The glow of the phone screen was especially dazzling in the dark car. They were sitting close together in the back seat, and Ning Chunchi saw the photo on Jiang Yumiao's phone with just a slight turn of his head.
Ning Chunchi held out his hand. "Let me see."
Of course Jiang Yumiao didn't want to show him, but the second male lead had a phone of his own. Even if he didn't see it now, all he had to do when they got back was open any social media platform, and he would see the high-resolution photo that had already been reposted everywhere. So Jiang Yumiao pressed his lips together and handed his phone to Ning Chunchi anyway.
After looking at it, Ning Chunchi offered a perfectly calm assessment. "Good shot."
Jiang Yumiao was speechless. Was that really the issue here? They had been so intimate in public at only the first stop of the dating show. As far as the public was concerned, they were locked in as a couple now. If Ning Chunchi changed his mind at a later stop, he would get branded a "player."
Ning Chunchi returned the phone to Jiang Yumiao, only for his own phone to signal an incoming call.
He answered, and Yang Qi's voice came through. Ning Chunchi hadn't even put him on speaker, but Jiang Yumiao could hear every word Director Yang said. The reason was simple: he was just that loud.
When Director Yang had seen Ning Chunchi's move on the monitor, he had immediately sensed trouble. Then a staff member told him they were trending, and he nearly passed out when he saw the high-resolution photo.
He knew Jiang Yumiao had invited Ning Chunchi to stay until the end of the light show because of that legend. He had told Ning Chunchi about it to give them a little nudge, too. Jiang Yumiao was shy, and he figured the young man probably wouldn't manage to kiss him in the end. He had forwarded the post to his friend only to help him understand Jiang Yumiao's feelings more clearly.
It would have been fine if Jiang Yumiao couldn't bring himself to kiss him. Their dating show was still in its first stage, and making the romantic pairings too clear this early wasn't necessarily good for keeping viewers watching.
As it turned out, Jiang Yumiao really hadn't made a move. Ning Chunchi had taken the initiative instead.
"You two were far too careless. That was a public place with over a thousand people! You avoided the livestream cameras, but you couldn't dodge the bystanders' cameras coming at you from every direction. They'd all brought DSLRs and huge telephoto lenses to shoot the light show. Their photos were practically as sharp as our footage."
Ning Chunchi still looked utterly unconcerned. "I blocked the show's camera. I did my best. As for everyone else, I can't control them."
Director Yang fell silent for a moment, then continued earnestly, "I know you two are all lovey-dovey right now and can barely keep your hands off each other, but we're only nearing the end of the first stop. There are still three more. You need to show a little restraint and leave the audience some suspense. After that kiss, the whole world thinks you're together. Are we even going to bother holding Confession Night in the final episode?"
The heat in Jiang Yumiao's face hadn't faded to begin with, and Director Yang's talk of being "lovey-dovey" and "barely keeping their hands off each other" only stoked it further.
He even felt as if he and Ning Chunchi really had gone public, though in reality, nothing had even begun yet. No, that wasn't quite right either. Ning Chunchi seemed to have developed a tiny bit of affection for him.
Jiang Yumiao thought again of the Weibo post he had just seen, and it was as if honey had been poured over his heart. He hadn't expected the second male lead, who seemed so clearheaded and rational, to believe a legend that was obviously invented to advertise a tourist attraction.
A mocking curve touched Ning Chunchi's lips as he asked Director Yang, "Leave some suspense? Do you want me to flirt with other people?"
Director Yang choked. "No, of course not. Oh, do whatever you want. It's not like I can talk you out of it anyway. Yumiao, are you listening?"
Jiang Yumiao answered him.
"You know how willful and reckless our illustrious President Ning can be. If you don't want something, don't force yourself. Say no when you need to. The show's cameras are recording everything. He wouldn't dare do anything to you."
Ning Chunchi said, "Could you stop using my phone to bad-mouth me?"
Jiang Yumiao wanted to laugh, but held it in. After a long moment, he murmured, "It's not that I didn't want it..."
Director Yang was completely speechless. Unwilling to keep talking to this insufferable couple, he hurried through a couple more reminders and hung up.
Silence returned to the car, but Jiang Yumiao sensed that the atmosphere was no longer as oppressive as before. The big shot was in a good mood again.
By the light of the phone screen and the glow from outside the car window, Ning Chunchi had noticed Jiang Yumiao's thoroughly flushed face. The Omega had even told Yang Qi that it wasn't as though he hadn't wanted it. He always looked so innocent, yet so willing to take the initiative. It made something itch deep inside Ning Chunchi and left him with a hollow feeling that urgently needed to be filled.
It was almost eleven by the time they returned to the house. As they got out of the car, Ning Chunchi suddenly raised his phone and took a photo of Jiang Yumiao.
Bewildered, Jiang Yumiao leaned over to look at the picture. The long-haired Omega wearing pink-and-white cat ears looked thoroughly sleepy.
Only then did he remember that he still had the cat-ear headband on! When he had looked at everyone else's photos and videos earlier, he had been so focused on how the second male lead had kissed him that he hadn't paid any attention to himself.
Jiang Yumiao silently took off the headband and held it in his hand. He said goodbye to Ning Chunchi and returned to his room.
He stepped inside and switched on the light. At the sight before him, his sleepy eyes instantly widened.
A Little Wave plush half as tall as a person was lying on his bed.
Jiang Yumiao rushed to the bedside, picked up the plush, and turned it over in his hands. The tag was still attached. It had clearly just been bought.
The only person who knew he wanted it and would buy it and have it delivered to his room was Ning Chunchi.
Warmth enveloped Jiang Yumiao. His heart fluttered, and his nose stung faintly as he gazed at the plush with moist eyes, as if he could look through it and see someone else.
So Ning Chunchi had seen it all. Perhaps he had been watching over him from behind the scenes all along.
The premium grape gland patch rested snugly over the gland at the back of Jiang Yumiao's neck, comfortable and breathable. Now there was a giant plush in front of him, too.
It wasn't just that he could immediately sense changes in Ning Chunchi's mood. Ning Chunchi always noticed his embarrassment and his longing, too.
Ning Chunchi... must be Santa Claus.
Jiang Yumiao smiled, his eyes reddening, and pulled the plush into his arms, gently nuzzling its face.
When he had first learned the story of Santa Claus as a child, he had made wishes every day, imagining that Santa Claus might really notice them and make them come true. All he wanted was a couple more pieces of candy, to not have to fight the other children for food, and for his mother and father to come back and pat his head when he was sad.
When he grew a little older, he learned how cold people could be. He was just a stray child from an orphanage. No one would pay attention to him, much less help grant his wishes.
Holding the plush, Jiang Yumiao flopped onto the bed, then pulled out his phone with one hand and opened his photo album. In the car, he had secretly saved the picture taken by that photography blogger.
He slowly traced the Alpha's tender profile in the photo with his finger, hearing for the first time the sound of something called happiness sprouting and growing.
A message suddenly popped up. Director Yang had tagged everyone in the cast group chat, reminding them not to forget that they also had to write a letter on the last day of each stop.
Jiang Yumiao thought, I really did forget...
Xiao Wu, his PD, knocked on the door and brought him an envelope. Inside was the same familiar pale pink stationery decorated with hearts.
Jiang Yumiao rubbed his fingers over the slightly rough texture of the paper. His feelings as he wrote this time were completely different from the last.
Last time had been on the first night. While writing, his mind had been occupied entirely with completing his task, and he had racked his brains for ages just to produce a one-sentence "love letter."
This time, there was no task forcing his hand. He didn't want to write any more flowery verses that invited romantic speculation. He only wanted to tell Ning Chunchi his true feelings, sincerely and earnestly, and let him know how grateful he was that they had met.
He had finally touched the moon that had once been far beyond his reach, and the moon was willing to bow its head for him, too.
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