Chapter 56
The indomitable Director Tu was determined to restart his isolation plan.
He had planned to do a random selection without rigging it, but a thoughtful staff member happened to say to him, “Um, Director Tu, tomorrow seems to be Zong Mo’s birthday.”
Hmm?
Tu Bu’s eyes lit up.
He immediately gathered a few colleagues to work overtime and revise the game rules overnight. He didn’t believe it wouldn’t work this time!
Seeing the revised and simplified rules, Tu Bu was very satisfied.
Unfortunately, it was a little late. It wasn’t until the early hours of the morning that Tu Bu sent a message to the guests’ group chat:
[No set wake-up time tomorrow. Breakfast is available at any time. Everyone, have a good rest ^^]
The few of them only saw this late message after they woke up in the morning.
Ling Han woke up alone in the single room. He didn’t have the habit of sleeping in. Since he was already up, and his manager had repeatedly told him to perform well this time and get more screen time, he didn’t go back to sleep.
He didn’t know what Director Tu was up to, but he knew that eating on this show wouldn’t be that easy. So he put down the guitar he was about to tune and decided to go downstairs to investigate.
The kitchen was empty. Not only was the chef from last time gone, but even the cameraman was gone.
Ling Han walked out the main door and into the courtyard, where he saw a large crowd of staff.
Tu Bu took the initiative to welcome him, his face beaming:
“Congratulations to Little Han for being the first to wake up and find the program team! The time is now half past seven in the morning. You can get… hmm, the first prize! A one-day free tour of the entire island, with all expenses covered by the program team~”
Ling Han was slightly stunned, then took a step back, clearly not believing him.
Tu Bu: …
Just past eight o’clock, the kind-hearted program team welcomed their second customer.
Ruan Chi frowned slightly, looking not very satisfied, and even a little disgusted.
“A one-day tour of a high-end resort hotel… do you think I need it?”
Tu Bu: …
“This is a reward from the program team. You can’t refuse it.”
Ruan Chi was indifferent, but he still couldn’t leave after receiving the reward.
Tu Bu added, “This is a package for two. You need to wait for the next person to arrive before you can leave together.”
Ruan Chi immediately noticed something and shot a sharp, knife-like gaze at Tu Bu.
Tu Bu turned his head away, coughed, and looked at the information in his hand, saying to himself, “This package for two includes a deluxe lunch, a spa treatment, a Thai massage… priced at 19,888 yuan, tsk. Leman Island is not yet officially open to tourists, but this high-priced package is already booked for a month.”
Ruan Chi turned his gaze back to the homestay. Before long, someone walked out of the main door.
A height and build similar to Zong Mo’s, a deeper and colder temperament…
Tu Bu said happily, “Congratulations to Lu Bo for being the third to wake up and find the program team~ You can also get the reward of a one-day tour of a high-end resort hotel for two. Alright, you can now leave with Ruan Chi.”
Ruan Chi: …
The bullet comments in the morning were quite sparse. An occasional one would stay on the screen for a long time.
【The rich family CP is BE but not completely BE. I seriously suspect the director is the number one wild fan leader.】
【The rewards are good until the third place, but the program team is definitely not that kind…】
【It’s over, I have a premonition that Mo Mo won’t get to eat qwq】
【Nan Nan, Zhi Zhi, wake up, ahhh!!】
As if hearing the fans’ call, the moment Lu Bo and Ruan Chi left, the twins arrived in front of the program team.
The rewards for fourth and fifth place were drastically reduced, but Tu Bu finally got some positive feedback.
“Ah, we can go shopping?” Qi Zhiyi said excitedly. “And the program team is giving us a thousand yuan?”
…Did the twins come back to the country to participate in the show because they were short of money?
Tu Bu pondered for a moment and said, “Yes… but the prices on Leman Island are not low. You need to be frugal. There’s also an extra task: prepare a gift for each guest.”
“No problem!” Qi Zhiyi readily agreed but didn’t rush to leave. He added, “Is it just my brother and me going?”
Tu Bu nodded, “Yes, this is the reward for fourth and fifth place.”
Qi Nanfeng interjected, “What about Little Mo? He hasn’t woken up yet.”
“The reward can only be known by the person themselves,” Tu Bu said. “Alright, alright, you guys should hurry up and go.”
Zong Mo had only fallen asleep at dawn, but he had been trained by Ruan Chi to have an early biological clock. He groggily picked up his phone at eight and saw Tu Bu’s message that he didn’t need to wake up early today, so he confidently went back to sleep.
When he woke up again, the sun was high in the sky, and his stomach was rumbling with hunger.
He was the only one left in the three-person room. Zong Mo was much more relaxed. He slowly changed his clothes and went downstairs to look for the so-called “breakfast available at any time,” but of course, he couldn’t find it.
Zong Mo: …
He then went out the main door to look for the program team and, as the sixth place, came before Tu Bu.
Tu Bu said, “The first five guests who woke up today all have the reward of going out to play. But one person needs to stay and watch the house. So unfortunately, because you woke up too late, the one who needs to watch the house today is you.”
Zong Mo was silent for a moment, then asked, “Where did they go to play?”
Tu Bu shook his head, “That’s not convenient to disclose.”
Zong Mo: …
He was left alone to guard the homestay. Although there was no one to chat with, there were still a large number of staff around, so it wouldn’t be too quiet.
He was also a person who liked peace and quiet, as long as it wasn’t too quiet and deserted. The few people who had stirred his feelings into a mess were not here, which was much better than going out to play together.
The program team only provided a simple boxed lunch for the unlucky one who had to watch the house. Zong Mo was not a very pampered person and was not a picky eater, so he ate it with relish. He wandered around, sunbathing, very leisurely and comfortable.
But Director Tu just couldn’t stand to see the guests comfortable. He came over with ulterior motives and reminded him, “Zong Mo, isn’t it your birthday today?”
“My birthday…?” Zong Mo was stunned for a moment and took out his phone to confirm the date, not quite believing it.
June 22nd.
It was indeed his and the main shou‘s shared birthday.
He had wondered before why Ruan Chi didn’t celebrate his birthday, and now he had even forgotten his own.
Actually, he didn’t really celebrate his birthday either, but children all longed for a lively birthday and a beautiful birthday cake.
When he was a child, the birthdays he had in the orphanage were lively, but the birthday cake had to be shared by several children whose birthdays were close.
After he grew up, he would usually buy himself a small slice of cake to make up for his childhood regrets.
It was still quite shabby. When he got a little older, he simply stopped buying it. It was more worthwhile to add more ingredients to his longevity noodles.
Zong Mo didn’t know why Tu Bu had suddenly brought up his birthday and asked expectantly, “Is the program team going to celebrate my birthday?”
Tu Bu was expressionless, “No. Who told you to wake up the latest today?”
Zong Mo didn’t really want to talk to Tu Bu anymore. He turned and went back to his room to lie down, refusing to provide any more filming material.
Tu Bu had successfully completed the first step of his plan for the day—isolating the birthday boy. Next…
He sent a message to the other five guests, informing them that it was Zong Mo’s twenty-second birthday today.
He checked the live stream screen. First was Ling Han.
With the program team’s guarantee of covering all expenses, Ling Han was actually still on the nearby beach… playing his guitar.
He hadn’t spent a single cent.
Tu Bu: …
He had to reflect on whether he had been too harsh on this child.
So Tu Bu sent a message to Ling Han’s follow-up camera, telling them to go to the shopping mall. They were not allowed to leave without buying something.
After much effort to force him there, Ling Han only ate something that cost less than a hundred yuan. Then he reluctantly walked through the various shops, making a perfunctory round before coming out, visibly in pain.
Tu Bu sent another message to Ling Han: [Your expenses for today are fully covered by the program team. You can buy anything you want. Don’t miss this opportunity!!!]
It wasn’t until he passed by a guitar shop that Ling Han’s eyes finally lit up, and he showed some energy.
He looked up at the row of exquisitely styled guitars for a long time, and in the end, he bought a few small accessories, worth three hundred yuan.
Tu Bu: …?
Although he didn’t quite understand, and Ling Han was still silent, the reaction in the bullet comments was surprisingly good.
【Ling Han is a little cute, just like my boyfriend who doesn’t want to go shopping but insists on accompanying me.】
【The black-hearted program team said all expenses are covered, why is he still so frugal?】
【Program team, reflect on yourselves. Weren’t you too mean to him before, always making him go hungry!!】
【My baby is so good, wuwuwu】
Tu Bu: ?
The program team had to pay for it and still got scolded. Everything was the program team’s fault!
Ling Han had been shopping for a long time and was not interested in any of the dazzling goods. He also seemed to have no intention of buying a birthday gift for Zong Mo.
Tu Bu sent another message to remind him of the birthday. Ling Han didn’t even look at it, just reached into his pocket and pressed for about ten seconds. He had probably turned off the constantly buzzing phone.
Tu Bu: ?
Right, he was the one who had requested that they not play with their phones in front of the camera unless necessary…
He had no choice but to have the staff over there use a phone subtitle to remind Ling Han to buy a gift. Ling Han’s reaction was still cold and indifferent, “Mm.”
Tu Bu gave up and moved on to the twins’ live stream room.
The twins’ side was much more lively.
The two of them wandered through the local market, buying a few special ornaments as gifts for the other guests. They still had more than half of their thousand yuan left.
Qi Zhiyi looked around all the way, as if he were looking for something. He suddenly said in surprise, “Ge! There’s a dessert shop over there!”
【Baby, mama doesn’t need dessert. You are mama’s sweetest little sweethearts~】
Tu Bu directly ignored the cringe-worthy bullet comments and curiously observed the twins’ every move.
Qi Zhiyi was leaning against the glass cake display, looking for a while, then turned his head and asked, “Ge, which one do you think is better? The fruit one or the chocolate one?”
Qi Nanfeng replied with great tacit understanding, “Either is fine. I don’t think he’s a picky eater.”
The fans who were focused on the twins’ live stream once again didn’t understand their riddle. Just as they sent a bullet comment to ask, someone took the initiative to explain.
【Ah, are they choosing a cake for Mo Mo? I heard the director say it’s Mo Mo’s birthday today.】
【Mo Mo had originally forgotten his birthday. The unscrupulous director deliberately reminded him and made him stay behind. He’s doing it on purpose!!】
The twins were probably the most cooperative guests with the program’s arrangements, and the traffic in their live stream room had always been very stable. Tu Bu hadn’t been paying attention to them from the beginning and wasn’t sure if they had gone to buy a cake because of his reminder.
Anyway, his plan had taken another big step forward!
Suppress first, then praise. First, isolate the birthday boy, Zong Mo, and then give him a huge surprise at night.
The program effect would definitely be very good, and it would also eliminate the audience’s prejudice against the program team in one fell swoop!!
Thinking of this, Tu Bu went to the three-person room’s live stream to check on Zong Mo.
…Why is he sleeping again?
An old fan said with concern in the bullet comments:
【Why is Mo Mo sleeping on his stomach again? It’s uncomfortable.】
【Is Mo Mo unhappy? Is he sleeping on his stomach to hide his face…】
【The program team is really a bit too mean. At least let Mo Mo know that Nan Nan and Zhi Zhi are buying him a cake.】
Tu Bu: ?
He switched back to the twins’ live stream room. He just happened to see the shop assistant informing them that they could make their own desserts, so the two decided to make a sumptuous tropical fruit cake themselves, plus some homemade chocolates.
The CP fans in the bullet comments were going crazy, while the solo fans were sour as lemons.
Tu Bu stood up and went upstairs to knock on the door of the three-person room.
Zong Mo was indeed not asleep and quickly got up to answer the door.
“Cough, although you were the last to wake up today, considering it’s your birthday…” Tu Bu said nonchalantly, “You can choose to watch one of the other guests’ live streams.”
The bullet comments that had been cursing the program team suddenly became excited:
【Choose Nan Nan and Zhi Zhi’s live stream, ahhh! They’re making you a cake, baby!!】
【I think the silly wife will definitely choose the wrong one, wuwu qw q】
Zong Mo also perked up and joined the program team for the first time.
“Who do you want to choose?” Tu Bu gave no hints. “Once you’ve chosen, you can’t change it…”
But Zong Mo said without thinking, “I want to watch Ruan-ge’s.”
Tu Bu readily granted his wish and generously let him watch the live stream behind the program team’s computer.
Zong Mo was stunned when he saw the screen, “Teacher Lu is also here?”
Tu Bu nodded, “Yes, their rewards are the same.”
Zong Mo pursed his lips, trying his best not to show any strange expression, and quietly watched the live stream.
It was lunchtime. The background was a huge floor-to-ceiling window and the blue sea outside the bed. Ruan Chi and Lu Bo were sitting opposite each other at a table inside the window. On the table were a few exquisite dishes. It looked like a very high-end restaurant.
The “reward” Tu Bu had given this time was very polite. Zong Mo could even see the real-time bullet comments sent by the audience.
【wow, is this some kind of rich family blind date?】
【I never thought there would be someone with a temperament and aura that doesn’t lose to Teacher Lu】
Zong Mo: ?
Hasn’t the rich family CP been BE?
Neither of them moved their chopsticks and sat stiffly. The white waves outside the window constantly lapped against the beach, and the dense green plants swayed in the wind, a stark contrast to the interior. The atmosphere was quite strange.
Ruan Chi made the first move, but it wasn’t to eat, but to take a cigarette from a cigarette case.
“Smoking is prohibited in this restaurant,” Lu Bo broke the silence. “And it’s a live stream.”
Ruan Chi irritably bent his fingers, crumpling the cigarette in his palm, his knuckles slightly protruding.
Lu Bo asked, “Are you in a bad mood?”
Ruan Chi said coldly, “What do you think?”
Ruan Chi got angry every few days. Zong Mo could tell even through the screen that he was indeed in a bad mood now.
Zong Mo also found that Ruan Chi didn’t really have a smoking addiction. He never smoked at home. Occasionally, when he came back smelling of smoke, he would be in an inexplicably bad mood.
Lu Bo had said he knew Ruan Chi. Perhaps he knew better than himself that Ruan Chi’s smoking was most likely because he was in a bad mood.
But Lu Bo did not show understanding or give in. He even added fuel to the fire, smiling, “I think I’m in a good mood.”
Zong Mo: …
Now CEO Ruan must be even angrier!!
However, identity and status were indeed the basis for speaking with confidence. If it were him, he would definitely not dare to provoke Ruan Chi so directly. At most… he would test the waters indirectly a few times. He would secretly pluck a couple of tiger’s hairs when he wasn’t looking, and immediately soften if he found something was wrong.
For example, by calling out a few worthless but miraculously effective “big brothers.”
