Divorce Is An Absolute Must! - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Gathering

◎How did you two meet?◎

When Qi Yao saw their varied expressions, he asked, “Is there a problem?”

Zhu Qing gave Li Lan a look: What’s his deal?

Li Lan just returned a look: You handle it.

Most of the food was thanks to Zhu Qing. Even if Li Lan was the celebrity and Zhu Qing was the common person on the show, and no one knew her, Li Lan didn’t want to make a decision for her. She didn’t want to use Zhu Qing’s hard work for a favor—the kind that might kill someone with awkwardness and still be impossible to repay.

Fine, since Li Lan wasn’t getting involved, Zhu Qing had to bite the bullet. “If you want some, you can have half. But there’s no rice left.” She had only cooked two portions.

Qi Yao was shocked. “You’re only giving us half of this small amount?”

Zhu Qing was speechless for a moment. There was always someone who could push the boundaries of human understanding. She couldn’t help but nod, seriously agreeing, “I feel it’s not enough either.”

Yu Ling walked over and tugged on Qi Yao’s sleeve. “Let’s exchange our points first and then go to the kitchen.”

The two of them hadn’t brought back much. Qi Yao returned empty-handed, while Yu Ling had foraged a lot of wild grass. However, less than half of it could be considered edible wild vegetables, and all told, it didn’t even weigh two pounds.

When it came to Zhu Qing and Li Lan, the production crew was reluctant to give them points. But for Qi Yao and Yu Ling, they instantly felt bad for Yu Ling instead.

“We’ll give you 20 points,” the production crew said, rounding up a bit and emphasizing, “The items you can exchange for aren’t cooked food. If you want a meal, you’ll have to cook it yourselves.”

Qi Yao only cared about the points. “We worked for so long and only got 20 points? That’s not even enough for half a pound of meat!”

The production crew pointed out the key detail, “Half of these ‘vegetables’ are just wild grass.”

Qi Yao frowned and looked at Yu Ling. “What did you do?”

Yu Ling ignored him. She clapped her hands and walked up to Li Lan. “Teacher Li, can I use 20 points for some rice? I don’t eat much; just a little is enough.”

Called out by name, Li Lan could no longer remain silent. She looked up and glanced at Zhu Qing. “You’ll have to ask her. She earned most of the points, and she cooked the food.”

Zhu Qing was surprised that Li Lan was so firm even when she was put on the spot. What if the production crew edits this to make her look bad? She quickly said to Yu Ling, “Teacher Li means, yes, you can.”

Li Lan raised an eyebrow. She has a new nickname now?

Qi Yao frowned. “But this isn’t enough for us to eat.”

Zhu Qing didn’t know if Qi Yao was playing dumb or genuinely didn’t understand. Nobody had said they were going to feed him. Most importantly, Yu Ling hadn’t said anything or corrected him, which made Zhu Qing feel a little subtly annoyed. She had agreed to let Yu Ling have a meal, and Yu Ling had only said that she “didn’t eat much, as one person.” Zhu Qing had only agreed to one person.

Then Qi Yao had just assumed he was included, and used the comment “this isn’t enough to eat” to cement the idea that he was allowed to eat, while Yu Ling remained silent.

But it was hard to say anything, as in a reality show, a couple was typically treated as one unit. Zhu Qing shrunk her neck, feeling like she had fallen into a trap.

Under the table, Zhu Qing kicked Li Lan’s foot in dissatisfaction. She even stepped on Li Lan’s exposed toes and pressed down slightly. The message was clear: I’m not happy. Help me speak up!

Li Lan’s face froze for two seconds. She quietly pulled her foot back and finally spoke. “We made enough for two people. I don’t eat much, so I can give my portion to Yu Ling. But Qi Yao is right, he alone could finish all of this. You’ll still need to find something else to eat.”

Qi Yao said, “Then why don’t we just give you our points and you can make us more food?”

Li Lan thought for a moment. Her tone was gentle. “I’m a model, and I’m always on a diet. Zhu Qing does more of the cooking and physical labor. She hiked, carried water, and chopped wood today, and she’s very tired. I don’t want her to keep working just to earn points. You should keep your points for yourselves.”

With that, Li Lan looked at Yu Ling, her tone polite but firm. “Are you going to go find food with Qi Yao, or are you staying here?”

Li Lan had deliberately separated the two of them. If Yu Ling chose to stay, she would be actively separating herself from Qi Yao. She couldn’t use silent acquiescence and a half-hearted attempt to get rid of the trouble of feeding Qi Yao by letting others suffer while she remained perfectly hidden.

Li Lan’s gaze was deep, as if she could see into the deepest parts of someone’s heart. Most people wouldn’t be able to react to this kind of subtle back-and-forth immediately, much less dismiss it in such a flawless manner.

Yu Ling stared deeply at Li Lan for a moment before shifting her gaze to Zhu Qing’s face. Mr. Yang had said that Li Lan was very smart, but she wasn’t petty. If she showed weakness in front of her, and openly sought her help, Li Lan wouldn’t refuse. But Li Lan was refusing her from the very beginning.

Yu Ling was a little curious about how the person Li Lan was protecting would react. With a sense of victory? Or a faint sneer?

However, under Yu Ling’s scrutiny, Zhu Qing just shook her head, giving her a friendly, caring look with a very innocent expression, as if to say, I feel sorry for you for having such a useless teammate. Zhu Qing had no idea what was going on.

Yu Ling: …

Qi Yao said impatiently, “Let’s go.” Yu Ling stood up and followed him out.

Li Lan watched Yu Ling’s retreating back and frowned.

Zhu Qing saw Li Lan’s expression. “Right? Are you worried too?”

Li Lan looked back at her. “About what?”

Zhu Qing was worried that their refusal to feed Qi Yao would be edited into the show. She muttered about whether they should have let them eat. “But we don’t have enough! No, wait, I can eat less. We can all just eat a few bites for the camera. I don’t think Qi Yao would really eat it all… right?”

Li Lan picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and put it in Zhu Qing’s bowl. She reassured her, “Don’t worry, they won’t. The dialogue between me and him makes no sense if it’s taken out of context. If they edit in just two more seconds, his inappropriate remarks will be included. Look, the production crew is recording us eating now, but they definitely won’t release our current conversation.”

Li Lan’s prediction was very accurate. The production crew wouldn’t shoot themselves in the foot. On the first day, they had plenty of footage of two groups earning points, so there was no need to edit in a conflict like this.

Halfway through her meal, Zhu Qing suddenly remembered something. “Teacher Li.”

Li Lan glanced at her.

Zhu Qing pinched her voice, making it soft and sweet. “Teacher Li~ Teacher~”

Li Lan wiped her mouth with a napkin, swallowed the food in her mouth, and glanced at Zhu Qing. “What do you want?”

Zhu Qing feigned annoyance. “Why didn’t I think of that nickname?”

Li Lan couldn’t be bothered to respond.

“Let’s play a quick Q&A,” Zhu Qing said. “I’ll ask, and you have to answer in one second.”

Li Lan felt like she was being set up. “After we finish eating…”

Zhu Qing quietly reminded her, “Whose food are you eating right now?”

Li Lan: “…”

Zhu Qing quickly asked, “What’s your name?”

Li Lan: “Li Lan.”

Zhu Qing immediately followed up. “What’s my name?”

Li Lan: “…Zhu Qing.”

Zhu Qing didn’t even wait for the last syllable to fall. She quickly asked, “What did I used to call you?”

Li Lan: “Dar…”

Li Lan fell silent in a strange way.

Zhu Qing’s expression was also strange. “Dar? Did I used to work in customer service? What kind of weird nickname is that?”

Li Lan was speechless. She had to choose between “tarnishing Zhu Qing’s past image” and “letting Zhu Qing get closer to her.” She held back for a long time before saying, “…Darling.”

Zhu Qing’s eyes lit up. “Yay!” “Hey, my darling,” Zhu Qing said, putting a piece of food in Li Lan’s bowl and smiling with her eyes. “Eat more.”

Li Lan sighed. She didn’t want to develop an intimate relationship with Zhu Qing, but Zhu Qing was always pressing forward. And she was always retreating.

“Be good for a moment,” Li Lan’s words were muffled by the food she was chewing. “Eat quietly.”

Because they had already accumulated enough points for the day, Li Lan and Zhu Qing didn’t go out in the afternoon. They had a satisfying nap and were then woken up by a knock on the door.

“Is anyone home?”

“We’re here!”

Li Lan put on her hat and went out. Outside the cabin were the other two couples on the show. She quickly went to greet them with a smile, took the wooden stick propping open the door, and welcomed them in.

The two women at the front were in their sixties. They had become friends because of a hit TV show called “Twin Flowers” years ago. They were both first-class national actors, with a lot of experience and prestige. One of them had a kind face and smiled at Li Lan. “Hey, little Li Lan. So you’re the other lesbian couple.” The woman who spoke was a little plump, with a booming voice and a lot of energy. The woman next to her quickly said, “Hey! Why are you still using that old term? I told you not to bring it up.”

Li Lan bowed to the first woman and said with a smile, “Hello, Teacher Hu.” She then turned to the other woman. “Hello, Teacher Liu.”

Li Lan took the luggage from Hu Xu and Liu Yini. At that moment, Zhu Qing also came downstairs. “This is my partner, Zhu Qing,” Li Lan introduced. “Xiao Qing, these are Teacher Hu and Teacher Liu.”

Zhu Qing bowed slightly and said sweetly, “Hello, teachers.”

Hu Xu put her hands behind her back and looked at Zhu Qing. She nodded and said, “Not bad. She’s pretty. What do you do? Do you have any work? Are you signed to a company?”

Zhu Qing blinked awkwardly. Her work? Did her translation of the niche sci-fi award-winning work “Trapped Me” into the English version “THE DEVIL,” which became a bestseller overseas, count? Although her work was taken by a middleman, so she didn’t get any of the royalties from the sales. But Hu Xu didn’t seem to be asking about that.

Liu Yini pulled Hu Xu away. “You talk too much. Hurry up and put your things away. You’re blocking the door; are you going to let anyone else in?”

Hu Xu just remembered. “I forgot. There are two young people behind us.”

Following Hu Xu and Liu Yini were a husband and wife. The man was handsome and refined, and the woman was gentle and elegant. They were the actor and actress who had recently won the Golden Award. Their loving relationship was well-known in the industry.

They waited for the two seniors to enter before they showed their faces. Zhu Qing quickly went to take their luggage, but the husband smiled and refused. “I’ll do it. She has a lot of luggage. You won’t be able to carry it.”

The wife playfully scolded him, “If you’re getting old, just say you’re getting old. I think you lack exercise. Maybe the young lady is even stronger than you. Right?”

The last question was directed at Zhu Qing. Zhu Qing said seriously, “Teacher Sun Qi is in his prime. I saw his last workout video. He can easily deadlift 100 kilograms. I can only deadlift 40.”

The wife was surprised. “That much?”

Sun Qi said proudly, “Xu Yuzhi, you underestimate your husband too much.”

Xu Yuzhi gave him a quick wink. “You’re amazing.”

Sun Qi became even more proud. He lifted the last small bag from Xu Yuzhi’s hand. He pulled a suitcase with a large bag in his left hand and a large suitcase in his right. He also had a backpack and a crossbody bag on his body. The only free hand was holding Xu Yuzhi’s mini purse as he walked forward powerfully.

Zhu Qing was stunned. Was this the power of a compliment?

“See? He just eats up praise,” Xu Yuzhi said with a smile.

Zhu Qing nodded deeply. She learned a new lesson.

The production crew had arranged for them all to have eaten before arriving. In the entertainment industry, they maintained their figures by eating enough for lunch and breakfast and not caring about eating at night. So these two groups had a whole day less of a mission than the other two groups, but no one felt it was unfair. After all, their ages were a factor, especially Hu Xu and Liu Yini. It was already a risk for them to agree to come to a remote, poor place to participate in a show. If they had a sudden illness, it might be too late to get them medical attention.

[All the guests have arrived. The production crew has a small gift for everyone. Please collect your mission cards.]

The eight people sat at the long table in the main hall. On the table were some local specialties from the southwest region. Next to each couple was a tower of bottled bird’s nest. Yu Ling had already opened two bottles and was eating quietly, with the camera occasionally panning to her.

Everyone took their mission cards.

The director spoke, “Teacher Hu, you can go first. Once you accept the mission, you’ll receive a starting loan of 300 points.”

Hu Xu smiled and handed the mission card to Liu Yini. “You take a look. Can we do it?”

Liu Yini read the words on the card. [In ancient times, trade began with bartering. Later, as the scale expanded, a general equivalent was created… To get what you need for the day, you can use points to exchange for items with the villagers. The exchanged items will then be converted back into points. If you profit, you win. If you lose, you lose your qualification for the loan.]

Zhu Qing understood. Their mission was to exchange items with the villagers. Both of them had national recognition and were older, so they had common topics with the villagers. The items they could exchange would definitely not be a loss. This mission was practically tailor-made for them.

Liu Yini said cheerfully, “That’s great. This mission is good.”

Xu Yuzhi’s mission card was to catch fish.

[The source of a river formed a human tribe. Here, there is a river with a sufficient and sweet water source. The river is rich with tasty seafood. If you can catch five pounds of seafood in one day, you will receive double points.]

Seafood already exchanged for a lot of points, with one pound being 80 points. Catching five pounds of seafood wasn’t difficult; one big fish would be enough. And with double points, that was 800 points. Sun Qi and Xu Yuzhi were from a small fishing village in the south, so they were familiar with water. Sun Qi sighed, “It’s been a long time since I went fishing in the water. How about we try it tomorrow?”

Xu Yuzhi’s demeanor in front of the camera was more serene than in private. She smiled gently and said, “Okay.”

It was clear that these two groups were being taken care of by the production crew. Their missions were tailor-made, but no one had any objections.

When it came to Li Lan, Zhu Qing looked at her expectantly. Li Lan read the card, smiled, but didn’t say anything. She handed the card to Zhu Qing. “You read it.”

Zhu Qing took it and read it. Oh, wow, when it got to her, it became exploitation.

[Delicious ingredients only need the simplest cooking methods. The mountain villagers live by the mountains. The smoke from their chimneys and the sweet, firewood-cooked rice are the strongest form of nostalgia… Frying, stir-frying, and deep-frying can all earn you points. Please earn 300 points and prepare a table of dishes for the guests who have traveled a long way to nourish their hearts and warm the mountain village.]

Zhu Qing suppressed the urge to complain about the pretentious writing. “Fine, it’s just cooking ten dishes.”

Li Lan asked, “And the ingredients for cooking?”

Hu Xu laughed. “We’ll definitely provide them! We’ve heard that your little one is a great cook. We’ll be able to have a feast this time.”

Xu Yuzhi also tucked her hair back. She said in a gentle voice, “Everyone needs to eat, but not many people know how to cook. My husband and I haven’t cooked in years. If you’re willing to cook, we’ll provide you with the ingredients, and everyone can eat together.”

Zhu Qing thought for a moment. This way, she could get a meal and earn points. Anyway, she had to wash the pot after cooking, so cooking a little more or a little less didn’t make a big difference. And this way, it would prevent the four couples from eating separately and creating an awkward scene.

Li Lan and Zhu Qing looked at each other, and they couldn’t help but sigh. The production crew was so sly. The moment Qi Yao showed a potential problem, the production crew immediately made adjustments to fix it.

“Okay, we’ll be in charge of the cooking.” Zhu Qing said.

The last group was Yu Ling and Qi Yao. They were the youngest group. The two of them looked fresh and youthful. Just by looking at their faces, it was easy to have a good impression of them.

Qi Yao took the mission card and read, “The villagers work every day. July is a critical time for top-dressing rice, preventing and treating pests and diseases, filling corn kernels, turning over sweet potato vines, and preventing floods. You can earn points by working in exchange for items.”

Among the three groups, the elderly group was expected to earn enough points to exchange for food and meat. The middle-aged group went to catch seafood, which was already for food. Even if they didn’t catch five pounds, they would still have enough to eat. And the youngest group, Zhu Qing, was the chef. Who would provide her with ingredients and not let her eat at the table?

So, this meant their group was the only one in danger of not earning enough points and going hungry.

However, Qi Yao quickly glanced at Yu Ling. He was a man, so he had the strength, but wouldn’t it be a joke to have Yu Ling do physical labor? Yu Ling could probably only help by bringing water. Taking on this mission meant he would have to do the work of two people and still have to share the points with Yu Ling.

But these thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. He still didn’t believe the production crew would really let them go hungry. See? They provided them with food at night.

Qi Yao was very hungry. He didn’t want to waste any more time. He wanted to start eating as soon as possible, so he directly said, “Okay, we accept.”

Yu Ling never had a chance to speak. Only after Qi Yao finished did she ask, “Do these things have a technical barrier?”

Qi Yao said indifferently, “What kind of skill do you need to catch bugs? It’s just a matter of how many you catch, right?”

Yu Ling was brushed aside. She noticed the camera on the table turn towards them. She pursed her lips and didn’t say anything else.

Everyone started eating. Zhu Qing and Li Lan weren’t too hungry, so they ate slowly. Hu Xu was also health-conscious, sipping her tea. She said slowly, “Your name is Zhu Qing, right?”

Zhu Qing looked up, like a student who had been suddenly called on. She quickly said, “Yes.”

“How did you and little Li Lan meet?” Hu Xu said with a smile, like a Buddha. “I’ve known little Li Lan for many years. She used to be a non-marriage person. How did you manage to win her over?”

Zhu Qing froze. This was the exact question she had always wanted to ask.

Zhu Qing looked at Li Lan for help: Save me!

But Li Lan calmly lowered her eyes and drank her water.

“Well, we met at a party,” Zhu Qing said haltingly, her mind racing for the right words. She couldn’t possibly say that they got together after a one-night stand, could she?! And that was all she knew!

But just as she was thinking, Hu Xu’s next sentence interrupted her thoughts, saving her from having to explain anything at all.