The boundless jungle, trying to find the tracks of a few chickens, it’s really too difficult.
Starting from around the chicken coop, at first some traces could still be found where the chickens had run past, but as we searched further outwards, there were fewer and fewer clues, and after walking several hundred meters, we had completely lost the traces of chicken claws and chicken droppings.
But neither of them was discouraged, it was only just past eight in the morning, they still had a whole day ahead! Surely we can't fail to find even one.
Xia Xi was secretly happy that he could spend a whole day with Zhong Ruanxing, when he heard her say, "Why don't we split up to search, that way the efficiency will be higher. I'll sweep this area along the line on the map, you sweep this area along this line, okay?"
Xia Xi saw her two slender, fair fingers tracing on the map, and couldn't help feeling dejected, but also knew that she was right, there was no special technique to finding chickens, purely relying on time and luck, it would indeed be more efficient to search separately.
Although still more inclined towards wanting to pursue romance, he was ultimately a practical, straight man, so he nodded and agreed to her suggestion.
The livestream comments felt like they were shipping it, while also feeling hurt:
[Just now Xia Xi looked a bit like an abandoned puppy with his tail drooping down]
[I know Zhong Ruanxing made a lot of sense, but you came here to pursue romance, not to catch chickens!]
[Wake up girl! Don't get too absorbed in the task!]
[Although Xia Xi was very reluctant to separate, he still obediently nodded his head. Dear audience, this will make for better romance!]
[Pretty sister, look at our Xia Xi! He's really great! He can play every instrument, get him to write you a song!]
....
After confirming their routes, they pumped each other up, and Zhong Ruanxing even gave him two of her lipsticks, before setting off separately. She was excited, completely failing to notice the hesitant Xia Xi who kept looking back every three steps as she headed towards the depths of the island.
The director's team receiving the livestream was also very speechless at this point, this was supposed to be a dating survival reality show! How could the female guest abandon the male guest and run off alone!
Everyone unanimously blamed Director Yan, "It's all because of you, yesterday you reiterated that this is a survival dating reality show, with survival coming first, Zhong Ruanxing clearly took it seriously! Now she only cares about surviving!"
Director Yan: "............"
He had only said that to scare the guests, who knew Zhong Ruanxing would get even more excited after hearing it!
The excited Zhong Ruanxing's eyes were wide open like bronze bells, not missing any patches of grass along the route, determined to apprehend the escapees from the chicken coop. Her expression was too focused, making the audience in her livestream feel tense too, sending many messages hoping for success in this chicken-catching adventure.
Zhong Ruanxing had expected before setting off that this would not be an easy task, and would likely require searching the whole day without time to return for meals, so she had brought ample rations. Indeed, after a few hours had passed, there was still no sign of the chickens.
The audience was getting anxious watching, but she still seemed full of energy, not showing any tiredness.
Along the way she even found a grove of coconut trees, marking it on the map, so they could come back tomorrow to pick coconuts. As it neared noon, she found a flat area to sit down and opened her backpack to start eating lunch.
It was just some bread and milk, but she ate with great relish. The audience even felt like they were watching a mukbang, sending comments that they were going to order takeout.
Soon after finishing lunch, Zhong Ruanxing continued on her way. While no chickens had been found along the route, she did find a coconut grove, edible wild vegetables and mushrooms, a large patch of bright red raspberries, and an artificially dug small river. She carefully turned over the rocks in the river, and found fish and crabs!
Worried the audience wouldn't understand her actions, she explained while walking, "Before coming, I was worried about starving to death here, so I crammed on knowledge about wilderness survival, and learned to recognize some edible wild vegetables and mushrooms that would grow on a tropical island, like the ones in my bag. I saw just now, the island has lots of these wild vegetables, we'll have vegetable freedom this month."
Comments: [Confirmed guys, she really came here to survive, she has completely forgotten this is a dating show]
But why does her survival content seem more attractive to watch than the romantic interactions in the other livestreams! Now they only wanted to watch her explore and catch chickens, and had completely lost interest in watching the ambiguous interactions of the other couples!
This is bad, she's leading them astray.
If not for the urgent need to catch the chickens, Zhong Ruanxing even wanted to demonstrate wilderness survival skills for the audience, like using a hot stone slab to grill fish and prawns after making a fire.
She had gone through emergency training on all this before coming!
Time slowly slipped by, with the audience in the livestream coming and going in a few waves. Coming back near evening, they saw Zhong Ruanxing was still looking for chickens, without catching a single one the whole day.
After searching tirelessly the whole day, even her high morale seemed somewhat dampened, the audience couldn't bear to watch, and though knowing she couldn't see it, still advised her in the comments:
[Don't look anymore Ruanxing, your teammate betrayed the revolution and went home an hour ago]
[It's just a chicken! Directors! Give it to her! I can't bear to watch this beauty suffer!]
[The island is so big, it really is hard to find a few chickens, the directors shouldn't have set this task]
....
Zhong Ruanxing looked at the time on her compass, it was nearly six o'clock, she faced the camera and clenched her fist, "I'll search for another half an hour, if still nothing found I'll head back."
Comments: [If I had this perseverance I'd have gone ashore long ago]
The sun had started to set, twilight shadows covering the island, revealing some fantastical scenery. After walking the whole day, Zhong Ruanxing also felt tired. In a moment of yawning, she suddenly heard the sounds of flapping wings coming from the bushes nearby.
She was immediately reinvigorated, and carefully crept towards the sound. One step, two steps, gradually getting closer, behind the bushes, a hen was scratching the ground with her claws, looking for food.
A shocking light appeared in Zhong Ruanxing's eyes. She gestured to the camera crew to stay quiet, while carefully approaching the hen.
The audience watching the screen also held their breath at this suspenseful scene.
But there were too many obstructing objects in the woods, a sudden low swooping flock of birds overhead startled the foraging hen. Looking up, she instantly spotted the human sneakily approaching, letting out a sharp cry before turning to flee, flapping her wings frantically.
Without hesitation, Zhong Ruanxing gave chase.
A thrilling human-chicken chase then ensued through the woods.
Soon, the audience noticed the figures in view had disappeared. The confused camera crew following her stopped, panning around in circles to show the audience: they had lost sight of her!
Zhong Ruanxing ran fast, but the chicken ran faster. Finally finding a chicken after so much effort, she was determined not to let it get away, gritting her teeth to keep up the chase, completely failing to notice she had left the camera crew behind.
The hen kept crying while running, flapping her wings furiously, flying through large swathes of bushes and woods. As the view ahead gradually opened up, clearly a deliberately cultivated tranquil environment.
Until the hen flapped up onto a two meter high white wall, Zhong Ruanxing suddenly realized she had run into the restricted area.
The grand, luxurious villa before her eyes was clearly the island owner's territory!
Zhong Ruanxing immediately stopped in her tracks, looking up at the hen perched on the wall in frustration. Its beady green eyes gazed down at her, even showing some contempt, as if saying: come and get me!
Having chased all this way, she was determined not to give up with the hen so close! But trespassing would get her kicked off the island, she didn't dare take such a risk.
For a moment, Zhong Ruanxing was stuck in an impasse, standing under the trees outside the wall to stare down the hen.
Suddenly, a ladder was put up from inside the wall. From Zhong Ruanxing's vantage point, she could only see the top half of the ladder. Soon after, the hen let out a miserable squawk from atop the wall before being seized by the wings and whisked from view by a pair of hands.
Zhong Ruanxing was startled, and couldn't help taking two steps towards the tightly shut gates, "Sorry to disturb, but that's my hen."
She then repeated it in English.
After a while, the silver and black gates slowly opened to both sides. Accompanied by the incessant clucking of the hen, a tall figure emerged from within.
Behind was the golden glow of the setting sun, his whole person seemed bathed in this golden light, exuding a dazzling radiance.
Until he walked out from the light, his face was completely clear before her eyes. The familiar smile with upturned corners of his mouth, dressed in dark casual clothes, with his oversized sweater slightly bulging in the sea breeze.
The chicken that had provoked her before was held up in front of her. Song JinXing tilted his head slightly and asked, "Your chicken?"
Zhong Ruanxing looked at him unblinkingly, at this moment, her heartbeat was even more turbulent than the waves not far away.
"Song JinXing?" She called out uncertainly.
He smiled, "Hmm?"
