Chapter 81: She’d Rather Die!
Yu Zimo’s head buzzed when he heard the director’s voice.
He couldn’t put his feelings into words. There was only one question in his mind: ’Will Yu Xiaowei die?’
Gu Xulin and the others quickly gathered their things, having inherited all the pots and pans from Xiao Lu and the other two.
Gu Zhao ran to the edge of the floodwaters, scooped up some water with her small hands, and splashed it directly onto Ye Zuiyi’s face.
"Ah." Ye Zuiyi’s eyes fluttered open. She looked up and saw Gu Zhao. "What are you doing!"
Gu Zhao just looked at her coldly. "Saving you. You’ve all been drugged. Hurry up and help me wake the others."
After saying her piece, Gu Zhao left it at that, handing the rest of the work over to the "female lead."
’Fine, she had to admit she just wanted to splash water on the female lead—and in a way that would force the female lead to thank her for it!’
Sure enough, after a few seconds of silence, Ye Zuiyi thanked her.
It wasn’t genuine gratitude, of course. She was just keeping up appearances for the live broadcast.
Ye Zuiyi followed Gu Zhao’s example and splashed Ye Zexi awake. Then, though not exactly willing, the two of them also splashed Song Jina and Zhou Lan awake for the sake of the broadcast.
Splashed awake, Song Jina flew into a rage. "Are you nuts?!"
Ye Zexi looked at her coldly. "We save your life and you’re not even grateful."
This made Song Jina even angrier. "I was sleeping just fine! Why would I need saving?"
Zhou Lan felt groggy. Then, her eyes widened as she looked at Song Jina. "An’an, what happened to you?"
There was a large red patch on Song Jina’s neck.
The reminder made Song Jina suddenly aware of a dull pain in her body.
"You actually beat me up while I was asleep!" she accused, glaring furiously at Ye Zexi and Ye Zuiyi.
[I’m speechless. At first, I thought she was just a blunt kid, but now I realize she’s a brainless kid.]
[Are Ye Zexi and his sister for real? They should be thanking Gu Zhao. They can’t just take all the credit, can they?]
Having been in the entertainment industry for so long, Zhou Lan knew how things worked.
She quickly placated Song Jina. "An’an, don’t misunderstand them. Something feels off. I was sleeping unusually soundly."
But Song Jina was only six; she couldn’t understand.
Zhou Lan sighed and gently stroked Song Jina’s head. "We were probably drugged. They were the ones who woke us up."
Song Jina understood. ’So they really did save me?’ But she didn’t want to thank Ye Zuiyi, who was always putting on an act.
Ye Zexi was still staring coldly at Song Jina. "Aren’t you going to thank us? You should apologize, too."
’If my sister hadn’t woken us up, we’d still be unconscious.’
Hearing this, Zhong Mingrui immediately shouted, "If you’re going to thank someone, you should be thanking our Big King! It was our Big King who saved Big Chin from those three!"
Song Jina didn’t catch the first part of the sentence, only the end. "You’re the one with a big chin!"
Zhong Mingrui pouted, looking innocent. "But I’m not the one who’s always tilting my chin up. You’re the one who always walks with your chin in the air."
[Hahahaha, Zhong Mingrui has such a smart mouth!]
[The nickname "Big Chin" is so perfect. The way Song Jina holds her chin up really captures that vibe.]
[Watching kids argue is the best. Even their fights are hilarious, haha.]
Song Jina was fuming.
Zhou Lan quickly held her back.
Just then, Song Yi also pointed at Ye Zuiyi and shouted, "And they were the ones who brought those three here in the first place."
As soon as she heard that, Song Jina shot a glare at Ye Zuiyi.
Ye Zuiyi put on an innocent face. "They said they were explorers... Besides, everyone agreed to let them stay here."
Ye Zexi immediately jumped to her defense. "That’s right. You ate the food they cooked, too. We certainly didn’t force you."
While they argued, Gu Zhao and her group had already finished packing and were calling the elephants over to dismantle the shelter.
After a night of light rain, the sun was now out.
The elephants ambled over, first nuzzling Gu Zhao affectionately, then quickly dismantled the shelter.
"What are you guys doing!" Song Jina stopped arguing with Ye Zuiyi’s group and turned to Gu Zhao, annoyed.
"Why are you tearing down the shelter! How can you be so selfish! Didn’t the production team build this for everyone?!"
Gu Zhao rolled her eyes at her. "We built this. Don’t be so possessive of our things. Be careful, or I might start acting like you."
"And if that happens, all your things will end up in my pockets."
Song Jina was so mad she could stomp her feet. ’All the guests on this show are nuts!’ she thought.
Ye Zuiyi narrowed her eyes, then looked at Gu Zhao with a warm smile. "Zhaozhao, where are you all going?"
Gu Xulin shot her a look. "Yu Xiaowei’s drone lost its signal."
Ye Zexi frowned. He looked over at Yu Zimo and only then realized that Yu Zimo hadn’t been knocked out. He had been awake the whole time.
"Zimo?"
Yu Zimo lifted his head. His face was pale.
It was hard to tell if he was pale from hunger or fear, or perhaps both.
Yu Zimo’s voice was hoarse. "I want to quit."
Ye Zexi was stunned for a moment but said nothing.
The director’s voice came through the drone. "Our young partner Zimo, please stay where you are and don’t move. Our team will be there soon."
Gu Zhao and her group ignored them and rode away on the elephants.
Hua Baozi trotted unhappily behind them. ’I’m gone for just a little while, so why am I not Xiangxiang’s translator anymore?!’
’And I’m not her mount anymore, either!’
’They’re bullying a poor beast!’
Seeing Gu Zhao leave without so much as a word made Ye Zexi feel a little put out.
When Ye Zuiyi saw Ye Zexi staring after Gu Zhao’s departing group, her hatred for Gu Zhao grew even stronger.
’Gu Zhao shouldn’t even exist!’
"Brother... I’m sorry, I’m so useless..." Ye Zuiyi lowered her head, hiding her true feelings.
Ye Zexi snapped out of it, his heart aching for her. After comforting each other for a moment, the two decided to get moving as well.
They would just wander around somewhere else.
Song Jina and Zhou Lan decided to just stay in the vicinity and wait for this segment of the show to end.
With everyone gone, Yu Zimo was left sitting alone on the ground.
A single drone hovered by his side, keeping watch.
「Meanwhile.」
Yu Xiaowei felt like life’s struggles were a mountain range. Just when you think you’ve summited one peak, you see countless more stretching out before you.
It was simply endless.
Yu Xiaowei sat numbly in a car, her hands and feet bound. She felt like a fish caught in the jaws of fate.
She was going to wither away.
"Boss, this dame’s pretty easy on the eyes. How about you let me have her as my wife?" said the chubby man driving. He flashed a sycophantic grin, revealing a set of yellow teeth.
The man with the crew cut in the passenger seat looked at him with utter disgust. "I think she’d rather die."
Yu Xiaowei nodded in agreement.
’Even if I’m going to die, I’ll die with dignity!’
The driver shut his mouth, but after a moment, he couldn’t hold it in any longer. "Boss, are we really going to feed this woman to that pack of monsters as bait?"
The man with the crew cut rubbed his aching temples, annoyed. "You want to be the bait instead?"
The yellow-toothed man licked his lips, his voice turning wheedling. "C’mon, Boss~ just give her to me. It’s been so long since I’ve had a taste of a woman."
The man with the crew cut had the urge to pull out his gun and shoot him, but he restrained himself. Last time he was the only one to return, and his superiors had not been pleased.
"If you can find some other bait, she’s all yours."
Yu Xiaowei despaired. ’I’d rather die!’
...
Meanwhile, the Yu Family received news that Yu Xiaowei was missing, and they flew into a panic.
Yu’s mother’s face was etched with anxiety. "If she dies, what will happen to Qiqi!"
Yu’s father was also frantic. "Don’t you worry. Our Qiqi is blessed with good fortune; she’ll be fine."
’If they find her, great. If not, this will at least earn the group some good publicity,’ he thought.
Yu Group: Anyone with information about Yu Xiaowei, please contact us. One million yuan reward for credible information.
The internet instantly exploded.
[OMG, I always thought the Yu Family treated Yu Xiaowei badly. I guess they really do care about her!]
[Don’t be so quick to judge. What if it’s just for show? Still, that’s a seriously impressive amount of money. One million for a single tip.]
[To be fair, whether they’re sincere or not, this move definitely maxes out the motivation for people to search.]
[I hope our Weiwei is safe. I’ll stop bad-mouthing the Yu Family from now on. We Wei Fens will buy more of your products to show our support. You have to find her!]