it, the other three alphas were converging on Chu Mo.

Xie Songchen casually packed his bags.

Chi Cheng schooled his expression and calmly oversaw the luggage handling.

Zhou Jingyan stared at the floor, counting floor tiles.

The staff arrived and announced to everyone, "The rooms are upstairs. Please pick your own."

Chu Yun glanced at the staircase and said to Chu Mo, "Then we'll take upstairs."

There were three rooms on the second floor.

No sooner were the words spoken.

Chen Songxie said to Chu Mo, "Here, let me get that..."

As he spoke, Chen Songxie reached out to take the suitcase.

In the next instant, however, another hand had already seized the suitcase's handle.

Chen Songxie stiffened, looking up to see it was Xie Songchen.

"I don't have much luggage," Xie Songchen said to Chu Mo without so much as a glance at Chen Songxie. "Let me carry it for you."

Chu Mo blinked in surprise.

Before he could react, Chi Cheng had already stepped forward.

Not to be outdone, Chi Cheng firmly grasped one of the suitcase's lower handles and declared, "I've got this."

Zhou Jingyan, though a step slower, jumped into the fray.

"I've been hitting the gym," Zhou Jingyan said seriously, gripping another handle of the suitcase. "Let me handle it."

Three pairs of hands now gripped Chu Mo's suitcase.

Chu Mo's heart jumped into his throat.

As the three struggled over the suitcase, Chu Mo could even hear the inhibitors rattling inside.

"During the school team fitness test, you didn't do as many pull-ups as I did," Xie Songchen shot back to Zhou Jingyan. "Besides, when I was his secretary, this was always my job."

His grip tightened imperceptibly, veins bulging on the back of his hand.

"When Chu Mo and I were neighbors, I often helped him move things," Chi Cheng airily said, pulling the suitcase toward himself. "He's accustomed to me handling this."

"Since you've all done this before," Zhou Jingyan fired back, refusing to yield as he tightened his fingers, "let me take care of it this time. Maybe Mr. Chu will be more satisfied."

The three alphas stood at an impasse.

Tension crackled in the air.

Chu Mo felt that another shake or two, and the inhibitors inside might get damaged.

As Chen Songxie moved to intervene.

"Let go," Chu Yun stepped forward, expressionless as he looked at the three. "I'll take care of my brother's things."

With that, Chu Yun effortlessly snatched the suitcase from their hands and headed straight upstairs.

The entire first floor fell silent in an instant.

Chu Mo glanced at them calmly and said to Chu Yun, "Wait for me, Little Yun."

Then he followed upstairs.

One problem barely settled when another arose.

The four Alpha males quickly realized there was only one room left on the second floor.

They immediately stampeded after Chu Mo upstairs.

Chu Mo chose the leftmost room.

Chu Yun took the middle one.

That left only the rightmost room.

No sooner had Chu Mo set down his luggage than he heard arguing outside.

Opening the door, he saw the four Alphas jostling at the doorway of the rightmost room.

"Chi Cheng, I stepped in first," Xie Songchen elbowed Chi Cheng, trying to push him out.

"Got witnesses? Any proof?" Chi Cheng retorted while giving Zhou Jingyan a discreet shove. "Besides, I’m the investor—I should have priority."

Zhou Jingyan, thinking Chen Songxie had tripped him, slyly stuck out his foot to trip Chen Songxie while shoving his own suitcase into the room. "My luggage arrived first—you all saw that, right?"

Chen Songxie, mistaking Xie Songchen for the culprit, stomped on Xie Songchen’s foot while yanking Zhou Jingyan's suitcase out and hurling it into the hallway. "Where’s your luggage? I don’t see it."

The staff gaped in stunned silence before timidly offering, "Guys, there are more rooms upstairs. You really don't need to fight over this..."

"Send those three upstairs!" all four shouted in unison.

The staff member jumped out of their skin.

Seeing the four Alphas fighting over the room next to Chu Yun, Chu Mo saw hope for the original plot.

As long as they lived next to Chu Yun, he could engineer opportunities.

In the original story, Alpha Xie Songchen was the one who stayed beside Chu Yun.

So, Chu Mo stepped forward and said coldly, "Let Alpha Xie Songchen have it."

Xie Songchen went rigid with shock.

He couldn’t believe Chu Mo would agree to let him stay on the second floor.

The other three glowered simultaneously.

With Chu Mo’s decision, they had no choice but to leave.

Xie Songchen hauled his luggage into the room.

Then, he marched up to Chu Mo’s door, looked at him, and said, "Don’t get the wrong idea—I just thought that room had a better vibe."

Chu Mo shot a skeptical look at the cramped maid’s room. "That so?"

"There are some things I still want to clarify with you." Xie Songchen pressed his lips together, lowering his gaze as he spoke. "Even though you rejected me, I know we're both alphas. I won't force anything."

The weight in Chu Mo's chest finally eased.

"That's good," Chu Mo let out a long breath of relief and said to Xie Songchen, "What happened before we presented was during pre-differentiation. I understand. Now that we're both alphas, let's just leave it in the past."

"Having you stay on the second floor doesn’t mean anything else. I just thought..." Chu Mo paused before continuing, "You and Chu Yun are both participating in the show, so your schedules would align."

Xie Songchen nodded, raising his eyes to meet Chu Mo's. "Then I'll go rest now."

With that, Xie Songchen turned and entered the servant's quarters.

Chu Mo returned to his own room.

He locked the door behind him.

While talking to Xie Songchen earlier, Chu Mo had suddenly felt a surge of weakness.

He reached up to touch his scent gland.

Something felt off—his rut seemed to be arriving early.

Chu Mo called Xu Yi to explain the situation.

"During your rut, you should still take inhibitors as usual," Xu Yi said over the phone. "However, there's one thing you need to be aware of."

Chu Mo stiffened. "What is it?"

Xu Yi spoke with grave sincerity. "The inhibitors will be far less effective for you now. When your rut arrives, you'll be... more vulnerable."

Chu Mo's heart sank. "More vulnerable? What exactly does that mean?"

"Well, the specific manifestation would be..." Xu Yi coughed twice, his tone slightly embarrassed. "You might find it harder to resist temptation."

Chu Mo's eyes widened instantly.

Temptation?

What the fuck??

"What kind of temptation are you talking about?" Chu Mo finally managed to ask after a long pause.

Xu Yi adopted a serious tone. "Biological attraction—alphas exerting sexual pull toward you."

Chu Mo: "..."

"Temptation? That's impossible." Chu Mo retorted. "I'm on so many inhibitors I might as well be celibate. There's no way any alpha could tempt me."

If anything, Xu Yi's warning only made Chu Mo more aware of the abnormal surges in his pheromones.

Once he hung up, Chu Mo took a deep breath and gave himself two shots.

Right now he just wanted to get through this storyline. He thought: At this rate, as long as he kept his head down, got through the show's recording, and gave the leads a boost, he could help the three male leads become real top dogs.

Chu Mo didn’t want any mishaps during this time.

After taking his suppressant, Chu Mo rested for a while and decided to head downstairs for a glass of water.

Glass in hand, he started back upstairs.

Right then, Chu Mo’s phone buzzed with a spam message.

He meant to trash it, but his thumb slipped and opened it instead.

What popped up was some kind of ad.

The ad showed a good-looking alpha in a basketball jersey.

The guy had lifted his jersey, showing off a set of eight-pack abs.

Probably because he’d listed himself as an omega on some dating app—now he was getting these kinds of messages.

Normally, Chu Mo would just roll his eyes and delete them on sight.

But for some damn reason, his grip on the phone tightened, and his pheromones started spiking.

He’d just taken his damn suppressant!

Chu Mo’s throat went dry.

After a solid thirty seconds of staring, he clenched his jaw and deleted the damn thing for good.

On his way up, he fumed—who the hell even sent this trash?

Chu Mo chugged half the glass, forcing himself to cool down.

Thank god it was just a text.

No matter how intense, out of sight, out of mind.

At least he wasn’t completely losing it.

Meanwhile, in Xie Songchen’s room:

The converted nanny’s quarters were small but functional.

Tiny, but it had everything he needed.

Xie Songchen stepped into the shower.

Under the spray, his thoughts kept drifting back to Chu Mo’s whole “straight alpha” act.

Plenty of rich heirs were alphas of every stripe.

Gay alphas weren’t exactly rare.

Xie Songchen had promised not to push things.

But the words left him feeling oddly empty.

He alone knew that he had never truly let go.

How could a one-sided crush of so many years be forgotten so easily?

Xie Songchen stood under the showerhead, letting hot water stream down his body.

The rush of water gave him temporary mental clarity.

What about him and Chu Mo...

Was there truly no hope left?

Right at that moment.

The hot water suddenly stopped.

Xie Songchen went rigid.

The foam in his hair hadn’t even been rinsed off—Damn it, why had the water stopped?

His brows furrowed.

Moving fast, he grabbed a towel to dry himself.

Xie Songchen swiftly slipped into a pair of gray sweatpants and headed downstairs to find a staff member.

Click.

The moment the door opened.

Chu Mo was walking past.

Hearing the sound, Chu Mo automatically looked toward Xie Songchen’s room.

The next second, what Chu Mo saw paralyzed him.

Xie Songchen looked freshly showered—shirtless, wearing only gray sweatpants.

His handsome face was frozen in shock as he stared blankly at Chu Mo, his hand still on the doorknob.

Water droplets glistened on his well-defined eight-pack abs, a few sliding down the contours of his muscles.

The water darkened the gray sweatpants.

Chu Mo felt his breath hitch.

The impact of this scene was a thousand times more intense than that spam message he had received earlier.

Before he could stop himself, his eyes went wide and he swore mentally:

Holy shit! A real-life version of that trashy app!

And not just real—how was his physique even better than that model’s?!