RBNR Ch1: Alphas Stink

The sun was blazing.

The stairs were outside, and Qin Bao climbed three floors under the scorching sun, sweating all over. The box of freshly imported bayberries from the Alliance he was carrying was still emitting cold air.

The model agency’s dormitory was well-equipped, with two people sharing a room. Qin Bao’s bed was by the window, and next to the other bed was a neatly packed suitcase, but there was no one around.

The AI brain passed by and said to Qin Bao, “You’re here? Looking for Li Nanyue? I just saw him go up to the fourth floor.”

Qin Bao smiled and said, “Thank you.”

Qin Bao turned and climbed up to the fourth floor. The room door wasn’t fully closed, and through the door, he heard Li Nanyue’s voice.

“…Honestly, his looks are just so-so. I saw those eliminated from the competition, and none of them were much worse than him. Isn’t it just because he knows how to put on airs? Acting all high and mighty.”

At this point, Qin Bao still didn’t know who they were talking about. His good upbringing made him hesitate to knock on the door.

“At that time, Leo was grinning backstage, saying the company lacked this type. What type? A sulky-faced brat?”

The tone was sharp and bitter. Qin Bao had joined the Imperial Model Competition at thirteen and a half, entered the SISI company, and had known Li Nanyue for over a year. They shared the same dorm during every training session, becoming familiar with each other. But at this moment, Qin Bao suddenly found his voice very strange.

Another person in the room spoke, it was Su He, who usually had a good relationship with Li Nanyue.

Su He said, “Qin Bao is quite arrogant, but who can blame him with so much work, and brands liking him?”

Hearing his name, Qin Bao’s heart sank.

Then he heard Li Nanyue sneer, “Like him? He’s just taking advantage of being young and not fully developed. Those luxury brands are perverted, just liking this so-called androgynous youthful look. In a few years, when his Adam’s apple pops out and his face isn’t as delicate, won’t he be picked apart like everyone else?”

Male Omegas also have a noticeable physical development period. Li Nanyue had already matured. After sixteen, his changes were evident, his height didn’t change much, but his hands and feet grew a size larger. Now he couldn’t walk in youth brand shows anymore and had to move towards adult brands, which were much more competitive. Qin Bao, on the other hand, was young and tall, so he took on everything, flying three times a week was common.

Su He said, “That’s for sure; no Omega has an endless prime. We won’t always be overshadowed by him. Like you, even the bed had to be given up to him.”

Qin Bao stood outside the door; the bayberries in his hand were very cold, making his palm unconsciously curl up. He had just mentioned that the flowers outside the window were visible, and Li Nanyue had voluntarily offered to switch beds with him.

“I have a bit of pollen allergy, how about we switch?” Li Nanyue had said.

Li Nanyue continued to sneer, “What’s a bed? You don’t know, he even hogs my makeup station backstage, makeup has to be done for him first. He has to bathe first, sleep with the lights off first, saying he’s afraid of the light, I can’t even look at my phone. He says he’s busy with schoolwork, always making me fetch his clothes for washing. The fridge in the dorm, he uses it, only for his drinks, my takeout he says smells bad. Once I brought my mom’s homemade nutritious meal, he recognized it and didn’t say no to it being put in the fridge, but asked me to bring him some next time.”

Su He asked, “Did you bring it?”

Li Nanyue: “Only brought it twice, later I just said my mom didn’t make any, and he said he wanted to visit my home next time.”

Su He asked, “You two are flying to Danlong tonight, won’t he drive you crazy?”

“I feel my scalp tingling just thinking about it. This brat even makes me pack his luggage.” Li Nanyue said, “If I could, I wouldn’t want to stay with him for another second.”

Qin Bao had a show in the Danlong nation of the Alliance the next evening. Usually, Qin Bao’s affairs were personally handled by his manager, Brother Lu, but his wife was giving birth these two days, so he couldn’t accompany Qin Bao. The company didn’t allow minors to work abroad alone, so Li Nanyue had volunteered to go with Qin Bao since he had free time, also to watch the show.

Su He, puzzled, said, “Sometimes I really don’t understand why you put up with it.”

Li Nanyue snorted, “There’s always a reason…”

Su He: “What reason?”

“Because his grandfather is…” Li Nanyue lowered his voice, “Don’t tell anyone.”

Su He seemed shocked, and Qin Bao heard his sharp intake of breath, “What? Really? Don’t let the AI brain hear this.”

“Really, I once overheard Brother Lu and them in a meeting,” Li Nanyue said maliciously. “Do you know why he has so much work? It might not all be because the brands favor him. In short, I don’t mind taking a bit of crap; there’s no need to offend him. Besides, maybe one day this connection will come in handy, and then I’ll make him pay back tenfold, a hundredfold—”

“Bang!” The door was violently kicked open.

Both people inside the room were startled.

Qin Bao stood there, his tall and slender figure unchanged from usual.

He looked at the two of them and called out, slightly arrogantly, “Li Nanyue.”

Li Nanyue didn’t know how much Qin Bao had heard and tried to act natural, asking, “Weren’t we supposed to go to the airport at four? You came early.”

“Yeah,” Qin Bao said, “You said last time that you liked bayberries, so I brought you a box.”

He handed the box forward.

The bayberries were hand-picked by him from a private plantation, big and juicy, and stored in an insulated box with a layer of ice at the bottom.

Li Nanyue smiled and walked to the door to take it, “Thanks.”

Just as he reached out, the box slipped from Qin Bao’s hand, and the moist bayberries rolled all over the floor.

Li Nanyue quickly bent down to pick them up, his face changing as he looked up.

Qin Bao looked down at him condescendingly, as if he had done it on purpose.

Su He in the room also realized what was happening, his face turning red and then white.

Qin Bao, having overheard their conversation, said nothing about it and only asked Li Nanyue, “Where’s your Alliance pass?”

Since they were preparing to leave, the pass was on Li Nanyue. He took it out, looking puzzled, “What’s up?”

Qin Bao took it, checked only the first page to confirm it was Li Nanyue’s, and then tore it up.

The pass tore in half with a “rip.”

Li Nanyue lunged forward, both anxious and angry, “What are you doing?!”

Qin Bao coldly announced, “Li Nanyue, you’ve offended me now.”

*

That night, Qin Bao flew to Danlong alone.

Brother Lu, upon learning the situation, was frantic and called to inquire about it. Qin Bao only said, “From now on, I won’t share a room with anyone in the company,” before hanging up.

He was only fifteen, spoiled and not very independent, but he would never admit to being a brat. Even if he didn’t know how to check into a hotel or how to coordinate with the work team, his Alliance language was decent. At worst, he’d ask more questions and endure more scornful looks, but he could handle it all.

After finishing work the next night, it was already late, and it started raining heavily in Danlong’s lake city.

A call came from the imperial capital; it was still daytime there. Mr. Qin said, “What that person did was indeed wrong, but no matter how angry you were, you shouldn’t have torn up his pass. That was too reckless.”

Brother Lu wouldn’t dare hide anything about Qin Bao from the Qin family, so he must have reported everything in detail to Mr. Qin.

Mr. Qin had been gentle and courteous all his life, always teaching his son to be kind, respectful, and modest.

“Without a pass, others can’t work in the Alliance. It doesn’t just affect him; it disrupts the work arrangements of others who did nothing wrong,” Mr. Qin lectured. “And this behavior, though it may feel good in the moment, is ultimately meaningless.”

Qin Bao sat in the car arranged by the company, ready to return to the hotel.

He replied with a stern face, “It’s meaningful.”

Mr. Qin: “What’s meaningful about it?”

Qin Bao: “It makes me feel good.”

Mr. Qin was momentarily speechless, then tried to reason with him, “Alright, you feel good, but what will others think of you? What will they think of your grandfather?”

The same old lecture.

Qin Bao could feel his temples throbbing with a rhythm even more intense than when he was on the runway.

Mr. Qin: “Your grandfather dedicated his life to the Empire. Do you want people to speak ill of him behind his back? If people say that his descendants abuse his power, acting recklessly and arrogantly, tarnishing his reputation, do you think it’s worth it?”

Qin Bao endured the headache, “It’s their mouths, how can I control what they say?”

Mr. Qin remained patient: “But all this can be avoided. It’s not a big deal, just bear with it, take a step back, and it’s over.”

Qin Bao: “Why should I bear it? Just because I’m strong, do I have to bear it? If this isn’t a big deal, then what would count as a big deal?”

Mr. Qin: “Because you are Qin Zhenyuan’s grandson, you should bear it. This indeed isn’t a big deal. Achieving something significant and making a name for yourself is a big deal. Not bringing shame to the Qin family and maintaining the Qin family’s image is a big deal.”

Qin Bao had heard these words repeatedly throughout his life and could almost recite them backward. He finally couldn’t bear it anymore and slammed the phone down.

Mr. Qin, not wanting to provoke him further, didn’t call back immediately but sent a message, reminding him to attend the old man’s seventieth birthday banquet the next day and not to be late.

Back at the hotel, the feeling of grievance and loneliness in a foreign land surged up. Qin Bao buried his face in the pillow and hammered the bed a few times before hearing someone ring the doorbell.

“Who the hell doesn’t see the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign—”

He opened the door angrily, but his fury dissipated halfway when he saw who it was.

A boy of similar age appeared at the door, probably having run through the rain, his hair still wet.

“Surprise!”

Qin Bao was stunned with delight: “What are you doing here?”

The other boy, sporting an ice-cold face, childishly made a heart gesture: “I missed you. I have a show tomorrow too. I just landed and sneaked over while my mom wasn’t looking.”

They didn’t live in the same city, and the last time they talked on the phone was two weeks ago. Qin Bao had only mentioned he would be staying here, not expecting the other to come.

Qin Bao was speechless: “Xu Tangzhou, are you a pig? Taking a cab alone at one in the morning? Don’t you know it’s dangerous?”

“But nothing happened,” Xu Tangzhou said as he walked in, looking around, “Where’s Li Nanyue? Didn’t you say he came with you?”

Qin Bao handed him a towel and answered gloomily: “Don’t mention him.”

While drying his hair, Xu Tangzhou suspiciously stared at Qin Bao’s face: “Did you have a fight? Wait, your eyes are red. Were you crying?”

Qin Bao glared: “Bullshit.”

Xu Tangzhou’s sudden arrival brightened Qin Bao’s mood, making the empty night feel alive again.

They didn’t meet often, but their similar experiences meant they had endless things to talk about. Xu Tangzhou wasn’t planning to leave. After reporting to his mother, he grabbed Qin Bao’s toiletries to freshen up, and then they chatted, leaning against the same pillow.

Qin Bao couldn’t help but recount the events to Xu Tangzhou. They shared their indignation, cursing Li Nanyue thoroughly. Xu Tangzhou even praised Qin Bao for tearing up the pass.

“Don’t make friends from the trash can,” Xu Tangzhou advised. “From the looks of it, that Su He isn’t any good either. It’s a good thing to see their true colors early.”

Qin Bao felt even better: “Exactly.”

“But,” Xu Tangzhou added, “don’t be too rigid about your friends’ gender. Not all Alphas are bad.” He mumbled, “It’s mainly about personality. The brother I mentioned is an Alpha, and he’s nice.”

Qin Bao had told Xu Tangzhou that since all his childhood friends were Alphas, after they differentiated, they couldn’t control their pheromones well, so Qin Bao didn’t hang out with them much anymore.

Qin Bao sneered: “Alphas stink.”

Xu Tangzhou questioned: “Do they? I didn’t notice.”

“Alphas’ pheromones stink. They’re like dogs, always marking territory,” Qin Bao complained. “You don’t notice because you haven’t fully differentiated yet. Wait until you do and smell it. Your brother might be spraying pheromones all over, stinking.”

Xu Tangzhou immediately retorted: “Impossible!”

Qin Bao wanted to roll his eyes.

As they continued chatting, Xu Tangzhou yawned, his voice growing weaker.

Qin Bao stared at the ceiling for a while before shaking the drowsy boy awake: “Aren’t you curious who my grandfather is?”

Xu Tangzhou mumbled: “Who?”

Qin Bao said: “Qin Zhenyuan.”

He watched Xu Tangzhou’s face, not wanting to miss any change in expression.

But Xu Tangzhou only responded with an “Oh,” seemingly unimpressed by the famous name: “No wonder you always finish your homework so quickly. Your grandfather must hit hard.”

Qin Bao: “…I hit hard too. Want to find out?”

“What a waste of those bayberries,” Xu Tangzhou’s focus always strayed, “You’ve never washed bayberries for me.”

Qin Bao choked, angry: “Who said I washed them! I would never wash bayberries for someone named Li. Does he deserve that?”