Chapter 44

Chapter 44

The night market was bustling with people.

Bai Chen, lost in the crowd, hadn't noticed he had separated from Xie Yilin.

He lingered at a few stalls that caught his interest, buying a few trinkets to give Song Lei as a memento of the show recording. Then he walked to a food stall and ordered a few skewers of spicy meatballs, holding them in his hand.

It was almost autumn, and the evening breeze was cool and gentle, making one feel refreshed. Unconsciously, Bai Chen's mind went blank, deciding to clear his thoughts and enjoy the night market.

...Just have some fun first, no rush.

The night market on Endor was quite unique, with its remote location and distinct development giving it an especially rustic charm. From ancient tree-roasted meats to spicy sauces, everything was different from other places.

Bai Chen strolled and stopped frequently, almost like hosting a food show. Before long, his hands were full.

Xie Yilin followed not far behind.

Suddenly, amidst the throng, Bai Chen turned and their eyes met.

Through the bustling crowd, they saw each other.

In the next moment, Omega took quick steps through the crowd, running over and lifting a skewer of meatballs to the other's lips, "Your Highness, try this!"

"It's spicy but really delicious!"

His eyes crinkled, and two dimples appeared on his cheeks, as if filled with sweet syrup in the night. His lips, shiny from eating, looked as if coated with honey.

The anxiety in Xie Yilin's heart instantly dissipated.

The tumult of the sea subsided, transforming into a deeper, calmer grandeur.

In Omega's pose, he took a taste.

It was indeed delicious.

A staff member hurried over, "Your Highness, Mr. Bai!"

"…That," he panted, out of breath, "the director asked me to tell you… cough cough!"

"Tonight is a live broadcast!"

Bai Chen: …What?

Why didn't you say so earlier!

Without another word, he grabbed Xie Yilin's arm and smiled sweetly, "Honey, is it good?"

Xie Yilin: …

The irritation in his heart flared up again.

…This won't do.

The thoughts swirling in Xie Yilin's mind gradually became clear.

He had to do something.

As soon as Bai Chen was in front of the camera, he immediately switched to performance mode. Omega's sweet smile drew him close, their body temperatures intertwining and merging once more, quickly becoming one and the same.

They continued to weave through the crowd side by side, eating as they walked, truly resembling a young couple out for a date after work, strolling through the night market.

However, one exuded an overwhelmingly strong and aloof presence, while the other was exceptionally sweet and adorable. Together, they drew an incredibly high number of second glances.

The live stream chat began to flood with excited comments.

"Ah, why, why are they so perfect for each other!"

"Ugh, His Highness really dotes on Chen Chen! Chen Chen, it seems I can't compete with His Highness, how infuriating!"

"No kidding, it's so wonderful seeing my rival and my wife together. I'm already bursting with inspiration, imagining a hundred thousand words of sweet romance..."

"I drew a picture, but only those underaged can click on my profile to see it."

The Imperial Star Network operates on a tiered real-name system, making this restriction quite effective—those who shouldn't see it, simply can't.

Bai Chen hadn't expected his fans to have progressed to creating fan works, and he was so amused that he bought another skewer of small meatballs.

He ate them with a mix of spiciness and joy, his lips turning a bright red. He hissed and puffed out air, unable to resist swallowing another one.

Suddenly, Xie Yilin beside him raised his hand, using his thumb to wipe the corner of Bai Chen's mouth.

Bai Chen: ...Again?

He felt that Xie Yilin's recent focus on his lips had significantly increased.

His face turned slightly red, but constrained by the live stream, he struggled for a while before managing to say, "...Thank you, husband!"

The emphasis on "husband" was clear, carrying a hint of mild annoyance.

The vexation in his annoyance.

Like a little kitten, puffing with anger as it pushes away its owner who wants to kiss it, its paws soft and weak, yet trying to scratch feebly.

...He didn’t notice that such a tone couldn’t be acted out.

This was Bai Chen’s genuine emotion at the moment.

So, he could actually feel shy, troubled, and annoyed.

Little Sweet Orange seemed more vibrant now.

Xie Yilin was slightly taken aback.

After a while, his fingertips drooped, gently intertwining.

The sensation lingered for a long time.

Long enough... to never leave.

***

The next day, the production team started filming the fifth episode.

At the same time, Bie Jiaze, the guest star, finally completed his “flying” mission and left. The production team managed to find a celebrity couple to fill in temporarily, bringing the number of guest pairs back to three.

The new pair was also an AO male duo.

Both were young and had once been teammates in the same debut group.

However, they only got together after the group disbanded and they went solo.

When the official announcement was made, countless fans flooded social media platforms, shouting "Long time no see," and pushed the topic to the top of the trending list.

Later, Alpha transitioned into a singer, while Omega seemed to shift behind the scenes, focusing on songwriting and composing.

Now that their collaborative album is about to be released, their agency decided to have them join this show, partly to capitalize on the buzz.

At seven in the morning, the six guests gathered around the dining table, and the new couple introduced themselves: "Hello, seniors!"

"I am Dong Yuzhe."

"I am Qi Nan."

"We are very happy to join the show. We are an unmarried couple here to learn from our seniors!"

Their movements were so synchronized, it was as if they were still part of a group.

The chat bubbles in the live stream started to laugh.

"Wow, five years and still the same! Seeing them is like seeing half of TT."

"After all, it's a habit formed over many years. I wonder if they do this at home too, hahaha..."

"Just kidding, Dong Yuzhe and Qi Nan's cohabitation nest is basically TT's dorm."

TT, the abbreviated name of the group they were once part of.

Moreover, perhaps because they spent more time as teammates than as a couple, their interaction seemed more like... brothers sharing a bunk bed?

The other four guests sitting at the table clapped enthusiastically to welcome them.

"Welcome, welcome! Welcome to join us!"

Hanyun Yun said happily, "Great, how long have you been dating?"

"Ah, this..."

Alpha Dong Yuzhe was very straightforward, "I've had a crush on him for five years, but I officially confessed my feelings after leaving the group a year ago."

This was their official story to the public.

"Wow, a five-year crush, so it must have been love at first sight back then?"

"Who knows if it's true or not, they might have been secretly dating and that's what caused the group to break up."

Qi Nan's face turned slightly red, and he shook his head, "Sister Han, you only asked about dating, why did you say so much?"

"I ship them, I really do. This couple is just too good to ship."

Hanyun Yun exclaimed and clapped her hands again. Beside her, Bai Chen deliberately smiled, "Oh, it seems like I'm the only one here who's married to the prince."

He immediately turned to look at Xie Yilin, with sweet dimples, "Husband, we've already cleared the love level and entered the phase of growing old together!"

"My goodness, look at that, only Chenchen's wife knows how to speak!"

"That's right, I want to grow old with Chenchen's wife!"

"I'm different, I'm thinking about doing something serious with Chenchen's wife, like having a baby... hehehe..."

Next to him, Xie Yilin gave a low hum.

Alpha's eyes held a smile and a deeper, more settled emotion.

Like a tree about to break through the soil, ready to emerge at any moment.

On Bai Chen’s side, he was still performing “normally” as before, being in front of the camera. The female director came over, calling them to get into the car, heading to today’s shooting location.

“The last night market live stream special got great feedback from the audience,” she said with a smile. “We’ve recorded five episodes now, so it’s customary to ask the guests for their thoughts.”

This was indeed a custom of *The Unta*.

After all, these days, variety shows force guests to create personas and follow character arcs, as if not having some sudden epiphany means the guest has wasted their time.

However, the guests’ actual thoughts might be quite simple.

...just earning the appearance fee.

The production team wasn’t unaware of this, but to ensure the show was entertaining, they still had to go through the motions.

The guests, being people from the entertainment industry, understood this well. As soon as the female director finished speaking, from left to right, Han Yunyun spoke first: “Well… my thoughts are that marriage is indeed not an easy thing.”

“Just dating is already quite difficult.”

“I hope by the end of the program, I can have a clearer understanding of my own relationships and marriage.”

Xin Yu scratched his head and briefly said, “After filming this show, I’ll take marriage more seriously.”

“Wow? Han Yunyun’s segment was really good.”

“Haha, does Xin Yu’s comment count as a subtle hint to get married soon?”

The new couple skipped their turn, and it was Bai Chen's turn again.

Bai Chen thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Does liking each other more count?"

Everyone: …

"Good grief, good grief, every time Bai Chen gives us a full head of dog food."

"Sigh, life is full of surprises. When can I get a wife like Chen Chen?"

"I can't go on living. After watching a few episodes, I've been tortured in each one. What's wrong with being single? Why do you have to make me feel this way, sob sob sob..."

The female director clutched her chest, took a few deep breaths, and hesitantly looked at Xie Yilin.

His Highness probably... wouldn't answer such a question, right? It's fine if he doesn't, after all, Bai Chen...

However, before she could finish her thoughts, Xie Yilin calmly uttered three words, "I am too."

"??????"

"Did I hear that wrong? Did I hear that wrong? Did I hear that wrong????"

"No! No! There are subtitles! Even if you heard it wrong, you wouldn't read it wrong!"

"Boo hoo, I'm illiterate, is that okay?"

"Dog killer! Everyone, run for your lives!!!"

Xie Yilin's three words were devastating.

The guests in the car didn’t dare to cheer, but they couldn’t keep their mouths shut either. Han Yunyun wore a doting aunt smile, clearly the number one fan of the couple on site.

The female director cleared her throat, “Cough, cough, cough, I didn’t expect that the Prince would be so impressive when he finally made a move…” She glanced at Bai Chen and, as expected, saw the little Omega blushing.

Eh? Bai Chen was blushing?

She thought back carefully and realized that Bai Chen used to not blush so easily? At least, he could handle these situations better than now?

Forget it, forget it. No matter how sweet those two were, it was still someone else’s love story, none of her business.

Amidst the laughter and chatter, they finally arrived at today’s filming location.

It turned out to be a very high cliff.

Apparently, it was also a local attraction. These steep cliffs, carved by nature, were entirely natural, with no artificial intervention.

The moment Han Yunyun saw it, she almost fainted: “No, we’re not climbing again, right?”

“No, no.”

The female director chuckled, “We can’t climb the same mountain twice; the audience would get bored.”

“So this time, we’re going down the mountain.”

“What do you mean by going down the mountain?”

“You don’t mean… climbing up is one way, and going down is the other?”

Bai Chen had his suspicions too. He glanced at the staff busy preparing on the cliff and said, “Is it bungee jumping?”

"Bungee... bungee jumping???"

Xin Yu’s face turned pale. "I... I’m afraid of heights. I can’t do this, really can’t."

"And..." He stammered, "my back isn’t in great shape either."

"Ha, when a man says his back isn’t good, it must be pretty bad."

"I can vouch for that. Xin Yu is a manga artist, you know. Working at a desk all day, he’s prone to back problems."

"Well, we’re all adults here. Who doesn’t have some degree of herniated discs, bulging discs, scoliosis, muscle strain, or joint disorder?"

"…The one in front, are you the legendary quadriplegic?"

Hanyun Yun seemed relieved when she heard Xin Yu’s words. She immediately pretended to support him and loudly said, "We won’t go up!"

"You guys, good luck!"

Dong Yuzhe and Qi Nan were both young and in good shape, so they had no reason to refuse.

Bai Chen was a bit eager—would the feeling of free-falling from a height be similar to charging in a mech?

However, the production team added a rule.

"This episode will test the mutual trust between partners."

"How do you test trust? One person falls, and the other catches them? [Dog face]"

They passed around the sportswear while explaining, "Only one person will do the bungee jump, while the other will hold onto them."

Of course, it’s called bungee jumping, but it’s not quite the standard kind.

The drop isn’t very high, only three to five meters, with an especially thick mat laid out below. Everyone is also well-protected. However, the one who isn’t jumping needs to entrust their entire weight and all their trust to the other.

Thus, it tests the absolute trust between lovers.

… The kind that might lead to breakups or divorces.

"When you reach the bottom, there will be a toy ball on a stand. The one being held has to grab that ball, then they’ll go back up and repeat."

"The team that gets the ball the fastest in the end will be today’s winner."

The production team decided to go big this time.

Amidst the varied expressions of the guests, the female director said, "Today’s winner can make one request to the production team—anything reasonable that we can manage."

"Wow, exciting! From Han Yunyun’s expression, she seems interested too."

"Yeah, after all, if they win, they could ask the production team to change next week’s activity to just sleeping all day, hahaha…"

"I bet today’s winners will definitely be Bai Chen and Her Highness. This kind of game that tests strength and coordination, what else could it be?"

"Not necessarily. What does bungee jumping have to do with physical strength? Don’t forget, they’re carrying someone in their arms."

Indeed, when it comes to bungee jumping, no one can claim much skill.

Basically, it comes down to how daring you are and how accurate you can be. No matter how strong an Alpha is, it still boils down to one word: jump.

Bai Chen had already slipped into the changing room.

He had come out in casual wear that morning and now needed to change into sports clothes and sneakers. Just as he was pulling off his pants, the curtain was pushed aside, and the tall Xie Yilin followed closely behind, filling the small temporary changing room to the brim.

There was barely enough space to turn around.

Bai Chen had only managed to get one leg out of his pants when he found himself stuck halfway. He tried to move to the side, but the changing room was so small. As he raised his hand to dodge, his footing slipped, and his body instantly leaned backward—

"Oops."

A strong arm blocked his lower back, stopping his descent. It lifted him up from below, and he found himself being embraced.

Hugged again.

Bai Chen couldn't count how many times they had hugged like this.

But every time, Bai Chen couldn't help his instinctive reaction.

...to hug back.

Bai Chen: A bit awkward.

Why can you hug so smoothly even at a time like this!

Especially since he was only half-dressed.

In the next second, as he instinctively hugged back, the other half of his pants also fell down.

Bai Chen: ...

Fortunately, no one else could see inside the changing room; otherwise, they would surely be puzzled about what they were doing in that position.

Xie Yilin’s eyes were brimming with laughter.

Alpha slightly lowered his head, his hot breath fanning against his ear, and whispered like playing a cello, “No rush.”

No rush.

It sounded like he was talking about changing clothes.

But if there’s no rush to change clothes, then isn’t it...

In Bai Chen’s little mind, three words suddenly flashed: strip tease?

No, no, no, what was he thinking!

He bit his lip hard, forcing himself to stay rational and not let his thoughts wander. But even after he changed and came out, his ears were still red.

“Want to sneak into the dressing room to see my wife.”

“Ahhh, Bai Chen’s waist is so slim!”

For ease of putting on protective harnesses, the sportswear was designed to be form-fitting.

Without further ado, it perfectly outlined the figures of the guests.

Bai Chen and Xie Yilin drew a lot of attention.

“The Prince’s physique is just too amazing, almost the perfect template for human males.”

“I... I’m an art student, but the Prince’s muscle groups are just too proportionate...”

"Hiss, hiss, hiss... Bai Chenchen looks so good too, huh? Wait? The production team prepared couples' outfits?"

Bai Chen's outfit is black with purple accents, highlighting his slim waist, long legs, and agile posture, all of which are prominently displayed on camera. As he performs warm-up exercises, he becomes even more captivating.

Stretching exercise, hmm, excellent flexibility, his tall and slender body fully extended.

Leg press, hmm, his legs are long and straight, with slender ankles that can be easily held, allowing for various poses.

Xie Yilin approaches Bai Chen at some point, placing his left hand on Bai Chen’s waist and his right hand pressing down on Bai Chen’s left shoulder. At the same time, his chest presses against Bai Chen’s back.

"Lower a bit more."

The man instructs him in a low voice, "Open your joints." Otherwise, it’s easy to get injured.

Bai Chen is slightly dazed.

They are even closer now than before.

Xie Yilin maintains this position as a staff member hands him a protective harness with a series of rings, which would be confusing for someone unfamiliar. But Xie Yilin takes it, glances at it, and says calmly, "I'll do it."

"Oh, oh, oh! Suddenly, I realize there will be physical contact while doing this... Is His Highness going to personally help his wife?"

"I suddenly want to see His Highness being jealous."

"I want to see it too... Ah, wait, what’s that!"

On screen, Xie Yilin has already started putting the protective gear and harness on Bai Chen.

The limbs and upper body need to be securely fastened, requiring some effort to ensure everything fits snugly. Bai Chen feels the atmosphere becoming a bit awkward and clears his throat, saying, "Thank you."

Xie Yilin remained silent.

The next second, he suddenly bent down and scooped Bai Chen up horizontally.

...Bai Chen's vision blurred for a moment as Xie Yilin walked to the edge of the cliff.

His strong arms held Bai Chen steadily, then he slightly lowered his gaze to look at the Omega in his arms.

Bai Chen inexplicably became nervous—right now, he started imagining all sorts of scenarios.

From melodramatic soap operas to social news, everything came to mind.

Xie Yilin's expression was calm, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

His gray eyes reflected Bai Chen's dazed expression, as if it were etched into his heart.

The Alpha whispered, "Scared?"

"…Not scared!"

Bai Chen immediately replied loudly, "I'm not afraid."

Just jump, how could he back down at a time like this?

Xie Yilin added, "Want to be first today?"

Bai Chen hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Xie Yilin's gray eyes softened even more.

He lowered his voice even more, as if speaking to himself or just mumbling unconsciously, "Alright, we'll take first place."

Xie Yilin had already thought about what to ask the production team to do.

Bai Chen was taken aback.

Eh? This seemed to be the first time Xie Yilin had shown... particularly initiative in this show?

Although there were similar situations before, today, Xie Yilin was especially different.

The faint scent of patchouli enveloped him once again.

This time, Bai Chen not only sensed the Alpha's aura but also suddenly remembered something.

...His inhibitor was due soon.

Author's note: I guess he wants the production team to disband? [Dog face]

Xie Yilin: ...

——————————

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me with a tycoon ticket or watered me with nutrient liquid during 2021-09-08 16:09:54 to 2021-09-09 17:48:39!

Thank you to the little angel who threw a grenade: Ashu 1;

Thank you to the little angels who watered me with nutrient liquid: Shuben Yan You 5 bottles; Luohua Cishi Li Chenxi 2 bottles; °Baigia - 1 bottle;

Thank you all for your support, I will continue to work hard!