Xia Wanqing returned to No. 1 Base with red-rimmed eyes and ran into Qi Ning, whose eyes blazed with fury.
Qi Ning pointed his submachine gun at him. "You bastard, you dared to kill my brother! Do you remember the oath you swore? You've gotten so used to people tearing you apart behind your back that you don't care anymore, is that it?"
"I'm sorry..." Tears streamed down his face. "I meant to shoot Brother Lan..."
"Bullshit! You were dying to get even with him! I'm telling you, you'll never, ever measure up to even one of his fingers! You worthless bastard!"
All the color drained from his face, and he bit his lip until it bled.
Yang Tian hurried forward and put an arm around his shoulder, glaring at Qi Ning. "Don't be so cruel. Watch what you say!"
Qi Ning sneered and spat. "Watch what I say? Talking to him is disgusting enough. Where's the Revival Card?"
Xia Wanqing sobbed and shook his head. "I don't have a Revival Card on me. I'll go look for one..."
"Who do you think you're fooling? I gave my brother a Revival Card. You shot him, so of course you took it. Spit it out!"
"I really didn't take it... Brother Lan was there too. When Xia Yu was taken away, he didn't hand over the Revival Card..."
"Oh, so that bastard Chu was there too? You two teamed up to screw over my brother. I'll kill you!"
"Rat-a-tat-tat!"
"Rat-a-tat-tat!"
A burst of gunfire rang out, and the broadcast sounded again.
[Red Team's Qi Ning was hit in a vital spot and is out!]
[Red Team's Chen Hongyi eliminated Red Team's Qi Ning!]
[Since Qi Ning was eliminated first, his attack on Xia Wanqing is invalid!]
Everyone was stunned. Chen Hongyi, who had fired first, looked guilty. He opened his mouth, then didn't know what to say.
"I'll fucking kill you!" Qi Ning slammed his submachine gun onto the ground and swept a vicious glare over the three of them. "I won't let this go!"
The ever-dutiful bodyguards came out and escorted him away.
Chen Hongyi tossed his gun aside. "I... I didn't want to shoot him. He was going to shoot Qingqing... so I..."
Yang Tian turned pale and steadied Xia Wanqing, who was swaying on his feet. "It's okay. It's only a game..."
[Chen Hongyi did great! He should've taken out that entitled special-treatment guy ages ago! Thank goodness Qingqing is okay!]
"Fuck! You pack of cliquey dogs, you're disgusting! Production Team, I suggest you replace them right away! Let those five stick together forever!"
[Good grief, this variety show is so dramatic! The game's barely started and they're already sworn enemies. Are they really going to try to kill each other over the next few days?!]
[Yellow Springs Passerby loves this kind of drama-filled variety show! Give us more, give us more!]
Chu Lan returned to the base with a grim expression. Zhang Wen was just about to ask how Xia Yu had been eliminated when he heard the announcement that Qi Ning was out. He was stunned.
His expression darkened further. He'd managed to piss off the two most hot-tempered people at once. The next few days were going to be rough.
"What's going on?" Liu Yue hurried outside. "Did someone get into another fight?"
Chu Lan clutched the Revival Card tightly. After a long hesitation, he still decided to revive Xueli first.
"Why revive Xueli? We should revive Xia Yu first. He's a guy, so he has more stamina..."
Zhang Wen's expression turned cold. "Reviving Xueli first is the right thing to do. Are you saying we should leave her to spend the night alone in the Black Room?"
"I... I didn't mean that..." Stung by his words, Liu Yue lost her temper too and turned to head back into the wooden cabin.
[Some people really should stick to acting if they have any talent. Don't come on variety shows and expose your lack of emotional intelligence and brains. It's embarrassing!]
[I'm speechless at this award-winning actress. She's a woman herself, yet she can't even consider things from another woman's perspective.]
[Heh heh heh. That boy-band leader plays favorites, reviving some old woman who can't find anything, while poor Xueli gets left behind. Hang in there, young girl. Once you win an award, you'll get revived first.]
[Don't rush! Just give me three minutes to watch an ad, and I'll revive my husband, my husband's cousin, and the poor little actress my husband wants to protect. We'll wipe out those cliquey dogs!]
[Hahahaha, that's the first time I've laughed today. "My husband, my husband, my husband"—you're really going all out for love of him, huh?]
The Production Team had built Black Rooms in several locations. Since Xia Yu and Xueli had been eliminated around the same time, they were locked up in the same place.
Xia Yu had only been locked inside for a short while when Xueli was revived.
She didn't hurry back to the base. Instead, she leaned against the door to Xia Yu's room and said, "Xia Yu, I'll go find a Revival Card for you!"
"It's almost dark. Go back to the base and meet up with everyone first. You can look tomorrow."
"But if we can't find a Revival Card, you'll have to spend the night here..."
The Black Room was tiny, with only a single chair inside. Even Xia Yu, who was 1.83 meters tall, could barely stretch out his limbs in there.
Xia Yu smiled reassuringly at her. "It's okay. Maybe the Production Team is just putting on a show. They won't really make me spend the whole night cramped up in here."
"Really?"
"Really. Could you do me a favor when you get back to the base?"
"Sure."
"There's a Revival Card in my backpack. I was keeping it for Qi Ning. Could you revive him for me when you get back?"
Xueli didn't suggest using it on him first. She nodded. "Okay. I'll revive him as soon as I get back."
"Thank you. Hurry back."
"Then I'm going. Be careful, and call the Production Team right away if anything happens."
"Got it."
She discreetly wiped away a tear, then turned and ran toward the base.
"Ah, another person's been bewitched by our host's handsome face." System 001 crossed his legs and sighed. "At first, I thought this girl was pretty calculating. Turns out she's actually quite nice."
Xia Yu's gentle expression faded, replaced by cool detachment. He sat on the chair, slouching against the wooden board behind him.
"Host, are you really going to spend the night here? This is so unfair to you. Tongtong's heart is breaking for you."
"Shut up. Don't be disgusting."
"..." Hmph! That cute, sweet voice is adorable! You just don't know how to appreciate it!
He hadn't been there long when the rickety door was taken apart.
Black Snake put away his military knife, bowed slightly, and handed over a phone. "Young Master, the gentleman would like to speak with you."
Xia Yu lazily lifted his eyelids and took the phone.
"Xiaxia." Chi Yan's low voice held a hint of tenderness, as if he were gently coaxing him. "Could you come out with Black Snake and the others for a bit? I want to have a proper talk with you."
His lips drooped, and his voice sounded dejected. "Didn't we already talk it through?"
"No. I was wrong at the hotel that day. I'm sorry."
"..."
"Be good, Xiaxia. Come out first, and I'll apologize to you in person. You've been running around in the mountains all day. Come out and take a nice bath. I'll have them make your favorite dishes."
Xia Yu fell silent for a while, then answered in a low voice. He handed the phone back and stood up.
Black Snake and White Wolf both let out a sigh of relief. "Young Master, don't worry. We've taken care of all the cameras. They won't film you."
"Mm. Let's go."
Before you continue