Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 574 The Little Demon 35

She lost her balance for a moment, letting out a soft cry as she staggered backward. In that instant, a cool yet remarkably steady hand gripped her wrist—as fast as a computer executing a pre-set protection command.

Bai Muyuan didn't look at her. His other hand was already braced against the sturdy stone wall next to him. His voice was calm and even: "Shift your center of gravity forward and stand at a 45-degree angle."

That hand was very strong, with distinct knuckles, and its instantaneous force was irresistible.

The skin on my wrist, enveloped by his palm, felt an almost icy touch, along with a strange tingling sensation from the friction of the fine calluses on the inside of his fingertips.

Her heartbeat went out of control for a moment, blood rushed to her cheeks, and Yun Chu even forgot to breathe.

As soon as she regained her footing, she quickly withdrew her hand as if it had been burned.

Bai Muyuan had already turned to his next target as if nothing had happened: "The crevice on the left." Only the faint, almost non-existent blush on the tips of his ears evaporated in the strong sunlight.

Yun Chu lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously clenching around the wrist that had just been grasped. The skin there felt as if it had been ignited, retaining a strange warmth and a sense of force.

......

Task: A chaotic four-group shared kitchen with a timed cooking challenge.

Bai Muze and Zhang Man's playful banter, Li Wenkai and Luo Yunshuang's teamwork, and Zhang Yihang's clumsy actions all contributed to the show's entertainment value.

Amidst the commotion, Yun Chu and Bai Muyuan once again created a peculiar "quiet barrier".

Bai Muyuan was in charge of processing the seafood (cleaning and shelling), and his movements were as clean and efficient as a surgeon's operation.

Yun Chu coordinated the preparation of vegetables and sauces, her movements on the cutting board resembling the rhythm of a fine drumbeat.

His perfectly sliced, snow-white fish fillets always appeared at the perfect moment on the side of her plate where she needed sauce; her prepared garlic sauce would just fill the small dish he had just emptied.

The time difference was precise to the second, like two perfectly fitted gears.

As Zhang Yihang clumsily tried to flip the splattering oil pot by the stove, with scalding oil splattering everywhere, Bai Muyuan almost subconsciously pulled Yun Chu, who was originally focused on the left side of the stove, half a step behind him.

His arm acted as an invisible barrier, his shoulder naturally shielding her from any potential impact. The movement happened in an instant, as fast as the blink of an eye.

Yun Chu was focused on peeling shrimp, a stray strand of hair falling unruly down her cheek.

Bai Muyuan was processing a fish with many bones, his fingertips steadily cutting open the fish's belly, but his gaze involuntarily swept over her slightly pouting cheeks and that swaying strand of hair.

The cold blade paused almost imperceptibly as it slid toward the fishbone joint.

When Yun Chu sensed the gaze and looked up blankly, he had already resumed his impeccable precision, simply saying, "Watch out for splashes."

At the bonfire party, the reorganized groups shared the fun and achievements of the day.

The sea breeze blows, and laughter echoes throughout.

Bai Muyuan leaned against a dead tree, his posture still cold and aloof, his gaze evenly fixed on the leaping flames, as if all the disturbances of the day had been filed and processed by his meticulous mind.

Yun Chu sat next to her older sister Yun Shuang, the firelight illuminating her profile, her ears still seeming slightly warm from the red glow of the campfire.

Unbeknownst to anyone, when Bai Muyuan's fingertips lightly touched the surface in solitude, a fleeting, warm, tangible sensation seemed to linger – an unexpected parameter, uncalculated, surpassed the intricately operating logic network beneath the ice, carrying an incomprehensible vibration, quietly lurking in the deeper layers of data.

That invisible chain of information has extended from the aroma of porridge in the morning to the warmth of your wrist.

***

As dawn broke, the sea resembled a giant, polished sapphire.

The luxurious fishing boat cut through the clear water and headed towards a wider sea.

The four groups of guests each occupied a different corner of the deck. The sea breeze, carrying a salty and humid scent, swept over them, dispelling the fatigue from the continuous recording and bringing a brand new challenge—deep-sea fishing.

Bai Muyuan once again chose a relatively peripheral spot with an excellent view, leaning against the cold metal gunwale. The lines of his wrists, exposed beneath the ice silk sun-protective sleeves, were smooth and powerful, like a taut bowstring.

He lowered his eyes as he assembled his fishing tackle, his movements quick and precise, each part making a crisp, reassuring sound as it meshed.

On the other side, not far away, Luo Yun Chu was studying the fishing rod and reel in her hands. Her long curly hair was blown by the sea breeze, with a few strands playfully brushing past her smooth forehead and beautifully shaped jawline. She frowned slightly, her eyes showing a hint of confusion and caution in the face of unfamiliar tools.

She carefully straightened the fishing line, trying to imitate Zhang Man's movements, but her awkwardness was obvious.

As Bai Muyuan's gaze swept across the entire deck, it was like radar, precisely scanning Luo Yunshuang and Li Wenkai's teamwork and Zhang Yihang's slightly exaggerated rod-casting attempt. Finally, that cold and precise beam of light fell on that slender figure.

Her hesitation, her focused attempt, the line of her pursed lips... all were silently observed.

A moment later, he seemed to have completed the final check of his fishing gear. His posture remained as cold and stern as ever, and he walked steadily toward the other side of the boat—near Luo Yun Chu's position.

There was no deliberate approach; the position was cleverly chosen, maintaining a safe, discreet physical distance from Yun Chu (roughly half an arm's length), yet allowing her to clearly hear his voice and see the details of his hand movements. It all felt as natural as if he had simply happened to be patrolling the area.

He didn't speak to her directly, his gaze calmly fixed on the depths of the sea, as if calculating the ocean currents and the trajectory of the fish.

However, his clear, penetrating voice rang out distinctly amidst the sea breeze and the hum of the engine, carrying an undeniable sense of authority as a teacher:

"Winding reel. First, check if the guide rings are aligned." His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear, like he was inputting instructions into a machine. There were no pleasantries or formalities; he went straight to the core operation.

At the same time, his well-defined fingers began to demonstrate adjusting the winding reel in his hand, breaking down the movements and slowing them down, deliberately showing each step to someone within his peripheral vision.

Yun Chu was slightly taken aback and turned her head in response to the sound. She didn't speak, but immediately lowered her head as instructed to check the guides on her fishing rod, adjusting them silently, her movements clumsy but extremely serious.

Seeing her attempt to adjust, Bai Muyuan's gaze lingered on her movements for an extremely brief moment, like a highly efficient program check, before shifting away, as if merely confirming whether the instruction had been received and executed.

Then, that cold, instructive voice rang out again:

"The sinker is not positioned correctly. The hook and bait are sinking, the line is not perpendicular, and it is prone to tangling." The statement did not criticize her mistake, but merely stated the objective phenomenon and its consequences.

He turned slightly to the side and almost simultaneously raised his fishing rod, demonstrating a standard "suspension-free fall" motion—the sinker with the hook and bait plunged almost vertically into the azure seawater with almost no splash.

From that angle, the arc of his arm and the posture of the fishing rod formed a clear teaching scene in Luo Yun Chu's eyes.

Yun Chu watched intently, mimicking his actions as she rearranged the sinker, and then carefully cast the bait into the sea.

This time, the water was much smoother. She took a soft breath, her eyelashes fluttering slightly as she looked at the sea.