The director hadn't even noticed Xie Huan leaving earlier.
Now he was utterly stunned.
Gu Household Group was the show's biggest financial backer, and Xie Huan was the Gu Household's real young master!
Although the Gu Household couldn't compare to the richest family, the Jiang Household, its head was still a prominent figure in Xihong City's wealthy circles.
How could the director dare say no to his face?
He beamed. "Sure! Of course! I'll go get your dinner right now."
But he didn't go get the lavish dinner they had prepared beforehand.
Instead, he headed toward the spot where the production crew had piled their suitcases...
The five members of the Roaming Group sat down at the dining table.
While they waited for their food, Tang Keni and Yao Xuan both gave Xie Huan a thumbs-up.
"That's our big bro! Awesome!"
"You got the villa's power running all by yourself! How'd you do it?"
Xie Huan didn't say he had worked it out through divination, only answering vaguely,
"Well... I happened to spot the generator when I went out, so I just switched it on."
Tang Keni and Yao Xuan were both pretty extroverted, and showered Xie Huan with more praise.
They called him a son of fortune and said he had great luck and so on.
Xie Huan laughed along.
The three chatted animatedly.
As an introvert, Pei Tingyun didn't take the initiative to join their conversation.
Still, he had grown a little curious about Xie Huan.
Pei Tingyun didn't believe things could really be that coincidental.
Earlier, when they were looking for the boarding gate, Xie Huan had also seemed to know the right answer the instant the task was announced.
This man didn't seem as simple as he appeared.
Xie Huan turned his head and happened to catch Pei Tingyun staring at him.
His gaze seemed probing, with a hint of amusement mixed in.
For some reason, his stare made Xie Huan a little uncomfortable. He scratched his head. "Whatcha looking at? Got flowers growing on my face?"
When Pei Tingyun opened his mouth, the word "man" almost slipped out.
He quickly slammed on the brakes and corrected himself. "Ahem... nothing."
That was close!
I almost said what I was thinking!
He didn't know what had gotten into him just then.
As though his brain had short-circuited, a classic domineering CEO line suddenly popped into his head:
Man, you've successfully caught my attention!
Pei Tingyun was completely floored by his own thought.
Then, expressionless, he shoved that ridiculous idea back down.
Even Gu Lin, who had always looked down on Xie Huan, saw him in a somewhat different light now.
But he didn't show it.
He remained as haughty as ever.
Soon, though, he couldn't keep that up anymore.
Because the director had arrived.
He came over carrying four cups of instant noodles!
All five members of the Roaming Group froze for two seconds with identical expressions.
Tang Keni was the first to bristle. "This is the dinner you promised?"
The director answered without a shred of shame. "Yes. I said it was a basic dinner. A basic dinner means instant noodles."
Everyone: "..."
Comments streamed across the livestream:
[Hahaha, the dinner's basic, but the director sure isn't!]
[The Roaming Group couldn't outplay the production team after all!]
[Yao Xuan: I told you there was no point doing that task! Why not just lie flat?]
[I seriously suspect Yao Xuan inspired the director's basic dinner!]
[Instant noodles are taking an unfair hit to their reputation!]
Tang Keni continued protesting:
"Director, you've gone too far! There are five of us. Why did you only give us four cups?"
The director was utterly unapologetic. "Because you weren't proactive during the task to light up the villa, one cup has been deducted."
With that, the director put all four cups of instant noodles in front of Pei Tingyun.
Pei Tingyun looked baffled.
What's this supposed to mean?
The biggest star gets first pick?
Then won't Xie Huan go hungry?
The director didn't answer his unspoken questions.
Instead, he went on to explain their upcoming itinerary:
"Look, this is the private island the production team booked for you! An island where no one will disturb you!
Next, you'll be enjoying seven days of independent island travel without a local guide!"
All five members of the Roaming Group were dumbfounded.
So having instant noodles for their first meal after landing wasn't the worst of it!
Because "no one will disturb you" meant there were no locals on the island, only the production team.
Naturally, there weren't any shops either.
Even the villa's refrigerator was empty, without a single ingredient inside.
Xie Huan couldn't spend his savings even if he wanted to!
No wonder the director hadn't reacted at all when he heard Xie Huan had hidden money.
So this was what he had been waiting for!
And in a situation where they had nothing they needed, knew nothing about the island, and didn't even have a travel itinerary,
the director actually wanted to pick one unlucky member of the Roaming Group to serve as their tour guide.
Unfortunately,
Pei Tingyun was the unlucky one chosen!
The director even found a high-sounding justification for the result:
"This is your special reward for being the first to find the boarding gate."
A rare crack appeared in the cool expression Pei Tingyun had maintained ever since his debut.
What?!
You call this a reward?!
No wonder you had to put "special" before "reward." This sure is special!
Hearing this, Xie Huan, who sat beside Pei Tingyun, immediately spoke up against the unfair treatment.
"Well, I'll be! Why's your production team picking on folks? You think my buddy Da Ting's an easy target just 'cause he's honest?
We got to the boarding gate together. Why didn't you make me the guide?"
Pei Tingyun hadn't expected Xie Huan to stand up for him.
He looked over in surprise.
Xie Huan was staring wide-eyed, shielding him like a mother hen protecting her chicks.
Although Xie Huan's posture looked a little funny,
Pei Tingyun still said to him with great sincerity, "Thank you."
For this time.
And for earlier, when Xie Huan had restored power to the island, dispelling the darkness that was like a nightmare to him.
Xie Huan waved a large hand. "What's there to thank me for? Don't you worry. With your big bro here, nobody gets to bully you!"
Pei Tingyun said nothing more, but as he lowered his eyes, some thoughts he shouldn't have had inexplicably surfaced again:
The way Xie Huan's defending me really does look like a classic scene from a drama.
A wife protecting her husband or something...
Wait!
Something doesn't seem right...
Gu Lin's mouth twitched at what he heard.
Clearly, all three of them had reached the boarding gate together.
Yet in Xie Huan's version, he had simply vanished, just like that!
Forget it.
I'm not interested in being the tour guide anyway.
I can stay vanished.
Saves me the trouble.
Comments streamed across the livestream:
[Big bro said exactly what I wanted to say! They're blatantly picking on Peipei!]
[Thank you, big bro, for speaking up for our Peipei!]
[I'm dying. It's a story about three people, but Gu Lin doesn't even get a name. Big bro and his hubby really are true love!]
[Tsk, tsk, already protecting him! That's the ship I sail! White Clouds and Black Soil, give me that sweetness!]
The director didn't change the plan they had decided on long ago because of Xie Huan's words.
And he had a perfectly sound reason.
The director said, "When you reached the boarding gate, Pei Tingyun was the first to step inside."
And so,
the tour guide for their first stop could only be Pei Tingyun.
Xie Huan slapped his thigh and said to Pei Tingyun in frustration...