Hearing Ning Xiaoyu’s words, many of the guests were momentarily stunned.

Especially those with particularly bad luck, who had only gotten less than a hundred friendship coins— they had all sorts of thoughts running through their minds.

There was confusion, envy, and most of all, jealousy.

What exactly was the relationship between the two for her to give him so much?

Ning Xiaoyu casually gave away 700 friendship coins, while the recipient, Lu Jingdu, effortlessly secured an easy victory!

While the guests secretly envied him, they instinctively turned to look at the other party involved.

Upon seeing Lu Jingdu’s expression, the guests exchanged glances, surprised.

Was there really something going on between the two?

Lu Jingdu appeared slightly dazed, his long, curled eyelashes drooping slightly. His handsome face remained blank, as if he hadn’t processed what had just happened.

【Brother, did you just get straight-up sugar-babied?】

【LOL, she just threw 700 friendship coins at him! Is the movie king surprised? Is he delighted?】

【This must be a first in the movie king’s life, tsk tsk tsk.】

【He’s probably never received such a generous gift before. It’s beyond his expectations, so he’s struggling to react.】

Lu Jingdu hesitated for a few seconds before accepting the friendship coins from Ning Xiaoyu. Once he processed what had happened, the corners of his lips lifted slightly, and he teasingly used an internet phrase, “Honestly, I didn’t want to accept it, but you just gave too much.”

She had given so much that it was impossible to refuse.

【Hahaha, did the movie king just admit he got sugar-babied?】

【Tsk tsk tsk, he only scooped up 10 friendship coins on his own, then got handed 700. This win was as effortless as it gets.】

【Looks like the movie king has a weak stomach, so he needs to eat soft rice^[1]slang for relying on someone else’s support.】

【Damn, this soft rice sure is delicious.】

【That’s right, soft rice is the best. Without it, he’d go hungry.】

【In this round, the movie king is the biggest winner. Even if you add up the friendship coins of four or five other guests, they don’t come close to 700! Absolutely insane!】

【Lesson of the day: The importance of clinging to the right thigh^[2]to cling to somebody influential or famous.】

【Sis, look at me, I want to be taken care of too!】

While the audience couldn’t stop discussing this, the love system was just as excited.

〖Love System: Wuuwuuwuu, Girl, you gave way too much, even the movie king couldn’t resist! To use today’s trending phrases— ‘How could you possibly resist me? Hmm? Man?〗

Ning Xiaoyu was speechless after hearing the love system’s words. “Don’t randomly use lines you learned from TV dramas. It sounds really weird.”

What was with this ‘Hmm? Man?’ It wasn’t something she would ever say.

Was this some kind of gender-reversed cringy CEO trope?

The love system chuckled. 〖But this line is really flirty! Girl, you should learn it!〗

Ning Xiaoyu gave a deadpan look. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

With 700 friendship coins given to Lu Jingdu, Ning Xiaoyu instantly became the center of attention.

Many guests were itching to act, but unfortunately, they didn’t have a close relationship with Ning Xiaoyu and didn’t dare approach her rashly.

Shen Yueyue couldn’t help but joke as she walked over, “Sis, don’t be so rigid about gender roles. My stomach isn’t great either, I need some ‘soft rice’ too.”

【LOL, today Xiao Yu is the golden thigh for sure.】

【Turns out there are so many people with weak stomachs in need of soft rice?】

【But Shen Yueyue is definitely not getting the same treatment as the movie king!】

【Honestly, it’s surprising how generous the salted fish queen is with the movie king! But thinking about it, he reposted her Weibo for free and helped boost the game’s popularity. With that in mind, if you say nothing is going on between them, even a dog wouldn’t believe it!】

Shen Yueyue had only managed to scoop 180 friendship coins. Even if she shared a room with someone, she’d still need at least 150 for three days’ accommodation.

That meant she had only 30 left for food and entertainment, which was not nearly enough.

Ning Xiaoyu generously handed Shen Yueyue 100 friendship coins.

With this, Ning Xiaoyu had 780 friendship coins left— not a huge amount, but still enough.

Shen Yueyue’s face lit up with joy as she took the 100 friendship coins from Ning Xiaoyu. Then, she immediately hugged her and shouted, “Thank you, Xiao Yu! Love you!”

【The benefits of having a good friend.】

【Wuuwuuwuu, the salted fish queen spoils her friends so much!】

【Honestly, it feels like mutual spoiling! She’s totally worth it. Anyone joining her fan club won’t regret it!】

Seeing Ning Xiaoyu give Shen Yueyue 100 friendship coins, Ning Yuwei’s expression turned sour.

After all, she was Ning Xiaoyu’s biological younger sister, yet Ning Xiaoyu had never taken the initiative to give her any friendship coins.

Had Ning Xiaoyu gotten a little fame recently and lost her sense of place? Didn’t Ning Xiaoyu know she should be currying favor with her?

But no matter what Ning Yuwei thought, the reality was that Ning Xiaoyu had never once considered giving her anything.

Give away friendship coins?

Impossible. The ones she had left were barely enough for herself, so there was no way she’d give out more.

Ning Xiaoyu went to the director and exchanged part of her friendship coins for real currency. Then, with the money in hand, she started her food tour.

The stinky tofu in the scenic area smelled delicious and tasted even better— buy.

The little quail skewers looked tasty— buy.

Candied hawthorn also looked delicious— buy.

Too many snacks could get overwhelming, so she also got a fruit cup to balance things out.

In no time, Ning Xiaoyu’s hands were full of delicious food.

Within minutes, she had already spent 50 yuan.

【At this rate of spending, even with 1,580, Xiao Yu wouldn’t find it excessive at all. Given this situation, giving 700 was truly indulgent of the salted fish queen!】

【I’m shipping them!】

【Same here!】

The love system’s excited chirping rang out once again, 〖Oooooh! Girl, quite a few viewers are shipping you two just like me! Today’s sweetness overload is enough to make me short-circuit!〗

It had to be said that the love system— obsessed with scrolling through social media— had successfully evolved into a greasy version of itself. It had a knack for cheesy pick-up lines now. Normally, people would say something was ‘sweet to the heart’, but since the system had no heart, it used ‘circuits’ instead. It even learned to tweak expressions on its own.

Ning Xiaoyu had long mastered the art of ignoring the love system.

The louder it howled, the more she needed to ignore it. Otherwise, it would only get more excited and nag endlessly.

With a large portion of delicious food in hand, Ning Xiaoyu returned to the inn.

To save on accommodation costs, she ended up sharing a double room with Shen Yueyue, which only cost each of them 50 yuan per night.

This way, there was more budget left for food and entertainment.

That night, while lying in bed, Shen Yueyue couldn’t help gossiping, “Xiao Yu, how are you so good at scooping friendship coins?”

Ning Xiaoyu didn’t want to explain too much. After all, she had her pride, so she casually replied, “Born with it.”

Shen Yueyue hummed in response, not probing further. She had only asked that question in passing. What she really wanted to know was the next one.

Lowering her voice, she whispered sneakily, “Xiao Yu, what’s going on between you and the movie king?”

It had to be said that everyone had a gossiping heart.

Even someone from the entertainment industry like Shen Yueyue wasn’t an exception. In the past, she held back because she wasn’t that familiar with Ning Xiaoyu. But now that they had grown close, her courage had also grown, to the point of asking about Ning Xiaoyu’s private affairs.

Ning Xiaoyu answered vaguely, “Nothing’s going on.”

Shen Yueyue couldn’t help but ask, “Really? Nothing?”

Ning Xiaoyu made a sound of agreement. The love system muttered to itself, 〖With such a dense host, I have no choice but to scrape up all the sweet moments for myself.〗

Shen Yueyue had just wanted to continue questioning her when she suddenly heard the steady rhythm of Ning Xiaoyu’s breathing.

A true salted fish had a big heart. She had no worries and didn’t overthink, making sleep come easily.

Seeing that Ning Xiaoyu had already dozed off, Shen Yueyue couldn’t help but feel a little envious.

In the entertainment industry, people like Ning Xiaoyu— who didn’t fight or compete— were truly rare. Even rarer were those with such a relaxed mindset. It seemed she needed to learn from Ning Xiaoyu, stop overthinking, and cure her insomnia as soon as possible.

────ρя


The next morning, Ning Xiaoyu spent 10 yuan on a serving of soup dumplings and 3 yuan on a cup of soy milk. Since breakfast had to be nutritious, she also bought herself a tea egg.

Seeing her meal and then glancing at the others’ breakfasts, the audience burst into laughter.

【I’m dying! The other guests pooled all their real currency together to spend as a group, and yet…… this is all they managed? Their breakfast isn’t even as rich as Xiao Yu’s!】

【Tsk tsk, aside from Xiao Yu, the only one with a decent breakfast is the movie king.】

Ning Xiaoyu focused on her meal, completely unaware that Lu Jingdu was sitting right next to her.

Lu Jingdu took a sip of savory soy milk, the corners of his lips curving slightly. It sounded like he was talking to himself, but also like he was speaking to someone in particular, “Tastes good.”

【Tsk tsk tsk, Movie King, clarify! What tastes good? The soy milk, or something else?】

【Movie King: Thanks, the soft rice tastes amazing— I’m addicted now.】

【Who wouldn’t love eating soft rice? Rich Lady, look at me!】

As the audience joked around, the guests finished their breakfast.

Afterward, the director announced the day’s task.

“As everyone knows, Jiangnan is synonymous with poetic romance. When people think of Jiangnan, the first images that come to mind are ‘cobblestone streets, deep alleys, old houses from past centuries, misty rain, and oil-paper umbrellas.’ Jiangnan is romantic and sentimental, and once the rainy season arrives, it’s always drizzling in spring.

Today, guests are free to explore. To prevent anyone from slacking off, here’s the deal— you must at least take a photo somewhere. You’ll need to capture some representative pictures, and they must be group photos. Guests can form pairs or explore in larger groups.

Enjoy your time in Jiangnan today! And don’t forget the group photos! The best ones will be posted on our show’s official Weibo page for a public vote, so make sure you take flattering shots— aim for stunning!”

【Aaaah, as a local, I have to say that the best photo spot is definitely the teahouse! The view from the top floor is breathtaking, with misty rain and the ancient moat stretching ahead.】

【Three hundred meters from the teahouse, there’s a narrow alley full of history— totally worth checking out.】

【The park in town is over a hundred years old, with a massive ancient tree that takes more than ten people to encircle. Tons of visitors take photos there.】

【Oh, and if you go to the park, try the green tea pastries! You won’t regret it!】

【As a local passing by, I have to mention that there’s an art gallery five hundred meters from the park. Since you’re here, you should definitely visit! It has works from many famous local artists.】

Viewers eagerly gave recommendations.

After some discussion, Ning Yuwei, Xu Cheng, and Ling Zige decided to visit the teahouse first for photos before heading to the park.

Shi Chao and the others chose to explore the historic alley before making their way to the park, where they would also try the local green tea pastries.

As the guests set off, Ning Xiaoyu lazily strolled out of the meeting point.

Shen Yueyue, for whatever reason, didn’t go with Ning Xiaoyu this time. Instead, she joined Xi Rui’s group, leaving the space open for just the two people. Now, Ning Xiaoyu was left alone with Lu Jingdu.

With her usual deadpan expression, Ning Xiaoyu asked, “Where are we going?”

Lu Jingdu, hands in his pockets, looked relaxed. “Up to you.”

Ignoring the sudden high-pitched screams of the love system, Ning Xiaoyu responded indifferently, “Then just follow me.”

Lu Jingdu nodded. “Alright.”

The love system howled, 〖Oh my goodness! What’s with today? The sugar is raining down! Today is a fantastic day!〗

Ning Xiaoyu: “???”

She was starting to understand CP fans a little. They were probably like the love system— able to ship anything, no matter how trivial.

She thought their conversation had been completely ordinary, but somehow, the love system was acting like it was the most romantic thing ever.

With an air of deep wisdom, the love system sighed, 〖Girl, you don’t understand. That dialogue was overloaded with sweetness!〗

If they really ended up together, the movie king would probably listen to its host in everything, right? What a perfect model of male virtue!

While the love system blissfully indulged in its fantasies, Ning Xiaoyu had already walked to the moat of the Jiangnan water town. Many boats floated on the river, all manually rowed by boatmen.

With her abundant funds, Ning Xiaoyu directly spent 100 yuan to rent an entire black-roofed boat.

Amidst the barrage of “???” on the screen, she led Lu Jingdu onto the boat. Then, ignoring him entirely, she settled herself comfortably at the front and closed her eyes for a nap, enjoying the gentle sway of the water.