His body felt as if an electric current had run through it

The clothes, the scent...

In a flash, Hao Jia caught on. "This belongs to that random man?!"

"Mm. It smells really good. I love it. Whenever I close my eyes, it feels like I'm back in those two days, with him holding..."

"Stop!" Hao Jia's head was about to explode. "Stop thinking about it! That's just the pheromones talking. You're not missing him! An Alpha who marks an Omega so carelessly isn't worth pining over!"

"We're running out of time. Hurry up and wash up," he urged.

Nan Zhou said, "Mm."

"Were you playing a game just now?"

"Reminiscing."

"..."

The memories of those two days were dreamlike and scorching, filling Nan Zhou's mind with musical notes.

He had turned them into a song and sent it to a female singer.

Writing a song hadn't taken much time for a top producer like him. Finding the right singer to perform it took more thought.

Only after spending two full days listening to songs by no fewer than a hundred singers had Nan Zhou found this female singer, and he had just sent her the demo.

The two arrived at the magazine shoot just in time, and the shoot assistant immediately led Nan Zhou toward the makeup room.

Along the way, hushed murmurs came from everywhere.

Though he couldn't make out much, Hao Jia was sure none of it was good.

As they passed a piece of equipment, the hurried shoot assistant failed to notice a cable on the floor and nearly tripped. Fortunately, a hand shot out and caught her.

Once she regained her footing, the hand withdrew.

The photography assistant turned back to look at Nan Zhou, who had slipped his hand back into his hoodie pocket and was yawning nonchalantly. A thought sprang into her mind.

So handsome!

Coming back to her senses, she immediately shook her head, hurriedly thanked him, and quickened her pace to push open the makeup room door.

Behind her, she heard Nan Zhou say, "While I'm getting styled, could I get a haircut too?"

Huh?

"What are you trying to pull now?" His manager, Hao Jia, answered, sounding weak and utterly resigned.

"Cut my bangs. They're too long and poke my eyes." His tone was lazy.

"Why don't you just shave it all off!"

"No." After a brief pause, Nan Zhou said, "That'd look too cool. I'm afraid you'd fall for me."

The photography assistant couldn't hold back a snort of laughter.

Nan Zhou and Hao Jia both looked at her. Her face warmed. "You're a little different from what people say online, Nan Zhou. You're pretty funny."

And... really... not much like an Omega!

In terms of his bearing!

In the end, after a brief discussion with the stylist, Nan Zhou did have his bangs cut.

With his bangs gone, even though his styling and makeup were simple, he seemed like an entirely different person.

When he came out of the changing room, a flash of amazement crossed the faces of the photography assistant, the stylist, and even Hao Jia!

So good-looking!

Unlike the delicate beauty of an Omega, his handsomeness held a vibrant vitality.

He combined youthful energy with an effortless sex appeal that held people spellbound at first glance.

...This was Nan Zhou?! That timid youngest member of the boy band?

It wasn't just the photography assistant. Even Hao Jia was a little stunned by his looks.

The room fell silent for a moment. Just as the photography assistant was about to speak, someone pushed open the makeup room door from outside, and a harsh, cutting voice rang out. "What, are we styling some celestial beauty? Taking this long-are we shooting or not?"

They turned toward the voice. A second later, the photography assistant cried out, her eyes widening, "Mr. Lu?!"

Hao Jia was a little startled too.

Lu Bei?! That eccentric master photographer who had won countless industry awards and publicly declared that he never photographed ugly bastards?!

"Xie Feng was hospitalized with appendicitis this morning. I owe him a favor, so I'm filling in." Lu Bei swept a glance around the room, his gaze stopping on Nan Zhou's face.

Nan Zhou was looking at him too, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

A second later, the corners of his lips curled slightly. He languidly raised a hand above his head and mimed pulling something out.

Lu Bei said, "...Fuck!"

"Mr. Lu, Nan Zhou..." The photography assistant hadn't noticed what Nan Zhou had done. Hearing the big shot suddenly swear, she assumed he was unhappy with Nan Zhou and immediately tried to ease the atmosphere.

"Bring me my camera," Lu Bei abruptly called out through the door.

Fuck! It had been ages since he'd met a beauty who sent his inspiration surging like this!

In that instant, his body had felt as if an electric current had run through it, the pleasure so intense he'd nearly had a physical reaction.

Was he mocking him for having his brain sucked out?

What a kick!

Before anyone could work out what was happening, a young man ran in carrying a camera.

Lu Bei took it and began snapping shot after shot of Nan Zhou.

In the end, including the magazine's on-set shots, Lu Bei spent nearly two full hours shooting. He remained energetic throughout, having Nan Zhou strike all sorts of poses while constantly exclaiming, "Every frame makes my heart flutter."

"Beauty that even a camera can't contain."

"Perfect!"

After the shoot wrapped, Lu Bei followed Nan Zhou toward the exit like a big dog craving a bone and asked bluntly, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

The crew, who had already been secretly gossiping like mad over his appearance, gasped in shock.

Nan Zhou yawned without even looking at him. "You're not my type."

Lu Bei asked, "What is your type?"

Nan Zhou opened the car door and got in.

"Young, beautiful, with a good body. Good at homemaking, devoted to the family, simple, and obedient. He doesn't need a career or dreams of his own, just a relaxed, stable job."

"That way, he'll have more free time to look after the family and children, and I can focus on making money and building my career outside the home."

With that, the car door slammed shut, leaving Hao Jia outside with his jaw practically on the ground.

And Lu Bei, looking thoughtful.

Even after getting into the car, Hao Jia was still excited.

It had only been a shoot for a third-rate little magazine, but through a twist of fate, the photographer had turned out to be Lu Bei. What a stroke of dumb luck.

Every celebrity Lu Bei had photographed became a darling of the fashion world. Hao Jia was already dreaming of Nan Zhou's future.

"Lu Bei's an Alpha, a talented rich kid, and very well connected in fashion. I think you could..." He turned his head and saw Nan Zhou curled up inside that black trench coat again in the back seat, his eyes closed as though he had fallen asleep.

"...Good thing you're wearing a pheromone-blocking patch. Otherwise, the fact you've been marked would be trending." Hao Jia murmured.

Speaking of trending topics...

While waiting at a red light, he took out his phone and opened Weibo.

Sure enough, Nan Zhou was trending on Weibo again amid a storm of abuse.

Today, You Make My Heart Flutter had officially announced its final three guests, and one of them was Nan Zhou.

"Holy shit, it really is him! Can he just fuck off? That superglue-sticky, fake-innocent bitch! Once he sticks to you, you can't even wash him off!"

"Nan Zhou, get out of the entertainment industry!"

"They've already gone public as a couple, and he still has to butt in! Is he seriously going to fight our Xiao Yu for his partner on the show? I'm gonna puke!!!"

"These announced guests are either confirmed couples or rumored pairings who interact all the time. Only Nan Zhou sticks out like a sore thumb..."

"Wait, am I the only one focused on that mystery guest?"

"Me too!!! Three seasons in, and this is the first guest whose identity won't be revealed until the day of the livestream!"

What caught Hao Jia's attention was also the mystery guest the production team had announced last.

Outsiders didn't know, but as an industry insider and Nan Zhou's manager, he knew perfectly well that this mystery guest was Nan Zhou's partner for the variety show.