“It wasn’t Brother Wei who poured it,” Zhang Tongtong said. “The water boiling in the pot was clearly poured out by Wang Daodao. I saw it with my own eyes.”
Called out by name, Wang Daodao finally offered an explanation. “Ah, well, I poured it, but haven’t we all been sharing and drinking along the way?”
Zhao Guanjun found this odd. “Then where did you get your water?”
It seemed no one had seen Wei Yan go fetch water yesterday. Just where did he get it?
Wei Yan answered, “Bamboo can store water. That’s common sense.”
Since they chose to come on a show like this, hadn’t they bothered to do any research beforehand?
Zhao Guanjun looked slightly uncomfortable, while Wang Qinqin continued to fan the flames. “Wei Yan, it’s not like I want to criticize you, but since you had a method like that, why keep it a secret? Even if you want to win, you don’t need to start plotting to kick us out of the game this early, do you?”
“I don’t think Wei Yan meant it like that,” Ruan Mengmeng said quietly.
Wei Yan didn’t seem like that kind of person, and besides, weren’t they just resorting to moral blackmail?
Why on earth would anyone have an obligation to voluntarily share? It wasn’t as if people owed them anything.
“If that’s not what he meant, then what did he mean?” Wang Qinqin retorted. “There are only five winning spots at the end anyway, so naturally, the sooner you eliminate people along the way, the better. Some people will stop at nothing for fame. It’s not like this is our first time seeing it.”
The atmosphere turned subtle, but most people felt that Wang Qinqin had a point.
If Wei Yan wasn’t doing it for fame, why would he try to hog the camera angles and steal the best positions on the very first day of the show? And if he wasn’t trying to build buzz for himself, why had he been hovering around Zhou Youlan intentionally or unintentionally ever since the show started? He was clearly trying to use Zhou Youlan to manufacture topics of conversation.
“That is the most basic survival instinct when walking through the wilderness. Anyone with a bit of intelligence could figure it out,” Wei Yan said, his expression as calm and unruffled as ever. “I am not your provider. What obligation do I have to teach you?”
“You,” Wang Qinqin said, growing angry out of embarrassment. “If you’re selfish, just be selfish. Who are you trying to fool with that act?”
[Wei Yan is just selfish. He clearly found something to store water in and actually hid it.]
[Don’t people in teams usually share with each other? Why did Wei Yan keep it to himself? Could it really be that he plans to ditch everyone else and win by himself?]
[Please, this is an individual survival competition. Choosing whether or not to share is his own business, isn’t it?]
[Wanting to win isn’t a crime. Besides, what obligation does Wei Yan have to inform them?]
[If Wei Yan were truly selfish, he wouldn’t have saved Chen Nan.]
[Emmm, Zhao Guanjun and Wang Qinqin talking like that is a bit like moral blackmail.]
[Yo-yo-yo, it’s only been a few days, and some people are already starting to simp for the hype-chaser just because of his looks.]
Zhou Youlan suddenly spoke up. “Sharing or not sharing is other people’s freedom.”
He wasn’t taking Wei Yan’s side; nobody owed anyone anything. The resources were right there in front of them, and if they didn’t know how to use them, they didn’t need to resort to moral blackmail against someone else.
“Not—”
“Alright,” Zhou Youlan said, his face sinking as he cut them off. “We might find a water source soon, so save your energy.”
Although Wang Qinqin was still simmering with anger, she didn’t say anything more. Who could have expected Zhou Youlan to actually protect Wei Yan?
Wei Yan handed the remaining water to Zhou Youlan, a gesture that was partly out of consideration and partly out of thanks. But Zhou Youlan didn’t take it; instead, he quickly stepped back as if eager to avoid him.
Wei Yan raised an eyebrow slightly. He couldn’t possibly let the young master go without anything to drink, otherwise what would he do if Assistant Zhou used that as an excuse to dock his pay?
“Let me handle that kind of thing,” Big Mac said, shamelessly taking the water from Wei Yan’s hand. “Of course, if I’m the one running errands, I suppose I can trade for a sip of water, right?”
Wei Yan remained silent, taking it as tacit agreement.
Big Mac took the bottle and took a huge gulp, which made everyone else look on with envy.
“Bro, take a quick sip to quench your thirst.”
Zhou Youlan refused. “Go share it with the female guests. I don’t want any.”
“There’s still more than half a kettle left. A sip each is plenty.”
Zhou Youlan still refused, pressing his lips into a thin line.
Big Mac asked, “Why the sour face?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Zhou Youlan caught a glimpse of Wei Yan and quickly looked away, asking in a low voice, “Is he really happy?”
“Who’s happy?”
“I just spoke up for him, so he must have misunderstood something. Is he hiding somewhere secretly feeling pleased with himself?”
Big Mac turned his head back. Wei Yan’s face was expressionless, no different from usual.
“I can’t tell.”
No way, Zhou Youlan thought to himself.
Wei Yan must assume that he was sticking up for him. He is probably thrilled to pieces inside.
Big Mac added, “Still, bro, I think what you said makes sense. He must be hiding away somewhere grinning. You were the only one who spoke up for him just now; who knows how touched he must be.”
“I spoke too hastily,” Zhou Youlan muttered.
[So the details aside, young master, I feel like you might be overthinking this.]
[Is Wei Yan happy?]
[Is Wei Yan pursuing Zhou Youlan? I can’t tell at all.]
[How could Wei Yan not be happy? Haven’t you seen how he and Niu Xixi targeted each other earlier? He definitely likes Zhou Youlan.]
[Who would have thought I’d end up shipping a CP on a survival variety show?]
[It really did end up developing this way after all. Wei Yan has achieved his goal of riding on Zhou Youlan’s coattails for clout.]
The path ahead became even more arduous. The slope of the soil burying the tree roots grew increasingly steep as they walked, making the uphill climb even more physically demanding, which was truly adding insult to injury for a group who had been underfed and water-deprived for days.
Fortunately, halfway through, they came across a few wild rose-myrtle fruit bushes. By this month, the rose-myrtles were beginning to ripen, and it had been a long time since Wei Yan had seen this kind of fruit.
He paused to pick a few, and just then, Wang Ren also came over, squatting down to start picking.
Old Ghost and Ah Hu seemed to know that these fruits were edible as well; they moved fast and filled a pocket in no time at all.
“Brother Wei, are these edible?” Zhang Tongtong quickly scurried over.
Wei Yan gave a slight nod. “Rose-myrtles. They promote fluid production and quench thirst.”
“Promote fluids and quench thirst?” Zhang Tongtong hurried to turn around. “Sister Lin Yue, Mengmeng, Brother Wei says these fruits can quench thirst. Come pick some quick!”
The others felt a surge of excitement and quickly scrambled up the slope. Seeing a whole crowd of them rushing over, Old Ghost picked even faster.
In no time at all, every single ripe rose-myrtle in the area had been aggressively picked clean.
[Wow, Wei Yan knows so much! How is he so familiar with things in the mountains?]
[Tongtong is practically turning into Wei Yan’s shadow.]
[How did Tongtong turn into a country bumpkin after just a few days in the mountains? I’m dying, that camera shot just now made him look like the village idiot.]
[Wei Yan is so awesome, it makes the young master look so dazed.]
However, fruit could never provide the kind of fullness that carbohydrates brought. These fruits could at most help them replenish a bit of moisture; if they couldn’t get carbs or protein soon, some of them might not be able to hold on much longer.
Compared to a few days ago, everyone’s condition was noticeably worse. They hadn’t encountered any huntable animals along the way, and aside from these wild mountain fruits, even water resources were scarce. They could clearly feel their physical functions fading away.
Earlier, when they stopped to rest, they still had the energy to automatically divide up to look for water and materials to build a shelter. Now, once they sat down, they didn’t even want to move.
Yet, this was only the fourth day.
Wei Yan looked around. Zhang Tongtong sat down beside him, so hungry and tired that he was already out of breath. “Brother Wei, let’s sit and rest for a bit. Aren’t you tired?”
“Not bad,” Wei Yan said.
Zhang Tongtong felt like giving him a thumbs-up. Their legs had turned to jelly, yet Wei Yan actually felt “not bad.” It was hard to believe his stamina was this good.
Wei Yan squatted down next to Zhang Tongtong, used a dagger to scrape open a patch of ground, and rubbed a pinch of soil between his fingertips.
“You’re not so hungry you’re thinking of eating dirt, are you?”
Big Mac also wandered over. Wei Yan always thought of things they didn’t. Had he discovered something again?
He asked with hopeful anticipation, “Is this dirt edible? If it is, I don’t suppose taking a small bite is out of the question.”
Wei Yan rubbed the dirt off his fingertips. “The soil moisture here is very high. With this much prolonged exposure to the sun, only the surface layer is dry. This proves that the rainfall here is better positioned than further down the slope.”
The two of them copied Wei Yan, scooping up a bit of dirt to study it, but still remained clueless. “And what does that prove?”
It proved that the rainwater from the higher elevations nearby hadn’t flowed down in the direction they had come from, which was why they couldn’t find any water sources all the way along.
Wei Yan continued, “This is terrain where several mountain forests converge. If there is a water stream, it will only be in another low-lying area on the same side as the direction we came from.”
The two men stared blankly, pure innocence in their eyes as they listened, utterly baffled.
Wei Yan put away his dagger. “If we keep walking forward, we might encounter a river.”
“Might? So you’re not sure.” Chen Nan, who was standing nearby and had overheard Wei Yan’s analysis, sneered. “Since you don’t have a hundred percent guarantee, are you planning to lead us wandering blindly into the woods? If we can’t find it, are we going to spend the night in the mountain feeding mosquitoes and wild beasts?”
Hearing this, Zhang Tongtong curled his lips slightly. What Wei Yan said made a lot of sense anyway; there was no water to drink here either, so what if they walked a bit further and actually found some?
Wei Yan didn’t even deign to give Chen Nan a direct look. “At least we won’t be feeding the spiders.”
“You—hiss—” Chen Nan touched the wound on the side of his face. “I don’t believe you can actually lead us to a water source.”
However, whether Chen Nan believed it or not was of no concern to Wei Yan whatsoever.
[What is up with this fitness coach? Useless and arrogant, why is he always targeting Wei Yan?]
[Chen Nan, do you have any conscience? When you fell into the spider’s nest, it was Brother Wei who saved you!]
[Absurd, family. First time seeing an ingrate, still not quite used to it.]
[I’m dying. Wei Yan: Anyway, you definitely won’t get bitten by spiders.]
Zhou Youlan, on the other hand, felt that Wei Yan’s reasoning probably made sense, because the branches and leaves at the base of the plants along the path they had climbed up were mostly withered, meaning the water flow definitely wasn’t moving in the direction they had arrived from.
“Everyone get moving. We can’t drag our feet anymore. This place is a flat area halfway up the mountain; moisture gathers easily at night, making it unsuitable for setting up camp.”
The group had no choice but to push themselves forward a bit longer.
Fortunately, they found a sheltered, flat hillside, and Zhou Youlan finally allowed them to stop and rest.
“Xiao Zhou, I think we should stick to the previous division of labor,” Zhao Guanjun said. “Send the people with better stamina to look for water and food, and leave the others here to build the shelter.”
Otherwise, if the whole group moved together like they had on the way, holding each other back step by step, they probably wouldn’t find anything by dark.
“Alright.”
Before Zhou Youlan could arrange who to take, Hu Lu eagerly volunteered, and Zhang Tongtong also made a fuss about tagging along.
Big Mac was naturally going to follow. He looked at Wei Yan, who had remained silent off to the side, and asked tentatively, “How about you stay here and help build the shelter?”
Wei Yan replied, “I still have stamina. It’s more appropriate for me to go look for water.”
In the end, Zhou Youlan decided to leave Hu Lu behind.
“Why am I staying?” Hu Lu glared discontentedly at Wei Yan.
The cameramen assigned to their group these past few days had practically been glued to Wei Yan; aside from Zhou Youlan and Zhang Tongtong, she barely got any screen time at all.
Now that she finally had a chance to get on camera, she was getting bumped by Wei Yan again.
Zhou Youlan said, “Wei Yan… his stamina is relatively better, and building a shelter is also very hard work. The place we sleep tonight depends on you, so this task is quite monumental.”
Hu Lu didn’t believe a word of it, but she had no choice than to swallow her resentment and move to the side.
Zhou Youlan asked Zhao Guanjun to help build the shelter while the rest of them went to forage for food.
As they set off, Wei Yan noticed Zhou Youlan looking like he wanted to say something, and told him to spit it out.
Zhou Youlan spoke in an unfriendly tone: “I’m only doing this to take care of the girls, it’s not like I specifically wanted to bring you or had any other motives. Don’t overthink it.”
Though Wei Yan hadn’t been thinking along those lines at all, he still answered, “…Right.”