Knots

"Little Bei, where's your phone?"

Jiang Bei's hesitation drew everyone's attention. Under all those eyes, he took two phones out of his bag.

They were the same model, except one had a purple case and the other a black one. The carefree variety-show regular Xie Tiantian immediately burst out laughing. "Jiang Bei, why do you have two phones? And they're even the same model."

"One's for work and one's personal." A cold sweat beaded on Jiang Bei's forehead as he held down the power button, hurriedly shutting off the phone logged into his alt account.

"Personal, huh~" Xie Tiantian drawled suggestively. "Don't tell me it's for contacting a girlfriend? Hahaha."

"Don't joke around, Sister Xie. Aren't all my girlfriends in the livestream right now?"

The barrage erupted in shrieks again. At last, Jiang Bei put the powered-off phone in the basket and breathed a sigh of relief.

Besides the alt account he used to go wild online in private, that phone contained plenty of evidence damaging to his image. No one should be able to guess its passcode.

Yi Wan was the last to put his phone in the basket. Just as he was withdrawing his hand, Jiang Bei's voice reached his ears. "Yi Wan..."

"We haven't said hello since we got here, have we? Long time no see. Though... I guess we were former teammates." Jiang Bei smiled at him. "Long time no see. Good luck to you too."

The livestream viewers and paid trolls immediately sprang up again.

"I remember now! Isn't this Yi Wan the one who bullied Jiang Bei at A.T. and forced him to switch companies?"

"Fuck, how did he become Ding Biehan's friend? Even my opinion of Little Ding just went down."

"This guy didn't even say hello to Beibei when he arrived. So rude—and Beibei still had to take the initiative to make peace. I feel so bad for Beibei."

The incident that had caused an uproar some days ago resurfaced in the viewers' minds. In an instant, explainers on Yi Wan's dirt, denunciations of Yi Wan, and sympathy for Jiang Bei flooded the entire livestream again.

Convinced they knew the truth, the viewers immediately began to chatter, with no shortage of paid trolls slipping in among them while pretending to be ordinary passersby.

"Did the production team deliberately cast them together to milk the controversy? This won't blow over unless whoever planned it loses their fucking dad."

"Just a passerby here. Feel awful for Jiang Bei—bullied outside the show, and now used for clout on it too."

"I saw an exposé thread on Douban before. Could that parachuted-in connection-made nobody in it be Yi Wan?"

"Don't be so reluctant to give up your phones. After the show ends, there'll be a surprise segment, you know?" the director said. "Before we begin, let me ask everyone: what do you know about wilderness survival?"

The others went around answering, all expressing their love of hiking or travel and their sincerity in joining the show. When it was Ding Biehan's turn, the director said, "Little Ding, you don't need to say anything. Everyone's looking forward to your performance."

Everyone smiled amicably. When it came to Jiang Bei, the athlete Wang Zhen, who had just demonstrated his skill, spoke first. "Actually, I'm a little worried about Little Bei. He looks so..."

Amid the concern of all the doting-mom fans in the barrage, Jiang Bei smiled a little shyly, his fair earlobes delicate and endearing. "I've actually always been interested in wilderness survival. When I was in high school, there was a very famous movie called Wilderness Survival. The male lead, 'Brother Bei,' was my idol. His perseverance inspired me. After that, I fell in love with hiking and rock climbing... I hope everyone can see a side of me that's different from the one onstage."

He casually mentioned several famous survival manuals. This was the script his manager had decided he should perform after a crash course.

"Wow!"

"Baby's contrast is so adorable!"

"So talented at music, and a fitness buff in private too, hhh."

The viewers could not help developing an enormous fondness for this young man who seemed capable yet humble.

They turned to the judges' livestream. Sure enough, the dark-haired, blue-eyed foreigner there was nodding and smiling.

That was right: neither Yi Wan nor Jiang Bei had expected the show's judging panel to be so impressive.

The production team had actually invited the real-life inspiration for Brother Bei, the male lead of Wilderness Survival—explorer Alexander Bateman, whose wife was a major Hollywood director!

And besides him, the other four judges seated nearby were Yan He, a professor at Yanchuan University; variety-show host Jing Jingjing; Zheng Zilong, chairman of a wilderness-survival club and a famous television director; and, most surprisingly, the famously low-profile former top idol and current Best Actor...

Yu Rongshi.

"This young man is a fan of yours too," Professor Yan He said to Bateman in English with a genial smile.

"I'm looking forward to his performance," Bateman said in clumsy Chinese, his eyes full of anticipation for Jiang Bei.

Only Yu Rongshi held a teacup and smiled. His eyes seemed to be looking at Yi Wan, yet also seemed to be looking at nothing at all.

"Yi Wan, what experience do you have with wilderness survival?"

Facing the camera, Yi Wan thought for a moment and answered candidly, "In middle school, I took second place in the city orienteering competition and the biology competition. Before coming here, I also learned some things on Baidu."

"...Middle-school competitions? Learning from Baidu?"

"I'm fucking dying, he's so bad at this and isn't even trying to hide it."

"Could this guy be riding Jiang Bei's clout, then expecting Jiang Bei to take care of him on the show too?"

"Fuck, am I the only one who finds this dude's earnestness kind of hilarious, lol?"

The livestream viewers mocked him relentlessly. "At least Little Yi is honest," the director said with a laugh.

Next came the inspection of their personal gear. Because of the five-kilogram limit, everyone had to painfully remove most of what they had brought. Jiang Bei had to remove the most. He had brought three bottles of mineral water and asked the production team, "Will you provide water during the trip?"

"No. You'll have to find everything yourselves," the production team said. "But in a true emergency, each of you has three limited chances to ask for help."

Jiang Bei could only reluctantly take out one bottle of mineral water, leaving several packs of compressed biscuits and other odds and ends.

The barrage immediately expressed understanding.

"Of course you have to make lots of preparations before entering the jungle. Little Bei is so dependable and thoughtful."

Ding Biehan had brought a sharp short knife. When the production team asked whether it was safe, he picked it up and gave it a few practiced flourishes.

"I have sufficient experience using it," he said flatly.

—On both people and objects.

He cast a distant glance at Yi Wan. The other man was lost in thought and ignored his gaze.

The barrage was briefly cowed, cautiously discussing where Ding Biehan's skills had come from.

When it was Yi Wan's turn, the viewers were surprised. Compared with everyone else's—Ding Biehan's included—bulging backpacks, his was light and compact, clearly nowhere near five kilograms.

"?? Am I seeing this right? Why is his bag so light?"

"Maybe he's given up before even going in."

Meanwhile, people in the dug-up Douban exposé thread mocked this connection-made nobody while watching the livestream. Even the other participating celebrities wore disdainful expressions at the sight of Yi Wan's bag.

Jing Jingjing on the judging panel could not help laughing. "Actually, giving up from the very beginning is kind of cute too."

Zheng Zilong shook his head as well. Yan He, though, looked at Yi Wan's bag with some curiosity.

Yi Wan opened it. When they saw what was inside, the celebrities present looked even stranger.

What was all this stuff?

A lens, a piece of black cloth, a small iron box, a knife, a bag of salt and some seasoning powder, a flashlight, a small bottle of kerosene, a black stone, a sheet of waterproof fabric, and several lengths of rope.

There were also some miscellaneous items no one could make sense of.

The viewers discussed it in confusion. But as the contents of the backpack appeared, Alexander Bateman, who had spoken little because he was not fluent in the language, sat up straight.

He looked at the young man on the screen, a flicker of excitement and curiosity passing through his eyes.

"Why didn't you even bring food? You only brought salt?" Yao Yue looked incredulous.

"A lot of things can be obtained in the jungle," Yi Wan said. "Since that's the case, there's no need to add to my load from the start."

"I don't get you," Yao Yue said. "Don't come asking us for food when you have nothing to eat later."

Ding Biehan looked at Yi Wan's pack with some puzzlement too, a trace of interest flashing in his eyes.

"All right, you've packed up. Let's set off," the director said. "Please travel light and hand your packs to the staff. They'll return them once you reach your destination."

The celebrities did not understand the meaning of the director's subtle smile and handed over their packs.

The group boarded a helicopter to the filming site. The helicopter whirred through the air and soon arrived over a stretch of forest.

The livestream viewers also chattered about the gear they had brought. Most of them assumed Yi Wan would hold everyone back, and the Polestars took the opportunity to keep cursing people and controlling the barrage.

At last, the helicopter hovered over a lake. Under everyone's bewildered gazes, they finally understood what the director intended!

"What? We're supposed to figure out how to get from here to shore ourselves?" The first person to protest was surprisingly not the delicate-looking Yao Yue, but Jiang Zefang, who styled himself a manly big brother. "Are you kidding me?"

"You are survivors of a plane crash. The aircraft is about to crash into this lake, and your task is to escape it before it does. The plane will gradually descend until it is submerged. You must jump before it drops to a certain altitude," a staff member said.

That did resemble a scene from the famous movie. Little BAI's group had also jumped from the plane before it crashed into the forest, landing in a lake to escape.

"This is the first stage of today's survival task. The sooner you complete it, the sooner you get ashore. You need to reach the gathering camp to the north by six this evening—you may do it alone or cooperate with others. Don't worry; this diving height isn't enough to be fatal," the staff member said. "Of course, you can also choose to use the rope ladder, but then you'll have to complete a punishment task."

"I can jump, but I'm not a good swimmer..." Xie Tiantian struggled. "What if I can't make it across?"

"We'll send a bamboo raft to pick you up, but then you can only complete the punishment task," the staff member said.

Xie Tiantian got a little creeped out.

No one wanted to show weakness on the first stage and wind up doing a punishment task. Jiang Zefang was furious. "Getting in the water in weather like this..."

Just as he was about to argue, Ding Biehan beside him was already the first to jump in wearing a life vest!

The livestream footage made the viewers scream. Ding Biehan entered the water headfirst, decisive and precise, like a sword. Ordinary people were stunned for a moment by the impact of hitting the water. Ding Biehan, however, did not pause at all. He swam to shore at top speed, quickly climbed out, shook out his wet hair, accepted his pack from the staff with the coldest possible air, and began examining the nearby forest.

It was his habit, as the male lead of an infinite-flow story, to scout every location.

"He's faster than I am." The athlete Wang Zhen stood on the aircraft, dumbfounded.

"He looks really strong," Jing Jingjing remarked in the commentary room.

Zheng Zilong watched Ding Biehan's entry into the water with a smile but said nothing. To Professor Yan He, he said, "Little Ding is in excellent physical condition."

Choosing the next person gave everyone trouble. Even knowing the lake was safe, the athlete Wang Zhen hesitated. Yao Yue poked Jiang Bei in the back and said, "Little Bei, give us a demonstration too."

Jiang Bei's calves were trembling just from looking at the water. He had only read some materials; no one had ever said the show would require diving!

Just as Wang Zhen was about to grit his teeth and take the lead, Yi Wan, who had been standing silently beside him, jumped.

"Holy shit??"

A flood of shock swept through the barrage. Only after Yi Wan hit the water did someone say:

"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread, I guess."

"But he's a little braver than I expected. He looks so pretty-boyish."

"Doesn't Jiang Bei like wilderness survival? Why's he hiding behind the girls instead of jumping?"

Amateurs watched the excitement; experts watched the technique. The moment Zheng Zilong saw Yi Wan's jumping posture, his eyes lit up!

It was the most standard position for minimizing impact injuries—nothing like a beginner!

Yi Wan swam to shore. Even he was a little puzzled by how skilled he was in the water. The sense of fluency even made him feel that he was "a little faster than before."

But when had he ever had experience swimming in a lake?

Yi Wan walked over to the staff and took his pack as well. The next person to jump from the aircraft was Wang Zhen, whose movements were somewhat less practiced. The person after Wang Zhen was unexpected: not anyone who claimed to be manly and skilled, but Xie Tiantian.

"I can do it! Doggy paddle!"

This girl looked carefree, but she was truly brave. Nearing the shore, she was running out of strength and flailing in the water. The staff stood by and told the group, "There won't be replacement jackets if anyone goes into the water again."

Wang Zhen anxiously tried to reach out and grab her from shore, but he could not reach.

"Wang Zhen is such a good man. What about Yi Wan? Why isn't he doing anything?"

"A bully celeb is a bully celeb, sure enough."

Amid the stormy barrage, Yi Wan did something no one expected.

He picked up two wooden sticks from the shore.

"Is he going to use sticks to fish her out?"

"They're so short. Will that work?"

Each stick was shorter than Xie Tiantian's current distance from shore. But Yi Wan took a length of hemp rope from his pack. At one end of the longitudinal joint between the two sticks, he tied a three-loop knot; then he wrapped the other end several times and tied another one, finally inserting a securing peg between the sticks.

The two sticks formed a long pole. The viewers stared, dumbstruck, at his practiced movements.

"Is that knot really secure?"

"That's a whole person! Can something like that pull up someone that big? Won't it break?"

In the commentary room, Bateman watched Yi Wan's familiar movements and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Author's Note:

Yao Yue (the actress who keeps adding scenes) is a bit delicate and dramatic, but she isn't a bad person.