No one had ever tied her hair for her before, so Qiao Moyu subconsciously shrunk her neck.
Behind her, a man's voice spoke so low that only the two of them can hear.
"Don't move," he said. "One of your hair strands got burned by the fire, I'll help you remove it."
As Qiao Moyu obediently stayed still, she felt a slight tug on her hair. This didn't hurt but it did leave a slight itch.
"Alright." Ye Peicheng leaned forward, his arm brushing lightly against her shoulder as he examined the grill.
"Mmm, it's about time," Qiao Moyu said as she turned the fish over.
When she thought of what happened just now, she realized something and turned to her companion. "Film Emperor Ye, thanks for what you did just now." Under the firelight, her face seemed plated with a layer of gold."
Ye Peicheng glanced at Qiao Moyu for half a second before turning away and staring at the fire: "Moyu, why do you always speak so formally?"
Surprised by his words, Qiao Moyu replied: "I think it's only polite."
Ye Peicheng almost choked by her words. He chuckled, "No need."
Qiao Moyu was a little confused, but she soon forgot about the matter.
The fishes were almost done grilling and the fire gradually diminished. The residual temperature helped to dry out the remaining moisture in the meat, making the fish crispier and its bones much easier to chew and swallow directly.
Moyu went to another corner and began to cook the sauce before pouring it over the fried crispy fish skins.
Meanwhile, the cameramen for the other two groups couldn't help but gulp as they stared enviously at her preparations.
Qiao Moyu placed all of the food neatly on a simple folding table and said to Ye Peicheng and Qin Qianqian: "Let's have dinner for our group three!"
On the table, there was a large plate of fried golden fish covered in sauce and topped with green onions, making it particularly attractive. Next to it was a large bowl of fish stew that had been boiled into a milky white color. There were chopped scallions floating on top as it gave off a warm steam, causing its onlooker's mouths to water from hunger.
Qiao Moyu took two fishes over at the grill and cut them into several sections. She served Ye Peicheng the first piece and said with a smile, "Film Emperor Ye, have a taste!"
Then she passed one over to Qin Qianqian: "Qianqian, are you hungry? Don't worry, I'll definitely feed you a lot!"
At this moment, the fans over at the livestream room were on the verge of tears.
"Aaahhhh! My brother Yu is smiling at Qianqian again! He said he wants to feed Qianqian!"
"Why is my male god snatched away by another woman just when I discovered him?! Brother Yu, I'm sooo sad!"
"I hate Qianqian! angry.jpg
"I hate Qianqian! angry.jpg
...
A barrage of angry comments covered the screen until another comment caught everyone's attention:
"Why is it that seeing my Film Emperor eating with Miss Moyu and Qianqian actually look like a family of three?"
"That��s right, Qianqian's just like a big baby!"
"It's a shame that there are TV hosts and photographers present, otherwise, they would really be a family of three!"
"I've decided to block everyone else's opinion. Haha, how can I possibly break apart our CP between Ye Peicheng and Sister Moyu, when they're so compatible now? In the past, I clearly didn't want anyone to get involved with my hubby!"
(CP=TV couple)
"To the commenter upstairs, I feel the same as you! Miss Moyu is able to climb to the top while carrying a sister on her back; she can beat the sh*t out of that stranger, catch fish, and even split wood with her bare hands. Only this kind of goddess is worthy of my hubby, Film Emperor!"
"Right, right, if my hubby and Moyu become a CP, then I'll reluctantly accept them. We can forget about the others!"
"Haha, has the second commenter up there lost her mind?"
"Sshhhhh, there are too many fans on their team here, so let's not start a war on this side. I'm outta here! I'm going over to YY's team to destroy the 'Cheng Yu' CP!!
(T/N: Cheng Yu CP = Ye Peicheng + Moyu TV couple…basically this fan is going to tear them apart by going to other teams and starting the war there)
At this moment, a host picked up a piece of red braised fish with her chopsticks. Her eyes lit up as she commented, "Moyu, why are you such a virtuous wife? This tastes too good! Moyu, do you have a boyfriend? If not, do you have a girlfriend? What do you think of me?"
Beside them, Qin Qianqian teased, "I want to marry her too, we can PK!" (player kill)
The cameraman: "Count me in!"
"You want to marry her?" the host teased: "I'm afraid your old mother doesn't agree, right?"
"Moyu, can I take you to visit my mother?" the cameraman eagerly asked.
Qiao Moyu laughed as she picked up a piece of crispy fish and handed it to Ye Peicheng, who was far out of reach from the dish.
"Thank you," he accepted with a light smile.
Compared to the livelines here, the other two groups were speechless.
Xing Wanshuang's portion of fish was also stewed. In order to make the soup taste slightly better, they had forcefully boiled the small, palm-sized fish into scraps.
However the fish soup still wasn't completely white. Only a few beads of oil floated on the surface, leaving it's onlookers with a strange feeling.
On the other side, Qiao Ruohuan and the other two were seated as they chatted in a low voice. Although they tried their best to appear at ease, their empty stomachs and hunger were given away by the occasional glances they shot over at Qiao Moyu.
Xing Yichen managed his body weight well, but that didn't come from starving himself all year round. He always had his own plans, never blindly dieting or having less than three meals per day.
Today, he was looking forward to having a forest dinner with Qiao Ruohuan, and even avoided a cup of coffee on the plane while sticking to only plain water. Upon arriving, he never expected to be greeted with an empty pot without even a grain of rice.
Not too far away, Qiao Moyu and the other teammates' laughter rang out from time to time. He suddenly realized that Qiao Moyu never greeted him at all since he came.
Was she really prepared to latch onto Ye Peicheng's branches, or was she playing tricks on him?
From Xing Yichen's perspective, Qiao Moyu had always loved him to the point where she didn't mind being covered in dirt. This idea was so deeply rooted in him that, after pondering for a moment he felt he had suddenly understood.
Perhaps she purposefully displayed her intimacy with Ye Peicheng in front of him so that he would pay attention to her.
However, it seemed as if she had succeeded, and for the first time, he was willing to give her more than that.
The program team was very cruel. Whether or not the other groups had anything to eat, they had no choice but to wait until every single team was done eating before they could leave.
At the end of her meal, Qiao Moyu was so full that she stood up. Recalling that Qin Qianqian's ankle was still injured, she squatted down in front of her and said: "Qianqian, I'll carry you."
However, the cameraman who was eating his food came over and offered: "Let me do it. We'll be back to the mountain road in a moment, so how can I possibly let a girl do the labor work? Moyu, instead, can you help me carry some of the filming equipment?"
Qiao Moyu thanked him. Just as she was about to carry the equipment, Ye Peicheng picked up the camera and tripod and said: "Let me do it."
Qiao Moyu wasn't used to being helped by others, since she was used to doing all the physical work.
She clapped her hands in gratitude, then walked alongside him in an awkward manner, as if unused to giving the work to another.
Behind them, the cameramen from the other two groups took their own responsibility of carrying their cameras.
Everyone was led to the guest house with the village chief's guidance.
The road ahead was so uneven that one photographer, who didn't pay attention, ended up stumbling and bumping into Ye Peicheng, causing the camera equipment in the actor's hands to fall to the ground. Ye Peicheng bent down to pick it up.
But at this moment, he felt a sharp pain in his hand and couldn't help but groan.
Beside him, Qiao Moyu's eyes narrowed as she exclaimed: "Snake!"
Beside him, Qiao Moyu's eyes narrowed as she exclaimed: "Snake!"
Ye Peicheng had already stood up. Underneath the moonlight, his right index finger revealed two small wounds that dripped two or three drops of blood. However, the color was somewhat dark.
Beside him, Qiao Moyu frowned upon seeing this and said: "Looks like the snake was poisonous!"
The program team immediately panicked when they heard this.
However, before anyone could react, Qiao Moyu had already grabbed Ye Peicheng's wrist with one hand tightly while her other hand moved down his wrist along his meridians, pushing the blood all the way to his index finger.
Suddenly, blood continuously dropped through the wound until the dark colored blood gradually turned light in color.
However, because the wound was very small, after a few drops, it became harder and harder to force more blood out. Realizing this issue, Qiao Moyu raised Ye Peicheng's hand and brought it to her mouth.
Ye Peicheng immediately understood what she was trying to do, so he quickly withdrew his hand. "You'll get poisoned!" In only a few seconds, Ye Peicheng could already feel numbness on his palms. With such a vivid sensation, it was obvious that the snake's poison wasn't low.
But when he withdrew his hand, she held it tightly. Her soft and delicate touch seemed to contain a firm and unswerving power.
Qiao Moyu looked up and her eyes curved up into crescents: "Trust me, I won't."
For some unknown reason, he believed her. While he was still stunned, she had already placed her lips on his hands and sucked out the poisonous blood from his arm.
Those around them were in a state of chaos, but the two of them in the middle were exceptionally quiet.
Ye Peicheng looked at the girl who lowered her head to his shoulder, her forehead seemingly glowing under the moonlight. She was serious and careful, as if he was the only person in her world.
As Qiao Moyu spat out the blood, Ye Peicheng could feel the numbness on his palm dissipate bit by bit. His dull touch became more and more distinct, and at this moment, he could clearly feel Qiao Moyu's soft lips. Every time those petals touched his wrist, it seemed to release an electrifying sensation that caused him to shudder.
The trembling sensation spread from his fingertips up to his heart, passing through his spine before spreading down to his limbs and bones.
As Ye Peicheng looked at her bowed head, his breathing relaxed, and somewhere in his heart, a solid wall had collapsed.
Finally, Qiao Moyu spat out the last bit of poisonous blood, looked up, and smiled at Ye Peicheng: "It's done!"
She spoke vaguely, perhaps because the toxins had eroded her senses at the tip of her tongue. Her soft voice now sounded a bit childlike.
Ye Peicheng felt his heart skip a beat and his Adam's Apple rolled: "Thank you."
She smiled again, her eyes bent up like the bright crescent moon in the sky: "You're welcome!"
At this time, the people around him came one after the other, nervously asking Ye Peicheng if he isn't feeling well. He looked back and shook his head in reply: "I'm alright."
His wounds no longer bled and had no hint of swelling, although for some reason, Qiao Moyu's touch seemed to linger in his bones.
Upon seeing that Ye Peicheng really was okay, a number of people surrounded Qiao Moyu and applauded her.
Qiao Moyu's tongue gradually recovered and her speech became more coherent. She explained with a smile, "I've been to the mountains in the past so I've experienced similar situations. That's why I know how to handle it."
When hearing this, Qiao Ruohuan couldn't help but cast a few more glances at Qiao Moyu. She couldn't help but ponder, 'Qiao Moyu went to the mountains in the past?' Why was this different from her information?
As she pondered this, Qiao Ruohuan's gaze shifted. She soon discovered that Xing Yichen's eyes had been fixated on Qiao Moyu's body, not even looking away for a moment. What were the emotions in his eyes?
Surprise? Disappointment? Confusion? Reminiscing? And there was something else.
Yet he didn't have that undisguised disgust he always had.