Only two days into classes, Xia Qingtian received a notification from Wen Ning that "The First Step to Love" was resuming recording.
The previous sudden suspension of recording had even cancelled the heart-throb selection. On the day of this recording, the program team organized a beach barbecue and set up a temporary stage.
Although they hadn't seen each other for a little over half a month, quite a lot had happened.
Seeing the adorable Ji Meina and the stunning Lin Yirou again, Xia Qingtian's smile never left her lips. The three girls gathered together with a million things to talk about.
This harmonious scene instantly made Qiu Xinxue appear solitary and pitiful.
Qiu Xinxue also intentionally wanted to generate some buzz for herself, so she didn't proactively engage in conversation.
Of course, due to the leaked video before the recording was suspended, which portrayed Qiu Xinxue's conduct too badly, Qiu Xinxue also didn't proactively interact with the male guests.
Even Lu Songtao, who came from the same entertainment company as Qiu Xinxue and had frequently interacted with her before, didn't have any further interactions with Qiu Xinxue.
On the other side, Tong Nianze and Ji Jun were quietly preparing the ingredients for the barbecue, while Ling Fenghan was assisting the staff in setting up the site equipment.
To make the activities appear more diverse, the program team also invited diving instructors to take the guests diving, which would also allow for some underwater scenes to be filmed, promoting marine ecological balance and environmental protection.
"I've never dived before," Ji Meina said nervously. "Will it be very dangerous?"
"As long as the instructor is there, it should be fine," Xia Qingtian, who had a diving license and could dive alone, replied. Ji Meina was equipped with an assistant instructor.
Mentioning the assistant instructor, Ji Meina's expression became a bit subtle.
The instructor had just asked for her WeChat ID, which she had refused. The instructor seemed to have a grumpy expression.
But she didn't really want to add strangers...
Seeing Ji Meina like this, Xia Qingtian assumed she was just nervous about her first dive and patted her head as comfort. Ji Meina just smiled and said nothing more.
"Be careful, you two," Lin Yirou, who had thalassophobia, said jokingly as she helped Xia Qingtian and Ji Meina pack their clothes. "For any valuables left with me, there will be an additional management fee."
Xia Qingtian and Ji Meina were amused by Lin Yirou's words. After a bout of playful banter, Xia Qingtian and Ji Meina were led to dive by their instructors.
The male guests naturally didn't want to miss out on the fun and had already boarded the boat to head for diving. Xia Qingtian and Ji Meina were among the later boarders. Upon reaching the diving area, before entering the water, everyone rechecked their equipment.
Once prepared, Xia Qingtian dove into the water alone. As she descended to a certain depth, her field of vision changed.
Sunlight penetrated the shimmering sea surface, illuminating the underwater reefs. Blue fish darted through beautiful coral formations, and graceful seaweed swayed with the waves.
Xia Qingtian realized it had been a long time since she last dived, and she had almost forgotten this feeling of freedom.
Just then, a figure appeared in Xia Qingtian's vision. Seeing the person about to touch the coral, Xia Qingtian quickly stepped forward to stop them, pushing them aside and making a large 'X' with her hands in front of her. The person seemed to recognize Xia Qingtian, glared at her impatiently, and turned to swim away. However, at the moment of turning, they froze.
What did they see!
Xia Qingtian followed the direction of their gaze and saw the scene before her. Without hesitation, Xia Qingtian pushed off and immediately swam over. The person behind Xia Qingtian finally seemed to snap back to reality and followed.
At this moment, the suffocating Ji Meina had begun kicking her legs vigorously, yet the instructor beside her appeared indifferent, still watching the commotion.
Xia Qingtian rushed forward and pulled Ji Meina, attempting to release the buoyancy compensator, but finding it stuck, she quickly opened the oxygen cylinder behind Ji Meina.
Afterward, she quickly helped the now-able-to-breathe Ji Meina ascend, until both their heads broke the surface. Xia Qingtian, with great effort, coordinated with the ship's staff to push Ji Meina up first, yelling, "Meina is out of oxygen! Quick, check on her!"
Xia Qingtian was trembling slightly from fear and tension. If she hadn't noticed in time, she shuddered to think what might have happened.
Fortunately, there was a team doctor invited by the program crew who administered basic first aid. Although Ji Meina hadn't regained consciousness, her heart rate had stabilized, and she was out of danger.
Ji Meina's diving instructor also boarded the boat. Crossing his arms, he said sarcastically, "I've told you many times to check your equipment before diving, but no one listens. You're really causing trouble for people, you..."
Before the diving instructor could finish speaking, he was interrupted.
"You bastard!" Xia Qingtian punched the diving instructor in the face. "Do you know you were attempting murder?"
"You! What nonsense are you talking about!" A hint of panic flashed in the diving instructor's eyes. "Don't speak recklessly! She went into the water without checking her equipment properly. What does that have to do with me! Don't think I won't fight back just because you're a woman! Do celebrities get to hit people randomly?"
"Hitting people?" Xia Qingtian then delivered a swift kick to the diving instructor's abdomen. "Do you even deserve to be called human?"
"You! Don't talk nonsense! Even if you're a celebrity, I can sue you!" The diving instructor was kicked to the ground by Xia Qingtian. Supporting himself with one hand, he pointed at Xia Qingtian with the other and cursed, "Damn it! What does it matter to me if she lives or dies! It's normal to encounter accidents while diving! She has poor cardiopulmonary function and didn't check her equipment. What does that have to do with me! And you dare to hit me! Believe it or not, I'll sue you to death!"
The staff quickly intervened to restrain Xia Qingtian. At this moment, the other divers also returned, looking a bit bewildered by the scene.
"Teacher Xia, it was an accident, all accidents. Please don't get agitated," the staff members said, trying to calm Xia Qingtian.
"Let go of me!" Xia Qingtian's eyes were red with fury. If she hadn't been there, she couldn't imagine what would have happened.
Such an adorable Meina, who was so scared before diving.
Meina had looked so troubled then. Why hadn't she asked more questions? Why hadn't she paid more attention to Meina...
Self-blame and resentment flooded her, causing Xia Qingtian to lose control.
"It wasn't an accident," Lu Songtao said, his face grim as he removed his diving mask. "I saw him turn off Ji Meina's oxygen cylinder with my own eyes."
At that time, Xia Qingtian had stopped him from touching the coral, and he was feeling that Xia Qingtian was being too meddlesome. When he turned to find another place to swim, he saw the diving instructor turn off Ji Meina's oxygen cylinder.
He was instantly stunned by the scene before him. By the time he recovered, Xia Qingtian had already rushed forward.