Chapter 17 Wild Honey.

Chapter 17: Wild Honey.

Ji Yixing stared intently at the screen.

The black-haired young man removed the grilled freshwater shrimp from the fire. Still sizzling and glistening with oil, the shrimp were placed on a vibrant green leaf. The shrimp in the bamboo tube on the other side were also ready, coated in a mix of green and red chopped chilies, with a slightly golden sauce that made one’s mouth water just by looking at it.

It was hard to tell which was fairer and more delicate—the shrimp meat or the young man’s fingers.

Suddenly, Ji Yixing felt a long-forgotten impulse stir in his stomach. Perhaps because he was viewing it through a screen, his usual discomfort at the sight of food was greatly diminished. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he involuntarily swallowed.

The part of his brain that governed appetite, like a satellite that had lost contact with ground control for a long time, suddenly transmitted a faint, almost imperceptible signal.

He hadn't been mistaken—seeing the black-haired young man grilling shrimp actually sparked a genuine desire to eat in him!

Suppressing his surprise, he asked the girl, “What is this you’re watching?”

The girl let out an “ah,” stammering slightly as she replied, “General, this is a very popular reality show right now called *Wilderness Adventure*.”

“So who is he? What’s his name?”

Clearly, the General was referring to the black-haired young man on the screen.

Although the girl found it a bit strange why the General suddenly asked about Yu Xin, she still answered, “His name is Yu Xin. He’s a guest on this show—the one involved in that widely publicized mix-up case among wealthy families…”

Yu Xin.

Ji Yixing’s eyes flickered with interest, and he committed the name to memory.

Bai Yizhou looked confused. Why had the General stopped? A reality show? Since when did the General care about such things??

He asked, “General, did something happen?”

“Bai Yizhou, contact Dr. David to schedule another examination for me.”

Ji Yixing’s tone was solemn, his expression serious, and he didn’t seem to be joking at all.

“I think… I might have felt a slight urge to eat.”

!!

Bai Yizhou leaped up. “I’ll go right away!”

The girl had no idea what was happening. She only saw Attendant Bai suddenly dash toward one of the elevators, his expression urgent, while the General remained in place and sincerely thanked her.

Overwhelmed by the honor, the girl replied in a daze, “No need for thanks, General.”

Though she didn’t know what she had done, being able to help the General was a tremendous honor for her!

Ahhh! Who would believe it? The General had thanked her personally!!

A few hours later.

Upon hearing that the General had shown slight signs of recovering his appetite, Dr. David, who was on a business trip to another planet, made several rapid jumps through space and rushed back to the base to conduct another thorough and rigorous examination for Ji Yixing.

However, the results were not as promising as hoped. When faced with food that was appealing in color, aroma, and taste, Ji Yixing still experienced physiological rejection.

Bai Yizhou hung his head dejectedly, muttering, “How could this be? Just earlier, the General clearly…”

Dr. David was also disappointed but encouraged him, “It’s alright. Since the General has regained some urge to eat, it at least means there’s hope. We can’t be too impatient.”

This was the first time since the General’s injury!! It already counts as a major breakthrough!

“General, what triggered your urge to eat? We can use that as a breakthrough.”

As the person involved, Ji Yixing wasn’t as disappointed as they seemed. His expression remained calm as he carefully recalled his train of thought and said with certainty, “It was because I saw that reality show, *Wilderness Adventure*.”

“*Wilderness Adventure*?” Dr. David repeated. “That doesn’t sound related to food at all…”

“Indeed, but it seems the show has undergone some interesting changes lately…”

Ji Yixing had an intuition that these changes were likely brought about by that black-haired young man named Yu Xin.

His intuition had always been sharp. The moment he saw that young man, he felt an inexplicable urge in his heart, compelling him to pay attention to and care about that youth.

“Bai Yizhou, go help me look into someone. I want all his information… No, never mind. Find out which platform *Wilderness Adventure* is streaming on. I want to watch it myself.”

He wanted to see for himself what kind of person Yu Xin was, who had captured his attention so deeply.

*****

A new day of *Wilderness Adventure*’s live stream began.

The number of viewers had reached a peak since the show started, several times higher than the highest points of the previous two seasons. The screen was densely packed with comments the moment the stream went live, and the director was grinning from ear to ear.

“Here we go, here we go, here we go!”

“Is anyone else here for Yu Xin?!”

“Me, me, me!! I’d heard about this show but never watched it until Yu Xin trended on StarNet. Came specifically to see him～ looking forward to his performance!”

“And me! Yu Xin new fan reporting!!”

“Wonder what surprise Yu Xin has in store for us this time? So looking forward to it, hehehe.”

“I’ve got snacks ready—I’m fearless!”

“The environment here is so beautiful～ so much greenery. Feels like my eyes are being purified.”

Early morning in the jungle. The sunlight wasn’t too intense yet, and the air was cool and fresh, filled with the damp scent of plants. A plump little white bird hopped up and down on a branch, its song clear and melodious. Its round, beady eyes curiously observed the strange humans below.

Under the tree were the five guests of *Wilderness Adventure*. At the moment, Yu Xin and Sheng Xingyao were surrounded by the other three. The two were busy covering every exposed part of their bodies with clothing. As he wrapped himself up, Yu Xin seriously advised, “Make sure to cover all your skin. Don’t leave even a tiny bit exposed. Getting stung by the bees here is no joke.”

Sheng Xingyao, who had been eager moments earlier, instantly grew nervous upon hearing this. “Ah? What happens if you get stung? Will it disfigure you? I rely on my face for a living!”

“It won’t disfigure you. Even if it swells, it’s temporary. It’ll just make the stung area red, swollen, and painfully tender.”

Yu Xin gestured with his fingers to indicate a height. “It’ll swell this much.”

Sheng Xingyao instantly gasped in horror. “That much? Yu Xin, you’re not kidding, are you…”

“I’m not kidding. So be extra careful.” Yu Xin said earnestly.

He suddenly recalled a meme widely circulated online in his previous era—a picture of a little dog whose face was swollen from a bee sting, looking both pitiful and hilarious.

He couldn’t help but imagine what Sheng Xingyao would look like if his face got stung and swollen… Yu Xin couldn’t hold back a slight upward curve at the corner of his mouth.

“You’re laughing!” Sheng Xingyao noticed and exclaimed loudly. “We’re about to risk our lives, and you’re actually laughing?!”

“You won’t get hurt. If bees chase you, pinch your nose and jump into the water. Hide for a few minutes before coming out.”

“What are they going to do? Why did I hear Sheng Xingyao shouting about life-threatening danger??”

“I heard it too. They’re not going to do something dangerous, are they? Noooo!”

"This show is finally starting to feel like a real survival show. I'm excited!"

"LMAO, the guests are so skilled that they've turned it into easy mode."

"What are they doing that requires them to bundle up like this?! I'm so curious!!"

"I think I might have guessed, but I'm not entirely sure. I'll keep watching to see."

Yu Xin and Sheng Xingyao were already geared up, bundled tightly from head to toe with only their eyes exposed. Sheng Xingyao even put on the sunglasses he brought with him.

The two of them sorted out their gear and prepared to head into the woods.

Qin Shizhen looked at them worriedly: "Know your limits. If it’s too dangerous, just give up. Don’t come back with your face full of bee stings!"

"Don’t worry, Teacher Qin," Yu Xin said calmly, his tone unwavering.

Sheng Xingyao looked solemn, his voice grave: "Yu Xin, after this, we’ll be friends who’ve risked our lives together."

"From now on, if you have any good food, don’t forget to hit me up!"

Under the worried gazes of the others, they set off, walking deeper into the woods until they stopped in front of a tree. Looking up, they saw a huge honeycomb right before their eyes.

"? Are they going to collect honey?"

"Holy shit, I guessed it right!!"

"Please don’t! Bee stings are so painful. Last time I got stung, it hurt for over two weeks."

"Look at how packed solid the outside of that honeycomb is. Could it all be bees?! (Panicked)"

"Yu Xin, Yao Bao, nooo! This is incredibly dangerous!!"

"Why isn’t anyone stopping them?! Where’s the production team?!"

"They don’t need to go this far for the sake of the show… They’re pushing it too hard."

"Do you all think they’ll fail? Come on, this is Yu Xin we’re talking about. Have some faith in him!"

"It’s not about whether I believe in him or not… It’s just that even if Yu Xin’s pretty face gets stung once, I’d feel so bad for him, sob sob."

That’s right—Yu Xin and Sheng Xingyao were there to collect honey.

Yesterday, Shen Tong went out to gather firewood and came back saying she’d seen a weird thing in the woods—a dark, roundish thing hanging from a tree. Yu Xin went with her to check it out and immediately recognized it: it was a honeycomb.

How could they pass up such a treasure?

They brought out the mugwort Yu Xin had found the day before, piled it up right under the honeycomb, and set it on fire. The thick smoke from the burning mugwort rose straight up toward the hive.

The smell of burning mugwort was intensely pungent and choking. In no time, the bees that had been clinging to the surface of the hive scattered and fled. For a moment, the air was filled with buzzing bees flying everywhere—the scene was terrifying.

With the bees gone, the golden color underneath was revealed—a connected pattern of small hexagonal cells, all filled with honey.

Seizing the moment, Yu Xin clenched a dagger between his teeth, grabbed onto the branches, and climbed up to the honeycomb in just a few moves.

"Sick moves, dude!"

"That was so fast I didn’t even see how he got up there??"

"Hurry up and get it before the bees come back! This is making me so nervous!!"

"Me too. Hey viewers, remember to breathe!"

"You should’ve said that earlier. I was holding my breath."

Yu Xin wrapped his legs around the tree trunk, using his core strength to secure himself against the tree. His slender, flexible waist curved into an arc as he grabbed the dagger and shouted: "Sheng Xingyao! Come catch this!"

Sheng Xingyao was stunned by the scene, but Yu Xin’s call snapped him back to attention. He quickly raised the container they’d prepared.

Yu Xin sliced through the honeycomb with his knife. The comb, soft and cake-like, was easily cut. He avoided the part with bee larvae and, with quick, precise cuts, cut off a large section. Golden, transparent honey oozed from the cut, so thick it stretched into strings.

A large piece of honeycomb fell from the tree, landing perfectly in the bucket Sheng Xingyao was holding.

Success!

Yu Xin jumped straight down from the tree, landing gracefully and smoothly. He shouted to Sheng Xingyao: "What are you staring at? Run!"

Sheng Xingyao let out a yelp as Yu Xin grabbed his wrist and pulled him along. The two of them sprinted back the way they came.

"This whole operation is unbelievable!!"

"They actually pulled it off!!"

"Wow, all I can say is wow."

"When the bees come back and see half their home stolen, the bees would be so confused. Humans are such jerks!"

"Hahahaha, this is killing me. The poor bees can't complain—they can only buzz, buzz, buzz."

"Yu Xin still has a conscience—he left half for them. If it were me, I’d take the whole thing!"

They sprinted for what felt like a long time until the buzzing sound of the bee swarm gradually faded behind them. Only then did they stop.

Sheng Xingyao’s legs were like jelly, and his pounding heart hadn't recovered. He bent over, gasping for breath: "That was too, too intense!"

"That has to be the most thrilling thing I’ve ever done in my life!"

"But we succeeded, and the payoff was worth it, isn’t it?"

Yu Xin showed a rare, genuine smile. His cheeks flushed from their mad dash, his expression confident and brimming with pride, his eyes sparkling with a youthful exuberance that seemed ready to overflow.

Sheng Xingyao was completely captivated.

Author’s note:

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This one’s really long today!