Chapter 42
After Shen Jinfeng and Qin Ye returned to the wooden cabin, the others had already finished today’s beachcombing mission.
Gu Shengsheng kept his promise and returned to the cabin early. Before they got back, he had already cooked the seafood and pork.
“Boss! Brother Ye! Hurry up and wash your hands so we can eat! I have to properly tell you about what I found today!” When he saw Shen Jinfeng and Qin Ye return, his eyes lit up at once, looking exactly like a kindergarten kid at home seeing his parents come back from work.
He Erwang clasped his fists, several messy strands of purple hair sticking stubbornly up into the air.
Thanks to his looks being able to hold the whole thing together, he only looked disheveled rather than chuunibyou or non-mainstream.
Although when he spoke, he was still as chuunibyou as ever. “Gu Shengsheng, what are you so proud of? I picked up almost twice as much as you today.”
Gu Shengsheng puffed up his cheeks in anger. “That’s because I came back early to cook! I cooked with Brother Mo. It’s fine if you don’t thank me, but you’re even comparing with me?”
He Erwang smiled smugly in a way that made people want to punch him. “No, I’m super grateful to you! You were really amazing today! You gave yourself to cooking for everyone. Worthy of praise.”
“But,” he changed the topic, “hey, one thing is one thing. By the time you stopped, I had already picked up more than you, and everything I picked up was more valuable than yours.”
Gu Shengsheng was so angry his fingers trembled. After holding it in for a long time, he finally squeezed out, “I was picking up things I like to eat! You were picking expensive ones!”
He Erwang raised his eyebrows proudly. “I wasn’t. The expensive ones jumped in front of me on their own.”
Hearing this, even Shen Jinfeng, who had originally just been watching the two of them bicker for entertainment, was a little speechless.
The expensive ones jumped in front of him on their own?
“All right, all right, stop arguing.” He stopped their endless quarrel.
He Erwang immediately looked at him. As it turned out, his goal was also to ask for credit. “Boss, I’ll take you to see today’s results. In the future, we can totally eat seafood until we’re sick of it. I was thinking, should we set aside a section of that bathing pool of ours and keep them there?”
Shen Jinfeng made a stop gesture, looked at He Erwang seriously, and asked, “Student He Erwang, when you used to talk, did nobody ever want to beat you up?”
“Huh?” He Erwang froze.
N-no, probably not. Other than his family, most people generally did not dare provoke him.
As for his family, only his cousin really hit him. The others seemed to just occasionally treat his words like air.
And as for his cousin hitting him, he was merely a good man who did not fight with women!
However, his father did seem to have once spoken to him earnestly. “Erwang, I originally wanted to advise you to bring your brain with you when you go out and talk, and to restrain yourself a little, but…”
At the time, his mother had been beside them. Hearing that, she slapped his father. “Enough. Erwang is fine like this. Don’t think about making him change. I think changing him would be difficult anyway.”
Then she smiled warmly at him and said, “It’s fine. As long as you’re happy. As long as we don’t break the law or violate discipline, Mommy supports you.”
At the time, his father’s expression had been complicated, and he sighed.
“A loving mother spoils her son.”
He Erwang had asked, “What’s wrong, Dad? What’s wrong with the way I talk?”
His father waved his hand. “Nothing. You’re pretty good as you are.”
Right now, it felt as if that scene was replaying itself.
He Erwang looked confused and asked Shen Jinfeng, “Boss, what’s wrong with the way I talk?”
Shen Jinfeng fell silent for a moment. Suddenly, he thought of the wealthy-for-life fate that Qi Xiu had read for him.
Forget it. With a fate that good, why force anything?
He shook his head and smiled. “Nothing. You’re pretty good as you are.”
Then he turned to Gu Shengsheng and said, “Shengsheng, he picked up a lot of valuable seafood? Let’s snatch all the most expensive ones and make him pick them up again.”
Gu Shengsheng’s eyes lit up. “Yay! We’ll count it as his meal fee.”
He Erwang actually did not think anything was wrong. He even happily echoed, “Isn’t that perfect?”
He hooked an arm around Gu Shengsheng and started making outrageous declarations. “Come on, call me brother. Follow your brother and you’ll eat well and drink spicy.”
Qi Xiu had silently listened from the side for a long time. At this moment, he finally could not hold back anymore. “No wonder you always get cheated when making friends.”
Mo Fan agreed. “Who could resist cheating him?”
“???” He Erwang bristled. “What do you mean, cheated? I’m not that stupid. I don’t become true friends with people who cheat me.”
Qin Ye considered himself someone with a very high threshold for laughter, but even he could not help the corners of his lips lifting. He tried hard not to laugh out loud.
“Boss?” He Erwang turned to look at Shen Jinfeng.
Shen Jinfeng coughed lightly twice, then casually ruffled his head full of purple hair, smoothing down the few strands sticking up.
“Do you consider me a true friend?”
He Erwang nodded without hesitation.
They were already friends who had gone through life and death together. How could they not be!
Shen Jinfeng smiled and said, “Then it’s fine. If a true friend cheats you, it’s also for your own good.”
He Erwang: “Mm-hmm.”
“Huh?”
Shen Jinfeng added, “But you should still make fewer true friends.”
He Erwang’s purple hair was messy in the wind.
The others could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.
He Erwang’s parents outside the screen: “…”
Help. Their son had embarrassed himself in front of the entire country’s audience.
He Erwang’s agent: “…”
They had clearly agreed to have He Erwang be cautious with his words outside and act like a cool guy.
He Erwang had learned lessons before and usually loved to snap at people, and he had hidden it pretty well earlier.
Now that he was on a show, his true colors were completely exposed!
Now everyone in the entertainment industry knew just how easy his artist was to coax—and scam.
What were they supposed to do from now on! He would have to keep his eyes glued to He Erwang at all times!
The bullet comments were already laughing themselves to death.
[Hahahahahahahahaha, nobody stop me. Let me laugh for half an hour first hahahaha.]
[Big Boss Shen, you just keep teasing him! What the hell is “if a true friend cheats you, it’s also for your own good,” and “but you should still make fewer true friends” hahahahaha.]
[I’m dying laughing. Little Purple Hair is totally confused right now. Like, wait, I just accidentally and invisibly showed off my wealth, acted cool, and revealed a bit of an easy-to-scam aura, and now you’re all coming to scam me? Oh, no, he can’t even realize he’s being scammed.]
[Please, Little Purple Hair’s inner monologue: money is but a worldly possession. What valuable seafood? If I give it to others, then I give it to others. I’ll just pick more. But one compliment from Boss makes it worth it! Gu Shengsheng calling me “brother” is even more valuable!]
[So Little Qi’s fortune-telling was really accurate. He’s easily cheated when making friends, and in romance, he’s also easily treated like a sucker. I was wondering before, no way, right? A little purple-haired guy with height, looks, money, and such a pure heart, and he still gets taken advantage of in love? Now I understand. It really is hard to resist taking a slice out of him hahaha.]
[The main thing is, if you don’t take advantage of him, he’ll take the initiative and give everything to you. He looks like the type who would go all in the moment he starts dating, a total love brain. But finding someone with the same attributes as him might be a little hard.]
However, despite the bullet comments roasting him, on the screen, Gu Shengsheng, who had gotten a bargain, narrowed his eyes and obediently called He Erwang, “Brother.”
He Erwang instantly felt his entire body become comfortable.
The corners of his lips could not help curling upward.
[I… I… forget it. As long as Little Purple Hair is happy.]
[This… forget it. The fans should worry more, the agent should worry more, Big Boss Shen should worry more, and his parents should worry more hahaha!]
[Little Purple Hair may be foolishly simple, but his luck really is good.]
After feeling smug for a few seconds, He Erwang saw that he had achieved his goal and worked hard to restrain his expression.
He looked into the leaf basket Shen Jinfeng and Qin Ye had brought back. “Boss, what good stuff did you two bring back?”
Why did it look like there were even a few stones pressed on top?
Shen Jinfeng put the leaf basket down and called the others over to look.
He and Qin Ye first took out the edible wild fruits they had picked. “They all taste pretty good. Divide them among yourselves.”
A pile of wild fruits spilled onto the ground with a clatter, and Qi Xiu and the others’ eyes lit up with a whoosh.
“I was just thinking that seafood and pork are all meat dishes every day, and eating them gets greasy. Boss, you two came back with fruit.” He Erwang spoke quickly and directly.
[Are those human words? Damn, Little Purple Hair really knows how to turn me into a lemon.]
[It’s already the year 4202, and I still haven’t achieved having fish, meat, fruit, and drinks in one meal! Even eating one meal like this outside once a week makes me feel extravagant! Yet they’re on a deserted island and having meals like this every time!]
[Holy crap, they’re all celebrities! How can they, how dare they eat like this! Where are your basic qualities as celebrities? Don’t you need to maintain your figures? Little Purple Hair, the abs you trained so hard for are about to disappear! Demon whisper.]
[Fun fact: even if they gain a hundred pounds while “being human,” once they “wake up,” they’ll immediately go back to their pre-weight-gain selves. Lighting a candle. I bet all the other celebrities who eat grass year-round are so jealous their eyes are red.]
There were indeed celebrities watching the livestream in their spare time, especially celebrities who had participated in the first two seasons, been lucky, and regained popularity.
Their eyes really were red with envy!
Originally, they had not thought of this angle, but after the netizens brought it up from such a novel perspective…
It really was rather tempting!
Sun Xinping had never expected things to develop like this either.
Quite a few celebrities actually called him to ask whether he could start another show where they could connect their consciousnesses and go in just to eat, eat, eat.
Sun Xinping: “…”
He thought for a long time but could not figure out what would be entertaining about a show like that.
These celebrities must have been driven mad by hunger.
He tactfully expressed that he and the team would think about it and consider it, then notify them if there were any follow-ups.
Meanwhile, on the screen, the guests sat in a circle.
They ate seafood, boiled pork, drank coconut juice, and paired everything with wild fruits.
Smoke curled upward. The fragrance seemed almost able to pass through the screen. They laughed and chatted, as if a painting of a paradise beyond the world was slowly unfolding before everyone’s eyes.
Shen Jinfeng also told the others about what he had found in the forest that afternoon.
“It’s a little late today. Tomorrow, we’ll go make some distress signals. Firelight, smoke, flag signals, reflective signals, obvious shapes for SOS—we’ll use them all.”
“We should be able to get out soon.”
The others nodded one after another, but what drew their curiosity even more was that there was actually a tomb in the forest.
Because Mo Fan had nearly died in the swamp, he still had lingering fear.
And when he heard that there was a tomb not far from the place where he had almost gotten into trouble, he suddenly felt even more creeped out.
“Could it be that even if I really fell in, I wouldn’t die, and would just arrive inside that tomb?” His imagination wandered. “Is this the wisdom of the ancestors? Is that swamp some kind of passage?”
Shen Jinfeng looked at him strangely. “How did you come up with that?”
“A swamp is a naturally formed landform. If you fall in, there’s a high chance you really won’t survive.”
Mo Fan: “…”
Forgive him. He had read too many martial arts novels.
Qi Xiu was very curious about that tomb. “Boss, do you know feng shui? My master knows a little too, but unfortunately, he won’t teach me.”
Because in their line of work, helping people read feng shui counted as one of the rare businesses that did not damage one’s yin virtue and also brought in money quickly. But no matter how much money the old man earned from reading feng shui for others, he could not save any of it.
The more money came in, the faster it disappeared, and occasionally there would even be accidents. He got so angry that he could not be bothered to move.
Shen Jinfeng was very modest. “I know a little.”
He looked at the others, who were all curious, and advised them, “Everyone should believe in science. So-called feng shui is actually just a part of environment and layout art. It’s only that ancient people invented the term feng shui. It’s not that mysterious.”
Qin Ye glanced at him but did not say what he had felt that afternoon.
In the forest that afternoon, Shen Jinfeng’s manner had been even more like a “charlatan” than Qi Xiu. And because he had spotted a feng shui issue, he had specially gone back to dig several meters deep into the soil to confirm his guess.
But now, saying that they should believe in science, he suddenly looked perfectly rational, materialistic, and like someone defending the truth.
His acting was really quite good.
Qin Ye withdrew his gaze, faint amusement in his eyes, but did not expose him.
In truth, the others did not believe him either.
After all, they already had Qi Xiu as the “fine jade” before them.
However, they did not have the same god’s-eye view as the audience, so they had not felt the accuracy of Qi Xiu’s “fortune-telling” quite as deeply. They were just listening to this kind of knowledge for fun and would not investigate it too deeply.
Shen Jinfeng then took out the magnetite for the others to look at. “After we get out, we’ll also have to report this to the relevant departments. The magnetite in the forest should only be one part. There must be a large mineral deposit nearby.”
Qin Ye nodded in agreement. “If we’re in the country, that’s fine.”
“Mm?” Gu Shengsheng did not react for a moment. “Didn’t we say that even if we’re not in the country, we’re still very close to it?”
The corners of Qin Ye’s lips lifted slightly. “This uninhabited deserted island has never been stepped on by anyone before, and nobody knows what’s on it.”
Seeing that everyone still looked confused, Shen Jinfeng stopped keeping them in suspense and sang the same tune as Qin Ye. “So, first come, first served.”
He Erwang suddenly understood, his eyes widening in shock.
“You mean, we need to take this good stuff home and hand it over to the national father? Even if it belongs to a foreign country, we can’t let foreigners know?”
Shen Jinfeng made a shushing gesture. “So don’t let it slip.”
“If we end up getting rescued by foreign friends because of the magnetite, then this thing is something we brought with us ourselves.”
Mo Fan listened excitedly but voiced his doubt. “But mining stones will definitely cause movement, right? Won’t it cause disputes?”
Qin Ye added with a solemn expression, “We’re merely here to bring our ancestors from several thousand years ago home.”
Pfft.
The others froze when they heard that, then all gave him a thumbs-up. “Brother Ye, awesome!”
The audience who had watched the entire livestream:
[…]
[???]
[!!!]
[What the hell, bringing the ancestors home! Hahahaha, Qin Ye, you really have some tricks!]
[The ancestors probably never imagined that their brilliance could truly contribute to sheltering ten thousand generations. Sob, the ancestors were so righteous!]
[I’m dying laughing. Even though it’s really funny hahaha, the patriotic stance of this season’s guests is beyond doubt!]
[Exactly. The moment they see something good, they want to bring it home! The moment they see something good, they want to hand it over! This level of awareness—I’m crying.]
[What a shame that it’s a virtual world! How great would it be if it were real!]
[If it were real, we NPCs probably wouldn’t know anything, but we would definitely be very patriotic and argue online with netizens from that unknown country. We’re bringing our ancestors home, do you have a problem with that? Huh? Asking how our ancestors ended up at your place? That means we were one family thousands of years ago! Come back into Mother’s arms!]
[Blind guess: the production team is currently frantic and about to be invited by the relevant departments for tea.]
The production team: “…”
It was not funny at all. Really.
How on earth did the guests create so much extra work for them just by opening and closing their mouths?
Director Goat’s head was getting huge.
Although it was a simulated reality, the thing was, they had simulated several different real locations.
All of them had been shattered, blended, and recombined into one deserted island.
The data was really difficult to find!
And the virtual world would also naturally develop on its own. For example, that swamp was very likely formed because of the previous heavy rain and typhoon.
As for this magnetite, who knew which place had been blown over by the typhoon?
Just as the netizens had predicted, Sun Xinping really did receive a call from the relevant departments asking him to cooperate and provide materials and data.
He was numb.
But without a doubt, this show of his had completely gone viral.
Compared with the explosive popularity of the first two seasons, this season had Shen Jinfeng’s presence, causing it to break out of its circle in all sorts of unexpected places. In just a few short days, it already had the tendency to become a phenomenal hit.
The trend was very good. The problem was how much longer this show of his could keep going.
In sharp contrast to the busyness of the production team’s control room was the relaxed posture of the guests on the screen.
After knowing they would be able to leave this deserted island soon, the last burden in everyone’s hearts disappeared.
Mo Fan said, “I feel like during these days here, I completely forgot my worries. It’s really nice.”
Aside from almost falling into the swamp during the day. But in the end, he had been frightened but unharmed, and Shen Jinfeng had even taught him first-aid knowledge. Overall, he had gained more.
Gu Shengsheng agreed. “I feel like my body has been getting stronger these past few days. No wonder people online always talk about oxygen absorption. The power of nature really is great.”
After he finished speaking, he thought for a moment and added, “I’m really happy to have met all of you.”
When he said this, his eyes curved with his smile, somehow giving people a sense of heartache.
Shen Jinfeng glanced at him, not knowing what this kid had experienced before that had made his thoughts so heavy.
These past few days, Shen Jinfeng had not seen any clues, but it was obvious that his mood had improved quite a bit.
It was best when a person could figure things out on their own and regulate their emotions.
He did not say anything more.
Only, the slight dissatisfaction he had felt at the beginning, when he came to a retirement world but started on a deserted island, had almost completely dissipated.
Qi Xiu also stopped clamoring that he had to go to school. “Before the college entrance exam, my classmates were bragging to me about where they were going to travel and where they were going to have fun. I feel like none of them can compare to me. After I get out, I have to properly brag back at them. Traveling on a deserted island—so freaking cool!”
[Pfft, I was watching perfectly fine, and I almost choked. Traveling on a deserted island? No, Little Qi, it’s one thing for you not to be afraid at all, but has your mentality already evolved to the point where this is a trip?]
[Quietly speaking, their current days really aren’t much different from traveling. When I go camping in the suburbs with friends, it’s not as rich and interesting as what they’re doing. I’m eating three-and-a-half-yuan instant noodles, while they’re eating sea urchins worth hundreds each!!! Their per-person meal standard is four digits!]
Clearly, He Erwang felt the same. He even said, “Let’s properly enjoy our final moments on the deserted island! Such a huge vacation area with nobody disturbing us—if I were outside and had to book the whole place, such a big area, I’d feel a little pained spending the money.”
“When I think about leaving, I’m actually a little reluctant.”
Qin Ye listened to everyone speak, lost in thought.
After listening to a round of their emotions, he glanced at Shen Jinfeng, whose expression seemed to faintly agree.
He suggested, “After we get out, we’ll confirm whether this place is domestic or foreign.”
“Mm?” Why were they bringing up the distinction between domestic and foreign again?
The others were drawn in by him.
Qin Ye said, “In many foreign places, private individuals can buy islands. If possible, I’ll buy this island.”
“If it’s domestic, after I get back, I’ll have the people from our company come and negotiate with the local government to lease the land and develop it into a resort.”
“Do you want it to be a resort that belongs exclusively to us, or open to the public?”
!
Shen Jinfeng suddenly turned his head to look at him.
No, they had just been talking for fun. Was this secret admirer actually serious?
“A resort that belongs exclusively to us? You’re developing it without making money?”
Qin Ye’s hand, resting on his leg, trembled slightly.
Our resort.
He had said it to everyone, but when Shen Jinfeng said it, it sounded as if it had become something belonging to the two of them.
He steadied his mind. Even he himself did not know what he was saying. “It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t make money.”
“Money sitting in a bank card is just a string of numbers. It has no meaning. Developing this place into a resort is meaningful.”
As he spoke, he averted his gaze, not daring to look at Shen Jinfeng.
His father, Qin Jianfeng, owned a private island under his name and would take Madam Yun there for a few days every year.
When Qin Ye was young, he had gone a few times too. After he grew up, he was no longer allowed to enter.
Qin Jianfeng had said, if he wanted a private island, he should buy one himself when he grew up.
Then he could take his own wife there in the future.
It was just that Qin Ye had not had a wife before, and he had long forgotten about this matter.
Now, when he had first brought it up, he had not thought of this part. But now, he had.
And his island would be more meaningful than Qin Jianfeng’s. This was the place where he and Shen Jinfeng first met, and perhaps even the place of his first love. It had great commemorative meaning.
Cough, cough. He was only saying perhaps. There was a little possibility.
But if there was even a little possibility, he had to make preparations.
The more Qin Ye thought about it, the more he felt as if even his breathing carried a little heat.
Until He Erwang’s voice rang out. “Eh, I actually didn’t think of that. Brother Ye, how about I cooperate with you on the development?”
Qi Xiu’s eyes shone. “Brother Ye, you’re really rich! A resort that belongs exclusively to us? Then if I come in the future, is it free?”
Gu Shengsheng was seriously thinking about his two proposals. “Maybe it should be open to tourists? Such a big place belonging only to us feels so exaggerated!”
Although in his memory, he was the young master of a wealthy family, perhaps because of his fixed way of thinking, when the options were placed before him, he still did not dare imagine things could be done like this.
Mo Fan clicked his tongue. “My goodness. I’m still worrying about my next job, and Little Qin is saying money has no meaning?”
Shen Jinfeng could not help laughing.
He thought of a similar sentence he had once heard in a certain world.
He patted Qin Ye on the shoulder. “Don’t learn from He Erwang.”
Qin Ye: “…”
He Erwang: “Huh?”
Bullet comments: […]
[So… so this is the power of money?]
[I thought Little Purple Hair was already the most exaggerated one. I didn’t expect Ye God to be the most outrageous one!]
[Damn, saying so casually that he wants to buy it as a private island—does he think acting cool like this is handsome? That’s right, it really is handsome! Starry eyes. If he could give me some money, he’d be even more handsome!]
[Forget it. Don’t even think about that private island. Buying the production team is worth considering.]
[Old Dog Sun in front of the screen, eyes wide: Huh? Why?]
