Qi Xiao carefully pulled his hand back, clenching his fist to feel the object again—it was indeed exactly what he had thought.
Since it had been given to him in secret, it wouldn’t be appropriate to open his palm right then and there. After holding onto it tightly for a moment, he quietly slipped it into his jacket pocket.
Zhou Chongyu seemed to notice his subtle movements and turned to look over. Meeting his gaze out of nowhere, Qi Xiao felt a sudden wave of guilt.
Fortunately, Zhou Chongyu didn’t pry any further.
Although he had entertained the thought that someone might give him a ring, actually receiving one still came as quite a surprise!
Besides, Lin Zhiyao wasn’t particularly close to him—if anything, apart from Lu Xingliang, she seemed to get along fairly well with every single guest.
Does this mean she has a good impression of me? Qi Xiao wondered. Or is it just that she couldn’t pick someone she wanted to give it to, but had to follow the rules of the show anyway, so she handed it to me? Regardless of the reason, his career as the Liar had at least taken a successful step forward!
Since that was the case, he also needed to figure out who to give his ring to. Should he give it back to Lin Zhiyao, or to someone else?
Among the female guests, Lin Zhiyao was the only one he had talked to the most. Giving it to any of the other women would feel a little strange. As for the male guests, Qi Xiao immediately shook his head—that would be way too explosive. His brother would murder him.
“Hmm, your love life seems a bit bumpy, but it’ll have a good outcome. Don’t worry,” Lin Zhiyao was still reading Liang Yi’s palm from the back row. After finishing, she turned to Zhou Chongyu: “Do you want me to take a look at yours too?”
Zhou Chongyu politely declined, “No, thank you. I’m good.”
Lin Zhiyao didn’t mind in the slightest, smiling brightly: “Are you really not the least bit curious?”
Zhou Chongyu merely smiled in response.
The island wasn’t too far away, taking just over twenty minutes to reach. Those taking the cable car were slightly slower, so the four of them were the first to arrive on the island.
It was a very peaceful island. The land area wasn’t particularly large, and the view was immediately filled with white-walled houses featuring blue window frames, giving off a refreshing summer vibe. The production team had already booked guesthouses in advance, so Qi Xiao and the others waited for the rest to arrive before taking a vehicle together.
Taking advantage of the fact that the remaining guests hadn’t arrived yet, Liang Yi seemed to finally muster up her courage, walking up to Zhou Chongyu and asking in a quiet voice, “Um, could I trouble you for a moment?”
This was a clear signal that she was about to present a gift. Still, hearing Liang Yi say this took Qi Xiao quite by surprise—he hadn’t expected her to choose such a direct approach rather than handing it over secretly like Lin Zhiyao had done.
Indeed, the production team hadn’t made public gift-giving mandatory; guests could choose to deliver them in secret, and the broadcast would keep it confidential for the time being as well. However, regardless of which method was used, the production team would reveal everything in Episode 6.
Upon hearing her words, Zhou Chongyu’s face showed no discernible emotion. He simply gave a slight nod, then slowly walked off to the side with Liang Yi.
They were currently standing at the pier. A little further ahead lay a scenic coastal walkway, dotted with flowers and greenery along the path. Set against the backdrop of clear skies and the blue ocean, it possessed a charm of its own.
Taking the opportunity, Qi Xiao extended an invitation to Lin Zhiyao: “Want to go for a walk together?”
Lin Zhiyao smiled: “Sure.”
The two strolled along the scenic trail. After hesitating for a moment, Qi Xiao finally spoke up: “I have something I want to give you.”
“Ah, what is it?” Lin Zhiyao displayed an expertly played moment of modest surprise.
“It’s this,” Qi Xiao pulled the ring box out of his pocket. “I haven’t talked to the others very much, and I’m most familiar with you, so I wanted to give this to you.”
Hearing his words, Lin Zhiyao burst out laughing and said, “Are you handing me a ‘good person’ card right now?”
Qi Xiao felt his face flush slightly at her words.
In truth, he hadn’t wanted to do it like this either. But he didn’t know Lin Zhiyao’s true intentions yet—if she genuinely had feelings for him, wouldn’t giving her the gift make her misunderstand it as a mutual attraction?
Even though he was the Liar, he still couldn’t quite bring himself to play with a girl’s feelings, which was why Qi Xiao had come up with this middle-ground solution.
Lin Zhiyao, however, didn’t seem to mind at all as she reached out and took the gift box: “Thank you!”
Just then, the four guests riding the cable car arrived as well, so Qi Xiao and Lin Zhiyao went over to join them. For some reason, Qi Xiao felt the atmosphere among the four of them was a bit strange—especially Shen Ye, who looked thoroughly embarrassed.
Qi Xiao speculated: Could it be that he gave his ring to Song Mei, only for her to turn him down?
Since the show’s rules stipulated that guests couldn’t refuse gifts, the attitude with which they accepted them was entirely up to the individual. Thinking of this, Qi Xiao silently lit a candle for Shen Ye in his heart.
Then he glanced over at Jiang Fei and Lu Xingliang. Based on yesterday’s filming, Qi Xiao could tell that Jiang Fei cared quite a bit about Lu Xingliang and interacted with him the most. Had she given him her gift?
The expressions on both of their faces were no different from usual. The moment Qi Xiao saw Lu Xingliang, he immediately remembered what had happened that morning and felt a sudden pang of awkwardness. He wanted to step up and talk to Lu Xingliang, but as soon as the man saw him, he turned his head away.
Qi Xiao felt like he was genuinely upset. Back during breakfast, Lu Xingliang hadn’t spoken a word to him either, but he hadn’t expected him to hold a grudge for this long.
Qi Xiao felt a little wronged. He had just woken up back then and his mind wasn’t clear—it wasn’t intentional! Besides, that tone of voice really did sound like his dad’s.
Qi Xiao’s mother had passed away early, so his father had doted on him immensely since he was little. Though his father usually put on a strict, stern front, all it took was a little bit of pouting for him to soften up. By contrast, his older brother was utterly stone-hearted.
After a moment’s thought, Qi Xiao leaned in and asked softly, “Senior, are you mad?”
Lu Xingliang lowered his eyes to glance at him, his voice calm: “No.”
Hearing their exchange, Jiang Fei assumed they had gotten into a small squabble and said with a smile, “If there’s an issue, you two should resolve it quickly! Otherwise, you won’t get to see each other until next week.”
So Qi Xiao pressed again, “Really no?”
“No.”
“That’s good then!” Qi Xiao walked away cheerfully.
Lu Xingliang: “??”
While they were talking on their end, Song Mei, standing nearby, suddenly walked over with brisk steps, seemingly having spotted the person she was looking for.
Qi Xiao couldn’t help turning his gaze. He was very curious about who Song Mei would give her ring to. After all, she had always maintained a cold exterior—unlike Lu Xingliang’s detachment, where he simply didn’t feel like bothering with people, Song Mei practically radiated an aura that actively repelled others from approaching.
Song Mei walked straight up to Zhou Chongyu and Liang Yi.
The two of them seemed to have just wrapped up their conversation, a lingering blush still gracing Liang Yi’s face. Seeing Song Mei walk over, she froze in surprise.
Qi Xiao was also quite surprised—he hadn’t expected Zhou Chongyu to be so popular. Then again, thinking back to yesterday’s shoot, the female guests all seemed quite interested in him.
Unexpectedly, in the next second, Song Mei’s cool, aloof voice rang out: “Liang Yi, I have something for you.”
Ehh?
Qi Xiao was completely stunned. He wasn’t the only one—everyone present who overheard her words experienced varying degrees of shock, including Lu Xingliang, who had consistently shown little interest in the show, couldn’t resist casting a glance over.
Shen Ye had it even worse: the backpack in his hand dropped to the ground with a loud thud. His pupils dilated in sheer disbelief.
Lin Zhiyao, however, recovered almost immediately after her initial shock. Walking over to Shen Ye’s side, she teased, “Need a shoulder to lean on?”
As for the person in question, Liang Yi was utterly at a loss. Pointing a finger at herself, her voice trembled slightly: “M-Me?”
“Mm.”
Liang Yi froze for a few seconds before asking, “Then, should we go over there to talk?”
Song Mei replied, “No need, right here is fine.”
With that, she pulled the gift box provided by the production team from her bag and took out the ring from within.
She asked softly, “Do you need me to help you put it on?”
Liang Yi’s face flushed bright red in an instant. She shook her head frantically: “N-No, no need! I can put it on myself.”
She accepted the ring, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately slipped it onto her finger right in front of Song Mei.
Watching from the side, Qi Xiao was left entirely dumbfounded. He couldn’t help marveling internally: Now that’s a true master! Earlier, he and Lin Zhiyao had merely exchanged gifts without putting them on. One had to realize that wearing a ring versus not wearing it carried vastly different weight!
Unsure when he had walked over to his side, Zhou Chongyu let out a soft chuckle and said, “She’s very smart. Right from the start, she limited the choice to who puts it on, rather than whether to put it on. That way, no matter what choice the other person makes, she ends up wearing the ring in the end.”
Qi Xiao nodded in clueless agreement, then a sudden thought struck him. Instinctively, he glanced down at Zhou Chongyu’s fingers.
As if guessing his thoughts, Zhou Chongyu said softly, “I’m not wearing one.”
Qi Xiao gave an “Oh,” then asked, “Then have you decided who you’re giving your ring to?”
Seeing that everyone was making their moves, he couldn’t afford to fall behind either! Qi Xiao added, “If you don’t give it out soon, watch out for someone beating you to the punch!”
Hearing this, Zhou Chongyu merely smiled: “Mm.”
The group took a car to the guesthouse, where the owner warmly treated them to lunch. The meal featured fresh seafood from the ocean and was thoroughly delicious. The table enjoyed a harmonious atmosphere, with the sole exception of Shen Ye, who remained deeply immersed in the shock of the scene from earlier.
However, because several guests had already given out their “heartbeat” gifts, the atmosphere at the dinner table was somewhat different compared to yesterday. It wasn’t hostile by any means, but everyone had subtle little gestures going on—such as picking up food for someone, pouring a glass of water, or handing over a tissue.
Meanwhile, Qi Xiao, buried in his food, remained completely oblivious to it all.
After lunch, the director announced the afternoon’s activity: the most famous attraction here was the island’s lighthouse, which offered the best viewpoint on the entire island to watch the sunset. That was where they were heading.
Hearing that they were going to watch the sunset, most of the female guests were quite pleased. Shen Ye also gathered a bit of his spirits, mentioning that he had brought a DSLR camera specifically to take photos.
Just then, the director suddenly changed the subject: “For this outing, guests must ride bicycles there on their own. The production team will not provide any other means of transportation.”
Hearing that they had to ride bicycles, Lin Zhiyao was the first to complain: “Riding a bike is so sunny and hot!”
Liang Yi asked softly, “Will it take a long time to ride there?”
The director replied, “About twenty minutes or so.”
Shen Ye stepped in to smooth things over: “Riding along the coast shouldn’t be too hot. I think it sounds pretty fun.”
Meanwhile, Qi Xiao was practically on the verge of tears.
He didn’t know how to ride a bicycle at all!
However, the production team clearly had other arrangements. The director continued: “Guests must pair up in groups of two and share a bicycle—meaning one person will ride the bike while carrying the other.”
Hearing this rule didn’t make Qi Xiao feel much better. Even though it was a tandem effort, if he ended up paired with a female guest, the guy would definitely have to ride. He could hardly have the nerve to let a girl pedal and carry him along!
Perceiving that something was off with him, Zhou Chongyu asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
Qi Xiao whispered very quietly, “I don’t know how to ride a bicycle.”
Saying this, his face flushed bright red. It was truly way too embarrassing—a grown adult who still didn’t know how to ride a bicycle! But growing up, he genuinely had never encountered a situation where he needed such a mode of transportation. Forget riding one—he hadn’t even sat on a bike before.
Zhou Chongyu was exceptionally considerate: “Then pair up with me later.”
As if overhearing their conversation, the director chimed in: “Grouping this time will also be decided by drawing lots—completely random, no behind-the-scenes manipulation, okay?”
Qi Xiao felt like crying even more.
After receiving his designated slip, Qi Xiao looked left and right, scanning the room. To his surprise, he found that the slip in Lu Xingliang’s hand was blue, just like his.
“Senior, we’re in the same group!” Qi Xiao shuffled over to Lu Xingliang’s side, waving his slip at him.
Unexpectedly, upon seeing the draw result, Lu Xingliang said with a cold face: “I object.”
“Why?” Qi Xiao widened his eyes like a surprised cat.
Zhou Chongyu asked from the side, “Do you want to swap with me?” He had been paired with Jiang Fei.
Lu Xingliang remained silent for a few seconds before saying, “No.”
Qi Xiao blinked and asked, “So that means you’re still in a group with me?”
Lu Xingliang remained silent.
Just then, the director said, “If a pair can’t reach an agreement, you’ll just have to walk there.”
Qi Xiao asked, “How long does walking take?”
“A little over an hour.”
That long! Qi Xiao grew anxious instantly. Leaning closer to Lu Xingliang, he whispered, “Senior, just pair up with me, please?”
Lu Xingliang lowered his gaze to look at him and asked, “Will you pedal and carry me?”
Qi Xiao: “??”