CH 1

Chapter 1: Open mic

December 31, Shenhai TV New Year’s Eve Live Broadcast.

On January 1st at midnight, the host said a few concluding remarks after the countdown. The people at the scene suddenly began to shout, cry, and shriek, riling up the atmosphere that night to a climax. At that moment, it seemed as if they had finally accepted the fact that Ling Che didn’t come.

The song emperor Ling Che was immensely popular the moment he debuted four years ago. In just a few years, he stood at the top of the music world without having experienced any setbacks.

Last week, there was a scandal that shook the music circle. An Omega female singer was accidentally marked by someone else, leading to a round of ridicule. Because Ling Che and her boyfriend were considered friends, the media chased after Ling Che asking for his opinion.

While chasing him down, Ling Che indifferently said one sentence. “Omegas are originally creatures that don’t have any control, the ones who decide whether or not they get marked are Alphas''

Once these words were spoken by the Alpha, it quickly gave rise to a huge uproar. That day, it firmly occupied the headlines and never stopped being popular. In an age where Omega’s rights were extremely sensitive, the phrase was spread around and the media took part in condemning Ling Che, aggravating the situation.

Ling Che was already blocked and his fans were endlessly crying, in disbelief that Ling Che could be this affected. One after another, they flocked to the forums and kept posting topics such as: “#Ling Che, we can’t live without you#”, “#O without power isn’t O cancer#”, “Oppose attacking others because of Omegas”, and “#Alpha Freedom of speech#”, etc.

Ling Che’s absence was announced a long time ago from tonight’s New Year party. Many of his fans were unable to accept it.

Before the broadcast ended, no one knew who among the audience started it, but the fans sang Ling Che’s hit song [Asteroids].

“Revolving around a galaxy,

The orbit remained constant for millions of years.

I can't stop wanting to get a bit closer to you.

The more impulsive I am, the farther away you are…”

*

Xu Tangzhou opened his eyes. The New Year’s night sky outside the window was dark, only lit up by fireworks.

He fell asleep on the apartment sofa and if not for waking up upon hearing the familiar melody coming from the TV, he would have probably woken up the next day.

Ling Che couldn’t have actually been blocked? Xu Tangzhou regretfully thought.

The first time he saw Ling Che on TV, Xu Tangzhou was captivated by that person’s amazing innate aura. He had never seen such an Alpha before-

Ling Che didn’t have the iconic six-pack abs or beast-like physique like a typical Alpha. He had a tall and slim figure, and his face resembled a mysterious vampire from some anime. The word “pretty” could definitely be used to describe him.

When Ling Che’s HD close-up glance towards the camera lens was shown in the MV, his amber eyes appeared arrogant and lazy; his powerful alpha pheromone seemed to ooze through the screen, enough to make anyone who looked at him feel like obeying.

The media once said that Ling Che was born to be a superstar.

But the ones trying to pull this superstar down from the altar were also them.

The live broadcast was cut off and the sound of the audience singing [Planet] came to a sudden halt. The New Year’s Eve party officially came to an end.

Two seconds later, a huge Shenhai TV icon appeared on the screen. A short line of characters then appeared “Happy New Year!”.

The mobile phone on the table began vibrating incessantly. Xu Tangzhou's thoughts were dragged back from his sudden disappointed mood while exposing a small smile.

Today is his birthday.

Those “Happy Birthday” text messages were from his relatives, friends, and a few were from his fans on social media.

Xu Tangzhou opened Flow on his phone and started a live broadcast. The moment he came online, the comment barrage was spammed like crazy.

[Happy birthday Zhouzhou!! [Cake] You finally appeared!!!]

[555 Zhouzhou, Happy 22nd birthday! QAQ]

(TN: 555 sounds like wuwuwu which is onomatopoeia for crying sounds)

[Happy New Year and Happy Birthday! [Heart][Heart][Heart]]

[OMG Zhouzhou became one year older and seemed to have gotten prettier AHHHH I’m deceased]

[Zaizai’s skin is so white, his eyes are also pretty…]

Xu Tangzhou only had a few ten thousand Flow fans, most of whom were true love fans from the time when he was still a minor on the runway. Although he had no impression of his modeling career from those years, his fans still loved him deeply. So as soon as his Flow account was opened, they immediately followed him.

His agent, Huang Qian, was very pleased with this, encouraging him to interact with everyone occasionally to help maintain his popularity.

Not long after Xu Tangzhou debuted as an actor, the advertisement he shot earlier also became popular, so there were a good number of new fans in the barrage also wishing him a happy birthday.

“Happy New Year everyone, thank you for your well wishes.” Xu Tangzhou looked at the constant influx of comments on the barrage, greeted everyone, and said, “Have you missed me this much? It’s a new year and you’re still closing one eye while brainlessly praising me.”

(TN: rainbow fart = exaggerated praise)

[Wuwuwu I’ve been shunned by my idol today, humbled.]

[Humbled +1]

[Zaizai, did you catch a cold? Your voice sounds a little hoarse.]

[This voice is so sexy, slightly hard, showing respect.]

(TN: … yes, that hard… took me a while to find this, but this likely is derived from 微微一硬略表尊敬, which is… more or less saying someone looks pretty to the point the speaker has… thoughts...)

……

“Only slightly?” A small smile crept across Xu Tangzhou’s face, “Then don’t. You guys don’t respect me at all.”

With a smile, his face unintentionally gave off a hint of sexiness. As a result, the barrage was flooded with comments, and the number of viewers rapidly rose to a few thousand people.

Xu Tangzhou had a stunning face with thin lips, phoenix eyes, and an aggressive look. Coupled with his pale white skin and his appearance when he doesn’t smile, he looked like a humanoid ice sculpture: ice cold and reserved.

But as long as they are his fans, no one would believe Xu Tangzhou’s nonsense of “ice cold”.

[Haha Zhouzhou was driving cars again]

(TN: Driving cars is essentially thinking R18+ stuff)

[What driving cars, Zhouzhou just got off from me (Dangerous words)]

……

“You guys, I just got off from the sofa. I was watching the New Year’s broadcast when I accidentally fell asleep.”

Xu Tangzhou peeked at the barrage and used a nasal tone to read the name of a commenter, “‘Pure O is out of control’ En, I think you’re about to go out of control too. Learn about Mist pheromone blockers.”

Mist, in Chinese, was mist.

The third-generation inhaler-type pheromone blocker, suitable for all Omegas, could rapidly block the transmission of pheromones within three seconds. It was small in size, exquisitely modeled, and also customizable to each individual’s preferences. It was the most popular brand of blocker in the world.

The first commercial that Xu Tangzhou shot after signing a contract with Xing Jing was the new flavor Mist released.

[Hhhhh a sudden advertisement, Zhouzhou is still working to promote the product on his birthday]

(TN: hhh or 2333 is laughing)

[I already bought it!! I did!]

[The moment I watched the ad, I bought it. The ice cream flavor is amazing! Every time I sniff it, it’s like French kissing Zaizai~]

[Pei, watch me take care of you, Zhouzhou is mine!]

(TN: Pei is the sound of spitting)

…

There were a few people in the barrage asking Xu Tangzhou what channel he was watching the New Year’s broadcast on.

Xu Tangzhou said: “I was watching Shenhai TV”

[Crying, distressed]

[My Che didn’t go. 1551 Shenhai TV false advertising!! nmsl]

(TN: 1551 sounds like 噫呜呜噫 which is the sound of crying, while nmsl means F*ck your mother)

[Thankfully Ling Che didn’t go, otherwise, I’d throw up. Straight A cancer Ling Che go die go die go die]

[+1 I’ve also become a passerby black fan of Ling Che]

(TN: a passerby fan is someone who just became a fan and a black fan is an anti, aka a new anti)

…

The broadcast topic gradually strayed, and someone asked: [Zhouzhou, why did you watch Shenhai TV? Can I guess that you’re also one of Ling Che’s little asteroids?]

(TN: Ling Che's fans are called Asteroids)

“En, I can’t be considered a true asteroid, you can think of it like watching my livestream.” Xu Tangzhou said, “I am a very superficial person.”

The barrage was flooded with a screen of question marks.

[??? What more or less, I’m not superficial]

[??????]

[Unfollow warning?? I don’t just like Zhouzhou’s face! I also like Zhouzhou’s legs, Zhouzhou’s hands, and Zhouzhou’s breathing]

[I think the commenter above is straying into adult territory]

Xu Tangzhou didn’t mind, and slowly said: “Don’t be shy, In the age where everyone looks at the face… who isn’t a face fan? Not to mention God Che’s music is so irreplaceable. Let me say this now before anyone says otherwise, no one can curse my idol here. Don’t talk about his gossip, everyone is expected to be civilized.”

Once he said those words, it caused a domino effect, and the fans who especially hated Ling Che furiously hurled insults into the barrage.

[Heh, and you said you weren’t an asteroid, this is proof you’re a brainless Che fan]

[Another Alpha worshipper? Is your brain used to birth evil straights? What “saying otherwise”?]

[Ugh, bootlicking an Alpha. Don’t forget you’re also an Omega. Watch out for a slap to the face]

Xu Tangzhou blinked: “Scolding me leads to blacklisting and I’ll even counter you. Your brain is used to birth evil straights, there’s 180 evil garbage born there.”

The moment he finished, the system prompt said user XXX, XXX has been blacklisted.

[Hahaha The little brat online has been blacklisted]

[LMAO, my Zai is still small. If you scold him, he’ll scold you right back hahaha]

[Scolding as fierce as a tiger 666 Fight him!]

(TN: 666 is slang for awesome, and the raws originally said "Do him in the front", but it can be simplified to "fight him")

“I accidentally went open mic and said some big words, I probably won’t be face slapped?” Xu Tangzhou prayed out loud to the barrage. “There definitely won’t be any reversals. I’m so pure and kind, that type of thing definitely won’t happen to me.”

[Hahaha]

[xswl Hahaha omg]

(TN: xswl = I'm laughing to death)

[What is this hidden treasure hahaha]

The ones who should be blocked couldn’t be blocked. There were so many people in the live broadcast, Xu Tangzhou couldn’t mute everyone.

Soon after, someone said that he, a 38th tier star, was pretending to be an Asteroid to rub off on Ling Che’s fame which caused Xu Tangzhou to lose fans. They began to fight in the comments and his true love fans promptly changed the subject to what he’d do for his birthday today.

Xu Tangzhou didn’t mind losing fans too much. He placed his phone on the table, propped up his chin, and thought long and hard: “Birthday? I have to attend the company’s annual New Year gathering. I heard that there's a raffle drawing. Perhaps I wouldn’t even need to buy myself a birthday present.”

[Company? Which one did Zhouzhou sign with? Do you still plan on continuing to walk fashion shows!! [Starry eyes]]

[My child Zai finally signed with a company!! Mother is crying loudly, us career fans are celebrating!]

[Wait, Zai, why did you focus on the raffle prize? (If you didn’t speak, you’d be prettier)]

“Not walking fashion shows.” Xu Tangzhou willfully said, “This little student also has to work hard. Right now, I signed with a company called Xing Jing. The agent asked me to livestream today, I didn’t expect that everyone still hasn’t slept yet.”

The barrage was still being spammed.

“I received your blessings, you all should go to sleep.” Xu Tangzhou finished his task and was exhausted, “Everyone should be happy in this upcoming year too.”

With tears in his eyes, he waved goodbye and yawned as he closed the live broadcast.

What he didn’t know was how the fans were going to explode from the news he just revealed.

*

"What are you laughing about?"

In the car, the young Alpha was closing his eyes to take a nap. His jawline was elegantly smooth, giving off a feeling of alienation and indifference.

Unlike how the world imagined him to be gloomy, Ling Che’s posture was still relaxed. In fact, they just came from the Shenhai TV venue and were on the way home. It wasn’t because of the rumor of being blocked, it was because Ling Che stood Shenhai TV up.

His assistant Xiao An was watching something interesting and unable to restrain his excited mood, he said quietly: “Ge, there seems to be a really really really cute newcomer recently, look.”

Ling Che graciously opened his eyes and saw a frozen blurry figure caught in a yawn on the screen: “......”

“Huh? Why did the broadcast end?” Xiao An completely didn’t realize his promotion failed. He took back his phone and said enthusiastically, “He was the one who was in the Mist advertisement, have you seen it yet? Huang Qian just signed him.”

Ling Che said coldly: “No.”

No one knew if this day was special, but every year on New Year’s Day, Ling Che would inexplicably become moody.

This moodiness usually lasted throughout the day until it got better in the evening. The people around him were already used to this. This time, in addition to the turmoil caused by his careless words, Ling Che was in an even worse mood.

Xiao An wanted to show off to divert his attention, so he deliberately exaggerated his sigh: “Ah, he is really good-looking! Even me, a Beta, saw him and was enchanted. I’ll look for that commercial to show you. Right, he also seems to like you a lot, saying that he was your face fan…”

Aside from the music, everything else was boring in Ling Che’s eyes.

So he crossed his long legs and closed his eyes again: “Not interested.”

No matter how good-looking they are, just knowing one is good enough.

It's not worth wasting time on.