The fishing boat let out a groan as it left the harbor and headed out to sea, immediately swaying with the surge of the waves.
Under the blazing sun, Xu Qingyan's bare arms felt a scorching heat, and he finally understood why all the female guests had slathered on sunscreen before setting off as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
The coastline stretched out; all four pairs of male and female guests stood at the bow, watching the white houses by the harbor retreat, a wisp of white smoke rising from a small temple, and the lush green island slowly revealing its true face.
Unable to stand steadily, bleh!
Nian Shuyu got seasick, threw up over the railing, and simply went back to the cabin to rest.
Loyal brother Chen Feiyu stood alone on deck, watching Song Enya and Liu Renzhi taking intimate photos. His face looked exceptionally awful, and viewers in front of the screen were already feeling embarrassed for him.
According to the latest rules, all of today's footage, aside from Bai Jinze, the singled-out orphan followed in the love lodges, would be merged in this episode.
This was a method devised by the director's team to stimulate the guests' eagerness. In other words, the guests had to fight for camera time; wherever there was something interesting, the camera would follow.
After all, viewers of a romantic reality show could get aesthetic fatigue; it is not possible to rely on just one couple to carry the show. There must be an effort to find other explosive moments.
When the show first started airing, it mainly depended on Xu Qingyan's incredible antics to create explosive moments that attracted popularity. The other guests sneakily developed and took advantage of the situation to pick up popularity.
Song Enya was a minor explosive point of the show. Within three days of "Romantic Hunter" airing, out of five male guests, three had already fallen for her.
Initially, she captivated Chen Feiyu, then resolutely abandoned him to interact with Bai Jinze, and on the third day, she chose Liu Renzhi.
At that time, Chen Feiyu looked like a dog that had lost its home, and the poor little guy with deep emotions suddenly emerged. Coincidentally, during the next day's Heartbeat Photo Shoot task, Bai Jinze did not choose Nian Shuyu.
Thus, when Chen Feiyu and Nian Shuyu, who were in the same predicament, paired up, their popularity exploded. It was as if they had combined to create a satisfying moment for the show.
In theory, now that Nian Shuyu was seasick, Chen Feiyu should have followed her into the cabin to take care of her, showing concern and hence allowing the production team to further build their couple's vibe.
But Chen Feiyu did not play by the book and did not go to the cabin to take care of Nian Shuyu.
Instead, he stood on the deck, with a complex expression, watching the captivating queen Song Enya and her new loyal companion, mature brother Liu Renzhi, flirtatiously frolic.
From the audience's perspective, it was like watching a drama unfold between the irresistible queen Song Zhiya and her entourage of loyal dogs. The joy in the moment magnified, and the barrage of comments flew across the screen.
Pei Muchan snickered ambiguously, "You can ask Shen Jinyue, she'd probably be quite willing."
Upon hearing this, Xu Qingyan straightened up, casting her a fleeting glance.
"It's about time for sea fishing, shall we go check out the equipment together?"
"I'll come over in a bit," she seemed to realize her own slip-up, a hint of panic within her, and pressed her lips together to reveal a gentle smile.
"Alright," Xu Qingyan truly turned and left without any hesitation or delay.
The waves rushed to her face, and Pei Muchan turned away, gazing at the turbulent azure sea, she took a deep breath, a ringing starting in her ears.
Thinking to herself, Pei Muchan oh Pei Muchan, have you grown foolish hiding in that dark little room? If you can't handle it, just stay home; don't come out next time and trouble others.
She clutched her smartphone, feeling like she should apologize first.
Vibrate vibrate.
The phone buzzed with a notification, she swallowed the irritation in her heart and looked down at it.
Xu Qingyan had sent a photo, showing a row of fishing rods inside the cabin, two of which with blue patterns were placed separately.
"I don't need to guess to know you're upset, not including you as I freeloaded breakfast from Shen Jinyue was my oversight."
"How about I catch a fish for you, for tomorrow's breakfast?"
Looking at those messages, Pei Muchan's face suddenly flushed red. Like spring blossoms spreading warmth, it stretched from her face down to her neck.
The ticklish feeling of her personal matters being guessed at made her feel somewhat ashamed. Even worse was that the other person only pierced half of the window paper, leaving her a sliver of dignity.
She swiped back and forth on her smartphone screen, rereading those few messages again and again, pursing her lips, an embarrassed urge to throw her phone into the sea welling up in her heart.
Her entangled emotions, like knotted weeds, twisted again and again, the still waters at the bottom of her heart began to boil, the blood in her body feeling scalding hot as well.
Pei Muchan didn't want to reply, but after a few seconds of hesitation, fearing he might think of her as cold, she still tapped her fingers. Tip-tap, she wrote and deleted several times, then with a swish, sent it through.
"Alright."