Chapter 32: World Two [2]

【‘Ahhh, it’s been so long since I’ve seen my goddess, she’s as beautiful as ever. I’d stan her for ten thousand years just for this face.’, ‘Awooo, even a close-up shot is that beautiful, I’ll love Baby Qingqing forever!’, ‘So happy to see Shao Qing again, such a good person should shine on her own, male guests keep away from my precious!’】

【Most of the comments related to you in the barrage follow the above types. I have automatically filtered out the highly repetitive ones.】

【If you need a verbatim recounting, I can relay the contents to you as well.】

“Thank you, that’s sufficient.” Shao Qing listened carefully. Upon hearing that so many fans still supported her as they always had, she struggled to suppress the upward curve of her lips.

Shao Qing and Xu Yin were originally invited by the production team for the buzz and viewership ratings. The screen time they were given in the early stages was naturally generous, so Shao Qing’s subtle facial expressions were also fully captured by the camera and broadcast live in the live stream room.

People are drawn to beauty, and even more so when it’s an ostentatious, radiant, and enduring beauty like Shao Qing’s. Whether male or female fans, they would unconsciously be mesmerized by her good looks, then follow behind, howling and calling her their wife.

Especially when Shao Qing launched a close-range beauty bombardment, even some of the paid trolls who had come with a mission were involuntarily captivated by her looks, causing the work at their hands to slow down by several seconds.

“Are there no negative comments about me on the barrage?” After her moment of happiness, Shao Qing focused on an undeniable reality.

Namely, as much as her fans liked her, her anti-fans hated her just as fiercely. If she wasn’t mistaken, those anti-fans and paid trolls would arrive on the scene within minutes to start nitpicking at her.

【Some extreme remarks have sporadically emerged, but they only account for three percent of the total barrage volume. Among the comments related to you, one appears per fifteen, and the fans are seriously working to clarify things.】 Jing Ke reported the most accurate data.

“So, by that calculation, the current barrage comments in the live stream room related to me account for about half?” Shao Qing looked out at the boundless sea, catching the faint scent of the ocean in the air.

【Correct. The live stream room’s camera is currently focused on you; you are in the very center.】

After hearing Jing Ke’s words, Shao Qing took out the sunglasses she had put away and put them on. Then, she actively looked at the camera and flashed an extremely brilliant smile.

【The live stream room barrage is increasing. More than half are complimenting your beauty. A small portion of other guests’ fans are complaining about the unfair screen time allocation. Your anti-fans have temporarily failed to find a point to attack.】

Shao Qing’s smile deepened upon hearing this, though she also knew the principle of not overdoing it. After smiling at the camera for a moment, she soon turned away to admire the seascape.

Jing Ke dutifully served as the barrage monitor, providing real-time updates on the situation in the live stream room.

After the speedboat had traveled across the sea surface for about twenty minutes, the outline of the island, their destination, emerged.

Viewed from afar, the island’s green coverage was very high, and its terrain was fairly typical, with a small thirty-meter hill at the center, gentle slopes connecting the beach and the mountain range.

The rock distribution was somewhat irregular, but overall, there were no overly dangerous cliffs. As long as they paid attention to the times of high and low tide, no accidents should normally occur.

Five more minutes later, the speedboat stopped at the island’s dedicated dock.

Clearly, although this island called itself uninhabited, it had undergone some human development, possessing some of the most basic facilities. It wouldn’t force the six guests to live a truly primitive life.

【The live stream room has switched to a wide shot. The barrage content is decreasing. Viewership has temporarily stabilized at eight million.】

【Comments related to you are decreasing. Trolling comments are near zero.】

“Alright, I understand.” Shao Qing was gradually adapting to communicating with Jing Ke through her consciousness. After getting the information she needed, she went over to the director to receive her supplies.

To ensure fairness, each guest’s basic supplies and food rations were uniformly prepared by the production team. Except for some items sized differently depending on the person, the supplies were the same for everyone.

Considering the flight guests’ wilderness survival experience was inferior to that of the regular guests, the production team specifically allowed them to choose one extra tool.

“What prop should I pick?” Shao Qing first inspected the basic supplies provided by the program team, her eyes quickly moving to the tools available for extra selection.

The chief director, who had already filmed several seasons, was very experienced and also quite generous; the tools laid out were all very practical.

【Multifunctional entrenching tool. This prop is very useful; it can be used as a shovel, axe, knife, and saw.】

Shao Qing’s gaze zeroed in on the entrenching tool placed in the very center. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Xu Yin step forward first, bend down, and pick up the entrenching tool she had her eye on.

“Director, can I choose this one?” Xu Yin asked. “Holding it will make me feel very safe.”

“You can. Every prop here is available for choosing,” the director naturally wouldn’t make things difficult for the guests in this area and readily nodded.

“Teacher Shao, have you decided which prop to pick?” After successfully obtaining the entrenching tool, Xu Yin turned to face Shao Qing, a concerned expression still on his face.

“I carefully read the content on the task card. We are each fighting for ourselves. Although a certain degree of trading and gifting of supplies is allowed, everyone’s belongings must be carried by themselves. The entrenching tool is quite heavy, not very suitable for female guests to carry around. Teacher Shao could consider a smaller, lighter prop.”

Xu Yin stood before Shao Qing. Leveraging his male advantage, his frame was five or six centimeters taller than Shao Qing in her flat shoes, perfectly blocking the camera shot originally aimed at her.

“Teacher Shao, if you don’t know what to pick, you could choose a wire saw. This tool is easy to carry and lightweight.” Xu Yin said with a smile, suggesting what seemed like a very reasonable tool.

【The production team prepared amply. There’s more than one entrenching tool.】 Jing Ke proactively reminded her, once again expressing disdain for the System’s choices.

It was one thing that Xue Fan, the chosen one from the first world, was no good person, but why was the contractee chosen in this world also someone of vile character? The System might not mind, but she certainly did!

Shao Qing’s eyes flickered. She took a step to her left, reappearing before the camera. “Director, do you have a spare entrenching tool over there? I also want to pick a tool that gives me a sense of security.”

“Teacher Shao also wants an entrenching tool? Then just take this one from my hand. I’d also feel secure holding an axe,” Xu Yin preemptively said, proactively offering the entrenching tool in his hand.

“I’m not in the habit of taking what others love. The entrenching tool has many uses; there’s no need for you to give it to me.” Shao Qing refused with a smile, simultaneously offering a tactful reminder.

“It’s true we’re fighting individually, but the only thing uniquely ours are the points earned from completing tasks. Everything else is shared. Two entrenching tools can play a much bigger role than one. There might be tasks later that require us to work together to complete.”

Shao Qing had been in the industry for about eight years, after all. To her, Xu Yin’s behavior seemed overly rash.

If Xu Yin wanted to put her in his debt or show her goodwill in front of the camera, he should have stepped forward after the director said there wasn’t a second entrenching tool, not acted so impulsively.

“Director, I remember you always like to be prepared. There should be a second entrenching tool, right?” Shao Qing looked at the director with a beaming smile. Her eyes, the kind that look deeply affectionate even when gazing seriously at a dog, met the director’s gaze.

Although the director was almost forty, he was still a single dog and couldn’t hold her gaze for more than three seconds before clearing his throat and looking away.

“Ahem, of course. I prepared three entrenching tools in total. Teacher Shao, if you’re sure you need one, I’ll have someone bring it to you right away,” the director quickly stated his position.

As expected of a dark horse who started winning awards as soon as she debuted, who could withstand that gaze? With a face like Shao Qing’s, it would be hard for her to be unknown even if she wanted to be.

“Thank you, Director.” Shao Qing expressed her thanks with a smile. After successfully getting the entrenching tool, she lifted it in her hand to test its weight.

“Getting such a good tool for just a little extra weight is a pretty good trade-off,” Shao Qing said, standing before Xu Yin. “Teacher Xu, look, you shouldn’t underestimate us female guests. I do work out and lift weights at home when I have time.”

The smile on Xu Yin’s face had a trace more strain than before. “My wording earlier was inappropriate. My apologies.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind.” Shao Qing’s expression remained unchanged, her tone still sounding very friendly. “It’s now about three in the afternoon. There isn’t much time before sunset. Let’s hurry and find a place to set up camp. It’ll be inconvenient after dark.”

“I agree. I climbed to a high point to look around earlier. To the east seems to be a nice flat area, with coconut trees nearby that can provide us with water,” Liu Chang, the professional, was the first to respond, pointing the direction out for everyone.

As the sole expert, Liu Chang’s words carried considerable weight with the other five guests. No one objected to his suggestion. They obediently shouldered their packs of supplies and began their march, dragging their tent bags behind them.

About a hundred meters into the trek, Jing Ke’s voice sounded in Shao Qing’s mind.

【I have successfully obtained the detailed topographic map of this island via the internet. Do you need me to provide suitable recommendations?】

“Is there a problem with the place Liu Chang chose?” Shao Qing, reacting lightning-fast, asked.

【During high tide, there will be some danger. Normally, it wouldn’t be a big issue, but today is the fifteenth of the lunar month. The waves will be influenced by the moon’s gravity, so the uncertainty factor is higher.】

Shao Qing subconsciously glanced at the sky. The brilliant sunshine made her narrow her eyes into slits. “Is this also knowledge you acquired through the internet?”

Jing Ke, hearing this question, paused. She didn’t provide an answer immediately.

Was this knowledge she learned through the internet? But she didn’t seem to have absorbed that much information related to this world.

Rather than obtained through the internet, it was more like it was knowledge that had inherently existed in her consciousness, and she had just retrieved and used it at the appropriate time.

【I understand a great deal of information. Feel free to ask me anytime if there’s something you don’t understand.】 After a moment of dazed confusion, Jing Ke gave an answer that slightly deviated from the question.