Chapter 20

He Erwang reluctantly tugged at his collar and sniffed, his brows easing slightly. “The clothes seem fine…” he murmured softly, yet the faint salty, damp scent lingered stubbornly.

“Wait, I’ve got it!” He raised his arm to his nose and sniffed sharply, recoiling quickly and tilting his head aside. “Yue!”

Qin Ye’s eyes narrowed, already understanding what was happening. He also raised his arm near his face, and without even pressing it to his nose, he could detect that peculiar scent.

With that realization, everyone felt the air thick with a salty, moist odor, infused with the warmth of their bodies under the sun’s glare. It truly resembled the smell of something about to be cooked in a pot.

Especially for Gu Shengsheng. While others had only bathed, he had soaked all his clothes in seawater for washing. Now, from head to toe, inside and out, he carried the scent of warm salt.

Whenever Gu Shengsheng lowered his head, whether it was his clothes or exposed skin, he felt as if he had become a brined seasoning.

The smell was overwhelmingly strong.

He frowned, lowering his collar carefully and straightening it with care. His subconscious reminded him to maintain a decent appearance outside.

But… what to do about this awful smell?

He felt helpless and wronged, asking pitifully, “I smell so bad now, what do I do?”

It wasn’t exactly foul, but the scent was just… too strange.

Qin Ye’s face darkened, clearly displeased. He glanced back at the vast sea behind them—the endless blue waves sparkling under the sun’s rays with a crystal-clear sheen, breathtakingly beautiful.

Yet now, all he could think of was the salty, sweaty, slightly unpleasant odor mixing in the air.

He took a deep breath.

He couldn’t tell whether going several days without a bath or bathing and becoming salty was easier for people to accept.

“Let’s head back,” he said, resigned.

So, after Shen Jinfeng and Mo Fan finished building the wooden cabin and moved all the leftover firewood inside, they finally awaited the return of the other teammates.

What they saw were four faces far from pleased.

Qin Ye’s face was cold.

Qi Xiu was expressionless.

He Erwang looked sulky.

Gu Shengsheng looked wronged.

All four shared a similar vibe, their eyes evasive when looking at him, with a hint of helpless despair.

What was going on?

Shen Jinfeng looked at them curiously. “Was gathering seafood unsuccessful?”

Qin Ye and the others shook their heads.

Mo Fan, standing outside, ran a few steps and immediately spotted the baskets brimming with their catch.

“Wow, you guys hit the jackpot! Why the long faces then?”

[Hahaha, because we got food but lost our ‘cleanliness.’]

[Because we brought back food, we also turned ourselves into ‘food.’]

“Dude, just come smell it for yourself.”

“I’m curious now — what exactly is this smell? Is it really that disgusting? I thought saltwater didn’t smell bad.”

“Saltwater itself isn’t unpleasant, but the combination of saltwater scent with slightly damp clothes, then baked under the sun—it’s overwhelming. I suggest you try it yourself upstairs.”

[This season’s theme is survival. Hunger, thirst, and crises are nowhere to be seen. Apparently, the toughest challenge the contestants face is taking a bath. Hilarious.]

“How do they even solve this? Washing with distilled drinking water would waste so much effort. To distill enough for one person’s bath, Gu Shengsheng would have to work non-stop for days.”

“So we should cherish water resources! Thank the country!”

“Love the mindset upstairs (thumbs up)!”

Meanwhile, Mo Fan, seeing no response, stepped forward to help the teammates carry the seafood into the cabin.

“Look at the house the boss and I built! Well, mostly the boss built it. Isn’t it amazing?”

The group stared at the quaint wooden cabin that looked like something out of a history book, their eyes filled with admiration.

Qin Ye perked up, his expression warming. “It’s incredible!”

He dodged Mo Fan’s offered hand and turned to Shen Jinfeng. “Captain, the eaves shape, window design, and bracket sets are uniquely creative — just like Su-style gardens. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

After all, with real estate booming in earlier years, the Qin family had some involvement, including projects in traditional architecture and Chinese gardens, giving him a certain eye for quality.

Shen Jinfeng nodded.

Unexpectedly, Qin Ye appreciated craftsmanship, having learned from royal garden designers during his previous life in a certain book world.

Qin Ye smiled and asked, “When we get out of here, could you help my company design some blueprints?”

But as he spoke the recruitment words, he suddenly realized something wasn’t right.

Could it be that Shen Jinfeng liked him?

If he made the offer now, would that be giving in to him?

He quickly looked up and indeed caught Shen Jinfeng’s somewhat strange gaze.

“We’ll talk about it after we get out,” Shen Jinfeng replied.

Qin Ye tightened his grip on the basket.

Sure enough, he agreed without even asking about the price!

Qi Xiu also praised bluntly, “Boss, you’re my savior. Without you, I probably wouldn’t have made it through tonight.”

“This cabin — its beauty is just the least remarkable of its qualities!”

But as they spoke, Mo Fan’s attempts to help were repeatedly avoided.

He walked over to Gu Shengsheng and, without asking, reached to grab the basket from him.

To his surprise, it felt almost empty.

“Gu Shengsheng, why are you shaking with such a light basket?” Mo Fan asked puzzled. “Wait, what’s that smell on you? Why are your clothes wet?”

Gu Shengsheng looked at him, opened his mouth to speak, but then sneezed loudly.

“Ah-choo!”

Shen Jinfeng heard the sound, stepped over, and looked sharply at Gu Shengsheng.

“You bathed in the sea?”

He had come back wearing wet clothes?

He placed his hand on Gu Shengsheng’s pulse.

Bad news — early signs of a cold, and Gu Shengsheng’s constitution was too weak. Judging by the pulse, he would likely have a high fever tonight.

With only a box of cold medicine left, he probably wouldn’t make it through.

On a deserted island, the first priorities were food and water.

Then came the unpredictable weather and physical health.

Most people would not survive if hit by any of these challenges.

Yet, noticing Shen Jinfeng’s somber expression, Gu Shengsheng misunderstood.

He pulled back his hand and instinctively stepped back. “I washed my clothes and bathed in the sea earlier. The seawater is salty, so I smell bad. Stay away from me…”

Qin Ye on the side sounded a bit regretful. “Sorry, I didn’t think it through. We all took a bath; now we smell a bit bad.”

It was clear the bathing was Qin Ye’s idea.

Shen Jinfeng sighed but said nothing.

Instead, he helped Gu Shengsheng, “Go sit inside the cabin first. I’ll start a fire. Take off your wet clothes and dry them before putting them back on.”

Gu Shengsheng tried to refuse, “It’s hot; wearing wet clothes isn’t cold. They’ll dry soon.”

Shen Jinfeng didn’t argue and gently pushed him inside, lighting a fire.

“Don’t wear wet clothes. You’ll catch a cold.”

He didn’t emphasize the consequences, but Gu Shengsheng wasn’t naive; he sensed the urgency and felt dizzy with fever coming on.

He hurriedly removed his clothes. “Boss, you’re leaving too?”

He glanced up shyly but found himself alone—the captain had already disappeared.

[Shen Jinfeng’s observation is truly sharp, considering everything thoroughly. He really is the perfect team leader.]

[If he hadn’t pointed it out, no one else would have noticed. The risk of illness is more serious than the bad smell!]

[Not to mention the thousands watching this live stream—they were just laughing and having fun.]

[You can’t blame them; it’s such a hot sun, and it was just a cold sea bath. It’s just that Gu Shengsheng’s constitution is weaker, and he sneezed.]

[Still, wearing wet clothes isn’t right… but it’s also hard to just come back naked.]

[It’s normal not to consider this, but isn’t Shen Jinfeng’s quick insight worthy of praise?]

The audience saw Shen Jinfeng come out of the cabin and stand before Qi Xiu.

“Extend your hand.”

Qi Xiu looked puzzled but obediently stretched out his hand.

After checking his pulse and finding no abnormalities, Shen Jinfeng moved on.

He Erwang listlessly extended his hand, realizing he had been negligent. No one had thought to tell Gu Shengsheng not to wear wet clothes. It might have been better if he came back bare-chested.

If he got sick, it would be troublesome.

“Boss, you can check pulses? That’s amazing.”

“Is Gu Shengsheng okay?”

After checking, Shen Jinfeng was relieved; the purple-haired youth’s constitution was still decent.

He glanced at He Erwang’s guilty face and merely gave a faint “hmm” without offering comfort.

Finally, it was Qin Ye’s turn.

Without prompting, Qin Ye extended his hand.

“Sorry,” he muttered softly.

Shen Jinfeng took his pulse and was surprised to find Qin Ye had the best constitution among them.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Now hearing Qin Ye’s self-reflection, Shen Jinfeng withdrew his hand with a serious expression.

“You brought back plenty of food, which is commendable, but you failed to notice a teammate’s health. The merits and faults balance each other out—neutral.”

“What?” Qin Ye looked down at the young man before him, confused.

Shen Jinfeng spoke earnestly, “I found some good food. You would have had some, but now you don’t.”

“Qin Ye, any objections?”

He believed that withholding good food and watching someone else enjoy it was the greatest punishment.

Looking at Shen Jinfeng’s solemn face, Qin Ye felt a strange itch at his fingertips and an uneasy tightening in his throat.

He said, “No objections, Captain.”