Let Me Be Spoiled - Chapter 45

Xu Huayi collected the travel packs from the production team and handed them out to Xie Yan and Ruan Anning.

He smiled at Xie Yan and lowered his voice. “Don’t worry. The production team won’t make things too hard on us.”

Xie Yan paused for a moment. Walking beside Xu Huayi, he shook his head.

Ruan Anning didn’t seem to hear their conversation. She had already walked ahead on her own.

The mountain wasn’t especially tall, but by the time they reached the summit, it was already late afternoon.

Their travel packs contained tents, blankets, matches, and a few changes of clothes—nothing else.

Xu Huayi walked around the summit and decided where to set up camp. He and Ruan Anning had experience so they pitched their tents quickly and efficiently. Xie Yan, though he had practiced ahead of time, still fumbled with the setup, moving slowly and awkwardly.

Xu Huayi called over to him, “No rush, take your time. An An and I will go look for food. We’ll help you when we get back.”

Xie Yan nodded and continued setting up his tent.

Not far away, the director couple were sweetly bickering while setting up a two-person tent. Wang Yuan had chosen a spot much farther away from the rest.

After Xie Yan finished his tent, he didn’t go out. He laid out his blanket, gathered some dry firewood, and stacked it neatly beside the tent.

By the time Xu Huayi and Ruan Anning headed out, it was already late. Although the production crew had checked the area ahead of time, the mountain trails were still difficult. They returned with some berries. That night, the three of them sat around the fire, stomachs growling, and each ate a handful.

The team next to them had barely found anything. So hungry they couldn’t bear it, they came over to beg for berries. Xu Huayi took full advantage and extorted them harshly. The others agreed without complaint. They were truly desperate.

After dinner and some chatting, everyone retreated to their tents for the night. Xie Yan changed clothes and lay down on the stiff bedding. For the first time that day, he turned on his phone. Though they were allowed to bring phones, there was no way to charge them on the mountain. Once the battery died, the phone became nothing more than a brick.

Xie Yan wanted to save his charge in case he needed to contact Fu Qing, so he powered it off right after.

Now, when he turned it on, he saw messages from Fu Qing in WeChat. The first was sent at 10 a.m., followed by two more around 3 p.m., and the last one at 7, asking how things were going.

The most recent message had just been sent.

Xie Yan thought for a while, then carefully replied to each message. But the signal on the mountain was terrible, and his phone was old and sluggish. The messages wouldn’t send. He stared at the spinning circles for a long time until they finally turned into red exclamation marks.

There was nothing he could do. He threw on a jacket, opened the tent, and stepped outside to wander in search of a signal.

The camera crew’s tent was on the other side of the mountain. Since there was no shooting scheduled for the night, everything was eerily quiet outside.

Xie Yan wandered around for a while before he heard faint voices. At first, he meant to turn around and leave—he didn’t want to eavesdrop—but then he recognized Ruan Anning’s voice. She was talking about him.

Ruan Anning asked, “Xu Ge, why did you rig the draw to put me on the same team as Xie Yan?”

Xie Yan froze in place.

Xu Huayi’s voice was low. “That Wang Zhongdao who came with us this time—he’s got a really bad reputation. Wang Ge said he often takes advantage of young, good-looking boys and girls, but he has a squeaky-clean public image, so no one can do anything about it. I made a deal with Wang Ge. There was no way we were going to let the draw be completely random and risk pairing you with him. You see, Wang Ge even sacrificed himself to team up with the guy.”

He paused. “As for Xie Yan—he’s a young guy too, and so good-looking. Someone already asked me to keep an eye on him. Look at how soft his personality is. He just entered the industry and has already been slandered so many times, constantly getting pushed around. He doesn’t strike me as the kind who’d bully others. We couldn’t throw him into the tiger’s den either. So yeah, I rigged the draw to protect you both.”

Xie Yan listened calmly to Xu Huayi’s entire assessment, though he had no idea what he had done today to give such a misleading impression.

Ruan Anning was silent for a moment, then asked, “You’re talking about Xie Yan? You really think that’s what he’s like? The Xie Yan you saw today matches what you’re saying?”

Xu Huayi defended, “What, he can’t just be shy? Maybe he uses that cold exterior to hide how soft and timid he really is. Just because you don’t get it doesn’t mean you should judge. Look, it’s not like I’m into guys, but we still shouldn’t smear someone else. Anyway, now that Wang Ge’s stuck with Wang Zhongdao, as long as nothing else happens, we all just stay out of each other’s way.”

Ruan Anning was naturally sensitive. She seemed about to say something, but suddenly sensed something and turned her head.

The moon tonight was full and bright, casting a long shadow behind Xie Yan.

Ruan Anning could clearly see most of his face.

He didn’t look much different from before.

She had entered the industry at nineteen and had a solid grasp of how it worked. She kept a close eye on everything happening in the entertainment world. From the moment Xie Yan first trended online, she had recognized him.

Even after all these years, Xie Yan was still striking—sharp and beautiful, as if no person or thing could bend him.

Ruan Anning didn’t want to interact with him. She quietly said to Xu Huayi, “Don’t worry, I’m not afraid of Xie Yan.”

Xu Huayi felt a bit awkward—after all, they’d just been talking behind someone’s back. He had once sung the theme song for a drama Yang Xun starred in. Yang Xun sang an insert track, but he did so poorly that even the studio couldn’t salvage it. Xu Huayi ended up teaching him some singing techniques, and the two got to know each other and became pretty close.

Just a few days ago, Yang Xun had messaged him, asking him to look after Xie Yan. Xu Huayi, being the loyal type, agreed without hesitation. He even rigged the team to draw in advance. Yang Xun had begged him not to let Xie Yan find out, saying he was shy and proud, it would be embarrassing if he knew. And now, on the very first day, it had already been exposed.

Xu Huayi thought calmly, well, Xie Yan probably doesn’t know who did it—so it’s fine. Just pretend nothing happened.

Xie Yan stopped about three steps in front of him and asked, “It was Yang Xun.”

Though it was phrased as a question, it sounded more like a statement.

He stood there, half a head taller than Xu Huayi, his gaze slightly lowered, lips pressed into a thin line, cold and sharp eyes fixed directly on him.

Xu Huayi wanted to argue, but under Xie Yan’s pressure, he backed down and nodded. Then added, “If Wang Zhongdao gives you any trouble, just deal with him the same way you did before. Wang Ge says he only bullies people who seem timid. But with someone like you, he won’t dare.”

Xie Yan thought coldly, Fine. I’ll deal with Yang Xun when I get back. Xu Huayi really was the perfect match for Yang Xun—what a pair.

He looked down at his phone and the message had finally gone through.

Fu Qing had replied too. He wrote: [Good night.]

Xie Yan smiled softly, his expression gentle, and turned off his phone.

The next morning, everyone woke up starving.

Xu Huayi figured they couldn’t rely on berries alone—it would be hard to survive seven days like that. So he sent Xie Yan and Ruan Anning out to forage.

The two of them walked in silence along the trail, a camera operator following behind with a heavy rig.

Ruan Anning didn’t force any conversation. If neither of them spoke and there was no drama, the production team would just cut the footage. It wouldn’t make it into the final episode.

The tree they had found yesterday was nearly picked clean, so they had to go farther.

Crossing to the other side of the mountain, they spotted a fruit tree growing halfway up a slope. The trunk was thick, and the branches were full of bright red fruit. Ruan Anning had done many episodes of this kind of show and was familiar with which wild fruits were edible. She introduced the fruit to the camera in a lively, sweet tone.

Xie Yan couldn’t remember what Ruan Anning had been called as a child. But he remembered she used to be very quiet and very afraid of him.

Now, she has grown up.

The tree wasn’t very tall. Xie Yan could reach the lower-hanging fruit, but most of it was up high. Ruan Anning rolled up her sleeves and prepared to climb.

Xie Yan said, “Let me.”

Ruan Anning smiled and refused. “No need, Xie Ge. I’m a tree-climbing pro—watch me.”

As she said this, the previously idle camera finally started moving again.

Xie Yan didn’t stop her. He could guess that since neither of them had spoken earlier, none of that footage would be usable. Ruan Anning was likely trying to create something the director would find worthwhile—something the audience would enjoy.

She knew how to play to her strengths. Even as she climbed and picked fruit, she kept engaging with the camera, explaining which ones tasted best. Xie Yan stood below catching the fruit, watching her closely in case she slipped.

Before long, someone else came climbing up the mountain—it was Wang Zhongdao.

Yesterday, Xie Yan had made him lose face. Wang Zhongdao knew now that Xie Yan wasn’t someone to mess with and had already dropped the idea of confronting him directly. He will maybe even blacklist him quietly from future projects. But there was still a lively, adorable young girl in the crew. Just nineteen, fresh and unguarded. And she had definitely caught his attention.

Today, he happened to run into Ruan Anning again. He hadn’t planned to do anything outrageous—just a little “accidental” touch.

When Xie Yan saw him, he smiled and offered to split the fruit he had tucked in his shirt pocket. “Mr. Wang, respect the elderly and care for the young—how can we let you climb the tree?”

Wang Zhongdao chuckled. “I can’t take advantage of you youngsters. I’m not so old that I can’t climb a tree. You just wait down there.”

Several cameras were practically shoved in their faces. Xie Yan couldn’t refuse without making a scene. So he turned to Ruan Anning and said, “There should be enough. You can come down now. Let Mr. Wang pick some more.”

Wang Zhongdao, with help from an off-camera assistant, clumsily climbed the tree. The canopy was dense. If he made an effort to stay hidden, no one would be able to see what he was doing from below.

Xie Yan frowned and looked up, watching the movement in the branches. Ruan Anning was small—completely hidden from view.

Suddenly, the whole tree shook violently.

The camera crew was just about to mount the rig beneath the tree to get a better shot when a sharp scream rang out.

Leaves scattered as Ruan Anning fell.

Before the surrounding staff could react, Xie Yan had already tossed aside all the fruit and caught her.

The tree wasn’t tall, and the fall wasn’t very forceful but they were on a slope. Xie Yan caught Ruan Anning, but his footing slipped, and he went tumbling backward.

He held her tightly, rolling several times down the slope before finally coming to a stop.

He let go. Ruan Anning stood up quickly. The production staff rushed over, and the director team was hurrying toward them. Xie Yan felt a little dizzy and waved them off.

The show’s medical team arrived shortly and examined him. Thankfully, though it was a slope, the terrain was smooth. Xie Yan had only scraped his skin on some rocks. It was nothing serious.

The director asked anxiously, “If you’re not feeling well, maybe you should sit out the rest. We can send you back.”

Xie Yan answered calmly, “It’s nothing serious. I’m fine.”

Only then did the director’s expression ease. After thinking it over, he smiled and said, “Then… Do you think we can release this news now?”

Where Are We Going Today? was already hugely popular, and news of an injury during filming would certainly stir a lot of attention. Not just Xie Yan’s episode—it would boost viewership for the following week too. The director was a decent person, he didn’t publish it without asking.

Xie Yan paused for a moment, then nodded.

The production team escorted him back to his tent. He applied some medicine himself, still a bit dizzy, and eventually drifted off to sleep wrapped in his bedding.

When he woke, it was already dark outside.

Feeling much better, he reached under his pillow for his phone and turned it on. The top headline read: “*Xie Yan Injured While Rescuing Ruan Anning on Where Are We Going Today?*”

A WeChat notification from Fu Qing popped up.

There were many messages—some were voice notes.

Xie Yan tapped one. Fu Qing’s tone was different from usual. He asked, “What happened? Is Xiao Xie seriously hurt? Are you okay?”

Xie Yan played each message one by one. The last one had just been sent, “Driving over to see you now.”

Xie Yan froze. He didn’t know how to reply—when another message popped up.

“Just kidding. Didn’t actually go. The crew didn’t send you home, so the injury probably isn’t that bad. When you’re back on set, tell me if it still hurts, okay?”