Who Wants to Be the Affectionate Cannon Fodder?! [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 36

Most of the production crew had already headed to the coast to prepare for the boat evacuation. The four groups of guests, scattered across various parts of the island, had to make their way to the only high ground in the interior to wait for the helicopters.

Upon hearing that they could team up with Ning Jinghe’s group, Tang Mo’s smile nearly reached her ears. She excitedly pounced forward and hooked her arm through Yu Lin’s. “When the two of us can’t walk anymore, let’s just grab onto Senior Ning’s clothes and let him carry us to victory!”

Yu Lin tilted his head. “Why pull his clothes?”

Tang Mo replied matter-of-factly, “Because my stamina is terrible! For a task like mountain climbing, I’ll probably be panting after just a few steps.”

Yu Lin offered, “You can pull mine instead.”

Tang Mo scanned him from head to toe and joked, “Better not hurt the patient. Besides, if I pull you and you pull Senior Ning, wouldn’t we be playing ‘train’?”

Li Yao chimed in softly, “It’s alright, Sister Tang Mo. If you get tired, you can pull me.”

The four of them packed their gear and followed the production team’s instructions, taking the nearest mountain path toward the peak.

Due to the rain that had lasted all through the night, the mountain path was covered in soggy mud. With every step, half the sole of a shoe would sink into the sludge. Combined with the steep incline, every movement required significant effort.

Tang Mo was exhausted after just a few steps. She stopped to wipe the sweat from her forehead with her elbow, intending to check on Yu Lin. But before she could even turn her head, a shadow flickered in her peripheral vision. A figure nimbly hopped past her, skipping over the obstacles until he reached Ning Jinghe’s side.

“Ning-ge, I want some water.”

Tang Mo: “…” We agreed to be the tail-enders together. How did someone betray the alliance so quickly?

As if sensing Tang Mo’s gaze, Yu Lin turned his head toward her and tugged at the corner of his own shirt. “You can pull on me to walk.”

Tang Mo used the last of her stubbornness: “Thanks, but no thanks. I can do it. I’m fine.”

Following behind Tang Mo, Li Yao suppressed his increasingly rapid breathing and feigned a calm, composed manner. Whenever the camera panned his way, he put on a relaxed expression as if everything were under control.

After all, his public persona since his debut was that of an “all-around athlete.” Even if his heart was racing from exhaustion, he had to appear as light as a breeze. He occasionally played the part of the caring junior, checking in on Tang Mo while the back of his shirt became soaked with sweat.

“Sister Tang Mo, let’s move a bit this way. There’s more grass here, so there’s less mud. It’ll be easier.” As Li Yao spoke, he prepared to lead Tang Mo toward the side of the mountain.

However, he hadn’t expected that the damp, cool environment after the rain would be the perfect time for snakes to emerge. He had only taken a few steps upward when a branch ahead suddenly trembled. A green snake, about seventy to eighty centimeters long, hung down, its red eyes staring straight at his face. Its body coiled into a terrifying S-shape.

“Ah—!” Li Yao let out a sharp, piercing scream. He tried to scramble back in panic but his foot slipped. He tumbled backward uncontrollably, dragging Tang Mo along with him.

Tang Mo didn’t even have time to react; she only saw the trees and sky suddenly spinning.

The next second, her other arm was caught by a massive force. That strength pinned her steadily in place.

Yu Lin had jumped down from the front at some unknown moment. He glanced expressionlessly at Li Yao, who was sprawled on the ground, then quickly turned to grab the green snake that had been disturbed and was about to strike.

“Are you okay?”

Tang Mo was scared out of her wits and shook her head stiffly.

Yu Lin released her arm and instead pinched the head of the struggling green snake to examine it closely. Its body was vibrant green, its eyes orange-red, and the top and tip of its tail were a scorched red. White and red longitudinal lines ran along its sides, and its scales shimmered in the sunlight.

Ning Jinghe, who had hurried over, scrutinized the snake and said, “It’s a Bamboo Pit Viper.”

“It’s so beautiful,” Yu Lin instinctively remarked.

“…It’s venomous,” Ning Jinghe finished helplessly.

Tang Mo and the still-shaken Li Yao: “???”

Live Comments:

• • “? Baby, your aesthetic is a bit niche. Your teammates were just nearly scared to death by it!”

• • “What kind of guts does Shen Xingzhuo have to catch a snake with his bare hands? My god, don’t move the camera closer, I’m scared!!! I’m getting goosebumps, this is terrifying!!!”

• • “Did anyone see the way Shen Xingzhuo jumped down from that rock just now? So cool, so graceful, like a young wandering hero. Can some martial arts drama director look at him? I want to see a ‘young man on a white horse’ wandering the world!”

• • “Why did Li Yao grab Tang Mo when he fell? Did he want to die together…?”

Yu Lin held the snake’s head, inspecting it from all angles as if picking out fruit. “I’ve never seen a snake this color. Its patterns are interesting too. Can I take it back? It should be fine if I pull out the fangs, right?”

As he spoke, he looked up at Ning Jinghe beside him.

Live Comments:

• • “If you want to seek death by raising a venomous snake, why are you looking at Ning Jinghe? Is he your dad???”

• • “Despite everything, I’m actually shipping this a little… It feels like a little kid who found a stray dog on the road and is looking at his big brother for permission.”

• • “[Red Exclamation Mark] Cherish life, please do not raise venomous snakes privately!!!”

Ning Jinghe was actually quite surprised. He didn’t understand why Yu Lin was so habitually looking to him for an opinion, as if they were incredibly close despite only knowing each other for a few days.

But he still answered: “No.”

The moment he said it, his own mind went blank for a second. His strict, dean-like tone felt as though it had been used a thousand times before—perfectly natural and practiced.

Ning Jinghe frowned, pushing down the strange thoughts in his heart. He continued, “It’s very dangerous. Let it go. Besides, it doesn’t belong in a cage.”

“True.” Yu Lin gave a slightly regretful reply. He followed instructions and tossed the Bamboo Pit Viper down the mountain, walking away with a lingering look.

Li Yao, his face pale, wiped the mud off his backside. With his hands covered in filth and nowhere to wash, he could only grit his teeth and rub them against his pant legs. After the embarrassing scene he just caused, he was too humiliated to speak for the rest of the trek. He lost all interest in maintaining his persona and kept his head down, trudging forward.

Tang Mo was also too exhausted to speak. Aside from the sound of footsteps, the whistling wind, and the cicadas, the only sound left was Yu Lin lightly humming a song.

The problem was, no one knew what tune he was humming. It was erratic, devoid of technique, and it grated on Li Yao’s nerves.

But Li Yao couldn’t lose his temper on camera, so he endured it and pretended not to hear.

Only Ning Jinghe listened quietly the whole way. Finally, as they neared the summit, he asked, “What were you just singing?”

Yu Lin: “Breaking Snow. Didn’t you recognize it?”

Ning Jinghe fell silent.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the Breaking Snow Yu Lin mentioned was the insert song from the martial arts movie of the same name he had starred in years ago. It was composed by Jiang Shiyan and was a duet between the two of them—but it was definitely not this soul-summoning melody that missed eight hundred notes and twisted like a mountain path.

He shouldn’t have asked.

Live Comments:

• • “I’m silenced too. You’re telling me that was Breaking Snow? I thought it was a siren… How can such a beautiful face produce such a sound?”

• • “What a broad vocal range. Every note has its own personality. The Chinese music industry is truly losing out without Shen Xingzhuo!”

• • “Now I’m starting to believe Shen Xingzhuo really likes Jiang Shiyan. I’ve never even heard such an obscure song, hahahaha!”

• • “Imagine him singing this in front of Jiang Shiyan. Do you think Jiang Shiyan would want to hit someone?”

Tang Mo panted as she caught up to Yu Lin. “It’s okay, little treasure. Since you’re this beautiful, let’s just forget about the singing.”

Yu Lin: “?” What are they all talking about?

The four of them reached the summit. The flat ground offered no cover, providing a panoramic view of the island’s forests, ponds, streams, and even the wooden cabin from the first day and the endless sea.

By the cliffside nearby, Jiang Shiyan heard the noise and turned around, his eyes lighting up.

“Jiang Shiyan? Why are you here alone!” Tang Mo asked.

“The helicopter came half an hour ago. The crew said you hadn’t arrived yet, and there wasn’t enough space anyway, so I stayed behind to wait.” Although Jiang Shiyan was replying to Tang Mo, his gaze was fixed on Ning Jinghe’s face. “It rained so hard after we split up yesterday. You guys didn’t get sick, did you?”

Ning Jinghe raised an eyebrow. He didn’t know how the conversation had turned to them. He glanced at Yu Lin, who was preoccupied with studying an earthworm and gave no reaction. “We’re fine,” he replied flatly. “We found a place to shelter.”

“That’s good,” Jiang Shiyan replied with a smile. “The crew’s helicopter isn’t big; it can only fit four more people. Shall the two of us hang underneath together?”

Hearing this, Yu Lin stopped poking the dirt. “That sounds fun. Can I join too?”

Jiang Shiyan froze. He hadn’t expected the interruption and knit his brows in displeasure, though he quickly adjusted his expression. “One of the cameramen should go with us. You should sit inside the helicopter; it’s safer.”

In the original plot, Jiang Shiyan’s group was among the last to arrive. Tang Mo and Li Yao had already left on the first flight. The people remaining were the three of them plus Pei Yixing and two photographers.

Jiang Shiyan knew Ning Jinghe liked skydiving, so he purposefully gave up the interior seats to the photographers and invited Ning Jinghe to hang from the safety ropes beneath the helicopter with him. Ning Jinghe had agreed. As for the “suspension bridge effect” that might occur between two people with adrenaline pumping at high altitudes—Jiang Shiyan had planned it out perfectly.

Back then, Shen Xingzhuo had the same reaction, aggrievedly stating he could take Ning Jinghe’s place, only to be rejected by Jiang Shiyan. He had even felt smug about Jiang Shiyan’s “concern and care” for his safety.

Who would have thought Jiang Shiyan just found him a nuisance to his “world for two”?

“But I want to be with you guys,” Yu Lin said with feigned grievance. In a place where Jiang Shiyan couldn’t see, he secretly tugged on Ning Jinghe’s sleeve. “Sitting inside the helicopter is so boring. It’s three people anyway.”

Jiang Shiyan looked at Ning Jinghe. Seeing that he didn’t object, he said reluctantly, “Fine.”

[Deep Affection Value +10, Contributor: Jiang Shiyan.]

Yu Lin remarked to 007 in amazement: “Wow, he’s so narcissistic.”