Chapter 82: World Two [52]

The security captain briefly explained the situation, then handed the organized statement to Jing Ke.

After taking it, Jing Ke read through it carefully. Her eyes narrowed slightly when she discovered the person had become a staff member of the production team a full month in advance.

If the planning started a month ago, did that mean it was set in motion right around the time when internal disagreements arose within the Wilderness Survival production team?

Jing Ke did a quick mental calculation. She and Shao Qing had received their invitations in May, roughly twenty days before the official start of the show.

From that perspective, planning a month in advance was entirely normal. Perhaps it was precisely because this person successfully infiltrated the crew that Director Qin, under various influences, chose her and Shao Qing as the draw for viewer traffic.

Jing Ke continued reading. According to the organized statement, this person’s objective in infiltrating the production team was to find an opportunity to place a small locked box under the bed in the room shared by Jing Ke and Shao Qing.

The person who provided the locked box and the one pulling the strings behind the scenes was a senior executive at Wanhai Entertainment. The related investigation was still underway.

“Where is that small locked box? Have you inspected it?” Jing Ke asked.

The security captain nodded. “I didn’t open the box without authorization. We used instruments to examine its internal structure. Inside was a small wooden doll and some papers painted with strange symbols, suspected to be Asian talismans.”

Talismans? The moment Jing Ke heard that term, her first thought was of Xu Yin, who was now in prison.

But Xu Yin was already behind bars. Could he still be colluding with people on the outside? Surely prison management wasn’t that lax?

Besides, Wanhai Entertainment wasn’t Xu Yin’s agency. They should be competitors, right?

Competitors?

Jing Ke quickly thought of Xu Yi, who had debuted under the moniker “Little Xu Yin.” If she remembered correctly, Xu Yi was precisely the newcomer Wanhai Entertainment was promoting.

After a brief analysis of the available clues, Jing Ke had a pretty good idea of what was happening.

“Detain that person. Tell the others he stole jewelry worth over a million from the island owner and needs to stay here to wait for the local police,” Jing Ke said. “Also, burn that small box. Use the highest temperature flame to reduce it to ashes, and scatter any remaining residue into the sea.”

The security captain carefully noted down her boss’s instructions. After confirming she hadn’t missed anything, she immediately set off to carry them out.

–

“Boss Jing, we were just talking about you. I heard Teacher Shao will be collaborating with you next?” Liu Chang asked with a smile when he saw Jing Ke return to her seat.

“Yes, Shao Qing will be my partner.” Jing Ke didn’t deny it.

It wasn’t exactly a secret anymore. Jing Ke had already publicly acknowledged her relationship with Shao Qing. And since Shao Qing’s contract termination with Zongheng Entertainment was amicable, most insiders had already guessed it when Shao Qing appeared at New Life Entertainment’s annual meeting.

“Then, would Boss Jing consider expanding operations? For example, taking in an artist like myself?” Xu Yi asked in a joking tone, though a hint of poorly concealed nervousness flickered in his eyes.

Why hadn’t the person he sent brought back any news yet? Was the task he’d assigned done or not?

By his calculations, it should have been completed by now, right?

“An artist like you?” Jing Ke repeated, then chuckled. “I’m sorry, but I’m not directly involved in the company’s specific business matters. If you wish to join New Life Entertainment, you can contact one of our agents.”

Jing Ke looked at Xu Yi with a faint, ambiguous smile. “If a seasoned artist is willing to bring you in, you might stand a chance.”

Jing Ke didn’t openly humiliate Xu Yi, but her expression and tone as she spoke essentially handed him a death sentence.

Xu Yi’s smile stiffened. He began to inwardly suspect that someone had taken the money without doing the job.

If the deed had truly been done, a request like this shouldn’t have been rejected by Jing Ke, right?

After all, Jing Ke wouldn’t refuse to let Shao Qing join New Life Entertainment. Having stolen the other party’s fortune and destiny, he should be, as Xu Yin had told him, gradually replacing her.

After his first probing attempt failed, Xu Yi temporarily reined himself in. He planned to contact his company’s people after the day’s recording ended that evening and ask them about the specific progress.

–

And so, amidst eating and chatting, the seafood feast took the six guests a full hour and a half.

After dinner concluded, the day’s recording officially ended. The production team left only some fixed cameras running and withdrew all the following cameramen.

It was still early after dinner. After getting permission from Director Qin to drive the off-road vehicles around the island freely, Liu Chang couldn’t resist the itch in his hands and wanted to give it a try.

Liu Chang wanted to drag Xu Yi along, but Xu Yi refused, claiming he’d eaten too much and wanted to rest early. In the end, Liu Chang called over two staff members and went for a joyride.

Yao Lan and Qin Zheng, both feeling too lazy to move, simply lay down on the lounge chairs by the seaside rest area, planning to enjoy the sea breeze and the unusually bright, starry sky.

Jing Ke and Shao Qing fell somewhere in between. Taking two security guards, they drove an off-road vehicle to the beach, then strolled along the shore, admiring the nighttime ocean.

“While we were fishing today, security informed me of something.” After walking a hundred or two hundred meters along the sand, Jing Ke very conscientiously began her report.

“They spotted a staff member from the production team acting furtively. After tailing him for a while, they discovered him sneaking a locked box into our room,” Jing Ke said.

“What was a production team staff member doing in our room? Planting some kind of prop?” Shao Qing was taken aback.

Having witnessed the dark side of the entertainment industry, many possibilities instantly flashed through Shao Qing’s mind.

“Don’t tell me they were trying to install hidden cameras in our room? Director Qin doesn’t seem like the type to disregard everything just for hype, does she? She still seems very cautious and thorough.” Shao Qing frowned slightly.

Jing Ke shook her head gently. “No, it was just the locked box. Judging by his movements, he was evading the cameras while also avoiding other production staff.”

“And then?” Shao Qing asked curiously.

“Protecting the boss’s residence is part of their duty. So, after discovering the irregularity, that staff member was detained, and the locked box was examined with special instruments.”

Jing Ke said, “Inside were a wooden doll and some talismans. I suspect they were some kind of Southeast Asian evil art, probably related to borrowing fortune.”

“Borrowing fortune?” Shao Qing immediately thought of a certain person. “Isn’t Xu Yin already serving a jail sentence? Was he released on bail?”

“Probably not. But based on my speculation, Xu Yi may have met Xu Yin, and the two made some sort of deal.” Jing Ke couldn’t fully guess their exact train of thought, but the general truth could be deduced.

For instance, Xu Yi was already somewhat sinister from the start, and debuting under the “Little Xu Yin” gimmick wasn’t a coincidence—he had his sights on Xu Yin from the very beginning.

It was just that Xu Yin was caught very quickly, and all the stolen fortune was returned.

After Xu Yi noticed something was wrong, he perhaps engaged a master with some real ability. Upon discovering that Xu Yin had borrowed fortune from Shao Qing, he simply shifted his target to her.

If this island hadn’t belonged to Jing Ke, and if such diligent security personnel hadn’t accompanied them, Xu Yi’s little scheme might actually have succeeded.

But that success would have been limited to smoothly placing the item under their bed. To a certain extent, Shao Qing’s fortune was already bound to Jing Ke’s. If Shao Qing’s fortune encountered problems, Jing Ke would notice the anomaly immediately.

Shao Qing listened intently to Jing Ke’s analysis. “So, once the box is burned, does the Borrowing Luck Art become ineffective?”

“It wouldn’t have succeeded in the first place. But burning it without opening it first will cause a certain backlash to the person behind it,” Jing Ke said. “It could be internal bleeding, or it could be a sudden car accident resulting in a broken leg.”

“The backlash generally completes within twenty-four hours. If my guess is correct, Xu Yi should face a bloody disaster tomorrow,” Jing Ke added.

Hearing that evil would meet its just punishment, the tiny flicker of anger that had risen in Shao Qing mostly dissipated.

“Make sure the security team keeps an extra close eye on Xu Yi. We don’t want him trying to stage an accident scam, blaming his injury on island management problems,” Shao Qing reminded her.

Jing Ke nodded seriously, holding Shao Qing’s hand as they continued walking forward. “I’ll have them pay special attention. If he insists on trying a scam, I’ll have them find a reason to detain Xu Yi and let him experience the consequences of his actions firsthand.”

–

The events unfolded much as Jing Ke predicted. Near the end of the third day’s filming, Xu Yi, for whatever reason, started playing with a steak knife, seemingly wanting to show off some juggling skills.

But Xu Yi, engrossed in showing off his technique, failed to notice the empty wine bottle lying on the floor at his feet. He stepped right onto it, stumbled face-first into a spectacular pratfall, and the steak knife he hadn’t let go of in time slid—shloop—right into his stomach.

[WTF, what’s going on? Xu Yi’s face just went completely pale.]

[Must have fallen. A fall like that hurts a lot, not to mention all the gravel on the ground.]

[No! Did you guys forget what Xu Yi was just doing? He was playing with a knife! Liu Chang even specifically warned him earlier, saying the steak knife was incredibly sharp and he might cut himself if he wasn’t careful!]

[Crap, blood, it’s blood, red blood is flowing out! Looks like that steak knife just got shoved into Xu Yi’s own body!]

The sight of the knife going in clean and coming out red threw the entire production team into chaos, and the livestream ended in a flurry of panic.

Fortunately, the island’s medical staff arrived quickly enough. They administered emergency treatment to Xu Yi, preventing his condition from worsening.

The island’s medical team was actually quite comprehensive; performing surgery on-site wasn’t out of the question.

But Jing Ke had no intention of letting Xu Yi off so easily. So she didn’t dispatch the high-end medical unit. Instead, she merely thoughtfully provided patient transport services, packing Xu Yi and his assistant off to the nearest public hospital.

This final accident gave Director Qin a major headache. If the first season ended on such an imperfect note, her variety show would probably be completely ruined.

“Director Qin, I’m quite interested in this project. Would you like to accept my investment?” Jing Ke asked.

Having confirmed that Director Qin harbored no malice towards her and had merely been used, Jing Ke didn’t mind lending her a hand at this moment.

Of course, most importantly, Jing Ke didn’t want Shao Qing to feel like she was the reason the show was dragged down, leading to any guilt that might affect their enjoyable upcoming vacation on Hildeya Island.

“Huh? Boss Jing wants to invest in me?” Director Qin felt a little dizzy from this pie falling from the sky. “Boss Jing, did I hear that correctly just now?”

“You heard right. Besides the investment, I’ll also open up part of the venue for the production team to use free of charge,” Jing Ke said. “For example, Hildeya Island. Since the first episode started here, why not film the final episode here as well?”

“Hmm? Boss Jing, what do you mean by that?” Director Qin felt like her brain capacity wasn’t quite enough. Boss Jing meant lending Hildeya Island to the production team for free? Was Boss Jing planning to buy the island?

“Exactly what it sounds like. Next time, I’ll inform the agency managing the operations. The production team can film here for free, under the same rules as this time. The buildings on the island can’t be inhabited, but you can go inside and look around,” Jing Ke said.

Director Qin first widened her eyes, then slowly opened her mouth. “Boss Jing, this island… is yours?”

“Yes. Just list it as a friendly sponsorship in the credits later; don’t use this as a promotional point.” Jing Ke’s tone was flat.

“Yes, Boss Jing! Don’t worry, Boss Jing, I will definitely do a great job!” Director Qin patted her chest in assurance.

After the initial excitement subsided, Director Qin couldn’t help but make a small request. “Boss Jing, could we stay here one extra night? It’s such a rare opportunity to come abroad; I want both the guests and staff to have some relatively pleasant memories.”

Boss Qin: “At the very least, the final image left in our minds shouldn’t be an accident.”

It wasn’t an excessive request. Jing Ke nodded and agreed quickly.

–

After expressing her intention to collaborate with Director Qin, the production team no longer worried about any issues arising from leaving the thieving employee and Xu Yi stranded abroad.

After letting the crew enjoy a full day of vacation, Director Qin departed with the majority of the team on a yacht the following afternoon. They planned to transfer flights after reaching a coastal city.

The remaining three guests hadn’t caught on at first. It wasn’t until they realized Jing Ke and Shao Qing were staying behind on the island that they belatedly understood something was up.

Before Liu Chang could seek confirmation from Director Qin, she preemptively used the non-disclosure agreement in their contracts to demand they keep the production team’s related secrets and not talk nonsense.

However, Director Qin’s action also indirectly answered the questions in the minds of Liu Chang and the others. No wonder Jing Ke had two security guards tailing her even when taking a walk.

Those two people weren’t arranged by the production team fearing a guest might have an accident; they were simply performing their regular duty!

“If a Boss Jing were to appear before me… gender orientation and stuff… well, it doesn’t seem that important anymore.” Gazing at the gradually shrinking island in the distance, Qin Zheng couldn’t help but sigh.