Trending Again – Chapter 8

Apparently, you’re the fifth wheel

As night quietly descended, fireflies and starlight complemented each other, and the two figures moved through the jungle, one in front and one behind. Si Meng grumbled while chasing Lin Hanyue, “You’re really petty, every time you get angry, you don’t listen to anyone’s explanations, you’re so arrogant.”

As the words fell, Lin Hanyue came to a stop, and Si Meng, not paying attention, bumped into Lin Hanyue’s collarbone. Her nose turned red all of a sudden, and she touched her nose, complaining, “Why did you suddenly stop?”

Lin Hanyue turned around and said coldly, “Didn’t you see there’s no road ahead?” Si Meng didn’t miss the fleeting smile in her eyes; she was clearly doing it on purpose.

Si Meng knew she was in the wrong and muttered, “I didn’t know the way, but I still wandered around. The photographer couldn’t find us.” Si Meng carefully recalled the afternoon’s route; her memory was always impeccable. Even though it was dark now, she could still find a way out.

At this point, everyone’s phones received a message with the following content: “In the next stage, you are to find food and supplies on your own for a seven-day wilderness survival challenge. One guest has already been eliminated. In order to improve your survival rate, you can form alliances on your own, or you can eliminate your opponents to end this wilderness survival challenge ahead of time. Good luck to all!”

At this moment, everyone was shaken. Did the production team really mean it? Are they really leaving them to fend for themselves?

One or two recently debuted small celebrities couldn’t help but get teary-eyed. Their managers had told them it was just a vacation and they could just pretend, but now…

Si Meng remained calm. After all, she had noted the location of the food supplies. She turned to look at Lin Hanyue and realized something, “Are you hungry?”

Lin Hanyue, trying to act tough, said, “No.” Right after, her stomach growled.

Si Meng couldn’t help but smile and tugged at Lin Hanyue’s sleeve, saying, “Follow me; I’ll find something for you to eat!”

Si Meng first collected some dry firewood from under the trees, slowly ignited it with a flint, and Lin Hanyue watched nearby, occasionally adding more firewood. Si Meng then took out supplies from the bushes, which she had discovered in the morning and had hidden there. It turned out to be a misunderstanding with Lin Hanyue.

The supplies included a tent, a large pot, and some seasonings. Although not abundant, it was enough to sustain them for a while.

Si Meng gathered some wild mushrooms and wild vegetables, as well as a pile of wild fruits. Unfortunately, it was too dark to go hunting for meat, or they could have had a delicious barbecue.

Since Lin Hanyue didn’t know how to cook, she could only watch Si Meng busy around and hesitated, “Do you need any help?”

Si Meng always had a radiant expression when cooking; after all, both eating and cooking were joyful activities. She revealed a small dimple and said, “You can help me wash the vegetables.”

The two of them worked together with surprising efficiency. Even though they were rivals, their synergy was excellent, and a single glance could convey what tools they needed.

As Si Meng smelled the pleasant aroma of mushroom and wild vegetable soup, though the ingredients were simple, it was truly delicious. With a single bite, her stomach felt warm.

Suddenly, there were rustling sounds in the bushes. Si Meng thought it might be a wild animal, and she instinctively shielded Lin Hanyue behind her. However, two heads popped out of the darkness, followed by a familiar voice.

“See, I told you! Such a delicious smell must be someone cooking mushroom soup!”

Zhang Biliang, acting familiar, sat down across from Si Meng, and the man behind him seemed a bit reserved.

“Hey, girl, we meet again. Do you mind if we join you for a meal?” Zhang Biliang got straight to the point.

Si Meng saw there was still plenty of food left, and they couldn’t finish it all. Adhering to the principle that wasting food is shameful, she tacitly allowed their presence.

Zhang Biliang enjoyed the food with gusto, savoring every bite. The flavors melded perfectly, combining the freshness of the mushrooms with the earthiness of the wild vegetables. He seemed to be quite the food connoisseur.

The man sitting beside them, after finishing his meal, offered to help set up the tent and introduced himself, saying, “I’m Shen Zhiyi. Thank you for your hospitality. I can help you set up the tent.”

Zhang Biliang, legs shaking, sneered, “This guy is quite good at ingratiating himself. Don’t mind him, girl. He’s just a has-been actor, causing trouble all the way as if he owes everyone a favor.”

He then approached Si Meng with a shameless face and said, “We’re different. After all, we’re friends now!”

Seeing Zhang Biliang and Si Meng appearing overly “friendly,” Lin Hanyue couldn’t bear it and inserted herself between them. She handed Si Meng the washed wild fruits and gave Zhang Biliang a critical look.

Zhang Biliang provocatively glanced at Lin Hanyue and took a piece of candy from his pocket, placing it in front of Si Meng like a precious gift, adding, “These fruits can be a bit bitter. Have a candy to sweeten your taste.”

Si Meng looked at Zhang Biliang and then at Lin Hanyue. She decisively put down the candy and said brightly, “No thanks, the fruits are delicious enough.”

Si Meng remained oblivious to the intense jealousy between the two people before her.

Suddenly, a dirty and disheveled girl emerged from the bushes, her eyes fixated on the remaining soup in the pot. Si Meng didn’t mind and allowed Zhang Biliang to give her what was left. However, the girl was completely impolite, not even saying thank you. She snatched the pot from Zhang Biliang’s hand and devoured the food as if she wanted to bury her entire face in the pot.

Lin Hanyue furrowed her brows lightly, and Zhang Biliang was extremely disgusted by the girl’s lack of manners. Her eating habits were too uncouth; they say you can judge a person’s character from their table manners.

After finishing her meal, the girl burst into tears, lamenting that her useless teammate had been eliminated early, leaving her on her own. She hoped everyone would take her in.

No one said much and continued with their tasks, deliberately ignoring her. She felt resentful and turned her attention to Si Meng, who was lounging nearby. Thinking of using Si Meng as a target for venting her frustration, she walked up to Si Meng, with a self-righteous tone, “What’s wrong with you? Everyone is working, and you’re slacking off.”

Si Meng didn’t want to engage with this person and retorted, “Mind your own business.”

The girl thought she had hit a nerve with Si Meng and believed she was the team’s dead weight, hysterically saying, “Why would there be someone like you in the team? Are you deliberately trying to slow us down?”

“Shut up, do you have the nerve to call someone else a dead weight?”

“Shut up, it seems like you’re the dead weight here.”

Lin Hanyue and Zhang Biliang chimed in unison, glaring at the girl who was causing a scene.