Chapter 193: Chapter 192: The Great Philosopher

Xu Ying continued to ride her dune buggy.

The production team arranged three vehicles: Yao Yingzhe and Jiang Mo shared one, Ming Xueying and Jia Yao, the good brothers, shared another.

Ye Jie sat alone in a vehicle.

Xu Ying watched Ye Jie, dressed in exotic dancer attire, board the car alone and thought that the internet must be in an uproar again now. Those gossip accounts would surely cut out blackmail videos of Ye Jie before the night ended.

Xu Ying began to feel that Ye Jie’s “black history” had other reasons. Celebrities speaking so bluntly, combined with malicious interpretations from marketing accounts, could easily lead to being slandered.

Fox Si Bao lay on Xu Ying’s shoulder, still thinking about the chicken nuggets.

[Sister, the chicken nugget fell to the ground. If you pat off the sand, it should still be edible, right? We little animals aren’t picky eaters.]

Fox Boss had already seen through everything with its smart head.

[Si Bao, are you stupid? This woman dropped it on purpose to the ground. She doesn’t want to give it to you. Have some dignity, okay!]

[Because you dirtied her face with your paws.]

Fox Si Bao scratched its head with its paw, [But didn’t sister just say that with makeup on, I shouldn’t get too close to her?]

[How could she be so cruel, using the smell of chicken to tempt me and then tossing the nugget to the ground?]

Si Bao’s heart was shattered into pieces.

Fox Boss patted its head, [Okay, now you know the wickedness of humans.]

[Not everyone is as kind as sister and Brother Qi Xiao.]

Fox Si Bao dug at its paw, with its ears drooping to the sides of its head, [Boohoo, I know it was wrong. I’ll never be greedy again.]

Seeing Si Bao, the little glutton, being frustrated today, Xu Ying patted its head and placed it on the motorbike seat.

“In the future, don’t follow strangers so easily.”

Fox Si Bao’s head bobbed like a little chicken pecking rice.

The production team transitioned the scene to West Village.

In the live broadcast, an off-road car from the production team slowly stopped at the village entrance. The door was opened, and Ye Jie grasped the car frame, frowning slightly.

She tried to gently set down her sprained foot but immediately withdrew it in pain, instinctively clenching the luggage handle with her fingers.

The barrage floated by: [What is Ye Jie doing now? Wearing that dancer outfit while holding such a modern suitcase seems so out of place.]

[LOL, still acting like a princess even getting out of the car?]

[Is this princess waiting for someone to welcome her?]

At that moment, a dark-skinned village young man quickly stepped forward and kindly offered, “Can I help you with that?”

Ye Jie smiled gratefully, “Thank you, I really appreciate it…”

Before she finished speaking, she was suddenly lifted by the young man’s arm, startling her into a soft gasp, and her ears turned red as she steadied herself.

The barrage went wild: [Ahhh, did this guy seize the opportunity to touch her hand?!]

[Is Ye Jie pretending to be innocent, secretly thrilled in her heart?]

The camera shifted to the other side, where Ming Xueying nimbly jumped off the car, her army green hiking backpack bulging on her back, and she was holding a 28-inch large suitcase.

After Jia Yao exited from the other side, he extended his hand to Ming Xueying, “Little Ming, your backpack is so big and full, it looks heavy. Let me carry it for you?”

Ming Xueying turned slightly to avoid him, her ponytail swishing smartly, “No need to take special care of me. I can manage on my own—”

She glanced at Ye Jie, who was being helped by the young man, and raised a bright, cheerful smile on her face, “There’s no need to treat me like a delicate girl.”

With that, she lifted her suitcase single-handedly and strode toward the temporary luggage area arranged by the production team, the metal buckles on her backpack jingling rhythmically.

The barrage gushed with praise:

[Sister is so cool! Putting those delicate princesses to shame!]

[Can Ye Jie learn from her?]

[Sister Ming’s arm strength! Her biceps could punch away three dainty ones!]

[Is Ye Jie going to “accidentally” fall into a male guest’s arms next?]

As Ming Xueying walked, she grinned at Jia Yao, “My mom always said I was a wild child, with short hair climbing walls and trees, wilder than a boy—”

Jia Yao gave her a thumbs up, “That’s so you!”

Xu Ying parked the car, hearing their exchange, feeling expressionlessly for the makeup remover wipes in her pocket.

She headed toward the bonfire gala location in West Village.

The sunset sank beneath the dunes, and the desert’s night breeze carried a dry chill.

However, West Village, known as the “oasis in the sea of sand” by tourists, was brightly lit.

Xu Ying had heard of this classic place in West Village, but had never visited. Now, seeing it firsthand, she realized that the village’s infrastructure and environment were leagues ahead of other small villages in the desert.

Indeed, letting these celebrities stay in a real village in the desert would be as good as killing them.

The earthen architecture in hues of earthy yellow stood in an orderly fashion, with rounded roofs, carved wooden doors, and hanging colorful lanterns all exuding a rich desert charm.

Cacti, sea-buckthorn, camel thorns, and other drought-resistant plants adorned the fronts and backs of houses, with desert roses in fiery and intense colors planted in front of almost every doorstep.

The little ear foxes were seeing for the first time such a beautiful village in the desert, like children on an autumn outing.

[Sister, this village is so beautiful, and the roses are so pretty~]

[Can we plant flowers near the Desert Rescue Station?]

Hearing this, Xu Ying thought for a moment; indeed, it was quite barren around the rescue station, “Sure, I’ll research it when we get back!”

The lake in the village center reflected the flickering firelight. A tall bonfire was already set up on the shore, the crackling of burning wood mixed with the joyous drumming.

West Village residents wore bright embroidered robes, vests adorned with silver ornaments, and colorful silk skirts—strikingly beautiful in the firelight.

They clapped their hands, sang melodious folk songs, and danced lightly to the rhythm of the hand drums.

The women’s skirts swirled as they spun, while the men stepped with vigorous dance moves, drawing cheers from the onlooking tourists.

The cheers rose to a crescendo when the “Desert Survival Law” guests entered.

A few elderly people with graying hair and beards cheerfully approached, holding flatbread and raisins, to welcome the distant guests with the highest hospitality.

Yao Yingzhe, the senior among the six, adjusted his collar and walked forward with a reserved smile, as if revisiting a familiar place. He received the flatbread from the old village chief but didn’t eat it immediately, instead holding it up to his chest like a sacred object and sighed deeply for the camera.

“Ah, this reminds me of the past…”

He squinted his eyes in a recollective pose, “When the CCTV Movie Channel filmed a special for ’Art Life’ about me, it was right under that poplar tree.”

Yao Yingzhe suddenly raised his finger, nearly poking the village man next to him in the eye, “The director said I was like the ancient poplar tree of West Village—rugged on the outside but resilient to the core!”

“You see, these raisins are like life’s hardships…”

Yao Yingzhe used his saliva-moistened finger to push a raisin to the edge of the bread, “Dried under the scorching sun but becoming sweeter.”

He suddenly folded the whole bread, and the raisins fell everywhere, “But without the flatbread as a foundation to hold them—”

Bread crumbs scattered on the ground, “No matter how sweet the fruit, it can’t catch them!”

Just contemplating how to expose Ming Xueying’s “fake no-makeup” face, Xu Ying’s mouth twitched at Yao Yingzhe’s words.

Numb!

Turns out there’s a grand philosopher here too!

This variety show is truly full of hidden talents!

The pay must be compensation for mental strain.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep