Chapter 54: I’ve Always Been Watching You

The candlelight dinner ended hastily as both individuals were preoccupied.

Fang Zhou ate as quickly as possible and then stood outside the door, waiting for Qin Yun.

Subconsciously, he felt that being with Qin Yun would lead to uncontrollable situations.

No one likes feeling out of control.

The sea breeze cleared his mind significantly.

Qin Yun didn’t keep him waiting long, and they returned to the small villa together, greeted by the complex gazes of the other guests.

Some were teasing, some sighing, and some looking at him with a mournful gaze, as if he’d been entirely devoured.

Fang Zhou ignored them all and found a seat.

Yet, someone still decided to approach him.

Sun Haotian patted Fang Zhou’s shoulder, winking, “How was it, buddy? That candlelight dinner must’ve been better than our claypot rice, huh?”

His words barely hid his envy.

Fang Zhou chuckled, giving Sun Haotian a meaningful look, “It was good, but I think your cooking is even better. If there’s a chance, I’d like to try it again.”

“Every profession has its master; your hands are more skilled than your mouth.”

This implied that Sun Haotian had the talent for cooking but not for talking.

Sun Haotian, oblivious to the sarcasm, laughed cheerfully.

Fang Zhou shook his head, deciding not to argue with the chubby man.

Not long after, the show’s director appeared.

“Congratulations to all the guests for another enjoyable day. Tonight, you need to complete one last task: sending a ‘favorability’ text message, just like on the first day.”

“Tomorrow afternoon, we’ll tally the results. The guest with the most favorability messages will receive a surprise from the production team.”

After the director spoke, everyone tacitly returned to their rooms to think about sending their messages.

Fang Zhou wasn’t interested in this task and didn’t want to send a message to anyone.

So, he set aside the phone provided by the production team and called Li Siming.

“Hello? Buddy, you haven’t replied to my messages or calls for so long. I thought you might’ve died on that island!”

Li Siming’s lively tone relaxed Fang Zhou’s tense nerves.

“Been busy. Today is the first chance I’ve had to call you back.”

Fang Zhou wasn’t making excuses. Since arriving on the island, every day had been nerve-wracking. Whenever he picked up his phone to call back, something always came up.

“I’ve been watching your show. You’re incredibly lucky—four out of five female guests are your ex-girlfriends!”

Li Siming, a friend since high school, knew all of Fang Zhou’s ex-girlfriends, some in person and some by name.

Seeing four different beautiful women on the show had left him both shocked and envious.

“Yeah, I didn’t expect it either. I even suspect Song Qinghuan might have orchestrated this with them.”

Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? Even Qin Yun admitted someone had provided her with information to join the show.

“Don’t worry, buddy. Show some confidence. If things get tough, just take all four. They’re all top-notch, and you won’t lose out.”

Li Siming’s casual suggestion ignored the fact that two of them were yanderes!

If he dared to do that today, Li Siming might have to collect his remains tomorrow.

“Stop it. I’ll be lucky to survive this show.”

Fang Zhou felt helpless, knowing that no one could truly understand his plight.

Seeing Fang Zhou’s lackluster spirit, Li Siming changed the topic.

“Forget it. Let’s talk business. Someone approached me about the studio. Are you interested?”

Li Siming, also a gamer, usually earned money through boosting services and knew many clients.

Before Fang Zhou’s troubles, they had planned to start a gaming studio together, but it was postponed due to various issues.

“What did they offer?”

Fang Zhou, riding the wave of his renewed popularity from the show, saw this as a chance to seize an opportunity.

“They said they’d fund it but won’t handle recruitment, setting up the studio, or subsequent management. They want the studio to reach a level where it can compete in tournaments.”

Fang Zhou pondered and understood the potential investor’s intentions.

“It’s likely a big company wanting to enter the gaming industry.”

“Let’s agree to their terms. I’ll discuss the details with you once I’m off the island tomorrow.”

“As for recruitment, keep an eye out.”

Li Siming readily agreed.

“Sure thing. It’s time we did something big!”

After hanging up, Fang Zhou stared at his computer, lost in thought.

If luck was on his side, this could be a significant breakthrough. Even if his streaming career faltered, he wouldn’t be worried.

“Bzz Bzz”

The program’s phone, left aside, suddenly vibrated, indicating a new message.

Fang Zhou glanced at it and saw two simultaneous messages.

“If given another chance, I would never let go of your hand.”

“Liking someone can’t be hidden, even if you cover your mouth, it’ll show through your eyes.”

Despite the different styles, Fang Zhou immediately recognized the sender of the first message.

Qiao Sisi.

No one else but her could have sent that.

After their breakup, she had once left an identical message on his gaming platform.

Fang Zhou remembered it vividly because her next line was, “I’m hurt; can you come see me?”

As for the second message, its straightforward style reminded him of Chu Xinran.

She was always like that, treating people warmly but retreating to lick her wounds alone when hurt.

“Bzz, Bzz.”

As Fang Zhou was lost in thought, a third message arrived.

“I’ve always been watching you.”

These simple words made Fang Zhou’s hair stand on end, sending chills down his spine as if someone was watching him.

The wind blew in through the window, making the curtains flutter and adding to the eerie atmosphere.

He quickly looked outside, seeing nothing but darkness.

Yet, the feeling of being watched was too real.

Could someone be stalking him?