If it were just a few people on the ship amusing themselves with this kind of "play," the system wouldn't bother to intervene. But if Chu Tingwu were to take on an important role (Chu Tingwu: "Did I?"), then the system would have endless energy to meddle.
As soon as Chu Tingwu agreed, the system started churning out set designs.
Her senior brother's suggestion wasn't a bad idea. After all, it was a tradition on the icebreaker to hold some kind of celebratory activity on New Year's Eve. Besides their little play, other crew members had plans to perform cross-talk, sing songs, and more. It was shaping up to be far more lively than a high school talent show.
Chu Tingwu had initially thought that this might be the first New Year she wouldn't spend with San Wu Wu since they met. But she quickly realized that celebrating on the icebreaker was turning out to be much more festive than any previous year.
During rehearsals, she overheard others discussing what kind of red envelope to give her—
She was the only minor on board, and after the New Year, she would turn eighteen. Though her birthday hadn't arrived yet, it was still a significant milestone.
It wasn't that people couldn't afford to give her a red envelope; it was just that... with the convenience of mobile payments, some hadn't even brought cash on board.
Chu Tingwu hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but her hearing was just too sharp.
So, after that day, she decided to quietly "close her ears" to give everyone a chance to prepare their surprises.
In addition to the performances, with the support of the organizers, the ship also planned to host some small games during the New Year festivities—things like ring toss, arm wrestling, weightlifting, and relay races. The main goal was to add some fun and stir up the festive atmosphere.
On the morning of New Year's Eve, before Chu Tingwu even opened her eyes, she felt Misha get up and sneakily stuff something into the pocket of her pants, which were hanging by the bed.
Chu Tingwu: "=="
After Misha finished, she yawned and went back to bed. Chu Tingwu pulled out the card from under her pillow and discovered it was a piece of stiff paper.
On the front of the card were the words "Fool," and on the back, in bilingual text, it read—
"Hold this card during the party, and you must sing on stage."
"Fool, you should've checked your pockets!"
Chu Tingwu: "=="
She silently leapt out of bed, grabbed some glue, and stuck the card under the hood of Misha's coat.
Misha liked to wear a thick, off-white coat as her outermost layer, so the extra card went completely unnoticed.
When her roommate woke up, she was none the wiser. Seeing Chu Tingwu up and about, Misha smirked, wished her a happy New Year, and then urged her to go have breakfast together.
"I'm really looking forward to the Chinese New Year! My friend told me you guys eat a ton of delicious food on this day!"
Chu Tingwu: You mean snack gift packs?
The two headed out together and ran into their senior brother. He had shaved cleanly, buttoned his clothes correctly for once, and aside from the dark circles under his eyes, looked quite spirited.
They met outside the cafeteria, and the senior brother suddenly exclaimed, "Ah!" as if remembering something. He handed Chu Tingwu a red paper packet: "I couldn't find a proper red envelope on the ship, so I had to cut and fold some red paper myself. Don't open it until after the party!"
The packet was intricately folded. Clearly, the senior brother had some origami skills. The packet was held together without glue, but once opened, it would be hard to reassemble.
Chu Tingwu thanked him and, under his watchful gaze, tucked the packet into her pocket.
Then, during a rehearsal break, the senior brother went to the restroom. Chu Tingwu sat on the sofa, took out the red packet, and started unfolding it.
Misha: Didn't he say not to open it yet...?
She watched as Chu Tingwu held the red envelope in her palm, flipped it over to examine it, and then began to carefully dismantle it. The paper was thin, and a little too much force would have torn it, but Chu Tingwu seemed to understand its structure perfectly. She unfolded the layers of paper like a blooming flower and pulled out a stack of cards.
The senior brother had truly prepared a thoughtful gift. He had drawn a short comic, fifteen pages long, based on the Viking pirate tabletop RPG script. Though the drawings were simple, they captured the little stories and the participants' expressions with great charm.
Since Chu Tingwu had written the script (adapted from her own experiences), this was essentially the senior brother creating a fanwork of her original material and gifting it back to her. Any creator who loved their work would appreciate such a heartfelt gesture.
But he also had a mischievous streak. At the bottom of the stack was another card.
Even through the paper packet, Chu Tingwu had "smelled" that there were two types of paper inside, each with a distinct scent.
The second type smelled just like the card Misha had slipped into her pocket.
Sure enough, this card read "Sugar-Coated Cannonball," and on the back—
"Hold this card during the party, and you must go to each table to collect candy."
"Didn't expect that, did you? Even a sugar-coated cannonball is sweet!"
Chu Tingwu calmly tucked the card away in front of everyone. Misha scrutinized her expression but found it nearly unchanged. Then, Chu Tingwu began folding the paper back.
By the time the senior brother hurried back, Chu Tingwu had just finished refolding the complex red packet. It looked exactly as it had before, with no sign that its contents had been disturbed.
The senior brother happened to see Chu Tingwu tucking the packet back into her pocket and, thinking nothing of it, reminded her, "I put a lot of thought into that gift. Make sure you wait until the party to open it!"
Chu Tingwu: "Sure."
Misha: Hey!
When the senior brother finished the final rehearsal and put on his coat to head to the cafeteria, everyone clearly saw a card stuck to the center of his back.
Everyone: "..."
Everyone: "......" When did that happen?!
Misha, sensing something was off, cautiously asked others, avoiding Chu Tingwu, "There's no card on my back, right?"
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She even spun around to show them, and they assured her, "Nope, nothing there. Don't worry."
Misha breathed a sigh of relief.
Good.
The ship was bustling with activity.
Chu Tingwu greeted everyone she passed, wishing them a "Happy New Year." She nearly said it to someone coming out of the restroom but caught herself just in time. Still, she received plenty of small gifts along the way.
The senior brother, being closer to her, had prepared a handmade gift. Others, seeing her as the "kid" of the group, doted on her with books, pens, snacks, small red envelopes, or even Antarctic-themed items like penguin specimen rubbings.
Chu Tingwu: "Thank you =v="
She decided to accept them graciously.
Only Roman stood out, gifting her video footage featuring her as the protagonist. Chu Tingwu responded, "I'll consider adding this to my documentary when I get around to making one."
Roman: "...No need to think that far ahead. You can use it in your regular videos too."
Can't you just post an Antarctic vlog when you're back home and credit the cameraman?
Chu Tingwu didn't post the vlog, but before leaving, she slipped Roman a card, just like the ones she'd given the senior brother and others.
As she wandered the ship, she figured out that these handmade cards were part of the New Year activities. The organizers and printers had conspired to keep her in the dark, likely to tease her.
By the afternoon, Chu Tingwu noticed more people slipping her cards, and the one on the senior brother's back had disappeared, clearly after someone tipped him off.
—"How about we see who can slip their card to Xiao Chu..."
—"You're on!"
Chu Tingwu: "..."
She shrugged.
The battle against the antagonist had already heated up before the play even began.
Well, she *was* the antagonist, after all.
-
Usually, the icy landscape of Antarctica felt cold and distant, never quite giving the warmth of home no matter how long you stayed. But on special days like the New Year, even the snowflakes outside the window seemed to carry a festive air.
The ship was adorned with "Fu" characters and couplets. Even though everyone knew they'd be taken down after the holiday, they still happily busied themselves with the decorations.
Commissioner Bai had just finished his conversation with the captain and was stepping out the door when he saw a group of young people running past, shouting as they went: "There's a card behind you!" "I won't believe you!" "Are you guys playing tag?" "Whoa, don't crash into me!"
Commissioner Bai thought to himself, "They're quite lively."
With so many young people around, the atmosphere was naturally bustling, especially since it was New Year's Eve. He didn't pay much attention and turned around, spotting Chu Tingwu. He smiled and greeted the young girl.
Chu Tingwu appeared composed, her hands in her pockets as she admired the New Year decorations on the ship. She turned to him with a bright smile and said, "Thank you, and Happy New Year to you too."
Commissioner Bai thought to himself, "Polite, sensible, healthy, lively, and smart too... If only my daughter were like her. But why is everyone avoiding her? There's nothing scary about little Chu."
This lingering question stayed with him until the evening party. The party was lively, with the host taking the stage to give a speech, encouraging those who had volunteered to perform, announcing the program lineup, and inviting the captain to speak.
The performances were scheduled to begin after the meal, allowing everyone to eat their fill before enjoying the show. Once most of the dishes had been served, the host introduced a small surprise involving little cards.
"Everyone, check your pockets, shake out your clothes, and see where the little cards have been hidden—"
Chu Tingwu remained completely unruffled.
Soon, cries of dismay erupted around her.
"I definitely gave it to you..." "What the—how did it end up back in my hand? Who did this?" "I... I thought I gave it to Chu Chu (in a whisper)..." "Oh no, Chu Tingwu—"
Chu Tingwu: "Hmm?"
The person who had blurted out her name in panic: "...Uh, Happy New Year, haha."
Chu Tingwu: "Thank you, same to you."
The person: "TAT"