Chapter 37: Because Your True Colors Are Bright

Peppa Lamb watched the others, who clearly had grievances but refused to speak up. That feeling of subtle isolation made his chest swell with a frustration he had no way to vent.

Suddenly, he slammed the net bag in his hand onto the ground.

His eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead. He pointed a finger at his former companions, his voice turning shrill with rage. “I’ve done so much for you all, exhausting myself every day to find food, and what about you? Now you’re just pushing all the blame onto me. Do you have any conscience at all? Do you even know the meaning of gratitude?”

As a Fitness Coach, Xu Yang already had a naturally explosive temper.

Hearing Peppa Lamb’s words, Xu Yang, who had never slacked off in the group, reached his breaking point.

“Stop acting like the saint here! We all looked for food together, we all worked together, and didn’t you enjoy the benefits right along with us? What makes you think you’re the only one who gets to take credit? Every time you acted so proactive, don’t think we were blind. You just wanted to build a persona¹ for the audience. We didn’t say anything about you stealing credit before, but what the hell is wrong with you now, throwing a fit in front of us?”

Twelve days. It was just about the right amount of time for tensions to boil over.

From the polite initial introductions to the present, countless conflicts had accumulated.

They had only been tolerating each other because they still had nearly twenty days left to spend together on the island.

But now that fear had arrived, everyone’s emotions felt pressurized, leading to an instantaneous explosion.

With those two venting their feelings, the others who had previously remained silent, avoiding conflict and competition within the team, found their emotions triggered as well. It was like a fuse had been lit.

“Exactly. You were the one who led the charge when we were ostracizing Qiao Yitong. Now that everyone sees the truth, you think you can just conveniently disappear into the background?”

The barrage of criticism left Peppa Lamb overwhelmed.

He was dazed by the condemnation, looking at the dissatisfied glares coming from almost everyone.

Suddenly, a chill ran through his heart.

In that moment, he seemed to snap back to reality. They were on a Deserted Island. If he truly disregarded everything and made enemies of these people, being exiled from the group would mean he had absolutely no chance of survival.

Peppa Lamb shuddered.

He looked up, scanning the cold gazes directed at him. A thought surfaced in his mind, and he blurted it out almost without thinking: “So this is your stance now? You’re making it clear you’re on Qiao Yitong’s side and supporting her unconditionally, is that it?”

His icy remark struck a nerve.

The previously agitated crowd fell into an immediate silence.

They had used Qiao Yitong to attack Peppa Lamb out of panic and regret, but were they truly prepared to tie themselves to the same boat as her?

The benefits Qiao Yitong was currently displaying were good, enviable, and highly tempting, but they had to consider whether they could afford the price of being associated with her.

After all, Qiao Yitong was the target of nationwide boycotts and loathing. To be connected to her meant being prepared to face the wrath of the netizens.

And the way some netizens practiced guilt by association² was never rational.

For instance, as a Fitness Coach, if Xu Yang became associated with her, he might be boycotted to the point where no clients would be willing to buy his classes.

He remembered a colleague who had once said, “I like Qiao Yitong.”

Somehow, that comment was leaked. Within a week, sixty percent of his clients had canceled their classes.

Thinking of this, Xu Yang closed his eyes and ultimately remained silent.

The original conflict was temporarily suppressed by that one sentence, though suppressing it was merely like burying a time bomb.

But at least for now, the bomb hadn’t gone off.

Jing Xueqin was also exhausted to the core. Compared to when he first arrived on the island, wanting to do a bit of everything to gain some screen time and perform well, he was now tired and numb.

In this environment, while everyone was still arguing, he even felt an impulse to just quit and let them tear each other apart while he ignored everything.

But as the atmosphere gradually calmed, he knew that the problems still needed to be solved.

He took a deep breath to adjust his emotions, forcing a gentle smile onto his face as he spoke to the group. “Let’s all calm down and relax. Now isn’t the time for infighting. Let’s focus on the present. What are we going to do about that tiger?”

The tiger was there, a very real and immediate crisis.

The group fell silent instantly, looking at the tiger in the distance with lingering fear.

The tiger’s occasional roar was enough to shake them to the point of collapse.

“I think, if there’s no other way, we should relocate,” Brother Shisan said with a sigh.

Everyone frowned, clearly reluctant to accept this option.

“But Brother Shisan, you said it yourself. Other places might not have such a good water source, and they might not have such convenient fishing resources.”

Once people have enjoyed something good, they are naturally unwilling to go back to the way things were.

“We can’t fight it. Are we supposed to stay here and wait to die?” Brother Shisan glanced at the speaker.

“I feel like… since Qiao Yitong dared to bring it back and leave it here, maybe the tiger is domesticated? Besides, tigers shouldn’t attack people easily, right? Not if it’s full.” The person’s voice grew quieter as they spoke.

True, if it was full, it wouldn’t attack humans.

But in this place, they had searched everywhere and hadn’t been able to find anything that could serve as prey.

If the tiger couldn’t find anything either, it was entirely possible that a starving beast would treat them as prey.

“Yes, the fact that Qiao Yitong could bring it back like that means it’s definitely not the type to attack on sight. It might not even attack at all. But,” Shisan questioned, “do you dare to bet on that?”

The crowd fell silent. No one dared to gamble with their life.

“So, pack up as quickly as possible. We’re leaving. I hope we can find a safe place to start over.” Brother Shisan gave the final order, effectively settling the matter.

The group fell silent and began packing their meager belongings.

Beneath that silence lay a hidden sense of confusion regarding the next twenty days.

Once everyone had finished packing and hung the few fish they hadn’t had time to eat onto their bags, they prepared to leave. Xu Yang couldn’t help but stop and ask, “Um, are we just going to leave like this?”

“Do you have another idea?” Shisan asked, looking back.

Xu Yang’s gaze fell upon the Doctor and Qi Qing, who were currently sitting on the beach with Qiao Yitong and the others. “Aren’t we going to ask them to move with us?”

Hearing this, Peppa Lamb let out a mocking sneer. “They’ve already joined the other team, and you’re still worried about them? Ridiculous.”

Xu Yang remained silent.

He fell into a quiet lull, likely feeling embarrassed by his own question, and lowered his head to walk a few quick steps forward.

In truth, what he wanted wasn’t for the two of them to rejoin the team.

What he needed was the Doctor.

On a Deserted Island, medical resources were life-saving resources.

They had no idea what would happen once they left for another location. They might encounter danger on the road; they might get injured.

Without a doctor present, even a minor injury could be dragged out until it became fatal.

The more Xu Yang thought about it, the heavier his heart felt. His pessimism about the unknown weighed on him until he could barely breathe.

On the other side, the group who had eaten their fill and handled all the cleanup sat in a circle on the beach. The atmosphere between them was rare and cozy.

It happened to be sunset. Orange-red light spilled across the sea, reflecting off the shimmering waves in a beauty that refreshed the soul.

In fact, aside from the extreme weather, the sunrises and sunsets here had always been beautiful.

It was only due to the cruelty of reality that Qi Qing had never been in the mood to appreciate them.

But now, having just experienced the wonderful sensory stimulation of a good meal, she gazed at the scenery. Qi Qing tilted her head back slightly and closed her eyes, feeling the touch of the sea breeze, tinged with the saltiness of the ocean, as it gently brushed against her face. A series of extremely unfamiliar yet happy sensations flooded her chest.

As the salty scent of the sea drifted into her nostrils, Qi Qing subconsciously began to hum softly:

“The coconut leaves idle by the roadside,

They have the whole day to spend,

Lifting a face reddened by the sea breeze,

Quietly flying away to the southeast…”

After humming a few lines, Qi Qing suddenly felt the conversation the others were having come to an end. The environment between them grew quiet.

Her humming grew weaker and weaker. Opening her eyes, she found everyone’s gaze fixed on her, and Qi Qing suddenly felt a bit self-conscious.

“Did I… disturb you?” Qi Qing asked.

Qiao Yitong immediately shook her head, offering high praise. “You sing beautifully.”

She spoke with absolute sincerity.

In the world of her previous life, the path of cultivation was well-developed. To ascend and leave that desolate world, everyone tapped into their own strengths.

Almost every profession was covered, except for the musical cultivators³, whose lineage had been broken.

According to the records of that world, a musical cultivator had ascended a thousand years ago, but there had been no further records in that field since.

The few lines Qi Qing had just hummed were truly better than anything Qiao Yitong had heard from the best singers in her previous life.

Both the tone and the melody were enough to make one feel joyful.

“Really?” Hearing Qiao Yitong’s praise, a flash of delight appeared in Qi Qing’s eyes.

As a professional singer, she had heard plenty of praise in the past. Yet for some reason, it had never felt as gratifying as hearing it from Qiao Yitong’s mouth at this moment.

Qiao Yitong nodded again.

Deng You had also been listening intently. Hearing Qiao Yitong’s praise, he smiled. “Sister Qing definitely sings well. She was a professional singer, after all. Her professional skills are beyond reproach.”

Lu Cheng also nodded in agreement. “Sister Qing has been out of the spotlight for years, but the moment she opens her mouth, it’s still that classic sound. It’s beautiful.”

One compliment after another sent Qi Qing floating on air.

She glanced at Lu Cheng and said teasingly, “Oh, stop it. ‘Classic sound,’ indeed. You have a sweet tongue, but tell me, what did I used to sing?”

“Uh…” Lu Cheng was suddenly at a loss for words, looking a bit embarrassed.

Qi Qing wasn’t surprised at all. People in the entertainment industry came and went so quickly; often, they were like a passing gust of wind.

“‘Rainy Day,’ ‘Freedom,'” Deng You interjected at the right moment.

This startled Qi Qing. “You’ve actually listened to my songs?”

Being stared at and questioned by a superstar he used to only see through a screen made Lu Cheng feel a bit shy. “Yeah, I really like those two.”

This was undoubtedly a high form of validation for Qi Qing.

Her eyes crinkled into crescents because of those words. “If you guys don’t mind, then I’ll shamelessly keep singing?”

Lu Cheng immediately began to clap in welcome.

Qi Qing’s singing drifted across the coast once more.

“Because of our most romantic photo,

I’ve neglected my intuition again;

It turns out the impulsive plot,

Is simply watching the sea with you.”

Qi Qing’s voice was a bit louder than before, the melody clearer and more melodious.

The singing was captured and transmitted to the audience, who also became immersed in it.

Some of Qi Qing’s old fans, suddenly hearing her sing and seeing this scene, felt inexplicably moved to tears.

Comments flooded the screen, hoping Qi Qing would sing a few more songs.

But before Qi Qing could finish the first song, she looked up and saw Shisan and the others dragging their luggage away.

She faltered, and her song skipped a beat for a moment.

This caught everyone’s attention.

Lu Cheng followed Qi Qing’s gaze and saw the group making their bedraggled exit.

His eyes shifted slightly as he more or less guessed the reason for their departure.

“Sister Tong, they’re leaving,” Lu Cheng reminded her.

Qiao Yitong took a glance, her expression unruffled. “Oh.”

Lu Cheng hadn’t expected such indifference; he was actually a bit surprised.

Qiao Yitong saw the surprise in his expression and arched an eyebrow. “Is something wrong?”

“No, no, not at all. I just didn’t expect you to let them go without more questions, Sister Tong. Seeing how you’ve been picking people up over the last few days, I thought you were planning to collect everyone,” Lu Cheng teased.

Of course, he was secretly nursing his own selfish motives.

Sister Tong had originally been his alone, but now with so many people suddenly appearing, his time to talk with her had dwindled. How could he not have an opinion on that?

Qiao Yitong thought about it and shook her head. “No. This is enough.”

“Hmm?” Lu Cheng gave her an inquisitive look.

The others turned to look as well.

“Too many people are a hassle,” Qiao Yitong said.

There were five of them now. They could divide the labor perfectly, maximizing their efficiency.

Any more than this, and things would get complicated.

With that explanation, everyone began to understand.

Deng You felt a wave of relief and laughed. “Then I really have my own thick skin to thank. I thought Sister Tong was amazing, so I shamelessly ran over to find her first. If I’d come any later, there might not have been a spot for me.”

Qi Qing agreed wholeheartedly, though she felt a lingering sense of dread.

What about her?

If she hadn’t acted on impulse—choosing Qiao Yitong over her own safety because of the guilt she felt—would she be slinking away with that group right now?

Qiao Yitong looked up at Deng You and denied it again. “That’s not it either.”

“Huh?” Deng You was dazed. What did she mean by that?

Seeing the confusion on all their faces, Qiao Yitong decided to be honest.

“It’s because you few are different from them,” Qiao Yitong tried to explain.

“How so?”

“Your base colors are… bright?” Qiao Yitong struggled to find the right imagery in her mind.

“What?”

Now they were even more confused.

“It’s like this—I have a special ability.” Qiao Yitong thought for a moment, using terms they could understand. “I can see a person’s base color.”

“People are born diverse and complex. Even the best person has their bad moments, and the worst person has their good ones,” Qiao Yitong said.

Everyone nodded.

They could agree with that.

When they were children, they might have thought the world was black and white, but as they grew up, they came to understand the true meaning of those words.

“But regardless of good or bad, a person has a fundamental base color that belongs to them. This color forms very early on, and once it’s set, it’s very hard to change.”

The group turned serious as they listened to her.

“Life experiences might cause a person to make choices that differ from their instincts, but under extreme conditions, in that split second, a person will usually follow their base color.”

Understanding began to dawn on them, and they fell into thoughtful silence.

The Doctor, who had remained quiet and rarely joined their conversations, looked up at Qiao Yitong and spoke. “Human nature.”

Human nature was complex, but at the root of it all were different choices.

Some were born bad seeds; others were born saints.

In extreme moments, those with a selfish base color would choose to backstab others to save themselves.

Those with a selfless base color would instinctively choose sacrifice.

This was likely what Qiao Yitong meant by “base color.”

She had chosen these people because regardless of their previous behavior—whether they were cold or warm, or like the Doctor, always keeping others at a distance with an indifferent air—their base colors were bright and warm.

Keeping such people by her side meant she didn’t have to worry about ingratitude.

She didn’t have to worry about them stabbing her in the back at a critical moment.

This was Qiao Yitong’s sole criterion for selecting her companions.

Hearing her say this, the group’s expressions became somewhat subtle.

Lu Cheng was genuinely happy.

He had always considered himself a good person, and being validated by Sister Tong made him ecstatic.

Deng You, however, was stunned for a moment after hearing these words. Suddenly, he felt a strange sting in his nose.

He let out a laugh to hide his emotions, sounding cheerful as he said, “Hahaha, it’s been a long time since anyone called me a good person. Sister Tong, you’re really something. You’d say a selfish guy like me has a good base color?”

Qiao Yitong simply watched him quietly without explaining.

Deng You’s awkward laughter died away. After a long silence, he lowered his eyes and murmured, “Actually, I used to think having a bright base color wasn’t a good thing. Most of the time, being a bit selfish and not meddling in other people’s business is probably the better choice.”

The group fell into a sudden silence.

“Deng You,” Qi Qing called out suddenly.

“Yeah?” Deng You looked up at her.

“If you’ve run into trouble or some hurdle you can’t get over, you can tell us. If you’ve really been treated unfairly, we’ll help you, even if our abilities are limited.” Qi Qing hesitated and glanced at the camera.

“And even if we can’t help, I believe there are others watching. As long as you’ve truly suffered an injustice, I’m sure the netizens would be willing to help you too.”

Lu Cheng nodded in strong agreement.

Deng You’s lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he held it back in the end.

He stretched and let out a long breath, turning his head away so the others wouldn’t see the tears shimmering in his eyes. Once he composed himself, he said casually, “We’ll see. Actually, coming here has changed a lot of my perspective. When I get back, I’ll try to handle it myself. If I can’t solve it then, I’ll ask you all for help.”

Qi Qing nodded, not forcing him to speak.

Some people didn’t like making their suffering public.

Seeing him like this, Lu Cheng patted Deng You on the back to comfort him.

Deng You moved to swat his hand away but stopped himself at the last second.

Finally, he just stared into the distance, a faint, hidden warmth appearing in the depths of his eyes.

The entire conversation was transmitted clearly to the ears of the netizens.

This heartfelt talk, paired with the atmosphere of their current surroundings, inexplicably struck a chord with a vast number of viewers.

“I didn’t expect to see such a sincere exchange on a Deserted Island. For some reason, my eyes feel like they’re about to leak. I feel like everyone is actually a very good, warm person.”

“Yeah, I actually disliked Deng You quite a bit at first, but now he somehow seems more likable. And when they were talking just now, it looked like there were tears in his eyes.”

“Their dialogue is so real. When I was traveling before and met friends whose souls clicked, we had this exact same way of chatting. It’s so nice; it’s like my dead heart has finally found some warmth.”

“Me too. I feel like tonight’s conversation is the most heartwarming one I’ve seen since I started watching this variety show. I love their vibe so much, I want to join them.”

The bullet comments were initially moved by the warm atmosphere, but after those comments were posted, another group of people suddenly stormed in.

Most of them were fans of Jing Xueqin, along with a mix of others.

Seeing everyone praising Qiao Yitong’s side, they immediately began lashing out with sarcasm and hostility.

“Give me a break. Qiao Yitong shouldn’t take herself so seriously. You’re hated by the entire internet and your character is trash; what right do you have to judge anyone else’s true colors?”

“She’s just pretending. Judging human nature? Who do you think you are, a god? Clean up your own scandals before you try to build some ‘good person’ persona here.”

“I’ll just say it straight: Qiao Yitong is garbage! And anyone who associates with her is garbage too. No matter what they do after they leave this island, I’ll be the first to lead a boycott against them.”

“Boycott +1.”

“Honestly, I’m speechless. Not only is she a hypocrite, but she’s using this method to manipulate the audience and create cliques. Give her an inch and she takes a mile.”

“Heh, let’s just talk about that Deng You. Didn’t Qiao Yitong only start treating him like one of her own because he said a few nice things about her? ‘Good true colors’? He’s been stealing from others since he stepped onto the island. I don’t see anything good about him.”

…

“To the people who suddenly rushed in here with such foul language and curses, how about you clean up your accounts and hide your fan badges⁴ before you speak?”

“Exactly. Jing Xueqin’s fans should stop trying to stir up trouble here. You’d better go check on your ‘Oppa’ before something happens to him on the road and you miss your chance to see him one last time!”

The bullet comments fought back and forth, filled with hostility.

The Director Group was naturally pleased to see this surge in popularity. The person monitoring the screens was thrilled by the skyrocketing data and turned around in excitement to share the news with the rest of the team.

But as he turned his head and saw that half the room was empty, he suddenly remembered.

Oh, right. They weren’t here. They had something much more important to do.

At the same time.

As the sky turned completely dark and the night grew silent, just as everyone was falling into a deep sleep, a group of people quietly landed on the island.

Translator’s Notes