Zhuang Yan did it on purpose. He didn't hit Gu Qian, but he caused Gu Qian to get food poisoning. The pain of having his stomach pumped was no less than being punched.
When Zhuang Yan glanced in her direction unintentionally, Xia Wan clearly felt the malice emanating from him.
Assaulting and poisoning are illegal, yet Zhuang Yan repeatedly resorted to such cruelty for Lu Yan's sake, violating his principles.
This had never happened before, not even during the three years he had been her fiancé, he had never acted so rashly for her.
It would be a lie to say I'm not jealous.
She said so many bad things about Lu Yan, but Zhuang Yan didn't care at all. Instead of caring, he treated Lu Yan even better.
Watching someone who was once kind to you now treat others even better is a truly unpleasant feeling. It's like having expired bitter medicine stuck in your throat, emitting a sour and bitter taste.
Xia Wan is an only child, and no one in the family would share her love. Xia Qingshan treats her like a precious jewel, giving her all the best things, the best material life, and the most superior educational resources, allowing her to enjoy a life of luxury.
Among her peers, she comes from the best family, so everyone always defers to her and makes her the center of attention.
No one ever took anything from her; she simply didn't want it.
But now she felt that intense sense of loss, as if someone had suddenly appeared in her life and taken away what originally belonged to her.
Thinking of this, she looked at Lu Yan with resentment.
The director came back with Zhuang Yan and then issued the tasks for tomorrow.
"Pack your bags tonight, we'll leave early tomorrow morning."
An Xinrong obediently raised her hand and asked, "Director, where are we going?"
"We'll camp for two days. There are lots of mushrooms in the mountains during the rainy season. This is the perfect time to pick wild mushrooms to eat."
"Won't we get poisoned?"
“We have professional manuals, doctors to accompany us, and locals to help us, so the probability of poisoning is very small.”
What should I bring for camping?
"I suggest you pack light, since you'll need to bring tents." The director glanced at Lu Yan, guessed at his boss's mood, and said, "Gu Qian is hospitalized and can't film, so it'll just be the seven of you on the camping trip for the next two days. You seven should discuss how to split into two teams."
Upon hearing that they would be divided into teams, the guests all looked at their preferred partners.
Jiang Ning and Lu Yan go without saying, and An Xinrong was also secretly glancing at Zhuang Yan while pretending not to care.
Xia Wan took in the expressions of the three women. She was displeased, but like An Xinrong, she couldn't help but steal glances at Zhuang Yan.
Ling Xuan asked, "Seven people, it's impossible to divide them evenly no matter how you do it."
Lu Yan said, "Me, Jiang Ning, and Zhuang Yan will form a group of three, and you four will form a group."
An Xinrong said, "Why should you have the final say?"
"Aren't you and Xia Wan good friends? Do you want to break up with her? The director arranged for us to split into our own teams to avoid conflicts within the teams." Lu Yan turned to Fang Chen and Ling Xuan, asking them, "Do you have any objections?"
Fang Chen's idea was simple: he just wanted to be in a group with An Xinrong.
Ling Xuan didn't care and didn't dare to have any objections.
The team division is that simple.
The production team had already prepared the camping equipment. Each team needed two tents. In addition to the tents, they also needed to bring tableware for meals, as well as seasonings and pots for cooking.
Considering they were only staying for two days, Zhuang Yan didn't bring much. He was in charge of the food, while the two girls took care of the details, such as mosquito repellent and medicine. They had heard that there were snakes in the mountains during this season, so they specially asked someone to prepare snake repellent powder.
After resting for a night, they were woken up before dawn the next day. The staff drove them to the foot of the mountain and told them to climb up.
The mountain path was slippery after the rain, so the group put on rain boots and carried a stick, which could be used as a walking stick, to scare away snakes, or to catch spider webs.
This show has stopped feeling like a romance variety show; it's more like a mountain adventure.
An Xinrong is afraid of insects, and she endured them so as not to delay the filming process. But when she saw a long snake hanging in the tree, she was instantly terrified and cried.
"I don't want to go up there, Director! Have you forgotten that this is a dating reality show, not a wilderness survival game? Why did you bring us to this godforsaken place?!"
The little girl was so frightened that she cried. The director felt guilty and came to her, gently comforting her, "Isn't the meaning of love to share joys and sorrows? If you can't even endure this little bit of hardship, how will you endure the hardships of marriage?"
An Xinrong squatted on the ground, rubbing her eyes and choking back tears, saying, "Is marriage just about suffering? Then I won't get married."
Director: "..." For a moment, he was speechless.
"But look, everyone else is persevering, so you can too."
"But I'm afraid of bugs, I'm afraid of snakes, I really can't."
"How can you not? You're so brave and strong, you've overcome so many difficulties along the way, and now you're halfway up the mountain, almost at the top. Are you really going to give up?"
The director is using his usual deceptive tactics again, but this time An Xinrong doesn't compromise; her fear has outweighed everything else.
An Xinrong was also asking herself, should she really give up?
Even Xia Wan persevered, and Lu Yan and Jiang Ning never complained of being tired. Lu Yan, in particular, cheered them on and kept the atmosphere lively, like a little sun.
No wonder... Zhuang Yan was attracted to her.
She couldn't lose either. An Xinrong stood up, leaning on her cane, pointed at Zhuang Yan, and said to the director, "Director, can I join their team?"
"Why?"
"With Zhuang Yan around, I feel very safe."
Upon hearing this, Xia Wan and Fang Chen's expressions changed.
Xia Wan held An Xinrong's hand: "Xinrong, are you going to abandon me?"
Fang Chen: "I will protect you from now on and won't let the bugs get close to you."
"You're talking nonsense." An Xinrong reached out and swatted a mosquito, then casually brushed Xia Wan's hand away. "Xia Wan, I don't want to be friends with you anymore. These past two days you've been trying to set me up with Fang Chen. I've already told you I don't like him, but you still insist on playing matchmaker. Even though I'm participating in a dating reality show, it doesn't mean I have to find a man."
An Xinrong's words embarrassed both of them.
Lu Yan watched the show from the sidelines, never expecting that An Xinrong would actually rebel against Xia Wan. Congratulations!
Xia Wan exclaimed in surprise, "Just because of this? Since you don't like it, I'll change it. I won't try to match you two up anymore."
“It’s not just this one thing.” She once genuinely considered Xia Wan her best friend and even thought about having her be her only bridesmaid when she got married someday.
But now, she felt very tired: "Xia Wan, I'm not stupid. I can feel whether someone is good to me or not."
Ever since Xia Wan emphasized that they were "friends," their friendship has become impure.
As the saying goes, if a relationship makes you unhappy and you're constantly draining yourself, then you should cut your losses in time.
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