Chapter 18: Eighteenth Day as a Salted Fish
Qin Jiaojiao walked into the living room alongside Zhou Shaoli.
In the living room, Shen Xiaoshan and Meng Zi’ang were leaning affectionately against each other, both wearing matching couple’s sportswear with “PDA” practically written across their faces.
Jin Mingzhu and Chen Feihong sat together, exuding the harmonious vibe of an old married couple.
As Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli entered, everyone’s eyes landed on them. None of the others had eaten breakfast yet, so seeing Qin Jiaojiao holding something and snacking on it, a flash of surprise crossed their eyes.
Since Qin Jiaojiao had woken up late and hadn’t gone out, the breakfast must have been brought back by Zhou Shaoli—he was surprisingly thoughtful.
Through the cameras installed around the villa, the production team announced over the speakers: “The Romantic Lovers production team does not have a fixed script, nor will any tasks be forcibly required for guests to complete, but…”
The chief director said: “For the challenge tasks issued by the production team, whichever couple successfully completes them with excellence will receive different levels of rewards.”
“Today, the production team will issue a household fund of one hundred yuan to each couple. Guest couples can use this one hundred yuan to earn money, and the couple that earns the most will be gifted a luxury yacht one-day, one-night tour.”
“The second-place earning couple will win a pair of surfing tickets, while the couple in last place receives no reward.”
Listening to the task announced by the production team, Qin Jiaojiao had only one thought in mind: how many delicious snacks could one hundred yuan buy? Yesterday, she had set her sights on a lot of local delicacies that she hadn’t gotten to sample yet.
She turned her head to look at Zhou Shaoli. The man had a calm, indifferent expression, seemingly disinterested in everything.
In weather this hot, it was better to stay inside the villa enjoying the air conditioning and playing games—lying flat was so much more comfortable.
After issuing the task, the production team transferred one hundred yuan to each guest couple, directly sending the money to the wives’ phones.
Shen Xiaoshan couldn’t wait to drag Meng Zi’ang upstairs to change clothes and head out. She had joined Season 2 of Romantic Lovers precisely to explode in popularity, so she was determined to win first place in this task.
A luxury yacht overnight tour meant the couple would spend a sweet day together, with dedicated camera crew coverage, allowing her to draw closer to Meng Zi’ang and pack on the PDA for the cameras.
Once the show aired, she would definitely attract a massive audience and gain enormous traffic.
Jin Mingzhu and Chen Feihong also stood up to return to their room and prepare to go out and make money, leaving only Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli in the living room. Having finished her sticky rice chicken, she pulled out a tissue to wipe the corners of her mouth.
“Do you want to go on a luxury yacht or go surfing?” she asked tentatively.
Zhou Shaoli came from a wealthy family with centuries of heritage. Luxury yachts, private jets, horse ranches, and wineries were too numerous to count for him, so he likely had zero interest in a rented luxury yacht or surfing tickets provided by the show.
If he had no interest, then she could comfortably and guiltlessly remain a salted fish and lie flat.
Zhou Shaoli’s light brown eyes looked at her calmly: “It’s up to you.” He paused, adding, “If you want to go on the luxury yacht or go surfing, we can head out now and figure out a way to make money.”
He had been exposed to the family group’s businesses since his youth and understood very well how to turn money into more money. Among this group of people, he was confident he could be the highest earner.
Qin Jiaojiao shook her head: “It’s too hot outside, I want to rest at home.”
In the original plot, something urgent had come up with a project in Zhou Shaoli’s group that required immediate handling. As the comparison group, the original owner had been blinded by vanity, eager to compete with Shen Xiaoshan for ranking, and insisted that Zhou Shaoli go out with her to earn money.
Zhou Shaoli had been forced to put aside his work and go out with her to make money. The weather was scorching hot, and unable to endure the hardship, the original owner started complaining the moment they went out and even sprained her ankle—everything went wrong.
Out of gentlemanly courtesy, Zhou Shaoli had brought her back to the villa and went off to deal with his work, leaving the two of them ranking dead last in the end.
She didn’t want to repeat those mistakes; chilling at the villa sounded pretty good.
Zhou Shaoli’s personal phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he said, “I’ll go take a call.”
“Okay.” Qin Jiaojiao went back to her room, intending to catch up on some sleep so she could head out and buy food later.
The call was from Han Xiao, who reported over the phone that something had recently gone wrong with a resort hotel development project, requiring urgent handling.
“I understand. Send me the project development proposal,” Zhou Shaoli said, unhurried and composed.
Han Xiao had followed Zhou Shaoli for years; as long as Zhou Shaoli was around, no matter what issue arose in the group, it could always be handled promptly and properly. “Understood, President Zhou, I’ll send it to you immediately.”
Hanging up, Zhou Shaoli went upstairs to fetch his laptop. Pushing open the bedroom door, he found Qin Jiaojiao lying on the bed, fast asleep again, which surprised him slightly.
She was sleeping again.
Qin Jiaojiao lay on the bed, sleeping extra sweet as the ocean breeze blew in through the open floor-to-ceiling windows.
Lightening his steps, Zhou Shaoli opened his suitcase, pulled out his laptop, and then closed the bedroom door behind him as he headed downstairs to the living room.
By this time, all the other show guests had gone out to do their tasks, leaving the villa peaceful and quiet. He sat in the living room focused on handling his work, while the villa’s cameras filmed him.
Before he knew it, noon arrived. Qin Jiaojiao woke up fully rested, and with the sun outside beating down somewhat intensely and her stomach feeling empty, she opened the door and walked downstairs.
Today, she wore a camisole dress paired with slide sandals—a ultra-cool summer vacation outfit. As she walked downstairs, her shoes made a soft tap-tap-tap sound.
Hearing the noise, Zhou Shaoli turned his head to watch Qin Jiaojiao descend the stairs step by step.
“You’re awake.”
“Mhm.” Qin Jiaojiao rubbed her eyes, lazily walking over to sit beside him. “Are you still working?”
Zhou Shaoli said, “Almost finished.”
“Do you want to keep working, or go out together to buy something to eat?” Qin Jiaojiao asked.
Zhou Shaoli closed his laptop: “Let’s go out together. Wait for me a moment, I’ll go change.”
“Okay.” Qin Jiaojiao leaned against the sofa, pulled out her phone, and opened a novel.
Before long, Zhou Shaoli came downstairs. He wore a light-colored shirt paired with casual light-colored trousers, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on his tall nose bridge, giving him a somewhat cold, ascetic air.
Zhou Shaoli was disciplined and paid great attention to his image, exuding a noble aura from head to toe—he was truly ridiculously handsome.
“Let’s go,” he said calmly.
Qin Jiaojiao walked out of the villa with him and asked, “Is the work matter not urgent?”
Zhou Shaoli glanced sideways at her and said, “Not urgent.”
The issues with the project were mostly resolved; he just needed to spend a little time communicating with the partner later, so there was still time to accompany her out to buy food.
“Let’s go check out yesterday’s street market!” Qin Jiaojiao said excitedly. “I saw so many good eats yesterday, I have to try them today.”
Zhou Shaoli had never worried about money since he was a child. Being forced yesterday to ‘sacrifice his beauty’ to trade for a drink for his wife was a very novel experience for him.
The fishing village’s street market was a popular street in this niche tourist area. Locals did business here, and tourists from out of town would come stroll around to buy food and souvenirs.
Qin Jiaojiao wore no makeup today, coming out completely bare-faced, her fair, tender face looking like a newly graduated college student.
She only had one hundred yuan on her, which could buy plenty of delicious food in the low-cost fishing village, but considering that one hundred yuan had to last both of them, she still needed to be thoughtful about how to spend it.
“Good afternoon, Uncle!” Qin Jiaojiao greeted Uncle Ma, who ran the refreshing drink stall.
Uncle Ma greeted back, “Out to play?”
Qin Jiaojiao jogged over and said, “Out to buy something to eat. Give me two cups of refreshing drinks.”
“Coming right up,” Uncle Ma said with a smile. “Just a moment.”
Zhou Shaoli suddenly asked Uncle Ma, “Are you willing to sell the secret recipe for your refreshing drink?”
Uncle Ma worked while replying, “You want to set up a stall and sell it too?”
“She likes drinking it,” Zhou Shaoli said in a calm tone. “Refreshing drinks are very popular. If you sell the secret recipe to me, I can create an independent brand, open chain stores nationwide, and pay you annual dividends.”
Uncle Ma didn’t buy it. Yesterday, this young fellow had stood at his stall acting as a mascot taking photos with people just for ten yuan.
“Not selling,” Uncle Ma rejected ruthlessly. “This is my family’s century-old secret recipe, I wouldn’t sell it for any amount of money.”
Zhou Shaoli had rarely been rejected in his life, especially when offering a business partnership, leaving him momentarily stunned.
Qin Jiaojiao sipped her prepared drink through a straw, and seeing his rare moment of deflation, she couldn’t help but curl her lips into a light smile. “Let’s go see what else there is to eat.”
Zhou Shaoli knitted his brows slightly, glancing once more at Uncle Ma’s stall.
Seeing how much Qin Jiaojiao liked the refreshing drink, he had thought that getting Uncle Ma’s secret recipe to pass along to their family’s pastry chef while investing in a few chain stores would be an easy side venture.
He hadn’t expected someone in this world to actually refuse a partnership.
Seeing Zhou Shaoli’s slightly bewildered expression, Qin Jiaojiao found it unexpectedly funny and asked, “Is Zhuxing Group interested in the food industry too?”
“The refreshing drink is indeed very delicious,” Zhou Shaoli resumed his calm demeanor and said. “If he were willing to partner up, I could invest capital free of charge to test the waters with a brand.”
“Forget it,” Qin Jiaojiao consoled him. “Maybe the uncle’s secret recipe is the uncle himself.”
She recalled a comedy movie where the male lead made delicious flatbreads, making hundreds a day with high profits, but the dough had to be kneaded by his own hands—that was his secret recipe, so opening other chain stores was completely impossible.
Zhou Shaoli hadn’t considered this angle, falling completely silent.
As the two strolled along the street buying food, they ran into Shen Xiaoshan and Meng Zi’ang, who were standing by the roadside running a stall selling seafood.
Selling seafood in a fishing village was the most cost-effective; seafood was the most abundant and cheap item here. Buying it cheap from fishermen and selling it to tourists at the market allowed one to make a huge profit.
Standing at a stall under the blazing sun, Shen Xiaoshan’s carefully applied makeup had melted considerably, her wet hair sticking to her face, while Meng Zi’ang was drenched in sweat, calling out his wares with an anxious edge.
Seeing Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli strolling casually down the street holding drinks, Shen Xiaoshan secretly grit her teeth, asking with a fake smile on her face, “How much money have you guys made?”
Drinking her beverage, Qin Jiaojiao felt not the least bit hot, answering in a great mood: “We’re down twenty.”
Two cups of refreshing drinks cost twenty yuan, leaving her with eighty yuan, and buying food later would mean even more negative income.
Hearing Qin Jiaojiao’s self-righteous answer, Shen Xiaoshan was nearly choked up. Down twenty meant that not only had Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli failed to go out and earn money for the task, but they were actually spending the production team’s money carelessly.
Meng Zi’ang sneered internally, his gaze mockingly fixing on Qin Jiaojiao. He knew very well what kind of personality she had—pampered, arrogant, and willful. What money could she possibly earn? She was only good at spending it.
At this thought, he looked at Zhou Shaoli with sympathy. Marrying a drama queen who only dragged him down and lost her temper meant his married life must be a chaotic mess.
On the other hand, he had married a capable helper who was smart and thoughtful, and who would eventually help him secure his shares in Meng Brothers Pictures.
Qin Jiaojiao’s mind was full of fishing village delicacies, saying: “We won’t disturb your money-making, keep it up!”
Qin Jiaojiao pulled Zhou Shaoli toward the fragrant grilled squid stall across the street.
For a moment, Shen Xiaoshan felt that working hard to earn money for the task was no longer rewarding, and she had to force herself to think of the production team’s luxury yacht prize just to soothe the frustration in her chest.
Qin Jiaojiao ordered four skewers of grilled squid, looking up at Zhou Shaoli: “Want some?”
Zhou Shaoli had never eaten street food before; these stalls lacked health permits, looked dirty and unhygienic, and eating them might hurt one’s stomach.
However, facing Qin Jiaojiao’s bright, watery eyes that shone like stars, he nodded.
“You try one first; if it doesn’t taste good, throw it away,” Qin Jiaojiao handed him a skewer. She definitely wasn’t trying to eat three skewers herself—she swore.
Zhou Shaoli took a bite; it was a little spicy, quite different from his usual bland palate, but the spicy grilled squid actually tasted decent.
Eating hers, Qin Jiaojiao’s eyes caught sight of another stall, and she stepped toward it.
Having just thrown away his wooden skewer and returned, Zhou Shaoli found Qin Jiaojiao nowhere in sight. The market was crowded with people, and his calm expression shifted slightly as his gaze searched the crowd.
After looking around for a bit, Zhou Shaoli spotted Qin Jiaojiao standing in line before a stall, and his expression relaxed as he walked over briskly.
Qin Jiaojiao remained oblivious, her eyes filled only with the food at the stall—a scene captured entirely by the camera crew.
Having eaten and drunk her fill, Qin Jiaojiao checked her account balance, finding only thirty yuan left. She couldn’t spend any more; this was dinner money, enough for two bowls of seafood noodles at the fishing village tonight.
Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli returned to the villa. Zhou Shaoli resumed handling his work, while she pulled out her phone beside him and started a round of mobile games.
After playing two rounds, she felt a bit sleepy. Leaning against the sofa with her eyes half-lidded, she fell asleep within moments, her head slumping heavily onto Zhou Shaoli’s shoulder.
Zhou Shaoli was currently holding a video conference when a young woman suddenly appeared in the camera frame, resting on his shoulder to sleep. The conference feed froze instantly, all department managers staring at the scene in utter shock.
Reacting at lightning speed, Zhou Shaoli turned off his camera and held Qin Jiaojiao’s head with one hand.
He looked down.
She had actually fallen asleep while playing games?
Supporting her, he slowly laid her down to rest on the sofa, went upstairs without finding a blanket, and brought back a jacket instead.
The managers in the conference room erupted in discussion.
“Was that President Zhou’s wife just now?”
“Should be. Have you ever seen another woman anywhere near President Zhou?”
“President Zhou and his wife look so deeply in love.”
“…”
Zhou Shaoli draped his jacket over Qin Jiaojiao and turned his camera back on, causing the gossiping managers in the conference room to quickly adopt serious expressions once more.
After finishing the meeting, Zhou Shaoli closed his laptop and looked at the fast-asleep Qin Jiaojiao.
He couldn’t help but suspect if she had been the God of Sleep in her past life, able to fall asleep anywhere.
Qin Jiaojiao slept for a little while before waking up. Opening her eyes, she dazed out for a bit before noticing she was covered with a men’s jacket, infused with a faint, cool scent of ebony agarwood.
Zhou Shaoli sat not far from her, holding his phone and looking at messages with his eyes lowered.
Yawning, Qin Jiaojiao asked, “Is all your work done?”
“All done.” Zhou Shaoli put away his phone.
“Then let’s go out for a walk and grab dinner.” Qin Jiaojiao absolutely adored this salted fish lifestyle of eating, sleeping, and playing on her phone.
“Okay.”
The two walked together along the seaside road to the street market, found an established local shop to eat seafood noodles, took another stroll, and returned to the villa.
The other two couples, having worked hard all day, returned to the villa.
When the production team tallied the money earned by the guests today: Shen Xiaoshan and Meng Zi’ang had about three hundred yuan, Jin Mingzhu and Chen Feihong had a little over two hundred, while for Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli, their household fund was zero.
Chief Director: “…???”
Not only did this couple not earn money, but they completely blew through their household fund?!
The director could hardly imagine how fierce the viewer comments on the bullet chat would be once the show aired.
In two seasons of recording, this was the most unexpected guest couple the production team had ever encountered—doing absolutely nothing except eating, drinking, and playing.
The chief director announced that tomorrow, Shen Xiaoshan and Meng Zi’ang would get a luxury yacht one-day tour, while Jin Mingzhu and Chen Feihong could choose between diving or surfing activities.
As for Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli! They could do whatever they wanted!
Hearing in front of the cameras that they could enjoy a luxury yacht one-day tour tomorrow, Shen Xiaoshan and Meng Zi’ang hugged happily, contagious smiles of joy plastered across their faces.
Qin Jiaojiao couldn’t care less; wasn’t free time even better? Tomorrow she wanted to hit the beach, collect nice seashells, and make a wind chime.
The next day.
The moment Qin Jiaojiao woke up and went downstairs, Jin Mingzhu, who was sitting on the sofa, greeted her: “You’re up.”
“Teacher Jin, you haven’t gone out to play yet?” Qin Jiaojiao asked curiously.
Jin Mingzhu said: “Old Chen isn’t in great health, so we can’t play extreme activities. We’re giving these tickets to you two.”
“Giving them to us?” Qin Jiaojiao’s eyes widened in surprise.
Jin Mingzhu said with a smile: “Yes, for you two to play. Old Chen and I will go sea fishing later.”
Feeling like she had been hit by a free cake falling from the sky, Qin Jiaojiao said with delight: “Thank you, Teacher Jin! You’re so wonderful, giving us the tickets you earned from your task…”
“It’s a waste to let the tickets go unused anyway, and they’re perfect for you young people to enjoy,” Jin Mingzhu said gently.
“Thank you.” Qin Jiaojiao couldn’t wait to tell Zhou Shaoli.
Although she preferred being a salted fish, since she was already here, it would be a wasted trip if she didn’t try out some ocean entertainment activities.
“Zhou Shaoli!” Qin Jiaojiao ran into the bedroom, waving the tickets in her hand: “Do you want to go surfing?”
Seeing the excited expression on her little face, Zhou Shaoli asked, “Do you want to go?”
Qin Jiaojiao nodded: “I’ve never gone surfing before.”
Zhou Shaoli: “When are we going?”
Qin Jiaojiao glanced outside and said, “Anytime is fine. The sun isn’t too hot right now, so let’s change and go.”
In the past, she had always stayed home acting as a salted fish, but deep down, she still liked trying out exciting activities once in a while. Sometimes when scrolling through short videos and seeing people surfing coolly, she had wanted to try it out.
The servants had prepared swimwear for her, which she hadn’t worn yet since arriving. Finding the swimsuit in her suitcase, she fell silent upon seeing the one-piece swimsuit with cutout details on the back and waist.
The thought of wearing this kind of swimsuit in front of Zhou Shaoli made her feel self-conscious.
But surfing required a swimsuit.
Qin Jiaojiao pulled a sun-protective cover-up out of her suitcase and went into the bathroom to change. Looking at the mirror at the beauty featuring fair arms, long legs, and a slender waist, she quickly put on the white sheer cover-up.
Zhou Shaoli waited in the bedroom for Qin Jiaojiao to change into her swimsuit. Logically, changing into a swimsuit should take a few minutes, yet she stayed inside the bathroom for a very long time.
Only after roughly ten minutes did she walk out.
Qin Jiaojiao wore a white swimsuit under a thin sun-protective coat, her expression slightly shy as she looked down at the floor, her shapely figure exuding an alluring charm.
Zhou Shaoli froze slightly, staring for a few seconds before using immense self-control to keep himself from staring continuously at her.
Qin Jiaojiao pulled at the swimsuit hugging her slender figure and said, “Maybe we shouldn’t go after all.”
Zhou Shaoli looked at her, his tone gentle: “Wearing a swimsuit at the beach is very normal. You look great in it, so there’s no need to be shy.”
He was telling her to own it with confidence without fearing others’ gazes, proudly being herself.
“Mhm,” Qin Jiaojiao replied.
Having come to the beach to film the show, Zhou Shaoli had brought beach swim trunks. He went into the bathroom and changed into swim trunks and a short-sleeved shirt, his model-like physique fully on display.
Looking at his smooth, defined abs, Qin Jiaojiao subconsciously swallowed her breath, her face flushing hot.
Exiting through the villa’s backyard led directly to the beach, and walking along the coast led right to the resort area where they quickly found the vendor with their tickets.
Beginner surfing required instruction. After explaining basic surfing knowledge, the shop assigned a male instructor to teach Qin Jiaojiao.
“No need,” Zhou Shaoli declined on Qin Jiaojiao’s behalf. “I’ll teach her.”
Surfing for the first time, Qin Jiaojiao felt a bit scared standing in the water as waves hit her.
“Don’t be afraid.” Zhou Shaoli held her arm, patiently explaining the surfing basics she had just heard earlier.
Listening to his calm, steady voice, her pounding heart gradually slowed down, and soon in the shallow water area, she managed to crouch on the surfboard and attempt to stand up.
Just then, a wave crashed over. Losing her balance, she stumbled into the water, panicking slightly as her entire body submerged into the cool ocean water.
While struggling, she was scooped up into a warm chest. Choking on a few mouthfuls of water, her vision blurred as she leaned weakly against the man’s chest, gasping for air.
Having joined her to surf, Zhou Shaoli had taken off his glasses; his handsome face was inches away, his light brown eyes fixed intently on her.
“How are you doing?”
Qin Jiaojiao shook her head: “I’m fine.”
To prevent her from slipping back into the ocean, Zhou Shaoli held her waist with his large hand, his palm warm against the cool sea water.
Feeling the atmosphere between them growing overly intimate, Qin Jiaojiao lowered her eyelashes and said: “Thank you.”
“Can you stand steady?” Zhou Shaoli asked.
Qin Jiaojiao nodded.
Zhou Shaoli slowly released his grip to let her stand properly. When she fell into the ocean, his heart had nearly stopped, and he had rushed over to scoop her up from the water without time to think about anything else.
“Do you want to rest for a bit?” he asked.
Qin Jiaojiao agreed: “Let’s go sunbathe on the beach.”
Her physical stamina was almost drained; if she kept practicing, she would likely be pushed over by the next wave and flattened onto the sand.
Lying on a beach chair set up along the shore, Qin Jiaojiao remembered after a moment that she had forgotten to apply sunscreen. Goodness, she retrieved the complimentary sunscreen from the vendor, sat on the chair, and slathered it all over her body, though there were spots on her back she couldn’t reach.
Qin Jiaojiao glanced at Zhou Shaoli, who was lying calmly on his chair, hesitating over whether to ask for his help.
It was just applying sunscreen, nothing major.
Besides, he was her nominal husband anyway.
“Um…” she called out.
Zhou Shaoli turned his head to look at her.
His facial features were truly refined, angular, and sharp with a high nose bridge. When his eyes looked at her, it gave off a feeling of being deeply gazed at, making one unconsciously captivated and submerged.
Avoiding his gaze, Qin Jiaojiao lowered her eyes and asked, “Could you help me apply some sunscreen?”
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