Chapter 62 Part 3

Jiang Xiao was curious everywhere he went, unable to stand still, exploring all over. Si Lin, usually a man of few words, just silently followed. Yet in the dim light, looking at Si Lin, Jiang Xiao felt he somehow didn’t seem like just another generic face anymore. His facial features seemed to become slightly distinguishable.

Hmm?

Not sure, need to look again.

Jiang Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly, studying Si Lin, but still saw nothing distinct. Yet he felt Si Lin was somehow different from the others.

Jiang Xiao: “Why does it feel like my prosopagnosia is getting better?”

System: “Your imagination.”

Jiang Xiao: “Really, he isn’t a generic face in my eyes anymore!”

System: “Then it’s a case of ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder.’ You’ve fallen for him.”

Jiang Xiao: “…”

Such an absurd reason, Jiang Xiao didn’t believe it for a second. When he looked at Si Lin again, the lighting shifted, and he found Si Lin had returned to a generic face.

Maybe it really was just his imagination.

“Huh?” Jiang Xiao seemed to discover something, leaning closer. “Who hit you?”

He hadn’t noticed carefully before. Only in the well-lit area did he see that the left side of Si Lin’s face seemed slightly swollen.

No wonder he’d kept his right profile towards him.

Si Lin: “…Si Mingyu.”

“He actually dared to hit you?” Jiang Xiao was utterly shocked. Even a generic face shouldn’t be hit! Let alone that it was Si Lin!

Si Lin: “I hit him back.”

Jiang Xiao said indignantly, “Good!”

The corner of Si Lin’s mouth twitched upward again.

“Go back and put some ice on it,” Jiang Xiao continued fuming. “You don’t hit people in the face, that’s the rule on the street!”

Yesterday, Si Mingyu made the first move. The reason was that Si Lin’s words were like a sharp blade, mercilessly cutting through his expectations. Even less tolerable to Si Mingyu was that Jiang Xiao’s departure was because he didn’t like him. Fury overcame him, and he struck.

But Si Lin didn’t retreat either. After taking one punch from Si Mingyu, he proceeded to pummel Si Mingyu relentlessly.

When it came to hitting people, he was far more ruthless than Si Mingyu.

The two wandered around the aquarium for most of the day, completing the day’s date task. Jiang Xiao felt that if Si Lin wasn’t lying to him, then he was practically his best ally in this instance!

Smart, meticulous; Jiang Xiao even thought Si Lin could carry him to victory.

As they prepared to leave, Si Lin handed him another small box.

“Why another gift?” Jiang Xiao said, embarrassed. “I didn’t prepare any extra gifts.”

Si Lin said, “I happened to see it and felt it suited you, so I bought it.”

The small box somewhat resembled a ring box, but Si Lin certainly wouldn’t propose in a place like this. Amused by his own hypothesis, Jiang Xiao opened the box and was instantly stunned.

Inside was a necklace.

It shared a similar design concept with the collarbone chain Jiang Xiao had initially worn, also featuring interwoven thin chains. In the center was a star motif, accented with a cross pattern, carrying a cyberpunk feel. The craftsmanship was exquisite; an occasional glance of refracted light shimmered across it. It was definitely no cheap material.

“This… it’s too precious,” Jiang Xiao said.

Si Lin, however, looked puzzled. “A few thousand yuan, is that expensive?”

Jiang Xiao had assumed it was at least tens of thousands. A few thousand yuan was something he could reciprocate with a gift of equivalent value.

“Then I’ll accept it. I like it very much,” Jiang Xiao said sincerely.

He was telling the truth; he felt a genuine fondness upon seeing the necklace.

Si Lin, however, picked up the necklace and put it on Jiang Xiao. Warm breath brushed past his ear. Jiang Xiao dipped his head slightly and saw beneath Si Lin’s slightly open collar, he seemed to be wearing a necklace too.

The same collarbone chain he had given out.

Returning to the cabin was already afternoon. The two bought some gifts. As soon as they entered, they found the other four were all present. Both Lu Moxing and Ji Yanli, who should have been on their date, seemed to have returned early as well. A dead silence hung in the air.

Jiang Xiao opened the door and entered with Si Lin, quite surprised: “You guys are back already?”

“Strange?” Lu Moxing glanced at him, saying, “Seems you were having the time of your life.”

Jiang Xiao was almost immune to Lu Moxing’s passive-aggressiveness by now and said calmly, “Yeah, had a great time. CEO Lu and Dr. Ji, didn’t you two have fun?”

“Big Brother!” Si Mingyu was in the middle of gaming with He Chen. Seeing Jiang Xiao return, he abandoned the game instantly, bouncing up. “You’re finally back! It was so boring today.”

Jiang Xiao looked at Si Mingyu, thinking this guy was well-behaved when he was good, but he actually hit people? Must be spoiled by Si Lin.

He distributed the souvenirs from the aquarium—keychains embossed with chibi marine life. Si Mingyu swiftly snagged the clownfish, after which Ji Yanli took the jellyfish. Only the great white shark and the squid remained. He Chen took the squid.

Lu Moxing snorted. “Who wants this kind of thing?”

Jiang Xiao shoved the great white shark into his hand. “Throw it away if you don’t want it.”

“Big Brother, come play games?” Si Mingyu, having not seen Jiang Xiao all day, had spent it imagining Jiang Xiao and Si Lin being all lovey-dovey at the aquarium, practically oozing sour jealousy. He absolutely couldn’t let Jiang Xiao stick around Si Lin again.

Jiang Xiao glanced at the game they were playing. “I have a live stream to do later.”

“Then let’s play darts?” Si Mingyu said. “He Chen is a complete klutz. He misses the board completely a dozen times. No fun at all playing with him.”

“Why not play with CEO Lu?” Jiang Xiao asked, amused. “Or Dr. Ji.”

“Ji Yanli throws too accurately,” Si Mingyu said. “I suspect he’s practiced. As for Lu Moxing, do you really think he’s the type who’d play darts with us?”

Jiang Xiao sat cross-legged on the floor, rummaged through a box, and began throwing darts continuously. When he reached in again, the box was already empty.

“I remember there were ten darts inside. Why is one missing?” Jiang Xiao wondered aloud.

“I don’t know, it was missing this morning,” Si Mingyu said, unconcerned. “Maybe someone took it.”

Jiang Xiao was somewhat distracted, throwing darts lazily, missing three or four times out of nine. When it was He Chen’s turn, Jiang Xiao had his eyes opened, in a manner of speaking.

He Chen aimed so earnestly, yet genuinely couldn’t land a single dart on the board.

“I might just have no talent for it.” After repeatedly embarrassing himself, He Chen looked somewhat dejected. Ji Yanli walked over, watched for a while, casually picked up a dart, and threw it without even looking.

“Whoosh—!”

It struck the bullseye dead center.

“Dr. Ji, impressive!” Jiang Xiao exclaimed in admiration. “Have you practiced?”

“Played when bored,” Ji Yanli said. “Practice makes perfect.” As he spoke, he glanced at Jiang Xiao with a smile. “Got a gift for you. I’ll give it to you this evening.”

Jiang Xiao asked curiously, “Where did you two go today?”

“Botanical Pavilion,” Ji Yanli said. “Green everywhere. It was pleasant to the eyes.”

Jiang Xiao: “…”

In the blink of an eye, it was nearly eight o’clock again.

Jiang Xiao, for some reason, felt a stirring of unease in his heart. His premonition quickly became reality.

The rules had changed.

[Today, please enter the Media Room in sequence for viewing and voting.]

[Please decide the order of entry among yourselves. Each person only has five minutes. Do not delay. After voting, please return to your respective rooms to await the voting results.]

This change was like throwing a stone into water, sending ripples spreading outwards. No one knew the intention behind altering the rule. For fairness, everyone decided to roll dice to determine the order.

The entry sequence became:

Ji Yanli, He Chen, Lu Moxing, Jiang Xiao, Si Mingyu, Si Lin.

The waiting time was unexpectedly agonizing.

Ji Yanli made coffee, a cup for everyone. Jiang Xiao held his cup and sipped a few mouthfuls.

Jiang Xiao still hadn’t found that person willing to help them rig the vote, nor did he know if he’d be voted out this time. What exactly was the production team’s purpose in separating the voting?

The first few people had already voted. Only Jiang Xiao, Si Mingyu, and Si Lin remained in the living room.

When it was his turn, Jiang Xiao was about to stand up, but Si Lin rose and stopped him.

“I’ll go,” Si Lin said. Looking at Jiang Xiao, he subtly shook his head, indicating he shouldn’t question it.

The voting order could indeed be changed voluntarily. As long as the other party agreed, adjusting the order wasn’t a big deal.

Si Mingyu didn’t understand their silent communication, but merely seeing Si Lin and Jiang Xiao engage in a code he couldn’t decipher irritated him: “I want to go first.”

“Sit still,” Si Lin said coldly.

Si Mingyu huffed, his eyes turning slightly cold, lost in thought.

While waiting for Si Lin to finish voting, Si Mingyu complained to Jiang Xiao, “Big Brother, he hit me! You think he’s some good guy? He’s a total hypocrite!”

Jiang Xiao: “Didn’t you throw the first punch? Si Lin was just acting in self-defense.”

Si Mingyu hadn’t expected Jiang Xiao to actually defend Si Lin and was practically exploding with fury.

“Besides, there’s no mark on your face,” Jiang Xiao said. “Si Lin’s face is swollen.”

Si Mingyu was so angry he nearly ground his teeth to dust. He had only landed one punch on Si Lin, but how many punches had that guy landed on him? And they were all in places hidden from view. Yet, showing his injuries to Jiang Xiao made him feel unwilling.

Si Mingyu clingily hugged Jiang Xiao for comfort. They chatted for a while, but Jiang Xiao started feeling something was off.

Five minutes… why was it taking so long?

Not right!

Fifteen minutes had already passed. Why hadn’t Si Lin come out yet?

The shadow over Jiang Xiao’s heart grew denser. He stood up and headed straight for the Media Room.

“What’s wrong?” Si Mingyu said. “The broadcast announcement hasn’t sounded yet.”

“Something’s not right,” Jiang Xiao said, his voice unconsciously trembling. “Something must have happened.”

Since the broadcast said five minutes per person, it wouldn’t exceed it by even a second, unless something uncontrollable had occurred.

Jiang Xiao boldly pushed open the door and snapped on the light. In the dim room, somehow, crimson rose petals were scattered everywhere, filling the air with an exotic, pungent fragrance. He stepped forward quickly, and his breath caught in his throat.

Si Lin was still seated. A dart was embedded in his chest. Vast patches of blood bloomed across his white shirt. The thick stench of blood mingled with the floral scent, making Jiang Xiao’s head spin.

He couldn’t bring himself to step forward.