A Bowl of Green Tea

"Brother Yi, you're incredible!" Xie Tiantian said in delighted surprise at the camp. "Where did you learn that?"

Everyone had a sudden realization, followed by a lively discussion. The paid commenters were preparing to take control of the chat. Chi Jixia couldn't help sitting up straight when he heard Xie Tiantian's words. Ding Biehan, who was gutting a fish, turned around then too.

His narrow eyes fixed on Yi Wan. The blade in his hand was slick with blood, reflecting Yi Wan's gentle, harmless face.

"Middle-school physics textbook, I think," Yi Wan said. "The chapter on optics."

He said it with utter sincerity. Behind him, Ding Biehan was stunned too.

—There was even a method of disguise like this? he thought.

He silently set down the knife and decided Yi Wan's disguise skills really were quite good.

Chi Jixia, meanwhile, felt as though he were about to turn into sea foam.

"You clearly knew we could use a convex lens, so why didn't you say so earlier?" Qu Pingqiu stormed over. "You had us drilling wood for so long?"

"Uh... because when I asked, you said we had to make fire by drilling wood." Yi Wan actually looked a little puzzled. "It's my first time on a variety show. I thought it was for the show."

Jiang Bei, whose palms were already blistered: ............

Yi Wan had absolutely done it on purpose!

If phones hadn't been forbidden, he would already have been unable to stop himself from going berserk on his alt account again.

The livestream chat erupted in laughter once more. The Polestars furiously accused Yi Wan of deliberately being unethical, but the spectators there for the fun had already crowded them aside. "I'm dying, Yi Wan is seriously so adorably spaced-out."

Jiang Bei was fit to burst with anger when he saw Ding Biehan carrying over the fish with a blank expression. At that moment, Yao Yue cried out, "Ah! Jiang Bei, the fire went out!"

Jiang Bei looked down: ...

He had been so busy getting angry that the fire he had painstakingly made was gone again.

While Jiang Bei started over, Yi Wan had already accepted the fish Ding Biehan brought him and begun making fish soup. He added wild greens and mushrooms confirmed to be harmless to the fish broth, then sprinkled in some seasoning before taking it off the heat. The rich, savory aroma made the stomachs of several celebrities who had just been chewing compressed biscuits growl again.

Yi Wan gave each of them a bowl. He remained expressionless, still looking solitary and lost in thought. But the atmosphere around him was completely different from when they had first arrived. Only Qu Pingqiu, who was buddy-buddy with Jiang Bei, refused to come over. Even Jiang Zefang, who had been putting on the airs of an elder brother, came over hesitantly for a bowl.

Ding Biehan stared at his fish soup and dropped a silver needle into it.

—No poison, he thought.

He turned his head. Seeing him look over, Yi Wan smiled at him. To Ding Biehan, it was unfathomable.

Seeing the group drink so contentedly on-screen made Jing Jingjing in the livestream studio swallow too. But when she glanced at Yu Rongshi, she still maintained her composed image.

What actress in the entertainment industry had not, in her youth, had a heartthrob named Yu Rongshi?

But she noticed that though her heartthrob's expression was calm, his mouth seemed to be moving in a strange, minute way...

Zheng Zilong was getting hungry too. Seeing that Yu Rongshi seemed to be chewing something, he turned and quietly asked, "What did you bring to eat? Can you spare me one?"

"Jujubes soaked in water." Yu Rongshi pulled a bag of jujubes from beneath the table, stunning Jing Jingjing, who had been wanting to speak to him all this time. "Would you like some?"

Zheng Zilong: ...

In the end, Zheng Zilong took a few jujubes. Shaking his head, he sighed. "After all these years, how are you still like this, kid..."

"Because it's interesting," Yu Rongshi said.

Zheng Zilong stared at the jujubes in his hand. "This is interesting?"

No matter how he looked at them, they were just the most ordinary jujubes sold at the supermarket downstairs.

Yu Rongshi said, "No. Your expression when you saw me take out the jujubes was interesting."

Zheng Zilong: ...

Zheng Zilong silently looked at Yu Rongshi's perpetually calm face and shivered again. Jing Jingjing, meanwhile, watched them with an expression that cracked slightly.

Yu Rongshi put the jujubes away and looked back at Yi Wan in the camera, smiling.

...

The livestream had gained over two million viewers since it began. Even viewers who paid no attention to traffic stars poured in to watch the performance of the legendary "Mushroom Sovereign," Yi Wan.

Yes. After Creator Rope, Fish Emperor, and Spare-Mirror Queen, the wicked netizens had finally chosen "Mushroom Sovereign" as Yi Wan's newest nickname.

No one cared about the fire Jiang Bei had raised with such difficulty. When he was about to add seasoning to the pot, Yao Yue even said bluntly, "Hey, don't waste it. We're full from the fish soup."

The Polestars became dissatisfied again and started hurling abuse in the chat, but their target was not Yao Yue. Instead, they turned on Yi Wan. The onlookers were displeased.

"Are you fans and antis done tearing into each other? I just want to watch Mushroom Sovereign carry everyone."

"Yi Wan saved them two bowls of soup and even called them over. They chose not to come. And Yi Wan caught the fish and made the fire. He can give it to whoever he wants."

"Weren't they the ones who ditched Yi Wan and the others when they were traveling earlier? When Yi Wan was gathering herbs and asked them to make room, they pretended not to hear him."

"Seriously, I thought they were forming a little clique earlier."

"Okay, okay, stop arguing. Look—what's Yi Wan doing now?"

"Can't you tell he's a green-tea bitch?!" The Polestars were beside themselves with anger but had nowhere to vent it.

Half of them went to dig up dirt on Yi Wan, while the other half kept watching the livestream furiously.

Then they discovered... Yi Wan was brewing tea??

"What's this?" Xie Tiantian asked curiously.

"Water steeped with elder leaves. You can apply it to prevent mosquito bites," Yi Wan said.

Yao Yue was prone to allergies. Spraying mosquito repellent on the road earlier had already made her skin very uncomfortable. She tried applying it. There was only a refreshing herbal scent, with none of the discomfort.

"Does this really work?"

"I trust Mushroom Sovereign. Everything Mushroom Sovereign makes is top-notch."

Jiang Zefang had no intention of applying something like that. In his view, it had already wounded his pride badly enough to drink a bowl of fish soup made by a made-up, prettified pretty boy. "I don't need to use things for women like you," he said.

Yi Wan said nothing, but Yao Yue was annoyed first and snapped sarcastically, "Of course. Brother Jiang has masculine vigor."

After packing up camp, they set out. Before leaving, Yi Wan stopped them from pouring their wastewater into the river and had them bury it elsewhere. This environmentally conscious behavior made Bateman smile again.

There was still some distance from the camp to the first day's destination. Jiang Bei regained his leadership during the trek. Compared with him, Yi Wan was simply too quiet and had too little variety-show presence. Qu Pingqiu, Jiang Zefang, whose pride had been hurt, Wang Zhen, and Xie Tiantian all sang songs and played games with Jiang Bei along the way to draw the camera.

But this time, Yao Yue, the background prop, followed Yi Wan, who was walking in the rear.

"What's this flower called?"

"Hey, why did you cut diagonally when that vine was blocking the way just now?"

"Is this bug poisonous?"

Ding Biehan trailed neither too close nor too far behind her. After listening to Yi Wan answer every question, Yao Yue was a little unhappy. "It's kind of creepy when you follow us like that."

"You talk a lot too," Ding Biehan said coldly.

—But at least she had gotten more out of Yi Wan. He knew more about him now.

Ding Biehan absolutely did not believe Yi Wan's identity was simple, especially after witnessing his performance today.

Medicines, fire, poison... he needed more information before he made his move.

Though Yi Wan had not noticed in the least that the quiet Ding Biehan, who often helped cut away obstacles before him, was engaging in a battle of wits with him. He only thought Ding Biehan was very kindhearted.

Yao Yue was about to pout when Yi Wan said, "Actually, Sister Yue, it would be better if you talked less."

"What?" Yao Yue's eyes widened.

Yi Wan had called her sister the moment he opened his mouth! Why did that annoy her so much?

Yi Wan explained, "Walking mountain roads is tiring. Talking too much uses energy and water, and bugs can easily get into your mouth."

The last sentence scared Yao Yue out of her wits. She immediately stopped talking.

Still, as she followed behind Yi Wan along his route, she felt something was strange. The path was clearly similar to the one they had taken that morning, yet following Yi Wan somehow felt easier and more comfortable. It was as though Yi Wan always chose the most effortless route.

The discussion in the livestream chat was equally animated.

"Mushroom Sovereign really knows everything. So amazing."

"Hahaha, why did I just smell jealousy in the air? It's like Ding Biehan is unhappy that Yao Yue interrupted the two-person world he had with Yi Wan this morning."

"These three are so fun!"

"But they're walking way too slowly. The people in front are almost out of sight."

Yet as they kept walking, the viewers were surprised to find that though Yi Wan and the others maintained the same speed, they caught up to the people ahead. Those people, on the other hand, were already panting, every last one exhausted.

"How did you catch up with us and still look so relaxed?" Wang Zhen shouted.

"I told you not to talk while you walk. We saved our strength!" Yao Yue shot back proudly.

At this point, Chi Jixia finally could not stand it any longer and turned off the livestream.

What kind of garbage livestream was this?! He was never watching it again! Weren't all the things Yi Wan was using to show off things he himself had given Yi Wan to show off with?!

"Why did you stop watching?"

Hearing several lively voices, Chi Jixia slowly turned around...

Fuck!! Why was half the production crew behind him?! Chi Jixia was dumbfounded.

Crouching right beside him was the screenwriter he was close to. Looking at Yi Wan on-screen, the screenwriter said, "He's your teammate, right? I feel like there's a role in this drama that would suit him perfectly."

Chi Jixia: ...

At the next sunrise, he would definitely turn into sea foam like the Little Mermaid. He thought despairingly.

...

The group finally arrived at camp when it was nearly dark. Yi Wan and Ding Biehan were assigned to share a tent. As Ding Biehan silently pitched it and secretly watched Yi Wan, Yao Yue poked her head over again. "Hey, Yi Wan, that water of yours really worked. Did you know Jiang Zefang got bitten by mosquitoes in the jungle? His whole neck is covered in bumps, hahaha. Not even his masculine vigor could save him."

Yi Wan considered this and said, "You could find some garden balsam, crush it, and apply it to him..."

"Don't be so pointlessly nice. Let him hurt!" Yao Yue pouted. "Didn't he say he didn't want to 'put on makeup'? And if he's allergic to medicinal stuff like that, he'll come after you again."

Yi Wan thought about it, then still made some ointment and had Yao Yue deliver it. Yao Yue left with the ointment. Several guests in the livestream studio shook their heads as well. Jing Jingjing tried to chime in again. "Yi Wan, he..."

"The kid's temperament is just too good." Yu Rongshi took a sip of his goji berry water and said, "He seems like the kind of person who gets bullied anywhere he goes."

With him starting it, Zheng Zilong and Yan He nodded too.

After watching them all day, the livestream chat had also changed its opinion of Yi Wan considerably.

"Honestly, Yi Wan really doesn't seem like someone who would bully people."

The girls in Ding Biehan's small fan group were discussing it too. They were veteran fans, with far more ways of finding things out than ordinary viewers.

"Could there be some misunderstanding?"

"And honestly, the bullying is entirely Jiang Bei's one-sided claim. There's no hard proof at all, right?"

"I have a friend who works at A.T. I'll ask her."

When Jiang Bei had first accused Yi Wan of bullying on the show, Yi Wan had no popularity and was a complete nobody. Naturally, no one had been willing to run around for him, look for evidence, and fight the smear campaign.

But this variety show had changed everything. Though most viewers were still passersby, Yi Wan had already gained passerby fans.

"But what use is passerby goodwill? Passerby goodwill is the most useless thing." In Jiang Bei's paid-commenter group, a paid commenter declared with certainty, "What's the use of being good at wilderness survival? This guy has no personality. He's just everyone's nanny. That kind of nanny persona is the least likely to attract fans."

"What attracts fans? A cool persona, of course! Is cooking fish soup cool? Is walking cool? When Jiang Bei sang in the woods this afternoon, tons of passersby were posting in the chat that he sang well."

Yi Wan turned out the light and lay down in his sleeping bag. Before falling asleep, he noticed Ding Biehan staring at him, so he asked, "What is it?"

"...Nothing." After a long while, Ding Biehan said, seemingly casually, "Yi Wan, you really know a lot."

He lowered his eyes, concealing the growing cloud of suspicion in his heart. Without his noticing, a vigilance toward something indescribable had already surpassed his killing intent.

That level of survival skill... It was as though Yi Wan had once been thrown into some barren place and fought to survive.

He lowered his eyes in thought. Without his noticing, his doubts about Yi Wan had surpassed his intent to kill him. Then he heard Yi Wan's voice. "By the way, do you want some kerosene?"

"Kerosene?"

"Apply it to the protruding parts of your feet to prevent blisters," Yi Wan said seriously. "We need to make it through these seven days properly, don't we? And also..."

"?"

"Thank you for staying with me all day," Yi Wan said. "You saw that they were excluding me, so you kept walking with me, didn't you?"

—Yi Wan was either an absolute master of disguise, or a complete...

Fool.

Ding Biehan took the little bottle from his hand, and suddenly felt something indescribable in his heart.

...

Early the next morning, the group received a message from the production team as soon as they woke up.

"A waterfall rappel?!" Qu Pingqiu said incredulously.