WBJAO CH 1: Invitation – Why Not Go!

The September sky was still hot, and the ground seemed to radiate heat, with even the wind carrying an unrelenting warmth.

The wide street was empty, with no one in sight except the vehicles passing by.

In a nearby milk tea shop in the university town, the staff was drowsily leaning on the cashier’s desk, barely staying awake.

Dingling—

The wind chime at the door rang, and the drowsy staff immediately perked up, reflexively opening the cash register and greeting, “Welcome, may I help you?”

“One honey lemon drink, please.” The male voice paused slightly before adding, “Iced.”

The boy’s voice was clear and gentle, carrying a hint of coolness that calmed the restless heart.

It was like a refreshing herbal tea in the heat of summer—pleasant to the ears and soothing.

“Okay, that will be four yuan.” The staff looked up carefully at the boy, cautiously meeting his gaze.

The boy in front of her had a handsome face with fair skin. He wore a light blue shirt and black jeans, making his legs appear exceptionally long. He was holding what looked like a health check-up form, and his delicate features showed signs of exhaustion, as if something was troubling him.

“Mm.”

The boy nodded slightly, paid with his phone, and then moved to a quiet corner of the shop to sit down.

The staff quietly moved to the materials area, placing ice and cutting lemons into the cup while continuing to discreetly observe the boy sitting in the corner.

The boy sat in a spot where the sunlight from the window cast on him, half of his body bathed in light, while the other half was left in shadow.

In the sunlight, his long, fair fingers looked almost transparent, gleaming softly. His nails were neatly trimmed, and his fingers gently tapped the table in a rhythmic tap tap, without sounding disruptive.

His eyes were round, with the outer corners slightly lifted, adding a captivating charm. His long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings ready to take flight.

For some reason, the boy suddenly sighed softly and covered the paper on the table with his hand.

The staff, who never expected to see such a handsome guy, was internally marveling at the sight. Just as she was admiring him, the boy, who had been quietly sitting in the corner, suddenly turned his head toward her.

“Excuse me, how much longer until it’s ready?”

The boy’s clear voice immediately snapped the absent-minded staff back to attention, causing her face to unknowingly turn red. Her voice trembled slightly as she replied, “Sorry, it’ll be ready soon.”

The boy nodded, withdrew his gaze, and continued staring blankly at the things in front of him.

Shen Chiyuan looked at the report he received from the hospital, his mind replaying the doctor’s words. He was overwhelmed with worry.

He had originally come to the school to pick up his graduation certificate, but just as he arrived, he received a call from the hospital.

Without much thought, Shen Chiyuan answered the call. He had known that his father had been hospitalized for some checkups due to health issues a while ago.

Shen Chiyuan thought the hospital was just calling to remind him to take his father home. But when he got to the hospital, he realized things weren’t as simple as he had thought.

When he saw the medical records, Shen Chiyuan was stunned. The symptoms—disordered and mixed pheromones—shouldn’t occur in an omega. Why was his father suffering from such a condition?

Doctor: “We called you here so you understand the severity of the situation. The patient can’t be delayed any longer; if it continues, it could be life-threatening.”

“I also suspect the patient has had this condition for a long time, or it wouldn’t have reached this point…”

After hearing the doctor’s words, Shen Chiyuan regained his composure, carefully organized the medical records, and nodded solemnly. “I will raise the money as soon as possible.”

The doctor nodded.

Before leaving the hospital, Shen Chiyuan went to see his father. A male omega, he was lying heavily asleep on the hospital bed.

Shen Chiyuan was not the biological child of the omega, but was adopted. He had never understood why the omega had chosen to adopt him.

When the omega decided to take him in, Shen Chiyuan was already twelve years old, an age when he could remember things clearly.

At that time, he had already sensed the signs of being abandoned by his biological parents, though he didn’t dare to believe it.When the day actually arrived, Shen Chiyuan didn’t cry. He simply watched the car growing further away, falling into deep silence. He couldn’t understand why.

Later, when he found out that he was just a beta, he understood. A beta had no real value—being the most ordinary and insignificant gender.

When the omega took him in, Shen Chiyuan had already prepared himself to be abandoned at any moment.

Living alone as a single omega was already hard enough, and now, with a beta to care for, life had become even more difficult.

But ever since he was brought back, the omega never said much. Every time he went out, he would bring back all sorts of delicious food for Shen Chiyuan, and he even sent Shen Chiyuan to school.

Before he started school, Shen Chiyuan had asked the omega why he had decided to adopt him. The omega simply smiled and said he was too lonely on his own and that having someone else around would make things livelier. He told Shen Chiyuan to focus on his studies and not think too much, assuring him that this place would be his home.

Shen Chiyuan didn’t let down his guard because of these few words. A child who had been abandoned once couldn’t easily let go of their defenses because of such things.

And so, one year, then two, then three…

By the time Shen Chiyuan entered university, the omega was still taking care of him. Despite the difficulties, the omega kept Shen Chiyuan close and never once considered abandoning him.

Through this time together, Shen Chiyuan truly lowered his guard and began to see the omega as his father. He vowed to repay him properly in the future.

Shen Chiyuan also understood the omega’s hardships and took on as many household responsibilities as he could, trying to make things easier for him.

When he was able to take on part-time work, he did so, even if it didn’t earn much, it helped reduce the omega’s financial burden.

But what Shen Chiyuan didn’t expect was that just when he was about to graduate from university and start working to repay his omega father, he suddenly collapsed and was admitted to the hospital.

The omega had always said his health was poor due to a chronic illness, but Shen Chiyuan never expected it to become this serious.

Their family had never been wealthy, and their savings were completely depleted during this period. The omega’s treatment couldn’t be delayed any longer, but now, between him and the omega, they didn’t even have enough money to cover a fraction of the cost.

This really had Shen Chiyuan worried.

“Ah…” Shen Chiyuan sighed again, not knowing how many times he had sighed by now.

“Your lemon honey water is ready.” The staff placed the drink on the table and quietly glanced at Shen Chiyuan.

As he got closer, another feeling surfaced. His appearance was striking in a way that struck directly at the heart, but without being effeminate. His features seemed sculpted by the most skilled sculptor, especially those eyes, which were clear and bright, filled with a tenderness that could make anyone fall for him. It would be easy to lose oneself in them.

The staff was momentarily stunned.

Shen Chiyuan took the cup, a slight smile curving his lips as he politely said, “Thank you.”

The smile was like the warm sun melting the ice and snow—gentle, comforting, and deeply soothing.

“N-No… you’re welcome,” the staff stammered, his face flushed.

After the staff left, Shen Chiyuan took a sip of the lemon honey water, then set it aside. Propping his chin with one hand, he stared out the window at the empty street.

Where could he go to raise the money for the surgery?

Shen Chiyuan and the omega had only recently moved to A City, and he didn’t know many people here. Even back in their previous city, there was no one who would lend them money.

Shen Chiyuan remained silent, holding the same posture for an unknown amount of time. Eventually, he lowered his hand and glanced down at the papers, wondering if the only solution really was that one option.

Shen Chiyuan hesitated, after all, it wasn’t a legitimate path.

[Borrowing every bubble, every wave, every tide; writing down you and me…]

A soft female voice sounded, pulling Shen Chiyuan out of his thoughts.

Shen Chiyuan picked up his phone, which had been vibrating on the table. Upon seeing the unfamiliar number, a trace of confusion crossed his mind.

This number was very unfamiliar, and he had no recollection of it.

Moreover, he had never given his number to strangers. With the country’s good control over scam calls, they were usually intercepted before reaching people’s phones.

The phone kept ringing persistently. Shen Chiyuan hesitated for a moment, but eventually picked up the call.

“Hello.”

“Hello, may I speak to Mr. Shen Chiyuan?” A stranger’s female voice came through the phone.

Shen Chiyuan furrowed his brows, having never heard this voice before: “Hello, may I ask who this is?”

“Mr. Shen, I am a staff member of ‘Love, Starting at This Moment,'” the woman said slowly. “Our program team sincerely invites you to join our show.”

Shen Chiyuan: “‘Love, Starting at This Moment’? You’re inviting me to join the show?”

The woman: “Yes.”

The name of the show immediately suggested it was a dating show, which was entirely unsuitable for him. Shen Chiyuan was about to reject the offer.”I’m sorry, I…”

“After completing one season of the show, you will receive a payment of 200,000.” The woman continued.

Shen Chiyuan’s words were caught in his throat: “…”

It wasn’t that Shen Chiyuan was blinded by money, but that 200,000 yuan was exactly what he needed to resolve his current urgent situation.

Shen Chiyuan thought for a moment and then asked, “How long does it take to record one season of your show?”

“Each season lasts for fifteen days, and there are four seasons in total, with a one-week break in between,” the woman, knowing that Shen Chiyuan was intrigued, explained carefully. “The payment will be settled by seasons, and it will be transferred to your card on the third day after the shooting of a season is completed.”

Shen Chiyuan mentally calculated: 200,000 per episode, and for four episodes, that would be 800,000 yuan. Even if he couldn’t participate in all four seasons, one season would temporarily solve his current predicament.

The woman wasn’t in a rush, as she knew Shen Chiyuan was interested.

“When does your program start?” Shen Chiyuan asked.

The woman smiled cheerfully, “Filming starts in three days. We are currently finalizing the guest list.”

Yes, they were still in the process of finalizing the guest list. The dating show had aired a few episodes before, inviting AO celebrities from the entertainment industry, but unfortunately, there hadn’t been any positive feedback. It didn’t even gain any fame from bad press. No one was talking about it.

So, before preparing for this new season, the director’s team had discussed for an entire week and finally decided to take a bold step: to choose a mix of ordinary alpha and omega participants. But not too ordinary. As for who would be invited, that depended on the director’s skills.

If the alpha and omega were too plain, the show wouldn’t attract enough attention. As for why they were choosing a beta to participate, the reason was even simpler: they wouldn’t be entering the show itself. So, while they were guests, they would also need to contribute in some way.

If something interesting happened during filming, the show’s effect would be enhanced.

They chose Shen Chiyuan because, during his time in school, he was always rated as the campus heartthrob, very good-looking. However, he was unaware of this, and even if he did know, he wouldn’t have any particular reaction.

Shen Chiyuan nodded, “Hmm, where is the location?”

“At the start, the program will purchase your flight ticket and reimburse your round-trip travel expenses,” the woman continued to smile. “However, there are other requirements from our show, and we hope you won’t refuse them when the time comes.”

After a moment of silence, Shen Chiyuan responded, “I understand.”

Shen Chiyuan knew that 200,000 wasn’t easily earned, but as long as it wasn’t anything illegal, like murder or something that went against his principles, he had no problem doing it.

After confirming the time and place, Shen Chiyuan hung up the phone, gathered the papers on the table, grabbed the milk tea he’d bought, and left the tea shop. He needed to go back and prepare.

Once the program started filming, he wouldn’t be able to return, so his father would have to rely on the hospital for care in the meantime.

As for why Shen Chiyuan didn’t ask the woman why they were looking for him, he had a pretty good idea—it was to make him a tool, to create opportunities for the alphas and omegas, to spark romance.

So, Shen Chiyuan was clear on that, but what was the point of overthinking it? He was going just to make money.