“Alpha, meaning aliens?”
The reason Xie Yunxie had been rambling so much with Ming Yi was actually to alleviate his own embarrassment.
Due to a strict family upbringing, although Xie Yunxie was an Alpha, he was unlike others of his kind who enjoyed fooling around with Omegas. Having remained “pure as jade” for over twenty years, he took pride in his self-discipline. Under these circumstances, being forced by the System to spout such baseless, lewd nonsense was a significant challenge to his sense of shame.
Furthermore, Ming Yi was already in a state of high stress. Xie Yunxie worried that hearing such trash talk would make Ming Yi feel insulted and even more uncomfortable. Balancing these concerns resulted in a performance that felt like a clumsy stand-up comedy routine; it was utterly ridiculous.
Fortunately, it was effective. After hearing the demeaning filth, Ming Yi did not show signs of distress. Instead, his lips quirked downward and his gaze became distant, a complex expression of wanting to say something but holding back.
Having finished his final line of trash talk, Xie Yunxie finally sat up and fanned his face with his hand, feeling quite flushed. “How was my performance?”
Ming Yi thought for a moment. “If it were posted online, it would be at the level of a crack remix video.”
“Understandable,” Xie Yunxie said sheepishly. “Then I shall try harder next time?”
Ming Yi did not know how to respond to that, so he simply closed his eyes, appearing to lose interest in the conversation. Xie Yunxie did not disturb him further. He spoke a quick word to Ming Yi, gathered the bowl and spoon, and stepped out of the room quietly.
The room fell silent. Once Xie Yunxie left, Ming Yi opened his eyes and stared fixedly at the ceiling.
Countless images flashed through his mind, from learning the truth of this world after the car accident to the arrival of this imposter Xie Yunxie. The real Xie Yunxie was dead, and an entity called the System had immediately sent a replacement. This proved the world was not entirely closed; other beings were secretly monitoring it and controlling the plot to ensure it ran correctly.
Ming Yi finally understood: his failure was not just a matter of fate within a story, but an inevitability under the System’s management. As a mere human, how could he possibly fight such an entity?
Truly, it was easier just to die.
Ming Yi had struggled and resisted, but the facts proved that in the face of absolute power, all his defiance was in vain. From this moment on, he decided to let it rot and completely give up.
When he was a child, Ming Yi had fought children five years older than him just to take back his food. Even if his head was bleeding, he would not stop until he had bitten a chunk out of his opponent. Back then, the enemies were human; they were winnable. But his current enemy was a nebulous, ethereal existence.
Ming Yi had only one month left. He did not believe he could defeat such an entity in thirty days. If he could not win, he would simply wait for death.
Ming Yi lay there from dawn until dusk. His will to live plummeted, and he did not even touch the lunch the servants brought in.
Dinner was delivered personally by Xie Yunxie. He glanced at the untouched lunch, sighed, and sat on the edge of the bed. “No appetite, or are you on a hunger strike?”
Ming Yi lowered his eyelashes and spoke despondently. “What is the point of living?”
Xie Yunxie countered, “How is there no point? If you live long enough, you see everything. Look at me, I have even transmigrated. That is only because I lived long enough.”
Ming Yi gave a faint sneer. “What does transmigration matter? Controlled by a System, you are nothing but a puppet yourself.”
“That is a bit harsh,” Xie Yunxie said, stirring the seafood porridge in the bowl. The rising steam blurred his deep features. “I am doing System tasks to be resurrected, to win a new chance for myself.”
Xie Yunxie stretched out his long legs, speaking casually. “I cannot just wait to die. I have not even gotten revenge on the driver who hit me yet.”
“Revenge?” Ming Yi said expressionlessly. “You do not even know who he is. How will you get revenge?”
“That is why I have to live long enough.” Xie Yunxie offered the porridge to Ming Yi. “If I die in such a confusing way, how will I ever see a turning point?”
Ming Yi did not take it. He murmured, “Will I ever see a turning point?”
Xie Yunxie encouraged him, “Why not? Our goal is just to live day by day. If life is cheap, then just fight for it!”
Ming Yi pulled his lips into a mirthless smile. He leaned against the headboard, his entire form hidden in the dim light, radiating a gloomy despondency like a withered, rotting flower.
Xie Yunxie did not push further. He set the porridge aside and pulled a roll of tape from his pocket. Unlike ordinary tape, it was a vivid, glossy red, giving off a subtle, erotic vibe.
Stimulated by the splash of red, Ming Yi’s unfocused eyes refocused and landed on the roll of tape.
Xie Yunxie explained awkwardly, “So, there is a plot point tonight.”
Ming Yi understood. It was time for Xie Yunxie to follow the script again. His heart was calm; whether it was humiliation or being toyed with, he no longer had the energy to care. Considering that Xie Yunxie was also being controlled, Ming Yi did not intend to make things difficult for him. He interrupted, “What do you want me to do?”
Xie Yunxie cleared his throat, looking at him nervously. “Give me your hand.”
Ming Yi extended both hands as requested.
Xie Yunxie ripped the tape with a loud sound. He looked at Ming Yi, who watched silently without resisting, a picture of complete resignation, as if he would accept any treatment.
Xie Yunxie raised an eyebrow but did not bind Ming Yi’s wrists. Instead, he held up his own index finger, signaling Ming Yi to do the same.
Ming Yi extended his finger blankly. In the next second, Xie Yunxie’s fingertip touched his. Xie Yunxie quickly wrapped the tape around them, binding only their two fingers together.
Ming Yi: “?”
Ming Yi stared at the bright red tape in confusion, clearly baffled by Xie Yunxie’s logic.
Xie Yunxie, satisfied with his work, maintained the awkward pose. “Tape and physical contact, two elements. Does this not satisfy all the requirements?”
Ming Yi: “…”
“This plot point needs to last for an hour. Why do you not take a nap first?” Xie Yunxie suggested thoughtfully. He then pulled out his phone and awkwardly started playing a game with his remaining nine fingers.
“…”
Ming Yi finally could not help but speak: “Are you here to be a comedian?”
Xie Yunxie did not look up. “I am seriously performing my task.”
Ming Yi stared at their joined fingers. “If you do the task like this, will you not be punished?”
Xie Yunxie replied calmly, “I do not know. Let us see.”
The consequence of his exploit was a Level 1 electric shock from the System.
One second, Xie Yunxie was leisurely playing his game; the next, he collapsed onto Ming Yi’s bed, twitching from the shock.
The System said indignantly: [Exploiting bugs is useless! Unless the task is 100% completed, the Host will still be punished!]
Because this minor plot point was not critical, the System only administered a three minute Level 1 shock. Xie Yunxie gasped, his face turning pale. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, forcibly enduring the current.
Ming Yi knew immediately that Xie Yunxie was being electrocuted. It seemed that despite his casual talk, there were no loopholes to exploit.
Once Xie Yunxie recovered, Ming Yi pursed his lips and said, “You do not actually have to do this.”
Xie Yunxie looked at him, sweating, with a questioning glance.
“You can use the tape to bind my hands or cover my mouth.” Ming Yi looked directly into Xie Yunxie’s eyes. “You do not need to consider my feelings. I do not care.”
Xie Yunxie wiped the sweat from his forehead and chuckled. “But I care.”
“Chastity is an Alpha’s best dowry! How could I throw away my most precious virtue just for a task?” Xie Yunxie shook his head solemnly. “That would be too unfair to my future Omega wife!”
Ming Yi was stunned by the constant mention of Alphas and Omegas. His curiosity was piqued. “Alpha, does that mean an alien?”
When this imposter first arrived, he had mentioned being an Alpha. Ming Yi had not understood then, thinking Xie Yunxie had gone completely insane, but now he could not suppress his curiosity about the imposter’s true identity.
Xie Yunxie narrowed his eyes. “You have really never heard of an Alpha?”
“I have only heard of a watch brand called Omega,” Ming Yi thought for a bit and added, “and a Go playing robot called AlphaGo.”
Xie Yunxie: “…”
Xie Yunxie had no choice but to explain: “In my society, there are three genders: Alpha, Beta, and Omega. Alphas and Omegas both have pheromones. Omegas have a reproductive cavity and can get pregnant regardless of their biological sex. Betas have no pheromones, just like everyone in your world.”
What a strange world.
Ming Yi felt a flicker of interest. “Can Alphas only marry Omegas?”
Xie Yunxie replied, “Most marry Omegas, but some Alphas marry Betas. However, Betas have no pheromones and cannot soothe an Alpha during their Rut, so few Alphas are willing to do so.”
Ming Yi: “What is a Rut? A period where you are prone to catching a cold?”
At this mention, Xie Yunxie found it difficult to speak. “It is a physiological cycle for Alphas. Similar to a heat period.”
Ming Yi gave an “ah” and fell silent, seemingly deep in thought.
Xie Yunxie, feeling restless, urged him, “Why are you quiet? Say something.”
“I was just thinking,” Ming Yi mused. “Since there are no Omegas here, how will you survive your Rut?”
At this, Xie Yunxie froze as if struck by a club. He had been pulled here by the System so suddenly that he had not considered this problem!
In the past, Xie Yunxie could have made do with suppressants. The problem was, this world had no suppressants at all!
Xie Yunxie asked Ming Yi with a final shred of hope, “Do you have suppressants here?”
Ming Yi shook his head with pity. “I have never heard of them.”
Instantly, Xie Yunxie’s face turned ashen.
Normally, an Alpha’s Rut occurs once or twice a year. However, Xie Yunxie’s condition was abnormal; he suffered from pheromone disorder. His Ruts were random and could be triggered by environmental or psychological factors. This meant Xie Yunxie had no way of knowing when his next Rut would arrive.
Ming Yi asked, “Without an Omega or suppressants, will you die?”
Xie Yunxie said in agony, “I will not die, but it is incredibly painful to endure.”
Ming Yi: “Then, good luck?”
The room fell into a long, dead silence.
Eventually, Xie Yunxie chose to bypass the issue and return to the original topic. “Anyway, I am doing all this for my future Omega wife. Do not overthink it,” Xie Yunxie said helplessly. “Besides, I am not a real scumbag. I cannot trample on your dignity just to finish a task. That is basic respect.”
Ming Yi said nothing, but his opinion of this imposter shifted slightly. He was a decent, normal person with morals.
But it only went that far. Xie Yunxie could find a loophole once, but he could not do it every time. When a critical, unavoidable plot point arrived, would Xie Yunxie continue to sacrifice himself?
In one month, the plot reached the point where Ming Yi was destined to be drowned in the sea. Even if Xie Yunxie did not want to kill him, the System would surely force him to do it.
Ming Yi had no expectations for human nature.
When the time was up, Xie Yunxie untaped their fingers. He recited a few terrible lines as usual, then, with reddened ears, asked with feigned composure if he could add Ming Yi on social media.
Ming Yi’s phone was back in his possession, though he rarely looked at it. He took it out and found it was dead. He charged it and turned it on, finding the message log empty. There were no missed calls from the period the phone was off.
Ming Yi had expected this, so he was not disappointed. He added Xie Yunxie on WeChat, watching as the man awkwardly fumbled with the app to accept the request.
Ming Yi did not understand why Xie Yunxie wanted to add him until half an hour later when he received several forwarded science articles:
Human Limits: How Long Can a Person Survive Without Food or Water? What Happens During the Process of Starvation? The Real Feeling of Starving to Death
Ming Yi: “…”
Xie Yunxie followed up with a message: [The porridge is still warm in the kitchen. If you are hungry, go eat it. Do not bother saving a scumbag’s money.]
Ming Yi replied coldly with a “I am not hungry” and turned off the light to lie down.
Regrettably, while Ming Yi’s heart was dead, his stomach was not. As time passed, the hunger became intense. After tossing and turning for a long time, he found it impossible to sleep.
Suddenly, Ming Yi sat up. He was going to die soon anyway; why should he torture himself?
He threw off the covers and headed to the kitchen in the dark. The entire villa was silent. The butler and servants were nowhere to be seen, but Ming Yi still moved carefully, feeling like a thief.
The seafood porridge was the perfect temperature. Ming Yi dished out a bowl and began to gulp it down ravenously. Just as he was finishing, the overhead light flicked on.
Xie Yunxie stood at the kitchen door with a water glass, looking at him in shock.
Ming Yi: “…”
He swallowed the porridge in his mouth, his expression remarkably calm, though his toes were curling in embarrassment.
Xie Yunxie walked in, filling his glass while asking curiously, “Why did you not turn on the light?”
Ming Yi turned his back to him, his voice barely audible. “To save electricity.”
Xie Yunxie praised him just to fill the silence. “Haha, you are quite the energy saver.”
“…”
Ming Yi, with his back to Xie Yunxie, hissed under his breath. He quickly shoveled the last bit of porridge into his mouth and bolted from the kitchen like the wind.
Is he embarrassed?
Xie Yunxie recalled Ming Yi’s wide, shocked eyes when the light turned on and found it inexplicably cute. Like a little hamster caught stealing food, it made him want to pinch those puffed out cheeks.
Distracted, the water overflowed from his glass. Xie Yunxie hurriedly stopped the tap and wiped his hands.
Since he had been caught stealing food, Ming Yi decided to stop caring. When mealtime came, he appeared at the dining table punctually without needing to be called.
For Ming Yi’s change in mindset, Xie Yunxie understood without speaking. He had the chef prepare a variety of different dishes for every meal.
The System expressed great dissatisfaction: [According to the plot, the villain should be mistreating Yan Ming Yi right now. But what are you doing? How can you let him eat so well?]
Xie Yunxie said innocently, “I am doing this for the sake of the upcoming plot.”
The System was confused: [What does this have to do with the plot?]
Xie Yunxie: “Have you not noticed? I am building a good relationship with Yan Ming Yi. If we do not have a good relationship, how will he be willing to go on that variety show?”
The System quickly realized what Xie Yunxie meant. He was right; Ming Yi was about to enter a very important plot point.
In the original novel, this would be the last time the vicious cannon fodder Yan Ming Yi appeared alive.