PTBC chapter 16

After dinner, the production team finally showed some mercy and allowed the guests to rest.

But before they returned to their rooms, the host reminded them, “Don’t stay up too late, try to sleep early, but don’t sleep too deeply, as there will be a mysterious visitor tonight. There’s an important task waiting for you.”

Several guests grimaced.

Once those words were said, it was clear they wouldn’t be sleeping much that night.

This show, despite its other aspects, truly felt like a military training exercise, with no time for rest.

Xia Yan walked to his room with Xu Cong, his mind already forming some guesses. He said to Xu Cong, “These midnight activities probably aren’t anything good. Do you remember the ghost house activity we did in Danzhou before?”

That was a variety show that all of D.A participated in.

Everything was pleasant during the day, and they even went to an amusement park, but by midnight, they were thrown into a haunted house, and Xiao Ning and Lin Qiuxi screamed like crazy, clinging to Xia Yan and Ye Zhaoyang, not letting go.

“Very likely,” Xu Cong said calmly. “Otherwise, why would they schedule it for tonight?”

“This is really troublesome,” Xia Yan sighed, not because he was afraid of ghosts, but simply because he just wanted a good night’s sleep.

When they finally returned to their room, seeing the bare walls made him feel even more desolate.

But there wasn’t time to dwell on it.

Xia Yan carefully inspected the room again. Although the production team claimed there were no cameras in the bedroom, he was still cautious.

After confirming there was nothing out of the ordinary, he slowly began to undress.

Xu Cong had just boiled some water and was washing the cups when, unexpectedly, he saw a pair of snow-white shoulders and a slim waist.

His hand instinctively gripped the cup a bit tighter.

But soon, when Xia Yan turned his back to him, any lingering thoughts disappeared, replaced with concern.

He quickly walked over, reaching out his hand but hesitating to touch Xia Yan’s back, worried it might cause him more pain.

Xia Yan’s back was covered in large patches of red and swollen skin, mixed with rashes, almost reaching his neck. It was much worse than before.

It was an unpleasant sight.

Even though Xia Yan was usually praised by his fans for his perfect appearance, seeing so many marks on his body was unsettling.

Xia Yan felt uncomfortable and didn’t want Xu Cong to see, but Xu Cong firmly held his shoulder.

“Why is it so bad? Didn’t you take your medicine this afternoon?” Xu Cong furrowed his brows, trying to recall all the tasks they did earlier. “You didn’t have this when you were cleaning the fish, right?”

“Right.”

Xia Yan sighed.

“It was fine earlier during the tasks. I even took more medicine, but after returning, my body started hurting, especially when Ge Qianyi and Jiang Chuxin were close to me. Their pheromone blockers probably wore off. The pheromones leaked out, making me feel awful.”

Xu Cong’s lips tightened.

He knew he couldn’t blame the other guests, as forgetting to reapply blocking spray during the tasks was understandable.

None of them knew about Xia Yan’s unstable condition, not even Jiang Chuxin.

But still, Xu Cong couldn’t help feeling a bit angry, even regretting allowing Xia Yan to participate in the show. The place was too remote, with no access to proper medical help in case of an emergency.

“It could also be because I released too many pheromones today, trying to teach Jiang Chuxin a lesson, and then I was too exhausted afterward,” Xia Yan reflected. “Dr. Li told me not to get too emotional or exert myself too much, that it wouldn’t be good for me.”

Xu Cong nodded, agreeing.

He looked at Xia Yan, his tone a little reproachful. “Don’t do that again. If you can handle it, don’t get caught up in the theatrics.”

It would have been better to just give Jiang Chuxin a good beating; he was never one to avoid conflict anyway.

Xia Yan gave a perfunctory nod, distracted as he rummaged through his bag for something. He pulled out a tube of ointment and handed it to Xu Cong.

Xu Cong hesitated for a moment, unsure what it was, but instinctively accepted it.

He studied the plain white tube, which had no label or instructions.

“What’s this?” he asked Xia Yan.

“Ointment.”

Xia Yan replied nonchalantly, already lying down on the bed. He didn’t want to dirty the sheets, so he had placed a black blanket over the bed.

He lay on the blanket, his body pale white, his face turned toward Xu Cong.

“This is the strong hormone cream Dr. Li specially prepared for me. It works quickly but doesn’t address the root cause. He said to use it in an emergency.”

Xia Yan lifted his messy hair from his neck, exposing his smooth skin.

“Help me apply it,” he said to Xu Cong, without any sense of awkwardness. “I can’t reach my back; it’s too much.”

Xu Cong stared at the ointment in his hand, his expression complicated.

He really wanted to ask if Xia Yan remembered that he was an omega and he himself was an alpha.

But he thought, even if he voiced it out, Xia Yan would probably just look confused and wouldn’t understand what he was saying.

After a brief pause, Xu Cong silently sat down beside Xia Yan.

Xia Yan was already lying comfortably.

He was lying on the pillow, looking nothing like a typical weak omega. His figure was tall and sturdy, with wide shoulders and long legs. His smooth back rose and fell gently, reminiscent of white waves on a beach. His waist was narrow yet strong, flat and firm, without any excess fat. On stage, his waist exuded power, having performed countless difficult moves that sent fans into a frenzy.

Now, he lay obediently, making no movements, yet his waist still exuded charm.

The small indentation in his lower back slightly dipped, resembling a pair of shallow dimples, perfect for holding a lover’s kiss.

Xu Cong’s gaze fell upon it, and his Adam’s apple uncontrollably bobbed a few times, hesitating to make a move.

For a moment, he even felt a trace of resentment towards Xia Yan.

Resentment that Xia Yan, despite not loving him, always laid himself bare in front of him, as if he could do anything to him.

After a while, Xia Yan began to feel strange and was about to turn around to urge him.

Only then did Xu Cong slowly squeeze out a lump of green ointment from the tube and gently apply it to Xia Yan’s back.

The ointment was cool, carrying a faint bitter medicinal scent.

Xia Yan suddenly shivered, “Hiss…”

His shoulders and back trembled slightly, like waves gently rippling.

The ointment from Dr. Li worked quickly; by the time Xu Cong reached his waist, the rashes on Xia Yan’s back had faded significantly, turning from deep red to soft pink patches.

Xia Yan finally felt a little relief.

Earlier, during dinner, he had felt his back ache and itch, his head growing groggy, and he couldn’t do anything due to the cameras.

It was truly unbearable.

“Dr. Li is pretty impressive,” Xia Yan closed his eyes and said slowly. “If it weren’t for the medicine he prepared for me, I don’t know how I would’ve gotten through these days.”

But he didn’t hear Xu Cong’s response.

Xia Yan felt a bit puzzled and was about to turn his head when suddenly, he felt the hand that had been applying the ointment leave him, and at the same time, the blanket was lifted slightly and covered him.

“I’m done. I’ll wash my hands,” Xu Cong said before leaving.

“Huh?”

Xia Yan rolled over and sat up on the bed, looking confused at the closed bathroom door.

….

In the bathroom.

Xu Cong turned on the tap, the sound of rushing water filling the small room.

He washed his hands under the water, the ointment completely rinsed off, but the sensation of Xia Yan’s warm, delicate skin still lingered on his fingertips.

Xu Cong lowered his gaze, staring at his pale fingertips, the sound of the water masking the noise of his heartbeat.

When he looked up again, he saw a restrained, desire-filled expression in the mirror.

The few minutes he spent applying the ointment to Xia Yan had felt like an entire century.

And his blocking spray was losing its effect.

The sandalwood pheromones were itching to expand, filling the room with possessiveness, greedily trying to merge with Xia Yan’s rose pheromones.

If Xia Yan had turned around even once, he would have seen the terrifying, ugly desire in his eyes.

The night on the island was restless, especially since it was so remote, with no shelter around, and the sea wind pounding against the flimsy wooden house. The bathroom’s insecure window was shaking and making creaking sounds.

It was truly unpleasant.

Xu Cong thought as he stared into the mirror.

He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a strip of pills, taking one without even looking.

These were alpha suppressants, ones he had prepared himself.

…..

Xu Cong came out of the bathroom, and Xia Yan was almost asleep from boredom.

“You’re so slow.”

Xia Yan said.

He gave Xu Cong a curious look and saw his wet temples, his face still marked with traces of water.

“Didn’t you just wash your hands? Why did you wash your face too?” he asked.

Xu Cong blinked his eyelashes and walked to the side of the suitcase, pretending to organize his things to hide his expression.

He lied casually, “I saw that my face was a little dirty in the mirror, so I washed it.”

Xia Yan immediately believed him.

“It’s really easy to get dirty on this Island. I think I have sand in my hair, and after killing fish this afternoon, I reeked of fish smell. Thankfully, I changed my clothes later.”

Thinking of this, he couldn’t hold back any longer; even though he changed his clothes, he still suspected he was dirty and decided he needed a shower right then.