Pei Tingyun did indeed stop struggling.
But his desire to get down was still putting up a fight.
Pei Tingyun said helplessly, "Why do you insist on carrying me? My legs are perfectly fine. I'm not hurt..."
Xie Huan said, "Aw, c'mon, this road's filthy! Getting mud all over your feet walking back would feel awful! You just risked your neck to save me. What's the big deal if I carry you for a bit?"
Pei Tingyun knew that Xie Huan wanted to keep him from coming into contact with anything that might make him uncomfortable because he had learned about his germophobia.
He had even deliberately found an excuse that wouldn't embarrass him.
Once again, Xie Huan's care in the smallest details warmed him.
But this time.
Pei Tingyun could distinctly feel his heart becoming a little unsettled.
Because of what Hua Xin had said.
And even more because he had risked himself to save Xie Huan.
Hua Xin was right.
When he rushed forward to take a bullet for Xie Huan, it really had been an instinctive reaction, without any thought.
Originally, Pei Tingyun hadn't thought there was anything to it.
But after Hua Xin explained it that way, he also felt as though something wasn't quite right.
Pei Tingyun wasn't sure exactly what was off, but he had figured out one thing.
If it had been anyone other than Xie Huan-even if Hua Xin had been the one held at gunpoint-he would have found a way to save them, but he wouldn't have made that completely subconscious move to take a bullet.
Could it be...
Had he really developed feelings for Xie Huan that went beyond friendship?
Single since birth, Pei Tingyun had never experienced this kind of confusion.
And the only person around him with any experience in this was Hua Xin.
Unfortunately, Hua Xin had been trying to pull him into their circle for a long time.
Who knew whether this was another case of Hua Xin deliberately steering him in that direction?
Not sure. Wait and see.
The group returned to the villa.
Aside from Pei Tingyun, who was still clean and fresh from head to toe.
Not one of the others had clean shoes or legs. They were all covered in mud.
The dog had gone even wilder in the mud and had now turned into a mud dog.
With his miserable lot in life, Gu Lin dragged him inside for a bath.
Pei Tingyun told everyone to return to their rooms to change and rest while he discussed the snorkeling arrangements with the production team.
As their tour guide, Pei Tingyun had scheduled snorkeling for everyone that morning.
But since there were no locals on the island who could help.
Pei Tingyun could only turn to the production team to arrange the necessary equipment and an instructor.
The production team said they could provide snorkeling equipment and an instructor.
But before that, they needed to complete a task.
Pei Tingyun said, "...Why didn't I see you setting this many tasks in the first two seasons?"
The director said, "Because the guests in the first two seasons made entertaining television all on their own. They didn't need this many tasks."
Pei Tingyun said, "..."
Fine.
If entertaining television meant internal conflicts within the Roaming Group, then they indeed couldn't match the previous two seasons.
But letting the production team lead them around by the nose wasn't their group's style either.
So while he waited for the other members, Pei Tingyun kept bargaining with the director.
Xie Huan was the first to finish cleaning up and come downstairs.
Seeing that Pei Tingyun was discussing serious business with the director, he didn't interrupt. Instead, he hung the cured pork he had put away yesterday back outside to continue drying.
After hanging up the cured pork, Xie Huan had nothing to do, so he went to stand just behind Pei Tingyun to one side and listened to their discussion.
Xie Huan stood there without a word, looking as stern as a bodyguard.
It put the director under enormous pressure.
He kept feeling that if he didn't agree to Pei Tingyun's demands, Xie Huan's fists would come pounding down on him the next second.
The final outcome, of course, was that the director agreed to provide the Roaming Group with the same meals as the production staff that day.
Satisfied, Pei Tingyun patted the director on the shoulder. "Very good. Bear one thing in mind: I don't want what happened this morning to happen again."
The director hurriedly promised, "It won't! Absolutely not!"
The livestream's bullet comments:
[Peipei's domineering CEO aura is off the charts. The director looks like his lowly employee, hahaha.]
[Looks like that safety drill this morning left Peipei scarred.]
[Pei Bao spent all that time bargaining with the director just to get the production team to feed them. Really, he just thinks cooking is hard work for Xie Huan and wants him to get some rest. I get it so well!]
[White Clouds and Black Soil really do spoil each other! I'm sold on this ship! So sold!]
Once everyone had gathered in the villa's ground-floor living room, the director began moving things along.
"This morning, Tour Guide Pei arranged snorkeling for you, but since there's no snorkeling equipment on the island, you'll need to complete tasks to obtain the necessary snorkeling equipment and a snorkeling instructor."
As soon as he finished, Gu Lin raised his hand. "We don't need an instructor. I know how to snorkel. I can teach them, so we can skip the task for getting an instructor."
There wasn't a recreational activity available to wealthy second-generation heirs that he didn't know how to do.
When it came to eating, drinking, and having fun, Second Young Master Gu was miles ahead.
And when it came to undermining the director, every member of the Roaming Group was No. 1.
Yao Xuan said, "Excellent. Now we just need to find where the production team put the diving equipment, and we won't have to do any tasks!"
The moment he finished, everyone turned in unison to look at Xie Huan.
Then they turned to look at the freshly washed, sweet-smelling husky, who was crouching on the floor chewing on a treat toy.
Tang Keni asked sincerely, "Who do you think... is better at finding things out of those two?"
Gu Lin stroked his chin in thought for a moment, then said mischievously, "Hmm... why don't we have them compete?"
Tang Keni clapped his hands excitedly. "Great idea! Brother Xie, why don't you race Number Two? See which of you can find the diving equipment first!"
Xie Huan said, "Aw, c'mon, what's there to compete over? What's even the point of a contest like that? Just to prove I'm better than a dog?"
Tang Keni, Yao Xuan, and Gu Lin all nodded in unison.
They even imitated his accent as they said, "You betcha!"
Xie Huan said, "..."
Holding back his laughter, Pei Tingyun returned the director's gaze with an innocent look-
It's not that I don't want to cooperate. They really just aren't interested in your tasks.
The director said, "..."
The director had never imagined that the one who would finally come to his rescue would be Xie Huan, who had kept pushing him toward a breakdown all this time.
Xie Huan said, "C'mon, Director, tell me what your task is. Lemme see which option's worth going for."
The director said, "..."
If I remember correctly, I'm the director, aren't I?
How did I end up being the one getting picked?
Where exactly did things go wrong?
Although he was left speechless, he still had to work hard to get things back on track.
Don't ask. If you had to, it was the self-discipline of a top-tier corporate workhorse!
The director said, "My task is a chemistry quiz challenge. I'll ask questions, and the five of you will each write your answers on your boards. If all the answers match, you pass the challenge."
Yao Xuan asked incredulously, "It's that simple?"
The director nodded. "Yes, it's that simple."
Xie Huan made the call without hesitation. "Okay! I'll do yours!"