Qi Xiao hung his head in sheer embarrassment: “If I could, I’d love to carry you, Senior! But I don’t know how to ride a bicycle.”
Lu Xingliang let out a scoff, as if silently mocking him.
Having no choice, Qi Xiao deployed the usual tactic he used on his older brother. Stepping forward, he wrapped his arms around Lu Xingliang’s arm, swaying back and forth while blinking his big eyes: “Senior, please? You’re the absolute
best! Just carry me along, pretty please?”
Lu Xingliang shoved his hand away with a touch of disgust. After a brief pause, what actually came out of his mouth was: “Fine. Got it.”
His tone sounded thoroughly reluctant.
In truth, if he had adamantly refused, he could have easily taken a car without caring about the director’s empty threats. But the person in front of him was a different story—Lu Xingliang told himself he was merely doing a good deed.
Since the set departure time was four o’clock, it was still early. The director announced that the guests could move around freely on the island during this period, as there were plenty of sights to explore besides the lighthouse.
Qi Xiao, however, was in no mood for sightseeing. He felt extremely drowsy after lunch, and having been forcefully dragged awake that morning, he wanted to head straight back to their room. Zhou Chongyu did call out to him, seemingly wanting to invite him for a stroll around the island. But upon hearing that Qi Xiao wanted to sleep, he dropped the idea and simply told him to get some good rest.
Returning to the room, Qi Xiao discovered Lu Xingliang was also there. Oh right, room arrangements are still the same as yesterday.
Qi Xiao asked, “Senior, aren’t you going out to play?” Only if he goes out can I sleep peacefully!
Lu Xingliang countered, “Do you want to go play?”
Qi Xiao shook his head: “Nope, I want to sleep.”
Lu Xingliang: “??”
After a silence, Lu Xingliang suddenly brought up the event from that morning: “Did you set that alarm specifically for me this morning?”
“Huh?” Qi Xiao was a bit dazed.
“I was woken up by your alarm, yet you were sleeping like a log.”
Realizing what he meant, Qi Xiao hurriedly apologized: “I’m so sorry, I forgot to adjust the time!”
Lu Xingliang scoffed.
After a pause, he asked, “Who sings your alarm ringtone?”
“Zhou Chongyu.”
“Are you his fan?”
Qi Xiao had no idea why Lu Xingliang was asking this question—hadn’t Jiang Fei already asked during lunch yesterday? Still, he answered truthfully: “Mm, I really like his songs.”
For some inexplicable reason, Lu Xingliang scoffed yet again.
He suddenly remarked, “A few years ago, I also sang the opening and closing theme songs for a TV drama.”
Qi Xiao gave a very supportive gasp: “Senior, you’re amazing!”
Lu Xingliang kept his eyes fixed on him, seemingly waiting for a specific response. Feeling utterly clueless, Qi Xiao had no choice but to say, “Well, if there’s nothing else, I’m going to sleep then, Senior.”
Lu Xingliang: “????”
Sleeping until past three in the afternoon, Qi Xiao woke up naturally. He scanned the room; Lu Xingliang was nowhere to be seen.
After freshening up a bit, Qi Xiao stepped out the door and found that the production team had arranged four bicycles in front of the house. Everyone had gathered back as well.
According to the previous draw, Lin Zhiyao was paired with Shen Ye, Song Mei with Liang Yi, Zhou Chongyu with Jiang Fei, and Qi Xiao with Lu Xingliang.
Liang Yi seemed a bit embarrassed, continuously trying to yield the driver’s seat to Song Mei. In the end, under Song Mei’s insistence, she obediently took the back seat. As for the other male-female pairings, the men naturally pedaled to carry the women.
It was Qi Xiao’s very first time riding on a bicycle, which made him feel quite curious. He patted the back seat—it felt so hard! He thought to himself: Is my butt going to hurt sitting on this later?
Lu Xingliang swung a long leg over the seat and urged him impatiently: “Get on already.” His tone sounded thoroughly fierce.
After a brief hesitation, Qi Xiao climbed onto the bike anyway. Lu Xingliang quickly pushed down on the pedals, and the bicycle glided smoothly along the road.
With the ocean breeze blowing against their faces, it didn’t feel hot at all. Lu Xingliang wore a crisp white shirt over his clothes, its hem fluttering wildly in the wind.
Qi Xiao reached out and grabbed the fluttering hem of his shirt, exclaiming with excitement: “This feels so fun!”
“What’s so fun about riding a bicycle?”
Qi Xiao said, “This is my first time riding on a bicycle.”
Lu Xingliang seemed choked up by his response. Only after a long pause did he utter: “Are you some spoiled young master who doesn’t know how the real world works?”
Failing to catch the sarcastic undertone, Qi Xiao nodded in self-agreement: “I suppose so, I’m the youngest at home.”
Lu Xingliang wasn’t riding particularly fast, and they were soon overtaken by Shen Ye, who had set off after them. Watching their bike ride further and further ahead, Qi Xiao grew a bit anxious and couldn’t help blurting out:
“Senior, are you not capable?”
Lu Xingliang: “?????”
Lu Xingliang said nothing for a long moment, but his pedaling gradually sped up. Just ahead lay a downhill slope, yet his speed didn’t lessen in the slightest—the wheels spun furiously fast.
Qi Xiao was instantly terrified. For a split second, he thought the bike was about to take flight! Fearing that Lu Xingliang couldn’t handle the control and would crash the bike, he had no choice but to tightly clutch the hem of the man’s shirt.
However, the downhill slope proved to be steep and long, gaining speed the further down they went. Qi Xiao didn’t dare look anymore and tightly squeezed his eyes shut. Feeling that the light fabric in his hands offered zero security, he instinctively reached out and wrapped his arms firmly around Lu Xingliang’s waist.
Unexpectedly, the moment he made this move, the bicycle suddenly wobbled uncontrollably from side to side! Even more terrified, Qi Xiao stammered: “Senior, b-be steady!”
“Let go,” Lu Xingliang’s voice came from the front, surprisingly composed.
Qi Xiao thought to himself that letting go would mean getting thrown off, so he shook his head frantically: “Not letting go!”
Lu Xingliang remained silent for a moment and stopped talking. By then, the downhill stretch had come to an end, and he finally slowed the bike down.
Qi Xiao heard him let out what sounded like a soft chuckle: “Coward.”
By the time they reached the lighthouse, the sunset hadn’t officially begun yet. After waiting a little longer, changes gradually appeared on the horizon.
This place was a rare spot with almost no light pollution, making the sunset far clearer than what one normally saw in the city. Gradually, the glow of the evening clouds grew richer and deeper, blending multiple colors together like an oil painting. Seeing the magnificent view, everyone pulled out their phones to take photos. Thinking it was beautiful too, Qi Xiao took out his phone as well.
The moment he unlocked it, several unread messages popped up.
Right—yesterday after filming, he had gone straight to sleep and forgot to check for messages. He had also been filming all day today. So Qi Xiao opened WeChat.
To his surprise, all the messages were from his older brother.
The first read: “Getting onto trending topics with all sorts of random people all day long.”
The second arrived two hours later: “?”
The final one was sent just a short while ago: “I’m returning to the country next week.”
Reading that last message, Qi Xiao experienced a total, ten-level eye-widening shock! Forgetting all about the previous messages, his mind was entirely consumed by one horrifying thought: My brother is coming back!
He was so dead!
Didn’t his brother say he went abroad to expand overseas business? How on earth was he returning so soon!
Thus, visibly to the naked eye, Qi Xiao lost all his energy, looking like a wilted little cabbage. He didn’t even have the heart to watch the sunset anymore.
Beside him, Zhou Chongyu assumed he was sick and gently touched his forehead: “Are you feeling unwell?”
Unable to explain the truth, Qi Xiao merely shook his head in silence.
Lu Xingliang swept a glance in their direction, but quickly retracted his gaze. Beside him, Jiang Fei asked, “Shall we take a walk nearby?”
Lu Xingliang initially wanted to decline, but on second thought, he agreed: “Sure.”
The two walked over to a rocky outcrop by the shore. Jiang Fei offered a slightly embarrassed smile, saying, “You’ve probably guessed it by now, about the thing from the production team.”
With that, she pulled out a ring box from her bag. “You know how it is—the rules state it must be given out. After thinking it over, I felt it’s best to give it to you.”
Lu Xingliang didn’t accept it right away. Instead, he said, “I have no intention of dating on this show.”
Jiang Fei froze for a second, then quickly followed up: “We’re all just here on the show to have fun anyway, aren’t we?”
Lu Xingliang turned to look at her: “It’s good that you think of it that way.”
Finishing his sentence, he turned back to the director: “Cut this part out.”
Then, he accepted the box from Jiang Fei’s hand: “Thank you.”
Having expected this outcome, Jiang Fei simply smiled: “I figured it would go like this.”
Jiang Fei quickly walked back to where the others were, but Lu Xingliang remained standing in place for a moment longer.
He pulled out his phone, casually scrolled through it, and saw a message sent by his manager, Song Shishuang, not long ago: “Your fan is on the trending search list again.”
He typed back: “What does that have to do with me?”
Song Shishuang was likely on her phone, as she replied almost instantly: “Of course I’m telling you because it involves you!” Immediately after, she dropped a Weibo link.
After a brief hesitation, Lu Xingliang clicked on it anyway.
As it turned out, someone had posted a candid leak from the show’s set online—coincidentally capturing the scene from yesterday when he and Qi Xiao walked along the beach.
In the video, Lu Xingliang walked ahead without looking back, while Qi Xiao followed timidly behind him, making it look as though Lu Xingliang was giving him a cold shoulder.
Lu Xingliang glanced at the Weibo trending search rankings. Sure enough, number one on the list was #QiXiaoPublicityStuntBackfires#.
Connecting this with the previous trending topics, many netizens speculated that Qi Xiao had tried to curry favor with the Film Emperor, only to be ruthlessly rejected. Certain unscrupulous marketing accounts had even used clickbait headlines like “Lu Xingliang Furiously Scolds Qi Xiao for Clout-Chasing on the Beach” to draw eyes.
He let out a cold scoff. This negative hashtag was clearly bought by Qi Xiao’s industry rivals—buying it was one thing, but to actually use him as a weapon was another.
Just then, Song Shishuang messaged him: “How is it? Feel like your frustration is vented now?”
Lu Xingliang: “Am I really that petty?”
Song Shishuang: “Oho, since when did you become so generous?”
Lu Xingliang: “He’s my fan. I won’t hold it against him.”
Song Shishuang: “You actually believed what those marketing accounts said earlier? Am I losing my mind here?”
Lu Xingliang didn’t bother engaging with her, replying with a simple “None of your business” before locking his phone.
Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Qi Xiao’s downcast appearance from earlier flickered through his mind.
Was it because he saw this trending search?
After a moment’s thought, Lu Xingliang unlocked his phone once more and clicked back into that Weibo post.
He opened the comment section, expecting it to be filled exclusively with insults directed at Qi Xiao, only to find the exact opposite.
The top comment read: “Am I the only one who thinks they look like a little couple having a lovers’ spat? [cry-laugh]”
Below it was a long thread of similar comments:
“Holy crap, I am so shipping this! I am so shipping this!”
“What kind of weird and quirky CP is this? But damn, it actually tastes pretty good.”
“Not gonna lie, ever since they started working together, I’ve quietly bought shares in this couple. Their visuals are just way too compatible.”
“Did you guys not notice that even though Film Emperor Lu is walking super fast, he’s still maintaining the exact same distance from Qi Xiao the entire time? One look and you know it’s intentional!”
“People can ship even this? Say no more, I’m buying in first.”
Naturally, it was impossible for Lu Xingliang not to see that someone was deliberately guiding the discourse. He let out a cold scoff—he hadn’t expected Qi Xiao’s agency to be so adept at turning momentum to their advantage, managing to turn a negative trending search into a couple-shipping haven.
This time, it wasn’t just bloodsucking for clout—they were directly binding his name to Qi Xiao’s.
It was safe to say Lu Xingliang was thoroughly displeased. In fact, he was beginning to doubt whether Qi Xiao was truly as clueless as his assistant had previously claimed.
Besides, Qi Xiao’s behavior in front of him over the past two days didn’t look like that of someone who felt guilty at all.
The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he felt, so Lu Xingliang stowed his phone away.
About an hour later, this grand show staged by nature officially came to a close. For the return trip, the production team made no further demands, allowing everyone to take the sightseeing bus back together.
After dinner, they were set to head toward another attraction on the island.
Aside from the sunset, there was another natural wonder here—the Fluorescent Sea.
The so-called Fluorescent Sea, also known as “Blue Tears,” referred to a species of sea fireflies living in the ocean that emitted a faint blue glow when struck by ocean waves. At first glance in the night, it looked like a glowing sea.
The production team had asked the guesthouse owner and learned that the Fluorescent Sea could be seen from a nearby beach, though whether one could see it clearly still depended entirely on luck.
As luck would have it, when the group walked onto the beach, they actually managed to catch a glimpse of the legendary Fluorescent Sea.
In the pitch-black night, the ocean before them shimmered with speckles of eerie blue luminescence. With the rise and fall of the waves, layers of blue foam crashed against the shore, looking like the Milky Way itself had fallen into the sea—a breathtaking sight that defied description.
Qi Xiao was instantly transfixed, instinctively wanting to share the joy in his heart with the person beside him.
He exclaimed with excitement, “Senior, look! It really is blue!”
Beside him, Lu Xingliang deadpanned, “I’m not blind.”
Qi Xiao paid no mind to his words, his head entirely filled with the glowing blue sea before him. He emphasized once more, “It’s just so pretty!”
Though it was a pitch-black night, his eyes shone brightly, as if starlight had spilled into them. The expression on his face was practically bouncing with joy—he was happy as a child. Or rather, the person before him was essentially still a child at heart.
Gazing at him, Lu Xingliang unconsciously let the corners of his lips curve upward.
This idiot—getting so happy all over again over such a trivial thing.
Not far away, Jiang Fei caught sight of this scene and froze, feeling that this version of Lu Xingliang was quite different from the one in her memory.
After watching for a while longer, because it was getting late, the director urged the guests to head back. Only then did Qi Xiao reluctantly leave the beach, repeatedly turning his head back as he walked away.
Even after returning to the guesthouse, Qi Xiao still felt a trace of lingering reluctance.
Lu Xingliang said, “If you want to watch it, just come back next time.”
Qi Xiao replied, “How can that be the same? This time I watched it with everyone. Next time, it might not be the same people.”
Lu Xingliang couldn’t understand his logic, scoffed softly, and said, “I’m going to shower.”
Sitting on his bed, Qi Xiao reflected on the day’s experiences and couldn’t help marveling—what a fulfilling day!
Then, his mission suddenly flashed through his mind.
Oh my gosh, he had completely forgotten about it!
He hurriedly scrambled out of bed and ran over to where the field director was. Seeing him come over, the director was quite surprised and asked gently, “Xiao-Xiao, what’s wrong?”
Qi Xiao wore a crestfallen face: “Sister, I know I didn’t complete the mission, but could the punishment be a little lighter?”
Unexpectedly, the director burst into laughter: “Did you forget? You’ve already completed it!”
Qi Xiao froze. Completed? When?
Pondering this question, he walked back to his room, only to catch sight of a staff member standing at the doorway, knocking repeatedly. Likely, Lu Xingliang was showering and hadn’t heard it.
Qi Xiao walked over quickly: “What’s wrong?” Only then did he realize that the staff member was holding a huge bouquet of sunflowers in their arms. He couldn’t help asking, “Is this a parting gift from the production team?”
The staff member shook their head: “Nope! A guest sent this to you.”
Qi Xiao was thoroughly bewildered. Someone sent him flowers?
He reached out to take the bouquet, and the staff member added a reminder: “There’s a box tucked inside, be careful not to drop it.”
Hearing this, Qi Xiao rummaged through the sunflowers for a moment and sure enough, found a velvet box inside.
He opened the box, and lying quietly within was a ring—just like the one he had received that morning.
What on earth was going on?