Chapter 148.1: Storm Filming (4)
System: [Do I look like that kind of system?! How could I possibly take out a loan?!]
Upon hearing that, Shen Xiu finally felt relieved.
As long as there was no loan, that meant the yacht had nothing to do with him. The fact that its initials matched his own was just a coincidence.
He had been too easily thrown into overthinking because of the system’s previous antics.
The system, feeling insulted, protested: [If I like something, I buy it outright. Full payment. That’s the confidence you gave me!]
Shen Xiu, barely three seconds into his moment of relief: “?”
What the hell was the system saying now?!
Then the system dropped another bombshell: [You know… your name.]
The system’s words made Shen Xiu think back—further away, to that car from before. Closer to the present, he recalled Qin Mo’s call asking about the year-end bonus.
Shen Xiu: “……”
The truth he was beginning to realize was something he didn’t want to understand. But when he opened his mouth, what came out was: [Fine, I get it.]
[Next time you need to use my name for something, can you give me a heads-up first?]
The system didn’t understand: [Why?]
Shen Xiu knew the system had once saved his life. He was well aware that everything he had now—all of it—was thanks to the system’s efforts to keep him alive.
After all, only by staying alive is anything possible.
So when the system asked “why,” Shen Xiu felt a little embarrassed, as though he were being petty.
But he still chose to be honest: [First it was a car, now a yacht. I’m a bit scared that next time it’ll be a plane. And after that, who knows? Maybe something even more dangerous. One day, as the legally registered owner of these things, I might end up being taken in…]
People’s appetites can grow—bit by bit.
Shen Xiu was worried that the system wasn’t bound by the laws and regulations of their world, and its “appetite” might be different from that of humans—possibly growing by billions and billions with no limit in sight.
System: [？]
So deep down, Shen Xiu always believed that since his life was given by the system, even if it used his personal information, even if it meant he might someday have to “take the fall” for something, he had tacitly given it permission to do so.
Besides, even when the system said something was in Shen Xiu’s name, he never automatically assumed everything belonged to him. He still remembered to remind it every month to deduct rent.
Shen Xiu really—he could cry!
This was nothing like how the system used to perceive Shen Xiu. It wasn’t just a little off—it was a complete mismatch!
After a pause, the system reluctantly said: [Okay…]
Then, stubbornly added: [I do have a sense of proportion!]
Shen Xiu: “…Mm.”
Xiang Yueting finally noticed and turned to look at Shen Xiu, then quietly asked Xia Wenhao, “Why is Captain Xiu staring at the sea without saying anything?”
Shang Yu couldn’t help giving Xiang Yueting—whose brain worked like reinforced steel—a sideways glance. “Is it possible… that because it’s true, he just feels there’s nothing to say?”
As soon as he finished, Jiang Yanxi added in a wistful tone, “Reminds me of Captain Xiu’s classic understatement…”
Mu Zhenchu: “You mean, ‘I have a friend’?”
Song Chengwang looked at Mu Zhenchu: “That ‘friend’—is it you?”
Xiang Yueting zoomed in on the photo again, squinting and gasping, “But there’s more than one yacht with ‘XS’ on it… all kinds of models too. Don’t tell me they’re all his?”
Shang Yu, who owned several yachts himself, replied knowingly, “It’s probably like cars—once you get your first and have the means, you can’t help wanting a second, different one.”
Song Chengwang snapped his fingers: “Collector’s obsession!”
Jiang Yanxi clutched his chest dramatically. “I just want to know—how does Captain Xiu resist the urge to take photos and post them on his Moments? How does he not come here every day, take a different yacht out to sea each time? Just the docking fees for a year must cost a fortune!”
Zhuang Yi raised his hand to gently remind everyone, “Captain Xiu has never posted anything on his Moments… ever.”
Xia Wenhao stroked his chin and nodded knowingly. “Makes sense. He’s just not interested. He can’t even be bothered to post on Moments. He’s only driven his car twice. The yacht’s all the way in Mangila. With all that back-and-forth, Captain Xiu would definitely rather spend his time grinding. What’s a yacht to him? He’s too lazy to even use it.”
“No…” Xiang Yueting suddenly remembered that Shen Xiu had only recently learned how to drive and murmured, “Has it occurred to anyone that maybe… Captain Xiu actually doesn’t know how to sail?”
Everyone: “……”
Shang Yu: “Why does that sound… plausible?”
Xia Wenhao turned to Xiang Yueting, frowning in confusion. “Is your head itchy or something?”
Xiang Yueting looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”
Song Chengwang chimed in, “No, seriously, don’t say it—but also, maybe do. Xiang Yueting’s brain only grows in bursts. Just now it sprouted something new, but before the novelty even wore off—it was gone again.”
Xiang Yueting: “?”
“Is that supposed to be polite?”
At the same time, Shi Yu responded to a call: “Alright, got it.”
After hanging up, he walked over to Xuan Yushu and the others. “We went the wrong way. The docking’s over there—they’re already waiting.”
Shi Yu pointed in the direction, and as he recalled the conversation he’d just had, he couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, “The word envy—I think I’ve experienced the full meaning of it thanks to Shen Xiu.”
Hearing the producer’s words, the rest of the crew looked where Shi Yu was pointing—and saw a row of yachts and luxury boats of all types. In that instant, everyone had the same thought as the producer, and their gazes silently drifted to Shen Xiu, who stood quietly, staring out at the sea.
Over at The Galaxy’s side, the group had clustered together. Every time they opened their mouths, the conversation somehow turned into a comedy routine—playing off one another like a cross talk performance, drawing bursts of laughter from everyone around.
Hearing the laughter, Shen Xiu’s dazed gaze—cast vaguely out over the sea—cleared up. He tilted his head, puzzled, and looked around to locate the source of the sound.
And when he did—he was startled.
At some point, Song Chengwang and the others had all gathered together, while he’d been standing alone like an oblivious fool, frozen in place. The production crew members were all looking at him.
Shen Xiu: …Unknowingly, he’d fallen behind again.
No wonder everyone was staring—he was standing there all by himself.
Under the weight of their gazes, Shen Xiu started walking over to his teammates.
When he was only two steps away, he quickly latched onto a conversation starter: “What were you guys laughing about just now?”
Xiang Yueting replied, aggrieved, “They were laughing at me for being brainless.”
Shen Xiu: “……”
Crap. That was a terrible topic to pick.
If he said Xiang Yueting did have a brain, it would look like he was siding with Xiang Yueting. But if he said he didn’t, then he’d be siding with the other seven teammates.
Either way, it would look like he was playing favorites. How was he supposed to respond to that?
Just then, Jin Can came running toward The Galaxy group. Even before he arrived, his voice reached them: “Guys, we’re at the wrong place, it’s over at—”
Shen Xiu: “!”
Bless Jin Can for saving him from that awkward mess!
Jin Can was still five or six steps away from reaching them, but the moment he caught Shen Xiu’s sudden gaze, he faltered mid-sentence, confused by the intense look. He paused for a few seconds before continuing: “It’s over there…”
Shen Xiu immediately picked up where Jin Can left off and seized the chance to steer the topic away: “Let’s go.”
The members of The Galaxy had only been joking around—they hadn’t taken it seriously at all. So when Jin Can interrupted, the earlier teasing was instantly forgotten.
As soon as Shen Xiu spoke, everyone chimed in in agreement.
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
“Hurry up, I’m already dying of excitement!”
“Same here! This is actually the first time in my life I’ve been on a yacht. Too bad we’ll have to hand in our phones once we’re on board—no photos.”
“We’ll take some next time we go out to play.”
“Really? I’m seriously holding onto that hope now!”
…
Shen Xiu stepped aside, letting the others pass by him one after another.
The Galaxy members had long gotten used to Shen Xiu’s habit of standing in the back and didn’t think it was strange at all that he stayed behind—they naturally moved ahead without a second thought.
Shen Xiu followed quietly at the end of the group, matching their pace. Watching their backs, he silently let out a breath of relief.
That was close.
Their team friendship had nearly been wrecked by one poorly chosen response!
—
After walking for less than two minutes, the group arrived at the correct location.
Manager Qian, who had been waiting for them, saw the large crowd approaching and stepped forward with a welcoming smile. “Mr. Shi, correct?”
He shook hands with the producer, Shi Yu, who was at the front of the group—but his gaze couldn’t help drifting to the back.
Though it was just a fleeting glance, everyone who had been paying attention instantly shared the same unspoken realization:
Manager Qian had been looking at Shen Xiu.
Shi Yu pretended not to notice where Manager Qian’s gaze had landed and smiled politely. “Yes, yes, I’m Shi Yu. Nice to meet you, Manager Qian.”
“Hello, hello.” Manager Qian wore the same kind of smile as Shi Yu.
The two exchanged pleasantries for less than a minute before Manager Qian handed over the keys to Shi Yu. “Everything’s been cleared and reported. I wish you all a smooth shoot. I won’t take up any more of your time—goodbye.”
“Goodbye.”
After seeing Manager Qian off, Shi Yu turned to Xuan Yushu. “Which one are we choosing?”
Before Xuan Yushu could answer, Shi Yu spoke again, unable to help himself: “Tsk, I never thought there’d come a day when I’d speak so lavishly. Feels like I can just pick any yacht or cruise ship here, like they’re all mine to choose from.”
Xuan Yushu scanned the lineup before him and took a deep breath. “Forget you—I’m feeling ready to float, too.”
Lu Wen chimed in softly, “As a full-grown adult, I want all of them!”
Xuan Yushu let out a snort of laughter and looked at Lu Wen. “Keep dreaming.”
Then he raised his hand and began to assign the choices: “That cruise ship, this one here… and this yacht, this one too. We’ll use these for the shoot. Set Design Team One, head to the cruise ship. Team Two, get to work on the white yacht.”
“Got it.”
“Understood.”
The two teams, now with clear instructions, grabbed their gear and boarded the designated cruise ship and yacht to begin prepping the sets for the upcoming scenes.
Meanwhile, Jin Can approached The Galaxy’s nine members, holding a transparent zip-lock bag. “Sorry, everyone, but I’ll need to collect your phones for safekeeping. Thank you for your cooperation.”
To avoid anyone getting distracted by their phones during filming, Xuan Yushu had developed a habit of collecting them beforehand. The members of The Galaxy had been with the crew long enough to be used to it. Without complaint, they powered off their phones and handed them over to Jin Can.
—
Two hours later, the set design was complete.
Filming scenes at sea was notoriously difficult, so during those two hours, Xuan Yushu had also finalized the camera crew’s shooting trajectories.
While the actors were getting their makeup done, Xuan Yushu took the opportunity to walk through the upcoming scene with those who would appear in it.
Once everything was in place, the entire crew boarded their assigned yachts and cruise ships.
With everyone in position, the sea scene began.
