Wanting to mark Xie Lin

After driving Fu Yunxi away in a rage, Lu Ye stretched where he stood.

When he turned around, he instantly froze.

"Wifey, when did you get here?"

Xie Lin frowned. "Do you call every omega wifey?"

"Of course not! Don't accuse me."

Lu Ye looked utterly righteous.

"Faithfulness runs in the Lu family!"

Xie Lin didn't respond, merely looking at him coolly.

"Did you just say you'd wipe out the Fu family?"

"Yes!"

Lu Ye instantly gritted his teeth.

"Fu Yunxi is scum. What gives him the right to keep clinging to you?"

He stepped forward, his gaze burning.

"Stop liking him. Like me instead."

He continued shamelessly.

"As long as you like me, I'll belong to you alone for the rest of my life."

The man's eyes were bright and gentle, his rebellious, hard-edged features softened by that brilliant smile.

Looking into those long, affection-filled eyes, Xie Lin felt the gland at the back of his neck grow slightly hot.

Was this what a compatibility of 93 meant?

It was actually this terrifying!

He turned his head away coldly.

"No thanks. I don't need an alpha."

"Then why did you join a dating show?"

"To avoid paying the contract termination penalty."

"How much? I'll help you-"

"I said no!"

Bang!

The door slammed shut in Lu Ye's face.

He rubbed his nose, not embarrassed in the slightest, then turned to pick up a bathrobe and take a shower.

The large suite had only this one bathroom, and Xie Lin had just finished showering.

The moment Lu Ye pushed open the door, wisps of blood orange fragrance curled around his nose, sweet and fresh, with a hint of damp warmth.

His heart began pounding again.

He pressed a hand against his chest, glanced down, and couldn't help smiling wryly.

"Little brother, don't do this. If he sees you, we'll get scolded!"

Only after a full half hour under a cold shower did Lu Ye emerge, radiating cold.

At the same time, someone knocked on the door.

He walked over slowly and opened it.

He Jianing stood outside. He was about to speak when the sight before him left his mouth slightly agape.

Lu Ye wore a loosely tied bathrobe that revealed a broad expanse of his chest and abs.

Water droplets he hadn't had time to dry trickled down his cool, pale collarbones and disappeared beneath his robe.

He slowly raised his eyes and saw that it was He Jianing.

His pupils instantly trembled. He slammed the door shut at lightning speed, then glanced back guiltily.

There was no sound from the bedroom, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He'd meant to seduce his wifey, only for He Jianing to get an eyeful instead.

He instantly felt defiled.

[Huff, huff, President Lu's body is giving me a nosebleed.]

[Hehe, go look next door. Now Sister Lan has a killer body!]

[Speaking of which, why is He Jianing here? Isn't he supposed to sleep on the deck?]

[Watch your mouths and save some good karma for your descendants!]

[You're not saving any, so why should I? Who am I saving it for? You?]

Despite being rebuffed, He Jianing's face grew redder and redder, and he couldn't help pressing his legs together.

Only after taking a long while to recover did he raise his hand and knock again.

Lu Ye opened the door, fully dressed, his shirt buttoned all the way to the top.

"What is it?"

He Jianing was still blushing, his lips lightly pursed and his voice soft and quiet.

"You came in first, President Lu. The director asked you to go to the deck. There's a Privilege Card for you."

"Why did you come?"

"I don't know either."

He Jianing looked on the verge of tears, gazing at Lu Ye with big, wet eyes.

"He told me to come, so I did."

Lu Ye nodded, closed the door firmly behind him, and strode toward the deck.

He Jianing followed with his head lowered, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

He had just met Fu Yunxi alone in the shared restroom.

He would help him lure Lu Ye away, leaving Xie Lin alone in the room.

An omega-so what if he was S-rank? So what if he had earned a Wuying Certificate?

Against an A-rank alpha, wouldn't he still be completely helpless?

As long as Fu Yunxi seized this chance and got Xie Lin, wouldn't Lu Ye belong to him?

Who would want an omega who had already been marked?

The more He Jianing thought about it, the happier he became, never noticing that Lu Ye was watching him out of the corner of his eye.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Huh?"

He Jianing shuddered in fright, his mind racing.

"Oh, I'm happy for you for taking first place, President Lu."

Lu Ye's scrutinizing gaze lingered on his face for a full five seconds before shifting away.

"That had better be it!"

The two arrived on the deck, one after the other.

The livestream had ended. The director sat on a little folding stool, grinning at today's ratings.

It wasn't just a hit. It was an absolute smash!

The top three trending searches were all about Heartbeat Time Difference.

And this was only the first day!

"Director, you wanted me?"

"Huh? Oh, right. There's a Privilege Card."

The director looked puzzled.

"How did you know?"

Lu Ye's expression grew still.

"Didn't you ask He Jianing to tell me?"

He Jianing immediately put on an obedient smile.

"I heard you discussing it with the assistant director just now. I happened to pass by the cabins, so I called President Lu over on my way."

Lu Ye narrowed his eyes.

"That's not what you said earlier!"

"Huh? It wasn't?"

He Jianing looked bewildered, his expression utterly innocent, as though saying, "You must have remembered wrong."

Lu Ye's heart sank. He turned and ran toward the cabins.

Before he reached them, he heard two dull thuds, as though something heavy had hit the floor.

Immediately afterward came another bang.

Lu Ye nearly ground his back teeth to pieces.

He Jianing had dared to plot against Xie Lin right under his nose. He truly had a death wish.

If anything happened to his wifey, he wouldn't let that bitch get away with it!

"Xie Lin!"

Even as he shouted, he was already charging over.

The moment he pushed open the cabin door, Lu Ye froze.

The doors to both the large suite and the four-person room stood open.

Not far away, Fu Yunxi lay on the floor, his face bruised, swollen, and covered in blood.

Xie Lin straddled him, radiating violence as he swung his fists wildly.

"You think being an alpha makes you so great? Go die!"

"I gave you an inch and you took a mile, huh? I must have been fucking blind to fall for an animal like you!"

Yue Lan leaned against the wall with her arms folded. At the noise, she lazily lifted her eyelids.

Lu Ye's heart nearly stopped. He hurried over and wrapped Xie Lin tightly in his arms from behind.

"Okay, okay. Shh-be good. Stop hitting him."

He soothed him softly, taking his reddened hand and gently rubbing it.

"You'll hurt your hand!"

"Let go of me!"

Xie Lin kept struggling.

"An alpha animal that hasn't even finished evolving! I'll beat him to death!"

Tightening his grip, Lu Ye lifted him outright and strode back into the large suite.

Once he shut the door, he pressed Xie Lin against the wall and held him close, his palm stroking down his back over and over.

His voice was low, the calm before a storm.

"Wifey, don't make yourself sick with anger."

He kissed the top of Xie Lin's head. "Leave this to me!"

As he spoke, he tilted his head and kissed the gland at the back of Xie Lin's neck, releasing a large amount of soothing pheromones.

The restless man in his arms slowly calmed down, but his body abruptly stiffened.

Lu Ye's fingertips were slowly massaging his burning gland, his movements gentle yet impossible to refuse.

He pressed another kiss to Xie Lin's forehead, carried him over to the sofa, laid him down, and covered him with his jacket.

The jacket was saturated with Lu Ye's pheromones, its delicate sandalwood scent enveloping him in an overbearing, impenetrable embrace.

His eyes were dark.

"Be good and wait here. I'll be right back."

After doing all this, Lu Ye slowly returned to the corridor.

Someone had helped Fu Yunxi up. He was leaning against the wall, panting, looking as wretched as a stray dog.

He Jianing approached with concern written all over his face.

"What's gotten into Xie Lin? Couldn't he talk things out? Whatever happened, he shouldn't hit people!"

Seeing Lu Ye come out, he immediately went up to him.

"President Lu, you're sharing a room with Xie Lin. Please talk some sense into him. If Yunxi's face is disfigured, how will he film the show tomorrow?"

Lu Ye didn't spare him so much as a glance, looking straight at Yue Lan.

"What happened?"

Yue Lan lifted her eyelids, expressionless.

"Fu Yunxi forced his way into the room and tried to-mark Xie Lin!"