Although, to be fair, things weren’t exactly luxurious on the other side either.
Aside from Shen Wanwan and Jin Xiaoyu, who could sit on the small sofa Shen Wanwan had bought earlier, all the men had to sit directly on the ground.
Zhang Yiran, meanwhile, had his eye on Shen Wanwan’s sofa and wanted to buy one from the production team.
The director waved him off listlessly and pointed at the words [Sold Out] on the purchase list.
“Can’t buy it anymore!
“This is a deserted island. We’re not Doraemon. We can’t just pull one out of thin air.”
He was already regretting creating the rule that once contestants bought an item, they could keep using it forever, with the production team responsible for storing and transporting it between stops.
Shen Wanwan’s sofa, her tricycle, and all sorts of other odds and ends. They were exhausting to haul around at every location!
And the worst part was that Shen Wanwan wasn’t even grateful. Every time the staff complained, she’d reply matter-of-factly, “If you can’t even handle something this simple, how are you making a variety show?”
That single sentence left the director speechless.
In the end, all he could do was keep carrying her stuff.
Before long, the hot pot came to a rolling boil.
Everyone gathered around to eat in the cold wind. The steaming broth warmed both their bodies and the atmosphere. Despite the howling breeze, it no longer felt nearly as cold.
The two girls sat together on one side, while the five boys formed the other half of the circle.
As they waited for the ingredients to cook, they chatted casually.
Jin Xiaoyu suggested, “Want to play a game?”
Jiang Yuan asked, “What game?”
“‘I’ve Done It, You Haven’t.’
“The rules are simple. You say something you’ve experienced. If someone else here has had the same experience, nothing happens. If nobody has, you keep your point. Everyone gets ten chances. Whenever someone matches your experience, they have to share that experience too. The last person with chances remaining wins.”
“Sounds good.”
Zhang Yiran’s eyes lit up.
“I’ve got plenty of unique life experiences. Just wait, you guys are going down.”
Everyone agreed.
“Alright! I’ll go first!
“I have a tractor driver’s license!”
Jin Xiaoyu proudly declared it, looking around triumphantly, “Bet none of you have one, right?!”
It should have been an impressive revelation.
Instead…
No one paid her any attention.
Because at that exact second—
The hot pot finished cooking.
Her eyes, which had been narrowed arrogantly while surveying the crowd, instantly flew open as everyone lunged toward the pot.
She screamed, “Holy crap! Why are you all grabbing food so fast?! Leave some for me!!
“Wanwan! Hurry up and grab some too!!!”
The livestream chat was in stitches.
[HAHAHAHAHAHA!]
[So… nobody actually cares about the game?]
[A whole group of food addicts, I’m dying of laughter!]
[Xiaoyu, your concern is kind of unnecessary. Wanwan has her brother, remember…]
While everyone else fought desperately over the food in the pot, Shen Wanwan remained peacefully seated on her sofa.
The bowl in front of her was already being steadily filled with food.
Shao Yuye kept picking things out of the pot while muttering to himself, “My little sister likes this.
“Oh, she likes this too!”
His chopsticks moved so quickly they almost left afterimages.
Having spent a year in a seven-member idol group, Shao Yuye knew all too well how terrifying men became once food was served.
If you were even one second too slow, the dishes you wanted would disappear.
He was so focused on fishing food out of the pot that he didn’t notice Zhang Song watching him the entire time.
Qi Luozhou, meanwhile, quietly observed everything Shao Yuye picked up.
As for Shen Wanwan, she simply stared calmly at the bubbling hot pot, seemingly lost in thought.
While Jin Xiaoyu was still suffering from repeatedly coming up with empty chopsticks and hadn’t managed to eat a single bite…
Shao Yuye had already picked up a slice of fatty beef.
He held it in the wind for a moment to cool it, then placed one hand underneath to catch any dripping oil so it wouldn’t stain Shen Wanwan’s clothes before bringing it to her lips.
“Take your time. It’s hot.”
The wind was cold.
But the food was warm.
Shen Wanwan immediately snapped out of her thoughts and obediently opened her mouth.
Shao Yuye smiled.
“Is it good?”
“Mmm! It’s delicious!”
Her eyes curved into crescents. Her cheeks puffed out slightly as she chewed the beef roll, making her voice sweeter than ever, “Thank you, Brother!”
The livestream exploded.
[AHHHHH! Brother Ye is SO thoughtful!!!]
[If I didn’t know Wanwan was his sister, I’d seriously be jealous! Like, insanely jealous!!]
[I knew it! Ever since they made their relationship public, he’s finally free to spoil his little sister anytime, anywhere! Hah!]
Beside them, Zhang Yiran shivered dramatically from the ‘cheesiness’.
He also picked up a slice of fatty beef, pinched his voice into a cutesy tone, and held it out to Jiang Yuan.
“My little sister likes this~”
Then he grabbed a piece of lettuce, “My little sister likes this too~
“Tsk.
“Isn’t that unbearably mushy?”
The moment he finished speaking, Shen Wanwan took out a card.
In a cool, emotionless voice, she said, “Director. I’m using a card.
“Target: Zhang Yiran.”
Zhang Yiran’s eyes widened.
“What the hell?! A gentleman settles things with words, not violence! How can you use cheat items?!”
The director announced, “From this moment, Zhang Yiran is forbidden from speaking for five minutes.”
Shen Wanwan looked at him calmly.
Then she arrogantly lifted her chin.
The comments erupted.
[HAHAHAHA! This is what you get for making fun of Brother Ye! Mocking Wanwan gets you the exact same result! Zhang Yiran, you deserved it!]
[LMAO! Look at Brother Ye’s smug expression! If he had a tail, it’d be spinning like a helicopter rotor right now!]
Zhang Yiran: “…”
He pursed his lips and tried to communicate through ventriloquism.
“!@#￥%……&*（）”
The director said, “Violation detected during the penalty period. An additional five-minute penalty has been added.”
Zhang Yiran: “…”
The comments were relentless.
[HAHAHAHA! That’s what you get for running your mouth!]
[I’m crying with laughter! Zhang Yiran, why do you keep provoking those two? Didn’t last time teach you your lesson?]
[Hahaha! You can always count on the ‘Petty Revenge Duo’. They’re absolutely ruthless when it comes to getting even!]
Shao Yuye couldn’t have looked prouder.
He didn’t even spare Zhang Yiran a glance and happily went back to picking food for his sister.
As if that still wasn’t enough, Shen Wanwan suddenly said, “I have a Brother who takes good care of me and loves me.
“Do any of you?”
Everyone froze.
Only then did they realize she was continuing the ‘I’ve Done It, You Haven’t’ game from earlier.
“…”
Every single person lost another chance at once.
Seriously, was there no justice left in the world?
How much longer were this brother-and-sister duo going to keep making everyone else jealous?!
Meanwhile, on the other side, Bai Ling was squatting alone on the ground, eating a self-heating hotpot.
Facing the camera trained solely on her, she tried to encourage herself and said resolutely, “It’s okay.”
She believed that the more independent she appeared now, the more the audience would sympathize with her.
After all, in any group, the person who gets isolated is always the easiest to pity.
Now that she’d calmed down, she realized she’d made a terrible decision earlier.
Why had she gotten into a spat with a kid?
She’d simply been so angry at Zhang Song that she’d lost her head.
Now all she could do was listen to the laughter and cheerful chatter coming from the other side. She was dying of envy inside, but still had to put on a brave face for the camera.
“This meatball is pretty tasty.
“The kelp’s good too…”
The more indifferent Bai Ling acted on the outside, the more miserable she felt inside.
She really had been far too impulsive.
Soon, however, something caught the corner of her eye—a tall, elegant figure.
…It was God Zhou!
She didn’t even need to turn her head. Just one vague glimpse of his silhouette was enough for her to recognize him.
Her heart instantly began pounding.
Was he here to comfort her?
Or…to persuade her?
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant.
She listened as his footsteps drew closer…
Her heartbeat became faster than ever before.
Very soon, the man stopped beside her. He seemed to be wondering how to comfort her, lingering there in silence for a moment.
Bai Ling wiped at the corners of her eyes, where there weren’t even any tears, and pretended to be strong.
“God Zhou! Don’t try to persuade me anymore. I’m already full!”
Her voice even trembled slightly.
Qi Luozhou froze for a moment, clearly not expecting her to suddenly say that.
“…Okay.”
Bai Ling: “…”
It suddenly dawned on her that Zhou Shen hadn’t come for her at all.
The livestream comments exploded with laughter.
[HAHAHAHA my toes have already dug an entire magical castle into the ground from secondhand embarrassment!]
[God Zhou : I wasn’t planning to persuade you anyway?]
[Bai Ling is so dramatic, LOL. She actually wants to join them too, doesn’t she?]
[I seriously don’t get why she’s being so stubborn. Everyone invited her over, but she’s the one who keeps adding scenes to her own drama.]
While Bai Ling stood there in awkward silence, Qi Luozhou simply walked past her.
A few meters away, he stopped at the ingredients table and picked up two trays of sliced beef.
Then, without even glancing at her, he walked straight back.
…So he’d only come over to get more beef.
Lowering her eyes, Bai Ling felt even more dejected.
Jiang Yuan’s face was flushed red from the spicy food. Seeing Qi Luozhou return with the beef, he was touched.
“I thought there was only one tray.”
Having finally regained the chance to speak, Zhang Yiran chimed in, “Quick, quick! Shao Yuye almost fished out all the beef just now. This time we’ve got to grab some!”
Shao Yuye let out a cold snort.
“Too slow.”
Qi Luozhou put both trays of beef into the bubbling pot.
The slices rolled around in the broth and were cooked in no time.
Shao Yuye immediately picked out several slices and placed them into Shen Wanwan’s bowl.
At that moment, Zhang Song, who had been quietly eating the whole time, suddenly looked at Shen Wanwan. Using an intentionally cute, sugary voice, he asked, “Sister… I kind of want some milk tea. Could you buy me a cup?”
The livestream comments immediately erupted.
[BUY IT! Sister, buy him whatever he wants!]
[Please! The kid just wants a cup of milk tea!]
Most of the morning’s challenges had been completed almost entirely by Zhang Song alone.
Since he was her new partner, and one she was planning to replace soon, Shen Wanwan nodded almost without hesitation.
“Sure.”
Zhang Song immediately broke into a sweet smile.
“Sister, you’re the best!”
The comments filled once again with people screaming over how adorable he was.
To encourage everyone to complete more challenges during this level area, the production team had raised the prices of the ingredients.
Jiang Yuan hesitated.
“Milk tea costs 100 Tokens, doesn’t it?”
One hundred Speed Tokens.
That wasn’t cheap.
Yet Shen Wanwan paid without even blinking.
—That generous?
For some reason, everyone held their breath and instinctively turned to look at Shao Yuye.
—Good grief… wasn’t this the ultimate battlefield?
Would a siscon like Brother Ye get angry?
Among everyone present, only Qi Luozhou and Shao Yuye had their eyes on Zhang Song.
It was as though Zhang Song was completely oblivious to everything happening around him.
His entire attention was focused on the milk tea he’d just gotten.
He lowered his head and took a sip.
The warm, sweet drink spread across his lips and tongue.
Zhang Song contentedly narrowed his eyes.
Then, with a mischievous grin, he turned toward Shao Yuye and deliberately waved the cup of milk tea in his hand.
“Hehe.
“Sister bought this milk tea for me~”