Xu Zifan didn't mention the matter on the internet again. Too much of a good thing can be bad. Mentioning it a couple of times was enough to generate enough buzz and show that he was open and honest. All he needed to do afterward was to show his sincerity and love for the island.
He picked about two pounds of wild fruit, some sweet and some sour, and also dug up three kinds of wild vegetables. Pointing to one of them, he said to the camera, "This is similar to lettuce, which is perfect for wrapping grilled meat and getting some vitamins. You can't just eat meat in the wild, you have to eat some vegetables too. You can't eat too much seafood either. Let's see if we can hunt anything tomorrow."
He rummaged through the straw basket, then glanced at the sky. The director had the cameraman ask him, "You often look at the sky, can you tell what time it is?"
"Sure," Xu Zifan looked at him strangely. "Why would I look at the sky if I couldn't tell? It's almost six o'clock in the afternoon, and it will be dark in two more hours."
The photographer coughed awkwardly and didn't say anything. Some people are just showing off. Who would have thought he could actually tell the time by looking at the sky?
Xu Zifan, with his back to the camera, smirked slightly. Having experienced so many worlds, he'd seen a bit of everything, but his precise timing was due to his youthful vigor; he could be accurate to the second. His checking the sky was just for show. This variety show appearance has revealed him to be a hidden gem!
He ran back to the camp, where Chen Zaimin was also there. He happily showed them the contents of his straw basket, saying, "We don't have to worry about food tonight. These fruits are sweet, so we can have a treat after dinner."
Chen Zaimin patted his shoulder hard and laughed excitedly, "Youngest brother, you're really capable! I was worried that I'd suffer these past few days and might have to go to the hospital when I got back, but now that I have such a precious baby like you, I'm not afraid at all!"
Xu Zifan smiled sheepishly and sat down to rest. "I'm not as good as you say. I just happen to be good at these things."
Seeing that he had acquired so much stuff again, and that almost all the credit was his, Su Yanchen was displeased. He deliberately set a trap for him, saying, "Junior brother, don't be modest. Look, we haven't accomplished anything. You are much better than us."
If Xu Zifan agreed to this, he would appear arrogant and would not be well-liked. He waved his hand and said, "Senior brother, you really know how to flatter people. I don't really need this skill, and I don't usually use it. I'm not as good as you in singing and dancing, not as good as Brother Yi in composing and writing lyrics, and not as good as Brother Chen in acting. All I can do is do some chores."
To be honest, being able to help out now is a relief; at least I'm not like those other shows where I just stand there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.
After saying that, he didn't give Su Yanchen a chance to speak again. He looked around and frowned, asking, "Brother Song and Sister Xue haven't come back yet?"
Chen Zaimin said, "They haven't come back yet. Maybe they went a little too far while looking for something."
Xu Zifan stood up and said, "I wonder if their search is going smoothly. I'll go look for it too, just in case. I'll explore places I haven't been before, and hopefully find some fresh water so we can cook and things like that."
Chen Zaimin disagreed, "It's too dangerous for you to go alone. Besides, you're going to places you've never explored before. No, let Yanchen go with you."
Su Yanchen didn't want to be with Xu Zifan anymore. Xu Zifan was too good at finding things, which would only make him look particularly incompetent. Seeing this, Xu Zifan spoke first: "Let your senior brother stay and help you build the tent. This is very important. Also, we don't know what the situation is with Brother Song and Sister Xue. If we need to find people, it will be easier to coordinate the three of you in the camp."
"Don't worry, Brother Chen, I won't go far. Besides, the cameraman is with me, so there's no danger."
Chen Zaimin didn't think the cameraman would be of any help. This was live filming, and it had been agreed beforehand that the cameraman wouldn't interfere unless there was serious danger. Xu Zifan's words were clearly meant to reassure him. However, he then thought that Su Yanchen seemed to always be trying to trap Xu Zifan, so it might be better if they didn't go together. He agreed and reminded Xu Zifan to be careful.
Xu Zifan placed the contents of the straw basket under the shade of a tree, then quickly left the camp with the basket on his back. His decision not to build a shed at the camp was intentional; while the reversal was meant to highlight his abilities, it also needed a foil to create a sense of contrast.
The best opportunity is when people distrust him and have opinions about him. If they are unwilling to listen to him, then give them the chance to do things their own way.
If their assigned tasks run into problems, while his tasks are completed beyond expectations, and he even cleans up their messes, then he can maximize his chances of turning his image into a positive one.
The most important thing for a show is its entertainment value. With good entertainment value, a show like "Survival on a Desert Island," which wouldn't have been popular before, will definitely become a hit. In the future, both the production team and the audience will realize that he alone can drive an entire variety show, allowing each guest to have a role that benefits the show.
Xu Zifan explored very quickly on his own this time. The cameraman was exhausted, but Xu Zifan had the time to scan the map and didn't need to explore bit by bit. He found wild rabbits and snakes, but kept a distance from them without disturbing them and walked around them. Then he followed the animal tracks on the ground and found fresh water!
There is no pollution here, the environment is excellent, and the water quality is superb. In the wild, you don't need to be so particular; you can just boil it and drink it directly.
He wasn't in a hurry once he found fresh water. He knew where all the things he'd asked Song Yunjian and Xue Ninglu to find were; he could find them even at night with a flashlight. Starting a fire and cooking in the camp was a piece of cake, and setting up a tent was simple too. He could just clean up the mess if they messed it up; there was no need to go back too early.
He sat down by the water to rest for a while.
He looked around, then stood up and said, "It's a bit far from the campsite, so getting water isn't very convenient. I need to find a container. If only someone had brought a water container when I was choosing the tools to bring, but it's okay, nature has everything."
He climbed up the tree to take a look, then came down and walked in one direction, smiling at the camera and saying, "Luckily, there are coconut trees over there. We can use the coconut shells to hold the water. Let's get a few more."
Sure enough, they soon saw coconut trees. He tied several thick branches together with vines to make a long stick, stood it upright, and poked at the coconuts on the tree. He quickly knocked down several coconuts.
He cleaned the military shovel, deftly opened several coconuts, making only small openings. He then drank some of the coconut juice, poured out the rest, and filled the coconuts with fresh water.
So many coconuts were hard to carry, and the straw basket couldn't bear the weight, so he started looking for vines to weave a net bag to carry the coconuts. Of course, weaving a net bag wasn't that fast, so he sat under the shade of a tree and wove slowly, taking a break.
On the other hand, Su Yanchen was exhausted. When had this young idol ever done so much work? Besides, he only came to participate in this show to step on Xu Zifan and gain popularity. He didn't want anything else. He even made an agreement with the production team to secretly give him food. What reason did he have to work hard?
So he pretended to hit his hand, cried out in pain, and frowned as he rummaged through the first-aid kit.
Chen Zaimin went over to check on him with concern and immediately saw through his little trick, but he didn't expose him. He just asked him a few words of concern and then told him to rest.
Su Yanchen felt it wasn't right to let him rest while they were working, so he said, "Brother Song and Ninglu have been gone for so long, I'll go find them and help them carry their things."
Chen Zaimin objected, saying, "We're not familiar with the island, so it's better to pair up. You should rest and not go looking for it."
Su Yanchen scoffed at this. With so many people on the production team, how could they possibly get into trouble? The island had already been explored by staff before; what was so dangerous about it? Xu Zifan's grand principles were completely inapplicable. Besides, why could Xu Zifan walk on his own but he couldn't? He still needed to find an opportunity to hype things up with Xue Ninglu.
He stood up and said, "It's alright, I'll be careful. I'll come back together as soon as I find them; it'll be faster if we all work together to set up the tent."
Chen Zaimin assumed he wanted to show off, so he didn't object too much. Their little group hadn't chosen a leader, and although he was the oldest, he couldn't really control them. They were all celebrities, and deciding who got more screen time and attention was complicated, so he figured it was best not to say anything. He just gave a nod. Yi Xiao, of course, didn't care about any of that.
Su Yanchen set off with his dagger, hoping to make something of himself and contribute something. Since he was filming the show, he had to perform well to put Xu Zifan down, instead of acting like a useless piece of trash.
Actually, this was all Xu Zifan's psychological tactic. He deliberately did some things and said some ambiguous things to provoke Su Yanchen. Su Yanchen was young and impetuous, unwilling to admit defeat, and unwilling to work hard. He would definitely go out to find someone on his own.
If he doesn't have enough screen time, his scenes will definitely be cut. If he encounters danger, he certainly won't be able to handle it and will look very pathetic, affecting his image. If he successfully meets Xue Ninglu, he will definitely seize the opportunity to flirt with her. Either way, it will be beneficial for Xu Zifan.
Moreover, if Su Yanchen, Xue Ninglu, and Song Yunjian, who are dissatisfied with him, are put together and they haven't found anything, they might start questioning him in the heat of the moment, which would be even better.
Su Yanchen was completely unaware that Xu Zifan had already set many traps for him. He was still pleased with his quick thinking and walked easily through the woods, smiling and talking to the camera while searching for Xue Ninglu.
He was very concerned about his image and how handsome he looked in front of the camera. As a result, when he was looking for the right angle for the camera, he accidentally stepped into a ditch and fell flat on his face!
Su Yanchen pressed his ankle, got up, moved around a bit, and cried out in pain with a contorted expression.
The photographer asked, "Did you sprain your ankle? Can you still walk?"
Su Yanchen felt it for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "I'm not injured, but it hurts quite a bit. I need to rest for a while." He smiled wryly, "I was so focused on finding them that I didn't see the pit. You really have to be extra careful in the wild. If you're planning a picnic or adventure in the wild, remember to be careful and pay attention to safety."
He rubbed his ankle, taking the opportunity to rest. It took him about twenty minutes to stand up and continue walking, limping, because he was really in pain.
Fortunately, they quickly found Song Yunjian and Xue Ninglu, who were cutting vines with a knife. However, Song Yunjian's multi-tool was too small and the vines were too tough to cut. The two of them spent a long time trying various methods to cut the vines, feeling that they were very funny, hardworking, and interesting, so they didn't look for anything else.
As soon as Xue Ninglu saw Su Yanchen, she smiled and said, "You've come at the right time. We're just missing a sharp dagger. Quickly cut down these vines, then go find something else. Hey? Why are you limping? Did you fall?"
"I slipped and fell into a pothole on the road, but I'm fine." Su Yanchen looked her up and down, then asked with concern, "Are you alright?"
Xue Ninglu shook her head. "No, we're just tired and hungry. Have you found anything to eat? I think we should eat first before we start working. The weather is so nice, it shouldn't be a problem even if we don't set up the shed by tonight, right? It doesn't look like it's going to rain."
While cutting vines, Su Yanchen said, "Junior brother caught a few fish and a strange seashell. I don't know if the meat inside the seashell is edible, but junior brother said it is. I'm also hungry. The weather is pretty good, and it shouldn't be cold tonight. We can make do for the night. We'll get a place to stay tomorrow. You don't know, Brother Chen and Brother Yi have been working on it for a long time, and they're exhausted. They haven't even finished half of it yet. I think this is a bit of a waste of time."
Hearing what they both said, Yunjian chimed in, "We've wasted time. Let's cut the vines and go back first. We can discuss it with everyone and then have a meal first, and then get a good night's rest before we get busy. It's only the first day; there's no need to rush like it's a war."
"Yes, it's too rushed. We don't usually do much work. If we do too much today, we'll definitely have backaches and sore waists tomorrow, and we won't be able to do anything then, which will only waste more time." Xue Ninglu analyzed logically, and the three of them agreed immediately. Although they didn't mention Xu Zifan, the implication was clear that they were dissatisfied with the current arrangement, which naturally meant they were dissatisfied with Xu Zifan.
The three of them cut seven or eight vines, each taking a bit, and dragged them back to the camp.
Chen Zaimin was exhausted and drenched in sweat. He was taken aback when he saw the three of them. "You only found vines? No big leaves? What will we use to cover the roof then?"
Xue Ninglu ran to look at the fish hanging in the tree and said with a smile, "Brother Chen, let's eat something first, and then look for fish. We're all exhausted, and we feel dehydrated after walking back. Oh, and let's open a coconut and drink some water, we can't take it anymore."
Chen Zaimin asked, "What time is it now? It seems like it's dark around eight o'clock. We still have a lot of things to do, and Lao Yao hasn't come back yet. How are we going to cook?"
Xue Ninglu rolled up her sleeves and said with a smile, "I can cook, so I can take care of this. It's almost seven o'clock now, so let's hurry up and we can still go out to look before dark. If we're so hungry that we're dizzy and can't see clearly, we won't be able to look."
Chen Zaimin had no choice but to silently build the shed himself and leave them alone.
Su Yanchen wanted to show his concern for Xue Ninglu, so he went to open a coconut. He couldn't open it with a dagger, so he used a wood-chopping knife. However, Xu Zifan's wood-chopping knife was too sharp, and he chopped the coconut in half, spilling all the coconut juice. Besides, the knife was dirty, so it was impossible to drink it.
He took another coconut and tried to open it, but still couldn't figure it out. Song Yunjian took it and fiddled with it for a few moments, finally managing to open one with great difficulty, but he messed up the opening, making it very prickly. He could only pour it into the pot to drink.
There was nowhere to wash the pot, and the coconut juice poured in was mixed with coconut skin fragments, which looked disgusting. However, everyone was so thirsty that they each took a couple of sips to quench their thirst before preparing the meal.
Xue Ninglu frowned as she mentioned the fish and asked, "How are we going to prepare this fish? The fish I bought were all cleaned, and there's no water here. We can't exactly wash them in the sea, can we?"
Su Yanchen built a pile of firewood nearby and asked the production crew for a lighter, but they refused, saying that they had to make it themselves. Su Yanchen was dumbfounded, "How are we going to start a fire with our bare hands?"
The two looked at each other, feeling even hungrier as they saw that they couldn't get any food.
Su Yanchen's heart skipped a beat. No fire, no water—could Xu Zifan really handle this? He frowned slightly and said, "I wonder where my junior brother went. Why isn't he back yet? He's good at this, so he'll definitely be able to. Our dinner tonight depends on him. We can only wait for him to come back."
Chen Zaimin frowned. These words sounded like trust, but they were actually a form of flattery that could backfire. If Xu Zifan didn't understand, wouldn't that disappoint the audience? He said, "Even the youngest brother might not know these things. He always brought a lighter when he went into the wild." He joked with a smile, "Director, are you kidding us? Are you trying to make us start a fire by rubbing sticks together? Why don't you try it yourself? This is too much."
Su Yanchen glanced at him, clearly displeased that he always protected Xu Zifan. He stepped forward to look at the tent that hadn't been set up yet and shook his head, saying, "Brother Chen, this tent is definitely not built properly. Let's discuss it again."