16: The one I like

Unable to get the baskets, the group could only stare helplessly at Shen Lian.

Shen Lian shrugged. "We're heading out first. Good luck, everyone."

Zhao Lin rested his hands on his hips and chuckled helplessly. "Fine, then."

As the one who should have been the center of attention in this variety show, Zheng Ge's performance was actually quite mediocre, aside from his fans' support and his outstanding looks.

And now, in terms of appearance, Shen Lian's understated brilliance seemed to be overshadowing him.

Zheng Ge stared at Shen Lian's back, a flash of darkness crossing his eyes. The young man pursed his lips—a typical sign of his unease.

"Hey!" Zhu Yingyu, who had been hiding in a cluster of bushes, only dared to come out when she saw Shen Lian.

Shen Lian was a bit surprised; he remembered that Zhu Yingyu was quite afraid of places like this because of all the bugs.

Then, he pointed at Zhu Yingyu's shoulder.

A ladybug was crawling on it.

Zhu Yingyu turned her head and saw it, her face immediately filling with disgust. But instead of screaming and asking for help like she used to, she took a deep breath and flicked it away with her finger.

It didn't seem that hard after all.

Shen Lian gave her a thumbs up. "Great progress."

"Hehe!" Carried by his competence, Zhu Yingyu felt that Shen Lian still had countless tricks up his sleeve. She asked excitedly, "What are we doing next?"balance

"The staff just told me that the third task is to reach the destination and hold out until eight o'clock tonight."

Zhu Yingyu blinked. It sounded simple, but what time was it now? Holding out until 8 PM without any food or water?

They hadn't even eaten lunch yet!

But soon, Zhu Yingyu remembered—they had fish!

But they couldn't eat it raw, could they?

Shen Lian curled his lips into a smile, looking incredibly lazy and confident on camera. He immediately charmed a group of youngsters who had just tuned in.

[Ahhhh! Who is this? I want to stan him!]

[Young Girl, you still have a long road ahead of you in life. Choose a reliable idol; don't be in such a hurry to waste your passion on Shen Lian.]

[Get lost! I'm a real man, and I like Shen Lian. So what!]

[To the "sister" above, I really admire you.]

"I know how to start a fire, but it's too much trouble." Shen Lian shook his injured right hand and asked Zhu Yingyu, "Do you know how to 'wait for the rabbit by the stump'?"

Zhu Yingyu: "?"

Led by Shen Lian, Zhu Yingyu followed him through several twists and turns before stopping at a wide intersection.

It was Zhu Yingyu's first time here, and she asked curiously, "What are we doing here?"

"Haven't you noticed? This is the only path for farmers gathering mountain products," Shen Lian continued. "On the first day of the task, I noticed people coming up, but their route was quite far from ours, so we didn't meet. It rained a few days ago, and with the sun out today, plenty of wild vegetables and mountain goods are bound to sprout."

Zhu Yingyu was completely lost. "I don't get it."

Shen Lian licked his dry lips. "Just wait. In a bit, I'll have you eating and drinking like royalty!"

[Holy crap, I'm so looking forward to this!]

An ominous feeling surged in the hearts of the production crew.

Soon, a group of four people carrying baskets came up. Judging by their clothes, they were local farmers.

Seeing the two of them and the cameras, the farmers immediately realized what was going on. After all, it was no secret that a show was being filmed here.

Simple smiles appeared on everyone's faces. Shen Lian's smile was especially gentle and bright, like a refreshing spring breeze.

"Auntie, good afternoon." Shen Lian picked the one he thought would be the easiest to win over. As soon as he spoke, the Auntie's face turned red.

Heavens! How could someone be so handsome? No wonder he's a celebrity.

"Oh, what's the matter?"

"Look," Shen Lian said, lifting the fish. "Can I trade these fish with you for some things?"

Production Crew: "????"

What are you doing?!

"Oh, wild ones? And they're Hemiculter, too." One of the Uncles who knew his fish stepped forward, clearly tempted. "What do you want to trade for, young man?"

"A lighter and two things that can hold water."

The Uncle was surprised. "Just that?"

"Yes. We're doing a task, and these are necessities."

"Easy enough." The Uncle took off his basket and rummaged through it. Finally, he actually found an empty mineral water bottle and a slightly worn bamboo tube. He handed them to Shen Lian. "They'll hold water for sure. Does this work?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Shen Lian untied the ghost-wire vine. "I'll give you two fish, okay?"

"If you're giving that much, I'll give you a cob of corn as well. I don't have anything else on me."

Shen Lian took the corn and handed it directly to Zhu Yingyu behind him. "Eat."

Zhu Yingyu took a big bite. Wuwuwu, roasted corn! It was warm and smelled amazing!

The Uncle and Auntie were family. After giving Shen Lian a common one-yuan lighter, they left.

Shen Lian didn't plan to trade the remaining two fish; they were for his and Zhu Yingyu's dinner.

The Assistant Director came panting from behind. Seeing what was in Shen Lian's hands, he was too shocked to speak.

Shen Lian struck first. "The production crew didn't provide these. I traded for them with my hard work and sweat."

The Assistant Director pointed at Shen Lian and stomped his foot in frustration.

[Hahahaha! I'm laughing so hard that 'mountains crumble and the earth splits; then sky-ladders and stone paths connect'!]

[The most impressive thing isn't the trading. I noticed a while ago that Shen Lian has completely memorized the surrounding terrain. What terrifying observation and memory! Why didn't this happen in previous episodes? Because the task routes are far from the villagers' paths up the mountain. It's good enough if the guests don't get lost. Finding villagers to trade with is like finding a hidden NPC in a game—it's ridiculous!]

[The Assistant Director's expression is worthy of the history books.]

Chu Yilan watched with the bullet chat on. Amidst the shocked praise, his own lips curled up without him even realizing it.

Zhu Yingyu broke off the other half of the corn for Shen Lian. Shen Lian took it but didn't eat it, stuffing it into his pocket instead.

As long as he found a water source, he'd be fine without eating.

Springs were easy to find. As that expert in the bullet chat said, Shen Lian's powers of observation were beyond imagination, and he was rarely affected by his environment.

After finding one, he rinsed the bottle and bamboo tube repeatedly. Once he'd had his fill of water, Shen Lian planned to start a fire right there. He had to process the fish, or they would spoil quickly in this environment.

Without needing much help from Zhu Yingyu, Shen Lian built a small stove out of stones, skewered the fish on sticks, and started roasting.

"It's only because the show is being recorded and so many people are watching. Otherwise, starting a fire in the mountains would mean rotting in jail," Shen Lian remarked.

Zhu Yingyu let out a bell-like laugh.

"Shen Lian, you know so much. You must know how to weave a hat out of willow branches, right?"

"It's easy enough for anyone with hands."

Zhu Yingyu was in a great mood. "Then weave one for me."

"Heh, in the past, I would've done it, but not now."

Zhu Yingyu was curious. "Why?"

"To avoid suspicion." Shen Lian didn't care at all that he was facing the camera. It was as if he were looking across dozens of kilometers, across valleys and crowds, accurately locking onto Chu Yilan who was watching the live stream. He spoke as if baring his soul: "The one I like has a sensitive nature and tends to overthink things."

Zhu Yingyu was stunned, then almost lunged forward to cover his mouth!

Why was he still mentioning Zhou Tangsi at a time like this?

The bullet chat was immediately filled with curses, but Chu Yilan just sat there in a daze.

Wait! Zhu Yingyu was observant after all—Zhou Tangsi wasn't sensitive or prone to overthinking! She had seen him when he came to pick up Zheng Ge last time; he was the epitome of an overbearing CEO.

Zhu Yingyu quickly realized: maybe it wasn't Zhou Tangsi?

Then she remembered Shen Lian saying himself that Zhou Tangsi was bad luck... Zhu Yingyu took a deep breath, her gossip-loving soul instantly set ablaze. Or was this just a story Shen Lian made up to draw a line with Zhou Tangsi and start anew?

Regardless, Zhu Yingyu couldn't help but follow his lead. "So, what's the person you like like?"

"Tall, 1.9 meters, very handsome. I've never seen anyone look better in a suit. He has a buzz cut, sharp eyebrows, and bright eyes. He looks cold, but he's actually very gentle." As Shen Lian spoke, his face was filled with a proud and happy smile. "I'm still pursuing him."

In front of the screen, with no one around, Chu Yilan covered his face with both hands.