Chapter 24: A Delicious Dinner—Can Wen Lingyue Fly?

The group laughed and joked for a while.

The aroma of the food gradually spread, carried by the breeze across the area.

“All right.”

Wen Lingyue lifted the lid of the soup pot. A burst of rich, sweet, and savory seafood fragrance exploded, aggressively invading everyone’s sense of smell. Nearby, the four others smelled it and suddenly found their compressed biscuits utterly tasteless in comparison.

“So fresh and sweet!” Lin Rui exclaimed, his voice full of enjoyment.

Jiang Yurou bit into her compressed biscuit hard but said nothing.

The seafood soup was light yet flavorful. With each sip, their weary spirits were soothed. Pei Jingli and the others drank two bowls each, repeatedly praising the soup.

“This soup is amazing.”
“Feels just like home cooking.”

Wen Lingyue smiled, taking a bite of the grilled fish. The aroma and spices were perfectly infused, paired with a slightly astringent cold dish—just the right combination.

Facing the sea, with the setting sun casting a warm glow, the four chatted and laughed. The evening breeze made everything feel pleasant.

Meanwhile, the other four weren’t having such an easy time.

Their meager supply of compressed biscuits was barely enough, and after a long, exhausting day, the enticing aroma of food wafting from across the way—visible but untouchable—tormented them.

Li Qingqing muttered quietly, “If only I had been in their group…”

“Hmph—”

Jiang Yurou swallowed the last bite of her biscuit and grit her teeth. “It’s just seafood. We’ll go find some too.”

She then glanced at He Ran and Zhou Huailang.

“…Fine.”

He Ran and Zhou Huailang headed to the beach to search, but as the light dimmed, it became increasingly difficult for them to find suitable seafood along the muddy shore, unlike Wen Lingyue, who found hers effortlessly.

By the time the sun set, the two had nothing to show for their efforts and returned to the tent exhausted.

The audience shook their heads in admiration.

[It has to be Wen Lingyue. I knew for a fact that scavenging for seafood isn’t that simple.]
[Wen Lingyue—turning desert island survival into a romantic trip.]

The night passed peacefully, and the next morning…

“Yu Yan, I’ll go with you today,” He Ran said, leaning closer.

These past two days, he hadn’t had the chance to show any attention due to the crew’s antics. Today, he intended to perform well.

Zhou Huailang heard and added, “Let’s go together.”

Yu Yan raised an eyebrow, her look vague enough to make both of them a little awkward.

He Ran smiled brightly. “We made the wrong choice yesterday. Today, we’ll make it right.”

Yu Yan didn’t respond, instead looking at Wen Lingyue. “Shall we head to the water source?”

“Let’s explore the west side,” Wen Lingyue replied, inhaling the crisp morning air. “The east is the sea. We’ve already checked north and south. Unless there’s something unexpected, the west should have plenty of supplies.”

Jiang Yurou scoffed, “What if there isn’t?”

Yu Yan rolled her eyes. “We want to go west. What does it matter to you?”

Jiang Yurou was left speechless.

The group proceeded west.

Dense forest awaited them, lush with vegetation and teeming with insects. Lin Rui immediately took off his mosquito-repellent wristband. “Sister Lingyue, you should wear this.”

He Ran also had one and imitated him, handing his wristband to Yu Yan. “Yanyan, here.”

The nickname made Yu Yan shiver all over.

“Call me Yu Yan.”

He Ran froze awkwardly.

Wen Lingyue glanced at him, ignored Lin Rui’s wristband, and moved forward to pick two herbs.

The others stared.

Jiang Yurou couldn’t help but ask, “What are you doing picking these weeds?”

She had a sense that Wen Lingyue wasn’t up to anything good.

“These are basil and lemongrass,” Wen Lingyue said with a faint smile. “Some of the most common spices.”

Jiang Yurou’s expression tightened, though she forced herself to appear calm. “Oh, I didn’t notice earlier.”

[Her stubbornness is hilarious.]
[Doesn’t even recognize spices, yet claims she developed a recipe for the show.]
[I’ve known Jiang Yurou is petty, don’t know why the producers invited her.]
[So when is the Dream recipe coming out?]

Zhou Huailang frowned slightly. Ever since the Lingcheng dance competition ended, Jiang Yurou had been careless with her words and clumsy with actions. The once graceful and poised girl now seemed fake and extreme.

He sighed and asked Wen Lingyue quietly, “What’s that for?”

Wen Lingyue ignored him, crushed the herbs in her hand, and handed some to Yu Yan. “To repel insects.”

Yu Yan took them and smiled warmly at her.

He Ran put away his wristband, lowering his head to hide his displeasure.

Zhou Huailang glanced at Wen Lingyue and sighed inwardly. Since the start of this show—or rather, since the Lingcheng dance competition ended—she had completely ignored him.

It seemed that the caring Wen Lingyue who once followed him was nothing but an illusion.

The eight continued forward. Pei Jingli squinted and pointed ahead. “There’s a box.”

Ahead, the towering trees were thick with foliage. A green supply box rested on a sturdy branch, hidden among the leaves and easy to overlook.

He Ran looked up. “Too high.”

“The trunk is straight; we can’t climb it,” Zhou Huailang added.

Wen Lingyue thought for a moment. “The box is visible, so it must contain important supplies.”

“Then you go up?” He Ran’s tone was sharp. He had long grown annoyed with Wen Lingyue.

Pei Jingli frowned. “I’ll try.”

“No need.”

Wen Lingyue noticed some vines hanging nearby. “Climbing might not be necessary.”

“You mean you can fly?” He Ran scoffed.

Then, Wen Lingyue took a few steps forward, grabbed the dangling vine, and leapt. Her agile body swung high with the vine.

He Ran’s face turned pale, then flushed—a mix of shock and disbelief.

[She’s flying!]
[Yes! My Sister Wen dancing prowess returns!]
[When Sister Wen is cool, no man compares.]

Gracefully floating, Wen Lingyue landed on a branch like a forest spirit. Holding the box in one arm, she descended effortlessly—elegant and poised.

Lin Rui cheered. His idol was not just beautiful, but formidable too.

As she landed, Pei Jingli gently asked, “Does your hand hurt?”

Lin Rui: “….”

Pei Jingli sure knows how to insert himself at the right moment.

Wen Lingyue shook her head. “Open the box.”

Lin Rui hurried over and quickly opened it. Inside was only a colorful map.

He glanced at it, then handed it to Wen Lingyue, bowing slightly. “Sister Wen, here you go.”

Wen Lingyue scanned it and her eyes lit up. “A map marking all the supply points on the island.”

She smiled. “Now, it’s our turn to shine.”

Fu Xin, monitoring from afar, suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

With the map as a guide, Wen Lingyue moved like a hunter with radar.

On the grass, by the streams, on the branches… each supply box placed by the production team was quickly found.

“One bag of hotpot base.”
“Four self-heating rice packs.”
“Two durians.”
“One magnesium fire starter rod.”
…

The rich bounty left Li Qingqing astonished. “This is a world apart from yesterday!”

Zhou Huailang nodded. “The production team does have some conscience.”

Fu Xin: “…Damn it. Wilderness survival has turned into a vacation.”