Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Jiang Shixu zoomed in on the picture again, a touch of uncertainty in his careful examination, and saved it immediately, fearing it might vanish if he wasn't vigilant.

Just as he was meticulously categorizing the image into a newly created album, his Third Brother's voice, tinged with laughter, suddenly reached his ears. "Xiao Xu, why don't you chat with your Third Brother for a bit?"

Bai Xi settled into the seat beside Jiang Shixu. Bathed in sunlight, he exuded a gentle warmth, stretching languidly. "It's been so long since I've seen Xiao Xu, and you won't even spare a word for your Third Brother."

"How could that be!"

Jiang Shixu put down his Light Brain and looked at his Third Brother, whose beauty seemed almost too ethereal for an Alpha. He explained, "I'm just worried about Xie Hantang... Big Dad really, who knows where he's taking him."

"Xiao Xu truly has excellent taste. That Xie Hantang is quite handsome," Bai Xi said with a smile, picking up a pastry from the table to offer Jiang Shixu. "He seems tall and long-legged, with a very distinguished presence."

"Right?"

Jiang Shixu, his mouth full of cake, cleared his throat. "The first time I saw him, I thought... he's truly my ideal type."

In truth, Jiang Shixu didn't have a particularly defined type. As the perennial top-ranked Omega at the Royal Academy, he never lacked suitors—

But for some reason, no one had ever truly made his heart race. Even the supposedly excellent elites arranged by his family didn't evoke that 'want to spend my life with you' feeling.

For a long time, he even considered just settling for someone, after all, all Omegas were expected to marry and have children.

But... he never expected that, after all his hesitation, he would actually meet someone who made his heart flutter.

"Wow... that sounds amazing! Your first meeting must have been very romantic too?"

Bai Xi shook his head, his eyes brimming with sincerity, his animated gestures making Jiang Shixu feel a bit dizzy. "Y-yeah, of course."

"It was a particularly beautiful beginning!"

Jiang Shixu, still clinging to a shred of rationality, was about to change the subject when he heard his Third Brother speak earnestly:

"Your Third Brother just took on a role about first love, but I can't seem to grasp that hazy, dreamy feeling... Maybe this is the downside of being single. You're the only one in our family who's dating, Xiao Xu. Can you tell Third Brother what that feeling is like?"

"We're... not really dating *yet*," Jiang Shixu said, twisting his fingers. His desire to express himself gushed forth like water from a burst pipe, making him want to confide:

"Actually... you know, I went on a blind date yesterday. I went with my best friend, you know, Ji Wu. Suddenly, there was... this weird astronomical phenomenon in the sky? Then the crowd got chaotic, and I got separated from him."

Bai Xi leaned back on the soft cushion, rubbing his brow worriedly. "Good thing you're okay, Xiao Xu."

"Right, I ended up in this little alley where there were fewer people, and then I suddenly noticed—"

"Xie Hantang was there!"

Jiang Shixu, lost in his urge to share, didn't notice Bai Xi's hesitant expression. But he still maintained a sliver of rationality, knowing to omit the strange wings and... weird claws?

Jiang Shixu selectively avoided those details—after all, he couldn't exactly talk about hallucinations. He quickly continued:

"He was very handsome, but he looked like he was hurt at the time. He covered my mouth—"

"Wait, he covered your mouth!?"

Jiang Shixu's words cut off abruptly. He looked at his Third Brother, who seemed about to leap to the ceiling, and his excited mood suddenly cooled. "No, he just didn't want to go to the hospital. He didn't mean any harm..."

"Didn't want to go to the hospital?"

Bai Xi realized he'd overreacted. He pursed his lips slightly and cautiously glanced at Jiang Shixu. "Third Brother just doesn't really get it... how could it be that kind of hazy, love at first sight?"

And for some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that his Xiao Xu might have stumbled upon a crime scene but was somehow sweet-talked into blissful ignorance, letting the other party slip away.

Must be an illusion, right?

Bai Xi recalled the polite young man in the living room earlier. The aura he carried was one Bai Xi was very familiar with—the military bearing he sensed most often from his eldest brother, Jiang Luoyuan.

"It's just... you like who you like. Do you need a reason?"

Jiang Shixu frowned in confusion. "...Well, if I had to give a reason? He's very gentle?"

"Is your Third Brother not gentle?"

Jiang Shixu added, "And he makes delicious little cakes."

"Little Dad makes great cakes too."

Jiang Shixu stepped on Third Brother's foot. "He's good-looking."

Bai Xi silently moved his foot away, continuing pitifully, "I'm the top beauty in entertainment too. Netizens say I'm so beautiful it transcends gender, top of the Alpha heartthrob charts."

Jiang Shixu was speechless for a second.

Who's even driving this conversation anymore!

"But I just like him... ah, it's that kind of feeling."

"That kind of feeling?"

"It's... love at first sight."

"To be honest, all my fans say it's love at first sight with me."

"So, Third Brother..."

"Hmm?"

"Why are you still single to this day?"

"Can I say it? I want to make everyone feel at home."

...

After a long silence, Jiang Shixu glared angrily at Bai Xi, then obediently glanced at his Light Brain, which showed no new messages, and replied half-heartedly, "It's just... we're still just friends."

The other party never explicitly said he liked him. One shouldn't be too full of oneself.

Even though he ranked top among Omegas, it didn't stop every blind date from pointing out a long list of his flaws. Not everyone loves Star Credits, and besides, he was just an Omega with his own personality.

Thinking of this, Jiang Shixu felt a bit down. Plus, the other party had been taken away by Big Dad, and who knew when he'd be back? Not being able to see him made it even sadder.

Seeing his little brother looking so deflated, Bai Xi tried a different approach. "Alright, it's Third Brother's fault. I think he seems like a decent guy?"

After all, working in cutthroat entertainment—even interstellar entertainment—where relationships are complicated, Bai Xi prided himself on being able to read people well. He could tell at a glance if someone was acting or if something was off.

That young man was well-mannered; his upbringing must be good. He seemed sincere, like... an honest, decent guy.

Bai Xi rubbed his chin thoughtfully and tousled his younger brother's short, platinum hair. "It's fine. If you want to be with him, Third Brother will cover for you. If you're unsure about anything, you can ask me."

Jiang Shixu hesitated for a moment. There was indeed something he was unsure about and wanted to ask Bai Xi. "Do you think..."

"What kind of situation would make an Alpha have a kink for kneeling?"

Bai Xi, who is an Alpha: ?

Seeing his Third Brother's confused expression, Jiang Shixu deflects the topic, "Never mind, I was just asking."

……

Bai Xi left the comfortable lounge in a daze. He lay in his room, staring blankly at the ornate ceiling light fixture.

The crystal-like light fixture was luxurious and stunning, with scattered stars casting a faint silver glow, but it only made Bai Xi more hesitant.

He wondered, how could a person face such bizarre questions?

Having navigated the entertainment industry for so many years, Bai Xi thought he had seen all kinds of human diversity, but he had never encountered something so—

Cringeworthy to even talk about.

Including but not limited to: "Why would an Alpha gift a muzzle—is there some hidden meaning?", "Does an Alpha naming their account 'SavingUpforTheBigDay' mean they have a white moonlight (unattainable ideal lover) in their heart?", "What to do if an Alpha has a special kink and really likes kneeling?", and so on.

What could he do?!

He had no idea either!

Hadn't they only known each other for two days? Should he praise his Xiao Xu for being so observant, or should he blame that Alpha—for being so bizarre that he made Xiao Xu ask such unbelievable questions?

Bai Xi shakily propped himself up, opened his device, and silently typed a search query:

"Online help, some Alphas are weird (scratched out) seemingly not up to par (?) weirdly submissive (maybe not) have indescribable..."

Bai Xi hesitated as he looked at the jumbled text, then, exasperated, deleted it all, settling on a decisive question: "If an Alpha is acting un-Alpha-like, is it some kind of psychological disorder? There's a Federal First Psychiatric Hospital near my home—can I still have him admitted now? (Not joking, genuinely seeking urgent help.)"