Zhong Ziyan was lying down scrolling through Weibo, keeping a low profile, while Wei Hanyan stood on the nearby beach, briefing the hastily assembled photography team from their entourage: "Make it look natural, don’t make my aunt feel awkward. Other than that, the photos should be as beautiful as possible. Everyone who does well gets a bonus, and the top performer gets triple—but no leaks. Sign the NDA if you’re on board."
Faced with such a generous and clear-cut client like Wei Hanyan, the team eagerly agreed and signed the confidentiality agreement.
After handling this, Wei Hanyan contentedly pulled out her phone and posted a selfie from earlier that afternoon.
[Wei Hanyan: She’s given up on the game and deleted it. Seafood feast tonight—I’ll feed her extra to boost her mood. [Photo]]
In the photo, Wei Hanyan was bundled up in sunglasses and a sunhat, clearly guarding against sunburn. Standing a short distance behind her was a figure in a spaghetti-strap top and hot pants, seemingly unfazed by the sun yet glowing with an almost translucent fairness.
[Can’t eat any more lemons: ??? Is this body for real? Which supermodel just graced us?]
[Even more depressed today: Princess is so sneaky, only giving us the back view!!]
[Has GD gone bankrupt today: ? Deleted the game after spending tens of thousands?? If you don’t want the account, give it to us broke players, please!!!]
[Eating lemons raw: I force myself to finish a $3 takeout even if it tastes bad. When will I ever be as cool as you guys?]
[Not actually Shi Shisan: So this is how the rich live? I’m here for it.]
Wei Hanyan was even happier seeing others praise Zhong Ziyan than when they praised her. It felt like sharing a hidden gem with the world while still keeping half of it to herself.
Pleased, she tucked her phone away and headed over to Zhong Ziyan with a freshly prepared butter-poached blue lobster.
The blue lobster, caught just two hours prior, was drizzled with butter infused with white wine and cream—tender, sweet, and enough to make any nearby child drool with envy.
Zhong Ziyan was still browsing Weibo.
She realized that Weibo users practically wielded microscopes when surfing the internet.
Despite Wei Hanyan not showing Zhong Ziyan’s face or revealing their location, netizens had pieced together an airtight deduction leading straight to the truth.
First, someone pointed out that the island’s aerial view looked unusually empty, with very few buildings and a deserted beach, concluding it must be a private island owned by a wealthy heiress.
Then, another user matched the island’s shape on Google Maps with a 90% similarity, factoring in the time zone aligning with the lighting in Wei Hanyan’s photo.
Next, someone checked the coordinates…
[Two Islands: Isn’t this the island Second Miss sold during her livestream, later renamed Cloud Island? Luo Yin’s fans even tried to claim ‘Cloud’ was his English name and the island was a tribute from a fan.]
[Lemon Mountain Ambassador: You mean the “Keep the change from $5 million” incident? A month later, and it still stings. =)]
[Melon Eater: I pray to the heavens that one day I’ll be able to say those words too.]
[I’m always right: Meanwhile, I chase after $0.01 red packets on Ali○ay. I’m so jealous, I’m literally green. Even though the $5 million was later confirmed donated to a legit charity, I’m still bitter.]
[Too tired to hustle: Rich lady, please notice me. I don’t need $5 million—$50k will do.]
[Can’t afford Starbucks: Pick me instead! I’m economical and practical. $5k is enough. I excel at eating and sleeping—specializing in being exceptionally good at both.]
[Two Islands: Oh, this reminds me—wasn’t there talk of Luo Yin having an ultra-rich fan? Rumor has it she’s the island’s owner. Second Miss even follows her, so it’s half-confirmed, right?]
[Zhejiang’s Top Dragon: I was there during the incident—er, the livestream! I can confirm it was definitely a woman. Her voice was gorgeous, and she outright said she bought it for her husband!]
[Drink more hot water: Well, an idol can be a husband too. No contradiction here.]
[No. 1 Beauty of Cuiwei Village: ? Hold on, I’m signing up for Produce 101 right now. Waiting for a sugar mommy.]
This drama had unfolded half an hour ago.
By the time Zhong Ziyan pieced together the backstory, her Weibo comments were already flooded with enthusiastic netizens asking if her husband was Luo Yin.
A clarification was necessary. Zhong Ziyan hesitated between calling Wei Hanyun or posting on Weibo, then chose the latter.
[Still figuring out how to spend money: Married with a certificate. My husband’s name has ‘cloud’ in it. Stop speculating—he’ll get mad.]
Wei Hanyan’s phone buzzed with a special notification. She opened it, read the post, and her smile faded: “…” Today, I also want to cuckold my uncle.
Don’t ask. Just jealousy.
……
Private islands were great, but this one was still under development, lacking entertainment or shops.
Zhong Ziyan maintained a disciplined routine, turning in at 9 PM sharp. Before bed, as instructed by the butler before departure, she called Wei Hanyun.
The butler had said spouses traveling alone must bid each other goodnight.
As a first-time bride, Zhong Ziyan dutifully complied: “Have you left? It’s nighttime here. I’m going to sleep now.”
She didn’t mention the Weibo drama.
“Have fun, stay safe. Goodnight,” Wei Hanyun replied succinctly.
With her task checked off, Zhong Ziyan set her phone aside and fell asleep without a second thought.
Meanwhile, Wei Hanyun hung up in his car, switching back to Zhong Ziyan’s Weibo page, halfway scrolled.
Her latest post’s top comment had 160k likes, its content simple yet fervent:
[Still waiting for a sugar mommy to fall from the sky: AAAAAAAAH SO SWEET I’M DEAD I SHIP IT.]
After a moment’s thought, Wei Hanyun screenshot the post before closing the app.
……
Wei Hanyan, suffering from jet lag, tossed and turned all night, managing only two hours of sleep. She woke up groggy, perking up only when a call came during her morning brush.
She’d handed the number Zhong Ziyan blocked to a private investigator friend and quickly got a name: Shen Beibei, a college student.
Tucking the name away, Wei Hanyan headed to the kitchen for a caffeine boost.
“This coffee is mediocre,” she complained after downing a cup, then turned to Zhong Ziyan. “More construction staff are arriving today, but the butler will handle them. Auntie, wanna go swimming?”
Zhong Ziyan glanced at her from the kitchen. “Not afraid of tanning?”
Wei Hanyan was instantly hit where it hurt. She clutched her chest dramatically, "But I brought three swimsuits! Of course you have to swim when you come to an island!" She then grinned smugly and gave a thumbs-up, "I have a diving instructor license, and I can swim 800 meters without even breaking a sweat!"
Zhong Ziyan absentmindedly turned off the stove. "Impressive." For an ordinary person, that is.
"Of course," Wei Hanyan lifted her chin proudly. "Do you know how to swim, Auntie? Want me to teach you?"
To be honest, I’ve once fought off great white sharks with my bare hands in the Pacific Ocean.
Thinking this, Zhong Ziyan scooped the toasted white bread and fried eggs from the pan, quickly assembling a simple tuna sandwich and handing it to Wei Hanyan. "I can swim."
"Oh…" Wei Hanyan looked a little disappointed, but her spirits lifted as soon as she took the beautifully presented sandwich.
With a small sense of triumph, she opened WeChat and sent a message in the group chat titled [Did We Feed Longlong Today?].
[Li Ye’s Beloved Cutie: Longlong made this for me! [Pic][Pic][Pic] @Wei Hanyun]
She happily took a bite of the sandwich, feeling like she had secretly scored a small victory after last time’s defeat.
Back in China, it was nighttime. The three elder women in the group were the first to respond, showering her with affectionate concern. Wei Hanyan carefully selected the best photos from yesterday and posted them in the chat.
[Contributing a Tiny Bit to Art History: We don’t want to see you—we want to see Yanyan.]
[Li Ye’s Beloved Cutie: Mom, you’re really my biological mother [smile]. I hired a photography team to follow us around. When we get back, we’ll have enough material for a whole collector’s edition photo album of Auntie’s stunning beauty!]
[Blossoms Bloom and Fall: That’s perfect. Bring back all the raw photos so we can pick the best ones.]
[Eat Well, Drink Well, Live Forever: Hanyan, why are you as dark as a little monkey now? Did Yanyan get sunburned?]
[Li Ye’s Beloved Cutie: …Great-Grandma, you’re really my biological great-grandma.]
[Wei Hanyun: Are you trying to compete with me?]
[Wei Hanyun: [Pic]]
Wei Hanyan was startled by Wei Hanyun’s sudden appearance. She tapped on the screenshot and, sure enough, saw the viral post Zhong Ziyan had made the night before—already racking up hundreds of thousands of likes.
[Blossoms Bloom and Fall: Oh ho ho, look at you, so proud of yourself. You haven’t even taken wedding photos yet.]
Not daring to tease Wei Hanyun like that, Wei Hanyan swallowed her tears, closed her phone, and focused on eating her sandwich.
After breakfast, Wei Hanyan practically pushed Zhong Ziyan into changing into a swimsuit before rushing to the beach.
Of course, she didn’t forget to apply waterproof sunscreen.
Wei Hanyan was indeed a strong swimmer. After warming up, she slipped into the sea as gracefully as a fish.
Zhong Ziyan, however, didn’t enter the water immediately. Instead, she gazed into the distance, hearing an unusual commotion from afar.
Wei Hanyan swam a lap and turned back, intending to ask Zhong Ziyan if she had witnessed her impressive aquatic skills—only to realize Zhong Ziyan was nowhere near the shore.
Her heart skipped a beat, fearing Zhong Ziyan had drowned. She immediately called out, "Auntie?!"
"Here." Zhong Ziyan’s voice reached her almost instantly.
Perhaps it was just her nerves, but Wei Hanyan could’ve sworn the voice sounded as clear as if spoken right beside her ear.
But she didn’t dwell on it, relieved as she swam toward Zhong Ziyan.
Zhong Ziyan stood about twenty or thirty meters away, the shallow waves lapping at her feet.
As Wei Hanyan approached, she noticed a girl lying motionless at Zhong Ziyan’s feet—eyes closed, drenched, and deathly pale.
"She was crying by the shore when a wave dragged her under. She couldn’t swim, so I pulled her out," Zhong Ziyan explained calmly.
Wei Hanyan frowned. "She wasn’t part of the first group that arrived on the island. She must be from the second batch—probably one of the temporary outsourced staff. Why would she wander here alone? Whatever, I’ll go call a doctor. She might’ve inhaled water."
Whether it was an accident or a suicide attempt, Wei Hanyan found the idea of a death on Zhong Ziyan’s private island terribly unlucky.
"No need," Zhong Ziyan said, sounding puzzled. "She’s awake but pretending not to hear me. You’ve seen her before at the Wei estate—the one who spilled the wine."
Wei Hanyan: "…" Friend lying on the ground, let me ask you—aren’t you embarrassed? Because I’m already cringing so hard I could dig up a sandcastle with my toes.
