However, even with the help of Qin Yu and Chen Yifeng, the mud crabs seemed to have vanished.
It was probably because Qin Yu's capture had sounded an alarm for them, and they had all hidden away.
They eventually caught a mud crab no bigger than a palm, and Zhang Li was unsatisfied. Her enthusiasm for seeking help from Qin Yu had faded, but Qin Yu did not blame her, as she hadn't been putting much effort into the task in the first place.
──Already knew about your ugly true colors, Miss Zhang~ Haha!
As usual, Su Qing remained arrogant throughout and didn't bother with them.
After they split up, Chen Yifeng raised his eyebrows and said to Qin Yu, "Aren't you curious about what they did with the flour?"
Was he trying to get her to complain about Zhang Li and the others not inviting them over?
Qin Yu didn't take the bait, only gently responding, "I'm full."
Did you get full and had nothing better to do?
Chen Yifeng was choked, but couldn't say for sure if it was his own overthinking. Either way, Qin Yu was a bit odd.
As for Zhang Li's group, the situation was quite gloomy. They had a pot and flour, but... the fire wouldn't start!
Zhang Li, frustrated by the lack of fire, started to complain about Han Chen, the only man present, who was unable to start a fire. Han Chen felt embarrassed but couldn't argue.
After all, Chen Yifeng's group didn't have matches either, but they managed to get a fire going.
It was indeed his problem, huh.
"Forget it, I'll go over and ask Chen Yifeng's group to share their fire," Zhang Li thought about the two papayas she saw, and felt a bit thirsty.
However, she didn't expect Su Qing to pipe up directly, "There's no need for you. You just ate a big crab at their place. You should be too full to move, better take a rest. Han Chen and I will go."
Well... nobody expected Su Qing to suddenly make such a move.
Zhang Li's face turned unnatural, and she hurriedly explained, "I only ate it because they invited me. How did you know?"
"I could see the meat stuck in your teeth, it was easy to recognize."
"..."
This was simply too embarrassing.
Both cameramen zoomed in on Zhang Li's mouth for a close-up.
Ignoring the defeated Zhang Li, Su Qing arrogantly walked away with Han Chen to find Qin Yu.
At that moment, Chen Yifeng was still on guard, thinking they were coming to ask for favors again.
However... Su Qing got straight to the point.
"I need fire; I'll trade half of the flour for it."
Was that allowed?
The PD's response- It was fine since the teams hadn't been officially formed and the competition hadn't really started.
What did that mean?
The four people quickly grasped the implications of this statement.
Unofficial teams...
It meant that the teams were not set in stone, and people could switch!
To put it bluntly, Chen Yifeng didn't really like Qin Yu – he had originally thought Qin Yu was a soft bun he could push around. But after interacting with him, Chen realized that Qin was quite skilled in various areas, always stealing the limelight.
That wasn't good.
How could he showcase his excellent abilities and become popular, then rake in fame and fortune?
So, Chen Yifeng quickly sensed an opportunity to ditch Qin Yu!
Everyone began to imagine various possibilities, each with their own motives. But when it came down to exchanging flour for fire...
Of course, Qin Yu's group agreed!
However, only the people with a pot could truly be happy, as they could stew anything – even crabs.
They couldn't help but envy Zhang Li and Su Qing's group, whose equipment was far better than theirs.
Compared to the scuffles in the first night between Qin Yu's group and Zhang Li's group, and the numerous twists and turns, Wu Han's group was relatively harmonious.
Jia Sheng was pandering to the two big stars, and both Qi Zhiyuan and Wu Han were friendly. In addition, there were two men and one woman in the group, as well as the convenience of matches, making their atmosphere completely harmonious.
However…
"There's not much food around the edge of the jungle, just these tangerines. Unless we go further inside, but there's no time for that today," Qi Zhiyuan said as the sun was about to set.
As for Wu Han, 500,000 yuan was hardly attractive; it was just a variety show. But as a man, he was unwilling to appear weak in such a show.
Being serious, though, they hadn't messed anything up, and things were manageable.
On the first day, the three groups each faced their own challenges and overcame them. They finally made it through the night and went to sleep.
——————
"What time is it now?" Qin Yu, who was lying on the tree leaves and smelling the strong scent of leaves, asked the cat. She couldn't see the stars overhead because they were blocked, and the sea breeze was a bit cold, but she covered her body with a raincoat, barely blocking some of it.
However, she couldn't sleep.
"Don't try to cheat using me." The cat didn't give her any chance to cheat, acting very righteous.
Qin Yu rolled her eyes, "I just want to know how things are at my house. Did my parents come looking for me?"
"Yes, your mother came once and brought a bowl of chicken soup."
"And then?"
"I turned into your likeness, ate the chicken meat and drank the soup. What else do you want?" The cat wore an arrogant look as if it had made a great sacrifice on her behalf.
Qin Yu: "Can you appear in front of me as a physical entity?"
Cat: "Probably not, do you miss me?"
Qin Yu: "Well, I want to slap you."
Cat smirked, "I enjoy the fact that you hate me but can't hit me."
Ugh, Qin Yu was irritated by his cheap behavior so she closed her eyes to sleep. Interestingly, she fell asleep soon after bickering with him.
However!!!
The production crew woke them up.
Because there is a mission!
Insane! Qin Yu's face turned terrible, and she wished she could tear the PD apart!
PD announced the mission: "The first group mission of this episode will be distributed tonight, and the content of your task is to find three types of fruits."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yifeng's face turned black and he couldn't help saying, "I went in and checked this afternoon. Although there are many trees in the jungle, there are very few fruit trees, let alone picking them at night. It's hard even just to see one!"
PD was cold-hearted: "That's why it's a mission. It wouldn't be a mission if it was easy. You don't need to pick them though, as it's dangerous at night. Just find them, and the reward is two bananas. You can choose to give up and keep sleeping, or you can accept..."
Can they give up? Qin Yu really wanted to. Enough with the 500,000!
"I think, it's not too early now. If we don't sleep well tonight, tomorrow..."
But Chen Yifeng gritted his teeth, "Accept! We accept!"
Damn it!
Qin Yu felt the need to replace this Chen guy.
They couldn't work together since they had different paths.
But since he agreed, let it be. She guessed the other groups would also get up for the missions, maybe they would run into...
"Actually, it's not difficult. I know where the papayas are, and there are still a few on the tree. We just need two more fruits."
Chen Yifeng led Qin Yu into the dark jungle, with a cameraman following behind them. They were not afraid of the light, but after walking for twenty minutes, they didn't find any fruits, and the more they went in, the more Qin Yu felt that something was not right. Crackle! It seemed like they stepped on something.
But it wasn't her, it was Chen Yifeng. He moved his foot and saw a pile of bones. Chen Yifeng's face changed drastically, and he cried out as he jumped to the side.
What happened?
Both the cameraman and Qin Yu were startled.
Upon closer inspection, a pile of bones belonging to some small animal lay on the ground.
Stacked up with a pile.
In the light, they were white and eerie.
Anything could be found in the jungle, so the group burst into laughter after the initial shock.
As they continued to move forward, Qin Yu couldn't help but glance back at the pile of bones, feeling that something wasn't quite right, as if there was some dark stuff next to it.
But as she contemplated, a surprise came!
She saw a small yellow dot.
"Wait! This looks like a kumquat!!" The kumquat tree was short and hidden among other bushes. If Qin Yu hadn't looked back, she would not have noticed it.
But... it was also a fruit!
"Let's pick some and have a taste."
It would be a waste not to pick them since they were so low.
Qin Yu and Chen Yifeng quickly picked the yellowest kumquats and put the yellowest one in their mouths.
It was sour, so sour that it almost turned their brains.
Qin Yu's face crinkled into a ball, and when she had recovered, she sighed, "I don't feel sleepy at all now."
So energetic!
Feeling refreshed and continuing their journey, Qin Yu looked around and suddenly felt...
"Did a shadow just flash by?" She suddenly asked, and the others were surprised. They looked around, but there was no one.
"You must be sleepy. There's no one... Wait, there is someone!" Chen Yifeng said there was someone indeed. He saw lights on the left side, and it turned out to be Wu Han's group of three!
The two groups met by chance, and after explaining their respective missions, Qin Yu couldn't help but laugh.
Their task was to find three types of fruits, but the other group only needed one!
And they had already found it, ready to go back and sleep.
How envious.
Seeing that they seemed to be struggling, Qi Zhiyuan said, "It's getting late. What fruits have you found? If you only need one more type, see if the one we found is what you need."
Huh, he was really a nice person. Should they reciprocate by telling him the location of the fruits they found?
"Kumquat and papaya? We found oranges, which is just right."
Everyone was overjoyed.
Qin Yu and Chen Yifeng thanked them, but Qi Zhiyuan said it was unnecessary. However, Wu Han was cold throughout, and Jia Sheng seemed to be playing peacemaker.
Qi Zhiyuan? Cat kept muttering.
It might be her! Qin Yu had some doubts since this woman seemed too perfect.
After parting ways, Qin Yu and Chen Yifeng quickly found the tangerines and completed the task.
It was already very late when they went back to sleep. Qin Yu lay down, and her mind unconsciously drifted to the pile of black stuff next to the white bones.
Ashes.
It must have been burned by fire... But if a wild beast had hunted and eaten, why would there be traces of fire?
It was a person!
But it wasn't strange that other people had been on the island before their crew arrived. After all, survival in the wild had been very popular in recent years.
Qin Yu dispelled her random thoughts and finally fell asleep.
Deep in the vast jungle, there was no light. There was only the sound of the wind blowing through their hair and animals creeping through the darkness.