Chapter 2

Shen Peiqing froze, still not quite sure what had just happened.

Zhao Qiaoshi, worried that Tao Tao might say too much, tried to grab her, but Tao Tao slipped behind Shen Peiqing. With a forced smile, Zhao Qiaoshi explained, “Sister Shen, no, I was just joking with her.”

Tao Tao’s bright eyes flicked between Shen Peiqing and Zhao Qiaoshi.

Such a small child trying to make sense of the moment—she furrowed her brows and pondered for a second, then gave up entirely.

Suddenly, Tao Tao let go of Shen Peiqing’s hand and ran into the lobby on her own.

Mom had said—when things feel too complicated, it's best to stay far away.

Just a moment ago, her palm had been so warm in Shen Peiqing’s grasp. Now, empty and cool, a breeze swept in, filling the loosened sleeve of her jacket.

She ignored Zhao Qiaoshi and dropped her gaze to her right hand.

Wang Yu, her assistant, hurried to catch up. Thinking Shen the actress was having a germaphobe moment, she quickly fished out a packet of disinfectant wipes from her bag.

Shen Peiqing shook her head and stepped into the building. “Whose child was that just now?”

“No idea—maybe she knows Zhao Qiaoshi?” Wang Yu offered. When Shen Peiqing didn’t respond, she added, “Should I ask Sister Xueyan to look into it?”

“No need.” Shen Peiqing quickened her pace. “Let’s meet the director first.”

Like a little fox guarding the entrance of its den, Ruan He had been shifting her position behind the column to stay hidden. She’d made a full circle around it.

Only when Shen Peiqing walked farther away did she dare peek out, gazing dazedly at that departing figure.

Tao Tao had hidden behind the promotional board by the entrance. Turning her head, she spotted her equally sneaky mom.

She sprinted over in a flash. “Mommy, who were you playing hide-and-seek with?”

Ruan He jumped, quickly covering Tao Tao’s mouth and murmuring awkwardly, “I was secretly keeping an eye on you.”

Tao Tao tilted her head, clearly skeptical. She followed Ruan He’s line of sight. “Mommy, do you know that lady?”

Ruan He hesitated for a second, then shook her head.

The crowd of fans at the entrance had mostly dispersed, and Zhao Qiaoshi had vanished. Everything was calm again.

Ruan He took Tao Tao’s hand and started walking out. “Don’t call that person ‘sister.’”

Tao Tao looked up. “Why not?”

“Because…” Ruan He couldn’t explain. She gave up and changed the subject. “Where’s Godma?”

“She went to the car to get some water.”

“Why didn’t you go with her?”

“Too sunny.”

“And you…”

“It was hot outside, so I just wanted to wait in the lobby.”

Tao Tao could tell Ruan He was worried. She gave her hand a little squeeze, signaling her to stop walking.

Her pale little fingers reached into her pocket, pulled out a piece of candy, unwrapped it, and lifted it toward Ruan He’s mouth.

Ruan He froze for two seconds, then lowered her head slightly and accepted the candy.

The rich taste of peach blossom filled her mouth—her own pheromone scent.

And lingering faintly at the tip of her nose… was the green bamboo fragrance clinging to Tao Tao’s fingers—the scent of Shen Peiqing’s pheromone.

—

The first filming day for *In Sync with Love* was scheduled for next Saturday.

In the meantime, Ruan He had enrolled Tao Tao in a kindergarten, familiarized her with the surrounding area, and settled her temporarily at Chen Yueying’s home.

A few days ago, the production team sent out the schedule.

While the show claimed that guests would send sweet messages nightly, due to runtime constraints, they actually only sent them on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

On non-message days, the cast was free to arrange their own time. If anyone was especially busy, they could even request to stay off-site from the “Love House.”

This made things easier for Ruan He. She packed her bags, gave a few more reminders to Chen Yueying and Tao Tao, and—reluctantly—headed for the filming location.

For the first meeting, the crew had picked a rooftop restaurant next to a park.

She wasn’t early. From afar, she saw two cameras following the previous guest from front and back.

Nerves tugged at her. She spent a good while inside the car psyching herself up.

When the door slid open, the first thing she saw was a young girl’s face.

The girl wore a high ponytail, a cream-colored Peter Pan collar blouse, and a crossbody pinafore dress. She looked obedient and playful, with just a hint of sass.

She hopped down from her car and reached out with a hand. “Hi! I’m Su Yifan.”

Ruan He hadn’t expected to meet a fellow cast member so soon. She froze for two seconds before hurriedly reaching out too. “H-hi, I’m Ruan He.”

The girl was a bit of a natural socialite. “I know you! I watched *Tomorrow’s Starshine*.”

“Really?” Ruan He was clearly surprised. Her pale cheeks flushed instantly—this was her first time meeting a fan out in the wild.

“Of course! You were my favorite back then, and…” Su Yifan paused, then smiled. “Actually, you were my favorite. Period.”

Ruan He felt overwhelmed by the unexpected affection. Su Yifan, by contrast, was breezy and natural.

She linked her arm with Ruan He’s and chatted as they walked. “I actually waited in the car on purpose for a bit longer, and I can’t believe I ended up with you. I must be so lucky!”

With Su Yifan’s cheerful stride, her long hair swished behind her playfully.

Ruan He caught a whiff of lemon—crisp and clean. A calming, gentle scent that soothed her nerves.

Su Yifan was an omega. Just like her scent, she radiated sunshine, joy, and boundless energy.

Ruan He instinctively warmed to this bubbly “little sister” who claimed to be her fan.

The staircase was narrow, and Su Yifan led the way, chattering like she was showing off a treasure. “Five people went in earlier—two tall ones are probably alphas. Of the other three, one looks like a minor celeb.”

“Everyone’s really good-looking!” Su Yifan suddenly spun around and winked. “But you’re still the prettiest!”

Today, Ruan He wore a pale yellow modern-style qipao dress. Her long hair was gathered into a simple bun with a single hairpin.

When leaving the house, Chen Yueying had commented that the outfit was a bit too understated, not exactly eye-catching.

But Su Yifan was giving full emotional value, showering her with unreserved praise. Ruan He, just starting to calm down, blushed again.

She followed behind for a while before finally remembering to softly say, “Thank you.”

As they emerged from the stairwell, the view suddenly opened up.

The crew had decorated the space with fresh flowers. Beneath a giant sunshade stood a long banquet-style table.

Su Yifan’s intel was accurate. The five people around the table stood up when they saw them approach, greeting them politely.

Ruan He sat down beside Su Yifan at the corner and lifted her glass to cover her subtle glances.

Next to Su Yifan sat a girl in a shirt dress named Feng Qing. Her long hair fell loosely behind her, giving her a gentle and intellectual vibe.

Beside Feng Qing was Jiang Lelan. She had a ponytail and wore shorts and a T-shirt, a relaxed sporty style that made her seem easygoing.

Across the table were the two tall alphas Su Yifan had mentioned.

The one with longer hair was Wang Muan, dressed today in a qipao—elegant and composed.

The one with shorter hair was Yan Yang, in a silk blouse and tailored trousers, exuding a “CEO aura” but talkative, currently holding court with ease.

At the far end, Ruan He met a pair of scrutinizing eyes—someone else observing her.

She set down her glass and managed a polite smile.

It was the minor celebrity Su Yifan had mentioned.

She wasn’t a stranger to Ruan He—it was Zhao Qiaoshi, whom she'd encountered at the TV station entrance days ago.

An odd silence suddenly fell over the gathering. Even Yan Yang, who’d been chatting non-stop, fell quiet for some reason.

She picked up a pitcher of water, stood up, and circled half the table until she stopped in front of Ruan He.

A mellow hint of alcohol drifted over. Ruan He couldn’t tell if Yan Yang was tipsy or just releasing her pheromones.

The scent vanished quickly as her cup filled to the brim—just a hair’s breadth from overflowing.

Beside her, Su Yifan couldn’t help but let out a small snort of laughter.

Yan Yang didn’t seem to mind. She nodded toward Ruan He, then calmly circled back to her seat under the quiet gaze of the group.

They resumed light conversation, and just as most of the food had arrived, the final two guests showed up, fashionably late.

The girl in front wore a sky-blue dress a bit on the short side. Her shoulder-length hair was tucked neatly behind one ear—she looked young, like a student.

The last guest wore an elegant strappy gown. Long, curled hair flowed down her back—graceful and stunning.

As if rehearsed, the girl opened her palm with a smile. “This is Tian Ruo.”

Tian Ruo mirrored the gesture. “And this is Ding Chulan.”

“Tian Ruo?!”

Hidden away in a corner, Ruan He finally reacted at the name—emotion flickering across her face.

When Tian Ruo saw her, she immediately lifted her skirt and rushed over, pulling Ruan He into a big hug.

“Ruanyuan, it’s been so long! I missed you!”

“What have you been up to all these years? Are you doing well?”

Still stunned, Ruan He raised her arms a few times before gently placing them on Tian Ruo’s back—just for a second.

Ever since she returned to Yicheng, it felt like her old friends had lined up to meet her. So much for everyone being “too busy.”

Tian Ruo had been her close friend during *Tomorrow’s Starshine*. The two had performed in the same team through several rounds, supporting each other all the way to the finale, where Tian Ruo had made the cut and debuted.

In recent years, the girl group had stayed fairly popular. Last year, they shifted to solo projects, and Tian Ruo had transitioned into acting. While not as widely seen as before, she remained a visibly active celebrity—definitely more high-profile than Zhao Qiaoshi.

But…

Before Ruan He could say anything, Tian Ruo warmly dragged her to the table.

She motioned toward the corner seat and sat down beside her—thankfully sparing Ruan He from the spotlight in the center of the room.

Dinner that night was polite, but slightly awkward.

Since no one was allowed to mention their age or profession, small talk stayed safely on the surface.

It had been a long time since Ruan He had been in a big group setting like this. She didn’t know what to say and did her best to fade into the background.

Yan Yang tried to pass her food a few times, but they were seated too far apart for it to be practical. In the end, it was mostly Su Yifan who chatted with her and helped pass dishes across the table.

When everyone had nearly finished eating, the production team wheeled in a large screen displaying the rules for sending sweet messages.

1. Each evening following group activities, guests must choose one fellow guest to receive a sweet message.

2. Messages are anonymous. Before viewing, recipients may decide whether to reveal or not. If made public, the message appears on screen for all guests to see.

3. Any guest who fails to receive a message three times in a row will be deemed unmatched and eliminated from the show.

Zhao Qiaoshi smiled. “So we’re sending messages right now? Isn’t this basically love at first sight?”

Director Zhou nodded. “Exactly.”

While everyone sat watching each other, uncertain, someone had already hit “send.”

The rules vanished from the screen, replaced by a pink little box. A winged, heart-shaped letter fluttered into it.

Yan Yang glanced up and started typing furiously. “Turns out this show isn’t called *In Sync with Love*, it’s really *Please Vote for One Box*.”

The crew burst into laughter, and the tension finally eased.

Above them, the evening sky deepened, soft twilight folding into dusk.

The rooftop lights flickered on. The warm breeze carried the faintest trace of something... suggestive.

The box on screen filled steadily, its animation bouncing in eagerness beneath everyone’s eyes.

Director Zhou pressed the remote. “Let’s reveal the sweet messages!”

The atmosphere immediately quieted. It felt like everyone was holding their breath.

Then, loud and sudden as a firecracker in the dead of night, the electronic voice boomed across the terrace:

“Hello, Ruan He, you have one…”

“Ruan He, you…”

“Ruan…”

The fourth alert finally finished the sentence:

“Hello, Ruan He, you have one sweet message waiting.”

Ruan *flying under the radar* He: …Why is everyone looking at me?

***

Special thanks to the sweethearts **“68025702”** and **“Kerberos”** for dropping those grenades, and to the lovelies **“Yuyan”**, **“Kerberos”**, and **“Can’t Quite See Clearly”** for nourishing the story with nutrient solution—mua~ mua~ mua~