For a moment, the viewers had mixed thoughts.

【I don’t believe anyone could have such a big heart.】

【If it were me, I definitely wouldn’t resist getting closer to him. Snuggle up to Brother.jpg】

【The whole world loves him the most.】

【I don’t believe it! With such a ridiculously handsome man sitting next to you, how can you sleep? Anchor, do you even have a heart?】

Though many viewers doubted that anyone could sleep soundly with such a prominent movie king nearby, reality proved them wrong— someone like that did exist.

Not only did she seem indifferent to the movie king’s presence, but she also appeared to be sleeping quite peacefully. In front of tens of thousands of viewers, the anchor, who was now demonstrating the art of falling asleep, even smacked her lips in contentment as if she were having a wonderful dream.

Who knows what delightful dream she was having?

The viewers fell into an awkward silence. The reality was undeniable, leaving them no choice but to accept the truth.

【Anchor: I’m just free of worldly desires.】

【Anchor: Men only slow down my ability to fall asleep.】

【I want to shake the anchor awake! Wake up, Anchor! The man sitting on that stone bench is Lu Jingdu!】

【This man you’re ignoring is someone countless women dream of but can’t have— their most distant yet beautiful dream.】

【What you’re indifferent to is someone others long for day and night.】

【Anchor, you really don’t know how lucky you are.】

No matter how much the viewers vented, Ning Xiaoyu, the person in question, remained blissfully unaware.

Perhaps due to all the missions she had completed, she dreamed of them. In her dream, her sole mission was to make the movie king happy.

Make him happy?

Ning Xiaoyu thought to herself— how many things could possibly make Lu Jingdu unhappy? From an outsider’s perspective, he was already a definite winner in life.

If there was such a thing as a child of destiny, it would undoubtedly be Lu Jingdu. Ever since he became a triple award-winning actor, he had spent most of his year resting. But even though he rarely made public appearances, the entertainment industry was constantly buzzing about him.

He was a genuine traffic magnet.

If she were Lu Jingdu, with money, looks, and wealth that would last a lifetime, she’d probably laugh in her dreams.

Then, she actually dreamed of that exact scenario.

Her father woke up from his coma.

She had money that she couldn’t spend in a lifetime and could live as a carefree slacker forever.

And so…… she laughed in her sleep.

That laugh startled her awake. Blinking groggily, Ning Xiaoyu took a few seconds to recover.

The dream had been so sweet that she didn’t want to wake up so soon. After all, it had fulfilled her ultimate life goal— to be a carefree slacker.

But as soon as she woke, she remembered her mission.

Not knowing how long she had been asleep, she noticed the sun wasn’t as harsh as it had been earlier. Sitting up hurriedly from the grass, she turned to look at where Lu Jingdu had been sitting.

What she saw left her stunned.

The place where someone had been sitting was now empty.

Scanning her surroundings, she realized she was alone in the small garden.

She couldn’t help but call out to the love system in her mind, “Where is he?”
The system hesitated for a few seconds before responding in an exasperated tone, 〖He left.〗

He left? When did he leave?

If he was gone, what about her mission?

Fortunately, the love system had an answer. 〖He left a few minutes ago. The mission is already complete.〗

During the past half hour, while its host had been fast asleep, the mission had somehow been completed. The movie king’s mood had improved, but the system was left questioning reality. Did it happen because of what it imagined or something it hadn’t seen?

The system, experiencing this for the first time, was deeply puzzled.

Ning Xiaoyu, however, didn’t overthink it. If the mission was complete, the reason didn’t matter. Results were what counted, and as a self-proclaimed slacker, she wasn’t concerned about the process.

Stretching and yawning, she checked the time on her phone.

She had been asleep for about half an hour. It wasn’t even ten in the morning yet.

Not wanting to return so soon, she stayed in the garden a little longer, inspecting the flowers and plants to ensure they were well cared for. After confirming everything was in order, she picked up her now-empty watering can and headed back to the Friendship House.

When she entered the living room, Ning Yuwei and her group were lounging on the sofa, playing cards and drinking milk tea, looking relaxed and content.

Seeing her return, Ning Yuwei’s lackey, Mu Jiajia, a second-line actress, sneered. “Working hard must be so exhausting.” After a deliberate pause, she added with fake praise, “But our Weiwei is different. Weiwei’s coins are endless.”

Ning Yuwei had amassed 12 friendship coins after exchanging morning and evening greetings. She spent 2 on breakfast and still had 10 left.

The Friendship House sold snacks cheaply. Instant milk tea, which cost 1 yuan per pack outside, was only 1 coin there.

Generously, she treated three close friends to milk tea.

The deck of cards they were using had also cost her 3 coins.

Even with only 3 coins remaining, Ning Yuwei didn’t have to worry. Xu Cheng would cover her meals if needed, so she didn’t have to work hard to earn rewards.

Feigning a sigh, Ning Yuwei said, “Teacher^[1]commonly used in media and entertainment to respectfully address someone who is knowledgeable and has expertise in a certain field Ning, done with your work? You’re really something, both inside and outside the show.”

Mu Jiajia, catching the hint of gossip, chimed in eagerly, “Weiwei, what do you mean by ‘outside the show’?”

【Our Weiwei is so kind, even noticing the irrelevant extras.】

【If it were me, I wouldn’t bother.】

【Protect our best Weiwei.】

Ning Yuwei smirked and was about to explain how pitiful Ning Xiaoyu’s off-screen life was when Shen Yueyue, sipping chrysanthemum tea in a corner, suddenly spoke up, “Xiaoyu, you’re trending again.”

Ning Yuwei’s smug expression vanished.

Trending again?

Ning Xiaoyu had already trended once that morning. How was she trending again?

Opening Weibo immediately, Ning Yuwei spotted the glaring topic, #NingXiaoyuFellAsleep.
What? Was even sleeping enough to trend nowadays?

Did Ning Xiaoyu buy this trend herself? No way. She was too broke, struggling to cover her father’s hospital bills.

So what was going on?

Clicking on the topic, she saw another name beside Ning Xiaoyu’s— Lu Jingdu.

Ning Yuwei wasn’t the only one surprised. Even Ning Xiaoyu was taken aback.

Trending again?

Checking her livestream, Ning Xiaoyu noticed the viewer count had exceeded 10,000. It was still far from Ning Yuwei’s massive audience of millions, but compared to yesterday, it was a significant improvement.

【So this is the anchor who ignored movie king Lu Jingdu? Here to see for myself.】

【Came here because of the buzz.】

【I love the anchor’s attitude. Absolutely iconic.】

【Anchor, how do you feel about your livestream room surpassing 10,000 viewers for the first time?】

What could Ning Xiaoyu feel?

She felt nothing.

Salted fish didn’t have the energy to overthink. If she had the time, she’d rather take another nap.

────ρя


By noon, Ning Xiaoyu had watered the flowers and plants in the garden, earning herself 3 friendship coins.

She immediately exchanged the coins for a self-heating hot pot.

As soon as the transaction was completed, her pockets were empty again.

Utterly broke— if anyone fits that description, it was her.

The production team’s rules required guests to send messages to each other in the morning and evening, but there were no mandatory requirements for lunchtime.

Of course, this didn’t mean guests couldn’t contact each other at noon. However, even if they did, there wouldn’t be any friendship coins as a reward.

While Ning Xiaoyu was waiting for the hot pot to heat up, Shen Yueyue sat down beside her. “Hi.”

“Hello.” Ning Xiaoyu replied. She glanced over and noticed Shen Yueyue eating a vegetable salad— a low-calorie diet meal.

Shen Yueyue volunteered, “Don’t be fooled by how simple it looks. This meal cost me 3 coins.”

“So expensive?”

“Yeah.”

Both had gentle personalities, so they quickly struck up a conversation.

Ning Xiaoyu couldn’t help but notice that Lu Jingdu was absent from lunch again. Although her glances around were subtle, Shen Yueyue still guessed who she was looking for.

Shen Yueyue softly explained, “Don’t bother looking. He doesn’t eat anything made in the kitchen. At mealtime, food is delivered punctually from a nearby five-star hotel. I heard the chef preparing his meals is top-tier, the kind regular people couldn’t even hire. Whether he participates in group activities depends on his mood. Even if he refuses to cooperate throughout the entire recording of this variety show, the director won’t say a word. Basically, he’s been granted complete freedom.”

Ning Xiaoyu couldn’t help but think, Wow.

Just as she had suspected, Lu Jingdu had special privileges on this show. This must be the kind of treatment reserved for a big shot. Even a popular star like Xu Cheng probably couldn’t compare.

Shen Yueyue, who wasn’t much older than Ning Xiaoyu, couldn’t resist gossiping, “So…… are you two close?”

Although Shen Yueyue didn’t name anyone, Ning Xiaoyu immediately knew who she meant. She shook her head. “We’re not.”

For some reason, Shen Yueyue felt Ning Xiaoyu was telling the truth.

Smiling, Shen Yueyue teased, “Then you two must have some kind of fate.”

The small garden, a place other guests ignored, just happened to bring the two of them together. On top of that, they’d ended up trending on social media.

Luck like this was something most people couldn’t dream of.

────ρя


After lunch, Ning Xiaoyu had to prepare for dinner again.

The production team allowed guests three or four days to get acquainted before assigning more interactive tasks. When that time came, there would naturally be more opportunities to earn friendship coins.

But Ning Xiaoyu preferred the current tasks. There was no need to cooperate or interact with others, leaving plenty of time to slack off.

With that in mind, she headed to the staff to get another task.

Although she’d already visited the small garden that morning, she wanted to return in the afternoon.

She could water the flowers in the morning and trim their branches in the afternoon.

The production team’s tasks weren’t fixed and updated frequently. Guests could also suggest their own ideas.

The small garden was an excellent place to relax.

But when Ning Xiaoyu inquired about tasks, she learned that the garden task had already been taken by Ning Yuwei.

Even though Ning Yuwei had previously dismissed tasks as beneath her, why was she suddenly so enthusiastic now?

Ning Xiaoyu couldn’t be bothered to guess her motives. Unfortunately, all the other tasks had also been claimed, leaving only one option, which was cleaning duty.

Ning Xiaoyu scratched her nose and asked, “Where am I cleaning?”

A staff member glanced at the task list. “The swimming pool on the top floor. But since it was deep-cleaned before filming started, there’s not much to do. Just check the lockers and make sure they’re all closed.”

Ning Xiaoyu hadn’t expected the task to be so easy. How could she pass up such a great opportunity?

And it paid 6 friendship coins!

She agreed immediately.

Cheerfully, she took the elevator to the top-floor swimming pool.

Friendship House was a seven-story, luxury villa. It wasn’t built specifically for the variety show, and the property had an owner.

However, the owners owned so many properties that they rarely stayed there.

For this show, the director had specially borrowed the villa as the main filming location.

Standing in the elevator, gazing at her reflection in the gleaming mirrors, Ning Xiaoyu couldn’t help but marvel, “It must be nice to be rich.”

Thinking that, she glanced at the top-right corner of her vision.

Her love points were at 3. Were they just love points?

No.

This was real-world currency.

“Ding!”

The elevator reached the seventh floor and Ning Xiaoyu strolled leisurely into the swimming pool area.

At this time of day, she assumed no one would be there.

But as soon as she stepped in, she heard the sound of water rippling. Someone was swimming.

She instinctively looked toward the standard pool and saw a figure moving through the water, arms slicing smoothly, with movements as graceful as a male mermaid.

Before she could take a second look, the system’s excited voice rang in her ears.

〖Girl, you’re witnessing a rare sight of the heartthrob, Lu Jingdu, showcasing his impeccable swimming skills. Lucky you! You’re the first and only person to see this breathtaking scene so far. Aren’t you thrilled? Surprised? Here’s what you can do:

A. Shout loudly. Hey, just call him hubby!

B. Gaze in admiration. Silently marvel at his athletic prowess.

C. Capture the moment. Snap a photo of this one-of-a-kind scene for future enjoyment. You’d regret it if you didn’t! 〗