Chapter 292
Words and actions can deceive people, but heartbeats cannot.
Every single conversation at the dining table, every unintentional glance exchanged between the eight guests, and the corresponding fluctuations in heart rate were all clearly recorded.
So then—let’s take a look.
For each person, who exactly was their “heartbeat” guest?
Inside the restaurant, the eight guests enjoyed a rare moment of peace after days of hardship. They ate and chatted, feeling perfectly at ease—completely unaware that they were already subjects of expert observation.
Through narration overlaid on the broadcast, the production team explained this experiment to the viewers in the livestream.
The barrage of comments instantly exploded.
[Interesting! Forcing a reveal of their crushes—there’s no way to hide it now.]
[So excited! Some people’s “arrows” have been so vague throughout the show, like Sister Lai—no clue who she actually likes.]
[If Kitty Bro’s crush turns out to be Sister Liu, that’ll be amazing—instant public execution.]
[There’ll definitely be some mutual feelings, right? Xie & Shen couple incoming!]
[If an unexpected romance line pops up, that’ll be so dramatic.]
[Can’t wait to see the results.]
But the show kept everyone hanging.
Even after the meal ended and the guests went back to their rooms for a nap, the results of the crush test were not revealed.
The experts had already organized all the data and handed it to Director Niu.
Looking at the densely detailed records of every heartbeat fluctuation for each guest, Director Niu smiled in satisfaction.
At 2 p.m., after the nap, the guests were summoned again.
“To celebrate the beginning of our journey,” Director Niu announced, “tonight there will be a grand masquerade ball on deck. Each of you must attend wearing a mask, and until the first dance is over, no verbal communication will be allowed.”
“At the same time, there is a special rule: during the ball, each of you must invite the person you feel most drawn to at that moment to a private two-person date prepared by the production team—a half-hour heart-to-heart.”
“The invitee cannot refuse.”
“The ball will not end until everyone has had their turn.”
Tonight would be the very first “heart-to-heart night” since the recording of this season began.
After so much joking, bickering, and playing around, it was time for some proper, sincere conversations.
Would someone open their heart tonight? Or would someone come to truly understand their own feelings?
Director Niu smiled.
“The party begins at seven. Please dress up and don’t be late.”
There were five hours left before the ball. Until then, it was free time.
Some people immediately started hair and makeup prep, while others were still racing cars at the track.
Yes—the cruise ship had an actual racetrack.
Xie Mi couldn’t resist her curiosity. She strapped on a helmet and sat in one of the cars.
Her phone was still open on the chat with Shen Moqing.
[185 Pure-Hearted Male Bodhisattva]: Where did you go play?
[Quit the Game]: Racetrack.
After replying to Shen’s message, she was about to start the car when a figure came running over.
“Teacher Xie.”
It was Xu Shuangrong.
She jogged up to the car, leaned down to look inside, and smiled. “I’ve been interested in racing for a long time. Since it’s such a rare chance, may I race against Teacher Xie?”
Xie Mi raised her brows.
Deep down, Xu Shuangrong had always been competitive and combative, yet she’d gone to great lengths to present herself as gentle and harmless.
But this was the first time she proactively proposed trying something competitive like racing—on camera.
“Sure.”
Xie Mi answered straightforwardly and pointed at the car beside her. “Go put on the gear, I’ll wait.”
“Alright.” Xu Shuangrong grinned brightly, quickly suited up under the coach’s guidance, learned the basic controls, and was soon ready.
It wasn’t professional racing, just go-karts—much safer, with minimal risk for ordinary players.
Even so, the air seemed to hum with gunpowder.
Xu Shuangrong turned to smile at Xie Mi in the next car.
“Good luck, Teacher Xie.”
The whistle blew.
The two cars shot forward like lightning, streaks of afterimages trailing behind, engines roaring.
Surprisingly, their speeds were almost identical.
[Whoa, did both of them floor the accelerator?!]
[Sister Xie makes sense—she’s always the “pedal to the metal” type—but Xu Shuangrong? Didn’t expect that.]
[Didn’t she use to be scared even of amusement park rides? My god.]
[So exciting!]
The straight track wasn’t difficult, but soon came the first curve.
For beginners, turning at high speed was the hardest part. Without absolute control, the safest way was to slow down first before turning.
But neither car slowed down.
Calmly, Xie Mi turned the wheel, ready to glide through smoothly—when suddenly a voice rang in her ears.
[Xu Shuangrong: System, this is the chance. I want to overtake from the inside.]
Xie Mi’s eyes flickered for a moment, but her hands never faltered. She spun the wheel sharply, drifted through the curve perfectly, and sped on.
But Xu Shuangrong’s car did not overtake from the inside as she’d said. Instead, it slammed into the guardrail and instantly fell behind.
She bit down in pain, quickly corrected, stomped on the gas, and chased hard.
But on a racetrack, a one- or two-second gap was like night and day. That single mistake meant she could never catch up. Slowly, her car lagged behind by a whole lap.
That was how they met again on the track.
As Xie Mi was about to lap her, another voice rang.
[Xu Shuangrong: System, she’s about to pass me. If I suddenly swerve left to block her, she’ll crash into me. Then I can easily play the victim.]
“…”
Xie Mi frowned slightly but kept her foot pressed on the gas, shooting past on the left lane—perfect overtake.
Xu Shuangrong’s eyes darkened, her lips pressed tight.
After three laps, the result was no surprise: Xie Mi won with a one-and-a-half lap lead.
Xu Shuangrong got out of her car, her face a little stiff, but she still smiled.
“Teacher Xie, you’re amazing. I admit defeat.”
“Good race, good race.”
“I’m a bit tired, so I’ll head back to rest first.” Xu Shuangrong smiled, bid farewell to Xie Mi and the staff, then turned to leave.
Xie Mi took a sip of water, watching her retreating figure.
And she finally understood why Xu Shuangrong had suddenly challenged her to a race despite being bad at go-karts.
The race wasn’t the point.
The real purpose was to test her.
To test whether Xie Mi could hear Xu Shuangrong’s conversations with the system.
