Chapter 45 Shen Jixing: I Won’t Eat Anything Dirty

Shen Jixing could count on one hand the number of times he’d sung in public.

Over the years, he’d devoted himself to acting, rarely dabbling in other fields. So when he finally sang for the first time, his anti-fans exploded with anticipation.

“Screen recording on. Waiting for the epic fail.”

“Shen Jixing has never even recorded an OST all these years—imagine how bad his singing must be.”

“It’s true. Most leading actors record character songs, but he never has, and isn’t he supposed to be the most devoted to his roles?”

“He’s just bluffing—how can you believe him?”

“One minute left until verification ends,” the broadcast announced.

Without further hesitation, Shen Jixing began:

“Don’t mind me, I’m just a little sheep~”

His voice, cool and clear, sang softly, gentle warmth lazily flowing through the air.

“The grass is sweeter because of me, the sky is bluer because of me, the clouds become softer…”

The screen exploded with shrieking comments.

“He’s coaxing me, he’s coaxing me, he’s coaxing me!”

“Oh my god, I’m just a baby lying on a cloud right now~”

“I spaced out—who put a pacifier in my mouth?”

“@antifan, send me the recording, I’ll use it as my lullaby, three thanks.”

“@antifan, I want one too (monkey reaching out), thank you.”

“Antifan: ?? You’re all so polite?”

…

The subsequent game went far too smoothly.

Sheng Que and Cen Susu found a local rich boy who matched their clues—“He has short hair,” “He’s a young master,” “He can do twenty backflips.”

“How did you know that was my specialty?” Sheng Que blurted, thrilled.

He and the young master performed twenty backflips on the beach together.

The sand they kicked up completely buried Fang Siqian, who had just arrived.

“Young people have it good—can sleep anywhere.”

“Zebra, zebra, don’t fall asleep now~”

“Sheng Que! Could you not flip anymore? My brother’s completely buried by your sand!”

“It’s just sand, not exile (sending hearts).”

“Hahahahahaha!”

The gentle and warm-hearted NPC, brought by Fang Siqian, hurried over, brushed the sand away, and rescued him from the pile.

“Fanger, are you all right?” he asked softly.

Oh no, that familiar tone—uncannily similar to Fang Siqian himself.

“I’m fine.” Fang Siqian brushed the sand from his face and shot a fierce glare at Shen Jixing in the distance.

“…"

After a moment’s silence, Shen Jixing asked, “Is he glaring at me?”

The two of them hid near a coconut stand. Zhou Yili casually cracked open a coconut and handed it over—after running around half the day, Shen Jixing was panting for breath.

“Yeah, he’s being petty.”

Zhou Yili shot a cold glance at Fang Siqian.

Shen Jixing accepted the coconut, found a straw at the stand, and then, using a clean handkerchief, carefully wiped the sand off the straw before inserting it and drinking slowly.

He seemed to know what Zhou Yili was thinking, and said offhandedly, unconcerned:

“It’s nothing. We won’t be seeing him much longer.”

Zhou Yili watched his lips as he sipped the coconut, and after a couple of seconds, he said, “Are you always this… particular about eating?”

He changed “fussy” to “particular.”

“Particular?” Shen Jixing replied. “Not eating takeout is one thing, but you have to wipe even a straw?”

Zhou Yili, pampered as he was, had still eaten dirt as a child.

Hearing the meaning behind Zhou Yili’s words, Shen Jixing replied simply, “Not really—just not eating anything dirty.”

Zhou Yili was silent for several moments.

Suddenly, his mind went to a strange place.

“You’re running a fever again,” Shen Jixing observed, coolly glancing at Zhou Yili’s flushed face, half indifferent, half curious. “What are you thinking about?”

Zhou Yili looked away, turning his back. “Nothing. Just drink your coconut juice.”

Not far off, Fang Siqian began verifying his chosen candidate.

To everyone’s surprise, he succeeded in one go as well.

The mermaid’s eyes sparkled like water. “It’s him—he’s gentle and considerate, he has a soft smile, he’s always willing to help, especially women… huh?”

A flicker of confusion crossed the mermaid’s gaze, as if she’d suddenly recalled something.

“I remember now, I remember everything—he cheated on me!”

The mermaid’s body shuddered violently, her face twisted. Suddenly she transformed into a monstrous dark god, bared her bloody fangs, and swallowed Fang Siqian in one gulp—

He screamed, hugging his head in terror.

Shen Jixing heard Fang Siqian’s shriek, but saw nothing—because, at the instant the mermaid transformed, someone’s hand casually covered his eyes.

“Shen Jixing,” a lazy, amused voice sounded above his head, laced with teasing and laughter, “How are you such a coward?”

A holographic afterimage passed through Fang Siqian’s body.

The mermaid reverted to her original form, gently soothing Fang Siqian, “I don’t blame you. I love you.”

Fang Siqian shivered, chilled to the bone. “He’s the one who cheated, why are you scaring me?”

The mermaid looked at him with teary eyes, silent.

Qi Yan said coldly, “She’s just a little fish. Why are you being harsh to her?”

Fang Siqian: “?”

A little fish?

A little fish who’d just scared them all half to death—especially Shen Jixing, who was still trembling.

Right. Fang Siqian instinctively glanced at Shen Jixing—

Behind the coconut stand, Zhou Yili’s hand was still covering his eyes, whispering something softly into his ear, laughing.

Were they filming a dating show?

Zhou Yili chuckled, “Were you always this timid?”

Shen Jixing had only stayed over at his place a few times; Zhou Yili had no idea he was afraid of ghosts, the dark, and so many other things.

Shen Jixing calmly removed his hand.

He said nothing.

Cen Susu and Qi Yan each found two girl NPCs according to their clues for verification.

“That’s right, I remember now, I remember everything!” The mermaid circled them gleefully. “She’s a girl, she has long curly hair, her smile is beautiful, she can dance.”

Cen Susu and the dance club student managed to pass the test with a beach dance.

The mermaid turned to the usually stoic Qi Yan.

“Sometimes she’s very aloof, doesn’t pay much attention to me, but I know she loves me—don’t you?”

Staring into the mermaid’s eyes, blue as the sea, everyone thought Qi Yan wouldn’t answer such an emotional question.

But Qi Yan nodded. “Yes. I love you.”

Ding.

The fifth verification was also a success.

Fang Siqian was indignant—why was everyone else’s test so easy, but his required a scare?

He tried to find fault with the mermaid.

“So I have a question. Are you male or female? Why do your lovers include both boys and girls?”

If this mermaid dared to frighten him, he’d brand her with the label of bisexual.

The guests fell silent for a moment.

What was Fang Siqian up to? Trying to rally netizens to cyberbully a 3D mermaid?

After the verification, the mermaid looked at them all with tender, lingering affection, but sensing Fang Siqian’s mood, she grew flustered.

“I—I don’t know… I think I forgot something… I forgot who I am… Am I a male mermaid or a female mermaid…”

Fang Siqian: …What a dunce.

Still, seeing the mermaid so lost, his expression finally softened.

“You can be whatever you want.”

A clear, cool voice suddenly spoke; Fang Siqian whirled around and saw Shen Jixing.

“You always refer to your lover as ‘they’—a genderless pronoun. You can be any gender. You were born for love; love is freedom.”

The mermaid echoed softly, “I was born for love. Love is freedom. Then… am I free too?”

“Yes,” Shen Jixing replied.

Love is not a shackle, nor a chain.

“You are you, in any form you wish.”

The mermaid suddenly rushed forward and hugged Shen Jixing. “I love you. I love you most.”

Zhou Yili: …

So?

Fang Siqian hadn’t expected Shen Jixing to target him again and again.

He snapped, “There’s only half an hour left until the final verification, and only you two have found just one candidate. If we all lose, won’t it be your fault?”

Clearly upset, Fang Siqian didn’t even bother to hide it.

His fans scrambled to smooth things over.

“Exactly! Everyone else is completing the tasks, but Shen Jixing is doing nothing.”

“Nothing? My wife was the first to jump into the water to catch a fish—your ‘zebra brother’ was running from the hunter.”

“Nothing? My wife sang the sheep song so shyly he covered his ears—was that for nothing?”

“It’s just Zhou Yili. Those two were together the whole time and only found one person.”

“Those big eyes are just for show! There are only five task points in the whole town. They searched everywhere and only stopped for coconut juice when there were no more tasks, okay?”

“The two babies ran until they were out of breath—one of them panting like a donkey, both glistening with sweat, still gorgeous, and you accuse them of being lazy?”

“…”

“The hunters are coming!” Sheng Que suddenly shouted.

In the distance, four hunters charged in with the wind at their backs.

The guests scattered in all directions. Fang Siqian was just about to run when someone blatantly stuck out a foot—

No, it was a full-on kick.

He tumbled messily into the sand, looking up to meet Zhou Yili’s nonchalant gaze.

“Who knows if you’ll lose the game, but for now, you can go wait in the penalty room.”