Looking at the rain outside, Xu Siyi directly took off his clothes, and went out in the rain to pick a lot of leaves to cover the shack. Only after seeing that there were no leaks inside did he come back in.
Soaked to the bone by the rain, he scrunched his face, shaking off water from his hair and wringing out his trousers.
No longer dripping, Xu Siyi sat beside Xu Qiao, reaching over to remove his wet clothes.
Seeing Xu Qiao’s chest, which was more than a shade paler than his own, Xu Siyi pursed his lips and uncomfortably averted his gaze.
Wringing out the clothes and wiping the water from himself and Xu Qiao, Xu Siyi exchanged the dry clothes he had taken off earlier with Xu Qiao.
Xu Qiao, disturbed by the person moving him around, slapped irritably at the face in his blurred consciousness.
Xu Siyi, feeling both annoyed and amused, grabbed his hand and lay back down on the ground.
With his bare back against the chilly leaves, Xu Siyi sighed. He had just closed his eyes when Xu Qiao snuggled back into his arms, burying his head in his neck, seeking warmth.
Xu Siyi opened his eyes, lowered his head to poke at the furrowed brow of Xu Qiao who was still asleep, and spoke softly, “It’s my first time taking care of someone. How should you repay me when you wake up?”
Xu Qiao felt feverish all over, his consciousness muddled as scenes flashed through his mind.
He found himself in a brothel, clad in red, dancing upon a stage of golden lotus leaves. The faces in the audience were blank, their mouths twisted in greedy smiles.
After finishing a routine, he gasped for breath, his clothes slipping off his shoulders as the surrounding clamor grew louder.
He realized then, no matter how much he was adored, he was just a plaything lifted up for amusement.
Suddenly, a man hurried over, taking off his own robe and draping it over Xu Qiao.
“I’ll support you for a month, stop dancing.”
Xu Qiao felt a dull pain in his chest, almost suffocating him, his voice hoarse as he uttered a name, “He Xingzhang…”
Xu Siyi lowered his head, not catching what Xu Qiao said. “What?”
“He Xingzhang…”
Xu Qiao slowly opened his eyes, his cheeks flushed with fever.
His gaze was hazy, his breathing unsteady, his voice clingy with a hint of coquetry.
Xu Siyi furrowed his brow, noticing that Xu Qiao seemed off, different from usual, yet he couldn’t quite place why he felt a sense of familiarity.
With eyes shimmering like water, Xu Qiao looked at the person before him, lightly tracing his finger over Xu Siyi’s forehead, down his brow, skimming over his nose, and finally pausing on his thin lips.
Xu Siyi stared at him, feeling the gentle tingling sensation from the finger’s touch.
Xu Qiao leaned in, exhaling a warm breath, his gaze fixed on the other’s lips, as if unable to look away.
Xu Siyi understood where that sense of familiarity came from.
The current Xu Qiao was just like the character Jin’er he portrayed. With eyes slightly upturned, glistening with moisture, and a faint mist, his gentle smile carried an indescribable allure.
His heartbeat unnaturally quickened, and his body became somewhat rigid.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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The person’s hazy eyes glanced over, carrying an enticing yet inexplicable allure that somehow left one feeling parched.
Seeing Xu Qiao reaching for his arm, about to press their lips together, Xu Siyi stared at his face, frozen in place, unsure how to react.
Is he gay?
This thought popped into Xu Siyi’s mind.
As their lips were about to touch, Xu Siyi moved his stiff fingers, extending his hand to push him away.
But then, Xu Qiao halted his movement, turning his face to press against Xu Siyi’s cheek, wrapping his arms around his neck.
Xu Siyi felt warm liquid land on his cheek.
“Xu Qiao,” Xu Siyi asked softly, “what’s wrong with you?”
Xu Qiao lifted his eyelids, his eyes resembling springs of water, tears spilling down his cheeks.
“You said you would protect me forever.”
Xu Siyi hesitated for a moment.
“Why did you die…” The following words made Xu Siyi realize that Xu Qiao wasn’t speaking to him.
Was it about that person named He Xingzhang? What was his relationship with Xu Qiao?
Xu Qiao was burning up, breathing heavily, his voice low and trembling with a hint of tears.
Xu Siyi felt a sour ache in his chest, intense and persistent, like being pricked repeatedly by thorns.
After a moment, he whispered, “Who is He Xingzhang?”
Xu Qiao didn’t answer his question, his whole body seeming drained of energy, buried in Xu Siyi’s neck, emitting a few hums from his throat.
The entire night passed restlessly.
The next day, it was still pouring rain. Xu Siyi jolted awake from a fitful sleep, just opening his eyes to see a head wearing a green leaf hat poking in, startling him.
Upon closer inspection, he recognized it was Fan Menghua and breathed a sigh of relief.
Fan Menghua’s gaze swept strangely over Xu Siyi’s bare upper body and Xu Qiao in his arms, then after a while, he showed a knowing expression.
“You two…”
Xu Siyi, exhausted from being kept awake by Xu Qiao all night, looked at Fan Menghua wearily and asked, “Teacher Fan, do you need something?”
Fan Menghua lowered her voice as she said, “Even though the visibility is poor due to the rain, still be careful, okay?”
Xu Siyi: “?”
“This time, it’s fortunate that it’s me who saw it. If someone else had seen it, what would we do? Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”
Hearing her deliberately lowered voice, Xu Siyi furrowed his brow.
What did she mean?
Hearing the commotion, Xu Qiao furrowed his brow and shook his head slightly.
Xu Siyi’s fingers curled and then relaxed, as he lowered his head to find Xu Qiao still in his arms.
Avoiding Fan Menghua’s inquisitive gaze, Xu Siyi averted his eyes. “Teacher Fan, please don’t misunderstand. Xu Qiao has a fever, and I’m afraid he’ll get cold.”
“A fever?” Fan Menghua paused, then quickly took off Xu Qiao’s jacket and handed it to Xu Siyi. “You mean this child…”
She felt somewhat guilty. “I’ll go ask if there’s a first aid kit available.”
Watching Fan Menghua hurry off, Xu Siyi withdrew his gaze and felt Xu Qiao’s forehead.
It was even hotter than last night.
Before long, Fan Menghua returned, wearing a troubled expression. “There’s no first aid kit. I’m exasperated with this production team. They don’t even prepare a first aid kit for outdoor shoots. It’s infuriating.”
Upon hearing that Xu Qiao had a fever, the group led by Ying Wenlin gathered around.
“With this thunderstorm, I wonder if the boat can still come today?”
“Hmm, it looks quite uncertain.”
“We’ve almost finished that pack of compressed biscuits. If it doesn’t come soon, what will we eat?”
Today’s storm showed no sign of stopping. While yesterday everyone maintained a good attitude and made the best of it, now they were genuinely worried.
The production team had intended to create a sense of urgency for the guests before coming to the island, providing very limited supplies. Each of them only had a bottle of mineral water and some compressed biscuits in their bags.
The food wasn’t a problem, but without clean drinking water, they wouldn’t last long. Rainwater couldn’t be consumed directly, and there was no dry wood here to make a fire for boiling water.
The cameraman sighed as he guarded the equipment, having contacted the production team several times, but they kept saying they couldn’t send a helicopter or boat. They were trying to contact a rescue team, but it might not be easy to venture out to sea.
Fan Menghua occasionally came over to check on them. She saw Xu Siyi breaking the compressed biscuits and feeding them to Xu Qiao, giving him sips of water.
She squatted nearby, wearing the green hat Xu Qiao had woven, her gaze flickering over Xu Siyi’s parched lips, hesitating before speaking. “Siyi, have you eaten anything?”
Xu Siyi’s lips were almost cracking. Fan Menghua knew he was afraid, so he gave all of his compressed biscuits and water to Xu Qiao.
“I’m fine, not hungry.”
Fan Menghua didn’t know what else to say, wanting to offer a few more words of persuasion, but Xu Siyi lifted his eyes to look at her. “I’m fine, it’s him who’s sick.”
Watching Xu Qiao lying on the ground, Fan Menghua opened her mouth but said nothing more.
Another day passed, and water and food were completely depleted. The rain finally eased, although occasional thunder still rumbled. Helicopters couldn’t come during thunderstorms, so the rescue team arrived by boat.
There might be reefs around the island, so the boat stopped some distance away. The rescue personnel came ashore in a small boat and helped everyone onto the larger vessel.
Since the incident created an uproar in the outside world, the production team couldn’t stop several media outlets from crowding onto the boat, broadcasting live on the scene.
「This production team is so reckless. My Siyi joined for just one episode, and they couldn’t even take care of him properly.”
「Unbelievable, if the rain hadn’t stopped, would National Style have become a survival show on a deserted island?」
「It’s one thing for young people to go hungry for a few days, but if something happened to Teacher Yu, could you all bear the responsibility?」
「I knew something was off on the day of the broadcast when Xu Qiao’s safety rope came loose. Back then, I thought it was just part of the show, but damn, now thinking back, who’s responsible for this kind of ‘show effect’? Clearly, safety measures are lacking.」
As the barrage of comments intensified, several small boats carrying the group slowly approached.
The cameras swiftly focused on the group.
When the small boat docked, there was a moment of silence as Xu Siyi appeared, carrying Xu Qiao on his back.
Xu Siyi’s upper body was bare, revealing several scratches from tree leaves, his lips chapped, yet his gaze was sharp.
He draped his clothes over Xu Qiao’s back, the young man’s eyes closed, his head resting on Xu Siyi’s shoulder, oblivious to the outside world, his features pure and untainted.
「What’s going on here?」
「The production team said Xu Qiao had a high fever.」
「I dare not speak, afraid of ruining this scene! Ahhh!」
「These two… why do they give me a feeling of an ideal couple?」
「Don’t ship random CP, okay? Siyi’s fans, take him away. We don’t want to be with you!」
Several media outlets eagerly thrust their microphones forward, but Xu Siyi pursed his lips, bypassing them and walking into the cabin under the guidance of the accompanying doctor.
Seeing Xu Siyi’s lack of cooperation, the media outlets exchanged glances, hesitant to say more, and instead turned to inquire about Fan Menghua and the others.
Carrying Xu Qiao into the cabin, they laid him on the bed. The accompanying doctor measured his temperature and prepared to administer intravenous fluids after a preliminary examination.
“How is he?” Xu Siyi asked.
“His body is quite weak, and the fever is severe,” the doctor replied, tapping Xu Qiao’s hand back and muttering, “His veins are thin, not easy to puncture.”
Meanwhile, the director cautiously approached. “Siyi, would you like something to eat?”
Recognizing the production team’s fault and lack of preparedness that led to this crisis, he approached with an apologetic smile, offering food.
Since several guests hadn’t eaten properly on the island and considering their digestive capacity, they had prepared aromatic and soft porridge.
Xu Siyi’s gaze turned cold as he glanced at the director. “The safety rope, the shortage of supplies during this sudden rainstorm, and the limited safety awareness of your program have led to this crisis. After completing this episode, I will instruct my agent to terminate Xu Qiao’s contract.”
🥺
Bam! Powerful!
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING AWESOME!!¡
Thank you for the update ☺️
Yep this show is shady af don’t come back 🙁
Thanks for the update 🥰
Thank you for the chapter.
Everything and everyone trying to f ck up Xu Qiao.
Thank you for the chapter 😍 ❤️ ❤️
Thank you for the chapter!
Yeah, this better have repercussions. Safety measures.
Thanks for the chapter!
Good! What a sh*t show, how can they be so incompetent? Ah, since it’s China, better sue the program group too so they’ll remember this lesson! They’re just waiting for people to die by acting like that. Outrageous.
Thank you for the chapter.
The award for worst production company goes to this one. They\re truly the worst. Also the fans shipping cp instead of worrying for the health of their idols…. unacceptable.
Thank you for the chapter!