Entering the Survival Island Paradise were eight families, including a renowned movie queen, a TV emperor, a supermodel, a famous painter, an international film star and a singer. They were all well-known domestic and international figures, representing a diverse spectrum of skin tones. Some families arrived with four or five members, while the smallest had at least two individuals, totaling around twenty people. It was akin to a celebrity island expedition.
As Song Juyao and Evans disembarked from the plane, their eyes swept across this large wave of people in front of them. Song Juyao's eyebrows arched slightly, and a deeper smile curled at the corners of her mouth.
Quite a few familiar faces here….indeed.
"Hey, Evans!" Stanley, the international film star with a shaved head, greeted Evans with a warm smile, embracing him. He then turned his gaze towards Song Juyao. "This must be Evans' precious little sister!"
"Hello, Stanley. You can call me Ellie." Song Juyao shook his hand.
Stanley turned to call his son, Addison, to come and say hello, but Addison was lost in his own world, facing the sea and ignoring his father.
Meanwhile, the live broadcast of the Survival Island Paradise had already begun, and netizens flooded in. The barrage was filled with calls of support for their favorite stars.
Song Juyao noticed that on the other side, Wen Zhulian was busy hugging and greeting other guests. She seemed to know most of the people there, including the ice-cold supermodel Dada and her father, the renowned painter Zhang Siqing.
Song Juyao lowered her head, gazing at a seashell at her feet. She crouched down to pick it up from the sand.
Once everyone had disembarked, the helicopters took off, one by one, and left the beach.
"So, they're just leaving like that?"
After the helicopters had departed, the beach fell into silence. The host, Liao Bo, spoke up, "Alright, everyone, let me announce the rules. First, you are only allowed to bring items not exceeding 5 kilograms into the island park, and all communication devices must also be handed in."
As soon as the rules were mentioned, several families began huddling together, discussing their excess luggage.
"We should bring water, cookies, maybe some chocolate for energy..."
"My camera! I definitely need my camera. Director, it's just a little over 5 kilograms..."
"No, you can't," The director firmly rejected.
"How are we supposed to enjoy this? The cell phone is collected, the camera is also gone, we won't even be able to take pictures."
But rules were rules, and those who had signed the contract had to abide by them.
After the guests had gathered their chosen items, Liao Bo went on to inspect them one by one.
First up was the family of the renowned actress, Li Wenling. She was accompanied by her husband and two sons, aged 13 and 16. Five kilograms may not have sounded like much, but compared to a proper wilderness survival adventure where most people only give a bottle of water and a knife, it was a generous allowance.
Li Wenling had a bottle of water in her bag, along with a travel-sized bag of skincare products, insect repellent spray, some medicines, and a thin blanket, which added up to the 5-kilogram limit. Her husband's bag contained a bottle of water and light clothing for the entire family. The two kids had their own water bottles, some snacks, and biscuits, along with their summer holiday homework.
When they saw the summer vacation homework, the netizens who were watching the live broadcast burst into laughter.
[I saw both the brothers sneakily taking out their homework, only to have the famous actress stuff it back in, it was so miserable hahahaha]
[We all share the same joys, sorrows, for example, no one likes homework!]
Following Li Wenling's family was Wei Yan's family. Wei Yan brought his parents and sister along.
"I've brought rope, a utility knife, a lighter, and a compass," Wei Yan displayed his items. It could be seen that he had done his homework in advance for this deserted island survival. The family's clothing and footwear were all meticulously chosen, with rugged outdoor shoes providing excellent grip and lightweight, waterproof, and warm material clothing.
It wasn't just Wei's family, but the Wen family next to them were also similar. They seemed to purchase their clothes from the same store.
[Ah, CP fans bumped into sugar!]
[Zhuzhu and Wei Yan are truly a perfect match, both talented and beautiful. So what if she's not blood-related to the Wen family? The Wei family clearly adores Zhuzhu. Some people think blood ties are everything.]
[When Zhuzhu stands with them, they blend in perfectly. You can't even tell they're not related by blood. I think they're even closer than the real one. Someone who relies on his brother should step aside.]
"Is this person out of their mind? It's prime time, and she's picking seashells!"
Others on the island also noticed Song Juyao running to pick up seashells and displayed various expressions on their faces. Some looked at Wen Zhulian with sympathy.
Wen Zhulian called out to Song Juyao, "Juyao, stop playing around and come back!"
Song Juyao glanced back at her but paid no heed, engrossed in collecting seashells.
Wen Zhulian felt a bit embarrassed, and Wen Yingting looked upset. "What do you care about her so much, it's not like she's listening to you."
"Zhuzhu, come have some candy," Chang Zhenzhen, the sister of the TV emperor Chang Youqing, greeted Wen Zhulian.
Wen Zhulian thought for a moment and then decided to approach Evans, who was squatting by the luggage, studying a frying pan. "Evans, can you call Juyao back? This isn't good."
Evans didn't even glance at her. He knocked on the frying pan and assessed its weight.
[My love for Evans has decreased a bit]
[It's so rude]
[Evans has always been this aloof. He doesn't even pay much attention to his own fans. Why should he care about Wen Zhulian?]
Evans had such a large fan base that Wen Zhulian's fans didn't dare to say too much. They went silent after a couple of rebuffs.
"Zhuzhu, come here for a moment." Li Wenling also spoke out.
Wen Zhulian walked over and they surrounded her, appearing to comfort her and remind her not to be too kind, making her the center of attention of all the stars.
Wen Zhulian didn't show it on her face, but she felt a sense of satisfaction. This was what it felt like to be the center of attention.
Her fans were extremely proud. What kind of immortal idol was this that they were fanning? She had talent and knew so many immortal characters. Sure enough, all the friends of the immortals are also immortals!
Soon, it was Evans and Song Juyao's turn to be checked.
Evans had a backpack with water, a small notebook, a pen, and a lightweight frying pan, as well as some seasonings in a small transparent plastic bag. Compared to others, it was very minimal.
Liao Bo was surprised, "Evans, is this all you're bringing?"
Evans: "It's enough for me to have my sister."
Liao Bo then checked Song Juyao's bag, which contained a bottle of water, some seashells, a long knife, and some miscellaneous small instruments, like chemical experiment equipment that Liao Bo couldn't quite identify. Besides that, there was nothing else. The overall weight was just 5kg.
How should one put it? The items these siblings brought were rather abnormal. Especially Song Juyao; Evans at least brought a frying pan and seasonings, which, although they seemed too comfortable, were still practical. But what was Song Juyao carrying? No matter how you looked at it, it wasn't what you should bring for wilderness survival.
The comments in the live chat were saying that Song Juyao was just playing around. They didn't even bring biscuits, just a frying pan and seasonings. Were they fantasizing about some idyllic scenes, like fishing in the river, catching rabbits, and other seemingly easygoing outdoor activities? Had they watched too much TV? They were probably not even capable of catching a single fish and would starve on the mountain.
Wen Yingting couldn't help but roll his eyes, and Li Xin and Wen Guohua frowned, looking like they wanted to call someone over for a little education.
"I advise you to at least bring some biscuits and candies," Wen Yingting couldn't help but say.
"No, thank you." Song Juyao said.
"Hmph, I warned you. When you're hungry and thirsty later, it will be embarrassing to ask someone else for it."
Song Juyao remained calm, without any sign of heeding anyone's advice.
[Don’t ask others for help then...]
[Others want to use it themselves, how can there be any extra to share with them]
[Evans blindly listens to his sister, and the sister has no brains]
After checking their items and confirming that everyone had no more than 5kg of weight in their backpacks, Liao Bo gave each of them a bracelet and watched them put it on.
Liao Bo: "Everyone, you are about to enter the magical Survival Island Paradise Park, built with an incredible 20 billion Gold Coins by the Fanxing Group! Here, you will experience magical adventures and thrills that you can't find in the city. You will undergo unimaginable personal growth and emotional transformation. We hope that the families participating in this family survival reality show will cherish each other even more after the program ends."
He continued, "Your task is to traverse from one end of the island to the other, with no time limits. The first ones to reach the finish line will conclude this reality show. There are no prizes for the first arrivals, and no punishments for the latecomers. So, please enjoy it to the fullest!"
With that, Liao Bo briskly jumped onto the speedboat parked on the seashore. He shouted, "Survival Island Paradise, open!"
At the same time, Fanxing Group headquarters.
The staff of the Survival Island Park project team looked tense. The team leader nervously pressed a red button.
"Paradise, start!"
The large screen emitted a white glow. The large office was so neat and clean that it looked cold and lonely. Jiang Baiqi sat on a chair with his back to the screen, supporting his chin with one hand. His gray eyes seemed utterly bored.
Hearing the sound of the park starting up, he tapped his foot lightly, making the chair spin around, and he faced the large screen in front of him.
A face suddenly appeared on the screen, and he was suddenly struck dumb.
"Let's go!" The celebrity families on the beach, unaware of what awaited them, happily set off towards the island.
However, they had no idea that the viewers watching the reality show were in for a shock.
In the live broadcast room, after they left the beach, a small additional livestream room suddenly appeared. In one livestream, it showed the celebrity family members advancing into the island, while in the other small livestream room, it showed these same celebrities and family members lying on beach chairs. Liao Bo, who had just left on a yacht, was right next to them, smiling and waving at the camera!
The viewers were stunned.
Fanxing Group then explained to them the principle behind Survival Island Paradise.
As it turned out, the guests hadn't actually embarked on a real island adventure. Instead, they had entered a state of sleep induced by Fanxing Group's new product. Their minds, however, were immersed in a fictional island. Unbeknownst to them, they believed everything inside was 100% real. No matter what happened, it wouldn't physically harm them. But, being completely unaware of the truth, they would perceive it all as real.
The audience and the production team of "Justice Trial" in the virtual world could only see everything through the live broadcasts of the real people they entered during the virtual world's run, during its operation. Otherwise, they might have felt a chill down their spines. Wasn't this just another form of their trial show? The difference was that they were engaged in judgments while the virtual world offers nothing more than ordinary adventure reality shows.
Unfortunately, they couldn't know this now because neither Wei Yan nor Wen Zhulian realized that they had entered a virtual world within a virtual world.
The only person who knew the truth had no intention of telling them.
Song Juyao's fingertips brushed against the tree trunk. The bark was dry and rough, with a unique texture. She lowered her eyes and looked at her fingers.
Up ahead, laughter rang out, and a group of people, like a spring outing, chatted happily about various topics. Song Juyao and Evans were left behind as if they were isolated.
"Hey, Evans, you guys are walking too slowly, come on!" Stanley shouted ahead. He had been busy with the final shoots on the set not long ago and was unaware of the complex situation. He just wanted them to join the rest of the group and have fun.
Seeing that Evans and the others were not eager to catch up, he didn't pay it much attention. He was excited and pushed his son Addison into the group of peers, hoping he could have fun with them.
The others saw that it was useless for even Stanley, who was familiar with Evans, to speak out, so naturally they wouldn't say much.
It was only natural that they sided with Wen Zhulian. After all, Evans' reputation and status were too unattainable. On top of that, there was the subtle situation between Song Juyao and Wen Zhulian, which made people feel that actively approaching that side was akin to siding with Song Juyao.
Upon careful consideration, one would realize that it was more advantageous to cultivate a good relationship with Wen Zhulian. After all, getting close to Evans might not be as easy as it seems, but it was sure to attract a lot of attention. The situation was different with Wen Zhulian; she could effortlessly produce hit songs, was a prodigious young talent, and they were more familiar with her. Being friends with her, they naturally gravitate towards her.
Evans' fans felt particularly distressed at this scene. They believed that Song Juyao was isolating Evans. With his status and reputation, he should be surrounded by admirers, and even Wen Zhulian had publicly stated her fondness for Evans before!
For a time, more and more people criticized Song Juyao's Evans on social platforms.
[I feel so distressed!!]
[What a drag! Doesn't she have any self-awareness?]
[Because of this sister, I think Evans is not that attractive anymore]
[I have a hunch that Evans will be dragged to death by this sister sooner or later]
However, Evans, who was the subject of his fans' distress, seemed very content. He quickly transformed into a curious baby, pointing to the mushrooms under the tree and asking Song Juyao, "Sister, what's that?"
Song Juyao, who was turning her head to observe her surroundings, glanced over at the question and replied, "Amanita muscaria mushroom, inedible." [Common name – Fly Agaric (highly poisonous, psychoactive)]
"What about this one?"
"That's Amanita virosa, do you want to poison big brother?" [Common name – Destroying Angel (deadly poisonous, kidney and liver failure)]
"......"
The two siblings exchanged questions and answers, capturing the curiosity of a 13-year-old boy ahead, who turned to them.
After a while, he couldn't resist and ran towards Song Juyao, "Sister, do you know what this is?"
This was Li Wenling's youngest son, Li Quan. Li Wenling, seeing her son approach Song Juyao for a chat, furrowed her brow and turned her head to look over, feeling a little worried that her youngest son might get into trouble.
Song Juyao looked at the small thing in Li Quan's hand, a blackish square thing that had dried out due to loss of moisture in the sun, and didn't have any particular smell.
Song Juyao looked at the young handsome boy in front of him and said gently, "This is wombat feces. It's quite special, isn't it? The droppings of this animal are cube-shaped."
The expression on the little handsome boy's face froze, and all he could think about was that he was holding a piece of shit, a piece of shit, a piece of shit ......
Then as if electrocuted, he violently threw the feces in his hand, panicking, "Ahhhh!! I have to wash my hands! I have to wash my hands! I have to wash my hands!!!"
[Hahaha!]
[Shit, I suddenly burst out laughing!]
[?? Wait, it seems like sister…..???]
[Can someone who knows explain this? Did the Real Heiress get it right?]
[Let the experts tell you, they're all correct.]
The comments in the chatroom began to change somewhat, moving away from criticizing Song Juyao.
Li Wenling didn't know what had happened but felt that her son had been bullied. She shouted in a bad tone, "Li Quan!"
Li Quan quickly rushed back to Li Wenling's side and used a bottle of mineral water from his bag to wash his hands. It took a whole bottle before his expression gradually calmed down a little.
"Isn't it wasteful to use so much water?" someone said.
Wei Yan, full of confidence said, "It's okay, there must be a water source on the island, and I know how to find it. Just follow me."
"We brought a solar-powered kettle," added Wen Zhulian.
The cooperative relationship between the Wei and Wen families ensured that they were well-prepared for their adventure. They had almost everything they needed, making it feel more like a spring outing than a survival challenge. Therefore they were all in a very relaxed mood.
Before long, they indeed found a water source. Everyone was tired and hungry, so they found a spot to sit down and took out bread, biscuits, and dried meat. Wen Zhulian boiled water and served it to those who needed it.
"Dada, give yourself a chance, don't regret it later," Wen Zhulian advised while pouring hot water for the supermodel Dada.
Dada's expression stiffened as she glanced at his painter father, who was chatting with other fathers, but said nothing.
"Zhuzhu is such a good child."
"If only Zhenzhen could be half as good as her," Chang Youqing and Chang Zhenzhen's mother said.
Constant Companion Qing immediately pouted, "Mom! When Zhuzhu isn't here, I'm precious, but when she's here, I'm just a weed, aren't I ?"
Wen Zhulian said: "Zhenzhen has her own strengths. She is so good at painting, but I can't paint."
"You're quite eloquent... You are really good at teaching children," Chang's mother turned to Li Xin and Wen Guohua.
The two of them smiled and said modestly, "Oh no, we haven't really taught her much either, it's all about her own excellence."
"Why is it not your credit? That one is just..." Chang's mother liked Wen Zhulian very much. If it weren't for Wei Yan, she wished her son Chang Youqing could marry her. As a result, she started to dislike Song Juyao immensely and found her annoying no matter how she looked at her. She had made her feelings quite clear with her unfinished sentence.
Song Juyao hadn't been raised by the Wen family, which was why she wasn't as sweet-tongued and endearing as Wen Zhulian.
Li Xin and Wen Guohua felt somewhat awkward and thought they should take the opportunity to teach Song Juyao some manners. The Evans family didn't seem to teach her how to get along with others. They all went together. Despite being a junior, was she waiting for the elders to take the initiative to greet her? It was a simple rule that having more friends meant more paths to choose from.
Song Juyao didn't ignore them. She was busy preparing lunch for herself and Evans.
While others nibbled on their food, they watched her with curiosity, wondering how she would manage. Would they end up awkwardly hungry later? Should they offer them something to eat? This was indeed a thought-provoking question.
However, long before this, while they chatted among themselves, Song Juyao had been gathering the necessary items. She had fashioned a makeshift stove using rocks and placed the highly flammable cattail fluff, tightly gathered, inside. She also added some dried twigs she picked up nearby.
"Juyao, here's a lighter," said Wei Yan, taking out a lighter from his bag and offering it kindly.
"Juyao, it's quite difficult to start a friction fire by drilling wood, and your hands probably won't be able to bear it. Use a lighter." Wen Zhulian said.
"No need, thanks."
"Don't worry about her. She is spoiled at first glance. She'll know better when she suffers." Mrs. Chang said.
Chang Zhenzhen, "I'd like to see if she can start a fire by drilling with her hands."
[The True Heiress seems a bit ungrateful.]
[Although she seems a bit smart, she lacks practical experience. After all, she's someone who's been taken care of by her rich brother. She probably hasn't faced much hardship.]
[To be honest, people like her are annoying. Don't refuse a helping hand with a smile.]
[So impolite.]
[I have to say, I think those people aren't very polite to Evans and his sister either. It seems more like they were looking at people's jokes.]
[Zhuzhu knows it well; starting a fire by friction is definitely one of the hardest ways to start a fire in the wild. Even grown men might not be able to do it.]
[Sit back and watch the joke.]
"Evans, do you want some candy?" Wen Zhulian bit her lip and asked again. Evans was hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) and everyone knew he couldn't go hungry.
However, Evans ignored her, emanating an aura of annoyance that seemed to seep from every strand of his hair.
Wen Zhulian felt a bit irked, thinking, If you don't want it, then don't. It's not like I'm the one who will go hungry. It's best if he faints, then everyone will dislike Song Juyao even more.
But to everyone's surprise, Song Juyao didn't resort to rubbing sticks together to make a fire. She casually picked up a transparent plastic bag that someone had dropped on the ground, tore it open, and spread it out over the branches she had set up. Then, she poured water onto it, causing the transparent plastic sheet to sink a bit.
After finishing this setup, Song Juyao stood up and instructed her brother nearby, "Big brother, watch the fire."
Evans obediently sat on a stone, saying, "Okay, little sister."
Fire? Where is the fire??
The onlookers were puzzled, not understanding Song Juyao's actions. Then they saw her take a branch, remove her shoes, and step into the river.
There were several younger children in this group, including 13-year-old Li Quan, 14-year-old Wei Shu, and 16-year-old Meng Cong. They were all at an age of curiosity and had never seen anyone speared a fish in real life. So they ran over to the riverbank with a sense of wonder. Even the somewhat reserved Addison looked up.
"Sister, can you really catch them?" Li Quan, who had already interacted with her once, found it easier to speak up this time.
"I'll teach you a technique. When catching fish, approach them quietly from downstream so they don't easily sense danger, and then..." Song Juyao's voice was pleasant, and she spoke gently. However, her actions were quick and fierce. When she lifted the branch, a plump white fish was already hanging from it.
"Wow!!!" The three children let out sounds of amazement in unison.
Song Juyao walked back, and at the same time, her fire ignited.
The onlookers who had been sitting and waiting for a good show: !!!!!
"Wow! I get it now! The principle of a convex lens!" Meng Cong suddenly realized and shouted.
Even if you don't have a magnifying glass, it's easy to make your own convex lens. Song Juyao poured water onto the transparent plastic sheet, causing it to sink inward, forming a convex lens that could focus sunlight. The midday sun was intense, and within minutes, the highly flammable cattail fluff began to ignite.
[...slap in the face.]
[Who said that after picking up wood, you have to drill it to make fire? People may just use it to burn after lighting a fire!]
[Wow, Song Juyao is so smart!]
[What's so smart about it? Who didn't try to start a fire with a magnifying glass when they were kids?]
[That's true, it's child's play. However, who just thought about rubbing sticks together? Everyone has learned the knowledge, but whether you can apply it in real life is another matter.]
"Yes!"
"Damn, why didn't I think of that just now?"
Wen Yingting also regretted his previous stupidity, feeling embarrassed. This was elementary school knowledge, so why didn't he react sooner?
Apart from those three children, everyone else felt a bit embarrassed. Their faces turned red, some even feeling hot. It turned out that Song Juyao had never intended to start a fire by drilling sticks together; she had a smarter and simpler method.
Song Juyao asked Evans to add firewood to the stove, while she filled a pan with water, and placed it on the fire. Then, she picked out seashells from her bag to prepare the fish. The sharp edges of the seashells easily removed the fish scales, and then she cut open the fish's belly, cleaning out the innards and gills. Her movements were extremely skilled, as if she had done it countless times before, and she looked beautiful and valiant.
Once the fish was cleaned, she placed it in the pan, along with edible mushrooms and wild ginger she collected along the way. She also washed some wild vegetables on the side. The aroma of the fish soup soon wafted through the air, and when she added the spices and other seasonings, the fragrance became even more irresistible.
Those who had been nibbling on biscuits and other cold snacks suddenly felt their mouths water when they caught a whiff of the hot food.
However, Song Juyao treated lunch with a sense of ritual. After the fish soup was ready, she put large pieces of tinder fungus into the stove. Tinder fungus was black wood with spherical spots, taken from a living birch tree, and it could be used to maintain the burning of charcoal. She washed a flat stone she found by the river and placed it on the stove. She began to grill the fish, mushrooms, and more on the stone…. releasing an even more tempting aroma than the fish soup. [Fomes fomentarius – Tinder fungus or Hoof Fungus, inedible, used for thousands of years as kindling for fire and some medicines.]
The scene suddenly grew quieter, and Stanley's hesitating expression seemed to say, Can I go over there and mooch some food based on my little friendship with Evans?
The two siblings ate with great relish.
The audience, who had been feasting their eyes and salivating, suddenly noticed something.
[??? Evans? It seems like he hasn't done anything?]
[He's been sitting there obediently waiting to eat.]
[...What about his sister leeching off him???]