Twentieth Day of Wanting a Divorce.
“Are you an elementary student? Truth or Dare?” Li Meiwei laughed.
Several others also expressed that it was too childish and did not want to play.
Only An Rao said: “Since we are idle anyway, let us just play.”
The faces of the others, which were originally dejected, instantly became high-spirited. Almost in unison, they said: “Suddenly, it feels quite interesting. Let us play then!”
At this time, Shen Yi and Lin Jingxi also returned. Everyone originally ignored them, but Xu Renyu was friendly enough to ask if they wanted to play together.
Lin Jingxi looked at the others with reddened eyes. “Can I join?”
What could everyone say? They could not bluntly state, “You disgust me, stay away from me,” so they simply nodded. “Whatever, play if you want.”
Su Xiangming found a relatively smooth stone and placed a small twig in the middle: “The rules are as follows: the person pointed to decides whether to choose Truth or Dare. The person who asks the question or designates the dare will rotate in a circle starting with me.”
Once the rules were established, Su Xiangming was the first to spin the twig. The twig spun around and finally pointed straight at Lin Jingxi.
Lin Jingxi felt this was the only chance to redeem his image, so he smiled and said: “Truth.”
Su Xiangming smacked his lips; he did not really have anything he wanted to ask. After thinking for a long time, he found a random question: “Your most unforgettable memory.”
Lin Jingxi looked up at the moon, his eyes trembling as if lost in a memory.
“In high school, I once ranked second in the entire grade. I was sad for a long time and could not even eat. Later, during a grade exam, the student who ranked first pointed at my nose and mocked me, saying it was impossible for me to surpass him. So, I worked hard and actually retook the first place in the grade, even beating that person by over thirty points. I got almost a full score.”
Su Xiangming cleared his throat with a long, dull sound. Others scratched their heads, swatted mosquitoes, or looked at the moon.
Su Xiangming continued to spin the twig. “Come, let me see who the next lucky goose is.”
The twig pointed at Xu Renyu, and he also chose Truth. Li Meiwei asked: “What does Brother Renyu’s ideal partner look like? Be very specific!”
Xu Renyu stole a quick glance at An Rao, then lowered his head with a faint smile: “Well, big eyes, very exquisite features, a very beautiful neck, quite tall, and a bit of a straightforward personality.”
Everyone, who had thought Xu Renyu intensely disliked An Rao, began to guess: “It sounds like you are describing Sister Xueya!”
Yin Xueya hurriedly waved her hands. “Do not joke with me. Sister Xueya is terrifying when she gets angry.”
Su Xiangming continued to spin the twig. It spun around and stopped in front of a dark figure. “It is Brother Nan!”
Chu Guannan remained silent for a moment before saying in a low voice: “Truth.”
In an instant, everyone’s interest was piqued. They leaned forward, crowding in front of Chu Guannan’s face. “Brother Nan! I want to know how many times a week you and our Rao Rao do it!”
Xu Renyu’s eyes darkened. How many times a week? Had they even done it? An Rao was also curious to see how Chu Guannan would answer.
But perhaps considering that Lin Jingxi was present, Chu Guannan said lowly: “Change the question. This is private.”
“What we are asking is exactly a private matter! Otherwise, would there be any point in us asking how many meals you eat a day, Brother Nan?”
Chu Guannan looked down at his fingers. After a long pause, he gave in. “I will change to Dare.”
Su Xiangming naturally wanted to give the big shot of the industry some face; after all, it is best to leave a way out for future encounters. “Then Brother Nan, go kiss An Rao. The kind with sound and moisture!”
An Rao thought: “Is Chu Guannan the one being punished, or am I?”
Everyone watched with wide eyes and crossed arms, acting as if they had never seen such a thing, their eyes full of anticipation as if they were about to shout, “Hurry up and kiss!”
Chu Guannan was silent for a long while, then looked at An Rao and asked softly: “Can I?”
An Rao looked away awkwardly. “Is it useful if I say no?”
Chu Guannan slowly sat up straight and used one hand to gently tilt An Rao’s chin. His fingers were very cool, and the touch on his chin felt a bit itchy.
In front of An Rao was a face that was constantly magnifying. The dark eyes were deep and quiet, like a night sky with the stars plucked away. He unconsciously swallowed and pressed his hands against Chu Guannan’s upper body, appearing somewhat resistant.
The next moment, a very light, soft sensation landed on his cheek. It was fleeting, just a slight touch.
“Awoo! French kiss! We want a French kiss!” A group of people began to heckle.
An Rao turned his face away and quickly raised his hand to wipe the spot where he had been kissed. The winter wind was bleak and his whole body was cold, yet that small patch on his cheek felt hot and stinging, as if it were on fire.
The fiery red morning sun broke through the night, rising slowly above the horizon. The dark and terrifying forest was plated with a layer of gentle gold following the arrival of the sunlight.
It was finally dawn.
Breakfast determines the energy of the day. An Rao wanted to eat something good, so he strolled to the riverside and set his sights on the trout.
Chu Guannan, seeing him standing at the edge of the river, immediately went over with a serious face and pulled him aside. He rolled up his sleeves and said: “You go boil the water. I will do it.”
“Do you know how to catch them?” An Rao highly doubted the wilderness survival skills of Chu Guannan, a hothouse flower.
Chu Guannan did not speak. He took off his shoes and stepped into the water. It had to be said that a handsome man is a handsome man; even catching fish looked very stylish.
The way Chu Guannan caught fish looked like a polished magazine cover. When he leaned down, his shirt tightened, outlining a lean waist without a trace of fat. The radius of the arm gripping the trout was distinct, covered with a thin layer of muscle. He actually managed to catch a fish.
Yin Xueya raised her hand to shade her head from the blazing sun. Looking at Chu Guannan, who was a walking hormone, she could not help but sigh: “Rao zai, how exactly did you hook this national top grade sturgeon back then?”
An Rao dodged the question: “I did not hook him. He took the bait himself.”
“I remember when he married you, the internet was filled with people cursing you, saying you wanted to take advantage of him and that you used underhanded methods.” Yin Xueya looked at An Rao. “But I think he is the one who took advantage of you.”
An Rao did not know how to evaluate the original owner. If the original owner truly forced Chu Guannan into marriage by drugging him, then he deserved to be cursed. But things seen with the eyes are not necessarily the truth. Had those people who claimed the original owner drugged him actually witnessed it on the spot? Furthermore, Chu Guannan had never stepped forward to confirm the facts. Moreover, with Chu Guannan’s rock solid personality, would he really have submitted so obediently?
Chu Guannan walked ashore carrying the fish. He handed the fish to Yin Xueya and then looked at An Rao, instructing: “You go start the fire.”
As long as he did not have to touch the fish, An Rao was fine with doing anything. An Rao was busy starting the fire, while others were busy polishing twigs to make chopsticks, preparing clean water, or cleaning the fish. Everyone was busy with their own tasks.
Only Lin Jingxi felt that since he did not intend to eat this poor small life, it was reasonable for him not to participate in the work. Seeing everyone else busy, he did not want to be called lazy, so he strolled over and sat down beside Xu Renyu.
Xu Renyu was polishing twigs to make chopsticks. Seeing Lin Jingxi come over, he smiled friendly: “Are you hungry? The fish soup will be ready soon.”
Lin Jingxi looked at Xu Renyu’s hands, which were scarred from the twigs, and frowned: “How can you be allowed to do this kind of thing? Your hands are very precious; they should only be used to hold Best Actor trophies.”
Xu Renyu looked at his own hands, layered with new and old injuries. “Did An Rao make you do this?”
“His work is not lighter than mine, and it is technical work. I am just doing what I can.”
Lin Jingxi sighed: “If it were me, I definitely would not let you do this kind of thing. You are an A list star; even a small cut would make people’s hearts ache.”
Xu Renyu smiled and did not say anything. Just as he intended to stand up, he felt dizzy from squatting too long. He suddenly fell backward, his back hitting a large rock on the ground hard. Lin Jingxi cried out and hurried over to support him.
But out of the corner of his eye, he seemed to see a dark object flash past from under Xu Renyu.
Xu Renyu rubbed his waist, cold sweat pouring down from the pain. “Jingxi, can you help me check my back? It really hurts terribly.”
Lin Jingxi nodded obediently and lifted his shirt to take a look, only to find two small blood red dots on his lower back! He finally realized that the dark object that flashed past just now was a snake.
“Brother Renyu, you were bitten by a snake!”
Xu Renyu sat down tremblingly and looked at Lin Jingxi for help. “Jingxi, I do not know if the one that bit me was a venomous snake, but to be safe, can you help me squeeze the bruised blood out of the wound? That way, if there is venom, it can be handled as early as possible.”
Lin Jingxi froze for a moment, appearing hesitant. What if it really was a venomous snake and he got infected with the venom too? But his luck should not be that bad. Furthermore, there were several cameras set up around them; even if it was just an act, he had to put on a show.
“Jingxi, do not be afraid. Even if it is a venomous snake, you will be fine after you help me squeeze out the venom and wash your hands.” Seemingly seeing Lin Jingxi’s hesitation, Xu Renyu’s expression was indeed somewhat disappointed.
Lin Jingxi twisted his fingers. After a long while, under the pressure of the cameras, he very reluctantly raised his hand and symbolically rubbed around the two small tooth marks. He rubbed for perhaps only a few seconds, then pulled down Xu Renyu’s shirt, whispered “All done,” and hurriedly left the scene.
Xu Renyu could not stand up for a while due to the impact. He rested for a good while before slowly standing up. In an instant, his head spun, a strong feeling of nausea hit him, and his chest felt tight as if he could not catch his breath.
“Are the chopsticks polished? It is time to eat.” An Rao walked over and asked.
Xu Renyu stood there, one hand barely supporting himself against a tree trunk, and pointed weakly at the twigs on the ground. Seeing Xu Renyu’s pale face, An Rao hurried to ask: “What is wrong?”
As An Rao leaned down to pick up the twig chopsticks, he discovered a long S shaped mark in the mud. He realized something was wrong and quickly asked: “Were you bitten by a snake?”
Xu Renyu’s consciousness was becoming increasingly blurred. He did not hear clearly what An Rao said and just nodded vaguely. Without a word, An Rao lifted his shirt and saw two deep black dots on his lower back, with black veins and blood streaks spreading out.
The cameraman’s eyes widened, and he quickly said: “Let us find a way to send him for medical treatment first!”
An Rao thought for a moment and suddenly knelt down, his face right against those two tooth marks. “Squeeze the toxins out first. He might have rubbed the wound recklessly. It is too late to rush to the hospital now. Snake venom is absorbed in about five minutes, and the toxins have already started to spread.”
After speaking, he took off his jacket and tore two strips of cloth from the hem of the garment. He tied them tightly about five centimeters away from the wound to prevent the toxins from spreading further. Others heard the news and hurried over to help.
Squeezing out the toxins required great attention to direction, squeezing from the periphery toward the middle. Squeezing randomly would accelerate the spread of the toxins, as had happened just now. Xu Renyu’s face became worse and worse, and his mouth had already turned a faint blue gray color.
An Rao frowned and applied pressure to the wound with his fingers. Thick, black red blood flowed out from the tooth marks. He only stopped once the blood color became bright red and normal.
A group of staff members arrived late and drove a car over, intending to send Xu Renyu down the mountain first. An Rao followed behind and instructed: “Loosen the cloth used to block the toxins once every ten minutes. Tying it for too long will cause blood circulation to stop and limb necrosis.”
An Rao crouched by the stream to wash his hands. Yin Xueya was very worried about him and kept splashing water onto his hands.
“Wash them well again. The dirt under the nails must also be washed clean.”
An Rao suddenly remembered the time of the SARS outbreak when he was a child. His mother was also like this; as soon as she saw him come home from school, she would urge him to wash his hands and stand by to supervise him, ensuring he even scrubbed under his nails. Although she was submissive to his father and that household, it seemed the only thing under her control was An Rao. But as An Rao thought about it now, he finally understood that it was not called control, but a mother’s concern for her son.
An Rao’s hands were soaked until they wrinkled before Yin Xueya was willing to let him go.
An hour later, a staff member called and said that Xu Renyu’s condition had temporarily stabilized. Fortunately, it was handled in time. However, he still had to be hospitalized for observation, which meant An Rao would have to complete the survival task alone for the next few days.
The fish soup that was made at 8:00 AM was not eaten until 11:00 AM due to the snake incident. The cold fish soup was particularly fishy. Without ginger to remove the fishiness, it was even harder to swallow. Everyone grit their teeth and finished the fish; after all, they had to survive regardless of how bad it tasted.
Li Meiwei looked at the ice cold fish soup and suddenly shed tears. She had abstained from meat for over a year to maintain her figure. She did not dare to eat the beggar’s chicken last night either. Finally, she was able to have some low calorie fish soup, and it turned out to taste like this. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and she could not help but cry.
Yin Xueya comforted her, saying it would be fine and that she would surely lose three or four pounds this time. When they got back, she could eat freely to make up for it.
Hearing the words “get back,” everyone began to imagine their soft beds and exquisite food at home. But the program team did not care about that. The director was already shouting in the tent for them to proceed to the next step.
The guests slowly stood up, intending to continue their journey.
“Eh? Where is Wang, the cameraman?” A cameraman looked around but could not find his companion.
“Did he go down the mountain with the car?”
“No, when Xu Renyu got in the car, he was still standing down there filming.”
The guests also looked around and found that one cameraman was indeed missing. The cameraman hurriedly called his companion, but the phone rang inside the tent.
The director was so angry that veins popped on his forehead. “Is he shitting gold? Go find him!”
An Rao remembered hearing him say earlier that he was going to the forest to film a few landscape videos for transition shots. Hearing An Rao say this, the director suddenly said: “Guests, please help look for him. It is inconvenient for our staff to walk too far while carrying equipment.”