Zhong Ruanxing drew Yang Ze, Yong Yun drew Yao Jingshan, and Duan Mangyun drew Xia Xi. The four men and four women were randomly paired up. The production team was thrilled to see this - it was a dating show after all. In the beginning, they needed to interact with each other to find out who they had better chemistry with, which would make for more drama later on. That's what the audience loves to see in dating shows!
Everyone emptied their backpacks and grabbed containers to collect supplies. Following the routes marked on the map, they set off into the dusk in four different directions.
Tall and slender Yang Ze took the lead, clearing the path ahead. He was diligent and Zhong Ruanxing had a quick mind. The two worked well together and soon found a new supply point.
With a man around, Zhong Ruanxing didn't need to carry anything heavy. Yang Ze put all the supplies on his own back, polite and chivalrous.
As darkness fell, Zhong Ruanxing's high-powered flashlight became very useful. Visibility in the dense jungle was extremely low at night. Regular flashlights were useless. But hers was very powerful. When she shined it up, a pillar of light reached to the night sky.
With this flashlight, Zhong Ruanxing and Yang Ze's nighttime exploration went very smoothly. They found almost all the supplies on their route.
But the other teams weren't prepared well enough. The dim light of their regular flashlights made their search very slow.
This made the audience like Zhong Ruanxing even more. In contrast, Duan Mangyun seemed useless - afraid of the dark and unwilling to press on, she missed resources just ten meters ahead in the bushes, dragging Xia Xi down.
The bullet screen comments were very critical of her:
[So why come on a survival show if you're so scared of the dark? Didn't she think beforehand that she'd be a burden?]
[If you want a dating show, go on a normal one! Why come on a survival dating show? Survival comes first!]
[Xia Xi is really patient, taking care of her feelings like that.]
[It's all her fault! Their team found the least supplies, just one place!]
[She was like this on "Return to Peach Blossom" too! Couldn't do any farm work at all. The male guests all protected her. She crafted this image of being ethereal and above worldly matters. No one criticized her for not working!]
[It's 2023 and people are still acting all delicate and precious. Can't stand it.]
...
Duan Mangyun's agent Miao Gaojun had said before that her biggest flaw was stupidity.
She really wasn't very smart, with low EQ and IQ. She didn't know to do the right thing at the right time. For instance, the environment was so harsh now. She should have discarded everything she learned from previous dating shows and repositioned herself.
But Duan Mangyun couldn't wrap her head around it. She didn't realize those experiences wouldn't work on this show. Her persona as delicate and demure, needing protection, would not appeal to anyone here.
Instead, Duan Mangyun thought the harsher environment would make the male guests even more protective and chivalrous, and they'd feel more tender affection for a girl like her.
So she was determined to stick it out as the delicate maiden!
Xia Xi maintained a gentlemanly manner all along, taking care of her. When she was scared to go on, he turned back without hesitation.
Duan Mangyun didn't care about his straight-man behavior with the fire earlier. She wanted to invite him to the yard to look at the stars and chat, to develop their relationship. But Xia Xi had already strapped on his backpack and gone out again, "Stay in since you're afraid of the dark. I'll go look some more."
His leaving alone again left Duan Mangyun somewhat flustered. Gritting her teeth with determination, she said, "Can you handle it alone? I'll go with you!"
Xia Xi quickly said, "I'm fine alone! Stay here!"
Afraid she would follow, he hurried away.
The others weren't back yet. Duan Mangyun was the only one left at the base.
She didn't look happy, finally realizing she had likely left Xia Xi and the audience with a bad impression. She forced a smile at the camera, "I've been afraid of the dark since I was little. I didn't think before there would be tasks at night. Looks like I dragged everyone down."
Her eyes grew red and she cheered herself on, "I'll go make everyone a late night snack then."
At this, the bullet screen comments turned a little kinder to her. It was normal for a girl to be afraid of the dark. Oh well, it was nice of her to make a late night snack for everyone.
But some were skeptical: [Can she even cook? Supplies are already scarce, hope she doesn't waste anything.]
After 10 PM, the guests finally returned one by one.
Yong Yun and Yao Jingshan found two supply points. Bai Yinyue and Cheng Yaowen found three. Xia Xi and Duan Mangyun found only one at first. Later when Xia Xi went out alone, he found another.
Zhong Ruanxing and Yang Ze did the best, finding six supply points total.
The production team had scattered thirty supply points on the island. Added to the ones found earlier, they had almost all of them.
They should've been happy finding so many supplies, but when they smelled something burning back at the shelter, they all had a bad feeling.
Yao Jingshan came out of the kitchen covering his nose, a little helpless, "Mangyun wanted to make us a late night snack, but she didn't control the fire well. The water boiled dry and the pot bottom burned through."
The pot bottom burned through???
The wood-burning stove was very different from the natural gas Duan Mangyun was used to in the city. Let alone that she rarely even used gas stoves. This wood stove was beyond her skill.
Xia Xi was dumbfounded. He rushed in to take a look, then stormed back out, his tone a little impatient, "Why'd you mess with the pot when you can't cook? That whole bag of noodles could've fed us for two or three days. Now there's only enough for one meal."
Tears rolled down Duan Mangyun's ash-covered face. Sobbing, she apologized, "I'm sorry. I only wanted to make you all a late night snack. I didn't mean to. I'll go find supplies now to make up for the wasted food."
She turned to go back inside and put on her backpack.
Yang Ze stood in the yard entrance and stopped her, "It's late. Dangerous outside. Don't run around randomly. We found most of the supplies anyway. It's fine. Just do more tasks tomorrow after the production team gives them out, and earn back the supplies."
Yao Jingshan and Yong Yun comforted her too. Yao Jingshan even said to Xia Xi, "She was partnered with you. You left her alone at base. You're partly at fault too."
Xia Xi laughed in annoyance, "Now it's my fault?"
But he wasn't petty. After scolding himself a little in his heart, he apologized to the still silently weeping Duan Mangyun, "Sorry, I was a little harsh just now. It's just that Ruanxing worked hard to carry back those supplies, so I hate to see them go to waste."
Eyes red, Duan Mangyun looked to Zhong Ruanxing, who was quietly organizing supplies without a word. "Ruanxing, I'm sorry. You're not mad at me, are you?"
Zhong Ruanxing looked back, her expression very natural. "Why would I be mad at you? Like Yang Ze said, the production team will give out tasks tomorrow. Just do more and earn back the wasted supplies. It's fine." She gave Duan Mangyun an encouraging smile, "So work hard tomorrow, no slacking!"
Duan Mangyun's heart tightened, but she maintained her composure, speaking carefully, "I'll work hard, don't be mad at me."
Before Zhong Ruanxing could reply, Bai Yinyue couldn't stand it anymore. Frowning, she said loudly, "Everyone said they're not blaming you! Who are you to push blame onto her? She's not mad, but you insist she is!"
Duan Mangyun was startled, her eyes even redder. Shrinking down, she sobbed softly, "Sorry..."
Bai Yinyue pointed at her coldly, "Shut up. Don't make me slap you."
