Chapter Thirty-Six: Warning

After much difficulty, they finally arrived at their destination. Sang Yijia hopped out of the car first, then extended her hand to Lu Wenchuan. "Are you able to get out?"

Lu Wenchuan stepped out with a sullen expression, but as soon as he touched the ground, something seemed to overcome him and he rushed to the roadside to vomit.

Sang Yijia was startled, "Are you alright?"

Lu Wenchuan wouldn’t let her come near. He stood alone by the roadside for a while, recovering before he walked back, his face pale, lips devoid of color.

"I'm sorry," Sang Yijia apologized.

"It's nothing," Lu Wenchuan replied. He had already rinsed his mouth with water and now took the tissues Sang Yijia handed him, wiping his lips. Suddenly, he found Yan Ningsi and Bian He’s methods rather admirable.

"How much time do we have left?" Lu Wenchuan was never one to give up halfway, but this time the schedule was a bit excessive.

He squinted, guessing who was behind this.

Meanwhile, Wei Heng, who had been watching the live broadcast and trying to suppress his laughter, finally burst out in amusement.

Beside him, Qi Bin sneezed, displeased as he looked at the man who had once again commandeered his office chair. "Can’t you watch at your own company?"

"No," Wei Heng replied, stretching his long legs across the desk, one hand holding milk tea, the other a bag of chips. He glanced at the screen, took a sip, then a bite.

This behavior was exactly like Qi Yue on holiday at home.

"Interesting things are meant to be shared with good friends," Wei Heng answered reasonably.

Qi Bin chuckled coldly. "Brother Lu surely knows it was you."

"You’ll be in trouble when he gets back," he warned.

Wei Heng clicked his tongue. "You don’t understand."

Qi Bin rolled his eyes, settled on the sofa to work on his laptop, ignoring him.

"This is called playing hard to get. Lu Wenchuan will thank me in the end," Wei Heng shook his head and continued to enjoy the spectacle.

Back on the live broadcast, Sang Yijia noticed Lu Wenchuan’s poor complexion and, knowing they still had to fish later, feared the task would be difficult. "Let’s rest awhile."

"It’s not too late to go later," Sang Yijia said apologetically. But indeed, along the entire road, no other vehicles had passed by—only the old man who had just returned after delivering ducks.

Lu Wenchuan glanced at the blazing sun overhead. "No need, let’s go."

"The sooner we finish, the sooner it’s over."

This time, Sang Yijia held up the umbrella herself, high and steady, not needing Lu Wenchuan to hold the handle. But Lu Wenchuan wasn’t so delicate; he still took the handle from her.

"I’ll do it."

"Alright," Sang Yijia checked his face, making sure he was alright, then looked up at the scorching sun. Though it was nearly October, the sun blazed as fiercely as ever.

The temperature hovered around thirty-seven degrees, while elsewhere the first snows had begun to fall.

They walked along the rural path, carrying nothing, feeling relatively relaxed.

The cameraman following them had arrived by a small car, but now had to lug the camera equipment on foot, drenched in sweat from the heat.

As they walked, Sang Yijia discovered Lan Qing and Shen Jin had arrived early and already set up their tools.

Lu Wenchuan’s expression soured at the sight. He turned abruptly toward the camera, his gaze icy.

Sang Yijia noticed and frowned, wondering if Lu Wenchuan had uncovered something. Was someone deliberately causing trouble?

Watching the broadcast, Wei Heng met Lu Wenchuan’s dark gaze, instinctively touched his nose, and dodged it guiltily.

"Let’s go," Lu Wenchuan warned once; things would get easier later.

Sang Yijia glanced curiously at the camera, then at Lu Wenchuan, and hurried to catch up.

Their arrival immediately caught Shen Jin’s attention.

Shen Jin looked over, and Lan Qing was watching him. Seeing him focus on Sang Yijia, Lan Qing gripped her fishing rod tightly, biting her lower lip.

[Why are they only just arriving?]

[So strange.]

[Who is Brother looking at? Could it be Sang Yijia?]

[Who is Qingqing watching?]

Viewers in the live stream buzzed with curiosity and speculation.

Lu Wenchuan collected the fishing gear, dissatisfied with the equipment—it couldn't compare to the set he had at home—but since it was a show, he endured it.

"Let’s go." There was plenty of gear, and Lu Wenchuan carried almost all of it himself.

Sang Yijia tried to help but was quietly refused.

[What’s she playing at, just watching while he carries so much?]

[Looks heavy.]

[Sang Yijia has the nerve to stand by and watch—won’t she catch up?]

[Qingqing helped earlier.]

[Can we stop comparing everyone to Qingqing?]

[Sang Yijia doesn’t deserve it!]

The comment was soon spammed across the screen.

The staff monitoring the broadcast were used to such scenes, silently recording the data.

Lu Wenchuan glanced at the spot Shen Jin had chosen and then went to the opposite side.

The owner of the fish pond said Shen Jin’s side was better for fishing, and there were hardly any fish on the other side, but Lu Wenchuan refused to go over.

Sang Yijia had no objections to staying away from the main couple.

After setting down their things, Lu Wenchuan asked, "Are you worried we’ll lose?"

"Why?" Sang Yijia replied, puzzled. "Aren’t you here?"

Lu Wenchuan smiled, and for a moment, his pale lips were strikingly beautiful. Sang Yijia, caught off guard, stared, entranced.

He remained silent, letting her look, but when she failed to recover, he finally coughed lightly and asked, "Would you like to try?"

"Is there a technique?" Sang Yijia’s heart raced, but her face showed nothing as she sat beside Lu Wenchuan, examining the fishing rod, bait, and water—avoiding his gaze.

Lu Wenchuan didn’t mind. His dark eyes swept the water, tossed a ball of bait to set the spot, then answered slowly, "Sincerity brings results."

"..." The smile on Sang Yijia’s lips froze.

Lu Wenchuan saw no problem. "Luck is important."

"Indeed," Sang Yijia’s smile twitched, barely maintained.

On the other side, Lan Qing saw Sang Yijia had gone to the opposite bank and remembered the owner’s advice. She frowned slightly, "Will Jia Jia and Lu Wenchuan be able to complete the task?"

Shen Jin had hoped they’d come over so he could compete with Lu Wenchuan, to show Sang Yijia that Lu Wenchuan wasn’t anything special.

But Lu Wenchuan had taken Sang Yijia to the opposite side—and Sang Yijia had no objections!

Shen Jin’s frown deepened; he couldn’t understand Sang Yijia’s approach.

At this point, Lan Qing’s words went unheard.

She noticed, pursed her lips, "Shen Jin?"

"Should we remind them?" After yesterday, Lan Qing had seen through Sang Yijia’s tactics—retreating to advance, a truly clever move.

Her words drew Shen Jin’s attention.

For a moment, as Lan Qing looked at Sang Yijia, her eyes clouded with an indescribable chill.