Now that's some skill

Shen Lian looked calm. "Good afternoon, everyone."

Zhu Yingyu answered first. "Good afternoon!"

Everyone could tell that Shen Lian had traded up.

The last time he appeared on the show, all his clothes had been cheap street-stall finds in outdated styles. Now even his shirt was designer.

Well, with fifty thousand yuan, even buying this one shirt called for careful budgeting.

Zheng Ge stared at Shen Lian, but Shen Lian didn't spare him so much as a glance.

Once it was time, filming began.

This time, they would compete in teams.

For fairness, they drew lots numbered one through three, with each number determining their team. Since there were seven guests, one team would have three members.

The results were soon clear: Zhao Lin and Fang Ke were together, Li Jiabo, Feng Susu, and Zheng Ge formed another team, leaving Shen Lian with Zhu Yingyu.

At a glance, Zheng Ge's team three clearly had the advantage in numbers. Zhao Lin's team one looked strong too, with two fit, agile men. Shen Lian and Zhu Yingyu's team two, however, was at an obvious disadvantage.

[Uh... I don't even know what to say.]

[Zhu Yingyu's stamina isn't great. You could tell in the earlier episodes. Shen Lian's practical survival skills definitely can't match the other two of the Three Musketeers. This match is already decided.]

"Yingyu, you've got this!" Feng Susu cheerfully made an encouraging gesture.

Zhu Yingyu nodded.

"Don't worry," Shen Lian suddenly said. "I'll get you that win."

Zhu Yingyu let out a little laugh. "You don't even know what the task is yet."

"It'll be more of the same."

Seeing that he seemed to be in a good mood, Zhu Yingyu thought for a moment before saying, "Let's get this straight first. I might not be able to keep up with you, so don't yell at me."

Shen Lian said, "Why would I yell at you over a game?"

Zhu Yingyu felt reassured.

The task cards were handed out. Their first stop was Clear Creek Bank.

They had passed Clear Creek on the first day, about half a hillside away. Shen Lian carefully recalled the terrain, and soon a new route took shape in his mind.

The moment the production team gave the signal, the other two teams took off. Zhu Yingyu walked slowly, and Shen Lian was even slower. While everyone else raced against the clock, these two looked as if they had come to enjoy the scenery.

[Have they given up?]

Chu Yilan stared at the tablet, feeling that this wasn't Shen Lian's style.

"Shen Lian, hurry up!" Zhu Yingyu urged.

"One steady step at a time," Shen Lian reminded her. "It just rained, and we're heading uphill. It's slippery as hell. Taking a fall wouldn't be worth it."

He had barely finished speaking when an "Ow!" rang out. It sounded like Fang Ke.

Shen Lian said, "See?"

His attitude rubbed off on Zhu Yingyu, and she stopped feeling anxious.

When they reached a fork, Shen Lian chose the other direction. "This way."

Zhu Yingyu said, "We haven't been this way before."

"I surveyed it from up above that day. If we're going to Clear Creek Bank, this route is easier and shorter. Trust me."

Zhu Yingyu tended to be passive when it came to tasks. Since Shen Lian knew what he wanted to do, she followed his lead.

[One dares to lead, and the other dares to follow.]

Feng Susu glanced back and saw no sign of Shen Lian or Zhu Yingyu. "Oh no, could they have gotten lost?"

"Who cares? We're competing as teams now." Li Jiabo dismissed the concern, secretly hoping Shen Lian would get lost so people online would stop going on about how ugly his eye-rolling looked. "Hurry up. Keep up with Zhao Lin and Fang Ke."

Zheng Ge smiled without saying anything.

The path Shen Lian had chosen was indeed much flatter. Even the vegetation grew off to either side, as if it had deliberately left a path clear for them.

[Holy crap! How did Shen Lian know?!]

The easy trail lifted Zhu Yingyu's spirits. Spotting purple wild orchids blooming beside the path, Shen Lian picked one for her.

Zhu Yingyu was delighted. "Thank you!"

[Ah! My poor heart.]

[They have zero romantic chemistry, but watching them together is so relaxing.]

Gradually, Shen Lian's camera feed attracted more and more viewers.

He really seemed to have studied a map beforehand, with a clear sense of where he was going.

Suddenly, Shen Lian stopped in front of a large clump of shrubs. Pointing to a rock nearby, he told Zhu Yingyu, "Take a break."

Zhu Yingyu gladly accepted.

Then she watched Shen Lian start pulling at the tall plants.

"What are you doing?"

"Silverback kudzu vine. It's better than I expected. Its stems are flat and incredibly tough."

Zhu Yingyu understood what he said, but she had no idea what he intended to use it for.

Shen Lian stripped off the leaves, stepped on the roots to pull the vines straight, then carefully measured them one by one.

Someone knowledgeable in the live chat quickly typed: [Don't tell me Shen Lian's planning to weave a basket.]

[Huh?]

[If Shen Lian can do that, I'll eat a cutting board raw.]

Shen Lian really could.

He sat down beside Zhu Yingyu and asked her to hold one end of the vines he had selected, three in total. First, he laid two lengths together, pinching them into place as he crossed them upward. Then he added the third midway through, shifted his hand movements, and began weaving.

There wasn't a single pause in the entire process.

The live chat was flooded with question marks.

Shen Lian said, "I grew up among mountains and farmland, so I can identify a lot of things."

That part did line up with the original owner's background.

Zhu Yingyu asked curiously, "Who taught you all this?"

"I taught myself," Shen Lian said. "I'm smart. Whatever it is, I can learn just by watching."

[Come on, bro, stop bragging. Just look at your lousy acting.]

[That dog Shen is showing off again.]

[I know this craft, so let me say this: now that's some skill.]

The young man's fingers were like segments of bamboo, strikingly beautiful. Even a casual glance was a pleasure.

Shen Lian spoke unhurriedly, but his hands moved faster and faster. In less than ten minutes, the base of a basket had taken shape.

"All rested? Let's go." Shen Lian signaled for Zhu Yingyu to let go, then took the lead, continuing to weave as he walked.

[This feels like my mom knitting when I was little, with me trailing behind her...]

[Hahahahaha!]

[That housewife energy is coming at me in waves~~~]

Housewife, my ass, Chu Yilan thought. Anyone who saw him that way had clearly never experienced Shen Lian's fists.

About half an hour later, the basket was nearly finished. Shen Lian joined the ends of the three leftover lengths and tied a knot so he could carry it on his back.

"Shen Lian! I hear water!" Zhu Yingyu suddenly called out excitedly.

"Mm." Shen Lian had expected it. "We're almost there."

The production team was dumbfounded. Shen Lian had actually taken the best possible route!

If Shen Lian could have heard their thoughts, he would surely have sighed softly: Heh. Mortals.

Li Jiabo had hoped Shen Lian would get lost. Instead, his team had followed Zhao Lin and Fang Ke and gotten lost along with them.

The thick vegetation made it all too easy to take a wrong turn. With no other choice, they eventually found high ground to look around. Zhao Lin had a decent sense of direction and pointed out a shorter route.

But while the distance looked short from above, the actual path twisted and turned.

The trail was slippery and damp, and Feng Susu fell several times in a row. Once, she accidentally grabbed Zheng Ge, sending them both tumbling and prompting his fans to unleash a torrent of abuse.

The whole group was utterly exhausted.

As they came down the mountain, Shen Lian and Zhu Yingyu happened to be coming up from below. The two sides spotted each other across Clear Creek Bank, and Shen Lian grinned. "Oh, fancy meeting you here."

Li Jiabo's eyes widened. "How did you get here?!"

"We walked, obviously," Shen Lian said casually. Then he looked them over one by one and grinned. "Are you playing 'Who's the mud monster'?"

His tone was warm, but the mockery was dialed all the way up.

Even Zheng Ge, whom they had taken special care to protect, had large patches of black mud on his face, legs, and back. The others were in even worse shape.

By contrast, apart from the edges of their shoes, Shen Lian and Zhu Yingyu were clean from head to toe.