Aboard the yacht

Jiang Yumiao was a little puzzled about who Ning Chunchi was calling and why he needed them to come to the room.

There was a knock at the door, and he jogged over to open it.

Two tall, long-legged Alphas stood outside. One wore a sharp suit and gold-rimmed glasses, his expression serious. The other had smiling eyes and hair that fell just past his shoulders, loosely tied into a small ponytail. He looked thoroughly carefree and carried a black case.

Both men looked briefly startled to see Jiang Yumiao open the door, but quickly recovered.

The bespectacled man in the suit spoke first. "Hello, Mr. Jiang. I'm Mr. Ning's assistant, He Yuan."

So he was calling his assistant... Jiang Yumiao gave He Yuan a polite smile. "Hello!"

The other man was rather more familiar. He suddenly leaned close to Jiang Yumiao's face and stared at him, a teasing smile on his lips.

He reminded Jiang Yumiao a little of an Alpha version of Yu He.

Someone suddenly hooked a finger into Jiang Yumiao's collar and tugged him backward, putting some distance between him and the overly familiar Alpha.

Ning Chunchi swept his gaze over, his voice thick with warning. "Tang Zi."

Tang Zi chuckled helplessly. "I just wanted to admire Mr. Jiang's stunning good looks up close. So possessive. Fine, I'll stop teasing your sweetheart."

Sweet-sweetheart! A blush rapidly spread across Jiang Yumiao's face, and he unconsciously rubbed the hem of his shirt. He glanced at the second male lead. Ning Chunchi merely stepped aside to let them in, without even denying it. That made Jiang Yumiao feel even shyer.

Ning Chunchi said to Tang Zi, "Get him ready."

Tang Zi waved a hand. "I know. Isn't that why you specifically called me up to the room? Leave it to me."

The room was spacious, with a dedicated styling station in the hallway leading to the bathroom.

Tang Zi walked over to the bewildered Jiang Yumiao, asked him to sit at the station, and opened the case he had brought.

It was packed with cosmetics and hairstyling tools.

Looking at the case of tools, Jiang Yumiao remembered that Amelia had the same sort of equipment. Was Tang Zi a stylist like Amelia? Had Ning Chunchi called him here specifically to style me?

Tang Zi looked at the Omega in the mirror and introduced himself as though he had read his mind. "I'm Mr. Ning's friend, moonlighting as his stylist for this Dating Reality Show. You can call me Tang Zi." He then raised a hand to cover his mouth as if sharing a secret. "Ning Chunchi specifically called me over to style you."

Jiang Yumiao nodded and replied meekly, "Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Tang." Warmth blossomed in his heart. He hadn't expected Ning Chunchi to be so thoughtful, noticing that he didn't know how to style his hair and even calling over his own stylist.

Tang Zi was clearly an expert with years of experience. His movements were gentle and quick, and he soon arranged Jiang Yumiao's hair into a half-up style, securing it with an Ink-Wash Claw Clip. It went perfectly with Jiang Yumiao's clothes that day, simple yet refined.

Jiang Yumiao deeply admired anyone who could get his hair to behave. "Amelia, the show's stylist, always did my hair before. Since we're not at the house today, I really didn't know what to do. Thank you so much, Mr. Tang!"

His sincerity made Tang Zi laugh. "No need to be so formal. Just call me by my name. Or if that feels awkward, you can call me Zion, the way you call Amelia. I have a professional name too."

His smile was infectious, and Jiang Yumiao's eyes curved as he called him "Zion."

Ning Chunchi walked over, the same gentle smile as always on his face, but not a trace of amusement in his eyes.

Tang Zi glanced at him and pursed his lips. "Here comes Mr. Jealous."

Ning Chunchi ignored him and studied Jiang Yumiao intently. His unabashed gaze made the Omega want to hide behind Tang Zi.

"We should go," Ning Chunchi said, then headed straight for the door.

Jiang Yumiao hurriedly stood up, thanked Tang Zi again, said goodbye to him and He Yuan, then rushed after Ning Chunchi.

They had gotten up late and spent quite some time getting ready. Since the marina was a half-hour drive from Hot Spring City, they had Thai food there for lunch.

Just as they finished eating, the car the production team had sent to pick them up arrived.

Jiang Yumiao was quietly thrilled throughout the drive. Every day's filming schedule on the Dating Reality Show felt fresh and exciting to him, because his life before had been so uneventful. He had spent his days struggling to make a living. Carnivals, water sports, and all sorts of recreational activities were things he had only seen in novels and videos, never experienced himself, let alone today's yacht trip.

As they stepped out of the car, a luxurious three-deck yacht around ninety meters long came into view. Its sleek yet elegant lines made its hefty price tag obvious at a glance. Jiang Yumiao could practically see hundreds of millions waving at him.

Ning Chunchi's expression remained calm and unruffled, as though he had seen plenty of sights like this.

"Jiang Yumiao!" Yu He's voice rang out from a distance.

Jiang Yumiao looked up toward the voice and saw Yu He waving at him over the railing on the yacht's deck. All the other guests had already arrived.

Jiang Yumiao waved back excitedly, then turned to Ning Chunchi. "They're here. Let's go aboard too!"

The two boarded the yacht. Standing where Yu He had been moments earlier, Jiang Yumiao finally got a real sense of how enormous it was. The interior was predominantly warm white, accented with turquoise, gray, and blue. It had a distinctly futuristic classical style, along with the refreshing feel of the sea.

Only staff and guests were aboard. It seemed the production team had chartered the entire yacht.

Was this the same production team that couldn't afford anything but a single king-bed room yesterday?

Jiang Yumiao thought speechlessly that the production team's tricks ran deep. No one could beat them at their own game.

The enormous, ultra-luxury yacht had a spacious deck, where everyone gathered.

Director Yang had deliberately dressed in a floral shirt and sunglasses today, looking like a tourist on vacation.

He picked up the familiar megaphone bearing the show's logo and gave a few perfunctory "hellos" to draw everyone's attention.

Director Yang smiled at them. "Today is the second-to-last day of filming at the first stop of our Dating Reality Show. The production team has specially chartered East Xia Island's most luxurious yacht for you, and everyone will be staying aboard tonight."

Yu He wanted to cheer, but remembered the director's tricks yesterday and forcibly held it in.

Noticing his reaction, Director Yang said, "There really are no conditions this time. Every guest gets to stay!"

Only then did Yu He smile in relief. An Zhiwan and Lin Xu looked excited too.

Director Yang continued, "Now that we're on a yacht, how could we not throw a party? East Xia Island's breathtaking sunsets are famous worldwide. This evening, we'll be holding a music party on deck."

His sunglasses hid his eyes, leaving only his broad grin visible.

Everyone immediately went on high alert. Yang Qi always smiled like that when he was up to something.

"Of course, a music party needs performances!" he said. "Each of you will put on an act. Since the acts will vary in length and running order, we won't be asking our dear viewers to vote today. Instead, all members of the production team will vote after each performance."

The guests: "..."

Jiang Yumiao asked softly, "Are there any requirements for the acts?"

"It's a music party, so anything related to music is fine-singing, dancing, playing an instrument," Director Yang said. "If you really can't do any of those, even a stand-up routine will do." At the mention of stand-up, he cast a sidelong glance toward Yu He.

Yu He: "..." He just thinks I have no musical talent because my idol debut fell through. He wanted to roll his eyes again.

"Of course, we won't make you perform for nothing. The guest with the most votes will earn the right to invite another guest to share a candlelit dinner aboard the yacht." Director Yang cleared his throat and added, "We'll clear the restaurant out, so it'll be just the two of you. An incredibly romantic candlelit dinner with spectacular nighttime views!"

The guests reacted to Yang Qi's words with varying expressions. At that moment, the battle lines of the dating show seemed to be drawn in earnest.

Determination flashed in someone's eyes, as though victory were already theirs.