Free Web NovelChapter 28: Chapter 28: This Shitty Fate
"Big King! Big King! Your humble servant, Zhong Mingrui, greets the Big King!"
Just as Gu Zhao stepped out of the car, she heard Zhong Mingrui’s voice and raised a hand to greet them.
Gu Xulin grabbed the luggage and followed behind her.
"Big King, I missed you so much!!" Zhong Mingrui scurried over like the suck-up he was, sliding across the ground before latching onto Gu Zhao’s leg.
Gu Zhao said, "Didn’t we just video chat last night?"
Ever since getting a phone, she had added them as friends and was subjected to their daily pestering.
For the past few days, it seemed like Zhong Mingrui and Song Yi felt the need to report to her every time they took a crap.
"Because a day apart is like three autumns of squab!" The number two lackey, Song Yi, also ran over. Unwilling to be outdone, he grabbed Gu Zhao’s other leg.
He even shot Zhong Mingrui a glare.
’Hmph! That detestable Zhong Mingrui can forget about having Big King all to himself!’
Song Yi’s life motto was: Follow Big King, and you’ll eat well! At home, you rely on your parents; out in the world, you rely on Big King!
After all, his brother was unreliable.
Song Zhe’s face was filled with disgust. "The saying is ’a day apart is like three autumns,’ not squab."
The moment he finished speaking, he also scurried over to Gu Zhao’s side like a suck-up. "Little Zhaozhao, are you tired? Want me to carry you?"
Song Zhe grinned obsequiously. His luck at home these past few days had been so abysmal he thought he was done for!
He was even tripping on flat ground.
He desperately needed Gu Zhao to save him!
Gu Xulin panicked when he heard that. He shoved Song Zhe away. "I’m not dead yet! You’re already trying to poach from me?"
Zhong Siqi immediately backed him up. "Yeah, exactly! That’s just not right."
Zhong Siqi then smacked Zhong Mingrui on the butt. "Get up, you’re being an embarrassment."
When Zhong Mingrui resisted, Zhong Siqi simply hauled him up and tossed him aside.
Gu Xulin saw this and nodded with satisfaction. ’Now that’s a good guy.’
The next second, ’good guy’ my ass!
Zhong Siqi, having thrown all shame to the wind, crouched down and took Gu Zhao’s arm. "Little Zhaozhao, I brought you some candy. Here, try it."
He took out a lollipop he had secretly stashed away, thoughtfully unwrapped it, and handed it to Gu Zhao. "How is it? Delicious?"
Gu Zhao took a taste, her eyes widening in surprise. "It’s delicious!"
"Bro! You backstabbed me!" The little guy, Zhong Mingrui, was devastated. His eyes filled with disbelief. ’My own brother is trying to steal Big King from me!’
Song Yi, still clinging to Gu Zhao’s other leg, gave Zhong Mingrui a look of disdain. "Big King is so amazing, isn’t it normal that lots of people want her attention?"
Gu Xulin’s expression was absolutely foul. "Don’t you have your own siblings?! Why are you trying to steal my sister!"
[LMAO, have Gu Zhao and Gu Xulin gained weight? Hahaha, just seeing them brings all my joy back.]
[These two are truly Gu Zhao’s most loyal followers! But, take some advice from your big sis: you’re still young and should be working hard. So get out of the way and let me hug that leg!!]
[Gu Xulin: Have you no shame? Acting like you’ve never seen a sister before! (Overprotective Brother Mode: Activated)]
[Song Yi’s literary skills are something else... What did the poor squab do to deserve this? Hahahaha, if my mom heard that, she’d smack him with a dictionary.]
Elsewhere, Ye Zuiyi, her brother, and Tong Jianfeng stood together with grim expressions.
The past few days had not been good for them.
There was not only physical pain but also nightmares every night.
Ye Zuiyi watched Gu Zhao, her heart filled with bitter resentment. ’I don’t get it,’ she thought. ’I’m obviously the heroine of this story, so why is everyone revolving around Gu Zhao now?!’
She lowered her gaze, concealing the hatred in her eyes.
’Now isn’t the time,’ she thought. ’I can’t keep targeting Gu Zhao. I watched the replays over the past few days and saw that tons of bullet comments were flaming me.’
The mere thought made her grit her teeth. ’Are those netizens blind?!’
’Gu Zhao is just a psycho! How is she any better than me?!’
Tang Yuexuan didn’t join either group. She and her sister, Tang Yueying, stood off to the side by themselves.
She didn’t look happy either. For the past few days at home, her sister had been constantly fighting with her. When they weren’t fighting, she was just giving her the cold shoulder.
She had never intended to oppose Brother Lin and his group; she just wanted to fight for her own interests.
’Adults lose the ability to be truly sincere with their friends. Interests come first.’ She didn’t feel that she was in the wrong.
Tang Yueying could see her sister’s defiance, but she didn’t say anything.
’Everyone has their own struggles,’ she thought. ’I don’t blame her.’
Tang Yueying looked toward Gu Zhao, a hint of envy in her eyes. She really enjoyed spending time with Gu Zhao.
Once everyone had assembled, the staff, as per the rules, confiscated all prohibited items for safekeeping.
After they finished packing, the cast members were led by the staff into the zoo, where they arrived at a large, grassy field.
On the field were a few small wooden cabins and several tents.
Zhong Mingrui looked around, full of curiosity. "This place is huge! Bro, is a wolf going to suddenly pop out and ask for your help with an anal extraction?"
"Shut up!" Zhong Siqi clamped a hand over his brother’s mouth. "One more stupid word out of you and I’m killing the hostage!"
The two Song brothers, Zhe and Yi, looked completely baffled.
Just then, Director Guo walked out holding a megaphone. "Hello! Good morning, everyone. We finally meet again!"
Zhong Mingrui stared at Director Guo for a few seconds before shouting in surprise, "Whoa! Bro, the director’s turned into a panda!"
Director Guo’s eyes were also full of bitterness. ’You think my life is easy?!’ he thought. ’I’ve spent the past few days cleaning up this mess! I even had to take several phone calls just to get chewed out!’
His gaze swept over Ye Zexi and his sister. ’It was their mother! She’d reamed him out so badly he felt like her compliant grandson!’
’She even threatened to pull her investment!’
’What a joke! As if he cared! He had a real patron now!’
Director Guo looked benevolently toward Gu Xulin and Gu Zhao. These two were his patron’s younger siblings, after all.
Gu Xulin suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He looked up and met the director’s benevolent gaze.
’Crap! Is the bald guy planning something for us?!’
"The rules haven’t changed—the production team still won’t be providing you with any help. However, considering that it won’t be easy to find ingredients at this location, the team will issue side quests each day in addition to the main quest. If you complete these side quests, you can earn food rewards!"
"So please, everyone! Do your best to survive! And try to live like actual human beings!"
Tong Jianfeng, who had been silent until now, raised a question. "So, where are we supposed to live? I assume you’re not expecting us to go steal a cave from the monkeys, are you?"
His words were clearly aimed at Gu Zhao.
Gu Xulin couldn’t resist a sarcastic retort. "You couldn’t win that fight even if you tried."
Tong Jianfeng just smiled, seemingly unfazed.
In contrast, it made Gu Xulin seem petty and rude.
[Is it just me, or was that comment from Teacher Tong a little pointed toward our Monkey King?]
[Monkey King? You guys really think Gu Zhao can control animals? The official police statement didn’t mention Gu Zhao specifically; it thanked all the cast members for their help.]
[Why is Gu Xulin always so rude? He’s not setting a good example for Gu Zhao at all. No wonder she has no manners either.]
[Poor Teacher Tong. He just asked a simple question and gets attacked for it.]
The director saw what was happening and waited a few seconds before speaking. "See those cabins over there?"
Zhong Mingrui asked, "For us to live in?"
"Well, they’re not just for looking at," the director said cheekily. Seeing Zhong Mingrui start to pout, he quickly added, "The production team has prepared these houses for you. Whether or not you get to live in them, however, will depend on your skills."
"Quest: The junior partners will take their senior partners to go shovel animal droppings! The team that shovels the most poop gets first pick of the houses! The team in last place will face a penalty!"
"The type of poop doesn’t matter—most volume wins! Oh, and one more thing: choose your animals wisely. You wouldn’t want to become poop yourself."
For a moment, all the cast members were silent.
It wasn’t that they were afraid of the animals; it was the lingering trauma.
Gu Zhao sighed. "This shitty fate."
Last time, the stench had soaked into her so thoroughly that she’d nearly scrubbed her skin off trying to get rid of it.
