*The Mystery Guest*
[Beauty Overload!!!]
[Did anyone screenshot that just now? Totally wallpaper-worthy.]
[She’s so gorgeous! I could lick my screen.]
[She suddenly leaned in—beauty magnified in HD.]
[So the survival site this time is in the rainforest. Wonder what she has planned.]
Yuan Lai’s eyes refused to leave the screen for even a second. She stared without blinking, utterly captivated by Song Qingxu’s figure.
At the same moment, the other three guests also appeared in their livestreams, but none of their entrances drew as much heat as Song Qingxu’s.
Each of them carried the standard-issue backpack provided by the production team, filled with self-selected survival gear. Everyone prioritized differently, so no two packs were the same.
In addition, each guest had a satellite phone clipped to their waist.
If they couldn’t go on or encountered an emergency, they could press the button and the crew would immediately come to extract them.
Of course, pressing that button meant instant disqualification.
On screen—
Song Qingxu was dressed in long sleeves and pants, making her way through the dense jungle. She wasn’t wandering aimlessly but was looking for the best spot to build a shelter.
Night had already fallen. The rainforest was unnervingly quiet. The only light came from the production team’s filming equipment, illuminating the ground at her feet; beyond that was pitch black.
[Why does the show have to start at 8 p.m.? The guests can’t see a thing.]
[That’s the point—if they get scared, it makes for better TV and higher ratings.]
[This forest is way too quiet. Creepy.]
Song Qingxu’s expression was blank, no trace of fear as she pressed steadily forward. Many viewers in her livestream found it too calm, too dull, and left to check out the others.
The other three, meanwhile, were terrified by the dark forest—especially Lin Yajie, who screamed at the slightest rustle.
Lin Yajie flinched violently. “Ahhhh! What was that just now?!”
The camera panned in the direction she pointed. Nothing.
[It’s just leaves rustling in the wind. Stop overreacting.]
[She’s been stuck at the landing point this whole time.]
[Every time she takes one step forward, she gets scared and backs up two. She’s basically spinning in place.]
[That fear on her face is so real. Next time she needs to act scared in a drama, she should just think of tonight.]
Elsewhere, Song Qingxu was searching for a water source—ideally, the shelter should be near one.
Luck was on her side; she soon found a small stream without expending much energy.
Once a guest chose their location, the crew would help build a simple shelter.
[Why not make them build it themselves?]
[They’re regular people with no wilderness skills. The show wants drama, not to turn them into actual castaways.]
[Is it just me, or are these shelters the nicest we’ve seen on the show? Did someone pay extra?]
[Looks like a luxury camping tent. Feels more like a vacation.]
After the shelter was built, the production team handed out one day’s worth of food.
Guests could stay in and eat it the next day, or go out hunting for food and keep the rations as an emergency backup.
[Why not give them the food in the morning?]
[Because one poor soul once got so hungry on the first night that they went out in the dark to forage, got lost, and had to quit.]
[Seriously? Couldn’t they just tough it out for one night?]
[Forgot to mention—it happened in a desert. No food, freezing at night. They eventually called for extraction because they couldn’t take the cold.]
[…]
Inside her shelter, Song Qingxu sat holding the food she’d just been given, not interacting with the camera. She was already thinking about tomorrow’s plan.
Some viewers found her stream boring and left.
Yuan Lai, however, was watching with relish. She could spend all day just looking at Song Qingxu’s face.
But when she noticed the simple shelter and the meager food, she frowned slightly. Was the production team short on funds?
Back at the landing point, Lin Yajie still didn’t dare enter the forest. She simply told the crew to build her shelter right there.
The remaining two—Xia Shaoshao and Xiao Bei—did as Song Qingxu had done, choosing spots near water.
At midnight sharp, the livestream ended.
It would resume at 6 a.m. the next morning.
[What, already? I wasn’t done watching.]
[If they want higher ratings, they should livestream through the night.]
[Actually, this season’s numbers are already higher than before.]
[Is that because of Song Qingxu?]
[Probably. She’s the biggest name they’ve ever invited.]
[Her fans need to stop acting like she’s the sole reason. The show was already popular.]
Even after the streams shut down, the viewers kept bickering.
Yuan Lai only left her room once the broadcast ended.
She pulled up a newly-added contact and dialed.
The director of Wilderness Diary had just wrapped up work when his phone began vibrating nonstop. Irritated, he muttered, “Who the hell’s calling at this hour?”
Then he saw the name on the screen. Without hesitation, he picked up.
Yuan Lai’s voice was sharp, almost intimidating. “Why are the shelters so bare-bones?”
The director wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead. “That’s the most luxurious shelter we’ve ever built.”
Yuan Lai made her offer without shame. “Just make sure Song Qingxu is comfortable. If the budget’s tight, tell me directly.”
“Got it, got it,” the director said, his earlier annoyance gone. His tone turned warm—calls like this were the kind he wished for more often.
“Oh, right,” Yuan Lai added. “What about the request I mentioned before?”
Thinking of Xia Shaoshao—who had shown up today and was clearly a rival—Yuan Lai felt a flash of hostility.
She’d read the original story. She knew that while Song Qingxu had no feelings for this junior now, Xia Shaoshao had secretly been in love with her from the start.
To eliminate the threat, they couldn’t be allowed to meet. Cut off all possibilities.
Her eyes half-lidded, she masked the deep possessiveness beneath.
On the other end, the director replied solemnly, “We’ve discussed it internally. We’ll proceed as you asked. The notice goes out at 8 a.m. tomorrow.”
“Mm.” Yuan Lai hung up.
Her phone screen hadn’t even dimmed yet.
A closer look revealed she’d changed her wallpaper to a still of Song Qingxu leaning toward the camera from earlier. No matter how many times she looked, the beauty still made her heart jolt.
Her photo album had also grown—dozens of new screenshots from the livestream, all of Song Qingxu.
At first light—
Before the cameras rolled, Song Qingxu was already up. She took something from her pack and headed to the stream, studying the water closely.
When the livestream resumed, viewers saw her seated quietly at the bank.
Yuan Lai had set an alert for her stream; the moment it went live, it woke her from sleep. She lay in bed, watching her wife.
[She’s up early. The others are still asleep.]
[What’s so special about this spot?]
Many viewers didn’t understand what she was doing, but Yuan Lai remembered the list and immediately guessed her plan.
After a long while, Song Qingxu finally opened her eyes.
[She’s moving!]
[She’s standing up—what’s she doing?]
She walked to the water’s edge, bent down, and began pulling in a fishing net she’d set earlier.
Before the show, she’d packed the net—it was portable, useful, and barely took up space. Even if the location hadn’t been a rainforest, it could serve as rope.
Feeling the weight in her hands as she pulled, she relaxed slightly.
When she finally hauled it in, a faint smile tugged at her lips.
A net full of fish.
Perhaps because this place saw so few humans, the fish and shrimp in the stream had multiplied unchecked. One net was like fishing in a stocked pond.
[Wow, jackpot.]
[With that many fish, she could last seven weeks, not just seven days.]
[Seven weeks? She’d be sick of fish by week three.]
[There’s shrimp too—rotate the menu.]
[Add some forest fruits and you’ve got a balanced diet.]
[Song Qingxu: turning Wilderness Diary into a vacation.]
[She might be the most relaxed guest the show’s ever had.]
[Her luck is unreal—lands near a water source, stream full of fish, and she just happens to have a net.]
[What else is in that pack? She has never shown it on camera.]
Song Qingxu couldn’t see the barrage of comments, and even if she could, she wouldn’t open her bag just to satisfy their curiosity.
She was more concerned about how to preserve the surplus fish.
Off-screen, Yuan Lai was practically glowing with pride. Her wife had solved the seven-day food problem on day one.
She couldn’t resist sending a comment from her alt account—
Song Qingxu’s Only Partner: You’re amazing! You looked so beautiful catching fish. I wish I could be one of the fish in your net so I could snuggle with you!
[Here we go again—this fan is unstoppable.]
[Clear the way! Her “only partner” has arrived.]
By now, the regular viewers were used to it. Ever since Song Qingxu started streaming, this account had been flooding the chat with over-the-top confessions.
It was even a premium member, with the largest, most neon-colored font possible—ensuring no one missed a single declaration.
While some worried about too much food, others fretted about their next meal.
Lin Yajie woke up from hunger, peeked outside to see mist shrouding the forest, and quickly retreated into her shelter. At least she had the day’s rations.
But what about tomorrow? She chewed her food in gloomy silence.
As the sun rose higher, 8 a.m. arrived.
Wilderness Diary released a new announcement—
[To increase the fun, this episode will provide each guest with a helper. First come, first served. Choose from: 1) Survival Expert, 2) Chef, 3) Doctor, 4) Mystery Guest.]
[New rules?]
[They’re adding people to the game?]
[Why would you send a chef into a rainforest? To braise piranhas or stir-fry poison frogs?]
[You clearly weren’t paying attention—they said it’s for “fun.”]
[This must be for Lin Yajie. She’s starving, and now she gets a helper.]
[I’m more curious about the mystery guest.]