The silence hit her like a loud slap in the face. Duan Mangyun's lips turned white as she desperately called out, "Hello? I'm a guest here filming a show. We've run into some trouble. Can we ask for your help?"
The only response was the cries of seagulls in the distance.
Duan Mangyun waited outside the courtyard wall for ten minutes but got no reply. Instead, the director's angry yelling came through her earpiece: "Duan Mangyun! What are you doing? You know the rules prohibit bothering the Island Owner! He's furious now. Leave immediately!"
Duan Mangyun stubbornly said, "But Zhong Ruanxing trespassed in the restricted area before."
The director sounded exasperated: "Zhong Ruanxing is Zhong Ruanxing. You're you. You've already broken the island rules. Please leave now!"
Duan Mangyun's heart sank as she finally realized how rash and foolish her actions were. Her face turned ghastly pale and she hastily retreated in embarrassment.
The livestream viewers had gone from anticipation to merciless mockery, flooding the chat with criticism.
Soon, Duan Mangyun returned to base camp. The other guests were still busy repairing the roof, having finally figured out the right method. They didn't know about her unauthorized absence and return.
It wasn't until the staff told Duan Mangyun to go inside and pack up that the other guests finally noticed something was amiss.
When she cried out in disbelief, "You're kicking me out?!" it got everyone's attention. They asked what had happened.
The sullen production team explained, "Ms. Duan disregarded our warnings and trespassed, offending the Island Owner. We have no choice but to remove her from the island early as per the rules."
Everyone was shocked!
Their reactions to Duan Mangyun varied.
Now Duan Mangyun really started bawling. Just three days into filming and she was being forced off the show. How could she continue working in this industry after this?! She hurriedly apologized, "I'm so sorry! It wasn't intentional. I'll apologize to the Island Owner. I only wanted to help everyone."
But the production team remained unmoved.
As if they would risk their own jobs just to keep her on! The Island Owner was already furious. If they didn't remove her from the island, it was the whole crew getting kicked off!
Besides, they had been watching Duan Mangyun's poor behavior and performance. Her personal livestream had no viewers because she was costing them a lot of traffic for the show! Better to take this chance to bring in a replacement guest!
The production team was unrelenting: "You have ten minutes to pack up. Please don't make things difficult for us."
The live chat was in an uproar:
【Good lord, I just...good lord! So the Island Owner really does banish people!】
【The director was right to say, Zhong Ruanxing is Zhong Ruanxing, she is herself. What makes her think she can compare to Zhong Ruanxing? Hilarious!】
【Ms. Duan has finally shot herself in the foot, hallelujah!】
【Hurry and get a new female guest on the island. I'm sick of looking at her.】
...
Duan Mangyun felt forced into a corner. Tears streaming down her face, she looked desperately at the varied reactions of the other guests until her gaze fixed manically on Zhong Ruanxing's expression of interest. Having lost all reason, she lashed out, "Zhong Ruanxing broke the rules too! I did the same thing as her, so why am I the only one suffering consequences? You're targeting me on purpose!"
Silently accepting the facts and leaving gracefully would have been the best course of action. Instead, she tore into the others, provoking more disgust.
Zhong Ruanxing shrugged indifferently. "Why don't you go ask the Island Owner again why he didn't kick me off the island?"
Seeing her meltdown, the exasperated production team cut her mic and pulled her personal camera crew. Some female staff came over to drag her forcibly into the bedroom.
When Duan Mangyun still tried to make a scene, the assistant director coldly shut her down: "Ms. Duan, you're done with this show, but you still want a future in this industry, right? Or do you want to torch everything and ruin any chance you have left?"
Duan Mangyun froze, her shattered sanity abruptly returning. She realized what she was doing and her bloodless lips trembled in terror.
She was finished.
Everyone had witnessed her deranged tantrum. Her manager must have seen it too. He already thought she was stupid for ruining this show. If he gave up on her now she'd be completely doomed!
The more Duan Mangyun thought about it, the more afraid she became. She hurriedly finished packing and left the island with the staff, anxious to get in touch with her manager and apologize and beg him not to abandon her.
Without even a goodbye, Duan Mangyun was gone. At dinner, sitting around one empty seat, the guests tacitly avoided mentioning her.
Zhong Ruanxing was in a good mood, thinking about how Mr. Song had helped drive away that unpleasant girl today. She really wanted to see him and praise him again.
She waited and waited until the livestream ended. After telling Bai Yinyue, she snuck out into the night.
With the staff gone to their campsite a hundred meters away, Zhong Ruanxing slipped out unnoticed. Following the closest path, flashlight in hand, she felt not one bit afraid in the jungle night. Before long, she saw a small house silhouetted in the darkness.
The green glow of the password lock on the door flickered in the black night. Zhong Ruanxing entered her birthday and heard the click of the unlocking door.
The interior was simply furnished: a sofa, a desk, a cellphone on the desk.
Zhong Ruanxing plopped down on the sofa and dialed the only number in the contacts.
The call connected in less than two rings, Song Jinxing's low voice slightly distorted over the line: "Why are you running around so late?"
Hearing his worry, Zhong Ruanxing giggled, "Well I can only come find you now without exposing myself."
Song Jinxing sounded helpless but she could hear him walking outside already. "Stay there. I'm coming to get you."
From the mansion to this transfer station, there was a paved cement road for the tourist vehicles on the estate. So in less than five minutes, Zhong Ruanxing saw approaching headlights in the night.
She jumped up from the sofa and had just opened the door when Song Jinxing was already climbing the steps to stand before her.
Zhong Ruanxing playfully shined her flashlight at his face.
He closed his eyes and the corner of his mouth quirked up helplessly. "Let's go."
Riding in one of the tourist vehicles through the jungle at night was quite a novel experience.
Soon they arrived at the mansion. Zhong Ruanxing thanked the driver and bounced lightly off the car.
While the external jungle was pitch dark and silent, the mansion grounds were brightly lit, like Cinderella sneaking into the palace for the ball - the grand doorway dividing two completely different worlds.
Song Jinxing asked, "Want a late night snack?"
"Sure!" Zhong Ruanxing immediately agreed, justifying to herself, "I worked hard today fixing the roof, so I deserve a reward."
Walking ahead, Song Jinxing smiled silently.
