Chapter 222
Inside the dim tunnel, the digits on the heart-rate watch ticked silently.
Their fingers were interlaced, palms burning hot. That line — laced with a kind of fatal temptation — still seemed to echo by Xie Mi’s ear.
“I like you.”
“……”
In just a blink, the kayak slid out of the tunnel and rushed into the pool.
At that exact second, the alarm of the heart-rate wristband rang out like thunder.
Ding ding ding ding ding!!!
[?!!! They actually eliminated Old Xie?!]
[No way, Old Xie isn’t afraid of this kind of thing. Back at the amusement park she even enjoyed scarier rides.]
[Was she just too tired today? This doesn’t seem like her style.]
[Wait!! They’re holding hands!!]
[Ahhhhh fingers interlaced ahhhh!!]
Floating dazedly in the pool, Xie Mi instinctively lowered her head to look at their hands, still tightly interlocked.
Her heart rate… exceeded 120?
No.
The one whose device rang wasn’t her.
On her comm-watch a fresh message popped up, received just five seconds ago.
[Director’s Team]: Twenty minutes are up. Congratulations, Xie Mi, you’ve been chosen as the seventh “ghost.” Please begin your hunt.
Just five seconds earlier, inside the tunnel—
Shen Moqing’s twenty-minute capture time expired, and Xie Mi became the “ghost.”
The wristband alarm was still ringing. By her ear came the man’s soft sigh.
“Looks like I still lost to Teacher Xie.”
Shen Moqing raised his hand. On his wristband, the screen blazed with a heart rate of 127.
[Whoa, super reversal!]
[The one eliminated is Old Shen?!]
[That timing was insane — the swap happened right as they slid down!]
[So the moment Xie became the ghost, Old Shen got eliminated?? Instant kill!]
[Old Shen, you bot!]
“Shen Moqing, out!” The broadcast announced the elimination.
Hearing the voice, Xie Mi finally steadied herself, recalling that moment in the tunnel. A chill of aftershock ran through her.
If her turn hadn’t come right on time, she might really have been the one eliminated.
After all—
For one instant, she really had been struck.
This succubus-like man.
“The heart-rate hide-and-seek game is over! Congratulations to Teacher Xie, this round’s winner! And Teacher Xie is also the champion of all three games today — congratulations on the triple crown!!”
As the assistant director’s excited voice rang out, Xie Mi proudly stepped forward from the group, raised both arms high, and shouted:
“That’s right! I will be the all-season champion!!”
Among the guests, Shen Moqing led the applause, Liu Woxing followed, and then the others clapped one after another.
But of course, there were always one or two unwilling to accept it.
Qiu Chengye glared daggers at Xie Mi from behind, practically cursing her with his eyes.
“Now we’ll announce, after a full day of games, how much living allowance each guest has earned.”
Director Niu, holding the waterpark’s waterproof megaphone, began reading the results.
“Qiu Chengye: 5,001 yuan!
Shen Moqing: 45,000 yuan!
Xie Mi: 70,000 yuan!
Xiao Jingxi: –4,000 yuan!
Xu Shuangrong: 15,000 yuan!
Yu Jinzhe: 6,000 yuan!
Lai Bingxuan: –3,999 yuan!
Liu Woxing: 20,000 yuan!”
The moment his words fell, the place exploded.
Qiu Chengye flew into a rage: “5,001? Are you kidding me? What can that buy? Not even one breakfast!!”
Lai Bingxuan was dumbfounded: “–3,999? Say that again — minus 3,999? You mean I owe you guys 3,999??”
Xie Mi patted her shoulder comfortingly.
“It’s okay, Miss Lai. Think of it this way — Xiao Jingxi owes one yuan more than you. Doesn’t that make you feel better?”
Xiao Jingxi: “?”
[Hahahahaha how can there even be negative numbers?!]
[‘How much?’ Kitty-bro, say again how much one breakfast costs??]
[Didn’t they say the minimum was four yuan?]
[Director Niu: My rules, my call.]
[No but seriously, how the hell do you end up with negative points?? Huh??]
[It makes sense. In the first two rounds Xiao Jingxi and Lai Bingxuan were bottom rank, then this round they got eliminated, so another 5,000 deducted. Negative numbers are inevitable.]
[I thought 4 yuan was already absurd. Didn’t expect I was still underestimating Niu’s tricks.]
[Not only no food, but also owing the show money — is this season just “Guests’ Suffering Day”?]
“Everyone calm down. This isn’t the final result yet!”
Director Niu soothed them: “Don’t forget the allowance vouchers. Now please bring out the vouchers you found earlier for exchange!”
Xiao Jingxi’s expression instantly darkened.
He tried to play dead, but the sharp-eyed assistant director exposed him: “Movie Emperor Xiao, I saw an envelope in your pants pocket. Take it out and exchange it!”
“……”
Xiao Jingxi’s lips twitched. Forcing down his urge to settle accounts with Xie Mi, he pulled out his one and only voucher.
[Living Allowance Voucher: –5,000 yuan.]
Even Director Niu fell briefly silent, then announced the figure.
“Xiao Jingxi’s final living allowance: –9,000 yuan.”
[First day of filming and already drowning in debt.]
[The Movie Emperor never owed money in his life, then came to a dating show and became a defaulter.]
[Debt type.]
“I’ve got a few as well.”
Liu Woxing pulled out five wrinkled envelopes from his sports bag.
Beside him, Lai Bingxuan’s eyes nearly popped: “How do you have so many? I only found two myself, and two more were given to me by Xie Mi.”
Liu Woxing smiled faintly: “Maybe because I was the ghost in the first round. Not many envelopes were found that time. While I was the ghost, I could observe where they were, so when it came to the hiding round I knew where to go. That’s how I got a lot.”
Lai Bingxuan looked at him with envy.
“Liu Woxing’s five vouchers total 1,050 yuan. His final living allowance is 21,050 yuan!”
Though born into wealth, Liu Woxing wasn’t the least bit picky, and was quite satisfied with the number.
“Lai Bingxuan’s four vouchers total 1,015.9 yuan. Her final living allowance is –2,983.1 yuan!”
Lai Bingxuan’s face fell completely, her resentful eyes boring into Director Niu.
[Sister Liu’s luck isn’t bad! With over 20,000, that’s more than 700 per day on average. She can live comfortably!]
[But for people of their status, 700 a day isn’t enough at all. Just now Kitty-bro said one breakfast is 5,000.]
[I declare Sister Liu the most down-to-earth rich heiress!]
[Ahhh poor Sister Lai, so unlucky. Out of four vouchers, I remember one 1,000-yuan one was given by Sister Xie. How did the rest add up to just 15.9 hahahaha]
[Exactly! Real bad luck. I was watching her stream — can you imagine her opening the envelopes all excited, only to see 5 yuan and 9.9 yuan??]
[Honestly, that doesn’t even qualify as bad luck.]
[Step aside, the real unlucky one is about to show up.]
