Mu Fu let out a quiet huff. She was feeling a little off. She mumbled under her breath, “Let’s see if you really don’t come in tonight…”
Outside, Wen Shu sat beside the fire, eyes fixed on the flickering flames. Whatever was on his mind, he didn’t show it.
Back in the tent, Mu Fu began to feel the day’s exhaustion creeping in. From morning until now, they’d been constantly moving—it had drained her.
The tent had an inflatable base, and the ground they chose was perfectly flat. Lying down felt surprisingly comfortable.
The temperature was mild, not too cold, so Mu Fu pulled a blanket over her stomach. Her eyelids started to flutter. Not long after, she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
Over an hour later, when Wen Shu no longer heard any movement from the tent, he finally unzipped the entrance and stepped inside. The moment he saw Mu Fu curled up, fast asleep, his whole demeanor softened.
Carefully, he laid down beside her, trying not to make a sound. Facing her, he studied her sleeping face for a moment—soft, calm, beautiful. Then he gently closed his eyes.
……
The second day in the forest.
At the crack of dawn, Mu Fu was woken by the sound of birds chirping—loud, constant, and impossible to ignore.
She opened her eyes, groggy and disoriented, forgetting for a moment where she was. It wasn’t until the memories of yesterday slowly came back that she remembered—they’d arrived at the forest.
She sat up with a start, the blanket sliding off her as she moved. Glancing around, she realized the sky was already bright. The inside of the tent was now fully visible in the daylight.
Wen Shu stirred the moment she moved. “What’s wrong?” he asked, rubbing his eyes.
“N-nothing,” she said quickly, voice shy. Only then did she remember—they’d slept next to each other last night.
“Still sleepy? Want to rest a bit more?” His tone was gentle, full of care.
“No, I’m good. I fell asleep pretty early anyway.” She checked her watch—it was only 6:30.
She was surprised by how quickly her internal clock had adjusted. Back home, she’d never be up this early—usually not until after eight. But then again, her office was close by.
Now that Wen Shu was awake too, neither of them felt like sleeping anymore. He sat up, ready to start the day.
Wen Shu slowly unzipped the tent. The sky outside was already turning pale, soft beams of golden sunlight streaming through the gaps in the leaves overhead.
He ran a hand through his cropped hair and walked over to the firepit. Time to add some wood and get breakfast started.
After he left, Mu Fu gave herself a quick once-over, checking to make sure nothing was out of place. Satisfied, she grabbed her toiletries and stepped out of the tent. The idea of spending three days out here without brushing her teeth or washing her face was simply unbearable.
She made her way to the water station and poured a bit into her cup.
Wen Shu turned his head. “What do you feel like eating this morning? Not sure if anything got caught across the river last night.”
Mu Fu had toothpaste in her mouth, so her answer was muffled: “Anything’s fine.”
“I’ll go check the traps, then,” he said. One was the bamboo basket submerged in the river, the other set along the path animals usually took toward the water.
Mu Fu nodded. “Be careful!”
“Mm. Keep an eye on the fire while I’m gone. If the water boils, take it off—it’ll be our drinking water for the day. Oh, and did you use all the water in the bottle? I’ll refill it later.”
“What about you? Aren’t you going to brush your teeth or wash up?” Mu Fu had purposely left some water for him.
Wen Shu replied, “Nah, I’ll do it by the river.”
“Okay.” With that, she used the rest—she still needed more for washing her face.
“Here,” Mu Fu said, handing him the now-empty bottle.
Wen Shu took it without hesitation. After letting her know he was heading out, he made his way to check the traps by the river.
By the time he got there, his pant legs were damp. The difference in temperature between day and night in the forest was noticeable, and the air was thick with moisture. As he walked, dew from the leaves clung to him in glistening drops.
But he didn’t mind.
First, he freshened up and filled the bottle with clean river water.
Then he checked the bamboo basket in the river—and the catch wasn’t bad. Maybe it was because so few people ever came here, but the fish and shrimp seemed a little… slow. Inside were three lively crucian carp, three crabs, and five or six river shrimp. It was a better haul than last night. Maybe the longer soaking time helped too.
This time, Wen Shu had brought a plastic bag to carry the catch. It might not hold up well, but there was no time to weave another bamboo basket. Honestly, he hadn’t expected the river to be this abundant.
After taking the fish and shrimp out of the trap, Wen Shu dug up a few earthworms and tossed them into the bamboo basket as bait to lure in more river shrimp. Once everything was set, he lowered the trap back into the water—now it was just a matter of waiting for the next catch.
He pulled on his shoes and socks and headed over to check the second trap.
Even before he got close, he heard frantic flapping—something with wings. He quickened his pace.
As he approached, he saw the source of the noise: a hen. But it didn’t look like a wild chicken—it was way too plump. Wild birds never grew this well-fed.
Wen Shu thought for a moment and quickly figured it out: the production team.
He wasn’t wrong. The hen had indeed been planted by the showrunners. Back when he and Mu Fu were setting the trap, the director had been watching their live feed. Once they walked away, he instructed the crew to place the prepared hen into the trap.
They’d also inspected the bamboo basket earlier, and if nothing had been caught, they would’ve tossed in some fish themselves. They weren’t about to let their contestants starve—this was a dating show, after all, not a survival one.
Same went for the other guests. As long as someone set a trap, the crew made sure there was something waiting inside it later.
When Wen Shu returned, Mu Fu’s jaw practically dropped. She stared at the hen in his hands, eyes wide with disbelief.
“What the… Where did that come from? Is that from the forest?” she asked, stunned.
“Probably not,” Wen Shu whispered, leaning close to her ear. “I think the crew planted it.”
His breath brushed against her skin, sending a tingling wave through her. She instinctively pulled back a little.
Once she’d composed herself, she muttered under her breath, “Aha, I knew it. The crew finally grew a conscience. At least they’re not planning to starve us.”
Wen Shu set the chicken on the ground and chuckled. “Even if they didn’t provide anything, I still wouldn’t let you go hungry.”
There was so much warmth and certainty in his voice that Mu Fu couldn’t help but smile—big and bright. In a place as bare and rough as this, having someone who always thought ahead for her, who quietly handled everything… she felt lucky.
Wen Shu had already cleaned the fish and shrimp by the river, so all that was left was to toss them into the pot.
It wasn’t exactly ideal to eat fried food so early in the morning, but out here, they didn’t have the luxury of choice. So they stuck with the same simple dish from the night before.
As for the chicken, they didn’t have time to prep it, so they decided to save it for dinner.
While stirring the food in the pan, Wen Shu said casually, “Today, we should go out and look for some wild vegetables or fruits. We’ve got enough meat now, so let’s try to balance it with something green. No matter where we are, we should still try to live well.”
Mu Fu nodded in agreement. “I was thinking the same thing. Should we head out right after breakfast?”
“Let’s wait a little,” Wen Shu replied. “We’ll go after the sun has fully come out. Everything’s still soaked with dew right now—it’s easy to get our clothes wet.”
When Mu Fu saw Wen Shu return earlier, she noticed his clothes were damp and assumed he’d splashed water on himself while brushing his teeth by the river. She hadn’t expected it was from trekking through dew-covered grass.
“Do you want to change into something dry? Your clothes look soaked,” she asked with a hint of concern.
“No need,” he said, focused on the cooking. “The fire will dry them soon enough.”
Mu Fu figured he had a point and let it go.
Wen Shu added, “And later we’ll need to cut down more bamboo. We still haven’t finished building the shelter.”
She was surprised—he actually remembered that little suggestion she made in passing. Mu Fu had completely forgotten about it herself.
Yesterday, they had prioritized building the fence. As it got late and the bamboo ran out, she hadn’t brought up the shelter again.
Looking at him now, silently working away, Mu Fu felt deeply moved. From the moment they got here, Wen Shu had barely let her lift a finger. And even when she helped, it was always something light and easy.
She squatted down beside him, quietly watching his every move.
Surrounded by the lush, vibrant forest, with plumes of smoke rising from the stove, the scene before her felt like a painting—peaceful, grounded, and full of life.
After finishing breakfast, Mu Fu and Wen Shu gave the pots and dishes a quick rinse, then grabbed their tools and headed out.
They spent the entire morning building the shelter. By the time they were done, the morning dew in the forest had already evaporated under the sun.
They had a simple lunch and rested a bit before starting their search for wild vegetables.
The afternoon sun was strong, but the temperature in the forest was bearable. Most of the heat was absorbed by the surrounding trees. Still, Mu Fu felt hot and stuffy. Both of them had beads of sweat glistening on their foreheads.
She wiped her brow with her sleeve. “Ugh, it’s so hot!”
Wen Shu glanced at her when he heard that. Her fair cheeks had turned red from the heat, and his heart ached a little seeing her like that. “Why don’t we take a break for a bit?” he suggested.
“Good idea!”
They found a fallen log and sat down to rest. Once seated, Mu Fu took off her hat and used it to fan herself. With each warm gust of air, she felt a little more alive.
“You okay?” Wen Shu asked, watching her closely, unable to hide his concern.
Turning slightly toward him with a soft, playful voice, Mu Fu said, “Not really. I feel like I’m about to get heatstroke.”
“Where does it hurt?” Wen Shu immediately unscrewed his water bottle and handed it to her—he had been carrying all their water. He even leaned closer and gently touched her cheek with his cool hand, trying to lower her temperature.
After taking a sip of water, Mu Fu smiled and said, “I was just joking—it’s just really hot. I just need to rest a bit.”
Axolotl Translations 
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