The Beta Alpha Turned Dating Reality Show Heartthrob - Chapter 5

Everyone gathered around the dining table, raising their glasses collectively to thank Xu Qingnan for his culinary efforts. Ren Xubai successfully claimed the seat directly to Xu Qingnan’s right.

Seated on his other side was Deng You.

The latter had indeed replaced his suppression patch. The port-wine scent was masked so thoroughly that not a single trace leaked, along with any lingering awkwardness from his earlier failed attempt to flirt in the kitchen which Xu Qingnan had inadvertently stoked anyway.

Deng You leaned in slightly toward Xu Qingnan, lowering his head to expose his nape as he whispered, “Qingnan, help me smell it. Is there any scent left?”

The remark bordered on brazen. Xu Qingnan replied with chilling detachment, “Deng You.”

“Hm?” Completely oblivious, Deng You inched closer still. “The production team said it’s properly patched, but check it for me.”

“I can’t smell anything from where I’m sitting anyway,” Ren Xubai chimed in from Xu Qingnan’s other side, tilting his head with a brilliant smile. “You don’t need to worry.”

At that, Deng You offered a tight, polite smile and sat up straight. “That’s good then. Thanks.”

Every dish on the table had been split into two portions to ensure everyone had access to the full spread. Cheng Yanzhi picked up a piece of fish for his own bowl while naturally observing Xu Qingnan.

It was hard to connect a man of this physical build and temperament with the word “meticulous.”

He really is a fascinating character design, Cheng Yanzhi thought to himself.

His new book was slated for release soon, and he was currently mulling over ideas for the next protagonist’s persona when the production team’s invitation landed in his lap. He decided to try his luck here.

He never expected to run into such a massive jackpot.

Lost in his musings, he suddenly felt a shrimp drop onto his plate its shell peeled away completely clean, plump and white. “Huh?”

Cheng Yanzhi looked up, locking eyes with Ye Yuyao, who smiled gently. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” Ye Yuyao gracefully drew a napkin to wipe his fingers. “Yanzhi came a bit late and hasn’t said much. Are you feeling a bit nervous?”

Cheng Yanzhi offered a polite smile of his own, then caught a glimpse of Huo Zheng’s gaze lingering just behind Ye Yuyao. The realization suddenly made things interesting, prompting him to adopt a slightly more sociable demeanor. “Not at all. I’m just not used to talking while eating.”

When the group first gathered, Huo Zheng had been the earliest to log on. Given his personality, he would never have participated in a variety show like this; however, due to physical constraints, he needed to find a partner—preferably an Alpha. Yet, he suffered from congenital Alpha-phobia and flatly refused his agent’s arrangement to make a random match, choosing this alternative path instead.

Precisely because the show’s core mechanic relied on total gender concealment and military-grade suppression patches, Huo Zheng figured letting things develop naturally by getting to know someone first was the smartest play.

That was when he met Ye Yuyao.

Unlike the rough, boorish Alphas he was accustomed to dealing with, Ye Yuyao was gentle and considerate. He spoke in a soft murmur, bailed him out whenever conversation stalled, and even invited him to form a roommate pairing.

Huo Zheng felt he might have genuinely encountered true love at the very least, he was willing to develop something real with Ye Yuyao.

However, the arrival of more participants steadily diluted Ye Yuyao’s attention. Huo Zheng knew full well that Ye Yuyao had every right to interact with others, yet a sense of psychological imbalance gnawed at him.

It drove an eager, urgent desire within Huo Zheng to lock down a binding partnership with Ye Yuyao.

Yet the approach seemed to be backfiring.

Ye Yuyao was acutely aware of Huo Zheng’s shifting moods. To him, this worked entirely to his advantage, and he wasn’t worried about losing control. Someone of Huo Zheng’s type was entirely too easy to manipulate.

“Huo Zheng, could you hand me a napkin? I can’t reach.”

“Sure.” Huo Zheng’s eyes lit up instantly. He stood up, pulled a napkin from the dispenser, sat back down, and handed it over. “One isn’t enough, right?”

Before Ye Yuyao could reply, Huo Zheng stood back up and grabbed five or six more, stopping only when Ye Yuyao gently tugged at his hem with an amused lilt in his voice. “Enough, enough. Sit back down already.”

See? Easy to manipulate.

Sitting across the table, Xu Qingnan took in the smug self-satisfaction lurking deep in Ye Yuyao’s eyes with crystal clarity.

Everyone derived validation through different avenues; Xu Qingnan had no desire to dissect it.

Nor did he care to meddle. They were all adults; for all he knew, the other party might revel in the dynamic.

“Did they say we’re heading out to explore the island tomorrow?” Deng You asked. “Yuyao, what did you guys end up buying out there?”

“The simulation seems to replicate the environment of forty or fifty years ago. The shop decor was quite dated, and the equipment available for purchase was equally primitive. The production team mentioned we’ll be spending a night out there, so we bought tents,” Ye Yuyao explained. “Oh, right—the production team said everyone logs off uniformly tonight at midnight and reassembles tomorrow at 2:00 PM. They want us well-rested because we’ll be camping overnight on the island until we return the day after tomorrow. I assume everyone’s fine with that?”

Ye Yuyao was referring to mental stamina constraints.

Everyone’s mental capacity varied. Alphas possessed the highest limits, with even the lowest testing at A-, while Omegas fell slightly behind at a minimum of B-grade. Betas were a mixed bag, ranging from a lowest tier of D up to a maximum of B.

Although mental stamina could be built up over time through training, the difficulty scaled upward from Alpha to Omega to Beta, with the Alpha tier already demanding immense resilience.

Ultimately, everything hinged on innate talent.

Staying online continuously for over twenty-four hours required at least an A- rank.

Doubtless, the production team had screened everyone beforehand; anyone failing to meet the mental threshold wouldn’t have been cast. Ye Yuyao was simply offering a reminder.

Deng You seemed to have already caught onto the production team’s playbook. “Let me guess, the tents aren’t single-occupancy per person, right?”

“Spot on,” Ye Yuyao offered an understanding smile and shrugged. “There’s a single tent, a double tent, and a triple tent. But checking the description for the double tent, it can squeeze three people if necessary though it’d be cramped. To save money, I skipped the single one.”

“Well, we can figure out the sleeping arrangements when we get there,” Cheng Yanzhi chimed in. “I’m not great at pitching tents; I’ve only ever seen it done.”

Ye Yuyao echoed, “I’m not great at it either, but there should be a manual included. It should be fine. Worst case, the production team will step in to help, right?”

Huo Zheng had remained silent until now. Hearing Ye Yuyao’s remark, he spoke up, “I know a bit about it. I’ve pitched them before.”

Ye Yuyao flashed an accommodating, appreciative smile. “Then I’ll leave it to Huo Zheng. Thank goodness you’re here.”

Ignoring Huo Zheng’s slight flush, Xu Qingnan asked, “Did you guys buy any bug spray?”

The term sounded entirely alien to these paragons of elite society. “What?”

With the advancement of holographic technology, holographic tourism projects naturally emerged. To minimize discomfort and maximize entertainment, biting insects were invariably edited out. Moreover, in the real world, the natural scents of most pheromones were enough to act as insect repellents.

“If the simulation models an environment from forty or fifty years ago, the island is bound to have insects and mosquitoes. And right now, none of us have active pheromones,” Xu Qingnan explained briefly. “So… you didn’t buy any?”

At that, Ren Xubai’s expression shifted. “There aren’t snakes, are there?”

“Venomous ones definitely not,” Xu Qingnan said. “If you didn’t buy any, you’d better bundle up tight tomorrow.”

Given the operational rules of this setup, bringing outside items other than what was purchased in the designated shop was presumably forbidden.

Huo Zheng pressed his lips together, looking somewhat frustrated. “They had it at the shop, but we didn’t think of it. To save money, we skipped it.”

Ye Yuyao paused mid-motion, privately thinking Huo Zheng lacked common sense.

Nobody else knew what the shop carried; there was zero reason to bring up the oversight voluntarily and invite others to pin the blame for tomorrow’s bug bites squarely on them.

Yet Huo Zheng had already blurted it out.

With no other choice, Ye Yuyao smoothed it over. “Right, we saw the spray cost twenty interstellar coins and passed on it, never imagining it would be this crucial.”

Cheng Yanzhi: “Surely the production team wouldn’t be that petty, right?”

Deng You was already mentally planning his wardrobe for tomorrow. Hearing that, he flashed Cheng Yanzhi a brilliantly amicable smile. “I advise you not to overestimate the production team’s lower limits.”

To drive up engagement, the wilderness areas might host even more aggressive insect populations than usual.

With participant safety guaranteed, the production team lacked reliable ways to manufacture dramatic friction, so a harmless gimmick like this was bound to be exploited to the fullest.

Ye Yuyao took the initiative to apologize. “My fault. I should have anticipated that if the shop stocked it, it would definitely come in handy.”

Huo Zheng chimed in instantly, “How could this possibly be your fault? You didn’t think of it, and neither did I!”

The others chimed in with comforting platitudes. “Right, don’t take it to heart.”

Sincere or not, soothing a remorseful companion seemed to be an automatic reflex for adults.

Though mostly superficial, Ye Yuyao didn’t feel any genuine remorse anyway; he simply practiced the reflex of nipping potential criticism in the bud.

“Do not waste energy on things that cannot be undone,” Xu Qingnan polished off his final grain of rice, stating flatly, “It’s completely meaningless.”

Devoid of any emotional inflection, the remark ruthlessly shattered the warm, harmonious atmosphere at the dining table.

“I’m truly sorry,” Ye Yuyao said, his complexion turning slightly pale as he apologized once more. “I genuinely didn’t think otherwise, I’d go ask the production team right now if we can make another trip to the store.”

Huo Zheng grew slightly irritated, his tone hardening as he glared at Xu Qingnan. “The staff told us clearly when we left the store that it only opens once a day.”

“That’s why I said, do not waste energy on things that cannot be undone,” Xu Qingnan ignored Huo Zheng’s hostility, his tone cold and indifferent. “Which means apologizing is pointless.”

Everyone, operating under the assumption that Xu Qingnan was chewing out Ye Yuyao: Wait? Is that what he meant?

Huo Zheng bristled defensively. “My apologies, I thought you meant apologizing was useless.”

“I did mean that. Useless apologies are a waste of time.”

Completely unbothered by everyone’s reaction, Xu Qingnan stood up. His low, gravelly voice remained chillingly deadpan: “Sensitive skin, oily, prone to sweating you’ll attract mosquitoes. Especially sensitive skin; insect bites will trigger severe swelling. Remember to take precautions.”