Chapter 36 Going to the Beach.

Chapter 36: A Trip to the Seashore.

"I'd only heard rumors... I never expected the Yu family to be so utterly heartless."

"Even if he was mistakenly swapped at birth, he's still a child they raised for over a decade. How could the Yu family do such a thing?"

"Even if Yu Xin did something wrong to Yu Ning, this is beyond the pale. Yu Xin was still a minor at the time."

"Given the Yu family's actions, I genuinely suspect there's some deep-seated animosity between Yu Xin and them..."

"I actually fell for the image the Yu family marketed before—all that talk about being tolerant and magnanimous toward the swapped child, forgiving past mistakes. What a nerve they have to say that!"

Yu Ning's face was ashen.

All his feigned pitiful expressions vanished, replaced by a flustered panic as Yu Xin's relentless questions left him speechless. He no longer knew how to defend the Yu family. Should he claim everything Yu Xin said was false? But even a fool could tell Yu Xin was speaking the absolute truth.

The unsettling feeling of things spiraling out of control reached its peak at this moment... It was all because of Yu Xin! Before, he was just a fool who could be manipulated at will, so how had he suddenly become so articulate and sharp-tongued?

His mind was in chaos; he could only try to save his own skin first. Tears welled up in his eyes: "I... I don’t know. I had no idea about any of this... Yu Xin, perhaps there’s some misunderstanding? Mom and Dad wouldn’t do something like this..."

In the blink of an eye, a fat tear rolled down his cheek as he adopted his most vulnerable and innocent posture.

"I can't believe Yu Ning still has the audacity to cry. Yu Xin isn't even crying, so what's he trying to achieve by playing the victim here?"

"This kind of person is truly terrifying, you know? They start crying before even speaking, making it seem like you're bullying them even when you're in the right. A total workplace nightmare."

"? What do you all mean? Xiao Ning already said he didn't know about any of this. Why are you blaming him?"

"If Yu Xin did something wrong, shouldn't he be punished? What does that have to do with Xiao Ning??"

"I get it now. The 'innocent act' always works on some people, doesn't it??"

"Hah."

Yu Xin let out a mocking laugh and slowly closed in on Yu Ning. He was slightly taller than Yu Ning, and he leaned down, gently wiping away Yu Ning’s tears: "Of course, you’re the Yu family’s pure, innocent young master. How could your dear mom and dad bear to tell you all this... Since you know nothing, don’t bother me with your family’s petty affairs from now on. Can you manage that?"

Yu Ning felt an irresistible force lift his chin, followed by a cold hand gently brushing his face. He almost thought that hand was going to do something terrible to him, but it only wiped away his tears.

He didn’t dare move, as if he were being stared down by some fierce, cold-blooded predator. His entire body stiffened.

That smirking gaze was clearly a threat. At this moment, Yu Xin felt... genuinely dangerous.

He had no doubt that Yu Xin was fully capable of killing him...

Was this still Yu Xin?

How could a person change so drastically?

Yu Xin casually wiped the tears from his fingers on Yu Ning’s cheek and patted his face: "Understood?"

"Y-yes, I understand..."

Under Yu Xin’s gaze, Yu Ning trembled as he spoke.

"Good. Let this matter end here. I’m going back." Yu Xin straightened up, too lazy to spare either of them another glance, and headed straight back to the camp.

It wasn’t until he left that Yu Ning felt the blood in his body start flowing again. Ye Ran’s anxious inquiries echoed in his ears. Yu Ning clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms, his delicate face contorted with rage.

****

Yu Xin walked out of the woods where they had talked and returned to the camp.

Yu Ning and the Yu family were truly infuriating. He had given Yu Ning a firm but measured warning, enough to make him keep his distance.

Thinking of the young life that had once inhabited this body and passed away too soon, Yu Xin’s mood grew grim.

Perhaps because he had been in this body for longer, the emotional impact of the original owner’s experiences was growing stronger, as if he had lived through them himself.

His face was naturally sharp and aloof, and even a slight shift in emotion was noticeable. His slightly long black hair covered his brows and eyes. He usually didn’t show much expression, but now, coldness seeped from the corners of his eyes and the curve of his brows.

Ji Yixing watched him and inexplicably recalled a little black cat they once had at their base.

The little black cat was proud and aloof, usually indifferent and unwilling to engage with people. When it was in a bad mood, its fur would bristle at the slightest approach, as if it wanted to scratch everyone who passed by.

But cats, by nature, seem to have the privilege of being temperamental, and their tantrums are part of their charm.

*I wonder if the little cat would respond to being coaxed by humans?*

Yu Xin returned to his original spot and sat down. A bottle of water was handed to him from beside him. He followed the long arm holding the water bottle and saw it was Ji Yixing.

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt the man was looking at him with a strange gaze, one filled with indulgence and affection.

"I don’t need it." Yu Xin’s mood hadn’t shifted yet, and his tone was somewhat stiff.

"Your lips are a bit dry." Ji Yixing gently touched his own lips.

The youth’s naturally rosy lips were no longer as vibrant as usual, looking somewhat parched.

Hearing this, Yu Xin pursed his lips. He had wasted too many words on Yu Ning and Ye Ran earlier, and the weather was hot, so he was indeed a bit dry.

Up close, he noticed a small lip pearl adorning his upper lip. As he pursed his lips, it tucked in briefly before quickly filling with blood, becoming full and round again.

Ji Yixing rubbed his two fingers together alternately, out of Yu Xin’s sight. He pushed the water bottle forward again: "Take it. I still have plenty of water."

He had undergone unimaginably harsh training to cope with extreme situations, and his ability to withstand high temperatures far exceeded that of ordinary people. A little thirst was nothing to him.

Since it was Ji Yixing’s kindness and he was indeed thirsty, Yu Xin stopped refusing and took it, drinking a few sips.

"Thank you, Mr. Ji." His tone softened again.

His lips, refreshed by the water, became soft and red again. Seeing this, Ji Yixing’s eyes narrowed with pleasure.

"You’re welcome."

After everyone had rested for a while, Yu Ning and Ye Ran still hadn’t returned.

A while later, the director sent someone to notify them: "The new guests, Yu Ning and Ye Ran, have temporarily paused recording due to personal reasons. The other guest teachers may proceed as normal."

Hearing this, everyone’s faces showed varied reactions.

Earlier, everyone had seen Yu Ning, Ye Ran, and Yu Xin disappear together for a long time. Later, Yu Xin returned alone, but Yu Ning was nowhere to be seen. Given the complicated relationship between Yu Ning and Yu Xin, it was hard not to suspect that something had happened between them in the woods.

For a moment, they couldn’t help but glance at Yu Xin.

After drinking water and calming down for a bit, Yu Xin had regained his composure. He now faced their gazes with composure.

Since this was Yu Xin’s private matter, they couldn’t very well pry. Moreover, the guests were already familiar with Yu Xin and were naturally on his side. That Ye Ran had had it out for him from the beginning, creating an awkward atmosphere. Now that they were gone, the guests breathed a sigh of relief.

Shen Tong even secretly stuck out her tongue and winked at Yu Xin: "Finally, they’re gone."

She had long been fed up with that white lotus, Yu Ning! And—

Good riddance; let’s hope they don’t come back.

As for the director… there was little he could do about these privileged young men, so he had no choice but to let them be.

The mood lightened immediately. Qin Shizhen was the first to stand up: “We’ve rested enough; we should figure out what to do next.”

“We should still look for water first. The humidity is high by the sea, and dehydration is extremely dangerous in this weather,” Yu Xin said.

Currently, both drinking water and food remained unresolved—with drinking water the top priority.

Since the area was near the beach, most nearby water sources were saline. To find fresh water, they would have to venture deeper into the island’s jungle.

The undeveloped forest remained dense and difficult to navigate, but the guests had gained some experience from the first episode—so it shouldn’t be as grueling as before.

After struggling through the undergrowth for a while, they were quite fortunate—they didn’t have to go far before discovering a shallow freshwater pool, solving their water problem.

After some effort, they stored enough fresh water at the campsite to meet their needs. Sheng Xingyao let out a long sigh and rubbed his aching back: “At least we don’t have to worry about running out of water now.”

Qin Shizhen, Shen Tong, and Ruan Qing were also exhausted, gasping for breath nearby. Only Yu Xin and Ji Yixing showed no signs of strain—not even breathing heavily—despite having exerted themselves just as much.

Sheng Xingyao felt uneasy. It was one thing having only Yu Xin around—but now there was Ji Yixing, who’d appeared out of nowhere with seemingly endless stamina. Why was the gap between people so vast?

He clearly spent plenty of time at the gym too—his muscles were built through hard work!

By now, it was dusk. A massive setting sun hung on the horizon where sea met sky, bathing the world in hues of orange and red. The sea breeze turned cool, and seabirds swooped and soared overhead—the scenery was truly beautiful.

But their food problem remained unsolved.

“It’s all because we rested too long. Now it’s already dark—where are we supposed to find food?” Ruan Qing asked, her expression fretful.

Darkness was closing in rapidly. The beach was barren, empty of anything in sight. To find food, they’d have to enter the jungle—but at night, visibility was poor, let alone searching for sustenance.

Were they really going to rely on nutrition bars for dinner tonight?

“It’s not late at all—now is actually the perfect time to look for food,” Yu Xin said.

The guests’ eyes lit up instantly—if Yu Xin said so, they believed it!

“But where are we supposed to find food?” Sheng Xingyao glanced around. The beach held nothing but sand—nothing like the ideal “beachcombing” scenario where you spot a starfish every three steps and a crab every five.

Could it be that all those beachcombing livestreams he’d watched were fake?

“Take a closer look. What’s different about this beach compared to when we first arrived?” Yu Xin wanted to test him.

?

Wasn’t it the same beach? How could it possibly be different?

Sheng Xingyao scanned the surroundings carefully once more—but still couldn’t see it. He hesitated: “Different… our tents are here now?”

“…” Yu Xin was speechless, while Ji Yixing couldn’t help but laugh.

“I know! It’s the coastline, right? The tide has receded compared to when we arrived!” Ruan Qing was the first to figure it out, looking at Yu Xin with eager anticipation of praise.

“Exactly,” Yu Xin gave her an approving nod, pointing toward where they’d landed the aircraft. “Using our initial landing spot as a reference, it’s obvious the coastline has pulled far back into the ocean.”

“Hey—you’re right!” Sheng Xingyao suddenly realized, feeling slightly embarrassed.

How could he have missed something so obvious?

Luckily, it was already dark enough that the flush on his cheeks wasn’t very noticeable.

“Due to the moon’s gravitational pull on tides, the times for high and low tide vary daily, following a roughly fortnightly cycle. We’re lucky—we happened to catch both an incoming and outgoing tide. Now is the perfect time for beachcombing,” Yu Xin explained.

“So everyone—grab your tools and buckets. Let’s go beachcombing.”

“Awesome!”

-----------------------

Author’s Note: *Wuwuwu*—I want to go beachcombing too—take me with you! *(Grabs small bucket)*

Thank you all so much for your support. I’ll continue doing my best!