Chapter 39 The Little White Flower Returns.

Chapter 39: The Little White Flower Returns.

Yu Xin was momentarily bewildered by his formal tone, waving a hand dismissively. "I just cooked a meal; you don’t need to be so formal."

*No, you don’t know what this means to me,* Ji Yixing thought, giving Yu Xin a deep, meaningful look.

But for now, he had no intention of telling Yu Xin about his anorexia. If Yu Xin found out, his deliberate attempts to get close to Yu Xin would become all too obvious. Even that chance encounter in the rainy weather at Rose Plaza might be seen as something he had planned.

Ji Yixing didn’t want Yu Xin to know about these things—at least not before they had truly gotten to know each other.

"Being able to create delicious food is a rare and precious gift," he said, reaching out to refill Yu Xin’s coconut drink. "You deserve this gratitude."

Qin Shizhen, hearing this, chimed in agreement, "Mr. Ji is right, Yu Xin. You deserve thanks from all of us."

Despite being the youngest among them, Yu Xin was the undeniable backbone of the group. Not to mention, he had prepared so much delicious food for everyone.

"Even though we don’t have wine, let’s use coconut drink as a substitute. Come on, let’s all toast to Yu Xin," Qin Shizhen said, taking the lead in raising his cup.

"To Yu Xin, to delicious food, to tonight—cheers!"

****

In the early morning on the island, sunlight filtered through the gaps between tree branches and dappled the ground. The coastal climate was humid, and the dew that had accumulated overnight hung heavily on the leaves. As the leaves drooped under the weight, droplets fell to the ground with a soft plop, startling a small bird foraging nearby.

Ruan Qing emerged from her tent, yawning, and began gathering her things to freshen up. There were faint dark circles under her eyes—despite the waterproof pads provided by the production team, the extreme humidity at night had made it difficult for her to sleep well.

As she was washing up, someone emerged from the woods, bathed in sunlight. His black hair was slightly damp and clung to his forehead, his face flushed, and his lips unusually vibrant.

It was Yu Xin. Ruan Qing wasn’t taken aback—Yu Xin’s habit of morning exercise was steadfast, and the others had grown accustomed to it.

Mouth still around her toothbrush, she greeted him, "Yu Xin, good morning."

"Good morning," Yu Xin replied with a slight nod.

Behind him, another person emerged from the woods—the new guest, Mr. Ji. He wore a slightly fitted black jacket that accentuated the contours of his chest muscles. His hair and collar were somewhat disheveled.

Both he and Yu Xin looked as though they had just finished exercising, a subtle yet noticeable shift from their composed, restrained demeanor the day before. Even Ruan Qing, who was used to seeing attractive celebrities in the entertainment industry, was temporarily speechless by the double impact of their striking appearances.

[What’s this, what’s this? Showing me this first thing in the morning (wipes drool).]

[Men after exercise really are extra sexy. It was fine with just Yu Xin, but adding a new guest is a bit too much to handle.]

[Emmm, although, but... seeing them come out of the woods one after the other early in the morning, both looking like that... it’s hard not to let my imagination run wild...]

[?They were just exercising, right? Yu Xin has always had a morning workout habit. What else could it be?]

[Ahem, well... how could it not be exercise... (taking three drinks as punishment).]

[Say what you will, these two look good together. They’re quite a visually matching pair.]

Ruan Qing snapped out of her daze, slightly embarrassed. "Mr. Ji, do you also have a habit of morning exercise?"

"Yes," Ji Yixing replied. "I’ve always had it. I happened to bump into Yu Xin today, so we exercised together."

As he spoke, he and Yu Xin placed the things they’d brought back on the ground.

Ruan Qing only then noticed they had brought something back. She leaned in curiously. "What did you bring back?"

The items were wrapped in bright green husks. Ruan Qing exclaimed happily, "It’s corn!"

"Right, we came across some wild corn in the woods and picked some on the way back," Yu Xin said, peeling back the husk of one to reveal tender yellow kernels. "We can boil them later and have them for breakfast."

Corn is an excellent source of carbohydrates—low in calories and high in satiety, making it perfect for breakfast.

By the time all the guests were up, a pot of corn had been boiled. The corn was still fresh and tender, with a soft, sweet flavor. One ear was filling enough.

After breakfast, the guests hadn’t yet decided what to do for the day when the production team arrived.

The director appeared in person this time. Seeing the guests’ suddenly wary expressions, he said helplessly, "There are no new rules to announce this time. There’s no need to be so cautious of me..."

"...You never bring good news when you show up," Shen Tong muttered under her breath, just loud enough for the director to hear.

The director coughed awkwardly. "Well, the thing is, the two guests who temporarily paused recording yesterday, Yu Ning and Ye Ran, have returned to our program today."

[?? They left, so why are they back?]

[First time seeing guests on a show come and go as they please, like it’s their own backyard.]

[Ugh, not really thrilled to see them return...]

[How does Yu Ning have the nerve to come back? Did he forget what his family did to Yu Xin?]

[Why shouldn’t Xiao Ning come back? He didn’t do those things, and he didn’t know about them.]

[Exactly, and it’s not like Yu Xin came to harm. Why make a big deal out of it?]

[Anyway, I like watching Xiao Ning on the show. If you don’t like it, you can leave.]

...

The live chat reactions were mixed, and the guests on-site also had mixed expressions. Everyone shared the same thought: Didn’t Yu Ning leave? Why is he back so suddenly?

Not just on *Wilderness Adventure*—it’s rare in variety show history for guests to leave and return within half a day. Do they think this is a game?

The director was also at a loss. He couldn’t afford to offend the families behind Yu Ning and Ye Ran. What could he do? He had to let the young masters have their way.

The atmosphere on-site grew awkward. The director clapped to get attention. "Well then, let’s welcome Yu Ning and Ye Ran back to *Wilderness Adventure*!"

The two who had disappeared for half a day had returned. Ye Ran still carried the same arrogant young master aura as on the first day, with an undisguised air of superiority. Yu Ning, meanwhile, had changed into more refined clothes, his hair meticulously styled, making his already delicate features even more striking.

As if overnight, he had forgotten yesterday’s incident, reverting to his shy, innocent "Little White Flower" persona. He greeted everyone again with soft, gentle words. This time, however, his gaze was locked purposefully and directly on Yu Xin.

Yesterday, he had been caught off guard by Yu Xin’s unexpectedly aggressive demeanor, so different from before. Unable to come up with a response in time, he had panicked and hastily ended the recording.

After leaving, the more he thought about it, the more resentful he became. What was that? To others, it looked like he had been utterly defeated by Yu Xin, slinking off the show in disgrace. His image would suffer greatly.

How could he allow that? How could he tolerate losing to Yu Xin? How could he stand by and watch Yu Xin climb up by stepping on him?

What was Yu Xin? Even if he had picked up some low-tier threatening tactics from his rough life, did he really think that would scare Yu Ning? Dream on.

Having been defeated by Yu Ning once, Yu Xin should never dream of rising above him again.

Yu Ning lifted his head, slowly scanning everyone’s expressions. Each face held a subtle hint of emotion, and Yu Ning could tell they weren’t particularly welcoming him back.

But it didn’t matter. Winning people over was Yu Ning's specialty. No matter how much Yu Xin had changed, deep down he was still that introverted, timid loser who never stood up for himself. Yu Ning had managed to win over Yu Xin’s own parents and older brother—who had been family to Yu Xin for over a decade—making them adore him and despise Yu Xin. How hard could it be to win over a few strangers?

Just wait, he thought. He would slowly steal away all the goodwill Yu Xin had earned, reducing him once again to the pitiable outcast everyone disliked. This time, he wouldn’t give Yu Xin any chance to turn things around.

Yu Ning's piercing stare was so obvious that Yu Xin could definitely sense it. Because of some experiences from his previous life, he was highly sensitive to others' malice, and Yu Ning hadn't yet mastered completely concealing his ill intentions.

Yu Xin frowned slightly, growing extremely impatient. This white lotus was clearly not as pure as he appeared on the outside and was particularly fixated on him.

He had no idea where Yu Ning's inexplicable hatred and obsession toward him came from. After all, in the whole "switching the royal heir" incident, the complete loser was the original host. Why did Yu Ning still care so much and repeatedly provoke him?

Of course, he wasn't afraid of Yu Ning, but no one would enjoy the feeling of being watched by a venomous snake in the shadows.

When he looked again, Yu Ning's expression had returned to innocent and gentle, as if the malice Yu Xin had sensed moments earlier was just an illusion.

"Alright, alright, you two hurry back to the group. Guest teachers, please continue. We won't disturb you any further."

The director, having completed his task, led the production team off the island without looking back.

Better to let these big celebrities and young masters sort themselves out—he had no intention of getting involved.

The once harmonious atmosphere among the guests had turned lukewarm again with Yu Ning and Ye Ran's return.

Yu Ning, however, acted as if he noticed nothing and casually chatted with the other guests. Even though everyone had mixed impressions of him, with Yu Ning wearing such a bright smile, they couldn't openly show their discomfort in front of the cameras and had no choice but to respond somewhat awkwardly.

"Teacher Qin Shizhen, my mother is a big fan of your work. Once this episode wraps up, you must give me your autograph—so I can take it back to make her happy."

Qin Shizhen, being the good-natured person he was, naturally wouldn't refuse him.

"And Brother Sheng Xingyao—may I call you that? By the way, I remember Yu Xin used to have a crush on you, didn't he? He even chased after your schedule once. Though maybe he went about it the wrong way and got thrown out of your dressing room by your bodyguards. That kind of behavior must have been really bothersome, right? I hope Yu Xin doesn’t do that again in the future..."

Sheng Xingyao replied awkwardly. Oh heavens, he had nearly forgotten that incident—why did Yu Ning have to bring it up now?

His impression of Yu Xin hadn’t been great back then, but that was all in the past now. He was more than eager to build a good relationship with Yu Xin and hoped Yu Xin wouldn’t hold a grudge over that incident...

He hurriedly glanced at Yu Xin, desperately trying to convey his thoughts through his eyes. Yu Xin didn’t show much change in expression and didn’t seem to care much, but why was Ji Yixing beside him staring at him with an amused smile??

That look sent chills down his spine. Help, had he somehow offended Ji Yixing?

Finally, Yu Ning made his way to Yu Xin.

"Yu Xin, we meet again," Yu Ning said, curling his lips into an innocent, harmless smile.

Yu Xin stared back at him coldly.

"Didn’t expect me to come back, did you?" Yu Ning said softly. "I know you’ve always had some opinions about me and probably didn’t want to see me return. But I won’t give up that easily. After all, every time in the past, I’ve gotten everything I wanted, and everyone ended up liking me in the end."

He blinked. "I don’t think this time will be an exception, right?"

"Is that so?" Yu Xin paused, then likewise curved his lips into a kind smile, implying meaningfully, "Then I’ll be waiting to see."

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Author's Note: Something came up recently, but I’ll do my best to keep updates stable. Sorry about that.

Thank you all so much for your support—I’ll keep working hard!