After Transmigrating, I Joined a Dating Show with the Fake Heiress Actress - Chapter 19

Following Axida and Cidan, the group arrived at a moderately dense forest. The path beneath their feet had been worn smooth by countless travelers, its surface covered with pine needles, though not completely obscured. Sunlight streamed through gaps in the canopy, casting slanted rays that added a radiant, almost sacred glow to the scene.

A gentle breeze rustled the treetops, filling the air with the crisp, refreshing scent of pine, invigorating their spirits.

They soon reached a small river, wider than the one Bai Man and her companions had seen the previous day. The riverbed was free of large rocks, containing only small pebbles. Lush, emerald-green moss carpeted both banks, creating a soothing sight.

“I can’t go any further,” Liu Heng declared, already settling down on a nearby rock. “I need a break.”

His foot, however, remained restless. He accidentally kicked over a small rock, stirring up the water beneath. Despite the cloudiness, he noticed something moving within.

Curious, he reached into the water. A moment later, he let out a yelp. “It’s pinching me!”

Yin Xiao and Zhang Jiale, always eager for excitement, immediately crowded around, their eyes gleaming with curiosity. “What is it?”

Su Qingwan, who had been squatting down playing in the water, stood up and, in unison with Liu Heng, exclaimed, “A crab!”

As Liu Heng spoke, he pulled out the culprit—a small crab, now clearly visible to everyone.

“It really is a crab,” Yin Xiao said, turning her head. “Sister Wan, how did you know it was a crab?”

Su Qingwan replied generously, “I grew up by the river, so I’m quite familiar with river creatures. Don’t let its small size fool you—these crabs are incredibly fragrant when fried.”

Yin Xiao swallowed hard and looked at Director Xu. “Director, what’s for lunch today?”

Director Xu feigned mystery. “Naturally, something delicious.” Sensing her intentions, he added, “These crabs are still juveniles. Let’s spare them for now.”

His words amused not only the guests present but also the viewers watching the live stream.

Yin Xiao is such a foodie! But those little crabs really do smell amazing when fried.

Am I the only one noticing how beautiful the scenery is? I thought the director was just trying to hype things up earlier, but this place really is a great spot for a vacation.

I’ve already booked my train ticket! Leaving tomorrow. I hope I can run into Wanwan tomorrow.

Ah… I’m so tempted too! I noticed earlier that there are so many mushrooms in that forest. My hands are itching to pick them!

Am I the only one who thinks our Wanwan looks absolutely stunning in that traditional Chinese dress today? Her profile as she crouched down to play in the water was breathtaking. I love it so much! I’m definitely screenshotting that for my phone wallpaper after the stream ends.

Director Xu’s words successfully dissuaded Yin Xiao from eating crabs. After a brief rest, the group continued their journey.

Crossing the river and climbing a slope, a completely new vista unfolded before them.

Below lay a lush cherry orchard, its branches laden with deep purple cherries, each larger than a thumb. A gentle breeze carried the distinctive fragrance of cherries, tempting everyone present.

Liu Heng swallowed hard and turned to Director Xu. “Can we eat them?”

Director Xu nodded. “Eat as much as you want, but remember, no waste. Pick only what you can eat.”

At these words, Liu Heng couldn’t restrain himself any longer, immediately reaching for the cherries he had already been eyeing.

Having walked over ten kilometers from the cabin, the group was both tired and thirsty. With thirst-quenching fruit now within reach, they naturally didn’t hold back, each searching for their dream cherry.

Bai Man picked a few cherries, ate them, then settled down in a shady spot out of the sun, gazing into the distance.

From this vantage point, rolling mountain ranges stretched as far as the eye could see. Though part of the same landscape, the mountains displayed a variety of colors: some were striped with white and green, others were a muted green, and still others were mottled with blue and yellow.

Su Qingwan noticed it too. She walked over to Bai Man and gazed at the snow-capped mountain. “Is that Snow Mountain? It hasn’t melted yet.”

Bai Man nodded. “Yeah, the altitude is higher over there, so it takes longer for the snow to melt.”

Su Qingwan gathered her skirt and sat down beside her.

Meanwhile, Yu Meng, still in the cherry orchard after shaking off Liu Heng, turned to see two graceful figures sitting beneath a large tree. Though they weren’t speaking, the atmosphere between them was far from awkward; instead, it seemed harmonious.

For some reason, the sight stung her.

She strode over and sat down next to Su Qingwan. “Qingwan, tomorrow is the last day of filming for the first episode. There’s a long break before the second episode. What are you planning to do during that time?”

Su Qingwan rested her chin in her hand. “If there are gigs, I’ll take them. If not, I’ll go home and spend a couple of days with my mom.”

Yu Meng glanced at Bai Man. “Are you close to them?”

Just a few months earlier, “Bai Man” and Su Qingwan had met at a banquet. The moment “Bai Man” saw her, she had launched into a tirade of mockery and insults. If Xu Mengjie hadn’t intervened in time, “Bai Man” might have revealed everything.

The banquet was attended by many prominent figures, all worldly and sophisticated. Most of them could infer the complicated history between Su Qingwan and Bai Man from the brief exchange.

Although Yu Meng hadn’t been present at the banquet, the entertainment and high society circles were interconnected. It wasn’t surprising that Yu Meng knew about the conflict between Su Qingwan and Bai Man, or that she would ask such a question.

“They’ve all been very kind to me,” Su Qingwan replied calmly.

“And your adoptive parents?” Yu Meng asked casually.

Su Qingwan instinctively turned to look at Bai Man. Bai Man had always resented her seeing her adoptive parents. Now that Yu Meng had brought them up in front of Bai Man, Su Qingwan wondered…

Bai Man noticed the cautiousness in Su Qingwan’s eyes. She glanced at Yu Meng before saying, “If you miss them, you can go home anytime.”

Yu Meng remained silent, knowing that silence spoke volumes in this situation.

Does she really think I don’t know that Su Qingwan cut ties with the Bai Family after leaving?

Go home anytime? That’s just a convenient excuse.

Su Qingwan is too smart to not realize this.

As expected, Su Qingwan quickly composed herself, suppressing a bitter smile. “Alright,” she replied to Bai Man.

Bai Man sensed Yu Meng’s insincerity. She opened her mouth to speak, but ultimately said nothing.

Having achieved her goal, Yu Meng stood up. “Director Xu mentioned there are mangoes further down. Shall we go take a look?”

Su Qingwan nodded and followed Yu Meng away.

System 388: Host, aren’t you going to follow them? Aren’t you worried Su Qingwan’s favorability towards Yu Meng might increase again?

Bai Man: It’s not that easy.

Despite her words, Bai Man rose to her feet, though she didn’t follow. Instead, she kept the pair within her line of sight.

Behind her, Yin Xiao slowly approached and stopped beside her. “Do you like my Sister Wan?”

Before Bai Man could answer, Yin Xiao continued, “Don’t even think about it. No sane person would fall for someone who targets them.”

Yin Xiao tossed a cherry into her mouth and leaned against a nearby tree. “What’s that saying? What goes around comes around. Did you ever imagine this day would come when you were making things difficult for my Sister Wan?”

System 388: Well said!

Bai Man frowned slightly and warned mentally, Shut up.

Yin Xiao was about to retort when Bai Man cut her off, “Self-righteousness is a disease.”

Furious, Yin Xiao stomped her foot and glared at Bai Man’s retreating figure. “You’re the one who’s sick!”

Bai Man ignored her and walked away.

A moment later, Director Xu’s voice rang out, “Everyone’s had enough to eat. Let’s get moving.”

Liu Heng howled, “Still going? Director, my legs are about to fall off!”

Director Xu rolled his eyes twice. “Alright, alright. I was going to invite you to take a boat ride on the lake, but if everyone’s too tired, we’ll just head back.”

Song Jie shot Liu Heng a glare and asked, “How far is the lake?”

Axida, receiving a subtle cue from Director Xu, replied, “It’s just a few hundred meters to the left after we descend the mountain. The lake is quite large, with beautiful scenery all around. There are boats available for those interested in trying their hand at rowing.”

With scenic views and the chance to row, no one objected—not even Liu Heng.

The descent proved much faster than the ascent. In just thirty minutes, they reached the lake Axida had described.

As Axida had described, the lake was vast, covering over a hundred acres. Its waters shimmered a deep azure blue, bordered by lush thickets of shrubs and a golden expanse of autumn foliage.

Standing at the lake’s edge, they could even spot large fish swimming by from time to time.

Looking further afield, they noticed several bamboo rafts moored a few hundred meters away along the shore.

“Are you sure we won’t fall in?” Liu Heng asked, pointing at the rafts.

Song Jie slapped his hand away. “Bamboo is naturally buoyant. It’s not easy to fall off if you stand properly.”

“Since everyone’s so enthusiastic, why don’t we have a raft race?” Director Xu raised his hand. “The winner gets two boxes of the cherries we had earlier, and the loser… well, you know the drill.” He grinned. “This time, no bitter melon juice. We’ll eat mushrooms instead.”

Bai Man’s lips twitched. This punishment was even more lethal than the bitter melon juice; the lingering trauma from last night was still fresh in her mind.

“Don’t worry about safety,” Director Xu added. “We’ve prepared life rings. Since we’re one guest short today, we’ll form teams of three.”

After Liu Yue descended the mountain yesterday, her foot had swollen severely, and she had bruises all over her body. She was rushed to the hospital that afternoon.

The life rings hadn’t been inflated, so the guests had to inflate them themselves on the spot.

After putting on their life rings, everyone climbed onto the bamboo rafts. From a distance, the rafts looked small, but with three people aboard, there was still plenty of room to spare.

Bai Man and Yu Meng each grabbed a bamboo pole, while Su Qingwan crouched at the front of the raft, hesitantly asking, “Are you sure you don’t need my help?”

Bai Man and Yu Meng replied in unison, “No need.”

When Director Xu announced the start, Bai Man and Yu Meng sprang into action. Without exchanging a word, they each experimented a few times until they found their own rowing techniques.

Due to their different strengths, each swing of the poles propelled the raft forward at varying speeds. Bai Man didn’t expect Yu Meng to coordinate with her, so she focused on adjusting her own force to match Yu Meng’s pace as closely as possible.

Su Qingwan had initially worried that the two competitive women would start arguing, but to her surprise, they hadn’t exchanged a single word since the race began, their gazes fixed intently on the horizon.

In stark contrast to their quiet focus, Liu Heng’s raft was a cacophony of noise. “Song Jie, do you even know how to row? Look how far ahead Bai Man and Yu Meng are!”

Song Jie’s brow furrowed. “Shut up.”

He exchanged a glance with Wen Yi and began to change their strategy.

“Hurry up! Even Song Sizhe and his team are overtaking us,” Liu Heng grumbled, pouting. “That Song Sizhe is shameless, letting Yin Xiao, a real girl, do all the rowing.”

Hearing his words, Yin Xiao retorted loudly, “Who says girls can’t do it? Your outdated ideas are ancient history!”

Liu Heng sheepishly covered his mouth, not daring to utter another word.

Bai Man’s group was now just a few meters from the opposite shore, but she and Yu Meng maintained their steady pace, rowing slowly and deliberately.

As they reached the shore, Director Xu blew his whistle and cupped his hands to shout, “Congratulations to Bai Man’s group for winning! The remaining two groups, give it your all—the mushrooms are waiting for you!”

Hearing this, Zhang Jiale and Yin Xiao immediately accelerated, determined to reach the shore before Song Jie’s group.

Realizing his group had lost, Liu Heng let out a frustrated roar before collapsing flat on the bamboo raft.

With the competition over, the return journey was much more relaxed.

Su Qingwan trailed her hand through the azure lake water, letting the gentle breeze carry away much of her earlier gloom.

She had been too greedy. It was already a miracle that Bai Man hadn’t confronted her. How could she dare to hope that Bai Man would let her visit her parents at the Bai Family?

Exhausted, Bai Man set down her pole and crossed her legs on the raft.

Seeing this, Yu Meng stopped rowing as well, taking off her jacket and draping it over Su Qingwan. “It’s a bit chilly here. Don’t catch a cold.”

System 388, observing Bai Man’s indifference, remarked, Host, are you just giving up now?