I Got Together with the Scum Gong’s White Moonlight - Chapter 5

Gu Yan, together with You Sa and Kang Yu, was organizing their gear.

Among the items brought by the ten of them, there were several duplicates: kitchen knives, cutting boards, pots, pans, and bowls. None of the girls had brought a lighter, but the four men, by some unspoken consensus, had each brought one. Cheng Ming seemed to have researched the show well in advance; the lighter he brought was a long-wand lighter specifically designed for starting fires, which was far more practical.

Considering weight and size, everyone had also, by coincidence, only brought small packages of rice and flour. Cheng Ming was even more thoroughly prepared, having brought along coarse grains as well.

After organizing the provisions everyone had contributed, Gu Yan habitually did some rough mental math. Even using the most frugal methods, these supplies wouldn’t be enough to sustain the ten of them until the final day.

She let out a soft sigh. She had known all along that this show wouldn’t make things too easy for them.

They were told they could freely bring ten items each, but because they hadn’t communicated beforehand, they had not only brought duplicates, but had also subconsciously scaled down their choices due to volume restrictions. Now they were in trouble; just figuring out what to eat in the later stages would be enough to make them anxious.

However, thinking about that was looking a bit too far ahead. She had just noticed another problem: everyone’s wilderness survival skills seemed rather lacking. The firewood they had gathered was damp and burned too quickly, completely failing to maintain the duration and temperature needed to cook the rice thoroughly.

Meeting the faintly complaining looks and expressions of the group, Yin Shi and Zeng Jiu, who were responsible for gathering firewood, felt a bit embarrassed. “We’ll go gather some more.”

“I’ll go with you,” Xu Wen said, standing up alongside them.

“I’ll join too. I used to stoke the stove when I was a kid, so I know which kinds of wood burn longer,” Cheng Ming said as he stood up as well.

The ones in the group who knew how to cook were Gu Ming and Song Ai. Thanks to the packaged pickles Song Ai had brought, they wouldn’t have to eat plain, dry rice for their very first meal after landing.

“If I had known, I wouldn’t have brought a cutting board; I should have brought dehydrated vegetables instead,” Song Ai said with a bitter smile. Only after actually setting up on-site did they realize what they needed most. They had still been a bit too idealistic.

In the past three seasons, there was always someone who recognized wild vegetables and herbs, someone who could distinguish what was edible from what was not. At the very least, there would be mushrooms, or they could find a creek to catch some fish and shrimp, so side dishes were never an issue. That was why she had only symbolically brought some of her favorite pickles. Who could have known—

Gu Ming was also slightly annoyed. “We should have looked for a water source first. Relying only on the bottled water we brought is too wasteful.”

Water was of paramount importance, so everyone had more or less brought a case. Gu Ming had originally thought this water would be enough for cooking and drinking, but she hadn’t expected that once they actually started consuming it, it would prove to be quite tight.

“It’s just the first meal after landing, let’s not think too much about it,” You Sa said, being quite open-minded.

“Eating and drinking are manageable for now, a week shouldn’t be a problem. Did any of you bring medicine? I only brought a bottle of mosquito repellent, and it feels like it might not be enough,” Kang Yu noted a serious issue after finishing the organization of their gear.

Gu Yan silently raised her hand. “I brought anti-inflammatory medication, but not much, just one blister pack.”

She had brought this just in case to be safe. She hadn’t thought much about it before coming, but now, after organizing the gear with Kang Yu and the others, she realized in hindsight the crucial importance of medicine.

It wouldn’t be easy for them to spend twenty-one days safely on this uninhabited island. First, the weather was hard to predict. This small island had a tropical monsoon-like climate; the air was humid, and the temperature leaned on the higher side. While the vegetation coverage was high, mosquitoes and insects were bound to be indispensable.

It was currently mid-June, and there was no telling if they would encounter the rainy season and typhoons.

The items they brought were too heavily concentrated on food and drink, causing them to completely forget about warmth, spare clothes, and medicine.

Second, everyone’s wilderness survival knowledge was weak. Even if they had researched the show beforehand, it was mostly superficial. She wasn’t sure about the others, but she herself had only watched a few highlight reels and mid-season episodes. Because the show mostly focused on the distress surrounding food and drink, she had subconsciously prepared along those lines as well.

“That’s not bad, one blister pack is better than nothing. I didn’t even think about this aspect at all,” You Sa said, vexed as she slapped her own forehead.

“Who did? I only thought about how inconvenient it would be to find food on an isolated island, so I directed most of my choices toward food and drink. Turns out, everyone’s thinking was pretty identical,” He Xin said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

“So, what else are we missing?” Gu Ming looked at Gu Yan.

Gu Yan scanned the group and sighed softly. “We don’t have enough changes of clothes.”

“It’s fine right now because the sun is strong and things dry fast, but I’m afraid of the rainy season in a few days.”

“Moreover, the island is very damp. Even if clothes dry quickly, they will inevitably feel a bit clammy. The men might not care, but we women will have to worry about it.”

“Uh, we’re screwed. Speaking of which, do any of you have your period during this time? I just realized I don’t think I brought…” You Sa trailed off awkwardly.

As soon as she said this, the others were stunned too. Gu Yan thought back and recalled that she hadn’t seen any sanitary pads among the items the girls brought. Her expression froze.

When organizing what to bring, she had completely forgotten about this.

Everyone looked at each other in silence. When the four men came back carrying the firewood, what they saw was the six women sitting in a hushed, mute circle, each looking utterly dazed. The men were entirely bewildered as to what had happened.

The fire was lit once more, and the group successfully managed to eat their first meal. Although it wasn’t remotely on the same level as what they usually ate, it was still passable enough to swallow.

After each eating until they were halfway full according to their usual appetites, they began to look for a suitable place to settle down. They split into five groups of two, searching in different directions.

Thanks to having filmed many historical costume dramas, Cheng Ming thought ahead and picked up some flat stone fragments along the way to distribute to everyone, making it convenient for them to leave markers along their paths so they wouldn’t get lost or separated.

Watching Cheng Ming hand the stone fragments to Gu Ming with a lingering, sticky attentiveness his ambiguous gaze tracing the stones as they were passed over Gu Yan bit her lip uncomfortably. She could almost imagine how excited and thrilled their “CP” (couple) fans would be when this scene aired.

Yan Ling’s malicious plan to disgust her and make her miserable had succeeded perfectly.

But fortunately, Gu Ming had no romantic interest in Cheng Ming whatsoever. She readily accepted the stone fragments and immediately walked over to find her. While Gu Yan felt a surge of joy, she also felt a tinge of sorrow, secretly resenting Yan Ling for making her fall in love with Gu Ming in the first place.

“Do you think I’m only wary of Gu Ming because of her background and status? Gu Yan, let me tell you the truth: Gu Ming is straight. She likes men.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. She’s only nice to you because she pities you, and because you look like her. She truly treats you as a younger sister. Do you honestly think she could fall in love with you? If she knew that her good little sister harbored such filthy, indecent thoughts toward her, would you really be any better off than me?”

“Oh, you’ll only end up far more miserable than me.”

“Just behave yourself and be a plaything, Gu Yan. She isn’t someone you can covet. Your status doesn’t match, and neither does your gender.”

Did she really not match?

Was there truly not even a shred of possibility?

“What?”

She seemed to have unconsciously murmured her thoughts aloud. Gu Ming didn’t hear her clearly and leaned in a bit closer on purpose.

Gu Yan stared at her fixedly.

“Have you ever liked anyone?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she felt a pang of regret. They were wearing microphones right now; this was hardly the right time to ask such a personal question.

“Why the sudden question?”

“No… it’s nothing. I was just asking casually. You don’t have to answer. Let’s go, let’s go, finding a place to settle down is more important.”

To cover up her blunder, her pace quickened instantly.

Gu Ming followed not too far behind her. “If anyone else asked me this, I would probably beat around the bush and avoid answering directly. But since it’s you asking, it feels like I can’t just give you a perfunctory answer. It’s a bit of a dilemma, legal tender.”

Thump, thump. Gu Yan’s heart skipped a few beats, yet a wave of bitterness and sorrow washed over her nonetheless.

If only Gu Ming’s special treatment of her didn’t stem from the identity of being a “sister,” she might actually be able to feel a little happier.

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