“It’s okay, you guys keep them and eat them yourselves.”
At that moment, Shen Wanwan finally spoke up considerately.
Bai Ling had suffered at Shen Wanwan’s hands before. Remembering the lesson of the Hot Spring Pass incident, she didn’t dare beat around the bush this time and agreed immediately.
“Alright then. I’m really sorry, Wanwan.”
Shao Yuye froze for a moment and turned to look at Bai Ling.
When Bai Ling had said she was willing to give it to them earlier, he’d thought she genuinely meant it.
The livestream comments immediately started buzzing about Bai Ling’s behavior.
[If you didn’t want to give it away, you could’ve just refused from the start… Why say you’re willing and then act so reluctant?]
[Exactly! I hate dealing with people like Bai Ling. She always says the polite thing, but you never know what’s real and what’s just for show. I’d rather people be straightforward. if you want to give it, give it. If you don’t, then don’t. Nobody’s going to blame you.]
[I don’t think Bai Ling did anything wrong. She never planned on giving away her self-heating hot pot in the first place. She’s not a saint who doesn’t need to eat. If she and Shao Yuye gave it away, what would they eat? Zhang Song is the one with no sense of boundaries! Someone offers him something and he still nitpicks. That’s so annoying.]
The comments instantly split into two camps and began arguing.
Since that was Bai Ling’s attitude, Shao Yuye didn’t say anything else. Instead, he turned toward the production crew.
“Can we buy lunch?”
The director shook his head.
“No.”
Shao Yuye glanced at Jiang Yuan and Zhang Yiran. Their ingredients weren’t plentiful either, not even enough to satisfy two young men’s appetites.
Among everyone present, only Qi Luozhou and Jin Xiaoyu were truly well-stocked…
[If I’m guessing right, is Brother Ye about to ask God Zhou to lend them some ingredients?]
[For his little sister, Brother Ye is willing to go this far… I’m declaring it now! He’s the best Brother in the world, and I won’t accept any objections!]
[Hahaha, Wanwan, hurry up and tell your brother the truth!]
Just as Shao Yuye was about to speak to Qi Luozhou, Shen Wanwan suddenly said, “Let’s eat together.”
Shao Yuye nodded as though it were only natural.
Bai Ling, however, felt her heart sink. Something didn’t seem right.
From the very beginning, Shen Wanwan had been unusually calm, showing no concern whatsoever about going hungry.
Could that mean… she had plenty of ingredients herself?
Countless thoughts raced through Bai Ling’s mind when she heard Shen Wanwan continue,
“Bai Ling, you should join us too.”
Assuming Shen Wanwan really had lots of food, Bai Ling accepted without hesitation.
“Sure.” She set down the self-heating hot pot in her hands and rubbed them together awkwardly, “I hope I won’t be troubling you…”
Standing nearby with his arms folded, Zhang Song remarked dryly, “If you think it’ll be a bother, then don’t.”
Bai Ling’s face immediately turned green with embarrassment, and she froze where she stood.
The livestream comments exploded once again.
[Seriously? What’s wrong with Zhang Song? Bai Ling only took back her self-heating hot pot. Why is he being so petty?]
[Zhang Song is such a turn-off. Ugh!]
[Xiao Song isn’t usually like this. Did Bai Ling have some kind of conflict with him before?]
[Yeah! Shen Wanwan only said a few words to Xiao Song before, and he’s still grateful for it now. He must have some history with Bai Ling for him to act like this.]
[Even so… every time Zhang Song roasts Bai Ling, it’s so satisfying.]
[Every time Bai Ling acts concerned about someone, she always makes a point of describing how pitiful their situation is first. Just now, when she brought Wanwan fruit, she specifically said they had nothing before offering it, as if she wanted to emphasize how kind she was.]
[Come on, are we policing every word people say now? Then how should she have phrased it? “Please, I’m begging you, eat these fruits”?]
Apparently stung by Zhang Song’s words, Bai Ling bit her lip and said dejectedly, “Wanwan, thank you for your kindness, but… I’ll just eat my self-heating hot pot.”
Shen Wanwan remained expressionless and simply confirmed, “Really?”
At that very moment, several staff members finally wheeled over the ingredients Shen Wanwan and Zhang Song had won—
An entire tricycle cart was piled to the brim.
There were fruits, fresh ingredients, even a cooking pot and firewood.
[That much?! Were Shen Wanwan and Zhang Song messing with Bai Ling? They had so many ingredients, yet they still accepted Bai Ling’s self-heating hot pot?]
[But Wanwan kept saying she didn’t want it. And she even invited Bai Ling to eat with them. How are people still trying to criticize her?]
Bai Ling silently swallowed.
Pretending to stay strong, she replied, “…Really.”
Originally, she’d assumed Shen Wanwan would persuade her a little longer.
Normally, anyone who noticed she was upset would comfort her a few more times, giving her the perfect opportunity to gracefully accept the invitation.
But before that could happen, Jin Xiaoyu excitedly exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, Wanwan! You guys won so many ingredients! How did you manage that?”
Shen Wanwan’s attention shifted instantly.
“Double Card.”
Jin Xiaoyu sounded even more excited.
“Ah! Just like God Zhou!”
The reason they had ended up with such an abundance of ingredients was because God Zhou had also used a Double Card.
“You two are so in sync!”
The ‘WanZhou’ shippers immediately erupted.
[Jin Xiaoyu just said exactly what I was thinking!]
[I’m shipping them so hard! Even on different teams, they’re unbelievably in sync!!]
“Really?”
As Shen Wanwan looked up at Qi Luozhou, he looked back at her.
His peach blossom eyes curved into a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.
Utterly captivating.
“Yeah.”
Facing the camera without the slightest hesitation, he answered with a warm smile.
The CP fans in the comments were practically celebrating.
[They’re so adorable together! Please let them become teammates again!]
[The way God Zhou-ge is looking at her… there’s so much chemistry!]
Just as the ‘WanZhou’ shippers were enjoying themselves, an abrupt voice cut in.
“It’s just standard practice. I wouldn’t call that chemistry.”
The camera swept over to reveal Shao Yuye’s stone-cold face.
His expression screamed six words: “Stay away from my little sister!”
[Pfft hahaha! I knew it, Brother Ye is stubborn to the core!]
[No, he’s a brother who’s devoted to protecting his sister for life!]
[If it’s such a standard move, Brother Ye, why didn’t you use your card? 🤣]
[Hahaha, has it occurred to you that he wanted to, but couldn’t? They’re all fruit! Besides, didn’t he use up all his Double Cards at the last stop?]
[Pfft hahaha, thanks for reminding me how miserable Brother Ye was last time. orz]
Seeing Shao Yuye about to butt heads with Qi Luozhou again, the ever-peacekeeping Jiang Yuan stepped in to smooth things over.
“Why don’t we all eat together?
“It’s freezing. How about hot pot?”
The moment Jin Xiaoyu heard hot pot, she lit up.
“Yes! Yes!”
Hot pot was her absolute favorite.
“God Zhou, are we having hot pot together too?”
“Sure.”
Qi Luozhou agreed with a smile.
Jin Xiaoyu stared blankly at his smile for a moment.
Maybe it was because she occasionally watched those fan-made ‘WanZhou’ CP edits.
God Zhou smiled at her too.
In fact, he smiled at everyone.
But somehow…
She felt that when he smiled at Shen Wanwan, it was different.
She couldn’t quite explain how it was different.
In the end, she chalked it up to her imagination.
The hot pot proposal was practically approved unanimously.
Everyone immediately got to work setting everything up.
Only Bai Ling was left standing awkwardly off to the side, unsure whether to sit or stand.
She regretted it so much her intestines were turning green.
If she’d known everyone was eating together, she never would have refused earlier!
If Shen Wanwan would just give her an opening now, she’d immediately—
“Bai Ling, are you really not coming?”
While pouring water into the pot, Jin Xiaoyu called out to her.
Bai Ling immediately looked at Shen Wanwan with a pitiful expression.
Only to discover that Shen Wanwan wasn’t looking at her at all.
The little sofa she’d bought earlier was being put to use again. A staff member from the production crew was carefully carrying it over to Shen Wanwan across the uneven ground.
Disappointed, Bai Ling withdrew her gaze and was just about to speak when Zhang Song shot her a sharp look, lifting an eyebrow at her provocatively.
It was targeted.
Completely undisguised.
Bai Ling had enjoyed smooth sailing for years and always prided herself on having a good temper.
This was the first time she’d ever been angered by a brat.
If she couldn’t win the steamed bun, she’d at least fight for her dignity.
She immediately shook her head with an injured expression and refused again.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll just eat my self-heating hot pot.”
Then she looked at Zhang Song in confusion.
“Xiao Song, as far as I remember, we’ve never met before. But it feels like you have a pretty big problem with me. Could you tell me what I’ve done to upset you?”
The livestream comments immediately filled with people speaking up for her.
[Yeah! That’s too much!]
[Even passersby can tell he’s targeting her!]
Hearing that, Zhang Song looked back at her just as puzzled.
“Huh? Sister Bai Ling, I was just saying whatever came to mind. You’re not actually mad, are you?”
Without anyone noticing, he’d effortlessly kicked the ball right back into her court.
His youthful features hadn’t completely faded yet, making him look only about fifteen or sixteen years old.
His fans immediately rushed to defend him.
[Zhang Song was just telling the truth! If it’s troublesome, then don’t trouble people. Why does she always have to act so fake?]
[At least Zhang Song said what I was thinking. I seriously can’t stand Bai Ling always rambling on and on. It’s exhausting to listen to, and then everyone has to comfort and praise her afterward!]
Bai Ling was so angry her teeth itched.
This was the first time she’d ever met a male green tea.
But the age gap between them was so large that if she seriously argued with a teenage boy, she’d only look petty.
So she swallowed her anger and spoke gently.
“As long as you don’t have anything against me. I believe we’ll definitely get along happily from now on.”
Zhang Song smiled brightly.
“I’m glad you’re not angry. Have you opened your self-heating hot pot yet? I’ll help you scoop some hot water so it can heat up.”
With that single sentence, he completely cut off any possibility of Bai Ling joining the group for hot pot.
The muscles on Bai Ling’s face twitched.
She almost couldn’t keep up her smile anymore.
“…Alright. Thank you, Xiao Song.”
Zhang Song filled it with hot water for her.
“You’re welcome!”
The rich, spicy aroma of the hot pot drifted over from the other side.
Zhang Song turned around and left.
“Sister Bai Ling, take your time eating! I’m going back to dinner too!”
Bai Ling: “…”
She looked at the pitiful little one-person self-heating hot pot in front of her.
There wasn’t even a table.
Most likely she’d have to either stand there holding the bowl while eating… or put the hot pot on the ground and squat beside it.
—Damn it!
Bai Ling cursed inwardly.