Xie Wang was a little curious.
Would the current Lin Jianlu send him other messages besides "mn" and "oh"?
What (message) couldn't he see?
However, on Lin Jianlu's end, it was just a continuous "typing..." status with no new messages coming through.
What takes so long to type?
Over ten minutes later, Lin Jianlu, who was watching a TV series, caught a glimpse of a new message on his phone screen out of the corner of his eye.
His light-colored eyes glanced over.
[Seeking Sound_Xie Wang]: What's the matter? What did you withdraw?
Lin Jianlu removed his fingers from the keyboard, paused the TV series, and deleted the meaningless characters in the input box.
[YoYo]: Nothing.
[YoYo]: I accidentally pressed something.
At the Xie family residence.
Xie Wang stared at the message on the screen, momentarily stunned.
Even someone as cold and arrogant as Lin Jianlu can make such a small mistake?
The alpha, dressed in a loose white bathrobe, hadn't bothered to tie the belt and still had a towel on his wet brown hair.
Following Lin Jianlu's profile picture, he clicked into the Moments feed.
It was set to be visible for only three days, so he could only see one post.
It was just posted and was still fresh.
@YoYo: Staying up late to work on vocal music homework. [Photo]
The photo showed a desk with textbooks laid out on it.
The warm light from the desk lamp was gentle, and in the corner of the desk, a medication package insert for omega inhibitors was faintly visible which, as it happens, was turned to the page about "Side effects caused by injection methods."
The omega's slender fingers were resting on the page, with a transparent glass of water filled to the brim beside his wrist.
It's so late, and he's still studying?
The phone in Xie Wang's hand rang—
"That MV you shot at U University last year is now online. I've sent you both the final version and the edits for you to check out," Sun Lei said over the phone.
"Great!" Xie Wang replied enthusiastically.
Sun Lei: "?"
Sun Lei: "So happy?"
Xie Wang didn't know why either.
His mood suddenly seemed to have lifted.
Since his rebirth, tonight was the happiest he's felt.
Did he like this MV so much back then?
The MV was shot when Xie Wang was 21, with scenes filmed near the Fine Arts Academy on the U University campus.
He casually clicked on the behind-the-scenes footage and saw a bicycle enter the backdrop frame.
An omega was riding the bicycle, and halfway through, an alpha boy jumped onto the back seat.
The front of the bike wobbled and hit a tree on the side of the road.
Xie Wang: "..."
What a stupid alpha. He would never do something like that.
But, the omega of his video self sure seemed sweet and obedient.
The notification sound of a new message interrupted his thoughts.
[YoYo]: Senior, the student union asked me to remind you that the graduate file is very important. [Photo]
[Seeking Sound_Xie Wang]: Oh! I'm not married.
[YoYo]: Hmm, I can see that Senior is really looking forward to marriage.
Xie Wang: "..."
He wasn't.
He definitely wasn't looking forward to it.
That "married" status was just written out of habit.
[YoYo]: Remember to come to school and ask the teacher in charge of the files to correct it.
After sending this message, Lin Jianlu didn't reply again, maintaining a strictly business-like attitude.
Xie Wang maxed up the volume of the speaker, wanting to find a song to listen to.
Something loud and wild, nothing like Lin Jianlu's kind of music.
He opened his playlist and was stunned.
There wasn't a single song by Lin Jianlu in it.
At this point in time, Lin Jianlu had very few works out in the public.
Xie Wang lay down on the sofa in frustration, suddenly not in the mood to listen to anything.
***
X University dorm.
Lin Jianlu lay on the bed, a thin blanket draped around his waist, while Xie Wang's search profile was on the laptop screen in front of him.
22 years old, 190 cm, mixed race. His father is a well-known business tycoon, his mother a famous lawyer from Country A, and his brother is Xie Siran, the one who got married recently.
An artist under Yanxing Media, Xie Wang debuted as a child star. He's a movie star, and has been a long-time presence on the big screen.
In addition to this, the profile listed Xie Wang's works, most of which were box office hits.
Lin Jianlu's fingertip brushed across the screen, tracing the outline of the alpha's Adam's apple.
It's not enough.
He needed a powerful alpha to mark him. Xie Wang fit his aesthetic, and his pheromones were strong enough, but Lin Jianlu also wanted to know more detailed things like his personality, chest and waist measurements.
He wanted to find a safe and stable protector, someone who could be fully devoted to him, to escape the fate that Lin Ming had planned for him.
After all, the feelings between AO are just that—each takes what they need.
I'll test the waters and see how it goes.
***
Xie Wang spent less than half a month with the crew of the film "Hidden Blade." The shooting progressed quickly, and with his experience from before his rebirth, he handled the scenes with ease.
However—
When "Hidden Blade" was submitted for awards at that time, there was a regret.
The omega actor who played his spouse in the film was someone brought into the crew through connections with the investors. The producer had forcibly stuffed this actor in, but his acting was subpar, and even their few scenes were awkwardly done.
Later, before the film's release, the director and Xie Wang made a final decision to cut all the scenes involving the spouse.
This decision led to "Hidden Blade" receiving widespread praise for the acting and plot when it was released.
However, when "Hidden Blade" was submitted for awards at overseas film festivals, it encountered an obstacle.
The issue was the missing spouse scenes, which caused the detective character to be not fleshed out completely.
So, this time, Xie Wang stormed into the director's office and slammed the door open.
"Did I steal your wife or something?" the director asked, stunned. "Why so aggressive?" "Director, kick out that guy who brought money into the crew," Xie Wang said. "We're several days into shooting, and I haven't even seen him. What kind of attitude is that?"
Director: "?"
Director: "And who'll be covering the actors' salaries? You?"
Xie Wang slapped a bank card on the desk: "Here's twenty million. I'll cover it. Just kick him out."
Director: "Got it, Xie Daddy."
With the role now vacant, the director sent out audition invitations to various companies.
Xie Wang happened to have some free time and went to record the first episode of "Seeking Sound."
After more than ten days, he saw Lin Jianlu again in the program's music classroom.
Lin Jianlu was sitting in a chair, wearing the program's standard white shirt. His black, tousled hair fell over his forehead, and he held a notebook and pen, looking every bit the good student.
As soon as Xie Wang entered the classroom, all ten contestants stood up to greet him.
Lin Jianlu stood up with them and gave a slight nod in Xie Wang's direction.
The person by the podium didn't look at him.
The tall alpha had his right hand in his pocket and was holding a list in his left hand, casually leaning against the podium, looking cool and laid-back.
"Let's call the roll," Xie Wang said lazily. "Zhong Bai?"
"Here!" An omega with gray-dyed hair sitting in the first row raised his hand. "Teacher, I'm from the same company as you. I've liked you for a long time. Let's do our best together!"
"Xu Siyuan?"
"Here." An alpha girl with a guitar stood up. "Teacher Xie, I've watched your work since I was a child. I didn't expect to see you up close like this."
Almost every person whose name was called paid a few compliments.
With his background and early fame, Xie Wang was almost immune to flattery.
Leaning against the podium, Xie Wang heard the responses and merely curled his lips in a lazy acknowledgment, signaling that he was aware.
His eyes stopped on the last line of the list, and he paused for a moment before speaking, "Lin Jianlu."
"Here," Lin Jianlu responded.
At that instant, the classroom fell silent.
It was as if the Ice Queen had delivered a chilling slap that froze everyone in place.
Lin Jianlu lowered his eyes, as if sensing the abruptness of his own words, and added quietly, "Hello, Teacher Xie."
His slender shoulders and the faint shadows cast by his lowered lashes gave him a look of coldness, yet also seemed somewhat fragile.
Lin Jianlu no longer wore the black leather collar around his neck, suggesting he had passed his estrus period. Instead, a silver necklace adorned his snow-white neck, with a peach blossom pendant resting between his collarbones. There was a hint of pink amidst his cool tones, adding a touch of vibrancy to his otherwise cold appearance.
His greeting of "Teacher Xie" is so pleasant to hear.
Then he would do him a favor, help between friends.
Xie Wang opened his mouth to change the subject and helped him smooth over this cold atmosphere.
"Our first round of competition will begin soon," Xie Wang said. "This round is all about voice. You'll perform a non-original song of your choice. The ones with the highest votes will advance directly, while the lower ones will pk."
There was a blank sheet of paper on everyone's desk.
All the contestants' song choices were displayed on the electronic screen, allowing them to assess the difficulty of others' selections and make last-minute changes if needed.
However, since the songs had been practiced in advance, no one dared to switch songs at the last moment, even if they found that others had chosen more challenging pieces.
Xie Wang had watched Lin Jianlu's song choice, a quite obscure track called "Moonlit Flow." Given Lin Jianlu's vocal range and style, he could fully handle it, making it a safe choice.
Lin Jianlu was always like this. He wouldn't take risks and his style of doing things was as boring as he was.
"Is there anyone who wants to change their song choice?" Xie Wang asked lazily.
The show's process was so idiotic that after recording there wouldn't be a damn thing worth watching.
Anyone wanting to switch songs right before the competition was either scheming or just plain stupid.
Xie Wang: "If not…"
"There is," Lin Jianlu stood up and replaced his old card with a new one on the whiteboard.
Lin Jianlu: "I want to challenge something more difficult."
How difficult?
Xie Wang looked intently at it—
Lin Jianlu's song choice was switched from "Moonlit Flow" to "Biting Grapefruit."
Xie Wang: "?"
--------------------
Xie Wang: DNA's been activated.
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