*Ears Red Enough to Bleed*
Yuan Lai seemed to let out a faint “Mm,” or perhaps she hadn’t said anything at all.
Either way, Song Qingxu’s attention was completely captured by the apple in her hand.
She watched as Yuan Lai walked toward her, step by step.
Yuan Lai’s hands, still dusty from her work, moved behind her back as she bent down, leaning closer—not toward Song Qingxu herself, but toward the apple in her hand.
With deliberate precision, she bit into the spot right next to where Song Qingxu had just taken a bite. A crisp crack split the air, turning the small crescent missing from the apple into a large chunk.
Still with a mouthful of apple, Yuan Lai mumbled indistinctly,
“So sweet.”
Sweet…?
Song Qingxu hadn’t noticed. She took another small bite and chewed carefully. It tasted like any ordinary apple—not exactly unsweet, but far from honeyed.
Yet Yuan Lai’s gaze lingered on Song Qingxu’s lips as they moved, rosy and soft. She couldn’t help but lick her own lips, and somehow the apple in her mouth seemed to taste much sweeter.
【Now I want to eat an apple too!】
【So tragic—one apple for two people, while I’m here eating two apples alone.】
【Big eater in the front row, go home and eat your apples.】
【I am at home eating apples.】
【Heard from another livestream room that Song Qingxu’s stream feels completely different?】
【Exactly! Welcome to Wilderness Love Live.】
Song Qingxu and Yuan Lai’s shared apple was dripping with unspoken tension, while the other livestream rooms looked more like work shifts—orderly and efficient, each person performing their role.
Lin Yajie, for instance, only had to trail behind the wilderness survival expert she’d picked first. All she needed to do was listen and nod—thinking was optional.
The expert knew exactly where to find water, where to search for food, and which wild fruits were edible or poisonous.
Lin Yajie couldn’t contribute much even if she wanted to.
To keep her from getting hurt—given her lack of survival experience—the expert collected food and water for her while explaining, leaving her with nothing to do but stand by.
【She’s basically winning without lifting a finger.】
【Lin Yajie looks like she’s here for a class, not a survival challenge.】
【Well, she did get lucky, picking first and grabbing the thickest thigh to cling to.】
【With an expert, she has zero survival pressure and gets free lessons—she has hit the jackpot.】
On the surface, Lin Yajie appeared to be listening intently to the expert’s lecture. In reality, her mind had wandered far away.
She couldn’t help imagining—if Song Qingxu ran out of food and came begging her for help, well… she wouldn’t be opposed to lending a hand.
The key would be catching that moment on camera—Song Qingxu lowering herself to ask her for aid, broadcast for the entire world to see.
The thought made her chuckle.
The expert, who’d been explaining a poisonous mushroom, stopped mid-sentence and asked uncertainly,
“Did this fly agaric just sprout right on your funny bone?”
Snapping back to reality, Lin Yajie smothered her laugh.
“Sorry, I just thought of something funny. Please go on.”
【Help, she’s exactly like me zoning out in my 8 a.m. lecture.】
【That’s a ‘drifting off’ face if I’ve ever seen one.】
【What was she thinking about that made her laugh out loud?】
【Didn’t the expert just tell us? A poisonous mushroom grew on her funny bone.】
【Honestly, that mushroom—with its bright red cap, white spots, and pure white stalk—looks exactly like the ones in video games.】
If Lin Yajie’s group felt like a classroom, Xiao Bei’s side was a full-blown kitchen.
The chef she’d paired with hadn’t gone out to forage at all. Instead, she pulled pickled mustard greens and a spread of seasonings from her bag.
“Today, we’re having suancai fish,” she said with a smile.
【Suancai fish! Chef, I want some too!】
【Here I am, sipping nutrient paste and drooling over my screen.】
【Is it too late to sign up and join the chef’s team?】
Xiao Bei quickly presented the fish and began assisting the chef.
Not all the fish were butchered—the chef had Xiao Bei dig a small pond to keep the rest alive for future meals.
A sizzling sound filled the air as the fish head hit the hot oil. Once seared, the chef added scallions, ginger, and garlic, frying until fragrant before tossing in the pickled greens. A quick stir-fry later, she poured in boiling water and slid in the prepared fish fillets.
Xiao Bei swallowed hard as the rich aroma filled her nose.
“Smells amazing!”
【This kind of wok control takes at least twenty years to master.】
【I swear I can smell it through the screen—I want a bite!】
【Xiao Bei’s practically drooling already.】
【Luckiest player has to be Xiao Bei—none of the other three will get suancai fish this good.】
Of the four guests, three had food security. The only exception was Xia Shaoshao.
Her leg wound had already been treated, but she was still limping as she headed into the forest, stopping every so often—not from pain, but to wait for the doctor following her.
The production team had assigned her the doctor as a helper. Naturally, that meant gathering enough food for two. Since the doctor had already patched her up, Xia Shaoshao insisted on handling the foraging herself.
So she hobbled away with her pack, forcing the resting doctor to get up and follow.
“You should stay here and rest. I’ll go out and find food,” the doctor offered.
“No,” Xia Shaoshao refused at once. “You’ve already done a lot for me—I can’t trouble you further.”
Truthfully, she had another reason—if she didn’t leave the shelter, the episode might end without her ever crossing paths with Song Qingxu. The thought made her quicken her pace.
The doctor, panting, trailed behind.
“At least slow down!”
【The only group truly surviving out here is Xia Shaoshao’s.】
【I’d almost forgotten this was a survival show after watching the others.】
【The doctor’s stamina is tragic—barely walked a bit and already winded.】
【Both look exhausted, hahaha.】
【Be honest, doc—how long has it been since you exercised?】
They never found anyone else in the dense forest, but they did manage to collect plenty of wild fruit—enough to solve their immediate food problem.
The sun was climbing, the heat intensifying.
The doctor plucked a massive leaf to shield herself from the sun and suggested,
“Why don’t we head back?”
Xia Shaoshao nodded, licking her cracked lips—she needed water.
The doctor offered her a piece of fruit.
“For hydration.”
“No need. I’ve got my own,” Xia Shaoshao declined without looking.
Shrugging, the doctor popped it into her own mouth. It wasn’t delicious, but it was refreshing, easing the dry burn in her throat.
【That fruit looks so juicy.】
【Um… is it safe to eat?】
【If it wasn’t, the doctor wouldn’t have picked it.】
Back at her shelter, Song Qingxu was resting when a shadow fell across the doorway. Looking up, she saw Yuan Lai standing there. She asked, “What is it?”
Yuan Lai hugged the pillow the production team had given her, speaking hesitantly.
“Um… my shelter’s too hot to rest in.” She pouted slightly.
“Maybe the production team picked a bad spot—it’s been in direct sunlight all morning. It’s like a steamer in there.”
【Hot shelter or hot person?】
【The production team should’ve just built the mystery guest’s shelter inside Song Qingxu’s. Then she’d be happy.】
【What a flimsy excuse—who’s buying that?】
【Hahaha, blaming the crew.】
【Is Song Qingxu actually going to believe this?】
Without suspicion, Song Qingxu said,
“Then come rest here for now,”
and shifted over, giving Yuan Lai half of her camp bed.
Naturally, Yuan Lai sat down. The bed wasn’t big—only a fist’s width separated them. A small movement would be enough for their skin to touch.
【Why bring just the pillow instead of moving your whole bed over? There’s space in here.】
【Go home, kid. Just go home.】
【Sit with the big apple-eating girl from earlier.】
Suddenly, the air in the shelter seemed to grow hotter, as if Yuan Lai had carried the sun in with her.
Song Qingxu fanned herself, but her elbow accidentally bumped Yuan Lai’s stomach.
“Sorry, are you okay?”
She stopped fanning at once and turned to check. The motion brought their faces closer.
Leaning back slightly, Yuan Lai braced a hand behind her and followed Song Qingxu’s gaze downward.
“I’m fine.”
The only camera was at the doorway, so viewers could see the two sitting close but couldn’t hear what they said.
【What are they whispering about? And why can’t we, the paying members, hear it?】
【Just kiss already—I’m losing it.】
Yuan Lai leaned close to Song Qingxu’s ear, her breath warm.
“Hot?”
The heat that had finally receded came rushing back, starting from the spot by her ear and spreading outward. Song Qingxu’s pale earlobe flushed pink.
Sensing something amusing, Yuan Lai leaned even closer.
“Why aren’t you answering? Is it hot…”
Her gaze lingered on the reddening ear tip. She blew another slow breath.
“…or not?”
Her deliberately drawn-out tone carried her breath in long, teasing waves.
In moments, the entire ear turned scarlet—red enough to bleed.
It was like tasting the forbidden fruit. Yuan Lai wanted a bite… but her reason pulled her back. She took a slow breath, suppressing the dangerous thought.
Song Qingxu kept her head down, silent.
Yuan Lai propped one hand behind her and used the other to fan Song Qingxu, scattering the sticky warmth between them.
Feeling the heat fade from her face, Song Qingxu finally looked up—only to meet Yuan Lai’s star-bright eyes, full of laughter. One glance was enough to send her gaze skittering away, the blush blooming anew across her cheeks.