CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol-Chapter 504 - 496 Entering the Desert

Outside the window

Light rain began to fall; this kind of weather was common by the seaside, though it would soon be replaced by blue skies and sunlight.

Peering through the glass window at the rain-soaked street scene.

"When there’s no work, you can take time to read a book." Yuwei pulled out a novel she liked.

"Yuwei, we do have so many shared interests."

Zijing walked up behind Yuwei, resting her head lightly on the latter’s shoulder.

Their breaths mingled slightly, just like the rain outside, spiraling and tangled in the air in a chaotic dance.

"Haha, we both like singing, dancing, eating meat, drinking, and reading."

"Reading on a rainy day feels so peaceful. I love the crisp, clean smell of rain—it reminds me of the nostalgic scent from freshly painted white walls."

"Same here. I enjoy quietly immersing myself in something."

Yuwei took Zijing’s hand and led her to the window.

Outside, a woman holding an umbrella walked her dog across the road.

"This scene feels like something out of a movie."

"Art stems from life. Add a few cameras, and it turns into a show."

Yuwei smiled and turned her head toward Zijing, whose beautiful face immediately flushed red.

Whoosh!

The curtains slid shut, dimming the room’s light and softening the atmosphere.

The next day.

The blazing sun mercilessly scorched everything blanketed in golden sand.

Eleven enthusiastic girls, initially filled with excitement, had lost their joy and laughter.

They felt as though they were trapped in raging flames, their skin aching with a burning pain akin to cuts from sharp blades.

"Oh my god, I can’t take this anymore!"

"Why is it so hot?"

"How do the locals even survive here? Just earlier, there was the ocean over there!"

"I’m done, I want to go home."

"This endless sea of sand—where is the finish line?"

If the camera crew wasn’t there following them, they might have already fallen apart.

All their romantic and beautiful thoughts of this trip had been swept away by the scorching sun and the relentless winds of sand.

For them, long hours of walking weren’t daunting—they had no issues with physical stamina.

But the boundless, desolate sea of sand weighed heavily on their spirits.

"Everyone, stick together—don’t stray from the group!"

Though aware there was logistical support ensuring their safety, Yuwei couldn’t help but remind everyone.

The team followed her closely, crossing dunes and valleys continuously.

Near sunset, they finally reached their first campsite.

Upon seeing several camels resting there, everyone burst into relieved cheers.

"It’s so cold!"

"Yeah, I didn’t expect the temperature difference between day and night to be so drastic."

"At first, I thought wearing padded jackets would be useless!"

The sunlight had melted away into the vast desert sea, and the moon gently rose above thin clouds, its soft light painting the dunes white as snow.

Under the illumination provided by the locals, the girls began setting up their tents.

"We need to really learn well; by tomorrow, we’ll have to set these up ourselves," Yuwei said.

"If only we had grilled potato chips!" Fangxin began hinting at her hunger.

"Exactly—I brought some BBQ seasoning; we could share it together." Mengqi, too, was starving, her stomach practically glued to her back.

"How about we focus on food first?" Xiaoyu boldly suggested.

The group of nearly famished girls immediately agreed and sprinted eagerly away, seeing no opposition from the director team.

But just as they were about to celebrate, the chief director strolled over leisurely.

"No food until the tents are set up."

"Aaah!"

Zixuan let out a miserable scream, her clenched fists swinging madly in Fang’s direction.

Even Meixuan felt overwhelmed—this exhaustion was nothing like dance practice.

Zijing quietly carried a mallet to the site.

Zi Meng followed her closely.

"Let’s give it our all. These little tents can’t beat us!" Qiqi shouted enthusiastically.

A textbook-perfect idol, she instinctively tried to uplift her companions with her energy during times of hardship.

Yuwei, a Huaxia idol, shared a similar philosophy with Zijing—believing in taking action personally.

Under their instructor’s guidance, all eleven girls started working together to set up the tents.

In fact, the program staff had already leveled the ground to make it easier for them.

But even so, the girls struggled immensely.

Taking turns pounding stakes into the ground with a hammer, Yuwei kept cheering herself on.

Though this task seemed simple, it was surprisingly arduous. Finally, after relentless effort, all the stakes were secured.

They moved on to assembling the tent frames, but this involved some skill as well.

The stubborn frames either collapsed right after being erected or refused to stay upright.

Eventually, with assistance from the hired hands on the program team, the tents were raised. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Should we gather firewood to start a fire now?" Yushen, still energetic, glanced at the group.

"Where are we supposed to find firewood at this hour?" Yang Ni nervously eyed the pitch-black surroundings.

The realization dawned on them—this was the desert, not a forest. Where could they find firewood?

The eleven girls stared blankly at each other, confused and unsure of what to do next.

Meanwhile, the program crew, equipped with gas stoves, had already prepared a hot meal and started eating.

"There’s someone over there with a fire," Mengqi pointed out, noticing a group of local camel handlers.

She dashed over, her interest piqued, and Qiqi energetically hopped along behind her.

"This, um, there, fire!" Mengqi gestured wildly.

The camel handlers, clad in thick local outfits, observed her curiously. Although they didn’t understand her words, they grasped the meaning of her gestures.

One of them got up, walked into the dark, and returned with a small bundle of firewood.

These were dried branches from the hardy desert shrub known as the ephedra tree, rare but present along predefined routes.

Moreover, they primarily used coal, not firewood, for boiling water and staying warm.

Soon, the man helped them build a proper fire.

The girls erupted in cheers, rushed to Mengqi, and hugged her while jumping around excitedly.

Everyone praised her as the cutest, most charming maiden.

"What’s for dinner tonight?" Yang Ni shouted.

"Noodles—I’ll make noodles for everyone." Zijing searched through their supplies confidently.

"Oh no, the pot’s cracked!" Seeing the broken earthen pot, Zijing looked like she was about to cry.

Everyone gathered around to inspect, their collective realization of the situation feeling profoundly foolish—it wasn’t just the pot that was shattered; so were their dreams of a hearty meal.

"It’s fine, it’s fine—the lid’s broken, but the pot is still usable."

Zijing quickly shared her updated discovery.

Revived by some hope, everyone got busy preparing the meal. Mengqi grabbed a water bottle and began pouring water into the pot.

"This pot looks so small," Xiaoyu said, licking her parched lips.

"Let’s make it work by eating less at first, and I think cooking three batches should be enough," Yuwei assessed.

Mengqi cracked some eggs into the pot before bringing it to the fire.

"There’s no support rack." Li Zimeng, busy adding fuel to the fire, stared at her with wide eyes.

"There’s no other choice; we’ll have to heat it directly in the flames," Mengqi resignedly decided.

"That won’t work—the pot will explode," Yushen frowned.

The group fell into a contemplative silence, overwhelmed by the challenges. Why was cooking a meal proving to be so difficult?