Chapter 301 | Chapter 302 | Chapter 303 | Chapter 304 | Chapter 305
Chapter 301
Moonlight shone on the terrace on the fourth floor.
On the terrace stood a vine-wrapped swing chair, a tea table surrounded by flowers, a candlestick with flames flickering on top, and a soft white carpet covering the floor.
The atmosphere was perfect.
“This place isn’t bad.”
Xie Mi sat on the swing chair, rocking back and forth. With just a glance, she could see the glittering starry sky, the boundless sea, and the lively, dancing crowd on the deck below.
From the back room, Shen Moqing was fiddling with something. After a while, he came out carrying a pile of little gadgets.
“Want to play some mini games?”
“What are those?”
Xie Mi looked curiously. Shen Moqing placed the gadgets one by one on the tea table.
A crocodile teeth toy, a lie detector toy, a Book of Answers… all sorts of strange little things.
“Wow, you even prepared these.”
Xie Mi, itching to play, tugged at her nonexistent sleeves. “Then we have to PK.”
They started with the crocodile teeth toy, pressing the teeth one by one. Whoever was unlucky enough to get bitten had to accept a punishment.
With her notoriously unlucky streak, Xie Mi got bitten three times in a row, forced to give Shen Moqing shoulder massages and even shout “Long live Shen Moqing!”
Next was the lie detector toy. They took turns placing their hands on it, asking each other questions. With strong nerves, they quickly discovered the bug: they could spout nonsense while keeping their heart rate calm, leaving the detector unable to tell.
Eventually, they even broke the lie detector.
Then came the Book of Answers, Gobang, mini food kits… the two of them played through every toy they could, laughter and joy filling the terrace—yet they never entered the so-called “heart-to-heart” phase.
This made Director Niu anxious. Seeing that half an hour had nearly passed, he hurriedly reminded them through the walkie-talkie:
“Attention, attention, tonight is Heart-to-Heart Night. You can open up and talk freely, or ask questions you’re curious about each other.”
“During this phase, you can speak your mind, no one will disturb you…”
Xie Mi glanced suspiciously at the walkie-talkie. “Didn’t we just ask each other questions?”
“…”
There was silence on the other end, as if Director Niu was at a loss for words. Then he burst out: “Asking what color socks the other person wore today doesn’t count!!”
Xie Mi stroked her chin, thought for a moment, and concluded:
“Hot-tempered type.”
Shen Moqing added his own assessment.
“Negative type.”
Director Niu: “?”
“I swear you two are the worst!!”
In a huff, he stopped speaking, though he still reminded them: “Only five minutes left.”
[Niu bro, stop meddling]
[Let them play!!!]
[Don’t interfere, I’m already dying from the sweetness. Isn’t this exactly what a couple’s daily life looks like—just playing games together?]
[Feels like I’m seeing their married life already]
[Maybe they’re so close they don’t even need a heart-to-heart? I swear they have this kind of tacit understanding—just one look and they get each other, no extra words needed]
At that, Xie Mi and Shen Moqing exchanged a glance, already understanding each other without a word.
Because the real heart-to-heart between them couldn’t be said on camera.
After all…
That would trace back to a rather fantastical story.
“Finished all the games, got anything else?” Xie Mi asked, still unsatisfied. “What’s that?”
She pointed to a photo album in the corner.
“Old photos.”
Shen Moqing picked it up. “Want to see what I was like before?”
As the album opened, Shen Moqing’s childhood face appeared one photo after another.
Photos from elementary school outings, sports meets, classroom publicity shots, holding up a certificate for ranking first in his grade…
To the audience, these faces might feel a bit unfamiliar. But to Xie Mi, they felt very familiar.
Because not long ago, she had just seen the 8- and 12-year-old Shen Moqing.
She flipped through eagerly, as if through these photos she could glimpse how young Shen Moqing had lived well even after she left.
From 8 to 12, he was still very reserved. In group photos, he always stood quietly in an unremarkable spot. In solo shots, he looked stiff and uncomfortable, standing straight like a guard post in front of buildings.
But after 12, in his middle school photos, he gradually became livelier. Sometimes he even smiled in pictures, with a few friends appearing at his side.
Then came high school.
His features had opened up, already strikingly handsome at first glance. His poses grew freer and more relaxed, faintly showing the shadow of the Shen Moqing of today.
[Damn, handsome since childhood]
[Not just handsome, but so outstanding too. I see so many award photos—of course it’s you]
[He looked introverted as a kid, hard to imagine him being this outgoing now]
[Old Shen, what on earth did you go through as a child (not serious)]
[Suddenly feeling moved—Old Shen showing Old Xie his photo album, like letting her see his whole past life]
[Xie x Yu CP is going wild tonight!]
“Eh, this one?”
As she flipped, Xie Mi came to a peculiar photo.
In it, 12-year-old Shen Moqing stood in an office with four other kids. The four looked miserable, holding up self-criticism letters, while Shen Moqing stood in the middle, eyes shining.
“Hm?”
Shen Moqing leaned over to look, his gaze softening into a smile. “Can Teacher Xie guess the story behind this photo?”
Of course she could.
Because she immediately recognized those four kids—they were the bullies who once robbed young Shen Moqing in the park.
She remembered when they’d watched the meteor shower on the mountain, Shen Moqing had secretly written that note for the time capsule.
At the time, she had said…
“Since you wrote down this goal, you have to work hard to achieve it. At least, next time you meet those bullies, you should fight back bravely, just like me.”
And 12-year-old Shen Moqing really did it.
Not only did he bravely fight back, but he also didn’t forget his principles. He told the teacher, and the four bullies ended up crying as they wrote their self-criticisms.
“Geez, you really kept this photo all this time?” Xie Mi almost laughed.
Shen Moqing chuckled a few times too.
“Well, I had no choice.”
“After all, I wanted to keep it to show off to someone.”
Xie Mi was momentarily speechless, smacking her tongue after a long pause.
“Wow, you…”
So he’d had the makings of a show-off ever since he was twelve.
The photos only went up to high school. The last one showed a bookshelf in a bookstore, packed with domineering CEO novels.
Xie Mi closed the final page reluctantly.
“So, you didn’t record anything after that?”
Shen Moqing’s eyes flickered, a hint of shadow flashing before returning to normal.
“Mm. Afterward, I got busy with studies, so I didn’t keep taking pictures.”
Chapter 302
So later on, was it really just because studies got too busy that he had no time to keep recording?
That reason sounded a bit forced.
The album that stopped at high school, the last photo of a bookshelf crammed with domineering-CEO novels—it all seemed to hint at something unusual.
But Xie Mi didn’t press further.
“Half an hour’s up, right? Come on, let’s add another half hour, Old Shen, let’s duo queue!”
She pulled out her phone with a sly grin. “Maomao knows I’m filming right now, he’d never expect me to log in at this hour. Perfect time to climb ranks!”
“Teacher Xie isn’t quitting the game anymore?”
“I already came back. Just… quietly.”
Seeing the two of them digress again, Director Niu couldn’t help but intervene.
“Teacher Xie, there’s no such thing as extending the time, you know.”
“Old Shen invited me for half an hour. Now I invite Old Shen for another half an hour. That makes it extended, doesn’t it?” Xie Mi leaned toward the walkie-talkie at the back and replied.
Director Niu: “…”
So you two really figured out how to game the rules.
Left speechless, Director Niu went offline silently, leaving Xie Mi and Shen Moqing to play away, their voices full of energy.
“Teacher Xie, Maomao’s requesting to join—says he’ll carry us.”
“What? No! Quick, go invisible!!”
In the backstage lounge, Diao Mao stared at the game interface. The two avatars that had been online a second ago suddenly went dark. Scratching his head in confusion, he wondered—
Another bug?
Such a waste of the ambush-fast-push Cai Wenji build he’d just trained.
In the last few minutes of “heart-to-heart time,” a game round ended.
Xie Mi glanced at the card lying in front of her, the one that had never been flipped. Then, suddenly, she asked the first emotional question of the night.
“Shen Moqing, are you sure your feelings for me are really love?”
She turned, looking directly into his eyes.
Just like every time before, when she’d stared straight into them.
To everyone else, it seemed obvious he liked her.
But from her perspective, it was different. As a child, Shen Moqing had met her twice in extraordinary encounters. After growing up, he deliberately came to her side, showing undisguised interest.
Was that really love?
Could it be that at eight and twelve years old—ages too young to even understand what love was—he simply met a woman in her twenties and mistook admiration or other feelings as love?
Shen Moqing met her probing, serious gaze. Suddenly, the corners of his lips lifted, his eyes glimmering with starlight.
“I’m glad you asked this question.”
“I’ve never once confused my feelings. From the very moment they were born, the lines between emotions were crystal clear. No one knows better than I do.”
As he spoke, his eyes flickered, as though recalling something, softening further.
“Teacher Xie.”
“You’ll find out soon.”
Find out…
Just how much he truly loved her.
Xie Mi’s eyes shifted slightly, as if she’d understood something.
Maybe at the next crossing, all the mysteries would finally unravel.
For the first time, she began to look forward to something yet to come.
[Ahhh what does this mean? I feel sweetened but also totally lost]
[I hate cryptic talkers!!]
[I get it!! Guys, I get it! Old Xie doubts Old Shen’s feelings because he’s never confessed properly. When he says “you’ll find out soon,” he means he’s about to confess! This is it, this is IT!!]
[That explanation makes sense!]
[So does that mean… my CP is about to become canon?!!]
[Please livestream the confession across the entire internet!!]
[If he dares confess off-camera, I’ll kill Director Niu [heart gesture]]
[Director Niu: ? What did I do to you]
Later, Shen Moqing flipped over the card revealing who Xie Mi’s current crush was.
The answer surprised him a little—but not too much.
He chuckled softly at once, his peach blossom eyes curling into crescents.
“Teacher Xie, that’s exactly like you.”
On the card were two bold characters:
[Xie Mi.]
When the experts wrote this down, they had struggled for a while.
During the observation experiment earlier that day, they compared Xie Mi’s heart-rate fluctuations with each guest.
Shen Moqing, without doubt, caused the greatest spikes.
But…
Even that couldn’t surpass the insane heart-rate jump when she saw food she truly loved.
Especially when faced with that giant roast whole lamb—her heart rate shot up to 128 in excitement. The experts genuinely worried she might pass out from happiness.
So their final conclusion was: she did like Shen Moqing, that feeling could be called affection.
But before all else—
She loved herself.
Shen Moqing carefully put away the card, then looked up at the endless night sky. His thoughts drifted far, back to a scorching summer afternoon in a dessert shop where wind chimes tinkled at the door.
A girl pressed his shoulders firmly, her gaze resolute as she said:
“Old Shen—no, Middle Shen.”
“Liking someone is good. Having the courage to risk everything for her is also good.”
“But.”
“Love yourself first.”
“Before anything else, you must love yourself.”
On the deck, in a shadowed corner away from the dance floor lights—Xiao Jingxi stood at the railing, his face dark, letting the cold sea breeze wash over him as he tried to calm down.
But he couldn’t.
He could accept that the card didn’t have his name. He had even expected it might say Shen Moqing.
But he couldn’t accept that it said her own name.
Did she really love herself more?
But she had once told him she was the most insignificant one, that he always came before herself. When she loved, she would sacrifice everything.
But now she had changed.
Not by falling for someone else, but by shifting her entire view of love.
It meant that even if he managed to win her back someday, she would never again love him recklessly with her whole being as she once had.
Xiao Jingxi lifted his head, staring at the faintly visible two figures on the fourth-floor terrace.
The shadows in his eyes deepened.
On the fourth-floor terrace, Xie Mi and Shen Moqing tidied up the tea table, each carrying a pile of items as they stood.
“Time’s up, right? Are we going back to the dance floor, or can we rest now?”
As they were confirming plans with Director Niu through the walkie-talkie, a cold mechanical voice suddenly echoed from afar:
[Male Lead Awakening Progress: 1%.]
Chapter 303
Xie Mi’s footsteps faltered, and she instinctively turned toward the source of the sound.
Her gaze landed squarely on Xiao Jingxi, who was standing on the deck, staring up with a dark, heavy expression.
Xie Mi frowned slightly.
If she hadn’t misheard, that voice had clearly said: [Male Lead Awakening Progress: 1%].
The cold mechanical tone was identical to the one she had heard from Xu Shuangrong before.
So now, after Xu Shuangrong, Xiao Jingxi had also begun to awaken?
Would the awakened Xiao Jingxi, like Xu Shuangrong, also possess a system and realize he was in a novel world?
Or… would something entirely different happen?
Xie Mi did not linger on Xiao Jingxi for long—just a second of eye contact before she turned away, leaving the terrace with Shen Moqing.
Elsewhere, Liu Woxing and Qiu Chengye were sitting at a quiet bar counter. After preparing cocktails for them, the bartender left.
Liu Woxing lifted her glass and took a sip, speaking calmly:
“Why did Mr. Qiu invite me? I don’t think we have anything to confide about.”
“You…”
Qiu Chengye was at a loss for words. His face showed suppressed anger, but he didn’t dare let it out. After downing his drink in one gulp, he finally burst out:
“What on earth happened to you during the break after the last season? Why did you become like a completely different person in this second stage of filming? You were supposed to be a virtuous and gentle lady!”
“…”
Liu Woxing glanced at him. Her lips moved slightly, as though she had said something.
Qiu Chengye frowned. “What did you say?”
“I said—”
Her voice rose a little, calm but firm:
“To hell with your ‘virtuous and gentle lady.’”
Qiu Chengye choked again, staring at her like she was some kind of monster.
“You’ve gone insane!”
“This is who I am,” Liu Woxing replied.
“The docile, ladylike Liu Woxing won’t be coming back. The current me only wants to do whatever I please, free from restraints. And this version of me definitely doesn’t fit the kind of lover you’re looking for on this show.”
“Oh, and by the way, Mr. Qiu—you’ve never been my type either.”
“So, since we don’t see eye to eye, let’s not bother with unnecessary contact on the show. Just go through the motions and keep it professional.”
[My god, Sister Liu really dares to speak her mind]
[I just finished watching the sweet, fluffy Xie x Ye segment and now I’m traumatized again by this icy atmosphere]
[Okay, looks like the last shreds of the Xing x Cheng ship are gone. This is an official BE (bad ending), huh]
[Sister Liu has changed so much compared to last season. I don’t know what happened during the break, but I like this version of her even more!]
[Aaaa I said it last season—Kitty Bro never deserved Sister Xing! He’s greasy and average, why would she like him? Sister Xing shines on her own!!]
Qiu Chengye gripped his glass so tightly his face turned red.
“Liu Woxing, don’t you get it? I’m giving you a chance! I couldn’t accept your past behavior, but I’m willing to let you redeem yourself. As long as you don’t go back to that, we can still be fine.”
“Mr. Qiu, you’re the one who doesn’t get it.”
She gave a polite smile.
“We’re not the same kind of people. Please direct your attention elsewhere.”
“You—” Qiu Chengye was speechless. He poured himself another brimming glass, downed it in one go, and ignored her completely after that.
He really couldn’t understand—what was Liu Woxing so stubborn about?
Was it just because at the end of last season, he had shown her a cold face?
Was that really worth changing her entire personality over, just to ‘get back’ at him?
Besides, how was he supposed to know she’d turn out to be this tough?
Frustrated, he drowned glass after glass of liquor.
He ignored her, and she was happy to relax, scrolling real-time news on her phone as she waited for the thirty minutes to pass.
Finally, Director Niu’s belated reminder came: pay attention to the cards on the table.
Qiu Chengye noticed the card pressed under the ice bucket. When he heard that it contained Liu Woxing’s current “heart-throb,” he looked even more doubtful.
He flipped it open.
“What the—!!”
At a glance, Qiu Chengye shot up from his chair, eyes bulging like copper bells, as if he’d seen something horrifying.
Pointing at Liu Woxing, he stammered, “Y-y-y-y-you—”
Ignoring his outburst, Liu Woxing’s gaze fell to the card on the floor.
It was face-up. Two characters were written clearly:
[Xie Mi.]
Liu Woxing froze for a moment, then arched her brows and smiled, dazzling and radiant.
So that’s how it was.
The expert team was highly professional. They didn’t prioritize the show’s “romance variety” effect by restricting contestants’ heart-throbs to the opposite sex. Instead, they respected the data and recorded the most authentic answers.
Just like Xie Mi’s answer being herself—
Liu Woxing’s answer wasn’t any male contestant either.
So far, she hadn’t shown positive feelings toward any man. With Shen Moqing and Yu Jinzhe, her heart rate stayed calm and normal. Facing Xiao Jingxi and Qiu Chengye, it often dropped sharply out of disinterest.
But with Xie Mi, the experts found her heart rate fluctuated in response to some of her actions.
And she often gazed at Xie Mi with admiration and awe—the look of a little fangirl.
The experts concluded that a “heart-throb” shouldn’t be limited to romance.
Friendship—or anything that brought genuine joy—could also count as “heart-throbbing.”
But Qiu Chengye clearly misunderstood.
After seeing that card, his gaze toward Liu Woxing turned horrified.
No wonder she could reject even a man as charming as himself. So this was the truth about Liu Woxing!
Step by step, he backed away, retreating to a safe distance before bolting out the door.
The live comments were already exploding with laughter.
[Hahahahahahahahahaha]
[Kitty Bro’s expression is funnier than the actual show]
[We all know what Kitty Bro is thinking, no need to say it]
[Forget him—give me more Xie x Liu content!!]
[Both the Xie x Ye shippers and the Xie x Liu shippers got fed tonight. Shipping everything keeps me well-nourished]
[Gotta give credit to the production team this time. I thought they’d pull the same old stunt again where female guests had to pick a male guest. That would’ve been boring]
[This is so much better! Who says a dating show can only have romance arcs? Give me strong friendship arcs too!!]
[I peeked at Sister Lai’s segment after this—she just invited Jinzhe to kill time for the task. The two of them are sitting face-to-face scrolling on their phones, LMAO]
[Wait, did Jinzhe see who Sister Lai’s heart-throb was?]
[He didn’t, but Sister Lai peeked at her own! Her heart-throb was herself!!]
[Classic heiress move!!]
Chapter 304
With the heart-to-heart segment wrapped up, the masquerade ball also came to an end.
The exhausted guests took off their gowns and makeup and returned to their rooms to sleep.
For once, the production team actually showed some decency—this time all the rooms prepared were top-tier, allowing the cast to finally enjoy a proper night’s rest.
After all, they’d previously been forced to wake at 5 a.m., camp out under the stars, and sleep in tents. Sleeping in a luxurious room until naturally waking up had become a rare luxury.
After a comfortable night, the livestream started promptly at 8 a.m. the next morning.
Viewers, as usual, logged into their favorite rooms to check in.
[First!]
[Yesterday was full of sweetness and drama, it was incredible! Couldn’t get enough—so I came early today]
[Most of them probably aren’t even awake yet. Guess those past few days really were torture hahaha]
[As always, Card Game, anyone?]
At 8:30, Shen Moqing was the first to leave her room, dressed in casual sportswear and heading toward the ship’s gym.
But the ship seemed empty—not only were there no crew from the production team, even the cruise staff were nowhere to be seen.
Shen Moqing raised a brow, but didn’t react much. Calmly, she got on a treadmill and started exercising.
[What’s going on, why does the ship feel so deserted?]
[Weren’t there staff in the gym yesterday? Is it not work hours yet?]
[Not a single person? Creepy.]
While Shen Moqing exercised in the gym, Liu Woxing and Xu Shuangrong both came out of their rooms.
They bumped into each other in the hallway. Neither spoke. The atmosphere turned strangely awkward and tense.
Finally, Xu Shuangrong smiled first: “Morning, Woxing.”
“Mm, morning.”
Liu Woxing’s tone was noticeably cold, and the viewers immediately sensed something was off.
Until now, she had always spoken to Xu Shuangrong in a gentler tone.
[What’s this, what’s this, what’s this?]
[Feels like they’ve been avoiding each other since yesterday. I don’t think they said a single word the whole day. Weird, super weird!]
[No way nothing happened. Sure, their relationship this season isn’t as good as last season, but at least they could still speak politely. Now Sister Liu’s voice is ice cold!]
[Timeline-wise… it must be about that meteor shower night!]
[Weren’t Liu Woxing and Xu Shuangrong in the same tent? Did something happen then?]
Viewers all turned into Sherlock Holmes, speculating wildly.
The two walked one after the other in silence until they reached the dining hall, where they realized something was wrong.
“There doesn’t seem to be a single staff member today,” Xu Shuangrong said, looking around.
Liu Woxing also found it strange—she circled the room but saw no one, and grew more suspicious.
As the others got up one by one, they too noticed the unusual emptiness.
It seemed like… aside from them, the cruise was completely deserted.
“So basically, no breakfast for us.”
Xie Mi, who had rushed straight here without even changing out of her slippers, rubbed her chin with a heavy sigh.
Director Niu had said last night that breakfast would be ready in the dining hall. They only needed to come eat after waking up.
But now, not a single person was here. It definitely didn’t look like breakfast was coming.
“Big sis, that’s not the main point.”
Yu Jinzhe blinked. “The main point is we’ve been completely abandoned.”
“Abandoned my ass. Even if the staff are gone, the cameras are still on.” Xie Mi pointed at a camera on the wall, exposing the truth in one sentence.
In the monitoring room, Director Niu broke into a cold sweat.
Crap. They’d run into a smart contestant.
“This must be another hidden-filming setup,” Liu Woxing said calmly. “I agree with Teacher Xie—let’s just figure out breakfast first.”
Xu Shuangrong, quietly observing Xie Mi, suddenly said in her heart:
[Xu Shuangrong: System, I think I just saw ready-made breakfast in the kitchen.]
Xie Mi’s toes curled so hard she nearly launched herself off her chair.
Thankfully, she held it back.
Sweating bullets.
What a vicious way to test her. Too much!
When Xie Mi didn’t react, Xu Shuangrong looked faintly disappointed and withdrew her gaze.
[System: Where’s breakfast? I don’t see it.]
[System: Girl, what do you mean by this? You know I can’t eat, and you bring it up? That’s mental torture!]
Her system babbled nonsense again, and Xu Shuangrong shut her eyes in annoyance.
Xie Mi, by now, was used to these out-of-nowhere voices. But at this moment, her mind was on the sound she’d heard last night from Xiao Jingxi.
[Male Lead Awakening Progress: 1%.]
What exactly had triggered his awakening value?
Thinking of this, her sharp gaze fell on Xiao Jingxi’s back.
He was sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the sea, when he suddenly caught sight of her reflection in the glass—watching him.
He froze, then chuckled knowingly.
So that’s how it was.
He knew it. Xie Mi couldn’t possibly have lost feelings for him so quickly, to feel nothing at all.
She was just hiding it—pretending she didn’t care. But in truth, how many times had she secretly looked at him from behind like this?
His judgment last night had been wrong. Xie Mi definitely still had feelings for him.
[Male Lead Awakening Progress: -10%.]
Xie Mi’s hand trembled, nearly spilling her tea. Her eyes grew more confused as she looked at him.
Wait—this thing has negative values too?
Xiao Jingxi, are you a bugged NPC or what?
With that conclusion, she stopped dwelling on it and shifted focus back to breakfast, searching with the others in the dining hall.
“There’s nothing in the kitchen except frozen steak and some vegetables.”
Lai Bingxuan walked out, frowning. “Do we have to cook again?”
“Then let’s split tasks. Who’s cooking… though if Yu Jinzhe cooks, someone has to keep an eye on him!”
Qiu Chengye gritted his teeth, clearly recalling some unpleasant memory.
Yu Jinzhe looked pitiful. “I only wanted to give everyone more protein…”
Liu Woxing: “…That’s not necessary.”
“What are you all fussing about?”
A voice came from the doorway. Shen Moqing, done with her morning workout, walked in carrying two big bags. She set them on the dining table.
“What’s this?” Xie Mi came running, nose twitching.
“Just grabbed them from the supermarket area.”
Shen Moqing chuckled at Xie Mi rummaging eagerly through the bags. “There weren’t any clerks there, so I just took them. The production team can settle the bill later.”
Chapter 305
Shen Moqing’s words woke the others up.
Right—if the kitchen didn’t have food, the supermarket surely would.
Since it was all part of the production team’s hidden filming tricks anyway, they might as well take what they needed first and let the production pay the bill later.
“True, since no one’s around, we can just take it.” Lai Bingxuan said.
Liu Woxing nodded in agreement, “Our thinking was too limited to just the restaurant.”
“Was that hard to figure out?” Xiao Jingxi said. “Anyone would know to get food from the supermarket. It’s only because the production told us to meet in the restaurant this morning that we didn’t go out.”
That sounded a bit like hindsight wisdom.
“Smart guy’s here.” Xie Mi gave him a thumbs up.
Shen Moqing raised a brow slightly. “Yo, Mr. Knows-It-All.”
Full-on sarcasm.
Xiao Jingxi’s face turned dark, his gaze sinking.
[Male Lead Awakening Progress: 1%.]
Xie Mi rubbed her chin and hissed softly, falling into thought.
What was up with Xiao Jingxi’s awakening value? Did getting scolded make it rise?
Thinking back, last night he really had been roasted by her and Shen Moqing, and that’s when the stat suddenly appeared.
But then why did it suddenly drop earlier? Nothing had even happened.
“Anyway, thanks to Mr. Shen for bringing this food, at least breakfast is covered. I see dumplings and wontons—should be good after boiling.”
Liu Woxing spoke, then took a bag of dumplings and wontons on her own, “I’ll go cook these.”
“Mr. Shen, was there no fresh food at the supermarket?” Yu Jinzhe blinked, feigning doubt. “Why take frozen stuff?”
“Seems like not many people here can cook.”
Shen Moqing paused, then smiled. “Except you.”
Chef Ant, out.
“Anyway, if the supermarket’s free to take from, I’ll go check again and bring more stuff.”
Lai Bingxuan looked ready to head out.
Normally, as the Lai family’s young lady, she’d look down on the meager stock of a supermarket.
But after being tormented by poverty in the villa, where she couldn’t even afford a lollipop, this now felt like revenge shopping.
“Miss Lai, I’ll go with you.” Xu Shuangrong smiled.
Lai Bingxuan jumped to the side like she’d seen a ghost. “I’m not going with you!”
“Alright, irons, let’s open our minds.”
Having finished setting the table, Xie Mi clapped her hands to draw everyone’s attention.
“Since there’s no one on the ship, why stop at the supermarket? Everything else is free game too! Bars, pools, racing, arcades, golf… play whatever you want, the production’s paying!”
[Right! If the ship’s empty, that means the whole ship’s ours to play with!]
[Damn, just thinking about it feels amazing! Like the world froze in time and only you can move—do whatever you want!]
[And with so much fun and food here—bliss.]
[I suddenly feel enlightened.]
[One sentence: the production pays.]
[The production team may be the biggest victim.]
[Hahahahaha they’re losing control.]
As soon as Xie Mi finished, everyone’s eyes lit up.
Especially Lai Bingxuan. “Perfect. I didn’t bring enough clothes when we boarded, I’ll hit the clothing shop for some new ones—charge it to the production.”
“I saw a helipad and a helicopter on deck yesterday. I can fly. Who wants a spin with me later?”
Qiu Chengye started showing off again, and as he spoke, his gaze quickly darted to Liu Woxing.
But Liu Woxing was immersed in boiling dumplings, ignoring him completely.
Qiu Chengye’s face collapsed on the spot.
“Well then, I want to stroll around too. I spotted some interesting shops yesterday.” Yu Jinzhe said with a mild smile.
Things like special hobbies of the rich—collectible torture tools, animal and insect specimens…
Xie Mi piped up, “Old Shen, let’s go skydiving later. I saw there’s a skydiving setup on the top deck.”
“Sure.”
Just as the group was about to go wild, the production team finally couldn’t hold back.
Right after they’d finished breakfast, before heading out, a familiar announcement rang through the restaurant.
“Attention guests! Attention guests!”
“The cruise has reached its first destination—Greenwood Island.”
“Please disembark immediately. Staff are waiting at the pier!”
[Production team: one step later and these wild horses would’ve run loose.]
Following the announcement, they headed to the disembarkation point—only then realizing the ship was already docked.
Because the restaurant was on the opposite side, all they could see earlier was endless sea, so they assumed they were still in the middle of the ocean.
“Looks like today’s itinerary is island exploration. The crew was already waiting on shore, but they cleared the ship to manufacture drama, to see how we’d react.”
Xiao Jingxi said, face full of “I’ve got it all figured out.”
Xie Mi curiously asked him, “Why do you have to say something everyone already knows in such a pretentious tone?”
After thinking a moment, she asked seriously, “Are you trying to show off?”
Xiao Jingxi’s face went pale again, uglier than if he’d swallowed manure.
The cold mechanical voice rang.
[Male Lead Awakening Progress: 2%.]
A knowing look flashed in Xie Mi’s eyes.
As expected.
The more you made Xiao Jingxi uncomfortable, the higher his awakening value rose.
So he wasn’t a bot—he was an M.
[Hahahahahaha Xie really said it]
[I’m dying—never thought I’d hear someone on a variety show bluntly ask “Are you trying to show off?”]
[Can you even ask that?!]
[Clearly Xiao Jingxi wanted the “smart guy” image hahahaha]
They disembarked and reached the pier, where sure enough, the production team was waiting with cameras set up.
Director Niu and the assistant director wore red baseball caps again, standing there like tour guides, looking oddly natural.
“Welcome, everyone, to our country’s beautiful Greenwood Island! Famous for its cuisine, today your task here is to taste the island’s specialties and also—”
“While sampling, learn the cooking methods from locals, and purchase ingredients to prepare for your food stall!”
“Food stall?” Qiu Chengye frowned. “You don’t mean we’ll be setting one up?”
“Exactly!”
Director Niu smiled, fate uncertain, “This afternoon, the island will hold a local food festival. Many contestants will set up stalls with their dishes. The most popular stalls will win.”
“And you! Will be entering the festival as contestants!”
