Before Ning Chunchi could speak, a call from Yang Qi came in too.
"Mr. Big-shot CEO, do you have separation anxiety? What's going to happen if you don't see him for one day? You're trending again!" Director Yang's booming voice left Jiang Yumiao's head spinning.
Ning Chunchi didn't respond to that. Instead, he said, "Security at his place is inadequate. Now that his address has been exposed, it's unsafe for him to stay there. I'm taking him to my place for a couple of days."
Hearing the Alpha beside him, Jiang Yumiao was so startled that he forgot to breathe, his mind buzzing.
H-he hadn't misheard, had he?! The second male lead was taking him home? He hadn't even mentioned it beforehand... He wasn't mentally prepared at all!
Director Yang: "..."
On the other end of the call, Director Yang opened and closed his mouth several times before finally squeezing out, "Don't get photographed. If you get caught again this time, you can both leave the show outright. The rules of a dating show say you can't officially get together before filming ends. Understand? At least, you can't let the public think you have."
It was the first time Director Yang had sounded so stern, and it made Jiang Yumiao uneasy.
At that, Ning Chunchi merely gave a calm "Mm."
Jiang Yumiao took a deep breath and leaned toward the phone to explain, "Director Yang, please don't be angry! President Ning was only trying to help me. A crowd had trapped me at the entrance to my apartment complex, and it was really scary. If President Ning hadn't pulled me out, who knows what might have happened?"
Director Yang had always been helpless against a sincere, gentle Omega, and his tone immediately softened. "Yumiao, I saw the video. It really was frightening. I was planning to help you find a new place after we got back from the second stop. I didn't expect you to get recognized so soon."
Embarrassment tinged Jiang Yumiao's smile. "I even made a point of wearing a mask. It didn't help at all."
Director Yang laughed a couple of times. "Your hair is too distinctive. A hat might help a little. Stay at Ning Chunchi's place for the next couple of days. If you need anything, tell Xiao Wu and have him take care of it."
Ning Chunchi suddenly said, "He won't need him."
Director Yang was speechless. "Fine, fine. With you there, he really won't need Xiao Wu. The production team will release a statement shortly explaining why you two met today. That's all, then. I'm hanging up."
A shy look surfaced in Jiang Yumiao's eyes. Other people might find the second male lead's possessiveness excessive, but he genuinely loved it. It gave him a powerful sense of security and made him feel that Ning Chunchi needed him.
The Bentley drove from the outskirts toward City A's most bustling avenue, and the buildings before them gradually changed from low, welcoming apartment blocks to cold towers soaring into the clouds.
The car brought them to the Peak of Xin Sea, an exclusive luxury residential development in City A's central business district. Set beside the river, it offered views of the city's most iconic riverside buildings without residents ever having to leave home. At 300,000 yuan per square meter, it could rightfully be called the country's most famous luxury housing development.
For an easier commute, Ning Chunchi owned a six-hundred-square-meter, single-level apartment here.
Jiang Yumiao felt that every day since transmigrating had opened his eyes to something new. He had never imagined that he would one day stay somewhere like this. At the property prices in this neighborhood, he couldn't even afford a single square meter.
Ning Chunchi led him through the opulent lobby and into an elevator, where he entered a code and told him to remember it.
Jiang Yumiao nodded a little anxiously and followed close behind the second male lead like a small animal. His docile manner made Ning Chunchi's lips curve without him realizing it.
The elevator opened directly into the apartment. Jiang Yumiao's eyes widened; he had never seen a layout like this before. So the code Ning Chunchi had just entered was actually the code to his front door.
The apartment was bright and airy, sunlight spilling through enormous floor-to-ceiling windows into the living room. Luxurious furnishings in black and white met his eyes. The decor was Italian minimalist, yet the boldly colored oil paintings on the walls added a flamboyant touch to its cool austerity. That clash of styles seemed to hint at the owner's dual nature.
"Everything was too rushed today, so a lot of things at home aren't ready yet. You'll have to make do with these for now," Ning Chunchi said, finding Jiang Yumiao a new pair of plain white slippers in the entryway shoe cabinet.
Watching Jiang Yumiao put them on, Ning Chunchi frowned slightly, thinking that he should have He Yuan bring over a pair with grapes on them.
He asked, "What were you planning to do when you went out earlier?"
Jiang Yumiao answered, "I'd run out of groceries, so I needed to buy some food, and a few clothes too."
Ning Chunchi said, "All right. Stay here for the next couple of days. Malls are too chaotic; I'll have someone deliver whatever you need. You can use anything in the apartment. Tell me if anything's missing."
Gratitude flickered in Jiang Yumiao's eyes. Although Ning Chunchi was always telling him not to thank him, he still had to say it.
"Okay, I won't go out! Thank you, Mr. Ning..."
Jiang Yumiao stopped, turning his head and lowering his eyes. Lightly clutching the hem of his shirt, he finally voiced the form of address he had been holding inside for so long. "Thank you, gege."
Ning Chunchi's breathing faltered almost imperceptibly. His long-fingered hand clenched at his side, veins rising on its back.
"You're welcome," he said hoarsely.
Hearing that form of address in person had far more devastating an effect than he had imagined. For the first time in his life, President Ning changed the subject with a hint of fluster, taking Jiang Yumiao to see his bedroom.
Giving Jiang Yumiao the guest room next to his own, rather than having him sleep directly in the master bedroom, already took considerable restraint.
Even the guest room was bigger than Jiang Yumiao's own place. The furniture still had that cool, austere style, but the three-piece bedding set was a warm, creamy yellow that had nothing to do with austerity, as though the host had deliberately changed it to suit his guest's tastes.
Ning Chunchi pointed at the desk by the window. "You need to write your book, right? I put a computer there for you."
Jiang Yumiao walked over slowly, his back to Ning Chunchi, and lightly touched the brand-new white twenty-seven-inch curved monitor.
He didn't dare turn around or open his mouth.
He was afraid that if he spoke, his voice would break and betray his surging emotions.
So this was what it felt like to matter to someone. So happiness really could make you choke up when it became overwhelming.
Ning Chunchi was very busy. Once he had settled Jiang Yumiao in, he went out to work. Before leaving, he looked at the dark circles that made Jiang Yumiao's lack of sleep obvious and told him to rest properly at home. Jiang Yumiao nodded obediently and watched him enter the elevator.
It was late at night by the time Ning Chunchi finished work and came home.
A warm floor lamp glowed beside the living room sofa. He knew Jiang Yumiao had left it on for him.
For the first time, he hadn't come home to a cold room shrouded in darkness.
Ning Chunchi softened his footsteps, afraid of waking Jiang Yumiao. But when he reached the bedroom hallway, he found Jiang Yumiao's door ajar, almost as if... it were inviting him inside.
Something dark stirred in his eyes. Did Jiang Yumiao really trust him this much? Wasn't he afraid of letting a wolf into his room?
Or had the Omega done it on purpose?
Jiang Yumiao would have protested his innocence. He had barely slept at all the previous night, only managing three hours after dawn. On top of that, he had been wound tight throughout the journey. Even after Ning Chunchi left, he was still dazed, drifting around the enormous apartment like a wandering ghost until evening before finally recovering.
Aaaaaah, how had he ended up being brought home by the second male lead?! When he'd gone out at noon, he never could have imagined things taking this turn.
Once he relaxed, sleepiness immediately swept over Jiang Yumiao. He had intended to sit on the sofa and wait for the second male lead to come home, but his eyelids kept drooping, and the soft bed in the bedroom seemed to beckon to him.
Mm, just a tiny nap!
Jiang Yumiao was confident that the sound of Ning Chunchi coming home would wake him. He drifted into the bedroom, flopped onto the bed, and fell asleep without even closing the door properly.
That was why Ning Chunchi came home to this sight.
The Omega lay on his side on the creamy yellow sheets, still wearing his daytime clothes, without a blanket over him. His body was slightly curled up, and the hem of his loose shirt had ridden up to reveal a slender strip of pale waist.
In his sleep, Jiang Yumiao suddenly felt as though a ravenous wolf had fixed its eyes on him. Frightened, he snapped his eyes open and met a deep, shadowed gaze.
Oh, Ning Chunchi was home... His eyes ached with lingering fatigue, and his lashes fluttered a couple of times.
To the Alpha, it looked as though his sleepy little prey had finally awakened and was gazing at him with tender, dewy eyes, even blinking shyly.
He had heard that Omegas were very clingy and wanted goodnight kisses before bed.
So... was Jiang Yumiao asking him for a kiss?
Every wicked cell in his body clamored for him to grant Jiang Yumiao's request.
Ning Chunchi had always been a man who followed his desires. If he wanted to do something, he did it.
He bent down, his eyes filled with a tenderness he hadn't even noticed himself.
A kiss landed softly on Jiang Yumiao's smooth forehead.
"Goodnight." His Little Grape.
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