"Because I felt it had nothing to do with me, and he wouldn't lie to my feelings."
Ling Shuangjiang became interested: "Why can't I fool your feelings?"
"Because only if I like him can he deceive my feelings. But among all the guests, there is no one I care about or like."
After saying that, Xie Wang's eyes flickered: "Of course, I still care about you a lot."
Ling Shuangjiang paused for a moment, then put the grape back into her mouth. "Yes, I know."
The atmosphere instantly became awkward and uncomfortable.
Xie Wang began to change the subject: "Let's go back after you finish eating; it's too dangerous here."
Ling Shuangjiang: "Okay, I'll listen to you."
The last three words were spoken softly, yet carried an inexplicable trust. Xie Wang turned to look at Ling Shuangjiang, staring blankly at the mole at the corner of her eye. A few seconds later, he looked away and down at the ground.
His little fox is so well-behaved, how could he possibly be the kind of person Chen Ying described?
He couldn't help but wonder if Ling Shuangjiang had offended Chen Ying in some way, which was why Chen Ying was targeting her like this.
Seeing Xie Wang lost in thought, Ling Shuangjiang asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Xie asked, "Have you ever had a conflict or a clash of interests with Chen Ying?"
Ling Shuangjiang roughly guessed why Xie Wang asked that question.
However, Xie Wang himself was unaware that Chen Ying had feelings for him, and he couldn't very well point it out. Besides, it's quite normal for guests on a dating reality show to have mutual feelings for each other.
"There's no conflict; we rarely communicate."
Xie Wang pondered for a moment and said, "But you'd better be careful with her."
Ling Shuangjiang: "Okay, I understand."
Back at the meeting point, Lu Shaoheng walked towards Ling Shuangjiang: "Shuangjiang, where did you go just now? For safety's sake, we'd better not separate and stay together at all times."
Ling Shuangjiang explained, and Lu Shaoheng nodded: "Then let's set off."
For the next half hour, the NPCs stopped appearing, and the path they had walked along became strangely quiet, giving off an eerie feeling.
Everyone came in through entrance C, but to pass through customs, you need to go through entrance D.
This journey is about 40 kilometers long, which is not short.
The first round of voting began, and everyone wore an electronic device on their person. The screen displayed everyone's names, and each person had to choose one to be eliminated.
At this time, everyone had their own thoughts and dared not easily reveal their personal emotions, but instead avoided the crowd and made their choices quietly.
When Xie Wang was choosing who to eliminate, he unhesitatingly chose Chen Ying. Ling Shuangjiang exchanged a glance with him, then lowered her head and pressed the selection button in tacit understanding.
In the first round of results, Chen Ying was eliminated with 3 votes.
When the NPC took her away, Chen Ying found it inexplicably funny. When she looked at the camera, she was not as gentle as usual, but rather showed some impatience and anxiety.
"Fox is so obvious, can't you tell who it is?"
"I'm speechless."
[Ugh, I'm disliking Chen Ying more and more.]
[Does Chen Ying know who Fox is?]
[She knows nothing, she's probably just talking nonsense.]
[It's good that she left. Of all the people here, besides Cheng Jia, she's the one I dislike the most.]
Chen Ying's other vote was cast by Wen Ai. The reason she voted for Chen Ying was because her agent had reminded her that Chen Ying had intentionally orchestrated the incident involving He Chun, since Chen Ying's agent had also been in contact with He Chun.
Finally, she had gotten her revenge and was extremely excited, especially when she saw Chen Ying being taken away, her hypocritical mask exposed and her persona collapsed.
The group continued walking forward and, following the signs, arrived at a swampy mud pit.
This swamp is not a real swamp, but a mixture of mud and special materials that has been processed. If a person falls in, they will not be in mortal danger, but will be unable to move.
If they are not rescued in time, the people who fall in will be taken away by the staff and eliminated.
Above the swamp was a makeshift ropeway, which looked flimsy and swayed precariously in the wind.
Seeing this, Cheng Jia sat on the shore and complained, "I suspect the production team has a grudge against us. How are we going to get across?"
Xie Wang walked to the cable car, stepped on it to test its balance and sturdiness, and then suggested, "This can support the weight of two adults at most, but it might not be suitable for carrying luggage."
Qi Yu said, "Then let's go through them one by one."
Xie Wang nodded and walked up to Ling Shuangjiang: "Are you scared? I'll go over first, put my luggage down, and then come back to pick you up."
Ling Shuangjiang wasn't afraid, after all, the cableway looked quite sturdy. But since Xie Wang had asked, he went along with it and winked, "I'm scared."
Xie Wang's heart skipped a beat: "Wait for me."
Seeing that Ling Shuangjiang had someone with her, Wen Ai and Qiao Yi asked their respective partners if they could come back and pick them up again, and Qi Yu and Bai Xinyu agreed. Of the remaining girls, only Huang Shan was left without anyone to pick her up, and Lu Shaoheng offered to come and get her, for which Huang Shan was very grateful.
The first group of guests began crossing the swamp, with Xie Wang being the first to go, testing the stability and safety for everyone.
He was incredibly agile, moving with almost no pause, taking large strides and grabbing the ropes on both sides, reaching the other side in less than 30 seconds.
Upon seeing this, Ling Shuangjiang couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile.
[Tsk tsk tsk, my wife is so happy.]
[Yes, Mr. Xie is super handsome, a sporty heartthrob.]
[Shuangjiang's smile is so sweet! This couple is definitely worth investing in.]
Next, the other guests went over one after another, and everyone gathered on the other side of the river ten minutes later.
To reduce the weight of crossing the cable car a second time, the group carried not only their own luggage but also the luggage of those on the other side.
After putting their luggage away, everyone turned back one by one.
Just as Xie Wang was about to lead Ling Shuangjiang onto the cable car, there was a loud "boom" from the opposite side, and everyone's luggage sank into a huge pit. In an instant, many NPCs with bells came from all directions.
Cheng Jia's eyes widened: "Holy crap, again?"
With time running out, Xie Wang took Ling Shuangjiang's hand and prepared to get on the cable car, but the cable car seemed to be under human control and began to shake violently.
Then came the NPCs. Ignoring everything else, Xie Wang carried Ling Shuangjiang on his back and successfully reached the other side by grabbing the cable cars on both sides.
The luggage had all fallen into the pit, which was about 8 meters deep, and it was impossible to get it out. Ling Shuangjiang looked up to observe the situation on the other side, but found that Wen Ai and Huang Shan, who had not kept up, had already fallen into the swamp and were struggling to get out.
The NPCs behind them were about to step onto the cable car. Lu Shaoheng and Qi Yu and the others on the cable car exchanged glances, hesitated for only two seconds, and then quickly left, safely reaching the other side.
At that moment, the cableway shattered and plunged into the swamp.
Wen Ai gazed at Qi Yu's retreating figure, pursing her lips and lowering her eyes.
[So, you're just going to abandon them?]
[They're moving too slowly, and they accidentally fell in themselves. How can we rescue them?]
[They can actually be saved now, but the NPCs on the other side can't get across.]
[It's starting to pour rain. If we rescue them, they'll probably be soaked to the bone. Besides, they have no luggage and no change of clothes.]
[There's no danger to your life, you're alright.]
[However, Chyi Yu's departure was too heartless.]
The other side wasn't safe. Losing their luggage wasn't the worst thing; what was worse was the continuous downpour. Lu Shaoheng said to the remaining people, "It's too dangerous here, and we can't get our luggage back. Let's go to the rainforest on the other side to take shelter from the rain. The map shows there are treehouses there."
Joey turned and glanced at Wen Ai: "What about them?"
Bai Xinyu said, "The staff will come and get them out, don't worry."
Joey frowned: "Okay."
Ling Shuangjiang and Xie Wang did not leave with the others, but instead stood beside the swamp, holding up makeshift umbrellas made from giant leaves.
Fifteen minutes later, the staff on the other side would take the two away. Ling Shuangjiang turned her head to look at Xie Wang. Although she didn't say anything, Xie Wang had already turned to look for something in the woods.
Ling Shuangjiang walked to the shore and asked the two of them, "Are you able to move around inside?"
Wen Ai shook her head with a bitter face: "No, the more I move, the more I sink."
Ling Shuangjiang reassured them, "It's alright, we'll think of something."
Huang Shan had already given up hope: "Shuangjiang, you go first. Anyway, we're not in any danger; we're just leaving early."
Ling Shuangjiang didn't think so. The temperature inside the swamp was very low, and staying in it and getting soaked in the rain wasn't a good thing.
He offered a few words of comfort to the two men, and then went into the jungle to find a stick of suitable length and width.
Soon, he and Xie Wang each came over carrying a branch.
Wen Nuan and Huang Shan grasped at a straw as if it were a lifeline, their hands gripping the wooden sticks tightly as they struggled to walk through the swamp.
Xie Wang exerted his strength and asked Ling Shuangjiang beside him with concern, "Is it okay? Otherwise, I'll pull Huang Shan up first, and then pull Wen Nuan up."
Ling Shuangjiang pursed her lips: "No need, I can manage."
Although it was a bit more strenuous than Xie Wang's effort, Ling Shuangjiang still managed to pull Wen Ai up. Soaked in the downpour, Wen Ai and Huang Shan were panting heavily. Just as Ling Shuangjiang was about to wake them, she suddenly noticed some insect-shaped drones flying overhead.
The drone's appearance is ugly and menacing, much like a venomous insect from a primeval jungle.
Without a word, Ling Shuangjiang and Xie Wang each grabbed one of the two and strode quickly toward the rainforest opposite.
Ling Shuangjiang held Wen Ai's hand, while Xie Wang pulled Huang Shan along.
The thorny bushes and rugged, damp rocky terrain posed no obstacle to the four of them. Xie Wang was surprised to discover that Ling Shuangjiang was actually running very fast.
Especially with Wen Nuan by his side, he remained calm and didn't seem to be struggling.
Wen'an took small steps, following closely but slowly. Ling Shuangjiang took good care of her, always protecting her when they encountered difficult wooden stakes or stones.
Wen Nuan would sometimes glance at Ling Shuangjiang.
She discovered that Ling Shuangjiang was not only beautiful, but also very handsome.
[The frost has fallen so quickly!]
[Yeah, the way my wife held Wen Nuan's hand was super cool.]
In crucial moments, it's always my wife who's reliable.
After finally reaching a temporarily safe location, the torrential rain gradually subsided until it stopped.
Sitting on the damp ground, Wen Nuan's hair was messy and her face was covered in mud: "Thank you, Shuangjiang and President Xie."