As they ventured deeper into the cave, Xia Yan held a flashlight, occasionally glancing back.
He found it odd—why hadn’t Xu Cong caught up by now?
If he had a choice, he’d much rather team up with Xu Cong than drag along this dead weight, Jiang Chuxin.
However, it had already been nearly two hours since they set off. Going back to find Xu Cong would only waste time. Decisive as ever, Xia Yan dismissed the thought.
Jiang Chuxin, noticing Xia Yan’s glances, misinterpreted them. “Are you regretting this? Maybe we should go back…”
“Shut your mouth.”
Xia Yan snapped, lowering his voice and shooting a glare at Jiang Chuxin. “If you insist on tagging along like an accessory, I won’t stop you. But don’t forget—we’re not close. So stop talking. I still remember how you bullied Xiao Ning. Don’t make me beat you up again here.”
“…”
Jiang Chuxin immediately clammed up.
But he couldn’t help feeling a bit resentful, stealing a puzzled glance at Xia Yan. He hadn’t expected Xia Yan to care more about the incident with Xiao Ning than the time he had been snarky toward him.
Before long, Xia Yan caught sight of a faint flicker of candlelight.
Jiang Chuxin visibly started trembling, instinctively clutching at Xia Yan’s sleeve as he pointed forward. “It’s there…”
Xia Yan looked up.
They had reached the deepest part of the cave. There was no path ahead.
However, in front of Xia Yan was a massive shell resting in the middle of a pool of seawater, where ocean waves had seeped in. At the shell’s center, a golden candle burned brightly, the only source of light in the darkness apart from Xia Yan’s flashlight.
After a quick assessment, Xia Yan determined that the candle was likely electronic.
He handed his backpack to Jiang Chuxin. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Jiang Chuxin was on the verge of a meltdown. To him, Xia Yan was completely insane.
Yet, he couldn’t stop Xia Yan, leaving him no choice but to hug the backpack tightly and wait.
Wading into the water, Xia Yan confirmed his suspicions—the pool wasn’t very deep, clearly designed with safety in mind.
He approached the massive shell.
The shell was enormous, nearly half a person’s height, obscuring its backside from view.
Recalling Jiang Chuxin’s earlier words, Xia Yan shone his flashlight around the walls. The place was indeed pitch-black, with jagged rock surfaces. Combined with the gathered moisture and eerie silence, it did have a spooky vibe.
Just standing there was a mental challenge. No wonder Jiang Chuxin had been so terrified.
But after thoroughly inspecting the area, Xia Yan found no trace of any so-called “creature climbing the walls.”
His gaze settled on the golden candle, his suspicion deepening.
Reaching out, he grasped the candle. Under Jiang Chuxin’s horrified gaze, he lifted it and silently counted to himself: “One… two… three.”
Suddenly, he straightened up, held the candle under his face, made a spooky expression, and let out a terrifying howl toward the back of the shell.
“AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”
Another scream echoed in the cave—this time from Jiang Chuxin.
But apart from Jiang Chuxin’s scream, another sharp cry echoed through the space.
“AHHHH!! What the–?! What are you doing?!”
A figure emerged from behind the shell—a man, pale and wearing a drenched white cloak.
Xia Yan reacted swiftly, grabbing the white figure by the collar. Though he looked refined and delicate, his grip was strong, his arms like iron clamps.
The unfortunate man, clearly a staff member, struggled in vain. As a last-ditch effort, he tried to shrug off his cloak, only for Xia Yan to firmly seize him by the shoulders.
The staff member looked utterly miserable.
“Relax, Jiang Chuxin. Stop screaming and take a good look at who this is,” Xia Yan said, half-amused. “What ghost? It’s just a staff member.”
The terrified scream abruptly ceased.
Jiang Chuxin, still shaken, cautiously peered over.
During the scuffle, Xia Yan’s flashlight had landed on the shell, lighting up the cave.
Jiang Chuxin could now clearly see the person Xia Yan had caught: a man of average height, soaked to the bone, dressed in a white robe, and looking utterly defeated.
The man avoided Jiang Chuxin’s gaze, turning his face aside with a guilty expression.
“You…”
Jiang Chuxin was fuming.
Even a fool could figure out what was happening now. That “creature crawling the walls” had been none other than this staff member, tasked with scaring them.
His lips trembled with rage as he stormed toward the shell.
But before he could say anything, Xia Yan jabbed him in the side.
“What…?”
Jiang Chuxin turned to protest, only to meet Xia Yan’s warning gaze.
Releasing the staff member, Xia Yan apologized with a smile. “Sorry about that. Didn’t mean to scare you. Just a little prank.”
Only then did Jiang Chuxin remember that they were filming a variety show. Scaring them was part of the planned content, designed with safety checks in place.
Swallowing his complaints, Jiang Chuxin kept his anger to himself.
The staff member, equally apologetic, rubbed his head awkwardly.
“I should apologize too. Sorry for scaring you both—especially you, Mr. Jiang. I didn’t expect you and Mr. Hu Fei to run off like that.”
The sincerity in his gaze was evident, though it was tinged with a hint of amusement as he recalled their panicked retreat.
Jiang Chuxin’s face turned red with fury. But he forced a gracious smile and squeezed out two words through gritted teeth: “It’s fine.”
Xia Yan laughed, leisurely saying to the staff member, “I’m fine too. I actually found it pretty entertaining.”
Since the prank had been exposed, the staff member stopped messing around, and Xia Yan easily obtained the eternal candle. He packed it into his bag, clapped his hands, and prepared to leave. At that moment, though, he heard footsteps coming from the passageway of the cave.
Xia Yan froze, straightened up, and looked ahead.
For some reason, in the salty, humid air, he thought he detected a faint trace of sandalwood.
……
Xu Cong held a flashlight in one hand while being tightly gripped by Hu Fei with the other, his face blank and resigned.
He wasn’t sure whether to call himself lucky or unfortunate.
Not long after separating from Xia Yan, Xu Cong had been checking near the cave entrance and quickly found a medal. Just as he was about to return to Xia Yan, he ran into Hu Fei, who came sobbing hysterically from another cave entrance.
Hu Fei cried so much that snot and tears were streaming down his face.
Unlike Jiang Chuxin, Hu Fei didn’t insist that there were ghosts but rather suspected that the production team was playing tricks. However, he was still terrified. Unwilling to abandon the mission, he clung to Xu Cong and refused to let go. Wherever Xu Cong went, Hu Fei had to follow, which severely slowed Xu Cong’s progress.
The entire way, Xu Cong endured Hu Fei’s constant wailing. Several times, his fists tightened, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to argue with a scared fool. Finally, he could only sigh and relent.
Fortunately, they eventually made it to the bottom of the cave. When they turned the final corner, Xu Cong’s flashlight illuminated Xia Yan standing there, calm and relaxed as if nothing had happened.
Xu Cong’s expression immediately softened.
Xia Yan was perfectly fine. Aside from his damp shoes and pants, he showed no signs of trouble.
Xu Cong couldn’t help but feel relieved.
However, when his flashlight swept to Xia Yan’s side and caught sight of Jiang Chuxin, his once-relaxed face turned cold again.
He pried the clingy Hu Fei off of him and shoved him toward Jiang Chuxin before walking over to Xia Yan.
“Why are you with Jiang Chuxin?” he asked quietly, noticing a smudge on Xia Yan’s face and instinctively reaching out to wipe it away.
“What else could it be?” Xia Yan wanted to complain. He gestured. “Jiang Chuxin got so scared by a staff member pretending to be a ghost that he went nuts, ran into me by chance, and clung to me like a life raft, refusing to let go. He insisted on tagging along with me.”
Xu Cong followed Xia Yan’s gesture and finally noticed someone else in the small space.
The staff member, still wearing a damp white raincoat, looked embarrassed when spotted. He smiled awkwardly at Xu Cong before turning back to examine the cave walls awkwardly.
Xia Yan glanced at Hu Fei, who was now clinging to Jiang Chuxin, looking as though he might burst into tears again. He found the situation amusing.
He asked Xu Cong, “Was Hu Fei just as clingy with you?”
Xu Cong nodded silently.
Now free to drop his pretense, Xu Cong pinched the bridge of his nose with a helpless expression. “He was so noisy that I got a headache. He’s scarier than the ghosts.”
Xia Yan burst into laughter.
He could easily imagine how much Xu Cong had suffered along the way.
“At least there’s some good news,” Xia Yan consoled Xu Cong. He took the candle from his bag and displayed it like a treasure. “Look, I got the eternal candle.”
The candle glowed steadily in Xia Yan’s hand, like a tiny sun softening his features.
Xu Cong’s lips curved slightly upward.
But as he followed the candlelight, his gaze landed on Jiang Chuxin, who stood in the corner.
Jiang Chuxin was perfunctorily responding to Hu Fei with nods and vague “uh-huhs,” but his eyes kept darting toward Xia Yan and Xu Cong.
When their gazes met, Jiang Chuxin froze momentarily, then averted his eyes as if flustered. Yet, a moment later, he seemed to steel himself and looked straight back at them, defiant.
Xu Cong’s eyes narrowed slightly.
……
With the task completed, the staff member had no intention of causing more trouble and waved goodbye amicably.
The group of four spent another half hour leaving the cave.
Along the way, Xia Yan even managed to dig up another medal.
Earlier, Jiang Chuxin’s panicked reaction had caused him to drop a medal deeper into the cave. He’d forgotten to retrieve it, but this new discovery balanced things out. Between them, he and Xu Cong now had three medals and a candle.
Curious, Xia Yan turned back to Hu Fei, who was still trembling. “How many medals have you guys found?”
Hu Fei, having calmed down, was no longer frightened by the idea of ghosts but remained indignant about human schemes.
He lamented bitterly, “Not a single one. We finally found a candle but got scared off by that so-called ghost.”
“Pfft.”
Xia Yan couldn’t help but laugh. That did sound rather pitiful.
He glanced at Jiang Chuxin, whose expression was sour and displeased.
“Are you guys still planning to search?” Xia Yan asked. “There might be more staff members hiding elsewhere, ready to scare people. Plus, the task only allows for three hours, and it’s already been over two…”
Even though they now knew the “ghosts” were just staff members, the dim and oppressive environment, combined with the uncertainty of where someone might jump out, remained a significant psychological challenge.
Sincerely, Xia Yan suggested, “Why don’t you come back with us? The task is important, sure, but failing to complete it won’t be the end of the world. At most, the production team will issue some minor punishment.”
Though Xia Yan wasn’t fond of Jiang Chuxin, he didn’t dislike Hu Fei, who wasn’t as arrogant as rumors suggested and had been polite during filming.
Predictably, Hu Fei hesitated.
But his team wasn’t just him, so he turned to Jiang Chuxin for input.
Jiang Chuxin had already been ready to give up.
Having never endured such hardship since his debut, he suspected his uncle had sent him here out of spite.
But as his gaze shifted, he noticed Xia Yan turning to talk to Xu Cong.
Xu Cong, while brushing away the strands of hair stuck to Xia Yan’s face, glanced briefly in Jiang Chuxin’s direction.
It was just a glance, nothing particularly significant, and it quickly shifted away.
Yet, inexplicably, Jiang Chuxin felt that he caught a trace of contempt in that look.
“Let’s keep looking.”
He said resolutely and turned to Hu Fei. “If we’re the only team out of three with nothing to show for it during the final gathering, wouldn’t that be embarrassing?”
Hu Fei thought about it and agreed. Being someone who cared about his reputation, his fighting spirit was immediately reignited.
“Alright!”
The four of them parted ways at the cave entrance.
Hu Fei and Jiang Chuxin continued exploring, while Xu Cong and Xia Yan headed straight back to the resting area.
Compared to the desperate, do-or-die atmosphere of Hu Fei and Jiang Chuxin, Xu Cong and Xia Yan’s journey felt more like a relaxing night tour.
Xia Yan found a shell while fumbling in the water. Instead of treasuring it, he tossed it straight at Xu Cong.
Xu Cong was hit squarely, but he wasn’t annoyed. Bending down, he pretended to splash water at Xia Yan.
However, when Xia Yan dodged, Xu Cong didn’t actually do anything. He simply straightened up, smiling.
The seawater ran down his chiseled face, dripping from his high nose bridge to his lips. With the shimmering ocean behind him, the scene resembled something straight out of a romantic drama.
Hu Fei, hearing the laughter, turned to look at the carefree duo walking ahead and couldn’t help but feel envious.
“Wow, must be nice. We’re all human—how do they have so much energy and stamina?” Hu Fei lamented with sorrow. “I guess an all-Alpha duo does have its physical advantages.”
But as soon as he spoke, Hu Fei remembered that the person next to him was also an Alpha yet clearly not performing as expected.
He immediately shut his mouth, avoiding any further hostility.
Still, he felt somewhat comforted—it seemed not every Alpha had a physical advantage.
Jiang Chuxin paid no attention to the implication in Hu Fei’s words. What caught his attention was the phrase “two Alphas.”
He froze for a moment because he knew that Xia Yan wasn’t an Alpha—he was an Omega.
An Omega still struggling with the effects of their differentiation period.
His lips pressed together tightly at the thought.
