Chapter 79: World Two [49]

Although the initial distance between Jing Ke and Shao Qing was the greatest, they barely took any wrong turns.

So, after over an hour of Jing Ke’s hard work, they successfully reunited at 3:30 p.m., becoming the first team to complete the rendezvous.

The production team didn’t hesitate, immediately dispatching an off-road vehicle to pick them up and return them to the cabin area. They were given a choice of three cabins for the night, and soon after, a very luxurious Seafood Gift Pack was delivered.

Having rented a private island for a million for three days, the production team certainly wasn’t stingy with the rewards. The delivered lobsters and crabs were freshly prepared, their quality making them suitable for direct sashimi consumption.

Additionally, there was a wide variety of common vegetables, all washed and processed for a second time. Based on the total quantity, it was enough food for two people for three or four meals.

“A gentle reminder: some electrical appliances within the cabins are not available for use, such as the refrigerator. In this weather, food will spoil overnight. If the two teachers have leftover ingredients, we are very willing to take them back.”

Seeing the barrage of comments questioning whether the production team was showing favoritism to Jing Ke and Shao Qing, Director Qin quickly brought out the pre-prepared rules.

“To promote interaction between couples, different teams may not share resources, nor are they allowed to trade.” After the other two teams finally arrived much later, Director Qin added another rule.

At that moment, Jing Ke and Shao Qing had just finished showering in their cabin. Hearing the director’s supplementary clause, Jing Ke raised an eyebrow.

“So, the production team has no strict rule to reclaim supplies? If we prefer not to ask you to take them back, we can keep what we don’t finish today for tomorrow?” Jing Ke asked.

“Yes, but to make it easier for the guests to cook themselves, we’ve already processed the ingredients for a second time. They might spoil if left overnight,” Director Qin stressed once more.

Not only were the vegetables already broken apart and washed, but the lobsters and crabs also had their inedible parts removed—meaning they were already dead.

Such seafood is very difficult to keep overnight without a refrigerator.

“May I ask if the production team allows guests to forage for resources themselves?” Liu Chang raised his hand to ask.

Because Liu Chang was overly confident, Xu Yi’s pleasing-to-the-eye cleverness backfired—they went in a huge circle and were the last team to finish the task.

They were only given some basic seasonings and vegetables—barely enough to fill one person’s stomach if fully cooked.

“Of course, but any food foraged by the guests must be checked by our expert to confirm if it’s edible.” Director Qin paused, then added another clause just as Liu Chang’s face broke into a pleased smile.

“But half of the foraged goods will be taken as the appraisal fee. So I don’t recommend the teachers forage for food themselves. Striving to complete the task and win first place is relatively more cost-effective,” Director Qin said with a beaming smile.

Noticing that the viewer count for Jing Ke and Shao Qing’s individual live stream room was high, Director Qin also gave them the main live stream feed, allowing netizens to watch them prepare dinner together from multiple angles.

“Given the current temperature and weather, saving these ingredients without a fridge won’t be easy,” Jing Ke said, examining the seasonings provided by the production team.

“Just ‘not easy’? If the process is a bit more involved, can the ingredients still be preserved?” Shao Qing immediately grasped the implication in Jing Ke’s words.

“Yes. If we pickle the meat and then roast and smoke it to dry it out, even in this weather, keeping it for three days would be a trivial matter.”

Jing Ke said, pointing toward the kitchen. “I looked around earlier. There’s smokeless charcoal in here. Further processing the ingredients shouldn’t be too much trouble.”

[What? The one cooking is actually Boss Jing? Don’t bosses all keep chefs at home? Why does she need to wield a knife herself?]

[Shao Qing’s cooking skills seem pretty average. I remember during that previous Wilderness Survival show, Teacher Yu was always the one cooking, while Shao Qing just waited to be fed.]

[Is Boss Jing replacing Teacher Yu’s role? Becoming Shao Qing’s personal chef?]

[What personal chef? Boss Jing and Shao Qing are dating, you know. ‘Replacing’ isn’t the right word. Teacher Yu and Shao Qing don’t have any other relationship.]

[Hahaha, the production team definitely didn’t expect Boss Jing’s culinary skills to be this outstanding, nor that she’d think of pickling, air-drying, and roasting to extend the ingredients’ shelf life.]

[Don’t you think this is unfair? The production team didn’t provide a fridge precisely to reclaim the ingredients. Did Jing Ke and Shao Qing really need to force the issue and keep the food?]

[What’s unfair about it? The director explained the rules from the beginning. The first team to reunite gets more supplies. Don’t bring up fairness in a competitive mode. Boss Jing earned these ingredients through her abilities.]

[But it’s not fair to Boss Jing either! She walked nearly five kilometers all by herself. Shao Qing just stayed put, resting and waiting! Isn’t that reaping without sowing?]

[Oh, come on, why bring this up again? Wasn’t this already discussed? Outsiders shouldn’t criticize other people’s relationships! They’re happy with it!]

[And wasn’t this Boss Jing’s plan from the start? Who are you to make weird comments from Boss Jing’s perspective?]

[What else could it be? Obviously, they’re self-inserting as Boss Jing’s ‘trophy wife,’ so they want Boss Jing to split from my wife Qingqing. I suggest those people wash their brains out. Boss Jing’s standards aren’t that low.]

[A gentle reminder here: although we casually call her ‘Boss Jing,’ her official administrative rank isn’t for show. I suggest certain people watch their mouths. The saying ‘disaster comes from the mouth’ isn’t just empty words.]

The barrage of comments, while lacking professional Paid Trolls involvement, contained plenty of people envious of Shao Qing—especially certain overconfident men who were utterly mediocre yet considered themselves dashing and exceptional.

They always felt Jing Ke and Shao Qing shouldn’t be together. With their looks and genes, they should marry them instead, and leave behind their bloodline.

Luckily, Jing Ke’s status was sufficiently formidable. Her administrative rank at the deputy-ministerial level deterred those overconfident men from leaving overly explicit comments under real-name systems. They could only vent their dissatisfaction in their sleazy little group chats.

–

Back to the main topic: after Jing Ke proposed a method to extend shelf life, she quickly put it into action.

First, they moved the charcoal grill directly outside the cabin. Then, they selected relatively easy-to-handle fish and placed them into the grill. After smoking them for three to five hours, they’d be able to enjoy a delicious meal the next day.

Once the grill was set up, it was time for Jing Ke to show off her skills. Salt-baked Prawns, Typhoon Shelter Crab, Tempura… she made them all using just a plain iron wok.

“It’s out of the pan. Try it and tell me what you think.” As soon as the dish was ready, Jing Ke immediately brought the plate to the table, waiting for Shao Qing’s verdict.

“No need to try, I already know it’s delicious.” Under Jing Ke’s urging, Shao Qing picked up a piece of shrimp meat, blew on it, and once the temperature was safe, deftly popped it into her mouth.

“Crisp, bouncy, springy—so incredibly fresh and flavorful!” Shao Qing said, giving a thumbs-up. After swallowing the shrimp, she picked up a larger piece and offered it to Jing Ke.

“You try! Delicious as always!” Shao Qing said.

Jing Ke accepted the shrimp, bit into it, chewed briefly to taste it, and then asked, seemingly casually, “So, compared to Teacher Yu, is my cooking better?”

“Huh?” Shao Qing paused, clearly not expecting Jing Ke to suddenly bring up Yu Hongjun at that moment.

“I watched your live stream from back then. Whenever Teacher Yu cooked, you kept praising her non-stop.” Jing Ke cleared her throat lightly, trying not to let her small intentions show too obviously.

“I feel you highly recognize Teacher Yu’s culinary skills. So, I want you to evaluate my skills compared to Teacher Yu’s. It’ll give me a more direct understanding of my cooking level.”

Shao Qing blinked. This question felt strangely familiar.

Oh, right. When she had been picking on Jing Ke, asking whether she herself or Jing Ke’s ex-girlfriend was better, she’d used this exact same thinly-veiled manner.

“It’s been a long time since I last tasted Teacher Yu’s cooking. Based on my current impression, your cooking is better, Jing Ke. It’s not inferior to Teacher Yu’s,” Shao Qing said. Her mind involuntarily wandered to the taste of grilled fish and Beggar’s Chicken. She tried to keep her praise balanced, hoping to still sample Teacher Yu’s cooking next time they recorded a show together.

“So, you approve more of my cooking?” Hearing the answer, Jing Ke’s slightly furrowed brow smoothed out.

“Yes, your cooking is delicious. I must have said that many, many times already, haven’t I?” Shao Qing said with a smile. “If you’ve forgotten, I can say it again after every single bite.”

“That won’t be necessary. Just eat more, make sure you get enough nutrition.” Jing Ke said, picking up her chopsticks and offering Shao Qing a piece of vegetable.

“Remember to balance meat and vegetables. Eating more protein is fine, but you need dietary fiber too.” Jing Ke advised, feeding her a piece of vegetable, then immediately following it with another.

[Bubbling to the surface. Boss Jing looks so virtuous here, quite different from the decisive and resolute big boss I imagined.]

[I’m somehow getting a vibe… clearly, Boss Jing seemed so assertive before. How did she suddenly turn into a doting wife?]

[Not quite a doting wife. Probably because Boss Jing is into pure love?]

[This is cooking for love! Cooking for love! Dishes cooked with love added in are definitely the most delicious!]

[Whoa, how did an otaku get in here? Been watching too much pure-love anime?]

[Holy st, st, st, look! What’s happening? How did they start kissing while eating?! Are they not treating us as outsiders anymore?]

Because the accompanying cameraman chose a fixed camera angle for filming, Shao Qing subconsciously slipped into their daily routine from dining at the villa.

For a couple, isn’t it perfectly normal to steal a kiss or two while eating together? What’s the big deal?

After instinctively kissing a couple of times, Shao Qing’s gaze brushed past the camera, and she promptly remembered they weren’t at home but in a cabin, recording a show.

“Ahem, Director Qin seems to have some more activities planned tonight. Let’s eat quickly and then clean up,” Shao Qing said. She wasn’t a thin-skinned person, but openly displaying affection with Jing Ke in front of so many viewers was still slightly challenging for her.

Most importantly, Shao Qing had painstakingly worked to reverse her image from being on the bottom to being on top. If those fans saw Jing Ke kiss her until she just melted into her arms, her image would backslide massively!

“Alright, then eat a bit more,” Jing Ke said. She hadn’t forgotten the cameras were on her for a moment, but she had no idea how to spell ‘shy.’

Weren’t cloying interactions between couples perfectly normal? If the production team dared to broadcast their kiss, why would she dare not kiss?

–

Time arrived at 7 p.m. The six guests, having finished their meals and cleaned up, gradually gathered at a small, open-air plaza and took their seats according to the nameplates on the tables.

“Tomorrow, we will arrange for the six teachers to go out to sea on a yacht. However, no food will be provided on the yacht. The six teachers will need to rely on their own efforts to obtain ingredients from the sea,” Director Qin appeared, acting as the host.

“We have prepared the tools for obtaining ingredients: various models of Fishing Rods and different Diving Equipment. After passing a Telepathy Challenge, the six teachers can select their desired equipment.”

Director Qin: “Considering that Boss Jing and Teacher Shao are already a couple, and their understanding of each other is very deep, their Telepathy Challenge will differ from the other four teachers’.”

Holding the large loudspeaker, Director Qin briefly explained the Telepathy Challenge’s mechanics. For the other four, they simply needed to answer basic questions like birthdays, favorite colors, or the most unforgettable event.

But for the genuine couple, Jing Ke and Shao Qing, the difficulty was amped up significantly.

One of them, with absolutely no prior preparation, would have to change into a mascot costume designated by the production team and blend in among six staff members wearing the same costume. The other would then have to identify her partner relying purely on intuition.

“The two teachers can discuss among yourselves who will wear the mascot costume and who will do the selecting,” Director Qin said with a grin. Her idea was based on suggestions from netizens.

“Also, once inside the mascot costume, the teacher cannot speak or move her arms. She can only convey information through lower-body body language,” Director Qin added, still smiling.

Jing Ke raised an eyebrow, not finding any difficulty in this Telepathy Challenge whatsoever. She turned to Shao Qing and said, “I can recognize you, no matter what costume you’re wearing.”

Shao Qing considered for three seconds, a rare trace of hesitation appearing on her face. “I want to try. See if I can recognize you relying only on lower-body body language.”

In Shao Qing’s view, Jing Ke had a special bond with her, so she could one hundred percent recognize her.

But what about herself? If Jing Ke were truly mixed into the crowd, could she pick her out based on feeling?

“Okay. Then I’ll go wear the mascot costume and wait for you to pick me out.” Jing Ke immediately agreed, having absolute confidence in herself and, similarly, in Shao Qing.

Being able to fall in love with the same person across different worlds—didn’t that already sufficiently prove the fate between them?

Thus, with the other guests’ votes in, Jing Ke and Shao Qing were first up for the Telepathy Challenge.

Seeing the staff member hand her the Frog Mascot Costume, Jing Ke fell silent for a rare second.

But she wasn’t overly fussy. After confirming the costume was cleaned and sanitized, she efficiently put it on.

The June weather was already slightly muggy. Though the temperature on the overseas island was cooler than back home, with the mascot suit on, Jing Ke started sweating lightly in under three minutes.

Seems like she’d need an extra shower before bed tonight; otherwise, she might start to smell.

–

On the other side, after seeing the seven similarly-shaped frogs emerge, Shao Qing began studying them seriously.

The seven frogs were already similar in height. With the Headpieces acting as a further disguise, Shao Qing completely abandoned the idea of identifying Jing Ke by height.

As for feeling, all seven frogs seemed quite aloof. None bounced around vigorously; at most, they turned slightly to keep Shao Qing within their field of vision.

[Damn, how do you choose? This difficulty is insane! If my girlfriend were mixed in there with no other clues, I probably couldn’t pick her out.]

[This Telepathy Challenge… the production team really knows how to play. I suggest everyone check out Boss Jing’s perspective—there’s a surprise~]

[Whoa, the production team is going all out! From Boss Jing’s camera, she’s still in the waiting room waiting to go on, yet over here, they’re making Shao Qing choose from seven people? Isn’t any choice guaranteed wrong?]

[Aren’t you fans boasting it’s a match made in heaven? If Boss Jing wasn’t even in there at first, Shao Qing should have chosen no one.]

[If there was a script, I can only say ‘heh.’ If this is real, the production team is truly hardcore! Don’t they think it would be super awkward for Shao Qing if she picked wrong?]

At that moment, Shao Qing didn’t have a mind-link broadcasting the live stream comments. She could only rely on a mysterious, profound feeling to try and sense her girlfriend among the seven frogs.

Not this one. Not this one either. Definitely not this one. This one seems a tiny bit similar?

When checking the sixth frog, Shao Qing hesitated slightly.

This frog gave her a slight, slight feeling of similarity, but it also didn’t quite seem right.

Just as Shao Qing hesitated, the sixth frog gave a small upward hop, seemingly trying to convey a message to her in this way.

Originally somewhat undecided, Shao Qing, upon seeing the frog’s action, very resolutely took a step back and looked at the seventh frog.

If it were Jing Ke, she would probably take a step forward to give a hint, not just bounce in place.

And the scent was wrong, too. This person carried a hint of perfume. That wasn’t a scent Jing Ke liked, nor a scent she herself liked.

“Is my girlfriend really in there?” After seriously observing twice more, Shao Qing asked with some doubt.

“Is Teacher Shao a little tired? Have a seat and drink some water. I’ll have them go backstage and adjust their costumes,” Director Qin quickly changed the subject. She shot a look at the Assistant Director, signaling to take the opportunity to swap the real Jing Ke in.

[Impressive! Is this true love? She could tell even through the mascot suit? I totally thought Shao Qing was about to pick number six just now.]

[The director is so sly! They placed Jing Ke as number six. The difficulty of this Telepathy Challenge is incredibly high!]

After a two-minute break, Jing Ke was positioned at spot number six. She didn’t make any unnecessary movements. Just like the other frogs, she simply focused her attention on Shao Qing.

Such a magical feeling. Clearly, they all looked identical on the outside, but this time, it was as if something was guiding her from within the unseen, drawing her to pick Jing Ke out.

For the first time, Shao Qing understood what telepathy truly meant. She walked step by step directly toward the sixth frog, leaned in slightly, and sniffed her scent.

Partly the inherent smell of the mascot suit itself, but also the faintest trace of Jing Ke’s scent—the one she had playfully rubbed onto her after showering.

In other words, the scent Jing Ke carried right now was essentially indistinguishable from Shao Qing’s own.

“This is my girlfriend. I choose her.” Shao Qing gave her answer with absolute certainty.