Probably because they had been up the night before, both of them slept deeply until awakened by the loud, chaotic arguments outside. When Chang Dong sat up, he felt a bit congested in his nose. After blowing his nose twice, he noticed Ye Liuxi in the back seat, using a hair clip to gather her hair, getting ready for her morning routine, and looking at him with a complex expression. Chang Dong asked, "What's wrong?" "Nothing," she replied, moving efficiently—she squeezed toothpaste onto the toothbrush, poured a bit of mineral water from a paper cup, and leaned forward so far that one leg touched the floor. Then she returned her body, clearly having something to say. "Chang Dong, your physical condition isn't up to par—despite looking strong and well-built, you're actually quite fragile. You should go for a morning run or do some push-ups at night." Chang Dong: "...Thank you." "Not at all—I hope you get to know that I'm quite kind-hearted after spending time with me." Chang Dong looked around, trying to find something to throw at the wall, but the door was already closed. — The storm had subsided somewhat, but still hadn't fully abated; visibility was only fair, the sky veiled like a dusty haze. Fortunately, the climate here is dry; if it were humid and hot, with dirt particles clinging to sweat, causing stickiness and itching, and without the chance to bathe, that would indeed have been fatal. While brushing his teeth, Ye Liuxi listened to the arguments. It was a model from Meng Jingu's side arguing with someone from the Hui Ba group—both sides had people trying to mediate or lend support. The women's voices were both resilient and delicate, cutting through the men's louder tones with remarkable clarity, and their refrain was always, "I, Qiao Meina..." As he continued brushing, Ye Liuxi finally caught on: Qiao Meina and her two female companions had shared a vehicle overnight. In the morning, they were startled to find a rather awkward man peering in, even removing the blanket from her! Qiao Meina was furious—her low-cut nightgown had been fully exposed, and she didn't even know if it had been touched. To top it off, the man himself was so unimpressive. Ye Li Indeed, there's always a world of drama wherever people gather—colors, specifically, pink and yellow, wherever there are men and women. When the situation escalated, Qiao Meina reached out to grasp the man's face, but he slipped away, and Qiao Meina pulled him by the collar, tugging him upward so hard that half of his inner shirt came off his head, his face buried deep within the fabric—at first glance, it seemed as though the man had no head at all, only his furious shouts emerging from within the clothes: "By the gods, what the hell are you doing? I've been waiting for someone like you!" Meng Jin Gu felt completely helpless, trying to mediate, but Qiao Meina's fiery demeanor made it impossible. Simon, meanwhile, remained uncertain about which side to take: "Let go! Let go! Let's just talk calmly..." The gray-haired staff mostly watched the scene unfold and encouraged the drama: "They haven't really done anything to each other—what's the big deal? This kind of model must have slept with wealthy clients countless times..." Qiao Meina glared at them with blazing eyes: "Who? Who the hell is talking nonsense?" Amid the chaos, Ye Liux Both groups turned to look at her, but Qiao Meina remained unyielding. "What do you mean?" Ye Liuxi said, "Isn't it obvious? To argue, fight, or fight to the death, you have to prove your strength. In terms of numbers, how many of you are there? Only he's really capable—look at Meng Jin Gu." She gestured toward Meng Jin Gu. "Now compare that to the other side—how many people do they have? You're bringing cameras, lenses, reflectors. They're bringing shovels, hoes, axes. Now that your voice is so loud, is it because they're making you loud? What if they decide to go all out and make you disappear entirely?" Qiao Meina replied, "I've never been afraid of anyone—believe me, I'll call the police!" Ye Liuxi chuckled, "Go on, check if your phone has signal. Then see how many days it will take for the police to find you here." She turned and walked toward the Gray Eight's camp, where the others were laughing and clapping. At Qiao Meina's end, silence settled. The camp here was bustling with activity Hai Ba stepped forward, smiling with a touch of cunning: "This toothless, unimpressive fellow has been making a fuss all this time—my head's been pounding. I thought, if things don't improve, I'd give them something to notice. But still, Xi Jie is impressive—just a few words and she's settled everything. Xi Jie, haven't you had breakfast yet? I've just finished here—let me send over two meals?" Ye Liuxi said, "Alright, let Hai Ba take care of that." She strolled over and returned to Chang Dong's car. Chang Dong had finished his morning routine and was drawing up a sketch of the White Dragon Heap's terrain on his notebook, calculating which area he could clean today. He didn't even lift his eyes when he heard the commotion: "Has the Peacekeeper Ambassador returned?" Ye Liuxi ignored him, pulling out a foldable canvas chair and settling comfortably into it. A while later, Hai Ba brought over two meals on a tray. Only then did Ye Liuxi get a clear look at his face—this was the man who had lit the fire for Chang Dong during the ambush. Hai Ba didn She picked up the soup bowl, lowered her head to blow on it slowly, and with composed grace asked, "What happened this morning? Did something stand out?" When he spoke of this, Huaya grew irritated: "Really? That woman—her chest isn't even as large as my wife's. How could I possibly find her appealing?" Changdong frowned, finding the man's speech rather crude. According to Huaya, he had gone out to use the restroom in the morning and, returning, had taken a shortcut through the camp of Meng Jin Gu, only to find a car door open. "It was so early—nobody had woken up yet. I was curious, so I went over. Last night, they'd heard there was a model, and everyone wanted to see how beautiful she really was." He snorted, "She's nothing special—small nose, small eyes, thin-bodied, with a small backside. Women like that can't bear children. I wouldn't even accept her as a gift." Ye Liuxi said, "Let's get to the point." "Wow, the whole crew was still asleep. That woman was leaning against the door, her blanket even hanging down to the ground. I stretched my neck to take a look, and suddenly she woke up—goodness, she looked so fierce, I was absolutely terrified." "Serious?" He straightened up, jabbed his chest, and said, "If I'm lying, let the car run me over! If it weren't for Brother Ba, I'd have torn her mouth off already!" He grumbled his way off, halfway there, when Fat Tang came walking toward him, looking worn out—such a weak, defeated air that Huaya just couldn't stand it. "Stand up straight! Don't walk like a woman!" Fat Tang looked up at him, like a balloon that couldn't hold air,茫然, then lowered his head again. He shuffled along, trembling all the way, and finally reached Chen Dong, asking, "Brother Dong, can we go today?" Ye Liuxi didn't bother looking at Fat Tang's sticky, hesitant movements. He finished off his soup in a few sips and went to find Qiao Meina. — Simon was also having breakfast, discussing today’s shooting plans while eating. Everyone seemed quite polite toward Ye Liuxi, grateful for her reminders in the morning—now that they thought about it, they were even a bit relieved. Those gray-eight teammates had been so intimidating, so fierce, it was hard to tell what they were even doing. Ye Liuxi called Qiong Meina over and asked her a few questions. When Qiong Meina wasn’t upset, she was actually quite reasonable. She was slightly shorter than Ye Liuxi and had a pleasant appearance, but in the modeling industry, standing out can be competitive. A delicate face with slender eyebrows, a soft complexion, and a gentle mouth—such features can be hard to distinguish among a crowd of beautiful women. She spoke clearly and logically: “We didn’t lock the car doors properly. Last night, Metal Brother had reminded us, but since we three women were chatting and getting excited in the car, we simply forgot. No one went to the bathroom at night. In the morning, we were half-asleep and kept feeling someone was there. The cool air made it even more unsettling—when I opened my eyes, I was genuinely startled.” Ye Liuxi "If the missing tooth hasn't been lying and if Qiongmei hasn't either, then something's off: who opened the car door? If someone truly wanted to make a move, wouldn't they at least have kept it neat—couldn't they have just left the door ajar? Taking a step back, a thought struck her: since the door wasn't locked, a simple push from outside would have opened it. Could the person who opened the car door yesterday be the same one who pulled Tang's fat body earlier? The intuition feels strong—there's a clear similarity, and neither incident involved any injury. While she was pondering this, Simon's enthusiastic voice came through: 'Even if we're given just a lemon, we'll squeeze it. Yes, the weather is not ideal, but we need to think creatively. Look at this yellow dust swirling—doesn't it feel like the end of days? Today, we're filming a 'post-apocalyptic Loulan'—we want to capture the sense of vast emptiness, melancholy, and helplessness that the Loulan people feel as they face the end.' Chang Dong came to find Ye Liuxi. Liuxi casually asked, 'Did Tang need something from you?'” "He was terrified, wanted me to take him with me, but I couldn't leave. So I drew him a detailed map—just follow the tracks of my car and the flags I left yesterday along the Harlow Road, and he'd be fine." Ye Liuxi nodded, listening intently while also paying attention to Simon's flowing remarks. "Makeup artists should pay close attention—today's model's makeup must be heavy, vivid, and intense. That's not enough; the props setup should create a strong contrast, something completely unexpected—such as…" Chang Dong said, pausing to ask, "I'd like to know—today I'll be driving out by region to search. Are you coming with me, or will you stay—?" Ye Liuxi wanted to hear that unexpected follow-up, so she raised her finger, signaling Chang Dong to hold off speaking. "For instance, once the scene is set and the model's makeup is complete, and she's looking cold and composed—what kind of props would you typically think of?" Don't just bring guns and knives—those are too ordinary. Let me throw in a suggestion... "Can she hold a piece of duck neck, like a bottle of alluring perfume? Yes—that's the highlight!" Ye Liuxi felt completely out of touch with fashion—"Today's fashion world loves strong contrasts. What's a strong contrast? A refined, elegant woman appearing in completely unexpected settings—like a dirty alley or a coal mine—doing tasks that don't belong to her, such as sweeping streets or shoveling coal. There's endless space for interpretation, inviting the audience to imagine endlessly. That's born-in-fashion!" Ye Liuxi suddenly realized: "That's exactly me! They even take the time to come and photograph me. My entire life is fashion—any random snapshot I take is a masterpiece..." Chang Dong: "...Even holding in urine counts?" Ye Liuxi remained silent for a while, trying to respond with grace and elegance, but couldn't find the right words. After a pause, he said: "Chang Dong, do you know how you'll die?" “I didn’t know you’d still be interested in this—your palm reading?” “Yes, palm reading. Hand it over.” Chang Dong glanced at her, making sure she wasn’t carrying a knife, so she wouldn’t be sliced the moment she reached out. He extended his hand. Ye Liuxi lifted it gently and looked down. His palm was broad, with long, well-defined fingers. The skin on his palm was warm, slightly rough, with thin calluses—especially on the base of his index finger, likely from constant rubbing against the chisel. It was a rare cleanliness. Chang Dong looked down, and she had lowered her head a bit too much, her hair falling gently over the back of her neck, revealing a smooth, pale neck that curved beautifully, flowing seamlessly into the fabric of her dress. A few soft, short, scattered strands of hair near the base of her neck were a gentle, warm brown, quite different from the black hair around them. As a child, people used to say that girls with such light hair were called “yellow-haired girls.” Ye Liuxi raised her head. “I’ve already killed her.” As expected, Chang Dong asked, “Is there any way to reverse this?” "Yes. Have me eat three life-saving meals a week, with at least three meat dishes on the table each time. Pay me life-saving money every month. Bow whenever I see you, and kneel during holidays—make sure the kneels are loud and clear...” Chang Dong pulled his hand back, “Then just kill me off early. Living is just a constant burden.” He left her there.