Chapter 16: Ideological education is of paramount importance! ...
Gu Xubai is the half-brother of the villainous female supporting character Gu Mingyan in the original novel, and also the illegitimate son that Gu's father brought back from outside.
The original book only briefly describes him, but Yun Qingqing has a deep impression of him because Gu Xubai is a madman who acts without any scruples.
His personality was inherently eccentric and unpredictable. Later, he seized power with ruthless and decisive means, single-handedly orchestrating the bankruptcy of the Gu Group and even causing his own father to die of anger.
However, the character of such a supermodel has severely overshadowed the male protagonist's aura. The author couldn't handle the later parts well and could only hastily kill him off by simply stating that he "died of madness."
When Yun Qingqing learned that the other party was Gu Xubai, her first reaction was not shame or shock, but relief.
Thank goodness, thank goodness, he wasn't the male model Gu Mingyan had chosen, so she managed to keep her three hundred yuan travel expenses!
After letting out a pathetic sigh of relief, Yun Qingqing belatedly realized that she had just made a suggestive gesture towards the main villain in the original book.
The moment she realized what was happening, Yun Qingqing's face flushed red.
She wished she could travel back a few minutes and strangle the version of herself who had impulsively reached out to Gu Mingyan just to show off.
Yun Qingqing raged helplessly at the system: "System! Why didn't you remind me that he is Gu Xubai?"
The system's electronic voice sounded quite innocent and aggrieved: "Host, this really isn't my fault. You were too quick to start flirting with her; by the time I wanted to warn you, your claws were already on her."
Yun reviewed the entire process and realized that she had indeed reached out her claws a bit too fast.
But now is clearly not the time to assign blame; the urgent task is to figure out how to resolve the current predicament.
Yun took a deep breath and gave Gu Xubai a kind smile: "Xubai, right? Haha, what just happened was purely accidental! Can we pretend nothing happened?"
Gu Xubai looked down at her and said calmly, "I'm afraid that won't work."
Yun Qingqing almost cried in front of him: "Why not?"
Gu Xubai raised his chin and gestured towards a corner above the room: "That camera seems to still be on."
Yun gently looked up in the direction he indicated—
In one corner of the room's ceiling, a black, hemispherical fixed camera was pointed directly in their direction, with a red indicator light still lit on the top.
Yun Qingqing was dumbfounded.
To protect the privacy of the guests, the fixed cameras in the bedroom and hallway will automatically turn off at 10 p.m. every night and turn back on at 8 a.m. the next morning.
But it's not time to turn off the camera yet.
In other words, in the past few minutes, her series of disastrous actions have been completely and clearly transmitted to countless viewers who were waiting in the live broadcast room through the live broadcast signal!
By this time, the chat in the live stream had already gone through several rounds of laughter:
If I were Yun Qingqing, I would have already left Earth overnight, standing room only.
【Yun Qingqing, I understand you. Sometimes, as people live, they suddenly don't want to live anymore.】
[Just arrived, is this some kind of large-scale public execution site? (doge)]
[Hahaha, is this the punishment for her boasting about being a seasoned player in the dating scene? My dear Qingqing, being stubborn is a disease you need to get treatment for!]
[Stop laughing, everyone! Let's leave Qingqing some shreds! So what if she's just a naive girl pretending to be a wolf in sheep's clothing and her attempt backfired? It's okay, life goes by quickly.]
[Upstairs, you didn't let her off the hook either.]
Doesn't anyone find it funny that she was so stingy with her hundred-yuan bill?
...
Yun felt her toes uncontrollably digging a Potala Palace out of the ground.
She managed to piece together her nearly shattered expression and said dryly to Gu Xubai, "...The key is with the housekeeper. Mingyan told you to go get it yourself."
So hurry up and leave her alone to have some peace and quiet!
Gu Xubai seemed to find her steaming appearance amusing, a faint smile flashing in his eyes: "No need to trouble yourself, my things are in the room you're currently staying in."
"Huh? Oh!" Yun paused for a moment, then quickly stepped aside to make way for her.
Gu Xubai didn't say much. He went straight to the cabinet against the wall, skillfully opened one of the cabinet doors, and took out several anatomy monographs.
Gu Mingyan had the maids help Yun Qingqing tidy up her things; she herself hadn't carefully searched the cabinet, so naturally she didn't know that these books were stored at the bottom.
She silently calculated the timeline in her mind. According to the original plot, Gu Xubai should still be in college at this time.
So Yun asked softly, "Is your major anatomy?"
Gu Xubai placed the book in the crook of his arm and nodded upon hearing this: "Mm."
For some reason, Yun Qingqing felt that this major unexpectedly matched Gu Xubai's dangerous and cold temperament.
An image of Gu Xubai wearing a white coat, holding a gleaming scalpel, cutting tissue and casually wiping away the bloodstains splattered at the corners of his eyes, uncontrollably flashed through her mind.
Stop!
Yun shivered slightly and quickly ordered herself to control her wandering thoughts.
By this time, Gu Xubai had found everything he wanted. He nodded slightly to Yun and then turned and left the room.
"It's so late, and the castle is so remote, how is he going to get back?" Yun Qingqing looked at his back and muttered to herself in puzzlement.
The system promptly responded: "Host, you're overthinking it. Based on the information available, Gu Xubai has already gained initial control within the Gu Group and possesses considerable influence. He's just here to pick up something; a car will pick him up."
Yun walked gently to the window, lifted the heavy curtains, and looked down.
A light drizzle had started outside the window sometime earlier. Her room had an excellent view, and she could clearly see the main road below through the rain.
A black Rolls-Royce Phantom was parked quietly in the rain, with two bodyguards in black suits standing beside it.
This must be the person who came to pick up and drop off Gu Xubai.
Yun Qingqing turned around abruptly, grabbed a long-handled umbrella hanging behind the door, and hurriedly chased after Gu Xubai's retreating figure.
The system asked: [Host, where are you going?]
"Of course I'm going to get close to Gu Xubai!" Yun Qingqing said as she ran. "Before he completely turns to the dark side, I need to gain more favor with him and find a way to bring him back to the right path. I can't let him become a lawless and socially dangerous big boss!"
The system was immediately filled with respect: [I never expected you, host, to have such a strong sense of justice!]
Yun chuckled softly, "Not really. If he really bankrupts the Gu family, then all the golden opportunities I've managed to get on Mingyan's good side will be gone!"
system:【……】
As expected, one shouldn't have too high expectations for the host's awareness!
Just as Yun Qingqing rushed past the corner of the second-floor staircase, she caught a glimpse of a decorative ink bottle and quill pen on a low table next to her.
Yun lightly slammed on the brakes and quickly dipped her index finger into the ink bottle.
Then, she opened the beige umbrella in her hand, and with a swift movement of her wrist, wrote the four large characters "morality" and "rule of law" on the umbrella surface.
After quickly writing a few strokes, he jogged across the corridor, down the stairs, and took a shortcut to intercept Gu Xubai, who was about to leave the main building.
"Wait, wait a minute!" Yun Qingqing, slightly out of breath, blocked Gu Xubai's path.
Gu Xubai stopped when he heard her voice and turned to look at her: "Gu Mingyan, is there something you want to say to me?"
"No," Yun said with feigned concern. "It's raining outside, and I saw you didn't have an umbrella, so I came down to bring you one."
As she spoke, she deliberately slowed her movements, gently opening the umbrella towards Gu Xubai to ensure he could see the enormous words "Morality" and "Rule of Law" above.
Yun Qingqing attempted to subtly instill the concept of obeying laws and regulations into Gu Xubai's mind through these small details.
Gu Xubai's attention was completely elsewhere.
His gaze fell on Yun Qingqing's cheeks, flushed from running, and he really wanted to tell her that the dutiful bodyguard would be there with an umbrella soon.
But he quickly swallowed back what he hadn't said, and Gu Xubai ultimately chose to accept Yun Qingqing's kindness.
Seeing that his gaze seemed to fall on the umbrella, Yun Qingqing was secretly delighted and quickly shook the umbrella handle to enhance the visual impact of the four large characters.
She pressed her advantage, asking, "So? Did you feel anything when you saw it?"
She eagerly anticipated that he would say something positive, such as "we must abide by moral standards" and "we must act in accordance with the law."
Gu Xubai pondered for a moment and thought he understood the deeper meaning behind her attentive behavior.
It turns out it was to seal the opening.
He said knowingly, "Don't worry."
Yun Qingqing's eyes lit up: "!" He understood?
Gu Xubai continued, "I won't tell you about the time you molested me."
"..."
The dead memories suddenly began to attack Yun Qingqing again.
Seeing that her expression was off, Gu Xubai added, thinking he was being considerate, "I won't tell Gu Mingyan that you pretend to be a seasoned lover in front of her, but actually you blush when you hold her hand and are so cowardly that you have to pay me to go back."
Yun Qingqing: "…………"
Please, stop talking! Please stop!
She felt as if her toes were no longer digging into the Potala Palace, but trying to drill through the earth's core!
The immense embarrassment almost suffocated Yun Qingqing, and she awkwardly steered the conversation back on track: "What I really wanted to ask you was whether seeing this umbrella sparked any reflections on life?"
Gu Xubai was somewhat puzzled by her eccentric attitude, but still, contrary to his usual behavior, turned his gaze to the umbrella.
He examined it carefully for a moment, watching the raindrops continuously drip down, blurring the ink of the word "morality".
Gu Xubai said uncertainly, "Don't... abide by morality?"
Yun Qingqing: "..."
I'm so angry!
*
Meanwhile, Meng Xian and Ding Manni had just finished the punishment of frog jumps because they ranked last in the previous task.
Under normal circumstances, the production team won't take punishments too seriously; they'll just turn a blind eye and let it go.
However, the production team of "Best Partners" is different. This show is based on authenticity and no script, so when they were doing the punishment task, the production team did not go easy on them at all and supervised the two of them to jump around the giant castle frog three times.
When the last lap finally ended, Meng Xian felt that her legs no longer belonged to her; they were sore and numb, and she could barely stand.
Ding Manni was in no better shape than her, sitting on the ground panting heavily.
With the help of staff, the two managed to get back to their room.
As soon as she entered the room, Meng Xian made an excuse that she needed to take a shower and hid in the bathroom to call Ye Jinyan.
This program was invested in by Ye Jinyan, and she is Ye Jinyan's sweetheart. Why did she not receive any preferential treatment and even have to be punished?
Especially when she thought about how Yun Qingqing and Gu Mingyan had easily won first place and were probably enjoying themselves in some corner of the castle, Meng Xian felt extremely uncomfortable.
The call was answered almost instantly, and Ye Jinyan's voice came from the other end, carrying a hint of barely perceptible concern: "Xianxian? Is the show finished recording?"
Upon hearing his voice, Meng Xian's eyes immediately welled up with tears: "Jin Yan, I feel so bad, my legs feel like they're about to break."
Ye Jinyan's voice immediately turned serious: "What happened? Who bullied you?"
"It was a punishment from the production team; they made us do three frog jumps around the castle." Meng Xian deliberately obscured the reason for the punishment, only choking back tears as she emphasized the suffering she endured, "...I actually did all three jumps, and now I can't even walk. It hurts so much..."
Ye Jinyan, on the other end of the phone, was heartbroken, his voice tinged with anger: "Nonsense! How could the production team be so inconsiderate, making you undergo such a severe punishment? I'll contact the production team right away!"
"No! Don't tell anyone." Meng Xian tried her best to appear understanding. "The production team was just following the rules. It was Manny and I who had the lowest sales, so it's not the production team's fault. I'm just a little wronged and wanted to talk to you about it."
Meng Xian knew best how to manipulate Ye Jinyan's mindset. When she adopted a posture of grievance and forbearance, using retreat as a means of advancement, Ye Jinyan indeed felt even more pity for her.
"Xianxian, you're always so kind, always thinking of others. But seeing how hard you're working, I..."
"I'm really fine, I just need to rest a bit," Meng Xian said, sniffing.
Ye Jinyan had no choice but to respect her kindness: "Alright, I'll listen to you this time. But if the production team acts so recklessly again, I will not stand idly by."
"Yes, thank you, Brother Jin Yan," Meng Xian replied obediently, then changed the subject, "Actually, we can't entirely blame our bad luck for failing today's mission. It's mainly because Ming Yan and the others... sigh..."
She hesitated, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopped, successfully catching Ye Jinyan's attention.
"Gu Mingyan? What happened to her again?" Ye Jinyan's tone unconsciously became somewhat impatient as soon as Gu Mingyan's name was mentioned.
"It's nothing..." Meng Xian sighed softly, "It's just that when they were selling brooms, Mingyan gave away several bottles of limited edition perfume she brought as freebies. Buying brooms meant getting perfume worth thousands or tens of thousands of yuan, so naturally all the tourists went to their side."
She paused for a few seconds, seemingly somewhat helpless, "I know Mingyan probably wants to complete the task as soon as possible, but this method does disrupt the game's balance a bit."
After a series of teasing words, Ye Jinyan's face turned cold: "She is still so willful and reckless, doing things only according to her own pleasure, never considering the consequences."
Meng Xian said understandingly, "Actually, it's not Mingyan's fault. She's straightforward and probably didn't think that much about it. It's just that we honest people who follow the rules have suffered."
"I'm sorry you had to go through all this trouble." Ye Jinyan's voice softened. "I heard that Gu Mingyan bought the castle. Tomorrow I'll have the production team change the filming location so you'll have more opportunities to showcase yourself."
Meng Xian was overjoyed. It was like a pillow being delivered just when she was sleepy. This decision was exactly what she wanted!
She was fed up with Gu Mingyan's ostentatious behavior of buying castles, having meals delivered by helicopter, and casually giving away designer perfumes. If she could find a place where she could also show off and gloat in front of Gu Mingyan, that would be perfect.
So Meng Xian quickly seized the opportunity to ask, "Can we go to that island where you took me to relax last time and even gave me a pass? It's so beautiful there, the air is so fresh, and the photos there must be amazing."
On the other end of the phone, Ye Jinyan hesitated suspiciously for a moment before not answering immediately.
This hesitation startled Meng Xian: "What's wrong, Jin Yan? Is it inconvenient for you?" She asked again as if to confirm, "That's your private island, right? I remember you mentioning it."
“…Of course.” Ye Jinyan’s voice quickly returned to normal. “There’s nothing inconvenient about it. If you like, I’ll arrange for the production crew to go there.”
Meng Xian's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down, and a smile returned to her face: "Thank you, Jin Yan. I knew you were the best to me."
The two exchanged a few more gentle words before ending the call.
As soon as she put down her phone, the weak and aggrieved expression on Meng Xian's face vanished instantly, replaced by a smile that was a mixture of pride and anticipation.
Ye Jinyan's private island is home to many rare plants and animals. The cost of maintaining the island's ecology and facilities alone is astronomical, far exceeding the value of the castle that Gu Mingyan bought for hundreds of millions of US dollars.
After so many days, she felt that she had been overshadowed by Gu Mingyan in every way, but now it was finally her turn to stand up straight.
However, the next day, Yun Qingqing and Gu Mingyan were unable to go to Ye Jinyan's private island in the Southern Hemisphere as she had wished.
Before the production team was about to take the guests to the island, Gu Mingyan received a message from Ye Jinyan saying that he had something very important to give her and asked her to stay in the castle to sign for it herself.
Without saying a word, Gu Mingyan asked the production team for leave and asked Yun Qingqing to stay with her to wait for the delivery.
The two of them played games all day out of boredom and chatted to kill time.
Gu Mingyan finally learned that Yun Qingqing had mistaken Gu Xubai for a male model last night. She hugged her pillow and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! Yun Qingqing, you're really something! You actually touched him?"
Yun Qingqing lunged forward to cover her mouth: "Gu Mingyan! Don't mention it again!"
Gu Mingyan nimbly dodged, laughing so hard she could barely breathe: "Oh, I can't take it anymore... So, how does Gu Xubai's face feel?"
Yun Qingqing scolded, embarrassed and annoyed: "I even gave up going to the island with the production crew just to wait for that damn delivery with you! And you still laugh at me!"
Seeing that she was genuinely embarrassed and angry, Gu Mingyan managed to stop laughing and quickly tried to appease her: "Okay, okay, I won't laugh at you anymore. What's so special about a run-down island? After the first episode is filmed, I'll take you to my private island. I guarantee it's a hundred times better than the one the production team went to. Consider it compensation, okay?"
Yun Qingqing's expression changed in an instant: "Really? What kind of island?"
"Of course it's true, it was a coming-of-age gift from my mom." Gu Mingyan lazily picked up the tablet, brought up the photo album and handed it to her, "Here, take a look for yourself, there are many rare plants and animals, and the scenery is also quite nice."
Yun excitedly took the tablet, which displayed several stunning photos of the island scenery: azure seas and skies, white sand and coconut palms, as beautiful as a fairyland.
She was about to offer her praise when she heard a clear narration coming from the tablet: "...We are now flying over our destination, a private island known as the 'Pearl of the South Seas.' As you can see, the island has an excellent ecosystem, with many protected coral reefs and rare flora and fauna..."
Yun paused slightly, taken aback.
The images on tablets are so high-quality now, they even come with automatic captions?
She looked down and realized that she had accidentally pressed her hand on her phone screen and accidentally clicked into the live stream of "Best Partners".
At this moment, the phone was playing the program's live broadcast.
The live stream camera was pointed directly at the bottom of the airplane window, where a beautiful island was clearly visible.
The host continued, "Unfortunately, this island has many rare plants and animals, and its ecology is strictly protected. Many core areas require the island owner's permission to enter, so we can only move around within the designated areas this time..."
A gentle voice interrupted the host: "It's okay, I have a pass."
The live stream camera switched back to the cabin.
Meng Xian stood up gracefully and took out a card with a special texture from her exquisite little bag.
Sitting next to her, Ding Manni looked surprised: "Xianxian, how did you get a pass to this place?"
A perfectly measured blush rose on Meng Xian's face as she whispered, "Because this island belongs to him. He gave me a pass before."
Ding Manni immediately gave an "I understand" look and smiled knowingly: "Is it the 'he' who starts with Y?"
Meng Xian nodded shyly.
Viewers in the live stream, always eager for drama, were quickly drawn into the fray:
Wow, does it start with Y? I'm guessing it's a nightclub owner!
It must be Ye Jinyan! Who else could it be but him?
[Isn't this a tacit public announcement? The nightclub even gave him a private island pass; his relationship with Meng Xian is self-evident.]
[Hehehe, the main characters are giving us some sweet moments! I knew my favorite ship was real.]
Given the island's privacy level, being allowed to film a variety show there is already a special privilege; it was definitely given the green light for Meng Xian.
[Moreover, this island is clearly different from those overdeveloped tourist islands; it's a genuine, top-tier private property.]
[I thought Gu Mingyan buying a castle was already incredibly extravagant, but now it seems Mr. Ye is even more impressive!]
[Those who can own an island of this caliber are no ordinary wealthy individuals; they must have old money or top-tier capital, right?]
As Yun Qingqing watched the island below the plane in the live stream becoming clearer, she compared it with the aerial photos of the private island that Gu Mingyan had shown her on her tablet.
In an instant, Yun Qingqing's face showed an extremely bewildered expression.
Wait a minute, the island Meng Xian is showing off looks more and more like Gu Mingyan's private property!
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