Chapter 92: Team Spirit—Do You Not Have Any?

Bai Lu gently held Qiao Qianyi in her arms, softly rubbing her head. “While we were waiting for you, we were chatting about how En and Huan are like mom and dad, and we’re the kids. Qiao Qiao, as long as you’re not acting spoiled again, don’t worry—mom and dad won’t let you suffer any injustice, and of course, I’ll help you too.”

Qiao Qianyi trembled as she sobbed, piecing together the story for them bit by bit.

The incident itself wasn’t complicated. Shen Xinluo wasn’t very skilled at diving, just a beginner. Yet the task required filming a certain shell that was located rather deep underwater.

It was obvious Shen Xinluo wanted to make a good impression. She didn’t whine or act delicate, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to dive. Her attitude was commendable, but unfortunately, her skills were lacking. She tried several times but couldn’t succeed. The requirement was for all three members to personally capture footage of the designated shell.

If Shen Xinluo failed, the task failed.

Qiao Qianyi was already unhappy because Liu Nana and Shen Xinluo had teamed up and claimed the simplest diving task, but when Shen Xinluo couldn’t even handle the easiest assignment, Qiao Qianyi’s mood soured further.

But since Bai Lu had assigned the tasks, Qiao Qianyi kept quiet. Though her face was sullen, she still joined frequent diver Liu Nana in supporting Shen Xinluo, and after much stumbling, they managed to complete the task.

With the task done, the diving team should have been able to return. But things took a turn—the production team gave them an extra mission.

If they could capture a certain number and variety of shells and fish on camera, the production team would offer the guests a dish. If the diversity was high enough, they could even earn a sumptuous dinner.

Key point: it was free.

This so-called “extra mission” was clearly the production team’s way of favoring Liu Nana and Qiao Qianyi, giving them special treatment.

Qiao Qianyi was the type in the team who didn’t hold them back, but didn’t contribute much either—she was always looked after in daily life. When Bai Lu assigned the tasks and educated her, for the first time, Qiao Qianyi felt the urge to do something for those around her.

So she gave it her all, hoping to win everyone a free dinner.

Shen Xinluo also wanted to redeem herself. Liu Nana, as Shen Xinluo’s wingman, formed a trio, and together they tackled the additional mission with real effort.

If not for the production team reminding them it was getting dark, the diving squad would have kept working tirelessly.

On the return trip by speedboat, the production team announced that the diving squad had earned six dishes, all delicacies the guests could rarely afford.

It should have been a happy occasion, but Qiao Qianyi was far from pleased.

First, it was inevitable—Shen Xinluo had held them back.

Second, Liu Nana had not been enthusiastic during the task.

Liu Nana claimed she often went diving, which wasn’t a lie. She was truly a skilled diver, recognized even by the professional instructors hired by the production team.

Had Liu Nana been a bit more serious, they could have earned even more dinner. But she hadn’t. She could have taken far more photos, but instead chose to enjoy the dive for herself and didn’t prioritize the mission.

Qiao Qianyi had the kind of personality that couldn’t keep things bottled up—she spoke her mind directly and without mercy.

“Forget Shen Xinluo, she tried but couldn’t manage. Liu Nana, you had the ability, didn’t you? I saw several times you were just playing, not taking photos. Don’t you care about team spirit?”

Liu Nana’s sponsor was a friend of Qiao Qianyi’s father, so in theory, Liu Nana was Qiao Qianyi’s elder.

Sometimes, when Qiao Qianyi was in a good mood, she’d jokingly call Liu Nana “Aunt Liu.”

But Liu Nana was well aware of her place and never dared to act as Qiao Qianyi’s elder.

“Let’s not even mention Bai Lu took on the hardest task and left the easy ones for us. Shouldn’t we work a bit harder? We had a golden chance to get something out of the production team and enjoy a good meal, yet you were only concerned with having fun. What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Or are you planning to skip dinner to keep your figure, so it doesn’t matter to you?”

Liu Nana dared not offend Qiao Qianyi. Faced with such direct criticism, she didn’t dare retort.

If there were no cameras present, Liu Nana would have humbled herself to appease Qiao Qianyi. But since the livestream was ongoing, as the leading figure among the four rising starlets, Liu Nana had to maintain her dignity.

She gave a few evasive explanations, thinking she could save face now and apologize humbly later in private.

What Liu Nana didn’t realize was that, for the first time, Qiao Qianyi felt a sense of belonging to the team, and Liu Nana’s nonchalant attitude infuriated her.

Though Qiao Qianyi had reined in her temper lately, she was still, at heart, the spoiled, self-centered heiress.

The argument broke out immediately.

To call it an argument was misleading—it was really Qiao Qianyi unleashing a barrage.

She glared, “Oh! So by your logic, I’ve wronged you? You’ve already done your utmost, and it’s me being unreasonable, placing unfair demands, and forcing you. Isn’t that what you mean, Liu Nana?”

“No, no, that’s not what I mean…” Liu Nana hurried to explain, but the more she spoke, the worse it got. “Qiao Qiao, you took twenty-one photos, I took fifteen. I did my best too…”

“I know our numbers are similar! But I’m talking about your attitude! Attitude, do you understand? Team spirit! Bai Lu says that you can’t only think of yourself—once you’re part of a group, you have to put the team first!”

The more Qiao Qianyi spoke, the more aggrieved she felt; the more she thought about it, the more upset she became, and tears streamed down her face.

Worst of all, during her outburst, every third sentence referenced Bai Lu.

She always started with, “Bai Lu says…”

Liu Nana’s sponsor had more than just Liu Nana as a lover, but Liu Nana had survived among many for years thanks to her wits.

She knew all too well that a privileged girl like Qiao Qianyi would always look down on someone like her, who had climbed up by selling her body.

Now, with Qiao Qianyi thoroughly indoctrinated by Bai Lu, Liu Nana knew nothing she said would be heard. Following the principle that saying more only leads to more mistakes, Liu Nana simply kept quiet.

She let Qiao Qianyi vent her emotions with wild abandon.

Shen Xinluo, caught in the middle, was at a loss and could only offer soothing words.

But Shen Xinluo didn’t even understand why Qiao Qianyi was angry, so her attempts to calm her only made things worse, further provoking Qiao Qianyi.

In the end, Qiao Qianyi ended up scolding Shen Xinluo as well.

After hearing Qiao Qianyi’s account, Bai Lu and the others all frowned.

Even Lin Ye, the most clueless among them, realized one thing: Qiao Qianyi would be torn apart by netizens.

And more than that, Bai Lu would likely be dragged down with her.

It was very possible that Bai Lu would be criticized even more than Qiao Qianyi.