Chapter 223
Swish!
Xie Mi casually pulled a thick stack of envelopes from her waistband, sliding in on her flip-flops like some nouveau-riche show-off.
The other guests, busy exchanging their allowances, immediately had their attention drawn and were shocked.
“You actually found this many?!” Qiu Chengye’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Lai Bingxuan rubbed her eyes several times just to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.
Xu Shuangrong whispered in astonishment, “No wonder I looked for so long and couldn’t find any — they were all taken by Teacher Xie.”
Xie Mi merely smiled, saying nothing.
That moment of showing off lasted only a second — who knew the hardships she had endured behind the scenes?
Under the gaze of everyone, the staff began opening her envelopes one by one and loudly reading out the numbers like a stage announcer:
“1 yuan! 0.99 yuan! –20 yuan! 9.9 yuan! 100 yuan! –19.9 yuan! 5 yuan! 10 yuan… The twelve vouchers Xie Mi found total 106.99 yuan! Xie Mi’s final living allowance: 70,106.99 yuan!”
“Pfft—” Qiu Chengye couldn’t help but laugh at her misfortune.
Xiao Jingxi, too, relaxed and curved his lips in amusement.
Even the staff couldn’t help smiling, biting back their laughter to keep it from going too far.
Meanwhile, the epic “unlucky” Xie Mi, who had been busy all game but gained very little, had already put on sunglasses while the staff announced the totals.
She tilted her head forty-five degrees, gazing at the sky, deep in her own cloud of thoughts.
[So there are experts here after all.]
[Even my card draws haven’t been this unlucky — my bad, my bad.]
[Earlier when Xie Mi gave Miss Lai a 1-yuan voucher, I thought she was just teasing her. Now I realize she was already being generous.]
[Wait… so Xie Mi gave the only 1,000-yuan voucher to Lai Bingxuan? Her one bit of luck?! Just got me shipping them again!]
Lai Bingxuan, realizing this a bit late, immediately stepped forward to confront her.
“The 1,000 yuan you gave me — was that your largest amount? Then why give it to me? Don’t get me wrong, I’m just curious — why?”
Though her tone seemed accusatory, the corners of her mouth had already faintly risen, only to be suppressed with a light hum.
Xie Mi answered seriously:
“Because eliminating you earns me 5,000.”
Lai Bingxuan’s face fell again.
[Old Xie, I hate you, you blockhead.]
[Has Sister Xie’s blockhead attribute now extended to this Shrimp Soldier-Crab General ship? Fine fine fine fine fine.]
[So both earned 5,000 — why did Xiao Jingxi only get a –5,000 voucher? Don’t lie, Old Xie, you’re just favoring Miss Lai!]
[Xiao Jingxi: Just wait, I’ll go to the kitchen and get money for you.]
The other guests’ vouchers were settled one by one. When Shen Moqing produced his single, 5,000-yuan voucher, everyone else was green with envy.
The saying the harder you work, the sorrier it feels was especially true in contrast between Xie Mi and Shen Moqing.
Everyone got their corresponding living allowances — some satisfied, some protesting — but the directors ignored all complaints.
It seemed this season, Director Niu was determined to be a cold-blooded director.
“Now, the final segment begins.”
“Everyone should remember: among today’s games, there was a pair of secret couples. They’ve been hiding among you, even completing tasks right under your noses.”
“This round, they’ve successfully completed their missions, and the secret couples’ extra bonus has accumulated to 30,000 yuan.”
“Now you may start reporting. Anyone who successfully reports a secret couple can share this 30,000-yuan bonus. But if no one succeeds, the secret couple splits the bonus themselves.”
“You have only ten minutes to decide. After ten minutes, everyone must come report to me!”
With that, Director Niu put down the megaphone and left the time to the guests.
The guests grew noisy: some discussing heatedly, some silent, some so absorbed in the games they had forgotten about the undercover couples.
“It’s Xu Shuangrong and Xiao Jingxi! I’m certain! Their behavior today was off — I saw them talking! During hide-and-seek, I saw them walking together!”
Lai Bingxuan pointed directly at Xu Shuangrong and Xiao Jingxi. The two, who would normally defend themselves, inexplicably stayed quiet.
Lai Bingxuan grew more confident: “See? They’re guilty!”
Xu Shuangrong and Xiao Jingxi exchanged glances but said nothing.
Director Niu had said that if a report succeeded, the bonus is shared. If only one person succeeds, they get the full 30,000; if two succeed, each only gets 15,000. The fewer who succeed, the more money each gets.
So they weren’t in a hurry to deny it, hoping Lai Bingxuan would fail. After all, they already knew the correct answer.
Thinking this, Xiao Jingxi’s gaze shifted to Yu Jinzhe and Xie Mi, smiling confidently.
“You’ll regret not reporting Liu Woxing and Shen Moqing. No one’s behavior was stranger than Liu Woxing’s — she must be one of them!” Qiu Chengye continued arguing with Lai Bingxuan.
Yu Jinzhe silently walked to Xie Mi’s side, looking at her sincerely.
“Sister, I need to confess. Lai Bingxuan and I are the undercover pair. I didn’t tell you during the day to give you more game experience, but in the end, I have to let you know.”
The young man’s eyes were crystal clear, like a pure, harmless little creature.
Xie Mi showed a knowing expression.
“I already knew it was you two.”
Amidst the noisy debates, a clear voice reached Xie Mi’s ears.
“I think Mr. Shen is suspicious.”
Her eyes flickered. Following the direction of the voice, she saw it was Liu Woxing.
Her gaze fixed on Shen Moqing, she smiled faintly:
“Mr. Shen, your initiative in talking to me today, no matter what, strikes me as very suspicious.”
Qiu Chengye immediately shouted from the side, claiming Liu Woxing was making excuses, secretly conspiring with Shen Moqing.
Liu Woxing completely ignored the noisy complaints.
“You approached me first, and about trivial matters — that’s not like your usual style. So I guess you’re one of the secret couples.”
