Chapter 38: The Bad Woman of Xiushan Island

Chapter 38: Xiushan Island — The Bad Woman

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After finishing the makeup photo shoot for the production of *The Journey of Flower*, Gu Qing had no time to rest during the remaining two days.

Seeing that their company finally had a massive hit artist, they were milking him for everything he was worth. In just two days, he took on five advertisements and three business engagements.

Gu Qing traveled frantically between cities, busy to the point of exhaustion, getting his only sleep in the car. However, watching the balance in his bank account continuously rise made the heavy fatigue dissipate significantly.

Two days passed in a flash, and it was time for the recording of a new episode of *Running Man*. The filming location for this episode was the scenic Xiushan Island in Zhejiang Province.

……

This episode picks up from the previous one. The group encounters a storm while on a boat and is washed ashore on Xiushan Island. Furthermore, facing an impending tornado, they must hurry to escape the island.

The familiar "skit" segment begins filming once again. The protagonists for this episode are "Deng Chao" and "Baby."

Deng Chao is the first to wake up, sprawled on the sand. He looks around the messy surroundings in confusion, shouting with fear and panic

"Baoqiang! Chichi!!"

"Where are you guys?!!"

When not filming comedy, Old Deng's acting skills are definitely top-tier. With a raspy voice tinged with tears, Deng Chao searches frantically until he finally spots Chen Chichi lying on her back on a rock.

"Chichi, what happened to you?!"

Deng Chao’s serious demeanor lasts less than three seconds. He cups Chen Chichi's face, preparing to offer a passionate kiss to awaken the sleeping "Princess."

Chen Chichi turns her head to stifle a laugh, but Deng Chao immediately pulls her back.

"Oh, alright, alright, I'm awake!"

"Now get lost, get lost!"

Seeing that she was about to be "defiled," Chen Chichi breaks free with a laugh. The two of them quickly find Wang Baoqiang, who is fast asleep while hugging a tire.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the true "Sleeping Beauty" awakens.

"Qingqing!!"

"Qingqing, where are you??"

But as for acting, Yang Ying hadn't even finished her shout before a smile crept onto her lips. Not far away, on a piece of broken rock, Gu Qing was slumped over in a deep sleep.

"Ha, found you."

Yang Ying's beautiful face lit up with joy. She stood on her tiptoes, navigated around the debris on the ground, and approached Gu Qing.

"Qingqing, the sun is already hitting your backside, and you're still sleeping?"

Yang Ying leaned in close to examine the sleeping profile of the youth. Her beautiful eyes were filled with mirth as she playfully poked his cheek with her fingertip.

"So bouncy, it feels great."

With a smile as bright as a flower, Yang Ying's slender white finger traced from Gu Qing's cheek to behind his ear. Suddenly, she pinched his lustrous earlobe gently.

She could clearly feel the boy's body shudder, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

"Qingqing, are you still pretending to sleep?"

Yang Ying's red lips were almost touching his burning earlobe. Her back blocked the camera as she breathed softly, whispering in a tiny voice only he could hear, "Caught... your weakness."

"I'm awake, I'm awake!"

Gu Qing bolted upright, clutching his bright red ear. Rather than escaping Xiushan Island, he decided it was better to first get away from the "female devil" beside him!

"Hmph, that's what you get for pretending to sleep."

Yang Ying's laughter was crisp and pleasant. She gave a triumphant eyebrow raise toward the camera behind her, as if showing off: *'See how amazing I am?'*

Afterward, they received a treasure chest prepared by the production crew at the seaside. Inside were two matching blue team uniforms and car keys.

"That's not right, Director Lu. Weren't you planning to arrange for Xiao Gu to collaborate with other female artists?"

Behind the camera, a staff member still remembered Lu Hao's previous grumbling.

"That depends on whether today's guests are female artists!"

Director Lu's expression was sour. *I hate it most when a show gets popular and then they start stuffing it with connections!*

……

"Come on, handsome boy, get in the car. Big sister will take you for a joyride."

Yang Ying gripped the car keys stylishly, lifting her exquisite chin with the swagger of a "female hooligan."

"Doesn't look like acting."

Gu Qing's single sentence precisely broke her composure as he sat in the passenger seat beside her.

Following the navigation and the crew's guidance, they arrived at a long bridge. There, they welcomed the "long-lost" Wang Zulan. However, "Big Black Bull" Li Chen had to take a leave of absence due to an injury near his eye.

Aside from the first episode being a full cast, the other members had various personal reasons for being absent in the subsequent episodes.

"Director, Xiao Gu's Blue Team has four people in total. You're not going to make me and Baoqiang go 2 against 4, are you?"

Wang Zulan, noticing the difference in team uniforms, looked like he was about to cry.

"Of course not. I've also invited two powerful reinforcements for you!"

As he spoke, today's guests appeared from the other end of the bridge. It was "Hai Quan," one of the members of the Yuquan duo!

"Ohhh, Hai Quan is here!"

Deng Chao was the first to warmly welcome him. He and Hai Quan were good friends; they had even performed together during the finals of the *Singer* competition in Huangguo, where they even managed to defeat the heavy favorite, Lin Zhixuan.

But when the second female guest appeared, the applause faltered. A look of confusion crossed the eyes of Deng Chao and the others. "Who is this?"

"Welcome our star host from Moon TV, Yi Yi," Lu Hao said, awkwardly smoothing things over.

Yi Yi was tall, at least 1.7 meters, and her appearance went without saying—possessing a blend of youthful purity and mature charm, with a very curvaceous figure.

"Ohhh, welcome, welcome."

Facing the overly familiar Yi Yi, Wang Baoqiang and Wang Zulan gave a simple clap before warmly embracing Hai Quan.

"Still looking!"

Gu Qing received an elbow to the chest. When he turned his head, he saw Yang Ying looking at him with an unfriendly gaze. "Is she really that pretty?"

"Sister Baby, where are your thoughts going? I was just spacing out," Gu Qing explained in a low voice. "Besides, you're right next to me, why would I look at her?"

When he saw Yi Yi, he was simply recalling the two episodes of *Running Man* she had participated in. Relying on a "tough girl" persona that was even more fierce than Baby's, she had gained quite a few fans back then.

Unfortunately, later on, she not only jumped ship to Huangguo TV to become a host but also tried to break into the acting industry. As a result, her acting was poor, her professional abilities were heavily questioned, and she gradually faded into obscurity.

"I'll let it slide this time."

Yang Ying let out a soft huff, appeased by his coaxing.

With the personnel assembled, the production team announced the mission

*Water Gun War!*

Two hundred water guns were hidden throughout the village, but only ten of them were filled with a special solution that would cause a color change upon hitting a name tag. Only members whose name tags changed color would be triggered for elimination!

With the blast of a whistle, the game officially began.

"Charge!"

Whoever reached the village first would naturally be the first to grab a water gun. Everyone, wearing smiles, scrambled and jostled one another as they rushed toward the village.

Gu Qing saw a fork in the road and was about to turn when his sleeve was suddenly grabbed.

"Ah?"

Gu Qing stumbled to steady himself and turned around in confusion.

"Brother Bao, you go first."

Yi Yi grabbed his arm, enthusiastically creating an opportunity for her teammate.

"Uh... okay."

Even Wang Baoqiang was stunned for a moment before running into the fork ahead.

"Hey, hey, hey, let go of me quickly, otherwise I won't hold back in the next game," Gu Qing said helplessly, using his other hand to steady himself against a production advertisement board.

"Blehh, I like people who don't hold back!"

Yi Yi made a face, stuck her tongue out at him, and then jogged forward with a laugh.

But after waiting for a while, she realized no one was chasing her. She turned her head to look.

Gu Qing was leisurely picking up a tree branch, walking along while trampling the roadside weeds.

……

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(End of Chapter)