Ning Chunchi stood before the mirror, unhurriedly buttoning his shirt.
His phone was on speaker, and Director Yang's voice came through it.
"President Ning, I clearly said to follow each other last night. You only followed Jiang. Isn't that a little too obvious?"
"And?"
"The other guests all followed you. Follow them back, will you?"
A wicked smile curled Ning Chunchi's lips. "Just because I joined the show doesn't mean the production team gets to dictate how I use my Weibo account, does it?"
"...Aren't you worried the other guests will have a problem with it?"
The Alpha in the mirror smiled more broadly, as though practicing the perfect angle. He adjusted his expression into a gentle smile, yet his voice was ice-cold. "I don't care."
Director Yang pressed a hand to his forehead in his RV. He hadn't expected Ning Chunchi to be such a fool for love, either. His insistence on romantic exclusivity extended even to his Weibo follows-apparently, he could only follow his own Omega.
A moment later, Director Yang shook his head with a soft laugh. If this friend of his really could find the love of his life through the show, he would consider his work complete.
He had felt quite guilty about troubling such a busy man to join a dating show.
Director Yang picked up his iPad and reviewed the day's itinerary. He rubbed his chin, a sly gleam flashing through his eyes.
He decided to add a little more fuel to his friend's romance.
Lin Xu finished making breakfast and called everyone out.
Everyone chatted and laughed as they enjoyed breakfast.
Jiang Yumiao sat at the far left, with Lin Xu on his right and An Zhiwan across from him.
Ning Chunchi came out late and sat diagonally across from Jiang Yumiao.
Jiang Yumiao sneaked a glance at his phone and discovered that he was still the only person Ning Chunchi followed.
Why was the second male lead only following him? That could really give someone the wrong idea.
Jiang Yumiao couldn't help letting his thoughts wander. So did Ning Chunchi like him too? Or was this just temporary possessiveness toward an Omega caused by the temporary mark?
He kept his head down and focused on eating, not daring to look up at the second male lead.
Everyone also tacitly avoided asking about Ning Chunchi's follows.
They either didn't care whether President Ning followed them or had already accepted that he was interested in Jiang Yumiao. Although a temporary mark didn't mean they were together, everyone felt that, given Ning Chunchi's personality, he would never mark an Omega he didn't like. That made it all the more pointless to meddle in the couple's affairs.
Ning Chunchi propped his chin on one hand and studied the long-haired Omega. From this angle, he couldn't see what he wanted to see.
After breakfast, Jiang Yumiao eagerly volunteered to wash the dishes.
He had just turned on the faucet when Ning Chunchi walked into the kitchen.
Jiang Yumiao lowered his eyes and greeted him, pretending to concentrate on the dishes while his heart fluttered wildly.
Ning Chunchi quietly came to a stop just behind and to one side of the Omega, watching his luminous white fingers brush over the dishes and utensils.
Suddenly, Ning Chunchi reached up to touch the back of Jiang Yumiao's neck. The unexpected contact made Jiang Yumiao shudder all over.
"P-President Ning?"
Ning Chunchi didn't answer. Four slender fingers slid through the long hair down the Omega's back, brushing a lock in the middle aside.
One corner of the grape-print gland patch came into view before the top-tier Alpha.
Satisfied, President Ning swept Jiang Yumiao's hair back into place. His fingers passed through the long strands as though combing them for him, grazing his back.
"You should be feeling much better today, right?" Ning Chunchi finally asked, taking his time.
Jiang Yumiao's voice trembled slightly. "I'm completely better now. Nothing feels uncomfortable." The second male lead's hands seemed to possess some kind of magic. A single touch from him was almost more than Jiang Yumiao could bear.
Honestly, even though he had a gland patch on and had taken another dose of suppressants yesterday afternoon, he was still in heat. Yet this Alpha kept teasing him like this.
Noticing Jiang Yumiao's trembling, Ning Chunchi chuckled and turned to leave the kitchen.
The PD told the guests to gather outside the house.
The house stood by the sea, with a beach behind it and a spacious lawn in the front yard. Beyond the front gate lay an open road with very little traffic, as was typical of the vacation villa district in the morning.
The guests walked into the front yard and found Director Yang already there.
Whenever he went outdoors, Yang Qi carried his beloved megaphone. He believed it gave him an air of directorial authority.
Little did he know that Li Ming joked he looked like a tour guide.
"This is your third day on East Xia Island. Speaking of East Xia Island, besides the Water Kingdom, there's another very famous tourist destination. Naturally, our show can't miss it."
Director Yang grinned. "That would be Hot Spring City, which brings together bathing cultures from countries around the world."
Yu He instantly perked up. His fear of heights had kept him from enjoying the Water Kingdom, but a place devoted purely to relaxation like Hot Spring City was perfect for him.
Jiang Yumiao was looking forward to it too. He had never soaked in a hot spring before.
East Xia Island's Hot Spring City was divided into areas themed around different countries, including Thai, Japanese, and Italian hot springs, allowing visitors to choose which they wanted to experience.
Director Yang continued, "The eight of you will be sticking together during the day, so discuss it among yourselves and decide which hot spring area to visit. The hot spring areas offer accommodations, so you can stay there tonight."
Yu He called out, "Director, you're the best!"
Lin Xu cheered as well.
But Director Yang raised a hand. "Don't celebrate just yet. I'm afraid you'll want to beat me up in a minute-I haven't finished. Only two people will get the chance to stay in the hot spring area tonight. Everyone else has to return to the house."
Qin Yuan gave a cold laugh. He had known that, given Director Yang's style, there was no way he would let them have such an easy time.
Mu Yunzhi asked, "Two people... how will you decide which two?"
"Well, the production team won't decide that, and neither will you. We'll leave it to the audience!" Director Yang narrowed his eyes like a fox. "Once we reach the hot spring area, the show will open voting. It closes at five this evening, and the two people with the most votes will enjoy an overnight hot spring stay."
The live comments exploded.
[A thunderous boom in the sky, and here I come in all my glory!]
[I love how Love Mailbox lets the audience play God. It really makes you feel involved.]
[Hehehe, who should we vote for...]
[But Best Actor Qin and Yu He already have fan bases. How can anyone beat them in a vote?]
[Don't underestimate a dating show's casual audience. This is a phenomenal, nationwide hit. What are a few fans compared to that?]
[Jiang Yumiao only had 100,000 Weibo followers last night. Now it's already doubled-he's almost at 200,000.]
[Honestly, I don't think Qin Yuan necessarily wants to stay elsewhere...]
[Ning for Yu, stay out for Mama! Preferably in the same bed!]
[Shippers, stop dreaming. Split them up right now. Ideally, one stays out and the other stays at the house.]
[Hahahaha, even if they really do stay out, there's no way they'll be made to share a bed, right? It's only day three.]
[This must be your first time watching Love Mailbox... A big reason this show got so popular is its insanely fast pace. Plus, it never passes up a chance to get the guests into close physical contact.]
[Last season even got a warning for going too far. I'm dying.]
"So, if you want to stay in the hot spring area, interact with the livestream audience and drum up some votes! It's all in the audience's hands," Director Yang said with a smile.
Yu He clenched his fists, looking determined to win the vote. An Zhiwan was also eager to give it a try.
Jiang Yumiao, on the other hand, didn't particularly care. He mainly wanted to experience soaking in a hot spring. Whether he stayed elsewhere or not was fine with him. He wasn't picky about his surroundings; back when he had been at his poorest, he had slept soundly even in a basement.
Director Yang suddenly added, "Oh, I forgot to mention this just now. The production team is on a tight budget, so we only booked one king room at the hot springs. In other words, if you stay out, the two of you will have to share a bed."
Yu He and An Zhiwan froze. Their earlier determination to win suddenly evaporated.
Ning Chunchi, who always appeared gentle and refined before the cameras, now had eyes as dark as ink.
If Jiang Yumiao shared a bed with someone else...
Before you continue