Chapter 21 – My Partner Gets Shy
[Hahahahaha, this is straight out of a power-fantasy story! The Big Shot spent money just so we could enjoy this. Finally, someone’s calling out Zhong’s delusional fans.]
[The tables have turned! The tables have turned! I’m so satisfied. Why are certain people’s fans so quiet now?]
[Hahahaha, am I the only one who noticed that the Big Shot’s ID is the default one? Looks like a real-life Big Shot who’s a true fan of Lin Ganzhi has arrived.]
[I don’t care. I was just completely won over by Lin Ganzhi climbing that tree. From now on, I recognize Number 12345 as the fan leader. Whoever the Big Shot can’t stand, I can’t stand either!]
[Honestly, watching up to this point, I feel like only Lin Ganzhi is seriously trying to survive, hahaha.]
[Exactly. I didn’t even understand what Zhong Jingyi was trying to persuade him about earlier. This isn’t some idyllic little drama. That cool young lady just now was my internet mouthpiece!]
***
The young assistant looked at the bullet comments with a troubled expression. Although their show had very little they could control, letting a newcomer steal the spotlight like this would surely get them chewed out by the higher-ups.
Director Fang sensed the assistant’s mood and snorted. “I made it very clear during the meeting what this show is about. Stop worrying about things you shouldn’t and don’t try to create pointless drama for attention. A survival variety show should be a survival variety show. The audience isn’t stupid. You’ll only end up hurting him if you do that.”
The young assistant timidly lowered his head, not expecting the director to have noticed.
Zhuang Wenduan just frowned. He knew his old uncle’s temper and also disliked the petty tricks used on shows. He believed Jingyi had his own considerations and wouldn’t continue to ruin his public image.
Lin Ganzhi quickly climbed down the tree. Just when everyone thought he was going to exchange for supplies, he walked toward another coconut tree.
Fan Feimiao was completely unsettled. Everything that had just happened felt like a big shot had come to slaughter the novice village, and now he was coming back for a second round?
“Lin Ganzhi, you’re going to chop more!” Xiao Bai wailed.
Lin Ganzhi turned back, puzzled. “Yeah. Don’t we need to drink water? We can’t drink seawater.”
As soon as he said that, everyone’s expression changed. That was right, they couldn’t drink seawater. Even if they got sleeping bags tonight, they would still have to get coconuts tomorrow. Otherwise, they’d be baked dry after a week.
Lin Ganzhi climbed four more coconut trees. His seemingly slender body erupted with unprecedented strength. Que Jin and Wenren Yi were in charge of carrying the coconuts. Within twenty minutes, a small mountain of coconuts had piled up next to Lin Ganzhi. The fifteen coconuts used to exchange for a tent looked like a mere fraction of the total, inspiring envy, jealousy, and hatred in the eyes of the other teams.
The live stream chat was even more exaggerated. Number 12345 didn’t stop there. For every coconut Lin Ganzhi collected, he sent a Virtual Battleship, thrilling the onlookers and Lin Ganzhi’s fans. Even Que Jin’s fans joined in the cheering. Their goddess had teamed up with a big shot! With a big shot this awesome, it would be impolite for them to keep cursing him. They all became fans!
Luo Tingzhou’s team hadn’t had any friction with Lin Ganzhi. Qi Lan, the only woman on their team, stepped forward. “Ganzhi, can we exchange supplies with you in advance?”
Lin Ganzhi didn’t refuse immediately, which meant there was a chance.
Qi Lan’s eyes lit up, and she prepared to negotiate further.
“Teams cannot exchange supplies with each other. You are in a competitive relationship!” Director Fang shouted.
This made the other two teams’ expressions freeze completely. Fan Feimiao let out a wail of despair.
Lin Ganzhi blinked. Although he felt a bit bad for Luo Tingzhou’s team, it meant he could justifiably refuse to give his resources to Zhong Jingyi’s group. The light in Lin Ganzhi’s eyes grew brighter. However, the little drama queen still put on a very regretful expression and even generously taught them how to climb the trees.
Yan Shengping saw all of this.
Hmph, he’s obviously so happy but he’s still putting on an act, just like a silly fox in rabbit’s clothing.
An hour later, the three of them had set up their tent. There was only half an hour left until the live stream ended. The trio ate five coconuts—the two women had one each, and Lin Ganzhi ate three.
They remembered that not long ago, Lin Ganzhi had single-handedly cleared half a table of food.
No wonder his survival skills were so extraordinary. He must be driven by a powerful stomach. Hardship truly makes one grow!
The two women’s gazes toward Lin Ganzhi gradually became complex and profound.
Lin Ganzhi, who was breaking open a coconut to eat the last piece of flesh, was bewildered. ???
Meanwhile, the bullet comments were frantically spamming “I get it.”
With Lin Ganzhi’s demonstration, the others, who had been somewhat lazy, quickly got back into the swing of things. Since it was a competition, there was no need for everyone to stay in one place. Each group moved a good distance away to discuss their plans.
Director Fang finally showed a satisfied smile.
Competition really brings out the beast in people!
“Cameraman, how much time is left in the live stream?” Lin Ganzhi asked after finishing the last bite of coconut flesh. He scurried to the seaside and used the incoming waves to wash his hands, scrubbing them thoroughly inside and out.
“Fifteen minutes left.” The cameraman following Lin Ganzhi’s group had a round face and a particularly kind smile that put people at ease.
After washing his hands, Lin Ganzhi hurriedly collected the leftover coconut shells.
Wenren Yi was sitting half-inside the tent. “Ganzhi, what are you doing?”
“Have you heard of the story of Lighting a Beacon to Fool the Vassals?” Lin Ganzhi asked with a profound expression.
Wenren Yi’s expression froze for a second, then she had a realization. “Are you trying to make us laugh?”
…
Pfft! Que Jin’s shoulders trembled. It had been a long time since she had been this happy.
Lin Ganzhi had finally met someone with an even wilder imagination than his own. Why did he suddenly feel like he understood what Yan Shengping went through every day?
“My point is the beacon! The signal!” Lin Ganzhi declared, full of spirit. His hands didn’t stop moving as he continued to arrange the coconut shells.
Curious, the two women moved closer.
Que Jin watched for a long time, quickly searching her mind for a term that could best describe Lin Ganzhi’s puzzle-making talent. “Ganzhi, did you piece together a chicken leg?”
“I think at best, it’s just broken chicken pieces!” Wenren Yi analyzed seriously.
Lin Ganzhi listened to their answers in a daze, like a little pink-haired boy who had lost his dreams.
The cameraman sympathized with Lin Ganzhi for a full three seconds before mercilessly broadcasting the “broken chicken pieces of a chicken leg” puzzle to the live stream.
The live stream immediately erupted with “hahahaha.”
[I’ll bet you five cents it’s a polygon. It can’t look like anything else.]
[Friend above, be more specific. It’s an irregular quadrilateral!]
[Am I the only one who thinks Wenren Yi’s description is perfect? Broken chicken pieces can be any shape.]
[Hahahaha, the comment above is so savage!]
[Am I the only one who thinks the light has gone out of Baby Gan’s eyes? Hahahaha.]
***
As Lin Ganzhi’s newly sworn brother, Wenren Yi patted his shoulder comfortingly. “Come on, Ganzhi, give us a hint. Just a tiny hint will be enough for me to see the light.”
The light returned to Lin Ganzhi’s eyes!
He spoke a little shyly, “This is for my partner~”
“Uh, is giving your partner broken chicken pieces a thing now?” Wenren Yi blurted out.
Lin Ganzhi was about to cry from frustration right then and there!
“It’s a heart!”
But as soon as the words were out, the atmosphere turned a bit strange.
Wenren Yi turned her face away, trying so hard to hold back her laughter that she was about to burst into tears.
The only one with a conscience left, Que Jin, stepped forward and secretly adjusted the position of the coconut shells for Lin Ganzhi. “Ganzhi, you can also write something you want to say to him inside your heart.”
Lin Ganzhi’s eyes lit up. His chubby-cheeked face tilted up slightly as he painstakingly wrote three letters with a small wooden stick: YSP.
“Is that all?” Que Jin confirmed.
Lin Ganzhi smiled shyly. “I’m afraid my partner will get shy if I write too much~”
A partner who gets shy. Yan Shengping snapped a pencil in half with one hand. His brows were tightly furrowed, yet the corners of his mouth curled up into a terrifying smile.
Very good, Lin Ganzhi. You’d better not come back!