Chapter 218
Inside the dim waterway tunnel, it seemed as if someone’s heartbeat was pounding like a drum.
Xie Mi held onto the man’s arm wrapped around her waist, just about to switch to a third hugging position when, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Yu Jinzhe being swept toward them.
Startled, she instantly flung Shen Moqing away.
“Off you go!”
“Xie—gurgle gurgle gurgle.”
Before Shen Moqing could even finish his sentence, a massive wave swallowed him whole, dragging his words into a bubbling mess underwater.
Perfect.
One moment was heart-fluttering, the next was heart-breaking.
And what did netizens rushing over from Weibo to indulge in their CP get to see? Exactly this scene—Xie Mi hurling Shen Moqing off like a ragdoll.
[? Trending topic, are you trolling me?]
[I came for CP, not domestic homicide!]
[So this is what they mean by a hawk-like woman.]
[All because Old Shen wasn’t working hard enough.]
Meanwhile, veteran fans of the “Xie x Shen–Killing-the-Donkey” CP were unfazed.
[After shipping this CP long enough, I’ve figured out the law: eat the sugar early, because you never know what’s coming next.]
[The one above—graduated with honors!]
“Sister.”
Yu Jinzhe finally caught up, smiling obediently. “I finally caught you.”
Xie Mi glanced at him.
Calmly, she swam up, grabbed a section of rope tied to his float ring, and under his puzzled gaze, fastened it to the railings on the wall.
She even tied a tight dead knot.
“Then stay here.”
Yu Jinzhe: “…?”
He instinctively reached out to grab her float ring, but she was a step quicker—kicking off the wall, she surged five meters away in an instant.
With a quick turn, she disappeared around the corner, out of his sight.
Left behind, tethered in place and battered by relentless waves, Yu Jinzhe finally realized what had happened. Panic slowly filled his eyes.
“…Don’t!”
Only the roar of water and his own echo answered him.
Meanwhile—
A new directive from the production team came through.
[Director Team]: Twenty minutes are up. Congratulations, Yu Jinzhe, you have been chosen as the second “ghost.” Please begin your hunt.
After reading it, Yu Jinzhe shut his eyes.
Let the world burn.
[Hahahahaha the production team definitely did that on purpose.]
[The image of the ghost stuck in the water unable to move makes me lose it.]
[Little brother Jinzhe is too resilient—keeps taking Ls from Old Xie but never quits. Is he… a masochist?]
[Ughhh you demons, doesn’t anyone feel bad for him??]
[Then treat him to a poor man’s favorite: a scallion pancake.]
Coming out of the Giant Wave Canyon, Xie Mi didn’t see Shen Moqing anywhere. She wasn’t worried though—after all, two-thirds of the mission was complete, and plenty of game time remained.
For now, she had a bigger priority.
The “ghost” this round was immobilized. Only she knew this, which made it the perfect opportunity.
So Xie Mi brazenly dashed around the water park, openly hunting for living-expense vouchers.
On finding her third envelope, she ran into Xiao Jingxi.
“Xie Mi.”
He froze slightly when he noticed the stack of envelopes in her hand. “How did you find so many?”
He had just scouted the whole area and hadn’t found even one.
Before he could say more, Xie Mi suddenly walked over and handed him one of the envelopes.
“Since we’re colleagues, I’ll share one. Don’t say I’m stingy.”
Xiao Jingxi paused. Then, as expected, the corner of his lips curved upward. But when he looked up, all he saw was her hurrying away, leaving only her back view. His smile deepened.
Not only was she thinking of him, but she was also getting shy about it.
Delighted, Xiao Jingxi tore open the envelope—only for his smile to instantly freeze.
[Living Expense Voucher: –5,000 yuan.]
[Still smiling, bro?]
[Now it’s my turn to laugh.]
[HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA]
The rule was clear: once found, vouchers couldn’t be discarded unless transferred to someone else.
Poor Xiao Jingxi—he hadn’t even gotten one voucher yet, and now he was suddenly docked 5,000 yuan.
“…Xie Mi, you’re something else.”
But his chance for revenge came swiftly.
Yu Jinzhe’s time as ghost ended, and the third ghost chosen was—him.
The moment he got the message, he abandoned his search and sprinted in the direction Xie Mi had gone.
He caught up just as she was mounting an electric scooter, glancing back at him with confusion.
“You’re going to catch me?”
Xiao Jingxi: “…”
Xiao Jingxi: “Isn’t that obvious?”
Xie Mi was cheerful. “Then come catch me.”
And off she rode.
Because one of this season’s sponsors was an electric scooter company, the park was filled with branded scooters.
Seeing this, Xiao Jingxi immediately tried to imitate her—he mounted one, ready to chase.
But then he realized—Every scooter in that row was missing its keys.
Looking ahead, he spotted Xie Mi riding away, a whole ring of keys dangling from her pants pocket.
“???”
[Where the hell does Teacher Xie come up with all these chaotic plays?]
[When I saw that keyring I actually spat out laughing.]
[She’s always two steps ahead—at this point, isn’t Old Xie basically a genius?]
Fuming, Xiao Jingxi refused to let himself be toyed with. He ditched the scooters and sprinted after her on foot.
Up ahead, Xie Mi cruised leisurely, waving to nearby staff as if she were out for a Sunday ride.
Behind her, Xiao Jingxi chased like mad, panting like a dog.
But it was as if he had some grudge—he just would not give up, chasing her all the way around the entire park. His heart rate shot to 102.
“Xie Mi… you… stop right… now…”
At his near-dying wheeze, the figure ahead finally stopped.
He blinked in surprise—didn’t expect her to suddenly change her tune.
Still, he seized the chance, lunged forward, and grabbed her wrist.
“Let’s see where you run now!”
Xie Mi only gave him a meaningful smile.
“Wanna bet?”
“?”
Before he could even grasp what she meant, his comms watch rang.
[Director Team]: Twenty minutes are up. Congratulations, Xie Mi, you have been chosen as the fourth “ghost.” Please begin your hunt.
Xiao Jingxi’s face stiffened, realization dawning. But as soon as he loosened her wrist, his own was seized and twisted back.
A devilish smile spread across Xie Mi’s face.
“Bet paid off. Now it’s my turn to catch you.”
Xiao Jingxi panicked. “Wait, wait—”
“No waiting.”
Swiftly, Xie Mi jumped off the scooter, one hand yanking his wrist, the other pushing up on his shoulder.
His eyes widened with terror, trying to stall with words he never got to finish—before she hurled him away with tremendous force.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
[See? This is what you get for messing with her.]
