Charming
That night, Zhu Qing had eaten far too much. She clutched her stomach and rolled around on the bed, unable to sleep.
“I told you not to eat those last two skewers,” Li Lan said, rummaging through the suitcase for digestive tablets before handing them over. “Chew them a few times before you swallow.”
Zhu Qing shook her head so hard it rattled.
“I can’t swallow anything at all.”
Li Lan pulled her upright, rubbed her hands together, and slowly covered Zhu Qing’s stomach with them, massaging gently.
“Don’t,” Zhu Qing said, wrinkling her face. “I’m bloated.”
In a low voice, Li Lan said, “You knew you couldn’t eat any more, and you still did.”
Her stomach was already full of gas, and Li Lan still said that to her. Zhu Qing felt wronged. “The atmosphere was just too good tonight. I grilled it well, and you wouldn’t eat those last two skewers.”
Li Lan said, “That’s because I know when to stop. Meat is hard to digest. If you end up with a stomachache, that’s Africa.”
Zhu Qing didn’t dare make a fuss anymore and felt a little scared. “Then what am I supposed to do?”
Li Lan spread her hands. “Take the digestive tablets.”
Zhu Qing forced herself to swallow them despite the nausea. Half an hour later, she sat up and moved around. “I’m not bloated anymore.”
Li Lan walked over, patted her head, and handed her a cup of medicine. “Drink this.”
Zhu Qing opened her mouth obediently. “What is it?”
A bitter taste spread across her tongue.
Li Lan’s expression didn’t change. “Something that’s good for you.”
Zhu Qing drank the medicine and lay back down. She was still young, and her digestion was good; before she’d fully drifted off, the bloating was already gone. In the middle of the night, she woke in a daze and even felt a little hungry.
The next morning, when Zhu Qing opened her eyes and was about to get out of bed, she suddenly realized she had no strength in her body.
Li Lan heard the movement and came over. “What’s wrong?”
Zhu Qing weakly grabbed her hand. “Darling, I feel a little... how should I put it, weak?”
Li Lan interlaced their fingers. “Pinch me.”
Zhu Qing tightened her fingers and pinched hard—
Li Lan asked, “Did you pinch?”
Zhu Qing said groggily, “I used all the strength I had.”
Li Lan helped her sit up. “Can you walk?”
Zhu Qing got down from the bed. She could walk, but only slowly. “It just feels like my legs are noodles... oh no, I’m not coming down with some ser—”
Li Lan covered her mouth and said sharply, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
Zhu Qing collapsed bonelessly into Li Lan’s arms. “Mm-mm-mm.”
Li Lan still didn’t let go. Frowning, she called the accompanying doctor. “Take her to the hospital for a checkup.”
After that, Li Lan asked the director for leave. The director was not too happy. “This is the last important segment of the season. Can Zhu Qing hold on a little longer?”
Li Lan remained perfectly polite. “Xiao Qing’s safety is my bottom line. This is Africa; I won’t even get into the medical standards or the diseases. Director Liu wouldn’t want to drag the whole production team down if something happened, would he?”
The director said they should at least let the accompanying doctor take a look first.
Li Lan said, “No need. I’ll have them send Xiao Qing to the hospital. If they won’t send her, I’ll take her myself; then we can both take leave...”
The director hurriedly said, “Fine. Send Zhu Qing to the hospital; Teacher Li will continue filming as normal. That’s settled.”
Li Lan and Zhu Qing had skipped one episode before, and the director hadn’t said anything. Back then, Yu Ling and Qi Yao had been the popular ones, and Li Lan and Zhu Qing hadn’t mattered all that much.
But now Yu Ling and Qi Yao could only stir up backlash, while Li Lan and Zhu Qing were winning viewers over. Li Lan absolutely could not be absent from filming.
As for Zhu Qing leaving—well, the audience did love their CP, but compared with both of them disappearing, it was acceptable for Zhu Qing to go.
The four groups left the hotel one after another.
The director went over a long list of precautions, then finally picked up a megaphone. “The off-road vehicle roof will rise. If you want to watch, wait until the roof comes up. Absolutely do not get out of the car halfway through. Don’t get out. Don’t get out. Don’t get out!!!”
He shouted at the top of his lungs, “Today we’re seeing carnivores—African lions, spotted hyenas. Humans are on their menu, so everyone must pay attention to safety!! Safety is the most important thing!!!”
The off-road vehicle was a modified Land Cruiser. It had a high chassis, wide tires, and a sand-colored body caked with cracked mud.
The roof was a retractable observation window, built from steel framing and thick glass, though the edges showed some wear.
Each vehicle came with one driver, one camera operator, and one guide.
“Land Cruiser, modified,” the guide assigned to Li Lan said, patting the car door as he introduced it. “It’s one of the most reliable viewing vehicles there is.”
Li Lan scanned her surroundings. Each group was getting into its own car. The burly bodyguard wanted to follow Li Lan, but Yu Ling stopped him.
“You’re with me,” Yu Ling ordered.
The bodyguard frowned. He’d been told to look after Li Lan, and Yu Ling already had another bodyguard beside her.
Yu Ling pointed at the other bodyguard. “He’s not enough by himself. Come over here.”
The burly man was just about to refuse when Li Lan spoke.
“You should go.”
She sent him away so smoothly it was almost effortless. “She’s one of your company’s artists. I didn’t pay you, so you should be protecting her.”
The bodyguard said stiffly, “The one who hired me was Director Yang.”
Li Lan said, “Then why don’t you call Director Yang and ask? Yu Ling is very short on security right now. Tell her about Yu Ling’s needs; she’ll agree.”
The bodyguard thought it over, then contacted Yang Huayi according to Li Lan’s suggestion. When he heard that Yu Ling wanted more protection and that Li Lan didn’t need a bodyguard, he didn’t say much and told the man to decide for himself.
Decide for himself, then; that meant it didn’t matter.
Li Lan understood perfectly well that someone like Yang Huayi, who held power in her hands and made business worth tens of millions every minute, couldn’t possibly get hung up on something this small.
Especially since, in the end, the boss always called the shots. Yu Ling was still one of her artists, while Li Lan was an outsider. Sending the bodyguard back to protect Yu Ling was normal and entirely reasonable.
Li Lan got into the vehicle with the guide.
The guide introduced the emergency supplies in the car. Li Lan listened very carefully, her gaze lingering for several seconds on the black box beneath the back seat.
Noticing her stare, the guide glanced at the camera and said cautiously, “That one isn’t convenient to explain.”
Li Lan said nothing, only nodded.
After getting in, Li Lan called Zhu Qing. On the other end, Zhu Qing sounded lively as anything.
“Did you order all this good food for me?” Zhu Qing said brightly. “The doctor checked me out and said I’m fine. I feel super energetic now; there isn’t a single uncomfortable feeling left.”
A faint warmth flashed through Li Lan’s expression. “Then rest properly.”
“Where did you find these Chinese chefs?” Zhu Qing asked, sounding a little greedy. At the wooden cabin before, the food had been decent enough, but there hadn’t been much oil. After coming to Africa, it was mostly Western food or local specialties. Zhu Qing wasn’t picky and could eat them happily enough, but she still missed Chinese food. “How did you know I wanted to eat this?”
“I know you better than you think,” Li Lan said softly. “I’ve been to Africa before. It’s not hard to find these things.”
The food in front of Zhu Qing dazzled her eyes.
Sour soup beef, osmanthus braised pork, boiling fish... Her Chinese stomach very ungratefully began to rumble.
Li Lan said, “Rest well. I’m going to film the show first.”
Zhu Qing fought down the urge to feast immediately and suggested, “I feel okay now. I can go film with you, and then we can eat together when you’re done.”
Li Lan rejected it instantly. “No.”
Zhu Qing said, “I really can. I think maybe I just had low blood sugar when I got up? I’m totally fine now.”
Li Lan’s tone turned serious. “What if you feel bad again on the way? I already asked the director for leave. Just stay there, eat your Chinese food, and rest for the day. After today’s shoot, there’s one final wrap-up segment, and then we can go back to China soon.”
Li Lan was adamant. Zhu Qing held the phone and couldn’t win against her, so she said quietly, “Okay. I’ll come find you after you finish filming.”
After hanging up, Zhu Qing looked at the clean and tidy private hospital. The signs in the hallway outside were all in English; it looked like it was run by foreigners.
The Chinese dishes in front of her smelled irresistible, and many of them clearly took a lot of time to make.
Had Li Lan ordered them in advance?
The thought flashed through Zhu Qing’s mind, but she didn’t dwell on it and happily started eating the “love meal” her wife had ordered.
—
On the other side, filming officially began.
The director’s car drove at the very back. To coordinate everyone, his vehicle was larger and taller, with a military telescope hanging around his neck and a radio in his hand to communicate with all the staff.
On Li Lan’s car, the guide was enthusiastically explaining things.
“June, July, and August are the best months for viewing the migration. If we’re lucky today, we might even catch a lion pride hunting.”
Li Lan settled into the car. The leather seat had been baked hot by the sun. She glanced lightly at the scenery around them and nodded politely. “That would be very good.”
The guide said to the driver, “Let’s go.”
The vehicle started up, crushing dry stalks of grass as it drove deeper into the savanna.
After seven o’clock, the sunlight had already shed the softness of early dawn and turned sharp.
The light cut diagonally across the grassland, dividing the swaying sea of grass into bands of light and shadow. The sunlit side was a dry gold, while the shaded side still held the deep brown of night dew.
When the wind swept past, the whole grass sea rustled and rolled, like the slow rise and fall of some giant beast’s back.
Far on the horizon, a pale blue haze shimmered, blurring the boundary between sky and earth. Dry air carried grass seeds and dust; when inhaled, it left a faint astringent tang in the nose. Everyone was immersed in the beauty of the early morning savanna and gradually began to feel lighthearted and at ease.
Li Lan’s group was missing one person, so she had to talk a little more to lift the atmosphere.
After carefully observing the surroundings, Li Lan pointed in one direction, and the production team’s camera operator, skilled at catching moments, followed her lead and filmed that way.
It was deeper wilderness there, where a large patch of animal bones had been bleached white by the blazing sun and half-buried in red earth, like the exposed teeth of the land itself. In an instant, the beautiful scene took on a note of vast emptiness and loneliness. A drone hovered overhead, and the pulled-back perspective made the humans feel tiny in the wilderness.
The shot was excellent.
As everyone moved deeper into the grassland, more animals gradually came into view.
In the distance, three cheetahs crouched in the yellowed grass, their spines taut, pupils narrowed to slits, every muscle drawn like a strung bow as they stared fixedly ahead.
In front of them was a herd of gazelles, heads down and grazing, completely unaware.
When the four cars were about a hundred meters away, they all cut their engines one after another. Then the roofs rose, and the people inside stood up, showing their heads and shoulders. With the open tops, their view was no longer restricted, and they could see much more clearly.
“It’s coming,” the guide said in a low voice.
Before the words had even faded, the cheetahs exploded into motion!
Yellow-brown figures tore through the air like lightning, and the gazelle herd instantly scattered. One young gazelle was a half-step too slow; a cheetah’s sharp claws hooked its hind leg, and as the calf fell, the predator bit down on its throat.
The young gazelle kicked its legs for a long while before gradually going still.
The four cars witnessed this splendid hunt with their own eyes.
“So cool. Clean and decisive; absolutely perfect!” Sun Qi clapped and praised it.
Hu Xu sighed. “The little one was too young to outrun them.”
Yu Ling said nothing. She stared expressionlessly in this direction. During the hunt, the cheetahs had run close to Li Lan, so it was hard to tell whether she was looking at the cheetahs or at Li Lan.
On camera, the cheetah’s teeth sank into the prey’s throat, blood staining the grass blades red, and the cheetah began to enjoy its meal.
The vehicles continued forward, rolling over the sandy ground and occasionally crushing a few dry branches.
In the distance, a lone acacia tree stood by itself, while several vultures circled overhead like diners waiting for the feast to begin.
After winding around a thicket, the view suddenly opened up.
A male lion lay on the rocks, eyes half-lidded, his mane stirred by the wind. His front paws were crossed, and his chin rested lazily on top of them; he looked as if he were resting.
The car slowly approached.
Ten meters.
Eight meters.
The lion’s ears suddenly twitched; it raised its head, and its yellow-brown eyes looked straight over.
Hot wind rushed over them, carrying grass chaff and the smell of blood. Everyone in the four cars saw this majestic, handsome lion and could not help being stunned.
“Sit down!” the director’s voice came quickly through the radio. “It doesn’t like being looked down on!”
The guide also hurriedly tugged Li Lan back down.
The lion was alerted by their movement. It stood up, muscles tensing beneath its heavy fur, and its tail lashed hard once.
The guide hurried to grab the handle for the roof window.
With a metallic click, the steel frame shifted and the glass window began to lower, but it only dropped five centimeters before suddenly jamming in place.
The guide frowned and pulled harder.
The roof didn’t budge.
The four people in the car immediately tensed.
The roofs of the other cars had all come down. Only Li Lan’s car still had its top open, like an exposed box; it was extremely dangerous.
The director’s voice went anxious. “What’s wrong with group three? Why hasn’t the roof come down yet?!”
The cameraman said urgently, “The roof is stuck!”
“What!?”
The lion leaped down from the rock and landed soundlessly. In the blink of an eye, it strode closer, its nose pressed to the tire as it took a deep sniff.
As if some scent had caught its attention, it didn’t leave. Instead, it walked around the car once.
The guide didn’t dare bang the roof again, afraid any noise might further provoke the lion.
Outside, the imposing male lion circled them, each step pounding on everyone’s taut nerves.
At last, it stopped directly in front of the roof window.
The director’s voice had changed pitch. “Driver, don’t move yet. The lion’s big, and the support bars between the roof and the car are blocking it. It can’t possibly jump straight into the car. Once it pounces, drive off fast!”
The driver had both hands on the gear shift, cold sweat beading in his palms. “Okay.”
But everyone knew the director was only talking about the best possible outcome.
A male lion weighing several hundred jin, one swat from whose paw could rip a person open from end to end—if it truly got angry, who could guarantee they’d get away safely?
The lion came closer and closer. Li Lan could clearly see the shape of its whiskers and hear its breathing growing faster.
The lion raised its head and, through the crack in the glass window, suddenly stared at her.
The next second it sprang up, and its front paw slammed against the glass with a bang!
The whole car shook, and Li Lan stumbled and fell in her seat. The guide grabbed her arm at once, trying his best to steady her.
Beyond the gap in the roof window, the lion’s face pressed against the glass. Its hot breath condensed into white mist. It lifted a huge, sharp paw and struck the roof again with all its strength, producing a piercing sound.
The iron bars supporting the roof were badly warped under the pressure; the roof was like a sheet of metal, wobbling precariously, about to fall at any moment.
“Don’t move...” the guide’s voice trembled. “Where’s the driver? Why still not moving?”
The driver’s broken voice rang out, like a bell announcing disaster, hammering in everyone’s ears.
“The car, the car suddenly lost power!”
The cameraman and the guide completely collapsed.
“How can this be!!”
The lion roared again. The chaotic noise inside the car irritated it; it leaped onto the hood, braced its front paws on the roof, and was about to thrust its head inside.
Sharp fangs, a massive lion’s head, and that blood stench that simply couldn’t be concealed.
Li Lan lowered her head and found her fingertips were trembling.
The lion poked its head in from the roof. It extended a huge paw, bared its teeth, and swung at a human head.
Everything happened too fast. In half a minute, no one had reacted; they could only watch helplessly as the two-meter-tall male lion attacked Li Lan’s car and shoved its head inside.
Everyone shut their eyes hard and didn’t dare look at what would happen next.
————————
The author feels the writing difficulty has gone up...