Keep Talking and He's Yours

Amid the clamor, Lu Wanqing and Li Nanyi seemed particularly quiet. They ate the rice in their bowls in small bites, their expressions revealing neither happiness nor anger. The pickles on their plates sat almost completely untouched.

Gu Zijin's gaze happened to sweep over them, and he seemed to remember something. He hurriedly picked up the dish in front of him and warmly set it before Lu Wanqing and her companions. "Sorry, we got too caught up in talking. There's still some left here. Eat first, and I'll go ask Chi An for two bowls of soup."

There was barely anything left on the plate, with only a few lonely pieces of chicken lying there. Lu Wanqing looked at the food without picking up her chopsticks for a long while, her smile somewhat strained.

In response to Gu Zijin, she merely smiled and said, "Thank you."

Gu Zijin scratched his head awkwardly and said repeatedly, "It's fine, it's fine. Take your time."

Then he turned back and patted Lin Yuxuan on the shoulder, asking him to bring over two bowls of soup to make sure the two girls were looked after.

Time slipped quietly by, and before they knew it, it was two thirty in the afternoon. A staff member walked briskly toward them with a task card. "Everyone, how was your break?"

"Miss, can we not do this again for dinner? We're not getting enough to eat!"

Eating the cherries he had snatched, Song Wenjing sprawled in his chair without a shred of concern for appearances.

"You'll have to ask the director about that. It's not my decision."

The staff member continued, "Next, we'll begin the task. This is a group task. You need to go to the biggest chicken farmer here, and each team must collect a full basket of eggs."

She paused before adding, "A friendly reminder: these chickens roam freely on the mountain, so it might be a little difficult."

Everyone reacted differently to this. Some were excited, some nervous, and others curious. It was their first time collecting eggs on a mountain, but getting a free mountain hike while filming a variety show-what a great chance to experience it!

Lin Yuxuan said, "Come on, let's go! We'll settle the score this afternoon!"

Gu Zijin said, "Let's not waste time. We only have three hours. Hurry up."

The group headed toward the task location. Chi An walked in front, checking useful information on his phone, with Chi Shuran's jacket in his other hand.

"What are you looking at?"

As they walked, Fu Yanci pressed himself against Chi An's back, craning his neck to look at his phone while sneakily catching hold of his hem. Without a word, he put distance between Chi An and the others.

Nobody else was getting close!

"Get your paws off." Having seen every bit of his little maneuver, Chi An pressed an index finger against Fu Yanci's forehead, intending to push his head aside. He hadn't expected Fu Yanci to catch his finger and hold it in his palm.

"I think I have a bit of heatstroke. Hold my hand while we walk."

"I don't know the others well, and Song Wenjing and I are enemies. You're all I have."

Holding Chi An's hand tightly, Fu Yanci leaned against him as though he had no bones. His other hand reached around Chi An's back and wrapped straight around his waist.

[Crafty Fu is putting on a show again. I'm getting out my little notebook to start learning. Nobody disturb me.]

[Even the teacher would feel outclassed seeing this. A student actually taking the initiative to learn? Pigs are climbing trees, monkeys are barking, and this is utter nonsense.]

[I finally know why everyone else can find a partner and I can't. Turns out I'm stubborn by nature and never give anyone a chance to put on an act.]

[Look on the bright side. There's nothing wrong with facing reality. Rather than saying you don't give anyone a chance, why not check whether anyone's actually pursuing you?]

[Some people have no shortage of admirers, while others have nobody pursuing them at all. That's the difference between people. Whatever, I'll go look at a few dismemberment cases to clear my head. What are men even good for? They don't deserve me.]

"What are you two doing?!"

A face suddenly appeared on Chi An's other side. After looking at Fu Yanci's pose and then Chi An's expressionless face, Chi Shuran promptly rounded on Fu Yanci. "Get your paws off him! Just try touching my brother again!"

"Song Wenjing, hurry up and drag your brother away!"

Song Wenjing felt he had already developed a conditioned reflex to the name Fu Yanci.

For instance, just hearing that name gave him a bit of a headache. "He's my cousin. Don't call me. We're not that closely related."

"He's still your older cousin!"

Song Wenjing said, "Keep talking and he's yours."

Chi Shuran said, "You're vicious!!!"

[Mine, mine! If you don't want him, I do! Come be my big brother! I don't mind!]

[That really was vicious. I'm dying of laughter!]

[You've got such a gorgeous guy right there, and not only do you not want him, you're pushing him onto each other. You really have had your fill!]

[Haha, guess who Fu Yanci is? (Can't laugh.) I'm seriously crying!]

[What else did you dig up? Who is he? What gossip have I missed?]

[Go look up the Fu Group yourselves. This guy really knows how to keep his mouth shut!]

"Uh, well..."

Having heard the entire exchange, Ren Wuyang was bewildered by how people interacted these days and couldn't make sense of it. He could only ask his younger sister, "Why do they all have such a problem with Fu Yanci?"

"...How about finding a chance to ask Fu Yanci yourself later?"

Ren Anwen vaguely understood some of it, but it was very difficult for her older brother, who spent all his time in a laboratory and had social anxiety, to understand.

With the cameras here, she couldn't exactly say it outright. If he wanted to know, he might as well ask the person involved.

"Can I really? Will he yell at me?"

His gaze wandered. He glanced at Fu Yanci's back before quickly looking away, his hands unconsciously rubbing the hem of his clothes. "Do people in your industry hit others?"

"What if he hits me?"

"He probably won't. He's not in the industry. He's Song Wenjing's older cousin."

Ren Anwen sounded hesitant. She wasn't sure what Fu Yanci's temper was really like either. She could only say it was a little bad, but she truly had no idea how bad.

The group stopped at the foot of the mountain and looked up. Green trees shaded the slopes, and the occasional birdcall could be heard.

"You're here. There's a fence on the mountain, and the chickens only move around inside it. Just search within that area."

The farmer gave each of them a bamboo basket and pointed out a path. "You can head up this way. Once you've finished collecting, just bring them straight to me. I'll tell you what the next task is."

Ren Anwen said, "All right, we'll head up, then."

They were only in third place at the moment, a middling position that was somewhat precarious. They didn't expect to overtake Chi An's team, but they still wanted to fight for second place.

The rugged mountain path was noticeably strenuous to walk on. Unlike the mountains at scenic spots with their stones and steps, this one was nothing but dirt. If it rained, even getting up the mountain would be a problem.

"This is so hard to walk on."

Using a branch for support, Chi Shuran walked in fits and starts. She didn't know how much farther they had to climb. So far, they had only heard chickens calling and hadn't seen a single one.

Chi An said, "Then stop here. Let's search around this area first."

The fence started at the foot of the mountain, which meant they had entered the chicken enclosure as soon as they began heading up. There was no need to climb all the way to the top.