Chapter 2: A Sinister Plot or a Calculated Move?

Lin Xingmian paused in his steps and quickened his pace.

As his manager, Tang Xia wielded an unimaginable amount of hidden power. This time, he had bypassed the event organizers and directly ordered security to apprehend him, which showed just how panicked he must have been.

Lin Xingmian couldn’t let Tang Xia catch him. If he did, his fate would be no different from his previous life.

He bit his lip and silently increased his speed.

His body heated up from the exertion, and his pheromones began to spill out uncontrollably. A faint, cold fragrance wafted through the corridor, catching the attention of a male Beta staff member passing by. The man’s nose twitched, and he stopped in his tracks.

“What’s this scent? It’s so…” The staff member turned around, but the corridor was empty except for him and a man wearing a baseball cap.

The staff member tentatively called out, “Mr. Lin? You’re going the wrong way! The venue is over here!”

The man in the baseball cap didn’t look back and continued striding forward.

The staff member scratched his head and turned around again.

Security personnel in uniforms were rushing down the corridor. The leader of the group impatiently shooed the staff member aside. “Move! What are you doing standing in the middle of the hallway?”

“The pheromones of that person ahead… they kind of resemble Mr. Lin’s,” the staff member said helpfully.

“Who?”

The staff member turned around again, but the corridor was now empty.

Lin Xingmian was breathing heavily as he sprinted down the corridor.

How had security arrived so quickly?

He glanced back and saw a sea of black figures, shoulder to shoulder, too many to count.

“Mr. Lin, why are you running? The Best Actor award is about to be announced!”

“Mr. Lin!”

The shouts behind him didn’t stop, and Lin Xingmian didn’t dare to slow down. He sped up and rounded the corner.

The air felt like boiling gelatin, and breathing became increasingly difficult.

The effects of the drug were kicking in faster, and his consciousness was beginning to blur.

In this state, he wouldn’t make it to the exit. He needed to find a place to hide!

Sweat poured down Lin Xingmian’s face as he quickly scanned his surroundings.

“And now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Who will take home the Golden Eagle Award for Best Actor tonight? Let’s take a look at our nominees…” The amplified voice from the stage echoed into the backstage area.

Lin Xingmian kept running, kicking over a mobile clothing rack that was blocking the path.

“Crash—” The roughly two-meter-tall rack toppled in the middle of the hallway, scattering silver hangers everywhere.

“Mr. Lin! Lin Xingmian! You’re a nominee for the Golden Eagle Award! You can’t miss this!”

“Whatever’s going on, we’ll handle it after the awards!”

Security was hot on his heels, and the host on stage was reading out the list of nominees and their respective TV shows.

The award he had once dreamed of had now become a death sentence.

Lin Xingmian didn’t care anymore. He accelerated through the corner and grabbed the handle of the first door he saw.

He tried with all his might, but the door to the dressing room wouldn’t budge, and panic set in for a moment.

Most of the attending actors and celebrities were seated in the main venue. Why would the dressing room be locked?

His trembling fingers fumbled with the handle of the second dressing room, but it wouldn’t open either.

The sound of footsteps grew clearer, and his right hand shook uncontrollably.

His legs were weak, and he no longer had the strength to run.

If he was caught, his life would once again plunge into an unfathomable abyss.

With a trembling right hand, he grabbed the handle of the third dressing room and twisted it with all his might.

This time, the door opened easily.

Lin Xingmian didn’t have time to think. He strode into the dressing room, closed the door, and locked it in one swift motion.

Moments later, hurried footsteps echoed outside the door.

“Where is he? He ran so fast?” a security guard panted.

Lin Xingmian leaned against the door, breathing heavily, his body trembling uncontrollably.

“Getting this worked up over a tie clip? Makeup artist, you really need to exercise more…” A teasing male voice came from behind.

Lin Xingmian turned around, still gasping for breath, and met the man’s gaze.

The man raised his eyes slightly, revealing a pair of light blue irises beneath thick, long lashes. The beautiful color of his eyes resembled the shimmering surface of a lake in early spring.

His strikingly mixed features were deep and refined, and his well-tailored suit accentuated his tall, upright figure.

The man raised an eyebrow in surprise, scanning Lin Xingmian up and down without saying a word.

He lowered his head to fasten a dark gold cufflink, exuding the lazy, relaxed aura of a nobleman.

A mixed-blood Alpha? But why was there no trace of pheromones?

Lin Xingmian strode toward him, extending his hand, still panting. “Give me… an Alpha suppressant.”

A cold, woody scent of pine and grass wafted over. The man glanced up at him. “I don’t use that stuff.”

“Impossible… You don’t have any scent at all. There’s no way you’re not using suppressants!” Lin Xingmian couldn’t help but raise his voice.

Pheromones between Alphas were naturally repulsive. Even with gland patches, it was impossible to completely mask the scent.

He had been here for a while now and hadn’t detected even a hint of the man’s pheromones.

Only an Alpha who had just taken suppressants could achieve this effect.

The man’s long lashes lowered slightly. “Did it ever occur to you that I might not be an Alpha?”

Lin Xingmian frowned, his mind struggling to process the information.

At that moment, someone knocked on the dressing room door.

“Mr. Jiang, are you in there? Did someone just come in?”

Jiang Zijin’s gaze shifted from the door to Lin Xingmian. The corner of his lips twitched as if he was about to say something.

Lin Xingmian acted quickly, clamping a hand over Jiang Zijin’s mouth, his tone urgent. “Fine, don’t give me the suppressant. But if you dare say one more word right now, we’re both going down together!”

As if to emphasize his point, Lin Xingmian’s fingers slid down, veins bulging slightly as he tightened his grip on Jiang Zijin’s neck.

Jiang Zijin raised an eyebrow, tilting his head back and lifting his hands in surrender.

However, his gaze never left Lin Xingmian, a flicker of excitement glinting in his eyes.

In the next second, a strong hand gripped Lin Xingmian’s wrist, the sheer force pulling Lin Xingmian’s arms above his head.

Jiang Zijin firmly pinned Lin Xingmian’s wrists, forcing him to retreat step by step.

Lin Xingmian was pressed against the wall, gritting his teeth in frustration as he struggled. “Let me go!”

“You were about to kill me. Do you really think I’d let you go?” Jiang Zijin took a step closer, his playful gaze sweeping over Lin Xingmian inch by inch. “Mr. Lin, shouldn’t you be on the award stage right now? What are you doing in my dressing room?”

“Are you up to no good, or are you playing hard to get?”

The two were now very close, Jiang Zijin’s warm breath brushing against Lin Xingmian’s ear.

Lin Xingmian turned his head away, clenching his jaw.

If it weren’t for the suppressant’s overwhelming effect, he wouldn’t be so powerless to resist!

Damn Tang Xia, he was supposed to be the youngest Best Actor, a trendsetter in the industry, continuing to shine in the film and television world.

Instead of arguing with idiots here!

“Mr. Jiang?” The security personnel outside knocked on the door again.

Jiang Zijin turned his head towards the door, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes.

His lips parted slightly, but before he could say anything, they were suddenly bitten.

Jiang Zijin’s breath hitched, his pupils contracting.

Lin Xingmian had already lost all reason, biting and sucking on the man’s lips in a chaotic frenzy.

Damn it, if you dare to speak, I’ll bite you to death!

In the next moment, Jiang Zijin pressed the back of his head, the force on his lips so intense it seemed like he wanted to crush him.

Like a wolf that had been starving for too long, he pried open his teeth, sweeping through without mercy, ruthlessly conquering every inch.

The taste of blood filled their mouths, but Lin Xingmian refused to back down, mimicking his actions, delving deeper into the battlefield.

Gradually, the kiss changed its flavor, the overwhelming heat burning away Lin Xingmian’s sanity, and he couldn’t help but sink into the scorching flames.

The fire ignited the cedar, the heavy and domineering scent of burning vegetation overpowering the cedar pheromones, spreading rapidly.

The intense pheromones passed through the door, instantly suppressing the Alpha security personnel outside.

The man at the front turned pale, his legs giving way.

The person behind him pulled him back, his lips pale, “Stop knocking, he’s driving us away.”