Even though the production team had already limited the number of items each guest could bring to the island, the very image-conscious Shen Xingcan had firmly insisted on bringing a shawl that served no purpose whatsoever beyond accessorizing.
Shen Xingcan wore a white short-sleeved shirt, with a neat little beige shawl draped loosely over his shoulders purely for decoration. It perfectly complemented his loose trousers in the same color, whose roomy, structured cut accentuated his slender waist and long, straight legs.
His medium-length hair was tied back with a dark green silk scarf. The wind lifted the loose strands, brushing them across his beautiful, snow-pale face, and he radiated a brightness that made it hard to look away.
Looking that good, he naturally couldn't carry a bottle in his hand. It would really ruin his image.
The livestream had ended, but there would still be plenty of filming. After all, the production team needed fresh footage to edit into the version aired weekly at a set time on the major satellite TV channels.
Xie Linchuan said, "Then stay thirsty."
Shen Xingcan pretended he was deaf in both ears, looking at the sky and the ground, anywhere but at Xie Linchuan.
Getting older didn't completely transform a person. A little brat who raised hell as a child remained exactly the same as an adult.
In the end, Xie Linchuan still took two bottles of water. He couldn't actually let Shen Xingcan die of thirst.
With their water in hand, the group set off for the beach.
On the way, Bai Lin suddenly spoke as if joking. "Isn't Xingcan being a bit of a bully?"
Shen Xingcan glanced at Bai Lin and snorted. "He likes letting me bully him. Is that not allowed?"
At those words, the director swiftly told the crew to stop filming. Before he could step in to break things up, Bai Lin had already reached his limit.
Bai Lin could no longer control himself. "Mr. Xie only finds it hard to turn you down because we're filming a show. I think people ought to have some self-awareness."
Shen Xingcan was thoroughly overbearing. "The person involved hasn't even said anything. Who the hell are you? An outsider like you doesn't get a say in what goes on between us!"
Xie Linchuan reached out and tugged at Shen Xingcan, who was walking beside him.
Shen Xingcan turned around furiously. "What?"
I'm in the middle of an argument! Why are you pulling me? Does Xie Linchuan even know whose side he's on?
Xie Linchuan said, "You're about to walk into a tree."
"Oh."
Shen Xingcan turned to continue arguing with Bai Lin.
But before he could turn around, he was pulled back again.
Shen Xingcan demanded at the top of his lungs, "There aren't any trees ahead!"
Does that bastard Xie Linchuan not understand that you have to keep up your momentum in an argument?
Looking at the fuming Shen Xingcan before him, Xie Linchuan said casually, "We can replace him. There's no need to argue with him."
He had decided Bai Lin's fate so casually, clearly unconcerned about the consequences of anyone overhearing those words or spreading them around.
No one present doubted the truth of Xie Linchuan's words, because he could indeed do it.
After a pause of a few seconds, Shen Xingcan theatrically clutched his chest like a delicate beauty. "So cool, Brother Linchuan! You're making me swoon~"
Xie Linchuan said, "Then swoon here. We're leaving."
Shen Xingcan made a face at Xie Linchuan, then gave a few very affected laughs. "Oh, forget it. I'm a pretty magnanimous person. I wouldn't have Bai Lin replaced over such a little thing..."
Neither of them had deliberately lowered his voice, so everyone naturally heard the exchange loud and clear.
Bai Lin looked at Xie Linchuan in disbelief.
He had clearly been standing up for Xie Linchuan! Why would Xie Linchuan treat him like this?
Jiang Yifeng said, "Captain's temper really is getting better and better. In the past, he'd definitely have said to throw him into the sea to feed the sharks. Bai Lin, you just escaped with your life! Hahahaha, just kidding, just kidding."
Bai Lin's expression grew even uglier.
Song Tiantian looked at the deathly pale Bai Lin with a sigh. She actually understood exactly what he was thinking. He had assumed Shen Xingcan and Xie Linchuan were at odds and wanted to help Xie Linchuan target Shen Xingcan. Little did he know that husbands could fight at the head of the bed and make up at its foot; any outsider who meddled would only become cannon fodder.
Although she thought Bai Lin had brought this on himself, Song Tiantian's professionalism still prompted her to speak.
"Let's hurry to the beach. That way, we'll have more time to prepare our gifts."
Having achieved the feat of landing a head-on blow against someone he really disliked, Shen Xingcan was visibly in high spirits. He even enthusiastically sang everyone a song a cappella.
A little over twenty minutes later, they arrived at the beach.
Since they were looking for gifts by the sea, everyone was naturally after things like seashells and conches.
To avoid competing over resources, the six automatically split into three groups once they reached the beach.
Shen Xingcan took off his shoes and socks at the edge of the beach.
Xie Linchuan frowned. "Don't go barefoot."
Shen Xingcan refused. "No. How am I supposed to splash around if I don't go barefoot? Summer is for playing in the water!"
After excitedly splashing around for a while, he suddenly nudged the person beside him with his arm. "Xie Linchuan, do you want some fish?"
Xie Linchuan said, "Yes."
Shen Xingcan looked at the man beside him in disbelief. "How could you say yes?!"
Xie Linchuan asked in return, "Why can't I say yes?"
Shen Xingcan looked solemn. "Because then I could naturally say, 'What a shame. I was planning to jump into the sea and catch you some fish.'"
But now that Xie Linchuan had said yes, his sweet talk naturally had nowhere to go. After all, his meager swimming skills really didn't support jumping into the sea.
Xie Linchuan said irritably, "Don't try fooling me with the tricks you use to fool young girls."
Shen Xingcan corrected him. "How is that fooling anyone? It's called coaxing someone with sweet words. Besides, I've never fooled any young girls, or sweet-talked any... no, wait. I have sweet-talked one Miss Xie."
When Xie Linchuan heard Shen Xingcan's final remark about having sweet-talked one Miss Xie, his gaze flickered slightly. Only when he saw the mischievous grin on Shen Xingcan's face did he realize who this so-called Miss Xie was.
Shen Xingcan put on a theatrical sigh. "Too bad Miss Xie has such a temper. He's so hard to sweet-talk."