Chapter 101: Sis, you really don't have a romantic bone in your body.

Chu Lingshuang narrowed her eyes slightly. She had to admit that her younger sister’s emotional intelligence was indeed higher than her own; sometimes, the crooked ideas that popped into her little head were surprisingly effective.

However, the idea of giving a handmade gift was truly tacky.

Was she expected to fold five hundred and twenty paper stars by hand to give to him?

She found such a cliché gesture beneath her!

Chu Lingshuang’s pensive gaze rested on Chu Yunran’s small face. She crossed her arms, leaned back against her chair, and raised an eyebrow. "Your idea isn't bad."

"Right? He must have put a lot of thought into his gifts, so we can start there!"

Rarely praised by her sister, Chu Yunran grew excited. Yet, the next second, Chu Lingshuang’s words caused her smile to stiffen.

"You go do it. Once it's finished, give it to him."

"Huh?"

Chu Yunran was stunned. Wait, you want to give a gift to your crush, and you’re making me do the labor? How had she failed to realize her sister was such a blockhead?

Chu Yunran offered an awkward, sheepish laugh. "Sis, these are handmade gifts. They only have value if the person giving them makes them personally..." She couldn't help but offer a reminder, as she was truly struggling to keep a straight face.

However, Chu Lingshuang merely sneered, "What is the point of wasting time and energy on such things?"

Chu Yunran: "..."

*Sister, you really don't have a romantic bone in your body.* She desperately wanted to say it, but upon meeting Chu Lingshuang’s cold, sharp gaze, she swallowed the words back down.

Chu Lingshuang’s eyes fell onto her phone screen, turning deep and inscrutable. Amidst Chu Yunran’s silence, she suddenly spoke, "Fine. Go tell Yu Xueyan to prepare five hundred and twenty diamonds of similar size, decorate them, and give them to him."

Hearing this, Chu Yunran couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth.

This was certainly in line with her sister’s style. Besides, when it came to gifts, who could compete with that? Moreover, it was a rare sign that her sister had actually put some thought into this.

"Got it! I’m on it!"

Chu Yunran agreed immediately. As she hurried out, she turned back with a beaming smile. "Sis, you won't send me to Indonesia anymore, right?"

Chu Lingshuang curled her lips slightly, her voice icy yet laced with a hint of playfulness. "Depends on how you perform."

Though she hadn't received an outright confirmation, Chu Yunran knew deep down that her sister had already let her off the hook.

She patted her chest with excitement, feeling fully confident. "You got it! Sis, you can rest easy!"

Emerging from Chu Lingshuang’s room and seeing the bodyguard standing outside, Chu Yunran beamed. She tapped Zhang Peng on the shoulder and said with a grin, "Brother Zhang, my sister said she won't be sending me to Indonesia anymore."

Zhang Peng blinked. As expected, it took the second sister to resolve the eldest's temper. He nodded quickly, "Understood, Second Miss. I’ll notify them to cancel the private jet immediately."

Chu Yunran nodded triumphantly and, on her way back to her room, couldn't wait to call Yu Xueyan.

***

Baohuali Diamond Exchange.

The manager in charge of loose diamond auctions was bustling about with his staff, selecting stones. The sales assistants in charge of packaging began to gossip.

"Is the Chu family stocking up again?"

"Didn't they just take a batch a few months ago? They used them up that fast?"

"Who knows? I’d be thanking the heavens if I could just have one that size in my entire life..."

"You’d only need that for a wedding, right? Diamonds are just ornaments for the wealthy. I’ve even seen people use real diamonds for manicures..."

"Really? Real diamonds for nails? Aren't they afraid of losing them?"

"Lose them? The people who buy these don't even care about such trifles. If they lose them, they just get new ones. Why else do you think they come here and buy hundreds or thousands at a time, like they're just restocking inventory..."

As they chattered, the goods were packed.

Yu Xueyan arrived on time to collect the order. Seeing the items divided into small boxes as before, she quickly said, "Discard the packaging boxes. Put them all into a jar."

Manager Zhang exclaimed, "Miss, diamonds are quite fragile, and glass jars don't offer protection. If you put them all together, they'll easily scratch each other."

"It's fine. Just do as I say."

Yu Xueyan gave the instruction coldly, while inside, a million horses were galloping in a frenzy.

It was one thing for her boss to be on the island, but to suddenly order her to prepare so many diamonds to be dumped into a jar—someone as plugged into the internet as she was couldn't have missed that trending topic. This was clearly an imitation of someone giving a gift to Lin Feng.

She felt it might be necessary to hire some exorcists to investigate what kind of spell her boss had fallen under.

Following Yu Xueyan's request, the manager had his staff repackage the items.

***

Holding the gift box along with some documents, Yu Xueyan traveled overnight by yacht to the island.

The next morning.

After a night of getting acquainted, the other guests had arrived on the island one by one based on their note selections, pairing off. Ma Yanbin, however, had been sent to the nearest infirmary and had yet to return, which spared them the trouble of a major clash on the very first night.

An hour before the program began airing, the fitness-obsessed He Zhiyuan had already dragged Gao Yaqin out for a morning run.

The two were jogging along the beach. He Zhiyuan, in the lead with a rhythmic stride, waved at Gao Yaqin with steady breathing. "Yaqin, keep it up! Just one hundred more meters, then we can start our workout!"

Gao Yaqin was panting, completely out of breath. Her hair, soaked with sweat, hung limply against her face; her image was utterly ruined.

She looked at He Zhiyuan with a sense of speechlessness. She had only made polite small talk about fitness, never expecting him to get so excited that he insisted on a morning run, banging on her door at 6:00 AM sharp.

If she had known, she would have chosen Zhu Qiming! It was all Xiao Ran and Miao Ruyu's fault—why did they have to choose so early?

On the other side, at the hotel entrance, Miao Ruyu was equally speechless.

Everyone else had come to participate in the program for a relaxing vacation, yet at 6:30 in the morning, Zhu Qiming had dragged her out to read. He sat right across from her, making it impossible for her to get any more sleep.

"Early morning is the best time for reading. You enjoy reading as well, don't you, Miss Miao?"

Miao Ruyu’s mouth twitched, and she nodded with a blank expression. "Yes, I do. Very much."

Zhu Qiming smiled and nodded, pointing out with great enthusiasm, "Books are the ladder of human progress. As the old saying goes, 'read ten thousand volumes and your writing will flow like a god.' Miss Miao, you must be persistent to see the benefits."

Miao Ruyu: "..."

At that moment, Lin Feng and Chu Yunran were unaware of all this, both still fast asleep in their respective rooms.

Next door, Chu Lingshuang had already risen early. Holding a cup of coffee, she stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, calmly watching the sea horizon outside.

At the same time, a luxurious small yacht was sailing toward the island; one look was enough to tell it was worth a fortune.

When it docked at the shore, Gao Yaqin and He Zhiyuan, who were nearby, stopped in their tracks.

"Didn't they say the production team had rented out this entire area? Are there mystery guests arriving?" He Zhiyuan asked with surprise, silently praying that if there were new guests, they had better be female...