Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The staff and the chat were stunned.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

"Stop it, you're blinding me! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

"My God!!! Did he practice before? Did he practice before? Did he practice before?"

"This is too cool, my God!!!"

"So cool! So cool! So cool! I can't believe Bai Chen is so cool!"

"I've never played this before."

As if knowing the reaction his actions would cause, Bai Chen smiled and picked up the two plushies, one big and one small, and said, "Your Highness, I really like these. Thank you."

He had noticed the large plushie earlier but didn't expect Xie Yilin to choose this one.

Xie Yilin didn't say anything, just reached out and lifted the plushie that was about to fall because of its size.

The staff quickly came over to take over, "Please continue with the task, we'll send these back to your residence."

Bai Chen nodded, turned around, and continued walking with Xie Yilin. After a moment, he suddenly chuckled and said with a grin, "I was fooling them."

He whispered to Xie Yilin, "Actually, when I was little, I practiced target shooting... with children's toy guns, many years ago."

Actually, this doesn't count at all; it was indeed Bai Chen's first time handling an air gun.

A softness flickered in Xie Yilin's eyes.

He murmured, "You have a natural talent."

Even he was genuinely surprised.

"Really?"

Bai Chen's eyes lit up, "I thought so too... When I was little, before I differentiated, I only ever thought about joining the military."

"Back then, I loved playing with the retired uncle next door, listening to his barracks stories."

"He said when he was selected for the mecha athlete program, he was eliminated and only got to touch one foot of the mecha."

"Just that one foot story, I bugged him constantly, making him describe it dozens of times..."

At that time, he was the fastest and highest jumper in his class, and the neighbors joked that he might end up piloting a mecha, becoming a mecha combatant.

In the interstellar era, a mecha combatant is equivalent to a pilot or astronaut of the past, a profession that demands extremely high physical fitness.

Usually, only the most outstanding Alphas are selected.

So later, when Bai Chen differentiated into an Omega during adolescence, his childhood dream faded away.

But even now, he is still passionate about combat weapons and mechas.

Hearing Xie Yilin's affirmation, Bai Chen was thrilled. Soon after, they reached the next task site, handed in the puzzle, and had a great lunch.

After a while, the other guests finally showed up. After lunch, the production team announced the afternoon's activity.

This time, instead of a game, it was...

"Hiking???"

Han Yunyun nearly fainted: "I need to go back for sunscreen..."

Tang Congyun chimed in, "I need something for sun protection and to change my shoes."

He looked a bit worn out, and Cheng Ziang, standing beside him with a stern face, stayed silent—notably, they were the last to arrive.

"Didn't see that coming, Cheng Ziang is such an alpha male..."

"Yeah, Tang Congyun wanted to try skateboarding, but Cheng Ziang shot him down, saying he'd definitely fail without even letting him try."

"We're here to have fun, not compete. Why make your partner unhappy like that?"

"In the end, Cheng Ziang had to try four times before he succeeded."

The comments buzzed for a while, then shifted to Han Yunyun and Xin Yu's pair. Xin Yu was overly accommodating to Han Yunyun, never opposing her, almost too gentle.

Ultimately, everyone agreed that Bai Chen and His Highness the Crown Prince were the most entertaining to watch.

"Wow, I'm actually starting to like Bai Chen now."

"What do you mean okay? He just hasn't had the chance to flaunt his playboy and diva antics here."

"I also think he's alright, and somehow, when Bai Chen and His Highness are together, His Highness seems less intimidating..."

"Haha, speechless. Did Bai Chen buy a bunch of fake fans?"

"You're the fake fans. Seeing so many haters like you, I'm almost turning into a fan."

"Our staff are stationed on the mountain."

The director explained, "This afternoon's task is to retrieve the remaining two puzzle pieces at the destination."

"However," he added, shifting gears, "the first group to arrive gets two puzzle pieces, the second only one."

"And the last group..."

"They'll be stuck booking eggs for tonight."

He checked the time, "You can start now."

The three groups took their maps, each with a unique route, different starting points, equal distances, and separate final destinations.

Bai Chen stretched energetically and declared, "Let's go!"

...Compared to him, the others looked like wilted cabbages under the sun.

The Omega was like a sun-ripened orange, stepping onto the journey with high spirits.

"Bai Chen's persona is crumbling. Didn't he claim to be a homebody? Why's he so pumped about hiking..."

"I thought you were talking about the previous persona collapse, you scared me."

"Should we say it collapsed and then collapsed again? For now, Bai Chen remains a sweet Omega, collapsing back once more."

"LOL, what do you mean by 'bounced back'? Is your family's image a spring?"

The barrage of comments kept buzzing. Meanwhile, the production team had cut out a lot of the journey, fast-forwarding through much of it. The scene shifted, and Bai Chen and Xie Yilin were already at the foot of the mountain, ready to start climbing.

Bai Chen showed no signs of fatigue, still brimming with energy. Xie Yilin, naturally, was no different. They unfolded the map, and Bai Chen, after just a glance, naturally said, "Your Highness, I have no sense of direction."

He said these words without a hint of shame, completely unapologetic.

"HAHAHAHA, I'm dying, how can he admit his shortcomings so naturally?"

"Delegating what you can't do to someone else, that's also a strategy HAHAHA..."

In Xie Yilin's cool gray gaze, a faint smile appeared again.

It seemed that anyone who spent time with Bai Chen, this little sweet orange, would be bathed in warm sunlight, awakened by the refreshing scent of oranges, and have all their senses come alive.

Such a strong, full, sweet, and tangy...

Everyone would inevitably be affected.

The Alpha glanced at the map and suddenly asked, "Do you want to take first place?"

"What?"

Bai Chen was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up, "Can we?"

"Can we win first place?"

Xie Yilin calmly responded, "Yes."

Although the man's aura was still cold, his gray eyes now held an extremely confident certainty.

He unfolded the map, his slender fingers moving a few times, and a new route immediately appeared on the screen.

...Clearly, it was at least twice as fast as the route recommended by the production team.

Advanced military training included map studies, and His Highness the Crown Prince had aced all his courses.

The camera captured everything faithfully.

The barrage was also amazed.

"Really? Just one look and the route was nearly halved?"

"I think it's true. My cousin is in military school, and he said they have a course on military topography."

"Too amazing, right? So they wouldn't get lost in the wild?"

"That's a piece of cake. Not only wouldn't they get lost, they could survive in the wild for three years without any issues..."

"But you have to consider the actual situation, right? This is a mountain forest, not flat ground. I don't believe it can be that fast."

"...That's awesome."

Bai Chen didn't overthink it and just laughed happily, "This isn't exploiting a loophole in the show, is it?"

The production team hadn't said whether the guests could follow their own routes.

"HAHAHAHA, the director must be crying in the temple..."

"True, the show's producers never said we couldn't find loopholes. That's just their own cleverness."

"Wait, did His Highness the Crown Prince do this for Bai Chen?"

"I was thinking the same thing! They’re actually kind of cute together…"

"I… I’m starting to see him differently. Is His Highness really that impressive?"

"To the person who changed their mind, why don’t you go up to him yourself?"

"...Nah, I’m too chicken!"

Before anyone realized it, the comments section turned into a wave of excitement. Meanwhile, Bai Chen and Xie Yilin had already started on the new route.

Even though it was a mountain trail, it was close to town and not very high up, so there wasn’t much danger. Most of the path wasn’t exactly flat, but it was easy enough to navigate with a bit of effort.

So, after just ten minutes, the staff, who were lazily waiting, were shocked to see two figures approaching in the distance.

An Alpha and an Omega—

And there was no mistaking who they were.

"H-His… His Highness?"

"Mr. Bai Chen?"

"How did you guys…"

"LOL, how’d you get here so fast? He didn’t even have time to finish slacking off!"

"Yeah, I saw him quickly close the game on his smart device, hahaha…"

"Same here, hahaha…"

"Ah! Progress bar alert—this episode’s almost over!"

"Already? I’m not ready for it to end, ahhh!!!"

Bai Chen and Xie Yilin grabbed the puzzle pieces and waited around for another half hour before the others finally showed up.

Han Yunyun was so exhausted she could barely stand, and when she saw the staff, it was like seeing family. "Thank goodness, we’re finally here, wuwu…"

Xin Yu was busy running around, pouring water for her. Not far away, Cheng Ziang and Tang Congyun were oddly quiet.

"Wow, I really didn’t expect that… I thought Cheng Ziang and Tang Congyun would be the cutest couple. They usually seem so good together."

"Can’t say for sure. Maybe they just have their own dynamic?"

"What kind of dynamic? I’ve never seen a couple this awkward. It’s making me nervous!"

"Hey, stop arguing and just watch the show. Where is this place? The scenery’s gorgeous!"

The group settled into a small pavilion, enjoying the cool mountain breeze and the view of the dark green hills and lush trees.

As they took in the view, the production team showed up again. The female director in charge stepped forward and said, "Great job, everyone."

She glanced at the guests, her eyes landing on Bai Chen, who always sparked the most chatter. Smiling, she asked, "Bai Chen, how are you holding up? Tired?"

"Not tired," the Omega said with a smile, leaning into Xie Yilin. "With His Highness here, I can recharge whenever I need to!"

Female director: ??? AHHHHHH!!! Why? Why isn’t she an Alpha???