PTBC chapter 15

Time ticked by. Seven hours had passed.

Xia Yan was oblivious to the staff’s wishful thinking. After diligently working all day, filleting fish, he was thoroughly exhausted. His black T-shirt was soaked through with sweat. Not caring about his image, he lifted it to wipe his face.

While he didn’t completely show off his physique, the glimpse of his abs was enough to be captured swiftly by the nearby cameras.

By now, it was past 5 PM. The burly woman in charge of the fish stall finally showed mercy and announced that he could clock out.

She handed him 300 yuan from the register, along with a popsicle she pulled out from somewhere.

“Good job, kid,” she said, giving his back a hearty pat.

Holding the money and the popsicle, Xia Yan froze for a moment, instinctively asking, “Are you sure this isn’t too much?”

He didn’t know the exact rate for a fish cleaner, but he had only worked half a day, and this seemed like a lot.

Suspiciously, he glanced at the production staff.

“It’s the standard rate,” the woman laughed, pointing to the recruitment flyer posted nearby. “But you’ll see soon enough—prices on this island are sky-high.”

Xia Yan immediately got the hint.

It was all part of the show. Considering the 130-yuan breakfast earlier, he accepted the money without hesitation.

With the day’s task mostly done, he leisurely strolled off, skipping the production team’s debriefing and casually following the path in search of Xu Cong. Luckily, he didn’t have to walk far to find him.

Xu Cong was just finishing up his day, collecting his pay. Hearing a familiar voice, he looked up to see Xia Yan standing outside the construction site. A popsicle dangled from his mouth as he waved cheerfully.

Despite the day’s toil and the walk, Xia Yan’s pale complexion was now tinged with a rosy flush. His hair was damp with sweat, some strands sticking to his forehead. Leaning casually on a railing, smiling against the backdrop of the sunset, he looked like a scene straight out of a coming-of-age film.

Xu Cong couldn’t help but smile back instinctively.

Feeling a bit overheated, he grabbed the hem of his tank top, fanning himself briefly before grabbing the money off the table and heading straight to Xia Yan.

As Xu Cong approached, Xia Yan felt a bit lightheaded.

Xu Cong was sweaty but not unpleasant-smelling—that wasn’t the problem. The problem was the pheromones that naturally exuded from him after prolonged physical activity.

In the warm, restless summer evening, Xu Cong’s sandalwood scent was particularly pronounced—a fragrance like a lush summer forest with a lingering trace of winter snow. Gentle yet impossible to ignore, it enveloped Xia Yan completely.

Xia Yan felt flushed, unsure if it was the heat or something else. Irritated, he pursed his lips and shot Xu Cong a glare.

Alphas.

So annoying.

Thankfully, Xia Yan had taken pills and reapplied a suppressant patch earlier in the afternoon.

“What’s wrong?” Xu Cong asked, puzzled.

“Nothing,” Xia Yan grumbled. He bit into his popsicle, then, almost instinctively, offered it to Xu Cong. “Want some?”

The popsicle was already down to the stick.

The cameraman behind them was on edge. This isn’t okay! Even if you’re portraying a brotherly bond, this level of sharing is too much. Real siblings might not even tolerate this…

But before he could think further, Xu Cong leaned down, grabbed Xia Yan’s hand, and took the last bite of the popsicle directly off the stick.

“Orange-flavored?” Xu Cong said in a low voice. “Not great.”

“Stop being picky,” Xia Yan said, tossing the stick into a nearby trash bin with a perfect arc. “My boss at the fish stall gave it to me. Said I was a quick worker.”

As he spoke, he instinctively reached into Xu Cong’s pocket.

“How much did you make? Let me see. Seriously, who thought of making you carry sandbags? That’s so random. I’ve never seen anything like it…”

Xu Cong stood still, letting Xia Yan rummage through his pocket.

Xu Cong had made slightly more—350 yuan.

Xia Yan grumbled unhappily, “Why do you get more?”

But on second thought, moving sandbags did seem a bit more exhausting than gutting fish, and his heart suddenly felt balanced again.

He tried to put the money back into Xu Cong’s hand, but Xu Cong stopped him, stuffing it into his pocket instead. “Just keep it.”

“Alright.”

Xia Yan didn’t see anything wrong with it and walked back with Xu Cong, arms casually slung over his shoulder.

The cameraman and PD exchanged glances.

“Is this normal? Does being the team leader mean you can manage the team members’ money?” — Cameraman.

“Shut up. Just ship it.”

That was the PD, already ascended to fangirl heaven.

After finding Xu Cong, Xia Yan went back with him to the program team’s rest station, which was also where they had set out in the morning.

When they returned, the other participants were trickling back too, all looking utterly exhausted. Rapper Hu Fei and Jiang Chuxin, in particular, were sitting on rocks, staring into the void with vacant eyes and occasionally exchanging bewildered glances.

Although Xia Yan didn’t get along with Jiang Chuxin, he couldn’t help but ask, “What happened to them? They look like life has drained them.”

The host smiled and chimed in, “Teacher Hu Fei found work at a pig farm this afternoon, taking care of piglets. As for Teacher Jiang Chuxin, he went out to sea to fish but got seasick and vomited as soon as he boarded.”

“Ah…”

Xia Yan instantly understood.

For the sake of the cameras, he refrained from showing a gloating expression and instead offered a sincere face. “That really sounds rough, especially for Teacher Jiang Chuxin.”

Jiang Chuxin overheard, turned his head, and gave Xia Yan a perfunctory, sarcastic smile.

But Xia Yan wasn’t looking at him anymore. He tugged Xu Cong over and sat down beside Ge Qianyi and Ling Du, who seemed to be in much better shape than Hu Fei and Jiang Chuxin.

Ling Du had been tasked with a kindergarten job, not as a teacher but as a cook for the kids.

He seemed quite happy. “The kids loved my cooking.”

Xia Yan stared at him in shock, marveling at the contrast between the unworldly-looking movie king and the reality of his cooking skills. He’d always assumed Ling Du would be the type who wouldn’t lift a finger in the kitchen.

Ge Qianyi, meanwhile, had been assigned to work in an orchard, diligently picking fruit all afternoon. She even pulled out a few small bananas she had picked and offered them to everyone.

“These are handpicked by yours truly,” she said proudly as she peeled one for herself. Chewing, she added, “I spent the whole afternoon picking fruit. I feel like a monkey now.”

The group burst into laughter.

After letting the guests chat for a while, the host introduced the next segment.

Depending on how well they had completed their tasks, each person received a different amount of pay.

The highest earner was Ling Du, who received 400 yuan thanks to a performance bonus for doing such an excellent job.

The lowest was Jiang Chuxin, who, because of his seasickness and lack of skill, barely caught any fish and only earned 200 yuan.

Everyone else earned amounts that were more or less in between.

Now that it was dark and dinner time had arrived, the guests already had a sense of the program team’s antics. Holding their cash, they understood the show’s playbook by now.

As expected, they had to use their wages to buy their dinner. Prices remained outrageously high, and everyone could only eat what they purchased—no sharing allowed.

Moreover, the food they bought wasn’t ready-to-eat. They had to cook it themselves, with no regard for whether the guests had any cooking skills.

This left most of the guests with meager dinners. Jiang Chuxin, with his 200 yuan, could only afford two eggs after paying for lunch. The program team kindly threw in a bowl of plain white rice.

Everyone sat around holding their bowls, with no proper tables or chairs, so they settled on nearby rocks.

After a whole day of hard work, even the most glamorous stars looked disheveled. Now they were eating their pitiful meals with lifeless expressions, knowing full well how the program team would add special effects to this scene.

Rapper Hu Fei even started singing on the spot, “Snowflakes fluttering~ The north wind wailing~”

The group couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Only actor Ling Du’s dinner was relatively lavish.

Being good at cooking and the highest earner, he had red-braised ribs, stir-fried okra, rice, and fresh fruit in front of him—a balanced and nutritious meal.

Beside him, Hu Fei chewed on his self-made cucumber and beef slice sandwich with envy.

“Ge, don’t you need to maintain your figure? Aren’t actors under strict requirements?”

Ling Du smiled kindly. “I don’t gain weight easily, so I can eat a little more. Besides, I don’t have any shoots coming up, so it’s fine.”

Hu Fei nodded and continued to mournfully gnaw on his sandwich.

Xia Yan, holding his own bowl of food, leaned against Xu Cong with a look of despair. But when he glanced at Jiang Chuxin, struggling with two boiled eggs and a bowl of plain rice, looking like he was about to cry, he felt a bit better.

His dinner consisted of boiled cabbage and chicken breast seasoned with a bit of black pepper and sea salt.

He sighed wistfully. “This is ridiculous. I eat this stuff at the dorm, and now I’m eating it here too. With every bite, I feel like life has lost all meaning.”

Unable to resist, he peeked into Xu Cong’s bowl.

Xu Cong’s meal was slightly better, featuring boiled chicken breast and tomato scrambled eggs.

Usually indifferent to tomato scrambled eggs, Xia Yan now felt it was almost out of reach.

He exchanged a glance with Xu Cong.

With just that one look, they instantly understood each other’s intentions.

The cameraman, though still diligently filming them, wasn’t as focused—mealtime wasn’t particularly exciting. He took a sip of water, and the camera briefly drifted.

Meanwhile, the host, who had been chatting cheerfully with the group, glanced down at their phone.

The opportunity arose.

Xu Cong quickly picked up a chopstick full of his tomato scrambled eggs and held it up to Xia Yan’s mouth.

As expected, Xia Yan swiftly grabbed the food with his mouth before anyone could react.

The entire movement was smooth and fast.

There wasn’t even a chance for the cameraman to report it.

Cameraman: “…”

Seriously, did you all train in Shaolin? The movement was so fast, it left an afterimage.