WS - Chapter 56

Chapter 56

After saying that, Song Shiyue hoisted the cow head and walked forward, leaving Captain Yang with eyes wide open, gasping for breath for quite a while.

This person... this guy...

What kind of guy is this!

Captain Yang, who had barely swallowed his pride to adopt a conciliatory approach, was hit hard right as he opened his mouth. He was so furious that he failed to immediately refute Song Shiyue's belittling words and let her slip away.

It's just a dead cow, but she treats it like a treasure. Who lacks that bite of meat!

Captain Yang glared resentfully at Song Shiyue's receding figure, feeling quite humiliated. However, his past experiences of getting slapped in the face after initiating provocations allowed him to control himself and not immediately chase after her to vent his anger.

Yu Nianbing, who was being pulled by Ning Chuyang to help secure the cow leg, pricked up her ears but still couldn't make out the conversation behind them. Only when Song Shiyue came over did she ask.

Song Shiyue answered honestly, recounting her exchange with Captain Yang without any embellishment.

Ning Chuyang clapped and cheered, finding it utterly satisfying, but Yu Nianbing sensed there might be some discrepancy.

However, after the previous incidents, Yu Nianbing's impression of Captain Yang as rash, arrogant, petty, and controlling was hard to change. Even though she now detected that Captain Yang seemed to want to ease relations, she didn't think it was necessarily needed.

A person like Captain Yang, with his nature, was willing to bow his head now perhaps because he felt he couldn't connect with either side. Such a reconciliation was meaningless and even felt somewhat dangerous. It was better to have everything out in the open like this than to be lulled by false appearances and then stumble again.

Yu Nianbing thought deeply, then turned to look at the indifferent Song Shiyue and the gleefully clapping Ning Chuyang, and couldn't help but smile slightly. Teammates who didn't even notice Captain Yang's overtures and only cared about protecting their food were also good; their stance was rock-solid and reassuring.

Captain Yang didn't know that his brief conversation with Song Shiyue had fallen on Yu Nianbing's ears, and she had already analyzed his thoughts to a great extent. At this moment, Captain Yang was fuming that Song Shiyue had skills but an empty head, not even understanding his goodwill, and only fixating on that bit of meat—how narrow-minded.

He had thought to start with the person who needed help the most, but it seemed that was a mistake.

Then...

Captain Yang's gaze shifted to the two beside Song Shiyue.

Logically, girls were weaker and should need help the most.

But those two—one had rendered him speechless with her retorts, and the other had just been fed a meal of bugs by him at noon. If he went to show goodwill, he probably wouldn't get a good reception either.

If he didn't help the women and went straight to help the three men, that would be too odd...

What was with this show, hiring all these weird people! There was zero cooperation! Did they even want to make a good show!

Captain Yang looked at the six people in the distance, seemingly happily helping each other tie up the meat, and stomped his foot heavily, kicking up a layer of dust.

Captain Yang wasn't the only one who had had similar questions.

Captain Yang, who thought the guests were weird, was in others' eyes the strangest one.

Production Team, what kind of people have you hired...

Such doubts existed among those on Wilderness Planet, and even more so among those watching the livestream outside Wilderness Planet.

As early as Captain Yang's entrance with cutting the snake, Ouyang Hui had sensed something was off. A second-rate team leader on a first-rate show, who made mistakes and acted as if it was others' fault—unless he was a deliberately arranged clown by the production team, he had no right to stand on Wilderness Planet right now. But seeing Zhang Jianshi's attitude when they slipped away to talk privately, that Captain Yang didn't seem like a mere punching bag for the guests to use, which made Ouyang Hui both perplexed and angry.

Unfortunately, she had just given birth and had to stay in bed, so Ouyang Hui could only have Qiu Yishan ask the production team what was going on.

As a result, she waited from morning until afternoon, and even at noon, Ouyang Hui couldn't resist urging again, but there was still no clear reply. Coupled with the livestream content, it was doubly infuriating.

After all, having just given birth, although Ouyang Hui was angry, she still couldn't help but doze off for a little while during the afternoon's continuous hiking.

Because she hadn't turned off the livestream's sound, she was awakened by the dog barking and Captain Yang's voice stopping the box opening.

She didn't know until she looked, and once she looked, she was angry again.

Angry at Captain Yang's ingratitude and repeated harassment. Even angrier at Yu Nianbing's sudden friendliness toward others, to the point of actively wiping someone's face!

Ouyang Hui clutched her chest, half-lying on the bed, watching in the livestream as Song Shiyue helped Yu Nianbing tie the cow leg onto her backpack. The envy, jealousy, and hatred in her eyes were unconcealed. The middle-aged woman helping with the baby only poked her head in at the door this time, not daring to say a word, and was so frightened by that look that she tiptoed away, pretending she had never come and hoping not to be noticed.

However, by the time Qiu Yishan arrived, the people in the livestream had already shouldered the beef and set off. Because the meat was heavy and people were tired, there wasn't much communication among them, and Ouyang Hui's expression softened a bit as she watched.

"I'm here, Huihui. How are you feeling? Still in pain?" Qiu Yishan, who had first surveyed the room through the half-closed door, entered with a basket of fruit after knocking.

Qiu Yishan's tone was affectionate, her face full of concern, showing no trace that just a few hours ago she had been thoroughly scolded by Ouyang Hui in a video call.

"Okay." Ouyang Hui was not overly enthusiastic, but also not as harsh as in the previous video call. She glanced at the livestream, then pushed herself up a bit with both hands and turned to Qiu Yishan. "It's been so long, you must have dug up something, right?"

Qiu Yishan tensed up at this, but her smile didn't waver. She placed the fruit basket on the cabinet, then went to sit on the chair by the bed before speaking slowly: "Yu Nianbing really is something. Huihui, you just gave birth and you're still so worried about her, and yet she's making a fuss about terminating her contract. She's completely heartless."

In the past, Ouyang Hui would have felt a moment of comfort from the obvious flattery in these words, but this time she was provoked by the faintly hidden criticism.

"One thing at a time. As Nianbing's agent, how can you casually speak ill of her?" Ouyang Hui's face turned cold. "So did you find out anything or not? If not, instead of coming here, you might as well go and properly find out."

Qiu Yishan was stunned.

Hadn't this trick always worked before? Flatter Ouyang Hui's concern for Yu Nianbing, then slightly disparage Yu Nianbing's lack of reciprocation... Every time, even when Ouyang Hui was in a bad mood, it would calm her down a bit and earn a better attitude.

"Speak." Ouyang Hui's past two days had been truly awful—giving birth, fighting with her husband, and then having to watch annoying people and things in the livestream. She had no patience for Qiu Yishan's evasive and equivocating tactics.

"I'm only saying this in front of you. Would I ever badmouth her to others? I only say it because I know you care for her, and you won't repeat it outside." Regardless of the situation, Qiu Yishan still had to flatter a bit. But seeing that Ouyang Hui's expression didn't brighten, she quickly got to the point. "I asked the production team on Mingtan Planet for a long time without any clear answer. Later, I pulled some strings and found out that whether it's Director Zhang or Captain Yang—well, everyone on Wilderness Planet except the six guests—were all the result of joint vetting by the production team and the Mu Group. But although they call it joint vetting, the Mu Group provided both money and land, while the production team only contributed the planning. Even the StarNet livestream connections belong to the Mu Group. So in the end, the Mu Group is the one with the final say on who gets chosen."

After saying this, Qiu Yishan sat up straight.

Ouyang Hui frowned, dissatisfied: "That's it?"

Qiu Yishan nodded: "I had to pull strings just to find this out. Outsiders probably think the Mu Group just provided funding and didn't interfere with the show."

"Isn't it normal to put people in when you're funding it? So what's Director Zhang's and Captain Yang's relationship with the Mu Group? Have you looked into that?" Ouyang Hui was already getting angry, but she held it in for the moment.

Having been with her for so many years, Qiu Yishan could clearly see Ouyang Hui's irritation, but these things were truly very hard to investigate.

Qiu Yishan shook her head: "I don't know about that. But the production team's feedback to me was that everything on Wilderness Planet is proceeding normally, without any deliberate harshness. Wilderness survival inherently involves some hardship."

"But that doesn't mean they should be deliberately targeted to suffer, right? Forget it..." Ouyang Hui took a deep breath. "What about Song Shiyue? What's been up with her these past six months?"

"Song Shiyue's sitcom just ended a month ago," Qiu Yishan began.

She had barely started when Ouyang Hui interrupted: "Which one?"

"That one. Huihui, have you forgotten? The one she was filming when we last encountered her..." Qiu Yishan reminded.

Then, still rudely interrupted by Ouyang Hui: "What last time? I've never encountered her."

"..." Qiu Yishan couldn't help but take a light, deep breath while Ouyang Hui's eyes were closed, then continued: "Song Shiyue only filmed one sitcom. Two months ago, she moved next door to Yu Nianbing. Because both Yu Nianbing and I were on the set of 'Yu Xian,' neither of us knew about it. Later, after 'Yu Xian' wrapped, Yu Nianbing came back and on the first day encountered Song Shiyue burning charcoal next door. From the charcoal incident onward, you know the rest. I had people look into it at the time, and it took some effort. Although I'm still not sure of the reason for Song Shiyue's suicide attempt, it likely wasn't over love, because I found out she had a huge debt under her name. It's very likely it was because of money."

"Of course it wasn't over love. She doesn't even like Nianbing." Ouyang Hui said this with a snort.

"Right, it was all just for fame," Qiu Yishan echoed.

"So, have you found out how Nianbing discovered her suicide attempt?" Ouyang Hui's expression had softened considerably; clearly Qiu Yishan had hit on what she wanted to hear.

"That..." Qiu Yishan hesitated. "That really can't be found out. At Ciming Hospital, the doctors only know that it happened. The emergency responders who went to the scene always keep their mouths shut. Unless the parties involved speak, it's probably impossible to investigate the details."

"Forget it..." Ouyang Hui furrowed her brows but didn't get angry again. She just asked further: "You said last time that before her suicide attempt, Song Shiyue should have only met Nianbing once—that fake confession at 'Yu Xian.' Have you found anything new?"

"Just that one time," Qiu Yishan affirmed. "The 'Yu Xian' production had strict management. Only that one time was there a bit of laxity, and someone sneaked in. Later, they required registration for everyone entering or leaving. I had someone check the registration logs, and Song Shiyue never went back."

"Is that so..." Ouyang Hui's face was now much better than at the start.

Qiu Yishan saw this and struck while the iron was hot: "Right, Song Shiyue never went back. Yu Nianbing was stationed on set, and I often stayed there too, so we never saw Song Shiyue again. The few times Yu Nianbing left the set later were all to visit you."

Remembering Yu Nianbing's visits during her pregnancy, Ouyang Hui's expression grew even more relaxed.

That day, after all her busy maneuvering, Qiu Yishan had gained little information, but at least she managed to get through by sweet-talking and bluffing.

Qiu Yishan's nerves, which had been stretched taut all day under relentless pressure, finally relaxed when she stepped out of the hospital. The pent-up resentment in her heart made her spit on the ground and mutter under her breath: "What a piece of work. You were the one who said to take this show, and now you think it's too tough. You like to keep her down, and now you won't let anyone say a bad word about her. Even that confession—you orchestrated it, and now you find it an eyesore. If the world ran the way you wanted, you'd be a fairy already. What's the point of throwing your weight around here?"

Outside, Qiu Yishan was full of grievances, while inside, Ouyang Hui wasn't satisfied either.

After all that listening, it was all just flattery tailored to the person. She had only dug out a tiny scrap of actual information; what use was it.

Ouyang Hui touched the StarNet client on her wrist, thought and thought, and finally gave up on contacting Shi Senxin. If she asked him to investigate now, it would just highlight her own incompetence. Was her only talent in giving birth? Then what was the point...

She hadn't even closed the livestream page when Qiu Yishan arrived; she just set it to silent and private mode.

In just the time it took for a conversation,

the two people inside were holding hands, in broad daylight, truly an offense to public decency!

Ouyang Hui quickly typed out a line, but her fingertip hovered over the button to send the danmaku for a long time, and finally she gave up.

Line after line of danmaku celebrating and throwing candy drifted before her eyes, both an eyesore and infuriating. But it was obvious that if a dissenting comment appeared now, it would likely be attacked by everyone.

That virtually invisible nobody Song Shiyue, how could she win over the public so quickly.

Ouyang Hui was angry and also somewhat regretful. Had she known they would have this kind of collaboration, she absolutely should not have chosen Song Shiyue as her pawn back then.

A tool that should disappear after one use should have truly disappeared during that charcoal incident.

On Wilderness Planet, the two holding hands could never imagine that on distant Beichen Planet, such malice was brewing.

"Okay, this slope is level now. I'm fine; I can walk on my own." Yu Nianbing twisted the hand that Song Shiyue was holding.

Song Shiyue looked at the road ahead, hesitated, and then let go as Yu Nianbing wished, but stepped back half a pace and said, "Alright, I'll walk behind you then."

The higher they climbed, the harder the path became—not just because of the terrain, but also because of the fatigue from a day of walking.

Not even ten minutes after shouldering the cow leg, Yu Nianbing slipped, but luckily Song Shiyue, who was beside her, caught her.

That hand-holding lasted for quite a few minutes.

It wasn't a big deal—Song Shiyue was strong and steady on her feet, and Yu Nianbing wasn't afraid of being a burden if they held hands. On the contrary, holding hands gave her, whose legs were already getting weak, a lot more security and even helped her summon a bit more strength.

The problem was that after holding hands for a while, whether from the combined body heat or the extra warmth from friction, Yu Nianbing felt that the hand in hers, though very soft and smooth, was also hot and awkward. After a few minutes, she refused to hold hands any longer.

She hadn't expected that as soon as she let go, the person would go behind her.

It was a bit annoying; on an uphill path, from that angle, one would see...

"Are your feet sore? Why are you walking so crookedly?"

Just as Yu Nianbing's mind was filled with strange thoughts and concerns, a voice came from behind her—specifically, from behind and below her—Song Shiyue's questioning voice.

Suddenly, her left foot stepped on her right.

But she couldn't fall, not really, since Song Shiyue was right behind her.

However, being held in someone's arms with a cow head suddenly appearing next to her shoulder was truly enough to make one's adrenaline spike.

That momentary feeling of faintness must have been because of the cow head—it was really too terrifying. Yu Nianbing told herself this.

Song Shiyue held her up, noticing her face was a bit pale, but unaware of her thoughts, couldn't help but worry: "Are you having trouble walking? The cow leg must be very heavy. Let me carry it."

They had only divided the cow to avoid suspicion; otherwise, Song Shiyue could have carried the whole thing alone, sparing those with less strength from this hardship.

Of course, Yu Nianbing refused.

That huge cow head plus the front half, even for a calf, still required a lot of strength. As it was, one could still compliment Song Shiyue for being fairly strong; but if she took on more, it would inevitably cross the line and arouse suspicion.

Yu Nianbing refused, so Song Shiyue didn't insist. After steadying her, she moved to step back again.

But Yu Nianbing grabbed her.

With so many people climbing the slope, she just couldn't stand Song Shiyue walking behind her. Yu Nianbing inwardly cursed her own inexplicable sensitivity, but her hand pulled Song Shiyue forward: "Let's just... walk together."

After saying this, Yu Nianbing was about to let go.

But Song Shiyue held on tighter and said solemnly, "Three choices: I carry the cow, I walk behind you, or I hold your hand and we walk together. Pick."

Yu Nianbing: "..."

There was not a trace of joking on Song Shiyue's face.

Safety—it truly was very important.

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