[BL] Between an Alpha and Omega

U: Future Possibilities

The next morning, like it was fate, he got a call from Song Yang.

They hadn't spoken since the party, where the bastard promptly ditched him to have some lovers spat with Fu Ruxing. Considering all the exposure he got there, Jun Yibai felt it was not a loss but he was still a bit annoyed.

Had the call last night not come, he'd have written it off as nothing. Yet the fact that Song Yang called hours after the warning made him wonder if there was something going on.

Still, he chose to take the call. While the Song's might be questionable, Song Yang was just Song Yang . He was too straightforward to get involved in anything insidious.

As soon as he picked up the call, he heard Song Yang's excited voice.

"Jun Yibai, you really are too lucky!" He exclaimed, somehow sounding smug and embarrassed at the same time. "You must have saved the nation a few times to have the honor of meeting me~"

"First thing in the morning, you are acting annoying." He grumbled back, feeling his wariness fade. This was indeed the Song Yang he knew. "I will hang up if you called just to annoy me."

They weren't even really friends. If anything, they were mere acquaintances yet Song Yang acted like they were blood brothers at times like this.

Did he want something?

"H-hey now! Don't hang up." He begged, his tone shifting. "I called because I wanted to help you."

"Out of the goodness of your heart, I'm sure." He huffed, recalling the last time. "Who do you need to impress this time?"

"My uncl- I mean, there's no one!" He stammered, panicking a bit. "I just want to help out an old classmate."

They both knew that was bullshit but they weren't in the kind of relationship where exposing that was necessary. They used each other, plain and simple.

"Fine." Song Yang sighed. "My uncle is hosting a sort of recruiting event at one of his smaller companies. They want some university students with relevant degrees to do a project for the company. If you get a high enough evaluation, there's a chance of getting recruited early with the company covering your expenses."

"There's a project like this?" He asked, suspicious about the offer. It feels way too good to be true.

"It is open to anyone studying business but generally only offered to seniors or at least second-year students." He explained, casually dropping this insider knowledge. "The professors at high-end universities all know about it and allow their best students to participate. All you need is a recommendation from your professor to be eligible. After that, there are some other tests but just getting that far is a good starting point."

What he said made sense. Such a project would allow students with promise to get a taste of the business world and allow employers to scope out good candidates early on. It's a win-win.

Yet Jun Yibai still felt a bit unsure.

"Won't they look down on a first-year participating in the project?" He wondered out loud.

"Dude, you're a beta on scholarship. They'll be looking down on you, regardless."

That was true.

He wondered whether it was a good idea to take the opportunity. It wasn't a backdoor deal since it was open to all university students and he'd still need a recommendation first. All in all, it was just an opportunity to make his name known in the business world early on.

Yet the warning from last night still echoed in his ear.

Wasn't it strange for him to receive this call the very next day? It made him wonder if there was more going on.