Something Was Off About the Second Male Lead

The system appeared out of nowhere, interrupting Jiang Yumiao's daydreams. "Ding-dong! Congratulations on completing your sixth mission, host! You've earned the reward 'Perky Curves.' Please claim it~"

Well, damn. The system really had delivered every reward it had promised at the start.

Jiang Yumiao suddenly remembered that the system had said one of the rewards could "enchant every Alpha." Did that include Ning Chunchi...?

As he pondered this, he glanced over at Ning Chunchi.

Why was President Ning unbuttoning his shirt?! What happened to the supposedly abstinent CEO?

Jiang Yumiao's pupils trembled. He ought to respect Ning Chunchi's privacy and turn away, but he simply couldn't tear his eyes off him.

Ning Chunchi's hands were slender, with long fingers, and veins occasionally rose as he undid his buttons. They really were beautiful hands. His movements were gentle, yet farther up, he exuded an aggression utterly at odds with that gentleness.

The sight set Jiang Yumiao's heart racing. "President Ning, are you going to take a shower?" he asked. He really was getting carried away today, actually imagining that Ning Chunchi was trying to seduce him.

Ning Chunchi said, "...Yes."

Jiang Yumiao hurriedly replied, "Okay, you go first!"

With his shirt half unbuttoned and his pecs faintly visible, Ning Chunchi gave Jiang Yumiao a long, penetrating look, then turned and entered the bathroom.

Jiang Yumiao let out a breath of relief. He always tensed up instinctively around the second male lead, because Ning Chunchi's presence was simply too overpowering.

While Ning Chunchi showered, Jiang Yumiao could check the reward the system had given him. He looked around and inspected the entire room, discovering a camera mounted in the corner of the wall that wasn't switched on.

Before leaving, Director Yang had explained that they had set up two cameras in the king room. Whether to film was up to him and Ning Chunchi. They could notify the production team when they were ready, and it was fine if they didn't want to be filmed.

Love Mailbox had never used prying into its guests' private lives as a selling point, so it rarely livestreamed their rooms and also paused filming while they slept at night.

Reassured, Jiang Yumiao thought about the "Perky Curves" the system had mentioned. Of course he knew which curves it meant.

He discreetly reached behind himself and felt around. The contours were rounded, but they didn't seem much different from before.

Jiang Yumiao cursed inwardly. "System, are you sure every Alpha likes this?"

"Absolutely! I'm certain you'll have the second male lead utterly spellbound. Besides, you were already very perky, host! The system felt embarrassed handing out this reward, since it couldn't change much. Increasing the perkiness would have thrown your lovely figure out of proportion, so the system could only make a teeny-tiny adjustment."

"...How very considerate of you." Jiang Yumiao lowered his eyes and sighed. He didn't want to turn into Kim Kardashian either. Honestly, he didn't care what rewards the system gave him. He went to such lengths to complete the missions to keep the world stable and try to get closer to Ning Chunchi. So although he complained about the rewards, he didn't truly blame the system.

He lay on his stomach on the sofa and checked Weibo. Sure enough, the day's livestream had made the trending searches.

Two related hashtags were currently trending: #Jiang Yumiao Campaigns for Ning Chunchi# and #Ning and Jade Together Share a Bed#.

Jiang Yumiao didn't need to click through to know what everyone would say. They would either gush over the ship or call him a toad lusting after a swan, accusing him of riding Ning Chunchi's coattails again.

While he was looking at his phone, Ning Chunchi came out of the shower.

Jiang Yumiao looked up to find Ning Chunchi bare-chested, wearing only a bath towel. The firm muscles that had been obscured by the steam at the hot spring earlier were now on full display before the Omega. Tiny droplets slid from Ning Chunchi's hair, ran down the grooves of his muscles, and finally disappeared into the towel.

Jiang Yumiao's lips parted as he stared. He had been farther away from Ning Chunchi during the day, too preoccupied with his embarrassment to dare look at him. He hadn't even noticed that the second male lead had such an amazing body!

He glanced at Ning Chunchi's eight-pack, then discreetly pinched his own one-pack.

No comparison. Absolutely no comparison.

Ning Chunchi looked at the Omega lying stunned on the sofa and asked with a tender smile, "Like what you see?"

Once again, Jiang Yumiao wondered whether he was hearing things. Ning Chunchi was acting particularly strange tonight, practically like a peacock fanning its tail.

"...Yes! Hurry up and dry your hair. I'm going to shower!" Jiang Yumiao replied. Then he sprang to his feet and rushed into the bathroom before the second male lead could answer, fleeing the scene.

Jiang Yumiao shut the door and leaned back against it, tipping his head up as he panted softly.

Something was off. He closed his eyes and carefully thought back, trying to pinpoint when Ning Chunchi had started acting strange.

Was it because he'd heard what I said on the livestream in the theater lounge?

He kept feeling it had started a little earlier.

While watching the movie, they had talked about gland patches. He had wanted to show the second male lead his new patch, and then the second male lead had suddenly wrapped him in his arms...

A realization flashed through Jiang Yumiao's mind. His eyes flew open, and he went to the mirror, turned around, and lifted his hair. Reflected in the glass was the gland patch with its grape design.

The gland patch!

He remembered how Ning Chunchi had suddenly come in while he was washing dishes that morning, stood behind him, and brushed his hair aside.

At the time, he had thought Ning Chunchi had come in specifically to ask about his health, and he had been deeply touched. Now it seemed he had probably been checking whether Jiang Yumiao was wearing this gland patch.

The grape-print gland patch had definitely been a gift from Ning Chunchi.

The second male lead had given him a gland patch patterned with his favorite fruit, held him in his arms during the movie, and then appeared before him after his shower wearing nothing but a towel that looked ready to slip off...

The more Jiang Yumiao thought about it, the more alarmed he became. Could Ning Chunchi have fallen for me too?!

After pondering for a long while, he made a decision.

The shower stall still carried the mingled scent of the hotel's body wash and Ning Chunchi's pheromones.

The moment Jiang Yumiao removed his gland patch, Ning Chunchi's pheromones became even more pronounced. His legs instantly went weak, and he braced himself against the wall as he took a quick shower.

He changed into the clean bathrobe provided in the room and briefly blow-dried his hair, making sure it was no longer dripping before preparing to go out.

Just before opening the door, Jiang Yumiao looked at the gland patch he had removed and hesitated. Instead of putting it back on, he held it in his hand.

Not all gland patches were disposable. Some could be removed and reused, and the better their quality, the longer they lasted, though never more than three days. The one Ning Chunchi had given him was clearly much better than the one the body's original owner had worn.

When Jiang Yumiao emerged from the bathroom, Ning Chunchi was reading a report on his laptop. Suddenly, he caught a rich, sweet grape scent. That fresh, fruity sweetness instantly shattered every mask of indifference the Alpha wore.

Ning Chunchi raised his head, his eyes reddening, and looked at the slender Omega clad in a thin bathrobe. Pheromones this concentrated meant Jiang Yumiao wasn't wearing a gland-blocking patch.

What did this mean? Was he tempting me to mark him again? Did he even realize he was still in heat?!

As though oblivious to the danger ahead, Jiang Yumiao walked step by step toward the ravenously hungry Alpha.

A flush spread across his cool, pale skin. He held out the grape gland patch to Ning Chunchi and said, forcing himself to sound calm, "Since you gave it to me, why don't you help me put it on?"