Sky-High Insurance

When Lu Xingchuan had first arrived, he had been too irritated to notice whether there was anything written on the refrigerator.

Now that he looked, his eyelid twitched. "I acted on my own. Sorry."

Xie Li hurriedly shook his head. "No, Xingchuan only came later. I was the one who used the ingredients in the fridge first. I didn't mean any harm, really."

Xie Li looked at the director with some grievance.

"I just saw that only Shen Yan and Shanshan had eaten cookies while everyone else was still hungry. I wanted to make something for everyone to eat. Bai Jing's stomach isn't very good, and I was worried she'd feel unwell.

"I saw the note on the fridge. I'll take whatever punishment there is."

Xie Li had thought it through clearly.

It was only a few tomatoes and eggs. At most, he had used the production team's ingredients ahead of time.

Though he had broken the rules, he was willing to accept the punishment.

That way, the guests would appreciate his kindness, his fans would think he was considerate, and they would criticize Shen Yan even more for being selfish.

Xie Li said anxiously, "Look, I've already cooked the noodles. Just let everyone have a bite. If there's any punishment, I'll bear it for everyone. After all, I'm the one who broke the rules."

The director was so angry that he laughed.

"You'll bear it? Can you afford to?"

Lu Xingchuan was somewhat displeased by the director's attitude. "It's just some tomatoes and eggs. Xiao Li already said he's willing to take the punishment. When Shen Yan played the game earlier, he ate five boxes of cookies. Why didn't you say he couldn't afford it?"

[I also think the director is being pretty obviously biased.]

[Shen Yan must have secretly bribed someone.]

[Don't believe rumors or spread them. Let the facts speak for themselves.]

The director looked at Lu Xingchuan speechlessly.

If Lu Xingchuan had not been so famous and influential in the industry, the director truly would have stomped his feet on the spot.

He fought desperately to suppress his anger.

"This villa was rented by our production team for filming, and the refrigerator belongs to the villa's owner.

"The ingredients inside belong to the owner as well.

"When the owner rented us the house, he made it very clear that we were not to touch the refrigerator or anything inside it.

"Regardless of his reasons, we need to honor the contract. That's why this clause was specifically highlighted when the production team signed the agreement with all of you.

"And last night, I specifically sent every one of you a message emphasizing this again.

"Now, in front of a nationwide audience, perhaps the owner himself is watching this program..."

Before the director could finish speaking,

the assistant director rushed over from the side and said in a low voice, "Um, the owner just called. He said he's no longer renting us the house and wants us to pay compensation according to the breach-of-contract penalty."

The assistant director was not particularly loud.

But he was loud enough for the livestream viewers, as well as Lu Xingchuan and Xie Li across from him, to hear clearly.

[This is hard to judge.]

[It's just tomatoes and eggs. Can't they just replace them? This landlord is so weird!]

[The owner didn't suddenly make trouble. He clearly told the production team beforehand, and it was stated in the contract. Why are people cursing the owner?]

[The director is the one with the problem. Did he have to bring this up during a livestream? Couldn't he have talked to the guests privately?]

Xie Li immediately began to cry. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I only flew back to the country yesterday and was dealing with jet lag, so I went to bed early and didn't see your message. There may have been a communication oversight with my agent. I'm really sorry. I was wrong."

After saying that, he turned, his eyes brimming with tears, and looked at Lu Xingchuan. "Why didn't Xingchuan remind me?"

The day before, Lu Xingchuan had been so infuriated by Shen Yan that he had seen stars.

He had lost six million in a single day.

When he came to the production team today, he had been filled with anger again, and he still felt as though the smell of a toilet bowl lingered over his head.

He had completely forgotten about this matter.

Now that the director had mentioned it, he broke out in a cold sweat.

But the situation had already reached this point. There was nothing he could do except say, "Sorry, it was my fault. I'll cover the compensation. Um... I have a private villa nearby. Everyone can trouble themselves to move over there and continue filming. Would that work?"

The director looked at Lu Xingchuan helplessly. "Mr. Lu should have read the contract. The owner cares a great deal about the things in the refrigerator, so he specifically insured the tomatoes and eggs inside.

"You won't just need to pay the breach-of-contract penalty. The insurance company will be contacting you as well."

[What the hell? Tomatoes and eggs were insured?]

[It feels like someone set Lu Xingchuan and Xie Li up.]

[It must be Shen Yan!]

[Didn't those two willingly use the eggs and tomatoes because they were all lovey-dovey? No one threatened or tempted them, and no one even led them into it. They can still blame someone else?]

Lu Xingchuan frowned, vaguely recalling that there had indeed been such a clause.

Fortunately, his family's company was powerful enough now. Solving these issues should not be a problem.

With such a mess breaking out now, he and Xie Li would definitely be criticized. Preserving their reputations was the most urgent matter.

The irritation between Lu Xingchuan's brows faded as he said to the director, "We did something wrong, and we should be responsible for all of this. We've caused trouble for the production team."

Lu Xingchuan's attitude was good. The director had been frantic and nearly driven mad just now, so his tone had been poor. Now, his attitude softened as well. "All right, then Mr. Lu, contact the owner. We'll notify the other guests to move. How far is your villa from here?"

Lu Xingchuan hurriedly said, "Past this stretch of beach, there's a private beach. That's where it is. It's not far."

[Lu Xingchuan is so rich!]

[He's really great. Even though he caused trouble, he immediately took full responsibility without shifting blame or making excuses. He's a real man.]

After Lu Xingchuan finished speaking with the director, he immediately contacted his assistant.

But before he could call his assistant, his agent called him first.

"Xingchuan, how could you be so careless? I reminded you this morning before you left—don't touch the refrigerator."

Lu Xingchuan sat down on the sofa in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. "Then we'll pay the compensation."

His agent flared up. "Do you know how much it is? The breach-of-contract penalty is triple compensation, and that amount isn't too much. The main issue is the eggs, tomatoes, and dried noodles. They were covered by sky-high insurance. The insurance company just contacted me. The total compensation is ten million."

Anger instantly flared across Lu Xingchuan's composed face. "How much?"

"Ten million. And they said the contract clearly states there's a deadline for payment. The compensation must be received before nightfall today, or they'll file a lawsuit."

Lu Xingchuan wanted to curse.

Those damn tomatoes, eggs, and dried noodles were worth ten million?

"This is a bit much. Talk to them again. Can we do it within three days?"

In a room on the second floor of the villa,

Pei Heng looked at the message on his WeChat screen and moved his fingers to reply, [No. It must be received today.]

Just as he finished replying, a staff member knocked on the door outside.

When Pei Heng opened it, Shen Yan—his hair a complete mess from sleep—also opened his door at the same time. Yawning, he asked the staff member, "Moving? Where are we moving to?"

The staff member hurriedly said, "There's a private beach over there. We're moving there."

Shen Yan froze.

Wasn't that the birthday gift the original owner's nine mothers had bought for him together? Why were they moving to his home to film the show?