Volume One, Chapter 97: A Bunch of Useless Fools!

A crisp, fresh scent of pine lingered at the tip of her nose, making Yu Mo’s heart race wildly. She summoned all her strength to force a few words out of her throat.

“Mu… Shaozhou.”

Feeling the man’s arm loosen around her, Yu Mo could finally breathe deeply once more. Mu Shaozhou’s deep voice sounded in her ear.

“Yu Mo.”

He pulled her tightly into his embrace, and Yu Mo could feel his body trembling slightly. In the next second, he shielded her behind him, lifting his gaze; his eyes shone with a cold, steely light.

Only then did Yu Mo take in the scene inside the room: several tall men dressed in black lay sprawled across the floor in disarray. Mu Shaozhou gripped her hand and swiftly led her outside. When they reached the deck, they realized the boat was no longer docked; at some point, it had drifted out into the endless expanse of the sea.

“What do we do?” Yu Mo’s grip tightened unconsciously. Trapped on the open sea, it felt as though they were imprisoned with nowhere to escape. They didn’t know how many adversaries there were, nor whether the two of them could handle them all.

Mu Shaozhou’s large hand closed around hers, signaling her to stay calm. His voice was low and husky, “Don’t be afraid.”

Feeling the warmth of his palm, Yu Mo’s anxiety eased somewhat. She gripped his hand tightly in return, her gaze resolute. “Alright.”

Suddenly, a rush of hurried footsteps sounded behind them. Dozens of men in black, wielding daggers, charged forward, their blades thrusting toward Mu Shaozhou.

He shoved Yu Mo behind him, then raised his leg and kicked the dagger aimed at him away. Under the night sky, the weapon flashed with a silvery glint before plunging into the water with a splash, sending droplets flying before sinking into the depths.

The sounds of combat rang out, yet no one emerged from the cabins. It seemed the crew had already vanished; Chu Xirui and Su Beican were nowhere to be seen.

Several cuts appeared on Mu Shaozhou’s arm, blood welling up instantly and the iron scent of it spreading thickly in the quiet night.

Seizing the opportunity, one of the black-clad men lunged again, his dagger aiming straight for the artery at Mu Shaozhou’s throat—a clear and deadly intent.

Yu Mo’s heart stopped for a beat. In the next instant, her body was already between Mu Shaozhou and the attacker.

The man abruptly pulled back his dagger, thrown off balance and stumbling sideways. Yu Mo fell into Mu Shaozhou, and in that weightless moment, the two of them tumbled over the railing and plunged straight into the sea below.

The black-clad man tried to grab them, but it was too late. He could only watch as both disappeared into the vast, endless sea.

The leader among them pounded the railing fiercely, then turned and led the others into the ship’s control room.

At dawn the next day, the first golden rays of sunlight spilled across Xinglong Bay, casting a shimmering glow over the sea—so dazzlingly beautiful that it was impossible to look away.

Fu Yanting, Lin Hua, and the production crew boarded the boat, running into Chu Xirui and Su Beican, who had just stepped out of their cabin.

The director’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he pointed at Chu Xirui and Su Beican.

“You two… are a couple now?”

Damn, he thought. If they really fell for each other on his dating show, that made him the ultimate matchmaker.

Chu Xirui punched Su Beican, shot him a fierce glare, then stormed back into her room.

Bang! The door slammed shut.

Su Beican, looking somewhat embarrassed, ran a hand through his tousled blond hair and said nothing.

The director didn’t press further and simply instructed the crew to call out Yu Mo and Mu Shaozhou to resume filming.

But a staff member hurried over, their expression flustered.

“Director! Something’s wrong—Miss Yu isn’t in her room, and Mr. Mu’s room is empty too. There are signs of a fight in his cabin…”

Sweat beaded on the director’s forehead. “What happened?”

The crew member shook his head.

In the twenty minutes that followed, everyone on staff searched the boat for Yu Mo and Mu Shaozhou, but neither could be found.

It was confirmed: they were no longer on board.

The director dabbed his brow with a handkerchief while ordering someone to call the police.

No one who’d stayed on the boat overnight had any idea what had occurred; it was all a mystery.

As filming time approached, the director paced in agitation. With the two missing, the show was the least of his worries—finding them was paramount.

Half an hour later, officers arrived to expand the search along the coast.

Lin Xing, usually so calm and aloof, now displayed a flicker of worry in his eyes. He slipped into a corner to make a phone call, his voice low and grave.

“What happened?”

A man’s voice answered, muffled and tense. “Sorry, sir. That man and Miss Yu fell into the sea together. Our people are searching the waters…”

“Useless fools!” Lin Xing hung up, for the first time feeling a pang of regret. If anything happened to Yu Mo, it would be his fault. He had only meant to capture Mu Shaozhou and teach him a lesson.

Tang Xinyan was beside herself with worry as well; she pulled out her phone and dialed Mu Qiming.

“Uncle, Brother Mu is missing.”

Online, viewers who had been waiting for the livestream erupted in confusion, flooding the internet with questions about why Zhang Zheng’s show had suddenly gone off-air and what had really happened.

Soon, the trending topics were filled with explosive headlines.

#ReasonforHeartwarmingMealsSuspension#

#WhatHappenedonHeartwarmingMeals?#

#HeartwarmingMealsFoodPoisoningScandalLeadsToSuspension#

Rumors of all kinds were flying. Zhang Zheng’s show had finally made it to the top of the trending topics, but now he couldn’t summon any joy. If Yu Mo and Mu Shaozhou weren’t found, not only would his show be done for, but so would he.

—

Yu Mo opened her eyes to find herself staring up at the bamboo ceiling of a small hut, lying on a bamboo bed.

A stranger’s face entered her vision—a middle-aged woman with a distinct Coconut Island accent.

“Miss, you’re awake, thank goodness. Are you hungry?”

Yu Mo sat up and flexed her limbs. Feeling no pain, she glanced anxiously around.

“Where’s Mu Shaozhou? Auntie, did you see a tall, fair-skinned man?”

The woman smiled warmly. “Don’t worry, dear. Your boyfriend is fine—he’s outside. I’ll call him in right away.”

With that, she left the room. Moments later, the sound of hurried but steady footsteps filled Yu Mo’s ears.

Mu Shaozhou strode in and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“I’m so glad you’re awake.”

Yu Mo raised her arms to hug him back just as tightly, murmuring his name.

“Mu Shaozhou…”

She pulled away to inspect his arm, relaxing only when she saw his wounds had been properly bandaged.

“Where are we, Mu Shaozhou?”

“On an island near Coconut Island.”

Tears welled uncontrollably in Yu Mo’s eyes. In that moment when they fell into the sea together, countless thoughts had flashed through her mind. If they were to perish in the ocean together, perhaps there was a certain tragic beauty in that.

But fate had spared them both.

As she plunged into the sea, she suddenly realized how melodramatic she’d been. If she truly loved Mu Shaozhou, she should be brave and stay with him, face whatever came their way, and never be afraid.

“Have you managed to contact the production team?” she asked.

Mu Shaozhou lifted a cool, pale hand, his long fingers gently tucking stray locks of hair behind her ear. His voice was soft. “No. The only radio on the island is broken. I’m working on fixing it. Once I do, we can go home.”

Yu Mo’s beautiful almond eyes widened in surprise. “You know how to repair radios?”