Chapter 102 – King of Entertainment: Loving You Across the World – Tang Tang’s Fantastic Adventure (Part 2) (09)
By the time all four groups of guests were ready to depart, it was already afternoon.
The sun hung fiercely in the sky, and the plants at the edge of the jungle drooped wearily. The group stood ready and organized.
“There’s only half a day left, so why don’t we all go together for now?” Che Shuhui suggested. “We can get a feel for the area first, and it’s safer with more people.”
“I agree! That way, I won’t have to be separated from my little cutie~” Garry winked at Bai Tang, deliberately teasing Min Gunian.
The elite-looking man Fan Hechang adjusted his glasses and added, “I agree too. The weather forecast says it’ll get dark by 6:30 PM, and it’s already 3:30. We won’t get very far today anyway.”
To increase the difficulty, the show’s production team naturally wouldn’t let everyone stay together. Each group had its own set of clues, and only by finding the color-coded ball for their team could they complete the challenge. Before that, each group had to survive in the jungle and follow the clues to locate their color ball.
The proposal received unanimous agreement. Everyone set off, beginning their journey into the jungle.
An hour later, the flat path had gradually become rugged. It was now 4:30 PM. Under the scorching sun, the air shimmered slightly from the heat. Everyone was drenched in sweat, their stamina steadily draining.
Though exhausted, no one complained. They silently wiped their sweat and pressed on. Everything still seemed fairly harmonious.
“Careful—don’t twist your ankle,” the elite man said, having already removed his glasses. He was the first to jump down from a large rock.
“It’s so high—I can’t! I’m scared~” Che Shuhui, her delicate makeup already a smudged mess, clung tightly to Li Shu’s backpack. She refused to go down, and wouldn’t let her teammate go either.
Wei Gudong wasn’t doing much better. At some point, her white T-shirt had gotten smeared with dirt, and her lipstick-coated lips were now chapped from dehydration.
Beside her, Che Shuhui was noisily complaining without any concern for her image. Instinctively, Wei glanced over toward Bai Tang and Min Gunian. She saw that Min Gunian had already jumped down from the rock.
He opened his arms and said to Bai Tang, who was still standing on the rock, “Tang Tang, don’t be scared. I’ll catch you.”
There wasn’t a trace of fatigue on the young man’s fair face. He nodded firmly, the tips of his hair swaying with the motion. “Mm-hmm.”
Bai Tang leapt down, landing safely in Min Gunian’s arms. He smiled with his eyes, brows curving gently, his gaze full of unwavering trust in Min Gunian.
Min Gunian pulled out a towel and wiped the sweat from Bai Tang’s forehead. “Tired? Want some water?”
“Yes~” Bai Tang answered quickly.
He took the water bottle Min Gunian handed him, twisted it open, but didn’t drink it himself. Instead, he held it up to Min Gunian’s lips. “Ah Nian, have some water.”
Min Gunian took a small sip from the bottle Bai Tang held out, then pushed it back into his hands. “Tang Tang, you drink some too.”
Their intimate interaction didn’t go unnoticed by the audience watching off-site. The girls screamed that something was definitely going on between them, their eyes sparkling as they stared without blinking, afraid to miss even a second of the scene.
The cold, aloof CEO type vs. the sweet, clueless young man—it was an irresistible combination.
“Xiao Niannian, I’m thirsty too~ I want a drink too~” Garry interrupted at the worst possible moment after jumping down.
“Go drink your own,” Min Gunian said without even glancing at him, still focused entirely on Bai Tang. Once Bai Tang finished drinking, Min Gunian carefully wiped his mouth for him.
“Xiao Niannian, you’re breaking my heart,” Garry said with an exaggerated expression of betrayal, pretending to sob into the drone camera.
“Brother Garry, don’t bully Ah Nian!” Bai Tang stood protectively in front of Min Gunian.
[“Ahhhhh—they’re definitely a thing!]
[“They look so good together! My little Tang Tang is tall and handsome today…”]
The fujoshis watching screamed in excitement in front of their screens. They were all in on this CP (couple pairing).
“Little cutie, how could you side with the big bad guy and not help me?” Garry kept playing the role, until Fan Hechang shoved a water bottle into his hand.
“Aren’t you thirsty?” Fan Hechang said coolly, then walked off alone to rest in a shady spot.
Everyone was exhausted from the trek and quickly found places to sit down and take a break.
The girls, concerned about their appearance on camera, took out mirrors and began touching up their makeup.
“Ah—how did I end up like this?” Che Shuhui screamed at the sight of herself in the mirror. That messy, disheveled person was actually her. No, this wouldn’t do—so many fans were watching. She couldn’t let them see her like this.
She took out some tissues, poured out most of her water to wash her face, and tried to clean herself up as best as she could before reapplying some powder.
The others were speechless at Che Shuhui’s behavior—especially Zhou Zhiwen. Although he came from a wealthy family, he didn’t have the usual bad habits of a spoiled rich kid.
In the jungle, food and water were essential for survival. The show’s crew hadn’t provided them with many supplies to begin with, and now Che Shuhui had wasted half a bottle of water. How were they supposed to continue the journey like this?
“That’s enough. Do you think you’re still in the city, where you can just buy whatever you want?” Zhou Zhiwen didn’t hold back. Especially seeing how Li Shu was being dragged down by Che Shuhui yet didn’t dare say anything—it reminded him of his younger brother who had passed away early. He couldn’t help but feel a bit protective of the quiet, withdrawn teen.
“It’s my own water. What’s it got to do with you? Even my teammate’s not complaining, so why the hell are you butting in?” Che Shuhui was already irritated, and being called out like that only made her angrier.
“Tch, poor Li Shu. Must suck to be teamed up with you.”
“If you’re so eager to stand up for him, why don’t you be his teammate? Let’s switch then.” Che Shuhui turned to the silent Wei Gudong. “We’re all girls—you get where I’m coming from, right?”
“I don’t agree. Teams were already decided. You can’t just change them on a whim,” Wei Gudong tried to smooth things over. But more importantly, she also thought Che Shuhui was reckless—teaming up with her would be asking for trouble.
Zhou Zhiwen wasn’t about to indulge Che Shuhui’s tantrums. He turned to Li Shu and said, “If you don’t want to stay on her team, you can come with me.”
Li Shu had long had enough of Che Shuhui. It wasn’t just about wasting resources—when they were climbing down the rock earlier, she’d yanked on him so hard she nearly choked him. He just didn’t speak up because he wasn’t good at expressing himself.
Without a word, he picked up his backpack and walked over to Zhou Zhiwen’s side. His answer couldn’t have been clearer.
“Fine, go then! Don’t think I can’t win just because I’m down a person!” Che Shuhui was red in the face and furious, completely forgetting that this was being live-streamed.
Fan Hechang watched everything coldly, saying nothing. Garry glanced over toward Min Gunian—and immediately regretted it, nearly blinded by what he saw.
Min Gunian had straightened up and was holding Bai Tang in his strong arms, lifting him up to pick fruit from a tree. Bai Tang laughed cheerfully, directing Min Gunian where to move.
It seemed that no amount of drama from the others could disturb the two, who were lost in their own little world.
Not long after entering the jungle, Bai Tang had been itching to turn back into a squirrel and go wild, but he couldn’t transform in front of everyone. So he held back. Now, with Min Gunian’s help, he could pick fruit from trees—it was simply perfect.
“That’s not how you eat it,” Bai Tang said, placing the gathered fruit on the ground. He picked one up, peeled off the outer skin, and handed it to Min Gunian.
“You can eat it without peeling it?” Min Gunian teased him on purpose.
The young man in his arms responded with a playful “Dummy~,” then used his little tiger tooth to pierce the soft skin of the fruit. Sweet juice immediately began to drip out.
He quickly held the fruit up to Min Gunian’s lips and said, “Quick, drink it—there won’t be any left soon!”
“Sweet,” Min Gunian said, swallowing the fruit that Bai Tang had bitten open himself. “Tang Tang, you’re amazing. You know so much.”
Bai Tang proudly lifted his chin. “Of course.”
There was still a bit of purple juice at the corner of his lips, making his already-red lips look even more striking.
Min Gunian glanced up at the drone hovering above and forced himself to suppress the urge to steal a kiss. He reached out with his index finger and gently wiped the juice from Bai Tang’s lips, his gaze deep and unreadable.
“Little cutie, you’re amazing,” Garry chimed in with a compliment, snapping Bai Tang back to awareness.
Bai Tang quickly stepped away from Min Gunian and smiled at the others. “I picked some fruit! I already tried it—it’s not poisonous. Everyone, help yourselves~”
“I won’t hold back then. Let’s see if it’s really that sweet…” Garry said with a meaningful glance and wink at Bai Tang.
The others took some fruit and thanked Bai Tang one by one.
Off-screen, the CP (couple pairing) fans were in full frenzy:
[“They’re already giving us sweet moments on day one! My ship really is supreme!”]
[“Che Shuhui is so annoying. I support Li Shu switching teams.”]
[“Wuli little Dong-dong is still so understanding. Even though she clearly dislikes Che Shuhui too, she still tries to keep the peace.”]
[“Don’t you guys think Zhou Zhiwen treats Li Shu especially well…?”]
[“Yes, yes, yes… and Garry too! He feels like a third wheel between President Min and the little cutie, but somehow you just can’t hate him.”]
[“Exactly! I’m betting a bag of spicy sticks—I’m shipping the crack pairing: Garry and the little cutie!”]
[“What are you talking about? Garry is clearly paired with the elite guy…”]
The livestream chat was buzzing with excitement. The production team hadn’t expected the first day of this season to already break the show’s previous ratings record.
The station director instructed the camera crew, “Give more screen time to Group Three and Group One—those two are generating the most buzz right now.”
After a period of rest, the sun began to set. Everyone got moving again, hoping to find a safe place to set up camp before it got dark.
They were all people who’d grown up in big cities—none of them had experience with a wild jungle like this. After wandering in circles for a while, and relying on Min Gunian’s exceptional scouting skills, they finally found a relatively flat area. But the soil was too loose—not ideal for setting up a main campsite.
“Do you even know how to lead the way? We’ve been walking forever! I’m exhausted—I can’t go any further,” Che Shuhui complained, leaning on a tree branch and panting heavily.
Min Gunian looked around at the group. Everyone looked worn out—even Bai Tang, who had entered the jungle full of energy, was yawning.
“This place isn’t good for camping. Let’s move a bit farther ahead,” Min Gunian said loudly.
Min Gunian carried the natural authority of someone long accustomed to a position of power—his words had weight. As soon as he spoke, even Che Shuhui, who had been the most ready to give up, felt a renewed determination and followed along.
“Tang Tang, are you tired? I’ll carry you,” Min Gunian said softly to Bai Tang.
Bai Tang shook his head, took his hand, and whispered in his ear, “I know where to go. Follow me.”
Min Gunian and Bai Tang walked at the front of the group. On the surface, it looked like Min Gunian was leading the way—but in reality, he was following Bai Tang’s subtle guidance.
Relying on the squirrel’s intuition, they soon came to an open and flat land.
Author’s Note :
In the next chapter, everyone will go their separate ways, and the high-energy sweet moment is coming!