Many posts in online discussions are laced with personal emotions. Due to their anonymity, people feel free to spread malice.
Wu Qin initially intended to help Xia Yan, but he inadvertently worsened the situation.
Wu Qin: “…” Maybe I should zip my lips.
As he hesitated about blocking some accounts, a new post suddenly appeared on the homepage, featuring an image of an exquisite silver snake ring. Its head and tail are intertwined, and emeralds are its eyes, making it incredibly lifelike and beautiful.
The title read: [Shocking! A certain Mr. Xia gifted a female college student with this item?]
Great, there’s definitely a hint of that C-dramatic flair here. Whatever the content, at least this title alone is exaggerated enough to make people curious to click.
Upon seeing the title, people quickly assumed Xia Yan was cheating, angrily clicked in, and then… were stunned.
First comment: [Apologies for the clickbait title; I apologize in advance to everyone.I’ve seen a lot of criticism about Xia Yan today. So, I’d like to share a brief encounter I had with him.
In October, I happened to run into him off-campus. Because he’s handsome, I was a little smitten with his looks and went up to chat, hoping to get close to him. But he bluntly asked if I had money. I honestly told him I only had three thousand. I was attracted to his looks at that time; he’s truly more stunning in person than in photos or videos. And he was straightforward, not coy, so I didn’t mind. He just said he only dines with wealthy people, politely declining me.
Things could have ended there, but then the real surprise happened! While I was still dizzy from his attractiveness, I exaggerated and said I wanted to become rich. And then, Xia Yan then gave me the ring!!! He said it was to help me achieve my dream of wealth! I later checked this ring online—it’s a Grayson summer release, priced at 69,999 yuan. And I got such an expensive gift from just a brief conversation with him.
I’ve finished my story. I can’t comment on his personality, but I hope everyone stops following the crowd and starts observing with their own eyes.]
The girl’s words, without any flowery language, narrated the past in an ordinary way, revealing another side of Xia Yan to everyone.
[Ladies, I have a bold idea.]
[What’s with people nowadays? Has a few thousand yuan made you change your mind? Where’s your integrity? To people like you, I only have one thing to say… Count me in.]
[Let’s form a group to confess our feelings. It’s not about the money; we just want to experience rejection.]
Some students at University S had seen Xia Yan perform at bars and maybe even harbored secret crushes on him. While they’d previously hesitated to speak up during the backlash, now, after reading the post, they felt compelled to comment.
[Xia Yan is usually very generous with his tips, casually handing out a few hundred.]
[He likes to receive expensive gifts, but after the initial thrill, he doesn’t really care, like a watch worth over a hundred thousand—he can give it away as if it were nothing. PS: No offense; everyone knows his personality. The gifts are all voluntarily given.”]
[He loves money but isn’t obsessed with it.]
…
While some still disliked Xia Yan, most people began to regain clarity, and the general sentiment and tone of the forum started to shift in his favor.
Wu Qin sighed in relief, realizing it was time to focus on other matters.
—
11 PM, Deep in the Night
Most people were already asleep. An abandoned path lay empty, with only a figure in white walking slowly.
Wearing a baseball cap with his hands in his coat pockets, he’d zipped it up to cover half his face.
This area hadn’t seen people for four or five months, and the streetlights, dim and flickering from age, cast faint glows. The ground was littered with discarded items from a recent demolition, giving it a cluttered appearance.
The young man walked with an uneven gait. Though he seemed relaxed, his muscles were tense, and his ears perked, listening carefully for any sound. However, halfway through his journey, nothing happened.
After a brief moment of thought, he took out his phone and began typing against the cold wind.
[I’ll be at the hotel in ten minutes; come join me for a drink.]
Since Xia Yan was currently “feuding” with Shen Wenqing and Wu Qin, he sent the message to one of Yan Ming’s roommates, who came from a well-off background.
Knowing about tonight’s plan, the friend responded with some playful, ambiguous words.
They wanted to provoke the stalker, make him lose his composure, and eventually reveal himself.
Ten minutes later, Xia Yan arrived at the main entrance of the bar. Glancing at the colorful sign, he lowered his gaze and casually stepped inside.
The bar was bustling, filled with people, as the Kamosido Band performed on stage.
The young man took off his bulky down coat, casually handed it to a server nearby, and said leisurely, “Take this to the back for me.”
“Brother Xia, you’re here.” A pretty Beta smiled, holding the coat and heading backstage while sneakily slipping out a two-hundred-yuan tip from the pocket.
Perhaps because he’d attended a wedding earlier, the young man was particularly well-dressed tonight.
A seahorse-hair V-neck sweater hugged his slender torso, its hem tucked into his jeans, with a brown belt emphasizing his waistline, giving him a perfect figure.
Wearing a new watch on his left hand, with matching silver accessories on his right hand and neck, and a black diamond in his ear, his overall look was both simple and sophisticated.
The bar was crowded, but someone immediately gave up their seat as soon as he walked over. He glanced at the man staring at him blankly to his right.
“Sir?”
“Ah… Hm?”
“I have a friend coming over. Could you…” He blinked his alluring eyes, his gaze flirtatious and irresistible.
The man hadn’t even processed it yet, but his body instinctively moved aside.
The young man raised an eyebrow in satisfaction. “Put this gentleman’s bill on my tab.” After finishing, he paid no more attention to the man, letting him leave, dazed.
The bartender, Ah Rang, raised a playful eyebrow and asked, “What’ll it be?”
He thoughtfully touched his chin. “Do you have any drinks that’ll make a man swoon?”
“???” Ah Rang’s hands shook, and the ice ball fell to the ground. He rolled his eyes and helplessly remarked, “My little ancestor, do you need alcohol to make men swoon?”
Putting down his tools, he gestured with his hands, “Just by sitting here, who could resist you?”
“Because the person I’m meeting next is important to me.” The young man clasped his hands under his chin, tilting his head adorably, with a dreamy look as if he were in love.
Ah Rang’s face looked aghast, like he’d seen a ghost.
Xia Yan flashed a smile, saying no more.
After waiting for about ten minutes, Yan Ming’s Alpha roommate hurried over. He was tall, nearly six feet three inches, with a healthy tan and a muscular build, clearly someone who worked out regularly.
Although he wasn’t as handsome as Shen Wenqing or Wu Qin, he was still above average.
He clearly wasn’t a regular at bars, carrying an air of innocence as he fumbled, unsure where to look.
Xia Yan’s temperament softened unusually, guiding him with a gentle tone, even offering him a drink.
“Th-thank you.”
“No need to be so formal.” The young man’s long lashes trembled as he lowered his gaze shyly, displaying an unfamiliar side of himself.
The bartender, Ah Rang, nearly dropped another glass.
The onlookers secretly watching in the bar inhaled sharply.
Was this the same Xia Yan?
Ignoring the crowd’s reactions, Xia Yan acted like a man in love. After a brief exchange, he adjusted his sleeve and brushed his watch’s inner edge.
“I need to use the restroom.”
“Alright.” The Alpha nodded, “I’ll wait for you here.”
The young man walked through the crowd to the men’s restroom. The floor was meticulously clean, and it was empty. He walked calmly into a stall, finished up, and washed his hands.
“Oops, I left my phone in my coat pocket.”
He muttered to himself, turning to walk back toward the backstage area. The deeper he went, the quieter it became.
With the Kamosido Band’s performance set to end at midnight, later than the Sunday Band, the deserted backstage had no cameras and was empty. He reached into his coat pocket and was just pulling out his phone when a dark figure enveloped him from behind.
The young man’s eyes widened. A hand covered his nose and mouth in the next second, and a sickly-sweet smell filled the air.
He struggled fiercely, grabbing the man’s forearm with both hands, his pinkie grazing the side of his watch twice… The drug took effect quickly, and his body went limp as he lost consciousness.
“…Hah.” The man took a deep breath, holding him close. “This is all your fault… Why won’t you see me? I’m the one who truly loves you…”
It’s not over yet; he can’t rest here.
If they catch him, he’s finished.
The man, dressed as a cleaner with a hat and mask, carefully positioned the young man so he appeared to be sleeping, lying face-down.
He needed to step out, grab the cleaning cart, and discreetly transport the youth somewhere no one would find them.
From that point on… their world would be only each other.
The thought filled him with euphoria, and his imagination of a perfect future was so addictive that he could hardly pull himself out.
However… as he opened the backstage door, two men in black suits were already waiting for him. They rushed forward and grabbed him instantly.
How could a regular Alpha compare to the strength of professional bodyguards?
As he stood dazed, countless hidden individuals emerged from the shadows. The young man, who had appeared unconscious, rubbed his face and sat up, fully awake.
“You all…”
There was no need for an explanation; he immediately understood he’d fallen into a trap.
There was no argument, no romantic interest — everything had been a ploy to catch him.
“Now, let’s see who you really are,” Wu Qin, ever fiery, strode over in a few quick steps, ripping off the man’s hat and mask.
Meanwhile, Shen Wenqing swiftly bypassed the two of them and entered the backstage area, warmly supporting the young man as he asked with concern, “Yan Yan, are you okay?”
Xia Yan replied, “A little dizzy.”
Although he held his breath in time, the man was cautious enough to hold on for a while, and Xia Yan had inhaled a little.
“Have some warm water; it’ll help.” Shen Wenqing took a thermos from one of the bodyguards, unscrewed it, and gently brought it to the young man’s lips.
The youth opened his lips and took a few sips.
“I was really scared today, worried you might get hurt.” Shen Wenqing pursed his lips. “I should have been the decoy.”
That had been Shen Wenqing’s original suggestion when they’d planned this.
Xia Yan had dismissed it without hesitation.
First, their body types were different. Although Shen Wenqing could cover up with a hat and coat, if the stalker was observant, he might still notice.
Especially if, instead of acting along the way, the stalker chose a heated bar — wearing a down jacket inside would be odd.
— And Xia Yan was right.
Secondly, Shen Wenqing was an Omega. If he disguised as a Beta, he’d have to take off his collar, which posed a huge risk with an Alpha stalker.
If anything went wrong and they failed to apprehend him in time, the stalker might take a desperate move and try to mark Shen Wenqing.
Getting a mark removed was painful and could cause long-term damage.
Considering all this, Xia Yan insisted on being the bait.
“I’m covered in trackers, so I’ll be fine.” Xia Yan took off his watch and showed the small button on its underside that sent signals.
The first signal was at the bar, where he told his team he was heading to the restroom and to be ready.
The stalker didn’t act in the restroom, so he sent a second signal as he moved backstage.
As he was being gagged with the drugged cloth, he pretended to struggle but pressed the signal button twice — the third signal, alerting the team the stalker was there.
The team didn’t immediately enter to catch him off-guard but waited on both sides of the exit.
One guard would subdue him the moment he stepped out, and the other would protect Xia Yan.
Reality turned out better than they had planned; the stalker had come out alone to get transport, and the young man was still safe in his chair.
The thud of the watch hitting the makeup table sounded heavy.
Then went the bracelet, necklace, earrings, belt, and even the soles of his shoes — all outfitted with trackers. They had taken every precaution, in case one was lost. Every piece of jewelry he wore that day… every single one had been modified.
Shen Wenqing held the young man close, intimate. “It’s all fine now.”
Wu Qin glanced at the stalker in his grip, then back at Shen Wenqing, and it suddenly dawned on him… in the game of romance, had he just lost??
Damn it! When wasn’t there time to beat the stalker senseless?
Shouldn’t he have checked in on Xia Yan first?
Frustrated, he channeled his anger at the stalker. Seizing the man by the collar, he demanded, “Tell me! Why are you stalking Xia Yan?”
At this point, the stalker realized he was well and truly finished.
The stalker let out a hollow laugh, “Why else? Of course, it’s because I like him!”
“Like him?” Wu Qin repeated in disbelief. “You send him threatening letters, stalk him, and even have drunk Alphas hurt him. You smear him on forums, and you still call that ‘liking’?”
“I want him, just for myself,” the man said, managing to finish his words even as Wu Qin punched him, splitting his lip. Blood trickled out as he coughed and continued, “But you all keep hovering around him like flies, so he can’t see anyone else.”
Shen Wenqing snorted, “You’re just not good enough for him to notice.”
The stalker gritted his teeth, glaring at Shen Wenqing like a cornered animal. “You guys just have good family backgrounds. Given time, I’ll have money too. I’m just taking an advantage to be with him.”
Finally, Xia Yan saw the stalker’s face clearly. A close-cropped head, thick brows, large eyes—he looked a bit innocent. It was the bartender’s apprentice, which explained why he was so familiar with the bar and able to lead drunk patrons into stalking Xia Yan.
“Is it you?” Xia Yan asked.
The stalker was stunned; it hurt more than anything Wu Qin or Shen Wenqing had thrown his way. Xia Yan hadn’t even recognized his voice?
The two of them stared at each other, a heavy silence hanging between them.
Wu Qin interrupted irritably, “Even if you had money, Xia Yan still wouldn’t like you.”
“And what gives you the right to say that?” the stalker retorted.
“Because you’re ugly,” Wu Qin shot back without hesitation, repeating the same line that a drunken Alpha had once asked Xia Yan. “So quit dreaming. Even with money, nobody would like you.”
“No… that can’t be…” The stalker looked at Xia Yan pleadingly.
Xia Yan only blinked, mentally shaking off the thought that this lunatic was expecting him to defend him.
Wu Qin cracked his knuckles. “I already called the cops. While we wait, I’ll have a little fun with you.”
“Count me in,” Shen Wenqing said, setting the thermos down on the dressing table and standing up. “Yan Yan, get some rest. Leave the rest to us.”
The backstage door closed, and though the soundproofing was only so-so, the muffled cries of pain came through.
Xia Yan took a sip of warm water, pretending not to hear. Perverts like that deserved a good beating.
—
The police arrived quickly. Seeing the bruised and bloodied stalker, they didn’t ask questions but simply took him away. Because Xia Yan had inhaled a small amount of sedative, he was allowed to recover and could give his statement the next day.
Naturally, Shen Wenqing and Wu Qin stayed with him.
News of the stalker spread among bar staff, with no one more shocked than Xu Rang. He’d thought his apprentice was honest and straightforward, even worried he’d end up heartbroken over Xia Yan.
Who would’ve thought… the guy had been fixated on Xia Yan from the start.
“Damn it! That idiot! I’m so pissed!” Xu Rang sat across from Xia Yan in the dressing room, venting a string of curses in just a few minutes.
The sedative was wearing off, and Xia Yan felt more awake, even though he still sluggish. He humored Xu Rang’s rant, finishing his warm water and feeling a bit thirsty again, so he handed the cup to Shen Wenqing.
Shen Wenqing, who had been sitting quietly, took the cup without a word and went to refill it.
Wu Qin, feeling ignored, looked at the bodyguard standing by and sighed. “Having a bodyguard and still willing to fetch water for you… maybe you should just go with him.”
Xia Yan didn’t answer. He was looking at his system panel.
[Task 5: (Completed)]
[Task 7: Leave the city with Xu Rang and live together as a couple for a month, then disappear.]
What?! He knew each word individually, but together, they made no sense.
Xia Yan refreshed the screen, but the text reappeared exactly the same.
Shocked, Xia Yan glanced at the unassuming Beta across from him, previously just another regular bartender—now an important NPC in the storyline? And now he was supposed to…?
Testing the waters, Xia Yan asked, “Xu Rang, if I broke up with Shen Wenqing and wanted to be with you—”
Before he could finish, Xu Rang recoiled in horror.
“Are you kidding?” Xu Rang crossed his arms, looking ready to sprint. “I still want to live, thanks. I’m not about to get killed by your admirers.”
Yes, Xia Yan was beautiful, but Xu Rang wanted to keep his life.
Sure, Xu Rang had once harbored a small crush on him, but as Xia Yan grew more stunning, the number of his admirers rose—all handsome, wealthy types. Xu Rang quickly buried any feelings.
Could he match up to Xia Yan? Absolutely not!
Xia Yan shrugged, “I was just joking.”
“Some jokes can kill, you know,” Xu Rang replied, eyeing Wu Qin’s murderous look. Wiping imaginary sweat from his brow, he silently slid his chair back.
When Shen Wenqing returned with the water, Xu Rang jumped at the chance to leave. “I still have work to finish. Let’s talk some other time.”
“What happened?” Shen Wenqing asked, noticing the tense atmosphere.
Wu Qin smirked, always eager to get a rise out of him. “Xia Yan said he’s planning to dump you and go for that Beta who just left.”
Shen Wenqing looked silently at Xia Yan.
“He’s lying,” Xia Yan replied, taking the water cup and sipping from it. As Shen Wenqing’s expression softened, Xia Yan added, “I said after we break up.”
The youth left the statement hanging without rebuttal to the second half, effectively confirming it.
Wu Qin, grinning mischievously, watched Shen Wenqing, curious about his reaction. But instead of questioning Xia Yan, Shen Wenqing turned to Wu Qin.
“And are you pleased that you lost to an ordinary Beta?”
Wu Qin’s grin vanished immediately.
Both men fell silent, exchanging glances filled with unspoken words. They couldn’t understand why Xia Yan was even considering that Beta.
The youth avoided their gaze, nervously lowering his head and fluttering his lashes.
He didn’t know why either!
