WS - Chapter 57
Chapter 57
After walking all day, the remaining road seemed to grow longer and longer.
They stepped over one fallen log blocking the way, then another... Yu Nianbing looked up at the mountain peak still far in the distance and couldn't help sighing.
But it was just an involuntary sigh; the next moment her hand was turned over, palm facing down, back of the hand facing up.
Yu Nianbing looked down at their clasped hands.
Song Shiyue said nothing, only gave the hand a slight upward lift.
A steady force traveled from one palm to the other.
Perhaps because too many things had happened these past two days, there was a tacit understanding even without words.
The originally estimated one-hour journey from the Thermal Storage Box had already taken about half an hour, but from the remaining path it was clear they could not reach the destination in another half hour. Although Song Shiyue had already carried much of the burden, apart from Guan Yongyi, the physical strength of the other four was only average; after walking most of the day and then adding several jin of extra weight, it was truly a struggle.
Yu Nianbing's legs had gone from weak to numb, and she was truly finding it hard to go on. She caught onto Song Shiyue's hint, and looking at Song's relaxed appearance—after walking half an hour carrying several dozen jin of meat, she wasn't even red in the face or out of breath—Yu hesitated, then leaned slightly and transferred a bit of her weight onto their overlapping hands.
It had to be said, walking by oneself and walking while supported felt completely different.
Yu Nianbing walked a couple of steps pressing on Song Shiyue's hand like this, then couldn't help looking down again.
Clearly Song's hand was suspended in midair; in order to support her with the palm facing up, her wrist was bent. And when Yu pressed down, rather than saying Song supported her with her body, it was more like the wrist alone was bearing the force.
Such a slender wrist—could it have that much strength?
Leaning one's weight on someone else made walking really steady and comfortable, but after a glance at Song Shiyue's wrist, so thin it looked like it might snap with a casual fold, Yu Nianbing quickly withdrew her force.
Yu Nianbing had retreated, but Song Shiyue wouldn't accept it.
She was already so tired; why did she insist on going it alone?
Song Shiyue's face showed that she didn't understand.
Yu Nianbing turned her face away and looked elsewhere.
Although the mutual force was gone, their hands were still clasped together—a compromise Yu Nianbing had made over ten minutes ago.
On that basis, when the path ahead became slightly flatter, Song Shiyue wordlessly pulled her hand down, applying a little downward force.
Still struggling to support herself, Yu Nianbing was caught off guard by Song Shiyue's move and found herself staggering toward Song.
Of course, before she could fall, her hand was propped up.
Steady, as if bracing against a table on the ground.
Before Yu Nianbing could steady herself, she looked to the side in surprise.
Song Shiyue showed a harmless smile and gave their clasped hand—the same hand that had just tugged Yu and then supported her—a slight upward lift.
This person...
Really made one angry.
Was it not enough to fear her hardship? Did she have to be so capable as to carry an ox and then a person? Did she not consider whether her small frame could take it?
Yu Nianbing was angry, but her heart was still warm.
Especially that small gesture of Song Shiyue's—lifting her hand slightly again to hold her steady—like a walking stick volunteering to do its job. Even though she had played a little trick before, it was hard to stay angry now.
The two of them had been walking at the back of the group this whole time, holding hands the whole time. This tug-of-war, like a mime performance, could not be seen by the people ahead. Even the StarNet viewers watching the livestream would have difficulty telling from those tightly clasped hands who was giving and who was taking at each moment.
"Some sugar, tiny pieces, before you know it, a handful gets thrown in your face. Other sugar, so long, like a handmade candy that hasn't been sliced, making you suck it straight from the top."
"Why is the one up front so literary? Not used to eating sugar without snake carcasses and ox carcasses on the side?"
"Where is there no ox carcass? Isn't that giant ox head invisible?"
"...Really can't get better; is the sugar of this Song-Yu CP poisonous? Do we always have to eat it alongside these things? It's exhausting to chew."
"Heh, at least there's something to eat. Look at us Muyang shippers—haven't had any sugar since yesterday, okay?"
"Hahaha, okay okay, as a Little Mooncake, I've been successfully comforted. Honestly, aren't Mu Xingzhou and Ning Chuyang just short of making it official? They were doing so well on the spaceship before; how have they become like this the past couple days?"
"Muyang shippers feel bitter, woof woof woof squeezing into the Mooncakes' bowl to steal some sugar. Really envy you new CP fans—when a CP is just starting, that's when the sugar flows."
"You can keep the sugar; we don't have enough ourselves. The side products next to it, we'll let you make do with some, hahaha."
"Watching them just walk on quietly like this, peaceful and happy, is also quite nice."
"Hahaha, the one in front, did you ask Yu Nianbing and Song Shiyue's opinions? So is Song Shiyue supposed to head to the ends of the earth carrying half an ox?"
"Little Mooncakes are too mean. Although we are Muyang shippers, we don't eat raw meat, okay!"
"Come to think of it, although this sugar is sweet, there's always something a bit strange."
"Right! It's like it looks like malt candy, tastes like malt candy, but you can't shake the feeling it might be mint candy."
"??? Why is the one in front so scary!"
"I don't know if it's mint candy, but as a professional shipper who has chased thirty-six CPs, I'd say this sugar should be sweeter than what we're tasting!"
"Isn't it hand-holding sugar? How could it be sweeter?"
"Holding her hand while curling one finger to write 'I love you' on her palm?"
"Hahaha, are you trying to kill me with laughter! No way!"
"Even though there's no visible writing, somehow I get the feeling there's an extra sweetness we're not getting. So frustrating—from a professional shipper chasing her thirty-seventh CP"
Their tug-of-war was, of course, not known to any third person—those were tiny movements that even a camera close-up could not capture.
As for whether it was an especially sweet moment, Yu Nianbing didn't know, but she was beginning to understand Song Shiyue's unusual persistence.
The exchange of force went back and forth twice; the second time, Yu Nianbing was almost pulled directly into Song Shiyue's arms. Song's feet were like boulders, her hands like flexible vines, and every time she could support Yu Nianbing with perfect steadiness, leaving Yu unable to get angry.
Holding hands was one compromise.
And borrowing strength was simply another.
In this world, one thing often leads to another, doesn't it?
Yu Nianbing relaxed her body and, in a fit of pique, transferred most of her weight through their clasped hands onto Song Shiyue, who showed no sign of pressure, instead wearing an encouraging and gratified smile.
It was truly...
But what Yu Nianbing hated most was when others insisted on interfering, especially those who barged in under the banner of "for your own good" and made arbitrary arrangements.
Yet in less than half an hour, Song Shiyue had been stubborn twice, and still Yu Nianbing could not muster any real anger. Even that bit of irritation stirred up by Song's little moves had dissipated with the smile on Song's face.
This was a compromise she had to make in a weakened state, Yu Nianbing muttered to herself in her mind.
Perhaps because her mind was elsewhere, her control over her body was not as precise.
That "walking stick" under her hand, which always responded with just the right force, was truly wonderful to use. By the time Yu Nianbing realized it, she had already walked quite a distance, relying on Song Shiyue to take most of the strain.
It was just a life-saving grace from an emergency—wasn't this repayment going too far? ...As Yu Nianbing looked at Song Shiyue's still-relaxed profile, a sudden feeling of loss welled up inside her.
The one-hour journey from the Thermal Storage Box to the mountaintop camp ended up dragging on for nearly an hour and a half.
By the time they saw the little huts not far away, it was already past six, and the sun was almost setting.
The camp was right before their eyes, and everyone was desperate to enter, have a good bath, and stretch their bones on whatever beds might be available after a long day.
But Captain Yang, leading the group, stopped.
He stopped about a hundred meters from the camp.
Some new trick?
In the minds of the six people, phrases with different wording but similar meaning flashed.
As a professional expedition leader without any extra burden, Captain Yang, now standing still, was utterly relaxed. He gestured toward the nearby woods and said, "Alright, I know everyone's tired. But before officially entering the evening camp, we still have something to do."
No one wanted to do it! That was written on every face.
In the deepening twilight, Captain Yang hid the gleeful gloating in his eyes.
This wasn't a segment he had added on the fly; it was part of the Production Team's original plan, with no extra added hardship.
But for these people right now, anything that delayed their entry into the camp for rest would make them unhappy, wouldn't it?
How wonderful.
Captain Yang's expression was stern, as if he were upright and impartial, and he spoke again: "In the wilderness, we will always encounter unexpected situations. One person alone is weak, and too many people will create chaos so that no one can look after everyone. Although this is a collaborative wilderness survival show, we must also follow the principle of safe mutual aid and divide into groups. Group members will help each other; on the basis of collective survival, the groups will compete in a survival contest, and the winners can receive help from the Production Team."
As soon as he finished speaking, Captain Yang saw the five people in front of him, who had initially looked sullen and solemn, all relax with relief.
Only Yu Nianbing, whose face originally carried a cold air, remained expressionless, her gaze toward Captain Yang as serious as ever.
Troublesome people are always troublesome, no matter the time.
Captain Yang silently grumbled to himself, then averted his eyes, no longer looking at Yu Nianbing, and continued: "Before dividing into groups, we have a little test. See that tree over there? In a moment, your hands will be smeared with different colors. When climbing, aim to climb as high as possible. Finally, according to the highest point reached by each color, you will be ranked from top to bottom."
Just as Captain Yang finished speaking, Director Zhang, who had just caught up, crouched down at a spot off-camera and added, "The paint used is a natural dye that dissolves in water after a few hours and won't harm tree growth."
When Director Zhang spoke, they were still hoping he might show some kindness. After all, since the camp was so close, couldn't they just do the group division tomorrow morning? Right now they only wanted to bathe, sleep, oh, and eat beef!
To be honest, these several people, already half-dead with exhaustion, were only thinking about quickly resting to stay alive—who had the mood to care about environmental protection at a time like this?
Even Zhuang Jiachuan, who had been looking forward to the group division segment, didn't want to play anymore at this moment. Earlier the Production Team had said they would try their best to arrange him and Yu Nianbing in the same group. But looking at the current situation, with climbing trees and ranking, it felt a bit unreliable. And besides, he really was very tired...
But clearly, skipping this segment was not an option.
Although before they had pushed back against Captain Yang and the Production Team, they hadn't forgotten that they had signed contracts to film this show. Unreasonable, annoying parts clearly designed to mess with or retaliate against them—of course they could push back or even refuse.
So far, all six had been people who followed the rules; otherwise, when Captain Yang demanded they eat bugs at noon, they wouldn't have eaten.
It was precisely because at the Old Castle, even though they felt it was somewhat pranking them, they hadn't protested or refused in time, and had even broken the rules, that it had become tacit consent. They had accepted it, so they had eaten without much complaint.
But now this, flawlessly designed and clearly a normal segment that had been prepared long ago, left them with no reason to refuse.
As artists who had accepted money to appear on the show, being tired was not a reason to refuse.
In the fading light, Zhuang Jiachuan saw Director Zhang blinking his small eyes and signaling to him. He was reminded after a long time of some agreement he had made with the Production Team.
For Zhuang Jiachuan, whose day felt like it had lasted a year, that truly seemed like an agreement from long ago.
He let out a light breath, rubbed his hands, walked two steps toward Captain Yang, and spoke with an air of determination: "Fine, the sooner we split into groups the sooner we get into camp. I'll go first. How do I climb? Just climb straight up?"
From the Production Team's side, Feng Qianqian was pushed out by Director Zhang.
"First choose a color." Feng Qianqian held several bags in her hands, in what seemed like many colors.
Zhuang Jiachuan randomly picked a yellow bag.
"There are safety ropes on the tree. Captain Yang will help you put on the harness, then you can start climbing." After handing over the bag, seeing that Captain Yang had no intention of speaking, Feng Qianqian added one more sentence.
Tsk, and he had still wanted to scare them a bit. The safety ropes had been mentioned so quickly. The kind of bone-weary despair—it was a bit of a pity not to have seen it.
Captain Yang cast a dissatisfied glance at Feng Qianqian, but thinking of the losses he had suffered today, he still nodded without further comment and led Zhuang Jiachuan toward the nearby woods.
Once Captain Yang left, the people had only just set their packs and beef on the ground when Ning Chuyang, legs limp, plopped down unceremoniously right there and announced, "I declare that I'll be sixth place."
"Fine, fine, I'll give it to you, then I'll be fifth." Mu Xingzhou scuffed his feet on the dirt, seemed to realize no matter what he did it would be equally dirty, and sat down resignedly as well. But as he sat, he caught sight of the silent Yu Nianbing beside him, so he amended with a laugh, "No, no, better let Teacher Yu be fifth. How about this: Ning Chuyang crouches to stamp her handprint, Teacher Yu stamps hers while standing, and I'll jump to stamp mine. That way we'll be sixth, fifth, and fourth—how does that sound?"
"Then I'll jump even higher?" Guan Yongyi joined the discussion with a serious face.
Yu Nianbing laughed lightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but just looked at Song Shiyue.
Song Shiyue shrugged nonchalantly: "So I'll step on something and stamp mine even higher?"
Yu Nianbing's smile slightly faded.
Was this something that could just be settled by casually arranging handprints?
Did this person not even think about being in the same group as her?
What about the promised repayment of gratitude?
Had it already been paid off?
Comments
Post a Comment