Chapter 20: Is He That Obvious?

Lu Cheng stood a short distance away, watching Qiao Yitong tinker with that withered branch for a long time.

He didn’t quite understand why Sister Tong was so interested in a dead stick.

However.

The lack of understanding was his problem; everything Sister Tong did was right.

But as half the day passed, Lu Cheng’s stomach began to growl. He looked at the still-busy Qiao Yitong, picked up the nearby harpoon, and waded into the sea.

Yesterday, Sister Tong had caught fish so effortlessly. Even if he wasn’t as good as her, if he spent a bit more time, it should be… fine, right?

Lu Cheng’s imagination was beautiful, but reality often dealt a harsh blow.

There were plenty of fish in the sea; standing there for a moment, one could see them swimming past. Yet his movements felt as if they were lagging. Every time he thrust the harpoon down, it would graze past the fish.

Lu Cheng: “…”

No, how exactly did Sister Tong make it look so easy, catching one with every strike?

Could it be that these fish just didn’t like the look of him? When he tried to spear them, they swam like lightning, but when Sister Tong went fishing, they were so captivated by her beauty that they froze in place to let her stab them?

Lu Cheng grumbled inwardly in frustration.

It was hard to imagine that a young, strong man like him had spent half an hour without catching a single fish.

If word got out, it would be quite embarrassing.

Truly.

“Oh no, the scene is repeating perfectly, what do we do? Hahaha! I feel like just a few days ago I saw a certain group of people doing the same thing, struggling in the sea for ages and getting nothing.”

“And here I thought Shisan and his group couldn’t catch fish because of the environment, like there were fewer fish over there. Looking at it now, tsk tsk, it turns out they’re just bad at it.”

“Wait, calling them bad just because they can’t catch fish is a bit unfair. It’s obvious that it’s not that they’re bad, it’s that Qiao Yitong is too strong.”

Lu Cheng didn’t have the viewers’ god-like perspective and had no idea that before him, a group of people had already been tormented by the sea fish and lost face.

His only point of comparison was Qiao Yitong.

Especially now, thinking about how Sister Tong got two fish in two minutes while he hadn’t seen so much as a scale in half an hour, his self-esteem felt utterly crushed.

Lu Cheng looked at the empty harpoon, gritted his teeth, and took another step forward.

It must be because he was standing too close to the shore; the schools of fish weren’t coming this way.

With this step, the seawater had risen almost to the level of Lu Cheng’s chest.

“No way! Ahhh, come back! It’s dangerous there!”

“Does he have absolutely no common sense regarding the ocean? At that depth, a single wave will knock him over. Does he even know how to swim? It’s dangerous if he gets swept away!”

“I don’t know, but there’s no need to go that far out just to catch a fish, right?”

The bullet comments were flying thick and fast. This time, even the director sitting in the monitoring room couldn’t help but stand up, his fists clenched in tension.

He claimed that their life or death had nothing to do with him, but when faced with actual danger, he couldn’t help but worry.

Especially this Lu Cheng, with his background and identity…

Thinking of the instructions someone had specifically called to give him a while ago, the director’s heart tightened.

This one could not have an accident.

But whatever one fears most is bound to happen.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, a wave rolled in. Lu Cheng, focused on a fish swimming past him in the water, saw his chance and thrust downward with all his might.

At the exact moment he lunged, the wave crashed into him, sending him tumbling into the sea.

When Lu Cheng’s body was submerged, enveloped by the seawater with no way to break free, a surge of helplessness and panic rose in his heart. It was a visceral fear of death unlike anything he had ever experienced.

There was nothing to grab onto, only the vast, overwhelming ocean.

His body was like a piece of duckweed¹, completely out of control. His chest felt like it was about to explode – a true near-death sensation.

He was going to die, wasn’t he?

In that moment, a very real sense of mortality washed over Lu Cheng.

Images flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern², but in the end, they all dissolved into the terror of an accidental death.

But he didn’t want to die yet.

Lu Cheng bobbed in the water, being swept further and further away by the waves. This scene left everyone watching the screen with their hearts in their throats.

“Ahhh! Save him! The production crew isn’t really going to just sit there, are they?”

“It’s over, he’s gone. Once you’re swept away by the waves, there’s nothing anyone can do.”

“You can’t save him. In this situation, you’d need a professional rescue team with a lifeboat or something. Relying on manpower, you wouldn’t even be able to save yourself.”

“It’s too late…”

Seeing a life about to end with their own eyes, the shock and fear left everyone present at a loss.

There was nothing they could do but watch the screen as Lu Cheng’s figure drifted further and further away.

He was beyond saving…

Almost everyone, including Lu Cheng himself, had this thought.

Just then, the viewers felt a blur before their eyes.

In the next instant, Qiao Yitong’s figure suddenly appeared, diving into the sea with a graceful leap.

The water was clear, and through the camera, everyone could faintly see Qiao Yitong’s silhouette. Her smooth, powerful form truly resembled a fish in the water – elegant in posture and incredibly fast.

In the blink of an eye, Qiao Yitong reached Lu Cheng’s side.

She reached out, grabbed Lu Cheng by the collar, and yanked his head above the surface.

Then, with one hand holding Lu Cheng and the other cutting through the opposing waves, she swam toward the shore.

Once they reached the beach, she tossed Lu Cheng onto the sand and slapped him on the back to make him cough up the excess seawater. Afterward, she took off her outer garment and wrung the water out of it.

As for the rest…

She remembered the original host’s memories mentioned this was a variety show, and her every move might be watched.

Since that was the case, she couldn’t use Spiritual Power to dry her clothes in front of everyone.

She would wait until she got back to the Bamboo House.

“Sister Yitong, thank you.”

From nearby, Lu Cheng’s weak voice drifted over.

Qiao Yitong looked toward him.

Lu Cheng’s face was deathly pale, looking more disheveled and pathetic than he had since the start of the show.

His eyes still held a lingering panic and fear. Accidents often stem from a single, careless moment.

Qiao Yitong looked at him, then glanced at the harpoon in his hand. “Are you hungry?” she asked.

Lu Cheng’s reaction was slow. Hearing her words so suddenly left him feeling a bit dazed.

In Qiao Yitong’s mind, his silence was equivalent to a “yes.” She reached out, took the harpoon, and walked toward the sea.

Under the watchful eyes of the audience, she made two swift, sharp thrusts before turning back with effortless grace.

Unlike when she left, she returned with two fish skewered on the harpoon.

Lu Cheng: “…”

He suddenly remembered what Qiao Yitong had said a few days ago when he wanted to go fishing with her and she refused to let him follow.

“If you get swept away, saving you would be a hassle.”

It turned out that Sister Tong hadn’t been looking down on him back then; she had simply been stating a fact.

Lu Cheng immediately lowered his gaze and hung his head.

At that moment, the netizens also recalled Qiao Yitong’s words from a few days prior.

• I’ve finally caught my breath. That scene just now was so dangerous. Someone almost died. –

• I thought these two were the most likely of the thirteen to have an accident, but I never imagined it would happen like this. –

• Say what you want, but if it weren’t for Qiao Yitong, Lu Cheng would be finished. Thank you, Qiao Yitong. –

• Qiao Yitong, I apologize for badmouthing you before. Thank you, Qiao Yitong. –

• Thank you, Qiao Yitong. –

Words of gratitude flooded the entire screen. The volume of comments in the Live Stream Room reached an unprecedented high.

Most were Lu Cheng’s fans thanking Qiao Yitong, while others were marvelling at the elegance of her rescue.

• Who exactly is Qiao Yitong? How did she manage that swimming technique just now? –

• She’s like a fish in the water. Her movements are so beautiful and incredibly fast. –

• Is that speed really possible for a normal person? You’d probably need to be a professional athlete. –

• Damn, I’m a competitive swimmer. Let me tell you, even a pro wouldn’t dare try to save someone without a safety line against the tide during an ebb. And did you see how she brought Lu Cheng back? She hauled him out of the water with one hand while swimming that easily. Help, is this what talent looks like? I’m starting to doubt my life. –

• I’m totally stunned. Qiao Yitong, as long as you don’t stay in the entertainment industry, what couldn’t you do with these skills? You’d be a big shot in any field. Why do you have to be a celebrity? –

• Sister Tong is so cool. Sister, don’t worry about gender, just take me! –

• I’m tired of shouting “Sister Tong is amazing” over and over. –

…

After Qiao Yitong brought the fish up, Lu Cheng instinctively stood up.

Even though he was still very weak, his desire to be useful hadn’t changed.

He couldn’t hold a candle to Qiao Yitong when it came to catching fish, so at the very least, he should handle the food preparation.

He reached out, but Qiao Yitong moved away.

“No need. You rest,” Qiao Yitong said.

She had nothing else to do right now, so roasting a fish could be considered a little reward for herself.

Having just brushed with death, Lu Cheng was still in a daze. Whatever Qiao Yitong said, went.

He sat there blankly as the campfire crackled and flickered, slowly warming his body.

Qiao Yitong took her jungle combat knife to the side and began cleaning the two fish.

She sliced them open and removed the entrails. With a flick of her wrist, she perfectly stripped away all the scales. If one ignored the blood on her hands, her movements were as smooth and beautiful as a work of art.

In a flash of blade-light, both fish were prepped.

The entire process took exactly three minutes.

• I’m speechless. How is Qiao Yitong’s knife work this good? It took Lu Cheng a full hour to clean one fish before! –

• Wait, I feel like her knife technique is too smooth and practiced for a chef. Why does it feel strangely murderous? –

• Especially with Sister Tong’s expressionless face. To be honest, watching her kill fish makes my skin crawl. It’s a bit scary. –

• Me too… I wanted to say this earlier. Given everything she’s shown so far, could her real identity be a secret agent? –

• ??? Isn’t that a bit too abstract? If any secret agent had her skills, wouldn’t the person in the American Ink Palace³ be shaking in their boots? –

• LMAO, you guys have such wild imaginations. What kind of secret agent becomes a celebrity and lets people dig up everything about them? –

• (English Comment) I would like to ask, is this Qiao really just a celebrity? Or does she have a background in the special forces? –

• To the person writing in English: you know, that comment makes you sound exactly like the person in the Ink Palace himself, haha. –

Meanwhile, inside the Ink Palace in America, the hand of a certain person who had just posted that comment froze in mid-air.

Was he really that obvious?

Translator’s Notes