The nineteenth day of wanting a divorce.
His foot collided with An Rao’s, and he stumbled. He looked as if he were about to fall into the river.
An Rao was not about to fall for his trick. With quick eyes and steady hands, he grabbed the man’s collar and shoved him back toward the shore. He, however, lost his balance and plunged into the water with a splash. The loud sound caught everyone’s attention, and the staff members immediately ran over with their cameras.
The river water, several degrees below zero, felt like an ancient ice cellar. Water rushed into his nose, causing An Rao to cough repeatedly underwater; he accidentally swallowed several mouthfuls of river water.
Splash.
Suddenly, a heavy force landed beside him. Before he could react, he felt a hand grab his arm and pull upward with strength. His body drifted uncontrollably toward the shore.
The others worked together to pull An Rao out of the water. However, since this was a survival show, the production team showed no intention of providing a warm blanket. An Rao’s lips had turned blue from the cold. He looked up, shivering, at the person who had pulled him out.
The man was completely soaked, and water dripped from his hair onto his face. Ignoring his own state, he shouted for someone to find a clean jacket. He wrapped it around An Rao and pulled him into his arms.
Lin Jingxi stood to the side, completely stunned. How was this person even better at acting than he was? Was he made of drama?
“How did you fall in? An Rao, are you okay?” Yin Xueya hurried over with her own jacket and layered it over him.
An Rao coughed several times, spitting out the dirty water. He looked up at the man holding him; his eyes were like crystal smoke, reflecting a sense of relief after a narrow escape. He suddenly buried his head in the man’s chest and cried out in a sweet, pampered voice, “Hubby, I was so thirsty. I could not help myself. Waaa.”
Chu Guannan frowned. He gently took his hand, though his tone was not particularly pleasant: “So, have you had enough to drink now?”
An Rao replied, “No, I am still thirsty. I want more.”
Chu Guannan slid one arm under his knees and lifted him in a horizontal carry. Ignoring his playful remarks, he carried him toward the shore. He bypassed the roaring campfire and found a clean spot to set An Rao down. He found a suspension cord from a parachute, tied it between tree branches, and hung his own jacket on the rope to create a curtain, blocking the curious gazes from behind.
“I am so cold,” An Rao continued to act spoiled. It seemed that acting this way toward Chu Guannan had become a reflex.
Chu Guannan did not say a word, a deep furrow appearing between his brows. He suddenly reached out to remove An Rao’s clothes, stripping him completely of his wet shirt and trousers and tossing them aside.
An Rao was startled. “Hubby, I am so cold! Give the clothes back!”
Before he could finish, Chu Guannan also removed his own undershirt and threw it aside. An Rao felt his vision go dark as a heavy weight pressed down. Warmth tightly enveloped his body, and Chu Guannan’s powerful scent instantly melted into him. An Rao tilted his head back, his mouth slightly open. His heart was beating a bit too fast. The hand on his lower back tightened its grip.
However, Chu Guannan’s expression lacked the passion one might expect in such an atmosphere. He held An Rao calmly, staying perfectly still.
An Rao cleared his throat awkwardly. When he spoke, his voice wavered: “There are people outside.”
“After leaving an extremely cold environment, warming up by a fire too suddenly causes blood to flow too fast, putting pressure on the heart,” Chu Guannan whispered. He kept his eyelids lowered, his dark lashes obscuring his gaze. Although it was only a brief sentence, An Rao felt as though the man had said much more.
As his cold body slowly warmed up, Chu Guannan held him for a while longer. He checked An Rao’s forehead to ensure he did not have a fever before stepping out shirtless. Amid a chorus of “Wow, Brother Nan, your body is incredible,” Chu Guannan returned with two clean sets of clothes. Like an old father caring for a three-year-old, he personally dressed An Rao and fastened his buttons.
Lin Jingxi stood outside the clothing curtain, holding a stone container of freshly boiled water; his fingers tightly clutched the edge. He was the one who had come up with the plan first. The world always had an unusual level of tolerance for the weak. He had wanted to fall into the water to gain sympathy, but An Rao had beaten him to it. If he did it now, he would just look like a poor imitator. He shook his head vigorously, trying to force a flowery smile.
“An Rao, I boiled some hot water for you. Drink some to warm up so you do not catch a cold.”
An Rao looked at the uninvited guest, secretly laughing at his failed scheme. Chu Guannan took the water, tasting it to find it was slightly scalding. He blew on it gently until it was no longer too hot, then helped An Rao sit up. “Drink some water.”
An Rao thought to himself that he had already swallowed a stomach full of river water and had no room left. Seeing An Rao did not move, Chu Guannan whispered, “Did you not say you were thirsty just now?”
An Rao helplessly accepted the water. He finally understood that the biggest bug in this book was not Lin Jingxi, but Chu Guannan.
The wild chicken was ultimately made into Beggar’s Chicken. When An Rao volunteered to show off his skills and help, almost everyone rushed over to stop him.
“No need! Just rest! We will do it!”
An Rao felt a warm glow in his heart. These people were considering his recovery and did not want him to overwork. They were truly wonderful people. In reality, everyone thought: “I still want to eat a good meal. We absolutely cannot let An Rao touch this chicken!”
The aroma of chicken meat filled the mountain forest as the six people shared the meal. Only Lin Jingxi and Shen Yi refused to eat it. In truth, Shen Yi was starving, but since his beloved would not eat, he had to go hungry as well.
At night, the fire was extinguished. Having walked all day, everyone was exhausted and planned to sleep early to continue the journey tomorrow. However, the director reminded them that they were in a deep forest where wild beasts often appeared. He suggested they take turns keeping watch for emergencies.
They decided to draw lots. Lin Jingxi, the child of luck, naturally drew the last slot. An Rao, the cannon fodder, drew the second to last. In the military, there is a saying: “Be an officer but not a mess hall manager; stand guard but do not take the second shift.” This was the worst position. By the time he finished his watch, it would be nearly dawn, and he would have to start traveling again without much sleep.
The cameramen set up their equipment and crawled into their tents to sleep, their snoring echoing through the area. An Rao slept restlessly and woke up without needing to be called. The person on watch before him was Chu Guannan. Hearing a sound, Chu Guannan looked back and saw An Rao sitting there with an exhausted face.
“Shift change. Go to sleep,” An Rao said, covering a yawn.
“No need. You sleep. I will watch until dawn.”
Oh, watching until dawn for the sake of the last watchman, Lin Jingxi, right?
An Rao rubbed his hands and forced Chu Guannan down onto the ground, smiling as he pressed against his chest. “Hurry and sleep, Hubby. If you do not get enough sleep, how will you have the strength to carry me up the mountain tomorrow?”
Chu Guannan gazed at him; the brilliant stars framed An Rao’s face. Faintly, his fingers trembled.
“Fine. I will sleep. If you get tired, wake me up to replace you.” After saying this, Chu Guannan closed his eyes without hesitation.
An Rao stood up and stretched, trying to stay awake. Judging by the moon’s position, it was about 3:00 AM, the time when human will is weakest and many wild beasts strike. An Rao was essentially responsible for the safety of the entire team.
The group slept peacefully, leaving leftover chicken bones by their feet. An Rao wrapped the bones in leaves and tied them with a cord. He carried the bones about eighty meters away until he saw a crooked tree standing over a stream. He placed the bones in the fork of the tree; if they went fishing tomorrow, he could return to use them as bait.
An Rao clapped his hands and turned around, only to find a dark shadow standing behind him. He startled for a moment but steadied his emotions. Looking through the moonlight, he saw it was Lin Jingxi.
“What are you hiding?”
Before An Rao could ask why he was following him, Lin Jingxi took the initiative to question him.
“Hiding something delicious,” An Rao smiled.
Lin Jingxi frowned, his voice rising an octave: “The production team ruled that we cannot hide snacks!”
“What are you shouting for? If you attract a bear, are you going to fight it?” An Rao lowered his voice. He was primarily afraid of waking the other guests; sleeping soundly in the wild was not easy.
“Since we came to participate in the show, we must follow the rules. All of us handed over prohibited items. Are you the only one who is special?”
Hearing Lin Jingxi’s tone, it sounded as if he were targeting the rule-breaking rather than An Rao personally. However, An Rao remembered the bottle of skin lotion the staff had confiscated from Lin Jingxi when they first entered the mountains, and he smiled. Some people truly were strict with others but lenient with themselves.
The others were awakened by Lin Jingxi’s loud shouting, sitting up one by one and complaining about who was making so much noise. They followed the sound and saw the two in a standoff. Shen Yi, thinking his beloved had been wronged once again, quickly asked, “What is it, Jingxi? Who bullied you now?”
Given that only two people were present, it was obvious who he meant. Lin Jingxi saw the cameramen following and pointed at the chicken bones in the tree, saying righteously, “I am reporting this. Someone is hiding snacks.”
Everyone’s gaze shifted to the chicken bones lying in the fork of the tree. Because they were wrapped in leaves, no one knew what “delicacy” was hidden inside. An Rao had planned to state clearly that they were just discarded chicken bones to avoid disturbing everyone’s rest. However, seeing Chu Guannan standing in the crowd looking at him coldly, as if questioning why he was bothering Lin Jingxi again, he let out a sarcastic smile.
He took the bones down, weighed them in his hand, and looked at Lin Jingxi. “What? Are you angry because I did not share my snacks with you?”
Lin Jingxi looked subtly at the camera, adopting a noble tone: “I would report you whether you shared them or not. This is a serious violation of the rules and cannot be tolerated.”
An Rao scoffed and threw the chicken bones to Lin Jingxi. “Since I have been caught, I will just give them to you to eat.” He walked a few steps, then turned back as if remembering something. “By the way, remember to throw them far away after eating. If the scent remains, it will attract wild beasts.”
Lin Jingxi handed the package to the MC, his voice filled with confident pride: “I will never collude with him.”
Curious about what snacks were worth hiding in a tree in the middle of the night, the MC untied the cord. The leaves fell away, and the scent of chicken instantly drifted out. Chicken head, chicken butt, chicken bones.
Looking at the so-called snacks, the guests could not help but roll their eyes. They had been woken up over such a trivial matter? If you are sick, go get treated.
Extremely unhappy that his dream had been interrupted, the MC took a deep breath and looked at Lin Jingxi. Lin Jingxi stood there with his mouth open, unable to say a word. An Rao had just admitted he was hiding something delicious.
The MC placed the bones heavily into Lin Jingxi’s hand and smiled. “Keep them and eat them slowly. Remember to throw them far away when you are done, or the scent will attract large beasts.”
After he spoke, the exhausted group walked back. This time, even Shen Yi could not help himself. “Jingxi, next time you encounter something like this, make sure to confirm the facts first. Everyone is very tired.”
As he spoke, Shen Yi’s face showed unmistakable helplessness and fatigue.
“I… I was doing this for the sake of fairness in the show.” Seeing the camera still on him, Lin Jingxi’s eyes turned red. “I really do not want anyone to ruin the fairness. I really like this show.”
What could Shen Yi say? He could only say, “Forget it, you meant well but caused trouble. Be careful next time.”
The group was now wide awake after this meaningless farce. Back at camp, they tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Su Xiangming suggested, “It is almost dawn anyway. Why don’t we play something exciting to wake us up for the journey?”
“In this wilderness, what could be more exciting than fighting a brown bear?” Li Meiwei teased.
Su Xiangming gave a mysterious smile and held up a small twig. “Truth or Dare.”