Chapter 43 – Huo Qi: A True Straight Man, There’s No Possibility Between Us…

“No, no, no! Eliminate one male contestant, Ning Qingyan, and look among the female contestants.”

“A sincere question from a random bystander: why eliminate Ning Qingyan and focus on the female contestants? Why couldn’t he be the mole?”

“Ning Qingyan’s mom fans: Qingyan is so pure and kind, he wouldn’t disrupt the couples or sabotage anyone. He couldn’t possibly be the mole.”

“Ning Qingyan’s girlfriend fans: Qingyan is so gentle and devoted. He wouldn’t keep stringing along the other female contestants after forming a CP. How could he be the mole?”

“Ning Qingyan’s anti-fans: Two girls are fighting over Ning Qingyan, and yet this clueless idiot never even tries to mediate. Can such a relationship fool really pull off being a mole?”

“Random onlooker: I believe it. Alright, I’ll vote for someone else!”

…

For the first time in history, fans and anti-fans reached a consensus.

But when it came to guessing the mole, everyone still carefully analyzed the possibilities—it was tied to the grand prize and sparked everyone’s competitive streak.

“Now that Huo Qi is ruled out, there are only seven people left. Lin Qingqing is out—she’s been focused on Wen Shijin the whole time and hasn’t disrupted anyone else’s CP.”

“Qiao Li is out too, same reasoning, but her target is Huo Qi.”

“Sheng Mingzhu is out as well, for the same reason, but her target is Ning Qingyan.”

“Xu Ruanruan and Gu Si are the biggest suspects—they’ve both used the forced CP reset option to mess with the pairs.”

“Ning Qingyan has always been passive, but there’s still a small chance he’s the mole.”

“So the final mole ranking is: Xu Ruanruan > Gu Si > Wen Shijin > Ning Qingyan.”

When this deduction was posted by the most respected blogger on Weibo, the show’s latest official poll for the second “Who Is the Mole” round saw many people start voting immediately.

With Huo Qi eliminated, Xu Ruanruan’s votes surged to the top, followed closely by Gu Si and Wen Shijin. Ning Qingyan, however, only received a few votes.

Clearly, most people believed the mole was more likely one of the top three.

However, many people held back their votes, waiting for a potential twist.

…

After the free recording phase began, the female contestants quickly tackled their piled-up schedules of appearances and events, hoping to wrap them up before returning for the second mission livestream.

As for the male contestants, Wen Shijin, who was still penniless, had no choice but to stay on the island, waiting for results from national competitions to win prize money.

Huo Qi, of course, had no intention of leaving the island. He came here to escape his stepmother’s watchful eyes and sabotage Huo Corporation’s heavily promoted new glider project. Over the next few days, aside from eating and morning runs, he spent all his time in his room.

As a result, he was almost completely absent in the edited episodes from the last four days. This only reinforced the audience’s belief that he was the mole. They thought he knew he was about to be eliminated and had given up trying, only to be stunned when it was revealed that he wasn’t the mole! The revelation felt like a slap in the face to viewers who were so confident in their deductions.

Ning Qingyan, intent on improving her favorability with the male leads, also stayed on the island.

The only exception was Gu Si, who suspected he might have psychological or physical issues. He left the island that same day on a private jet. Before leaving, he gave Ning Qingyan a long, meaningful look. Ning Qingyan, confused by his gaze, tried to approach him to ask if he was okay, but he turned away as if fleeing a plague.

If not for the real-time favorability scores, Ning Qingyan would’ve wondered if he disliked her.

During these four days of free recording, Ning Qingyan focused on raising her favorability scores. Wen Shijin’s favorability increased by 12 points, while Huo Qi’s rose by 8 points.

Huo Qi, who rarely left his room, only gave her opportunities to interact during his morning runs and late-night hours. After four days, she barely managed to raise his favorability score by 8 points.

However, there was good news—Huo Qi finally used the funds she transferred to his account.

Huo Corporation had noticed the stock dip and suspected someone was acquiring shares, leading them to launch aggressive attacks on Huo Qi’s anonymous account and reclaim stocks.

Fighting alone and facing a lack of funds, Huo Qi finally tapped into the money.

Although he used the money, he hesitated to sign the electronic contract. Worrying about potential fraud, accusations, or money laundering, he overanalyzed every possibility.

Yet 24 hours later, nothing happened. The funds had already grown and multiplied. Even if the mysterious “N” regretted it, it was too late. The money was now securely in his hands.

Once he confirmed the funds were legitimate, Huo Qi signed the contract and sent it to the anonymous email.

When Ning Qingyan received the signed contract, she was so thrilled she rolled around on her bed in excitement.

She had her eye on a villa in the suburbs of Kyoto with stunning scenery and excellent security.

In her previous life, she could only rent a tiny apartment. But with this contract as her guarantee, she could afford the largest villa with the best view!

She imagined herself filling the villa with everything she wanted—cats, dogs, a gaming room with top-of-the-line computers, collectible figures, a walk-in closet, a pool, and smart furniture.

As long as there was electricity and internet, she could happily stay home forever.

Just thinking about it brought tears of joy to her eyes.

…

Late at night on the final day of free recording, Ning Qingyan quietly slipped out of her room and headed to the kitchen to prepare a midnight snack.

Knowing that Huo Qi hadn’t eaten dinner, she wanted to ensure he had something nutritious.

When the food was ready, Huo Qi came downstairs just as she finished setting the table.

Seeing the light from the kitchen in the darkness, Huo Qi’s usually cold expression softened. Over the past few days, he had grown used to this routine. Even though he wasn’t very hungry, he instinctively came downstairs.

The warm yellow light reminded him of their first meeting at the villa on that stormy day.

It felt like there would always be a comforting light waiting for him.

“System Notification: Huo Qi’s favorability +1.”

Hearing the prompt, Ning Qingyan turned around naturally and saw Huo Qi walking toward her. She smiled warmly, her peach-blossom eyes sparkling.

“Big brother, tonight’s snack is good for your stomach. You didn’t eat dinner, so make sure to eat more. Health is wealth!”

Her sweet voice and genuine concern softened Huo Qi’s heart. He nodded slightly and replied, “Okay.”

This time, he didn’t eat quickly like before. Instead, he savored the meal, as if enjoying the food and the peaceful moment.

Ning Qingyan rested her chin on her hand, watching him with satisfaction. Her voice was soft and tender.

“Brother, is it good?”

Her gentle tone made Huo Qi grip his chopsticks tighter. After a pause, he nodded and smiled faintly.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed with a message from Gu Si: “I’m almost at the villa. I didn’t eat before my flight. Is there any food in the kitchen?”

Ning Qingyan replied, “Yes,” and stood up to prepare some noodles for him.

Huo Qi frowned but stayed silent.

Seeing his expression, Ning Qingyan explained, “Gu Si will be here soon. He hasn’t eaten, so I’ll make him something quickly.”

Huo Qi pressed his lips together, feeling a strange discomfort.

Thinking about her care for him these past few days, Huo Qi realized he was more affected by her attention than he thought.

But when he saw her treating others with the same care, he couldn’t help feeling unhappy.

This feeling was wrong. He was just her “brother.”

Maybe she cared about him because she liked him. But he couldn’t respond to those feelings and shouldn’t accept her kindness.

With this realization, Huo Qi’s voice turned cold.

“I’m straight.”