It was still the program group’s PD and the cameraman who went to the respective houses of the guests to pick them up, and the only difference was that the live broadcast started from the introduction instead.
“Teacher Jiang, we’re here!” The PD, who was at the doorway, called out in an overjoyed, and that could even be considered as familiar, manner. “Our live broadcast has begun!”
“Okay, I’ll be right there.” Jiang Cheng’s voice could be heard from the inside.
[Front row! Let’s see just how many people are also squatting in JC’s live broadcast room for the gossip!]
[wow wow, is this really the artist’s house! I can’t wait!]
[This corridor looks so humble and almost exactly the same as the one in my grandma’s old house!]
[An artist who debuted lives in this kind of place? Why do I feel like it’s no better than the trainee dorms?]
[Same here…it’s just not comparable to those of the other live broadcast rooms at all, the heck]
Jiang Cheng was only wearing a black quick-dry shirt as well as windproof pants that had drawstrings at the calf– such a design helped to keep warm and protect against the wind. The dark-colored pants also showed off Jiang Cheng’s long, straight legs, making him appear quite strong.
He opened the door and walked out, a little tuft[mfn]I don’t remember if I put a T/N to explain before, but it’s basically like an ahoge[/mfn] of flaxen green hair on the top of his head. His eyes curved slightly as he smiled and looked at the familiar PD, “You’re here, come in and have a seat. Always coming during lunch time, isn’t it because you guys want to get a free meal?”
[Waaah, handsome guy, this casual outdoors style really really caught me off guard! Absolutely love it]
[Such a homey feeling! The way the camera’s aimed really makes it feel like he’s talking to me directly, I’m completely into it]
[Where did this strong beauty come from, my God, even the little tuft on his head is so cute awww]
[Just another day of being blinded by how attractive Jiang Cheng is]
[I found out that, regardless of Jiang Cheng’s dark history, it’ll be really easy to attract more fans as long as he shows up with this kind of face]
[Agree]
The PD heard Jiang Cheng’s teasing and laughed, “Is Teacher Jiang cooking again? In that case, will it be convenient for us to follow along?”
“Come on in. It’s a little cramped, though, so I’m afraid it might be a bit inconvenient for the cameraman.” Jiang Cheng said as he looked up at the cameraman– only then did he notice that the cameraman was changed.
He was slightly taken aback, intuitively feeling a familiar atmosphere from the other party— this person was unexpectedly a retired military soldier?
“The cameraman was changed?” Jiang Cheng looked at the PD.
“That’s right, our sponsor requested to replace them with strong and sturdy people, haha.” The PD laughed as he explained.
Jiang Cheng didn’t have anything to say to that and gave the cameraman a nod in greeting.
“Do you guys want a share? Today will be tomato beef braised rice. Have a good meal before setting out?” Jiang Cheng extended an invitation to his PD and cameraman.
While speaking, he peeled the tomatoes that had been blanched and swiftly cut them into perfectly identical little cubes with his hands moving in an organised manner. His slender and pale fingers were clean and delicate, creating a distinctive visual contrast with the bright red tomatoes.
“Setting out…” The PD’s mouth twitched, but then he thought about how the circumstances on the island would indeed be tough.
He replied decisively, “In that case, thank you, Teacher Jiang! We’ll be shameless and take you up on that free meal offer!”
“All right,” Jiang Cheng smiled.
[wow Jiang Cheng can also cook! The kitchen looks so tidy as well!! my OCD is relieved]
[It looks staged at a glance, no way the kitchen can look this clean if he really does know how to cook]
[goddamn just let it go lol hahahaha]
[the PD big bro must’ve also struggled, right? hahaha]
Some time later, Jiang Cheng poured the rice into the pot of tomato beef that had already been cooked to braise it and adjusted the timer before walking out of the kitchen to say to the PD, “Since you guys said that you’d film me packing my luggage, I didn’t do it yet. Let’s get it done now while the rice is being braised, shall we?”
“How long will the braised rice take? Will there be enough time to pack the luggage?” The PD was stunned for a moment and hurriedly followed Jiang Cheng.
“Yes.”
Jiang Cheng brought them into his bedroom for a look. There was a duffel bag opened on the ground, and on the bed were the beddings that had been folded into tofu blocks with distinct edges and corners. The small room was perfectly in order, just like a mathematical formula.
“This is the bag we’ll be using to pack the clothes in a moment, and this is the closet.” Jiang Cheng slid open the door of the closet.
The PD gasped softly, then hurriedly motioned for the camera to film it. “This is really way too neat, isn’t it…”
“The clothes are easier to find this way,” Jiang Cheng smiled.
The original owner had a lot of jeans and shirts that he didn’t wear much. The shirts were hung up in order from light to dark colors while the jeans were folded into squares of the same size and stacked.
As for the clothes he usually wore, they were all loose-fitting and comfortable shirts that he only had in three colors: black, white, and grey. They were placed into the drawer after also being folded neatly.
Jiang Cheng picked out a quick-dry shirt, two spare shirts, and a pair of pants before stuffing them into the bag, then finally went into the bathroom to fetch a bottle of sunscreen and tossed it in as well.
After zipping the bag close, the luggage was successfully packed before the braised rice in the kitchen could even be ready.
“I’m done. Let’s go check on the rice,” Jiang Cheng clapped.
The PD: “…” Teacher Jiang didn’t even spread out the clothes to look! He just casually picked three of them and called it a day!
[…this has to be the most casual way I’ve ever seen a celebrity pack their suitcase, ah, no, it should be a duffel bag]
[Even a male celebrity won’t travel with only a duffel bag ah!! Surely not even the average person will use a bag like that for a trip!!]
[Did everyone forget that JC only carried a hiking bag in the last stream…it’s a bit more refined this time around, at least]
[What kind of straight man style clothes is JC wearing ah, is there still any hope for change]
[Jiang Cheng still looks really good even in such a style ah… Isn’t it exactly what he’s wearing right now! Very good-looking!]
[I can’t be the only one who wants to scream about how cool Jiang Cheng’s closet looks, right?!!! My OCD’s cured!!]
[+1+1 it feels so nice, help, I really want to rewind to look at it again]
[Sisters, I already screenshot everything, it’s genuinely impressive, I now believe that Jiang Cheng’s kitchen is truly that clean and tidy]
[Jiang Cheng, the top among OCD patients hahaha]
Jiang Cheng led the cameraman into the kitchen. As soon as the lid of the pot was lifted, a fragrant aroma filled the air. The sour tomato juice mixed with the rich smell of the beef fat could hook people and make them want to dig in immediately.
“Ah, it smells really good, Teacher Jiang.” The PD sniffed hard.
Jiang Cheng filled up three bowls to the brim with rice. Each grain of rice had been soaked in the juice, looking translucent and plump. With the slices of beef placed on top, covering the rice, simply looking at it could make people gulp.
“Go ahead and eat, no need to be so polite. There’s more in the pot. The leftovers can be packed for dinner.”
The cameraman set up the camera so it was aimed at Jiang Cheng, then the three big men sat down around the table to eat.
“Delicious delicious delicious!” The PD said after a big mouthful, his eyes brightening. What excellent cooking!
“Teacher Jiang, if you want to change jobs and open a restaurant, it’ll definitely be successful ah!”
Jiang Cheng was interested. “Do you really believe so? Then I’ll think about it. If I can’t find any work later, I’ll do exactly that.”
The PD, “!”
Jiang Cheng ate quickly, but the cameraman was not to be outdone either. The two were already done with their second serving by the time the PD got started with his. It seemed like being around Jiang Cheng would increase their appetite by a level.
[Help, how did you suddenly turn into a mukbang streamer, wuwu, just watching is making me hungry]
[Madly devouring 3 big bowls of instant noodles!]
[Is it truly that delicious? I don’t believe it…unless you let me have a taste!]
They felt indolent after having eaten to their heart’s content. Jiang Cheng yawned lazily and asked, “Do we set off now?”
“Yep, yeah, yes.” The PD who still yearned for more, happily said, “Teacher Jiang, there’s still more in the pot. I’ll help you pack the leftovers to take away!”
……
They gathered at the pier as usual, but this time with only 4 guests present, Jiang Cheng included, since the program group didn’t bother to find another guest as replacement after Jiang Xinghao injured his leg.
“Long time no see!” Huang Daheng called out from a distance when he saw Jiang Cheng approaching.
“Teacher Huang,” Jiang Cheng smiled as he hugged Huang Daheng in greeting.
Shortly afterwards came Su Nuannuan and Jian Suizhi, making the new wilderness team of four successfully assembled.
“Should we create a WeChat group?” Jian Suizhi took the initiative to ask— since even Jiang Chi could have Jiang Cheng’s WeChat number, there was no reason for them as his colleagues to not have it as well, right?
“Yes, indeed, we should’ve done that ages ago! I haven’t been able to chat with anyone these past two weeks.” Huang Daheng then jokingly said, “A friendship born from shared struggles will definitely be different.”
The four thus created a group right there and then and called it [En Route Squad].
[hahaha en route squad, which genius came up with this name hahaha]
[wow, God Jian doesn’t seem to have the intention of avoiding JC at all? How can this be?]
[+1! Now that I think about it, I feel more and more convinced that God Jian actually likes JC, isn’t that right? Otherwise, with how easy it is for God Jian’s team to suppress all those rumors, how could they just let JC cling onto God Jian for hype everywhere?]
[That’s it, I’m done for. It really does seem to make some sense if I think about it that way!]
[No words. Even if JC’s team can’t stir up drama, won’t it still be a complete kill once the antis get involved considering how many of them God Jian has?]
[To the CP dogs, sincerely: being delusional is a disease!]
“Hello hello! Everyone’s finally here! I’m very grateful that all our guests are here right on time! I’m the director of our Xiao Hai[mfn]short for the program name. Previously TLed as “little wilderness”, which is a bit long so I’ll switch to this[/mfn] show, and I thank everyone for keeping their contracts!” The director stood in front of the crowd with that same megaphone as before in hand.
“In regards to the accident involving our guests during the previous live broadcast of Xiao Hai, Xiao Hai expresses our deepest regrets and we wish for the two guests to have a speedy recovery!”
“We would also like to say that our Xiao Hai deserted island will definitely live up to everyone’s expectations and that our guests can rest assured that the remainder of the journey will absolutely be safe! Furthermore, we sincerely ask our guests to listen to the team leader’s professional judgement and instructions as well as to never act alone and ignore the team leader’s warnings!”
[Ah? Is that it for the program group’s apology? Really speechless. Xingchen-jiejie will be the first one to disagree with this!]
[Is the director hinting at JC? hahahaha]
[JC? JC’s team still won the invitations and rights to the Muxie banquet though. If it’s meant to be JC then it doesn’t hold up. Besides, concerning JC’s team at the time, it was the director himself who proposed the idea of splitting into teams, okay]
[lmao, do you still not get it? The director’s secretly pointing fingers at JXH, all right]
[If the accident really was because of the program group’s negligence, would JXH’s team have let go so easily? Stop joking around]
[Agree. It’s definitely a misconduct from JXH’s side that resulted in the injury, otherwise there’s no way the program group could have started recording again]
[…]
There was a ruckus in the live broadcast. Even though Jiang Xinghao’s fans jumped in to defend him, they could still not drown out the growing voices of truth.
The director and staff members who were monitoring the barrage backstage couldn’t help but praise the sponsor’s idea of deploying a water army ahead of time to suppress public opinion.
Instead of waiting for Jiang Xinghao’s fans to cause massive backlash demanding for them to be held accountable, it would be better to make a big move right away by revealing some sensitive insider information— they didn’t expose the whole truth, but they didn’t just stay silent about this matter. All that was left was to leave it to the public to speculate. This was to deter the other party’s fans as well as their team, and it also served as a subtle warning for them to not have delusions about using a pitiful white-lotus image to trample on the program.
The director saw the staff members give him the OK and thus confidently continued—
“Since our previous team leader suffered from a fracture trying to help our guest, we’ve extended an invitation to the headquarters of the Jianghan Special Forces Division this time and specifically requested for the former Chief Captain of the Jianghan Special Forces Division, the recently retired military instructor, Jian Xingce!”
Jiang Cheng, who was originally feeling sleepy, didn’t expect that the director would suddenly drop such a major bombshell.
His eyes widened suddenly as he practically jumped up to his feet to look at the direction in which the director was pointing, his abrupt movement even knocking over the luggage of the person by his side—
The former Chief Captain of the Jianghan Special Forces Division, Jian Xingce?!
Was this not the man who was tacitly regarded as both a legend and a taboo in the military that even saying his name wasn’t allowed, the very one who set countless legendary records in his original world!
But back in his world, that man had long been declared officially dead after having gone missing while on a special operations mission.
Jiang Cheng had heard countless rumors about the other party when he enlisted but never had the opportunity to meet him. Even after the man was declared officially dead and everyone went to his funeral, Jiang Cheng was only able to pay his respects to a tombstone without a picture.
Jiang Cheng didn’t think that the other party would still be alive in this world, much less that he’d actually meet him?!
Following the director’s finger with his eyes, Jiang Cheng saw a man of around 1.9m with broad shoulders and a wide back walking towards him. The man had a military-style crew cut that was just a little bit longer than the standard length as well as sharp and deep facial features. There was also a thumb-thick scar that extended from the corner of his eye all the way to the side of his forehead.
Jiang Cheng let out a gasp. Unexpectedly, it was the “fan” he had bumped into yesterday!
Jian Xingce walked towards Jiang Cheng and let his gaze remain on the latter for a few seconds, not missing the surprise and joy in the other party’s eyes.
The corners of his mouth curved upwards slightly—
Did he finally decide to drop the act? As expected, he really did look happy to see him (jxc) come.
Thank you so much for the new chapter!! Looking forward to more!