Chapter 64 – Competition
The next day, Lin Ganzhi woke up early. A lazy salted fish deciding to start competing intensely was truly exhausting. However, when he emerged from the shelter, Brother Chen and the other cameraman were already outside, their cameras aimed at Qi Yushuo, who was in the river catching fish.
This was how a King of the Grind was made.
He had been too confident. Qi Yushuo was definitely more of a grinder than he had ever been.
“Uh, morning!” Lin Ganzhi greeted, then rolled up his pants, ready to get into the water to prepare breakfast for his teammates.
Qi Yushuo looked up, a sharp stick in his hand. His cold, hard features softened as he returned the greeting. “Morning to you too.”
Lin Ganzhi smiled, his gaze falling on a pile of rocks and sticks on the bank. After yesterday’s storm, Qi Yushuo’s team’s only resource, their tent, had been blown to pieces. Having lost their sole advantage, they now had to build temporary shelters every day and find a way to start a fire, unlike his team, which had one ready.
However, looking at the pile of rocks and wood, Lin Ganzhi felt his worry was unnecessary. No matter what his teammates were like, it didn’t affect this King of the Grind’s competitive pace at all.
Qi Yushuo’s peripheral vision caught Lin Ganzhi taking off his shoes, revealing his fair ankles and toes tinged with a faint pink. As the pant legs were rolled up bit by bit, he could see that the hair on his legs was sparse, unlike most guys, barely noticeable in the sunlight. The calves, where muscles most easily develop, were also surprisingly slender.
Lin Ganzhi, completely unconcerned about the grass clippings on the ground, stepped onto them freely after taking off his shoes. The blend of white, pink, and green was like an oil painting.
Before entering the water, Lin Ganzhi glanced at Qi Yushuo, who hastily averted his gaze, pretending to be focused on the murky water surface. Lin Ganzhi frowned for a moment but didn’t pay it much mind.
He entered the water with a splash.
The river was still murky after last night’s storm. Lin Ganzhi picked up his fish spear but was at a loss, as he couldn’t see anything at all.
Not far away, Qi Yushuo held his spear and moved around gently. Every ten seconds or so, he would violently thrust the spear into the water. After repeating this a dozen times, a splash of red suddenly appeared in the water around him. He then pulled out a large fish speared on his stick. The fish was still struggling wildly, but Qi Yushuo slammed it against a rock on the bank, and it was instantly knocked unconscious.
Lin Ganzhi couldn’t help but admire the whole process, but it also made him give up on his original method. He tossed the fish spear back onto the bank.
“You’re not catching fish anymore?” Qi Yushuo asked, a rare initiative. He was already thinking about how to discreetly give Lin Ganzhi a fish later.
“I am. It’s just easier to use my hands,” Lin Ganzhi said.
Qi Yushuo frowned, not quite understanding what Lin Ganzhi was planning to do.
Lin Ganzhi bent down, his eyes unusually bright. After sensing the water for a couple of seconds, he plunged both hands into it. He didn’t use much force with his hands, but with a powerful slap of his arms, two fat fish flew onto the bank, flapping their bodies wildly. Lin Ganzhi went ashore and knocked them out with a stick.
After finishing, Lin Ganzhi looked back at Qi Yushuo as if showing off, his expression brilliant and his gaze fervent.
Qi Yushuo’s long, narrow eyes squinted slightly, like a young leopard poised to strike. His competitive spirit was practically written all over his face.
“Clink.” Yan Shengping put down his teacup. The sound of it hitting the saucer was a note higher and crisper than usual.
Uncle Yan, who was watching the show, turned to look at Yan Shengping, thinking the tea wasn’t to his liking. “Sir, what’s wrong?”
Yan Shengping withdrew his gaze and looked at the tea leaf tip standing vertically in the cup. He paused for a moment before saying, “At first, I thought the tea was too hot and wanted to wait until it was just right before drinking. But I accidentally waited too long, and now it’s a bit cool.”
Uncle Yan smiled, finding it rare to see his master willing to say such a long sentence. “You can’t eat hot tofu if you’re impatient, but you also can’t be too careless and miss the right temperature for the tea. Sir, let me get you a new cup.”
Yan Shengping stood up and gently pressed Uncle Yan back down. His voice was low and easygoing. “It’s fine. It was my oversight. Uncle Yan, you keep watching. I’ll get it myself.” Yan Shengping left the sofa area, his gaze falling on the small vegetable patch outside the glass window. The small seedlings inside were growing vigorously, showing a resilience he hadn’t anticipated.
He had underestimated the Silly Fox. He wasn’t silly at all; he was quite clever.
***
When Wenren Yi woke up and saw everything on the bank, she subconsciously cursed, completely unaware that the camera was still rolling.
Next door, Luan Yuanzhou’s group was also up. His head was wrapped in a layer of white gauze, but his complexion was rosy, indicating it was just a minor flesh wound. He, too, was somewhat shocked by the scene before him.
Fan Feimiao asked in surprise, “Uh, Qi Yushuo, did you do all this?”
Qi Yushuo was sitting by the fire, with several large, golden-brown roasted fish resting on a banana leaf at his feet. Lin Ganzhi’s side was the same, but they also had a few shrimp and ferns. The smell alone was enough to make one hungry.
Luan Yuanzhou looked at Qi Yushuo’s unperturbed expression and felt a sense of shame. He pulled Zhong Jingyi along and said thank you.
Fan Feimiao was quick to act. He had already sat down opposite Qi Yushuo and was spearing a roasted fish with a stick. “Qi Yushuo, I think you’re perfect for a show like this. I never thought of using a stick from the wild to pick up food before. Oh my god, I’ve sacrificed so much for this show!” Fan Feimiao lamented with self-pity, taking a large bite of the roasted fish as he spoke.
“Mmm! It tastes pretty good! Jingyi, Yuanzhou, you guys try it too,” Fan Feimiao beckoned.
Qi Yushuo ignored Fan Feimiao and quietly roasted his fish. Luan Yuanzhou quickly took over the task from Qi Yushuo, showing his intention to make amends, but his teammate was a bit of a lost cause.
In contrast, there was much more interaction on Lin Ganzhi’s side.
“Ganzhi baby! You’re my angel!” Wenren Yi cloyingly tried to give Lin Ganzhi a hug, only to be pushed away with great disdain.
Que Jin and the newly awakened Lu Xi saw this and quickly came over to help. They only started eating after Lin Ganzhi had taken his first bite.
“Ganzhi, it’s… it’s salty!” Lu Xi was so moved he almost cried. How could it be so delicious!
“If it’s good, then eat more.” After teaching Lu Xi a lesson yesterday, Lin Ganzhi was much gentler today. This kid had a stomach like his, so Lin Ganzhi had intentionally caught a few extra fish.
Lu Xi obediently dug in.
Wenren Yi leaned close to Lin Ganzhi and suddenly asked, “What’s going on? Is our little salted fish starting to compete?”
Wenren Yi knew him best. Lin Ganzhi gave her a sidelong glance without changing his expression and said haughtily, “Competing once in a while is good for your health.” He wanted to make Qi Yushuo feel more involved, but Lin Ganzhi didn’t have the right to change his teammates. Their team was originally just for fun, so he could only change himself. If he did more, his teammates would be happy, and Qi Yushuo wouldn’t be left out. It was a win-win.
Lin Ganzhi thought happily to himself, deciding that when he got back, he would definitely reward himself with a super expensive buffet to praise his own cleverness!
“Hmph, I’m all for you competing. It’s great to have food ready when you wake up in the morning. But I’ll carry more of the stuff on the road later. I can’t let you get so tired all by yourself,” Wenren Yi said seriously after her joke.
Lin Ganzhi didn’t stand on ceremony and readily agreed.
[I’m just now realizing what a piece of work Fan Feimiao is.]
[Seconded. Qi Yushuo worked hard all morning, and he just says that? It’s disgusting to listen to!]
[Ahhh, I just want to watch my brother’s super cool survival life, not watch some bastard!]
[Can they just edit out all of Qi Yushuo’s teammates except for Luan Yuanzhou? They’re so annoying to watch!]
[I’m really curious how Luan Yuanzhou fell for Zhong Jingyi. I haven’t seen him use his brain once on the show. He’s so two-faced!]
[Lin Ganzhi and Qi Yushuo looked pretty good together this morning. Both are good-looking. Just watching them catch fish is a treat~]
[I feel like something’s off. Are Lin Ganzhi and Qi Yushuo competing with each other? I have a blind guess that the tone is about to change.]
As it turned out, the bullet comment’s prediction was correct.
Lin Ganzhi officially began his days of head-to-head competition with Qi Yushuo.
Both teams followed the river, but since Lin Ganzhi’s group wasn’t concerned with speed, and Qi Yushuo’s team had Fan Feimiao and the delicate Zhong Jingyi, their pace was also slow. The two teams were practically in sync.
Lin Ganzhi’s reaction speed was quite remarkable. One morning, when a rabbit darted past, he grabbed it by the scruff of its neck without even blinking. To Fan Feimiao’s envious gaze, he and his teammates had rabbit meat for lunch.
That afternoon, Qi Yushuo followed a small path for a while and completely cleared out a rabbit warren. That night, they ate the entire rabbit family.
In the orange-red glow of the campfire, Qi Yushuo’s somewhat unrestrained expression completely provoked Wenren Yi. Wenren Yi herself had a strong competitive streak; she just hadn’t taken this show seriously as a competition before. Now, with Qi Yushuo, her perspective had completely changed.
In other words, Qi Yushuo’s actions made Wenren Yi feel like she finally had a rival.
And so, Wenren Yi dragged Lin Ganzhi to make two simple bows overnight for hunting.
At first, Lin Ganzhi was a little hesitant. “I… I’ve never used a bow before.”
Wenren Yi had been in an archery club for a semester in college and was almost chosen as the club president. But then Luo Tingzhou found out, stormed into her school, gave her a lecture, and she ended up quitting the club at the end of the semester. She confidently patted Lin Ganzhi’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll teach you the basics. As I see it, the bow is absolutely your fated weapon. You’ll be stomping Qi Yushuo under your feet in minutes!”
Although Wenren Yi’s words were usually a bit unreliable, she was right this time. When Lin Ganzhi drew the bow and aimed at a rabbit more than ten meters away, he was as calm as a seasoned pro. The sharpened wooden arrow pierced the whistling wind and accurately pinned a gray rabbit.
The moment Lin Ganzhi, with his slender and upright figure, slowly lowered the bow in the deep forest, he instantly became a god on the internet!
This made even Zhuang Wenduan, who had been staring at the screen, stand up in shock. The joy on his face surprised even Director Fang, who was beside him. Zhuang Wenduan hadn’t been this impressed even when he first saw Zhong Jingyi, had he?