After Pretending to Be an Alpha, I Was Exposed by My Rival - Chapter 18
Time ticked by second after second.
To find Lu Jian, Zhou Yijue endured his disgust and continued patting each “bride” one by one. Each time, the brides repeated the exact same line:
“Naughty, that’s harassment!”
By the time he reached the tenth one, the phrase seemed to echo in surround sound, clinging to him relentlessly.
Damn it.
What a psycho… I was talking about Lu Jian.
Afraid the game system would detect the curse in his thoughts again, he hurriedly added the latter half of the sentence in his mind. Sure enough, the trash game system calmed down and didn’t deduct any more time.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much time left.
After checking ten “brides,” Zhou Yijue had already wasted four minutes.
Only four minutes remained.
If he couldn’t identify Lu Jian, they’d fail the stage.
After enduring all this, if they still failed…
He really wanted to strangle that bastard Lu Jian.
Continuing with the tenth “bride,” Zhou Yijue asked,
“Lu Jian, what are the names of the two girls beside you?”
He decided to start from Lu Jian’s friends and see if he could find anything unique.
“One is called Miracle, the other Nuan Nuan.”
As always, the answer came in the emotionless default system voice.
“…”
Damn it. Miracle Nuan Nuan? That’s copyright infringement, brother. That’s an ancient Earth game.
“What are they like? Their personalities, appearances, anything.”
“Outgoing personalities. Beautiful appearances…”
“Idiotic personalities. Ugly appearances.”
Among the chorus of flattering descriptions, one voice suddenly gave a completely different answer.
Zhou Yijue’s eyes lit up.
He rushed over, grabbed that bride, dragged them out of the line, and yanked off the red bridal veil.
His game avatar—a dark-skinned giant over 1.9 meters tall—towered over Lu Jian’s default avatar.
Excited, he looked at Lu Jian’s face, now wearing bridal makeup that made him look almost androgynously beautiful.
He reached out with both hands and vigorously rubbed Lu Jian’s face.
“You’re Lu Jian?”
“I am Lu Jian.”
All twelve voices answered simultaneously.
“…”
“Lu Jian, who am I?”
With only one chance remaining, Zhou Yijue didn’t dare decide too quickly. Better to ask a few more questions.
“You’re Cycle Without End.”
Again—
Twelve identical voices.
“What about that idiot beside me? What’s his name?”
“Guoguo Wants Hugs~.”
“I don’t know.”
Without another word, Zhou Yijue grabbed Lu Jian’s arm and dragged him toward the notice board.
“I’ve made my choice. It’s this one.”
“Ding-dong. Congratulations, players Cycle Without End and Lu Jian for completing the Hearts in Harmony challenge. Stage cleared successfully. The dungeon will begin in ten seconds.”
After the ten-second countdown…
The two entered the Hell Messenger dungeon.
Lu Jian was finally released from the nightmare state and regained control of his body.
He remembered everything that had happened.
He simply hadn’t been able to move or give Zhou Yijue any hints.
Fortunately, for the final two questions, the system had allowed him to answer honestly.
Apparently, even the game system thought his answers were correct.
What it didn’t know was…
Lu Jian had never paid attention to Yuan Datou’s character name from beginning to end.
He had never spared even half a second of extra attention for people who didn’t interest him.
The only names he remembered were Wu Qi and Monkey, whose female avatars Miracle and Nuan Nuan kept circling around Guoguo Wants Hugs~ until his head hurt.
Those two idiots were just as ridiculous in real life as they were in-game.
Zhou Yijue had succeeded by sheer luck.
With time running out, he’d simply tested a few guesses…
…and actually found the real Lu Jian.
Still—
This garbage game had paired them up as groom and bride.
It was awkward as hell.
After entering the dungeon, the two unconsciously looked away, both too embarrassed to make eye contact.
Soon afterward, Wu Qi, Monkey, and Yuan Datou entered one after another.
They looked miserable.
Their clothes were tattered.
When Wu Qi and Monkey fell in, they landed right at Lu Jian’s feet, looking half dead as they clutched his pant leg.
“Brother Lu… we had it rough. We almost couldn’t get in.”
“Yeah! During the final game, the system even called us idiots and ugly! Wuwuwu…”
Their complaints immediately caught Zhou Yijue’s attention.
…Wait.
Didn’t those sound exactly like the answers Lu Jian had given earlier?
Could this stupid game have linked all the final questions together?
“Wuwuwu~ Little Yijue, I want a hug~”
Yuan Datou cried pitifully from where he lay at Zhou Yijue’s feet.
Zhou Yijue looked utterly disgusted.
He casually kicked him aside and walked away.
“Hmph! Little Yijue, you heartless scoundrel!”
Yuan Datou dramatically sprawled on the ground, flailing his limbs.
The performance was so revolting that Zhou Yijue sped up.
With all five reunited, they fooled around briefly before challenging the final boss.
The Hell Messenger dungeon truly deserved its reputation.
If the Spider Woman dungeon was three-star difficulty…
Hell Messenger was five stars.
They struggled inside for a very long time.
Only during the final minute before the time limit expired did they finally defeat the boss.
By then, only Cycle Without End and Lu Jian remained alive.
Both had only a sliver of HP left.
A narrow victory.
But the loot…
The loot was incredible.
Every drop was a rare item.
And because they were the first team ever to clear the dungeon, all rewards were doubled.
On top of that, the boss dropped an unbelievably powerful orange-grade weapon that no player had ever obtained since the game’s launch.
Wu Qi and the others were so excited they couldn’t stop grinning.
Wu Qi and Monkey stared longingly at the orange weapon.
Yuan Datou wanted it too.
Unfortunately…
There was only one.
At that moment, Lu Jian walked over.
Picking up the orange weapon from the ground, Wu Qi and Monkey assumed he was keeping it.
Instead…
He strode over to Cycle Without End and tossed it to him.
“This is for you. It suits your class the best.”
Wu Qi & Monkey:
“…He just gave it away?”
“No fight? No discussion?”
That thing would sell for a fortune even if he didn’t use it!
Zhou Yijue accepted the weapon without pretending to refuse.
“Thanks.”
Then…
He logged out.
For the foreseeable future…
He wasn’t touching this garbage game again.
Fortunately, no one had seen the scene where he and Lu Jian had been forced to play husband and wife during the dungeon.
Otherwise, Yuan Datou would laugh himself to death.
What Zhou Yijue didn’t know…
Because they were the first team to clear the dungeon, their gameplay video had been uploaded.
Not long afterward…
The entire server exploded.
“Oh my god, I suddenly ship this CP!”
“You’re not alone. Lu Jian and Cycle Without End look so good together.”
“Dark-skinned macho top × pale cold beauty bottom?”
“Wrong! Lu Jian is only cold toward us random people. Around Cycle Without End he’s so gentle and sweet!”
“LMAO I’m obsessed with this pairing.”
“They’re locked in. I swallowed the key.”
“Please just get married already. I’ll move the Civil Affairs Bureau over.”
Wu Qi, Monkey, and the others logged out a little later.
They witnessed the server-wide discussion firsthand.
When they watched the Hearts in Harmony challenge video and heard Lu Jian calling them ugly…
They immediately exploded.
Surrounding Lu Jian, they babbled nonstop in protest.
Lu Chizhou couldn’t be bothered arguing.
He simply logged out.
Seeing him disappear, Monkey and Wu Qi turned toward Yuan Datou.
“Only the three of us are left.”
Before they could say anything else…
Yuan Datou pretended to be heartbroken, rubbing his fists against his eyes dramatically.
“Wuwuwu… Lord Lu Jian didn’t even remember my name…”
…
Zhou Yijue’s phone rang.
He picked it up.
An email had arrived from an unfamiliar address.
Opening it, he found only a webpage link to a short video.
His finger instinctively moved to tap it—
Then suddenly stopped.
He frowned.
What if it’s porn?
If I click it, thousands upon thousands of viruses might pour into my optical computer like an endless Zerg swarm.
Forget it.
Better not.
No matter how he calculated it, it wasn’t worth the risk.
If he really wanted to watch that kind of thing, Yuan Datou had plenty of sources.
There was no need to take such a risk.
Thinking that, Zhou Yijue pressed Delete.
A confirmation window popped up.
Confirm or Cancel.
After hesitating, he chose Cancel, typed out a reply, sent it…
…then deleted the email.
“Big Brother, why did you give me a present?”
An adorable eight-year-old girl hugged a gift box and happily skipped around Lu Chizhou, her little face flushed with excitement.
“You don’t need a reason to give gifts. Who told me my little sister is so cute?”
Lu Chizhou picked his younger sister up with one arm while holding his phone in the other, waiting for a reply.
“But it says ‘Happy Birthday’ on it. My birthday was last month! Big Brother, you’re so forgetful.”
She puffed out her rosy lips before planting a loud kiss on his cheek.
“But I’m still really happy! I love the gift! Oh right, Big Brother, who were you recording that video for? Let me see!”
“For another big brother.”
Lu Chizhou pinched her chubby cheek.
“A really handsome big brother.”
“More handsome than you?”
She blinked her huge round eyes curiously.
“Mm. More handsome than me. When you meet him someday, you’ll definitely like him too.”
“Ding! You have a new message.”
Hearing the notification, Lu Chizhou immediately opened his email.
The contents left him completely bewildered.
Send me another spam email and I’ll report you.
“…I didn’t send spam…”
He hurriedly replied.
But when he tried to send it…
He discovered he’d already been blocked.
…No way.
His little sister was obviously so adorable.
How did things end up like this?
He’d hoped using his sister’s cuteness would help him get a little closer to Zhou Yijue.
Instead…
It had backfired completely.
Pinching his sister’s cheeks again, he sighed.
“Little Sis, someone actually disliked you.”
His sister’s eyes widened in disbelief.
With a trembling little voice, she pouted,
“I’m this cute! How can anyone dislike me? Humph!”
She gave an indignant snort, climbed off his lap, and stomped away in a huff.
Watching his little sister waddle away with her tiny swaying hips…
Lu Chizhou couldn’t help covering his face as he laughed.
Just as Zhou Yijue was about to fall asleep…
Yuan Datou called.
Being awakened right as he was drifting off only made his already terrible temper explode.
“Yuan Datou. Tomorrow will be your death anniversary.”
Hearing both anger and sleepiness in his voice, Yuan Datou immediately realized Zhou Yijue’s waking rage had kicked in.
He instinctively shrank his neck and whispered,
“Little Yijue… what’s going on between you and Lu Jian?”
Zhou Yijue frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“Well… after you two completed the Hearts in Harmony challenge, everyone started shipping you two together. Hehe… honestly, you’re actually kind of a good match. Want me to ask Miracle and Nuan Nuan? If Lu Jian’s an Omega, he’d be perfect for you.”
“Perfect my ass! Get lost! I’m sleeping! If you keep talking I’ll kill you!”
Furious, Zhou Yijue didn’t hold back in the slightest.
Within ten minutes, he’d scolded Yuan Datou into the ground.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Yuan Datou didn’t dare argue.
He obediently endured the lecture until Zhou Yijue finally vented enough, hung up, and went to sleep.
Only then did Yuan Datou rub his burning ears and sigh.
Little Yijue’s temper was still as explosive as ever.
He had a face handsome enough to make people’s legs go weak…
But that awful temper scared everyone away except Anran.
At twenty-two years old, while some people were already fathers…
He hadn’t even given away his first love.
Still…
Anran was obviously so pretty.
Why couldn’t Little Yijue fall for him?
If it were him…
He would’ve been kneeling beneath Anran’s school uniform pants hundreds of years ago, surrendering completely.
Too bad…
Anran didn’t like him.
Otherwise…
Their kid would already be old enough to buy soy sauce.
“Hehe…”
The more Yuan Datou imagined it…
The happier he became.
He even laughed out loud.
A perfect picture of a creepy guy.
“Zhou Yijue, why won’t you like me? What exactly is wrong with me? Tell me, and I’ll change.”
Before Zhou Yijue even entered the school building, Anran blocked his path again.
“Oh my god… Anran confessed to Zhou Yijue again! Which time is this now?”
“Ninth time this semester, I think.”
“He’ll reject him again, won’t he? Has Zhou Yijue cultivated immortality or something? The kind that cuts off all emotions and desires?”
“Seriously. With Anran’s beautiful fair face, if he looked at me once I’d probably pass out.”
“Too bad he fell for a rock like Zhou Yijue.”
“A rock? That’s giving him too much credit. Even rocks get warm if you hold them long enough. He’s an emotionless block of ice.”
The surrounding whispers and complaints never stopped.
As if he hadn’t heard any of them, Zhou Yijue looked coldly at Anran.
“Then why do you like me? Tell me, and I’ll change.”
“…Y-you… I like everything about you. If you’ve got the ability, then go change!”
Hands on his hips, Anran angrily retorted, his fair cheeks puffing red with frustration.
Zhou Yijue felt like his temples were about to explode.
Even if he really were an Alpha…
He’d still be straight.
He liked soft, cute girls.
Anran was undeniably beautiful.
But no matter how beautiful…
He was still a guy.
If Anran were a girl…
He might actually consider it.
But Anran was male.
A man.
Absolutely impossible.
“I’m sorry. You should like someone else. I don’t like you.”
As always, Zhou Yijue rejected him coldly without leaving even a shred of hope.
“Why? What exactly is wrong with me? Can’t you at least try liking me?”
Anran’s eyes reddened with grievance.
Among the Alphas in the academy, Anran was everyone’s unattainable first love.
Every movement of his tugged at countless Alpha hearts.
Because of that…
Zhou Yijue had become the public enemy of every Alpha in school.
Fortunately, his strength spoke for itself.
Most people didn’t dare provoke him.
“There’s nothing wrong with you. But liking someone depends on feelings. I don’t have those feelings for you. Forcing it won’t make anyone happy.”
Zhou Yijue sighed, trying to reason with him.
“But you’ve never even tried with me! How do you know you won’t feel anything? Maybe if you tried, you would.”
Anran still refused to give up.
“Bro Lu, isn’t that Anran and Zhou Yijue up ahead? Did Anran confess again? What is this now, the ninth time? That Zhou guy is way too lucky.”
Monkey looked ahead enviously, completely failing to notice that the expression in Lu Chizhou’s eyes had already changed.
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