The Eunuch Is A Heartthrob On A Survival Variety Show [Ancient To Modern] - Chapter 2

In any setting, positioning in front of the camera is a matter of deliberate calculation.

Although this was a variety show featuring a mix of celebrities and novices, everyone tacitly understood that the positions with the most camera exposure should go to those with fame, high status, and clout. After all, the initial wave of viewers would tune in specifically for them, and the production team relied on that traffic. The unknown novice guests came last.

An unknown novice with zero background or works like Wei Xing should naturally stand at the absolute edge.

Yet no one expected him to brazenly edge into the camera frame of the show’s most heavily watched Best Actor, even usurping the position of a senior in the industry.

Wei Xing was the first person to leech onto a spot so calmly and boldly, without the slightest hint of embarrassment or awkwardness.

The director had not anticipated that Wei Xing would walk straight up to stand beside Zhou Youlan, as that was certainly not his assigned spot.

[No way, are people nowadays this blatant when leeching camera time from big stars?]

[So brave, he dares to steal Zhou Youlan’s camera time and even takes Teacher Zhao’s spot.]

[Surely he did not mean to do it. There are so many guests and the venue is so small, and that was the only spot left empty, so he just stood there, right?]

[Sister in front, you are so naive. If he did not want camera time, he could have just stood at the edge.]

[Arriving last to grab attention, snatching the center position to leech exposure, a tiny novice directly seizing the launch day trending topics.]

Zhou Youlan frowned as he looked at the person beside him: “?”

He could not tell whether this person genuinely did not understand the unwritten rules of human relations in the entertainment industry, or if he was deliberately pulling controversial stunts on the very first day of the show to hype himself up.

Judging by the person’s temperament and appearance, it was likely the latter.

Desperate to debut and gain exposure, people often chose to stir up controversial topics in high-profile settings.

He had encountered plenty of people in the past who deliberately tried to leech camera time and later fabricated random gossip to drag him down for publicity, driving him to distraction.

Zhou Youlan’s deliberate step to increase the distance between them clearly conveyed his displeasure. Noticing this, Wei Xing shifted slightly to the side.

Moreover, it was not just Zhou Youlan. Ever since Wei Xing stepped into that spot, everyone present looked at him with strange expressions.

They seemed to have an issue with him, and Zhou Youlan was clearly more hostile than the rest.

On second thought, standing out in this scorching sun waiting for him would naturally breed resentment in anyone.

“Soft and tender with hair long like a woman, yet instead of singing and dancing, he wants to explore the rainforest? He probably has to coat himself in powder just to step outside out of fear of the sun.”

The speaker was a short man nicknamed Old Ghost, who usually loved wilderness exploration. Having waited this long only for such a character to show up, he was already thoroughly displeased.

Fitness coach Chen Nan chimed in with a dismissive sneer: “He probably looks like a drag who would scream his lungs out at the sight of a cockroach.”

“This type is clearly just here to put on a show. He will probably quit in three days.”

“Three days? At most one day, maybe he will not even survive until tonight.”

The other novice guests nearby remained silent, but clearly agreed with their assessment.

Some among them had years of experience roaming mountain forests with extensive wilderness survival skills, while others were strong fitness enthusiasts who loved outdoor adventure. What they despised the most were soft, weak, and physically feeble pretenders like Wei Xing, who claimed to challenge themselves while always holding everyone back.

It was best to avoid getting tied down to such a burden and shake him off early.

Hearing their mockery, Wei Xing turned his head slightly, his peripheral vision cold and indifferent.

The rest simply exchanged glances without speaking, as the matter did not concern them.

The director’s megaphone crackled with static: “Everyone quiet down, good afternoon adventurers, and welcome to our adventure survival show Hell Survival. I deeply admire your adventurous spirit for daring to sign up for this program.”

“Next, let me announce the rules of the show. As you all know, we have no script. The entire show is presented to the audience via live stream across four camera feeds. From the moment you enter the jungle, aside from the three accompanying cameramen assigned to each group, the production team will not send any other staff members to accompany your exploration.”

The director pointed toward the lush green mountain range in the distance: “That is Mount Lemaslang, the final destination of this adventure.”

“What?” Everyone gasped.

Wei Xing looked over in that direction. From this distance, only its majestic outline was visible. Traveling there entirely on foot would take at least a month or two.

The director continued: “You will start from the jungle outside the border, cross the tropical rainforest in the central region, and finally reach the peak of Mount Lemaslang on the other side. Plucking out the flag marked with the production team’s logo from the summit will count as a successful survival adventure challenge.”

“Only those who reach the finish line will qualify to split the one hundred million grand prize prepared by the production team, and there are only five spots available. Of course, if there happen to be five people remaining at the end, the production team will allocate an additional five million to donate to charity under the names of the participating guests.”

“The time limit is two months.”

“Five?” Big Mac laughed derisively, “Director, you are looking down on us way too much. There are twenty of us here.”

No matter what happened, it was impossible to end up with fewer than five survivors, right?

“Exactly, how can there only be five, and two months of walking on top of that? I bet it will not even take that long.”

Everyone was full of confidence and eager to try.

Yet some wore solemn expressions, realizing how naive the others were.

The director smiled with hidden meaning: “Until the very end, who knows?”

Following this, the production team announced another rule: each guest could only bring a change of clothes and two pieces of equipment and supplies.

One piece of equipment could be chosen freely, while the other had to be drawn by lot from a batch of numbered supplies prepared by the production team.

The guests took turns stepping forward to draw. Common items like first aid kits, emergency blankets, paracord, and cooking pots were available, while tents, sleeping bags, entrenching tools, and compasses were also well-stocked. Whatever one drew came down to pure luck.

Wei Xing drew last. The supply table was almost completely emptied, leaving only a lonely map lying there. That was his supply.

Guests who failed to draw crucial items groaned continuously, negotiating with the director several times for a swap, but the director refused every request.

The director pointed at Wei Xing: “Even the person who drew the map is not complaining, those of you who got medical supplies should count your blessings.”

Compared to a map, those supplies were indeed much better.

Wei Xing unfolded the map, glanced at it for a moment, and folded it back up into his pack.

Zhou Youlan drew a magnesium fire starter. It was not particularly lucky, but not terrible either, at least superior to Big Mac’s emergency survival whistle.

Seeing that a hunting rifle had been claimed by someone else, Big Mac could not even muster a smile: “What kind of trash did we draw? Those other people got the actual essentials.”

Zhou Youlan felt a tinge of regret as well, as having a rifle in the wilderness significantly increased the safety coefficient.

“Be optimistic, the knife is decent too,” Zhou Youlan comforted him while pulling out a field utility machete and strapping it into his pack.

Big Mac shook his head helplessly: “Then I will take a tent, at least it guarantees a place to sleep at night.”

A knife could solve food problems, and a tent could solve sleeping problems.

Wei Xing walked over to a spot not far from Zhou Youlan and opened his backpack for the staff to inspect.

“You can only bring one piece of supplementary equipment, please choose what you want to take.”

The items in his pack had been prepared by Assistant Zhou’s people, consisting of clothing, utility items, some blades, and dry rations, though here they were called compressed biscuits.

Wei Xing picked up a dagger, spun it expertly between his fingers by reflex, and slipped it smoothly back into the thigh holster. If he could only bring one item, it had to be something that could both protect him and facilitate hunting.

The staff member widened their eyes slightly. The motion had been smooth and fluid, sliding precisely into the knife pouch without even a downward glance, clearly marking him as an old hand at handling blades. Internal admiration stirred, and the look directed at Wei Xing grew noticeably brighter than before.

Yet those hands were so clean and fair, with fingertips even tinged with a soft rosy hue. How could such a pair of pretty hands hold a cold, rigid weapon with such absolute steadiness?

“We will store your personal belongings separately and return them to you once you leave the show.”

Wei Xing nodded.

Big Mac nudged Zhou Youlan’s arm: “Brother, look. That pretty boy who leeched your camera time also picked a knife.”

Uninterested, Zhou Youlan did not even cast a glance in Wei Xing’s direction.

Big Mac chuckled with a teasing tone: “I thought for sure he would pick sunscreen.”

“Brother, you have no idea. When he stood next to you earlier, you looked like a piece of charcoal by comparison, making him look radiant. There really is no harm without comparison.”

“Hmph.” Zhou Youlan zipped up his backpack with a sharp swipe and slapped the back of Big Mac’s head: “You talk way too much.”

Seeing Zhou Youlan walk away, Wei Xing followed closely behind.

Once everyone was ready, the director instructed each guest to put on a positioning SOS transmitter.

Each transmitter had the guests’ respective fingerprints registered to track their locations in real-time. Pressing the center fingerprint button would send a distress signal to the production team, but doing so meant forfeiting the adventure and the prize money, prompting the staff to retrieve the quitter.

The director repeated: “One last reminder, the production team has signed agreements with all of you. You might die during this adventure, and this is no joke, because the production team will not step in to rescue you when you encounter danger. So let me remind you once more, anyone who wants to quit right now can step forward.”

The guests looked at each other, but no one stepped forward.

“Who quits right after arriving? Director, stop throwing cold water on us.”

The director added: “The production team will designate a drop point every ten days to distribute supplies to everyone. Whoever reaches the drop point flag first secures the rights to those supplies. There is only a single portion of supplies, and the production team decides what to drop.”

The guests remained unimpressed, figuring that if the production team was dropping supplies, they were not completely abandoned.

Little did they know they would soon fight tooth and nail against one another over those very scraps.

They needed to reach the jungle on the other side and set off from there.

The production team arranged vehicles to transport them from the gathering point over to the edge of the jungle.

Lining up to board, Wei Xing closely trailed behind Zhou Youlan. Big Mac was nudged from behind by someone in the crush, allowing Wei Xing to slip into his spot and board the vehicle right after him.

The moment Zhou Youlan sat down, Wei Xing settled into the seat directly beside him.

Zhou Youlan: “.”