Leisurely Traveler with Check-in System

Chapter 373 - 179: The Interview Begins [First Update]

First, it’s about contrast.

One major reason why people loved Li Younan’s previous videos was the "showing off."

This is the biggest distinction between Li Younan and other travel vloggers.

Other travel vloggers, regardless of their main theme, sell mostly on curiosity—either traveling in unique ways, or to unique places.

Only Li Younan, wherever he travels—whether it’s the remote Gongga Mountain or bustling Xiamen, those popular videos are all stages for him to showcase his skills.

However, despite the subtle allure in his videos, Li Younan had always been quite modest and never openly claimed how impressive he was.

This time, he abandoned his previous modesty, publicly stating that Alone in the Wilderness was just a longer version of Wilderness Survival, essentially not much different for him than going to Gongga Mountain.

For most fans, they don’t quite understand the difficulty and value of Alone in the Wilderness or Wilderness Survival, so initially, when Li Younan’s video came out, fans had fun with jokes, connecting them with Li Younan’s skills.

However, once the video stirred up a bit, so-called professionals naturally noticed Li Younan’s video, and different opinions arose.

Different from last time when Old Xu debunked Li Younan, this time the initially harsh voices came from professionals analyzing the challenges of Alone in the Wilderness.

"Waking up in the morning, not naturally, but freezing awake—cold wind through the gaps in the shelter, even with two quick-drying shirts, ears still feel numb."

"The first thing you do after waking is not brushing your teeth, but reaching for the water bag hidden under a rock last night, it’s iced—you have to hold it to your chest for half an hour until the ice turns into half a bag of muddy water."

"While waiting for the ice to melt, you take out the fishing hook and head to the lakeside. The lake water is so cold it hurts your hands, squatting for half an hour without movement on the bobber."

"You look up and see a squirrel on a distant pine tree, thinking to chase and trap it, but two steps later you land in a swamp, shoes fill with icy lake mud, each step sinks deeper."

"Returning to the shelter after dealing with traps, the fire is nearly out, the melted water barely enough for two sips, and your stomach is still empty."

"At noon when the sun is a bit warmer, you go to the slope looking for wild vegetables. Just identifying a few edible ones when you hear a rustling behind you—the sight of a bear fifty meters away eyeing the greens—you dare not breathe, retreat slowly, only being able to gasp once behind a tree, then looking back, the vegetables have been trampled by the bear."

"In the afternoon, trying to reinforce the shelter, chopping wood, the axe slips, slicing your hand. With nothing to disinfect, tearing cloth from clothes to wrap tightly, blood seeping, sticky."

"Struggling to chop two branches, the weather turns gloomy, lake wind picks up, you hurry back, lest the rain comes and the bonfire can never be relit."

"At night, curled in the shelter, nibbling two wild berries from the morning’s luck, listening to the wind outside."

"Suddenly hearing movement by the trap, gripping a stick to check, only to find a rabbit broke free, the trap trampled down."

"Standing in the dark night, staring at the empty trap, suddenly realizing you’ve not spoken a word all day, even afraid to cough loudly—fearful the bear might hear."

"Lying down afterward, feeling the still bleeding hand, wondering about tomorrow if no fish are caught, where to find more crushed vegetables, if the fire dies will you freeze in the second half of the night."

"Waves lapping on the lake stones—rhythmic—you gaze at the shelter’s branch roof, until near dawn, dozing briefly, only to freeze awake, then repeating the exactly same day."

"Now, a vlogger actually tells us going there is like traveling. Haha, I can only say, those who don’t respect nature are ultimately punished by nature."

The video’s narrative, combined with previous scenes captured of participants in Alone in the Wilderness looking disheveled, proved very convincing.

Suddenly, many who weren’t too familiar with this reality show quickly realized how bold Li Younan’s video tone was.

Even some of Li Younan’s firm fans couldn’t help but express some concern.

But his true die-hard fans remained dismissive: "It’s not that exaggerated. With Li Younan’s capabilities, it won’t be that bad."

After Li Younan’s video was released, it was the previously highly anticipated competitors who were the most displeased.

They knew very well that being genuine amateurs, facing Li Younan as a competitor, they were at a great disadvantage.

In their videos, they were quite straightforward, simply showcasing their skills and strengths, narrating sincerely and plainly, mainly to avoid leaving a bad impression on the show producers.

Unexpectedly, Li Younan pursued a completely opposite approach, attracting quite a bit of attention, making them seem much less confident in comparison.

Trying to adjust at this point was too late, and this resentment naturally got directed at Li Younan.

During the livestream, an internet celebrity participating in the program sarcastically said, "Honestly, we grassroots folks obviously can’t compete with those big internet celebrities. I only have twenty to thirty thousand fans, while they’ve got millions."

"From the program’s standpoint, we all understand, it’s clear who brings the most traffic."

"But then again, this is still a representation of our Chinese popularity, so anti-fans, don’t rush to refute me."

"Yes, this program isn’t based on nationality, but honestly speaking, having a Chinese person participate among survival experts from various countries, don’t you take a stance when watching?"

"Of course you do, and the participants’ performance is watched by foreign audiences too."

"If they mess up, people won’t say it was a specific individual’s failure, they’ll just say oh, that fool from Asia or China messed up."

His earnest analysis convinced some that it made a lot of sense.

But some immediately countered, "So you’re saying if you participate, you’ll bring glory to China? At least Li Younan can shoot arrows accurately, and what about you?"

The internet celebrity dismissively replied, "Do you think Wilderness Survival is great just because of archery? So naive."

In short, once Li Younan released the video, the internet buzzed with various discussions.

...

Meanwhile, Li Younan had successfully arrived in Inner Mongolia for a bit of peace.

He was here specifically to see his pony, little Shengjiang.

Little Shengjiang was already six months old.

Compared to last time, it had grown significantly taller, with its head nearly 1.5 meters high, but overall it was still a clumsy little horse. To Li Younan’s surprise, upon seeing him, the pony immediately recognized him, playfully approached to frolic, and even affectionately nuzzled its head against his arm.

Though the time spent together wasn’t long, perhaps the system’s equestrian skills came with hidden benefits, giving Li Younan a natural affinity with the pony, which seemed particularly fond of him.

This made Lan Yiyi, who had been taking diligent care of the pony, a bit jealous, saying in discontent, "I’ve cared for it so long, but it never showed me such enthusiasm."

Of course, Lan Yiyi also saw the video Li Younan posted and felt both excited and a bit regretful about his potential participation in "Alone in the Wilderness"—if Li Younan joined the program, he definitely couldn’t come to the Nadamu Festival in July. She had been looking forward to him visiting.

Li Younan stayed at Lan Yiyi’s place for two to three days, mainly to visit his pony, having no reason to linger.

Lan Yiyi was not just caring for Li Younan’s horse; she had gradually faded out of the entertainment industry and was focused on running her ranch and hotel, leading a fulfilling and happy life. Watching little Shengjiang grow taller day by day, her face always bore a satisfied smile.

Later, when Li Younan returned to Chengdu, the Alone in the Wilderness program team sent him an interview notice.

Receiving the notice, Li Younan was quite surprised.

Although he had previously signed up for the Alone in the Wilderness program, he was aware that such programs are recruit-based and might have already internally decided the participants, so he had little confidence in being selected, thinking it might be a stroke of luck. But unexpectedly, the program team actually sent him an interview notice, which, if not just a formality, might warrant serious consideration.

What surprised Li Younan even more was that this time the interview was online, and he was to interview alongside five other highly regarded potential participants. Additionally, the interview details might later be released as contestant introductions in the program, but before that, they needed to sign a confidentiality agreement.

Li Younan understood this was essentially a publicity stunt, as the video platform had signed a broadcast agreement with the program, and the platform’s official team definitely hoped to further expand the program’s domestic impact.

After receiving the interview notification, Li Younan had two days to prepare, with a gentle reminder that he could prep ahead of time.

However, Li Younan did not plan any special preparations, as he thought regardless of the interview format, its core was assessing the market potential of contestants.

From this perspective, anyone could open up the Chinese market and enhance the video’s copyright value in China, so on this point, he and the other five competitors were on equal footing.

For other market potentials, though, hard skills, such as survival abilities, mattered more.

The Alone in the Wilderness program went to great lengths, so naturally, it wouldn’t want a contestant who gets eliminated within three days, which would greatly reduce their commercial value.

Two more days passed, and the online interview arrived as scheduled.

(ps: My wife also has a fever, now taking her to the hospital for a check-up, forgot to set up auto-updates, sorry! My wife just gave birth, both the baby and my wife need care, even though there’s a nursemaid, we’re still very busy. I also got sick yesterday, overall it’s quite tough, not complaining, just explaining why updates are irregular these days and may even decrease. Hopefully, everyone will understand!)