I Won't Like Him

Song Mingzhou was the first to walk to the edge of the ditch. He crouched down to wash his hands and said to Shen Qing, "It's a little slippery here. You'd better not come down. Falling into the ditch wouldn't look too good."

His voice was cool and detached, with no discernible emotion. It suited the image he had presented today—well-behaved, yet carrying a hint of distant coldness.

It sounded like a concerned remark, but his tone was so indifferent that, to Shen Qing's ears, it sounded less like concern and more like mockery for being timid.

So Shen Qing replied, "It's fine. My hands are dirty."

He went down to the water's edge too.

Song Mingzhou had deliberately picked a spot with a slope. When Shen Qing came down, Song Mingzhou slowly rose after washing his hands. Just as Shen Qing was about to get up, Song Mingzhou stepped back onto the bank ahead of him.

As he climbed up, he naturally kicked several small stones, sending them rolling over. The moment Shen Qing lifted his foot, he inevitably stepped on them.

"Ah!"

With a splash, Shen Qing slipped and fell headfirst into the not-so-clear ditch. Song Mingzhou pretended to freeze in shock for a moment before immediately jumping down and reaching out to pull him up.

He had clearly already touched him, but for some reason, Shen Qing staggered and plunged completely into the water.

[Ding. Host Song Mingzhou's key plot point has been successfully repaired. Current task progress: 8/100.]

His fans were heartbroken.

--'Damn it, our Qingqing is terrified of getting dirty! How could Song Mingzhou do this to him?!'

--'What does it have to do with Song Mingzhou? He fell in himself, okay?'

--'If Song Mingzhou hadn't insisted on washing his hands, would Qingqing have fallen in? That Song idiot is a brain-dead jinx. He's like a fly you can't shake off.'

--'Don't be so ridiculous. What kind of overgrown baby blames someone else for falling down? If your legs don't work, just donate them.'

--'Good. I've disliked him for ages.'

--'Didn't you see Zhouzhou trying to pull him up? What a useless piece of trash, holding Zhouzhou back. Who does he think he is?'

"Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo." Shen Qing frantically wiped the mud from his mouth and climbed out of the ditch in a miserable state. Song Mingzhou reached out and pulled him up.

"Are you okay?"

Shen Qing was soaked from head to toe, but the show was still going on.

Seeing Song Mingzhou's cool, immaculate appearance—not even his clothes had gotten dirty—made the anger in Shen Qing's heart burn even hotter. Still, he gently shook his head. "I'm fine."

"Do you want to..."

Song Mingzhou pointed at his clothes.

Shen Qing knew that if he left now, who knew what the media would say tomorrow. The right thing was to "professionally" complete the task regardless of his own condition.

So he firmly shook his head. "It's okay. Our task isn't finished yet. How could I leave you here alone? I'm fine. Let's continue."

By then, the production team had already arranged for someone to bring towels and fresh clothes, but Shen Qing refused them all.

Song Mingzhou curled his lips in an unreadable smile.

Who said the Shen Qing in the novel was a simple, sweet fool? Look, wasn't he quite calculating and clever? He even knew how to use the audience's sympathy. He didn't look brainless at all.

But Song Mingzhou did not care about that little incident.

After that.

The silent competitive spirit between the two men erupted. Song Mingzhou could not be bothered to keep pretending and directly showed everyone what real ability looked like.

They watched a figure stride swiftly along the rugged mountain path. Their group was responsible for chopping and gathering firewood.

Song Mingzhou quickly left Shen Qing far behind.

The cameraman: ...Dear god.

Fortunately, there were two camera crews. After discussing it, they split up to film separately. Shen Qing was still struggling onward over here, while Song Mingzhou was nearly done by himself over there.

The other three groups.

Duan Xun and Guan Luo took one step and rested three times. The cameraman had to urge them along himself.

--'This group's vibe is so strange. They look like they're here on vacation—no, camping. They're one step away from sitting down right where they are.'

Xiao Ziyu and Tang Wanxing, meanwhile, looked exactly like an arrogant little brother meeting the older sister who could suppress him by bloodline. He did not dare make a peep.

Tang Wanxing had never been talkative. She completed the production team's tasks directly and did not say a single unnecessary word. The two of them were like task-completing machines.

The most active pair turned out to be Gu Yanting and Qin Xuewei.

Qin Xuewei had decent stamina and kept finding conversation topics along the way. She even asked how many people were in Gu Yanting's family. Gu Yanting maintained a smile as he chatted back and forth with her.

--'One more question and she'll be asking about the bride price. This is ridiculous.'

--'Get lost. Don't cling to our Yanting. Yanting belongs to our Qingqing. I'll protect my ship!'

When the segment ended, everyone was covered in dust and dirt. The mud on Shen Qing's body had even dried, caking his clothes like armor.

During their break, Gu Yanting came over sympathetically to massage Shen Qing.

Hatred flashed in Shen Qing's eyes. With his back to Gu Yanting, he complained in a pitiful voice, "Yanting, why does Mingzhou hate me so much? I never wanted to ruin your relationship."

At that, Gu Yanting's eyes turned cold. "Did he push you?"

Shen Qing bit his lip and silently shook his head.

The more he acted this way, the more certain Gu Yanting became that Song Mingzhou had done it. Anger surged in his chest. "I'll go find him right now."

"Yanting!"

Shen Qing hurriedly grabbed him and pleaded in a low voice, "Don't. We're still on the same show. I don't want you two to fall out because of me. I didn't know he liked you so much. If I'd known earlier..."

"I won't like him." Gu Yanting interrupted him, his voice resolute. "I told you long ago. We're just friends. No matter how much he clings to me, I won't like him."

"Really?"

"Of course. Love can't be forced. Some people simply aren't meant to be. Shen Qing, you know how I feel."

As he spoke, Gu Yanting took Shen Qing's hand and placed it over his own heart, staring at him with burning eyes.

Shen Qing lowered his head shyly, feeling immensely pleased with himself.

Song Mingzhou!

So what if you dared to make me look bad and steal the spotlight? The person you care about most loves me. He won't even spare you a second glance.

Gu Yanting coaxed Shen Qing for quite a while before returning to his room.

As he passed room 302, he happened to run into Song Mingzhou opening the door to come out. The two met face-to-face, and Song Mingzhou turned sideways to walk past him.

"Wait."

Gu Yanting blocked his path.

Song Mingzhou said impatiently, "If you've got something to say, say it. If you've got something to fart, fart it. I'm busy."

"..." Gu Yanting frowned. "When are you going to stop being so childish? I told you long ago that I don't like you. What's between us has nothing to do with Shen Qing."

"?"

[Little 7, what kind of bullshit is he talking about? Why can't I understand it?]

[Because you pushed Shen Qing into the water. Although they aren't sure it was you, he can still assume it was you, so he's angry. He's standing up for Shen Qing.]

[Idiot.]

Seeing that Song Mingzhou said nothing.

Gu Yanting assumed he knew he was in the wrong, and his tone became even more arrogant. "Shen Qing is pure and kind. He never holds anything against you, but that does not give you the right to bully him whenever you want. I hope you stop making trouble for him."

"Are you done?"

"?"

Song Mingzhou slipped one hand into his pocket and gave a derisive snort through his nose, as though he was speechless—or as though he were looking at garbage by the roadside: