Chapter 267: Chapter 265: Director Wen’s Progress
"You have no idea how massive Doctor Wen’s online following is, or how terrifying her influence is! If you had just done a little research, you would’ve known."
Director Wen shook his head. Looking at Meng Xiaoyi, he felt that this contestant was probably done for too.
Admitting on camera that she’d reported Doctor Wen on multiple platforms...
’Eighty percent of the viewers in the livestream are Doctor Wen’s fans. She’s really in for it now!’
Looking at Xie Fu Yao and Meng Xiaoyi, Director Wen suddenly worried, ’Will we even be able to finish today’s shoot?’
He was, of course, concerned about the number of contestants.
Meng Xiaoyi stood frozen in place, as if she’d been struck by lightning.
No one went to comfort or prompt her.
"Director, what kind of shady characters did we get for this show? Why are they all doing such dirty, backstabbing things?"
Director Wen was speechless. How was he supposed to respond to that?
After all, he was the one who vetted and signed all the contestants.
"Jiali, let’s divide up the work and start the mission."
Wen Ying had no intention of dwelling on the Meng Xiaoyi situation; she just wanted to complete today’s tasks quickly.
Today’s mission consisted of three stages. The first was to find the clues hidden by the production team in the forest. The second was to be the first to bring back a monkey, without harming or forcing it. The third stage was to interact with the monkey.
Of course, after completing the tasks, they needed to reach a designated location and rendezvous with the production crew.
The team that won all three stages could make two demands of the director’s team!
A team that won two stages could make one demand!
A team that won only one stage... well, they’d have to leave it to fate.
These updated tasks were the result of Director Wen racking his brain to come up with content the audience would love.
The moment Wen Ying spoke, Xu Jiali obediently turned to await her orders.
Song Jiayan also stood by, waiting for his assignment.
"You two, come with me. We’ll also take three cameramen. We’re not taking anything from here except the supplies."
Xu Jiali glanced at the pot on the stove. "Not even that?"
"We’re not taking it."
Song Jiayan quickly packed up the supplies and hoisted them onto his back, showing none of the airs of a pop star who had shot to fame.
Xu Jiali looked around but found nothing else to carry, so she bent down, picked up Little White, and took him with her.
"Doctor Wen," the director suddenly spoke up, looking at Wen Ying a bit sheepishly. "This... the viewers all want to know, what exactly is that treasure in your pocket? It couldn’t really be some powerful magical artifact, could it?"
Director Wen laughed as he said it.
Wen Ying paid him no mind. "This pocket? I’ll tell everyone once we clear all the stages today."
[I wonder if Doctor Wen will reveal her magic trick today?]
[You’re overthinking it. Doctor Wen’s status comes from her mystery. If she reveals it, how can she stay mysterious?]
[Your understanding of Doctor Wen is so superficial! Just you wait and see!]
Xu Jiali and Song Jiayan followed Wen Ying into the forest.
Meng Xiaoyi glanced at Xie Fu Yao. Zhao Qi walked over. "I don’t want to be in a group with you two, but we have no choice. Should we do the mission together, or split up?"
Meng Xiaoyi looked to Xie Fu Yao, not saying a word.
"I think it’s better to split up. If we search for clues together, we’ll be too slow. We can’t fall behind every time."
"Brother Xie, the forest is too big. I want to go with you."
"Then you go with Xie Fu Yao. I prefer to be alone." After saying this, Zhao Qi chose a direction and left.
A cameraman immediately followed him.
"Brother Xie, I know you’re not happy with me, but right now, we can only rely on each other. Wen Ying’s group will definitely keep targeting us. If we want to make a comeback, we have to do it ourselves. If we want screen time, we have to create buzz together."
Xie Fu Yao didn’t object.
’Even though I don’t like Meng Xiaoyi, she’s right. I have to make a comeback!’
’I can’t let things continue like this, or I won’t be able to answer to my agency.’
’And it’s all because of that Wen Ying!’
"Brother Xie, I think we should take this pot, don’t you? We can cook with it later."
"Do we have fire?"
Hearing the word "fire," Meng Xiaoyi’s face burned as if she’d just been slapped.
"Then what should we do? Are we going to end up like yesterday?"
Meng Xiaoyi really didn’t want to suffer like that again, but she had no idea that her real suffering was yet to come.
"I’ll take the pot. You preserve the embers."
Xie Fu Yao wasn’t actually stupid; he was just suppressed whenever he was around Wen Ying and her group.
He bent down and pulled a short piece of wood from the stove Wen Ying’s group had used. It had a few glowing embers on it. Then, he grabbed two bamboo tubes that they hadn’t taken.
He placed the smoldering wood inside a bamboo tube.
Seeing this, Meng Xiaoyi’s face lit up. "Brother Xie, I had no idea you knew so much!"
Xie Fu Yao said nothing, simply picking up the pot and heading into the forest.
[Is Xie Fu Yao’s team a bunch of scavengers? How can they shamelessly take what others have left behind?]
[You can’t say that. Even though I don’t like those two either, on a show like this, at a time like this, just having something to take is a blessing in the Mortal World! Who has the luxury to think about anything else? Survival is what’s most important!]
*
Wen Ying thought for a moment, then had Song Jiayan go with Xu Jiali. Since Xu Jiali was holding Little White, she would be safe.
The two of them followed Wen Ying’s instructions.
Wen Ying went off alone to search for the production team’s clues, heading straight in one direction.
The cameraman, recalling her brilliant performance yesterday, asked, "Doctor Wen, do you already know where the production team hid the clues?"
"Are you kidding? I’m not a Divine Calculator."
The cameraman breathed a sigh of relief. ’It’s good that she doesn’t know. If she found them right away, our production team would get chewed out again!’
’People would say the show was rigged and that Doctor Wen got the clues in advance!’
"But I am a psychologist, so I can probably deduce the general area."
The cameraman had just let out his breath in relief when he heard Wen Ying’s words and almost choked.
’Could she really deduce it?’
Thankfully, Wen Ying didn’t seem to be making a beeline for the target. Instead, she strolled along as if she were a tourist, looking here and there, even picking a few plants, some unknown leaves, and some nameless, colorful fruits.
’They’re probably fruits, right?’
The cameraman watched Wen Ying carrying an armful of things and wondered if she planned to hold them like that the whole time.
Just as he was wondering, he saw Wen Ying reach into her pocket. Then, from that small pocket, she pulled out a canvas bag!
The canvas bag was about 45 centimeters long. Even folded, there was no way it could fit in her pocket!
’So how did Doctor Wen hide a canvas bag in her pocket?’
And it looked like there were words written on the canvas bag.
The cameraman zoomed in on it. Written on the bag was: "Come to QQ Reading to see Doctor Wen, and get a Good Luck Talisman!"
These two lines of text filled the body of the canvas bag.
But the cameraman had no idea what "QQ Reading" was, nor did he know if the viewers in the livestream had ever heard of it.
