I Can’t Escape After My Stand-In Beta Contract Expires

[Two male leads + AB story + devoted couples + younger seme + fake substitute] [A prickly, lovesick A who sulks easily but is easy to coax × a dedicated, hardworking B with only one goal: making money, and a thick head who’s slow on the uptake] A gambling-addict dad, a sick mom, a younger brother in school, and a life in shambles. Ji Yu has worked part-time since high school. He got into a prestigious university but couldn’t afford to attend because he needed to earn money. While working, he unexpectedly met Xu Muyang, who took an interest in him because he resembled his first love. The two signed a one-year contract: Ji Yu would be his substitute until his first love returned from abroad. Fed up with his parents nagging him, Gu Xiuhuai reluctantly attended a banquet. To his dismay, he saw that the senior he’d secretly loved for years was with his rival. The sight of them walking arm in arm was too painful to bear, so Gu Xiuhuai crawled into a dark corner, only to hear Xu Muyang tell a friend that he was just using Ji Yu as a substitute and could never really fall for a beta. Gu Xiuhuai sought out Ji Yu and told him he could pay him too. Ji Yu: “Is Lin Jiayu your first love too?” Gu Xiuhuai: “...” To have a legitimate reason to keep Ji Yu by his side, Gu Xiuhuai didn’t clear up the misunderstanding. Delighted to land two enormous substitute salaries, Ji Yu secretly hoped that a few more people would make Lin Jiayu their first love. Xu Muyang: “It’s your good fortune to look a little like him.” Gu Xiuhuai: “If he can do it, why can’t I?” Ji Yu: “The more, the merrier, as long as the money’s good.” With a fortune in hand, Ji Yu diligently worked as a professional substitute while studying for entrance exams. He successfully returned to school and made up for the regret he’d carried for years. But when the contract ended a year later, those alphas refused to let him go...