Chapter 57 – Socially Anxious?

The four of them walked on, each lost in their own thoughts. Suddenly, Que Jin let out a cry of alarm. The dry firewood she was holding slipped from her grasp and fell into a crevice formed by massive, gnarled tree roots. Wenren Yi, who was closest to her, quickly turned back and grabbed Que Jin’s hand as she reached for it.

“I’ll get it. There might be crawly things in there.” Wenren Yi’s words made Que Jin’s hand retract. Like most women, Que Jin was terrified of bugs.

As the resident powerhouse among the women, Wenren Yi was used to protecting them, from her aunts to her younger cousins and nieces. She reached down to pick up the firewood Que Jin had dropped. Que Jin felt a little embarrassed and said softly, looking at Wenren Yi’s neat, clean-cut hair, “Thank you.”

Wenren Yi grunted in acknowledgment. Lin Ganzhi, who was walking ahead, also came over to help. Just as he was about to bend down, he glanced at Lu Xi out of the corner of his eye. Lu Xi’s expression seemed hesitant, but in the end, he said nothing and remained standing where he was.

Lin Ganzhi frowned. When all the firewood was collected, he took a large portion from Que Jin and said, “It’s fine. I’m just walking at the front anyway. Sister Que Jin, you have to pick up things as you go. If you get tired, just let me know. It’s no problem.”

Although he was a weakling, he was very loyal. Besides, carrying a bundle of firewood was manageable.

Wenren Yi also took some, but she was already carrying tonight’s dinner and couldn’t take much. She glanced at Lu Xi, who was doing nothing, and didn’t hold back, letting out a cold snort in his direction.

Lu Xi was taken aback, his head slightly bowed, as if he were about to cry.

The sunlight was no longer as strong as when they had entered. Lin Ganzhi knew time was of the essence, so he had to endure it for now. Finding a water source was the priority.

Not only did he have to follow the compass, but he also had to listen for the sound of flowing water. The temperature began to drop as the sun descended. After another twenty minutes of walking, Lin Ganzhi reached a cliff’s edge. Looking out, the precipice was shrouded in white mist, and the bottom was completely invisible.

“Ganzhi, don’t go any further. It’s a dead end.” The cameraman pointed to the other side of the cliff, where a red sign with a crudely drawn ‘X’ was stuck in the ground.

Everyone: …

“Okay, thank you, Brother Chen,” Lin Ganzhi said politely. The cameraman’s surname was Chen, and he had been filming them since the last episode, so their relationship was pretty good. They were fine, but Brother Chen had been carrying such a heavy camera and following them for nearly an hour and a half. Lin Ganzhi felt a little embarrassed.

“The direction is correct, but we can’t go this way, so we’ll have to take a detour,” Lin Ganzhi said.

No one had any objections and followed Lin Ganzhi as he turned a corner. Lu Xi, who was trailing behind, suddenly let out a soft grunt. Que Jin turned back to look at him and, as a senior, asked, “Lu Xi, what’s wrong?”

Just as Lu Xi was about to say something, Wenren Yi also looked over, her eyes filled with disdain and impatience.

Lu Xi pursed his lips, a stubborn look on his face. “It’s nothing! Let’s just keep walking.”

Only then did Wenren Yi turn back, satisfied. Que Jin wanted to say more, but she knew that causing trouble at this time, given Director Fang’s personality, would mean they would definitely suffer tonight. She could only turn back and follow the team.

After another fifteen minutes of walking through what still seemed like an endless jungle, Lin Ganzhi finally stopped. He turned around, his fair face now covered in glistening beads of sweat, his eyes heavy with an almost ripe exhaustion. The air seemed to be filled with a bitter, salty scent.

Wenren Yi saw Lin Ganzhi’s expression and knew there was no hope of finding water tonight. Although she was a little disappointed, she also understood that they were, after all, just ordinary people. How could they possibly find a water source as soon as they entered the rainforest like professionals? Seeing the faint apology in Lin Ganzhi’s expression, she walked up and patted his shoulder. “Forget it. Let’s stick to the original plan and find an open space to set up camp. The rainforest is huge, it’s normal not to find water within an hour.”

Lin Ganzhi nodded and took some of the new firewood Que Jin had just collected. “Yeah, let’s find an open space first. Good thing we scammed some food from the director earlier, otherwise we’d have no energy now.” Lin Ganzhi let out a long sigh, a faint smile on his face.

Wenren Yi and Que Jin knew Lin Ganzhi was saying this to lighten their mood. Even though their luck wasn’t great today, they felt a little more at ease.

The group rested for five or six minutes before preparing to set off again.

“You guys go on, I’m not going,” Lu Xi, standing at the back, said, causing the recently calmed emotions to erupt completely.

Wenren Yi had put up with Lu Xi all day. She had never been an easygoing person; it was only because she had met two god-sent teammates in Lin Ganzhi and Que Jin that she had appeared so amiable on the show. But now, even Que Jin couldn’t stop her.

“I’m telling you, if you don’t want to be on this show, you can get lost. There’s no need to be a pain in our side. In this huge rainforest, the three of us have been walking for almost two hours carrying so much stuff without a single complaint. You, a freeloader with empty hands, do nothing but make sarcastic and discouraging remarks. Fine! The production team didn’t say you can’t quit! Go ahead and quit, don’t hold us back. I’ve had enough!” Wenren Yi said, kicking a dead log at her side.

The log bounced off a large tree, and suddenly there was a hissing sound. Then, something shot up and lunged towards Lu Xi.

This was an accident no one had anticipated. Lu Xi’s eyes widened, and he froze on the spot, fear rooting him to the ground. His mind, in a daze, was ridiculously wondering why a piece of dead wood could suddenly become so long and make a hissing sound.

Lin Ganzhi, standing not far away, reacted the fastest. He pulled a piece of wood as thick as a baby’s arm from his stash, swiftly intercepted the venomous snake in mid-air, and then, while the snake was still stunned, flung it far away, log and all.

“What are you waiting for? Run!” Lin Ganzhi shouted, grabbing his firewood.

The remaining three people, including the cameraman, started running for their lives. As they ran, goosebumps erupted all over their bodies. They were about to faint from fear, okay?!!!

While they were in the midst of a great escape from death, Qi Yushuo’s team was the complete opposite. They had set up their tent, caught several fish, and were even preparing to start a fire. Zhong Jingyi was pulling Luan Yuanzhou along, finding the time to show off their affection in the perilous rainforest.

[Damn, what a huge gap. If I were on Lin Ganzhi’s team, I’d be crying.]

[Wuwuwu, can any expert tell us what kind of snake that was? It scared me to death!]

[Holy crap, was that real or special effects? Lin Ganzhi is so awesome! A hundred-percent success rate of catching a venomous snake with a log!]

[Toss it and run, Ganzhi knows when to advance and when to retreat!]

[Is the production team playing this rough? A real snake! You can tell it’s venomous just by looking at it!]

Watching the live stream at home, Yan Shengping’s eyes were terrifyingly dark. Even Uncle Yan, who came in to deliver coffee, was startled by the low pressure in the room. But he was also worried. “Sir, about Ganzhi’s show…”

“This is his own choice,” Yan Shengping said, his thick eyelashes casting a heavy shadow. “If I interfere rashly, he’ll be unhappy.”

Uncle Yan put down the coffee, slowly coming to agree. But when he looked down, he saw that Yan Shengping’s hand, hidden under the table, was trembling. Yan Shengping also noticed Uncle Yan’s gaze and clasped his hands together tightly, his knuckles turning white. But at least the trembling stopped.

“Uncle Yan, I have a video conference. It’s getting late, you should go rest too,” Yan Shengping said with his eyes closed. In reality, they had just finished dinner not long ago.

Uncle Yan knew he couldn’t comfort Yan Shengping, so he could only sigh, agree, and leave early.

Only after the door closed did Yan Shengping unclasp his hands, but they still trembled uncontrollably. He took out his phone and called Secretary Lian. “Hello, get in touch with the investors and director of Lin Ganzhi’s current show. Tonight, before midnight—no, before ten o’clock, send our people into the rainforest for protection.”

“And, if they ask,” Secretary Lian inquired.

“Didn’t Lin Ganzhi’s wealthy fans trend? Just use that identity,” the CEO said in a deep voice, completely unaware that his cover had already been blown.

Secretary Lian hung up and immediately went to work. Yan Shengping’s eyes, however, never left the screen for a second, fixed on the running Lin Ganzhi. Suddenly, he felt a dull ache in his stomach, a pain he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Lin Ganzhi’s group ran for about three or four minutes before stopping, their faces all pale and thoroughly frightened.

Lin Ganzhi subconsciously glanced back. Lu Xi, who was running last, was a short distance behind them. It was now clear that his right foot was injured, and he was limping as he tried to run forward. Just as their eyes were about to meet, Lin Ganzhi quickly looked away, pretending not to see, and asked the other two how they were feeling.

“Holy crap, I really, I didn’t realize that was a snake!” Wenren Yi panted, looking back at Lu Xi. Lu Xi had stopped, standing firmly on both feet, making it impossible to see any problem. His eyes were red again, and he stood to the side, clutching the corner of his shirt without saying a word.

Wenren Yi looked at his expression and felt a new wave of anger rising, but she was in the wrong. “Ahem, about that, I’m sorry. I really didn’t notice it was a snake. I owe you one for this. I…”

“If you hadn’t kicked it, one of us might have been bitten. You don’t owe me anything. I’ll say it again, I’m not going on. You guys go ahead. I’m quitting,” Lu Xi said firmly, his eyes red.

Wenren Yi was stunned. She hadn’t expected Lu Xi to be so stubborn, to just quit like that.

“Then we won’t go on either,” Lin Ganzhi interjected. “This place is quite open. We’ll rest here for the night. Lu Xi, do you choose to rest here, or to quit?” Lin Ganzhi put down the firewood and food in his hands and looked at Lu Xi.

Lu Xi pouted and said nothing, but when Lin Ganzhi looked at him, he felt that if the boy didn’t hold it together, he might burst into tears at any second.

Que Jin seemed to have figured it out too and chose to stay silent, giving Wenren Yi a meaningful look.

Wenren Yi coughed. She wasn’t good at dealing with people with such complex personalities. She just said, “Then I’ll go find some wood to build a shelter.” In the rainforest, dry wood was scarce, but there were plenty of vines and damp wood everywhere.

“Okay, I’ll go with you. Que Jin, here’s the lighter. The task of starting the fire is up to you and Lu Xi.” Lin Ganzhi picked up another sturdy stick and took a lighter from his pocket, handing it to Que Jin.

Lu Xi, who was suddenly called upon, was taken aback and became a little flustered.

Lin Ganzhi didn’t deliberately say anything more to Lu Xi and went with Wenren Yi into the depths of the rainforest. The cameraman filmed here for a while before following them.

Que Jin gathered the firewood. With her previous experience, she skillfully lit a handful of dry grass and placed it in the pile of wood. Suddenly, a hand passed her a thin stick. Noticing Que Jin’s gaze, Lu Xi quickly put down the stick and backed away, putting a large distance between them again.

At that moment, a subtle word came to Que Jin’s mind: Socially anxious?