Yang Shuo ultimately did not dare to immediately proceed with the reshoot because after the lawyer team from Chu Xin Culture left, he had also consulted with his own lawyers, and the answers were the same.
However, his losses far exceeded what forty-two thousand could compensate, so he went to find Zhao Zhen and Kang Li, Ba Shou and Kuang Kuo, suing all four of them in court at once.
While he was in dire straits, Quan Jiu, after a week of immersive work, welcomed the single-couple filming for "Heartbeat Rhythm."
On this day, at six in the morning, Quan Jiu was woken up by her alarm clock. She packed a few thick clothes, some instant meals, and daily necessities, then dragged her suitcase to the designated meeting point.
Of course, to avoid revealing that she and Chu Rong were already living together, they acted separately, boarding different cars. After nearly four hours of travel, they arrived at their destination around noon – a small wooden cabin in the woods at the foot of Wangbei Mountain.
The precision was due to the fact that, as far as the eye could see, besides the distant white mountains and the vast forest nearby, there was only one small wooden cabin, standing alone yet resiliently in the snowy woods.
This scene was indeed beyond Quan Jiu's expectations.
"This cabin is where hunters stay when they go up the mountain. We've rented it for a week, and it's been renovated inside. Let's go take a look," Zhang Xin said to Quan Jiu.
The small wooden cabin looked beautiful and cozy. Upon pushing the door open, it revealed a forest-themed one-bedroom, one-living room layout.
Quan Jiu went into the bedroom first and saw two beds, each one meter twenty wide. She then looked around the interior. Apart from the bathroom, all other areas were equipped with cameras.
Seeing a cameraman behind her, she asked, "Do we have to prepare our own heating, three meals a day, and so on?"
Zhang Xin smiled slyly, "Clever! You can only bring clothes in your luggage. For everything else, you use whatever is in the house. If it's not in the house, then you'll have to forage for it yourself."
Well, she was indeed too naive.
Quan Jiu smiled speechlessly, "This is a desolate, uninhabited place with nothing growing. You might as well rename it 'Wilderness Survival.' Calling it a dating show feels a bit too lenient."
Zhang Xin and the staff couldn't help but laugh. Zhang Xin even gave up, "There's no choice. Dating shows are emerging one after another, all following the same pattern. We have to innovate. It's too easy to eat and drink well together; it's much harder to trek through mountains and rivers."
As they were talking, Chu Rong, who had left later, arrived. After a quick glance around, he asked, "We have to solve our own food, clothing, housing, and transportation?"
The staff burst into laughter again. Zhang Xin sheepishly replied, "Yes, you two have great chemistry. Your first questions were the same."
Chu Rong then turned to the bedroom and, upon seeing the two beds inside, his lips curved up almost imperceptibly.
Quan Jiu walked out and looked around. Apart from trees and snow, there seemed to be nothing else. She doubted, "Can we really find food here?"
"We've had a wilderness survival expert test it out. We can find food and drink, but it won't be easy," Zhang Xin smiled.
Quan Jiu took a breath and silently gave Zhang Xin a thumbs-up.
Zhang Xin added, "Don't worry, our staff will set up tents next to you."
"You'll be eating and drinking well next to us, while we'll be drinking snow and gnawing on bark here," Quan Jiu shot him a sideways glance.
Zhang Xin nodded like a pecking chicken, even clapping his hands, "It's always comfortable dealing with smart people."
"What about fire? If we have to make fire by friction, that's really going too far," Quan Jiu stared intently at Zhang Xin.
"No, no, how could we be so inhumane? We have matches, a whole pack, which is definitely enough. They're on the kitchen counter."
Quan Jiu waved her hand, "Alright, you guys can disappear now." She blamed herself for being too naive, for getting herself into an outdoor survival challenge when she didn't have to. Did she not think the air conditioning at home was warm enough?
"Okay, then, the two guests, please take out everything from your suitcases except for daily necessities and clothes," Zhang Xin said, clapping his hands.
Quan Jiu also respected the game rules. Although she thought Zhang Xin was a scoundrel, she still opened her suitcase and handed over a pile of items like instant noodles, mini hot pots, rice bowls, and sausages. However, she added at the end, "They're in your custody for now, but you have to return them to me after a week."
Zhang Xin readily guaranteed it. He then turned and led the staff to set up tents nearby, leaving only two cameramen.
After handing over the food, Quan Jiu carried her suitcase back into the cabin. She saw the kitchen enveloped in smoke and quickly rushed over, asking urgently, "What's burning?"
Chu Rong turned back and said, "There's a portion of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and rice. We can have a more relaxed lunch today."
Quan Jiu breathed a sigh of relief. The kitchen here used a rural wood-burning stove, which required burning wood, and there was no range hood, hence the smoke filling the room.
"The production team isn't entirely inhumane," Quan Jiu shook her head speechlessly and carried her suitcase into the room to place it.
Thus, for lunch that day, the two of them finished with a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes. For the rest of the afternoon, they needed to solve two major problems: heating and obtaining vegetables and drinking water. There was no tap water in the mountains.
"Let's find a water source first," Quan Jiu said after lunch, changing into hiking boots and a windproof snowsuit.
Chu Rong took out two sets of anti-slip chains from his bag and came to Quan Jiu's side, squatting down. He carefully fitted the anti-slip chains onto Quan Jiu's shoes.
Quan Jiu was slightly taken aback, then, to alleviate her discomfort in front of the cameras, she smiled generously, "You're very well-prepared."
After putting on the anti-slip chains, Chu Rong took out a pair of gloves from his inner lining and handed them to Quan Jiu.
The gloves were still warm because they had been kept inside his clothes. Quan Jiu subconsciously glanced at Chu Rong, feeling an indescribable emotion. He always seemed to like giving her his gentle care in such a quiet, unintentional way.
...
The mountain terrain was not easy to navigate, and with the thick snow, their progress was slow. Seeing that it was already half-past three, and darkness fell in the mountains around five, Quan Jiu felt it wasn't working and suggested, "Why don't we split up to search? It would be faster."
Chu Rong, however, firmly objected, "No, it's too dangerous."
"This is flat ground, it's fine."
"You're not familiar with the terrain here, and it's easy to get lost. There's no phone signal in the mountains either."
Quan Jiu looked troubled, "But we still need to find ingredients, and time might not be enough."
As their opinions diverged, a fluffy white creature suddenly darted out of their line of sight ahead.
Quan Jiu's eyes lit up, "I have an idea. I'll make you a simple bow and arrow, and you can go shoot the rabbit." For a genius like Chu Rong, who had received elite training since childhood, archery was undoubtedly one of the compulsory courses. Moreover, Chu Rong was a good archer.
Chu Rong's eyes also curved, "That's a good idea."
"Then you go follow the rabbit. Don't startle it, and don't let it run too far."
Quan Jiu said this while looking back. She had played bow and arrow games with children her age when she was younger. In less than ten minutes, she had made a simple bow and arrow.
She tiptoed to Chu Rong's side and saw the rabbit not far away digging in the snow. She was a little excited, "Whether we can eat braised rabbit tonight all depends on you."
Chu Rong smiled at her, his eyes full of affection, "Okay."
The two cameramen's eyes were almost popping out from behind them. Are you two sure you're not a couple?