Please vote for the guest who made the best first impression on you!

Wen Zhiyan looked at the number 4 on his envelope and breathed a sigh of relief.

After seeing Jiang Lan's expression just now, Wen Zhiyan hadn't dared imagine what he would face if he drew 5.

But clearly, he had relaxed too soon.

Because the moment he looked up, he saw that Jiang Lan's expression had grown even stranger.

Wen Zhiyan froze at first, then remembered that Jiang Lan was also an alpha, and was instantly struck speechless.

Once Wen Zhiyan opened his envelope, Lin Ziyou was spared the trouble. He put his envelope straight back where it had been and walked over to stand behind Xu Can.

The rooms for the first night were all assigned without incident. It had to be said that the viewers hoping for some drama were a little disappointed.

But the viewers weren't the only ones disappointed.

There were also the eight guests, each with their own thoughts.

Overall, today's room draw had accomplished next to nothing. It was no different from simply assigning rooms by gender.

But with everyone watching, no one could say anything more.

Wen Zhiyan lightly tapped the number on the paper with a fingertip, then tossed the envelope onto the table and glanced at Jiang Lan again. After their eyes met for three seconds, he lowered his gaze as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Lan and Wen Zhiyan stood very close, so close that when their eyes met, Jiang Lan could clearly see the curve of Wen Zhiyan's eyelashes and the small mole on the left side of his nose.

In years past, that mole had been an accomplice and a weapon whenever Wen Zhiyan pretended to be pitiful. It was branded into Jiang Lan's heart, impossible to forget even if he wanted to.

Jiang Lan felt that in the seven years they had been apart, Wen Zhiyan seemed to have changed, yet also seemed unchanged.

He looked much more mature, composed, and measured.

The person who had said, "Keep staring at me and I'll gouge your eyes out," when they first met had sheathed his sharp edges, becoming perfectly at ease in such a complicated social setting.

Wen Zhiyan had turned his once blunt, unabashed superiority into an unattainability that seemed gentle but was utterly distant.

So much about Wen Zhiyan was no longer like the past, yet Jiang Lan could still tell what he wanted from a single look.

A relationship between two alphas could not see the light of day.

Many times in the past, all Wen Zhiyan had needed to do was look at Jiang Lan like that, and Jiang Lan would know he was extending an invitation.

Back then, Jiang Lan had still been a reckless young fool with no reservations.

Once he received the signal, Jiang Lan would sneak into Wen Zhiyan's dorm room after nightfall.

Now, that look of Wen Zhiyan's, holding something back and tugging like a hook at Jiang Lan's hopeless heart, was just as it had been all those years ago.

Jiang Lan licked his sharp canine tooth, shifted his gaze away from Wen Zhiyan's face, and looked at the clock on the living room wall.

In the past, whenever Wen Zhiyan wanted him, Jiang Lan had always shamelessly gone to him.

If Wen Zhiyan told him to go east, he would never go west. If Wen Zhiyan told him to beat a dog, he would never curse a chicken instead.

Anyone who knew about the two of them would marvel and tease him:

"Who would've thought you'd end up being someone's lapdog, Jiang Lan?"

Now, they had been apart for too long. There was no point arguing about right and wrong, gains and losses, or how much each had given back then.

Although Wen Zhiyan had returned, he had not made the purpose of his return clear.

Jiang Lan was almost thirty. He didn't want to recklessly plunge in again, full of passion, and flatter himself that Wen Zhiyan had come back for him.

What if he hadn't? Where would that leave him?

He thought that, no matter what, he ought to wait a little longer.

Wait for Wen Zhiyan to give him an answer.

Jiang Lan silently drew a deep breath, slung his backpack over his shoulder, walked around Wen Zhiyan, and headed upstairs.

The villa had three floors aboveground and one basement level.

The three single rooms, numbers 1, 2, and 3, were on the second floor, while the two triple rooms, numbers 4 and 5, were on the third.

The living room and kitchen were on the first floor, and the basement had a cinema, a gym, and a billiards room.

There was also a rooftop terrace above the third floor, fitted with a canopy-a good place to chat, have a drink, and enjoy the sea view.

It was already late, and once everyone returned to their rooms, the day's activities were over.

Jiang Lan went straight to the door marked [1], pushed it open, and walked inside.

It seemed to be a master bedroom, complete with a large double bed, a wardrobe, a dressing table, a desk, a beanbag chair, and a private bathroom.

A pale cashmere rug lay beneath the bed. Although there were only a few streetlights outside, Jiang Lan could still see the sea nearby through the clear floor-to-ceiling windows.

The production team hadn't lied about this. Saying it wasn't as nice as their own homes had been modest; the surroundings really were lovely. Both the facilities and the decor were beyond reproach, and even the sheets and duvet cover were pure silk.

The bathroom was fully stocked with toiletries, too. Not only that, they were high-end products from a brand Jiang Lan had an ongoing partnership with.

After surveying his room, Jiang Lan's first reaction was to unzip his backpack and rummage through it for clothes.

Unfortunately, the more he searched, the more he regretted it.

Whether it was the navy polo shirt fit for a retired official, the retro punk leather trousers covered in oversized studs, the blinding red-and-purple tie-dyed T-shirt, or the fluorescent yellow-green shirt that truly tested one's taste-

They all plunged Jiang Lan into utter despair.

After some thought, he tossed his backpack aside and reached back to lock the bedroom door.

He thought that if Wen Zhiyan knew what was good for him, he had better not come tonight.

But despite that, Jiang Lan still scrubbed himself thoroughly with the toiletries provided in the room.

He even shaved with a freshly unwrapped manual razor.

Jiang Lan usually paid little attention to skincare. Used to an electric shaver, he inevitably nicked his chin in several places when he suddenly switched to a manual one.

Facing the mirror, he blow-dried his hair into a languid style that looked casual but was subtly calculated.

Then he opened the mini fridge, looked at the face masks inside, and hesitated for a moment before tearing one open and putting it on, disregarding the small cuts on his chin.

As for clothes, Jiang Lan tilted his head to look at the white bathrobe hanging on the rack and thought, If I don't have any, I just won't wear any. That works out perfectly.

Only after spending over an hour fussing and dawdling did Jiang Lan emerge from the bathroom in his bathrobe and examine himself in the full-length mirror.

His features were deep-set and sharply defined. Though nearly thirty, he still retained a touch of boyishness.

His figure needed no introduction: broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long legs, and a perky ass. He loosened the belt of his bathrobe, letting the neckline fall slightly open to reveal a glimpse of his chest muscles.

Overall, Jiang Lan was quite satisfied with how he looked.

But he kept feeling as though something was missing.

Jiang Lan racked his brains but couldn't think of it. Just as he was about to give up, he turned and saw the underwear he had tossed onto the bed.

Worn underwear. His only pair.

Jiang Lan pressed a hand to his forehead. Fuck. What a flaw.

He stood there for a while, choosing between putting that pair back on and going commando. He chose the latter and tossed the underwear into the bathroom, planning to wash it and hang it up.

But just as he turned on the tap, the phone issued by the production team chimed with a message notification.

Jiang Lan set the underwear beside the sink, washed his hands, then left the bathroom and picked up the phone from the desk.

The screen displayed: [Task reminder.]

Jiang Lan opened the message. It contained a link, which he tapped to enter a pink voting page.

A little winged cupid carrying arrows held up a heart that read: [Now that you've met, please vote for the guest who made the best first impression on you!]

Beneath the cupid were the names of today's nine guests.

Jiang Lan had nothing to hesitate over. He quickly tapped a name, then tossed the phone aside.

At the same time, the other eight guests had also received the task message and were voting.

In the public chat:

[Lan-ge was the first to vote. It only took him fifty-two seconds from receiving the task to making his choice.]

[That decisive? Who was it? Who made such a good first impression on Lan-ge?]

[He didn't hesitate at all? Has he been planning this for ages? I'm curious!]

[President Wen has finished too, one second slower than Lan-ge.]

[The alphas all seem pretty decisive. The omegas look like they're about to start discussing it, hahahahaha.]

[That's normal. I'm an omega, and I'd have a hard time choosing too. Jiang Lan, President Wen, award-winning actor Pei, and Qiao Xin all have their good points. How am I supposed to choose?]

[You shouldn't cast such a wide net, but I will. I'm into male alphas, so I choose Lan-ge, President Wen, and Pei Du.]

[Wow, so your whole thing is refusing to choose and taking them all?]

[But I still want to know who Lan-ge picked so quickly. My blind guess is Xu Can. Ever since Lan-ge entered the villa, Xu Can's the only one he's treated even reasonably nicely.]

[Now that you mention it... I could kind of ship that...]

[Am I the only one who likes Ye Qiunian? I'm so into his vibe. If I were an alpha, I'd really want to bite him.]

Jiang Lan knew nothing of the speculation outside.

The unexpected voting task had interrupted what he had been doing, and now that he had finished voting, he had completely forgotten his unfinished task.

It was true that when something unexpected interrupted what someone was doing, it was easy to forget what they had been doing before.

But Jiang Lan had rarely been this forgetful before.

Ever since getting out of the car today, he had been absentminded and forgetting one thing after another, simply because he had something weighing on his mind.

Jiang Lan found a bottle of brandy in the room's small liquor cabinet, poured himself a small glass, then picked up a magazine from the desk and made a show of reading it.

As he read, he kept glancing at the little alarm clock on the bedside table.

Time kept passing, but there was no sound outside the door.

Jiang Lan finished his drink and wanted a cigarette again.

But he had mailed his lighter at the airport, and it wouldn't arrive until tomorrow, so Jiang Lan began to grow irritable.

He closed the magazine, stood up, paced around the room twice, and stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows watching the sea at night for a while. There was still no sound outside the door.

So Jiang Lan drew the curtains and switched off the main light, leaving only the dim floor lamp beside the bed on.

He lay on the bed for a while, staring at the little alarm clock on the bedside table.

Jiang Lan watched the minute hand move from nine to ten, then eleven, his expression darkening all the while.

Finally, as midnight approached, he pushed the tactless little alarm clock aside and took the incense box out of his bag.

Just as he was about to light the incense, he realized he still had no flame.

He dragged a hand over his face, threw his backpack onto the floor, and crawled under the covers.

But just as he was about to turn off the light, a soft knock came from the door.

Jiang Lan abruptly sat up in bed. Afraid he was hallucinating after waiting too long, he pricked up his ears and listened carefully again.

Sure enough, the knock came again.

At that moment, Jiang Lan felt his heart begin pounding wildly once more.

He rolled out of bed, tugged at his bathrobe, and jogged to the door, then asked with perfectly solemn puzzlement, "Who is it?"