Chapter 6

Song Xuan did not realize there were people behind the door. His overwhelming anger made him somewhat ignore the unusual surroundings. He did not notice the gritted-teeth gasps coming from behind the door panel, nor did he see the phone that had not been picked up in time on the floor of the nearby compartment.

Song Xuan’s persona had completely collapsed.

His argument with the person on the phone did not stop; his tone grew increasingly irritable.

Yu Xi had no time to care about what Song Xuan was saying right now. His gland hurt more and more, and his thoughts gradually blurred amid the too-close breaths and pheromones. He clutched the back of his neck, his fingertips unconsciously picking at the edge of the Pheromone Blocker Patch.

So annoying, so noisy.

—So uncomfortable.

No one knew how long this scene had been frozen when Song Xuan finally stopped arguing.

—Someone knocked on the changing room door.

The voice sounded like Song Xuan’s manager.

Song Xuan reluctantly hung up the phone and left.

The silence after the commotion felt extraordinarily quiet.

The changing room had no windows, and the storage room had even fewer. Only the humming air conditioner was running, with cold air pouring down from above, but Yu Xi felt the surrounding air grow even hotter instead.

Without Song Xuan venting his anger on the innocent door, Yi Chen finally managed to stand up. He stepped back, but his breathing still would not calm down.

“Sor…”

Although everything just now had been an accident, he needed to apologize to Yu Xi.

But those two words ultimately did not come out completely.

In front of him, Yu Xi clutched the back of his neck tightly. The Pheromone Blocker Patch was almost picked off, dangling precariously on the back of his neck. Song Xuan was a Beta and could not smell pheromones.

But Yi Chen could.

Yu Xi’s pheromones were sweet, a faint gardenia scent.

It was the scent he had once been most familiar with.

Once.

Yi Chen’s gaze fixed on the back of Yu Xi’s neck—or more precisely, on the bite mark faintly visible through the gaps in his fingers, imprinted on the gland.

Alphas did not need markings, and their glands were not soft like an Omega’s, easy to bite through and inject pheromones into.

Only under extreme force could such a mark be left.

He—Yi Chen, of course, knew who had left this bite mark.

In countless past days and nights of embraces, kisses, and intertwining pheromones, he had dreamed of leaving his mark here.

Recalling certain scenes in his mind, his body reacted uncontrollably in an unusual way.

After a brief daze, Yu Xi finally came back to his senses. He released his hand and angrily lifted his head: “Get the hell…”

The rest of the sentence was forcibly swallowed back by Yu Xi before it could finish.

Fuck!!

Yu Xi exploded.

Yi Chen, facing him, had a physical reaction. It was very obvious.

Yu Xi: “?”

No way?

Had something happened between them just now???

They had only gotten a bit too close!

“What the fuck, are you a pervert??” Yu Xi sidestepped and squeezed out the door, his gaze toward him full of wariness.

Yi Chen: “…”

He clearly had not expected his body to be so honest.

“You go out first. Let me calm down.”

“No need.” Yu Xi was so angry he almost laughed instead. “I can help you calm down.”

As soon as the words fell, Yi Chen watched wide-eyed as Yu Xi raised his knee, gripped his shoulder, gave him no time or space to dodge, and directly lifted his leg for a hard kick—

A few minutes later, in the makeup room, Xiao Chen took Yu Xi’s things and asked puzzledly, “Bro Yu, why did you come out alone? Where’s Yi Chen?”

“Behind.” Yu Xi did not look back.

Yi Chen’s assistant Xiao Liu looked toward the door along with Xiao Chen. Not far away, Yi Chen’s face was pale, he leaned against the wall, his legs trembled, and he limped forward with difficulty.

Xiao Liu and Xiao Chen: 0.0

An hour later, the guests embarked on the journey back to their registered hometowns, and the live stream restarted.

The group headed to different locations, but the travel times were roughly the same, about two hours.

The production team set up a screen in the car to provide real-time feedback from the live stream comments. The guests racked their brains to interact with the audience—except for Yi Chen and Yu Xi.

Yu Xi looked to be in a bad mood, leaning against the window and focused on the scenery.

Yi Chen looked toward the other side, and the two did not speak to each other.

Xiao Chen, sandwiched between them: “…”

Xiao Chen was drenched in cold sweat from the icy atmosphere between the two: “Haha… Haha… The AC is clearly set to 26 degrees, but I don’t know why, I feel so cold…”

Comments: 【…】

【Wait, why are Yu Xi and Yi Chen in a bad mood?】

【Why aren’t they arguing yet? I want to see them fight!】

【Shouldn’t we be asking why Yu Xi and Yi Chen are in the same car right now?】

【The production team is really bold, not afraid they’ll flip the roof arguing?】

【Answering the one above, sister—it’s because their hometowns are the same place!】

【Right, during the archaeology trip earlier, Yi Chen and Yu Xi turned out to be high school alumni.】

Xiao Chen was also watching the comments. He was a bit nearsighted, and the feedback screen from the production team was small, so he had to lean forward and squint to pick out key info from the dense barrage.

He turned to Yu Xi in shock: “What? You and Yi Chen are alumni?”

【Yes, my sister went to that high school too. Yu Xi and Yi Chen’s story was widely known. Yu Xi was originally number one, but then Yi Chen transferred in and snatched his spot. Their situation back then was just like now—rivals, either Yi Chen first or Yu Xi first.】

Xiao Chen was shocked again: “What? You two were rivals back then too? So now it’s completely replaying the past?”

Comments: 【?】

【Xiao Chen, you really know nothing!】

【How did Xiao Chen even get hired as an assistant?】

【Look at Xiao Liu up front; he’s much calmer.】

Xiao Chen coldly turned the camera toward Xiao Liu in the passenger seat.

Xiao Liu had long been unable to hold back. He turned around, half-knelt on the seat, stretched out his hand, and frantically poked at Yi Chen: “Boss? You two knew each other before? Any stories? What stories?!”

Comments: 【…】

Any stories?

Yu Xi shook his head and sneered: “Heh.”

Yi Chen covered his forehead and let out a light laugh: “Ha.”

Everyone in the car: “…”

No one wanted to dredge up the past, and the car soon fell quiet again.

Fans knew Yu Xi’s temperament—he got carsick and did not like talking once in a vehicle. The fans were not in a hurry; the advance live stream had plenty of time. Yi Chen also looked unwell, simply greeted the audience, explained the situation, and leaned aside to rest.

Curious passersby asked questions, and fans patiently explained. The live stream was very harmonious.

As they neared their destination, Yu Xi’s phone vibrated.

Ji Ruiou: 【?】

Ji Ruiou: 【What’s going on? I was in closed filming for over a month, and you went on a show?】

Ji Ruiou: 【With Yi Chen, no less?】

Ji Ruiou: 【I’m watching too!】

Ji Ruiou: 【You don’t look carsick; you look like you’re in a bad mood.】

Ji Ruiou was Yu Xi’s college roommate. After graduation, he debuted smoothly and honed his acting in various crews. This time, he went into the mountains with the team for over a month. There was no signal in the mountains; to make a call or send a message, he had to go a kilometer to a small shop for weak signal. After enduring that for over a month, he had just been released and rushed straight to find Yu Xi.

Yu Xi lazily typed: 【That dumbass’s fault.】

Ji Ruiou: 【Yeah, Yi Chen’s the biggest dumbass.】

Just as he was about to reply, the director’s voice came from the speakers.

“Hey, can everyone hear me?”

“Everyone can hear, right?”

“Dear guests, the journey is long, so let’s do some fun activities!”

【!!!!!!】

【The production team is sending interactions!!】

【Director Yang always has clever ideas; looking forward!】

“Come on, now please open your short video app and show the camera your latest 15 recommended feeds!”

Yu Xi’s eyebrow twitched.

Short video apps now used big data for recommendations—what you usually watched was what got pushed.

He closed the chat with Ji Ruiou and urgently contacted Guan Zifan.

Yu Xi: 【What’s this? Showing short video apps? Why wasn’t I told in advance?】

Guan Zifan replied quickly: 【Don’t blame me; I told you ahead of time.】

Guan Zifan: 【Here, three days ago.】

Guan Zifan: 【[Screenshot][Screenshot][Screenshot]】

Guan Zifan directly sent chat screenshots from three days prior. The production team had sent the director’s interaction flow to Guan Zifan, who forwarded it to Yu Xi.

But Yu Xi had been obsessed with outshining Yi Chen at the time and ignored messages about anything else.

Yu Xi: 【…】

The other guests had clearly prepared in advance and were not surprised by the production team’s “sudden” request. They took turns pointing their phones at the screens.

Wu Zhiqi’s short video app showed makeup and clothing.

Fu Le’s were desserts, cute pets—mostly cats.

Fang Peng’s were cultural books and educational videos.

Song Xuan’s were funny clips, variety show edits, movie and TV recaps.

The camera cut to Yi Chen and Yu Xi.

Yu Xi: “…”

Yi Chen: “…”

Yi Chen also seemed completely unaware of this interaction and frantically signaled Xiao Liu with his eyes.

Xiao Liu guiltily avoided Yi Chen’s gaze.

He—he had forgotten to tell Yi Chen…

After waiting a bit, Yu Xi and Yi Chen showed no intention of volunteering their phones.

The director spoke: “So, which of our Yu Xi or Yi Chen would like to show first?”

Yu Xi glanced at Yi Chen: “Why aren’t you moving? Too scared to show it?”

Yi Chen looked back at Yu Xi: “Are you feeling guilty? Where’d you hide your phone?”

Yu Xi laughed: “Me, guilty? Looks like you’re the one who’s scared.”

Yi Chen: “Swap?”

Yu Xi: “Swap it is.”

And so, in front of the camera, Yi Chen opened Yu Xi’s short video app.

【Yi Chen’s scandals?】

【Oh no, Yi Chen has so many scandals!】

【Shocking: Yi Chen utterly defeated, grades far below Yu Xi!】

【20 Reasons Why Yu Xi is Better Than Yi Chen.】

【Down with Yi Chen—it’s our urgent duty and obligation!】

【Yi Chen vs. Yu Xi: Entertainment Circle Journey Comparison】

【Yi Chen’s Entertainment Career Summary】

Yu Xi opened Yi Chen’s app.

【How to Spot a Celebrity’s Alt Account】

【Yu Xi: Tsundere on the Outside, Soft Inside】

【Suspected Yu Xi Alt】

【Yu Xi Outfit Collection】

【Yu Xi Styling Collection】

【Candid Yu Xi Encounters】

【Yu Xi’s Public Schedule This Week】

【Yu Xi Personality Analysis】

【Is Yu Xi Really Bad-Tempered, or Just Tsundere?】

Everyone: “…”

Yi Chen: “…”

Yu Xi: “…”