Twenty-five sacks of corn each.
By the time Jiang Mingxi carried the last sack over, he was so exhausted he could have ascended to heaven.
He dropped the sack on the ground, then lay down beside it without a shred of concern for his image.
Stretching out his legs and staring up at the sky, he said, "I'm so tired. I don't think I can take on survival anymore. I can't survive one bit. Farmers work so hard."
Zhao Jiayuan sat beside Jiang Mingxi, panting from exhaustion too. "Don't worry. Farmers have three-wheelers to haul it back. They don't carry it themselves."
Chen Chong glanced at him and kicked his calf. "Stop running your fucking mouth all day."
Zhao Jiayuan tried to jump up and fight Chen Chong. "None of your fucking business!"
But.
He was too tired.
He couldn't get up.
Lying on the ground, Jiang Mingxi was so exhausted he didn't want to move a single finger. Only his eyes and lips moved.
He glanced at Chen Chong, then told Zhao Jiayuan, "Brother Chong's worried people will curse you out for saying farmers don't work hard."
Zhao Jiayuan was like a rabid dog. "Bullshit! He's saying there's something wrong with my X function."
Jiang Mingxi couldn't stop laughing at that retort.
Not only is there something wrong with your X function, I suspect there's something wrong with your brain too.
Jiang Mingxi laughed so hard his body shook, his collar trembling with it.
He had sweated so much carrying the corn that he had long since unbuttoned his work jacket.
The collar of the shirt underneath gaped open, exposing a stretch of porcelain-white collarbone and a little skin below it.
Song Lan didn't know why he had looked over.
But by the time he realized it and was about to look away, Jiang Mingxi cast his little fox-like gaze toward him.
Their eyes met.
Song Lan immediately moved to avert his gaze.
Warmth flared in Jiang Mingxi's eyes. Enduring the aches all over his body, he quickly scooted closer to Song Lan and hooked his fingers around his trouser cuff. "Teacher Song, I'm thirsty."
Song Lan ignored him.
But he didn't tell him to let go either.
Jiang Mingxi pushed his luck. "Teacher Song, get me a bottle of water, please. It's right beside you."
[Jiang Mingxi is so annoying! Can't he get it himself if he's thirsty?]
[Are his hands broken?!]
[Can this bitch get lost? I seriously can't stand him harassing Song Lan like this!]
Song Lan still said nothing.
But-
His eyelid twitched hard.
He was sitting on the ground with his legs slightly bent, exposing a stretch of ankle.
The fingers Jiang Mingxi had hooked around his trouser cuff brushed that patch of skin on his ankle.
"I got Teacher Song water earlier when we were carrying corn. One good turn deserves another. Get me a bottle too." Jiang Mingxi lightly traced the skin beneath Song Lan's trouser cuff with his little finger, his gaze burning as he looked at him.
Song Lan glared at him, then turned and handed him a bottle of mineral water from beside him.
Jiang Mingxi immediately took it with a smile.
He didn't dare push his luck by asking him to unscrew the cap too.
Slow and steady, slow and steady!
I touched my dream guy's leg!
Hehe~
Bracing his hands against the ground, Jiang Mingxi gritted his teeth and sat up.
He unscrewed the water bottle and took a long gulp.
He had just finished drinking.
The director came forward holding a portable PA.
"Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Now I'll announce the results of this round's task.
"First place, Song Lan. He gets first choice of accommodation.
"Second place, Chen Chong. He gets second choice of accommodation.
"Third place, Zhao Jiayuan. He gets third choice of accommodation.
"Fourth place, Jiang Mingxi. He gets fourth choice of accommodation.
"Last place, Jiang Mingle. He didn't complete the task and will choose his accommodation last."
Zhao Jiayuan, who had failed to jump up to fight Chen Chong earlier, sprang straight up in anger at that.
"Why? The four of us each carried twenty-five sacks of corn. Choosing accommodation in the order we finished is fine.
"But he didn't carry a single sack. Shouldn't he get no accommodation?
"Isn't our show called 'Survival Challenge'?
"He doesn't even take the challenge, but he still gets to survive?"
Pointing at Jiang Mingle beside the director, Zhao Jiayuan demanded irritably.
His eyes red, Jiang Mingle said to Zhao Jiayuan, "I'm sorry. I didn't leave the task unfinished on purpose. I just..."
He glanced at Jiang Mingxi.
He looked aggrieved, on the verge of tears again.
Beside him, the staff member who was Jiang Mingle's fan felt terribly sorry for him and stepped forward. "Lele only failed to complete the task because Jiang Mingxi bullied him! Jiang Mingxi has to take responsibility for this!"
Jiang Mingxi was utterly dumbfounded. "How did I bully him?"
The staff member glared furiously at Jiang Mingxi.
"Lele said he wanted to talk to you, but you snapped at him and almost hit him in the head with a sack of corn. You scared Lele. You owe him an apology!"
Jiang Mingxi rolled his eyes. "Bullshit! This is a livestream, not some blind spot under a lamp!
"Did I hit him in the head with my sack, or did he grab me while I was carrying it and nearly pull me over?
"Just check the livestream replay."
His eyes red, Jiang Mingle tugged at the staff member and choked out aggrievedly, "Stop. It was my fault. That hit wasn't that bad."
"Fuck off!" Anger settled over Jiang Mingxi's face. "First, I didn't hit you. You grabbed me. Stop talking like a green tea bitch and making yourself out to be the victim. Second, your failure to complete the task is your problem. It has nothing to do with me. Finally, I'm asking to check the livestream replay."
[Jiang Mingxi is such a fucking troublemaker! Everyone's been working hard for ages, and he's the only one making a fuss.]
[?? How is this Jiang Mingxi's fault? We all watched the livestream. Jiang Mingxi was carrying the corn away when Jiang Mingle grabbed him.]
[This staff member is twisting the facts. Anyone would get angry at being falsely accused!]
[I think Jiang Mingle's a bit of a green tea bitch too.]
The director didn't want to offend the sugar daddy funding the show.
He tried to smooth things over.
He smiled. "Let's forget about checking the replay. Everyone's been working hard for ages..."
"Check it." Song Lan suddenly spoke, his expression cool.
Jiang Mingle froze and looked toward Song Lan in some surprise.
Zhao Jiayuan immediately chimed in. "Exactly. So you do know we've been working hard for ages, Director? Why should we work our asses off while he does none of the task? If that's how it is, I won't do the next task either. I'll just make up some excuse about being bullied. It's not like we have to take the challenge seriously anyway."
Chen Chong sneered. "You're unwilling to check the replay because you're afraid of offending Tianli Group, aren't you, Director? What, you think the rest of us are easy to push around? Song Lan too? If this is how you're going to film the show, there's no point."
The director was about to cry!
Sit on the ground, rub his feet, and cry!
He was just an employee!
Was it wrong to be afraid of offending the sugar daddy funding the show?!
But there really was no justifying Jiang Mingle not doing the task.
Now that Song Lan had spoken, however afraid the director was of offending Tianli Group, he was even more afraid of offending Song Lan.
Bracing himself, he told the assistant director to one side, "Check the livestream replay."
The assistant director hurriedly took out his phone and got to work.
He dragged the progress bar to the instant Jiang Mingle grabbed Jiang Mingxi.
Pointing at the screen, Zhao Jiayuan said, "Open your damn eyes and look carefully. This fake young master grabbed Jiang Mingxi and nearly pulled him over. When the sack of corn hit the ground, Jiang Mingxi stumbled forward a little and hit his head against the sack of corn in front of him."
Song Lan turned to look at Jiang Mingxi's forehead.
Sure enough.
Partly visible beneath his hair was a small patch of red.