Chapter 32: Live Stream Accident (Part 3)

Chapter 32: Livestream Incident (Part 2)

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

Yuan Shiyuan blinked, confused.

Bao Jin looked away, words caught in his throat. Jiang Hang suddenly stood up: "Captain's almost done showering. I'll go tidy up."

"Oh, okay." Yuan Shiyuan nodded, water droplets from his hair splattering on the carpet and leaving dark stains.

Jiang Hang quickly left the living room but didn’t start tidying up as he had said. Instead, he paused at the corner, staring thoughtfully at the trash can.

Inside lay Yuan Shiyuan’s used wet wipe.

If he moved just a little closer and reached out, he could grab it...

And no one would ever notice.

Jiang Hang jerked back to awareness, disgusted by his absurd thought. Stealing a used wet wipe from Yuan Shiyuan—how was that any different from the behavior of a stalker fan?

He forced himself to look away, but his eyes were unconsciously drawn to the laundry basket. Inside, Yuan Shiyuan’s changed-out clothes were neatly folded, while his socks were tucked away in a separate plastic bag.

Did Yuan Shiyuan mean to wash them? Had he just not gotten around to it yet, or was he waiting until after drying his hair?

Was Yuan Shiyuan going to wash them himself? The mere thought made Jiang Hang’s face twist with disapproval.

After glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention, he casually pocketed Yuan Shiyuan’s socks.

No one saw, and there were no cameras filming—no one would ever know he had taken them.

As expected, no one noticed Jiang Hang’s actions.

Yuan Shiyuan sat patiently on the carpet, reaching up to touch the ends of his hair. It was nearly dry now.

He looked up at Ying Mingxi behind him, catching his downward glance: "Brother Mingxi, you can stop drying my hair. It’s not dripping anymore."

"As long as it’s not dripping, it’ll dry on its own in a bit."

Yuan Shiyuan was quite casual about himself. He was too lazy to blow-dry his hair, usually just giving it a quick towel-dry and letting it half-dry naturally.

Mainly because when he was at home, his younger brother would help him wash and dry his hair. At school, his roommates and friends would often help him too... In short, whether at home or at school, there was always someone eager to dry his hair for him.

Even if no one helped, he didn’t mind. After all, Alphas are tough—just wiping it halfway dry and letting it air-dry was fine.

"It’s fine."

Ying Mingxi reached out and fingered the ends of Yuan Shiyuan’s hair. "This part is still wet."

Bao Jin sneered: "You should let him dry it, or else Ying Mingche might try to lick you again."

Although Ying Mingche hadn’t touched Yuan Shiyuan, the transferred senses allowed him to vividly imagine the softness of Yuan Shiyuan’s hair.

For once, he backed Bao Jin up: "Don’t feel awkward. Just use my brother as your personal dryer—he loves being used by you."

Unable to refuse their enthusiasm, Yuan Shiyuan had no choice but to stay seated.

He checked his star credits again, roughly estimating the amount. If he sold coffee for one more day tomorrow, he should be able to clear his debt.

After that, they could properly enjoy their time on the cruise ship.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Yuan Shiyuan looked up: "Did you say the captain unplugged the main power for the livestream equipment in our room?"

"Yeah." Ying Mingche, taking advantage of Yuan Shiyuan’s distraction, secretly hooked a finger through the waistband of Yuan Shiyuan’s pants, toying with it absently. "With no cameras, we can do whatever we want."

"Could there be other hidden cameras?" Yuan Shiyuan pondered. "It’s been so long already. If the livestream was cut off, the crew would be freaking out, right? There’s no way the directors would let our room’s cameras stay offline. They’d definitely try something else..."

—Directors, do something already!

—Help, I want to see what happens next!!

—Please, please, let me see the rest! I’ll even pay!!

—Let me see the final scene of Xiao Yuan getting wrecked! [Crying]

At that moment, the production crew was indeed in chaos.

"The number of viewers in the livestream isn’t dropping—it’s increasing?!" The spiking numbers on the backend left the director stunned. "We’ve already climbed to third place on the platform!"

"Many viewers are spamming the chat, demanding the broadcast resume. Some are even saying they’re willing to pay to see what happens next..."

The production crew was shocked.

They had assumed that once the main livestream feed was cut, the viewership would drop. Instead, the number of viewers and the overall engagement were rising at an astonishing rate!

Originally, the show was ranked eighth on the platform, but it had now jumped to third! Not only that, but multiple platforms were discussing *Struggle for Survival*, with some people speculating that it was all scripted—that Pei Yanbing unplugging the main power was a deliberate planned stunt.

The production crew was stumped. Since when did they have such a script?

They immediately launched into frantic discussions: "Who would’ve thought that cutting the broadcast would accidentally boost our ratings... It’s been over ten minutes, and the viewer count is still rising!"

"So what should we do? Wait for them to leave the room and then send staff in secretly?" They dismissed the idea. "This episode’s theme is purely hidden cameras..."

But could they just leave the main broadcast disconnected? That wasn’t an option either, since all six guests were currently in the room.

If the guests weren’t on screen, what would the audience watch?

After discussing with the planners, the director said: "Alright! We’ll change this episode’s plan. They’ve already ordered dinner, right? Let’s do a surprise check-in!"

"Send the camera crew in unexpectedly to catch them off guard. That’ll make great footage and entertainment value... audiences love these kinds of unexpected moments."

"Okay, the kitchen has the meals ready. We can head over anytime."

"Camera crew, get your gear ready—let’s go!"

"Wait—"

Yuan Shiyuan crouched by the bed, digging through his small backpack in frustration. He scratched his head, baffled. "Where are my socks?"

Years of having his clothes go missing made him instantly alert. But as he looked around, the room was filled with teammates he lived with.

Could the thief be right beside him?

Yuan Shiyuan carefully recalled everyone’s movements. Pei Yanbing had just finished showering, Jiang Hang was in the bathroom... Jiang Hang was the first suspect he ruled out.

Jiang Hang wouldn't have stolen the socks.

But then again, he couldn’t be sure when the socks had been taken. What if they’d been stolen during Pei Yanbing's shower?

The more Yuan Shiyuan thought about it, the more creeped out he felt. The more he pondered, the more genuinely worried he became.

Among the six S-Class Alphas of the Scepter boy band, all but him are suspects!

"No way..."

They don’t seem like the type, do they? Yuan Shiyuan couldn’t imagine the usually aloof S-Class Alphas stealing his socks.

Maybe it’s a misunderstanding? Or did he leave them somewhere and forget about it?

Yuan Shiyuan busily paced around the bedroom but still couldn’t find his socks. It wasn’t until he pushed open the balcony glass door that he breathed a sigh of relief.

The socks were hanging perfectly on the clothesline, drying in the sun. However, they had clearly been carefully scrubbed, with the wrinkles from wringing them out particularly noticeable under the sun.

Which kind buddy was so nice, doing a good deed without leaving a name, even washing his socks for him?

Yuan Shiyuan felt ashamed and reflected on himself. He had thought he’d encountered a pervert and had maliciously suspected his teammates, imagining them as disgusting Alpha gays.

Just then, a sudden argument erupted in the living room.

"What’s going on now?"

Yuan Shiyuan hurried back to the living room, his bathrobe lifting slightly with the movement, revealing a section of his pale thigh. "Didn’t we agree not to argue?"

Ying Mingche immediately put on a pitiful look: "I wasn’t arguing. I was just trying to fight for the right to sleep on the floor."

Bao Jin said calmly, "Why should he get to sleep on the floor by the bed? I want to too."

"The person with the lowest income has no right to speak, thank you." Ying Mingche then looked at Yuan Shiyuan. "I was communicating very politely. I didn’t mean to cause trouble."

"..."

Yuan Shiyuan understood—they were arguing over sleeping arrangements.

The bed spots were already decided: Yuan Shiyuan had a fixed bed, and the other bed was assigned based on income ranking, taking turns. But the other spots hadn’t been allocated yet.

There was a fold-out bed and a sofa in the living room, and floor space on both sides of the bedroom... What they were fighting over was the right to sleep on the floor in the bedroom.

The bedroom environment was indeed better and more comfortable, no wonder they were all competing for the floor space.

But compared to room assignments, Yuan Shiyuan had to address another issue.

"Even so, you shouldn’t argue. We should communicate peacefully. I could hear you arguing all the way from the balcony—it was really loud." Yuan Shiyuan said with a stern face, "As I’ve said before, we need to supervise each other and get along peacefully."

The Alphas had varied expressions. Yuan Shiyuan had indeed said they shouldn’t argue. But the natural rivalry between Alphas was innate and hard to overcome.

When Yuan Shiyuan sat on the sofa, he shifted his shoulders slightly.

"Are you uncomfortable?" Pei Yanbing’s gaze cautiously lingered on his collarbone. "It’s very red here."

The others also looked over. Ying Mingxi said, "Are you allergic?"

Yuan Shiyuan was stunned.

He checked himself in the mirror and saw that his skin was indeed a bit red, but he didn’t feel uncomfortable or itchy.

The Alphas, who had been tense just moments ago, immediately gathered around him. Bao Jin grabbed Yuan Shiyuan’s arm and lifted the hem of his bathrobe to check. There was also a red, irritated spot on his thigh.

"Is it from the bathrobe?" He frowned. "What kind of quality are the bathrobes the program team provided?"

It had only been worn for a short while, yet it had already irritated Yuan Shiyuan’s skin like this.

Yuan Shiyuan: "It’s not a big deal. Anyway, I don’t feel itchy or uncomfortable. I’ll just put up with it."

Pei Yanbing looked at him: "When I came back, I brought a shirt. You can use it as pajamas."

Under everyone’s surprised gazes, Pei Yanbing took out a white shirt.

Yuan Shiyuan was astonished: "You still had money to buy a shirt?"

Didn’t Pei Yanbing give all his earnings to him? How could he still have stashed money to buy a shirt?

Pei Yanbing explained: "My clothes got splashed with alcohol by a server, and they gave me this to make up for it."

Ying Mingche raised an eyebrow, insinuating: "So that’s how it is. I thought the captain cared so much about our youngest member that he specially saved money to prepare a surprise gift. But the captain really has good luck—finding a high-paying job, earning over thirty thousand Star Coins at once, and now the restaurant gives him a shirt... I’m really curious, how do all these good things happen to you?"

Pei Yanbing’s expression remained calm, and he didn’t respond.

Yuan Shiyuan checked the fabric—it was much more comfortable than the bathrobe.

"Are you really giving it to me?" he said. "Isn’t it a waste to use it as pajamas?"

"No," Pei Yanbing said, "but there are no pajama pants."

If Yuan Shiyuan were to wear this white shirt, it would mean he had no pajama pants...

Bao Jin instinctively glanced at the pair of long, pale legs beneath the hem of the bathrobe.

"Pajama pants aren’t a big issue." Yuan Shiyuan held the shirt against himself to check its length. "Is this your size? It’s so big."

On him, it would probably cover half of his thighs. At that length, it’s pretty much a skirt—whether he has pajama pants or not makes little difference.

"I’m going to change. You all go and pay tomorrow’s room charge and tip."

Yuan Shiyuan counted out a stack of Star Coins and added an extra thousand. He was quite thorough, even accounting for incidental expenses.

The motion of counting money caused his loose collar to slip slightly, revealing a section of his pale neck and shoulder.

Ying Mingche’s gaze stuck to that patch of pinkish pale skin. Contrary to his usual self, he volunteered for the task: "I’ll go pay."

He also took his brother Ying Mingxi with him, and Jiang Hang silently followed.

"How exactly did the captain earn that money? I checked all over the ship earlier, and not a single shop offered such high wages." Ying Mingche stared at the bill, then suddenly turned to the camera with a smile. "The audience must know the scoop, right?"

"Didn’t they say there were tips for playing the violin?" Jiang Hang said.

"That violin would have been played until it caught fire." Ying Mingche wasn’t buying that explanation.

—Ying Mingche is so sharp. None of the others looked into this deeply, only he won’t let it go.

—This is just like a dog, always needing to have something in its mouth. [facepalm]

—Please, hurry up and fix the live broadcast equipment in the room, okay?! I want to see my Little Yuanbao! [furious]

While the staff confirmed the amount of Star Coins, Ying Mingxi looked at the nearby shelf: "Should we buy a few sets of pajamas? We can’t have our Princess Yuanyuan always wearing the captain’s shirt."

Ying Mingxi and Jiang Hang both said, "Buy."

Jiang Hang checked the size of the pajama pants: "These are too big."

If they’re this big for him, they’d only be bigger for Yuan Shiyuan.

He could easily picture Yuan Shiyuan wearing these pajamas—the overly loose waistband might slide all the way down, getting stuck at his hips, or pooling around his slender ankles.

"Does anyone have a hair tie? Shi Yuan could use one to tighten it," Ying Mingxi suggested gently. "As for me, I’d just use a belt to fix it."

Perhaps to encourage spending, the quality of the bathrobes and pajamas provided by the show wasn't great.

Besides pajamas, they also bought disposable towels and other daily necessities. They remembered that Yuan Shiyuan was quite picky about this stuff.

Since they weren’t far from their room, they quickly finished paying, checked out, and returned.

Just then, the shower door swung open.

"Brother Mingxi, I’ve just finished spreading my pheromones."

Yuan Shiyuan’s voice was moist with humidity, and the Alphas were momentarily stunned.

Yuan Shiyuan stepped out from the steam-filled shower wearing only the white shirt. The fabric on his shoulders was dampened by water droplets, clinging to his skin and revealing a hint of his skin. The hem of the shirt covered half of his thighs, exposing a section of his slender calves as he moved.

Even though they were all S-class Alphas, the shower always retained traces of other Alphas’ pheromones, which made them uncomfortable. Still, it was merely discomfort—something they could tolerate and overcome.

Yet, every time an Alpha exited the shower, Yuan Shiyuan would go in. He was like a diligent little bee, constantly spreading his pheromones into the shower.

Strangely, even though they were all S-class Alphas, his pheromones seemed more dominant, carrying a deeper, more potent force. They easily overpowered the lingering scent of the previous Alpha, leaving the shower filled only with his fragrance.

His pheromones, seemingly scentless, carried the aroma of shower gel—unique and addictive.

Ying Mingche should have handed him the newly bought pajamas instead of letting Yuan Shiyuan continue wearing another Alpha’s shirt. But as he took in the scene before him, he suddenly changed his mind.

Yuan Shiyuan already looked really good in the oversized white shirt.

Ying Mingxi stepped into the bathroom.

"Is this level enough?" Under the soft yellow light of the bathroom, Yuan Shiyuan lifted his face and asked.

"It’s fine." Ying Mingxi reached out to adjust Yuan Shiyuan’s collar, smoothing out the small wrinkles before gently patting the hem of his shirt. "It’s a bit crooked."

The entire shower was now filled only with Yuan Shiyuan’s scent. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he tilted his head with a gentle smile. "Thank you, Shi Yuan."

Ying Mingxi was indeed the rare sensible one in the group.

He was the most polite, comfortable to talk and interact with, and very helpful.

Yuan Shiyuan had always held a very good impression of Ying Mingxi.

Bao Jin glanced at the countdown timer. "The next person to shower is Ying Mingche? There should be enough time."

But Ying Mingche suddenly didn’t feel like moving. He leaned close to Yuan Shiyuan, nuzzling his hair and taking a deep breath.

"It’s fine, you go first," he said without turning his head. "Our Princess Yuanyuan is right—we’re a team. Since we’re teammates and family, it’s nothing for me to yield a little."

"Even though you’re last in earnings, with the worst ability to make money, it’s okay. I’ll let you shower first."

Bao Jin smiled insincerely. "You’re second to last—not much better than me."

Ying Mingche ignored the rest. Like a big dog, he kept nuzzling Yuan Shiyuan’s pink hair, whining pitifully, "I’ve been very well-behaved today."

"I even let my brother shower first," he added. "Normally, I’d definitely go first."

Yuan Shiyuan lazily leaned back on the sofa, tilting his chin toward the fruit platter nearby. Ying Mingche immediately understood, eagerly bringing the platter over and fed him pieces of fruit.

Only then did Yuan Shiyuan pat Ying Mingche’s face and say, "Very good."

Ying Mingche pushed his luck, nuzzling Yuan Shiyuan’s hand with his cheek. He completely failed to notice that the water flow from the bathroom had suddenly become more forceful.

The other Alphas watched this scene unfold. From their angle, they could clearly see Yuan Shiyuan’s slender, pale fingers brushing over Ying Mingche’s cheek, but they couldn’t see clearly who was being touched.

The perspective made it easy to imagine themselves in that position, as if Yuan Shiyuan were caressing them instead.

The room’s air conditioning was set quite low, yet they felt inexplicably hot.

Jiang Hang tugged at his collar. Was it because he was wearing long sleeves? His body temperature was unusually hot, and when he caught the faint scent in the air, the heat intensified exponentially.

He got up and went to the bedroom, rummaging through a bag. He remembered grabbing a short-sleeved shirt earlier—perhaps changing into it would help him cool down.

Yuan Shiyuan ate a few grapes and looked at the time, puzzled. "Why hasn’t the food delivery arrived yet? Does ordering take this long?"

Bao Jin said, "The restaurants we ordered from make everything fresh. It’s dinnertime rush now, so they’re probably busy and slower."

How much longer would they have to wait?

Yuan Shiyuan was really hungry.

With the order still not delivered, Yuan Shiyuan could only tilt his head to eat the fruit Ying Mingche was feeding him. But just then, a sudden, intense bloated feeling spread through his lower abdomen.

It came on fiercely and unexpectedly. He pushed Ying Mingche’s face away and abruptly stood up!

"Wait, I need to use the bathroom..." Yuan Shiyuan sounded urgent, his legs unconsciously clamping together. "Brother Mingxi, are you almost done?"

The sound of water in the bathroom stopped abruptly. Ying Mingxi’s gentle voice came through the glass door: "Almost done."

Yuan Shiyuan breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Ying Mingxi was nearly finished. The shower and toilet were only separated by a glass partition. If he rushed in to use the toilet now, the almost-naked view of both of them would be far too awkward.

Yuan Shiyuan paced anxiously in place, his face looking extremely strained—brows furrowed, lower lip lightly bitten. His long legs, beneath the white shirt, were pressed tightly together. Perhaps from straining to hold it in too desperately, his knees rubbed together slightly and trembled.

For some reason, the Alphas found themselves unable to look away from this sight.

Bao Jin suddenly stepped forward, his large hand grabbing Yuan Shiyuan’s side. He seemed merely curious: "Is it really that uncomfortable?"

The touch at his waist made Yuan Shiyuan feel the need to pee even more intensely. He let out a small gasp, his eyes damp and red-rimmed as he glared at Bao Jin.

"Don’t touch me!" he said, his legs clamping together even tighter, his voice trembling. "If you touch me, it makes me feel like I have to pee..."

Yuan Shiyuan’s intention was to let the Alphas know that the situation was critical.

But when the Alphas heard this, their expressions first froze, then showed a hint of excitement.

They glanced subtly at Yuan Shiyuan’s stomach.

Jiang Hang clenched the short-sleeved shirt in his hand, feeling increasingly feverish. He asked, "Is it really that urgent?"

"Very urgent!" Yuan Shiyuan regretted eating so much fruit earlier—now the urge was utterly unstoppable.

Ying Mingche was even more teasing. He stepped right in front of Yuan Shiyuan, crouched down, and looked up at him with eyes glittering excitedly.

From below, he first saw Yuan Shiyuan’s long, well-proportioned legs—now tightly pressed together and trembling—then his face, which seemed to be twisted with discomfort from holding back.

"It’s fine, you can pee right here," Ying Mingche said, tilting his head up with a raised eyebrow.

"That’s not allowed!"

"Why not? Or I could carry you to the balcony and let you pee directly into the sea."

"No! I need to go to the bathroom..." Just as Yuan Shiyuan was about to leave, his ankle was grabbed.

Ying Mingche raised his arm and teasingly pressed his fingers against Yuan Shiyuan's tense lower abdomen.

Yuan Shiyuan's eyes widened abruptly. He lifted his foot and kicked Ying Mingche in the chest, sending him flying two meters away. At that moment, Ying Mingxi, who was pushing open the bathroom door, let out an involuntary grunt, his fingers gripping the door handle trembling unnaturally.

Yuan Shiyuan quickly dashed into the bathroom, without even closing the door, swiftly yanked down his pants, sat down, and began answering nature's call.

Ying Mingxi stood with his back to Yuan Shiyuan, his entire body stiff. It took him two or three seconds to snap out of it and calmly close the bathroom door.

His expression was calm, as if nothing had happened, and he said, "Bao Jin is next to shower, right?"

Bao Jin, hearing the sounds from inside the bathroom, was momentarily dazed. Only when his name was called did he finally come to.

"Yeah," he said, "I'm next."

Bao Jin knocked on the bathroom door.

His tone was slightly awkward: "When you come out, remember to release your pheromones."

Yuan Shiyuan, feeling immense relief, replied lazily, "No problem. As much as you need, I'll give you that much."

After releasing his pheromones and washing his hands, Yuan Shiyuan came out and threw a weak punch at Ying Mingche.

The punch was light and had no strength behind it, but Ying Mingche played along by falling down, whining, "I was wrong, I was wrong... I shouldn't have pressed your stomach."

Yuan Shiyuan gritted his teeth and said, "Do you have any idea? I almost really..." He trailed off, then shot Ying Mingche a warning glare.

"Almost what?" Ying Mingche licked his lips. "Pee yourself?"

"If you peed, then you peed. It's not a big deal," he said casually, raising an eyebrow. "It wouldn't bother me."

Yuan Shiyuan couldn't find words: "Do you realize how dangerous that angle was? If I really couldn't hold it, I probably would've hosed your face down."

Ying Mingche froze, only then remembering how they were positioned.

He had been crouching right in front of Yuan Shiyuan... Yuan Shiyuan was absolutely right.

Ying Mingche's throat moved.

Jiang Hang crossed his arms and sneered, "If you really couldn't hold it, he probably would've been eager to catch it with his mouth."

Bao Jin recalled Yuan Shiyuan's earlier expression of struggling to hold back, his brows furrowed in discomfort.

He glanced at Yuan Shiyuan's legs and pictured it. "Ying Mingche, you're seriously messed up."

"Enough talk, can you hurry up and shower? I don't want it to be my turn and have no time left."

Ying Mingche snapped impatiently, then grinned at Yuan Shiyuan. "I'm the last to shower. When it's my turn, make sure to make it extra strong."

"Why don't you just join me in the bathroom? Don't worry, I won't get you wet."

Yuan Shiyuan, after such a long hold, still had a flushed face.

He shot him down coldly, then turned and asked, "It's been almost an hour. Has the food still not arrived? Can someone call to check on the order?"

Pei Yanbing said, "Just a moment."

Pei Yanbing called to inquire, and the restaurant said the delivery person was already on the way.

It was dinner rush, so it was normal for the restaurant to be slow. But it worked out—by the time the food arrived, they should all be done showering.

Soon, Bao Jin also finished showering. He knocked on the glass door in advance to announce, "I'm done. I'll just put on clothes and come out."

Yuan Shiyuan went to the bathroom door ahead of time, ready with his pheromones.

Just then, there was a knock at the door—likely the delivery person had arrived.

Yuan Shiyuan, being closest to the door, opened it casually. Almost simultaneously, Bao Jin happened to emerge from the bathroom.

The moment the door opened, a dense crowd surged forward, dozens of cameras flashing red lights, their lenses trained on the room's interior.

At that moment, right in front of the cameras, all the S-class Alphas of the Scepter boy band were partially undressed. Pei Yanbing was holding Yuan Shiyuan's discarded clothes, Ying Mingxi was lowering his head to unbuckle his belt, Bao Jin had a towel around his neck, Jiang Hang was in the midst of taking off his shirt...

Yuan Shiyuan, who had opened the door, was wearing only an oversized white shirt, the hem askew mid-thigh. His face was flushed, his long legs perfectly proportioned, and beneath his slightly messy pink hair was a strikingly handsome, aggressive face.

Time seemed to freeze.

Every Alpha in the room froze mid-action, staring at the door. The camera crew froze, the live stream comments halted, and everyone was stunned.

Then came the most dramatic moment.

Ying Mingche, completely unaware of what was happening, lazily hugged Yuan Shiyuan from behind and rested his chin on Yuan Shiyuan's shoulder. "It's my turn now, right?"

"..."

"!!"

After three seconds of a black screen, the chat went wild!