Chapter 4: Plastic Boy Band

Chapter 4: The Scepter Boy Band

Yuan Shiyuan cast a fleeting glance at the camera, then turned to the distracted staff member. "Are we all set?"

"N-no…" The staff member shook his head, as if jolted awake. "The lighting parameters and such aren’t adjusted yet, but we’ve already started streaming…"

"It’s fixed now!"

The Alpha seemed a bit surprised, looking into the camera. His light pink bangs swayed gently, creating a stark contrast with his surroundings, as if on a separate visual layer.

"Hello, everyone," he said with a soft laugh, his eyes curving into crescents. "I’m Yuan Shiyuan, the newest member of the Scepter boy band. It’s a pleasure to meet you all."

His clear, crisp voice resonated, paired with a face so impossibly handsome that even netizens who had been criticizing capitalist influence quickly changed their tune:

"Beauty… a beauty assault…"

"Is this face even real??? And he’s an Alpha???"

"Help me… Mom, I think I’m in love."

"Capitalists finally decided to send someone easy on the eyes to wreak havoc."

"Capital, you win!!"

"Sorry…"

The Alpha on screen seemed a little troubled. "The live chat is scrolling too fast—I can’t read every single comment. I’m not ignoring anyone on purpose."

He could only pick a few comments to respond to. "Yes, I’m eighteen this year and still in school."

A staff member nearby let out a small, surprised gasp. Yuan Shiyuan looked over, puzzled. The staff member shook his head, his face flushing red with embarrassment, careful not to interrupt Yuan Shiyuan’s live stream. He grabbed his colleague’s arm, and the group exchanged excited glances, their eyes filled with the same thrill.

How long had it been since the stream started? The number of viewers had already surpassed a million!

What shocked them even more was that the stream’s popularity had shot straight into the top three on the rankings! Given the current growth rate, reaching number one was only a matter of time!

And this was without any external promotion—no purchased data, no bot comments. Every comment was from a real, living person!

Because of the overwhelming number of viewers, the stream’s connection was unstable, and the video quality was dropping. The backend team was working overtime to keep things running.

Zhuang He couldn’t help but marvel—Yuan Shiyuan truly had a natural talent for drawing in viewers.

As the live chat gradually spiraled out of control, Yuan Shiyuan looked up and exchanged a glance with Zhuang He, who gave him an encouraging look.

So then, he decided to go with the flow. He steered clear of some sensitive topics and picked the ones he liked, selectively responding.

"Are you really an Alpha?"

"Do you like Alphas?"

"Have you ever liked an Alpha?"

One viewer kept spamming similar questions. Yuan Shiyuan didn’t understand why his gender and orientation were being questioned—he was an Alpha, so of course he liked Omegas.

"Have I ever liked an Alpha?" He repeated the comment but didn’t answer right away. After a deliberate pause, building anticipation, he lightly raised an eyebrow. "I’m not telling."

"Baby… even if you’re an Alpha, I'm still into it…"

"Who else caught that eyebrow raise? So mischievous—it got me hooked."

"…"

The live stream went smoothly. Yuan Shiyuan seemed born for this—completely at ease in front of the camera, skilled at keeping the atmosphere lively. Even casual chatting attracted plenty of new fans.

Not just the netizens watching through their screens, but even the staff on-site couldn’t resist pulling out their phones and spamming hearts to support Yuan Shiyuan’s stream.

Just before the stream ended, a staff member rushed to bring him water but accidentally spilled some, wetting Yuan Shiyuan’s abdomen.

The white shirt clung to him, outlining the lean muscles of his stomach and sending the live chat into another frenzy.

The scheduled stream time was up. Without bothering to dry off, Yuan Shiyuan bid farewell still damp: "That’s all for today’s stream. See you next time!"

He looked into the camera with clear, hopeful eyes. "You’ll come see me again next time, right?"

Soon, several hashtags from the stream trended on the platform.

#TopTierLooks #BeautyOverload #BornForThis—edited clips from Yuan Shiyuan’s live stream were reposted across various platforms.

The most widely shared moments were his slight eyebrow raise and light laugh, along with the wet shirt scene. The buzz was staggering, dominating the top spots on every platform.

"Before clicking: I need to raise my standards.

After clicking: Well, it’s only human…"

"Wasn’t Yuan Shiyuan canceled by Ximi Entertainment? Is Starry Night Entertainment snatching a treasure from right under their noses? But looking at his face, I get it. Honestly, he’s top-tier."

"Isn’t it obvious what Starry Night Entertainment implied? Economic disputes—Ximi Entertainment withheld his pay [facepalm]. Ximi Entertainment folded so fast, apologizing and scrubbing the trends. The real situation definitely isn’t that simple."

"I seriously suspect Ximi Entertainment’s higher-ups tried to pressure Yuan Shiyuan into an inappropriate situation, and he refused. Otherwise, I can’t understand why they’d let go of such a cash cow."

"You can tell Starry Night is desperate. Scepter has been struggling for so long, and after investing so much initially, they’re rushing to sign new members…"

"Is this the strategy Starry Night’s executives came up with? A beauty trap? [Enlarged wet shirt lean abs.jpg]"

"Just some wet shirt tease, lol, lol… I surrender already. [facepalm][grin][laugh][tongue]"

"Is this how you test my willpower? Well, damn, I’ve really fallen for capitalism’s scheme this time. [grin][grin][grin]"

Yuan Shiyuan returned to school to pack his luggage, then headed to the bank.

He divided the signing bonus into four parts: one transferred to his adoptive mother, one to his adoptive father, one withdrawn for emergency use, and the last deposited into his own bank card.

The hospital wasn’t crowded. His adoptive mother had just finished her check-up. Yuan Shiyuan, carrying his backpack, hurried over to take the wheelchair and pushed her back to the ward.

A nurse walked alongside Yuan Shiyuan: "Mr. Yuan’s gland is recovering well. At this rate, the surgery will definitely proceed smoothly."

"Thank you," Yuan Shiyuan said with a smile, handing the nurse a cup of milk tea. "I heard Omegas like this brand of milk tea. I’m not sure if you’ll like it."

The tall, handsome Alpha made the Omega nurse blush. He quickly lowered his head but sneakily glanced at the pink-haired Alpha from the corner of his eye.

"I can’t accept this…" His heart raced, and under the Alpha’s radiant smile, he dizzily took the milk tea. "Thank you… I, I like it."

Yuan Shiyuan helped Yuan Xing lie down on the hospital bed: "Mom, has your gland been hurting lately?"

"It’s been much better recently." Yuan Xing, a gentle Omega, looked at his young son. "You’re still in school—don’t overwork yourself with part-time jobs. It’s too hard on you. You should enjoy your campus life more."

"My medical fees… shouldn’t be your responsibility."

Yuan Shiyuan prepared some pills and a glass of warm water: "I don’t find it hard. Besides, I have plenty of free time. And with how tough the job market is nowadays, working part-time early is like getting a head start on gaining experience."

"I'm worried I won't be able to find a job after graduation."

Yuan Xing's eyes reddened.

Yuan Shiyuan pretended not to notice and said casually, "Besides, I've found a job now. Dad told you, right? I'm going to be an idol."

Yuan Xing already knew about this. He was torn between worry and happiness—worried that Yuan Shiyuan, with no background, might be bullied, but also delighted that his son would appear on TV and become a star.

Yet, as he looked at the young man's noticeably thinner frame and youthful face, his voice caught. "Yuan Yuan..."

"My agent texted the work group. I have to go to the company now!" Yuan Shiyuan stood up immediately. "Mom, rest well. Your surgery will be soon."

Before leaving, he bent down and hugged Yuan Xing. "Everything will be fine. Our family will be okay."

Alpha/Omega gland-related illnesses are tricky and require long-term treatment.

Originally, their family was quite well-off. His father was a lawyer at a prestigious law firm, and his mother was a teacher. Though they didn’t live in a mansion, their home was in the city center, and they owned a decent car.

Although Yuan Shiyuan was adopted, his adoptive parents never denied him anything. As a child, he attended many afterschool classes—piano, painting, dance... Every winter and summer vacation, his adoptive parents would take them abroad for trips.

By all accounts, it was a respectable and happy family, until they were ravaged by an illness.

On the table was a small black bag. Yuan Xing looked at the brand-new banknotes inside and tears spilled over.

As an Omega, he was naturally sentimental. Wiping away his tears, he called his husband. "Yuan Yuan left us some money. Come by later and deposit it into Yuan Yuan’s future fund."

The couple had opened a bank account for their son since he was young, regularly depositing money into it as a growth fund. After all, when the child grew up, whether for buying a car, a house, starting a business, or getting married, money would be needed.

-

As soon as Yuan Shiyuan arrived in the company lobby, his assistant Xiao Huang came rushing down to meet him.

"I know the way. You didn't have to come get me," Yuan Shiyuan said, handing Xiao Huang a tissue as he noticed the sweat on his forehead. "Is it that hot out?"

Xiao Huang’s face flushed red. He took the tissue and shook his head, stammering, "Nah, it’s cool. I didn’t have anything else to do anyway."

"You’re quite early. Only three people have arrived so far: Pei Yanbing, Jiang Hang, and Ying Mingche."

So Xiao Huang was here to tip him off.

Yuan Shiyuan had already done some research on Scepter. Pei Yanbing was the team’s ice-cold captain, Jiang Hang was the cool, musical one who worked on music production, and Ying Mingche seemed to be the younger twin, sunny and cheerful, like an enthusiastic puppy.

"Isn’t there another member? Did he go abroad?" He still remembered how Zhuang He had been frantically instructing the staff yesterday, as if trying to reel in a member.

"That’s Bao Jin. He stole his passport and flew to the UK yesterday, but we’ve already caught him." Xiao Huang glanced at the time. "He should be at the company by now."

Though he understood the feeling of not wanting to work, wasn’t this guy taking it a bit too far?

Even before meeting him, Yuan Shiyuan had a rough idea of this colleague’s personality—rebellious, arrogant, and untamed, just as some fans described Bao Jin: a rebellious artist.

The moment the elevator doors opened, the pheromone concentration in the hallway suddenly spiked. A tense exchange came from an office with its door left open.

"I was here first, wasn't I?"

"Does it have your name on it?"

"Jiang Hang, sometimes you really amaze me," a light, cheerful voice said, sounding puzzled. "How do you manage to make everyone dislike you so precisely?"

"You're not included in 'everyone'."

It sounded like they were fighting over a seat. Maybe they didn’t even care much about the seat itself—they were just triggered by territorial instincts, leading to this "competition."

Alphas were naturally like this: competitive, fond of seizing things, and absolutely intolerant of having their possessions taken by others.

Yuan Shiyuan had heard that the relationships within this boy band weren’t great, but this was seriously messed up.

Amid the tense atmosphere among the former members, Yuan Shiyuan remained the calmest outsider. Only after Zhuang He finished breaking it up did he knock on the door.

"May I come in?"

All eyes turned to him. A lazily seated Alpha suddenly straightened up, his amber pupils widening. The next second, he bolted over to Yuan Shiyuan like a wolf spotting prey. "Are you our new member?"

"You’re really good-looking. Are you really an Alpha?"

The Alpha in front of him seemed young and easy to get along with, fitting the popular "puppy-dog" type. This must be Ying Mingche, the younger twin.

Yuan Shiyuan chuckled, lifting the strands of hair at the nape of his neck with his fingertips. "Want to verify I'm an Alpha?"

His pink hair was lifted by his slender, pale fingers, revealing the gland on the back of his neck. Though covered by a pheromone-blocking patch, Ying Mingche could still faintly detect the scent of a fellow Alpha.

The gland beneath the pink hair was fully exposed—few Alphas were this pale, with skin so fair and translucent it looked delicate and almost biteable, as if it could easily be marked.

He looked less like an Alpha and more like an Omega suited to be marked.

"Yuan Shiyuan, our new member. Like all of you, he’s an S-class Alpha."

"Everyone, introduce yourselves. From now on, we’re family!" Zhuang He cut in at the right moment. "Pei Yanbing, as the leader, give him a welcome first."

Pei Yanbing walked over slowly, exuding a cold aura. But the chill didn’t seem directed at anyone—it was more like he was naturally aloof.

His long, gloved hand barely touched Yuan Shiyuan’s hand.

"Pei Yanbing," he said. "Welcome."

"Jiang Hang."

When Jiang Hang’s palm met his, Yuan Shiyuan subtly raised an eyebrow. This cool Alpha had a strong grip, squeezing his fingers until they ached slightly, the pale skin quickly flushing a watery red.

Such a tight handshake—a dominance play?

Yuan Shiyuan smiled back politely, then returned the pressure just as firmly. Jiang Hang looked surprised, perhaps startled by the strength of his grip.

Ying Mingche was the most enthusiastic of the group. He gave Yuan Shiyuan a warm hug, his canine teeth peeking through his smile.

"Welcome to selling your soul. From now on, we’re stuck together." He leaned close to Yuan Shiyuan’s ear and winked. "Brother Zhuang says we’ll be living in the dorms from now on. Have you picked a room yet? Wanna be roommates?"

"I’ve never tried dorm life before. Sounds fun."

Just then, Ying Mingche’s phone rang. He pointed at it. "I gotta take this. My brother’s calling."

He was referring to his twin brother, Ying Mingxi.

With Ying Mingche gone, the office grew much quieter. Zhuang He said, "Originally, rooms were assigned randomly, but you can take a look at the rooms first and have priority in choosing."

Yuan Shiyuan replied, "I don't mind a random room, just like everyone else."

Zhuang He added, "It might be nice for you to room with Ming Che. He can be a bit childish at times, but he’s very friendly. You two should get along well."

Assistant Xiao Huang piped up, "Yeah, Ming Che is really generous to everyone."

Ying Mingche was warm and big-hearted, always smiling and easy to get along with. Whenever he was mentioned, people spoke highly of him and were happy to interact with him.

But Yuan Shiyuan had always been afraid of people who were overly friendly right off the bat and rarely formed deep connections with them.

"You guys chat first," Yuan Shiyuan said. "I'm going to the restroom."

The restroom was located at the end of the hallway, past a terrace along the way. As Yuan Shiyuan approached the terrace, he heard a very clear voice full of dissatisfaction.

"Annoying, what’s the point of gathering?" It was Ying Mingche.

Ying Mingche leaned against the railing with one hand, a complete 180 from his earlier enthusiasm.

"Ah, it’s nothing much, just met the new member. Then Brother Zhuang said we'd have to live in the dorms from now on," Ying Mingche said. "Who wants to live with someone else?"

Alphas have strong territorial instincts, especially top Alphas like him.

"The new member’s name?"

Ying Mingxi asked casually, but Ying Mingche suddenly grew irritable. Yuan Shiyuan had a face you wouldn't forget, with soft light pink hair framing his temples, clear bright eyes, and a youthful vitality that radiated when he smiled.

He had beautiful hands and a slender waist.

Ying Mingche brushed it off casually: "His name? I don’t know, I forgot."

"His looks are just average, nothing special."

"..."

Yuan Shiyuan wasn’t in the habit of eavesdropping, nor was he surprised or particularly bothered by it. Ying Mingxi’s earlier offer to live together was probably just a polite gesture, and he hadn’t taken it seriously.

He also had no intention of becoming friends with his colleagues. As long as they kept things surface-level, that was enough.

They were all just working people—why make things difficult for each other?

After taking a cigarette break, Yuan Shiyuan finished using the restroom, and Ying Mingche had also ended his call.

Ying Mingche enthusiastically resumed the earlier topic: "Let’s choose Dorm 1? Dorm 1 has great sunlight, and we can even grow flowers and soak up the sun on the balcony later."

His face was full of anticipation, as if he genuinely looked forward to dorm life.

Yuan Shiyuan politely declined: "We’ve already drawn lots for the dorms."

Ying Mingche was taken aback, then his face fell as he said: "Okay, I thought we agreed to live together. No problem, the dorms are close by anyway. Let me help you move your luggage..."

Yuan Shiyuan smiled and interrupted: "Thank you, but Xiao Huang has already helped me move everything."

For the first time, a crack appeared in Ying Mingche’s smile. He stared at Yuan Shiyuan for a moment before saying, "Is that so?"

"Mm, I’ll go organize my things first," Yuan Shiyuan said politely. "I’ll come find you to hang out once I'm settled."

Ying Mingche watched Yuan Shiyuan’s receding figure with great confusion, lost in deep thought.

Ying Mingxi showed up late: "Is everyone gone? What are you doing just standing there?"

"Brother, was there something wrong with me today?"

"What?"

Ying Mingche, lost in his thoughts, frowned as he recalled his earlier expressions and tone. There was nothing wrong—he'd been friendly, enthusiastic, the whole package, everything perfectly appropriate.

He grew even more puzzled: "Then what went wrong?"

Thanks to his good looks and family background, Ying Mingche had always been popular. Perhaps it was also related to his pheromones—his pheromones naturally had an attractive effect, making people let their guard down and open up to him.

But Yuan Shiyuan was completely unaffected by the additional effects of his pheromones.

Ignoring his initiatives, rejecting his goodwill...

Ying Mingche gazed thoughtfully into the distance, then slowly sat back on the sofa and let out a light chuckle. As his identical twin brother, Ying Mingxi knew better than anyone that this was a sign of Ying Mingche’s interest.

Yuan Shiyuan drew Dorm 3, which was a bit out of the way.

While Xiao Huang was video-calling him to give directions, Yuan Shiyuan curiously asked: "Who’s my roommate?"

Xiao Huang: "It's actually Bao Jin!"

Yuan Shiyuan said, "His name is quite unique."

"More than just unique!" Xiao Huang lowered his voice. "He’s been harassed by gay Alphas before and is famously 'homophobic.' He’s also a very 'straight' Alpha, or to put it bluntly, a chauvinist Alpha. And he especially, especially hates good-looking Alphas."

He added quietly, "Especially... ones as pretty as you."

But Yuan Shiyuan laughed: "Homophobic? Straight? Perfect."

The fact that Bao Jin was an extreme straight Alpha chauvinist was actually a plus for Yuan Shiyuan.

Because of his overly striking looks, Yuan Shiyuan often became the object of other Alphas’ fantasies.

During his school years, he frequently encountered Alphas who made advances toward him, attracting overly fervent pursuits and affections, along with many creepy, hidden stares from the shadows.

Love letters filled with vulgar language and indecent remarks—most of them came from members of the same sex.

Bao Jin, like him, was a straight man who suffered harassment from other men, so Yuan Shiyuan couldn’t help but feel a sense of camaraderie.

Living with a grumpy straight guy meant, at worst, getting yelled at—not having to worry about getting sexually harassed.

Yuan Shiyuan felt relieved. As he turned a corner, he saw his luggage and backpack tossed outside the door, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.

What’s this? Bullying right from the start?

The video call was still connected. Xiao Huang hesitated: "Bao Jin seems to have tossed your stuff outside..."

"Yeah, I can see that," Yuan Shiyuan said calmly. "Thanks for your help. You can go ahead with your work."

Yuan Shiyuan hung up and found that his key wouldn’t open the door—the lock had been changed. He raised his hand and knocked, his knuckles tapping lightly on the door. Though the force wasn’t heavy, there was an undeniable pressure behind it.

"Hey, man?"

There was no response.

Yuan Shiyuan continued knocking but started counting down in his mind. If the other person didn’t open the door soon, he’d just kick it in.

Three, two, one—

The door was yanked open.

The Alpha stood with his back to the light, the corridor lights faintly outlining his tall, aggressive figure. The Alpha was very tall, looking down at Yuan Shiyuan from the shadows. Beneath his disheveled, damp hair, his eyes were pitch-black and intense. The lower half of his face was covered by a pure black metal muzzle.

The pheromones of an S-Class Alpha surged palpably—his body temperature was scorching, his breathing ragged...

It was his rut period!