Chapter 49

During lunch, Lin Zhi and Xiao Xinyi didn’t run into Lu Wuqi and the others. But as they finished eating and prepared to follow the staff to go fishing, they spotted the four of them approaching with cheerful chatter.

“Teacher Qiqi, you’re so amazing! You said you didn’t know how to fish, but you caught five fish in two hours!” Zhu Zixuan exclaimed as she walked.

“Qiqi is just a bit too humble,” Fan Ying added. “With skills like that, I don’t even dare call myself a beginner anymore. I can only say I’m a newbie.”

“My skills can’t compare to Teacher Fan’s. My manager just arranged a good spot for me,” Lu Wuqi said honestly, holding her girlfriend’s hand as they walked in the middle of the group.

“Is that so? Then how about we swap spots later? Let’s see if I can surpass you,” Lin Qingxu said, in a great mood. As her gaze swept over the surroundings, she noticed figures emerging from the restaurant in the distance.

“Xiao Qi, isn’t that Teacher Lin Zhi and Little Xiao Teacher up ahead? Did they just arrive?” Lin Qingxu asked, her tone tinged with confusion. “I remember asking the camera operator. They had already borrowed a car by the time we arrived at the fishing ground.”

“Something else must have come up,” Lu Wuqi replied, tightening her grip slightly on her girlfriend’s hand.

The moment Lin Qingxu spotted Lin Zhi, he noticed the four of them too. Remembering they were still live, he deepened his smile by three degrees and approached with a beaming grin.

“Teacher Fan, have you all just come back from the fishing ground? How was the haul?” Lin Zhi asked.

Fan Ying smiled, replying calmly, “Not bad. We fished for two hours, and the four of us caught eighteen fish in total.”

“Little Xiao classmate, why are you so late? Did the car break down on the road?” Zhu Zixuan leaned in to ask.

Xiao Xinyi shrugged. “The car was fine. To get the fishing gear, we took on a task to clean the fish pond. It took us nearly two hours.”

“If you two had to work for two hours, then the four of us would only need one hour,” Zhu Zixuan said, missing the subtext in Xiao Xinyi’s words. She acted like she had foreseen it all. “Good thing we didn’t foolishly go do the work.”

“In one hour, I could catch nine fish. Even if each one only sells for fifty bucks, that’s four hundred fifty—way better than three hundred for cleaning the fish pond,” Zhu Zixuan sighed.

“What? Cleaning the fish pond pays three hundred?” A question mark practically popped up over Xiao Xinyi’s head. “Why could we only use the cleaning tools? The staff didn’t tell me there was money involved!”

“That’s because we have Teacher Qiqi, and you don’t,” Zhu Zixuan said with a grin, slapping Xiao Xinyi’s shoulder like a bro. “I latched onto a strong teammate. You didn’t, so you had to eat more bitterness.”

Xiao Xinyi seemed to think of something and instinctively took a step back. He sneaked a glance at Lu Wuqi, coughed lightly, and said, “Looks like Little Zhu Teacher has better luck.”

Zhu Zixuan didn’t notice anything off and nodded with a smile. “Exactly. Pick the right teammate, and you get carried to victory.”

“Seems like you teachers have all made quite the haul. Little Xiao and I will have to double our efforts this afternoon, or we’ll be freeloading dinner tonight,” Lin Zhi said, his eyes narrowing slightly while keeping his smile.

“Teacher Qiqi isn’t the owner of the fishing ground, is she? That’s why her teammates could freely use the gear?” Lin Zhi asked casually, subtly steering the conversation. “If that’s the case, we should’ve name-dropped Teacher Qiqi earlier. Maybe we could’ve skipped the work and gotten the tools.”

“Sir, Ms. Lu is one of our fishing ground’s VIP members,” the manager at the restaurant entrance couldn’t help but interject. “Per our rules, VIP members and their companions can use all the facilities freely.”

“Oh? So we’re not companions?” Lin Zhi asked. “We all have camera operators following us. We’re pretty recognizable, right?”

【Exactly, they keep calling themselves teammates, but isn’t this just special treatment? Feels like they want to have it both ways!】

【Isn’t it obvious? The production team is stirring things up!】

【Hold on, remember our earlier discussion about annual salary vs. hourly wage? Don’t forget.】

【Uh, suddenly feel like the bickering isn’t worth it.】

“Of course not. Didn’t Teacher Lin Zhi say we should act separately? We’re already split up—how are we companions?” Lu Wuqi shot the manager a look and spoke up first.

She hadn’t planned to flip the table this early, but Lin Zhi was practically walking into the crosshairs. If she didn’t do something, she’d look too incompetent.

“But I think we’re a team. Even if we split temporarily, we’re still teammates,” Lin Zhi said, his eyes darkening slightly.

From this probe, it was clear there was no chance of reconciling with this Qiqi. She harbored deep dissatisfaction and hostility toward him.

In that case, he’d strike first. Make the audience turn against her. Then, whatever she did next, he could frame it as targeted revenge over a personal grudge.

“Is Teacher Lin Zhi unhappy about cleaning the fish pond?” Lin Qingxu couldn’t hold back and spoke up to defend her girlfriend. “If so, we can spot you the three hundred.”

“Teacher Lin misunderstood me. I just think some things don’t need to be wasted,” Lin Zhi said, still smiling. “After all, I could catch plenty of fish in two hours too. I only said it out of consideration for the team.”

“Of course, if my words caused any misunderstanding for Teacher Lin and Teacher Qiqi, that’s on me. Sorry about that.”

As a host who maintained a perfect public image, Lin Zhi knew exactly how to guide conversations with words alone. He wouldn’t lose to anyone in a battle of mouths.

By apologizing first like this, the live viewers instinctively sided with him, forgetting all about the salary stuff.

【Lin Zhi was just thinking of everyone. If they skipped cleaning the pond, they’d have two more hours to fish and earn more money.】

【I think Teacher Qiqi and Lin Zhi have bad blood privately. From the morning live start, they were at each other’s throats. That vibe’s back now.】

【Fight! Fight! Reality shows are only fun when there’s drama. All peace and harmony is boring.】

The live chat loved the chaos. Seeing the popularity surge, the production team had no intention of explaining. Remembering a message from an investor before broadcast, they even told the cameras to stay quiet.

“Misunderstanding? I understood you perfectly,” Lu Wuqi stepped forward. “Lin Zhi, if you have a problem, just say it outright. No need for veiled words that make it sound like I’m targeting you.”

“Hasn’t Teacher Qiqi targeted me?” Lin Zhi countered, making his tone sound even more innocent. “I know you want to show off your wealth and privileges to the audience, but I hope when flaunting your money, you can consider my feelings too.”

“You’re saying I’m flaunting my wealth?” Lu Wuqi laughed.

This Lin Zhi was smart. Seeing no way to reconcile, he planned to smear her first.

What was this? Destroy connections you can’t have?

“If I were really flaunting wealth, you’d be blacklisted,” Lu Wuqi said flatly. “If I were truly targeting you, I’d hire ten paparazzi to dig up your dirt, then drop money to trend you, letting every netizen see your true face.”

“Teacher Qiqi, you can eat whatever, but don’t say reckless things. That’s illegal—it violates my privacy,” Lin Zhi said, his smile deepening.

As an insider host, Lin Zhi knew how to provoke with words and the meaning of “words can bring disaster.”

Lu Wuqi was already rattled by his words. He just needed to nudge her into saying something worse, and the audience would pile on. Then the “arrogant rich second-gen” label would stick forever.

No matter what she said or did after, netizens’ first thought would be “arrogant rich second-gen.”

“Xiao Qi.” Lin Qingxu sensed something off and tugged Lu Wuqi’s sleeve.

“Paparazzi are illegal?” Lu Wuqi tilted her head slightly. “By your logic, they shouldn’t exist in the industry?”

“Teacher Qiqi, don’t twist my words. I just mean tracking and secretly filming me invades my personal privacy. Please don’t generalize to the group,” Lin Zhi said unhurriedly, seeming mild-mannered and polite.

“So you know tracking and secret filming are bad. Then why did you install a pinhole camera in the backstage changing room? Why save those files on your computer?” Lu Wuqi sneered.

“When you talk about privacy invasion being illegal, did you ever think about what you’ve done?”

【Huh? What does this mean? This isn’t some prank script, right?】

【What’s going on? Did I just hear a bombshell? Lin Zhi secretly filming female stars changing?】

【This is live! If true, Lin Zhi’s a true crime celebrity!】

【Whoa, what happened? We hit the juicy part, and now it’s outdoor shooting? I wanna keep eating melon!】

【Production team’s hype trick? But the show’s popularity doesn’t need self-destructive stunts like this.】

“What nonsense are you spouting? I would never do that. Don’t slander me!” Lin Zhi’s expression flickered, but he quickly composed himself. “Teacher Qiqi, some jokes aren’t funny. Otherwise, I’ll have to call the police for help.”

“Fine. Manager, please contact the local police. Someone here wants to report a crime,” Lu Wuqi said.

Lu Wuqi’s mental state had been off lately, but her habit of planning ahead remained.

Last night, after using her skills to help her girlfriend fall asleep, Lu Wuqi chatted with Director Dai.

Director Dai might suck at running a company, but her employees raised marketing accounts—ones that took jobs and faked data in the industry. Over two years, they’d heard all sorts of weird gossip.

When Lu Wuqi asked directly, Director Dai spilled everything she knew, adding that veracity was unconfirmed.

Hearing Lin Zhi might have a history of peeping and secret filming, Lu Wuqi eagerly pulled out her laptop and flexed her hacking skills.

As the villa owner, accessing the home network was as easy as breathing for her.

Hacking into Lin Zhi’s computer via the network was a tad harder—like drinking water, just one extra step of lifting the cup.

“Got it. I’ll contact the police right away,” the manager said after a pause. Between a VIP member and regular guests, he’d side with the VIP every time.

“Teacher Qiqi? We’re live right now. If you’re just messing with the cops and nothing’s wrong, it could drag down the whole production,” Lin Zhi said, losing some composure.

What was with this Lu Wuqi? Why wasn’t she playing by the script? He’d only given her attitude last night. No need to hold such a grudge, right? This was pushing him to ruin!

Lin Qingxu was worried too. She tugged Lu Wuqi’s sleeve and whispered, “Xiao Qi, we can contact the police privately. It’s not suitable to say this on camera.”

“It’s fine. Let the police investigate,” Lu Wuqi said, pulling Lin Qingxu into a side hug and patting her back softly to soothe her. “Better to resolve it now than after recording ends. That way, the damage is minimized.”

According to the plan Lu Wuqi had set last night, Lin Zhi’s true colors would be exposed before the live stream ended and before the edited version went online. This timing would perfectly allow the previously recorded episodes to air, minimizing the production team’s losses.

But Lin Zhi’s earlier behavior had truly disgusted Lu Wuqi. In her mentally unstable state, she naturally couldn’t hold back any longer. Concerns about losses or no losses couldn’t stop her from venting her anger.

“Teacher Qiqi, you’re not joking, are you? The manager seems to have really called the police…” Xiao Xinyi said weakly.

“Nonsense. Lu… Qiqi wouldn’t joke about something like this.” Zhu Zixuan also sensed that something was off. “Director, cut the live stream.”

“It’s already cut. We switched to outdoor shots before Teacher Lin Zhi even mentioned calling the police.” The executive director ran over, glanced at Lu Wuqi, and said hesitantly, “Teacher Qiqi, if you explain later that it was just a joke, the netizens should buy it.”

“No need. I’ll follow through on what I promised—don’t worry.” As she spoke, Lu Wuqi turned to the ashen-faced Lin Zhi. “Didn’t you say I was targeting you with money and power? Are you feeling it now? This is what real targeting feels like.”

“You’re slandering me! I’ll sue you!” Panic became even more evident on Lin Zhi’s face.

How could his deepest secret possibly be known to Lu Wuqi? The last minor celebrity who had discovered the hidden camera had been driven into depression and forced out of the industry by him. Rumor had it her mental state was already unstable.

“That’s my home. When you use my villa’s network to access shady stuff, I get a notification.” Lu Wuqi said calmly, mimicking the verbal tactics Lin Zhi had used against her earlier to provoke him until he cracked.

“You know how much that villa cost, right? I shelled out a fortune back then to ensure its privacy and security.” A clear mocking glint flashed in Lu Wuqi’s eyes.

“Lin Zhi, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for not holding back. You just had to indulge in viewing your own criminal evidence at night.” Lu Wuqi tsked. “You’ve got some real guts.”

“Impossible! I never watched that stuff at night! I’m not an idiot! How could I…” Halfway through his words, Lin Zhi suddenly clamped his hand over his mouth and stared wide-eyed at Lu Wuqi.

“You don’t know a thing—you’re just bluffing me?” Lin Zhi exploded, his composure shattering completely.

“That’s right. I actually know nothing. I just saw a post from over a year ago while looking into your background. It accused you of secretly filming and peeping.” Lu Wuqi said unhurriedly, continuing to goad Lin Zhi.

Information obtained through hacking didn’t count as solid evidence anyway. For a conviction, nothing beat a personal confession.

Once he realized Lu Wuqi had been setting a trap for him from the very start, Lin Zhi’s eyes bulged with rage. He lunged at her, desperate to fight.

But Xiao Yang, the bodyguard who had been on high alert, moved faster. He kicked Lin Zhi in the crook of the knee and slammed him face-first to the ground.

“Xuxu, it’s all good now. Were you scared?” Lu Wuqi ignored the still-struggling Lin Zhi and softly asked her girlfriend.

Lin Qingxu’s brows furrowed slightly, her gaze toward Lu Wuqi turning incredibly complex.

“Xiao Qi, you weren’t like this before…” Lin Qingxu trailed off abruptly. “Xiao Qi, we’ll probably have to re-record everything. Our alone time is going to be even shorter now.”

It was just watching a criminal get nabbed—what was there to be scared of?

What worried Lin Qingxu more was her girlfriend’s condition. This extreme approach didn’t match the Lu Wuqi she remembered at all. Had Lin Zhi done something else to her out of sight?