Chapter 4

Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Exchange

The large leaf was tightly wrapped. As soon as the outer two layers were peeled back, the aroma of roasted meat wafted out from within.

Hungry all day, digging holes, setting up tents, chasing after chickens and ducks—Hang Sisi, who hadn’t even had a sip of water, instinctively swallowed as the smell tempted her.

But reason told her she couldn’t eat it.

If this weren’t during filming, forget a single roast chicken—on a regular day, a takeout order of four or five dozen could be handed out to the entire staff. But in the middle of a reality show recording, Hang Sisi, who had personally caught a chick earlier, knew better than anyone just how hard it was to get her hands on one of these seemingly dumb meat chickens in the wild.

The same item, given in a moment of dire need versus in abundance, carried completely different weight.

“Better not, Sister Qianyu. It wasn’t easy for you to find food either.” Glancing at Lin Qianyu’s frail appearance, Hang Sisi wrapped the leaf back up again. “You keep it and eat. I still have some candy left. That’ll hold me over.”

“Candy doesn’t really fill you up.” Lin Qianyu shook the wild fruit in her hand. “This was an exchange between us. If you don’t eat it, I won’t either. And in this heat, if the chicken goes bad, that would be a waste.”

“Waaah… Sister Qianyu, you’re too good! From now on, I’ll give you all the wild fruit I pick!”

“Oh right—this is leftover chicken, but I ate by tearing pieces off with my hands. If you mind, I still have half a bird left, though it’s raw…”

“I don’t mind, I don’t mind!” Hang Sisi took a bite of the meat at the edge. “Having anything to eat at all is already amazing.”

The smell of roast chicken mixed with the smoky burnt scent in the air—it was a bit hard to distinguish.

But every guest present was hungry, and the production team hadn’t even prepared a single bottle of mineral water.

At that moment, someone’s stomach growled with a loud gurgle.

Hang Sisi paused, chewing on her chicken as she glanced toward the sound, then back at Lin Qianyu, and chose to stay silent.

In the corner, sitting on a rock, Jiang Ke blushed and murmured, “S-sorry…”

Lin Qianyu thought for a moment before matching the delicate-faced girl to the name on the guest list given by the director.

One of the currently popular girl group members known for singing and dancing.

Girl group members had very strict standards for body shape and fat percentage, and their diets were heavily controlled. Others may have just gone half a day without food, but Jiang Ke had only eaten a bit of salad this whole week—and that too without dressing.

“Xiao Ke, come on. I’ll cut you a piece of chicken,” An Lanqing said as she reheated the roast chicken over the fire. The meat no longer had any visible blood. She used a leaf to serve the meat and handed it over with concern. “Hurry and eat, don’t be shy.”

Jiang Ke, being well-trained in facial expressions as a girl group member, accepted politely. “Thank you.”

However…

This scorched meat had no seasoning whatsoever.

They could only choose three supplies total. Naturally, everyone had prioritized useful items like tents and sleeping bags. No one thought to choose condiments.

On top of that, the fire was poorly managed. As she tore the meat open, Jiang Ke could vaguely smell the raw, gamey scent of chicken meat within.After handing out one portion of meat, An Lanqing continued cutting and distributing pieces to the others.

Out of politeness, no one refused.

Guo Yanpeng turned his head and jerked his chin toward Lin Qianyu, as if in provocation. He then raised his hand and tossed the small piece of chicken An Lanqing had specially cut for him into his mouth.

The next moment—

—"Urgh!"

The burnt roast chicken, still bloody and un-drained, hit his throat with full force.

“……”

With that retch, even the air around seemed to fall silent.

Bullet comments:

【If An Lanqing can't cook, why is she fighting for the chef’s spot? Yin Youlin even said he knows how to grill meat!】

【She probably just didn’t want to do the dirty and tiring work. Grilling chicken only needs her to sit there and flip it.】

【Guo Yanpeng was even trying to provoke someone—what is he even showing off about? My god, I watched him handle that chicken. He didn’t even bleed it, just dug the organs out right away—I knew it wouldn't taste good. And now it’s burnt like that? If Guo Yanpeng didn’t throw up, I would’ve.】

An Lanqing’s face turned ashen, her hand clenching the leaf tightly.

“I didn’t eat anything yesterday. I’ve been hungry too long—suddenly eating something greasy just upset my stomach,” Guo Yanpeng tried to explain. “The meat’s actually fine.”

However, no one believed him.

They weren’t blind.

An Lanqing forced a smile. “I’ll pay more attention to the doneness next time.”

As soon as she said that, in the name of group harmony, everyone chimed in:

“Yes, yes, we’re all beginners. It’s understandable.”

“Next time I’ll collect more small branches—those burn slower and are easier to control.”

Though they said all this, they were still stuck with the meat in their hands.

It was truly the kind of thing you’d gag on if you ate, but feel wasteful throwing away.

An Lanqing said no more. During that moment, she even carved herself a pair of chopsticks and picked up a slice of roasted meat to eat.

At first, she furrowed her brow slightly, but then she chewed expressionlessly, saying neither that it tasted good nor bad—just eating in silence.

This action ended up putting the rest of the guests on the spot.

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense.Lin Qianyu walked over, opened her backpack, and said, “I still have half a chicken here, but it’s raw. A simple roast and it’ll be edible. If any of you want it, you can trade for it with supplies.”

An Lanqing suddenly looked up, her gaze openly fixed on Lin Qianyu, biting hard on her chopsticks.

Are you doing this on purpose?

Lin Qianyu didn’t even glance at her.

Guo Yanpeng was the first to protest. He pointed at her and accused, “We’re all on the same team. You ate on your own outside, and now you want to trade for the food you brought back? You really don’t understand how to share.”

By the end, he was frowning and criticizing her, “Why are you so selfish?”

Lin Qianyu was amused by how stupid he sounded and laughed. “I’m selfish? Fine, then I won’t trade with you no matter what you offer. Take it or leave it.”

Guo Yanpeng: “You—”

【Damn, this is just moral coercion.】

【You’re all magnanimous until the chicken Yin Youlin caught gets roasted into that abomination—why didn’t anyone say to repay him with a new one?】

【It’s not Pengpeng who did it, go after An Lanqing instead. Don’t hurt the innocent.】

Before Guo Yanpeng could finish, Yin Youlin was the first to stand up and say, “I only have a sleeping bag, so I can’t trade that. The other supplies I have are a flashlight and a lighter. Which one do you want?”

Lin Qianyu thought for a moment. “The flashlight.”

She could make fire by friction; a lighter wouldn’t be much help.

“Alright.” Yin Youlin said as he reached for it.

But Lin Qianyu said, “Keep it for now. I’ll come get it when I need it. Let’s cut the meat first.”

Yin Youlin nodded. “Sure. I’ll keep it in the side pocket of my backpack. Take it anytime.”

The half chicken was placed on a relatively flat stone surface. Yin Youlin thought carefully about how to cut it.

Jiang Ke hesitated for a moment, then put down the meat in her hand and said softly, “Qianyu-jie, can I trade you mosquito repellent spray?”

A pack came with three bottles, sealed in packaging.

Jiang Ke handed over the whole pack.

“Sure,” Lin Qianyu agreed readily. She opened the package, took one bottle, and returned the remaining two to Jiang Ke’s backpack.

Jiang Ke’s eyes lit up.

In places dense with vegetation, bugs were everywhere—hiding under leaves and coming out at any moment to bite.She was a light sleeper and worried she wouldn’t be able to rest properly at night, which was why she used up a supply slot to choose that item.

It didn’t feel right to open the packaging in front of Lin Qianyu, so she had taken out the whole set. She hadn’t expected Lin Qianyu to only take one bottle and return the rest to her.

Thinking of how An Lanqing had just pushed everyone to bring out their supplies to share, Jiang Ke pressed her lips together and sighed inwardly.

The other guests gradually began trading supplies with Lin Qianyu.

Only An Lanqing and Guo Yanpeng remained where they were, unmoving.

Half a chicken was a lot for one person, but not much when shared among five.

After just a short while, Lin Qianyu had received quite a few supplies—among them, a metal can with a hanging hook, good for boiling water or cooking soup.

Since the chicken was hard to divide, Yin Youlin volunteered, “I’ll roast it. Once it’s cooked, we can all share it. That way it’s easier than cutting it into uneven pieces.”

“Okay.”

The proposal was unanimously agreed upon.

Seeing this, Lin Qianyu even contributed some seasoning.

Yin Youlin let out a dramatic howl, “Goddess!” His inner actor awakened—he did a slide and pretended to kneel in worship, but Lin Qianyu quickly pressed a hand to his forehead and pushed him back, firmly declining the grand gesture.

“Hahahaha!”

“Bro, tone down your drooling!”

…

Watching Yin Youlin being pushed back, everyone burst out laughing.

Only Yin Youlin, sitting on the ground, dazedly raised his hand to touch his forehead. Why was Lin Qianyu’s hand so strong???

They started prepping the fire and skewering the meat.

In contrast, things were quiet and awkward on An Lanqing’s side—no one even noticed when she finished the meat in her hands.

Even though Lin Qianyu had given away a lot from her hiking backpack, it now seemed heavier than before.

No matter how much she disliked those two, she couldn’t leave the area at night—she wouldn’t want to cause trouble for the production crew.

With food and water settled, it was time to think about how to get through the night.

Lin Qianyu held a wild fruit in her hand and circled the area.

After finishing her meal, Hang Sisi came over and walked beside her. She looked up through the canopy and asked, “Qianyu-jie, what are you looking at?”“Checking the location.” Lin Qianyu pointed to two nearby trees. “What do you think of these two?”

“Hmm...?” Not sure what Lin Qianyu meant, Hang Sisi pondered for a moment. “They’re pretty. Are you planning to chop them down for firewood?”

Lin Qianyu paused, fingertip mid-air. “We can chop trees?”

Hang Sisi responded as if it were obvious, “Of course. It’s not like they’re protected species. The production team cleared everything with the proper authorities. Didn’t you read the manual the director gave out? As long as it’s not intentional or large-scale destruction, cutting down a few trees is fine.”

It’s a variety show, after all. They couldn’t just film the guests picking up twigs like scavengers—that wouldn’t look good on screen.

Lin Qianyu had originally planned to weave a grass mat between the two trees and just get through the night somehow.

But if trees could be chopped down, that opened up better options.

“You’re planning to chop trees?” Hang Sisi followed Lin Qianyu. “If you are, I can help. These thick ones are hard to cut, but I saw some thinner ones at the edge—only slightly thicker than bamboo. Those would be easier.”

“Too thin won’t do either. This one should work.” Lin Qianyu patted a tree she'd chosen.

“It’s kind of thick too, but still manageable? Give me the knife, I’ll help you—” The word “chop” had just come out of Hang Sisi’s mouth when her eyes slowly widened with Lin Qianyu’s movement, and her voice broke off with a stunned “Ah—ah?”

Hang Sisi stared wide-eyed as Lin Qianyu swung the machete straight into the tree, the blade embedding deeply into the trunk.

It seemed a bit hard to pull out. Lin Qianyu stepped on the tree, tugging the blade back and forth until she yanked it free with one firm pull.

Gulp—Hang Sisi swallowed hard.

Her eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the cut in the tree.

The next moment, the machete came down on the other side of the same cut.

Lin Qianyu casually brushed her long hair, which had fallen over her shoulder, back behind her ear. With the blade in one hand, she kicked the tree directly in the center—and a tree as thick as an adult’s wrist slowly began to fall right in front of Hang Sisi.

“???”

The two cuts were precisely aligned. The difference was too small for Hang Sisi to spot, but visibly, they were definitely on the same line.

Boom!

The tree crashed to the ground.

Hang Sisi shrank her neck and blinked, completely dazed.

The force of that last move was quite intense. After kicking the tree down, Lin Qianyu couldn’t help but take half a step back and coughed weakly into her hand.

Hang Sisi: “……”

Barrage: 【……】【Why are you coughing? I’m asking you, why are you coughing?!】

【No, I mean— that knife, that tree, that… that that that, huh???】

【Are we sure this isn’t pre-recorded? Maybe it’s post-production special effects? Even though the tree wasn’t that thick or tall, breaking it with a single kick is just too absurd.】

【You’re not even gonna mention those two clean axe cuts earlier?】

Hang Sisi looked at Lin Qianyu, who seemed like she might faint the next second. She didn’t know whether to rush over and support her, or just pick up the tree that had been chopped down and carry it back for her.

“I’m gonna chop a few more.” Seeing Hang Sisi’s odd expression, Lin Qianyu shook out her wrist. “What’s wrong with you?”

Hang Sisi shook her head and smacked the tree beside her. “You’re too cool, Qianyu-jie! Those gossip accounts online really are full of lies!”

Lin Qianyu: “?”

Huh?

On the way back, both Lin Qianyu and Hang Sisi carried several logs in their arms.

The branches hadn’t been trimmed, so the leaves dragged along the ground, leaving a trail behind them.

The guests who had stayed back at the small base to rest saw them and came forward to help carry the load.

Yin Youlin gave one a heft. It was quite heavy. “Whoa, why so much wood?”

Hang Sisi responded righteously, “No idea.”

It was purely because she saw Lin Qianyu chopping trees, and without asking any questions, she just started helping.

Yin Youlin: “……”

He could only silently shift his gaze to Lin Qianyu.

“To build a place to sleep.” Lin Qianyu didn’t seem tired. She was barely used to her physical weakness by now. Aside from being a bit slower, there wasn’t much problem doing work.

“Director!!!” Yin Youlin turned and roared, “Is no one going to do something about this? We just barely solved our meal, and now Lin Qianyu is starting to build a house—hello? Is no one going to stop her?!”

That last meal had been thanks to Lin Qianyu, and they still didn’t even know where their next one was coming from.

【Hahahahaha I’m dying.】

【That yell gave me a jump—but still, I gotta ask: is anyone going to stop this?!】

【Building a house...? That’s not happening in less than ten days. Just laying the foundation takes ages. Is Lin Qianyu really that bored? Wouldn’t it be better to use the time to catch a few more chickens to eat? Speechless.】【Delusional. Not even gonna comment.】

Lin Qianyu sat calmly on a rock, using her machete to shave down the edges of the logs, shaping them to a more usable size. “Not building a house—just a simple windbreak.”

After a pause, she added, “I didn’t choose a tent. You all have tents, so you don’t need to do any of this.”

Seeing him holding a wooden stick, Lin Qianyu asked, “You guys heading out?”

“Yeah, going to try catching some fish.” Yin Youlin shook the stick, which had a sharpened tip. “We’ve got nothing for dinner yet, so we’re heading to the river. Where there’s water, there should be more animals too.”

Just then, Guo Yanpeng’s voice came from a distance. “Yin Youlin! Where are you?”

Yin Youlin curled his lips. “Coming.”

Each episode of the show had a team leader, chosen based on contract order. This episode’s leader was Guo Yanpeng.

Someone like Lin Qianyu had already torn off the façade and didn’t bother with group activities—but for the rest of the guests, they still had to consider public perception online and group dynamics, so they followed along.

“What about Sisi? You coming too?”

Hang Sisi wanted to go to the river for fun, but hesitated. She stood up, wavered, then squatted down again to keep helping Lin Qianyu. “Nah, I’m helping Qianyu-jie build her shelter. Plus, I haven’t finished the roast chicken Qianyu-jie gave me yet. I’ve still got dinner.”

“I don’t need help—it’s just a simple setup,” Lin Qianyu said. “But since you’re going, can you bring me back a few flowers? My flower crown’s gotten a bit wilted.”

“Flowers, huh? Hmm… okay. I’ll pick a bunch, then you make me a flower crown too, Qianyu-jie.”

“Sure.”

With a mission in mind, Hang Sisi became energetic again. She took a sip of water, then headed off toward the river with Yin Youlin.

The surroundings grew quiet, and Lin Qianyu could finally focus on shaping the logs.

Without professional tools, building a cabin was completely out of the question.

Mortise-and-tenon joints weren’t an option either—carving them with a machete was unrealistic. Even just connecting the logs was a major issue.

So Lin Qianyu found two sturdy trees at a good distance apart. She wedged the felled logs between them, pressing the logs downward gradually. Since trees get thicker closer to the base, the logs wedged tighter the lower they went.

After a few rounds of pressing, the result from the side looked like a wooden wall laid out horizontally.

“There are a few gaps, but I can stuff something in to block them,” Lin Qianyu explained to the livestream as she patted the logs. They were stable.

【Huh??? That works?!】

【Damn... I’m starting to believe Lin Qianyu really could build a house.】

【Anyone can jam logs like that. I thought she was actually gonna build a cabin—ugh, what a joke.】【If it’s so simple, why didn’t your oppa do it? Oh~ don’t tell me he just can’t?】

【Pengpeng has a tent, okay? He doesn’t need that trash.】

In the barrage of comments, many of Guo Yanpeng’s fans mocked and ridiculed.

Maybe it was because Lin Qianyu casually shared food with the whole group earlier, making their idol look useless and incompetent—utterly embarrassing.

So many of them stayed in Lin Qianyu’s livestream room, quick to harshly criticize at the slightest thing.

If not for the automatic filtering of certain words, her livestream might’ve already been unwatchable by now.

After finishing one wall, Lin Qianyu turned to construct another wooden wall on the opposite side.

She hadn’t chopped that many logs, so she could only manage these two sides.

Clapping her hands clean, she then pulled a waterproof tarp out of her backpack.

Compared to tents or sleeping bags, this thing seemed utterly useless.

Because of that, the production crew hadn’t limited the tarp supply.

Lin Qianyu shook the tarp open, rubbing the soft inner lining with her palm. “Finally, I’ll cover it with the tarp, fill in the gaps, and weigh down the corners. That’ll do.”

The material was thick, waterproof, and airtight—perfectly suited for the job.

Watching Lin Qianyu build a simple resting shelter from scratch right on the ground, the livestream fell silent for a moment before one comment floated up:

【Respect.】