Sister Liu had been filming the show for over a month now, and during this time, the food she had eaten the most was various types of insects. Insects were highly nutritious, rich in protein, and capable of providing the body with essential nutrients.

It had truly been a long time since she had eaten anything normal.

After all, if there was one thing the rainforest had in abundance, it was venomous insects and snakes.

Seeing the self-heating hotpot in Ning Xiaoyu’s hands, it was impossible not to feel tempted.

Not just her— other guests watching the livestream also showed expressions of surprise, envy, or disgust.

The one with the look of disgust was naturally Ning Yuwei. In the end, she hadn’t eaten the roasted insects yesterday and had instead rationed a bit of compressed biscuits, treating it as a meal.

Seeing that Ning Xiaoyu could still eat a self-heating hotpot even in the depths of the rainforest, it was impossible for Ning Yuwei not to feel envious.

But beyond envy, there was also jealousy and resentment. Why did good things always seem to fall into Ning Xiaoyu’s lap?

Sister Liu stood up decisively and said, “I’m going to find them. Are you coming?”

Brother Wang, one of the regular casts of 《Extreme Survival》, immediately asked, “Are you going to scrounge for food?”

Sister Liu laughed heartily. “If I can, that’d be great. If not, it’s no big deal.”

Brother Wang glanced at the livestream. He wasn’t familiar with the indigenous tribe that had lived in this rainforest for generations. Generally speaking, these primitive people had extremely short lifespans and still relied on outdated survival skills.

He didn’t know where those boxes of self-heating hotpots had come from, but regardless of their origin or whether they had anything to do with the indigenous people, it didn’t change the fact that he had no desire to interact with them.

Brother Wang waved his hand. “Go ahead. Good luck.”

Sister Liu nodded, turned around, and left decisively.

Xu Cheng opened his mouth slightly, hesitating. But when he saw that Ning Yuwei didn’t say anything, he ultimately held back from calling Sister Liu back.

Although, deep down, he really wanted to tag along for a free meal.

Xu Cheng let out a long sigh. Forget it. He’d just catch some insects to eat. If he was lucky enough to catch a few bullfrogs, that would be even better.

────ρя


Ning Xiaoyu wasn’t eating particularly fast, and the self-heating hotpot she had was a fresh, fragrant, and spicy flavor.

She couldn’t handle too much spice, so she ate even more slowly.

Lu Jingdu, on the other hand, could eat spicy food. However, his hotpot was also the spicy kind, so he couldn’t swap with her.

Shen Yueyue, meanwhile, was quietly eating with great satisfaction. As a female celebrity, she usually had to manage her figure, surviving on vegetables or dehydrated vegetable chips. In short, she hadn’t had a proper hotpot meal in a long time.

Now that she was in the rainforest, struggling to survive, she certainly had to treat herself.

Ning Xiaoyu ate slowly. By the time the other two had long finished their meals, she still had a few leftover vegetables in her bowl.

At that moment, Sister Liu, who was incredibly fast on foot, was already in sight.

Seeing that Ning Xiaoyu was about to put down her fork, as if she didn’t intend to eat anymore, Sister Liu immediately spoke up, “Little Sister, if you’re not finishing that, let me have it. Thanks!”

Ning Xiaoyu was briefly stunned.

As she walked swiftly toward them, Sister Liu introduced herself in a loud voice, “You should have seen me before, right? I’m Liu Xu, a regular cast on 《Extreme Survival》. I haven’t had normal food in ages. Be kind, Little Sister, give me a bite of that hotpot.”

Anyone who had ever tried to lose weight would understand Liu Xu’s current desperation.

Three days without normal food— no big deal.

A week— she might start craving certain foods, but it was still tolerable.

Half a month— she’d become extremely tempted.

A month— she simply couldn’t endure it anymore.

And Liu Xu had been in this show for over a month.

Ning Xiaoyu truly had no intention of finishing her meal as her tongue was already burning up from the spiciness.

However……

“This is what I already ate from.”

Liu Xu quickly said, “That’s fine!”

Over the past month, she had eaten everything she could and couldn’t eat. Eating someone else’s leftovers? That was nothing— no problem at all!

Ning Xiaoyu nodded. Since the other person didn’t mind, neither did she.

She handed over the self-heating hotpot. Liu Xu eagerly accepted it and immediately started devouring it.

After taking a sip of the spicy broth, Liu Xu sighed in satisfaction. “Ah, if only I had some rice to go with this!”

【Look at what this show has done to her.】

【Now this is a normal reaction.】

【Honestly, Xiao Yu is probably the only one in the rainforest who can manage to eat hotpot. As for the other two, they’re just lucky to be here.】

【Spare a thought for the movie king. He’s usually the center of attention at events, but here, he’s just an afterthought.】

【Hahaha, did you see the expressions of the other casts in the neighboring livestream? They’re totally jealous!】

Indeed, Brother Wang and the others were jealous.

Aside from Liu Xu, they too hadn’t eaten normal food for over a month.

Watching an old companion use sheer social prowess to score a normal meal, they couldn’t help but salivate.

The youngest cast on the show, Li Di, couldn’t hold back a bitter laugh. “This is just pure torture.”

If nobody had access to good food, it wouldn’t be so bad. They could all comfort themselves by saying, ‘We’re all in the same boat.’

But now? Some people were eating hotpot?

How were they supposed to tolerate this?

Even the two directors who had planned the crossover event hadn’t anticipated things playing out like this.

The collaboration between the two shows was originally intended to put the guests from 《Hi, My Friend》 through a wilderness survival test, allowing them to see whether the friends they had teamed up with were reliable or not.

They always said that human nature couldn’t withstand trials, so the production team deliberately set up a situation to test the guests in front of a large audience.

Now, the results were clear.

Ning Xiaoyu was definitely someone worth befriending. When something happened, she handled it. Others just needed to hold on to her leg.

Brother Wang wore a face full of resentment. “Director, look at us, please.”

Li Di followed suit. “Director, have some pity on us?”

The director, cold and merciless, replied, “If others can do it, why can’t you? Reflect on yourselves more.”

While the cast there were grumbling in complaint, Liu Xu had already finished off the leftover hotpot that Ning Xiaoyu had left behind, looking completely satisfied.

Although it wasn’t enough to fill her stomach, at least it satisfied her craving.

After disposing of the trash, Liu Xu snapped her fingers. “Let’s go, Little Sister. I’ll take you to catch bullfrogs.”

Ning Xiaoyu stood up. “Okay.”

Lu Jingdu also stood up along with her.

With an unshakable expression, Liu Xu said, “There are plenty of freshwater frogs near the rainforest swamps. They’re all non-toxic and can be eaten raw.”

Audience: “……”

【As expected of the toughest big sister in the show, she’s absolutely unstoppable.】

【As someone watching the two shows at the same time, I can say this big sister stands at the pinnacle of 《Extreme Survival》. Even if you add up the other three male casts, they still wouldn’t match her.】

【This sister really eats raw food often. Eating a bullfrog raw is nothing to her.】

【Is this her way of returning the favor?】

Liu Xu immediately added, “Of course, if you’re not used to eating it raw, we can cook it. I know how to do it— just leave it to me.”

And so, Ning Xiaoyu and Lu Jingdu had their first taste of rainforest frogs.

The taste was nothing special, but being able to eat safe, non-toxic food in the rainforest was already a great blessing.

Bullfrogs were just an appetizer and the main course was still the porridge they could get from the natives.

This time, there was one more person joining the porridge feast— Liu Xu.

In other words, Ning Xiaoyu was now responsible for feeding not just herself but also three other teammates.

【Our salted fish queen really has it rough.】

【LOL, the freeloading squad has expanded again.】

【Salted Fish Queen: Forced to step up, because my teammates are all useless.】

Luckily, although Ning Xiaoyu only had one piece of chocolate left, Lu Jingdu still had quite a bit.

And if things got worse, Shen Yueyue also had plenty of chocolate on hand.

With just this chocolate supply, they could keep freeloading porridge for days.

Of course, the one handling communication with the natives still had to be Ning Xiaoyu.

As she ate the porridge, Liu Xu glanced at Ning Xiaoyu and said, “Thanks, Little Sister. You’re a really reliable friend.”

【Congratulations to our salted fish queen for becoming the most reliable friend in the show!】

【Isn’t that obvious? She may seem lazy, but she’s actually incredibly dependable!】

【Whenever something happens, our salted fish queen is the one who steps up!】

【Hah, unlike those other guests who are just fake friends. When trouble comes, none of them step up.】

On the other side, the other guests, seeing this scene, couldn’t help but feel tempted.

Ling Zige suggested, “How about….. we go freeload some porridge too?”

He had only eaten insects for two meals, and he was already on the verge of throwing up.

Ning Yuwei smiled sweetly. “That porridge looks so black, like it’s burnt. Is it even healthy? I heard the average lifespan of primitive humans is only thirty-five years.”

Although she didn’t say it outright, her implication was clear— that porridge was unhealthy to eat.

Otherwise, why would primitive humans have such a short lifespan?

Xu Cheng coughed lightly. “Forget it, let’s just stick to eating insects.”

────ρя


While Ning Xiaoyu was still focused on eating porridge, the eyelashes of the man who had been in a coma for seven years in the hospital trembled, as if he was using all his strength to open his eyes.

The first to notice his movement was the hospital caregiver.

Seeing his eyelashes tremble frantically, as if he was about to wake up, the caregiver immediately pressed the bedside emergency button.

In just a short moment, doctors and nurses swarmed into the room.

The doctor looked pleasantly surprised. “Did the patient in this room show signs of movement?”

The caregiver dumbfoundedly nodded. “Yes, I just saw his eyelashes trembling like crazy.”

This patient had been in a coma for seven years.

If he woke up, it would be nothing short of a medical miracle.

The doctor stepped forward to examine him. Just as he was about to proceed with the next step, the man on the hospital bed suddenly opened his tightly shut eyes.

The doctor was startled by the sudden movement. “You…… you’re awake?”

Ning Zhen hadn’t spoken for years, and at this moment, his vision was still blurry. He struggled to open his mouth, but only hoarse, indistinct sounds came out.

The doctor quickly reassured him, “Don’t rush. We’ll conduct a thorough examination first. As for the matter of you waking up, we’ll notify your family immediately.”

Upon hearing the word ‘family’, tears streamed down Ning Zhen’s face.

Silently, he nodded.

At this moment, Ning Xiaoyu was still filming the variety show in the rainforest.

The doctors had no choice but to call the other emergency contact— Ning Zhen’s nephew, Ning Xuchen.