After Marrying the Cold Omega in Secret (GL, ABO) - Chapter 10

Before filming began, they had made an agreement. If they met during the show, they would act as strangers.

As a professional actress, Chu Jin did not let any of her true emotions show. Her expression was composed, with a polite and appropriate smile.

“You finally made it,” she said. Her tone carried a touch of unfamiliarity and nervous politeness, like one might use when meeting someone for the first time. She then turned to lead them toward the staircase.

To her surprise, Chi Ye responded to her.

“Were you the first to arrive?”

“Yes,” Chu Jin replied, trying her best to sound relaxed. She stopped at the foot of the stairs and pointed upward.

“You can find your room based on the flower you picked.”

Chu Jin avoided holding Chi Ye’s gaze for too long. Her eyes shifted toward the flower in Yan Sisi’s hand.

“It looks like the iris room isn’t on the second floor. It should be on the third.”

Like many Omegas, Yan Sisi was petite and didn’t have much physical strength. On top of that, she was dragging a suitcase nearly half her height.

Following Chu Jin’s gesture, Yan Sisi looked up at the spiral staircase that seemed to go on forever. Her face already showed concern.

“I don’t think I can carry it up.”

She looked between Chu Jin and Chi Ye with hopeful eyes, silently asking for help.

This was a rare opportunity for someone to step up and shine. Chu Jin didn’t make a move. Instead, she looked toward Chi Ye, expecting her to quickly grab the suitcase and carry it easily to the third floor.

Ideally, she would reach the top of the stairs, turn back with a quick glance, and just then, a beam of sunlight would fall on her. She would look like a shining hero, tall and confident, winning Yan Sisi’s admiration in a single moment.

Chu Jin even imagined the perfect soundtrack playing in the background of that scene.

However, no sunlight streamed through the stairs, and Chi Ye didn’t move at all. She seemed completely indifferent.

The air grew tense.

Yan Sisi’s expression turned slightly awkward. She bit her back teeth and looked at Chi Ye with disbelief.

Seriously? You are not even going to help?

Chu Jin, aware of the cameras, did not want to let the situation drag on. She quickly offered, “I’ll help you.”

Just as the words left her mouth, she saw Chi Ye release her own suitcase.

Chu Jin thought she had finally decided to help, but what Chi Ye said next was like a splash of cold water.

“I can’t carry it either,” she said calmly.

Chu Jin looked between the two of them.

What was this supposed to mean?

Were they both playing the weak character role?

The viewers in the live chat were just as confused.

“This is strange. An Alpha who says she can’t carry a suitcase? Is she pretending to be fragile?”

“Something’s fishy. I bet there’s a twist coming.”

“I actually like watching them interact.”

“This pairing is too good.”

“They already have a ship name? That was fast.”

“I think they’re rivals, not a couple.”

“Agreed. Definitely rivals.”

While the camera was not focused on her, Chu Jin quickly gave Chi Ye a look, asking what she was doing. Before coming here, they had agreed that all contract terms would be put on hold during filming.

That meant Chi Ye had no right to force her into anything.

But Chi Ye acted as if she hadn’t seen the signal at all. Her cool eyes even held a faint smile.

The camera soon returned to Chu Jin. Left with no choice, she smiled through clenched teeth.

“I’ll help you both.”

As the first person to arrive, it made sense for her to assist the others. She reached for Yan Sisi’s suitcase first. It was surprisingly heavy. Chu Jin prided herself on being strong, but even she found it difficult to lift.

Yan Sisi looked apologetic and was about to offer help when Chi Ye stepped forward. She reached through the handle and grabbed the space just next to Chu Jin’s hand.

Immediately, the weight was much easier to carry.

So she is strong after all.

Chi Ye’s skin was always slightly cool, like jade. With their hands touching now, that chill seemed to carry a quiet warmth.

As they carried the luggage upstairs, Chu Jin couldn’t help but glance at Chi Ye. If they were not bound by a contract, and if their secondary genders were not incompatible, then someone like Chi Ye—calm, elegant, and striking—would actually be the type Chu Jin liked.

But those were only fantasies.

There was always going to be a distance between them. They were not people from the same world.

The two of them worked together and quickly brought both suitcases to the rooms upstairs.

Since the third floor had not been filmed yet, the camera crew followed Yan Sisi.

Chu Jin guessed that the livestream wouldn’t show the rose room for the moment, so she turned off her microphone and quietly asked,

“President Chi, why didn’t you pick the same flower as her?”

“We arrived at the same time. Choosing the same flower would have looked too obvious,” Chi Ye said without much emotion.

She clearly didn’t care.

Chu Jin was already uncomfortable with the current pairing arrangement. Her voice carried a trace of frustration.

“So you decided to pick a flower that someone had already chosen?”

Chi Ye noticed the tension in her voice, and her expression darkened.

“I didn’t know it was you.”

If she had known, she definitely would have picked something else.

Chu Jin immediately understood the hidden meaning behind those words. What she didn’t understand a moment ago was now replaced with quiet irritation.

She held it in, but eventually the anger bubbled over. She spoke in a slightly bitter tone.

“I should have messaged you in advance. Then you wouldn’t have ended up picking me.”

Chi Ye responded coldly, not backing down.

“That would have helped.”

The atmosphere dropped to freezing.

Worried that a cameraman might come looking for them, Chu Jin decided to head back downstairs first.

There were hidden cameras in the bedrooms too. To give viewers a more complete view of everyone’s interactions, the livestream occasionally switched to fixed-angle shots when the main camera was not present.

Just as Chu Jin and Chi Ye were standing there in silence, the feed briefly cut to the rose room for three seconds.

The comment section exploded.

“What happened? Are they arguing?”

“I told you these two are rivals. This is definitely about Yan Sisi.”

“The ship is sinking already. That was fast.”

“I can’t take it. Not the drama already.”

After the two of them came downstairs, they saw that the rest of the participants had already arrived.

Everyone lined up according to their flower choices and got ready to introduce themselves.

Before the production team even gave the signal to start, a short-haired girl holding a tulip stepped forward to speak. She was dressed smartly, with the confident air of a woman who had spent years in the workplace. Her energy was bright and sharp, and her voice matched her personality.

“Hello everyone. I’m Zhou Meng, a local from Linhe City. ‘Meng’ as in dreaming. I look forward to working with all of you.”

Since she took the lead, the rest of the group followed her example and began introducing themselves one by one.

Another person holding a tulip was a girl who looked quite young. She wore a suspender skirt and had her hair tied in a high ponytail, appearing cheerful and lively.

“My name is Xin Ning. Ning as in ‘lemon,’ though I don’t actually like lemons.”

Next was the woman who had chosen the same flower as Yan Sisi. She had a gentle and elegant temperament, the kind that felt naturally graceful. Wearing a flowing white dress, she looked almost otherworldly.

“Hello everyone. I’m Bai Xuqing.”

Her name, like her presence, gave the impression of someone who lived untouched by the noise of the world.

Yan Sisi’s gaze lingered on her for a few seconds before she came back to her senses. She quickly introduced herself.

“My name is Yan Sisi.”

She even lifted the iris in her hand and gave it a small wave toward Bai Xuqing.

Next came the bellflower group. The camera moved to a girl with curly hair wearing a green dress. Her makeup was delicately done, capturing the popular soft and seductive look. Her voice was sweet and light when she spoke.

“My name is Wen Zhixue. Hello, everyone.”

The other girl in the group had a more casual look. She wore a baseball cap and seemed a little uncomfortable in front of the camera. Her introduction was brief and to the point.

“Chen Mo.”

Her name matched her personality. She was quiet and reserved.

Last was the rose group.

With the camera giving her a close-up, Chu Jin had already adjusted her expression and showed a gentle, natural smile.

“Hello everyone. I’m Chu Jin.”

Chi Ye, on the other hand, showed no concern for appearances. Whether it was her usual expression or a complete lack of interest in pretending, her tone was cold and distant.

“Chi Ye.”

After the introductions, everyone placed their luggage in their rooms. The production team then arranged the first group dinner.

As the viewers watched the full introductions, the livestream comment section lit up with speculation.

“I think I’ve got everyone figured out. Alphas: Chu Jin, Chi Ye, Chen Mo, Zhou Meng. Omegas: Bai Xuqing, Yan Sisi, Wen Zhixue, Xin Ning.”

“Totally agree.”

“Anyone else notice that the two-character names are all Alphas, and the three-character names are all Omegas?”

“Wait, that’s actually true.”

Xin Ning read the comments and felt frustrated. She quietly posted an anonymous message.

“What if Xin Ning is actually an Alpha?”

Replies came instantly.

“No way.”

“With my ten years of shipping experience, I can say with confidence that Xin Ning is definitely an Omega.”

Before she could respond again, the production team called for everyone to head outside for dinner. She closed her phone and walked out.

The team had prepared the meal in advance and neatly arranged everything on the tables in the courtyard. All the dishes had been freshly made by a nearby restaurant.

“You can eat and chat to get to know each other better,” the staff reminded them.

Each side of the long table could seat four people. The row closer to the swing was already full. Chu Jin chose the leftmost seat on the opposite side. Chi Ye sat behind her on the same row, leaving one seat between them.

Yan Sisi sat at the far right, placing herself next to Chi Ye and directly across from Bai Xuqing.

She smiled at Bai Xuqing in greeting, then leaned slightly toward Chi Ye and whispered,

“Did you and Chu Jin get into a fight?”

When they first arrived, they seemed fine. They even carried luggage together. But after the room assignments, something had clearly changed. Their expressions looked stiff.

It was obvious they were upset.

Chi Ye’s expression was calm and distant.

“No.”

Yan Sisi paused for a moment.

You expect me to believe that?

She gave up trying to get more out of her and turned her attention back to Bai Xuqing. She began chatting with her again, pouring her a drink and asking whether she could reach the dishes she liked.

Although Chu Jin sat at the corner of the table, she kept an eye on everything happening around her. She especially noticed what was going on near Chi Ye.

She saw the quiet exchange between Yan Sisi and Chi Ye.

From this angle, they looked like they belonged together.

Just then, someone sat down in the empty seat to Chu Jin’s right.

She turned her head and saw it was Xin Ning, the youngest-looking member of the group.

As soon as she sat down, Xin Ning leaned in and asked,

“Jie, do I look more like an Alpha or an Omega?”

Being suddenly addressed as “Jie” caught Chu Jin a little off guard.

Even more unexpected was the nature of the question.

The show’s rules clearly stated that no one was allowed to reveal their designation. It had to be discovered through interaction. Chu Jin chose a safe and neutral response.

“Hard to say. You really can’t judge someone’s designation by looks alone.”

She meant what she said. Over the years, she had met many Alphas who looked like Omegas and many Omegas who pretended to be Alphas. Looks could be very misleading.

Xin Ning nodded in agreement.

“I think so too.”

Then she leaned in closer and lowered her voice, making sure only Chu Jin could hear.

“Jie, can we switch seats? I want to sit across from Chen Mo.”

Chu Jin glanced across the table and saw Chen Mo resting her chin on her hand, staring into space. She instantly understood.

This seemingly Omega-like Xin Ning was probably an Alpha. And she clearly had her eye on Chen Mo.

Chu Jin had noticed something between them earlier. Xin Ning was young and not great at hiding her emotions. Her interest in Chen Mo was practically written on her face.

Chen Mo, on the other hand, seemed indifferent. She was not exactly distant, but her attitude gave off a sense of disinterest, more like she simply did not want to engage.

Chu Jin suspected the two of them already knew each other.

Though she had no idea whether this was something the production team had scripted.

Since Xin Ning had asked politely and Chu Jin’s on-camera persona was warm and agreeable, she gave her a smile and nodded.

Even though that meant she would now be sitting right next to Chi Ye.