“You are wearing far too little.”
On the day of the performance, the live house was buzzing with a deafening crowd. Cheng Zhang’s band was named October, a plain and unpretentious name chosen simply because several members had birthdays in that month.
“Xibao, are you nervous?”
The guitarist sauntered over and casually ruffled Yun Xi’s hair. “Why did you dye it pink?”
Yun Xi swung a drumstick and cracked it hard against the guitarist’s head. “You messed up my hair!” he snapped.
The guitarist immediately raised his hands in surrender, only to be kicked from behind by Cheng Zhang. “Why do you keep provoking him? If he throws a fit and quits, are you going to play the drums?”
The guitarist pulled a long face and whimpered, hiding behind the bassist for comfort. Yun Xi carefully adjusted his hair in the mirror. He had dyed it pink just yesterday, guaranteed to give Su Yanqing a fresh impression.
“It is about time, Yun Xi. Let us go.”
“Mhm.”
Yun Xi took a deep breath and followed Cheng Zhang onto the stage. As he stood there, his gaze swept over the crowd. He immediately spotted Su Yanqing standing in the front row. He could not help but smile and give Su Yanqing a quick wink.
After smiling, he noticed a petite girl standing next to Su Yanqing. She had a neutralizer patch on the back of her neck, so she was likely an Omega. They were standing quite close, suggesting they knew each other. Seeing Yun Xi look over, the girl let out a muffled scream of excitement and made a large heart gesture with her arms.
Yun Xi arched an eyebrow and blew her a playful kiss, wondering if she was a fan.
“Professor Su, Yun Xi really is your boyfriend!”
The girl looked as if she might faint from excitement. She had taken one of Professor Su’s classes this semester. Word had spread around campus that the new Professor Su had an Omega boyfriend who was better looking than a movie star, but she never imagined it would be the little drummer she had been a fan of for years.
Su Yanqing gave Yun Xi a helpless smile before asking the girl, “Is Yun Xi very famous?”
“You just returned to the country, so you might not know, but Yun Xi used to be very popular. He was on the trending searches several times. However, he rarely performed after graduating from university.”
Su Yanqing was somewhat surprised. His grey eyes remained fixed on the Omega sitting behind the drum kit. The hair color had changed; pink suited him well.
He is wearing far too little, Su Yanqing thought. Half of the boy’s waist was exposed.
The girl continued to chatter enthusiastically. “Yun Xi has so many fans not just because he is beautiful, but because he has incredible stage presence. Watching him play the drums is such a rush. I still have a lot of his old performance videos saved; I watch them all the time.”
“Send them to me.”
The girl blinked. “What?”
Su Yanqing turned to her and smiled gently. “Could I trouble you to send me a copy? I would very much like to see them.”
The girl’s eyes lit up. “Sure! I am also in a fan group. Professor, do you want to join? Oh, wait. They do not know Yun Xi has a boyfriend yet. If you join, you might get mobbed. Never mind.”
“Add me to that as well.” Su Yanqing took out his phone, maintaining that same gentle smile. “I do not mind.”
The girl swallowed her words, thinking the fans would definitely mind a “Brother-in-law” intruder. She obediently added Su Yanqing’s contact information.
Preparations on stage were complete. The lighting technician hit the band with a spotlight. Yun Xi raised a drumstick in his right hand, gave it a fancy twirl, and struck the drumhead with force. A loud boom echoed. Notes flowed from his fingertips, and the atmosphere in the live house ignited instantly.
Drumming was physically demanding work. By the second half of the show, Yun Xi’s forehead was covered in glistening beads of sweat. When he lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat away, the crowd erupted in screams and cheers. Yun Xi let the hem fall back down and scanned the crowd. Suddenly, his gaze froze.
He stared at a man standing in the very back row who stood out due to his height. His heart skipped a beat. He wondered why Gu Xun was there. Gu Xun was young but extremely old-fashioned; he was absolutely not the type to visit a live house. He certainly had not come for the music. Yun Xi followed Gu Xun’s line of sight and saw Su Yanqing standing with the Omega girl.
Yun Xi wondered if Su Yanqing had told Gu Xun he was coming to see the performance. He wondered if Gu Xun knew he had been in contact with Su Yanqing. The intro to the next song began. Looking at the countless pairs of eager eyes watching him, Yun Xi had no time for further thought. He cast aside the romantic complications for the moment and immersed himself in the world of music.
When the last song on the setlist finished, Cheng Zhang gave Yun Xi a look. Yun Xi, panting for breath, nodded. Cheng Zhang took the microphone and addressed the crowd. “Friends, our special guest Yun Xi noticed that a very special person has come to our show tonight. Therefore, he has decided to sing a song specifically for that person.”
The implication was clear. The audience members looked at one another, trying to figure out who this special person was. Gu Xun’s expression shifted. He looked up at Yun Xi and locked eyes with him.
Yun Xi thought that the narcissist would probably misunderstand again. With a quick change of heart, Yun Xi flashed Gu Xun a seductive smile. As he expected, Gu Xun’s face turned sour, but he did not turn around and leave immediately.
Yun Xi glanced toward Su Yanqing. The girl was still standing beside him; anyone who did not know better would assume they were a couple. It seemed his plan had not been exposed yet. Yun Xi grabbed the stand-up microphone and signaled the sound engineer. As a lingering, soulful accompaniment began, Yun Xi closed his eyes and began to sing softly.
He had chosen a romantic little song that was slightly suggestive. He had originally planned to stare fixedly at Su Yanqing while singing, but with Gu Xun there, that would be too obvious. He had to close his eyes and act deeply affectionate instead. His voice was naturally crisp, but to fit the song, he intentionally lowered his pitch, making the lyrics sound syrupy and intimate. It sounded like a lover whispering in one’s ear.
When the song ended and he opened his eyes, Gu Xun was gone. It seemed he had successfully disgusted him into leaving. A triumphant smile curled on Yun Xi’s lips. He looked back at Su Yanqing. The Alpha was staring at him intently, looking as though he were entranced.
Yun Xi half-lidded his eyes and stared straight at Su Yanqing. He slowly poked out half of his tongue, revealing a shiny silver tongue piercing on the tip. The cheers from the crowd were loud enough to tear the roof off the live house. Amidst the roaring noise, Su Yanqing felt his breathing grow heavy. A part of him that had been dormant for a long time seemed to wake up along with the sight of that moist, red tongue.
The beautiful Omega seemed very satisfied with the frenzy his gesture had caused. He bowed slightly to the cheering crowd, turned, and walked away.
The female student clutched her phone, rewatching the short video she had just recorded. When she looked up, she found the professor smiling at her.
“Do you want me to send this one to you too?” the girl asked astutely.
Su Yanqing nodded. After ensuring she had sent the video, he added, “You should delete that video now. It might cause a bad influence.”
“Okay, Professor,” the girl replied. Her forehead was sweating as she painfully deleted the video under his watchful gaze. She realized that while Professor Su looked gentle, he was surprisingly possessive.
Backstage, Yun Xi walked into the dressing room with light steps. The band members were all looking at him like gossiping onlookers.
“Xibao, who is the holy being you are trying to catch this time? You did not even go this far when you were chasing that sour-faced Alpha before.” The guitarist hugged his own arms. “Even I am about to fall in love with you.”
“Get lost.”
Yun Xi thought that it did not matter if the guitarist fell in love; he needed to see if Su Yanqing fell in love. Recalling the look in Su Yanqing’s eyes earlier, he smirked. He felt it would not be long before Su Yanqing was head over heels for him. He glanced at Cheng Zhang, feeling very satisfied with his friend’s tactical advice. “Brother Cheng, thanks a lot.”
The performance had been a complete success, and Cheng Zhang was in high spirits. He walked over with his water bottle and draped an arm around Yun Xi’s shoulders, laughing heartily. “Do not mention it. Just come and play with us more often.”
When Su Yanqing arrived backstage, he saw Yun Xi and that familiar Alpha lead singer standing with their arms around each other. A scene flashed back through his mind. Su Yanqing’s eyes turned cold for a fleeting second before returning to their usual warmth. He knocked on the open dressing room door. “Yun Xi?”
Yun Xi finally noticed Su Yanqing. He immediately shook off Cheng Zhang’s arm and hurried to Su Yanqing’s side. “So, how was it? Did I look good?” He did not clarify if he meant the performance or his appearance.
Su Yanqing crinkled his eyes and said, “You looked great. I did not realize you had this side to you.”
“Are you feeling curious to explore more?” Yun Xi teased.
“Yes, I am very curious.”
The two chatted back and forth as if no one else were there. The band members kept exchanging looks until Cheng Zhang stepped forward and cleared his throat to get their attention. “Yun Xi, is this the person you mentioned?”
Yun Xi glanced at Su Yanqing and gave a small hum of confirmation. Receiving the cue, Su Yanqing spoke up. “Hello. I am Yun Xi’s boyfriend. Thank you all for taking care of him during this time.”
Cheng Zhang smiled. “Hello. I am Yun Xi’s senior from university. It is not really a matter of taking care of him; Yun Xi is incredibly talented. Most of the audience tonight were his fans.”
At that moment, the bassist, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke up. “How long have you and Yun Xi been dating? How could you not even know about that?”
Cheng Zhang secretly sucked in a breath. Although the bassist was usually quiet, Cheng Zhang knew he had liked Yun Xi for a long time. When Yun Xi broke up with Gu Xun, the bassist had even eaten two extra bowls of rice out of joy. Now, another rival had appeared. To avoid trouble, Cheng Zhang had not told the bassist about the special song or the details regarding Yun Xi and Su Yanqing.
Hearing the bassist’s question, Yun Xi was stunned. Just as he was about to explain for Su Yanqing, the Alpha spoke in his usual gentle tone. “I am sorry. My understanding of Yun Xi is indeed far too limited at the moment.” Su Yanqing gave the bassist a fleeting glance before turning back to Yun Xi. “Yun Xi, will you forgive me?”