*Does She Like Me?*
【Wait—do these two know each other?】
【If Lin Yajie’s going to say something, just spit it out. Stop talking in riddles.】
【Who is she even talking about? I’m begging you, just tell me. I won’t be able to sleep tonight otherwise.】
【Is anyone going to notice the survival expert? She looks so awkward standing there.】
【She looks at her, she looks at her… she looks at the mushrooms.】
【The assistant’s eyes are locked on those mushrooms—don’t anyone dare snatch them from her!】
【Take them back and share them with Song Qingxu.】
To work faster, Yuan Lai had simply slung her backpack to the front, tossing in every mushroom she picked.
In no time, the little patch of mushrooms behind the expert was stripped bare.
Straightening up, Yuan Lai noticed the two people in front of her staring at her. She zipped her bag shut as naturally as breathing, flashed them a polite smile, and said,
“You two go ahead. I’ll head off first.”
She started humming as she turned to leave.
“Wait a moment.” Lin Yajie’s voice stopped her in her tracks. Yuan Lai turned with a puzzled look. She couldn’t imagine what they had to talk about—they weren’t close, after all.
Curiosity had driven Lin Yajie to call out to her, but with the cameras rolling, she couldn’t ask outright. After hemming and hawing for a while, she finally forced something out.
“Did you join this show because of Song Qingxu?”
Yuan Lai froze, then broke into a bright smile. “Of course.”
【Oh? I smell gossip.】
【Meaning… they knew each other before the show?】
【Someone dug it up—turns out this ‘ordinary’ assistant is actually Song Qingxu’s assistant.】
【And before the show aired, didn’t they even make the trending searches together?】
【Now that you mention it, I vaguely remember… but that trending tag got deleted almost instantly.】
【No wonder she’s so good to Song Qingxu—turns out they’re from the same team.】
Lin Yajie’s expression shifted. “Aren’t you afraid…”
Afraid Song Qingxu’s wife will come after you? She didn’t finish the sentence, confident the other woman would catch her meaning.
But Yuan Lai didn’t. “Afraid of what?”
【Lin Yajie, what kind of cryptic nonsense is this?】
【A mouth is for speaking, not playing charades. Take note.】
【I’m going to lose my mind—can’t you just be direct for once?】
Lin Yajie gave her a look of “hopeless fool,” hesitating over whether to be blunt. Was she really this dense, or just pretending?
Her manager had always told her to think more and speak less—that she didn’t know how to read the room. Yet here was someone even worse at it.
Reason told her to drop it, but the fire of gossip burned too hot. She just had to ask.
“You know… that thing!” Lin Yajie exaggerated a wink. “Your relationship with Song Qingxu—aren’t you afraid people will find out?”
She even darted a wary glance at the camera, practically wearing the words Here to stir trouble on her face.
【…】
【What, that she’s Song Qingxu’s assistant?】
【What relationship? A working relationship.】
【You don’t need to be so mysterious—we already know.】
【Being an assistant isn’t shameful.】
【The way she’s talking, you’d think they were lovers.】
“I’m not afraid,” Yuan Lai said openly. “What’s there to be afraid of? I wish more people knew.”
A confident smile curved her lips. “I believe that if people knew my relationship with Song Qingxu, they’d envy me.”
【If I were Song Qingxu’s assistant, I’d say the same.】
【You’re right—but I wouldn’t just envy, I’d be jealous.】
【Who wouldn’t want to work beside a gorgeous film queen? Sign me up.】
【Getting to admire her beauty up close? That’s happiness.】
【Didn’t Song Qingxu usually only have temporary assistants? Is this one new from Weizhi Culture?】
【If she’s temporary, does that mean I can apply to be Song Qingxu’s long-term assistant?】
【I don’t think she has a long-term one.】
【So… is this her permanent assistant then?】
【What’s with Lin Yajie’s face? She looks like she’s dying for something to happen.】
Lin Yajie scoffed inwardly—if people really knew the truth, they wouldn’t envy Yuan Lai. They’d tear her apart.
And when that day came, she’d be there for the show.
“You’re really not afraid it’ll cause trouble when people find out?” she pressed.
Yuan Lai paused. If Song Qingxu’s fans couldn’t accept her as her partner, then she’d just appear less in public.
With quiet determination, she answered, “I’m ready to face whatever comes.”
Viewers outside the screen were baffled.
【Does revealing she’s an assistant really take that much courage?】
【Must be her edgy, chūnibyō phase.】
【Lin Yajie’s wording is weird—what trouble? Is she afraid we’ll be jealous?】
Yuan Lai’s candidness made Lin Yajie wonder if she’d guessed wrong. Maybe there wasn’t anything between them.
But then she remembered the way Yuan Lai had doted on Song Qingxu on set. No, she was certain—there was something going on.
Whether Song Qingxu liked her back was hard to say, but Yuan Lai’s gaze toward her was full of possessiveness. Lin Yajie had seen it clearly.
Right now, she wanted nothing more than to get Song Qingxu’s spouse’s contact info, hire a PI after the show, and find out exactly who she’d married.
She was practically salivating at the thought of seeing how Song Qingxu’s old Alpha would react to discovering a third party.
【Why is Lin Yajie grinning like she’s plotting something? I’m scared.】
【The survival expert has the best seat for this drama.】
【Bet she’s not interested in gossip.】
【Not interested? Please—she dropped her mushroom and didn’t even pick it up. She’s definitely eavesdropping.】
【The assistant already picked up the dropped mushroom and stashed it away—she really loves mushrooms.】
________________________________________
Inside the shelter—
Song Qingxu’s lashes trembled before she slowly opened her eyes. The shelter’s door was left slightly ajar, keeping out the harsh morning sun, though a few stubborn golden beams slipped through to pool inside.
Gazing at the light filtering in, she realized she’d slept far longer than she’d meant to. Why hadn’t Yuan Lai woken her?
She sat up lazily, her mind still sluggish, when her nose caught the scent of something fragrant.
In front of her sat a small pot—the kind the crew had issued to each guest. The rich aroma was coming from it. It rested on a flat stone, with a washed wild fruit and a full bottle of water set neatly beside it.
The bottle was the one they’d been given on day one. The water inside had long been drunk, yet now it was filled again.
Crude as it was, it was still clearly a breakfast prepared with care.
She didn’t need to think twice to know who had made it. The crew certainly wouldn’t bother. Which left only…
Song Qingxu forcibly steered her thoughts away.
This couldn’t keep going. She’d have to have a serious talk with Yuan Lai after the segment.
But where was she now?
Finding the shelter empty, Song Qingxu pushed the door open. Sunlight and heat burst in at once, forcing her to squint until her eyes adjusted.
Still no sign of Yuan Lai.
In this heat, where could she have gone?
The camera outside the shelter caught Song Qingxu’s appearance, and the livestream chat exploded—
【What a divine face.】
【She’s gorgeous even without makeup! I bow to her beauty.】
【How do I apply to be her assistant?】
【She just woke up, right? The ends of her hair are sticking up—so cute!】
【Funny coincidence—someone else walked out of this shelter earlier with messy hair too. Reasonable to suspect…】
【Here we go again—this is my favorite sugar-sprinkling couple of the year.】
【Can the CP fans please keep it in their corner?】
【Isn’t it late for her to wake up?】
【Not really—just not as early as yesterday. Two other pairs are still sleeping.】
Song Qingxu, finding no one, went about her morning routine.
After washing up, she returned to the shelter, damp hair clinging to her temples, droplets sliding down her cheeks and soaking into her thin shirt.
She glanced at the breakfast again, a mix of emotions flickering in her eyes, before lifting the pot for a sip.
It tasted good.
From last time’s sandwich to this soup, Yuan Lai’s cooking was far better than she’d expected. Had she underestimated her, or had Yuan Lai been hiding it?
It was like seeing a whole new side to her.
She caught herself mid-thought, shook her head slightly, and pushed away the tangle of feelings.
【She’s shaking her head while eating—does that mean it’s bad?】
【It’s the wilderness—you take what you get.】
【Guess the assistant’s cooking isn’t that great.】
The portion was too big, and Song Qingxu couldn’t finish it. Still, food was precious out here—she wouldn’t waste it.
“You’re awake?” Yuan Lai came in with a bulging backpack, bangs plastered to her forehead with sweat. She wiped at it casually as she set the bag down.
Seeing Song Qingxu eating, she asked, “How’s the taste?”
“It’s good. Just too much for me—I can’t finish it.” Song Qingxu planned to save the rest for lunch.
But Yuan Lai simply took the pot and began eating the leftovers herself. “Perfect, I’m hungry. I’ll make a fresh pot for lunch.”
【Isn’t this… a bit intimate?】
【Sharing food with a friend is normal.】
【Would you share the same pot with your boss?】
【Only couples eat each other’s leftovers without a second thought—so is there really something going on here?】
Chewing, Yuan Lai beamed. “Look at the mushrooms I picked!” She unzipped her backpack to show off.
“Good work.”
Song Qingxu’s eyes first lingered on her damp bangs before dropping to the mushrooms. “They’re very fresh,” she added.
But her gaze drifted back upward, pausing at Yuan Lai’s forehead.
“What is it?” Yuan Lai asked, confused.
“Your… sweat.” The bead was about to drip into the pot, and in a rush, Song Qingxu grabbed a tissue to wipe it away. Only when it was gone did she relax and look away.
Yuan Lai froze, afraid to even blink.
My wife just wiped my sweat…!
Does she… like me?!
Off-camera, Yuan Jingyun turned to Wang Ma. “Did I see that right? Since when did this little couple get along so well?”