Qin Zhao and Sheng Xi finished tidying up and started gathering materials to build a shelter.
Having just left An Hongyu's team, they were starting from scratch.
As it was getting late, they decided to first build a simple thatched hut to get through the night.
Eight long, slender pieces of wood to use as posts were quickly found.
Qin Zhao said, "I'll build the frame for the hut, you go find some bigger leaves to use as the roof."
"Okay."
Seeing this scene, Sheng Xi's fans on the online platform were getting jealous.
"What has Qin Zhao done to deserve making a goddess like Sheng Xi work for her?"
"I'm so envious that she gets to sleep with Sister Sheng Xi tonight!"
"I don't agree, Sheng Xi is my wife!"
"The person above, do you know because of what you said, Sheng Xi hugged me for half an hour, saying I'm the only woman she has!"
...
Qin Zhao inserted the eight pieces of wood into the ground in a triangular shape, leaving an opening for a door.
After finishing this, Sheng Xi happened to walk out from the woods, carrying a pile of relatively large leaves.
Qin Zhao stepped forward two steps to take the leaves from her, and said, "You're just in time."
She spread some of the leaves on the ground as a mattress, and used the rest to cover the top.
Qin Zhao clapped her hands, "Done!"
An Hongyu and the others' shelter was less than a hundred meters away.
He could clearly see every move and smile of the two women.
He thought to himself: "Smile, smile as much as you can. Let's see if you can still smile tomorrow!"
Night fell. After washing up with river water, Qin Zhao and Sheng Xi lay down in the hut.
The hut was really quite small. If they lay flat, they would definitely be squeezed together.
So Qin Zhao lay on her side to leave room for Sheng Xi to lie flat.
But Sheng Xi had the same idea.
Strangely, in such a cramped space, there was still room for half a person!
Qin Zhao jokingly asked: "Is someone else coming?"
Sheng Xi said: "Shouldn't be, right?"
"Then why aren't you lying down comfortably, leaving so much room?"
Sheng Xi wanted to say she was doing the same thing.
But saying so would be lacking in romance.
She lay down flat and said, "Thank you, Qin Zhao."
Qin Zhao gave a murmur of acknowledgment.
Drowsiness took over. As Qin Zhao closed her eyes to fall asleep, she heard Sheng Xi ask: "Are the two of us considered allied now?"
Qin Zhao mumbled unclearly: "Of course."
Then she lost consciousness.
Early next morning, Qin Zhao was woken up by mosquito bites!
The wilderness really wasn't fit for human habitation!
There were at least five bumps on her body, and they were terribly itchy.
To stop the itch, she poked a cross on each bump with her fingernail, using pain to replace the itch. She felt a bit better.
Soon Sheng Xi woke up too. She stretched lazily and said, "I slept so well last night, I feel like my body is full of strength. Whatever work there is today, just leave it to me."
Qin Zhao looked at her in surprise and asked, "Why do I see no mosquito bites on you? Did they not bite you?"
The corners of Sheng Xi's mouth turned up. "If I sleep alone, mosquitoes might bite me, but if I sleep with someone else, they will bite the other person for sure."
She pretended to be troubled, and continued, "Sorry, I don't mean to, but mosquitoes just don't like me."
Qin Zhao rolled her eyes at her. "If I had known, I'd have thrown you out to feed the wolves!"
Sheng Xi laughed. "You wouldn't bear to. Otherwise, why were you hugging me and not letting go last night?"
Qin Zhao deliberately ignored the memory of waking up in the morning hugging Sheng Xi tightly.
Being suddenly reminded of it made her face turn red instantly!
She stuttered, "I...I wasn't reluctant to let you go. I just used you as my hug pillow!"
But Sheng Xi only heard the first half of the sentence. She repeated, "So you were reluctant to let me go, huh~"
Qin Zhao hurriedly covered her ears, "I can't hear you, chanting scriptures to deaf frogs."
Sheng Xi: "..."
She retorted, "Fool, futile attempt at concealment!"
After sparring with each other for a few sentences, the slightly ambiguous atmosphere was finally dispelled.
At 8:30, after having breakfast - wild berries picked from the woods, they were about to build a bigger shelter when they heard Deputy Director Li Ming shout, "Contestants, please come gather!"
Qin Zhao and Sheng Xi had no choice but to temporarily put their things aside and walk over.
When the nine contestants gathered, Li Ming said, "I see everyone has been living miserably these days. Eating badly, sleeping badly."
"So the production team discussed and decided to give you a chance to improve your lives."
Those who had been eating wild plants for days, Tang Jiamao and Zhang Youyuan, asked in unison, "What do you want us to do?"
Li Ming replied, "Contestants, please participate in two competitions, tree climbing and weightlifting.
"Each event has a maximum score of ten points. First place gets ten points, second place gets nine points, and so on.
"The person with the highest total score will get a large tent that can hold five people, ten kilograms of wild boar meat, three kilograms of fruits and vegetables, and various seasonings!"
Such generous rewards made everyone present extremely excited.
Only Chen Bingzhe was slightly embarrassed. "I'm almost forty years old. How can I compete with young people? This competition is unfair."
Of course it was unfair, because the two events were set according to the male lead's strengths.
He was 1.9 meters tall, with long limbs, suitable for climbing trees. His muscular body could easily lift weights.
On the other hand, the others:
Chen Bingzhe, 1.69 meters tall with a pot belly. He might stand a chance at weightlifting, but was doomed to fail at climbing trees.
Xiao Mo, a 27-year-old actor, 1.75 meters tall and slender.
Lin Rui, a 31-year-old singer, 1.65 meters and chubby.
Tang Jiamao, a 23-year-old actress, 1.68 meters tall and wispy.
Zhang Youyuan, a 24-year-old actor, 1.79 meters tall and slender.
The only one who could compete with An Hongyu was the special guest contestant Yu Xiao, a hunter by profession. But he was only 1.7 meters tall and nearing forty. Still not a match for An Hongyu.
Of course Li Ming wouldn't admit the trickery. He defended himself disingenuously, "In the face of nature, all men are equal. Our show advocates fairness and justice. No matter the contestants' conditions, we treat everyone equally!"
Contestants: "..."
Viewers: "..."
No matter how they heard it, something sounded wrong about what he said, but they couldn't refute it.
They had no choice but to unwillingly accept it.
An Hongyu's mouth curved up imperceptibly. He thought: You feel aggrieved, and that's how it should be. There is no such thing as fairness in this world!
Li Ming led everyone to a towering tree.
Looking up, the top of the tree seemed to be deep in the clouds, with no end in sight.
Li Ming asked: "Who wants to go first?"
Silence, boundless silence.
No one was willing to stick their neck out. They'd rather watch and learn from someone else's experience before having a go.
Just as Li Ming was about to suggest drawing lots to decide, Qin Zhao said, "I'll go!"
Everyone looked at her as if she was an idiot. Sheng Xi pulled at her sleeve and whispered in her ear, "Don't overexert yourself, we can wait a little longer."
Qin Zhao said, "Don't worry, I know my limits."
An Hongyu couldn't stand seeing them whisper. He taunted loudly: "With your physique, it'd be an achievement to climb two meters. An overconfident woman!"
However, the next scene shocked the jaws off everyone present and the viewers on the platform!
