The livestream chat was on the verge of tears after hearing the story.
[Waaah… Xiao Song had it so hard back then! ]
[It’s true. Back then, so many people demanded that Xiao Song leave the group. Seriously, people throw out hurtful comments so casually without realizing they can completely destroy a kid’s life. Thank goodness Xiao Song met Shen Wanwan back then!]
[I know which performance that was! My God, Xiao Song was only thirteen. The people who said those things were absolutely awful.]
[So Wanwan was eighteen back then? An eighteen-year-old Wanwan already had that much charisma?! AHHH!]
Shen Wanwan, however, still had no recollection of it.
Her response remained calm, “Mm.”
Zhang Song slowly clenched the fingers he had spread open and said solemnly, “Sister… this time, I won’t let you forget me again.”
Meanwhile, the trending topics had completely exploded:
#Shao Yuye and Qi Luozhou’s ‘Rivals’ CP#
#The Big Gift Two Top Superstars Gave Zhang Song#
#Zhang Song Chooses Shen Wanwan, Shao Yuye’s World Collapses#
#The Story Between Zhang Song and Shen Wanwan#
The livestream comments continued flooding across the screen.
At home, Su Tingxuan sat on his sofa watching everything unfold on television. Jealousy practically overflowed from his face.
He hadn’t withdrawn from the show voluntarily at all!
It was Zhang Song, that little brat, who had forced him out!
The kid looked innocent and harmless on the outside, but inside he was downright ruthless.
Only eighteen years old, yet he had spoken with astonishing confidence:
“So, are you going to withdraw with your dignity intact? Or should I expose all your dirty secrets and let the whole internet curse you until you’re forced to quit?”
Su Tingxuan ground his teeth in fury.
But there was nothing he could do.
Zhang Song had a whole stack of photos proving he had been living off rich women, as well as pictures of him kneeling before Shen Wanwan.
His family’s finances were in serious trouble. He desperately needed to make money through his fame in the entertainment industry. If those scandals came out, his last chance to turn things around would disappear completely.
In the end, he could only grit his teeth and withdraw from the competition.
Originally, he could have been partnered with Shen Wanwan.
What a perfect opportunity that would have been.
He knew what she was like.
She looked cold and unyielding, but deep down she was the softest-hearted person.
But there was no point dwelling on it now.
With a helpless sigh, Su Tingxuan opened Bai Ling and Shao Yuye’s exclusive livestream.
Shao Yuye was still full of fighting spirit, determined to clear the stages as quickly as possible so he could swap Zhang Song out.
Bai Ling, meanwhile, quietly stayed by his side, doing her best to show only her good side.
After her previous public embarrassment, she had finally realized that she needed to rebuild her positive image.
There was no rushing this.
She knew victory was Shao Yuye’s top priority, so she settled into a supporting role and worked alongside him.
She had never cultivated a delicate, helpless persona.
The first level was collecting flags on trampolines.
Shao Yuye immediately stepped forward. He usually handled tasks like this himself.
But Bai Ling stopped him.
“How about I do it?”
Shao Yuye glanced at her slender frame.
“You sure you can?”
“Mhm.” She smiled, “I’m a tomboy.”
The staff helped her put on the safety gear and finished the adjustments.
Standing on the trampoline, Bai Ling pushed off hard with both feet, launching herself high into the air.
Shao Yuye watched from below as she repeatedly jumped for the red flags. Whenever she missed one, she didn’t get discouraged. She simply kept trying until she had collected all the flags around her.
They cleared the stage.
The comments immediately filled with praise.
[Wow, Bai Ling’s actually pretty capable!]
[She may look gentle and refined, but she’s definitely not playing the weak-girl role!]
When she stepped off the trampoline, the rebound force threw her slightly off balance.
Shao Yuye instinctively reached out to steady her.
“Careful.”
Before the audience could start criticizing them, Bai Ling quickly pushed his hand away.
“I’m fine.”
Shao Yuye didn’t think much of it and casually stepped back.
As a result, he failed to notice the slight frown on her face or the quiet hiss of pain that escaped her lips.
She hadn’t finished acting yet.
But Shao Yuye had already walked over to the giant spinning wheel challenge.
Bai Ling: “…” Is there something wrong with him?
Just because she said she was fine, he believed her?
Shouldn’t he have looked closer? Noticed the subtle expression on her face? Seen through her brave facade and realized she was enduring the pain?
Shao Yuye was such a blockhead!
Forget it.
The priority now was restoring her reputation.
During the second and third challenges, Bai Ling used the same strategy.
Whenever she couldn’t participate directly, she cheered Shao Yuye on from the sidelines.
And every time he won with overwhelming speed, she praised him generously.
After all, no one disliked being complimented.
Although Shao Yuye had previously been dissatisfied with her, as the saying goes, you don’t slap a smiling face. He merely gave a cool nod.
“Let’s go.”
Judging from his attitude, Bai Ling knew he was beginning to soften toward her.
—There was still plenty of time ahead.
Bai Ling had a feeling that, in just a few more days, the reputation she had lost would gradually recover.
By the end of the morning, the audience’s opinion of her had indeed begun to improve.
Her agency’s paid commenters also seized the opportunity to help rehabilitate her image:
[Maybe Bai Ling really didn’t do it on purpose before.]
[She seems so gentle, like the kind of person who comforts others, but maybe she’s carrying a lot of pain inside that she can’t talk about.]
[To be fair, if Bai Ling really wasn’t acting intentionally last time, she and Brother Ye actually look pretty good together…]
Of course, the ‘Yu Yu’s immediately snuffed that idea out.
[Don’t drag our Brother Ye into shipping if you’re trying to clear her name, okay?! ]
[Our idol is single. Don’t cue him. We’ll sink every CP ship that comes our way!]
[If Miss Bai just wants to be normal partners, we’ll happily watch. But if she’s still thinking about CP, she’d better give up now!]
Bai Ling’s manager: …Damn it.
These fans are completely impossible to sway!
This episode’s prize wheel no longer gave out Speed Tokens or prop cards.
Instead, every slot contained different ingredients.
Their team had cleared the challenges the fastest, so by lunchtime they had collected very few staple foods but quite a lot of fruit.
At that moment, the director announced, “Your lunch will be whatever ingredients you’ve collected. You’ll have to prepare it yourselves!”
Bai Ling looked at the pile of fruit she and Shao Yuye were holding.
The only thing that could actually fill their stomachs was a single self-heating hot pot.
Meanwhile, the richest team by far was Qi Luozhou and Jin Xiaoyu’s.
Their hands were full of proper cooking ingredients.
Jiang Yuan and Zhang Yiran had a fairly even mix of fruit and vegetables.
As for Shen Wanwan and Zhang Song… they had no ingredients at all.
The moment Shao Yuye saw the two of them empty-handed, he immediately became anxious.
—Damn it!
—That brat Zhang Song… don’t tell me he’s going to let my little sister go hungry and miserable!
Jin Xiaoyu quietly asked, “God Zhou, we have the most ingredients. Should we give Shen Wanwan some?”
After all, they were on a deserted island, where survival conditions were much harsher than usual.
Everyone should help each other out.
Unexpectedly, Qi Luozhou shook his head.
He didn’t even glance in Shen Wanwan’s direction.
A faint smile rested on his lips.
“She doesn’t need our charity.”
Jin Xiaoyu looked at him in confusion.
—What’s with that?
—Why does God Zhou sound… proud? Even admiring?
They had only been partners for a single episode.
Did he already have that much confidence in Shen Wanwan?
Meanwhile, viewers who hadn’t watched Shen Wanwan and Zhang Song’s entire challenge were equally confused.
[Wait… don’t tell me they didn’t clear a single stage?]
[Is Shen Wanwan going to go hungry?]
Those who had watched the whole thing merely smiled knowingly.
[Of course not!]
[You’re seriously underestimating this team. She’s Shen Wanwan, after all!]
Completely unaware of all this, Bai Ling secretly rejoiced.
She immediately picked up her fruit and walked over to Shen Wanwan and Zhang Song.
“Wanwan, I saw you two didn’t get anything. Here, have these fruits. At least they’ll fill your stomachs.”
This would not only show how considerate she was, but also appeal to Shao Yuye’s siscon nature.
Before Shen Wanwan could respond, Zhang Song spoke first.
“Sister Bai Ling, it’s so cold today. If we eat such cold fruit… won’t we get diarrhea?”
Shen Wanwan shot him an amused glance.
Bai Ling froze.
“…I don’t think so?”
With a completely serious expression, Zhang Song replied, “My stomach isn’t very good. I can’t eat raw food.”
As he spoke, his eyes landed on the self-heating hot pot Bai Ling had deliberately kept.
He immediately pointed at it.
“Sister Bai Ling, if you really want to help us… I’d like that one.”
Bai Ling: “!”
—You really know how to pick, don’t you?!
—If I give you that, what are we supposed to eat?
She instantly found herself in an impossible position.
“Xiao Song…”
“Sister Bai Ling, it’s okay if you don’t want to.”
Zhang Song fiddled with his fingers.
“It’s really fine. You don’t have to give us the fruit either. We have something to eat.”
Bai Ling wore an awkward expression.
She absolutely didn’t want to give it away.
She clutched the self-heating hot pot, hesitating for a long while.
“No, Xiao Song. Of course I’d like to give it to you…”
Before she could utter the inevitable “but…”
Shao Yuye had already swiftly snatched the self-heating hot pot from her hands and tossed it into Zhang Song’s arms.
“Take it, take it!”
—Your Brother is treating you!
Even though he couldn’t stand the kid… he couldn’t let his little sister go hungry.
Bai Ling: “!”
—Then what about us?!
—Are we supposed to starve?
—If eating cold fruit upsets his stomach, ours won’t?!
She stared at Shao Yuye in disbelief.
…Shao Yuye stood there in the wind, looking utterly righteous.
He genuinely looked like a man who was perfectly willing to survive on nothing but air, as long as it meant his little sister wouldn’t go hungry.