Tears of Gratitude

As the staff steered the boat toward Wen Shuang, there were less than three minutes left until seven.

Someone tried to pull Wen Shuang by the shoulder, only to find that even with all their strength... Huh? They could not move him?

Wen Shuang clung desperately to the float, unmoved no matter who called to him. He had made up his mind—today, even if Great Devil King Xuan Zhe himself showed up, he was leaving the production crew!

"Is that Wen Shuang?" some staff members murmured. "Did he faint?"

Xuan Zhe's expression darkened as he pulled aside the safety barrier and walked straight in.

Even he could not explain where the anxiety in his heart had come from. Wen Shuang had said he was filming the show today, but Xuan Zhe had not seen him at noon and had felt somewhat uneasy. Jiang Suqing had been extremely worried about an outdoor shoot; something had happened to Jiang Ning years ago, leaving him once bitten by a snake, afraid of ropes for ten years. Jiang Suqing had not expected Xuan Zhe to come, since it did not fit the man's usual style. Yet after Jiang Suqing merely mentioned it, Xuan Zhe had volunteered to drive. Jiang Suqing had vaguely sensed something then. Now, seeing Xuan Zhe abandon his usual calm composure and stride over to ask Zhu Lian about the situation, Jiang Suqing's heart sank. No way...

What kind of person was Xuan Zhe? The most successful product of the Lineage's elite education. The only things that could make him happy were Power One topping the asset report rankings or a newly developed project falling into his hands. It all came down to one word: profit. He had never dated in his life, yet now he was especially concerned about someone with such a terrible reputation.

The more Jiang Suqing thought about it, the more his heart trembled. He could not understand why it had to be Wen Shuang.

A few months later, Jiang Suqing would get thoroughly slapped in the face and think, Thank goodness it was Wen Shuang.

Zhu Lian was startled by Xuan Zhe's arrival, but her professional instincts were solid. After a brief lapse, she immediately regained her composure and explained, "Wen Shuang was the last one helping Peng Shanshan get to the island. He may have exhausted himself. We've been calling him for ages, but there's no response."

Xuan Zhe had been staring at that dark lump the entire time. Hearing this, he frowned. "Peng Shanshan isn't a Power One artist."

"Right." Zhu Lian felt a little nervous. It would be bad if Xuan Zhe misunderstood Wen Shuang's relationship with an artist from another company, so she hurriedly added, "Chen Zong forgot about him when filming began, but no one expected Wen Shuang to take first place with Jiang Ning. That's just how he is—he's warmhearted."

Xuan Zhe said nothing. Warmhearted? Was he being warmhearted by throwing himself into a lake?

Jiang Suqing happened to come over just in time to hear Zhu Lian's words, and he froze slightly. Wen Shuang had helped Jiang Ning get first place? Looking up, he saw his younger brother staring anxiously at the center of the lake and knew all his previous warnings had been wasted. Besides, had Wen Shuang really changed that much? Why were his actions so incomprehensible?

Wen Shuang had resolved to hold out until seven, but the moment he opened his eyes, he saw Xuan Zhe standing on the shore through the gaps between the crowd.

Xuan Zhe's gaze was always steady and profound, giving Wen Shuang the illusion that he had been seen through at a glance. He shuddered all over, which made things easier for the staff members who had entered the water.

Two staff members grabbed Wen Shuang by the arms and successfully dragged him away from the float.

Then the seven o'clock chime rang.

At that point, nobody cared about the program anymore. Wen Shuang was brought to the nearest shore. Since he had been pretending, being exposed now would leave him in a terrible position, so he could only keep acting. An assistant director called out to him several times without getting a response and was so frightened that he reached for his phone to call emergency services.

A figure pushed through the surrounding crowd. Xuan Zhe bent down with a furrowed brow, first unfastening Wen Shuang's life jacket before loosening his collar. His CPR technique was impeccable, though he used a little too much force. The first press nearly sent Wen Shuang on his way; by the third, Wen Shuang could not endure any longer. He coughed twice and opened his eyes at an appropriate pace.

Good lord, it really was Xuan Zhe!

Wen Shuang's lips moved, but the words "President Xuan" caught in his throat. Before he could worry about causing Xuan Zhe trouble, Zhu Lian rushed over and grabbed his shoulders. "How are you? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

"Sister Zhu," Wen Shuang said softly. Seeing someone care about him so much made his heart ache. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Sorry for worrying you."

"You idiot!" Zhu Lian sighed in relief and vigorously ruffled Wen Shuang's soaking wet hair.

The directing team came over, and Xuan Zhe quietly stepped aside. Wen Shuang could not care about anything else and hurried to perform. His whole body sagged with guilt and annoyance. "My leg cramped just now. I was only a little exhausted, but it's nothing serious. Sorry for holding everyone up." His voice was hoarse, standing out among all the accusations of being a diva and a delicate flower, making him seem sensible and pitiful. Then Wen Shuang continued, "I really wanted to keep doing the show with everyone, but it's already past seven. It's a little regrettable to be eliminated, but..."

"Eliminated? What elimination?" The director scratched the back of his head and could not help interrupting.

Wen Shuang's body jolted. "I went over time!"

Xuan Zhe had been watching Wen Shuang all along. Seeing this, he narrowed his eyes.

The director laughed and waved a hand grandly, with the carefree boldness of a chivalrous hero. "Ah, don't worry about that. You arrived with Jiang Ning this afternoon. If you count as being with him, then you were the undisputed first place. After that, you even sent Chen Zong and Peng Shanshan to the island separately. Anyone else could go overtime, but definitely not you."

The director's words struck Wen Shuang like lightning, leaving him charred inside and out. His nose stung, and it took him a long while to find his voice. "B-but I never made it ashore. It's already past seven. It's fine, Director. Rules are rules. We should follow them..."

"Are you in charge, or am I?" The director beamed, thinking Wen Shuang was an excellent junior. Everyone else used every trick in the book for exposure and to stay on the show, but this young man was kind and understood the rules. What a promising youngster! Giving him a little special treatment was nothing. "Just stay put and relax. This doesn't count as overtime. I said so."

No!!! What the hell are you saying?! Wen Shuang roared internally. He stepped forward and grabbed the director's wrist, his words earnest and almost fierce light bursting from his eyes. "Director, this won't do! Once the show airs, viewers will definitely say we have no rules. It'll affect the ratings and reputation!"

Xuan Zhe looked like he had seen through everything. He had already folded his arms and leaned against a nearby tree, watching Wen Shuang put on his performance.

"Listen to that!" The director spoke emotionally to everyone around him. "That's the spirit! At a time like this, what he's most worried about is the reputation of our show. Silly kid, I'll make you a bet: once this airs, there'll definitely be more people praising our show than criticizing it. Just stay with peace of mind!"

Wen Shuang: "..." His vision went dark, and he had trouble breathing.

Just then, Jiang Ning came over too. He happily patted Wen Shuang on the shoulder. "It's fine now, Brother Wen! We can still have fun together. Aren't you touched?"

Wen Shuang: "Boohoohoo, so touched..."

The director sighed again. What a conscientious young man. Rare indeed!

The filming was more or less finished at this point. Before anyone noticed, Xuan Zhe and Jiang Suqing returned to the car. Then Xuan Zhe took out his phone and sent Wen Shuang a message: [Come out with Jiang Ning.]

Wen Shuang's heart trembled when he saw it. He could fool everyone else, but he always felt that Xuan Zhe would not be so easy to deceive.

The production crew was treating everyone to dinner, but Jiang Ning wanted to leave, and Wen Shuang followed him. The two liked sticking together anyway. The director had always favored Jiang Ning and now liked Wen Shuang more and more, so he nodded in agreement.

Chen Zong's expression turned extremely ugly as he watched Wen Shuang's retreating back. He recognized him... Although the lighting had been dim before, the person who had stepped forward to help was clearly President Xuan!

How had Wen Shuang hooked up with President Xuan?!

Chen Zong felt that Wen Shuang had stepped in eight lifetimes' worth of dog shit, but from Wen Shuang's perspective, the road ahead stretched endlessly toward the execution ground, and the person sitting in that car was a demon king.

Jiang Ning knew nothing about this. Along the way, he scolded Wen Shuang for having no sense of self-preservation, helping and saving anyone he came across. The moment the two approached, the driver's window rolled down, and the previously quiet Wen Shuang suddenly darted behind Jiang Ning as though startled.

Jiang Ning: "?"

Xuan Zhe: "Heh."

Jiang Suqing, in the passenger seat, lowered his head slightly. When he saw that, it felt as if someone had shoved a stick into his eye. He waved at Wen Shuang. "You, you, you—stay away from my brother!"

The next second, that hand was nearly slapped away by Xuan Zhe.

"Ah!" Jiang Suqing cried out in pain.

"Get in." Xuan Zhe did not look at Wen Shuang, merely speaking in a flat tone.

Jiang Ning was also somewhat intimidated by Xuan Zhe, so he and Wen Shuang quickly climbed into the back.

Jiang Suqing wanted to treat them to dinner, but Xuan Zhe dropped them off at the restaurant and left without any intention of staying. Naturally, Wen Shuang left with Xuan Zhe.

On the way back, there was a brief silence.

"Go on, tell me." Xuan Zhe glanced into the rearview mirror. The little quail had his head lowered and was huddled in one corner of the seat, looking pitiful. Xuan Zhe told himself not to soften. He had spoiled him; he was like this every time. Yet the corners of his lips refused to cooperate, curving upward slightly. "You don't want to film the show anymore?"

Just as expected! Wen Shuang suddenly let out a breath of relief. He had guessed Xuan Zhe had seen through everything too. With his little bit of acting skill, he was simply showing off an axe before Guan Yu.

"Mm." Wen Shuang spoke softly, then paused before adding, "But I have no intention of being negative about work! President Xuan, my ambitions don't lie in the entertainment industry. I joined this show as an ordinary person to repay the company for cultivating me. Chen Zong is a promising artist for the company and can create far more value than I can. Rather than making everyone unhappy, it's better to cut our losses with me while we can."

Xuan Zhe did not ask any more questions after hearing that. It was probably just the usual messy nonsense. But Wen Shuang was not the one to define so-called value. At least judging by the feedback from the first episode, Wen Shuang had the greatest potential among the ordinary participants.

The car stopped downstairs from Wen Shuang's rental apartment. Seeing that Xuan Zhe did not seem to blame him at all, Wen Shuang cautiously asked, "President Xuan, have you eaten? If not, would you like to eat with me?"

Xuan Zhe said in a deep voice, "I didn't see any restaurants on the way here."

Was he lying with his eyes wide open? Were all those roadside food stalls just decorations? Still, roadside stalls were definitely not within Xuan Zhe's consideration. Wen Shuang thought it over. "I still have some ingredients in my fridge. It's so late already, so... should I cook some noodles?"

Wen Shuang had assumed Xuan Zhe would refuse and was ready to skip home in relief, but President Xuan moved the instant he heard that. He pushed open the car door and got out. "Then what are we waiting for?"

Wen Shuang: "..." If you would just act normally once, I wouldn't keep losing battle after battle!