Chapter 32.2: The live broadcast room was blocked

Liang Qi had already prepared himself for their reaction. But his preparation didn’t account for them playing dirty. He gritted his teeth and decided to just drag this out with them, starting with ten minutes. After ten minutes, if they were still acting like this, he’d think of another way.

Lu Yiwei handed his coat to Mu Zhengqing.

Although they were indoors, the temperature difference between day and night on the island was huge, and wearing just a short-sleeve shirt still felt a little cold.

Although Mu Zhengqing was indeed a little cold, he didn’t take Lu Yiwei’s coat because Lu Yiwei only had one, and if he took it, then Lu Yiwei would be left without one.

Of course, another reason was that if he accepted Lu Yiwei’s coat, Wu Pandan would see their interaction and think even more suspiciously about him and Lu Yiwei.

"I'm not cold," Mu Zhengqing said, noticing Lu Yiwei's concern. "I also..." Mu Zhengqing started to say, but before he could finish, 

"Shige (Senior Brother), I'm a bit cold. Can you give me your coat?" Long Cheng came over at some point, looking expectantly at Lu Yiwei.

Lu Yiwei didn’t respond to Long Cheng but instead directly draped the coat over Mu Zhengqing’s shoulders.

Because Long Cheng was there, Mu Zhengqing had no choice but to accept Lu Yiwei’s kindness. He didn’t forget to block Long Cheng from getting any closer to Lu Yiwei.

After putting on Lu Yiwei’s coat, Mu Zhengqing looked over at Wu Pandan and realized that she wasn’t even looking at him. Instead, Di Jiaxun was handing her his coat.

Without hesitation, Wu Pandan took the coat and put it on.

Mu Zhengqing looked around and noticed that not only he and Wu Pandan had coats draped over them, but Yong Xinyi did as well.

Seeing this, Mu Zhengqing didn’t care whether Long Cheng was still around and took off his own coat, unceremoniously putting it on Lu Yiwei.

Lu Yiwei didn’t ask why, he simply cooperated and put on the coat.

Just as Long Cheng was about to interrupt, Lu Yiwei spoke first, "Aren’t you usually very tired?"

This was the first time Lu Yiwei had taken the initiative to speak to him, and it was words of concern. Long Cheng immediately smiled and answered, "Usually it's fine, it's just a bit tiring when I'm writing songs, but it's okay to be a little tired in order to create better works."

Lu Yiwei didn’t pay attention to his long-winded speech but coldly reminded him, "Do you remember what I just said?"

"I remember," Long Cheng subconsciously nodded.

"That's good, I hope it’s helpful to you." After saying that, Lu Yiwei grabbed Mu Zhengqing and left.

This was the first time Mu Zhengqing saw Lu Yiwei confront someone like this, and it felt somewhat fresh.

Confused, Long Cheng thought for a long time but still couldn’t figure out what Lu Yiwei had meant.

"Teacher Lu means that if you speak less, you wouldn’t be so tired," Fu Kaile, holding the Mulu, kindly reminded him when he saw Long Cheng still not responding.

Mulu also cooperatively called out.

It wasn’t even dark yet when the program crew brought Mulu over. When Mulu arrived, it didn’t look for its father or its dad but went straight to Fu Kaile. This scene broke Mu Zhengqing and Lu Yiwei’s hearts.

After hearing Fu Kaile's words, Long Cheng approached him to say something. But as soon as he got close, Fu Kaile immediately stood up and distanced himself.

"Fu Kaile, what’s wrong with you?" Seeing Fu Kaile move away, Long Cheng said impatiently.

"It’s nothing, just that since we’re divorced, it’s better to keep our distance," Fu Kaile said, emphasizing the word "divorced" as if reminding Long Cheng not to forget their current relationship.

Another ten minutes passed, and still no one moved.

Liang Qi was getting anxious. His concern wasn’t that they hadn’t moved all night, but that they might continue to be as passive and uncooperative in the upcoming live broadcasts.

There’s a huge difference between just getting by and genuinely taking things seriously.

What Mu Zhengqing and the others were trying to convey to the production team was exactly this: if you don’t make some concessions, we’ll start slacking off.

After all, you can’t back out on the appearance fee. As for the program's effect, that’s no longer our concern.

The contract clearly states that as long as they show up, it's enough.

"The cameras cannot be easily removed," Liang Qi spoke first.

The phrase "cannot be easily removed" meant that under certain conditions, they could be taken down.

This was his concession.

"How can they be removed?" Shang Jingwei asked.

"You just need to spend ten points to remove one camera from the bedroom," Liang Qi explained.

"How many cameras are there in each bedroom?" Mu Zhengqing quickly grasped the implication in Liang Qi’s words.

"Ten," Liang Qi said, a bit nervously.

Aside from the bathroom, their bedrooms were fully covered by cameras in a 360-degree setup.

Upon hearing that there were ten cameras installed in their bedrooms, Mu Zhengqing and the others fell silent.

In order to remove all the cameras from the bedrooms, they would need to spend a total of 100 points, which was a huge amount of money for them, who were currently living on nothing but cabbage stew and vermicelli.

"Nine points, no less," Liang Qi continued when no one spoke.

Still, no one said anything.

"Eight points," Liang Qi gritted his teeth and continued.

"One point," Yong Xinyi said slowly.

"One point is impossible," Liang Qi directly rejected.

Without giving Liang Qi a chance to respond, Yong Xinyi immediately started negotiating.

Yong Xinyi: 1.5.

Liang Qi: 7.5.

Yong Xinyi: 2.

Liang Qi: 7.

Yong Xinyi: 2.5.

Liang Qi: 6.5.

Yong Xinyi: 2.6.

Liang Qi: 6.

...

Yong Xinyi: 3.

Liang Qi: 3.

"Okay, then it's 3."

Yong Xinyi decisively made the final decision.

"No, how did it end up being 3? My bottom line was clearly 5," Liang Qi said, somewhat confused.

"Director Liang, the older you are, the more seasoned you become," Wu Pandan said with a grin from the side.

In the end, the production team agreed that as long as they spent 3 points, they could remove one camera from the bedroom.

With their goal achieved, Mu Zhengqing and the others happily left.

However, before Mu Zhengqing and Lu Yiwei left, there was a small incident.

Their beloved son just refused to leave with them.

"Mulu, let’s go," Mu Zhengqing extended his hand and said.

Mulu looked at his hand, hesitated for three seconds, and then buried its head into Fu Kaile’s arms.

Seeing this, Mu Zhengqing took a deep breath and said to Lu Yiwei, "You do it."

Lu Yiwei took over the task of comforting their son, walking over to Mulu and starting to massage it. Mulu, enjoying the massage, let out a comfortable sound, and when Lu Yiwei tried to pick it up, it immediately dodged his touch.

Seeing this, both Mu Zhengqing and Lu Yiwei’s faces turned dark.

It had been so attached to them just last night, and today it ran off with someone else. The speed of its change of heart was even faster than that of a human.

"How about letting Mulu stay at my place for the night?" Fu Kaile said, a bit embarrassed.

He hadn’t expected Mulu to be so clingy to him. It wasn’t the first time a cat had been clingy, and his method was always to wait until they were tired from playing and fell asleep before he could leave.

Mulu simply refused to leave with him and Lu Yiwei, and Mu Zhengqing had no other choice but to let it stay here for the night.

Suddenly, Mu Zhengqing had the feeling of sending his own child off to school. On the child’s first day of school, it’s not the child who can’t let go, but the parents.

Just as Mu Zhengqing had just stepped out the door, Mulu jumped out of Fu Kaile's arms and ran towards him. Hearing the noise, Mu Zhengqing immediately turned around and saw Mulu run over and stop at Lu Yiwei's feet. Fine, in the end, it was his mistake to invest in the wrong person.

After returning to their residence, Mu Zhengqing took out the remaining three points that he and Lu Yiwei had and asked the production team to remove the camera facing the bed in their bedroom.

On the way back, he and Lu Yiwei had already discussed it. To save points, they would share a bedroom from now on, and they would work to remove all the cameras in the room as soon as possible. After the camera facing the bed was removed, Mu Zhengqing felt a lot more relaxed. 

Unless necessary, he wouldn’t leave the bed’s range.

Mulu probably sensed that Mu Zhengqing was angry and instinctively pushed its body into his hands.

Mu Zhengqing arrogantly rejected it three times, and when Lu Yiwei finished tidying up and returned, Mu Zhengqing was already contentedly petting the cat.

Although the camera facing the bed had been removed, the room’s audio equipment was still intact. With a belly full of things to say, Mu Zhengqing immediately patted the spot beside him when Lu Yiwei finished tidying up and was about to get into bed.

After Lu Yiwei sat down in the designated spot, Mu Zhengqing immediately whispered, "Do you feel like our show doesn’t really seem like a divorce reality show?"

This question had been on Mu Zhengqing’s mind for most of the day, and he had been wanting to ask Lu Yiwei, but there had always been cameras around them. Mu Zhengqing never found the right opportunity, so he had to hold it in until now.

As for why he chose to ask Lu Yiwei this question...

It was because he and Lu Yiwei were the closest here. After all, they had lived together and shared the same bed, creating a bond between them.

Although his relationship with Fu Kaile was also good, it was just like tonight when Mulu made its choice. Although it liked Fu Kaile very much, at critical moments, it would still choose its father and dad.

"Indeed, it doesn’t really seem like it," Lu Yiwei agreed.

"Right, right. Let’s not talk about it. But look at Teacher Shang and Teacher Yong, do they seem like they’re divorced? And also, Di Ge and Pan Dan, their relationship doesn’t seem as bad as what the netizens are saying. They clearly look like they get along well."

After confirming that Lu Yiwei shared his thoughts, Mu Zhengqing became excited.

"It really doesn’t seem normal. The show’s current state doesn’t feel like a divorce reality show; it actually feels more like a slow-paced variety show," Lu Yiwei said after thinking for a moment.

"I feel the same. And what about Long Cheng and Le Le? It always feels like Long Cheng’s attitude toward Le Le isn’t the same as toward an ex-husband," Mu Zhengqing said with some confusion.

He actually really liked the current atmosphere of the show. Apart from Long Cheng occasionally trying to get attention, his interactions with the others were very comfortable.

He paused in his steps.

Not to mention, their current state actually fits the show’s name quite well.

Actually, before coming here, he had already prepared for everyone to ignore each other, sitting awkwardly together as if the air was frozen.

"Let’s see how Long Cheng behaves next," Lu Yiwei said.

He had a feeling that Long Cheng wouldn’t stay so well-behaved.

Hearing this, Mu Zhengqing thought for a moment and agreed. They had only been on the island for two days, and everyone might not have fully adjusted yet. It was possible they hadn’t shown their true personalities yet.

"You’ve been tired all day. Let me give you a massage."

Seeing that Mu Zhengqing was getting sleepy, Lu Yiwei said.

Mu Zhengqing didn’t refuse, lying on the bed and beginning to enjoy Lu Yiwei’s massage.

However, this time, he forced himself not to fall asleep immediately, intending to secretly learn from his master.

At this stage, his attempt at "stealing techniques" was still limited to simply feeling it out.

As soon as he focused, the pressure from Lu Yiwei’s massage made him unable to hold back and let out a sound. The key was that he forgot to control the volume when he shouted.

As a result, the viewers in the live stream heard the following:

Mu Zhengqing: "Ouch, ouch, ouch, you’re too strong!"

Lu Yiwei: "Then I’ll go lighter."

Mu Zhengqing: "Hey, hey, hey, you can’t touch this spot."

Lu Yiwei: "Bear with it, it’ll be over soon."

Mu Zhengqing: "Hoo... that feels so good."

Lu Yiwei: "If it feels good, we can continue tomorrow."

...

Live stream viewers: ???  

Is this something we can listen to?  

This is a thousand times more shocking than an official announcement.  

Mu Zhengqing’s fans: I just want to be left alone.

Lu Yiwei’s fans: As expected.

The two’s CP fans: As expected from my ship, they really don’t treat us like outsiders.

Before Mu Zhengqing could say "thank you for the massage tonight," the live stream was shut down.

The reason for the ban wasn’t stated by the production team, but those who understood knew the reason.

This time, the fans were very understanding. Not only did they not go to the production team’s Weibo to curse, but they even felt a bit of sympathy for them.

To turn a divorce variety show into this... it really is something else.

Previous Chapter                            Table of Contents                            Next Chapter

Chapter 32.1: The live broadcast room was blocked

---

Although the dinner was quite simple, everyone except for Long Cheng was very satisfied with the meal.

The more people there are eating together, the more delicious the food seems. Especially when there are many people and they need to fight for food, it becomes even more delicious.

After the meal, they were about to return to their respective accommodations when Liang Qi stopped them. Liang Qi said that they were, after all, recording a show, and after eating, they should chat for a while to enhance their relationships.

In short, they could not leave.

Since they couldn't leave, Mu Zhengqing glanced at Wu Pandan, then said to the person sitting on his right, Lu Yiwei, "Shall we switch seats?"

Upon hearing that Mu Zhengqing wanted to switch seats with him, Lu Yiwei immediately stood up and switched seats with him. He had been wanting to switch seats for a long time, especially since Mu Zhengqing and Fu Kaile, sitting to his left, kept whispering non-stop.

Mu Zhengqing: How far apart does one need to be for it to count as whispering?

Fu Kaile: Does saying less than five sentences count as talking non-stop?

Lu Yiwei: It does, why wouldn’t it?

However, not long after the seat change, he regretted it because he realized that the person he had to watch out for wasn’t just Fu Kaile.

After the seat swap, Mu Zhengqing didn’t continue chatting with Fu Kaile. Instead, he started whispering to Wu Pandan.

In Lu Yiwei's eyes, this "whispering" simply meant that Mu Zhengqing, fearing his voice might be heard by the online viewers in the livestream, moved slightly closer to Wu Pandan.

Although Mu Zhengqing didn’t want the viewers in the livestream to hear his conversation with Wu Pandan, there were so many people in the livestream that even as he spoke with Wu Pandan, viewers were translating in real-time.

"Brother Mu, why are you so close to me?" When Wu Pandan saw that Mu Zhengqing was even closer to her than to Lu Yiwei, she secretly glanced at Lu Yiwei and, with a slightly fearful expression, said.

"Close?" Mu Zhengqing looked at the distance between himself and Wu Pandan, which was almost twenty centimeters, and asked in confusion.

Alright, this distance did indeed qualify as intimate distance, and he had been too forward. He just wanted to say a few words to her alone. Why was it so difficult?

At Wu Pandan’s nod, Mu Zhengqing widened the gap between them to one meter. By increasing the distance with Wu Pandan on one side, it inevitably meant that he had to decrease the distance with Lu Yiwei on the other side.

Lu Yiwei was very satisfied with this result, as was Wu Pandan. Only Mu Zhengqing was dissatisfied. 

He had originally wanted to explain his relationship with Lu Yiwei to Wu Pandan. He and Lu Yiwei had a perfectly clean and innocent relationship, with nothing that should warrant strange or suspicious looks.

That’s right, after the meal, he finally understood what kind of look Wu Pandan had been giving him and Lu Yiwei.

It was the fiery, burning gaze of gossip.

He was sure that Wu Pandan was speculating about him and Lu Yiwei being a couple. Actually, he should have realized this earlier, since he had seen that kind of look many times before.

As a figure in the entertainment industry who was often targeted by people trying to latch onto his fame, he should have been immune to such looks by now.

But when it came to Wu Pandan’s gaze, he really couldn’t be immune.

He and Lu Yiwei had even been labeled by netizens as the "least likely couple." 

Considering they had known each other for a while, he wanted to stop Wu Pandan from getting the wrong idea.

Of course, what mattered most to him was that he truly had no relationship with anyone else.

But with Lu Yiwei, they not only had a relationship, but it was a deep one, and they were still in the "marriage survival period."

In his heart, he really felt a little guilty.

However, with the distance between him and Wu Pandan now, he wasn’t sure whether she could hear him clearly, but he was certain that Lu Yiwei and the netizens in the livestream would definitely hear him more clearly than she would.

Forget it, I’ll find another opportunity to talk to her next time.

Livestream Netizens: That's it? We still want to hear the big secrets of the entertainment industry!

Little Devil Whispering: You should consider yourselves lucky. You were almost personally stopped from being a couple by the main person.

To ignore the look that Wu Pandan was giving him and Lu Yiwei, Mu Zhengqing turned his head toward Lu Yiwei.

Then he realized that Lu Yiwei was also looking at him.

"Is something wrong?" Mu Zhengqing asked, puzzled.

"Nothing," Lu Yiwei answered, with a hint of grievance.

Although Lu Yiwei said it was nothing, Mu Zhengqing could clearly tell from his expression that it wasn’t nothing at all—it looked like something big was on his mind.

However, since Lu Yiwei didn’t want to talk, Mu Zhengqing decided not to press him. After all, with so many years in the entertainment industry, he knew where to draw the line.

Lu Yiwei's inner thoughts: We don’t need to draw lines.

Lu Yiwei's inner thoughts: I should have just admitted it right away. Friends are allowed to be jealous, right?

Seeing that they weren’t speaking up, Liang Qi started to get anxious.

He suggested that each person share one thing they only learned after entering the entertainment industry.

"Are there any points?" the eight of them asked in unison.

Even Long Cheng, who usually acted independently, now had his mind focused on how to earn points.

There was no choice—when it came to basic needs like food and shelter, everything else became insignificant.

He had just eaten plain rice earlier and wasn’t full yet.

The attitude of the eight people was very clear: if there were no points, they wouldn’t cooperate.

For the sake of viewership and dramatic moments, Liang Qi had no choice but to promise to give each of them one point.

There was no other option. Although the guests were all quite good-looking, even Fu Kaile, a regular person, couldn’t be called ordinary by the netizens, who honestly couldn’t say anything negative about his appearance, but peaceful, simple days didn’t bring any highlights.

What he wanted was discussion, the kind of "explosive" popularity that made someone go viral.

The first one to speak was the oldest among them, Shang Jingwei.

"Before entering the entertainment industry, you must be prepared to handle pressure," Shang Jingwei said.

Hearing him say that, everyone subconsciously nodded.

When it came to handling pressure, Shang Jingwei was indeed the most qualified to speak. He had long been known as "Yong Xinyi's husband," and many people didn’t even know his name. They mockingly called him names like "living off a woman" or "soft rice man."

Even though his acting skills were always excellent, most people still believed he only got roles because of his relationship with Yong Xinyi.

Seeing that no one else was speaking, Shang Jingwei continued, "Actually, I’m lucky. I’ve had the chance to showcase my acting skills. There are many talented and hardworking artists who never get the opportunity, and in the end, they don’t even get the chance to meet the audience."

"Xinyi, I’ve always wanted to say thank you. Thank you for letting the audience get to know me, and thank you for choosing me among all the people," Shang Jingwei said seriously, looking at Yong Xinyi.

Hearing Shang Jingwei’s gratitude, Yong Xinyi’s eyes turned red.

So many years had passed, and although their relationship had always been good, she had never dared to ask him one question: after marrying her, did he ever regret it?

Top-tier idol (just wants to make enough money and retire early) Mu Zhengqing: "Separating work and life makes everything much easier."

The netizens in the live stream and the people in the production team originally thought they would brush through this segment, but who knew they actually gave serious answers.

Seeing their cooperation, Liang Qi couldn’t stop smiling. This one point was definitely worth it.

Now, he slightly regretted letting them speak freely.

Every topic they brought up could spark heated discussions.

With enough buzz and discussion, Liang Qi finally relented and allowed them to go back.

However, before they left, Liang Qi cheerfully told them that, due to the strong requests from the live stream audience, the production team, under duress, had no choice but to install cameras in their bedrooms.

Upon hearing this news, the few of them looked at each other, unsure, and sat still without moving.

Their attitude was firm: if the cameras in their bedrooms weren’t removed, they wouldn’t go back.

Previous Chapter                            Table of Contents                            Next Chapter

Chapter 31: Although it is difficult to accumulate points, the happiness is boundless

---

Upon hearing Fu Kaile say "no," Long Cheng immediately shifted his target. He walked over to Di Jiaxun and pitifully said, "Brother Di, do you have any extra points vouchers? Can you spare me a little? I just had a leg cramp, and it hurt so much I couldn't walk. It's only just gotten better."

Long Cheng thought that using the excuse of a leg cramp would make the viewers feel sorry for him.

After all, the cameraman wasn't around him just now, so the viewers wouldn’t know whether he had a cramp or not.

But what he didn’t know was that, although the production team had told them there was only one live-streaming window, in fact, they had opened a live window for each of them. Even if there wasn't a cameraman following them, it was possible that hidden cameras had been installed where they were.

Unfortunately for him, there were quite a few hidden cameras exactly where he was just now.

So, all his actions were seen by the viewers in the live broadcast room, and whether or not he had a leg cramp was something they were all very clear about.

Although his fans have always been lenient with him - as long as he doesn’t break any laws - this time, his behavior made even his fans unwilling to defend him. "You’re lazy, I’m lazy too, whatever. If the worst comes to worst, I'll just listen to fewer of his songs."

Di Jiaxun felt awkward refusing Long Cheng, so he gave him a few points vouchers.

Long Cheng happily accepted the vouchers, but after seeing the number of points on the slip, he muttered softly, "That little?"

"If you think it's too little, then don't take it," Wu Pandan, who overheard him, said bluntly.

Long Cheng wanted to ask others for more vouchers after that, but learning from the earlier example, no one else gave him any.

Since they had spent a lot of time and energy looking for points, each person used ten points to exchange for lunch.

But Long Cheng, with only five points, could only watch them eat.

In the end, it was Fu Kaile who softened up and asked Wu Pandan for five points to give to Long Cheng, allowing him to finally have lunch.

Instead of thanking Fu Kaile after getting his meal, Long Cheng gave him a fierce glare once he found out that Fu Kaile had points all along but didn’t give him any earlier.

Soon, everyone finished eating the last meal provided by the production team.

Why is it the last meal? Because from then on, they planned to buy ingredients from the production team and cook their own meals.

They discussed it and concluded that, in the long run, cooking for themselves would cost fewer points.

There were definitely going to be many areas where they would need points in the future, so they had to spend them wisely.

For anything where they could save points, they absolutely couldn't waste them.

Those who had worked to earn points had no problem cooking for themselves, but Long Cheng, who had done nothing and just lay around, wasn’t happy about it.

Since he wasn’t happy about it, nobody indulged him. They directly told him that, because he didn’t have any points, he wasn’t even qualified to join, even if he wanted to. Whenever he has saved up enough points, then he can give his opinions, and it won’t be too late.

Seeing that everyone had excluded him, Long Cheng started trying to get Fu Kaile on his side.

For some reason, ever since they came here, Fu Kaile, who used to obey everything he said, was now unwilling to pay him any attention. Could it really be just because he lied about being allergic to cat fur? Was it that big of a deal?

Fu Kaile realized that the best way to deal with certain people was to simply ignore them.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Long Cheng decided to stop caring. He didn’t believe that after they finished cooking, they wouldn’t give him any food. As long as he had thick enough skin, he could be fearless. This was also the unique persona his manager had crafted for him. 

Then, his leg “suddenly cramped” again and, now, besides lying on the couch, he couldn’t do anything.

Once they decided to cook for themselves, each person put in five points, and the group headed to the supermarket set up by the production team.

Shang Jingwei and Yong Xinyi were in charge of buying kitchenware with 20 points, Mu Zhengqing and Lu Yiwei were responsible for buying seasonings with 8 points, and Fu Kaile, Wu Pandan, and Di Jiaxun were responsible for buying ingredients with 7 points.

Mu Zhengqing followed Lu Yiwei to the seasoning section, and when he saw the prices, he was completely stunned.

A bottle of oil cost 5 points, and a bag of salt cost 3 points. If they bought these two things, their points would be gone.

In the end, Mu Zhengqing took out 3 of his own points to buy a bottle of Weidamei soy sauce. [it’s a popular name brand]

High-quality ingredients often require the simplest cooking methods. But for a cooking novice like Mu Zhengqing, cooking without Weidamei soy sauce was like cooking without a soul.

By the time Mu Zhengqing and Lu Yiwei came out with the things they bought, the group of three who went to buy ingredients had also come out.

They spent 5 points to buy a bag of rice, and then 2 points to buy a Chinese cabbage.

The three of them had completely run out of points. Otherwise, they would have definitely bought some glass noodles as well.

They weren’t expecting to have pork stewed with cabbage, but cabbage stewed with glass noodles would have been fine, too.

The wealthy Mu Zhengqing, with a grand gesture, took out another 3 points and gave them to Wu Pandan, telling her to go buy the glass noodles. No matter what, they were going to eat cabbage stewed with glass noodles today.

When Mu Zhengqing handed her the points, Wu Pandan was so happy she almost hugged him.

Why "almost"? Because just as she reached out her hands and before she could take the next step, someone stepped in front of Mu Zhengqing.

As for who it was, who else could it be but Lu Yiwei?

However, seeing Lu Yiwei block Mu Zhengqing, Wu Pandan became even more excited than if she had actually hugged Mu Zhengqing.

Shang Jingwei and Yong Xinyi were the last ones to come out. They each spent 10 points to buy a rice cooker and a wok.

Originally, the marked price for each of these items was 15 points, but Shang Jingwei and Yong Xinyi had bargained with the production crew for a long time, eventually getting them both for 10 points, which was why they were the last ones to come out.

When the others heard they had been able to bargain, Mu Zhengqing and the rest felt like they had lost a fortune. Each of them wished they could return what they bought and buy everything over again.

Liang Qi saw what they were doing and quickly issued an emergency notice: from now on, no more bargaining when buying things. Anyone who tries to haggle will lose 1 point.

After they finished buying everything, it wasn’t time for dinner yet, so the group started brainstorming ways to earn more points.

You could say the production crew was really stingy—they didn’t even take the initiative to give them opportunities to earn points, instead leaving them to figure it out on their own.

When it came to earning points, the group coincidentally all thought of picking up trash.

The reason they thought of picking up trash was because there were no traffic lights here, nor were there any elderly grandmas for them to help across the road.

But after they looked around, they found that not only was there no trash on the ground, but in this vibrant spring season, there wasn’t even a single leaf on the ground.

“Who says there’s no trash? Wasn’t the treasure chest we opened by the beach earlier basically garbage?” Mu Zhengqing suddenly had a bright idea and said.

Everyone agreed that was true. Without wasting any time, they immediately headed toward the beach.

Liang Qi opened his mouth to say something as they walked away, but in the end, he said nothing. Considering they were newcomers, he decided to let them off this time. He quickly called the staff responsible for cleaning up the treasure chests by the beach and told them to dump out the cleaned-up chests again.

However, after the group left Liang Qi’s sight, they didn’t head straight to the beach. Instead, they each returned to their respective residences.

Picking up trash at the beach was secondary, their main purpose in going to the beach was to have some fun.

They had already skimped on their meals, so when it came to their mental well-being, they definitely needed to relax and enjoy themselves.

Liang Qi waited at the beach for a long time, but only one person showed up, and it was none other than Long Cheng, who had previously complained about his leg cramping.

“Where are the others?” Long Cheng asked in confusion when he didn’t see anyone else.

He didn’t really want to come either, but without showing up, he wouldn’t get any screen time. So, after his "leg got better," he came.

"I’d like to know the answer to that myself," Liang Qi said through gritted teeth.

Of course, he knew where they were, but knowing was one thing, and being angry was another.

To increase the difficulty for them, he had the staff throw treasure chests everywhere. Now that they didn’t show up, some of the chests that had been tossed into the sea had to be fished out by the staff immediately.

If the show’s recording caused marine pollution, no matter how many sponsors he had, there would be no way to ensure the show’s continuation.

By the time Mu Zhengqing and the others arrived in their comfortable vacation-style outfits, the production crew had almost finished cleaning up the treasure chests.

There was no way they were going to throw the chests out again, so in the end, Mu Zhengqing and the others didn’t manage to earn any points by picking up the treasure chests.

However, since they had already changed clothes and showed up, how could they not fully enjoy themselves? How could they waste the time they spent walking over and the effort of changing their outfits?

Points? They didn’t care about that. After all, they had a bag of rice—at worst, they’d just drink porridge three times a day. They had food, a place to stay, no work to do, and still got paid. Where else could you find such a great deal?

Liang Qi watched them slack off, so angry that his mouth twisted. Since that was the case, he decided not to go easy on them. He gave a few instructions to his assistant, and soon after, the assistant left with a few people.

In such a leisurely moment, even just walking barefoot on the soft sand could lift one’s spirits.

Not to mention, they even played a series of childish games like water fights and tag—games that even eight-year-olds find too childish.

Hmm, eight-year-olds might think these games are too immature, but for these twenty-somethings, it felt just right.

However, there was one exception: Long Cheng, dressed in a high-end tailored suit, sat not far from them, looking up at the sky at a 45-degree angle.

With his elegant demeanor and melancholic gaze, how could he not utterly captivate the viewers in the livestream?

Reality in the livestream: "Long Cheng, could you move over a bit? You're blocking the camera."

As a celebrity, making money is indeed fast, but the pressure is also real. They have to be mindful of every word and action, and it's been a long time since they relaxed like this.

Even Shang Jingwei and Yong Xinyi, who were over fifty years old, looked at them and laughed along.

It wasn't until the tide started coming in that they reluctantly left.

After considering the features of various accommodations, they ultimately decided to set up the kitchen at Fu Kaile, Shang Jingwei, and Di Jiahun's place. After all, it was a three-person residence, so it had the largest space, and having more people wouldn't make it feel crowded.

Since their ingredients were too simple, there wasn't even enough to divide among everyone, even if they wanted to help.

In the end, they decided that Shang Jingwei and Yong Xinyi would cook this meal.

As for the others, they didn’t stay idle. They each found some tools and decided to go foraging by the sea.

When they arrived at the beach, it was like they had discovered a new world—there were sea snails, starfish, oysters, and everything else one could hope for.

It was everyone’s first time foraging by the sea, and whenever they found something tasty, fun, or beautiful, they would exclaim in surprise.

Originally, Mu Zhengqing, Lu Yiwei, and Fu Kaile were together, but at some point, Fu Kaile was pulled away by Wu Pandan, so now only Mu Zhengqing and Lu Yiwei were left.

Of course, the cameraman following them was still there the whole time.

The viewers in the livestream, seeing how much fun they were having foraging, started flooding the chat with comments.

"Pause the bricklaying, I want to go foraging by the sea."

"Pause the class, I want to go foraging by the sea."

"Pause the game, I want to go foraging by the sea."

...

Before long, Lu Yiwei's container was full, but seeing that Mu Zhengqing was still having fun, he took off his own jacket and let Mu Zhengqing put his findings inside.

Luckily, he had worn a jacket when he came out, otherwise, the livestream might have had to be cut off.

The livestream viewers also noticed this and commented in disappointment. They were this close to seeing the ‘model gentleman class leader’ bare-chested.

And so it went, Mu Zhengqing foraging ahead while Lu Yiwei packed everything up behind him.

By the time Mu Zhengqing turned around, Lu Yiwei's jacket was nearly overflowing.

It was only then that Mu Zhengqing noticed Lu Yiwei had taken off his jacket. Hurriedly, he took off his own jacket and gave it to Lu Yiwei.

Although Lu Yiwei really wanted to wear the jacket that Mu Zhengqing had just worn, he was worried that Mu Zhengqing might catch a cold, so he placed the things he was holding on the ground and helped Mu Zhengqing put his own jacket back on.

"I'm not cold, let's head back," Lu Yiwei said after making sure Mu Zhengqing had put the jacket on.

He truly wasn't cold—whenever he was around Mu Zhengqing, his body was always brimming with excitement.

Mu Zhengqing glanced around but didn’t see Wu Pandan and the others, so the two of them decided to head back first.

When they returned, they found that Wu Pandan and the others had already gotten back.

Their timing was perfect - it was almost time to eat.

Long Cheng had appeared at some point. Since everyone was here, they couldn't just kick him out, so they simply added an extra pair of chopsticks.

As it was getting late, they decided to save the things they’d collected from the sea for tomorrow’s meal.

Mu Zhengqing and the others had long known what dinner would be, so when a large pot of cabbage stewed with vermicelli was served, they all ate with great enjoyment. After all, they had nearly been stuck with only cabbage to eat.

Long Cheng, who had originally come expecting a grand feast, had an expression that matched the dish on the table.

Plain.

But no one cared about his expression—not even Fu Kaile spared him a glance.

Although there was only one dish, Shang Jingwei and Yong Xinyi’s cooking skills were excellent. The cabbage stewed with vermicelli turned out to be especially delicious.

Long Cheng, who initially looked down on the fact that there was only one dish, found that by the time he wanted to grab a bite, all that was left for him was an empty pot.

This time, Long Cheng wasn’t pretending—he was genuinely shocked. Are they still celebrities? Do they not need to watch their figure? Then again, he hadn’t done anything all day besides lying on the couch and sleeping.

Mu Zhengqing and the others, on the other hand, had been busy hunting for treasure chests, playing water fights, and foraging by the sea—they were exhausted.

And when you're that tired, not only do you eat a lot, but your appetite is even better.

Previous Chapter                            Table of Contents                            Next Chapter