Before long, the guests had their backpacks packed, and everyone abandoned their suitcases in favor of the backpacks provided by the program team.
Zhong Ruanxing looked at Bai Yinyue in her dress and high heels next to her, and took the initiative to remind her, "It might be inconvenient for you to move around the island dressed like that. Do you want to go change on the boat?"
Bai Yinyue took out a set of sportswear and waved it at her with a smile, "I was just thinking the same thing. I just wanted to dazzle everyone for a bit earlier. I'll go change now, can you watch my bag for me?"
Zhong Ruanxing readily agreed.
While Bai Yinyue went off camera to change, Xia Xi couldn't help but curiously ask, "Did you two know each other before? You seem pretty close."
Zhong Ruanxing thought for a moment, "Miss Bai is my fan."
Xia Xi: "?"
Cheng Yaowen and Duan Mangyun both turned to look at her. The former was surprised, while the latter was clearly incredulous.
When Bai Yinyue came back after changing, Duan Mangyun pretended to be magnanimous and laughed, "Yinyue, Ruanxing said you're her fan, I didn't know you chase stars too!"
Although she couldn't see the bullet screen comments, Duan Mangyun had already guessed from Bai Yinyue's dress and bearing that she was no ordinary girl, so for a young lady from such a prestigious family to be chasing a female star with endless scandals of sleeping around was simply laughable.
Moreover, Bai Yinyue hadn't behaved as if she knew Zhong Ruanxing when they were chatting earlier, so Duan Mangyun assumed they had just hit it off at first sight, which allowed them to become familiar with each other so quickly.
After all, that was just the kind of person Zhong Ruanxing was in the past, well-liked by everyone she met.
Duan Mangyun felt she had underestimated Zhong Ruanxing. She realized that Zhong Ruanxing was a profoundly scheming person, which was how Duan Mangyun was able to lead her around by the nose for so many years!
Since Zhong Ruanxing wouldn't dare bring up that dubious accusation of being drugged and left naked in the director's bed, yet couldn't swallow her resentment, she would naturally not treat Duan Mangyun kindly.
As long as Duan Mangyun acted pitiful on the show, it was sure to further provoke Zhong Ruanxing's anger, right? How would the audience view it then? If Duan Mangyun remembered correctly, this was Zhong Ruanxing's first time as a regular on a variety show. Did she think she could gain fans and increase her popularity through this show? Dream on!
However, Zhong Ruanxing's attitude upon their first meeting today was a little unexpected for Duan Mangyun.
She was neither cold nor enthusiastic, treating Duan Mangyun like she would a stranger, without a hint of anger.
Duan Mangyun thought she still underestimated Zhong Ruanxing. To think that she could maintain her composure so well after all these years of being led around by Duan Mangyun!
Since Zhong Ruanxing could put on such an act, Duan Mangyun wanted to see just how long she could keep it up.
Duan Mangyun had a bright, innocent look with a sweet and gentle appearance that revealed none of the ugliness in her heart.
Bai Yinyue pressed her baseball cap down to block the glaring sunlight, then turned and broke into a brilliant smile, "That's right, I'm a huge fan of Ruanxing! I've watched every drama she's been in. I'm her worshipper."
Zhong Ruanxing had been drinking water and nearly did a spit take.
The roles she played were all minor supporting ones, yet Bai Yinyue made it sound like she had starred in many shows.
Zhong Ruanxing shot her an embarrassed look.
Bai Yinyue enthusiastically made a heart gesture back at her, "Love you, idol!"
The bullet screen comments were excited:
[Ahhh it's true! The young miss really came for Zhong Ruanxing!]
[Is this how rich people chase stars? Going straight onto the same show, so envious!]
[Director! You didn't say they could only choose someone of the opposite sex! Can you let them choose each other? !]
[Look at Mr. Cheng's expression hahaha! He must be dating the young miss right, his wife confessing to someone else, poor thing!]
[Chasing her idol while dating at the same time, what kind of wish fulfillment plot is this, the young miss is winning big time!]
...
After everyone had repacked their luggage, the director began to announce the show rules: "There will be eight boats taking you to the island, dropping each of you off at different locations. The base camp that the program team has already built for you is located somewhere on the island, you'll have to explore and converge there yourselves."
"The program team has pre-placed resources at various locations around the island, this is a beginner's care package from the program team. After landing on the island, you can search for resources yourselves. At sunrise tomorrow morning, all placed resources will be recovered, so you only have today to find as much as you can."
"Before boarding the island, hand over all electronic devices. You cannot communicate with the outside world for help during the one month on the island, and will have to obtain all resources through your own wit and labor."
"Finally, and most importantly, it is prohibited to appear in or disturb the island host within the territorial boundaries marked on the map. Once in violation, filming will be immediately halted and you will be asked to leave the island prematurely."
This rule gave both the audience and guests a jolt.
Yao Jingshan exclaimed in surprise, "There's an island host too?"
Director Yan said, "Of course, this island is rented by us. It's called Hidden Star Island and is the private property of the island host. Islands abroad can be bought and sold, so you're essentially trespassing on someone else's property. You'll need to abide by the rules, or risk angering the island host and getting kicked off the island. We won't be able to save you then either."
The bullet screen exploded into heated discussion:
[There's actually an island host! Sounds so awesome!]
[A rich man who could buy an entire island! So envious!]
[So from what the program team said, the island host is also on the island right now? Do the guests have a chance to run into him? I wanna see what he's like!]
[The island host doesn't sound like someone you wanna mess with, hopefully the guests don't encounter him, getting kicked off would be too sad.]
[The island is called Hidden Star Island! Such a nice name, so is the island host Chinese or is that just the Chinese translation?]
...
After reading out the rules, the program team handed each guest a map before leading them onto the boats.
The eight boats set off in different directions, eventually landing on Hidden Star Island. When Zhong Ruanxing jumped off the boat, the sand beneath her shoes felt soft.
The beach glittered with many bright shells under the sunlight, and a lush tropical forest lay not far away. This island was larger than she had imagined. A large area meant abundant resources, so they probably wouldn't starve.
Although the guests had been deposited at various spots, knowing the program team, their routes were likely the same, allowing for sporadic team-ups along the way.
On a vast island like this, the first person you meet must be fate, right? Experiencing the search for resources, exploring the island, heading to base camp together, the viewers would get their initial CP to ship.
This was a common setup for dating shows.
Zhong Ruanxing hitched up her backpack straps, full of excitement as she strode forward.
Let's see who she would run into first.