Film Emperor Fu, there's someone behind you

After half a month apart, the six guests gathered again.

Fu Yunxi sniffed and discovered that Xie Lin's pheromones had actually been completely reined in.

Impossible!

He had only just finished his heat. How could he not be giving off the slightest scent?

Without his soothing, Xie Lin had always relied entirely on suppressants to get through it, and every time, he was left exhausted by the ordeal.

But today, why was he so energetic, as though he had taken some miracle tonic?

And he looked even better than before!

His skin was finer, his lips more moist, making people unable to resist wanting to...

Dazed, Fu Yunxi stared fixedly at Xie Lin's lips. Without realizing it, he released his pheromones, sending them toward Xie Lin.

Bang!

As though they had struck an invisible wall, his pheromones were instantly shattered.

The scent of cedar spread through the air, making everyone else frown.

Yue Lan immediately grabbed Yu Zhiwei and sprang far away.

"Film Emperor Fu, could you have some manners? There are Omegas here!"

A ripple of pleasure crossed He Jianing's expression as he turned toward Fu Yunxi.

"Yunxi? What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"...No!"

Xie Lin, meanwhile, watched their movements in bewilderment.

"What's wrong? Sister Lan, why did you run so far away?"

"You didn't smell it?"

Xie Lin sniffed, his eyes full of confusion.

"No!"

Yue Lan frowned, then relaxed her brow.

A top Alpha's pheromones had actually formed a transparent barrier around Xie Lin.

That was why he couldn't smell the scents other Alphas released.

Unless that person's pheromones were of an even higher rank!

Whatever else Fu Yunxi lacked, he was still A-rank!

Only an S-rank could block out an A-rank and exert such overwhelming pressure!

It was Lu Ye!

The look Yue Lan gave Xie Lin grew meaningful.

Fu Yunxi also caught on, and his expression changed abruptly.

"You and Lu Ye are together?"

Xie Lin glanced at him, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"What the fuck is it to you?"

When Lu Ye returned after his phone call and discovered that the barrier around Xie Lin had thinned, he frowned, pursed his lips, and added another layer.

Looking incredulous, Xie Lin walked up and kicked him.

"What are you doing?"

"Keeping other dogs away!"

"...You're enough of a dog yourself!"

"A dog who belongs to you alone~!"

Xie Lin rolled his eyes.

After a full week of temporary marking, he had discovered that Lu Ye was growing more and more shameless.

Fu Yunxi looked at the two of them with a hostile expression.

Half a month had passed, and their relationship seemed even closer. An outsider like him couldn't get a word in at all.

The thought startled him.

Since when had he started defining himself as an outsider?

I won't accept this!

Yu Zhiwei's mouth hung slightly open, shock written all over her face.

She was an A-rank Omega and couldn't see the barrier around Xie Lin.

"Sister Lan, what's going on?"

Yue Lan smiled faintly.

"I heard Lu Ye was in rut last week. Most likely, they spent it together."

Yu Zhiwei let out a wow, looking thoroughly delighted by the pairing.

"They're so sweet!"

Just then, another celebrity van slowly drove up.

The camera operator immediately hoisted his camera and raced forward.

The livestream officially began!

[Aaaaaah, we finally get to see Sister Lan again! I missed you so much, so much! MWAH! MWAH!]

[Tao Miaomiao, I'm heeere! Hugs and kisses!]

[You above, got a death wish? Tao Miaomiao belongs to Lu Gougou!]

[Who exactly is the new guest? I'm kind of curious.]

[One more guest turns an even number into an odd one? Interesting!]

[Why is Fu Yunxi here again? Not staying home cuddling his little sister?]

The car door opened, and a long leg stepped out first.

Then lines of large text appeared on the screen:

Zhou Shuyuan, Alpha, 24, renowned dancer, height: 188 cm...

Xie Lin was standing on tiptoe to look over when a sudden weight landed on the back of his neck, and a large hand unceremoniously pushed his head back around.

"What are you looking at? Is he better-looking than me?"

"..."

Xie Lin rolled his eyes.

What the hell does this have to do with being good-looking? Are all Alphas this narcissistic?

With the guest introductions finished, the director made a dazzling entrance holding a pink megaphone.

"You all know each other now, right? Then let's start our first game: ghost tag."

As he spoke, he circled an area on the map.

"You can hide anywhere inside the circle. When the ghost catches someone, they have to kiss them to turn them into a ghost."

"If the ghost fails to catch everyone within the time limit, they'll have to accept a punishment."

"Eww!!"

Goosebumps rose all over Xie Lin. When he turned, he saw Lu Ye and Yue Lan frowning in equal disgust.

Zhou Shuyuan, on the other hand, listened to the rules with interest, his gaze drifting toward He Jianing.

Xie Lin raised an eyebrow.

Well, well, a secret admirer? Interesting!

Lu Ye raised his hand.

"Director, can we kiss anywhere?"

"It has to be on the head."

[??? Where do you want to kiss? Elaborate!]

[Hahahaha, I'm dying! So lips, noses, and foreheads are all fine, just not hands or feet.]

[Oh god, wouldn't an Alpha kissing an Alpha be disgusting?]

[An O kissing an O is disgusting too!]

"Everyone understand?"

The director looked at the guests' expressions, somewhat baffled.

Hadn't they all gotten along pretty well last episode?

What was wrong with a little kiss?

"Then let's play rock-paper-scissors to decide who'll be the ghost."

Half an hour later, Fu Yunxi watched with a dark expression as the six guests scattered in every direction and vanished in the blink of an eye. His temples twitched.

"How am I supposed to find them?"

Smiling, the director handed him a tablet.

Six red dots were moving rapidly across a map.

Each red dot had a guest's name written above it.

Gradually, they stopped moving, one after another.

Fu Yunxi's eyes lit up, his gaze instantly locking onto the red dot farthest from him: Xie Lin.

Without another word, he took off running.

[Huh? Where's Film Emperor Fu going? Why isn't he going for our Ningbao, who's closest, first?]

[I checked the map. Yu Zhiwei, Zhou Shuyuan, Lu Ye, and Xie Lin are all in that direction. Who's he after?]

[My blind guess: not Zhou Shuyuan. They don't know each other, after all!]

[Yu Zhiwei isn't very likely either!]

[Lu Ye is even less likely, so that only leaves one person. Heh!]

[Maybe he wants to get them all in one go?]

[Does he have the brains for that? I'll eat a keyboard upside down!]

Fu Yunxi looked at the tablet in his hand. Xie Lin's red dot wasn't moving at all.

He snorted and rounded the villa with a sinister grin, charging straight into the backyard.

Then he froze.

Behind the villa lay a vast, lush green lawn with a few scattered saplings, as thin as chopsticks. Even hiding a cat behind them would be difficult.

Ahead to the left was a lotus pond, with a quaint little wooden bridge over it.

The scenery was as beautiful as a painting!

But as far as he could see-

There! Wasn't! A single! Person!!

Refusing to believe it, he lowered his head to check the tablet.

Xie Lin's red dot was right on the bridge, but there wasn't even a bird there, let alone a person!

His brows knotted, Fu Yunxi strode onto the bridge and even leaned over the railing to look down.

Aside from lotus flowers and a few fat koi, there wasn't shit!

He raised the tablet again.

Suddenly, he discovered that his green dot and Xie Lin's red dot actually overlapped!

"What's going on? Director, is the tablet broken?"

The director's voice drifted through his earpiece.

"It's working. Don't worry!"

"That's impossible! I'm standing right here, and I haven't seen anyone!"

"Film Emperor Fu, you're running out of time. Only ten minutes left!"

With no other choice, Fu Yunxi temporarily gave up on this spot and turned to rush toward He Jianing's location inside the villa.

At the same time, on the wooden bridge he had left behind, a figure was using both hands and feet to crawl from his side to the other.

He even poked his head out and gave Fu Yunxi's retreating back the middle finger!

[Fuck, what just crawled past? That was fucking terrifying!]

[...Could it possibly be Xie Lin?]

[Hahahaha, it's him! Go watch his camera feed. I'm dying! He's like Spider-Man!]

[Film Emperor Fu, there's someone behind you. Hehehehe~]