Lu Xingliang remained silent for a beat before suddenly snapping his book shut with a crisp clack.
Suppressing the emotion in his eyes, he asked in a low voice, “What are you doing?”
Without even realizing it, his tone sounded almost like he was coaxing a child.
Qi Xiao didn’t pay much mind to his reaction. His head was filled with only one thought: The mission is finally complete!
Habitually, Qi Xiao turned around to glance at his camera operator, thinking to himself that they absolutely couldn’t have missed this shot.
To his surprise, there was nobody behind him.
Qi Xiao: “?”
Lu Xingliang, however, mistook his reaction for fear that what he had just said was recorded. The corners of his lips curved up slightly. “Did you really not realize your cameraman lost you?”
Only then did it register for Qi Xiao. In his rush earlier, he had sprinted into the hotel elevator and instinctively pressed the door-close button, accidentally shutting both the cameraman and the field director out.
It made sense now. It was precisely because there were no cameras around that Lu Xingliang had said those things; otherwise, wouldn’t it have been a broadcasting disaster?
Qi Xiao’s head drooped. I’m such an idiot.
Noticing his mood instantly souring, Lu Xingliang asked nonchalantly, “Are you that disappointed?”
Seeing Qi Xiao like that earlier, he had been a bit caught off guard. Was this yet another one of his usual tricks?
Qi Xiao, however, mistakenly interpreted Lu Xingliang’s question as asking whether he was dissatisfied with how Lu Xingliang had cooperated just now. He thought to himself, How could I blame Senior? It was entirely my own mistake.
So he shook his head vigorously and said, “Not at all, Senior! You’re such a good person, thank you.”
Lu Xingliang, who had inexplicably been handed a “good person” card: “??”
Lu Xingliang finally realized that their brainwaves were not on the same wavelength at all.
He stared at Qi Xiao for a moment. Seeing that the earnest expression on the younger man’s face didn’t seem faked, he hesitated before opening his mouth: “You—”
Just then, the cameraman and the director came rushing over, out of breath: “Xiao-Xiao, why did you run so fast just now!”
Seeing them arrive, Lu Xingliang cut himself off.
Puzzled, Qi Xiao tilted his head in confusion.
Lu Xingliang said, “It’s nothing.”
Qi Xiao understood. Now that the cameras were back, it naturally wasn’t convenient to talk about those things. Senior was truly being thoughtful on his behalf. He nodded knowingly: “Mm, I get it.”
Listening to their cryptic exchange, the cameraman and director exchanged bewildered glances. Had they just missed something really important?
Although full of doubts on the inside, Lu Xingliang maintained an unreadable expression on the outside. He stood up, seemingly preparing to leave.
Qi Xiao couldn’t help asking, “Senior, where are you going?”
“Didn’t you just ask me to go play with you guys?”
Huh? Qi Xiao hadn’t expected Lu Xingliang to suddenly become so agreeable. When he had first approached him, the man had worn a face that practically screamed “Go away.”
Turns out Senior’s intimidating look is just on the surface!
Lu Xingliang was tall with long legs and walked briskly, quickly leaving Qi Xiao and the crew behind.
After some thought, Qi Xiao still felt a little reluctant about his wasted effort. He quietly shuffled over to the field director and murmured, “Sister, I actually completed the mission earlier, but it wasn’t caught on camera. Does it still count?”
The director gave a firm refusal: “Of course not.”
Qi Xiao grew anxious: “But I really did complete it! If you don’t believe me, go ask—”
Mid-sentence, he suddenly lost his voice. He couldn’t actually make the director go ask Lu Xingliang. Even though it was just for a mission, saying those two words out loud was still a bit embarrassing after all.
So Qi Xiao resorted to shameless pouting: “It’s your fault for not catching it on camera! Why do I have to suffer for it?”
The director stood her ground with a smile: “Rules are rules, sweetie.”
In the end, Qi Xiao had no choice but to accept that his first mission attempt was a total failure.
Back on the beach, Qi Xiao found the other guests gathered under the parasols. As he drew closer, he saw that the production team had sent over ice cream, fruit, and snacks, filling two large tables to the brim.
Qi Xiao’s eyes lit up immediately. He hurried over to take a seat.
Zhou Chongyu had even specially saved a portion of strawberry ice cream for him. Touched to the core, Qi Xiao exclaimed, “How did you know I liked this flavor!”
Zhou Chongyu pursed his lips slightly and said, “I just had a feeling you’d like it.”
Lu Xingliang sat quietly at the adjacent table without taking any food. He simply kept his head down, scrolling through his phone as if messaging someone.
In fact, the director team had mentioned beforehand that guests shouldn’t be on their phones during filming, but at this moment, no one dared step forward to remind Lu Xingliang of that rule.
Over the course of filming so far, everyone could tell that Lu Xingliang had little interest in the show itself and was participating out of some obligation. After all, he maintained a cold, distant demeanor toward everyone and barely joined in on guest conversations, occasionally chatting a few words with Jiang Fei at most.
Sitting beside him, Jiang Fei offered him a smile: “Would you like a slice of watermelon? It’s really sweet.”
Lu Xingliang politely declined: “No thanks, I don’t really eat sweet things.”
As he spoke, however, his gaze drifted toward Qi Xiao, who was sitting not far away. Seemingly deep in a fun conversation, the younger man was smiling so brightly that shallow dimples peeked out beside his cheeks.
Just now, Lu Xingliang had texted his assistant on WeChat to ask about the trending topic from this morning. Likely afraid that Lu Xingliang would get angry and affect filming, his assistant repeatedly emphasized that Qi Xiao’s agency frequently used such publicity stunts. Most of their signed artists went down the “hate-followed/rage-bait” popularity route, and Qi Xiao himself might not even be aware of the marketing scheme.
Lu Xingliang had simply replied: Got it.
Meanwhile, Qi Xiao and Zhou Chongyu were chatting with the three female guests.
Although the director had intentionally arranged for the guests to swap seats back at the restaurant, everyone was nearly finished eating by then, so Qi Xiao and the three women hadn’t had much chance to converse. Now, they finally had the opportunity to talk more.
Halfway through the chat, one of the girls with a ponytail suddenly asked, “Is any of you the Liar?”
Her name was Lin Zhiyao. Like Qi Xiao, she was a college student and a mildly popular beauty influencer who was great at keeping conversations lively.
Having prepared for this question long ago, Qi Xiao replied calmly, “Of course not!”
Zhou Chongyu also shook his head: “It’s not me.”
Sighing as if troubled, Lin Zhiyao said, “Shen Ye said the exact same thing earlier. Sigh, I really don’t know who to trust now.”
At this point, Liang Yi whispered beside them, “Actually, I think Film Emperor Lu is very likely the Liar.”
Her personality was somewhat shy, and she mostly agreed with others during conversations rather than initiating them. Yet when she did speak up, it was a massive bombshell.
“Why?” Qi Xiao was genuinely surprised. In his eyes, Lu Xingliang was distant toward everyone, not looking like a Liar at all.
“Don’t you know? In the previous seasons of this show, actors had a ridiculously high probability of being the Liar,” Lin Zhiyao teased. “Probably because of their professional expertise.”
Hearing this, Qi Xiao felt inexplicably guilty.
Right after saying it, Lin Zhiyao suddenly realized something and turned to look at Qi Xiao with an amused expression: “It couldn’t be—”
Qi Xiao hurriedly shook his head in denial: “When it comes to acting skills, Senior is obviously way better. I also think he’s more likely to be the Liar!”
As if overhearing something, Lu Xingliang suddenly turned his head and shot a glance in their direction.
Caught red-handed talking behind someone’s back, Qi Xiao’s face instantly flushed red. Fortunately, the other man quickly averted his gaze.
After chatting a bit longer, Qi Xiao felt he had been sitting for too long, so he stood up and strolled along the shoreline.
Unsure when he had walked over, Zhou Chongyu appeared by his side and asked softly, “Do you want to go into the sea?”
Qi Xiao looked out at the water and said, “Look at those waves—don’t they look like thick, fluffy white cotton candy?”
An average person hearing such a comparison would likely laugh it off, but Zhou Chongyu nodded seriously: “They really do.”
“I saw a vendor selling cotton candy by the roadside when I arrived. If you want some, we can go buy one later.”
Qi Xiao couldn’t help turning to look at him: “How strange. Even though this is the first time we’ve met, we get along so well.”
“Actually, this isn’t the first time we’ve met,” Zhou Chongyu said suddenly.
Qi Xiao blinked, not quite understanding what he meant. Just as he was about to ask, the show’s director came over to inform them that it was time to prepare for the promotional photo shoot.
Zhou Chongyu smiled at him: “Let’s go.”