TVB's milky white, air-conditioned bus trudged smoothly through the slightly crowded early morning streets, heading for the beach on Lamma Island. The air conditioning within the bus dispelled the early summer heat on Hong Kong Island, yet also solidified the quietly surging undercurrents between the twenty contestants.
The air was thick with perfume, sunscreen, and a subtle hint of sweat. Towering office buildings and dense signage drifted past the window. Sunlight danced off the vast glass curtain wall, refracting into the train, illuminating the faces of beautiful young women. They wore their uniform TVB training uniforms, their meticulously applied makeup revealing the exhaustion of anticipation and competition.
At the front of the train, a TVB production director, wearing a slightly tight suit, steadied himself by holding the back of his chair. He held a megaphone, his voice remarkably clear, even a little harsh, over the low hum of the air conditioner.
"Ladies, please pay attention! We will arrive at the filming location at Nan Wan Beach on Lamma Island in ten minutes! Let me reiterate the rules and key points!"
He glanced at the young faces with professional seriousness:
"First, please change into your swimsuit in the designated temporary changing shed later. Remember to protect your privacy! The beach might be crowded, so we've only cleared a small area for filming. Please behave properly outside of the camera! Don't let strangers take indecent or inappropriate photos of you!"
Several soft but uniform voices of "I know, Director" were heard in the carriage.
"Secondly," the director paused, speaking with more force, "this outdoor promotional video is of great significance! The TV station has invested heavily in it, and it's going to be broadcast throughout Hong Kong! It should highlight sunshine, health, and vitality! The director wants it to be natural! No forced poses! Remember! You represent TVB's brand and the image of the future Miss Hong Kong!"
His eyes deliberately lingered on the faces of Yu Qixia and several other beauties whose postures were too deliberate.
"Third, safety first! The water depth varies, so when filming, you can only interact with the shallow waters! Entering the deep waters without permission is strictly prohibited!"
He took a deep breath and felt his throat was a little dry: "Okay, these are the precautions. Stay in the best condition and make the most of your training! Don't waste the company's efforts and your own future!" After that, he put away the loudspeaker, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and whispered a few words to Amy, a senior makeup artist next to him.
The brief silence in the carriage was broken by the low hum of the engine. Once the tension was relaxed, the buzz of discussion spread quietly like a swarm of disturbed bees.
"Hey, do you think the TV station will give us half a day off after this filming? I've been practicing my stage steps so much these days that my bones are about to fall apart." A slightly childish voice sounded. It was Shi Jiayi. She rubbed her sore wrists with a student-like tiredness.
As soon as the words fell, another voice with a distinctly sharp tone pierced through the surface of the complaint like a needle tip, speaking with deliberate mockery. It came from a beautiful woman named Cindy in the back row. Her fingers, painted with bright red nail polish, tapped unconsciously on the back of the chair:
"A holiday? Wishful thinking! Are you still in the mood for a holiday? Don't you know the world has changed?" She deliberately raised her voice, attracting many glances. "Did you read the newspaper? And the live TV broadcast this morning. Young Master Huo publicly issued a challenge this morning! He specifically challenged Xiao Lin Tian Wang to a fight to the end!"
This name was like a shot of adrenaline, instantly attracting the attention of all the beauties in the car. Even Zhu Lingling, who had closed her eyes to rest, slightly opened her eyelids.
Cindy was very satisfied with the effect she had created. The corners of her mouth curved into a gloating arc, and her eyes accurately swept to the back of the head of a white figure in the front row:
"Tsk tsk tsk, I heard that Xiaolin Tianwang is really surrounded by enemies right now! The Huo family took the lead, and the Bao family, Guo family, Li family, Zheng family... all the bigwigs in Hong Kong Island have stepped forward! Business contracts? Humph, I'm afraid no one dares to sign one with him now! It's hard to say whether the bank will dare to lend him money again!"
She paused, the sarcasm in her voice almost dripping. "Some people, just a few days ago, were so smug, thinking they'd boarded a luxury ship and shot to the top. Tsk tsk... now you see clearly, right? It's a leaky, sinking wreck! If you jump on it and don't know how to swim, don't drown. You'll have no place to seek justice!"
The direction in these words was as sharp as a blade. Everyone understood, their gazes focused, either explicitly or implicitly, on the front window seat. Liu Rumeng sat quietly, as if the rapidly moving street scene outside the window was more captivating than the flashing swords and sabers within the carriage. Yu Qixia, Shi Jiayi, Zhu Lingling, and Lu Ruirong also became silent focal points.
Liu Rumeng's fair profile was calm and composed. Every word Cindy had said sank into her ears. Those names—Fok Chun-ting, Pao Yue-kong, Kuok Ho-nian, Li Ka-shing, Cheng Yu-tung… Each one of them was a tycoon on Hong Kong Island whose stomping of the foot could send shockwaves through Central. Her heart did indeed tighten slightly, not at Cindy's mockery, but at a deeper throbbing, a mixture of pride and disbelief.
Her Awang... the country boy who once scraped for food in the black soil of Northeast China, the man who hunted and built a house for her... now, as "Xiao Lin Tian Wang," he could stir up such a storm in Hong Kong Island? He could cause these tycoons who controlled vast wealth and resources to unite against him? This in itself seemed like a myth.
She needed no explanation, and she disdained even the slightest argument with someone like Cindy. Their world was too small, so small that they could only see the gains and losses of the few feet in front of them. Her heart flew to a wider place, where the man she deeply cared about was alone, braving the storm.
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