“Are you kidding me?”
“Jiang Yu?” Yu Shiqing leaned forward, concern in his voice. “Are you okay?”
Jiang Yu instinctively leaned back. “I… I’m fine.” His voice, hoarse and low, betrayed him. He cleared his throat and repeated, “I—of course I’m fine.” But he clearly wasn’t.
“Are you sure?” Yu Shiqing asked again.
Jiang Yu looked away. “Do I need to lie to you?”
Yu Shiqing checked his watch. “We’re half an hour from the theater. If you’re not feeling well, rest a little.”
“All right,” Jiang Yu said carelessly, reclining into his seat. He closed his eyes, unclenched his fists, and crossed his hands over his stomach but his thumbs kept tapping. He couldn’t rest.
Yu Shiqing didn’t notice and picked up the script Ren Bai had prepared. Many media and critics had been invited to the premiere. After the film, there would be a Q&A session. Jiang Yu also had his own prepared script. After only a short rest, he sat up and picked it up but didn’t open a page.
His mind kept replaying Lin Anjin’s words. They made no sense. Yu Shiqing and he are both alphas, and just friends. How could Jiang Yu “care so much”? Then he remembered how wrangling Yu Shiqing was during his heat phase. Immediately, Jiang Yu’s fingers tightened around the notes, crumpling them.
He glanced at Yu Shiqing, who had just finished the last page and reached for a bottle of water beside his seat. Their eyes met briefly before Yu Shiqing took a sip.
In his reflection in the car window, Jiang Yu watched him replace the bottle and suddenly spoke.
“Yu Shiqing.”
“Hm?” Yu Shiqing turned smoothly, meeting Jiang Yu’s gaze.
Jiang Yu asked softly, “What makes two people of the same sex choose to be together?” He quickly added, “Like two omegas.”
Ren Bai and Meng Chen, in the car, suddenly leaned in. They hadn’t spoken before.
Yu Shiqing smiled. “Same sex? Why bring that up now?”
Jiang Yu straightened. “Who said?” He paused, meeting Yu Shiqing’s surprised look. Calmly, he said, “I just remembered a case of two omegas in the industry together just asking.”
Yu Shiqing thought: yes, he remembered. It happened apparently Ren Bai had mentioned it. But those two, living as roommates, fell in love. When the tabloid broke it, their careers fell eighteen tiers. Their resources vanished. They quietly disappeared, rumored to have retreated behind-the-scenes.
Ren Bai said, “I know it! Two omegas from the same agency lived together; the company considered stopping it but couldn’t. A tabloid got it they lost so much. Now they’re doing behind-the-scenes work.”
Meng Chen sighed dramatically, “So tragic they were forced apart by society!”
Ren Bai added, “Why is omega-omega wrong? Plenty of betas date each other without judgment. This is just gender bias!”
Meng Chen agreed.
Jiang Yu glanced at them, then asked Yu Shiqing, “What do you think?”
Yu Shiqing said, “No matter the reason, it’s hard.”
Jiang Yu frowned. “Why?”
Yu Shiqing said gently, “Scent rejection between same-sex is natural instinct. Attraction between alpha and omega is a natural rule. Beta–beta relationships exist favorably; omega–omega is much less common.”
Ren Bai resisted, “But scent blockers exist why can’t omegas use them and be like betas?”
Jiang Yu watched Yu Shiqing’s expression. Yu Shiqing nodded. “He has a point.”
Jiang Yu sat up. “So, you agree with him?”
Yu Shiqing looked away briefly, then nodded. “I do. But it’s a personal choice. I don’t judge.”
Jiang Yu leaned back, expressionless. Agree but detached. He said nothing more as they arrived.
They joined the crew and security, weaving through the crowd to the organizers’ lounge. Yan Hongyun was on his phone constantly. The online storm hadn’t died. Though public opinion had settled, both studios were still actively managing reputations.
Yu Shiqing didn’t approach Yan Hongyun. He sat quietly. Yu Rong soon joined. Since their private conversation, his mood had visibly improved.
“Senior!” Jiang Yu paused but didn’t move away this time. Yu Rong’s legs shook seeing him seated, crossed casually with an intense gaze.
Yu Rong cleared his throat. “Brother Jiang…”
Jiang Yu raised a brow and motioned, “Sit.”
Yu Rong blinked, drew in a breath, and sat next to Yu Shiqing.
“Senior, the movie’s wrap-up is soon, right?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Yu Rong fidgeted with his zipper. “It’s my first time doing a press event I’m so nervous.”
Yu Shiqing didn’t speak.
Jiang Yu said, “Like your new song launch, you storyboarded it? Didn’t your manager tell you?”
Yu Rong froze, then forced a laugh. “Oh… right.”
He thought the real problem came from his earlier comments in the crew but Yu Shiqing didn’t mind. “Is Jiang Yu keeping a grudge?” he didn’t dare ask Jiang Yu directly and forced a laugh. “Guess that’s how it is…”
Yu Rong’s assistant came. He stood, uneasy, and left.
Jiang Yu looked at Yu Shiqing.
“Want to say something?”
Yu Shiqing asked, “See something?”
Yu Shiqing didn’t hedge: “He likes you.”
“How could you think that?” Yu Shiqing asked. “You think so?”
Jiang Yu was calm: “Are you referring to that event?” He narrowed his eyes.
Yu Shiqing answered bluntly: “He approached me because I was still useful to him.”
Because when he joined the crew, Yu Rong’s attitude before and after Yan’s direction was so clear. Maybe he was younger then, more opportunistic but he described it openly, and no one refused him. That’s how the industry worked.
Jiang Yu’s dark eyes turned harsh: “Do you really believe that?”
Yu Shiqing paused. “What else?”
“I don’t know,” Jiang Yu replied with a scowl. “Maybe it’s the natural attraction between omega and alpha.”
Yu Shiqing paused as if thinking. “That’s possible.”
Jiang Yu’s lip twisted as he began to sit straighter then heard Yu Shiqing add: “But the probability is too low. Negligible.”
Jiang Yu clenched his teeth.
Yan Hongyun approached: the premiere was ending, and it was time for them to go on stage.
The first session was media-only, arranged for the full cast to do a curtain call before splitting into groups.
Jiang Yu and Yu Rong were expected to draw the most attention, but today’s unexpected incident had refocused attention on Yu Shiqing.
In the corridor before the stage, Yan Hongyun approached Yu Shiqing to encourage him. Ren Bai had prepared talking points for potential questions. Yu Shiqing faced him calmly, and Yan relaxed.
Jiang Yu walked side by side with Yu Shiqing, silent the entire way. Yu Shiqing assumed Jiang Yu was worried about the film or box office huge investments were riding on it, and this incident could affect opening numbers.
“Yu Shiqing.” Jiang Yu finally spoke. Yu Shiqing turned, waiting.
“Do you prefer omegas, or…” Jiang Yu hesitated, “betas?”
Yu Shiqing was silent. He wasn’t expecting this topic.
Jiang Yu said, “Is it hard to choose?”
Yu Shiqing shook his head. “I’ve never thought about it.”
Jiang Yu pressed on: “Then what kind of person do you like?”
Yu Shiqing smiled faintly.
“That depends on fate.”
He’d never considered it before and he wouldn’t now. Love has no standards and shouldn’t be limited. Why trouble oneself?
Jiang Yu’s brow flickered. Southern He stopped pressing.
He’d worked it out: Yu Shiqing cares because fate has brought them here. Now they only need one more point.
