Chapter 112: She Was Overly Forward Today

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Waking up naturally, Lu Zhou opened his eyes to find it was already past nine in the morning. Usually, by this time, the guests would already be on their way to the day’s new travel destination. Yet today, no one from the production team had come to wake them up—not even a single person.

What new trick were they playing now?

The production team had pulled many unexpected stunts before, often leaving everyone guessing.

Lu Zhou didn’t bother to speculate. After two exhausting days, if he could rest, he would rest as much as possible.

Though awake, he had no intention of getting up; he planned to lounge in bed until the crew notified him to rise.

Before he could fall back asleep, there was a faint knock at the door—so light that if he wasn’t paying close attention, he might not have noticed.

“Lu Zhou, are you awake?”

The soft voice carried a hint of uncertainty—likely Li Jiayan’s.

Since he hadn’t fallen back asleep, Lu Zhou simply got up, threw on a random shirt, and opened the door.

Li Jiayan had been waiting for a moment without hearing any response and was about to leave when the door suddenly opened from the inside. She was momentarily stunned.

Lu Zhou’s hair was tousled from sleep, and traces of just waking up showed on his face, but it only added to his charm.

She smiled at him sheepishly. “Sorry, I wasn’t sure if you were in there and just wanted to check. Didn’t expect to wake you.”

“It’s fine; I was about to get up anyway,” Lu Zhou said, leaning on the doorframe. “What do you need?”

His voice was a little hoarse from just waking up—quite pleasant. Li Jiayan suddenly felt a blush creeping over her face. She bit her lip and spoke awkwardly,

“Nothing really. I noticed breakfast time was almost over and wanted to ask if you’d eaten yet. Didn’t expect you to still be in bed.”

Lu Zhou glanced toward the living room. “Has everyone else eaten?”

Li Jiayan shook her head with a smile. “I don’t know. Their doors are all closed—maybe they’re still asleep. I thought I was getting up late, but you guys are even later.”

“Have you eaten?” Lu Zhou asked.

“Not yet. The breakfast is a bit cold; I’m not used to that, so I put it in the microwave to warm it up. It’s not done yet,” she said, flicking her hair behind her ear. “Want me to warm some for you too?”

“What’s there to eat?”

“Sandwiches, pasta, scrambled eggs, French toast, milk... What do you want?”

“Sandwich and milk, thanks for the trouble.”

“Okay, go wash up first. I’ll warm the breakfast.”

Li Jiayan smiled and turned to leave, her footsteps light and cheerful.

Lu Zhou went back to his room to brush his teeth and freshen up, tidied his appearance, and stepped out.

The large living room was empty, and the bedroom doors of the others were all closed.

Approaching the kitchen, the smell of warm bread and milk from the microwave made his stomach growl—he was indeed hungry.

“You’re just in time. I just finished warming it up,” Li Jiayan said with a bright smile as Lu Zhou arrived.

“Thanks.”

Lu Zhou sat down beside her and began eating breakfast.

“Did you sleep well last night?” he asked, trying to spark conversation.

Li Jiayan wiped some salad dressing from her mouth and smiled. “Well… both yes and no.”

Her contradictory answer made Lu Zhou laugh. “How’s that?”

“I fell asleep as soon as I lay down, sleeping like a log. From a sleep depth perspective, I did sleep well. But...”

She swallowed the bread and shifted the mood.

“Whenever I turned over in bed, my whole body ached terribly.”

“Just before waking, I had a vivid dream that I was paralyzed... stuck in a wheelchair. It scared me awake. When I tried to get up, my legs felt alien, sore, and unresponsive. I lay there dazed for a long time, wondering if I was truly paralyzed.”

Lu Zhou couldn’t help but laugh at her vivid description. “Unresponsive? Is it really that bad?”

Li Jiayan shook a finger. “Right after waking, yes, absolutely.”

“Well, we did have intense workouts these past two days. I’m sore all over; you’re even less active than me,” Lu Zhou said, sipping his milk. “Once we finish eating, let’s go stretch a bit. Otherwise, you might be limping around today.”

“Sure. Can you help me stretch? I only know basic moves and never stretch properly. I’m always too gentle with myself,” she said, looking up at him with big, round eyes.

“Of course,” Lu Zhou agreed.

Li Jiayan’s heart warmed at his response, and the milk she drank seemed sweeter.

“What do you think the production team will have us do today? Why is it so quiet?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe they see how tired we are and mercifully gave us a light day?” Lu Zhou guessed.

“That would be great,” Li Jiayan muttered.

She hoped this leisurely time would last as long as possible. She even wished the others would sleep all day and leave their precious moments alone—it was so warm and intimate for the two of them.

Meanwhile, in the live chat—

“I stayed up late, and I ended up shipping an expired couple!”

“This pair is pretty chill too.”

“Li Jiayan’s gaze at Lu Zhou is different than before.”

“Who does Lu Zhou actually like? He seems to accept everyone.”

“They’re just having breakfast together—you want him to reject that? Are you crazy?”

...

Soon, the two finished breakfast.

After intense exercise the past two days, their muscles ached noticeably. After eating, they leisurely headed to the relaxation area to stretch their stiff muscles.

Outside the door, they followed a stylish stone path leading to a leisure area overlooking the sea.

But before they could reach it, a painful scream came from ahead.

“Ah! It’s going to snap, it’s going to snap...”

That voice...

Lu Zhou and Li Jiayan exchanged a glance.

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“Is that Zhang Chen?” Lu Zhou raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Li Jiayan confirmed. “What’s he doing to scream like that?”

“If I’m right, he’s probably stretching,” Lu Zhou said, stepping forward with a smile. “You might end up like that too.”

Li Jiayan: “...”

She suddenly felt reluctant to go forward, because once they did, it wouldn’t be just the two of them anymore.

She thought everyone else was still sleeping, but apparently, some had woken earlier.

Lu Zhou had already started walking over, and Li Jiayan had no choice but to follow silently.

At the leisure area, they found not only Zhang Chen but also Ye Fangfei and Wen Yiming.

The scene was amusing: Ye Fangfei was on a yoga mat doing yoga, while Zhang Chen and Wen Yiming each had a mat beside her, trying to mimic her moves.

Ye Fangfei was performing a seated forward bend with legs straight, hands grasping her feet effortlessly. Her breathing was steady.

“Inhale... exhale...” Ye Fangfei rhythmically instructed, “On the inhale, lift your body slightly; on the exhale, bend forward. Feel your body.”

To Ye Fangfei’s right, Wen Yiming followed her instructions but, likely due to tense muscles, couldn’t fully straighten his legs. His knees were slightly bent, and he could just touch his feet. His tightly pressed lips showed how uncomfortable the stretch was.

On the left, Zhang Chen was in a different state altogether—his hands couldn’t reach his feet, and he grimaced in pain, struggling to reach while groaning.

“Zhang Chen, stop screaming and ruining my rhythm,” Ye Fangfei called out like a yoga instructor.

“If your hands can’t reach your feet, bend your knees like Yiming here. Start with beginner’s moves. If you still can’t do it, don’t force yourself—you might injure yourself, and I’m not responsible.”

“...” The thought of being disabled scared Zhang Chen, so he quickly bent his knees.

“You have to be responsible for me,” he joked with a double meaning.

Live chat—

“Zhang Chen’s bones are so soft.”

“They were chatting so much last night, how does he still keep licking?”

“Zhang is definitely the little puppy type.”

“What misunderstandings do you have about little puppies? He’s more like an old dog.”

“Am I the only one who loves watching his entanglement with Ye Fangfei? One’s persistent, the other indifferent—so amusing.”

...

Lu Zhou and Li Jiayan quietly watched for a while, finding it entertaining.

“There’s a ready-made yoga stretch class here. Want to join them?” Lu Zhou asked Li Jiayan.

Li Jiayan hesitated. She wanted Lu Zhou to help her stretch—they wanted to spend time alone together.

At that moment, Wen Yiming noticed their arrival and smiled, “Finally up?”

His voice drew Ye Fangfei and Zhang Chen’s attention.

“We just finished breakfast. You’re up early,” Li Jiayan replied with a smile.

“Why the new coach today?” Lu Zhou teased.

“Yoga is my weak spot. I saw Fangfei practicing advanced poses alone and suddenly wanted to learn,” Wen Yiming said.

Ye Fangfei raised an eyebrow. “Want to join?”

“Sure, to ease muscle soreness,” Wen Yiming invited Li Jiayan.

Lu Zhou nodded, interested. “Okay.”

“But it looks hard, and you’ve been going for a while. Joining in midway might cause injury,” Li Jiayan said delicately.

“We can start from the beginning with something simpler. Zhang can’t even do the current set,” Ye Fangfei said, pausing her pose.

Zhang Chen: “...”

They were all so enthusiastic; it was hard to refuse.

In the end, Li Jiayan and Lu Zhou joined the yoga group.

Each had a mat; Ye Fangfei stood in front, and the five of them lined up facing her.

“Thanks for cooperating. Today I get to play instructor,” Ye Fangfei smiled playfully. “If I mess up, please, Coach Wen, correct me.”

“No coach today—just Wen the student,” Wen Yiming joked.

Everyone laughed, then resumed stretching.

“Let’s start full-body stretching to relieve muscle soreness. Follow me. First move: standing forward bend.”

Ye Fangfei mimicked a yoga teacher’s tone while demonstrating a simple pose.

“Keep your back straight; don’t hunch. Reach forward with your arms, knees slightly bent, hips pushed back. We’ll do twelve.”

Her accent was pretty convincing. Lu Zhou followed along, chuckling.

Li Jiayan didn’t know what he was laughing at and found it funny too. But the next moment, the pain hit, and she softly exclaimed, “Ouch, ouch.”

“Keep it up, Jiayan! Do it right—don’t quit from the pain,” Ye Fangfei encouraged.

Under her urging, Li Jiayan completed all twelve. It actually helped ease the tension in her legs.

“Next, airplane pose: left knee slightly bent, core engaged, balance on one foot, lean forward, lift right leg. Twelve times.”

This new move sent Zhang Chen’s legs shaking like a sieve; Li Jiayan’s legs trembled too.

“Are we really stretching?” Li Jiayan laughed and cried at once.

Zhang Chen found a kindred spirit. “Yeah, I can’t even stand still. How’s this stretching?”

Their antics made Lu Zhou and Wen Yiming burst into laughter, and the live chat couldn’t hold back either.

This early morning stretch session was full of joy, filled with laughter and groans.

Before long, Qi Jiajia, Chu Yao, and Xu Junze woke up, drawn by the commotion. After the previous days’ grueling activities, everyone’s muscles were sore, so they eagerly joined the stretching group.

Ye Fangfei enjoyed her moment as instructor but soon tired of it. She pulled Wen Yiming aside to lead and went off to rest.

Zhang Chen, Lu Zhou, and Li Jiayan finished their round and stepped back to rest, not joining Wen Yiming’s antics anymore.

Lu Zhou sat beside Ye Fangfei and instinctively looked at her left foot. “How’s your injury? Not worse, right?”

Ye Fangfei took a few sips of water and smiled. “I can even stand on one leg now. What do you think?”

Lu Zhou smiled. “Looks like you’re fine.”

Ye Fangfei returned the smile and asked with concern, “How about you? No infection?”

Lu Zhou: “No, it’s healing well.”

Li Jiayan was surprised by their conversation—this was news to her.

She asked in astonishment, “You both got injured? When?”

Lu Zhou smiled and casually brushed it off, giving a brief explanation before changing the subject.

Zhang Chen only knew about Ye Fangfei’s injury from last night and hadn’t expected Lu Zhou to be hurt too. Apparently, the two had been tending to their wounds separately.

Thinking about it, Zhang Chen suddenly felt his jealousy from last night was overblown. No wonder Ye Fangfei called him absurdly jealous—he really needed to work on that.

Qi Jiajia, still stretching nearby, kept glancing at Lu Zhou, eager to hear what he and Li Jiayan were talking about. Her attention was far from Wen Yiming’s class.

Wen Yiming felt a bit annoyed. Though he didn’t plan to reconcile with Qi Jiajia, seeing her so eager to chase after other men in front of him was genuinely frustrating.

Live chat—

“You’re standing on the bridge enjoying the view, while the one watching the view is upstairs watching you.”

“This scene is so subtle.”

“Suddenly, who’s winning is crystal clear.”

...

By noon, after exercise, the guests gathered in the leisure area chatting, curious why the production team hadn’t made any announcements yet.

“Judging by the pace, I guess we’re not switching partners today?” Zhang Chen said proudly.

If that was true, Qi Jiajia was delighted—sticking with yesterday’s partner was best.

But someone else wasn’t happy.

“Maybe they’re skipping any outings. We’ll just rest at the villa all day,” Xu Junze joked.

Ye Fangfei looked at him. “Highly unlikely. They went through so much effort bringing us to this island. If they let us lie around all day, the ROI would be a mess.”

Lu Zhou smiled. “Exactly.”

At that moment, the staff member usually responsible for announcing activities appeared.

“Looks like you’ve all rested enough and regained some strength. Now, let me tell you about today’s itinerary.”

Everyone: “...”

Staff: “Today, there will be no group travel activities, no travel challenge tasks, and no travel rewards. This way, you can forget unnecessary distractions and follow your heart to enjoy a relaxed day together! How does that sound?”

Zhang Chen’s mouth twitched. “...”

Happy my foot! Always let us down when it counts!

Yet Ye Fangfei responded enthusiastically, “Sounds good.”

Zhang Chen: “...”

Hearing the travel rewards canceled, Chu Yao, Li Jiayan, Xu Junze, and Wen Yiming were a bit surprised.

Though the rewards sometimes influenced how they related to their opposite-sex partners—blurring genuine feelings with incentives—the sudden cancellation left them feeling a bit unsatisfied.

After all, none of them had even earned any rewards yet, so there was a tinge of regret.

But without partners or challenge tasks, the mutual understanding award was indeed unnecessary.

With the material incentives gone, everyone felt their hearts lighten somewhat.

Stripped of the material facade, they could see genuine feelings more clearly.

Without competition or profit, everything could be truly carefree—today could genuinely be a leisurely day.

“Will there be any physically demanding activities today?” Li Jiayan asked.

Staff: “No, mostly relaxed events.”

Chu Yao smiled. “Then I can finally wear a pretty dress.”

Zhang Chen instinctively chimed in, “A cheongsam?”

Xu Junze frowned slightly, thinking Zhang Chen must have been impressed by Chu Yao’s cheongsam on their date.

Chu Yao was caught off guard by Zhang Chen’s comment, hesitated, then laughed, “Let’s skip the cheongsam—it’s not practical for travel, plus I didn’t bring one.”

The staff’s voice interrupted their chat again.

“Today, you’ll experience Black Island’s native culture and entertainment. It’s getting late, so you have half an hour to prepare. Meet at the entrance in thirty minutes to depart.”

The guests left the leisure area one after another.

Lu Zhou felt he had nothing to prepare and didn’t return to the villa.

Li Jiayan noticed he hadn’t left and asked, “Aren’t you going to change clothes or put on some makeup?”

Lu Zhou smiled and shook his head. “This is fine.”

“You really don’t care about your idol image, do you?” Li Jiayan teased.

“I’m not an idol to begin with, so no image to worry about,” Lu Zhou shrugged.

Live chat—

“No! You are my idol!”

“Lu Zhou: Makeup? I’m not a pretty boy who relies on looks.”

“Lu Zhou: Idol image? That’s for the fans to worry about.”

...

Thanks to hzdahym for the 1000 Qidian coins!

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