After Transmigrating into a Cannon Fodder Submissive, I Became Popular by Foraging on the Beach - Chapter 13

In the end, the cameraman didn’t get his way and squatted on the curb with Wang Xiaobai, waiting for the others.

【Two single dogs hahaha】

Shen Qiu quickly finished, paid the bill, and joined them: “Time to eat, right?”

Everyone followed the production team to the restaurant and their eyes lit up at the sight of a table full of rich local specialties.

“Wait—” the director shouted.

Everyone’s hearts sank, feeling an ominous premonition.

“We forgot to give these to you earlier. This is the general currency within the production team. You each have 500 gold coins daily.”

“You can no longer use cash to purchase items. If you need anything, you can only exchange it with the production team using gold coins.”

Shen Qiu had a bad feeling: “…What about this lunch?”

“Of course, you have to pay for it.” The director said innocently. “This meal costs a total of 600 gold coins.”

“What ‘forgot’! You were definitely doing it on purpose!” Wang Xiaobai burst out.

The gold coins, which hadn’t even warmed up, were snatched away by the production team again.

“The ingredients in the guesthouse refrigerator also need to be paid for. You need to prepare your own dinner, too.”

Immediately, there was a chorus of wails.

“You still owe 100 gold coins,” the director flashed an evil smile. “I think this bucket of fish you caught is quite good. It’s worth exactly 100, so we’ll take it.”

【As expected, this is the production team I know!】

【Experiencing life, first experience, then survive, hahahaha】

“It’s over, it’s over. My pockets are emptier than my face.”

“Can we eat a lot at noon and skip dinner?” Jiang Wei said with a wry smile.

Everyone ate angrily.

The director slowly said: “Don’t worry, everyone. If you work together this afternoon, you’ll still be able to eat dinner.”

Everyone didn’t even lift their heads, prioritizing eating enough first. They had no qualms and ate everything cleanly.

Shen Qiu put down his utensils, his eyes darting around: “Quick! Pack up the leftover rice!”

Wang Xiaobai instantly reacted, grabbing the takeout box and loading it up.

“There! We have our staple food for the evening.”

【Director: I can’t hold it in anymore】

The director could only continue with the process: “The rule for the afternoon is: without exposing your celebrity identity and without spending money, any ingredients you can find are yours!”

Wang Xiaobai chuckled wryly: “I was hoping to beg fans for food on the street.”

Jiang Wei, well aware of the production team’s tricks, recalled: “Zhou Bin and I saw a farm over there. Maybe we can work there for some food.”

No sooner had she spoken than the director flashed an evil smile, making her wary: “There’s definitely a catch.”

Director: “No, no.”

No one believed him.

【They’ll definitely be used as cheap labor, hahahaha】

Sure enough, when everyone saw the vegetable garden.

“What! Only five gold coins for an hour of work, and a single cabbage costs ten gold coins,” Wang Xiaobai was dumbfounded. “Can we even eat meat this afternoon?”

Zhong Zhanhong smiled bitterly: “Shall we try our best?”

Shen Qiu peeked around and asked the director: “As long as we don’t spend money, it’s fine?”

Director: “Correct.”

“Hehe, follow me! I have a better idea!” Shen Qiu puffed out his chest.

With a group of curious “chicks” following him, along with the confused cameraman, Shen Qiu headed straight for the beach.

“I noticed there’s a beach here when I was strolling this morning!” Shen Qiu smiled mysteriously. “Don’t forget what I do.”

Wang Xiaobai scratched his head: “Food blogger… No, wait! Sea foraging too!”

Shen Qiu nodded in a feigned calm manner, his eyes sparkling: “It’s free, and the tide has just receded. It will definitely be faster than the farm!”

Everyone swarmed him, and the director frantically reached out his hand (like El-kang in a historical drama): “…Wait, this!”

“We didn’t break the rules!”

【Director: I was careless; I didn’t dodge】

【The program planner must be furious, hahahaha】

【What a genius Shen Qiu is, finding an alternative route】

There weren’t many people on the beach right after the tide receded. Shen Qiu led them to quickly claim a spot.

He carefully instructed: “Follow the waves. The further you go, the fewer people there are. Pay attention to the breathing holes under your feet.”

Shen Qiu’s eyes lit up. He waved: “Look, this flat, circular shape, with a shallow bulge behind it, is a Hairy Clam.”

A circle of heads gathered, staring wide-eyed.

Wang Xiaobai: “I don’t even know what a Hairy Clam is…”

Shen Qiu picked up the shovel and pried out a shell in a few swift motions. The shell still had ridges: “See, it’s still open, showing its red flesh.”

He touched it with the shovel, and the Hairy Clam instantly closed its mouth: “This is alive and edible.”

Everyone nodded humbly, taking notes.

Walking a few more steps, Shen Qiu squatted down: “It’s okay if you can’t identify them; just dig.”

He pointed out a few small mounds with the shovel, and the others also tried their hand at digging.

“There really are clams!”

“I dug one out too! It’s so fun!”

“Aah, why is there a big crab here! Don’t pinch me!” Zhong Zhanhong jumped up in place. A Portunus crab was waving its two large claws at his feet.

Shen Qiu quickly walked over, extended his hand, let the crab grab the shovel, and easily lifted it up.

“This one is really plump!” Shen Qiu swallowed. “Catch a few more, and it’ll be enough to eat.”

Everyone was excited.

Without the middleman of the production team making a profit, sea foraging was much more fun than farm work.

“Quick, come look,” Shen Qiu called out. “This breathing hole that looks like a small nose…”

“I know! It’s a big razor clam!” Wang Xiaobai raised his hand to answer first. “I’ve watched your videos.”

Shen Qiu nodded, sternly saying: “If you’re not sure, let me dig. You absolutely cannot let it escape.”

【LOL, what is Qiu Qiu’s obsession with razor clams?】

【The sea forager’s DNA is activated】

“I didn’t bring salt, so I can only cut off its retreat directly.”

Shen Qiu didn’t have time to explain further, afraid the razor clam would escape. He dug along the direction the hole extended and then reached in to pull it out directly.

【It appeared! The X-ray cheat!】

“Got a grip!” Shen Qiu gently pulled it out, afraid of breaking it. “Look, this big tongue is the fattest part.”

Wang Xiaobai admired: “That’s incredible!”

Everyone followed suit, starting their own sea foraging.

The environment in the small fishing village was good, and they arrived early.

By the time other foragers reached the beach, they had already dug half a bucket full.

There were clams, crabs, and everything in between.

Shen Qiu picked up a huge sea snail shell to show: “Look!”

The camera zoomed in on the hole, and suddenly, several tentacles stretched out.

【Oh my god, SAN value is dropping rapidly】

【Unlocking a new creature: Octopus】

“I thought it was an empty shell.” Shen Qiu shook it hard a few times, and the octopus dropped into the shallow water, squirting ink.

“It thought I couldn’t see it this way, little thing.”

He pinched the octopus’s head. The eight tentacles struggled fiercely: “It’s quite energetic. This is the most delicious kind. We’ll put this shell back. We might catch another one tomorrow.”

【Cause of death: Too energetic】

【Sea Snail Shell: The sustainable, continuous trapping method】

Shen Qiu put it in the bucket. Wang Xiaobai approached him cheekily: “Shen Qiu~ After all this time, have you found, well, that thing, that thing…”

“What thing?”

“Cat’s Eye Snails,” Wang Xiaobai was full of anticipation. “I’ve watched so many videos and just want to squeeze the water out once.”

【You’ve exposed yourself, Wang Xiaobai. Do you remember your sunny boy persona? You can’t be this goofy!】

【My life, same situation】

“I caught some, but,” Shen Qiu looked down, “I already squeezed them.”

【No Cat’s Eye Snail can escape the water-squeezing!】

Wang Xiaobai instantly deflated, like a Cat’s Eye Snail after the water was squeezed out.

“I’ll definitely let you do it next time,” Shen Qiu comforted him.

Unfortunately, they didn’t find any more Cat’s Eye Snails until they finished for the day. Wang Xiaobai was full of resentment.

“Hurry up, let’s go. The tide is coming in.”

“Wait, wait, just one last one! I’m about to catch this Flower Crab!” Jiang Wei refused to leave. She was completely hooked on sea foraging and even started filming videos on her phone.

She didn’t care about the mud on her hands and was bent over, trying to catch it.

In the end, her husband, Zhou Bin, had to practically drag her away: “Hurry up, or we won’t have time to cook.”

Jiang Wei was reluctant to leave: “Can we come again tomorrow?”

Shen Qiu shrugged: “After today, the production team will probably be on high alert.”

“Aw—” everyone sighed in disappointment. “We haven’t had enough fun.”

Back at the guesthouse, Shen Qiu took charge of the cooking, and the others voluntarily helped.

Since there was a wide variety of seafood, Shen Qiu decided to make a “Seafood Feast.”

Shen Qiu blanched and cooked the seafood, then meticulously arranged it by category on a large iron platter.

The shells of the clams were open, and the crabs were cut, revealing tempting roe.

He then poured red, thick sauce over it, sprinkled sesame seeds and green onions, making a full, large platter.

“There are dipping sauces here. Mix your own.” Shen Qiu presented his homemade garlic chili sauce. The aroma instantly captured everyone’s attention.

Zhong Zhanhong swallowed: “Can we eat now?”

“Go ahead, go ahead. I’ll bring out the cold dishes.”

The cold dishes were made with seaweed and sea asparagus also found during foraging, mixed with fragrant vinegar. They were refreshing and chewy, perfect for cutting the richness and whetting the appetite.

Wang Xiaobai heated up the rice they had packed at noon and said proudly: “Thank goodness for Shen Qiu, or we would definitely have been exploited by the production team!”

Everyone gathered around the dining table and happily raised their glasses.

The variety show focused on timely broadcasting and immediate feedback.

The content of the first day was already exciting enough, plus some small games on the second day, and the production team worked overtime to edit the first episode.

While Shen Qiu and the others were recording the third day, the first episode was already released.

The production team was good at creating drama. The opening featured the guests’ wailing and terrified expressions. Unsuspecting viewers who clicked on it saw the bullet comments filled with:

【High energy ahead】

【Art style change warning】

【The production team maliciously edited to trick me (doge)】

The originally serious variety show game instantly turned goofy when Shen Qiu led the group to the sea for foraging.

Even the background music was cheerfully synced to the beat.

【Hahahaha, only you, Shen Qiu!】

【Praying for the production team’s psychological shadow】

【Farm: Look at me! I already have cameras set up here!】

【Does sea foraging have such a huge magic? Wang Xiaobai, your face is covered in sand!】

This contrast attracted more viewers to spontaneously recommend the show. Audiences love to watch people cause trouble, especially against the production team.

And the guests’ enjoyment of sea foraging also attracted some people to fall in love with it.

There were several topics in the top ten trending searches.

#ExperiencingSeaForagingLife

#ShenQiuStirsUpTrouble

The view count continued to climb, far surpassing The Good Life on the adjacent channel.

The Good Life was a similar program produced to imitate Experiencing Life, and the two had always been rivals.

The rival channel spent a lot of money, relying on hype and belittling to steal a lot of traffic. They were also the ones who paid to poach Gao Peng.

They originally thought Gao Peng, as an A-list celebrity, would surely bring a lot of buzz, so they tolerated and fawned over him.

Unexpectedly, the traffic for the new episode was still not as good as Experiencing Life.

The investors immediately became less optimistic about Gao Peng.

“…But, before, we had an agreement…” Gao Peng’s agent held the phone, nodding repeatedly. “Yes, yes, I will go negotiate.”

The agent hung up the phone, rubbing his forehead irritably.

Gao Peng, smoking a cigarette, asked nonchalantly: “What is it?”