Forced to Date 3 Alphas in a Comic: CHAPTER 4

Forced to Date 3 Alphas in a Comic: Chapter 4: How to Pursue an Alpha

By this point Chao Xun was already in the family car. Uncle Lin was in the driver’s seat, first asking how things had gone at school, then passing back a box of cut fruit and homemade snacks. “I was worried you’d be hungry on the way. Have a little something to tide you over,” Uncle Lin said. So this was the life of a young master. Chao Xun accepted the fruit and snacks: “Thank you.” Uncle Lin was the Chao family’s butler and had been by the original host’s side ever since he entered the Chao household. Which brought up the original host’s background. His birth surname was Li. His father was unknown. His mother and the Chao family’s parents had all been researchers at the same institute. When the original host was five, his mother died in an accident, and the Chao family took it upon themselves to adopt the orphaned child. To protect this Li Xun, Chao’s father and mother told the outside world he was a distant relative’s child, and from that point on the original host lived with the Chao family. The Chao parents had a son of their own named Chao Ling Xue, five years older than him. Chao Ling Xue had been unsmiling from childhood, nothing like a child at all. Chao’s mother had adopted the original host partly hoping a companion would soften this son of hers who was cold even toward his own parents. The original host, newly arrived and instinctively wanting to please him, had been rebuffed so many times that he ended up keeping his distance from this unfamiliar older brother, reacting to the sight of him the way a rabbit reacts to a hawk, wanting only to avoid him. He had assumed they would simply go on coexisting under the same roof in this lukewarm way, but not long after, Chao’s father and mother also died in an accident. Of everyone, the original host was hit hardest. He became convinced he was cursed, that his bad luck had taken his mother, and then his aunt and uncle too. When the funeral ended, he ran away from home. The outcome was that a nine-year-old could not get very far. Uncle Lin found him quickly. “This isn’t your fault. You don’t need to blame yourself,” Uncle Lin said, trying to comfort the hollow-eyed child. When the boy refused to come home no matter what he said, Uncle Lin had no choice but to call Chao Ling Xue. Chao Ling Xue, now an orphan himself, was as cold as ever. No hatred showed on his face, and no grief. He said: “From now on, take our surname.” Li Xun became Chao Xun. For a long time afterward, the boy was haunted by the idea that his original surname was the problem, that the character for “li” sounded like the character for “leave,” and that was why he kept losing everyone he loved. He never mentioned his birth surname again. Chao Ling Xue went abroad to study not long after the funeral, leaving only the original host and Uncle Lin in the house. The Chao family’s circumstances were comfortable. They had a two-story villa not far from the city center. It wasn’t a very large house, but with only two people living in it, it felt somewhat empty. Uncle Lin’s care was thorough without being intrusive, striking exactly the right balance of a considerate butler who knew not to ask too many questions. For a boy nearly eighteen years old who had lost everyone when he was young and had gone so long without any family around him, it was no wonder he was starved for love and desperate for it at the same time. Feelings he couldn’t express, emotions he had been suppressing, had all poured out onto one person without any regard for whether that person wanted them. Chao Xun could not truly feel what the original host had felt, but he did feel sympathy for the boy. Maybe, he thought, he could do something small. He took out his phone, photographed the fruit and snacks, then turned around and took a photo with Uncle Lin in the frame. He opened the chat window labeled simply [Chao Ling Xue], without even a “brother” added to the contact name, and sent the photos over. Chao Xun: Brother, the snacks Uncle Lin made today are so good. Chao Xun: Too bad you’re not here. I’ll remember this for you. When you come back I’ll have Uncle Lin make them again. Chao Xun: We’re heading to the bookstore now! Brother, I’ve decided to start studying properly! Chao Xun: Give your little brother some encouragement Chao Xun: [rolling cat emoji] Chao Ling Xue didn’t reply for a long time. It was probably the middle of the night over there. Chao Xun stopped sending messages. An eighteen-year-old high school boy probably talks like this, he figured. He leaned back against the seat and watched the busy evening traffic through the window, just as crowded and rushing as the real world. If he could bring the relationship with this brother a little closer, at least when he left this world the original host would have someone who cared about him. Wait, he still had to win over Mi Yu. And winning him over probably meant entering into an actual relationship with him. Which meant Mi Yu would have to be his boyfriend. Sigh. Chao Xun felt the urge to sigh again. He didn’t dare think about what would happen to the original host and Mi Yu if he really did succeed and then left. Lost in these wandering thoughts, they arrived at the bookstore. Uncle Lin went to park in the garage. Chao Xun went in alone, with a very clear destination in mind, heading straight for the Psychology and Relationships section. Working through his prepared list, he picked out seven or eight books in one go, then grabbed some high school study guides on the way, and carried the whole towering stack to the register. The line at the register wasn’t long. Chao Xun waited patiently, and just as it was almost his turn, the person in front of him seemed to have picked up the wrong item and was asking the cashier to wait a moment. His arms were aching. He angled sideways and rested the stack on the corner of the counter, trying to give himself a break. In that same turn, the corner of his eye caught something behind him. A very tall person appeared to have joined the queue at his back, a presence around them that was impossible to ignore. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he thought he heard a quiet laugh. Chao Xun glanced down at the book sitting on top of the stack: Beta’s Guide to Romance: So What If They’re an Alpha? His ears went red without his permission. Help. What kind of title was that? It sounded like a light novel. Was this actually a serious relationship guide? He quietly gathered the books back into his arms and waited another minute until the person in front finished paying and left. He stepped forward quickly and set the books on the counter. The cashier scanned them one by one with a practiced smile, sliding each into the paper bag beside her. With every title that was revealed, Chao Xun’s ears grew a little redder. Alpha Psychology. Intimacy Without Pheromones. The Beta’s Essential Guide: An Emotional Intelligence Handbook. The Complete Book of Sweet Nothings…… Year One Mathematics Green Bible. High School Biology Study Guide…… Help. He looked exactly like a terminal-stage romance-obsessed high school student, which was, in fact, exactly what he was. Can’t blame me. The system forced me into this, he consoled himself. “That comes to 590 yuan in total.” The cashier’s expression had not changed once throughout the entire transaction. She had clearly seen everything. Chao Xun paid, grabbed the bag, and fled without once looking behind him. Back home, after washing up, he finally opened the reference books he had bought that day and laid out two notebooks: one was the original host’s notebook full of information about Mi Yu, and the other was blank, for Chao Xun to write down anything useful. He looked through the original host’s notebook first. The contents were essentially already engraved in his memory, but he went through it anyway, stubbornly hoping to find something he had missed. Unfortunately, the notebook contained almost nothing of practical use. Most of it was taken up by cut-out photos of Mi Yu and hand-drawn illustrations of him. After once again conducting a comprehensive appreciation of Mi Yu’s flawless face, Chao Xun set the notebook down and turned to the books he had just bought. He read until well past midnight. By the time his eyes were drooping, his blank notebook had barely any notes in it. As expected, books like these were mostly padding. The content was nearly all the same, and most of the approaches had already been tried by the original host with zero effect. “Six hundred yuan wasted.” Chao Xun sighed and collapsed forward onto the desk. Then his eyes landed on the study guides and he immediately sat back up. He had almost forgotten. He hadn’t done today’s homework yet. Doing it himself was out of the question. He messaged Ke An’an: Chao Xun: An’an, have you finished the homework? Let me copy Chao Xun: [pleading kitten emoji] Ke An’an: Sending now Ke An’an: [image][image][image][image] Chao Xun: [thank you] Ke An’an: I’ll also send over the photos they took today while I’m at it Ke An’an: [image][image][image][image][image][image][image][image][image][image][image][image][image][image][image][image] A wave of photos of Mi Yu sweating it out on the court hit all at once, every single one as polished and perfect as a panel from a comic. His phone kept vibrating for a good ten seconds before it stopped. Chao Xun pressed a hand to his forehead. He hadn’t managed to exchange a single word with Mi Yu today, but he had certainly gotten more than enough photos. Thinking this, his hands went ahead and saved them one by one anyway. It took several minutes. Chao Xun: Thanks He thought about it for a moment, then sent a red pocket the way the original host always used to. Chao Xun: [red packet] Ke An’an claimed the red packet Ke An’an: Apparently Mi Yu was in a bad mood today. Almost got into a fight at the basketball court Chao Xun: What happened Ke An’an: Not sure. They couldn’t get into the gym so they were only watching from outside Ke An’an: Anyway training went really late. It was almost 11 before Mi Yu left Chao Xun thought: good thing I didn’t go. I didn’t say a single word to him today, so his bad mood definitely wasn’t because of me. Ke An’an: New update, apparently an omega accidentally released pheromones and it affected the players. A bunch of alphas got triggered into releasing pheromones too Huh? Pheromone-free Chao Xun could not relate. Ke An’an: I heard the omega didn’t do it on purpose, but they’re definitely going to get put on the forum… Chao Xun: [horrified cat emoji] Ke An’an: I bet they’ll ban omegas from watching basketball team training from now on Chao Xun: Honestly not safe Ke An’an noticed Chao Xun’s tone was very detached. He wasn’t asking whether Mi Yu had been affected by the pheromones, or whether he’d be able to get into the gym to watch training in the future. Ke An’an: ……Do you still want to pursue Mi Yu? At that Chao Xun sat up straight. Did he have a choice? Chao Xun: Of course I do. I might need your help too. Ke An’an relaxed. Ke An’an: I found a lot of bloggers for you. Have a look first Another wave of recommendations came in, covering outfits, makeup, posture, and how to develop an overall presence. Everything imaginable. Chao Xun stared at his screen. Ke An’an was incredibly thorough, like having a personal life assistant. Chao Xun: Thank you, this is a huge help Chao Xun: [red packet] Ke An’an claimed the red packet Ke An’an: Don’t mention it! If you don’t like any of them I can look for different ones Ke An’an: By the way Mi Yu has been in a bad mood lately, keep a low profile for now Chao Xun: Got it. Going to copy the homework now, talk tomorrow Ke An’an: [puppy wave goodbye] Chao Xun: Bye Chao Xun scrolled through the bloggers Ke An’an had recommended. They all had a very clean, youthful energy. Same height as him at 178cm, similar build. The makeup styles, while considerably simpler than what the original host had been wearing, still leaned toward looking soft and endearing. Chao Xun put his phone down and started copying the homework, thinking about the mission as he wrote. Romance notes, entry one: improve yourself, show your appeal. Makeup: would that even work? Mi Yu didn’t seem to like the soft and delicate omega type. Going by the comic’s plot, the kind of person he was drawn to was an alpha. But from the original host’s memories, Mi Yu had never dated anyone, and presented entirely as a straight alpha, with no signs of any ambiguity toward other people of the same gender. His two closest friends were both alphas, but anyone with eyes could see they were strictly brothers, with nothing between them that looked like it could develop into something more. Even so, Chao Xun could draw one conclusion: Mi Yu probably liked people who were dominant, or at least mentally dominant. Physically was obviously out of the question since Chao Xun had no advantage there whatsoever. Romance notes, entry two: understand him, find common ground. Already done. It’s all in the notebook. Common ground: none. Romance notes, entry three: create opportunities, make contact. The problem was that he had been blocked on WeChat, and their seats in class were as far apart as they could get. If he didn’t take the initiative, Chao Xun figured he might go all the way to graduation without saying a single word to Mi Yu. Contact, contact…… He thought about what Ke An’an had mentioned: the basketball team had brought in a substitute, and Mi Yu had been in a bad mood because the new player wasn’t meshing well. Chao Xun could play basketball, and played it reasonably well. In his own high school he had been on the school team. The only problem was that his original body hadn’t been in good health, meaning he couldn’t handle extended intense physical activity, so he had spent most of his time on the bench. The body he was in now was perfectly healthy, but the original host had never played basketball, and his stamina didn’t look great either. Even with the technical skill, he wouldn’t be able to perform at full capacity. Turning it over from every angle, Chao Xun still felt this was the best avenue to try. He didn’t have much time left. The homework was finally copied. Chao Xun closed the notebook and made up his mind.