They chatted idly, their conversation ebbing and flowing in a gentle rhythm.
Night had deepened; it was past nine already. Mu Fu let out a soft yawn, sleepiness tugging at her. It seemed that ever since they’d left the city, with no other diversions around, sleep came much more easily at night.
Seeing her bleary-eyed and clearly drowsy, Wen Shu said with a quiet tenderness, “Why don’t you go get some rest? It’s getting late.”
Mu Fu blinked. “What about you?” she asked.
Wen Shu hesitated for a moment, then replied, “I’m not tired yet. I’ll sleep a bit later.”
Mu Fu had expected that answer. “Well, I’m not that sleepy either.” In the flickering firelight, her stubborn expression was unmistakable. Wen Shu knew she would insist on staying up with him. His heart softened unexpectedly.
“…Actually, I think I’m a little tired now.”
Only then did Mu Fu relent. “Same here,” she said with a smile.
It wasn’t until Wen Shu lay down that he realized what he’d just said. Beside him, Mu Fu curled up on her side, her big, lively eyes fixed on his profile.
Eventually, her intense gaze wore him down, and he turned toward her. “What is it?” he asked.
She beamed. “You’re really good-looking.” There was something extra charming about admiring a handsome face in such a hazy, dreamlike setting.
Flustered, Wen Shu turned his back to her and muttered, “Go to sleep. I’m tired.” Mu Fu believed him, so she didn’t tease him any further and quietly closed her eyes.
What she didn’t see was the deep blush on Wen Shu’s face as he lay turned away from her, pressing down hard on those rising feelings in his heart.
He couldn’t let his own desires put Mu Fu’s future in a difficult place. That’s why, no matter what he felt, he still couldn’t be with her.
These past few days… he told himself they were stolen moments. Wen Shu closed his eyes, quietly shouldering all the pain and despair on his own. That night passed as he lay awake, unable to sleep.
……
The next morning, as usual, Mu Fu was woken by the cheerful sounds of the little forest creatures. Once she got up and stretched, it hit her—by this afternoon, their trip would be over. She sat quietly, watching Wen Shu prepare breakfast for the two of them. Her heart was full of emotion.
When she first came here, she thought these three days would be tough to get through. But she hadn’t expected this man to make everything feel so easy… so peaceful. “I can’t believe we’re going back this afternoon,” she said softly.
Wen Shu glanced at her and replied with his usual calm, “Don’t want to go? You sure you can give up all the delicious food and fun back in Jiang City?”
Mu Fu laughed. “No, no, of course we’re going back. But maybe, when there’s time, we can come back to a place like this. I think I’ve really grown to like this kind of life.”
She looked around. From an empty patch of wild grass, this place had slowly come to life with their effort. That transformation gave her a deep sense of pride—and made her even more reluctant to leave. “We built all of this with our own hands. It’s hard not to feel a little sad about leaving,” she said, her voice tinged with melancholy.
Wen Shu replied, “Let’s take pictures later. That way we’ll have something to remember it by. A beautiful place like this… we shouldn’t just pass through and forget it.”
“You’re right! I almost forgot to take photos!” Mu Fu suddenly turned to the nearby cameramen. “Do you guys have a spare camera? I want to borrow one.”
One of the cameramen responded, “Yeah, give me a sec.” He went to their tent and brought out a camera for her.
Once Mu Fu had it in hand, she started snapping photos everywhere she turned. The soft morning light was gentle and golden, making everything in the frame look picture-perfect. She even caught Wen Shu cooking in a shot. He glanced at her, still quietly snapping away, but said nothing.
After breakfast, they started packing up. The show’s crew would be picking them up soon, and they had to erase any sign of their stay—no trash or traces left behind. By the time they finished, it was already ten o’clock. Taking everything down was, unsurprisingly, much faster than setting it up.
Mu Fu had packed all her things into her bag, and the bamboo fence around their camp was now completely gone. All that remained was a flat patch of bare earth—and a stone stove, still marked with the black traces of fire. They’d be having their last meal here, before leaving it all behind.
“Hey, what about those traps you set by the path and in the river last night?” Mu Fu suddenly remembered Wen Shu had gone out to reset them. “What if we can’t finish all the food?”
Wen Shu kept working without even looking up. “If there’s extra, we’ll just bring it back to the little courtyard.”
“In this heat? Won’t it go bad?” Mu Fu’s concern was valid—it was definitely getting hot out.
“We’ll hand it off to the production team. Let them figure it out,” Wen Shu replied, casually passing the responsibility along.
Somewhere off-camera, the director—who’d been watching everything—sighed in silence: “…”
Mu Fu clapped her hands. “Let’s go check what we caught!”
Helpless against her eager expression, Wen Shu gave in with a quiet nod.
Their haul from the river was more or less the same as usual, but after so many meals of the same thing, Mu Fu was starting to get bored. She wasn’t picky by nature—just a little spoiled from having too many options lately.
“I’m really tired of boiled or pan-fried fish,” she grumbled. “We’ve had it every single meal. It’s getting old.”
Wen Shu thought for a moment. “What if we grill it today?”
“Yes, yes! That sounds perfect!” Mu Fu lit up. “We haven’t grilled anything since we got here!”
“Then let’s check out the traps by the path,” Wen Shu suggested.
“Okay!”
One of the traps had caught a white dove. Mu Fu’s eyes lit up. “Oh wow, a dove! It’s so cute… but it’d be such a waste not to grill it. Let’s do it!”
As she spoke, Wen Shu crouched down beside the trap and studied the area. His eyes narrowed. There were fresh footprints—clearly from someone wearing shoes. The soil was recently disturbed. That meant… someone had been here this morning. He couldn’t help but suspect that the production team had swapped the catch.
Turns out, he was right. Earlier, when they overheard Wen Shu talking about what to do with the leftovers, the crew realized they’d gone overboard with the traps and used chickens that were too big. So before the couple set out to check, the producers quickly had a few vendor-donated doves swapped in instead.
Everything, of course, had been captured on camera—and the viewers were loving it. Seeing the usually serious and dignified production team do something so sneaky and childlike gave the whole show a more lighthearted charm. Suddenly, it all felt a little more relatable.
Mu Fu noticed Wen Shu wasn’t answering her. Instead, he seemed to be looking for something. Curious, she asked, “What’s up? What are you looking for?”
Only then did Wen Shu respond. “Nothing. Did you say something just now? Sorry—I wasn’t really paying attention.”
Mu Fu waved it off. “It’s fine.” Then she looked at him with hopeful eyes and pleaded, “Wen Shu-shu, I really wanna try grilled dove… can we?”
“Yes, of course!” Wen Shu cut her off quickly. The way she asked—so sweet and full of charm—it completely disarmed him.
By the time they finished prepping and made it back to camp, it was already eleven o’clock. They got the fire going quickly. With limited spices out here, they had to settle for a simple, rustic-style barbecue. But to Mu Fu, that only added to the flavor.
“This is amazing!” she exclaimed. The dove was grilled to a golden crisp, glistening with juice. Each bite was crunchy, smoky, and full of flavor. Wen Shu took her compliment with quiet composure.
It didn’t take long before they’d eaten everything—there wasn’t a scrap left. Still licking her lips, Mu Fu sighed, “When we get back, I want to have a proper barbecue—like, really go all out!” The meal had fully awakened her cravings.
Wen Shu paused mid-cleanup. “Mm.” It was all he said. He didn’t offer to cook for her like he usually would—no “I’ll make it for you,” nothing.
Because from that moment on, Wen Shu had already begun to distance himself from Mu Fu. She didn’t notice. She was too wrapped up in the excitement of finally heading back.
Around 2 PM, they began walking the same trail they came in on, heading back to their original landing site, where a helicopter was waiting. The production team had arranged for two helicopters to pick everyone up, rotating in a specific order.
After waiting a little while back at the base, Mu Fu and Wen Shu saw Bian Jincheng and Bai Tingting approaching.
Bian Jincheng lit up when he saw Mu Fu. “How was it these past few days? You doing alright?”
Mu Fu smiled. “Pretty good. The food and lodging were both great.”
His gaze darkened slightly. “Did you two stay together the whole time?”
“Oh? Weren’t you two as well?” Mu Fu asked, turning the question back on them.
The moment he heard that, Bian Jincheng’s smile faltered. Just the thought of Mu Fu spending nights with Wen Shu these past few days sent a sharp wave of jealousy through him.
And the truth was—he and Bai Tingting hadn’t been staying together. On the very first night, Bai Tingting had an unfortunate incident—she brushed up against a caterpillar covered in stinging hairs and broke out in a full-body rash.
That night, she slept alone in the tent while Bian Jincheng stayed out by the fire. The next day, the rash improved a bit but hadn’t gone away completely. So Bai Tingting stayed in camp the whole day while Bian Jincheng handled everything on his own.He didn’t dare let her venture out again—who knew what else might happen?
In his mind, Bai Tingting was kind of jinxed. She’d been running into problems ever since the beginning. But he never said anything aloud. That night, not wanting to make things awkward, he slept by the fire again.
So yes—technically, he and Bai Tingting hadn’t spent a single night together. He understood, of course, that everyone’s situation might be different. But until he heard it from Mu Fu’s own lips, he’d held on to a sliver of hope. Now that hope had quietly slipped away.
Burying his disappointment deep down, he smiled and replied, “No.”
“Huh? Then where did you sleep? I thought you guys only had one tent?” Mu Fu looked genuinely surprised—she was pretty sure she remembered that correctly.
Just then, Bai Tingting, who’d been silent this whole time, suddenly spoke up. “Jincheng slept outside to take care of me.”
Bian Jincheng glanced at her after she spoke but said nothing. What she said was true—just not the whole story.
Axolotl Translations 
Leave a comment