Chapter 4: An Electric Jolt Through the Body
The clothes, the scent…
In a sudden flash of realization, Hao Jia connected the dots. “That coat belongs to that wild man?!”
“Yeah. Smells great. I like it a lot. Whenever I close my eyes, it feels like I’m right back to those two days, with him holding—”
“Stop!” Hao Jia’s head felt ready to explode. “Stop thinking about it! That’s just pheromones playing tricks on your brain; you aren’t actually reminiscing! An Alpha who marks an Omega with reckless abandon isn’t worth pining over!”
“We’re running out of time. Hurry up and get cleaned up,” he urged.
Nan Zhou: “Mm.”
“Were you playing games just now?”
“Reminiscing.”
“…”
The memories of those two days were hazy and feverish, triggering a torrential flood of musical notes in Nan Zhou’s mind.
He had turned them into a song and sent it off to a female vocalist.
Writing the piece had barely taken the hit producer any time at all; tracking down the right artist to sing it had required far more effort.
After spending two whole days listening to tracks from over a hundred singers, Nan Zhou had finally settled on her and fired off the demo just moments before.
The two arrived at the magazine shoot right on the dot, and the photography assistant immediately ushered Nan Zhou toward the dressing room.
Along the way, soft whispers and murmurs rustled from every corner.
Though he couldn’t make out the words clearly, Hao Jia knew they weren’t saying anything flattering.
While walking past some equipment, the rushed photography assistant missed the tangled cables on the floor and nearly tripped. Luckily, a hand shot out swiftly, steadying her.
Once she regained her footing, the hand pulled back just as quickly.
The assistant turned around to look at Nan Zhou, who had already shoved his hands back into the pockets of his hoodie, yawning languidly. A thought crossed her mind:
So handsome!
Snapping out of it, she hastily shook her head, offered a quick thank-you, sped up a few steps, and pushed open the dressing room door.
Behind her, she heard Nan Zhou speak up. “While styling my hair, could I get a quick trim too?”
Huh?
“What kind of stunt are you trying to pull now?” replied his manager, Hao Jia, sounding utterly defeated and weak.
“Cut my bangs. Too long, poking me in the eyes,” came the lazy response.
“Why don’t you just shave it all off while you’re at it!”
“Can’t do that.” After a brief beat, Nan Zhou said, “I’d look too cool. I’m afraid you’d fall in love with me.”
The photography assistant couldn’t hold back a burst of laughter.
Nan Zhou and Hao Jia turned to look at her simultaneously, making her cheeks heat up. “Teacher Nan Zhou is a bit different from what they say online. You’re pretty funny.”
And… honestly… really didn’t seem like an Omega!
At least, not in vibe!
In the end, after exchanging a few words with the stylist, Nan Zhou went ahead and had his bangs trimmed.
With his bangs cut and just a clean, minimalist styling applied, he looked like an entirely different person.
When he stepped out of the changing room, the assistant, the stylist, and Hao Jia were all momentarily struck dumb with sheer awe!
So gorgeous!
Distinct from the soft, delicate beauty typical of an Omega, his was a vibrant, sharp handsomeness pulsing with raw vitality.
Blending youthful vibrancy with an effortless sex appeal, he commanded everyone’s gaze in an instant.
…This was Nan Zhou?! The timid, docile youngest member of the boy band?
Not only the photography assistant, but even Hao Jia was left breathless.
The room fell quiet for a beat. Just as the assistant was about to say something, the dressing room door swung open from the outside, followed by a harsh, caustic voice: “Where’s the celestial fairy? Dragging things out this long—are we shooting or not?”
Everyone turned toward the sound. The next second, the assistant’s eyes went wide as she squeaked, “T-Teacher Lu?!”
Hao Jia was taken aback as well.
Lu Bei?! That eccentric photography master who had swept countless awards and publicly boasted that he never shot ugly people?!
“Xie Feng’s appendix flared up this morning and sent him to the ER. I owed him a favor, so I came to cover his shift.” Lu Bei glanced into the room, his eyes halting squarely on Nan Zhou’s face.
Nan Zhou looked back at him, a trace of mockery flickering in his eyes.
The next second, the corners of his mouth curved upward. He raised a hand lazily and mimed extracting something from the top of his skull.
Lu Bei: “…Fuck!”
“Teacher Lu, Teacher Nan Zhou, he—” The assistant hadn’t caught Nan Zhou’s gesture. Hearing the big shot swear out of nowhere, she assumed he was dissatisfied with Nan Zhou and immediately tried to smooth things over.
“Bring me my camera,” Lu Bei barked toward the doorway.
Holy shit! It had been ages since he’d run into a beauty who sent his inspiration skyrocketing like this!
Just now, an electric jolt had shot straight through his body, feeling so damn thrilling he nearly popped a reaction.
Miming that his brains had been extracted, huh?
Feisty!
Before anyone could make sense of what was happening, an assistant came running in, clutching a camera.
Lu Bei snatched it, aimed it at Nan Zhou, and fired off a rapid barrage of shutter clicks.
In the end, factoring in the set backgrounds, Lu Bei shot for nearly two straight hours. Throughout the entire session, his energy never dipped; he kept guiding Nan Zhou through poses while raving non-stop: “Every single frame is heart-stopping.”
“A beauty no camera can truly contain.”
“Perfect!”
Once wrapped, Lu Bei trailed after Nan Zhou toward the exit like a hound eyeing a juicy bone, asking point-blank, “Do you have a boyfriend?”
The on-site crew, already privately buzzing with gossip over his sudden appearance, sucked in a collective breath of pure shock.
Nan Zhou yawned, not sparing him a glance. “You’re not my type.”
Lu Bei: “What type do you like?”
Nan Zhou opened the car door and slid inside.
“Young, gorgeous, great body. Virtuous, devoted to the family, sweet, and obedient. No need for personal ambitions or grand dreams, just a relaxed, stable job.”
“That way, he’ll have plenty of free time to take care of the household and the kids, while I focus on earning money and building my career outside.”
Slam. The car door shut, leaving Hao Jia outside with his jaw practically hitting the pavement.
Beside him, Lu Bei wore a deeply contemplative expression.
Even after climbing into the car, Hao Jia’s excitement hadn’t worn off.
What was supposed to be a gig for a third-rate little magazine had unexpectedly landed Lu Bei as the photographer—it was like striking absolute gold.
Every artist Lu Bei shot turned into a darling of the fashion industry; Hao Jia was already daydreaming about Nan Zhou’s bright future.
“Lu Bei’s an Alpha, from a wealthy background, incredibly talented, and exceptionally well-connected in fashion. I think you could—” Turning his head, he noticed Nan Zhou curled up in that black trench coat in the back seat, eyes closed, seemingly asleep.
“…Good thing you put on a scent-blocking patch. Otherwise, the news of you being marked would be trending by now,” Hao Jia muttered under his breath.
Speaking of trending…
Taking advantage of a red light, he pulled out his phone and opened Weibo.
Sure enough, Nan Zhou was getting dragged through the mud on the hot search yet again.
Today, Heart-Fluttering You 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 already?! A clingy, foul white lotus! Once he sticks to you, you can’t even scrub him off?!”
“Nan Zhou, get the hell out of the entertainment industry!”
“They’ve already gone public as a couple, and he still forces his way in! He’s not seriously going on the show to steal a man from our Xiao Yu, is he?! Disgusting!!!”
“Out of all the announced guests, they’re either confirmed couples or internet-favorite pairings who interact all the time. Only Nan Zhou sticks out like a sore thumb…”
“Wait, am I the only one paying attention to that mystery guest?”
“ME TOO!!! Three seasons in, this is the very first time they haven’t revealed a face, waiting until the live broadcast to announce them!”
What caught Hao Jia’s attention was that final mystery guest announced by the production team as well.
Outsiders were kept in the dark, but as an industry insider and Nan Zhou’s manager, he knew full well who that mystery guest was.
That was Nan Zhou’s designated CP partner for the show.
The Washed-Up Star Went Unfiltered and Became a Sensation on a Dating Reality Show
