After Transmigrated as the Movie Star's Omega - Chapter 1

“He’s out! He’s out!”

The moment Shen Baibi’s figure appeared outside the awards venue, the reporters waiting at the entrance swarmed him instantly. He was surrounded so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through, as a forest of cameras and microphones were aimed directly at him.

“Baibi, congratulations on winning the Most Popular God Award at tonight’s Starlight Grand Gala! Do you have anything you’d like to say?” One reporter fought through the crowd, thrusting a microphone toward him excitedly.

Facing the predatory glares of the press, Shen Baibi remained calm. He offered a slight smile and spoke into the mic: “I’m very happy to receive this award. It represents everyone’s recognition of my work. I’m grateful to everyone who voted for me. I’ll continue to work hard and repay everyone with even better projects in the future.”

The answer was polite and professional. Combined with the gentle smile on Shen Baibi’s face, it caused quite a few young reporters to blush, their hearts fluttering. But right then, a discordant voice broke the mood.

A veteran reporter, eyes flashing with aggressive intent, asked: “Baibi, you narrowly beat Xia Ran this time to take the title of Popular God. Do you have anything you’d like to say to Xia Ran?”

Provocation!

The other reporters cast side-glances at their colleague. Everyone knew that the Movie Star, Shen Baibi, and the top-tier idol, Xia Ran, didn’t get along in private. Asking such a sensitive question now was a trap; no matter how Shen Baibi answered, Xia Ran’s fans—who were already depressed over their idol losing—would surely start a flame war.

God, you have to hold your ground!

Shen Baibi seemed completely oblivious to the tension in the air. His smile remained gentle and elegant as he replied: “To say I ‘beat’ him is an exaggeration. I was just lucky enough to get a few more votes than Xia Ran this time. As for what I want to say to him… in my eyes, Xia Ran is an extremely talented artist. I actually like him quite a bit, and I hope we have the opportunity to collaborate in the future.”

His tone was lukewarm and devoid of any sparks, leaving the drama-hungry reporters deeply disappointed. Just as they were about to dig for another topic, they caught a glimpse of the other protagonist of the conversation exiting the venue. Someone immediately shouted: “Ah, Xia Ran is here!”

Shen Baibi was composed, but Xia Ran was known for his blunt personality. If they couldn’t provoke the Movie Star, poking the Top Idol would work just as well.

Hearing his name, Xia Ran looked over. Seeing Shen Baibi surrounded by reporters and looking back at him with that gentle smile, he understood the situation and walked over. The reporters cooperatively parted ways, and soon, the two were in the same frame.

“What are you guys talking about?” Xia Ran’s smile was wide and brimming with energy.

A Little Sun!

The reporters who were swooning over Shen Baibi a moment ago now instantly switched sides.

Shen Baibi smiled and answered: “Nothing much, just an interview about my feelings on winning, and if I had anything to say to you.”

“Oh?” Xia Ran acted surprised, his eyes curving into crescents. “Then, what did you want to say to me?”

“Teacher Shen said he likes you a lot and wants to work with you in the future!” a fast-talking reporter blurted out.

Upon hearing this, Xia Ran nodded with a beam: “Sure! I’d love to work with God Shen too. Though, I don’t know when we’ll get the chance.” He put on a look of mock distress, then suddenly his eyes lit up. He raised a hand and waved at the cameras. “Are there any producers watching? Arrange something for us!”

Shen Baibi followed his lead: “That’s right, set it up. My schedule is open recently.”

The interview was being live-streamed. At that moment, countless viewers in front of their screens were wearing unstoppable “shipper smiles,” and the live comments were exploding.

[AAHHH they’re asking for a collab! Someone in the industry make it happen!]

[Make it happen now! I’ll pay for it!]

[They are so sweet, how can they be this compatible?! sobbing]

[The way Teacher Shen looks at Xia Ran is so gentle… this must be love!]

[Baibi Wu-Xia is real!] (Note: A pun on their names meaning ‘flawless white jade’)

…

Seeing the two cooperating so well, some people bit their tongues. How is it so harmonious?

“Ran-Ran, do you have anything you want to say to Teacher Shen?” someone asked, refusing to give up.

Xia Ran looked at Shen Baibi, his smile still dazzling: “Then of course I have to congratulate God Shen on his win!” He then blinked mischievously, his tone teasing: “Lord God, let me touch the trophy so I can soak up some of that good luck!”

[Ran-Ran acting cute is so adorable!]

[Let him touch it! LET HIM TOUCH IT!]

Shen Baibi’s smile didn’t falter as he nodded: “Sure, go ahead.”

He took the trophy from his assistant. Seeing the trophy, Xia Ran’s beautiful eyes sparkled with excitement like a child seeing candy. He immediately reached out to rub it. “Yay! I’ve caught the luck. I’ll be the ‘God’ next time!”

Shen Baibi chuckled at his childishness.

The two interacted as if no one else was there. The atmosphere was harmonious and full of “love,” showing absolutely no sign of their status as rivals. The reporters who wanted to stir up trouble found their plans foiled. They gnashed their teeth—shocking headlines were really hard to find these days. Since you get along so well, why don’t you two just go get married!

After chatting for a while longer, the two bid each other a satisfied farewell.

Xia Ran waved: “I won’t disturb Lord God’s interview any longer. Even though the collab is just a dream for now, we should grab dinner sometime.”

“Sure, let’s set a date when we’re free,” Shen Baibi smiled.

In that friendly atmosphere, Xia Ran climbed into his van with a bright smile. Before closing the door, he didn’t forget to wave to Shen Baibi one last time.

The moment the door shut, his smile vanished instantly. He puffed out his cheeks, looking completely bored.

His manager, Jiang Shen, poked his cheek and laughed: “What’s wrong? Is the ‘Little Sun’ out of fuel? Weren’t you just singing in harmony with Shen Baibi?”

Xia Ran clicked his tongue in disgust. “If the cameras weren’t on, who would want to act all lovey-dovey with Shen Baibi? Humph!”

Jiang Shen laughed as he spoke: “Alright, alright, don’t be mad. It’s just one award; it’s not like you’re lacking them. Don’t get worked up over something so small. Be good.”

“I’m not lacking awards!” Xia Ran was still fuming. “The point is I lost to Shen Baibi by just a tiny bit. That’s the most annoying part! If his new movie wasn’t currently out, giving him a bit more buzz than me, I wouldn’t have lost!”

“Yes, yes, you wouldn’t have lost,” Jiang Shen said. He thought for a moment and then asked: “Since you’re so annoyed he won, why did you touch his trophy?” He didn’t believe for a second that Xia Ran cared about “soaking up luck.”

Xia Ran gave a sinister grin. “To pass my bad luck onto him, of course! I was super unlucky today, so I’m going to make him unlucky too!”

“Superstition is a no-go,” Jiang Shen shook his head, feeling helpless at his top idol’s childishness.

“Hmph.”

Xia Ran leaned back and grabbed his phone from his assistant to scroll through social media. “Holy crap, that was fast!” he suddenly shouted, his voice a mix of surprise and annoyance.

“Hmm?” Jiang Shen glanced at him.

Xia Ran was miserable. “Look, I just finished interacting with Shen Baibi and the hashtag is already trending. The comments are full of people screaming about how ‘sweet’ it is. Where on earth do they see ‘deep affection’ in our eyes? Their filters are way too thick! I don’t love Shen Baibi at all! We are rivals! There’s no sugar here, only knives!”

“Everyone loves this trope—enemies to lovers,” Jiang Shen chuckled, unbothered.

“Tch. Love is impossible. Impossible in this lifetime.”

Xia Ran grumbled as he continued scrolling. Suddenly, his gaze froze on a fanfiction piece. Though it had just been posted, the popularity was unusually high. He skimmed a few lines and asked: “ABO? What’s that?”

The group of straight men in the car all shook their heads in confusion.

“Let me see!”

Ever the curious one, Xia Ran clicked the article. As he read, he turned into a “human encyclopedia of questions,” firing them off one by one.

“ABO stands for Alpha, Beta, Omega… these are Greek letters, right? Wait, the order is wrong!”

“Pheromones? What the hell?”

“What is a ‘Heat Cycle’? Only animals go into heat!”

“Marking? What is that? How do you mark someone? With a rubber stamp?”

A minute later, his expression shifted from confusion to doubt, then to shock, and finally to a deep questioning of his own existence.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Shen asked curiously.

Xia Ran hugged his arms, shivering uncontrollably as goosebumps broke out. “My god, what kind of horror story is this? My eyes!”

Jiang Shen took the phone and read out the first sentence he saw: “‘The reaction to the heat was too intense. Xia Ran felt as if he were melting into a puddle of water, falling helplessly into Shen Baibi’s arms, trembling slightly. His tender lips parted, breathing out a restless desire…‘”

“AAAAAHHHH! Jiang Shen-ge, please stop reading! AAAAAHHH!” Xia Ran screamed, covering his ears in agony, as if his manager were reciting a lethal curse rather than fanfiction.

Jiang Shen snickered and obligingly stopped. He skimmed the rest of the content and teased: “Wow, Movie Star Shen is quite durable. He fought for three days and three nights to help you safely pass your heat… Oh, wow, you actually got pregnant at the end!”

Xia Ran grew even more terrified, shrinking into his seat. “These people are crazy! I’m a man, how could I get pregnant! How big are their brain holes? In reality, I said two sentences to Shen Baibi, but in fanfic, I’m already pregnant? No way. I have to stay far away from Shen Baibi from now on. Absolute zero contact. That should stop them from shipping us, right?”

Jiang Shen was skeptical. “Naive. You think no contact will work? Fans have powerful imaginations. If you interact, it’s ‘unable to suppress your feelings.’ If you don’t, it’s ‘hiding the relationship to protect it.’ As long as they’re determined, they’ll find ‘sugar’ everywhere in life.”

Finally, he concluded: “In short, a fan’s brain is wired specifically for shipping. Just accept your fate.”

Xia Ran rested his chin on his hand and let out a long, melancholy sigh. He really wanted to tell his fans: Shipping leads to a dead end; focus on your careers—Baibi Wu-Xia is fake.

Xia Ran felt as if a fire were burning inside his body. It was sweltering.

He tried to open his eyes to see what was happening, but to no avail. Everything was dark—a piece of cloth was tied over his eyes.

The temporary loss of sight made his other senses sharper. A cool touch pressed against his skin, wandering across him. Everywhere he was touched felt even hotter, yet… it felt good.

The sensation made his consciousness hazy. Then, something pressed down on him.

What?

Xia Ran wanted to ask, but in the next second, an unfamiliar sensation surged through him.

“Ngh—”

He couldn’t describe exactly what it felt like. It was both agonizing and blissful.

Xia Ran tried his best to resist this inexplicable feeling, but the mixture of sensations made him tear up uncontrollably. Someone was panting in his ear, hot breath hitting his earlobe, stimulating the fragile eardrum as if coaxing him to let go and join in the indulgence.

Thus, his tightly closed lips could no longer hold back those sounds.

Xia Ran felt like he was lying in a small boat, his body rising and falling with the waves.

He could only helplessly grip the bedsheets beneath him.

By the time the storm settled, Xia Ran was exhausted. He didn’t have a shred of strength left to investigate anything.

This must be a dream. It’ll all disappear when I wake up.

With that thought, he fell into a deep sleep.