A Delicate Beauty Holding a Villain’s Script - Chapter 8

(Ding-dong! Host, the first stage is complete. It is now time to begin the next phase!)

“The next phase?”

The Alpha was seated beside the Omega, one hand propping up his chin while the other idly stirred a cup of fragrant coffee. In the faint morning light, his silhouette against the pale sky formed a beautiful, serene picture. His long eyelashes curled slightly, shielding a pair of affectionate peach blossom eyes. When those eyes were cast downward, anyone would be convinced that he was a helpless and pitiable soul.

(Yes!) 051 replied with supreme confidence. (The stage objective requires the Host to “get together” with the Protagonist Shou and participate in survival training with the main leads. This will facilitate the emotional bond between the Protagonist Gong and Shou.)

(Sounds simple, right?)

“Mmm… it sounds simple, but I don’t actually like him. A sudden confession would be quite strange, wouldn’t it?” Li Rangnian’s wrist paused its movement. His pale fingers tightened around the silver spoon; it was hard to tell which was whiter, the porcelain skin or the polished metal.

Thinking back on their daily interactions, Shen Yiqing took great care of him, bringing him meals, helping with his homework, running errands… The only downside was that he was too clingy. He constantly sought physical closeness and never stopped calling him “Li-mei” (Little Sister Li), which was becoming incredibly annoying.

Most importantly, with a body this weak how was he supposed to participate in survival training?

Li Rangnian let out a soft sigh. The tiny sound caught the attention of the person beside him. While asking “What’s wrong, Li-mei?”, Shen Yiqing took the spoon from his hand and began stirring in his stead until the sugar was completely dissolved before gently pushing the cup back.

Li Rangnian’s red lips parted as he took a small sip. The smooth, melt-in-your-mouth texture and rich sweetness spread through his mouth. The beauty couldn’t help but squint his eyes, his brows curving and the corners of his mouth lifting into a faint arc, revealing two adorable dimples.

So obedient. I really want to touch him. Shen Yiqing’s fingertips rubbed together unconsciously. His arm rose and fell; eventually, he decided against it. Forget it, that would be too offensive.

“Shen Yiqing, tell me… what does it feel like to be in a relationship?”

By chance, a couple was sitting at the table opposite them, acting very sweet and feeding each other. The air around them seemed to be filled with pink bubbles.

Li Rangnian’s mind worked quickly, and he immediately thought of this approach. He appeared curious about how couples interacted, leaning his body forward slightly to get a better look at their movements.

“…” Shen Yiqing became instinctively tense, though he didn’t know why. He raised his hand to block the Alpha’s view and stammered, “Don’t look. There’s nothing good to see.”

Li Rangnian became unhappy and let out a soft huff. “What are you doing? Just because I’ve never been in love doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to watch!”

Their skin was very close. The youth’s thick eyelashes brushed against Shen Yiqing’s palm as he blinked, sending a tingle through his hand. The warm breath from his words brought a soft heat to his palm. It felt as if he had caught a small butterfly.

Before Shen Yiqing could even blush at this intimate contact, his ears caught the beauty’s huffy remark. His pupils dilated in shock.

“You… you’ve never been in a relationship?” he asked, incredulous.

“Yeah, so what? Is it embarrassing to have never been in love?” Li Rangnian raised a paw and patted the other’s hand away, silently defending himself in his heart. It’s true, I’ve never been in a relationship in this world. As for previous worlds, they didn’t count.

Shen Yiqing felt as if he had been struck by a massive stroke of luck. He sat there in a daze, overwhelmed by surprise. He never imagined that a beauty who attracted butterflies and bees like this would actually be so innocent.

Suddenly, a base thought surfaced in his mind. He wanted to be the beauty’s “only one.” He wanted to guide him bit by bit, making him open his heart like a shy boy experiencing his first love, or like a clam slowly revealing its soft interior to him. Soft, defenseless, and held tightly in the palm of his hand so he could never escape.

Shen Yiqing turned his head to gaze at the youth’s exquisite and gorgeous face, his heart stirring with hidden desires.

“I think he’s taking the bait,” Li Rangnian whispered to the system. After waiting a moment, he turned his head to stare at Shen Yiqing with a face full of innocence. “How about… we give it a try?”

As he spoke, the beauty seemed somewhat bashful. His snow-white teeth lightly bit his lower lip, leaving a moist, red indentation. Even his eyes were darting away, yet they remained clear and sparkling, as if they were glowing. He obediently tilted his small face up, waiting for an answer.

Heaven knows how much effort it took for Shen Yiqing to restrain himself from pulling Li Rangnian into his arms for a heavy kiss right there in public. Appearing calm, he cupped the beauty’s face and leaned in slightly. Their eyes met, and his voice was incredibly gentle: “Of course we can, Li-mei.”

That afternoon, a photo of the two staring into each other’s eyes appeared on the campus “confession wall” and in various gossip groups. Posts were being refreshed at a lightning pace, and comments flooded in.

• • 1L: “I know Shen Yiqing, but who is the one next to him?”

• • 2L: “Same question, never seen him before.”

• • 3L: “You guys are out of the loop. That’s the number one pick on the new freshman beauty rankings. Good looking, right?”

• • …

• • 185L: “Is this… an O-O relationship? Wow, how rare. Aren’t they afraid that when their heat cycles hit, they’ll have to share a boyfriend?”

• • 186L: “You’re acting like suppressants don’t exist.”

• • 187L: “Everyone else get out of the way! Let me kiss my wife! Heavy breathing noises… Wife, wife, wife! Such a sweet and beautiful wife! A sweet little cupcake!”

A newer comment was quietly upvoted to the top: “That person is an Alpha. I think his name is Li Rangnian; he’s studying Pharmacology.”

All comments ceased for a split second before refreshing at an even more explosive speed. This time, the discussion centered on the Alpha himself, as Alphas studying Pharmacology were rare. This triggered insults and contempt from some other Alphas; some even maliciously suggested he should have his glands removed.

More photos were dug up: the Alpha spacing out, chatting with friends, crouching down to pet a stray cat… but the most widely circulated one was of a tall, handsome Alpha carrying him in a bridal (princess) style.

“Holy crap! Brother Qin has a situation!”

Li Yuan shouted excitedly, his wrist-mounted light computer projecting a holographic image into the air. It was Qin Yuan. He had his eyes lowered, holding a slender and delicate beauty in his arms. The two seemed to be whispering intimately, looking exceptionally closely.

The other two roommates moved like the wind, lunging to his side to stare at the projection. They clicked their tongues in awe. One shook his head: “Tsk, tsk. The world is going downhill, and ancient virtues are being lost!”

Qin Yuan pushed open the bathroom door and stepped out. His body, shrouded in steam, was firm and fluid, with perfect muscle structure. His sexy V-line slid downward, while his most enticing features were obscured by a bath towel. He stepped through the dampness, his leg muscles flexing with power.

“What are you screaming about?”

Qin Yuan pulled a towel from the bedhead and rubbed his hair a few times. His damp hair was swept back, revealing a deep, three-dimensional face with a high nose and a sharp jawline.

The others immediately crowded around him, winking: “Brother Qin, is there something going on with you?”

Qin Yuan’s sword-like brows slanted. “Speak human.”

Li Yuan quickly projected the photo again and nudged his chin toward it. “Look, this little beauty. Is it him?”

The first thing that caught Qin Yuan’s eye was the Alpha’s bright red face. He instinctively recalled the Alpha’s soft touch—he was so light in his arms, just like a kitten…

He quickly snapped back to reality, raising an eyebrow with a cold sneer: “Stop guessing. Where did this come from?”

“Hmph, so dishonest…” While verbally protesting, his hand obediently pulled up the original thread. “Right here.”

As Qin Yuan scrolled through the comments, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper, and his expression turned cold. “I think the training is still too light. Some people clearly have too much free time on their hands.”

“Boring,” he said, returning to sit on his bed. But in the next second, his hand moved faster than his brain to open his light computer.

A line of text popped up in his message box. He finished reading it in less than half a second, then exited to find a contact labeled “Research Madman” and sent a message:

(Delete all posts related to Li Rangnian.)

A reply came back quickly: (? My lord, who offended you this time that you want so many posts deleted?)

His fingers tapped across the blue screen: (A syringe of alien blood and a tissue slice.)

Research Madman: (Hehe, deal! I love doing business with a straightforward person like you.)

Within minutes, the roommates in the dorm started shouting again: “Wait, who deleted all the posts? You aren’t giving us gossip-mongers a way to live, are you?!”

The “Great Lord” Qin Yuan lay down silently, hiding his deeds and fame. His mind was entirely filled with a single silhouette.

It’s been so many days since I’ve spoken to Li-mei. I wonder if he’s unhappy.

I happen to have time tomorrow. I’ll go see Li-mei.

What he didn’t know was that his beloved Li-mei was currently “hooking up” with Shen Yiqing.