Chapter 38 The young lady avenged her grudge on the spot.
Meng Xian's absence due to illness left Ding Manni alone during the group task.
Today's task for the show is for each guest to find and bring back a plant that the show has drawn on a card in advance in a designated area near the camp.
Everyone else went in groups, but Ding Manni was left alone, holding her hand-drawn cards, searching aimlessly and without any clue.
It took her more than half an hour to find the plant, which looked almost exactly like the one in the picture, in a shady crevice of a rock.
On the way back, Ding Manni gradually felt an intense itch in her right ankle.
At first, she didn't pay much attention, thinking that she had accidentally brushed against some grass.
But the itching became more and more obvious, so Ding Manni had to quicken her pace back to the camp and roll up her trouser legs to see what was wrong.
A large, bright red lump was clearly visible where the ankle bone protruded, with a distinct dark red dot in the center, and the surrounding skin was swollen.
"When did you bite me...?"
Ding Manni gasped and instinctively scratched herself with her fingers.
Unexpectedly, this scratch seemed to stimulate the lump, causing it to swell up even more at a visible speed, looking quite alarming.
Ding Manni panicked a little.
Having been pampered since childhood, she had never encountered a situation like this before and was at a loss for how to handle it.
Just as she was at a loss, a white, tubular object was suddenly thrown into her arms.
Ding Manni looked down and saw a tube of ointment for treating mosquito bites.
She looked up in surprise and saw Gu Mingyan standing a few steps away, saying calmly, "The temperature is warming up this season, and midges and gnats are coming out of the woods. Try not to wear skirts and capri pants, as you're more likely to get bitten."
Ding Manni held the box of ointment, still warm from the other person's palm, paused for a moment, and then whispered, "...Thank you."
"No need to thank me." Gu Mingyan's tone remained indifferent. "If you want to thank someone, thank Qingqing. She prepared all these emergency medicines."
After saying that, she didn't wait for Ding Manni to respond and turned to find Yun Qingqing.
Ding Manni twisted open the medicine box with a complicated expression.
The cooling ointment, applied to the swollen and painful area, provided immediate relief from the intense itching.
Ding Manni's knowledge of Gu Mingyan mostly came from hearsay.
Rumors say that Gu Mingyan is spoiled, willful, arrogant, and difficult to get along with.
Later, she met Meng Xian on several occasions.
Most of the time, Meng Xian was gentle and compliant, but when she occasionally mentioned Gu Mingyan, she always hesitated, her eyes slightly red. From those subtle sighs and fragmented narratives, Ding Manni added labels of jealousy, domineering, and bullying to Gu Mingyan's image.
But now...
Ding Manni suddenly realized that she shouldn't be prejudiced against someone based on others' one-sided opinions.
*
Two days later, Meng Xian finally issued a public apology on social media.
[To all netizens who are following this matter, and to @顾明嫣:]
First of all, I would like to sincerely apologize to everyone for the controversy caused by my inappropriate behavior recently.
Regarding the "national school beauty" photo, I must admit that the girl in the photo is not me. Years ago, I saw that photo by chance on an online platform. Out of envy and vanity, when asked by the media, I did not clarify immediately, but instead tacitly accepted this beautiful misunderstanding, thereby gaining attention and praise that did not belong to me.
This wrong decision not only hurt the real female protagonist in the photo, but also deceived my fans and the public who have always supported and loved me. Especially for Ms. Gu Mingyan, I enjoyed the glory that should have been hers, but caused her to suffer a lot of criticism and misunderstanding. I feel deeply guilty for this and sincerely apologize to her: I'm sorry.
I have deeply realized my mistakes and am willing to bear all criticism and consequences arising from them. In the future, I will reflect deeply on my actions, be cautious in my words and deeds, demonstrate my determination to repent through my actions, and strive to be a sincere person worthy of everyone's love.
The apology statement was released and the comment section was flooded with tens of thousands of messages.
[Haha, finally they apologized! I thought they were going to play dead forever.]
[Where were you before? When you were riding on the coattails of the "national school beauty" image, why didn't you come out to clarify things? Now that you've been thoroughly exposed, you're only apologizing now—you have no sincerity whatsoever!]
[Hilarious! Here's a translation: I used to think I could keep this a secret forever, but now I can't hide it anymore, so I have to admit it.]
[Sigh, how should I put it... Although I've stopped being a fan, I still wish him well. I hope he'll be more careful with his words and actions in the future and not make the same mistake again.]
Following the release of the apology statement, Meng Xian, who had "recovered" from her illness, naturally returned to the variety show recording.
She was wearing a simple dress and only light makeup, and she looked a little thinner than before.
"Everyone... it's been a long time." Meng Xian, carrying a small suitcase, stood at the edge of the open space and greeted everyone.
There was a brief moment of silence at the scene.
Ding Manni, who was helping to skewer vegetables, looked up at her with a complicated expression: "Long time no see."
Nan Xu, Yu Ran, and Ji Sihan nodded politely as a greeting.
Gu Mingyan and Yun Qingqing were working together to fetch water from the river when they didn't notice the extra person beside them.
Meng Xian tightened her grip on the suitcase handle slightly. She pursed her lips, silently picked up her luggage, and walked towards her tent.
The campground was a bit uneven, and the suitcase wheel tripped a little.
Meng Xian staggered slightly and subconsciously looked around, hoping someone would come to her aid.
The person closest to her was Jiang Mingqian, who was bent over fixing the barbecue grill stand and seemed completely unaware of her predicament, let alone naturally walking over to take the luggage from her hands as he used to.
Meng Xian's eyes instantly reddened. She quickly lowered her head, gritted her teeth, and carried her suitcase into the tent herself.
Although she experienced a significant loss of followers, the remaining fans are all die-hard fans who have been refined.
Fans felt sorry for Meng Xian when they saw her struggling to carry her suitcase.
[Oh dear... these guests are so indifferent, isn't anyone going to help Xianxian?]
[Agreed. Watching her carry her luggage inside by herself, she seemed so isolated and helpless.]
【Are you serious, upstairs? Her suitcase isn't even as big as my cat's carrier, what's so pitiful about that?】
[Gu Mingyan and Yun Qingqing next door each carried two buckets of water, and no one said anything.]
Please be aware that no one is obligated to fawn over your idol.
Meng Xian quickly composed herself, picked up a small stool, and sat down next to Ding Manni to help her thread the skewers.
She moved slowly and deliberately, skewering each piece of vegetable neatly and evenly, showing great care.
But the fire under the barbecue grill had already been lit. Ji Sihan stood behind the grill, watching her slowly and methodically skewer the food, his mouth twitching with impatience.
At this rate, by the time she finishes skewering, the meat will be charcoal-burnt.
Ji Sihan racked his brains and finally came up with a tactful way to urge her: "Teacher Meng, your technique for skewering the meat looks so exquisite."
Meng Xian was stunned, not expecting Ji Sihan to suddenly praise her.
Unaware of the implied urging in the other person's words, she smiled frankly and said, "You flatter me. I previously filmed a rural-themed drama, and to get closer to the character, I specifically went to the countryside for almost half a month to experience life there. My palms even developed calluses from all that. Doing this now is just a matter of applying what I've learned."
These few words evoked boundless pity from Xian's fans:
Putting everything else aside, Xianxian's dedication to acting has always been impeccable.
[Yes, yes, being willing to go to the countryside to experience life for a role shows a much better attitude than many actors who only lip-sync.]
[Am I the only one who thinks that Ji Sihan's scratching his head just now made it seem like he had something else to say? hhhh]
After hearing her words, Ji Sihan quickly followed up, "Oh, I see. Then you rest a bit longer, I'll help you skewer the meat..."
Meng Xian smiled and avoided his hand: "No need, no need. Compared to learning to carry water, cook, and feed pigs in the countryside back then, this is much simpler."
“Actually, what I meant was…” Ji Sihan tried to interrupt.
"And it feels especially homey to handle the ingredients yourself, right?" Meng Xian maintained a steady pace, skewering three mushrooms onto a bamboo skewer.
"Teacher Meng!" Ji Sihan saw that the edges of the first batch of meat skewers on the grill were already starting to darken, and quickly blurted out, "What I mean is, teacher, could you please hurry up and put them on? Otherwise, all the other skewers will burn, and you didn't seem to have washed your hands just now!"
Meng Xian's gentle smile froze on her face, and her ears turned slightly red.
The comments section was completely overwhelmed:
[I'm dying of laughter, hahaha! I knew Ji Sihan was going to praise Meng Xian's exquisite technique out of the blue.]
[Our little Ji finally came up with a high-EQ remark, but it was too subtle and went unnoticed.]
I had this bad habit of feeling embarrassed for others; they were in a real bind, while Meng Xian was still rambling on and on about her inner thoughts.
Has no one noticed? She's really good at presenting herself in front of the camera.
Meng Xian put down the bamboo skewer and apologized awkwardly, "I'm so sorry..."
Seeing her flushed face, Ji Sihan quickly scratched his head and came up with another high-EQ response: "It's okay, it's okay, Teacher Meng, it's not your fault. Not everyone can learn things as quickly as Yun Qingqing."
His intention was to give Meng Xian a way out, but Meng Xian was not happy with his words.
It's one thing if she can't compare to Gu Mingyan, but she can't even compare to Yun Qingqing, who comes from a humble background?
Sure enough, ever since her identity as a fake school beauty was exposed, everyone's attitude towards her changed.
Meng Xian didn't reflect on her own reasons; she only felt that everyone looked down on her and thought she was fake, so she lost even her patience.
After a flurry of activity and a lot of smoke and fire, the group finally managed to bake something barely edible. They gathered around a makeshift wooden table and enjoyed this hard-won dinner.
However, just as everyone put down the bamboo skewers, the director appeared with a megaphone:
"Distinguished guests, first of all, congratulations on your hard work in completing today's outdoor barbecue and experiencing the joy of self-sufficiency."
Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts skipped a beat.
When a director starts a conversation in this cheerful tone, it's usually not a good sign.
Sure enough, the director announced the next second: "To allow everyone to experience true wilderness survival more deeply, the production team has decided to increase the difficulty of the challenges starting tomorrow at sunrise. The production team will be taking back all remaining ingredients currently provided to you, and—"
He looked around and said with a smile, "All cooking utensils, including pots and pans and knives."
"No way, director?!"
"Is this even allowed to live in peace?!"
A chorus of wails erupted from the camp.
"Of course, the production team isn't completely heartless." The director changed the subject, "Everyone can choose one tool to keep for their own use, or give up the tool and choose to ask for help from outside the production team, inviting a friend or family member to come and assist them."
The moment the director finished speaking, Meng Xian suddenly perked up.
While others were still pondering, she was the first to raise her hand: "Director, I choose to ask for help from outside the studio."
The director looked at her: "Okay. Who would you like to ask for help, Ms. Meng?"
Meng Xian covered her mouth and smiled, slowly uttering two words:
"Jin Yan."
There was an eerie silence for a few seconds when the name was uttered.
Almost everyone present knew about the emotional entanglements between Ye Jinyan, Meng Xian, and Gu Mingyan.
Meng Xian smiled broadly, feeling a long-lost sense of joy.
So what if they find out they're impersonating the nation's most beautiful girl?
In this battle of love, she always came out on top of Gu Mingyan.
With a triumphant air, Meng Xian turned her gaze to Gu Mingyan, hoping to see even the slightest hint of embarrassment, disappointment, or anger on the other's face.
However, no.
Gu Mingyan showed no reaction to Ye Jinyan's name, and seemed to be excited about something on her own, laughing loudly and without any regard for her image.
Meng Xian: "...?"
Yun Qingqing, who was standing next to her, seemed to have guessed what she was going to do and earnestly advised her to calm down:
"Mingyan, please calm down. We are all from the same root, why are you so eager to fight each other!"
Gu Mingyan grabbed her hand in return: "No way! Gu Xubai was mocking me on the phone a few days ago for not being smart enough. Now he's finished, hahaha!"
She became more and more excited as she spoke, and suddenly turned to the director: "I also want to ask for help from outside the studio! I want Gu Xubai to participate in this program!"
His face showed no sadness at the loss of love, only the exhilaration of revenge.
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