As the draw lots ended, the information on the remaining cards was revealed one by one:
Electricity bill, land transportation, water transportation, air tickets, and accommodation for the next stop.
After flipping over the last card, Wen Wanning herself did not expect to have such good luck this time. Her heart, which had been jumping into her throat, finally settled back down, and even her earlobes turned red.
Qi Jiujiu sprang up from the sofa, rushed over to hug her tightly, and jumped several times, "Wuwuwu, our lifesaver Teacher Wen, how are you so good at drawing!"
"I underestimated the planning teacher," Wei Yinghuai sighed repeatedly, "I originally thought cutting the power was ruthless enough, but I didn't expect they were really prepared to let us swim back to the country."
Even during these few days on the island, the distances between attractions were not short. The young people could still save some money by renting a motorcycle to ride around, but Teacher Jiang Yun would find it very difficult to endure such hardship.
By comparison, not giving them food was practically doing charity.
The four people on the sofa side were optimists; they formed a small circle and high-fived, but the reactions of the three on the other side were much flatter.
Xu Jiashu and Qiao Li, hindered by the fact that the camera was filming, could not show their true feelings even if they had them, so they could only offer awkward compliments.
As for Ling Ye, he sat on a high stool by the bar, his expression not changing from start to finish, completely indifferent as if anything would be fine.
The director team observed everyone's expressions with interest and continued to increase the difficulty, "Don't think it's too simple. I suppose everyone brought snacks and instant noodles in their suitcases, but that would be no fun."
"To increase the fun of our challenge, the cameraman and the cameras in the rooms will act as snack inspectors. Once someone is caught sneaking food, we will deduct it from the food budget earned by each group at the highest market price. Please be careful, everyone."
Whose fun is this actually increasing...
Wei Yinghuai's breath, which he had just let out, got stuck halfway, and he couldn't help but blurt out, "Are we playing for such high stakes?"
They were all decent adults; they couldn't possibly act like secret agents meeting up every day, hiding under the covers to share snacks.
They had finally come on a reality show trip, only to end up in a beach villa, working like laborers every day just for a bite to eat.
Orange TV is truly ruthless.
Thinking slightly about the days ahead, people were already feeling anxious.
Xu Jiashu, who had been silent, interjected with a question: "When will we start earning money, and are there any restrictions on the methods?"
Director: "Good question. After dinner, we will conduct random grouping. Please use the keywords on the prompt cards to work freely on the beach tomorrow and earn the food budget for the next few days of the itinerary."
After the rules were read, the director pushed up his glasses and cheered them on with great spirit:
"Go to sleep early, get a good rest, and from tomorrow on, it will be up to everyone!"
"Tonight's dinner is the last grand meal provided by the program group. It must be eaten in the restaurant; no takeout allowed. Please cherish it."
The program group had ambushed them first, so there was somewhat of an intention to atone; the dinner prepared was truly luxurious.
The second floor terrace had been decorated in advance with shell-shaped lights, flickering with soft light, very romantic. The table was filled with a rich variety of local cuisine, Tom Yum Goong, crab curry, and various seafood, and even the dessert station was dazzling.
After all, it was the last free food, and the whole table had a bit of a "buffet revenge" mentality, full of energy.
Wen Wanning returned to her room to put on a jacket and arrived a little late. She randomly chose an empty chair on the outside and sat down, eating very slowly.
Jiang Yun, who was sitting next to her, saw that her plate was full of greens and helped her get a portion of lobster, "Eating so plainly, there won't be any left tomorrow."
Wen Wanning smiled, "Thank you, Teacher Jiang."
Young people have pressure to look good on camera, which Jiang Yun could understand, so she gave a simple piece of advice and said no more.
The program group had invited the chef of a famous restaurant on the island to provide service today. Even before they picked up their chopsticks, the fragrance wafting out was very tempting.
Wen Wanning usually liked seafood, but she had drunk too many iced drinks in the short half-day on the island, and her stomach, accustomed to hot water, couldn't take it. She lost her appetite even for her favorite dishes.
She forked the lobster Jiang Yun had brought her, chewing in small bites while distracted, and looked across the table.
The seat opposite her was empty. Xu Jiashu had changed seats at some point; on the surface, he seemed to be laughing and talking with Wei Yinghuai, but his eyes drifted toward Qiao Li.
As for the little princess, it was a different kind of girls' gathering atmosphere.
Leaning against the blooming cosmos flowers, she took a few selfies with Qi Jiujiu beside her, responding to everyone's compliments with reserve, and twisting her shoulder to show off the sapphire necklace she was wearing today.
A string of blue with a particularly beautiful brightness.
It might look a bit ostentatious in daylight, but it was just right for an occasion like tonight. Paired with a silk camisole dress, it set off the girl's shoulder and neck skin to be exceptionally delicate.
The angle of her pose was a bit deliberate; from Wen Wanning's perspective, it was obvious that it was all aimed at Ling Ye, who was sitting diagonally opposite.
In this food chain of undercurrents, the one at the top seemed completely unaware. His fingers holding the knife and fork were skillful and elegant, and his long legs were bent casually under the high stool.
Under the warm lights, the man's handsome profile hadn't changed much from back then. He had shed some of his youthful awkwardness and gained a bit of calm, poised nobility, but the earnestness he showed while eating remained completely unchanged.
It looked exactly like when she had first brought him back to Shen Cheng.
It seemed to be a winter night as well, and it also seemed to be on the terrace of an expensive restaurant.
At that time, Ling Ye was still a bit reserved, and his gaze swept over the candles on the neighboring party table a few times. She had misunderstood his meaning and asked the waiter to bring the exact same meal.
It was all shellfish, beautiful and bright red, but troublesome to eat.
She made up her mind to take care of the young man's silent self-esteem, guessing he was flustered and embarrassed to ask, so she deliberately slowed down her eating speed to let him follow and imitate.
The evening breeze was soft, and the cruise ships on the Huangpu River passed by quietly, illuminating Ling Ye's pitch-black pupils.
In that earnest gaze, Wen Wanning bit by bit, braced herself to eat three times her usual portion.
A female celebrity's stomach is used to being hungry all year round; she couldn't handle such a sudden occurrence. She was fine when she first got home, but later she couldn't sleep until midnight, vomiting and having diarrhea for several hours.
At two or three in the morning, Wen Wanning finally finished tossing and turning, washed her face, and came out of the master bedroom, preparing to take some painkillers.
The house was large, and it felt empty when no one was living in it.
The living room was pitch black, with only a little dim street light filtering in from the window.
Wen Wanning felt for the small light next to the shoe cabinet and walked forward while holding her stomach. She had only taken half a step onto the carpet when she was startled by a tall, thin shadow on the sofa.
"...Why aren't you sleeping? Why are you hiding here to scare me?"
"No,"
He was clearly the one who did the scaring, yet Ling Ye himself seemed to be the more nervous one. His eyes blinked rapidly, and every finger seemed to want to participate in his explanation.
"I saw the light in the master bedroom was always on, and I guessed you might have an upset stomach, so I went out to buy some medicine."
Wen Wanning scanned the tabletop upon hearing this.
On the dark glass coffee table, a large plastic bag was placed quite abruptly, containing everything from granules to capsules and pills.
He didn't have a mobile phone, and she didn't know where he found a pharmacy that was still open in the middle of the night. Judging by the looks of it, he had almost brought back the entire counter.
Wen Wanning stood there for a moment, feeling a bit embarrassed.
It was she who had been trying to be tough first, and the young man was unfamiliar with the place, yet in the end, he became the one who had to take care of her, running out in the cold in the middle of the night.
After a long while, she spoke, "How much money? I'll give it to you in a moment."
Ling Ye shook his head immediately, "I still have some on me."
"...You didn't know to turn on the light when you came back?"
"I can see," Ling Ye's long, dark eyelashes drooped in the dim night, "and it saves electricity."
"Are you paying the electricity bill or am I?"
Ling Ye sat very straight, "I can pay it too."
Wen Wanning was almost amused to the point of anger.
She occasionally had a bit of a temper, and when she encountered such physical discomfort, she couldn't help but want to let it out.
Especially now, facing this exceptionally quiet and easy-to-bully young man, the bit of mischief in her subconscious seemed to lose control, and she said some things that even she felt were mean.
"You don't need to specially save these few dollars for me, and you don't need to keep thinking about paying me back. If we really want to calculate it, the travel expenses from North City and the room and board should all be put on your tab."
Ling Ye looked up at her the whole time, his tone very serious, "I have recorded all the expenses. I will pay them back."
She was joking, but the person listening was clearly used to being serious and didn't catch it at all.
Wen Wanning felt inexplicably annoyed. She said "oh," kicked off her slippers, and sat down, "Then add my emotional distress fee as well. I don't like the house being dark; it puts me in a bad mood."
"Turn on the lights."
The person on the other side of the sofa stood up and walked toward the hallway.
With two clicks, the switch was pressed.
Soft, warm light instantly submerged the entire living room.
The young man was still standing in front of the switch, not moving. His posture was upright, and he was still wearing the same black jacket he had worn during the day, with the zipper pulled to the top. His young, handsome face was flushed from her staring, but he didn't dodge.
Wen Wanning withdrew her gaze and was just about to reach out to look for the medicine when she suddenly saw a glass of water on the coffee table in front of her.
It was the cup she usually liked, and the water was still warm, steaming with wisps of heat under the light.
Her temper vanished instantly.
"Ling Ye, how many times did you pour the water?"
The young man who was named was stunned. He thought for a moment before answering, "Forgot."
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