A video call with the second male lead

Ning Chunchi still wore that gentle smile, but a closer look would reveal that its curve never changed, like a false mask perfected through deliberate practice.

He said mildly to Su Guoli, "I mainly came today to wish you a happy birthday. Seeing you in such good spirits means I can report back to my grandfather and put his mind at ease. Someone's waiting for me at home, so I won't stay any longer."

His words were polite but distant, a rejection through and through.

Su Cheng's eyes widened. He hadn't expected Ning Chunchi to snub them so openly. "You..."

Su Guoli raised a hand to cut him off and said without betraying any emotion, "All right. I'll also let your grandfather know that I received your birthday wishes."

A trace of mockery flashed through Ning Chunchi's eyes. So he was going to complain about him to Ning Changzhi.

So what?

The younger generation of the Ning Family was a houseful of useless fools. Their little tricks offered nothing more than a bit of diversion and entertainment in his dull life; they posed no threat at all. However dissatisfied Ning Changzhi might be, he could only rely on him, begging him to take over the Ning Corporation and carry on this vast, declining business empire.

Ning Chunchi gave a seemingly respectful nod, but his eyes were cold. He turned and left without a shred of mercy.

Su Cheng's sweet, innocent features twisted, and inside, he was already seething. This was the first time an Alpha had ignored him so completely. Why? Surely it wasn't because of that Jiang Yumiao from the dating show? What did that Omega have that could possibly compare to him?

He had hired someone to investigate Jiang Yumiao. An Omega from an orphanage, with no connections and no one to rely on-what could he possibly use to compete with him?

Ning Chunchi also owned a property in City B, a penthouse villa in a prime location in the city center.

He went straight to the shower after coming home. Even the slightest trace of the banquet's filthy air, steeped in decadent excess and greed, made him uncomfortable all over, as though showering immediately could wash away those disgusting smells.

He stood beneath the shower with his eyes closed, letting the water stream freely over his body. In his daze, he seemed to catch a hint of sweet grape fragrance.

Ning Chunchi abruptly turned off the shower. His usually cool, composed eyes opened, now tinged with a wicked red.

They were eyes filled with unsatisfied desire.

It wasn't just Jiang Yumiao who needed him. He needed him too...

And what he wanted wasn't just the Omega's pheromones.

After showering, Jiang Yumiao curled up comfortably in his familiar little bed. He had just changed the bedding that afternoon, and now the whole bed was filled with a pleasant scent. Lying in it felt warm and cozy.

The only disappointment was that it was already ten, and there was still no activity on WeChat. It looked like Ning Chunchi really wasn't going to reply to his cat-face sticker.

What was the second male lead doing? He should have finished work by now, right? If he sent Ning Chunchi a message now, it probably wouldn't disturb him...

Jiang Yumiao rolled around on the bed twice before finally making up his mind. He would just send one little message.

Ning Chunchi spent forty minutes in the shower and finished with a blast of cold water. When he came out, his entire body radiated a chill.

The phone he had casually tossed onto the bed happened to vibrate just then. Drying his hair, Ning Chunchi glanced at it absently. Once he made out the notification on the screen, his pupils contracted almost imperceptibly, and he bent down to pick up the phone.

[Eats grapes, skins and all: President Ning, are you still at work?]

After sending the message, Jiang Yumiao put his phone aside, too nervous to look at it. But he was also afraid of missing Ning Chunchi's reply, so he deliberately turned up the notification volume.

He wrapped himself entirely in his blanket, as though that could give him a little sense of security and keep him from feeling so bashful.

Suddenly, his phone rang. But it wasn't the brief chime of a message notification-it was a ringtone.

Jiang Yumiao hurriedly scrambled up to look at the screen.

[Big brother is inviting you to a video call.]

*???*

Help! Why was the second male lead jumping straight to a video call?!

Jiang Yumiao's mind raced. He hurriedly rolled out of bed, fumbled open the built-in full-length mirror in his wardrobe, and quickly checked his appearance.

Once he was sure he looked presentable, Jiang Yumiao climbed back onto the bed, shakily raised his phone toward his face, and pressed the green accept button in the lower right corner.

Holy shit, why wasn't the second male lead wearing a shirt?!

Jiang Yumiao stared blankly at the screen. The Alpha's arms were firm and muscular, his finely sculpted collarbones exposed, his expression cool.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the little window in the upper right and watched his own face turn bright red.

He silently berated himself. Get a grip! Get a grip! The second male lead was only showing his bare shoulders. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen them in person before. How could his face be burning this much?

Ning Chunchi's face looked even more strikingly handsome on-screen. He had been expressionless, even inexplicably fierce, but the lines of his face suddenly softened when he saw Jiang Yumiao.

The Omega wore his hair loose and had on pale yellow plaid pajamas. He looked like a college student who had only just come of age, so fresh-faced he practically glowed.

Jiang Yumiao spoke first. "M-Mr. President Ning, why did you suddenly make a video call?"

"Didn't you ask whether I'd finished work?" Ning Chunchi raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly, his tone a mixture of puzzlement and coaxing. "I thought that meant you missed me."

Jiang Yumiao felt as though he was about to burn up. Had the second male lead reached his daily quota of acting strange again?! If Ning Chunchi's employees saw him showing off like a peacock spreading its tail, their eyes would probably pop right out.

He cleared his throat to disguise his fluster. "I just noticed you hadn't replied to my message. Wasn't that cat sticker cute?"

A low chuckle came through the phone. Perhaps it was because it came through a screen, but the sound seemed exceptionally gentle, with a mesmerizing pull.

"Mm. Cute."

Jiang Yumiao felt as though every word the second male lead uttered dealt another blow to his heart. He could barely take it anymore.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "President Ning, are you drunk?"

Ning Chunchi: "..."

"If you're drunk, you should get some rest! Don't you have work tomorrow? You don't have to waste your time calling me."

Ning Chunchi's smile faded. His gaze was sharp enough to pierce the screen, and he watched him for a while before saying quietly, "I don't consider talking to you a waste of time."

Before the Omega could speak, he added, "I haven't been drinking. I'm perfectly sober."

Ning Chunchi's words were like a gentle breeze, leaving Jiang Yumiao's heart tingling and his eyes unconsciously misting over.

The camera amplified even the smallest expressions, and Ning Chunchi naturally didn't miss the change in the Omega's face.

That look, he thought. That was what he had been thinking about all evening.

Only Jiang Yumiao looked at him like that.

No matter how eloquently he wrote his novels, in real life Jiang Yumiao could only stumble bluntly through his feelings. "...I'm really happy you called me."

"President Ning, thank you, truly. For the gland patches, the Little Wave plushie, and everything else. I don't even know how to express my gratitude."

Ning Chunchi's expression softened. "Haven't I told you? You don't need to thank me. If I don't want to do something, no one can force me. Besides, I don't like being called President Ning. Have you decided what to call me?"

He saw the Omega bite his lip, his gaze darting around, looking torn and troubled.

In the end, Ning Chunchi's heart softened, and he decided to let him off for now. "If you can't think of anything, you can just keep calling me..."

Before he could finish, the Omega timidly interrupted him.

He heard Jiang Yumiao call to him in a soft, sweet voice:

"Big brother..."

The words were barely audible, yet they set the Alpha completely ablaze.

Ning Chunchi felt that his shower had been for nothing.