Chapter 12

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It turned out to be a post mocking her.

Chi Xun’s interest was instantly piqued. Clutching her smart terminal, she began scrolling through it with rapt attention.

The very first image was a candid photograph taken by a passerby the night before.

In the picture, the boy wore drab, dusty clothes and had a head of disheveled curls. His features were scrunched together, and he hunched forward as he hurried along, looking remarkably… rustic.

Especially against the backdrop of the villa’s luxurious entrance and lush greenery, the two large bags in his hands made him look even more like someone who had come to scavenge for scraps.

Chi Xun herself almost laughed when she saw it.

At the time, she had just finished fighting the Omega. Her clothes and hair had rolled through the dirt, and with her chest binder and prosthetic in her arms, all she had wanted was to get back as quickly as possible. But the wind on the porch had been so strong that it kept blowing grit into her eyes.

She hadn’t expected her fans to have such excellent timing with their snapshots.

An idol had to pay attention to expression management at all times. Clearly, that was something she needed to improve.

Chi Xun made a mental note and scrolled down to read the comments—

[Don’t tell me the person dressed like a beggar in this picture is Chi Xun?? Didn’t his company arrange image-management classes for him?]

[You expect a company favorite to attend classes? How naive. I bet he didn’t even finish his singing and dancing lessons.]

[And what makes you say that? Isn’t he a commoner from the lower district?]

[Mysterious parachute arrival, cutting in line to debut, talent impossible to gauge. You can’t find a single trace of his past online. Anyone can tell there’s someone powerful pulling strings behind him.]

[He was probably taken a liking to by some big shot.]

[My uncle works at their company. He says Chi Xun has an affair with one of the company’s Omega executives.]

[…Seriously? Zhuang Qu is a gold-medal manager. How could he possibly let a trainee with such a checkered record debut?]

[Isn’t the real issue his face in this picture? It’s completely different from the selfie he posted that day.]

[So ordinary. Even the most mediocre Alpha in the entire network has squeezed his way into Isaro, where everyone is showered with attention.]

[Please don’t force a couple pairing on us. Whoever gets stuck with him will only end up being drained dry.]

A couple pairing?

Chi Xun curled her lip. All six of her teammates already had their own pairings. She had no intention of pressing her hot face against anyone’s cold backside.

As she switched to her official account as Chi Xun, the viral post finally pushed her follower count past three hundred thousand.

As expected, her private messages were filled with abuse.

Still, the number looked rather impressive at first glance. She had never before been watched by so many people.

With the naïveté of someone who had never seen much of the world, Chi Xun took a screenshot to commemorate the occasion.

Just then, a series of urgent knocks sounded at the door, each one heavier than the last.

“Chi Xun, open the door.”

Zhuang Qu’s cold, solemn voice came from outside.

Chi Xun drew a sharp breath. She had the distinct feeling that a creditor had tracked her down. She immediately leaped out of bed to open the door.

The pounding footsteps drew nearer.

When the door opened, a pair of bare feet entered Zhuang Qu’s view. The tops were smooth, the round toes curled from the chill of the floorboards, and a hint of pink showed through the pale skin.

“…Brother Zhuang, is something wrong?”

Zhuang Qu raised his gaze. His eyes skimmed over the broad expanse of collarbone exposed by the loosely fastened collar.

“Next time, you can put your clothes on properly before opening the door,” he said flatly.

“Oh.” Chi Xun pressed her lips together, unable to stop herself from muttering, “You were the one knocking so urgently.”

“The stalkers and paparazzi outside hotel rooms and beneath the company building will knock even more urgently than I did. But your image always comes first.”

Zhuang Qu bent down, picked up the paper bag by his feet, and handed it to her.

“You’re going to the company today. Wear this when you leave.”

Chi Xun opened the bag and peered inside. There was a shirt and a pair of trousers.

“Did you buy these?” she asked in surprise.

“I borrowed them from Lin Zhouyi. Aside from you, he wears the smallest size in the group.”

Chi Xun hesitated. “What if the fans find out?”

“He dislikes going out and rarely leaves the house.” Zhuang Qu gave him a cool glance. “If you don’t say anything, no one outside the group will know.”

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Chi Xun could tell that there was little patience left in his voice.

She had no choice but to nod.

“I’ll wash them and return them to him.”

“Meet downstairs in twenty minutes.”

“Okay.”

After Zhuang Qu left, she spread the clothes across the middle of the bed. They looked brand-new, and the fabric was exceptionally soft. Every stitch and seam was neat and precise. The pale combination of white and beige also suited Lin Zhouyi’s quiet, homebody style.

But was the boy Zhuang Qu described as someone who disliked leaving the house and seldom went out really the same Lin Zhouyi who had invited her to browse the mall with him yesterday?

The temptation of grapefruit cake really was too powerful.

Chi Xun grumbled inwardly, then took off her pajamas and changed into the new clothes.

…

Early that morning, a long limousine van was waiting outside the villa.

Song Yao’an reached the vehicle and used the window to fix the last imperfect strand of hair before climbing inside.

“Morning. You’re all here already?”

Song Yao’an glanced at Ze Fei’er, Lin Zhouyi, and Si Heng seated across the first two rows. Then he looked toward the very back, where the eye-catching blue-haired boy had lazily claimed the fourth row and was half reclining as he dozed.

Song Yao’an turned back around, took the empty seat beside Si Heng, and asked, “Captain, what’s our schedule today?”

“We’re taking official photos, then using the company facilities to rehearse the MV choreography,” Si Heng replied.

“Finally, we get to go outside and breathe some fresh air. We’ve been shut in here dancing all day. I feel like I’ve been cut off from the entire world.”

Song Yao’an clicked his tongue and leaned over the back of the seat in front of him.

After several minutes of silence, he suddenly remembered something and looked toward the entrance.

“By the way, why hasn’t Chi Xun come down yet?”

“Maybe… he’s still changing.”

Lin Zhouyi’s voice came softly from beside him.

“Does it really take that long?” Song Yao’an propped his chin on his hand and smiled. “Speaking of which, didn’t Chi Xun say yesterday that he has a twin sister? If I understood correctly, she has exactly the same face as him, only she’s a girl?”

“If you’re judging by the face alone, he himself looks quite like a girl,” Ze Fei’er said.

In the back row, Xie Sisheng’s eyelids twitched.

For some inexplicable reason, he imagined what a female version of Chi Xun might look like.

Long hair, large eyes, plump pink lips, a floral dress—she would walk up to him and, just as she had done through the recording-room glass last time, smile and wave at him.

But gradually, that face transformed into Chi Xun’s current appearance.

Damn. That image was far too strange.

A chill ran up the back of Xie Sisheng’s neck, and he opened his eyes.

“If Chi Xun’s sister chased after Xie Sisheng, he might not find it so annoying,” Song Yao’an remarked with a laugh at precisely the right moment.

“Heh.”

Xie Sisheng sat upright. “Whether he’s male or female has nothing to do with me. I’m not interested in him.”

“So we can’t even be friends anymore?”

“…”

“I actually think our new teammate is pretty fun to tease. There’s no harm in becoming friends with him. You’re not going to get angry over that, are you?” Song Yao’an asked.

“Of course not.”

Xie Sisheng gave a derisive snort and lay back down.

Touching the gland at the back of his neck, Song Yao’an recalled the strange heat he had felt that night and thoughtfully curved his lips.

Just then, a whisper so soft that only the two of them could hear reached his ears.

“Don’t take it too far.”

Meeting Si Heng’s calm, pitch-black eyes, Song Yao’an shrugged with a smile.

“Got it, Captain.”

—Be careful not to get burned.

Seeing the mischievous glint in his eyes, Si Heng lowered his gaze and swallowed the unspoken second half of the warning.

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*

By the time Chi Xun arrived, the vehicle was nearly full.

Several of them had instinctively gathered together. Si Heng was reading an e-book, while Lin Zhouyi stared blankly at the leaves outside the window. Beside them sat the bright and energetic Song Yao’an and the tall, broad-shouldered Ze Fei’er. Together, they seemed to have formed a quiet little world that outsiders could never break into.

Without thinking, Chi Xun reached for the rear door.

As it opened, a pair of long, slightly bent legs slid out. The first things she saw were a pair of rugged, perforated leather boots and coarse-cut jeans, followed by a glimpse of a taut lower abdomen as the hem of the shirt rode upward.

The row of navel piercings gave away the owner immediately.

Chi Xun climbed in without hesitation.

Xie Sisheng braced himself and shifted aside slightly. He watched as the boy slipped into the empty seat one row ahead with the wariness of someone avoiding a venomous snake.

“…”

A moment later, another rustling came from the row in front.

Song Yao’an had moved over from his own seat. Soon, the two fluffy heads were nestled side by side.

“Brother Xun, you’re finally here.” Song Yao’an’s voice carried a slight nasal whine. “Can I sit beside you and rest for a while?”

The refusal had already reached Chi Xun’s lips when she remembered that he was an Omega.

After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded. “Suit yourself. Didn’t you get enough rest yesterday?”

“I barely slept.”

The limousine van pulled away. Its faint rocking brought the boy a little closer to her. His soft, fine hair brushed against the hollow of her neck, tickling her, while his drawn-out nasal tone sounded almost coquettish.

“But that’s all my brother’s fault. He didn’t get back from the Starfront until the middle of the night, and he insisted on driving himself. I ended up piloting a spacecraft in my dreams.”

Chi Xun blinked, only half understanding.

Seeing the confusion on her face, Song Yao’an smiled.

“Some twins can sense the physical sensations experienced by the other.” He paused for a moment. “You and your sister don’t have that kind of constitution?”

Chi Xun didn’t even dare imagine it.

If she and Chi Xun shared sensations, wouldn’t he know everything she did in the room next door in the middle of the night?

She shook her head. “That must be an extremely rare ability.”

“Is it? We’ve been like this since the day we were born.”

The boy yawned, seeming on the verge of falling asleep.

Listening to him, Chi Xun couldn’t help imagining it… What if one of the twins were undressed and soaking in a bath while the other, fully dressed, attended some important occasion?

Or if one of them were injured while the other was enjoying a spa treatment at a massage parlor—would their bodies somehow experience pain and pleasure at the same time?

By the time Chi Xun came back to herself, Song Yao’an was already asleep, still in the position he had been jostled into moments earlier.

His head rested halfway on her shoulder.

She felt the temperature of that patch of skin rise along with his body heat. She reached out and pushed him lightly, but he didn’t move an inch.

Sleep really was contagious.

Within seconds, Chi Xun found herself yawning as well, her eyelids growing heavy.

Before long, Xu You’s smart terminal, lying in the front passenger seat, chimed with a message.

[Why is it so hot in the car? Didn’t you turn on the air conditioning?]

Xu You silently wrapped the thin blanket more tightly around himself.

Since the message had come from that wicked beagle, Xie Sisheng, he still forced himself to reply patiently.

[It’s already at the lowest temperature. Want to switch seats with me?]

The other side rejected him almost instantly.

[No need. Turn on the speakers first.]

[At full volume.]

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