“Jiaojiao, everyone’s saying that it’ll be difficult for you this round,” Wang Wei said worriedly to Sheng Jiaoyang as they walked towards the shore.

The corner of Sheng Jiaoyang’s mouth curled upwards, while her voice remained calm and collected. “I have immunity, so what’s there to be afraid of?”

“Mmh, I believe in you!” Wang Wei lowered her head and glanced at Sheng Jiaoyang’s figure. “Anyway, you’re still young Jiaojiao. You have plenty more growing up to do.”

“Pfff!” Sheng Jiaoyang’s innocent heart was pierced and she vomited a mouthful of blood.

“One doesn't necessarily need to have a good figure to look good in a swimsuit photo. One’s aura and temperament are more important. Otherwise…the photo would turn out bad. Jiaojiao, you don’t have to worry! Although you don’t have cleavage like the others, you’ve still got your attractive face!”

Why did that sound odd?

Sheng Jiaoyang faintly glanced at Wang Wei.

The beach was the first shooting location. Luo Yi’s team were lucky and managed to pick this place for their photoshoot.

The other two groups waited nearby while Luo Yi’s team went to the tent to change into their swimsuits.

As the women in Luo Yi’s team walked out of the tent one by one, each looked better than the next with long, snow-white legs. After one week of fitness training, their waistlines were particularly slim and curvy. After each of them had changed into their bikinis, they’d transformed into sexy young maidens.

The person in charge of taking their pictures was Teacher Dawei again.

The five contestants were asked by the photographer to fulfil various kinds of requests before taking the pictures. Some were asked to roll in the sand before taking a picture. Others were asked to float on the water while carrying a beach ball, and some were asked to play in the water. All in all, the simplest request was nothing more than lying on a recliner.

Compared to taking photos in the studio, taking pictures outside was bothersome.

The closer it got to noon, the higher the temperature rose in the sand. It was really uncomfortable to take pictures lying on the sand as it felt like they were fish being grilled.

“Our team will have our photos taken on the island. I’m genuinely curious about our photoshoot.”

“When you guys visited the island yesterday, did you take note of what was there?”

Upon witnessing the demanding requests that Luo Yi’s team had to fulfil for their photoshoot, the contestants who drew the island couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

“I just saw trees.”

“I recall seeing a building.”

Replied the two contestants who’d visited the island yesterday.

“Jiaojiao, your group got lucky this time. You got a yacht as your photoshoot location. You must be ecstatic!” Wang Wei said enviously.

Sheng Jiaoyang didn’t say anything. She felt that it wasn’t something to be happy about.

After Luo Yi’s team had finished taking their photos, it was already noon. Everyone took a lunch break, then took a boat to the island.

“Where’s the house?” After arriving at the island, all the contestants looked around.

Huang Linying pointed to the east side of the island, and said, “It’s over there, I saw it when I came here yesterday.”

At this time, the program staff came to collect the girls and take them to the area they’d prepared on the island.

“There’s a cliff that is much higher than where we are now, and a beautiful villa over there.” Huang Linying was still talking about the house.

Listening to her descriptions, some of the girls became curious. “How beautiful is it?”

“Like a European castle.”

“Really? Hey, should we go and have a look?”

Zhuo Yiyan probably heard the contestants, so he walked over and reminded them, “You should be following the crew around, not wandering off on your own. This is a private island.”

“Whoa! Private island?!”

It was a private island, and there was a house that resembled a castle. The owner must be rich!

Sheng Jiaoyang wasn’t surprised at all. This wasn’t a big deal for her as it was easy for her to buy an island if she wished to do so. But, there was no point in buying one, because if she were to own an island, she would need to generate electricity for her own use. Also, she would have to either purify the seawater herself or she would have to bring water from somewhere else to use. It was very inconvenient, and above all, she didn’t like the solitude and being isolated from the rest of the world. Of course, she understood that some people might like that, but not her.

One could see that the island had been carefully arranged. The flowers and trees were taken care of, and the roads ahead were well kept.

Everyone walked eastwards from the beach on which they’d landed, feeling the terrain gradually ascend.

Several contestants continuously gossiped, trying to guess the identity of the island’s owner. They were fantasizing about unrealistic dreams all the way down the road with happy smiles on their faces. Some of the others looked preoccupied, their thoughts seemingly elsewhere.

After walking for ten minutes, the path under their feet became smooth, and the house that Huang Linying had mentioned appeared before everyone’s eyes.

Looking from afar, the house was beautifully dreamlike. With the backdrop of a bluish-green sea and the blue sky, it stood tall among a colourful flower garden like a castle in a fairy tale, romantic and stylish.

“Whoa!” A few contestants were unable to suppress their excitement.

“Xiao Yang, your group has really good luck. You get to have your photoshoot in such a beautiful place!” Luo Yi’s team, who’d exhausted their muscles for their photoshoot, commented enviously.

For their photoshoot, they’d had to roll around in the sand, while the other team got to have their pictures taken at such an elegant, high-end place. It was either taking pictures at a beautiful garden or a beautiful villa that looked like a castle. With such a huge contrast, could they still compete impartially in the future?

All the members in Xiao Yang’s group were grinning from ear to ear. Even if they had to toil away, it was worth taking pictures in such a place.

The program team set up a tent and called the contestants over to change clothes.

At the moment, it was already three o’clock in the afternoon. The sun was still shining upon their heads, but it wasn’t scorchingly hot.

After Xiao Yang’s group had changed into their swimsuits, they discovered that they’d been fooled. To think that even though they were at such a beautiful place, they were asked to stand on the edge of the cliff and take a picture facing the sea and the blue sky. Even if the cliff was only ten stories high, it was still terrifying! Those with a timid heart were so scared that their legs turned to jelly. Could they possibly have the mind to care about posing for the photoshoot?

“Why aren’t we taking pictures over there?” Chen Han, in Xiao Yang’s group, couldn’t bring herself to move into the position arranged by the staff members. It was closest to the edge, and all it would take was for her to turn her head and she could see the reef at the bottom of the cliff. She pointed aggrievedly at the house surrounded by flowers as she questioned the staff.

“If you don’t want to take a photo, you can choose not to,” Dawei said as he fiddled with his camera, not bothering to look up.

If a contestant didn’t participate in the photoshoot, they would get zero points. That meant that their scores would automatically drop to last place.

Chen Han was vexed. No matter how afraid of heights she was, she had no choice but to slowly walk, one step at a time, towards the photoshoot spot.

Xiao Yang watched anxiously from the side, but she couldn’t say anything.

Meanwhile, the two other groups of contestants were sheltering under the trees nearby, chatting as they watched.

“I thought that the production team were suddenly really kind, and had rented such a good place to take photos. However, it turns out it was only the cliff!”

“I genuinely feel sympathy for Xiao Yang and the others. At least we were on safe ground at the beach, and no matter how toiling the tasks were, it was still bearable. But, they have to stand on the edge of a cliff. It must be absolute torture for those afraid of heights.”

“Haha, when they came out and saw the location, their expressions…tsk tsk. From the beginning, you really shouldn’t believe the program team.”

Sheng Jiaoyang only listened to them, not bothering to join in. Suddenly, she felt that something was missing. As she looked around, she asked, “Have any of you seen Qi Hua?”

“Qi Hua?”

“Oh, that’s right, wasn’t she coming with us? Why don’t I see her?”

Currently, no one got along very well with Qi Hua. Hence, nobody paid any attention to whether Qi Hua was there or not.

Suddenly, they heard a barking, faintly followed by Qi Hua’s screams.

Sheng Jiaoyang immediately stood up. Since she was the captain of the group, she would be responsible if anyone in her team caused an incident.

She quickly ran towards the commotion. The noise was coming from the front of the house, while the shooting location was on the cliff behind it.

As she ran over, she saw Qi Hua falling to the ground, and a german shepherd biting into her skirt while growling. When Sheng Jiaoyang saw this, her expression changed.

Qi Hua was so scared that she continuously screamed as she waved her hands about, trying to chase the german shepherd away from her.

“Qi Hua!” Sheng Jiaoyang sternly yelled.

Hearing the voice, Qi Hua whipped her head around to look at Sheng Jiaoyang, shouting as she sobbed, “Quickly come and save me!!”

When the german shepherd saw another stranger, its bark became even fiercer, scaring Qi Hua so much that her entire body trembled.

You only have yourself to blame! When they’d arrived on the island, Zhuo Yiyan had clearly told them not to go running around.

Sheng Jiaoyang was helpless, and slowly tried to approach. When she accidentally saw something hanging around the german shepherd’s neck, she froze on the spot.

“Xiong Zi?”

When the german shepherd heard its name, it stopped barking, and raised its head to look at Sheng Jiaoyang.

“Xiong Zi!” Sheng Jiaoyang was pleasantly surprised as she’d raised this german shepherd dog overseas herself. When she’d returned to China, she hadn’t taken it along with her and had given it to Mei Niu to look after.

Since Xiong Zi was here, did that mean Mei Niu was here too?