Silence. Deathly silence.
Plop.
A drop of sweat slid from Xiang Qianli’s forehead.
His heart was in his throat, terrified that Fu Yuchuan’s condition might flare up.
But when Wen Ruqiao uttered the words, “He seems like the kind of person who shines brightly in his own field,” Xiang Qianli keenly sensed the oppressive atmosphere in the car, thick enough to almost materialize, recede like a tide.
He saw Fu Yuchuan lean back in his seat, slowly raise his hand, and swallow the two pills.
Xiang Qianli hurriedly offered water, but Fu Yuchuan didn’t touch it.
The corner of Xiang Qianli’s mouth twitched. Even at a time like this, he still couldn’t shake off that cleanliness obsession…
In the half-light, the man’s profile was outlined with a cold, stern sharpness. His sexy, ascetic Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed the pills directly.
Xiang Qianli breathed a sigh of relief.
But just then, Xiao Ou’s curious voice came from the tablet: “Xiao Qiao, what kind of guys do you like?”
Xiang Qianli almost wanted to vomit blood, wishing he could jump into the screen and cover Xiao Ou’s mouth.
Why bring up the very thing that should be avoided?!
Xiang Qianli fumbled frantically to turn off the livestream, but Fu Yuchuan’s cold yet commanding voice came from the darkness: “Don’t turn it off.”
Then came Wen Ruqiao’s clear, sweet voice: “Gentle, home-loving, and preferably good at cooking.”
Xiang Qianli treaded carefully, as if on thin ice: “So Miss Wen likes that type…”
Fu Yuchuan seemed to chuckle softly: “Is that so.”
“The plane tickets are already booked, and the yacht is arranged,” Xiang Qianli reassured. “Miss Wen will definitely be pleasantly surprised when she sees you!”
Fu Yuchuan’s knuckled fingers tapped idly against the car window, his thin lips curling into a faint sneer.
Pleasantly surprised?
More like frightened out of her wits.
It was past two in the afternoon when the deep-sea fishing group returned.
The three of them were exhausted, having only caught two fish, both small.
Da Hai said apologetically, “We should apologize to them later. These two fish definitely won’t be enough for everyone, and we even ate the precious instant noodles…”
His words made He Huainan and An Ruosu feel quite embarrassed.
But when they pushed open the door, the scene in the living room was one of serene tranquility—
Aunt Liu and Lu Minglang were playing chess at the coffee table, each with a chilled coconut beside them.
Wen Ruqiao was asleep on a rattan chair, with Xiao Ou dutifully fanning her with a fan.
Everyone looked well-fed, content, and lazily relaxed.
In contrast, Da Hai, He Huainan, and An Ruosu, having been battered by the sea wind for most of the day, were all tanned, haggard, and utterly worn out.
Seeing them return, Aunt Liu called out, “There’s food left for you in the kitchen. There’s coconut chicken hotpot, iron-pot stewed goose, sweet and sour fish, and chilled coconuts in the fridge. Help yourselves.”
Da Hai was stunned: “Are you joking??”
In all his seasons of recording this show, when had he ever eaten this well?!
Aunt Liu, being an old acquaintance, spoke casually: “I’d be a dog if I lied to you.”
Da Hai hurried into the kitchen. When he saw the abundance of food, he pinched his face in disbelief: “Am I dreaming… What kind of heavenly life is this?!”
His unimpressed reaction amused the audience.
【Uncle Hai always hits my funny bone】
【Stay calm, Uncle Hai! This is just normal life!】
【I can’t help but laugh thinking about how Uncle Hai treated instant noodles like treasure and shared them with He Huainan and An Ruosu】
Confirming that everything was real, Da Hai joyfully carried the dishes out.
An Ruosu: “…”
He Huainan: “…”
Damn, they were eating instant noodles at sea, while Lu Minglang and Wen Ruqiao were feasting like this at home?!
An Ruosu was so hungry she felt dizzy and didn’t care about dieting anymore, picking up her chopsticks to eat.
He Huainan’s expression, however, turned extremely unpleasant.
He thought the production team was doing it on purpose.
He had suffered through sea fishing, while these people were enjoying a lavish meal at home.
Wasn’t it just because Lu Minglang was more popular than him? This kind of favoritism was truly disgusting!
Da Hai wolfed down most of his bowl of rice before finally reacting: “Where did all these ingredients come from?”
Aunt Liu smiled and said, “You’ll have to ask Qiao Mei about that.”
Da Hai was taken aback: “Ru Qiao?”
Wen Ruqiao was woken up by their noise. Her long, dark lashes fluttered like crow feathers as she rubbed her sleepy eyes, looking at the three who had returned with a dazed and confused expression.
“You’re back?”
Her voice, still soft and sweet from just waking up, made An Ruosu unable to resist clutching her chest.
How could this bad woman be so adorable!
Xiao Ou vividly recounted Wen Ruqiao’s brilliant moves, and An Ruosu’s gaze toward Wen Ruqiao completely changed.
If she had known following the bad woman would be this blissful, she would never have gone sea fishing!
He Huainan ate in silence, a glint of cunning flashing in his lowered eyes.
He had underestimated Wen Ruqiao.
Since she had made such a splash, she would be even more valuable to use…
He Huainan began to scheme.
They had thought there would be leftovers, but it turned out the food wasn’t even enough for the three of them.
Aunt Liu had no choice but to cook the two small fish they had caught.
After the meal, Aunt Liu said with a headache, “We’re out of ingredients again…”
Everyone: “…”
They knew this was the production team’s trick.
At most, they’d get one full meal, and for the rest of the time, they’d have to find ingredients.
An Ruosu said with a pitiful expression, “I don’t want to go fishing again…” Sea fishing was simply not a job for humans!
She was almost tanned to a crisp!
“Is there any other way to get ingredients?” He Huainan asked.
He thought that if Wen Ruqiao continued picking coconuts, he would follow her. With a little manipulation, netizens would once again criticize Wen Ruqiao and sympathize with him.
Xiao Ou counted on her fingers for the guests: “You can also work for the villagers, go beachcombing, or complete various challenges from the production team.”
Aunt Liu said, “Let’s hear what tasks everyone wants to do?”
An Ruosu was the first to raise her hand: “I want to be with Ru Qiao!”
Xiao Ou also eagerly chimed in: “Me too, me too! Following Qiao Mei means good food!”
He Huainan’s alarm bells went off in his head.
If all of you follow Wen Ruqiao, what about me?
Before he could speak, he heard Lu Minglang staring eagerly at Wen Ruqiao, his stuttering voice tinged with shyness: “I… I also want to be with Xiao Qiao.”
Aunt Liu teased, “It seems our Qiao Mei is quite popular. Qiao Mei, what task do you want to do?”
Still a bit drowsy, she rested her cheek on her hand: “I’m fine with anything.”
He Huainan quickly spoke up: “Then I’ll join too. With so many of us together, we can look out for each other.”
Wen Ruqiao lazily yawned: “No.”
Everyone was taken aback.
He Huainan said in a gentle and refined tone, “Ru Qiao, are you too tired? Then during the task this afternoon, we’ll take extra care of you…”
“I’ve already said no.” Wen Ruqiao spoke each word slowly, her tone clear and icy. “I don’t want to do missions with you. Do you understand?”
He Huainan’s fans instantly erupted.