Chapter 23: Chapter 023: Alone in Beauty Chapter 23: Chapter 023: Alone in Beauty “Haha, I didn’t expect Shen Yan to have a sense of humor,” Director Li took a quick breath and hurriedly spoke up to disperse that inexplicably gathering gloom.
Shen Yan, facing the camera, said seriously, “This isn’t humor, it’s reality.”
Director Li was struck by Shen Yan’s gaze straight in the heart and became a bit stiff, “Haha… really?”
The audience all felt embarrassed for Director Li.
They thought Shen Yan’s serious demeanor was charmingly adorable to the extreme!
Director Li quickly changed the subject, “Let’s see what other curious questions the netizens have. Oh, found one. Some viewers are questioning your academic background, Shen Yan. It seems that netizens really love to learn, huh, seizing on your education to ask.”
His words told Shen Yan that this question had to be answered.
Shen Yan searched her mind briefly and realised that the original text didn’t describe much about the original host’s education.
At nineteen, the original host would, of course, still attend university.
With money to burn, for the original host, the school was just a place to hang the title.
Once the time was up, just grab the diploma and it was all done.
“I’ll find time to complete my studies. Besides this, are there any other questions?”
Shen Yan answered earnestly, and the viewers in front of the camera could not see the slightest trace of lying.
Even so, it didn’t stop the trolls from mocking.
Director Li hurriedly turned the page, “Some netizens are asking if Shen Yan comes from the countryside; otherwise, how could she be so good at doing chores?”
Shen Yan gave Director Li a glance.
Director Li guiltily shifted his gaze away.
This was obviously a self-deprecating question.
Answering poorly would definitely result in being chased and cursed by a wave of trolls and might even be attacked by netizens who come from the countryside.
Director Li was very scheming.
“Children from the countryside indeed are better at enduring this kind of hardship. My Shen Family originated from farming households hundreds of years ago. Not every noble family can maintain their status for a thousand years. Although there are tales of hundred-year dynasties and thousand-year families, how many can truly achieve this through ancient and modern times? In ancient times, no matter where a hero came from, surely no one has regressed to judging people by their family background these days, right?”
Director Li: “…”
Audience: “…”
What did they just hear?
In her statement, she seemed to be challenging those who asked such superficial and foolish questions – are you of noble birth?
“Are there any other questions?” Shen Yan asked sincerely.
That speech had already made everyone uncomfortable.
After all that, the audience still didn’t get a clear answer about Shen Yan’s background.
It felt like she said something, but also like she didn’t.
“The Q&A session is over. Let’s see what the other guests are up to!” Director Li was sly, quickly shifting the camera away, leaving Shen Yan’s camera on standby. Let Shen Yan be beautiful by herself.
The more questions they asked, the more like fools the production crew appeared.
The Fireworks fans were laughing their heads off!
Their idol, Shen Yan, every move, every word, just seemed so perfect!
While waiting, Shen Yan really wanted to stroll around wildly, to see if she could catch more little crayfish to bring back.
However.
The words of Shen Yan were cut into a short video and posted on the official live broadcast account, where the Fireworks fans flooded in, stirring up another wave of popularity in the trending topics section.
And with the behind-the-scenes manipulation of Star Language Media, collaborating platforms were all competing for the rights to stream the survival show.
As the backstage operations got underway, Director Li quickly received calls from a certain TV station and partnership resources from a certain APP.
The previous financial issues had been resolved thanks to the additional ten million from a mysterious investor, making Director Li feel like he was floating on cloud nine!
He felt like he was on a lucky streak, utterly thrilled!
Just as Shen Yan was about to become “Sleeping Beauty,” there was finally some activity in the distance.
And at this point, the sun was also beginning to set in the west.
It must be that the production crew had given some leeway; otherwise, given that group’s capability, they wouldn’t have reached the endpoint so easily.
The first two to appear in sight were Qin Dingyue and Zhou Jingming.
This pair made quite the strong team, one being adventurous and unpretentious.
The other liked to exercise regularly and was in decent physical shape.
“Wow! I’m dead tired,” Qin Dingyue exclaimed as she saw Shen Yan and rushed over quickly, all her fatigue dissipating the moment she laid eyes on the beauty!
Qin Dingyue collapsed dramatically next to Shen Yan, gasping for breath, utterly disregarding her celebrity image.
Her fans were watching anxiously.
Zhou Jingming thought their group was the fastest, but to his surprise, Shen Yan had arrived at the finish line first again.
He felt a subtle discomfort.
With a quick glance, he looked forward repeatedly but didn’t see Mu Jincheng.
Zhou Jingming didn’t ask any questions. He handed over their foraged goods to the production team—sour wild fruits, wild vegetables, and the small fish and shrimp they had caught with difficulty.
No big fish at all.
In a place like this, it was already quite an accomplishment to have gathered these.
Zhou Jingming might not have asked, but that didn’t stop the naive Qin Dingyue.
“Eh? Where’s Brother Mu? Aren’t you two in the same group?” she asked, her voice lowered significantly in the latter part.
Yet, her voice was still audible to those nearby.
Zhou Jingming’s mouth twitched slightly.
He had known that Qin Dingyue was not the sharpest one, but he hadn’t realized she was this obtuse.
Could she not see what had happened between Mu Jincheng and Shen Yan in the previous episode?
The production team had intentionally paired Chu Jing with Mu Jincheng, clearly aiming to concoct a desert island survival romance.
Director Li’s marketing tactics were undeniably successful.
The audience really enjoyed the charm of these two.
Their couple’s chemistry brought significant traffic to the show.
Mu Jincheng suddenly teaming up with Shen Yan had alarmed the others.
They thought Director Li was becoming bolder and bolder.
They weren’t afraid that something major would happen midway between the two, leaving the production team in a mess.
If Qin Dingyue wasn’t being thoughtless by asking such questions, then what was she being?
“Oh, he went to tend to an injury.”
“Ah! Brother Mu is injured? Is it serious?” Qin Dingyue asked with concern.
Shen Yan glanced at her.
Qin Dingyue was baffled; why was Shen Yan looking at her like that?
“I’m not sure, I’ve been here waiting for everyone.”
“Oh, should we go check on him?”
Zhou Jingming: “…”
Was Qin Dingyue really doing this unintentionally?
Although Mu Jincheng hadn’t shown much, it was obvious to anyone with sense how much he disliked Shen Yan’s closeness.
His injury was more likely than not tied to Shen Yan.
If they were to visit him now, wouldn’t they only add to Mu Jincheng’s annoyance?
It was at this point that Xu Zishen and the Chu Jinghe group showed up, followed last by the disheveled duo of Liu Qiang.
Enduring the stickiness all over her body, Chu Jinghe forced a stiff smile as she greeted everyone.
She was tired, hungry, and had ruined her image.
It was almost too much for her to maintain her image in front of the cameras while trying to appear as if she had survival skills.
Finally reaching the endpoint, she saw the pristine and leisurely chatting Shen Yan, and Chu Jinghe’s smile almost broke.
Shen Yan seemed completely unaffected.
How could this be?
The one who had constantly embarrassed herself in the last episode had returned this time, and everything about her felt off.
As if she was a completely different person.
Liu Qiang was so exhausted she was rolling her eyes. She plopped down, “You, how come you always look so fresh and at ease every time? Didn’t the production team really go easy on you?”
In contrast to Shen Yan, Liu Qiang felt she looked as though she’d crawled out of a construction site; meanwhile, Shen Yan appeared refined and untarnished, like nobility!
The stark contrast ignited her jealousy once again.