The Beta Alpha Turned Dating Reality Show Heartthrob - Chapter 1

The rain poured heavily that day. Just past eight o’clock, the usually bustling commercial district was completely deserted, save for strings of relentless raindrops mercilessly battering the ground and creating a rhythmic patter.

Passing pedestrians were rare, hurrying by under the cover of their umbrellas. A sudden gust of night wind swept through, carrying with it a sweep of icy rainwater that whipped against people’s bodies without warning, making them shudder and adding a palpable sense of dread to the rainy night.

Yet from a nearby alleyway came a chaotic flurry of footsteps, sounding hurried enough that the landing splashes were enough to soak trouser legs.

A man was sprinting forward while clutching his right arm, completely drenched. His face was deathly pale, and small drops of blood dripped from his right fingertips, blooming into scarlet flowers on the ground where they mixed with the rain, only to be washed away instantly.

Clearly, however, his speed still wasn’t enough.

A flash of light surged from behind him, transforming mid-air into an iron rod as thick as a man’s arm that struck squarely behind his right knee bend!

The man let out a muffled groan and, after stumbling a couple of steps, collapsed to the ground.

Under the dim lights of a shopping mall not far away, three figures could be vaguely seen stepping out from the shadows, exuding a fierce and ruthless aura. One of them let out a cold scoff, strolled over to pick up the iron rod, and locked eyes directly with the fallen man.

“Still daring to glare? We told you to come along quietly, but since you wouldn’t listen, you’ve only got yourself to blame for the pain!” The man raised the iron rod high, preparing to swing it down with lethal force—

“Wait.”

The man immediately halted his motion, turned back, and asked with a puzzled look, “Boss?”

The boss lifted his chin, signaling toward the shopping mall. The two subordinates turned to look; standing right at the entrance of the mall was a lone figure, though it was impossible to tell how long they had been standing there or whether they had witnessed what just happened. “Go take care of it.”

Xu Qingnan had not planned on leaving the house today.

Rainy days always put him in a foul mood.

However, this client’s assignment was due tomorrow, and his optical brain happened to break down today. Looking at the rain outside, Xu Qingnan had originally intended to place an order through the holographic mall. But after comparing prices, he found it would be 10% more expensive than buying it at the physical store himself, plus the delivery robot’s service fee, and an additional 5% surcharge for rainy weather

Xu Qingnan still picked up his umbrella and headed out.

He lived rather far away. Even for the closest shopping mall, hailing a shared flyer took twenty minutes. It had taken him only ten minutes inside the mall before he came back out. Now, equipped with his newly purchased optical brain, he stood by the roadside searching for the nearest available shared flyer.

Suddenly, a faint sound brushed past his ear.

His back tensed up in an instinctive reflex before his logic could even catch up.

It wasn’t that Xu Qingnan was overly suspicious. Silver Frost Star was a third-tier planet with mediocre economic development. The 10% markup on the holographic mall made many reluctant to use it, so most people opted for offline shopping. People did go out in the rain for urgent matters just like him, but a normal person had no reason to walk with such unnervingly light footsteps—

With thoughts racing through his mind, Xu Qingnan sidestepped and immediately spun around. His optical brain flashed, and his umbrella vanished, replaced instantly in his hand by a pitch-black metal cane. At one end, a carved bird sculpture looked poised for flight. Xu Qingnan swung the cane to parry, his arm muscles tensing as the web of his hand naturally absorbed a jolt of numbness!

Clang! The sound of the iron rod hitting the ground echoed sharply.

Xu Qingnan frowned. The current situation left no room for thought; following through with the momentum, he struck out with full force against the assailant’s arm. The attacker let out a shrill scream, and a flash of cold light signaled the drawing of a hidden knife!

“Get back here!”

A voice suddenly shouted from behind the assailant. Noticing the attacker turn his head in distraction, Xu Qingnan decisively brought his cane down on the man’s left wrist, forcing him to drop the weapon. The knife hit the ground with a crisp clatter.

The attacker merely shot him a vicious glare. “You just wait!”

With that, he turned and fled.

Xu Qingnan withdrew his metal cane and looked in that direction. He hadn’t paid any attention to this farce in the first place not until these thugs had stupidly tried to silence him.

As for why they were retreating now, Xu Qingnan glanced up at the sky. Smart surveillance cameras covered almost the entire star system with very few blind spots. Three regulated control items appearing and clashing in the exact same spot at the same time should have already triggered the surveillance system’s automated warning.

The three thugs quickly vanished into the rainy night, leaving behind only a single figure slumped on the ground, head hanging low,dead or alive.

If he left now and something actually happened to this person, the police would surely trace the surveillance back to him.

What a hassle.

Xu Qingnan had no choice but to walk over and stand in front of the person. The first thing that caught his eye was the watch on the wrist dangling toward the ground.

Ever since optical brains were invented and popularized nearly fifty years ago, cheap wristwatches had faded into obscurity. Instead, the luxury watch industry had grown even more ornate and extravagant, multiplying in value tenfold to become a status symbol of wealth and power.

Xu Qingnan recognized the brand: a strict interstellar limited edition. The fact that it hadn’t been stolen made it obvious that the thugs weren’t after money.

Even more troublesome.

Standing tall, Xu Qingnan blocked most of the overhead light and tossed the knife left behind by the thugs right beside the person’s feet. “Are you still alive?”

Hearing this, the man wobbled his head, trying to lift it up, only to have a jacket thrown squarely over his face, blocking his vision. Carrying a faint, warm trace of smoke, he could only hear the pedestrian’s exceptionally cold voice: “I solved your trouble. Don’t drag me into whatever comes after this.”

Xu Qingnan touched the suppression patch on the back of his neck. He was a Beta, and having lived for thirty years without ever wearing such a thing, it felt thoroughly unnatural.

His cousin had claimed that this was the innovative twist of this dating show: everyone’s gender would remain concealed until the very end, sounding thrilling and fun.

Xu Qingnan only found it irritating.

At ten o’clock in the morning, Xu Qingnan put on his helmet and pressed the button. A light screen materialized before his eyes. Entering a string of passkeys, the familiar sensation of dizziness washed over him, and when he opened his eyes again, the world had turned into a rainy day.

Rain again.

Xu Qingnan closed his eyes for a brief moment.

This was the recording location for Island of Hearts.

It was hailed as the interstellar system’s first holographic variety show. Guests didn’t need to leave their homes to participate. The advantage was that the production team didn’t need to plan routes or coordinate physical venues; they could completely custom-build a brand-new environment, simulating all kinds of terrain, weather, and landscapes. One moment it was a vast grassland, and within a hundred paces, you could step into a mountain valley or a desert. The downside was the astronomical cost involved.

Hence, the gimmick was exceptionally strong.

Audiences could input an alternate passkey to observe guest interactions up close from an observer’s perspective.

An audience passkey cost one hundred interstellar coins, valid for ten days. Since the show’s recording lasted for a full month, that meant three hundred interstellar coins per viewer.

From this, one could easily imagine the high caliber of this dating show; from the unprecedented immersive experience down to the guests, they were bound to be figures ordinary people rarely crossed paths with.

Except for Xu Qingnan.

About fifty meters ahead stood a retro-style bus station platform, with the show’s name inscribed on the sign.

Four people were already standing there, styles varying, seemingly having just wrapped up an awkward conversation as they looked around aimlessly.

Two of them stood very close together, while the remaining two stood somewhat apart. One of the latter looked listless and somewhat pale.

The young man standing at the very edge had slightly long hair and wore gold-rimmed glasses, a permanent perfect arc playing at the corners of his lips. A blue ink-spotted cardigan made him look gentle and scholarly. Having the clearest view from where he stood, he suddenly spoke up, “Someone new is coming.”

The boy standing close to him lifted his gaze, while the other two glanced over with mild indifference.

The man walking from a distance was wearing a black shirt with two buttons left undone, leaving his neckline open. Though a bit far away, one could vaguely discern the contours of the man’s chest muscles, stretching the crisp fabric to its limits. His hem was tucked neatly into his waist, displaying a broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted silhouette at a glance. He held a black umbrella in one hand, his long legs taking steady, wide strides, radiating a mysterious and stern aura.

As he drew closer, the face beneath the umbrella came into sharp focus.

Wine-red hair suited the man exceptionally well. His facial features were sharp and chiseled, with a high brow ridge and deep brows that exuded an overwhelming sense of oppression. His eyes were slender and his pupils exceptionally dark; when expressionless, he looked cold and razor-sharp, making people instinctively hold their breath.

The man’s striking physique came to a halt right in front of them, leaving the group momentarily speechless.

It wasn’t until the man cleanly snapped his umbrella shut, the folding mechanism clicking crisply between his arms, that the four of them snapped back to reality.

“Sorry,” the man’s voice carried a sexy, gravelly undertone, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he spoke in a way that inevitably drew eyes right to his exposed neck. “I’m late.”

The listless youth immediately lifted his gaze, a strange emotion flashing through his pretty eyes as he straightened his posture instantly.

This reaction naturally caught the attention of the other three.

The first young man to notice him put on a practiced smile and stepped forward to introduce himself—

“Not at all, right on time. You’re not the last one.”

The man’s gaze shifted away, landing in the direction of the voice. It was a young man of roughly his own height, dressed in a casual suit with light chestnut hair. His facial features were delicate and striking, and peach-blossom eyes curved as he looked over, extending a hand in waiting.

“Ren Xubai. ‘Shadows north where wild geese call in disorder, a traveler’s path in Qingnan is hard.’ Ren [narrative] Xubai [clear white].”

The bespectacled young man raised an eyebrow.

Ren Xubai’s self-introduction hadn’t been nearly this flashy just now.

The man shook his hand, releasing it almost immediately. “Xu Qingnan. Qing [cyan/azure] of Qing, Nan [south] of Nan.”

It formed a stark contrast to Ren Xubai’s somewhat flamboyant self-introduction.

The bespectacled young man finally chuckled, drawing Xu Qingnan’s gaze toward him. He tucked a lock of hair behind his ear with one hand. “Yu [and/with] of Yu, Yao [sage king] of Yao, Ye Yuyao.”

“And I’m You [forbearance/generosity] of You, Deng You.”

Deng You was the flashiest dresser present, wearing a milky-yellow hoodie paired with gray trousers. His appearance was also exceptionally striking with a rather sharp chin. As he spoke, a pair of small canine teeth peeked through. His reddish lips and standard phoenix eyes tilted upward slightly, carrying a hint of allure.

The remaining participant had a lean build, yet one could sense latent power coiled underneath. His expression was icy even colder than Xu Qingnan’s. Dressed in tactical gear, the brim of his baseball cap pulled very low, he only raised his head when speaking, his gaze occasionally flashing with a fierce ruthlessness.

He seemed somewhat stuck during this self-introduction segment, unable to comprehend why a word-association competition had broken out.

Ye Yuyao, standing right beside him, reached out to tap his shoulder with a reassuring smile. “Zheng [towering] of Zheng, Huo Zheng.”

Ren Xubai let out an unsatisfied sound, taking a step forward to close the distance to Xu Qingnan, his body leaning heavily in Xu Qingnan’s direction. “Don’t blame it on you starting the trend; it makes me look like I’m trying way too hard!”

Xu Qingnan took a decisive step back to put space between them, turned to face the other side, and retorted, “No need to look like it. You are trying too hard.”

“Huh? Huh?” Ren Xubai choked on the reply, though instead of getting angry, his smile only grew brighter. “Are you jealous of me?”

“‘Shadows north where wild geese call in disorder, a traveler’s path in Qingnan is hard,'” Xu Qingnan cast a cold, indifferent glance his way. “What is there to be jealous of you about?”

Rainy day though it was, the pattering drizzle seemed completely incapable of extinguishing the volatile sparks of tension brewing in the air.

Ye Yuyao pushed up his glasses, instinctively stepping forward to mediate.

Deng You stepped back, completely content to sit back and watch the show.

Huo Zheng stood frozen in place, his expression practically broadcasting: “Both of them are trying too hard.”

Yet Ren Xubai suddenly raised a hand and clapped twice, instantly scattering that faint, lingering gunpowder smell.

Ye Yuyao halted his advance as well.

Under the collective gaze of the other three, Ren Xubai circled back to Xu Qingnan’s side, patted Xu Qingnan’s shoulder, and let his gaze sweep across Xu Qingnan’s full chest muscles, trying to peek down into the collar. Unfortunately, since they were roughly the same height with Ren Xubai being just a tiny bit shorter he couldn’t see anything further down. “Impressive. I couldn’t even come up with a line like that. What do you do for a living? Are you a teacher? Where do you teach? Can students possibly focus on lectures with a teacher like you around?”

“Xubai, professions are confidential,” Ye Yuyao timely interrupted. “Besides, the way you’re talking sounds an awful lot like sexual harassment.”

Ren Xubai raised an eyebrow at that, leaning forward to lock eyes with Ye Yuyao. “Got it, I’ll rein it in.”

With that, he straightened up, shifted his footing closer to Xu Qingnan again, and lowered his voice. “Actually, I think you look more like a fitness coach. You’re your own best advertisement; your business must be booming.”

With chatterboxes making noise right beside his ear, distant memories began flashing across his mind. Xu Qingnan furrowed his brow with a trace of impatience. “I have no interest in you. Don’t waste your time on me.”