In a Survival Variety Show, My Lookalike Rival and I Got a Happy Ending - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

“Locked groups?”

Qin Sijing’s face was written with “This is preposterous.” “Are you guys crazy?”

“Locked groups” meant that the teammates from the previous round would be their fixed partners for the upcoming tasks.

Hahahaha, the PD really loves stirring up trouble.Forced love!! This is forced love!!!Production team, be human for once, please spare them.Ximen: I’ve long grown used to being alone…Sister Qin: Unbelievable!!!

“No way,” Qin Sijing objected directly. “The rules agreed upon earlier stated we’d draw lots to choose teammates. How can you change the rules now? We’ve been dead last every single time. I don’t want to drag anyone else down, and I don’t want anyone dragging me down.”

The bullet comments might scold her, but she truly couldn’t take it anymore.

“Oh, come on! Chemistry needs to be nurtured! I believe Teacher Qin and Teacher Jiang have infinite potential; you just need a little time…”

Qin Sijing was almost moved to a cynical laugh. Glancing at Jiang Xunruo, who stood beside her with a calm and breezy expression, a nameless fire surged within her.

“Is it absolutely necessary to bind me to her?”

These words were quite blunt, and the atmosphere on set tightened instantly. Jiang Xunruo lowered her eyes and remained silent. Ximen Ling cast a worried glance at Jiang Xunruo, then at Qin Sijing, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. Even Bai Qi and Song Yitong, who usually kept to themselves, looked back and forth between the two.

【How can Qin Sijing speak so harshly? [Angry]】 【Ah, but every time she’s paired with Jiang Xunruo they’re dead last. Anyone’s mental state would collapse.】 【Ruo-Ruo is so pitiful; it’s not her fault. Is it necessary for Qin to be so aggressive?】 【She acts so much, vomit. She drags them down then plays the victim.】

Regardless of Qin Sijing’s protests, the production team used “the rules” to forcibly lock the groupings. Qin Sijing felt a blockage of malice in her chest; she wished she could buy a boat ticket and flee this island immediately! She wished even more that she could travel back to the day she signed the contract and refuse this show!

…

Today’s task was a jungle obstacle course. They needed to climb up a nearly vertical rope net and then walk across a suspended single-plank bridge.

The sky had truly fallen. Qin Sijing was afraid of heights. Looking at that towering vertical rope net, her fingertips and back began to go cold.

【Sister Qin’s face has gone white.】 【Is she afraid of heights?】 【It’s over, it’s over. The Qin-Jiang team is going to be last again.】 【Is she going to snark at Ruo-Ruo again? This time the one dragging the team down isn’t Ruo-Ruo. [Smile]】

The task began. Although the atmosphere between Bai Qi and Song Yitong was eerie, their movements were crisp and efficient, maintaining their chemistry. Ximen Ling gave the camera a confident wave; her movements were agile, and this was no challenge for her.

Then it was Qin Sijing and Jiang Xunruo’s turn.

Qin Sijing felt as though her legs were no longer her own; they trembled uncontrollably. Her heart beat fast, and cold sweat slid down from her temples.

“Teacher Qin.”

Jiang Xunruo had already walked up behind her. Her voice was gentle, and it actually gave Qin a trace of comfort.

“It’s okay, this is very safe. If you don’t mind, I can follow right behind you.”

Qin Sijing gripped the ropes tightly. Instinctively following the voice, she met those eyes. Jiang Xunruo’s voice was truly pleasant tender, yet carrying a spark of soothing power.

“Breathe. Take it slow.” “Lift your left hand a bit higher, grab that knot above your head. Yes, right there.”

Qin Sijing obeyed submissively. “Step with your right foot, onto the intersection below. Yes.”

Jiang Xunruo guided her softly while maintaining a synchronized pace. For some reason, it actually worked. At least Qin Sijing found that her limbs could move; she was slowly making progress.

【Jiang’s emotional stability is so high, I’m almost falling in love with her…】 【She’s so gentle, she keeps guiding Sister Qin.】 【Jiang Xunruo is actually a good person. On the other hand, a certain someone…】 【You guys are back to the ‘pull and push’ comparison again?】

…

Finally, the two slowly reached the end. Just as Qin Sijing reached out to ring the bell, a metal buckle fixed to the cliff face snapped with a sharp “crack.”

They completely lost their balance. Qin Sijing turned pale with fright as her body slid downward out of control. At that moment, someone grabbed her hand from diagonally behind.

The massive force of the fall dragged Jiang Xunruo downward. She let out a muffled groan, her hands gripping the cliff face tightly, forcibly halting their downward momentum.

“Zzz… zzz… zzz…”

The livestream cut off at that exact moment.

The production staff rushed over like mad, moving the two to a safe patch of open ground. The moment her feet touched the earth, Qin Sijing felt a bit of relief. However, as soon as Jiang Xunruo stood up, she staggered, nearly falling to the ground.

The PD, pale-faced, supported Jiang Xunruo. “Oh god, oh god…”

Jiang Xunruo leaned against the PD, her face as white as a sheet of paper.

“Jiang… how is she?” Qin Sijing’s voice was trembling slightly.

The medical staff looked very grave. “The rocks scraped her back. It’s covered in bruises now, and she’s bleeding.”

Bleeding? That serious?

Qin Sijing’s pupils shrank as she froze in place. When did it happen? Was it when she was falling, and Jiang grabbed her, scraping her own back against the rocks? She was so badly injured, yet from the moment she hit the rocks until now, she hadn’t made a single sound.

How… could she endure pain so well?

The PD was frantic. “Then hurry and get Teacher Jiang bandaged! We can’t have anything happen.”

Ximen Ling, Bai Qi, and Song Yitong also rushed over. Ximen Ling knitted her brows; she wanted to say something but held back, simply watching Jiang Xunruo with worried eyes. Bai Qi and Song Yitong, unsure of how to help, hurriedly asked the medical staff about the situation to see what they could do.

The surroundings were a mess of chaos. But Qin Sijing’s world felt as if it had been hit with a mute button.

She actually wanted to step forward and see how Jiang Xunruo was doing, to know if she was in pain. But she didn’t even have the courage to move her feet. She could only watch like an outsider as the medics performed emergency treatment.

Someone she thought was pretentious, weak, and fake had caught her and silently endured all the harm without a word. A surge of unprecedented shock and guilt flooded over Qin Sijing, completely drowning her.

A few years ago, there was a trending topic about Jiang Xunruo: she had protected a newcomer on a film set and had her arm sliced by a falling wooden plank. Qin Sijing had always been prejudiced against Jiang Xunruo; she thought Jiang was the most calculated person she’d ever seen, someone who lived for her “persona” and marketing.

When they walked the red carpet, Jiang would “accidentally” wear the same outfit to trigger media comparisons. When they filmed similar period dramas, Jiang’s team would buy articles saying her acting was the best and that she crushed Qin.

So, Qin Sijing would read those articles and then forget them. She thought it was all just Jiang Xunruo’s marketing.

But what if all of it was true?

The pale-faced Jiang Xunruo was right here in front of her. Her paleness was real, the injury was real, and her first instinct to protect someone else in a dangerous situation was real. She had no need to get hurt for the sake of so-called “marketing.” Just like today.

Qin Sijing suddenly remembered the icebreaker game when they first arrived at the show, and that blank slip of paper.

“Because to me, Teacher Qin is an unknown, just like this blank slip of paper.” “The first impression is too thin. Whether it’s past labels or rumors, none of them are the real her.”

So Jiang Xunruo had known all along how the outside world, especially Qin herself—saw her. The voices from outside and the fights between fans had constructed a version of Jiang Xunruo that wasn’t real.

Then, what was the real Jiang Xunruo actually like?