Sleeping in a cave?

The fragrant aroma of chicken stewed with mushrooms spread throughout the Production Crew's campsite.

Shen Yun held the flatbreads he had just earned from a game. As he caught the scent of meat from Jiang Ze's pot nearby, his expression turned unreadable.

In his previous life, he had joined this show just as he had now, and he had also teamed up with Du Chen. But Jiang Ze hadn't been there then, and Shen Yun had been the standout in both the challenges and the entertainment he provided.

The show had given him a measure of fame after it aired, which had made his later efforts to smear the Meng Family go so smoothly.

Most importantly, during his time on Barren Mountain, he had stumbled upon a Jade Pendant. He didn't know whether he was imagining it, but ever since he had obtained it, something seemed to be helping him in everything he did.

Now that he had experienced rebirth, he was certain the Jade Pendant was no ordinary object. This time, he had to make sure it stayed firmly in his hands.

While he was lost in thought, Du Chen worked tirelessly beside him, lighting a fire and preparing their meal.

"A Yun, the mushroom soup's almost ready. I exchanged some points for two bowls. We can drink it while it's hot."

Shen Yun stared at the mushrooms floating in the pot with a complicated expression. Something seemed to have come back to him, making his stomach turn.

"Brother Du Chen, you worked so hard earlier that you're looking pale. Jiang Ze's cooking some meat over there. We know each other, so I'll go ask for some to help you get your strength back."

Despite saying that, Shen Yun didn't get up right away. His voice was full of concern for Du Chen.

"I'm fine. You're the one who's been worn out for so long, A Yun. He knows you, yet he hasn't even thought to bring you a bowl."

The more Du Chen thought about it, the more inconsiderate Jiang Ze seemed. Seeing Shen Yun's haggard face as he pitifully nibbled on a flatbread made his heart ache.

He already harbored feelings for Shen Yun. Now, he forgot all about the mushrooms in the pot and stood up with a bowl.

"A Yun, wait here!"

Shen Yun watched him hurry toward Jiang Ze. The corners of his mouth curled upward, and satisfaction filled his heart.

Men were always suckers for the weak. All it took was a slightly pitiful look to stir their protective instincts.

Whether in my previous life or this one, Du Chen is so easy to manipulate. A few words are all it takes to send him running in circles.

Jiang Ze waited beside the pot, watching steam rise from the bubbling broth. The savory fragrance of chicken and mushrooms filled his nose, bringing on the hunger he had built up after a long day.

Beside him, Jin Zhizhi had already run out of patience. Seeing that the chicken was nearly ready, she forgot her earlier muttering about whether the bowl was clean and popped a piece of chicken straight into her mouth.

The mushrooms' rich flavor mingled with the tender chicken in her mouth. Perhaps she was simply exhausted, but she thought it tasted better than any delicacy she had eaten in the city.

Just as Jiang Ze was about to dig in too, Du Chen hurried over with a stainless steel bowl in his hand.

"Jiang Ze, A Yun's feeling unwell. The mountain hike must have worn him out. You won't be able to finish all that chicken anyway, so let him have some."

Without even waiting for Jiang Ze to answer, he reached in with his chopsticks to take some for his bowl.

Jiang Ze almost laughed at his shamelessness. What did Shen Yun feeling unwell have to do with my chicken?

Before he could stop him, Jin Zhizhi, who had been enjoying her meal, lost her patience.

"Du Chen, you shameless bastard! Stealing my mushrooms wasn't enough? Now you're trying to steal the wild chicken he caught himself!"

Even the cameraman beside them could barely stand watching. Seeing that they looked ready to fight, he hurried off to find the director.

"Hey, what's going on? Let's talk this out calmly. We're still filming!"

The director rushed over to stop the two before they came to blows.

Du Chen also realized the cameras were still rolling, but this wasn't a live broadcast. He could just ask the director to cut the footage later.

"Du Chen, I already told you that each team has to earn its own challenge points and supplies. If they don't want to give you any, you can't just grab it!"

After hearing what had happened, the director was left rather speechless.

They were all celebrities, yet here they were, about to fight over a little chicken. If this actually aired, their fans would laugh themselves silly.

"Director, it's not that we're stingy. If he'd come over and asked politely, we wouldn't have begrudged him a bowl of chicken. But nobody would be happy with him coming over and helping himself. Apparently Shen Yun isn't feeling well, which is why Brother Du Chen came over."

Jiang Ze spoke up then. His clear, mellow voice was unhurried, and his words sounded perfectly sincere.

The director nodded, his impression of Jiang Ze improving considerably. His opinion of Shen Yun, however, took a sharp turn for the worse.

The cameraman following Du Chen's team had just told him that, while they were gathering supplies, Shen Yun had claimed he was too exhausted to continue. After seeing Jiang Ze's team collect plenty along the way, he had secretly followed them to save himself the trouble and picked up what they had missed.

He had caused so much trouble in such a short time. What a nuisance. If the director could afford to offend that person from the Meng Family, he would never have let someone this troublesome onto the show.

In the end, to appease Du Chen's team, the director had the staff bring out a few Meat Sausages for them. Only then did Du Chen trot happily back to report to Shen Yun.

Seeing Du Chen return with a smile, Shen Yun assumed he had managed to get the Chicken Soup. He tossed aside his flatbread and reached out to take it.

"Where's your bowl?"

Bewildered, he stared at Du Chen's empty hand. The other held a plastic bag.

"Jiang Ze's incredibly stingy. I had to do a lot of persuading before the director gave us these Meat Sausages. They'll taste great once we grill them. Tomorrow, I'll catch you a wild chicken myself!"

Shen Yun inwardly cursed him as useless, but accepted the Meat Sausages with a touched expression.

"Thank you, Brother Du Chen. You really do treat me best."

The two struggled through their meal. The aroma of meat had already made Shen Yun lose interest in his food, and then he saw Jiang Ze stroll right past them with a large bowl of Chicken Soup, heading straight for Chen Yong'an and Chen Ran's team.

The teams weren't far apart, and they were filming a show. All it took was a turn of the head to see what the others were doing.

Chen Yong'an's team was also eating a few flatbreads exchanged for points. Beaming, Jiang Ze exchanged a few pleasantries with them, set down the Chicken Soup, and left. As he walked away, he glanced toward Shen Yun, whether deliberately or not.

Shen Yun was so furious he nearly ground his teeth to pieces. He had even less appetite for the food in his hands, and a cold glint flashed through his eyes.

Jiang Ze! I'll wipe that smile off your face soon enough.

Whatever made you different from your previous life, how could you possibly beat someone who's lived twice?

Unaware that someone was plotting against him, Jiang Ze chatted idly with Jin Zhizhi after eating and drinking his fill.

Jin Zhizhi might have had a spoiled young heiress's temper, but once she accepted someone, she was fairly easygoing in both her words and actions.

Throughout their conversation, he could tell she seemed deeply prejudiced against men. If he hadn't saved her and fed her meat today, she certainly wouldn't have treated him this well.

Once everyone had finished eating, the sky gradually darkened. A cool breeze swept past, making them silently pull their clothes tighter around themselves.

"Next, everyone will draw lots to choose where they'll be sleeping tonight."

The director came over then.

"Director, what kinds of accommodation are we drawing for?"

Chen Ran, who had barely made her presence felt, seemed sensitive to the cold and couldn't help asking.

"There's a spacious, comfortable luxury tent we've set up that can hold four or five people. There's also a regular small tent that can just about fit two. And then..."

The director paused. With everyone staring at him expectantly, he milked the suspense before continuing.

"The last option is a cave we found earlier. We've put the Sleeping Bags we prepared inside. Don't worry, we've checked it thoroughly. It's only a small cave, and there's nothing dangerous in there."

Everyone looked surprised at his announcement. Having them sleep in a cave was a bit much. This show really would do anything for ratings.

Du Chen had intended to step forward for the draw, but Shen Yun beat him to it. As though he had already decided which one he wanted, he quickly grabbed the ball of paper on the far left.

Chen Ran chose the middle one, leaving the last for Jiang Ze's team.

When they unfolded their slips, Shen Yun and Du Chen let out exaggerated cries of delight. They had drawn the Luxury Tent.

Shen Yun gave Jiang Ze a smug glance.

Jiang Ze opened his slip and was left speechless. Their luck was truly awful: his team had drawn the Cave.

That put him in a difficult position. He was a grown man and didn't mind, but Jin Zhizhi was a woman, after all.

He turned to look at her and, sure enough, found her brow tightly furrowed.

"Director, I don't mind, but the Cave will be cold and damp. It probably isn't suitable for Zhizhi, is it?"

Jiang Ze asked the director, hoping they could arrange a swap with someone else.

"We can make a swap. Chen Ran's a woman too, so the two of them can share."

Chen Yong'an spoke up at just the right moment. Since each of their teams had a woman, switching was only reasonable.

The director nodded and was about to agree when Shen Yun cut in.

"Director, we just went to have a look. The Luxury Tent is quite spacious, so it could probably fit one more person. Mr. Chen is getting on in years, after all, and sleeping in the Cave wouldn't be good for him either. He can come stay with us."

Shen Yun's offer sounded very generous. The director frowned, but seeing his innocent, considerate expression, he couldn't very well object.

He was blatantly trying to make Jiang Ze sleep in the Cave alone.