Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Bai Chen suddenly acted as if nothing had happened and turned his face away.

In reality, nothing was going to happen.

With so many cameras in the room, monitoring every angle around the clock, the guests wouldn't do much beyond chatting, browsing the internet, and sleeping properly.

But...

The Omega on the bed had already lost interest in browsing the internet. He turned his head again to look to the side, his delicate nose twitching slightly as he caught the faint scent of patchouli coming from the Alpha.

The moistness carried by the water vapor was like the depths of a dense forest after a heavy rain, giving off a unique freshness.

He paused for a moment before realizing that this was Xie Yilin's pheromone scent.

During the day's filming, Xie Yilin had tried to suppress it as much as possible, making it almost unnoticeable.

For an Alpha, this required control—their instinct was to freely release pheromones, marking their territory and claiming all available space like a beast.

So, this was really not easy.

Bai Chen guessed that Xie Yilin was doing this to make the variety show run more smoothly.

If he didn't deliberately control it, it was likely that no one on set could work comfortably.

The man had already lain down on the other side of the bed.

Noticing Bai Chen's movement, he slightly turned his body to look over, his cool gray gaze still indifferent but with a hint of calm anticipation.

He was waiting for Bai Chen to say something.

Bai Chen suddenly felt a little guilty.

Last night, he had taken advantage of the situation, greedily seeking a hug, and woke up late this morning, unsure if he had let go in time...

His thoughts raced, but Xie Yilin spoke first, his tone casual, "I'll be leaving tomorrow to take care of some matters."

"I won't be back until tonight."

"Huh?"

Bai Chen wasn't aware of this, but it was easy to guess the reason. Xie Yilin was still the Crown Prince of the Empire, and having just returned to the capital, he must have a lot to take care of.

The Omega nodded obediently, "Okay, I understand."

After responding, he didn't dwell on it and lowered his head to continue browsing the internet. But from his close position, the Alpha suddenly stopped.

From his angle, Bai Chen's bangs were a little long, just covering his beautiful eyebrows. He looked down, focused on the messages on the internet, and upon seeing something, the corner of his mouth turned up, revealing a small dimple.

Moreover, since they were both lying on the bed, leaning against the headboard, he could also see a little of the side of Bai Chen's neck.

The spot where the Omega's gland was located.

The Alpha's fingertips interlaced, rubbing gently.

Bai Chen remained unaware.

Xie Yilin suddenly spoke again, "Tomorrow..."

"Huh?"

The Omega glanced up again, a smile still lingering on his face. In that moment, it was like stars lit up the room.

Xie Yilin's gaze deepened.

He paused for a moment, then suddenly reached out to turn off the bedside lamp. The night was still, and the last bit of warmth in the room faded away, leaving only the cool summer breeze gently moving the curtains.

In the dim light, the Alpha's voice echoed clearly in Bai Chen's ears.

It was the same cool, collected tone, but it felt like gentle snowflakes landing on his heart.

"I'll make up for tomorrow's hug when I get back."

Bai Chen was taken aback.

A moment later, he blinked and grinned. "Okay!"

Before dawn the next morning, Xie Yilin left in a hurry.

***

So, when the second episode aired, one guest was absent. For some reason, even though the director included the "nighttime whispers" segment, the "audio guy" racked his brains but couldn't figure out what His Highness had said.

The comments were full of disappointment.

"What's going on? Ugh, I really wanna know what His Highness said this time."

"Yeah, I'd pay to know! I wanna know!"

"Are they playing hard to get or what? Wuwu, I've got money, just give us the goods already!"

"Don't even think about it. If we heard it, we'd be overwhelmed. Maybe the crew is doing us a solid."

"Huh? Is His Highness not in this one?"

"Why isn't he here? Did something happen?"

The show went on as usual, but with Xie Yilin gone, many people breathed a sigh of relief, and it felt more like a regular variety show.

With one less person, the director quickly adjusted the schedule and arranged today's filming location at...

"...Ah, are we going to the local folk village?"

"Are we going to climb a mountain again?"

"Please tell us in advance! I need to prepare."

The guests stared at the director with resentment. The latter coughed and tried to muster what little authority he had left, "No mountain climbing today, don't worry."

"We're just going shopping."

"Shopping?"

Seeing that the guests reluctantly accepted, the director quickly retreated, handing over the guidance to the female director, who inwardly grumbled but smiled and explained, "Today is about testing the family's... real financial management skills!"

Han Yunyun was baffled, "Huh?"

Wasn't yesterday's test enough?

"Yesterday was just the warm-up," the female director laughed. "Today we're really spending money to buy things."

The car had already arrived at the bustling market, where many people were looking over, some even raising their smartphones to take photos, but were quickly ushered away by the staff. The group got out of the car and stood at the entrance of the local town's market, exchanging glances.

"...So we're really buying things."

Xin Yu said blankly, handing the money to Han Yunyun. In the morning, Han Yunyun's coat pocket was too small, so he held onto it.

This was really just an ordinary vegetable market.

Although it was hosed down everywhere, from years of use, there was still mud and a slight fishy smell. Inside were rows of stalls, filled with various ingredients, with seafood on the left, poultry at the back, and the rest were vegetables and fruits.

Perhaps because it was a remote countryside, all the vendors were small, independent vendors, managing their stalls themselves. Seeing the production team arrive, they all looked over.

Not far away, Cheng Ziang and Tang Congyun stood only in clean areas, out of the camera's view. Cheng Ziang briefly showed a look of disgust but quickly hid it.

Bai Chen was the last to come over, hearing the female director finally say, "Don't you still have some credits left?"

"Today's task is to buy the ingredients for your own dinner."

"But be careful, whatever you buy, you have to eat it all, no waste."

After explaining, she stepped back to let the guests take over. Bai Chen smiled and walked straight in.

The camera quickly followed.

"I’m dying of laughter, Han Yunyun looks like she regrets joining this variety show."

"I think so too, she’s been cracking everyone up hahaha..."

Bai Chen was also dressed in a light-toned outfit today, a light blue shirt, beige loose pants, and white sneakers, which stood out in the chaotic setting of the market. But he didn’t hesitate, just slightly avoiding the dirty water, strolling casually through.

Moreover, he seemed very familiar with such places and was good at selecting items. Soon, Bai Chen stopped at a stall on the left side of the market.

The vendor was a middle-aged man, his face and hands sunburned to a deep red, his thick eyebrows raised, grinning and saying, "Young man, what do you want to buy?"

"We have a lot of local specialties here, try them, they're delicious!"

Bai Chen looked carefully and picked up a bunch of green leafy vegetables from the far left.

"Ah, young man, you really know how to pick!" The man immediately started pitching enthusiastically, "This is our local hydroponically grown longevity greens, blanch it and it's crispy and sweet, everyone who tries it loves it!"

Hydroponically grown?

Bai Chen thought for a moment, put it down, and picked up a fruit next to it that looked like a radish.

The man, unfazed, quickly switched gears, "Young man, this is also very delicious, you can make soup, stir-fry, or cold dishes with it! It's juicy and sweet, you’ll be craving more after trying it!"

Bai Chen paused, put it down again, this time choosing the two nearest fruits.

The man: "..."

"I can’t stop laughing, Bai Chen must be doing it on purpose!"

"If someone is pushing hard to sell, you must stay alert hahaha..."

"But Bai Chen's group is missing one person, how will he handle it? Does this count as a loophole?"

"Missing one person means buying less, can’t one person enjoy a buffet?"

Under the vendor's bewildered gaze, Bai Chen picked up two vegetable-like fruits—one large and one small. The large one was as big as two clenched fists, while the small one was only half the size of a palm.

When placed on the electronic scale, the difference was striking.

The vendor, perking up again, quickly hit a preset button before Bai Chen could speak: "Five yuan and thirty cents! Just give me five yuan!"

Bai Chen hummed thoughtfully, then reached out and took the small one in his hand, leaving only the large one on the scale, and asked, "How about this?"

The vendor pressed a few more buttons, "Four yuan and sixty-three cents! Just give me four yuan and fifty cents!"

"Alright!"

With that, Bai Chen quickly tucked away the small fruit and handed over fifty cents: "I'm just making a soup, so this should be fine, right?"

The vendor was stunned: ???

He thought to himself, where did this expert come from???

He stood there in shock, unable to snap out of it for a while.

The live chat exploded with "hahaha."

"Next time, I'll try this at the market too, hahahahaha..." someone commented.

"New life hack unlocked: muddying the waters and feinting east to strike west, hahahahaha..."

"OMG! Bai Chen is just too cute!"

"Wow, I’m starting to like this down-to-earth crown princess. At least she understands the struggles of ordinary folks."

"Hold up, are the paid trolls already out in full force?"

"Calling her a crown princess without any official title? What kind of nonsense is that?"

The live chat was on the verge of another heated debate.

Meanwhile, Bai Chen happily moved on to the next stall.

Perhaps hearing the commotion, the woman at the next stall looked cautious. As Bai Chen approached, she eyed him suspiciously, seemingly disbelieving that such a beautiful Omega could be an expert.

She swallowed and cautiously asked, "What can I get for you, young man?"

"These veggies are all homegrown, and the prices are as low as they get."

To her surprise, Bai Chen didn't immediately look at the vegetables she had displayed. Instead, he first pulled out his smart device and looked something up.

After a while, he put down the device and, surprisingly, didn’t pull any stunts. He simply pointed at two types of vegetables and also bought a piece of meat, quickly wrapping up the transaction and paying.

Carrying a few items, he walked back to the crew's van. The camera had panned away, focusing on other people.

Cheng Ziang approached at this moment.

He held only one item, while his partner Tang Congyun was still in the distance. The camera missed him as he reached Bai Chen.

Lowering his voice, the man said, "Mr. Bai, I'd like to have a word with you."

"About His Highness."

Bai Chen blinked, smiled slightly, and said, "Sure."

He said offhandedly, "Go on."

Author's two cents:

Xie Yilin: While I'm away, I hope everyone...

Author: Oh no! Someone's after your wife!

Xie Yilin: What the...?