CH 70

Ch 70: Your Feet are Bad

A staff member immediately wanted to call the medical team to rescue them, but the director stoped them with a gesture, "Wait a moment..."

After Qin Jingshan fell, a member of the filming crew approached her and asked, but she gritted her teeth and shook her head. She said something, and the staff member stepped back.

"It doesn't seem too serious. Let's wait and see," said the director, motioning for everyone to sit down and continue watching.

Shao Junling heard Qin Jingshan's exclamation and turned back. He circled around Qin Jingshan and said, "You fell."

Upon hearing his words, Qin Jingshan became furious. To be honest, she had been frustrated all the way here.

After the host announced the rule, she was originally quite happy. Shao Junling volunteered to lead the way with the map, and she followed him. Having watched the first episode, she knew Shao Junling was very clever.

But as they walked, Qin Jingshan started feeling uncomfortable because Shao Junling didn't cooperate with her at all. That guy was like a lone wolf, completely disregarding her feelings.

At first, Qin Jingshan occasionally stopped him to check the map. When she found that Shao Junling was following the correct route, she had nothing to say. Besides, she had been worried that Shao Junling would slow her down before, so his current behavior should actually make her relieved.

So she kept following behind Shao Junling, constantly chasing his pace, enduring hardships until she accidentally fell just now.

Now, hearing Shao Junling say this, Qin Jingshan found a way to vent her building frustration.

"Can you still walk?" Shao Junling looked at her and asked again.

Qin Jingshan deliberately said with annoyance, "My foot hurts. I can't walk."

She was so exhausted and had just stumbled. Although she didn't twist her ankle completely, her ankle was a little sore. It was a good opportunity to take a rest.

Shao Junling made a sound of acknowledgement and turned around to leave.

Qin Jingshan: "???" What does this mean? Is he just leaving by himself?

Only after Shao Junling walked away for a bit, Qin Jingshan registered it and shouted at his back, "Shao Junling! This is teamwork! Even if you arrive alone, it won't count for points!"

Shao Junling paused his steps, and then even started jogging.

Qin Jingshan watched him disappear in front of her and became completely enraged. The exhaustion from the long walk, the pain from her fall, and Shao Junling's indifferent attitude threw her emotions off balance.

In all her life, had she ever experienced such cold treatment from someone?

Because of her outstanding appearance, she was always treated with care by anyone who saw her. But this Shao Junling, repeatedly rejected her, and now that she was in trouble, he actually abandoned her and left!

The cameraman was continuing to shoot, and just the thought of her disheveled appearance being captured and presented on TV made Qin Jingshan feel extremely embarrassed.

She could already imagine what the audience would say about her...

--- Qin An's daughter is indeed just a pretty face, all show and no substance.

--- She's already nineteen years old, yet she still relies on an eleven-year-old boy to complete tasks.

--- Haha, she got abandoned!

Qin Jingshan covered her face with her hands, not wanting the cameraman to capture her expression anymore.

While Qin Jingshan was feeling depressed, the people watching from the studio clearly saw that Shao Junling ran while looking around, as if searching for something.

The onlookers saw Shao Junling pick up a dry branch from a pile of bushes, forcefully poking it into the ground until it snapped. Shao Junling casually tossed it aside and continued searching.

At that moment, someone speculated, "Is Shao Junling looking for something to use as a crutch for Qin Jingshan?"

Everyone suddenly realized it! Qin Jingshan couldn't stand up because of her twisted foot, but with a crutch, she might still be able to walk. Shao Junling hadn't given up!

Qin Jingshan remained seated, unable to gather her spirits.

After Shao Junling left, she had no map and didn't know how to proceed with the task.

During this time, she had many negative thoughts, including pretending to give up due to the injury or directly complaining to the production team about Shao Junling's lack of cooperation, saying that she couldn't continue the task... After all, it wasn't her fault. It was Shao Junling who abandoned her first and left.

While lost in her thoughts, she heard footsteps...

Qin Jingshan looked up and saw Shao Junling standing in front of her, sweating profusely, holding a wooden stick in his hand.

Shao Junling had searched nearby for a full twenty minutes before finding a piece of wood that could support Qin Jingshan. "Here," he wiped his sweat and handed the branch to Qin Jingshan.

Qin Jingshan was stunned, her mind went blank for a moment... Shao Junling didn't leave? He found a crutch for her?

But before she could be moved for more than two seconds, Shao Junling's next words made her collapse once again.

"Why are you crying?" Shao Junling looked at her in surprise.

Qin Jingshan wiped her eyes and retorted, "Shut up, I'm not!"

...Her eyes had just tingled, causing two drops of tears to fall. She hadn't cried at all.

Shao Junling silently observed her for a few seconds and uttered a single word, "Oh."

Qin Jingshan exclaimed, "...Oh, my foot!"

Supporting herself with the crutch, Qin Jingshan stood up and was astonished to find that Shao Junling had rounded the top of the tree branch, making it more comfortable to hold—this considerate detail that touched her deeply. She was holding back her tears earlier, but she felt the urge to let them fall.

Seeing her eyes reddening, Shao Junling asked, "Does it hurt a lot?"

"It's extremely painful," Qin Jingshan deliberately replied, disguising her own vulnerability.

Shao Junling responded with another "Oh" and asked, "Do you want to rest a bit more?"

Qin Jingshan glared at him, "If I rest any longer, others will catch up, and what if we end up in last place?"

Shao Junling replied, "There's nothing we can do... Your foot isn't functioning properly."

Qin Jingshan fell silent.

This little guy certainly had a way of making her explode with just one sentence!

Qin Jingshan sighed and decided not to argue with him anymore, urging him, "Let's go quickly."

Shao Junling looked at her with suspicion. "Are you able to walk?"

Qin Jingshan waved the wooden stick as if threatening to hit him. Shao Junling, startled, took two steps back like a monkey, touched his nose, and then turned around to lead the way.

But from then on, Shao Junling no longer ignored Qin Jingshan as he did before. Although he maintained a certain distance from her, he would glance back, and even stop to wait for Qin Jingshan.

This way of interaction now was reminiscent of how he had treated You Luming and Qin Xifeng before.

Qin Jingshan rested sufficiently and with Shao Junling's constant attention, the previous sense of frustration gradually dissipated, and she found Shao Junling more pleasing to the eye.

After walking for a while, they reached a corner, and Shao Junling came back to her, "Wait here."

Qin Jingshan asked, "Huh?"

Shao Junling explained with the map in his hand, "I'm going to get some food. Don't go anywhere. We'll depart from here after we finish eating."

Qin Jingshan understood. Shao Junling intended to go alone to find food supplies and then they would continue their journey from this point. It was the shortest distance, so she wouldn't have to accompany him on this trip. However, Qin Jingshan was still an adult, and she couldn't let a child like Shao Junling go and fetch food for her. If anything happened to Shao Junling or if he fell like she did, she would be neglecting her duty.

"I'll go with you," Qin Jingshan said.

Shao Junling, however, insisted, "No, your foot won't make it."

Qin Jingshan sighed, unsure of how to respond.

Shao Junling pointed to the protruding tree root behind her, "Sit here and rest."

He had noticed the tree root and instructed Qin Jingshan to stop here.

Qin Jingshan chuckled, "I'm fine." Although her foot was a bit sore, walking was indeed much easier with the crutch.

Whether it was because Qin Jingshan's attitude had improved or Shao Junling's tone had lost its intimidating force, he simply wouldn't listen. He stubbornly pulled her towards the tree root and said, "You, listen to me, or else my brother will get mad at me."

Qin Jingshan was speechless.

Being sternly told to "listen" by a child, Qin Jingshan's heart skipped a beat for a moment.

In that moment of distraction, Shao Junling had already run off.

Qin Jingshan watched Shao Junling's small figure disappear into the distance. Her expression gradually softened.

... This little guy really has the demeanor of a young man.

No wonder she had noticed her own sister stealing glances at him unintentionally after the last shoot...

On the screen, Qin Jingshan's face appeared in the center, lost in a daze due to being moved.

The staff members couldn't help but smile foolishly when they saw her expression.

The chief director stroked his chin, "Excellent, Shao Junling has conquered Qin Jingshan with a third tree branch. Now all the female contestants in the group have fallen for him."

Everyone was momentarily stunned at his words, recalling the joke Huang Han had made in the previous episode to Yin Chang and Qin Jingshan. They all burst into laughter, "That's right! Let's highlight this fact in post-production!"

On the screen, the remaining three pairs of contestants were also making progress.

Due to Qin Jingshan's twisted ankle, their group's progress was slightly slower. Currently, besides Yin Chang and Xue Ziwen, the best cooperation and fastest speed came from Huang Han and Guo Yiheng.

Guo Yiheng said to Huang Han, "As long as we secure first place, there's a high chance for my brother and me to win the trophy! My brother is also very capable. I think he won't settle for anything less than second or third!"

Huang Han replied, "Great, let's do our best!"

Huang Han didn't consider the trophy for himself. He knew Wang Chen had little chance of achieving a high score. So he wanted to work hard and earn some points to support his poor uncle and sister.

Upon hearing Guo Yiheng's words, the staff members turned their attention to Lang Chizhi's performance.

After watching for a while, they couldn't help but reveal smiles of amusement. At this moment, Lang Chizhi had completely become a shy and naive young boy. He only wanted to make Qin Xifeng happy along the way, picking flowers for her here and admiring the scenery there, walking slowly and without any sense of competition.

The most miserable were Wang Chen and You Luming. Outdoor hiking was already difficult, and You Luming kept crying. Wang Chen had long given up on competing for rankings. If he could successfully bring You Luming to the destination, he would be grateful.

Towards the end, Xue Ziwen was on the verge of giving up due to exhaustion. Yin Chang kept encouraging him, "Xue Ziwen, come on, hold on a little longer, and you'll be the first! Just think about the expression on your uncle's face. He will definitely look at you with admiration!"

Under the mesmerizing brainwashing of Yin Chang, Xue Ziwen grumbled and crawled to the finish line, securing first place with Yin Chang.

As a result, they sat for over half an hour before the second-place contestants, Huang Han and Guo Yiheng, arrived.

Shao Junling and Qin Jingshan followed closely behind Huang Han's group, with a gap of only ten minutes. Qin Jingshan felt somewhat guilty upon learning this. If she hadn't fallen, they could have been second.

The fourth place went to the laid-back contestants, Lang Chizhi and Qin Xifeng, who had been "enjoying the journey."

After the four pairs of contestants, they waited at the finish line for a full hour and a half before the belated arrival of Wang Chen and You Luming.

Qin Jingshan: You ignore me, neglect me, and show no consideration. You're too much!

Shao Junling: Sister, the initial impression you gave me was that you were capable! If I had known you weren't, I would have treated you like You Luming and Qin Xifeng.

Qin Jingshan: …