Chapter 13

Ruan Xizhi was still not used to Xing Xiaochi’s sudden behavior.

She turned his head to face her and said righteously, “Young Master, if you’re going to have an episode, can you at least give me a warning?”

Xing Xiaochi huffed and shook off her hand. “You’re the one having an episode! She was bullying Chengcheng, so I was supporting him!”

Ruan Xizhi turned to Gu Chengcheng. “She bullied you?”

Gu Chengcheng lowered his head and remained silent.

Ruan Xizhi knew this child was timid. Looking at the arrogant girl in front of them, she figured it was highly likely.

Alright then, she wasn’t going to interfere in the kids’ matters. They had their own world, and adults stepping in often made things worse.

Once all the guests had arrived, the director began organizing the game.

“Today, you’ll have to earn your lunch through a game. Do you see that volleyball net over there?”

The mothers looked over and immediately frowned.

Setting up a volleyball net under the scorching sun—how thoughtful of them, just to make them suffer for the audience’s entertainment.

The director continued explaining, “For every volleyball you successfully catch, you’ll earn one dish. Each team can win up to five dishes.”

Ruan Xizhi wasn’t afraid of the sun, but she did hate exhaustion. Playing volleyball was too much work, and sweating that much? No way.

Wanting to find a legitimate excuse to avoid it, she asked tentatively, “Can I give my opportunity to earn dishes to the other mothers?”

The director was about to refuse when Ruan Xizhi quickly added, “There are so many kids here. Someone needs to watch them. If something happens, it won’t be good for anyone.”

He hesitated. True, these kids were precious, and even more so because they were the children of celebrities.

After some thought, the director nodded. “Alright then.”

Ruan Miaorui didn’t want to play under the sun either and stepped forward. “I can watch the kids too. I’ll give up my chance as well.”

“Really?” Ruan Xizhi had expected this. Raising an eyebrow, she said, “Just to be clear, I’m choosing not to eat. Are you sure you want to give up your chance too?”

Song Sangyue, who had been starving since yesterday, was stunned.

Before the game began, Song Sangyue approached Ruan Xizhi and said, “If we win, let’s eat together.”

Ruan Xizhi smiled. “Alright, thanks, Sister Sangyue.”

Song Sangyue waved it off. “No problem. Just keep an eye on Chengcheng for me. He’s a bit shy.”

Ruan Xizhi nodded. “Got it. Don’t worry.”

The four families were divided into two groups—one for the moms and one for the kids.

Whether it was for the cameras or for their children’s meals, the mothers played with intense dedication. Watching them, Ruan Xizhi was more relieved than ever that she had opted out.

But speaking of lunch, she was starting to feel a little hungry.

Looking around, she found the island full of resources. Did they really need to play volleyball to earn food? There was food everywhere!

So, while everyone else was sweating it out on the court, Ruan Xizhi took the kids into the island’s forest.

“Stay close, and don’t let go of each other’s clothes,” she instructed.

Like a leader of a tiny train, she had the children hold onto each other’s clothes while she leisurely walked at the back.

The kids were thrilled, especially Xing Xiaochi, who took his role as the leader very seriously.

The only one giving Ruan Xizhi a headache was Lu Fei’er. She refused to cooperate, snorting at everything and acting like a walking sound effects machine.

Well, it wasn’t her kid. As long as Lu Fei’er didn’t get lost, it was fine.

The island was even richer in resources than Ruan Xizhi had expected, and the kids were fascinated.

Since it had rained the previous night, the soil was damp, and many mushrooms had sprouted from the ground. The three children squatted beside a tree, curiously staring at the delicate, white mushrooms.

Su Tongtong gasped, “it’s so pretty! It looks like a little umbrella!”

Curiosity sparked in their little minds. Xing Xiaochi reached out to pluck one, but before he could, Ruan Xizhi smacked his hand away.

Xing Xiaochi clutched his hand and stomped his foot. “Why did you hit me?!”

Ruan Xizhi replied coolly, “Because you don’t seem to value your life.”

Xing Xiaochi pouted, glaring at her. “What do you mean?”

“The mushroom you just touched is called a ‘Death Cap,’” Ruan Xizhi explained. “Even a little bit of contact can send you straight to heaven. You’d never see your grandma or Grandpa Chen again.”

Xing Xiaochi immediately jumped back, blinking at the mushrooms on the ground. He pointed at them and stomped his foot. “Go away, go away, bad mushrooms!”

“You’re so poisonous! Even your name is ‘Death Cap’? Retreat, retreat, retreat!”

[Comments Section]
【Hahaha, using magic to fight magic! ヾ(Ő౪Ő)】
【Retreat, retreat, retreat!】
【Xiaochi, you’re too cute! Come here, let Auntie give you a kiss! 3333】
【Cool guy, turns out you have such a humorous side! Slams table laughing】

Su Tongtong mimicked, “Retreat, retreat, retreat!”

Gu Chengcheng joined in, “Retreat, retreat, retreat!”

The three kids stomped their feet in unison, chanting together.

Ruan Xizhi couldn’t help but laugh. What a bunch of adorable little ones.

However, the fact that such rare mushrooms were growing here proved that the environment was very well-preserved.

Looks like today’s lunch would include some fresh, fragrant mushrooms.

Sure enough, when Ruan Xizhi brushed aside the dried leaves, the ground was covered in mushrooms—it was like stumbling into a mushroom farm.

Just as she bent down to pick some, Xing Xiaochi suddenly hugged her leg tightly.

“Don’t move! Look at all these mushrooms. If you get poisoned, how am I supposed to explain it to Dad? Don’t move!”

Ruan Xizhi sometimes found Xing Xiaochi quite responsible—truly worthy of being a future protagonist.

She shook her leg lightly and said, “These aren’t poisonous.”

“How can that be? The white ones are poisonous, so how could the red ones not be?” Xing Xiaochi blinked, doubtful. “Are you trying to trick a kid?”

Ruan Xizhi chuckled, “How could I dare trick Master Xing? Come here, I’ll teach you how to identify mushrooms.”

“Hmph, what’s so special about mushrooms?”

Despite his words, his body betrayed his curiosity as he crouched down next to her.

Faced with something new, his eagerness to learn kicked in.

Su Tongtong and Gu Chengcheng also crowded around.

Ruan Xizhi picked up a red mushroom and explained like a professional, “This is a red mushroom. Not only is it non-toxic, but it can also counteract poison and is rich in Vitamin A.”

Su Tongtong clapped her hands. “Wow! Tongtong wants to eat mushrooms!”

Xing Xiaochi, still skeptical, asked, “Then why are the white ones poisonous?”

Ruan Xizhi knew from books that Xing Xiaochi was intelligent. Even though he was impatient, she didn’t want to stifle his enthusiasm.

“Come here.”

She led him to a Death Cap mushroom and explained in detail, “Not all white mushrooms are poisonous, but this umbrella-shaped one, with a stalk like an air sac and a pure white root, is a Death Cap. Eating just one bite could kill a cow—let alone a little brat like you.”

【Wait, Ruan Xizhi knows about mushrooms?!】

【I feel like I’m learning new things about her every day.】

【She’s surprisingly patient. If my kid asked this many questions, I’d smack them twice and say, ‘Go away!’】

Xing Xiaochi hated being called a kid, but today, since she saved him, he decided to let it slide.

“Then how do you know all this?”

Ruan Xizhi patted his small shoulder. “Books are mankind’s treasure.”

“What book? Can I see it?” Xing Xiaochi was genuinely interested.

“I’ll show you when we get back.”

“Really? Pinky promise!”

He held out his tiny pinky. Ruan Xizhi sighed but still hooked her finger with his.

Maybe it was because of their “contract,” but after that, Xing Xiaochi was surprisingly cooperative.

Thanks to his unexpected helpfulness, Ruan Xizhi’s survival on the island became ridiculously easy.

Not only did she collect plenty of valuable red mushrooms, but the tide pools by the back beach were full of fish, shrimp, and even sea cucumbers and sea urchins that had been washed ashore by last night’s storm.

【Whoa, my girl is amazing!】

【Deep-sea sea cucumbers?! She just casually found them? What kind of lucky draw is this?】

【Wait… isn’t that a sea urchin worth over 20,000 yuan?!】

【Ruan Xizhi must be the human embodiment of a lucky koi fish!】

When Ruan Xizhi returned to the tent with her haul and the four little ones, they happened to run into the three moms—who were gasping for breath after exhausting themselves just to win a meager portion of lunch.

Everyone froze, staring at the pile of food on the ground.

Coconuts of all sizes, colorful mushrooms, unknown fruits, and…

Wait, what was that?!

Fish, shrimp, sea cucumbers, squid…

Hold on—was that… sea urchin?!

The three moms’ expressions twisted.

They looked at their tiny plate of hard-earned food, then at Ruan Xizhi’s enormous bounty.

Had Ruan Xizhi secretly gone to a market to stock up?

Otherwise, how could there be such a massive gap between them?!