Chapter 55.1: An Unconventional Group Variety Show (5)
Duan Mingfei was confused. “Wasn’t it supposed to be a two-day, one-night event? It’s only noon—did something happen to Team A?”
That was the only possibility Duan Mingfei could think of.
Each team had to carry a burden, and Team A’s burden was even older than Xuan Yushu. Qiao Pengyi was several years older and surely had less stamina.
They had spent two days surviving only on river water, barely eating anything. Hungry and exhausted—how could they have possibly reached the destination early and completed the task?
Wei Chengwen shook his head. “Team A is fine.”
He could see what Duan Mingfei was thinking—that Team A must have had similar difficulties. So he clarified, “What I mean by the mission being over is that Team A has already completed their task successfully. Which means… your mission has ended in failure.”
Duan Mingfei’s pale face showed obvious shock.
“This…” How could that be?!
Every team had a burden to carry, and Team A’s was even worse than Team B’s. Yet Team A arrived half a day early?
Thinking back on his own performance over the past day and a half, Duan Mingfei felt even more frustrated and anxious.
After separating from Team A, he had gotten lost in the forest and used up his first rescue opportunity just to get back on track. When he reached the river and tried to make a bamboo raft, he had no knife to cut the bamboo. He tried to break it with brute force for over half a day and still failed. In the end, he had to use his second rescue opportunity and got airlifted across the river by helicopter.
Knowing he had performed poorly, Duan Mingfei didn’t dare say what was really on his mind. He forced a stiff smile.
“What a pleasant surprise! I’m really happy for them, and for the kids in the mountain region as well.”
He took the white flag off his back and handed it to Wei Chengwen with a relaxed and carefree look. “Now Director Xuan and I don’t have to play the bad guys anymore. Returning the props.”
[Heh, bet you didn’t see that coming—we finished the task early~]
[Pfft, as if he could’ve stopped it—Duan Mingfei really is shameless.]
[You fans are something else. Why always interpret things in the worst way? Brother Ming was clearly genuinely happy for Team A.]
[Instead of trying to whitewash here, why don’t you Ming stans go clean up the trending topic? That former assistant’s recording has been up for two days now~]
…
Wei Chengwen: “……”
As if he could’ve stopped anything. What a way to flatter yourself.
“The show’s over. Get on the helicopter.”
As he walked toward Xuan Yushu, Wei Chengwen took off the canteen hanging from his side. “Drink some water first.”
Since becoming a coach on Crossing the Primeval Forest, this was the first time he had seen one of his long-time partners end up in such a state.
Duan Mingfei was truly one of a kind—he had survived a day and a half on nothing but water. And not even clean water, just river water. Thankfully, Wolong Mountain had never been polluted; otherwise, anyone with a weaker constitution might’ve ended up severely dehydrated.
“Thanks, Old Wei,” Xuan Yushu said, finishing off the entire canteen in one go. His stomach still growled loudly from hunger.
Wei Chengwen took back the canteen, then turned and saw Duan Mingfei still standing in place. He frowned, puzzled. “Something wrong?”
The rope ladder from the helicopter was just a short distance away. Had Duan Mingfei not seen it?
His mouth was dry, but clearly, no one was offering him any water. Given how poorly he’d performed, Duan Mingfei had no choice but to endure it. “No, I’m waiting for Director Xuan.”
He turned to Xuan Yushu with an apologetic look. “Sorry, Director Xuan. I put you through a lot these past two days. It’s all because I was incompetent.”
With the livestream camera rolling, Xuan Yushu kept a straight face. “What are you saying? No need to apologize to me. I’m totally fine. Didn’t suffer at all.”
But in his heart, Xuan Yushu was thinking: Hah. I never want to see Duan Mingfei again for the rest of my life!
Duan Mingfei ran to Xuan Yushu’s side and supported his arm. “Director Xuan, let’s get on the rope ladder.”
Xuan Yushu: “…Mm.”
[Sisters, go get the tea! Yesterday the studio denied the audio recording, but now there’s a full video out.]
[Wuwuwu, Director Xuan is still such a good person, unlike some people who kick you when you’re down. Director, if anything ever happens again, just call our Brother Ming! He’s super loyal—always ready to jump in and help!]
[Wait… Director Xuan needs someone to help him out? Don’t actors practically line up to audition for his projects? Are you Ming stans serious?]
[You don’t get it—our Brother Ming isn’t like your average celeb, okay? Stop trying to boost your own faves by comparison.]
[Sending Director Xuan Brother Ming’s resume: he can sing, dance, and fight! Hardworking, ambitious, obedient—he’s the whole package!]
Viewers returning from catching up on the gossip saw the barrage of self-praising comments from Duan Mingfei’s fans flooding the screen and couldn’t stop laughing.
At first, Duan Mingfei’s fans didn’t understand what the laughter was about—until they checked the trending topics. After that, they quieted down quite a bit.
Hu Jiayan and Wei Chengwen each escorted their respective team members from Team A and Team B off Wolong Mountain, regrouping at the livestream base camp.
The helicopters landed on a flat mountaintop clearing, and the team leaders and guests disembarked one by one.
The trainees following behind Qiao Pengyi and Hu Jiayan had streaks of green and brown mosquito repellent juice smeared all over their arms and faces. If you looked closely, you could even spot a few stray mosquito bites.
But aside from that, the group looked pretty composed and energetic—not a hint of distress. In stark contrast, Team B’s Duan Mingfei and Xuan Yushu, who disembarked from the other helicopter at the same time, looked downright miserable.
Duan Mingfei’s exposed skin was covered in visible red mosquito bites. The sheer number of them would make anyone with trypophobia shudder. His entire expression was sullen, and his lips were pale.
The members of Teams A and B stood facing each other, the helicopter behind them.
Xiang Yueting widened his eyes as he scanned the mosquito bites covering Duan Mingfei. “Hahaha, I didn’t think there’d be someone more attractive to mosquitoes than me. I feel so much better now, hahaha…”
Song Chengwang covered his face. For once, he wasn’t being sarcastic—his expression was a bit pale. “What did I do to deserve this as someone with trypophobia? I’ve got goosebumps everywhere.”
Shang Yu examined the two members of Team B. From their pale complexions and sluggish demeanor, it was easy to tell—they hadn’t eaten anything in quite a while.
As his teammates laughed, Shen Xiu’s gaze naturally drifted to Duan Mingfei.
When he saw the mass of mosquito bites covering Duan Mingfei, Shen Xiu couldn’t help but feel secretly delighted. He stared, wanting to savor this moment a little longer, to prolong his own joy.
Meeting Shen Xiu’s chilly gaze—especially in contrast to Team A’s energized appearance—made Duan Mingfei feel even more humiliated.
‘Is this really the show I went out of my way to join?’ Duan Mingfei began to question his life choices.
Every previous guest on the show, win or lose, had managed to gain a wave of new fans. And yet when it came to him, it all fell apart?
Unable to bear it any longer, Duan Mingfei was the first to look away. He forced himself to act casual, shifting his gaze to the view below in an attempt to change the subject. “What’s that down there? It looks beautiful.”
On the flat mountaintop clearing where they stood, a simple tent had been set up. Looking down from the cliffside, they could see all of Wolong Mountain laid out before them—rolling peaks and majestic scenery. It was beautiful.
Xuan Yushu gave Duan Mingfei a strange look. His suspicions were confirmed.
As expected, Duan Mingfei hadn’t memorized the map of Wolong Mountain at all. Them getting lost and spending hours feeding mosquitoes in the forest definitely wasn’t just bad luck.
Xuan Yushu looked at Duan Mingfei and said with a smile, “Xiao Duan, didn’t you realize? That is Wolong Mountain. From here you can see the whole thing.”
Hearing his idol speak, Shen Xiu wanted to say something—but he was too nervous to come up with anything clever. In the end, he simply nodded obediently, agreeing with his idol’s words: “Mm!”
Xuan Yushu hadn’t expected that someone who looked as cold and aloof as Shen Xiu would echo his comment. Could it be… that Shen Xiu also wanted to subtly throw shade at Duan Mingfei along with him?
Yes, that must be it!
Duan Mingfei’s face grew hot at those words. He could understand if Xuan Yushu was upset about being starved for two days and wanted to take a jab at him—but what was Shen Xiu doing jumping in too? That grudge was going a bit too far!
Annoyed, Duan Mingfei quickly tried to explain himself. “I’ve been hungry for so long I’m kind of out of it. Didn’t see the full landscape clearly, that’s why I didn’t recognize it.”
[Really? I don’t buy it.]
[Believe it or not, try going hungry for two days yourself. Feeling dizzy and spaced out is totally normal.]
[Why was he starving? It’s not like he didn’t want to eat. No no no—it’s that he couldn’t find food. There were a bunch of wild kiwi fruits, about the size of pinky fingers, right near where Team B passed through. Your Brother Ming just didn’t recognize them. Who’s to blame for that?]
[And there were eight-burst fruits too—hanging right above his head, and he had no clue to pull one down and eat it. I was screaming at my screen.]
Just as Duan Mingfei finished speaking, the production crew had already set up the food in the middle and called out to everyone, “Lunch is ready!”
Because Team A had unexpectedly completed a task that was supposed to end in the evening, the crew provided a lunch meal.
It was clearly a local village-style lunch—just three items: roasted sweet potatoes, roasted potatoes, and steamed pumpkin. No utensils were offered; everyone had to eat with their hands.
Seeing the food, Shen Xiu waited until the four senior participants from the production crew had reached out before picking up a potato himself. He peeled it carefully and began to eat.
Song Chengwang sat beside Shang Yu, with Shen Xiu across from them. As he blew on his hot sweet potato, Song Chengwang watched Shen Xiu and the two instructors’ movements, then compared them to Shang Yu’s next to him.
Song Chengwang had been staring at him from across the way, and when Shen Xiu reached for a second potato, he suddenly felt guilty.
Could it be… Song Chengwang thinks I’m eating too much?
But between the sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, and pumpkin, everyone should be able to fairly split about five pieces of each. He shouldn’t be overeating. So then…
As Shen Xiu peeled the potato, he discreetly glanced around—and realized that everyone else was still working on their first piece. Enlightenment struck him in an instant.
Ah… it’s not that I ate too much—it’s that I ate too fast because I was too hungry. That’s what caught Song Chengwang’s attention!
To avoid more stares, Shen Xiu deliberately slowed his pace, syncing his eating speed with the others.
Shang Yu, on the other hand, had had enough. He lowered his voice and muttered through gritted teeth, “You’ve been staring for a whole minute. Still not done? If you’ve got something to say, just spit it out.”
Shen Xiu could handle being watched while eating, but Shang Yu found it unbearable.
Quietly, Song Chengwang asked, “Be honest—have you guys been trained before?”
“Coach Hu, Coach Wei, Shen Xiu—you three peel and eat with such smooth, quick movements. It’s like you’re used to living like this.”
Shang Yu replied coolly, “Yeah.”
During training, whether on an island, in the desert, or in the rainforest, it was never just their team out there. Danger was everywhere. Meals couldn’t take too long. Gulping down food like wolves was more the norm than the exception.
Now, in a similar setting—having just come out of the forest—the old instincts kicked in. Eating quickly came naturally. Nothing unusual about it.
Song Chengwang: “…”
Suddenly, he felt like he didn’t measure up at all. Why was I such a baby when I was fifteen, whining and refusing to go? Look at me now—totally left behind by Shen Xiu and Shang Yu!
Frustrated with himself, Song Chengwang took a huge bite of sweet potato to vent—“Agh, hot! Hot hot hot—”
