After a D-List Celebrity and Their A-List Ex-Partner Join a Travel Reality Show - Chapter 10

Meng Yichun automatically translated the statement: “After saying such a long tongue-twister, he just wants to sit with Shen Shiqin.”

Seeing Meng Yichun with that “I have seen through you” look, He Lan tried to save face. “My meaning is, our Husky team will begrudgingly sit together.”

He emphasized the word “begrudgingly” to show just how reluctant he was about switching seats.

Meng Yichun waved his hand. “Alright, alright, I understand. Hard work everyone. If anyone wants to swap, you can sit according to the previous groups. The Husky team can sit in the middle to await punishment, and the Reindeer team can sit on the sides to watch. Of course, if you do not feel like switching, you can stay in your original seats.”

Until he heard this, Shen Shiqin had been a bit dazed. Perhaps it was because he had eaten quite a bit and was getting sleepy, or perhaps the room was so warm that his thinking had slowed down, so he did not move immediately.

Since Duan Nan was already in the middle, the ones who needed to switch were Shen Shiqin, Zuo Jiaxi, and He Lan.

Zuo Jiaxi stood up quickly after the director finished speaking and sat to the right of Duan Nan. Further to the right were Yuan Kuanglun and Shen Shiqin in order.

He Lan picked a seat in the middle, slightly to the left, and sat down with one empty seat between him and Duan Nan.

Duan Nan glanced at the empty chair beside him, paused, and looked up, meeting He Lan’s eyes.

However, that one look inexplicably gave him goosebumps.

After He Lan sat down, he leaned back against the chair, looking toward Shen Shiqin’s side. At first glance, that look reminded Duan Nan of an Animal World documentary he had watched recently: a leopard finally capturing a deer, but before it could enjoy the feast, the prey was snatched away by another animal.

The look in that leopard’s eyes.

Duan Nan looked at He Lan again.

Yes, it was a match for He Lan’s current expression. It was like his food had been snatched away, and by an animal of a lower status than himself. There was a sense of disdain, and perhaps a hint of disbelief.

He silently looked away, wondering what kind of history these two had. He Lan looked like he wanted to tear Shen Shiqin apart and eat him. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he whispered, “Jiaxi, are they alright? He Lan looks like he is about to fight. Should we ask Teacher Shen to sit here and you sit to my left?”

Zuo Jiaxi looked to the left and saw He Lan had looked away, his fork stabbing at his steak with dark, underlying force. He looked to the right and saw Yuan Kuanglun whispering something to Shen Shiqin. He understood the situation, retracted his gaze, and whispered, “I do not think we need to switch.”

Duan Nan asked, “Why?”

Just as he finished speaking, He Lan suddenly stood up and left his seat. Zuo Jiaxi smiled, secretly arching an eyebrow at Duan Nan. Watching He Lan head toward Shen Shiqin’s side and noting Zuo Jiaxi’s small expression, Duan Nan finally realized something was amiss.

He Lan just felt unpleasant. There was no specific reason.

Feeling unpleasant toward Shen Shiqin never required a reason; after all, they had often been unpleasant to each other since the breakup. This was the status quo. Moreover, after sitting down, he had been waiting for Shen Shiqin to come over and sit.

At that time, Shen Shiqin was looking down, deep in thought, while that rookie actor chirped incessantly in his ear. He Lan found it annoying listening from this side, and after they had all changed seats, Shen Shiqin seemed to have no intention of coming over. From his angle, Yuan Kuanglun was leaning halfway over toward him.

It was truly inexplicable.

Thinking this, he stood up and walked over to the two of them without a second thought. In fact, he did not even notice how fast he was walking; by the time he realized it, he was already between Shen Shiqin’s and Yuan Kuanglun’s chairs.

Seeing him arrive, Yuan Kuanglun stood up immediately. “Teacher He, Brother Shen was just analyzing a scene I filmed a while ago. I did not notice you coming over.”

He Lan did not even give him a glance, just giving a slight nod in response. Seeing his lack of reaction, Yuan Kuanglun had to step aside. “Then I will go sit over there.”

Once he was gone, He Lan did not sit down immediately. He saw the plate of crab meat on the table in front of Shen Shiqin, all perfectly shelled. He retracted his gaze and tapped his fingers on the back of Shen Shiqin’s chair, his voice devoid of emotion. “So, Teacher Shen is such an empathetic person. Can you bear to watch me sit there alone accepting the punishment?”

Without Yuan Kuanglun there, Shen Shiqin felt the surroundings were much quieter. He did not quite understand why He Lan had come over, nor did he fully grasp the meaning of that sentence. However, he did catch one thing: that remark sounded sarcastic, so he did not intend to pay attention to this person who had been acting strangely since the live stream began.

Shen Shiqin said, “You came over, did you not?”

He Lan retorted immediately, “Is that the same thing?”

Shen Shiqin could not be bothered to argue. He just wanted to finish quickly and go back to the guesthouse to lie down. For some reason, he felt that even with the fireplace burning, the room was still very cold.

Seeing that the man stopped speaking, He Lan stared for a few seconds and then sat down.

“Oh right, the portion size is not too large, is it?” He sat down and glanced at the crab meat again. “We just ate quite a bit; if the portion is too big, we might not be able to finish it.”

Shen Shiqin’s body stiffened for a moment. He looked at He Lan with slight confusion.

He Lan acutely sensed the gaze from the side and said immediately, “What are you looking at?”

Shen Shiqin looked away, acting casual. “Looking to see if there is any dipping sauce, vinegar or something.”

He Lan said “Oh,” then suddenly felt something was wrong. Just as he was about to ask, the staff cut him off.

The staff walked over and finally opened the two plates of local specialties.

The moment the first plate was opened, a scent mixing laundry detergent and Luosifen wafted over, along with a fishy smell wrapped in bleach. Everyone present, guests and staff alike, immediately pinched their noses.

He Lan pinched his nose and said, “Meng Yichun, are you trying to poison us?”

“Is this thing even edible?”

Meng Yichun used his clipboard to cover his nose. “The local elders said they eat this at Christmas. No Lutefisk at Christmas is like us not eating dumplings during the holidays.”

He Lan: “…”

Zuo Jiaxi: “Do we really have to eat it? Can this punishment be changed to something else?”

Meng Yichun: “You do not have to eat it all; just one small bite per group is enough.” He raised his hand and gestured in a “please” motion, as if to say: Look, am I not very thoughtful?

“Actually, do you not think it is alright after smelling it for a while? It is just the foreign version of Stinky Tofu.” He Lan looked at the Lutefisk, trying to deceive himself. “It looks just like jelly, right?”

After saying this, he saw the other three were motionless, so he stood up and brought the plate to them. The moment the plate was placed in front of them, the group stood up in unison and leaned back.

He Lan poked it with a fork. “I told you it has the same texture as jelly. It looks white and quite pretty; it definitely has no intimidation. Ugh.”

He watched the white, gelatinous substance quiver from his action, and unable to deceive himself any longer, he put down the cutlery and asked, “Who dares to eat it?”

Everyone looked down. Duan Nan looked around, saw no one speaking, and raised his hand. “I will. My tolerance is very high.”

The other three immediately cast grateful looks. Zuo Jiaxi’s eyes widened, very moved. “Teacher Duan, what would I do without you?”

Duan Nan picked up a fork, plucked a tiny bit, and swallowed it without hesitation.

He Lan watched, grimacing. He swallowed his saliva and asked, “What does it taste like?”

Duan Nan smacked his lips, savoring it. “A bit like bacon? A little like pickled cucumbers too. It is okay; it is not very hard to eat.”

“This thing,” He Lan looked at the gelatinous mass again, skeptical. “Regardless of appearance or smell, it has absolutely nothing to do with bacon or pickled cucumbers.”

Everyone thought the first round of punishment was over and were guessing what the second plate was, when Meng Yichun spoke up: “Teacher He, your group also has to send someone to taste it.”

Knowing he could not escape, He Lan turned to look at the person next to him, questioning with his eyes who would accept the punishment.

Shen Shiqin looked at the gelatinous mass and thought of a compromise. “Rock-paper-scissors. The loser eats.”

He Lan thought for a moment. “The loser eating is boring. Let us do it in one round; the winner takes the punishment.”

Neither had any objections. They closed their eyes and played.

Zuo Jiaxi saw scissors and a rock. He announced the result: “Brother He wins!”

Shen Shiqin opened his eyes, saw the result, and curled his lips slightly. “Teacher He, you win. Enjoy your meal.”

He Lan honored the bet. He picked a piece of fish that looked the most harmless and swallowed it whole, but the taste still made him nauseous. He grabbed a cup of water from the table, gulped several mouthfuls, then looked at Duan Nan in disbelief. “Teacher Duan, this stuff is so fishy, how did you eat it with such a straight face?”

Duan Nan smiled. “I got used to it in the first season, and do you not think it is actually not bad by comparison?”

“I think, by comparison, Stinky Tofu is an earthly delicacy.” He Lan silently picked up the lid and covered the Lutefisk, finally cutting off the smell.

The first plate of punishment ended, and the staff immediately brought out the second. They looked at the significantly larger plate and took several steps back in precaution. The moment the staff opened the lid, Zuo Jiaxi was shocked. “My god, what is this?”

He Lan looked at the director, asking with some uncertainty, “Is this okay?”

Shen Shiqin closed his eyes. “So ugly.”

Duan Nan: “I might not be able to do this one.”

There sat a complete, caramel-colored sheep’s head in the center of the plate, decorated with various vegetables. The dish looked horrifying no matter how one viewed it. Even the bravest of them were somewhat shocked.

Meng Yichun was satisfied with their reaction. After waiting a while, he explained, “This is a very traditional Norwegian dish called Smalahove. This dish has a history of thousands of years, and it is said that because the preparation process is very simple, it was also a favorite food of Vikings.”

He Lan: “Do not tell me this is also an essential Christmas dish for the locals.”

“Not exactly.” Meng Yichun said, “But it really is quite delicious. Are you really not planning to give it a try?”

Four people in unison: “This one is not happening.”

Meng Yichun tried to persuade them further, but He Lan stopped him in time. “What was said just now was that each group tastes one bite; it did not say both dishes had to be tasted. Both of our groups have already tasted them.”

Shen Shiqin rarely stood on the same side as him, chiming in: “Agreed. If a group tastes once, we have completed the mission. I believe the production team is always fair and just, and definitely will not go back on their word or make things too difficult for us, right?”

Meng Yichun was rendered speechless by the two of them. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and smiled: “Yes.”

The group let out a sigh of relief.

“Then, the recording for this episode ends here. The guests can arrange their own afternoon itinerary. However, the production team has contacted a local guide; those interested can go for a walk in the forest. If you are lucky, you might run into wild moose.” Meng Yichun reminded, “Everyone should come back early; the production team has prepared a sumptuous dinner for you tonight.”

After recording ended, the guests had to do their individual interviews. The interviews were short, about ten minutes each. Shen Shiqin finished his first and intended to head back. Yu An saw this and called out to him. “Duan Nan and the others plan to take a nap and then go to the forest for a walk. Do you want to join?”

Shen Shiqin shook his head. “No, you go ahead.”

Yu An saw something was wrong. “What is it? Are you not feeling well?”

“No, just a bit tired, want to rest more.” Shen Shiqin said, then headed back to the guesthouse first.

Yu An watched him leave, when a voice suddenly drifted from behind her.

“What are you looking at?”

Yu An was interrupted. She turned to see He Lan and sighed. “What? Finished recording and not planning to be polite anymore?” Finally, she added, “Former colleague.”

“What do you mean former colleague?” He Lan emphasized. “I have not retired from the industry yet!”

“It is about the same.” Meng Yichun came over to add fuel to the fire.

Seeing him, He Lan’s anger flared up. “Yo, little Meng, you dare to come over? I have not looked for you these past few days, and you come to me yourself?”

Meng Yichun retreated half a step, noticing the deputy director standing behind him, and immediately said indignantly, “What are you going to do? What do I have to be afraid of?”

He Lan: “Do not think I do not know you and Shen Shiqin are close. Tell me, who came up with the rotten idea to trick me into this variety show?”

“What rotten idea!” Meng Yichun immediately retorted. “Besides, what does this have to do with Shen Shiqin? He was also tricked by me… cough.”

He Lan acutely noticed the words he did not finish. “Do not tell me Shen Shiqin was also tricked by you.”

Meng Yichun’s eyes flickered. “What kind of talk is that? I invited him; ‘invite,’ understand? How can an invitation be called a trick!”

“Besides, you were told before coming that the guests were kept secret from each other; I never explicitly said Shen Shiqin would definitely not come!”

He Lan was amused by his words. “Fine, your logic holds. Then may I ask, does your ‘Brother Shen’ pay any attention to you now?”

Meng Yichun was choked by this sentence. After a long while, he said weakly, “I will treat him to dinner after the recording.”

“I hope he does not delete you when the program ends.” He Lan left him. As he passed the deputy director, he paused, and said in a voice only the three of them could hear: “Long time no see, Director Ji oh wait, Deputy Director Ji now. Keep an eye on little Meng; do not let him pull any more dirty tricks.”

“What dirty tricks! Am I that kind of person?”

Meng Yichun wanted to rush over and continue the debate, but his deputy director grabbed him by the arm and whispered, “It is fine. He is enjoying it.”

“Where do you see that?”

Ji Wenchen looked out the window at He Lan, who was walking a short distance behind Shen Shiqin, retracted his gaze, and said, “A guess.”