In the evening, when Ning Xiaoyu sent her goodnight message, she received the latest update from Shen Yueyue.

【The stalker ran really fast and still hasn’t been caught yet. Seems like that person is no novice.】

Ning Xiaoyu, as carefree as ever, didn’t worry about it. In her opinion, it was only a matter of time before the stalker fan was caught. After comforting Shen Yueyue briefly, she went to sleep.

The next morning, Ning Xiaoyu enjoyed a luxurious breakfast specially prepared by the production team, an exclusive treat just for her.

This breakfast, however, sparked a bit of jealousy. Ning Yuwei, for instance, looked visibly displeased so early in the day.

After the guests ate, the director announced the day’s agenda— a three-day trip to the forest park.

On the third day of the variety show, the director decided to let the guests venture outdoors together. Trips, after all, were ideal for fostering friendships or even romance. They also allowed the guests to understand one another better, which was perfect for the show’s themes of love and camaraderie.

────ρя


Three hours later, all eleven guests from 《Hi, My Friend》 stood at the entrance of the forest park.

Shen Yueyue whispered to Ning Xiaoyu, “I wonder if the movie king will show up.”

Ning Xiaoyu shook her head honestly. “I don’t know.”

Shen Yueyue nodded sagely. “True, the movie king’s thoughts are hard to predict.”

Nearby, Ning Yuwei was scanning her surroundings, searching for Lu Jingdu.

Xu Cheng approached her, exuding charm. “What are you looking at?”

Suppressing her disappointment, Ning Yuwei smiled. “Nothing.”

Xu Cheng slipped one hand into his pocket. “Stick with me later. The forest park is huge, and it’s easy to get lost.”

Mu Jiajia, standing nearby, chimed in, “Aren’t we supposed to move as a group later?”

Xu Cheng shrugged. “That’s hard to say.”

The director clearly intended for them to form smaller groups. After all, with too many people together, how could they deepen their bonds?

As expected, the director soon instructed them to split into teams.

The eleven guests were divided into three groups. Ning Xiaoyu paired up with Shen Yueyue, Ning Yuwei joined three others, and Xi Rui formed a group with four more. Xi Rui invited Ning Xiaoyu to join her group, but Ning Xiaoyu politely declined.

Ning Xiaoyu, ever the homebody, wasn’t fond of lively crowds.

Cell service was available in the forest and each guest carried a GPS tracker and live-streaming equipment, so safety wasn’t much of a concern.

Ning Xiaoyu and Shen Yueyue wandered slowly, soon separating from the other groups.

【Why don’t you two join the others?】

【It’s more fun with a crowd!】

【Ning Yuwei’s group is already barbecuing!】

【Wow, Xu Cheng’s wilderness survival skills are impressive.】

【They’re even planning to eat the spiders they caught. Aren’t they scared?】

【This stream is so boring. I’m out.】

The viewer count dropped significantly, but Ning Xiaoyu remained unbothered, even a little pleased.

Her peace didn’t last long, though. Suddenly, the love system’s voice rang out, sharp with tension.

〖The obsessive fan from yesterday, the one who tried climbing over the wall, has followed you here. She’s the movie king’s stalker, madly in love with him, so much so that she wants to die together with him to ensure they’re never separated. She’s gone insane and is highly dangerous— she knows Taekwondo.

Right now, she’s about three meters to your right.

The movie king came here alone to relax. He didn’t bring an assistant or a bodyguard. The stalker is following him, waiting for the perfect chance to act. Girl, the danger is imminent! You can:

A. Deliver a stylish kick and send the stalker flying.

B. Shout loudly to warn the movie king to dodge.

C. Seek help from the production team immediately.〗

Ning Xiaoyu: “……”

She had a million complaints but didn’t know where to start.

The stalker knew Taekwondo. She, a salted fish, didn’t!

How was she supposed to deliver a stylish kick?

She wanted to pull off a heroic move like in the movies, but could she? Could she really?

Instinctively, Ning Xiaoyu glanced to her right. She hadn’t noticed before, perhaps distracted by her chat with Shen Yueyue, but there were two heavily dressed people nearby. The one lagging behind was clearly the obsessive fan she had scared off yesterday.

Ahead of the fan was a man in sunglasses and a baseball cap, wearing a bomber jacket, black jeans, and white sneakers— Lu Jingdu.

It was Ning Xiaoyu’s first time seeing the movie king dressed like this.

He looked like a dashing and youthful campus heartthrob, full of vitality. To be fair, the movie king wasn’t much older than a university student.

But that wasn’t the point. The point was……

Out of the corner of her eye, Ning Xiaoyu caught a glint of light.

If she wasn’t mistaken, the stalker had a knife!

This was a case of love turning into hate, leading to a twisted desire for eternal togetherness.

Ning Xiaoyu found the stalker terrifying.

Reality didn’t give her time to think. The stalker was already moving quickly toward Lu Jingdu, clearly about to strike.

Panicked, Ning Xiaoyu silently asked, “I won’t get hurt, right?” Surely the interstellar system could grant her a safety buff?

The love system replied eagerly, 〖Don’t worry, Girl! Charge ahead!〗

Reassured, Ning Xiaoyu acted on instinct. She shouted loudly and ran toward Lu Jingdu.

“Lu Jingdu! Look out!”

Hearing her voice, the movie king instinctively stopped in his tracks.

But it wasn’t enough.

Realizing she’d been exposed, the stalker’s expression twisted into a manic frenzy.

“Brother, I love you! I love you so much! Let’s be together forever, okay?!” She cried.

Raising the knife, she lunged at Lu Jingdu.

At the critical moment, Ning Xiaoyu sprinted forward, throwing herself at Lu Jingdu. The two tumbled together, rolling down the slope and disappearing from Shen Yueyue’s livestream.

The audience was stunned.

A few seconds later, they finally reacted.

【Is this scripted or……?】

【No way! Shen Yueyue, stop staring and call for help!】

【I thought this stream was boring, but now this?】

【Wait, did Ning Xiaoyu yell ‘Lu Jingdu’? Was the guy in the cap the movie king?】

Shaken, Shen Yueyue fumbled for her phone and called the director, her voice trembling with panic.

By the time the director was notified, Ning Xiaoyu and Lu Jingdu had already landed at the bottom of the slope.

Perhaps because Ning Xiaoyu had cushioned the fall, Lu Jingdu hadn’t sustained any injuries. However, Ning Xiaoyu felt that one of her hands and one of her feet might have been sprained. For the moment, she couldn’t move at all.

Since she couldn’t move, she simply lay there like a salted fish.

She couldn’t help but ask the love system in her mind, “What’s going on? Didn’t you say I could charge ahead without worry?”

The love system fiddled with its virtual fingers and replied, 〖It’s unrealistic to take no injuries at all. I’ve already minimized the damage. Besides, the sprains aren’t severe. You’ll recover in two or three days.〗

Hearing that, Ning Xiaoyu was completely reassured.

After a bout of tumbling, the shaky livestream feed finally stabilized.

Ning Xiaoyu’s livestream equipment was the latest model— waterproof and shock-resistant. Surprisingly, it hadn’t broken after all the chaos.

At this moment, the number of viewers in her livestream room was skyrocketing at an astonishing pace, climbing from the initial 5,000 to 15,000, and it was still rapidly increasing.

Some of her fans were expressing their concern.

【What happened to the anchor?】

【Oh no, Xiao Yu isn’t moving at all. Could she have injured her nerves and become paralyzed?!】

【Please, no. Xiao Yu, say something! I’m scared.】

Although Ning Xiaoyu couldn’t see their comments, thankfully, someone asked the question they all wanted answers to.

Lu Jingdu’s clothes were covered in dust and bits of grass. His sunglasses were gone, lost who-knows-where. He looked a bit disheveled, but even so, his appearance and demeanor remained unaffected.

“How are you doing?”

Ning Xiaoyu lay with her eyes closed, both hands resting on her stomach, her posture resembling a peacefully resigned salted fish.

Seeing her like this, many viewers wished they could check her breathing themselves to make sure nothing terrible had happened.

In reality, Ning Xiaoyu was just too lazy to move.

Hearing Lu Jingdu’s voice, she lazily opened one eye and replied casually, “No big deal, I just can’t move for now.”

Can’t move…… can’t move…… move……

Her words echoed in Lu Jingdu’s mind, and his expression momentarily froze. Then his brows furrowed slightly as he fell into silence.

The audience in her livestream room couldn’t help but burst into tears.

【She can’t move? The anchor isn’t really paralyzed, is she?】

【This seems serious. Earlier, she only opened one eye. Does this mean she can’t open the other?】

【The price she paid to save Lu Jingdu is way too steep……】

【If the anchor hadn’t acted, the one lying there now would’ve been the movie king.】

As one of the people involved, Lu Jingdu naturally understood that as well.

For the first time, he focused his full attention on Ning Xiaoyu. No matter what, he owed her today.

“Thank you. I can agree to any request you ask within my capabilities.”

Hearing that, the viewers in the livestream room became excited.

【Any request! Sisters, the movie king has solemnly promised!】

【Wow, he didn’t set a limit. Does that mean he’ll agree to anything Xiao Yu asks for?】

【Ahhhh, it’s a bit inappropriate, but I have to say, this is so swoon-worthy.】

【Upstairs, can you only think of romance? If this comes at the cost of lifelong paralysis, it’s way too heavy.】

Ning Xiaoyu, oblivious to how her few hundred true fans were worrying themselves sick, suddenly perked up.

She licked her lips and said, “You’re too polite. Actually, I have a request right now.”

Lu Jingdu nodded. “Go ahead.”

【What will Xiao Yu ask for?】

【It has to be resources! A luxury house!】

【A leading role! A big IP script!】

At this point, Lu Jingdu’s girlfriend fans rushed in, their hearts sinking when they heard his promise.

When Ning Xiaoyu finally spoke, their spirits plummeted further, as if they had fallen into an icy pit.

【Wuuwuuwuu. Is she going to ask Brother to give himself to her?】

【After all, it’s an unconditional promise. Who could resist?】

【I, I, I…… If I were Ning Xiaoyu, I wouldn’t be able to resist asking for a hug from Brother right now.】

【If it were me, my first request would be to date Brother!】

【Who wouldn’t want to be Brother’s girlfriend?】

Well, Ning Xiaoyu didn’t want that.

She glanced toward her left, where her small snack pouch had fallen. The strap had snapped during the tumble, but it had landed nearby. Thankfully, the clasp hadn’t broken, so nothing inside had spilled.

Otherwise, it would’ve been a waste.

“My left hand hurts when I move it. Could you check my bag to see if the packed breakfast is intact? If it’s not crushed, could you pass me a cupcake? I can use my right hand to take it— my right hand isn’t injured. Thank you.”

Today’s breakfast had been so lavish that Ning Xiaoyu hadn’t been able to finish it. She’d packed the leftovers to bring along.

After all that chaos, she was feeling a bit hungry and just wanted a bite to reward herself for the scare.

This request wasn’t over the top, was it?

The audience: “……”

Lu Jingdu: “……”

That’s it? That’s it?!

The viewers, who had been expecting Ning Xiaoyu to ask for something like ‘cuddles with Lu Jingdu’ or, at the very least, resources or a leading role, didn’t know what to say.

Well, it was official now.

This anchor really didn’t have a shred of a girlish heart. Not even a little!