Chapter 638: Chapter 638: There’s a Surprise Waiting for You Ahead
Submerged by the mudslide, Li Ran, Wang Xuan, and Li Meng’s hearts instantly sank.
"It’s over! We’re definitely going to die now!"
However, the next moment, they only felt themselves buried in mud, not struck by the boulders rolling down the mountain.
"Ranran, get up, quickly!"
Wang Xuan and Li Meng scrambled to their feet and pulled Li Ran out. Disregarding the dirt and their disheveled state, they scrambled about, dodging the falling rocks until they finally reached safety.
By now, the three of them looked like mud figures, with no clean spot to be seen except for their eyes.
PFFT!
Ye Lin’er and the others couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing. The sight of the three women was just too comical.
Up on the mountain, Ye Xiu sneered. Those three were buried by a mudslide, and not only did no one help them, but they’re being mocked. There’s really no human decency in the entertainment industry.
"You... you all..." Seeing everyone making fun of them, Li Ran and her friends flushed with shame and anger but couldn’t bring themselves to curse everyone out.
Li Ran had no choice but to vent her anger on Ye Lin’er. "It’s all your fault, Ye Lin’er!" she raged. "If you hadn’t pushed me and dirtied my clothes, I wouldn’t have gone back to the bus to change, and I wouldn’t be in this mess! You... you’re a jinx!"
How is this my fault again? Ye Lin’er felt incredibly wronged.
Just as Li Ran was about to continue her tirade, Su Mu spoke up. "The road is now blocked by boulders from the landslide. We should focus on how to get to the filming location."
After speaking, he nodded toward Ye Lin’er, as if to say, "I’m helping you out, you don’t have to thank me."
However, Ye Lin’er’s adorably clueless look made it clear she didn’t catch his meaning, and Su Mu realized he was casting pearls before swine.
"It seems I can only lead you into the mountains on foot," the driver sighed.
"On foot?"
The expressions on Li Ran and the others changed instantly. They were pampered and delicate; how could they possibly trek through the mountains on muddy paths?
But when they saw the boulders blocking the road and the front of the bus, they knew that even if the driver called for a rescue team and tow trucks, clearing the road would take time.
"How far are we from the filming location?" Su Mu asked.
The driver thought for a moment. "It’s several miles of mountain roads. Walking should only take a little over two hours." He then added, "Actually, the bus could have only gone another two or three miles before the main road ended anyway. We were always going to have to hike for a few miles."
Hearing they had to walk on a mountain path for over two hours, Li Ran and the others nearly had a meltdown.
Li Ran furiously berated the driver, "I’m a top-tier celebrity, and you want me to trudge through several miles of muddy mountain paths? Are you insane? I’m not walking! Call the production team right now and have the producer and the Director send a helicopter to pick me up!"
Tajiguli said angrily, "The production team is going too far! They’re clearly trying to make things difficult for us. I’m not filming! The Director can find someone else; I’m not at their beck and call."
Zong Rui gritted his teeth. "This is outrageous! I’m the young master of the Zong Family! When have I ever suffered like this? The Director had better come here and give me an explanation personally, or I’m not going anywhere."
Su Mu and Shi Hexuan didn’t complain, but their expressions were grim, clearly simmering with anger.
Ye Lin’er, on the other hand, was thrilled, acting as if this were just a minor hiccup on an exciting trip. To her, this was what a real journey was about; a perfectly smooth one would have been boring.
"Ranran, we’ve already signed the contract. If we back out now, we’ll have to pay the production team ten times the damages in compensation, and the company won’t allow you to quit either," Wang Xuan, Li Ran’s agent, said persuasively, then quickly changed the topic. "Besides, I heard that Director Huang is preparing a big-budget film funded by the Zhulu Group. He plans to choose the male and female leads from the six of you participating in this reality show."
At these words, the eyes of Li Ran, Tajiguli, Zong Rui, and Su Mu blazed with fervor. Even Shi Hexuan was filled with surging emotions and longing.
The Zhulu Group was a legendary, mysterious conglomerate. A film backed by such a major company would undoubtedly be a massive production with unparalleled resources. Whoever managed to land the lead roles would be guaranteed to become a superstar.
Only Ye Lin’er seemed indifferent. I’m just a rookie who has barely stepped into the entertainment industry. Zhulu Group would never cast me. Even if they did, it would probably just be for a bit part.
"Are you serious?" Li Ran asked excitedly.
"It’s an internal secret, not yet public," Wang Xuan said with a smile.
A look of determination lit up Li Ran’s face. "So what if we have to walk to the production site? Let’s go." She then turned to her four bodyguards and said, "Go get my luggage." With that, she took the lead, walking ahead with Wang Xuan and Li Meng.
Tajiguli and the others were no longer in a foul mood. They quickly hurried past Li Ran. In their eyes, the path ahead was no longer just mud and several miles of mountain road, but a direct route to the leading roles in a major film. They all wanted to be the first to arrive at the filming location, to be the first ones the producer and Director laid eyes on.
Their bodyguards, meanwhile, went to the bus to retrieve their luggage. Celebrities traveled with a mountain of large and small suitcases, making it a grueling task for the bodyguards.
Ye Lin’er, however, had only brought a single suitcase. She and her manager walked leisurely at the back, enjoying the scenery along the way.
"Ling’er, my intuition tells me there’s a surprise waiting for you up ahead," her manager, Chen Yang, said mysteriously.
"What kind of surprise, Chen Yang?" Ye Lin’er asked curiously.
"You’ll find out soon," Chen Yang said evasively.
The main reason for her secrecy was that Ye Xiu hadn’t shown himself yet, so she didn’t dare say anything. Besides, she couldn’t even guarantee he would appear.
"Oh!" A sense of anticipation suddenly bloomed in Ye Lin’er.
Just then, Ye Lin’er and Chen Yang saw Li Ran, who was walking up ahead, suddenly take a nosedive!
Chen Yang gasped. The Young Master isn’t done with Li Ran yet.
Over the next stretch of road, Li Ran fell every ten meters or so.
At first, Tajiguli and the others laughed at her, but before long, they started tripping as well. And so, all along the path, Li Ran, Tajiguli, Zong Rui, and their assistants and agents all took turns falling. After just a few tumbles, they all looked as though they had just crawled out of a mud pit.
Shi Hexuan, Su Mu, their own assistants and managers, and all the bodyguards were baffled.
The road is muddy, but not so much that we should be falling! And why is it just these few people falling over and over again, but not us? This is so bizarre!
"Aaaaargh!"
After her fifteenth fall, Li Ran finally broke down. Lying in the mud, she screamed, "What is with this damn road? I’ve had enough!"
Wang Xuan quickly tried to console her. "Just endure it for the role. Who knows, you might even win a major award with the film funded by the Zhulu Group."
Hearing this, Li Ran struggled to her feet again and said to one of her bodyguards, "You, give the suitcases to Wang Xuan and Li Meng. You’re going to carry me."
The bodyguard stood speechless.
