Chapter 10

An hour passed quickly, and the four children returned one after another.

Qin Siyan immediately noticed Lin Yi and Nora’s leisurely demeanor and looked at Xie Yu. “Mom, did Lin Yi and the others come back so early?”

Xie Yu replied, “What do you mean ‘come back’? Yi Bao and Nora never left.”

At first, Zhong Qi and He Tong were anxious, but when they recalled the embarrassing results of those two jumping long rope, they tried several times to speak but couldn’t get the words out.

He Tong patted Zhong Qi on the shoulder with a serious expression. “Forget it, it’s our fault for not giving the kids a good starting point. We shouldn’t force the children.”

Zhong Qi thought He Tong had a point, so they also borrowed some lounge chairs from the production crew.

Yang Xing wanted to help his son but was persuaded by Xie Yu: “When children encounter problems, they should figure out how to solve them themselves.”

Yang Xing: ...

His boss, Jiang Xuan, was already trying to curry favor with Xie Yu, so naturally, he couldn’t oppose her.

Thus, two more lounge chairs appeared.

Xi Lan wanted to follow the trend, but Jiang Xuan spoke up directly. “Xi Jie, I’m worried about Mianmian and Ian.”

Xi Lan: ...

When Xi Lan and Jiang Xuan returned with Mianmian and Ian, they saw their close friend Xie Yu relaxed as if on vacation, and she cast a resentful glance at Jiang Xuan.

Jiang Xuan smiled on the surface but cursed Xie Yu and the others in his heart.

So lazy—why don’t they just lie at home?

And Yang Xing, doesn’t he have any sense?

Jiang Xuan could only console himself that the viewers in the live stream would surely compare Xie Yu and He Tong to him. Who would like lazy people?

The live stream would surely praise him!

“I’m already tired of envy; I wish I could openly slack off at work like that.”

“Although the two star moms have different teaching methods, both are proper.”

“I’m ambivalent about Xie Yu’s approach—letting the child solve problems on their own is a kind of training. But what about He Tong? Is that a ‘let it be’ style of education?”

“Nora didn’t do anything wrong. He Tong respects the child’s choice and doesn’t force her own will. She lets the child enjoy happiness. Don’t you want a mom like that?”

“If sisters can speak, say more. When I was a kid on vacation, I cooked for my mom. She scolded me for cooking too much and wasting food, but the four dishes and one soup for three people wasn’t less than what she usually cooked.”

The chat bar quickly filled with stories of overbearing or spoiling parents. Even Jiang Xuan’s fans joined the conversation, ignoring whatever he had done.

At the scene, the tour guide, holding a small megaphone, said, “Everyone’s back! Kids, can you tell me what props you borrowed?”

Ian raised his hand first, eager to answer: “Small buckets, this big.”

He stretched out his hands to show the size, while two small buckets lay at his feet.

Viewers in the live chat couldn’t help laughing and praised little Ian for being cute.

Mianmian seriously picked up a small bucket and corrected him. “Ian, it’s only this big.”

She pulled his hands closer, halving the distance between them.

Ian fell silent.

Jiang Xuan quickly smoothed things over. “Mianmian, brother was just exaggerating a bit.”

Yang Xing worried Mianmian would keep questioning, so he changed the subject. “Xiao Bai, what did you borrow?”

Yang Bai said, “Dough.”

Yang Xing smiled on the surface but cursed inwardly: blockhead.

Couldn’t he say a little more to be more likable?

Yang Bai sensed his father’s mood but, being a child, didn’t understand why Dad was upset.

The atmosphere grew a bit cold. The tour guide asked Lin Yi, “Xiao Yi and Nora didn’t leave, so you don’t need extra props?”

Lin Yi said, “No.”

Nora pointed to the ground. “This is our prop.”

On the ground lay Lin Yi’s sun protection jacket, thin and translucent, clearly filled with stones inside.

The tour guide was speechless.

Before she could say anything, Ian burst out laughing. “Lin Yi, did you gather a bunch of stones to feed the fish?”

The live chat hadn’t yet wondered why Lin Yi collected stones when Ian’s words misled many.

“Fun fact: fish might swallow small stones, but never stones this big.”

“I just Googled it—fish even eat mud. Yi Bao, digging soil works too!”

“Bro, not all fish eat mud, and if you throw mud in the water, fish won’t eat it unless it’s a dumb fish.”

“Yi Bao is a kid, not dumb. I think Yi Bao must have another purpose.”

“What purpose? Like a martial arts master crushing fish with a stone? Wake up, that’s fiction, not reality.”

The truth was right there, but no one dared believe it.

Even Lin Yi’s few fans didn’t buy it.

Her Yi Bao was only seven—how could that be?

Jiang Xuan chuckled, “He Tong, are you just going to let those two mess around? Looks like you’ve given up on the competition.”

“Although Ian and Nora had a little conflict, it’s just kids playing. Later, when Ian gets a prize, we’ll share some with you.”

He Tong’s face turned cold with anger.

Xie Yu quietly held her arm, worried He Tong’s temper would make her lash out, which would only boost Jiang Xuan’s popularity.

Zhong Qi said, “Teacher Jiang, isn’t it too early to say that? Nobody knows who will win until the end.”

“Who?” Mianmian misheard. “Uncle Zhong, who’s going to lose? Mianmian doesn’t want that!”

Zhong Qi: ...

“I love watching this tense atmosphere. Someone please take Mianmian away.”

“I think there’s more between Zhong Qi and Jiang Xuan than just last year’s Best Supporting Actor award. There must be problems between them.”

Zhong Qi stopped arguing with Jiang Xuan and crouched down to ask Lin Yi, “Xiao Yi, are these stones enough? If not, Uncle Zhong will find more.”

They had been lying there together. When did Yi Bao pick up those stones?

Nora didn’t think much of Lin Yi’s plan at first, but seeing others’ reactions, she grew a little uncertain.

Lin Yi was still talking to Zhong Qi when he suddenly felt a hand grasp his own—it was Nora.

Her cold little face said, “I believe you!”

Lin Yi touched her little hair tuft with his free hand. “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

At that moment, Nora didn’t yet grasp the weight of Lin Yi’s words. The second time Lin Yi said “Don’t worry, I’m here,” she unilaterally took him as her best friend. Even little Mianmian couldn’t surpass that.

Listening to Lin Yi, Nora’s uneasy feelings were soothed.

Xi Lan was socially anxious and didn’t like to speak up.

Xie Yu made a cheering gesture to Lin Yi. “Whether or not you catch a fish, Yi Bao, you’re amazing.”

Qin Siyan quietly watched Lin Yi, lips moving but saying nothing.

Yang Bai was curious but just wanted to lie down, even thinking that if he were in Lin Yi’s team, he’d be the one enjoying the lounge chair.

The tour guide arranged for sightseeing vehicles to take the guests to the fish farming ponds.

The scenery along the way was pleasant.

“An open conspiracy—this is definitely a ploy to lure me to Hat Island.”

“Oh my, the ecology here is amazing. Did a little squirrel just pass by?”

“Wow, there really is a deer! The grass is so clean!”

While viewers were still immersed in the scenery, the sightseeing vehicle arrived.

In front of them were five fish ponds, three of which had small boats, each marked with a number.

Each boat number corresponded to a group of children.

The tour guide asked, “Kids, are you ready?”

Ian eagerly responded, “Ready!”

He glanced proudly at Lin Yi.

Lin Yi ignored Ian and went with Nora to boat number one. Zhong Qi placed the bag of stones on the boat.

Seeing the boat reminded Zhong Qi of when Lin Yi fell into the water. He held Lin Yi’s small hand. “It doesn’t matter if you catch any fish, but be sure to stay safe, okay?”

Because of Lin Yi’s previous accident, the production team not only made the children wear life jackets but also had lifeguards already in the water.

At boat number three, Qin Siyan and Yang Bai had already baited their hooks and sat quietly waiting for fish to bite.

Ian struggled to tear open a fish food packet, grabbed a handful, and scattered it into the water. Soon, a small school of fish gathered.

Jiang Xuan watched this scene in the behind-the-scenes footage and clenched his fist—he was sure to win.

Lin Yi threw a stone, which made a clear splash.

Judging by the sound, the pond was shallower than he expected.

Lin Yi looked at Nora. “Remember what I told you before?”

Nora nodded. “Yes, I remember.”

Both wore serious expressions.

“LOL, Lin Yi can’t really think that throwing a stone can instantly kill a fish, can he?”

“If that were true, no one would disagree with ‘eating fish makes you smart.’”

“If Lin Yi could kill a fish with one stone, he’d have his place in the Chinese textbook.”

“Don’t be too harsh. If you’re so capable, how many fishes can you catch?”

“A bunch of losers who only seek presence on children!”

After throwing the first stone, Lin Yi closed his eyes to focus.

This action naturally invited mockery from many viewers.

He Tong in front of the screen also looked stunned and asked Zhong Qi, “Teacher Zhong, what is Xiao Yi doing?”

Zhong Qi said, “Catching fish, I guess.”

Xie Yu glanced at Qin Siyan and found it boring, but watched Lin Yi with great interest.

Regardless of others’ doubts or ridicule, Lin Yi concentrated, tuning in to subtle sounds.

Worried his current body hadn’t undergone the training of his past life to achieve keen senses, Lin Yi asked the cameraman and lifeguard after boarding the boat, “Could you please minimize noise when you’re in the water?”

Though puzzled, the lifeguard and cameraman agreed.

Lin Yi then threw stones one by one into the water with considerable force, listening to the sounds.

The black fans in the live chat were scoffing, recalling the previous perfect apple-catch.

Soon, a different voice appeared in the comments:

“Am I seeing things? Something seems to be floating up.”

“Travel kid variety show suddenly changing tone? It’s a farmed fish pond—what could be floating up?”

“It’s fish!”

“Oh my god, it really is fish!”

One after another, the live chat flooded with “Lin Yi is so strong” and “Yi Bao’s amazing” comments.

Even though Lin Yi had told Nora in advance, she was still stunned when she saw fish floating belly-up on the surface.

Lin Yi saw her hesitate. “Nora?”

Those fish had just fainted—how long they’d remain like that, no one knew.