"This one's nice, that one's useful, and we really need this one too!"
Shen Xingcan directed the staff member to note down everything he had chosen, but there were simply too many things he wanted. They were only halfway through when the staff member reminded him that he had already exceeded his points budget.
Shen Xingcan said, "That's fine. Let's keep looking and take things off the list once we're done."
By the time they had looked through everything, the staff member had filled an entire sheet of A4 paper with the things Shen Xingcan wanted.
Shen Xingcan took the sheet from the staff member and handed it to Xie Linchuan. "Pick some."
As a child, Shen Xingcan hadn't been allowed to eat too much candy. Back then, Little Xingcan's biggest daily worry had been choosing which candy to eat from the dazzling selection.
Later, Little Xingcan no longer needed to worry about that, because he had Xie Linchuan by his side.
Xie Linchuan-a personal tool only Shen Xingcan could use.
Xie Linchuan took a pen and began picking from the things Shen Xingcan had selected.
As though remembering something, Shen Xingcan leaned over to remind him, "Keep that pot. I'm craving your seafood congee."
As Shen Xingcan moved, his medium-length hair brushed lightly against Xie Linchuan's cheek, carrying a crisp floral fragrance, like a bird's beautiful feathers.
Xie Linchuan didn't answer, but he put a check mark beside the pot that cost so many points.
Satisfied with the answer he had received, Shen Xingcan moved back to his original spot.
[Making congee?? What incredible thing did I just hear?]
[Wait, is this how you two do the whole rival thing? We're making congee already???? Huh? Is this right?]
[They're former bandmates who spent so long in the same group, after all. It's perfectly normal for them to have eaten each other's cooking.]
[No, there's definitely something going on with these two.]
[I thought Xie Linchuan would refuse? But he just straight-up agreed?]
[Can Shen Xingcan stop being so bossy? What gives you the right to make our Xie Linchuan cook congee for you?]
[Because your Xie Linchuan wants to, how about that? Asking him to cook congee is already giving him face. Hah, he puts on such an act, but doesn't he still want to be our darling Cancan's simp?]
Xie Linchuan soon handed the sheet back to the staff member.
Shen Xingcan didn't look at it again, because he felt certain Xie Linchuan would handle everything properly.
The other two teams also reached the points-tallying station before the countdown ended.
Song Tiantian's statement that it only opened at noon each day had been far too intimidating, so every team spent all their points.
Thanks to Shen Xingcan and Xie Linchuan's earlier performance, even after Shen Xingcan chose that fairly expensive pot, they still obtained far more supplies than the others.
Once all three teams' supplies had been counted out, the difference in quantity couldn't have been more obvious.
[Even now, I still can't understand how these two can be so in sync. I ship it so hard.]
[Could it be that they're not in sync, but just have very similar tastes?]
[Similar tastes? That married-couple resemblance makes me ship them even harder.]
[Waaah, I ship it so hard.]
[...]
Standing beside his supplies, Shen Xingcan generously addressed the others. "If anyone urgently needs anything..."
Before Shen Xingcan could finish, Jiang Yifeng eagerly cut in. "We can all come get it from you?"
Shen Xingcan showed no mercy. "In your dreams. I was going to say that if anyone urgently needs anything, you can rent it from me with points. Five points per use."
Jiang Yifeng stared at Shen Xingcan in shock. "Aren't we good friends?"
Shen Xingcan's eyes curved into crescents. "Even brothers keep their accounts straight."
Jiang Yifeng clutched his chest, lamenting that all his affection over the years had been wasted.
Song Tiantian said, "Now that each team's supplies have been checked, please find a suitable campsite yourselves. The requirement is that the three teams' camps must be within a hundred meters of one another."
Jiang Yifeng looked puzzled. "A hundred meters... Is there some reason for that?"
Song Tiantian smiled. "It makes filming easier for the production team."
Jiang Yifeng sighed. "What a plain and simple reason!"
Chongshan Island was large, but not every spot was suitable for setting up camp. After all, the seaside was windy, so the campsite they chose would have to be away from the shore and sheltered.
After discussing it, the six of them headed straight into the island's interior.
The sun climbed higher, and even by the sea, the temperature kept rising.
It had still been early when Shen Xingcan boarded the boat, with a slight chill lingering by the sea, so he had put on a jacket. Now that the sun was up, the jacket had naturally become somewhat unnecessary.
But one of his hands was still linked to Xie Linchuan's! If only he had taken off his jacket back on the boat!
All Shen Xingcan could do was tell himself that a calm mind kept the body cool, a calm mind kept the body cool-but it was still so hot!
Shen Xingcan couldn't stand the heat. Whenever the temperature rose even a little and he sweated a few extra drops, he was bound to break out in a rash.
"Aren't you going to take that off?"
While Shen Xingcan was trying to brainwash himself, an icy voice suddenly came from beside him.
Shen Xingcan looked at Xie Linchuan and spoke with three parts surprise and seven parts shyness. "Take my clothes off? Right here? Isn't that a little inappropriate? I'd be embarrassed."
Xie Linchuan's tone grew even colder. "Then get a rash and itch to death."
Shen Xingcan didn't care about Xie Linchuan's cold expression. He gave the person beside him a mischievous smile. "That won't do. If I died, wouldn't you cry yourself to death?"
"I wouldn't."
"Oh."
Then who exactly had been so utterly distraught at his funeral in his previous life? Puppy Xie?!
Xie Linchuan saying one thing and meaning another didn't spoil Shen Xingcan's good mood, because he was already used to the other's mercurial personality.
He took off his jacket and draped it over the chain between them.
To keep it balanced, Shen Xingcan even tied his jacket in a knot around the chain.
[Something's seriously off. Something's seriously off with these two.]
[What I expected: bitter clashes, punches and kicks. What I saw: flirty bickering and intimate banter... What sworn enemies? Just gay guys playing their little games.]
[What is there to ship about this? I can't.]
With Chongshan Island's varied terrain, the group hadn't gone far before they spotted a stream.
Bai Lin said, "We're already some distance from the shore, and there's a stream here that would make getting water convenient. I think this would be a good place to camp. What do you think?"
Shen Xingcan surveyed their surroundings, then offered a different opinion. "The vegetation here is too dense. There are bound to be lots of snakes and insects. Besides, although the production team told us to choose our own campsite, I don't think they'd have made no preparations anywhere nearby, so there should be a correct campsite."
Even if the show looked a lot like wilderness survival, the production team couldn't really let things get too "wild."
Ye Ran said, "I agree with Xingcan. Although we'll certainly need water for plenty of things, we also bought quite a lot of water at the store."
The faint smile on Bai Lin's face froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered. "Is that so? Then let's go with Xingcan's suggestion. Xingcan's family has lived on an island for generations, so he must have more experience with island life. I grew up abroad, so I don't know about these things."
Shen Xingcan said sarcastically, "Oh, yes, yes, yes. How could someone as precious and important as you possibly know about such trivial things?"
Bai Lin: "..."
Everyone else: "..."
Pfft.