YPSSS Chapter 05

Yi Junya tried everything he could, using both carrot and stick, until Xia Shiruan finally agreed to go with him.

But Xia Shiruan had only one condition, which was that he wouldn’t wear makeup or any weird clothes. He’d just stand there and wait.

Yi Junya giggled and said “Okay.”

That afternoon, Xia Shiruan arrived at the venue right on time.

As expected of the country’s largest gaming company, you could tell from the exhibition hall’s appearance alone that they’d gone all out.

Xia Shiruan wore a simple white T-shirt and casual pants with a backpack, looking every bit like a student.

Following the location Yi Junya had sent him, he found the cosplay exhibition hall and waited outside for him.

Since it hadn’t officially opened yet, only staff and performers were around.

Just as Yi Junya had said, it wasn’t just Omegas. There were Betas too, and even a few Alphas mixed in. But without exception, everyone was wearing extremely flashy outfits to cosplay game characters.

Standing there with his bare face, Xia Shiruan stood out even more, drawing stares from people passing by.

It was only 10 AM, but the sun was already intense.

A thin layer of sweat appeared on Xia Shiruan’s fair forehead. After a while, he started feeling dizzy.

He looked up at the sky, stepped back into the shade, and held up his backpack to block the sun.

Just as he did so, he heard someone call out “Xiao Ruan!” from behind.

Then his backpack was snatched away by a hand. Xia Shiruan looked down, and before he could react, all he saw was a pair of bare white legs.

Just as he was about to look up, he felt like his nose was choked by an intense fragrance. His eyes and nose stung at once, and he bent over, coughing violently.

“What’s wrong?” Yi Junya was stunned. One hand still holding Xia Shiruan’s bag, he watched him cough until his face turned red, and quickly patted his back. “Did you choke on water?”

“No…” Xia Shiruan’s head was spinning from that scent. After a long while, he said, “Your perfume is too strong today.”

“Huh?” Yi Junya scratched his head, confused. “Not really, I always use this much.”

Xia Shiruan rubbed his nose and breathed slowly, feeling much better than before.

He could still smell Yi Junya’s new perfume, but it was much stronger than the past few days.

When Yi Junya had suddenly rushed over earlier, Xia Shiruan was caught off guard and the scent had overwhelmed him. Now that he’d adjusted, he found it somewhat bearable.

The fragrance itself wasn’t bad, just way too strong.

They walked together toward the exhibition hall.

“Stay in the staff area later, I’ve already arranged it,” Yi Junya instructed while holding the camera. “Set the camera to this mode, use this filter, then press the burst button…”

This was Xia Shiruan’s main task after refusing to go on stage with Yi Junya – taking photos for him.

There wasn’t a beautiful Omega in the world who didn’t love taking photos, and Yi Junya was no exception.

He gave Xia Shiruan a task to take at least two hundred photos for him to choose from and edit later.

When Xia Shiruan said he couldn’t shoot that fast, Yi Junya taught him to use burst mode instead.

Yi Junya was dressed quite lightly today, saying he was cosplaying as Demon Blade Princess, a popular game character.

Although Xia Shiruan had never played this game, judging by the frequent glances thrown their way, Yi Junya must have done a good job with the costume.

After entering the hall, Yi Junya led Xia Shiruan to the designated area, handed him the camera and backpack, blew him a couple of air kisses, then happily ran off.

Xia Shiruan, who had never been to such an event before, found a chair to sit on and looked around curiously.

He was now in the backstage area, separated by a curtain that gave him a clear view of the stage without the crowds. It was indeed a perfect spot.

Xia Shiruan sat properly, patiently waiting for the show to begin.

The first few acts were warm-ups, with large groups of performers taking the stage. From a distance, it looked lively and impressive.

It was rare for Xia Shiruan to spend a weekend out instead of staying home to study. He watched the performances quietly and attentively. Even though he didn’t quite understand everything, the lively atmosphere still made him feel relaxed.

Unfortunately, his relaxation didn’t last long. The curtain was pulled aside, and a group of performers in bizarre costumes poured in, apparently having just finished their act.

In an instant, they filled the small backstage area. For some reason, each person seemed to be wearing extremely heavy perfume, even stronger than Yi Junya’s.

Xia Shiruan suddenly found it hard to breathe.

After chatting excitedly for a while, the performers finally noticed someone in the corner, shoulders hunched and head lowered, looking rather unwell.

A girl in a sailor uniform stepped forward and asked with concern, “Hey, are you okay?”

Xia Shiruan’s scalp tingled and his throat felt constricted, unable to speak a word. Although he knew it was impolite, he instinctively shrank back, avoiding the girl’s outstretched hand, his face extremely pale.

The gesture was clearly defensive. The girl’s expression stiffened, and she awkwardly withdrew her hand, shrugged, and returned to her friends.

The group whispered among themselves, occasionally glancing back at Xia Shiruan, before leaving shortly after.

Xia Shiruan gripped the chair with both hands, cold sweat forming, the heavy perfume from the girl and her companions still lingering in his nose.

Even someone as slow as him could tell something was wrong now – his body had been acting up inexplicably for a while now.

It began with his nose becoming unusually sensitive. He could smell Gao Qiuyun cooking in the kitchen even when studying behind closed doors upstairs. Then, he could detect body odors from all directions on the subway.

Those were still bearable.

But then, at some point, these scents started giving him literal headaches, and it had gotten worse and worse. Today, being surrounded by a crowd of heavily scented people had left him struggling to breathe.

Xia Shiruan had no idea what was wrong with him. He probably needed to find time to visit the hospital.

Just as he was seriously considering which department he should visit, the host spoke, announcing the next performance.

It was Yi Junya’s act.

Xia Shiruan forced himself to focus, took out the camera, adjusted the filter and burst shooting mode, and aimed at the stage.

Yi Junya performed with two other Omegas in a roughly ten-minute skit. The plot was very simple, basically just striking poses and saying incredibly stupid lines.

But all three Omegas in the group were very attractive, dressed boldly and seductively. Combined with the fact that they were cosplaying extremely popular game characters, it wasn’t long before the audience started howling.

Hearing the noise, Xia Shiruan was startled. He lifted the curtain slightly to look outside and discovered that a large crowd had gathered, both men and women, clearly there to watch the performance.

The small space was packed, filled with the restless energy of young people.

Xia Shiruan only looked for a few moments before dropping the curtain and returning to his seat.

The show was coming to an end. The Omegas bowed to the audience below the stage before making their exit quickly.

Xia Shiruan checked the photos in his camera, confirmed they were all good, and then packed it away.

Not long after, Yi Junya came over, his voice as cheerful as tinkling bells. “Xiao Ruan, Xiao Ruan, Xiao Ruan! Let me see the photos!”

He hadn’t even removed his makeup yet. He rushed toward Xia Shiruan and threw himself at him.

Xia Shiruan’s limbs were already feeling weak, and he had no strength to dodge, ending up with an armful of Yi Junya.

Yi Junya’s face was slightly sweaty from all his bouncing around, and his cool citrus scent forcefully invaded Xia Shiruan’s nose. While it wasn’t unpleasant, it was quite the stimulation for his barely subsided headache.

“Don’t hold onto me…” Xia Shiruan said dizzily. “The camera’s right there, look at it yourself.”

“No!” Yi Junya shook his head excitedly, arms wrapped around Xia Shiruan’s neck. “The performance was a huge success! Did you hear how loud the applause was? I’m so happy, I need to hug you first!”

“Yes, I heard. Now let go of me.”

Just as Xia Shiruan was helplessly pushing at Yi Junya, about to use some force to get him off, the curtain was pulled aside again as several young men entered.

These men were dressed casually. They didn’t look like performers or staff members.

The one in front was extremely tall, wearing loose sportswear and a baseball cap pulled low over his face. He was turning his head to talk to someone behind him, his lips curved in a slight smile.

Xia Shiruan glanced at that person and froze.

He had to admit, Xie Ji had the ability to draw attention no matter where he was.

“Xiao Ruan, what are you looking at?” Yi Junya asked, pinching his cheek.

Xia Shiruan looked away and shook his head. “Nothing.”

Xie Ji’s group quickly noticed them too.

Xie Ji looked just as surprised as Xia Shiruan had been, his gaze lingering on Xia Shiruan’s face for a few seconds before moving to Yi Junya in his arms.

From Xie Ji’s perspective, the scene probably looked like a scantily-clad Omega practically sitting in Xia Shiruan’s lap in an extremely intimate position.

After a moment, Xie Ji narrowed his eyes, raised an eyebrow, and gave Xia Shiruan an openly meaningful smile.