Truth be told, Shen Li’s first reaction upon receiving this bottle of stomach medicine wasn’t one of—it was suspicion.
Who had sent it?
He clearly remembered stuffing stomach medicine into his bag before. Could someone have taken it?
It wasn’t until Shen Li stubbornly searched through his bag again, fishing out a small bottle from the innermost compartment, that he suddenly recalled what had happened. Last night, after returning to his room from Qian Xingzhi’s place, he’d subconsciously hidden the bottle so Qian Xingzhi wouldn’t see it. In his hazy state, he’d tucked it away in a pocket he rarely used.
So this bottle of medicine…
It had to be from Qian Xingzhi.
Shen Li’s gaze darkened, his emotions impossible to describe.
If he were still that seventeen- or eighteen-year-old high schooler, his first instinct would have been delight.
But he wasn’t.
He was about to turn thirty-five.
Thirty-five was an awkward age, one that could already be called middle-aged.
It was like a threshold.
After thirty-five, most civil service positions were off-limits, and even corporate jobs were hard to land.
Physical stamina began to decline, and the body gradually showed signs of aging.
The minutiae of daily life had long since smoothed his edges, so much so that Shen Li wondered what kind of reaction would meet Qian Xingzhi’s expectations.
Strangely enough, he’d never been one to fawn or accommodate others before. Why, then, did this earnest treatment feel like such a burden now?
Would the audience think Qian Xingzhi was just putting on a show?
What would the other members in the cabin think?
If only he’d checked the hidden pocket more carefully earlier.
Shen Li kept his expression blank as he lowered his eyes, pocketing both small bottles together. His indifferent gaze swept over the packaging bag.
In the end, Shen Li took the medicine Qian Xingzhi had given him, then carefully folded up both thick packaging bags.
23:00
Shen Li showed up in the living room right on time, yawning as he gathered per the butler’s instructions.
The other seven cabin members had clearly formed little cliques, clustering in groups.
Ke Jiujiu and Kris with Lin Xu.
Jiang Nan and Yang Zhiqi.
Li Weiwei and Zhao Yunzhi.
Shen Li thought for a moment. He didn’t want to seem too much of a loner, so he headed toward Zhao Yunzhi and Li Weiwei, casually claiming a spot on a small sofa. Zhao Yunzhi smiled and offered him an orange.
Shen Li waved it off. “Thanks, but I’ve already brushed my teeth.”
Zhao Yunzhi let out an “oh,” cradling the little orange in her palm. She lowered her voice. “I heard the butler is about to announce the netizens’ votes.”
“What votes?” Shen Li asked.
“Probably their guesses about the ex-couples. I saw something about it on Weibo yesterday,” Li Weiwei replied.
Shen Li nodded, picking up a white porcelain cup from nearby and taking a light sip of plain water to show he’d heard.
At that moment.
Little Zhao tilted her fluffy little head toward them, her voice hushed and conspiratorial. “Brother Shen, did someone just send you something? Can we talk about it?”
Shen Li’s brows furrowed slightly, a hint of embarrassment creeping into his usually calm features.
“Ah, yeah.”
The staff had delivered it discreetly, and Shen Li wasn’t sure if he could mention it.
But he’d already decided: if Little Zhao pressed about who sent it or what it was, he’d give vague answers.
Little Zhao didn’t pry into those details, though. Instead, she frowned glumly, licked her lips, and whispered again:
“I just asked the program group if we can return gifts for virtual currency. They said only items over five thousand qualify.”
Shen Li got the picture. The flicker in his eyes quickly gave way to his usual cool detachment.
“I’ll give you three thousand,” he said bluntly. “Tomorrow at noon, they’ll release the ‘new property listings.’ I don’t know the starting prices, but having some cash is better than none.”
Little Zhao blinked rapidly, waving her hands in a hurry. “No, no, that’s not what I meant! I wasn’t asking you for money. I just thought, if your gift isn’t super useful either, maybe we could go to the program group together, return them both, and split the credits fairly…”
Shen Li’s brows knitted together. After a long pause, his striking eyes lowered, long lashes trembling faintly. Still, he refused.
“Sorry, I’m not returning mine.”
“Ah…”
Zhao Yunzhi’s nails dug into the orange peel as she nervously apologized. “Oh, okay, sorry! No problem, I’ll figure something else out.”
Shen Li’s sharply defined face turned toward Zhao Yunzhi for a moment, then shifted to Yang Zhiqi, who was chatting animatedly nearby. He was mulling how to broach the subject when Li Weiwei suddenly spoke up:
“Little Zhao, how about this? Shen Li really does want to help you—he’s not just being polite. If you’re too shy to accept, here’s an idea:
“Shen Li gives you the three thousand upfront. Tomorrow at noon, once the house prices drop, you’ll have a sense of what you can afford. If it works out, great for the afternoon activities—you two can team up, form an alliance, whatever. Or if you make money, you can pay him back.
“Anyway, I think we shouldn’t be too rigid. Tomorrow’s uncertain, but the friendships here are real. He’s offering, so just take it for now?”
Li Weiwei’s words were logical and spoken without lowering her voice.
As soon as she finished, nearly everyone looked her way.
Zhao Yunzhi’s cheeks flushed bright red, her ears turning pink too. She glanced uncertainly at Shen Li.
Shen Li’s stern face remained impassive, but he seized the chance to seal the deal. “I think that’s fine. I’ll transfer it when we get back to the rooms.”
Only then did Zhao Yunzhi nod, still hesitant. “Okay, then… thanks, Brother Shen. Thanks, Sister Weiwei.”
At the same time.
The system voice chimed in again. The butler’s mechanical tone crackled dramatically, belting out an old tune:
“How happy we are~ Living joyfully in the Glass House~
“Telling the world~ What it means to be open and upright~
“Dear residents, after the first day of filming, you’ve surely gotten used to the cameras by now~ Haha~
“Your butler has good news! The live stream’s viewership today has hit 340 million!
“After a day of being watched by billions, don’t you want to know which ex-couples the clever netizens have sniffed out?”
Silence.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
“—Yes!” Ke Jiujiu’s sweet voice broke the awkward hush.
Only then did the butler system continue.
“Dun dun dun dun~
“Ha! Today’s top five netizen-voted ex-couples are:
Fifth place: Lin Xu × Ke Jiujiu!
Fourth place: Yang Zhiqi × Shen Li!
Third place: Yang Zhiqi × Zhao Yunzhi!
Second place: Shen Li × Li Weiwei!
First place: Yang Zhiqi × Ke Jiujiu!
“Some people are really popular, huh, Brother Yang~”
The system paused, giving Yang Zhiqi an opening to speak.
Yang Zhiqi grinned proudly with a hearty “heh heh,” about to reply, when the system’s sly voice cut in:
“—What a disaster! Playboy carrot, your fatal flaw is giving people the wrong idea!
“Your butler decrees: The correctly guessed ex-couples will continue with ‘Bathhouse Night Talk’ recording. And for every guest who appears in a wrong CP—
“You must answer netizen bullet screen questions as punishment!
“So, the ones facing punishment are—”
Shen Li’s nostrils flared slightly as he wrinkled his nose.
The system’s next line called him out directly:
“Shen Li, you’ve been wrongly picked twice, so we’ll start with you. Sound good?”
Shen Li: …
As if Shen Li had any say.
If viewers were voting for something as absurd as him and Yang Zhiqi, what could he even say?
He could only hope the program group had decent filters to block weird questions.
Meanwhile.
The bullet screens exploded in a frenzy of discussion and cheers!
【Aaaah, I knew it’d be like this! I’d have spammed every option with Shen Li into the top five!!! How is two not enough?!】
【Pick me pick me pick me!】
【So both of today’s Shen Li pairs were wrong!】
【Mom, my CP might be closer to the truth now!】
The bullets started cycling, with the system only allowing questions about Shen Li.
Shen Li’s fair skin gleamed almost transparently under the lights, pale enough to reveal faint blue veins beneath.
His smooth, strong jawline tensed as he braced himself mentally before pausing the feed.
The first question on the big screen was a lucky easy one:
【Does Shen Li want to enter showbiz? With such great looks, ever thought about acting?】
The system read it out with sarcastic flair. Shen Li answered in under a second:
“No interest. I’m not an actor.”
Crisp, no hesitation.
It saved time.
Shen Li let out a small breath of relief. This wasn’t even much of a punishment.
Until the next one.
It was a wall of text.
【Awoooo stomach meds from Ex-Husband Bro?! Still like him? If yes, hurry up and doi? Remarriage secondary! Main thing is Little Cat’s breed is too pricey rn! Checked a pet store last week—cutest kitty was 3999 min! Broke student can’t afford! Shen Li can you pop out a few more Little Cats?! Help crash the price QAQ】
Shen Li: ?
His deep eyes widened in disbelief, brows furrowing into a shallow “” shape at his forehead. It took him a moment to fully process it.
Requesting an interpreter for netizen-speak.
Requesting a one-click check on the internet’s mental health.
As soon as those lines appeared, Shen Li could feel the whole room suppressing laughter.
Even from the corner of his eye, Li Weiwei and Zhao Yunzhi’s shoulders shook slightly, politely holding back their giggles.
The cameras caught Shen Li’s expression—subtle as it was, you could see the shift from shock to wry self-mockery. His handsome, sharp features softened with a touch of helplessness.
In the end, that cool, aloof face turned dutifully to the lens.
He licked his lips awkwardly and answered the netizens seriously:
“Uh, I’m not a mother cat—I can’t have kittens. But if you like cats… we have plenty of stray kittens around. I could send you one. They’re cute too.”
