He Jianing could no longer keep the smile on his face.
He clenched his back teeth, his eyes rapidly reddening, looking as though he had suffered some terrible injustice.
Fu Yunxi glanced at him.
He lowered his voice:
"Bear with it. None of us can afford to offend President Lu!"
"Yunxi, I only wanted to say hello to President Lu. Why does he seem to hate me so much? Did I do something wrong?"
"You did nothing wrong!"
Fu Yunxi cast a cool look at Lu Ye and the scowling Xie Lin beside him.
"Rich people put on airs. It's normal."
Xie Lin could not understand why Lu Ye had come on a dating show.
Zhao Dan had given him the cast list long ago.
Apart from the five of them, the last guest had indeed been a CEO named Jiang Si.
Why had they suddenly switched people?
The faint scent of sandalwood kept lingering around his nose. Xie Lin felt physically comfortable, but he was irritated as hell.
Fuck, if I could afford the penalty for breaking the contract, there's no way I'd have come on this shitty show.
Amusement in his eyes, Lu Ye rested a hand on his waist and turned sideways, partially gathering him into his arms.
"Don't worry. Those people have been dealt with."
Xie Lin froze and looked up at him.
"How? Did you kill them?"
"I'm a law-abiding man. Of course I sent them to prison to rot. You don't need to worry about anything that comes after. Leave it to me."
Xie Lin kept his grudges and debts of gratitude separate, and he was grateful for his help.
"Thank you!"
Lu Ye took a deep breath, his burning gaze settling on his face.
"It's only right. By the way, there's something I think you need to know."
"What?"
Before him, Xie Lin gazed at him with bright, dewy almond eyes.
He seemed like an entirely different person from the ruthless, decisive man in the warehouse yesterday.
Lu Ye's heart fluttered, and his voice dropped even lower.
"You and I have a pheromone compatibility of ninety-three percent."
Xie Lin frowned.
Although pheromone grades and scents were public information, accessing detailed records required the person concerned to be present.
He snorted.
"The Lu family really does have its fingers everywhere."
Lu Ye ignored the sarcasm in his tone. He had eyes only for him.
"Ninety-three! We're the most compatible couple in the whole world!"
"Hah!"
"I originally thought your pheromones were sweet orange. Only after checking did I find out they were blood orange!"
Lu Ye was so excited his hands were shaking.
"Blood orange. What a lovely name!"
Xie Lin's brow furrowed further, and he stepped aside.
"You sound like a pervert."
"Only for you!"
"Drop dead!"
"Can't do that. If I die, you won't have a husband!"
"Shut the fuck up. I'm engaged!"
The smile vanished from Lu Ye's lips in an instant. Dark currents churned in his eyes, but he still stared stubbornly at him.
[Guys, can anyone read lips? What are those two saying?]
[I want to hear so badly. You can tell they know each other.]
[They look so good together!]
[Did that dog Xie see that President Lu had more money than sense and start seducing him already?]
[Which eye of yours saw Xie Lin seducing President Lu? Isn't President Lu clearly the one making all the advances?]
[Insider here. President Lu is an S+ alpha, and he isn't stupid, thank you!]
[Holy shit, S+-Rank? How powerful must his mental strength be?]
[I hear S-Class Alphas are big everywhere, so an S+-Rank... Xie Lin's in for a treat.]
Watching the comments fly past, the director was practically grinning like an idiot.
He cleared his throat and picked up his little megaphone.
"Welcome to Heartbeat Time Difference. Since everyone's getting along so well, let's play a little game-put a finger down."
"Each person will name something they've done. Any other guest who hasn't had the same experience must put a finger down. Whoever puts down the most fingers loses."
A sly gleam flashed in the director's eyes.
"This will determine where you sleep tonight. See that boat?"
The director pointed his palm-leaf fan toward the water.
"First place gets a single room. Not only is it spacious, it also has a private bathroom. Second through fourth place will share a triple room and use the communal bathroom."
His gaze passed over all six guests' faces, and he was very pleased with their reactions.
"As for the bottom two, they can only sleep on deck."
[Can people even sleep on deck? The production team is way too cruel!]
[Then work hard and win. Who can you blame if you lose?]
[If you lose, you have to accept the punishment. You don't want to win but still want a big house? You want all the perks!]
The director smiled mischievously.
"If you're ready, let's begin! Staff, bring over the cards for them to draw."
Lu Ye leaned sideways a little, looking at Xie Lin with shining eyes.
"Let's take third and fourth. Then we can stay together."
Xie Lin glanced at him.
"What about whoever comes second?"
"Tell them to get lost!"
"In your dreams."
"Even your farts smell sweet, Taotao."
Xie Lin frowned.
How did he know his childhood nickname?
"You investigated me?"
"It's normal to do a simple background check on your future partner, isn't it? If you really can't get over it, you can hit me a couple of times. Don't make yourself sick with anger."
Xie Lin laughed in anger.
"Don't call me that!"
"Why can Fu Yunxi call you that?"
"If he dares call me that again, I'll electrocute him. Do you want to die too?"
"Can't have that. I want to grow old with my wife!"
"Who's your wife?"
"You!"
"Have some shame, President Lu!"
"What good is shame? My wife matters most!"
Xie Lin was furious. He really had no good way of dealing with such a shameless alpha.
In a fit of anger, he pinched Lu Ye's arm hard!
"Ow, easy, easy! It hurts, it hurts!"
"Shut up!"
"Wife, I was wrong!"
"You're still saying it!"
Xie Lin pinched harder, and Lu Ye bent at the waist from the pain.
Yet his eyes held a doting smile.
My wife's pinching me. I'd be happy even if it hurt me to death!
A staff member stood holding the cards, hesitating over whether to approach.
Xie Lin let go, his expression instantly returning to calm.
"I'll go first!"
He reached out and drew the six of spades.
The corner of Xie Lin's mouth twitched.
Lu Ye obligingly clapped his hands.
"Six-six-six! Awesome!"
After everyone else had drawn, only the three of spades remained, so naturally it went to him.
Fu Yunxi's face was thunderous.
Those two were standing so close together. Who knew what they had just been saying?
Lu Ye wore a lecherous grin, while Xie Lin's face grew redder and redder.
When had they met?
Xie Lin never kept anything from him. Why had he not told him about this particular thing?
He suddenly remembered what Fu Yingying had said yesterday, that Xie Lin had another alpha's scent on him-
Was it Lu Ye?
He Jianing looked unhappy too.
He knew Xie Lin was an S-Class Omega with an irresistible appeal to A-rank and higher Alphas.
But who was Lu Ye?
He had been single for all twenty-eight years of his life, and he had fallen just like that?
He was clearly S-rank too, so why did Lu Ye not even want to speak to him?
That bitch must have used some dirty trick!
He Jianing adjusted his expression and turned to Fu Yunxi with a smile.
"Yunxi, Xie Lin and President Lu seem so close. Did they know each other before?"
Yue Lan glanced at him.
"You and Film Emperor Fu are close too, aren't you?"
He Jianing faltered and bit his lip.
"That's different. Yunxi and I have worked together before, so it's normal that we know each other a little better. Sister Lan..."
"You're older than me. Don't call me your older sister."
[Is Yue Lan seriously sick in the head? She's an alpha. What's wrong with giving our Ningbao a break?]
[She's clearly targeting Ningbao. This woman is such a turnoff!]
[Why should she give him a break? Do you think Sister Lan is Ningbao's mother?]
[So what if she's an alpha? If an omega seduces her into losing control, she still gets locked up at the police station. Have you all forgotten that news story?]
Another bloody battle erupted in the comments.
Yue Lan had an enormous fan base, nothing He Jianing, who had only recently returned to the country, could compare to.
After only a brief fight, his fans slunk away and fell silent.
Xie Lin turned to look over. Seeing He Jianing put in his place, his eyes curved into pretty crescents.
Yue Lan had wanted to give him a flirtatious wink, but after seeing Lu Ye's expression, which looked as though he could eat someone alive, she decided against it.
Staying alive comes first!
She held up the ace of spades between her fingers and looked at the director.
"Does this count as one?"
"Yes, it's one!"
[Sister Lan is such a badass alpha, aaaaah!]
Before you continue