Chapter 56 – Cowardly but Dares to Speak
The uneasy feeling lingered until Lin Ganzhi entered the rainforest, but the faint sensation quickly dissipated when contrasted with the vastness of the jungle. The two teams walked together for about half an hour, a subtle atmosphere of confrontation hanging in the air.
Lin Ganzhi really disliked this kind of atmosphere, or rather, he really disliked walking with Zhong Jingyi. It seemed that whenever they were in the same space, Zhong Jingyi would treat him as an imaginary enemy, and the occasional provocative glances made his fists clench.
“I… I want to rest for a while. Why don’t you guys go on ahead?” Lu Xi’s pale face might as well have had the words “quit the race” written on it. He was panting heavily, his face turning pale as the rugged terrain drained the last of his stamina.
Zhong Jingyi, of course, couldn’t be bothered with Lu Xi, but he still spoke with false sincerity. “Let’s all walk together. This rainforest is full of dangers, how can we leave you alone!”
Wenren Yi rolled her eyes, ignoring the camera.
“Jingyi, but this is a competition,” Fan Feimiao reminded him honestly, not understanding Zhong Jingyi’s passive-aggressive tone.
“It’s just a competition. How can it be more important than a friend’s health?” Zhong Jingyi frowned.
Huh? They’d known each other for half an hour and were already friends?
Even Lu Xi himself was bewildered, not understanding why this person was suddenly concerned about him. Just a moment ago, during the lottery, he had accidentally caught a glimpse of Zhong Jingyi’s disdainful look. Was it his imagination?
“You guys go ahead. Lu Xi is on our team, and coincidentally, we have a girl on our side who also needs a rest. When you participate in a show, you should follow the rules. This is also about being responsible for your own team,” Lin Ganzhi said seriously, calmly crushing Zhong Jingyi’s little scheme. Nice try. We haven’t even done anything, and you’re already trying to accuse us of disregarding a teammate’s safety. Lin Ganzhi refused to take the bait.
Zhong Jingyi’s expression cracked for a moment, and he was about to argue back.
“Senior, let’s go.” Qi Yushuo, who was at the front with two tents slung over his shoulder, his thin long-sleeved shirt revealing the faint outline of his muscles, turned back and advised calmly. Although he was just a newly debuted rookie, in the unfamiliar and dangerous rainforest, his words sounded more like a superior’s command, filled with a sense of pressure.
Zhong Jingyi gritted his teeth and nodded. Before leaving, he had to add another hypocritical line, “If you feel unwell, you must tell the cameraman immediately.”
Right, as if you’d do anything besides talk.
This was the shared thought of Lin Ganzhi’s team. Watching Zhong Jingyi’s team gradually walk away, Wenren Yi shot Lin Ganzhi a pleased look.
Lin Ganzhi received it calmly and then said, “Lu Xi, we’ll rest for ten minutes, then try to find a water source before the sun sets.”
Lu Xi was like a wilted eggplant, his attitude exceptionally negative. “What if we can’t find one?”
Lin Ganzhi thought seriously for a moment, then said, “Then we won’t have any water to drink tonight.”
Everyone: …
Wenren Yi and Que Jin, who were used to Lin Ganzhi’s ways, weren’t at all concerned about falling behind Zhong Jingyi’s team. They were truly treating this show like a vacation. During their break, they even had the leisure to study the wildflowers on the roadside and the little monkeys leaping through the tall trees in the distance.
Lin Ganzhi, meanwhile, explored the nearby area. The rainforest terrain was mostly rugged and winding, with complex tree roots crisscrossing the ground. Green moss covered the tree trunks, and a slight misstep could cause a fall. The rainforest was extremely rich in species, with both plants and animals thriving. Just in a short walk, Lin Ganzhi had seen no fewer than ten varieties of fungi.
However, Lin Ganzhi was no botanist, so he didn’t dare touch any of these mushrooms. It wasn’t until he saw a type of fern he often saw in the mountains as a child that he dared to pick some. If they couldn’t catch a suitable dinner tonight, they would have to rely on this to fill their stomachs.
The temperature in the rainforest was high, and rainfall was plentiful year-round, so the ferns grew much larger than in ordinary mountain forests. A large one was about as thick as a middle finger and over thirty centimeters long. Lin Ganzhi seemed to have stumbled upon a fern jackpot; after some digging and pulling, he managed to find over thirty of them, so many that he had to pluck leaves from a nearby palm tree to tie them up.
Wenren Yi and Que Jin, who had been leisurely sightseeing, saw this and went over to help, leaving only the emo Lu Xi still being emo in his original spot.
The cameraman captured all the details of Lin Ganzhi digging for ferns, and the live stream chat began to comment cheerfully.
[I don’t get it, is this a food show?]
[Watching Lin Ganzhi dig for ferns made me hungry. I immediately ordered fried chicken and coke!]
[You’re rubbing salt in the wound! Ganzhi is eating grass while you’re eating meat!]
[Hahaha, I had no appetite, but seeing Lin Ganzhi, I feel like I can eat again!]
The bullet comments were filled with unsympathetic mockery. The live stream split into two screens. While Lin Ganzhi’s team was happily gathering wild vegetables, Qi Yushuo on the other side was demonstrating super-strong wilderness survival skills. In less than half an hour, he had led his team to a water source. Then he was finding flint to start a fire and gathering dry grass, looking every bit the seasoned survival expert. Qi Yushuo’s fans were also spamming the chat: “Brother, how many more surprises do you have that we don’t know about!”
[Emmm, I feel like Ganzhi’s team has no hope. And now they have a freeloader with them.]
[Forget it, sister, don’t be discouraged. Think about it, did Ganzhi show any particular desire to win in the last episode? He only won last time by chance because it was a competition for supplies. Others might treat this as a competition, but Ganzhi treats it as a cafeteria. Right now, it’s a four-person all-you-can-eat outdoor buffet show. As long as they’re happy, that’s all that matters!]
[+1, since joining this show, Sister Que Jin is a completely different person. Her smile seems to be glowing! Wuwuwu, thank you Lin Ganzhi, thank you Wenren Yi!]
Due to her previous manager’s issues, Que Jin’s true fans could always spot the exhaustion on her face during activities outside of filming. Once, she even fainted at a movie’s opening ceremony. Fans constantly pleaded with her on her Weibo, but Que Jin’s condition didn’t change, and she even grew more haggard. But since coming here, Que Jin’s complexion, even without makeup, looked much rosier, and her previously bony shoulders and neck had filled out a bit. Because of this, some of Que Jin’s fans had even gone from being anti-fans to fans of Lin Ganzhi.
Of course, among them were some fierce warriors. When Lin Ganzhi was being baselessly slandered by Zhong Jingyi’s fans, they stood up and fought a war of words, fearlessly resisting a thousand-man army with just a few people. This meant that Lin Ganzhi had barely been harassed in the live stream chat during the second episode, because with these capable people, they had never lost a public argument.
After twenty minutes of digging, Lin Ganzhi and his two capable companions emerged with two large bundles of ferns each, looking like they’d had a bountiful harvest. Lu Xi, who had been moping in his spot, was greatly surprised by this sight.
He couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you pulling up so much grass? To feed rabbits?”
His question silenced the other three. Even someone as wealthy as Wenren Yi was defeated by Lu Xi’s words. A person, at the very least, shouldn’t be so naive.
“This is our dinner,” Wenren Yi said, mercilessly shattering Lu Xi’s fantasy.
Lu Xi’s expression changed at her words. His body, which had been leaning against a tree trunk, shot up, and he pointed at the ‘wild grass’ in their hands, his voice cracking. “We’re eating grass for dinner?! Do you know, do you know what this is? Just eating, eating it, what if we get sick? I, I heard there are many poisonous plants in the rainforest. By the time a helicopter gets here, it might not even be able to get us to a hospital before we die!” As he spoke, a sob entered Lu Xi’s voice, and he began to stutter.
This guy’s words were annoying, but he was a real coward. He could even scare himself to tears while talking.
“It’s fine, I ate this when I was a kid,” Lin Ganzhi tried to comfort him.
“You, you ate grass here as a kid? The soil, the soil, isn’t even the same. How can you be sure this isn’t poisonous?” Lu Xi continued to question.
Now, not only the group of three but also the bullet comments were a bit speechless. If you’re so delicate, why did you come here? Zhong Jingyi’s fans, however, finally had a chance to find fault and were dishing out all sorts of cold sarcasm.
At that moment, Yan Shengping, who was still at his desk in front of his computer, glanced at the live stream on his tablet. His left hand tapped rhythmically on the desk. Then, he picked up his phone and called Tian Nini.
“Hello, CEO Yan,” Tian Nini’s voice was enthusiastic. The faint sounds of insects and birds could be heard in the background, just like on Yan Shengping’s end.
“I have a job for you. Find a team to collect everything Zhong Jingyi’s fans have done over the years. Once this episode is over, buy a trending topic for it. If you get it done, your salary this month will be multiplied by five, consider it your bonus.” Yan Shengping’s system of rewards and punishments had always been absolute.
Tian Nini’s voice was clearly much more excited. “Boss, you can count on me!” She just loved how decisive her boss was! But as she thought about it, the boss had really fallen deep this time. After all, there had never been anyone before who had captured CEO Yan’s attention like this. He should probably start preparing a wedding gift. Once the company got past this hurdle, it would be time for a wedding celebration. Ehehe!
But speaking of which, had Ganzhi told CEO Yan not to gift any more money? Why was the boss still gifting so enthusiastically? Was his refusal ineffective? Tian Nini’s mind began to spin a series of wild fantasies.
Back on the show, even though Lin Ganzhi was being polite on camera, he was starting to feel annoyed. Fortunately, before he could open his mouth, his mouthpiece, Wenren Yi, stood up for him. “If you can’t eat it, then don’t. We’re not forcing you.”
Lu Xi didn’t expect to be snapped at, and his eyes reddened. But he still said stubbornly, “Fine, I won’t eat!”
The four of them fell into a momentary, tense silence. It was Que Jin who looked up at the sky and said, “Shouldn’t we find a place to stay? It’ll be bad if it gets dark soon.” This wasn’t like the beach, which was at least open and dry and didn’t have so many bugs. The rainforest at night held many unexpected dangers.
Lin Ganzhi nodded. “Let’s find a water source first, then confirm a place to stay. It might get colder at night, so everyone pick up any dry branches you see along the way. If we can’t find water within an hour, we’ll set up camp first.” After speaking, Lin Ganzhi scanned his surroundings, took out the compass the production team had given each group, and tried to head south.
Along the way, Wenren Yi took on the task of carrying the ferns, allowing Lin Ganzhi to navigate more easily at the front, while Que Jin picked up dry firewood from the roadside.
The air in the rainforest was exceptionally humid, and finding even slightly dry wood was not an easy task. Despite this, the meticulous Que Jin still managed to pick up several pieces. Lu Xi, walking at the very back, moved forward with empty hands, and at an exceptionally slow pace. Lin Ganzhi had to stop every so often to wait for him.
Wenren Yi and Que Jin didn’t say anything, but they were already getting annoyed. Even if they weren’t given someone reliable, they didn’t need to be given such a difficult person. He didn’t help, and he always acted as if everyone owed him something!