Jiang Tong woke up very early—or rather, she had spent the entire night in a light slumber.
Under the dual influence of the unfamiliar bed and the excessively high humidity, the old wounds deep within her body faintly transmitted a dull, aching pain.
Xie Weiyi’s concern last night had left her in a complex mood for a long time. Lying in bed staring at the ceiling, she simply couldn’t ignore the presence of the person just a wall away from her.
Even separated by a wall, Xie Weiyi seemed to carry some sort of intangible magnetic field that left her feeling restless and uneasy.
Her dreams were bizarre and full of fragments intertwining the past and reality, denying her a sound sleep.
Startled awake, Jiang Tong didn’t dare to continue dreaming, so she got up to wrestle with the pain, trying to make peace with it using painkillers, though the effect was less than ideal.
At this moment, she was sitting by the window in the villa’s open-plan dining room, a cup of warm water placed before her.
Her gaze was cast blankly toward that vast, boundless deep blue outside the window.
She needed this expanse of openness to help herself settle her chaotic thoughts and soothe this body that was prone to exhaustion and required quiet recuperation.
Today, Jiang Tong wore a soft-textured off-white long dress that was long enough to cover her calves. The wide cuffs covered half her palms, revealing only a few slender fingers.
The long dress made her look even more slender and thin, the morning light outlining her quiet profile—looking from afar like a frozen oil painting.
“Good morning, Sister Jiang Tong, you woke up so early,” Xia Yuan arrived as the second guest in the filming lobby, greeting her with a yawn.
“Good morning,” Jiang Tong said, pouring her a cup of warm water and handing it over.
Glancing around the lobby and seeing that filming hadn’t started yet, Xia Yuan leaned in close to Jiang Tong with a gossipy look to whisper in confidence.
“I saw the hot searches from last night. Congratulations,” Xia Yuan shyly touched her index fingers together, her voice growing softer and lower, “I want to get some juicy gossip straight from the source—that um… your relationship with Xie Weiyi…”
Thinking for a moment, Jiang Tong gave a vague response: “We probably know each other.”
“Probably?” Xia Yuan blinked her large eyes twice. “Why probably?”
Putting on a pitiful expression, Jiang Tong pointed to her head and lied without her face turning red or heart beating fast: “I lost my memory after the car accident.”
“Ah! Oh goodness!” Worry creased Xia Yuan’s brow tightly as she cupped Jiang Tong’s head, examining it left and right.
Startled by Xia Yuan’s care and inexplicably feeling a wave of guilt, Jiang Tong turned her head to avoid hands that were still investigating her head.
“Someone’s coming down,” Jiang Tong smiled and reminded her.
The other guests arrived at the dining room one after another. Song Anna and Bai Yu walked downstairs arm in arm, chatting in low voices all the way.
Xie Weiyi and Su Leli came in from the front door, both dressed in comfortable sportswear, obviously having just finished their morning jog.
“Director, we’re going back to change first,” Xie Weiyi said after greeting the director, then pulled Su Leli up to the second floor at a trot.
Liang Xin and Xie An were coming downstairs and crossed paths with the two of them.
“Eh? Jiang Tong, didn’t you go for a morning jog together?” Liang Xin walked over to the dining room to tease, clearly having eaten melons (gossip) last night as well.
Although he had just crossed paths with Xie Weiyi, Liang Xin didn’t dare tease Xie Weiyi, only daring to come to minor blogger Jiang Tong to satisfy his desire for gossip. Even though he had no malicious intent, this distinction was obvious to anyone with eyes.
Knowing that the further things went, the more such situations would arise, Jiang Tong didn’t plan to brush it over lightly.
Still, Liang Xin was considered a senior, and there was no aggression in his inquiry, so Jiang Tong couldn’t launch a fierce counterattack.
Pausing for a moment, she poured a cup of warm water and handed it over.
Her wide cuffs slid up a notch with her movement, exposing the scars on her arm.
“I’ll join the morning jogs once my body recovers a bit more. Thank you, Teacher Liang, for your concern,” Jiang Tong said, then squinted and smiled at him with an indescribable sincerity in her expression.
Staring at that scar on her arm, Liang Xin froze completely.
A few seconds later, he covered his face, squatted down onto the floor, and blurted out: “I really deserve to die!”
“Who is being so unthinking?” Xie Weiyi asked, walking down the stairs.
Her appearance instantly attracted all the cameras and gazes, and Jiang Tong couldn’t help but look up involuntarily.
Xie Weiyi had changed out of her sportswear and was now wearing a knee-length dress with a strong sense of design, loosely covered on the outside by a lightweight long jacket printed with a large pattern of tropical floral motifs, fitting the beach theme quite well.
“Goddess! Sssss-ha sssss-ha~” Xia Yuan whispered with starry eyes.
Once Su Leli also came downstairs, the director announced the start of recording.
The filming equipment activated one by one, officially kicking off the first episode of Heartbeat Wander in the form of a “good morning live broadcast.”
Understanding the audience’s mindset all too well, the camera gave its first shot to Xie Weiyi, alternating between close-ups and wide shots to broadcast her 360 degrees without reservation.
As soon as the live broadcast countdown ended, viewers waiting by their phones saw Xie Weiyi’s divine face pop up on their screens, instantly improving their moods. The grievance of urging for the broadcast vanished in an instant, replaced by a wave of screen-licking praises.
[Aine’s figure makes me go sssss-ha sssss-ha directly!]
[Truly worthy of being Nüwa’s final graduation project.]
[Beauties sitting together are such a feast for the eyes! Sisters, sisters, sticker-sticker~]
Using a brisk and lively tone, Liang Xin briefly introduced today’s arrangement.
The morning was mainly designated for free activities on the beach, allowing everyone to get familiar with the environment and relax their minds.
In the afternoon, they would learn from an intangible cultural heritage teacher and engage in hands-on crafting experiences.
The main event would be the group treasure hunt game held in the evening.
“Next, let’s introduce the visiting guest for our first episode. Please direct your eyes to the door—the visiting guest is about to make her grand entrance!” Liang Xin smiled, deliberately holding back the suspense.
Right at that moment, the sound of a car approaching came from outside the villa. As the BGM kicked in at the appropriate time, a bright-smiling girl wearing a slip dress waved her hands and jogged inside.
“Hello everyone! I’m Aine-jie’s former teammate, Yu Ningzhi. Sorry I’m late!” Her voice was crisp, carrying boundless vitality.
Sporting a high ponytail, the smile on her face was dazzling enough to be somewhat blinding.
Hearing the sound, Jiang Tong raised her head. Her complexion turned imperceptibly pale for a split second, and her fingers gripping the water cup tightened slightly. The chill transmitted by the cold cup wall seemed to seep from her fingertips straight into the bottom of her heart.
Yu Ningzhi.
This was the person she had anticipated might bring the greatest variable.
Yu Ningzhi was one of Xie Weiyi’s former groupmates back then, the maknae (youngest member) of the STAR girl group, and also an indirect witness to Jiang Tong’s car accident back then.
Compared to the childish sweetness from her girl group days years ago, the current Yu Ningzhi had blossomed into something even prettier, with the innocence of someone pampered in a wealthy family etched between her brows.
Always well-protected by her father (the station director) and kept far away from the dark side of the Vanity Fair, she had remained outgoing, lively, and even somewhat blunt without filtering her words.
Jiang Tong had always been somewhat afraid of that “innocent and unscheming” demeanor of hers; after all, her outspoken persona would cause her to blurt out things that shouldn’t be brought out into the open.
Upon seeing Yu Ningzhi, a genuine smile bloomed on Xie Weiyi’s face. Standing up and opening her arms to welcome her, she gave her an enthusiastic hug: “Ningzhi, you’re here!”
“Aine-jie! I missed you to death!” Yu Ningzhi cheered, wrapping her arms solidly around Xie Weiyi and adding a cheek-kiss greeting into the bargain.
Their intimate and familiar posture instantly pulled people back into the memories of the girl group era.
[Wow! It’s Yu Ningzhi! The maknae of the former STAR girl group!]
[Dreaming back to that short-lived girl group that only lasted five years…]
[A white moonlight who failed to debut, alongside a sweet maknae from the group—tsk tsk, the production team really knows how to stir up drama.]
[A blast from the past! I still keep the photocard of the captain and the maknae from STAR’s debut night.]
[Don’t leave, person in front—is the photocard for sale?]
After greeting Xia Yuan and Xie An, Yu Ningzhi chatted and laughed with Song Anna and Bai Yu for a moment, clearly possessing some friendly ties with the two.
Following that, her gaze swept across the dining room before finally and precisely locking onto Jiang Tong, who was sitting so quietly by the window she almost blended into the background.
Her eyes widened abruptly with a somewhat exaggerated surprise, her voice pitching up an extra octave: “Oh my! Jiang Tong! It really is you! Long time no see!”
While issuing this exaggerated exclamation, she started walking briskly toward Jiang Tong’s direction.
In an instant, all gazes focused uniformly on Jiang Tong.
Jiang Tong’s heart skipped a beat, but a smile she had practiced countless times quickly bloomed across her face, her expression carrying a trace of mild bewilderment and politeness.
Stepping back slightly to adopt a defensive posture, her voice remained soft and carried a just-so-appropriate hint of confusion: “Hello, Miss Yu. Do we… know each other from before?”
The smile on Yu Ningzhi’s face stiffened for a moment, then she slapped her forehead in a sudden realization: “Oh right, right, right! Look at my memory, forgetting that you previously… sigh, never mind, never mind! We can get to know each other now just the same! I’m Yu Ningzhi, this episode’s visiting guest!”
Reacting extremely quickly, she immediately went along with Jiang Tong’s amnesia script, though a trace of complex emotion flashed through her eyes—too fast for anyone to catch.
Looking at the hand extended toward her, Jiang Tong gave it a very quick, light shake, parting ways the instant they touched.
[Amnesia from a pre-debut car accident, reuniting with a teammate yet failing to recognize her—oh my goodness, this feels like a K-drama plot.]
[This atmosphere is getting a bit subtle.]
[Back then she didn’t help Jiang Tong protect her rights, and now what kind of sisterly affection is she pretending to have, heh!]
[Person above, say more—is there gossip to eat?]
From beginning to end, Xie Weiyi didn’t walk over. Remaining in her original spot, she held a cup of freshly poured orange juice, sipping it elegantly in small mouthfuls.
Taking in the conversation and reactions of the two completely, a smile that was not quite a smile curved the corners of her lips.
Su Leli walked to her side under the cover of helping her pour orange juice, asking softly, “Isn’t it a bit too early to let Yu Ningzhi appear in the first episode?”
“Even if she weren’t invited, she would find every possible way to make contact with the show; might as well let her owe me a favor,” Xie Weiyi sneered softly. “Jiang Tong’s trending topic last night was suppressed right after it hit the hot search list. I wonder if Station Director Yu had a hand in that.”
Sighing softly, Su Leli said, “Jiang Tong’s resurgence in popularity will inevitably unearth the behind-the-scenes story of that talent show back then. We’re in for a tough battle ahead.”
“We’ll play along to the end,” Xie Weiyi nodded lightly to the director, signaling her to continue.
Giving an “OK” gesture, the director nudged Liang Xin to let him proceed with the process.
“Alright, now that all eight guests are gathered, let’s start our morning segment! The destination is the resort’s private beach!”