Don't Make Him Do the Tasks Either

Xia Yu raised his bandaged left hand apologetically. "The doctor said I can't lift heavy things..."

Xueli's head heated up. "I'll help you! I only have one small suitcase, so I can carry one for you!"

He frowned slightly and handed her the umbrella. "You hold the umbrella. I can carry it myself."

Qi Ning rolled his eyes dramatically, pointed at the Production Team staff, and huffily ordered, "You guys, come carry my luggage!"

"..." The staff exchanged glances. Not daring to offend this little prince, they hurried over to carry his suitcase, taking Xueli's along with it.

"Hmph!" Satisfied, he squeezed himself between Xia Yu and Xueli, claiming the shade. "Let's go. Into the island."

And so, the three of them became the most relaxed among the guests. While everyone ahead struggled under bags and suitcases, panting from exhaustion, they strolled leisurely behind them beneath a sun umbrella.

The stark contrast stirred up the fans' dissatisfaction.

[Isn't this way too unfair?! Didn't they say the Production Team wouldn't give the guests any help after they got on the island?!]

[Production Team, stop sucking up to privileged celebs! Go help our Qingqing carry his luggage too! He's sweating all over from exhaustion!]

[Good thing Qingqing has his teammates taking care of him. My heart aches for our AC Boy Group! Privileged celebs deserve to die!]

[Xueli has latched onto Qi Ning. Looks like she's about to rise to the top.]

[Not gonna lie, those three in the back are pretty nice to look at. I can ship three different couples here, hehehe.]

[Hehehe, those three are already on my blacklist. Every time they show up, I'll curse them out!]

Xueli's fans, who had benefited from the arrangement, did not dare say a word. They quietly vanished from sight and prayed for their idol.

After more than ten minutes of walking, the main group finally reached the campsite.

Liu Yue looked at the few short wooden cabins, and her heart sank. "This is where we'll be staying for the next few days?!"

Zhang Wen smiled bitterly. "It really is Live Until the End. In these shabby little houses, we might get swallowed by a python in the middle of the night without even knowing it."

Zhang Jin pulled out a loudspeaker. "We're here. Everyone, take a break, drink some water, and eat something. In ten minutes, we'll announce this week's format!"

Xia Wanqing set down the backpack he had been carrying, took out a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed it, and handed it to Chu Lan. "Brother Lan, you've worked hard."

Chu Lan accepted it with a smile, downed half the bottle, then handed it back. "Why be so polite?"

His eyes curved into crescents as he smiled, taking a sip from the remaining half-bottle.

"Our captain is really biased." Yang Tian, the group's main dancer, teased, "He only carried Qingqing's luggage and didn't even spare us a glance. Chen Hongyi and I brought the most stuff."

Chen Hongyi was the group's rapper. With his dreadlocks, he looked every bit the cool guy.

Xiang Ziqi punched him. "You two can go cry in each other's arms for a while."

"Hahaha, just kidding. Qingqing is our group's darling. He just needs to be pretty; leave the hard work to his older brothers."

Xia Wanqing pretended to be annoyed. "Brother Tian, stop teasing me!"

"Hehehe, my bad..."

"What kind of dump is this?"

An extremely dissatisfied complaint shattered their banter, and the cheerful atmosphere gradually faded.

Qi Ning stared at the small, squat cabins in disbelief. "This place is filthy and run-down. How are we supposed to sleep here? Aren't you afraid of being bitten to death by bugs?"

Xiang Ziqi rolled his eyes. "Didn't you know what kind of variety show this was? If this environment is too much for you, young master, it's not too late to leave now."

Xia Wanqing tugged at his sleeve. "Don't say that."

"Who wants to be here?" Qi Ning looked at the person beside him. "Let's go back. This place is no place for humans. We don't even know where to use the bathroom."

Xia Yu looked back at him blandly.

"..." His arrogance instantly deflated. He angrily found a rock and sat down in the shade.

Xueli took two bottles of water from her suitcase. "Xia Yu, have some water."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." She hesitantly glanced at the boy sulking beside him.

Qi Ning glared. "I'm not drinking!"

"Oh..." Good. She had only packed two bottles because the suitcase was too heavy. That had scared her—she had almost ended up with nothing to drink.

Xia Yu walked over, sat down beside him, and offered him the water.

"I said I'm not drinking!"

"Open it for me."

"..." That made him even angrier. He snatched the bottle, viciously twisted it open, and stuffed it back into Xia Yu's hand.

"Thank you."

"Hmph!!!"

[Pfft! What's going on? Has the privileged celeb been put in his place?]

[Help, why is he so tsundere?! I'm totally into this!]

[The truth is out. Qi Ning brought this handsome guy onto the show to build himself a new persona and clear his name.]

[Hehehe, privileged celebs are blacklisted for life. He can't wash this clean!]

"Everyone rested up?" Zhang Jin came out with his loudspeaker to move the process along. "Next, please introduce yourselves one by one! We'll start with AC Boy Group."

The five hurriedly set down what they were holding, made a neat gesture together, and said in unison, "Hello, everyone, we are AC!"

"I'm AC's captain, Chu Lan."

"I'm AC's Xia Wanqing."

"I'm AC's Xiang Ziqi."

"I'm AC's Chen Hongyi."

"I'm AC's Yang Tian."

"Please take good care of us!"

[Ahhh! AC! The whole group is finally appearing on a variety show together! I can die without regrets now!]

[AC, AC, forever number one!]

[Qingqing is breathtakingly beautiful! Brother Lan is insanely cool! Qing-Chu Couple are a perfect match, the ultimate match, a match made in heaven!]

Next was Zhang Wen. "Hello, everyone. I'm actor Zhang Wen. I'm the oldest, so you can just call me Brother Zhang."

"Hello, everyone. I'm actress Liu Yue. I hope you won't mind me holding everyone back over the next week."

Xiang Ziqi laughed and clapped. "Of course not! We'll protect our goddess properly!"

She beamed. "You're such a sweet talker. Then I'll be relying on you, little brother."

"It would be my honor!"

Xueli smoothed her hair and stood up. "Hello, everyone. I'm newcomer actress Xueli. Please take good care of me."

After a round of applause, everyone's gaze fell on Xia Yu.

He rose, bowed slightly, and said gently, "Hello, everyone. My name is Xia Yu. I hope we can all have a good time together over the next week."

Liu Yue was very taken by his looks and curious about his background. "Which studio are you with?"

Xia Yu smiled and shook his head. "None."

"Oh..." She glanced at Qi Ning beside him, wondering if this young master had really brought him along just to draw attention to himself.

Qi Ning sat cross-legged and said reluctantly, "My name is Qi Ning. I'm a singer and actor."

[Ptui! With acting so painfully embarrassing, how dare you call yourself an actor?]

[Can the privileged celeb stop pulling that dead-fish face? If you don't want to come, then don't come. You came and now can't handle it, throwing around your young-master temper—who's supposed to indulge you?]

[Privileged celeb, get out!]

"Let me make this clear first: I didn't want to come. Don't assign me any tasks, because I won't do them." He swiftly glanced at Xia Yu's wrist. "And him too. His hand is injured, so he can't lift heavy things. Don't make him do the tasks either."

"..." The guests, staff, and viewers in front of their screens were all speechless. You can't do this, you don't want to do that—why didn't you find some slow-paced show to play around on? Why come to an extreme survival variety show just to seek attention?

Zhang Wen tactfully suggested, "Being injured might make it inconvenient to move around on a deserted island, and it would make you more likely to run into danger. How about going back and returning after your injury has healed?"

Qi Ning pursed his lips. "Ask him."

Xia Yu smiled. "It's almost healed."

Liu Yue's gaze moved back and forth between the two several times before she asked tentatively, "Are Xiaoning and Xia Yu good friends? Or are you artists from the same company?"

"He's my brother."

Everyone except Chu Lan and Xia Wanqing was stunned.

Xueli's eyes widened. "Your biological brother?"

He replied irritably, "My biological cousin."

[Well, damn. Another privileged celeb.]

[Seriously? I'd just started liking the handsome guy, and then...]

[Can these young masters stop coming in and ruining the entertainment industry? Domestic entertainment has become such a mess because of privileged celebs like you.]

[I'll say it again: privileged celebs, get off the show!]