Falling into His Gentle Trap

That was close, Jiang Yumiao thought. He had nearly stripped right in front of the second male lead.

He had been about to undo his collar button when he suddenly remembered that Alphas and Omegas were different in this world!!!

As an Omega, taking his clothes off in front of an Alpha would practically confirm that he was deliberately trying to seduce him.

The thought frightened Jiang Yumiao into hurriedly switching rooms. Before running out, he cast Ning Chunchi an embarrassed glance, hoping he hadn't noticed what he had been about to do.

The clothes Director Yang sent over had a distinctly island feel. Jiang Yumiao received a muted print shirt and white shorts that reached his knees.

Ning Chunchi's clothes came from his own styling team. He was still in a custom-made black shirt, though this one had short sleeves.

With his broad shoulders and narrow waist, the man was a walking clothes rack. There didn't seem to be a single outfit he couldn't pull off.

Once they had changed, the two rejoined the PDs and camera crew and headed to Island Snow Mountain.

To attract tourists, East Xia Island's Water Kingdom had poured a fortune into the novel idea of an artificial snow mountain, building several slides of varying difficulty around it to suit all kinds of visitors.

The High-Altitude Rafting ride they were going on was one of the snow mountain's most thrilling slides.

[Breaking news-the Ning-Jiang livestream is back!]

[Here we come!]

[What exactly happened just now? They suddenly left.]

[Isn't the production team going to explain?]

[The production team is probably just as confused.]

[President Ning does whatever he wants. With his status, he can do whatever he likes on the show anyway. The production team is too busy bending over backward for him.]

[Huh? Look at where they are. Isn't that the ride Yu He and Best Actor Qin just went on?]

[High-Altitude Rafting!!!]

[They're actually going on this? Our flop is pretty brave. Yu He almost passed out from fear on this ride.]

Jiang Yumiao and Ning Chunchi stood at the top of the snow mountain, looking down at the long, winding glass slide beneath their feet. Damp mist washed over their faces, and screams rang out every so often.

Ning Chunchi glanced at the Omega standing silently in front of him. "There's still time to change your mind."

Jiang Yumiao turned around. Rather than the frightened expression the second male lead had expected, the Omega's eyes sparkled as he said excitedly, "Why would I change my mind? Let's hurry! There aren't many people right now, so we won't have to queue!"

Jiang Yumiao's memories of amusement parks like Water Kingdom ended at the age of five. After entering the orphanage, he had never visited anywhere like this again. No one had taken him, and once he grew up, the struggle to make a living left him with neither the energy nor the inclination.

Now that he finally had a chance to experience it, how could he miss out?

With that, Jiang Yumiao grabbed the Alpha and rushed over to the High-Altitude Rafting attendant.

The attendant looked at them. "Hello. Each raft seats a maximum of two people. Would you like separate rafts, or would you like to ride together?"

"Together, together!" Jiang Yumiao said.

The grape scent grew sweeter, as though telling the Alpha just how excited the owner of those pheromones was.

Watching Jiang Yumiao's impatience, Ning Chunchi's lips curved slightly.

The Omega was always so easy to please. Even the smallest things made him incredibly happy.

Following the attendant's instructions, they sat down in the inflatable raft, one behind the other.

The raft was rather small. At six foot three, Ning Chunchi could barely straighten his long legs once he sat down. Slender as he was, Jiang Yumiao could only sit between the second male lead's legs. From a distance, it looked as though the Alpha had enclosed the Omega entirely in his embrace.

Jiang Yumiao kept his back ramrod straight. If he relaxed even a little, he would end up leaning against the man behind him.

"...President Ning, your legs must be uncomfortable sitting like this, right? Should we take separate rafts instead?"

Ning Chunchi spoke beside his ear. "Did you forget? Director Yang asked me to pro-tect-you."

He breathed out those last three syllables, sending a tingling sensation through Jiang Yumiao as they reached his ear.

Ning Chunchi watched with interest as the Omega's ears changed color.

How entertaining, he thought. I'm getting a little hooked on this dating game.

[Why does the atmosphere between them feel so flirty now?]

[Whoa...just this morning on the way over, President Ning practically had "We're not close, leave me alone" written all over his face.]

[I love the size difference!!]

[I'm a little worried. Will Yumiao be able to handle President Ning in the future?]

[Don't underestimate an Omega's endurance. He can definitely take it.]

[?? I suspect you're driving without a license. Watch out for the moderators!!]

[Oh, please. Nothing's even happened yet. These two might not end up together.]

[They're off!!]

The High-Altitude Rafting slide had steep slopes, sharp turns, and a long course.

Their inflatable raft raced along the transparent slide through the snow mountain, like a free wind charging fearlessly toward the unknown distance.

Jiang Yumiao couldn't help shouting. He felt as though his soul had taken flight along with their little raft.

In that moment, there were no missions from the original novel on his mind, nor any romance target beside him.

Warmth seeped through from the body behind him, accompanied by a faint, cool fragrance. In this lonely world, it felt as though the two of them were the only people left beneath the sky.

Even without the system's missions, I'd probably still pursue Ning Chunchi, Jiang Yumiao thought.

He might have realized his feelings a little later than he had now, since he naturally took time to warm up to people. He would probably have treated Ning Chunchi as a good friend first, then discovered different feelings for him as they spent time together.

Jiang Yumiao quietly relaxed his rigid back.

Just for a moment. The second male lead probably won't mind, right?

If Jiang Yumiao had turned around then, he would likely have gotten a shock.

Ning Chunchi, the "wonderful person" in his eyes, was watching him expressionlessly, his gaze roaming without restraint over the Omega's pale neck, slender arms, and smooth calves resting so obediently between his long legs.

The Alpha even lightly inhaled the fragrance drifting from his flowing hair, mingled with the sweet grape scent of his pheromones. He was like a ravenous wolf, bearing no resemblance to the proper gentleman who seemed indifferent to beauty in front of others.

Ning Chunchi felt Jiang Yumiao relax his back and rest some of his weight against him.

His hands, which had remained politely at the sides of the raft, abruptly clenched.

It suddenly occurred to Ning Chunchi that those hands shouldn't be resting against the raft. They should be gripping a waist.

Even he felt that he was becoming a little abnormal. He had spent all these years exercising restraint and observing propriety, yet Jiang Yumiao's arrival seemed to have overturned everything he had understood for the past twenty-eight years.

Despite their raincoats, their hair and clothes still got quite wet, though it was much better than getting soaked through on the floating bed.

Jiang Yumiao had an absolute blast. His body had actually been exhausted at first, but after the ride, he felt energized instead.

Looking at the Omega's loose, long hair, Ning Chunchi said gently, "Let's head back. If we stay much longer, I'm afraid you'll come down with a fever."

He had put that refined, elegant mask Jiang Yumiao knew so well back on.

"Okay! Let's go." Jiang Yumiao smiled at him with bright amber eyes. "Thank you for going on this ride with me, President Ning. I've always wanted to try it, but I never had the chance. I finally got to do it!"

With that, he headed toward the main entrance, but the Alpha beside him remained silent.

After a while, a low voice spoke. "Don't let me hear you say thank you again."

Jiang Yumiao looked at him in confusion, only to find Ning Chunchi's expression utterly serious.

"I chose to go on the ride with you. You don't need to thank me."

"Ah...o-okay!" Jiang Yumiao felt overwhelmed by the kindness. He had clearly been troubling the second male lead all this time, yet the man said he had chosen to do it so Jiang Yumiao wouldn't feel indebted. Ning Chunchi really was gentle to his very core.

The prey was already caught in the net, slowly numbed and consumed by a poison called "gentleness." Yet he remained oblivious, treating the beast as someone he could rely on, unaware of the storms he would face in the future.

Let him be free for now, Ning Chunchi thought.