Han Cheng glanced at Lu Aotian, the corner of his lip curving into a faint, almost imperceptible arc. He looked up at Ji Nuo and said calmly, “I’ll hold her. You go hug Ao’ao. Seems like he doesn’t like you touching other kids. He’s jealous.”
Lu Aotian’s little face immediately puffed up. His voice came out in a milky tone from sheer anger. “Am not!” What stinky nonsense are you spouting! He just didn’t want his little brother being used by others.
The amusement in Han Cheng’s eyes deepened. He deliberately teased the little Zhenzhen in his arms. “What does Zhenzhen think? Is Ao’ao gege jealous?”
The well-behaved Zhenzhen, sitting in Han Cheng’s arms, was tilting her head back to admire the man’s perfect features. Her mind was now full of little stars. Let alone agreeing, even if he were to sell her, she’d probably lick her lips and ask if she could be sold after another hug. Hearing this, Zhenzhen naturally nodded without hesitation. “Yes!”
Ji Nuo looked at the little pufferfish beside him, about to explode from anger at Han Cheng. Laughing, he forcibly scooped the child into his arms. “Alright, then Uncle Han Cheng will hold Zhenzhen, and I’ll hold Ao’ao.”
Lu Aotian’s hand-foot dexterity had improved day by day, but against Ji Nuo’s powerful arms, he was still helpless. His little face flushed red, but he couldn’t struggle free from the restraint by even a fraction. Finally, he could only glare hatefully towards the live broadcast equipment, pointing at the distant sun and shouting in a stiff, deliberate tone, “Is that ball lightning?”
Ji Nuo immediately knew the little dumpling was doing it on purpose and burst out laughing. “No, that’s the sun.”
Lu Aotian said with mock seriousness, “I thought all glowing fluorescent yellow spheres were that. So it was the sun, wow.”
Han Cheng: “…”
When disembarking, the little fatty had already changed clothes, though his face still bore the marks of his crying fit. The little dumpling Ruirui followed nearby, trying to apologize.
Weng Kai saw this and asked Ruirui’s father, who was washing clothes, “Brother Chu, is that motion sickness medicine I recommended not working for Ruirui?”
Chu Chengpeng shook his head. “It works. Ruirui was fine coming down from the mountain, but this kid seems to get particularly bad seasickness. Plus he had a slight fever last night. The medicine didn’t work even though he took it today…”
Weng Kai frowned. “Aiya, motion sickness and seasickness are truly miserable.”
The Chu couple nodded in agreement. If they’d known their child’s motion sickness was so severe, they might not have chosen to join the kid variety show to help him relax in the first place. The Chu family’s situation was special. Chu Chengpeng and Peng Li had always planned to be DINKs. Chu Jiarui wasn’t adopted from an orphanage; he was the child of Peng Li’s apprentice. The couple, having no children of their own, had always treated Peng Li’s young apprentice like a daughter. But the young apprentice was deceived by a scumbag and gave birth to Ruirui. The scumbag not only denied any blood relation to Ruirui but also falsely accused the apprentice of being a gold-digger who slept around.
When the child was five, the apprentice was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Before she passed, she begged the Chu couple to take in this child. And Ruirui was indeed a very well-behaved and sensible child. Since the Chu couple adopted him, aside from providing regular meals, Ruirui required almost no extra energy or attention from the adults. The kindergarten was within their residential community, and Ruirui insisted on walking to and from school alone. Once home, he’d first finish his assigned homework. He watched TV for half an hour each day, turning it off proactively without being told when time was up. In the evening, he’d bid his parents goodnight on time, hug his plush toy, and climb into bed to sleep.
He was so obedient it seemed he had no negative emotions whatsoever. As supporting actors often busy with work, the Chu couple found this normal. Having never raised a child before, they took Ruirui’s maturity as standard, until they accidentally discovered pinch marks on the child’s forearm and learned he’d been bullied by his desk mate for a long time. Because of this incident, the couple finally realized Ruirui seemed especially terrified of being abandoned by them, hence his extreme, meticulous obedience to avoid causing them the slightest trouble.
Even after the Chu couple promised Ruirui repeatedly that they would never abandon him and that he could act like a normal child, playing and acting spoiled, the child remained constantly tense. That’s when the Chu couple thought of joining a live broadcast variety show. One reason was to see how other normal families interacted; they needed to learn, and Ruirui needed it too. The second reason was that under the 24-hour live broadcast lens, Ruirui’s excessive, self-restrained obedience would also be recorded, frame by frame. Even if the child refused to admit it, they could point it out to him using the footage, helping Ruirui transition toward the behavior of a normal child as soon as possible.
After a while, the little dumpling Ruirui walked back.
Chu Chengpeng crouched down and asked, “Did the little brother forgive you?”
Ruirui pursed his lips and shook his head timidly.
Chu Chengpeng sighed. “It’s only right that the little brother is angry. We can’t demand forgiveness. But Ruirui apologized and knows he made a mistake, right?”
Ruirui nodded. Obediently, he said, “Next time, I’ll definitely tell Mom and Dad beforehand. When I get in a car or boat, I’ll hang the bag on my ear right away…” Under his parents’ guidance, Ruirui promptly reflected and came up with this solution. Actually, last time after taking the motion sickness pill, he’d even managed the most tortuous mountain roads. So he assumed he could handle this too, never expecting the yacht’s sudden acceleration to cause his stomach fluid to rush up uncontrollably. Though just a small amount, it still soiled Brother Linlin’s sleeve.
Ruirui felt as if a small hammer was constantly pounding inside his head. The self-blame made him want to scream in pain, but he knew he couldn’t. Doing so would be wrong. He had to be a good child. His mother had said that Papa Chu and Mama Chu could provide him with the best living conditions, so he had to be even more obedient and not let them worry about him. He could definitely do it. Even though he dreamed of returning to his mother’s side every night, even if the conditions were very poor, he only wanted to be his mother’s child. But he knew his mother had left him forever. He could only uphold the promise he made to his mother like a real man, so she would be happy in heaven…
Ruirui stood guiltily, picking at the seams of his pants, his head bowed low. Chu Chengpeng couldn’t bear to scold him harshly. However, since it was the third time, he responded with a somewhat more serious tone this time.
Peng Li came over to ease the atmosphere. A little awkwardly, she ruffled the child’s hair. “Mom and Dad believe Ruirui will do better next time.”
Ruirui inhaled softly. Once the stinging sensation in his nasal cavity subsided, he responded quietly, “I will, Dad, Mom.”
The island wasn’t large. With its shadows of coconut palms, clear water, and white sand, the unadorned, pristine beauty was uniquely charming. Following the production team’s instructions, the guests stood on the white sand beach. Bai Yong came out wearing a large Hawaiian floral shirt, turned on his megaphone, and flashed his signature sly grin. “Long time no see, I’ve really missed you, big friends and little friends!”
This successfully earned him a unified cold laugh from the guests. “Heh heh…”
Bai Yong felt more and more that he was simply too successful. He was confident that after three days of training, everyone’s gaze directed at him would be much more animated. At this thought, his sly smile deepened, and he began explaining the backstory for this island trip episode.
“…Although the boat was sunk by the waves, luckily, all thirteen of you were washed ashore onto this primitive island. Though the luggage left at hand is only the milk and spare clothes in your waterproof backpacks, the vast coconut grove provides you with endless livelihood!” He went on, “Coconut water can be drunk, coconut meat can be eaten, coconut husk fiber can be used to start fires, and coconut leaves can build shelters…” After listing all the treasures that a coconut tree provided, Bai Yong swung his long arm passionately towards the endless sea. “The fishing ban lifts in August! This season, crabs are in the shallow waters. Friends, to be stranded on such a beautiful little island at this time of year, you can absolutely call yourselves heaven’s favored! Use all available resources until a passing fishing boat is spotted, and you can return to the civilized mainland…”
As the guests watched Bai Yong’s exaggerated performance, prancing around and spitting saliva, their hearts grew colder and colder. Did this mean they were provided with nothing, relying entirely on themselves?
Of course, hot water and milk powder for the children were still available. And this time, it was provided by the implanted brand Bairun Dairy. In addition to milk powder, there were also cartons of milk, convenient for the kids to grab anytime.
The guests couldn’t even manage a wry smile anymore; their faces almost fell to their feet.
Bai Yong beamed brilliantly. “If there are no other questions, everyone can start getting active. Food and shelter are your top priorities right now.”
Weng Kai forced a smile, the corner of his mouth twitching. “Thanks a lot, Director Bai. We wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t told us.”
Han Cheng asked about their welfare as the championship group from the “Mountain Wilderness Journey.” Bai Yong instantly recalled the setback he’d suffered with Ji Nuo’s family last time. Gnashing his molars, he had a staff member bring out a small tent. Compared to the other groups who had nothing, this flimsy tent, barely able to sleep two adults and one child, was indeed the best option within the available range.
However, Bai Yong, a person who felt uncomfortable if he didn’t annoy someone for a day, couldn’t resist a moral blackmail statement as he handed it over. “This tent can just fit five children for sleeping.”
The bullet comments in Ji Nuo’s live stream immediately floated a string of question marks:
[Uh????]
[Holy crap, this is a blatant hint for Nuonuo and Teacher Han to give up the tent, right?]
[Isn’t Yong Dog just the cheapest?!]
Han Cheng didn’t take the bait. He found a suitable spot and first set up the tent, securing it in place.
Lu Ao’ao, however, glared at Bai Yong all the way back to the simple shed where the production team was stationed. If Bai Yong hadn’t walked so fast, Lu Aotian would have been driven to bite. This damn director actually dared to imagine him sleeping with four other little ones?! This was no different from plucking the reverse scale of a Long Aotian!
Afterward, the eight adults and five children entered the coconut forest together. If the last episode was themed around competition, this episode was clearly about cooperation and mutual benefit.
Actually, without Bai Yong’s nonsense, any normal person stranded on such a deserted island would first set their sights on the coconuts. After all, they were edible raw, could replenish water and sugar, and had a relatively high fat content. The problem was, coconut trees were that—tall!
Weng Kai was undoubtedly the guest with the most experience in wilderness variety shows. But he proactively stated, “In the variety shows I’ve been on before, guests were at least left one important personal item, or supplies were provided through answering questions, completing challenges, or playing games. This is the first time I’ve encountered such a pure ‘stranded on a deserted island’ scenario.”
His meaning was clear: he was also difficult to make bricks without straw. But everyone still remembered the little fatty brought his retired special forces uncle this episode. Weng Kai turned to him, “Brother, what do we call you?”
The man was 1.87 meters tall, wearing a tank top that revealed his muscular, V-tapered physique. Hearing this, he first shook hands with Weng Kai, then introduced himself to everyone with a friendly attitude and broken Chinese, “Hello everyone, I’m William.”
Having seen numerous examples of retired special forces soldiers showing off their skills on survival variety shows, everyone looked towards William with considerable enthusiasm. William was usually by the side of the Xu family’s father and son. Kang Feier only knew him by face. But at this moment, she proactively asked on everyone’s behalf in English, “William, do you have a way to get those coconuts?”
Just as everyone was focusing intently on William, the little fatty, who had been wilting for a long time, suddenly sidled up to Lu Aotian. He lifted his chin, his nostrils flaring skyward. “My uncle will pick the coconuts right away. If your family wants some, it’s not too late to beg me now.”
Lu Aotian crooked his mouth into a cold smirk. “Beg you?”
