Ning Chunchi withdrew his gaze. He rarely regretted his decisions, but this time, he had clearly overestimated his own tolerance.
He had thought he would not mind Yu He taking Jiang Yumiao out to have fun.
But the moment he saw the Omega's carefree smile, an unusually scorching emotion surged through him.
Didn't he like me? Then why could someone else make him smile so brightly?
I should keep Jiang Yumiao by my side at all times, or simply lock him up... so those tender eyes of his can only look at me.
If Director Yang knew what his friend was thinking at that moment, he would certainly tell him that this emotion was called "jealousy," then give him a quick lesson on the relevant laws and regulations.
Ever since they gathered, Jiang Yumiao had actually been sneaking glances at Ning Chunchi out of the corner of his eye. He had not seen the second male lead all day, and now that he had, his gaze instinctively wanted to cling to him.
One glance told him that the Alpha seemed to be in a bad mood again. Jiang Yumiao always had a sensitivity to Ning Chunchi's emotional changes that far surpassed everyone else's. Sometimes, he even noticed before Ning Chunchi himself did.
Ning Chunchi had said that morning that he needed to deal with work today. Had something gone wrong at work?
Jiang Yumiao quietly resolved to find a chance to cheer the second male lead up later.
Their meeting point was the parking lot outside the Water Kingdom's north entrance. Although there were fewer people here than at the main entrance, quite a few tourists had still come specifically to see the light show.
Wanting to keep a low profile, Director Yang silently lowered the megaphone he had already raised. The surroundings were rather noisy, so he called out, "The light show starts at eight. You can do whatever you like for now, then meet at the central plaza at eight."
Seeing no particular reaction from anyone, he suddenly gave a peculiar smile. "But you can't all watch this light show together."
Everyone looked baffled. An Zhiwan asked, "What do you mean? Are you splitting us into groups?"
Director Yang nodded. "Watching a light show is a romantic experience. Obviously, too many people would spoil it. So we'll still split into pairs. You can decide for yourselves who to partner with."
"However, anyone who already teamed up during the day can't pair up again tonight."
Everyone fell silent.
Leng Haiyue said, "Doesn't that mean the more people you teamed up with during the day, the fewer choices you have tonight?"
Director Yang smiled. "Exactly. For example, Director Leng, you'll have to choose someone other than Qin Yuan or Mu Yunzhi to watch the light show with. I was worried you really might go out in a group of seven or eight during the day. Then you'd all have to watch separately tonight."
That was what he said, but Director Yang knew perfectly well that Ning Chunchi and Qin Yuan alone would never go out with too many people, so he had felt quite safe introducing this restriction.
Hearing that they had to pair up again, Yu He gave Jiang Yumiao a reluctant look. Still, he knew that if he did not return Jiang Yumiao to Ning Chunchi soon, he would once again experience a top-tier Alpha's intense pressure firsthand.
Jiang Yumiao thought Director Yang really knew how to play these games. If two people hit it off and wanted to stick together every day, this rule would force them apart.
Director Yang told them to work out the pairings themselves. All that mattered was that they reached the plaza by eight.
Yu He genuinely had no Alpha he was interested in, so he was still hesitating over whom to choose.
The curly-haired Alpha suddenly approached Yu He. An Zhiwan had actually taken the initiative again. He had invited Lin Xu during the day; this time, his target was Yu He.
Yu He was startled. Then he felt Mu Yunzhi's gaze settle on him, and he finally understood exactly how uneasy Lin Xu had felt when he was invited earlier.
These two Alphas are unbelievable. Yu He might not have been particularly bright, but after several years in the industry, he had become much better at reading people. He could also tell that An Zhiwan did not genuinely want to spend time with either him or Lin Xu. He was simply using them as shields because he did not want to face Mu Yunzhi alone.
He had intended to decline politely, but when he saw the plea in An Zhiwan's eyes, he gritted his teeth and agreed.
By now, everyone fully understood that An Zhiwan was avoiding Mu Yunzhi.
As a novelist, Jiang Yumiao had already dreamed up an entire angsty romance of one man fleeing and the other chasing. With a little sympathy, he looked at Mu Yunzhi, whose eyes were dark as he stood in the corner.
The system suddenly came online: "Having detected that the host was in a poor emotional state yesterday, the system took the host's condition into account and did not issue a mission related to the music party. The system is now issuing the seventh mission: invite the second male lead to watch the light show together until it ends."
Even without a mission from the system, Jiang Yumiao had already planned to invite Ning Chunchi to watch with him. But why emphasize "until it ends"?
So Jiang Yumiao asked Director Yang, "What time does the light show end?"
Director Yang glanced at the brochure and replied, "Ten, but you don't need to watch the whole thing. We'll wrap up and head back to the house sometime after nine."
Hearing that, Jiang Yumiao grew anxious. If they went back after nine, how was he supposed to complete his mission?
He hurriedly asked, "What if we want to stay until the end?"
Director Yang looked at him in surprise. "The light show repeats every hour. There's really no need to stay until..." Before he could finish, Producer Li, who had overheard their conversation, suddenly walked over and interrupted him.
Holding a phone, Li Ming showed Yang Qi an article from an official account, wearing an unreadable expression. After reading it, Director Yang exchanged a discreet glance with Li Ming, then suddenly laughed aloud.
Grinning, he turned back to Jiang Yumiao with a complicated look in his eyes. "Oh, of course you can stay until the end! The production team will do everything we can to meet your needs! Any other requests? Just say the word!"
Director Yang's stare gave Jiang Yumiao the creeps. He hesitantly shook his head. "I was just asking. I don't have any other requests."
Mu Yunzhi suddenly said, "Can I watch alone?"
Director Yang's smile froze, then his expression turned a little sympathetic as he replied, "If you really don't want to pair up, you can. But you'll have to find someone else who also wants to watch alone. Otherwise, someone will be left without a partner."
Hearing that, Qin Yuan said, "I'll watch alone too."
Director Yang said, "...Fine!" He could have cried. Not one of these high-caliber Alphas ever made things easy for him.
When An Zhiwan heard that Mu Yunzhi wanted to watch alone, it felt as though a huge rock had settled over his heart, making it a little difficult to breathe.
Lin Xu pressed his lips together and glanced at Qin Yuan. He suddenly seemed to lose heart as well, silently walking over to Leng Haiyue to form a pair with him.
Jiang Yumiao had not yet found a chance to invite the second male lead when he suddenly realized that everyone else had already paired up. Only he and Ning Chunchi remained.
He could not help thinking, Heaven is on my side!
Still, he was a little worried that Ning Chunchi might want to watch alone too. He had to confirm it quickly.
Jiang Yumiao edged toward Ning Chunchi one step at a time, lightly tugging at the hem of his own clothes, a little habit of his when he was nervous.
Ning Chunchi watched Jiang Yumiao approach and raised an eyebrow without speaking.
Jiang Yumiao's Adam's apple bobbed. He looked up at Ning Chunchi and softly extended his invitation. "Mr. Ning, would you like to watch the light show with me?" To be safe, he added, "Together until the end..."
Ning Chunchi gazed at Jiang Yumiao for a moment, his eyes unreadable. Only after enjoying the sight of the Omega's cheeks reddening under his stare did he leisurely reply, "Sure."
He even said we should watch together until the end. Does Jiang Yumiao want to spend more time with me that badly?
The faintest hint of a smile curved Ning Chunchi's lips.
With the pairings settled, the guests headed into the park separately.
His phone vibrated in his trench coat pocket. As he walked, Ning Chunchi took it out and gave it a casual glance.
It was a WeChat message from Director Yang. He had sent Ning Chunchi a link to an article titled "Ten beautiful legends of East Xia Island-do you know them all?"
A chill entered Ning Chunchi's eyes. He thought Yang Qi was being utterly baffling.
Director Yang sent another message: "Open it and take a look! You'll seriously regret it if you don't! For the rest of your life!"
Ning Chunchi was speechless.
In the end, he opened the article. It was nothing more than a collection of made-up tales about spirits and monsters, but since Yang Qi had insisted so strongly, he forced himself to skim quickly to the end.
The final legend concerned the Water Kingdom. One line caught his eye.
Ning Chunchi abruptly stopped walking. Jiang Yumiao stopped beside him as well, looking at him in confusion.
The line read-
"Legend has it that lovers who kiss at the moment the light show ends and the fireworks begin will stay together forever, never to be parted."
Waves stirred in the deep pools of Ning Chunchi's eyes. With a desire that threatened to devour everything, he looked up at Jiang Yumiao beside him.
So this was why he insisted on staying until the light show ended.
Before you continue