WS - Chapter 87
Chapter 87
To be fair, Ning Chuyang's stamina was actually above average among the women, even a bit better than Yu Nianbing's.
However, Yu Nianbing had Song Shiyue constantly watching over her, helping her up the mountain, massaging her at night, so her fatigue level was much lower than Ning Chuyang's, and along the way she even looked more energetic than Ning Chuyang.
But when it came to tree climbing, which demanded a certain level of physical fitness, it was a true test of skill.
Ning Chuyang didn't climb fast, she just took it one step at a time, steadily finding her footholds. She paused many times along the way, taking at least twice as long as Zhuang Jiachuan, and even had a close call where her arm nearly gave out and she almost lost her grip; luckily she adjusted in time and held on, eventually making it up the tree without further mishap.
But Ning Chuyang, who had finally climbed up and gotten the Benefit Ball after so much effort, looked even more disgruntled on the way down than she had on the way up.
Before anyone could ask, Ning Chuyang landed and immediately held up the Benefit Ball and grumbled, "What the... heck... guess what's written inside my ball? Lean-to Shelter! It's a Lean-to Shelter!"
The onlookers: "..."
"This time they're not all the same?" Mu Xingzhou couldn't believe it, and began to have a bad feeling about his own fate.
"Exactly! Why aren't they all tents this time?" Ning Chuyang clutched the small ball, so angry she was practically swelling up like a pufferfish. "If I had known I'd only get a Lean-to Shelter tonight, I would have just taken the production team's crane to camp and saved myself all that effort."
Ning Chuyang's words left the three who had gotten tents at a loss for how to respond.
It was Mu Xingzhou who tried to console her: "Well, it's not quite like that. At least this looks like a pre-built Lean-to Shelter they just give you. If you'd taken the crane, you'd probably have to build it yourself."
Some words, though reasonable, don't do much good for someone who's fuming.
But Ning Chuyang still had some sense; despite her anger, she didn't forget to hurry Mu Xingzhou: "Go on up, I've already gone. Even if it's just a Lean-to Shelter, you still have to go."
Truth be told, after discovering that the reward could be a Lean-to Shelter, Mu Xingzhou's already limited enthusiasm and confidence for tree climbing took a nosedive.
As one might expect, unless Ning Chuyang was the only one with bad luck, there was a high chance that the remaining two Benefit Balls above were also Lean-to Shelters...
But the tree still had to be climbed.
Even if not for tonight's accommodation, he had to think about Ning Chuyang, who was about to explode with anger...
Mu Xingzhou's enthusiasm was pretty much gone, but when he actually started climbing, he was the steadiest of everyone except Song Shiyue. He succeeded, but it took him about as long as Ning Chuyang.
Without even asking, from the look on Mu Xingzhou's face when he came down, everyone already guessed that the word in his Benefit Ball was Lean-to Shelter.
Of course, the reality held no surprises.
Three tents, two Lean-to Shelters, and whatever was left up there wasn't hard to guess.
"So should we keep going that way now?" Zhuang Jiachuan pointed toward the spiral staircase on the tree next to the one they'd already passed.
"No!" Yu Nianbing's objection was even louder than her usual voice, startling Zhuang Jiachuan.
"Teacher Yu?" Although Zhuang Jiachuan had asked, he had thought his suggestion was correct, so why such a forceful rejection?
"Sorry to hold everyone up, let me climb one more time, it'll be quick." Yu Nianbing said with some apology, then looked at Song Shiyue, "They've all gotten theirs, I can do it too, let me go up once more."
If Zhuang Jiachuan had been startled earlier by Yu Nianbing's slightly raised objection, now he was absolutely shocked by the soft, coquettish tone in her voice.
What the heck! What happened to "keep your distance"?
Zhuang Jiachuan had previously gotten the guest list for The Wilderness Journey and, intending to cooperate with the production team, had planned to partner with Yu Nianbing to ride the hype wave, so he had done his homework thoroughly.
He couldn't claim a deep understanding of Yu Nianbing, but he had at least read through all the reputable media coverage about her over the years.
Of course, each outlet had its own slant, but they were fairly consistent in saying that Yu Nianbing was someone who kept a lot of distance from others, and even with co-stars she'd worked with for over half a year on a set, she wouldn't form any real bond. Some media outlets practically wrote outright that Yu Nianbing was cold and hard to get along with.
But once the show started, Zhuang Jiachuan increasingly felt that those supposedly reliable media were actually quite unreliable.
Sure, Yu Nianbing didn't participate much in team chatter or comedy, but she was genuinely a kind person.
Not only did she stand on the front lines pushing back against Captain Yang and the production team to defend the group, but the fact that she willingly took on cooking duties was truly friendly. And besides, the food she made was seriously delicious.
However, even though Zhuang Jiachuan's impression of Yu Nianbing had been gradually changing over these days of interaction, he never expected a reversal this dramatic, at this moment, today.
Was she acting coy? Was that coyness? That was definitely coyness, right? What about that famous distance? Zhuang Jiachuan's mind was a mess.
Song Shiyue had never held any rigid stereotypes about Yu Nianbing, so she naturally didn't, like Zhuang Jiachuan, jump to the conclusion of "coyness" based on a few words. At most, she just felt that Yu Nianbing was being particularly persistent this time, in a way that couldn't be subdued by force alone.
She couldn't just sling her over her shoulder and carry her off, could she?
Although Song Shiyue had been worn down and was starting to waver somewhat, she still hardened her heart and said no to Yu Nianbing's soft entreaties.
That slip of Yu Nianbing's had already left Song Shiyue deeply regretful.
Though Song Shiyue had wanted Yu Nianbing to have a better place to sleep tonight, which was why she'd let her give it a try, it had, after all, been too reckless...
Thankfully, before Yu Nianbing went up, Song Shiyue had pressed Zhao Da to go up and help watch the safety rope.
If only Captain Yang had been up there alone and Yu Nianbing had slipped like that, Song Shiyue's heart probably would have leaped right out of her throat.
No, no, still no. Was this person turning into a repeater or what?
Yu Nianbing was so frustrated she was nearly panting, but she knew her own capabilities; if Song Shiyue didn't voluntarily let go, she absolutely could not break free from the grip around her waist.
It was just one little slip! And there was a safety rope, what was there to be afraid of! Why be so timid!
Seeing the others, one after another, all get their Benefit Balls, Yu Nianbing was almost frantic with impatience.
Even if the last Benefit Ball up there was almost certainly a Lean-to Shelter, Yu Nianbing's enthusiasm to go up didn't wane one bit.
It was fine if she got a Lean-to Shelter, because Song Shiyue had gotten a tent, right? After all... after all, this time it was her turn to help Song Shiyue bring something back, wasn't it?
It had to be said, Captain Yang's tactic of pairing up the team members for bundled rewards was extremely effective.
If not for that, Yu Nianbing wouldn't have persisted to this extent.
But Yu Nianbing hadn't anticipated that the biggest obstacle between her and the Benefit Ball wouldn't be the tree climbing itself, but Song Shiyue...
The most frustrating part was that, yes, there was no time limit for this Benefit Ball challenge, but their time on the platforms was limited... No matter how unwilling Yu Nianbing was, she had to consider the team's overall pace; she couldn't just stay here indefinitely, pestering Song Shiyue to let her climb.
It had to be said, from the moment Song Shiyue allowed Yu Nianbing to try climbing, to after Yu Nianbing failed and no matter how she promised to be safer next time, Song Shiyue still refused to let her try again... some viewers watching the livestream on StarNet really felt their faces sting.
But sometimes, that stinging face is also a kind of happiness.
"I really didn't expect Yu Nianbing to be so determined; looks like we were worrying for nothing..."
"Is this what CP chemistry is? After letting Little Ice Block try once, she's still this persistent. If Song Shiyue had refused from the start, she probably would have kicked up a fuss, hahaha."
"Who would've thought, who would've thought the Little Ice Block in the livestream would be like this? She's not a Little Ice Block anymore, she's practically become Little Hot Water — from an old Little Ice Bucket clutching her trembling heart."
"Hahaha, oh my god, what on earth is Little Hot Water, is the old Little Ice Bucket up there trying to make me laugh to death?"
"Honestly, as a long-time Little Ice Bucket, I used to really go for that ice-cold, otherworldly 'looks down on everyone' persona. Logically, now that she's softened up this much, the persona is shattered and I should leave, but why can't my feet move!"
"Hahaha, does the person above think that after the persona shattered, it actually got even better? — from a perceptive old Little Ice Bucket who joined the Mooncakes organization just yesterday."
"So true +1, this kind of Little Ice Block is even more endearing, what an utterly unexpected pleasure."
"I'm just curious how long Song Shiyue can hold out."
"Song Shiyue's resolve is really impressive. If it were me, I would've caved and let her go the moment Little Ice Block said her first sentence."
"Which is to say, the friend up there who can't hold out for one sentence, your love for Yu Nianbing isn't true love. True love wouldn't bear to let her go up and risk herself again."
"The production team really made this thing annoying. Want shelter? Gotta take risks. Don't want risks? No place to stay. It's a really tough choice."
"So actually, we shouldn't blame Song Shiyue earlier either. If you want to gain something, trying is necessary."
"Right, this is wilderness survival, you obviously can't just coast through comfortably. Sometimes you really have no choice."
"Looking at it now, the determined Yu Nianbing and the caring Song Shiyue are both amazing. I just don't know who will win in the end."
"I'm betting on Sister Song. With those hands that can chop beef and hack wood, a grabbed Little Ice Block still wants to climb the tree? Just dragged away..."
"Hahaha, maybe not outright dragged; with how much Sister Song cares, just slung over the shoulder is more like it."
"This is the real side of wilderness survival: might makes right, hahaha."
"Yu · completely baffled · weak and helpless · Nianbing"
"No no no, at times like this I have to speak up for fairness: in the end, Little Hot Water has to win. I refuse to believe Song Shiyue is a hard-hearted dog who, faced with this Little Hot Water, can keep stubbornly refusing."
"Oh my god, Little Hot Water, hahaha, can we just move past this nickname already!"
...
Setting everything else aside, the StarNet audience's reaction alone proved that Yu Nianbing's persistence this time, regardless of success or failure, was by no means meaningless.
At the very least, everyone no longer felt that her earlier attempt had been forced by Song Shiyue.
Compared to one party insisting and demanding, the sight of both of them striving together with a shared heart was far more affirming and comforting.
Perhaps the StarNet viewers were still placing bets on who would ultimately listen to whom, but for them, who won or lost in the end no longer mattered so much.
After all, today's candy was already sweet enough and plentiful enough; those who had been tossed out onto the street in the rain earlier had already come back to the candy jar hugging new flavors of candy, and were fairly satisfied.
Unfortunately, unlike the viewers who topple over at any candy, Yu Nianbing obviously couldn't be satisfied no matter who won or lost.
Yu Nianbing was angry at Song Shiyue's impervious, unyielding persistence.
But beyond the anger, faced with Song Shiyue's concern and protection so openly displayed, Yu Nianbing's heart truly was... sweet.
Yes, it was sweet.
A flavor she hadn't felt in so long...
So long that for a moment it was almost unfamiliar, and she nearly couldn't identify it.
Yu Nianbing believed that even if they couldn't get this reward, Song Shiyue would be able to solve their housing problem tonight. Yu Nianbing could already picture Song Shiyue swinging the stone knife to fell one tree after another...
But precisely because she felt that sweetness and could imagine Song Shiyue resolving the problem like that, Yu Nianbing was even more unable to give up on the Benefit Ball in that tree.
It was already late, and Yu Nianbing knew she couldn't use up all the time persuading Song Shiyue instead of getting down to the business of climbing the tree, which only made her more anxious.
"I already went up once, it really isn't that dangerous. Look, they all succeeded, can't I just try once more?" Yu Nianbing's words, as she spoke, lost their edge and instead gained a pitiful note, "I'll just go up and try, if it doesn't work I'll come down. That thing you taught me, bracing to swing to the side, didn't I learn it pretty well? Just once, let me try once more, okay?"
Her words grew softer and softer.
And Song Shiyue, just as some viewers on StarNet had thought, was barely keeping up the facade of stubborn refusal on the surface; inside, she could hardly hold out any longer.
How had it come to this...
There was some danger, true, but it really wasn't that dangerous. How had that one slipped foot terrified her out of her wits for a moment?
Clearly... in an environment like the apocalypse, she had struggled on the edge of life and death so many times, and Song Shiyue had thought her heart had long since grown old and her blood cold.
Who would've thought, after only such a short time in this peaceful world, her courage had shrunk to this extent?
Even if she worried, she could only protect her during these dozen or so days of The Wilderness Journey; could she protect her for a lifetime...? It seemed it wasn't right to just arbitrarily decide what she could and couldn't do...
Amidst Yu Nianbing's soft words, Song Shiyue fell into thought and couldn't help beginning this self-reflection.
Song Shiyue had pretty much wavered to the point of giving in, but her face hadn't shown it yet, and Yu Nianbing couldn't wait any longer.
"I just want to put together a home for us, is it really not okay...?" Yu Nianbing pressed one hand over the back of Song Shiyue's hand where it was gripping her gear, and her eyes suddenly rimmed pink.
"Okay, okay, okay..." Song Shiyue hadn't expected her hesitation to drive the person to the verge of tears, and couldn't think of anything else; her mind filled only with "whatever Yu Nianbing says goes," just begging her not to cry.
"So you agree to let me climb the tree?" Yu Nianbing's eyes were rimmed pink, a thin layer of tears seemingly glistening, as she looked at Song Shiyue pitifully and confirmed once more.
"Yes yes yes, go up, go up." Song Shiyue seemed completely unaware that she had started exhibiting a tendency toward one-word repetition within a single sentence, her thoughts wholly occupied by Yu Nianbing's pink-rimmed eyes, just hoping they wouldn't go from pink to red.
"..." Yu Nianbing lowered her gaze to look at Song Shiyue's hand still gripping her gear.
"Oh oh oh." Song Shiyue immediately understood, and like she'd received an electric shock, she swiftly let go of the gear.
There is a kind of sweetness, called sweet-and-sour.
Like sweet-and-sour spare ribs, like plum-sauce ribs, or like the Mooncake CP candy, it only takes one bite to become utterly addicted, until your wallet is empty and you'd even sell yourself to pay for more.
"Clutching heart: is she so determined that she'd cry if not allowed to climb? Wuwuwu, seeing this makes me want to cry too..."
"As a veteran Little Ice Bucket, my heart is truly about to shatter. But even so, I can't blame Song Shiyue for blocking her and making her cry; after all, Song Shiyue's heart is probably shattering even more, ah."
"It's too hard, whether refusing or agreeing, it's all too hard. My heart aches so much, I want to cry too."
"Truly heartbreaking—one for the other's safety, one for the other's shelter. How can it be this heartbreaking and yet this sweet!"
"I feel like I'm probably never going to get candy this heartfelt and sincere from any other CP in my lifetime, truly... bitter and sweet, I want to punch the production team who designed this tree-climbing segment!"
"Yeah, let's beat them up. Production Team, come out and let everyone beat you up for fun!"
"I never expected this show, besides chasing traffic, would also want to earn our tears, truly too wicked!"
"Today, we have seen through so much human nature, from 'So True' to the repeater. On this day, we have truly experienced too much..."
"Hahaha, let's talk about something happy. This round... Yu · Little Hot Water · Nianbing vs. Song · Flustered Repeater · Shiyue, Little Hot Water wins completely."
"Just got back from the bathroom and caught up on a round of classic danmaku from the period. I get Little Hot Water, but what's a Flustered Repeater?"
"A flustered repeater? Hahahaha!"
"It's as if you can see how flustered Song Shiyue's heart has become just through those simple repeated words!"
"Honestly, Song Shiyue is already struggling to hold on. Compared to her love for Little Hot Water, my love probably only could withstand one soft sentence like that from Little Hot Water before I become a repeater."
"I can understand the Flustered Repeater. After all, who can resist 'I just want to put together a home for us'! With housing prices on all the main planets so high these days, a marriage proposal probably wouldn't be more than that sentence."
"Hahaha, 'put together a home for us' is so much more practical than 'love you forever.' This is sincere commitment to living a good life together!"
"I hope the production team's commercial department can get their brains online soon and remember to preserve the home Little Ice Block scraped together this time. I'll definitely buy the very first spaceship ticket when Wilderness Planet opens to go on a pilgrimage!"
"Hahaha, might as well open it now. I'd accept five times the ticket price."
"How about I donate 666 times 666 to the production team and we set up a civil affairs bureau on Wilderness Planet too?"
"??? So when Wilderness Planet opens, the civil affairs bureau becomes one of the hot tourist attractions? Hahaha."
"The Song-Yu CP officially registered same-model civil affairs bureau—you deserve to have it~~~"
"Hahaha, there's already an ad slogan. Production Team, come out and take your beating and collect the money!"
...
Never mind how the StarNet audience was moved and sighing over each of their persistence.
Finally having obtained Song Shiyue's consent and regained freedom, Yu Nianbing, the very next second after Song Shiyue let go, dashed in two or three strides to the base of the tree she needed to climb. One hand already on the wooden rung, she hadn't forgotten to turn her head back and flash Song Shiyue a smug grin.
All that soft coyness, all that pitiful little thing, all those pink-rimmed eyes about to turn red...
Every last bit!
Gone!
The warmth of Yu Nianbing's hand that had just been covering the back of Song Shiyue's hand hadn't even had time to dissipate, and Song Shiyue saw Yu Nianbing running faster than a monkey, her change of face even faster than her running...
It irresistibly reminded one of a certain sticker from the apocalypse communication device: a somewhat mischievous smile with the word "teehee" floating above the head...
"What are you doing? Come back." Song Shiyue said, both annoyed and amused.
If Song Shiyue hadn't realized by this point that Yu Nianbing had just put on a burst of fake-crying acting, then once this reality show was over, she probably ought to go get her brain checked.
"Didn't you promise to let me try?" Yu Nianbing edged closer to the tree warily, somewhat regretting that she'd shown her triumphant colors too early.
But it couldn't be helped. Who could blame her, when Song Shiyue had been so unyielding for so long, and Yu Nianbing had worked so hard to gain her freedom; she really couldn't resist teehee-ing at Song Shiyue a little. Only, it seemed a bit premature, and she was still a bit too close to Song Shiyue...
"Get back here..." Song Shiyue was actually infuriated into laughter by that guarded little look from Yu Nianbing. She was just about to say more when she saw Yu Nianbing shoot her a vigilant glance, then turn around and start climbing up.
What kind of person is this? What about all that cleverness from faking it just moments ago?
"Did you even clip on your safety rope? And you're just climbing?" Song Shiyue was so startled by Yu Nianbing's turn-and-climb move that she hurriedly shouted while running over, and with one grab, plucked Yu Nianbing—who hadn't even climbed two wooden rungs—right off the tree.
Mm... because she was too tense, she plucked her off with one hand.
Yu Nianbing, who knew she was wrong but really wanted to mock Song Shiyue's one-handed lift: "..."
Song Shiyue, who knew she was wrong but really wanted to mock Yu Nianbing for forgetting the safety rope: "..."
The two glanced at each other, silent.
Alright, since it's come to this, neither can really say anything about the other...
"Ahem, well, you still have to clip on the safety rope." Seeing the sudden weird atmosphere between the two, Zhuang Jiachuan couldn't help playing peacemaker.
It was Ning Chuyang, however, who increasingly sensed something different about the two of them.
Logically speaking, the show had only three female guests. The day before, Ning Chuyang had found it a bit strange: was she not cute or what? Why did she always feel like she couldn't squeeze in between those two? Clearly, they were all equally unfamiliar and had spent about the same amount of time together...
Now she finally understood: if she really could squeeze in, that would be the truly strange thing.
After Zhuang Jiachuan's mediation, Yu Nianbing started to inch, little by little, slowly brushing past Song Shiyue's side, gradually edging away, all the while never ceasing her righteous stare at Song Shiyue.
Who looked like someone who breaks their promises and gets fat? Song Shiyue really, really wanted to salvage her previously overly strict image, dang it!
How had she scared the person so badly that she even forgot the safety rope...
Whether it was the suddenly smug look on Yu Nianbing's changed face, or the little episode of forgetting to clip on the safety rope, each was like a small stone tossed into the hearts of Song Shiyue and the StarNet viewers, which had just been soured by those faintly pink-rimmed eyes.
Who would have thought that the sweet-and-sour of sweet-and-sour spare ribs and plum-sauce ribs were all illusions, and the real thing was as sweet as honey, like those late-season lake-view peaches about to disappear from the market in early August...
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