Even a Heartthrob Can Be Defeated in a Love Triangle [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 3

Isn’t he just a bit pale and beautiful…

***

Yu Ling instinctively sensed a trace of danger.

Particularly when Xi Jin marched toward him with a dark, brooding expression, Yu Ling closed his eyes in a sheer reflex.

This childhood friend of his seemed to possess an incredibly foul temper, so the man could not possibly be coming over to beat him up just because he wanted to claim the most comfortable house, right?

Yu Ling had never been beaten up before, but he had no intention of standing there and taking a blow, so he ducked behind Wen Ting as a form of self-preservation.

After all, Wen Ting was the one with the best attitude among this crowd, and his face was highly deceptive. Previously, he had always appeared in Yu Ling’s eyes as an obedient inferior.

Yu Ling had completely failed to anticipate that, when this man stood up straight, his height was not lagging in the slightest behind the other three large and imposing fellows.

How utterly detestable!

Could it be that he was actually the shortest one in the entire group?

Nobody knew why Yu Ling had grown inexplicably angry yet again, but upon second thought, it was probably entirely normal for a willful pretty-boy like him to be throwing a tantrum at every single moment of the day.

In the past, nobody would have paid any attention to him, yet today, one after another, they actually could not help but want to coax Yu Ling just a little.

Wen Ting was the first to pull out his phone. “Let us discuss the housing assignments after we start the live stream. It would not be wise to ignore the task assigned by the director.”

Ji Yiyang maintained a cold expression throughout. “I do not care what thoughts the rest of you harbor, but in short… if it were not absolutely necessary for me to come, I would never want to lay eyes on you. I can pretend to maintain a friendly, former-teammate relationship with you in front of the lens, but behind the scenes, I hope we can completely stay out of each other’s way.”

Xi Jin crossed his arms over his chest, his face likewise painted with an untamed, defiant look. “What a remarkable coincidence, because I happen to want to offer those exact words to all of you. My only purpose in participating in this wilderness survival show is to completely sever my ties with you.”

Their group’s disbandment had not been clean or pleasant, and it was likely that only a few devoted group fans were still holding out hope for their eventual comeback.

Mu Nian had no desire to get entangled in their history either. His decision to come was purely because he did not want to disappoint his supporters, as he was an idol who strictly maintained a proper idol work ethic.

They did not bother to ask Wen Ting for his opinion, though it was highly probable that Wen Ting would not wish for them to reform the group either, since his position within the team had been the most awkward and uncomfortable back then.

Yu Ling felt extremely disgruntled. Was nobody going to consult his opinion? He had absolutely no desire to appear on a variety show with a pile of his sworn enemies.

“You four had better listen closely to me. When the show is broadcasting live later, you are not permitted to have any excessive contact with me, because I absolutely despise it when people touch me. I am also not going to form a team with you, so you can go ahead and handle whatever chores need to be done by yourselves.”

In any case, a grand villain would never perform manual labor with his own hands.

Yu Ling believed himself to be acting exceedingly fierce, his small mouth chattering away for a long time, but the four men present suddenly stared directly at him with completely dazed expressions.

Because Yu Ling kept talking without pause, and perhaps because he had not slept well due to his earlier motion sickness, his complexion appeared rather pale. Yet after speaking for so long, he became so fatigued that he was breathing heavily, which caused two sudden flushes of crimson to bloom across his porcelain cheeks, making him look…

Exceptionally delicate, pink, and incredibly inviting.

Wen Ting instinctively used his own body to block the gazes of the others, and the moment Xi Jin realized what Wen Ting was doing, he ground his teeth together in absolute frustration. Who on earth was so desperate to look at Yu Ling anyway? Wasn’t the boy just a bit pale-skinned and red-lipped? Wasn’t his expression when he looked like he might cry from frustration just a little bit cute? Was a physical barrier truly necessary? Treating them as though they were a pack of perverts, and as for Wen Ting, since when did his attitude toward that fellow Yu Ling become so remarkably pleasant?

The more Xi Jin pondered the matter, the more peculiar it felt. “Who cares about looking at him,” he grumbled, his mouth remaining stubbornly defiant.

Beside him, Ji Yiyang cast a look at him that clearly said ‘you are completely unhinged.’ “What absolute rubbish are you muttering about?”

Only then did Xi Jin realize that if he hadn’t spoken up on his own initiative, nobody would have paid any attention to the fact that he had been stealing glances at Yu Ling just now.

Acting as if he were merely changing the subject, Xi Jin muttered, “Let us hurry up and stream for a bit. Once this task is over, I have absolutely no desire to continue staying around you lot.”

The others harbored the exact same intention.

The five of them simultaneously opened their streaming accounts to begin broadcasting.

Ji Yiyang possessed the largest fan base among the five. He came from an excellent family background, boasted remarkable looks, and occupied the ACE position within the team, making him the textbook definition of a wealthy young master venturing into the entertainment industry, who would simply have to return home to inherit the family estate if he failed to make it.

Xi Jin’s family background was not lacking either, though his personality was rather explosive, turning so fiercely independent when he pleased that he recognized absolutely no one, openly picking fights with heaven, earth, and the very air itself. Consequently, his fans spent every day mocking themselves for being gluttons for punishment, as they simply adored that exact trait.

Yu Ling glanced left and right, discovering that the live stream rooms of both Wen Ting and Mu Nian were filled with a rather gentle atmosphere.

Wen Ting maintained the image of a verified nice guy within the industry, which was not difficult to guess, but he had not anticipated that a youngster like Mu Nian would actually possess a mountain of fiercely loyal female admirers as well.

【System: He is the most ambitious and hardworking maknae in the group, possessing a stark contrast in personality that attracts fans. His looks are decent, his idol ethic is flawless, he firmly refuses to date, and he knows exactly how to flatter his audience, so how could his fans possibly not adore him?】

Yu Ling offered a soft mental snort. He had no need for a massive amount of affection, since what he required was absolute fear and adoration.

His own live stream room was likewise buzzing with activity, except the viewers had not come to praise him; the screen was entirely filled with venomous abuse.

A single glance revealed a mountain of censored asterisks.

The system worried that the massive psychological disparity might leave Yu Ling feeling deeply dejected, so it hurriedly offered words of comfort.

【System: Previously, we utilized points to manage the character automatically, which is why the personality was a bit unappealing, but please do not feel sad. Once you perform your duties as a Holy Father properly, there will definitely be an immense number of people who will love you.】

Yu Ling found its concern utterly baffling. Why on earth should I feel sad?

With so many people detesting him, he was actually turning wild with excitement. Being hated was an excellent thing, as a grand villain had absolutely no use for popularity.

Yu Ling was not particularly adept at utilizing human technology, so he mindlessly followed the system’s instructions while tinkering with his phone.

He wanted to select a couple of comments to fire back a retort, but the live chat was refreshing far too rapidly for him to read clearly, causing him to lean closer to the phone.

The camera instantly captured his magnified beauty.

His long, thick eyelashes seemed to brush against the heart of every single viewer, and that gaze of clear, light blue was even more transparent than the seawater stretching out behind Yu Ling’s back.

The live chat froze for a brief sequence of seconds.

[Wait, why did he suddenly… look so incredibly beautiful?]

[Wake up, everyone. Yu Ling has always been remarkably good-looking, it is just that his trait as a willful pretty-boy was always so overpowering that everyone was too busy cursing him as a useless burden to notice his sheer beauty.]

[This, this kind of beauty… I feel as though I am somewhat incapable of ignoring it today? When he isn’t speaking, why does he look exactly like a celestial being…]

[Can you all please snap out of it? Boycott the Starry comeback! Every member should fly solo and flourish beautifully on their own! We refuse to support forced group projects!]

[Get this useless pretty-boy out of the entertainment industry!]

****

This time, Yu Ling managed to read the comments insulting him clearly, and he pursed his lips together, his disgruntled little expression displaying itself with absolute clarity on the screen.

The speed of the vitriol in the chat immediately slowed down by a noticeable margin.

[I am guilty… I am trying my absolute best, yet I am completely powerless to resist. Did nobody ever mention that he looks this spectacular in a close-up?]

“What absolute nonsense are you uttering? Even if the four of them leave the industry, I will absolutely never quit. Keep dreaming.” Once Yu Ling delivered his arrogant declaration, he discovered that the comments cursing him multiplied instantly.

[Ah, it is still the familiar recipe and the familiar flavor, but looking at it from another perspective, Yu Ling’s fans are actually quite fortunate. Supporting a total disaster means they never have to worry about a sudden scandal breaking his image, because there is simply nothing left to ruin.]

Yu Ling’s expression collapsed instantly, and he muttered with deep displeasure, “Do you truly believe the idols you support are such wonderful characters? Take for example…”

【System: Host, Host, please do not speak recklessly!】

The network connection suddenly experienced a brief stutter, preventing Yu Ling’s retaliatory words from broadcasting.

Ji Yiyang frowned. “What is going on? My connection suddenly dropped.”

Xi Jin muttered, “Mine as well.” He felt rather irritable. “What a wretched signal! Can this deserted island life truly be broadcast properly?”

Mu Nian asked, “What about Brother Wen Ting? My connection dropped too…”

Wen Ting offered a bitter smile. “It appears that I have also disconnected.”

The single individual whose live stream remained active through the lag… was none other than Yu Ling.

Wen Ting suggested, “Then we will have to trouble Yu Ling to keep his broadcast running while we hurry up and distribute the room assignments.”

Yu Ling felt rather reluctant, as his live stream room was suddenly flooded by the fans of the other four members, every comment calling out for their respective favorites without pause, so he began to mute the viewers manually. “You are not permitted to discuss anyone else in my space, and I will block every single account I spot.”

The fans had completely failed to anticipate that this fellow would actually dare to blacklist people so brazenly.

Are you completely insane to go around offending your audience like that?

Very well, it was a situation where they had no choice but to yield to Yu Ling. The other members showed absolutely no intention of restarting their broadcasts, so if they wished to catch a glimpse of their favorites, they could only swallow their anger and remain quietly within Yu Ling’s live stream.

Seeing his own name dominating the entire screen made Yu Ling feel far more comfortable.

He lifted his eyes, letting the camera pan over his surroundings in a casual, rapid sweep.

The system instructed him to capture a few shots of his teammates as a polite gesture, since that would be quite sufficient.

Room assignments? What room assignments? Yu Ling suddenly registered their words. “Didn’t I settle on the third house a long time ago?”

The remaining two structures looked utterly dreadful at a single glance, so he had absolutely no intention of staying in them.

Xi Jin countered, “Everyone wishes to stay in the third house, so we ought to either draw straws or play rock-paper-scissors. If a single word from you settles the matter immediately, wouldn’t the show turn out to be incredibly dull?”

Yu Ling glared at him, right on the verge of throwing a tantrum.

Suddenly, a sharp numbness struck the base of his spine, feeling exactly as though a mild electrical current had jolted through his body.

Caught entirely off guard, a soft, breathless gasp escaped from Yu Ling’s lips.

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