I Just Like Tanned Jocks

The call was hung up on him again. This time, Lu Siqi wasn't surprised.

His anger wasn't as fierce as it had been last time, either.

Instead, that feeling of something gradually slipping out of his control grew stronger, leaving him inexplicably rattled.

After taking a moment, Lu Siqi reined in his emotions and pushed the phone back into his secretary's hand. "What urgent work do I have coming up?" he asked coldly.

"?" The secretary took a second to react, then pulled out his digital planner. "Two acquisitions, a research proposal, and the resort investment..."

"Push them back as far as possible. Can you clear a month for me?" Lu Siqi interrupted.

"I can, but," the secretary replied evenly, "it would cost over a hundred million."

Lu Siqi's eyes darkened. "Understood."

With that, he turned and went back into the conference room to resume the discussion.

That's right.

He would never allow himself to waste too much energy on a mistress's bastard.

All the time he'd spent tormenting him before had merely been revenge and collecting a debt.

If he canceled important engagements and lost over a hundred million just to join an adventure reality show...

Wouldn't that be giving the bastard far too much credit?!

It might even give him delusions that Lu Siqi actually cared...

Lu Siqi ignored the unease in his chest and continued listening to his employees' reports, but his eyes refused to focus.

By the time they had run most of the route, the setting sun was already nearing the sea.

Sweat had soaked through their camouflage uniforms, making the fabric cling uncomfortably to their skin.

Jian Li simply dropped his weighted pack, took off his shirt and tied it around his waist, then picked the pack back up.

He was about to keep running when a voice came from behind him. "Feeling hot?"

Jian Li abruptly looked back and saw a tall man with a cold, stern face approaching him step by step.

"Even in the evening, you can still get a tan as long as the sun's out." Huo Xiao walked up beside Jian Li, his voice so neutral that it betrayed no emotion.

The camera on his collar pointed straight at Jian Li's exquisite collarbones.

[Holy shit, is this that legendary cool-toned fair skin? Why is he so pale it's almost blinding?!]

[Haha, Xiao's concern came out of nowhere. From his camera angle, Jian Li looks several times prettier!]

[That body speaks for itself, and don't even get me started on his face. Now he's taken his shirt off, too. Are you sure he isn't trying to seduce someone?!]

[Now that you mention it, Jian Li does seem a little calculating. Had he already spotted Xiao behind him?!]

[...]

"A tan?" Jian Li's lips curved up. "I'd love one."

"I just like tanned jocks."

"Really?" Huo Xiao's expression turned serious for a moment, as though he were considering something.

Then, a second later, he took off his camouflage shirt as well, revealing the sleek contours of his upper body.

He glanced down at himself and muttered something under his breath.

Jian Li vaguely caught the words, "Looks a little pale. Could use some more sun."

Jian Li: "..."

I like being a tanned jock myself.

It has nothing to do with anyone else!

What is this gorgeous, powerful, tragic villain thinking?!

In the livestream from the camera at his waist:

[Hey, hey, hey! Don't treat me like an outsider! Tilt that camera up a little! This glimpse of flesh is all I've got to live on for the rest of my life!]

[Does this count as Xiao and Li baring everything to each other?! Oh, wait, only half of everything. Can the full reveal be far off?!]

[Hilarious. You people have somehow turned an adventure show into a dating show with all your shipping. What, will you die if you don't ship them?!]

[Exactly, we will! Xiao is clearly interested. He wants to turn himself into a tanned jock!]

The two veteran informants who had caught up saw the two shirtless men looking like a pair of attention magnets. They instinctively exchanged a glance and muttered, "Ah, to be young."

"Unlike us. My knees are about to develop synovitis from all this running!"

"Tell me about it. Let's find a chance to take a break together."

"Time's almost up, isn't it? If we're ten minutes late, we'll have to do push-ups. My arms aren't that strong to begin with..."

Zhou Nan flexed his rather well-developed biceps, looked at them himself, then silently lowered his arm.

Before the livestream viewers could process how odd that looked, Luo Xiaohong ran up from behind, complaining, "How have you only made it this far? Keep dawdling, and I'll..."

Anyone who had practiced martial arts knew that dragging things out only wore down your patience.

Especially when she couldn't reveal on camera the miserable childhood she'd spent more than ten years racing up and down mountains carrying water.

Luo Xiaohong was so impatient that she jogged in place. Realizing she'd nearly let something slip, she hurriedly changed tack. "You're about to leave me way behind!"

Shi Huayi turned to glance at her powerful legs, which looked ready to launch her into the sky. His cheeks twitched with suppressed laughter. "Then shall we wait for you a little longer?"

"Please don't!" Luo Xiaohong blurted out.

Wouldn't you lot drag me to death?!

I might as well just reveal my identity and get it over with!

And so, in under three hours,

the weighted-pack squad returned to the training grounds together.

They tossed their packs onto the ground and immediately competed to complain.

"I'm exhausted! This training isn't something a human being can handle!"

"I told my agent I was too old for this, but they insisted on signing me up!"

"I've even gotten a tan! How am I supposed to land romance roles now?!"

"..."

Jian Li narrowed his eyes and glanced over them. Seeing the three undercover agents grow increasingly theatrical, he pressed his lips together. Ha. Like hell I believe you!

Meanwhile, at the operations team's base on the island,

the buzz-cut men gathered around a tablet were staring in astonishment, all talking at once.

"H-how long?!"

"Two hours and fifty minutes?! Every single guest made it back?!"

"Twenty minutes faster than our best record?!"

"And it was livestreamed the whole way, without any cheating?!"

"If I hadn't seen it myself..."

Before the chatter died down, someone entered through the door and cleared his throat sternly. "Ahem!"

The buzz-cut men immediately turned and stood at attention. "Captain!"

"I have a special assignment for you," the captain said, his expression stern. "We'll be working with the production crew to put the guests through intensive training. Besides setting up obstacles, we'll also be running a live-action combat game."

He clasped his hands behind his back, a trace of disdain inevitably creeping into his voice. "None of them have professional training, after all. Don't make the defeat too humiliating. Just go through the motions."

The buzz-cut men: "..."

Are we sure they haven't had professional training?

One of the guests dislocated someone's arm on camera, after all...

"Any questions?" Seeing his men remain silent, the captain asked again with complete confidence.

"No, sir!" the buzz-cut men shouted in unison.

The captain nodded and turned toward the door. The moment he stepped into the corridor, his lips unconsciously curved into a delighted smile.

Oh, Feng, old buddy!

Am I finally going to beat you for once?!

Don't go saying I won unfairly afterward!