Just as Tender, who had reached the end of her rope and was preparing to end her life, was about to do something, she was startled by the phone ringing. This sudden scare shattered her courage to end her life.
She stepped back several steps from the dangerous edge, made sure it was safe, and then carefully listened to what the person on the phone was saying.
Tender asked incredulously, "What did you say? You're from the 'Deserted Island Survival' program?"
As the most popular reality show in the country, anyone in the industry like Tender could not not be aware of the "Deserted Island Survival" program.
She had never thought that the program would invite her, nor had she ever thought of participating before.
Because this is a completely realistic wilderness adventure reality show, with thirty qualified participants selected for each season.
In the program, the participants need to rely entirely on their own strength to live on a dangerous and unknown deserted island for a month, and the program team will not provide any assistance.
Since its first broadcast, the program has entered its fifth season, and almost every season someone has died or been seriously injured.
Apart from deaths, almost every participant who goes in fit and strong comes out heavily injured.
Despite this, there are still many people who volunteer to participate in the program.
And these people are basically the cream of the crop in society, either having already achieved self-worth in their own lives and started seeking excitement, or born adventurers.
Of course, for the sake of viewership, the program team cannot just randomly select people, they will conduct strict screening of applicants and only those with suitable physical fitness will be eligible.
Tender had always been curious why this dangerous program could pass the censorship of the broadcasting authorities, as she knew that the broadcasting and acting of TV dramas in China were highly regulated.
But at this moment, she had no time to think about this. Tender only wanted to know why the program team invited her to participate, as she didn't think her physical fitness met the program's selection criteria.
Tender asked directly, "Why did you find me?"
It seemed that the program team on the other end of the line had anticipated that Tender would ask this question and answered without any concealment, "Because Wen Yao will also participate."
When Tender heard the name "Wen Yao," she was startled for a moment, and quickly understood.
Given her current hostile relationship with Wen Yao, if they appeared in the same scene, it would definitely cause a sensation, and the popularity could be imagined.
The fact that the program team knew that Wen Yao had martial arts skills, and yet still invited her knowing that Tender was just an ordinary person, showed that they were ignoring her life for the sake of ratings.
Thinking of death, Tender looked at the edge of the rooftop a few steps away.
If it weren't for this phone call, she would probably have been a pile of bones by now.
Tender clenched her fists, with a trace of unwillingness in her eyes.
Since she didn't want to live anyway, she might as well give it a try. What if she could turn the tables and survive?
Tender thought that if she could clear her name in the program and come out alive, she could not only pay off the breach of contract she owed, but also regain the public's attention and return to the spotlight.
If she couldn't go on living, then she would drag Wen Yao down with her.
They were born on the same day, and today, she wanted Wen Yao to die on the same day as her.
Thinking of this, Tender didn't care how despicable the program team was. She agreed, "Alright, I'll participate."
---------
"Gate" was originally planned to be shot within three months under the strict control of Director Wen An, and it has completed the shooting schedule on time.
The cast and crew, who had been holding their breath, finally laid down their burdens, and the atmosphere of the entire crew became more relaxed.
When filming, Wen An was so strict that it was intimidating, but he was very kind to everyone in private.
Ending the filming of a movie was akin to the birth of another child for him, so he naturally wanted to celebrate it well.
So, Wen An waved his hand and invited the entire crew of nearly thirty people to a week-long vacation on a seaside island.
Other actors didn't have such a long vacation due to tight schedules, and Wen An knew that Wen Yao didn't have any plans next, so he personally called to invite her.
But when Wen Yao thought about her upcoming trip to the deserted island, she felt the need to plan and prepare in advance, so she refused.
Knowing that Wen Yao had her own rhythm, Wen An did not force her and took the team out for a relaxing trip.
Even though Wen Yao was young, she was capable and often took care of everyone during the filming, and with her martial arts skills, everyone admired her, so the entire crew liked her very much.
Thinking that after this shoot, they didn't know when they would meet again, they felt a bit reluctant, so they begged Wen An to organize another gathering in the capital.
As Wen Yao's number one fan, Wei Ling also agreed eagerly, "In a few days, Wen An, it will be Yao Yao's birthday. Why don't we continue the gathering and give her a birthday surprise?"
The filming has wrapped up, and the crew members are now liberated. However, the director still has one or two months of post-production work to do, so it's uncertain when he will have time to organize. Yet, when Wei Ling heard this, she immediately agreed.
Wen Yao has had a tough family background since childhood and has been neglected by her family, especially on her birthdays. Additionally, this upcoming birthday, her coming of age ceremony, is very important.
So Wen An said: "Xiao Wei, since you have a good relationship with Xiao Wen and are the same age, and you know what the girl likes, you will be responsible for organizing and arranging it. I will take care of informing everyone under the guise of a dinner party."
Wei Ling didn't expect such a heavy responsibility to fall on her shoulders. While it's true that she and Wen Yao are of similar age, Wen Yao doesn't seem like a little girl.
However, Wei Ling didn't postpone and agreed. She wondered how Steel-Straight Ya would react when she saw the birthday party she had arranged. Would she be overjoyed?
Wei Ling felt excited at the thought.
On the evening before her birthday, Wen Yao, who was studying at home, suddenly received a call from Wen An.
Wen An greeted her and asked what she was doing.
Looking at her high school textbooks, Wen Yao found them difficult, especially English.
The original owner had left school after completing middle school and went to work to support the family. Later, after becoming a gentle stand-in, Wen Rou secretly studied with tutors in various subjects at home to avoid displaying any weaknesses in knowledge and speech.
However, catching up with all the missed lessons was far from enough, especially in English, which the original owner had not been good at, and Wen Yao had never even touched.
Wen An didn't respond immediately and asked, "What are you doing this for?"
"I want to catch up on the missed lessons and find time to attend the college entrance examination.”
Regardless of the era, knowledge and culture are always important. Additionally, she had another idea. Wen Yao paused before saying, "I want to apply to a military academy."
Even though the kings of the past had disappointed her loyalty, she still longed for the army, wishing to use her passion to contribute to the peace and well-being of the country and its people.
However, times had changed, and her situation was different. It was just an idea, given the circumstances. However, she definitely had to take the college entrance examination.
After hearing this, Wen An was shocked, and his favorability towards Wen Yao increased once again.
It's important to note that very few people would voluntarily step out of their comfortable circle of fame and fortune and choose a thorny path.
Whether Wen Yao could truly pursue this path was one thing, but having such thoughts at such a young age was already remarkable.
He encouraged her and said, "I believe in you. Don't worry about English; I'll find you the best tutors."
"That would be great, thank you, Director Wen," Wen Yao said, expressing her gratitude before realizing that Wen An hadn't mentioned his own matter yet.
Wen An, upon hearing this, slapped his forehead, almost forgetting.
He quickly said, "You didn't join the wrap-up trip earlier, so everyone wants to get together tonight. You have to come."
Wen Yao closed her high school textbooks and said, "Director Wen, I'm coming right away."
The original owner hadn't celebrated birthdays, and Wen Yao had been too occupied with her rough life to pay attention to such days; she had long forgotten about it.
Not having the concept of a birthday in her mind, she had no inkling of what was going on when the dinner was interrupted, and everyone began urging to change locations.
She lived a rough life, and as long as her friends were happy, she was fine with whatever food or activities were available.
Little did she know that when they arrived at the new restaurant, the lights suddenly went out, and then candlelight started emerging from the end, followed by warm-colored lights around the restaurant.
The twinkling lights created a colorful halo, making everybody's faces appear especially warm.
Suddenly, music started playing, and everyone surrounded her, starting to sing.
It took Wen Yao a while to realize that it was a birthday song.
Wen Yao, who had never been in such a situation before, was stunned. Wei Ling walked over with a cake and placed a birthday crown on her head, saying, "Xiao Yao Yao, Happy birthday! Congratulations on reaching the world of adults at eighteen."
Wei Ling then placed a bit of cream on her nose.
Wen Yao then remembered that it was the original owner's birthday after midnight.
She looked at everyone around her, all of them wearing blessed smiles. She felt a bit emotional for the first time in her life.
Wen Yao had seen all sorts of encounters in her life, but she had never experienced anything like this. She didn't know what to say for a while and finally managed to say, "Thank you."
Seeing Wen Yao being so speechless for the first time, Wei Ling put a little cream on her face again.
This was the time to "tease" her; after this, there wouldn't be another chance.
"Who told you to thank us? Make a wish quickly; the candles are almost burned out."
Wen Yao finally realized what was happening and, following the memory of others' birthdays, started making a wish.
Making a wish, eating cake, receiving gifts, playing games... it's a very common birthday routine, but for Wen Yao, it was the first time. It would become an everlasting memory for her.
-----
Time flew by, and it was now half a month before the premiere of the show "Surviving on a Deserted Island."
"Surviving on a Deserted Island" has been a hit since the first season, and the following three seasons have been even more exciting than the last. Therefore, fans have long been anticipating the arrival of this season.
As soon as the official announcement of the show's opening date was made, it immediately caused a wave of excitement among fans.
Everyone was curious about which guests would appear in this season.
They remembered the experience from the fourth season when a movie star who loved extreme sports went on the show, full of confidence, but got scared within three days and almost had a leg bitten off by a wild wolf.
There was also a combat champion who fought a wild animal similar to a rhinoceros with his bare hands, making viewers feel nervous. In the end, he was pierced through the shoulder blade by a horn, and whether he survived or not is still unknown.
Every season, there are a total of thirty guests, and the number of those who can barely leave the desert island is few, while more are carried off with injuries.
Following the program's routine, they will start revealing the names of the participating guests to the public at a rate of two a day, half a month before the broadcast.
The purpose of the program crew using so many gimmicks is naturally to keep the viewers hooked and achieve the best publicity effect.
The netizens knew in their hearts, but still fell for it.
They patiently waited, and when they saw the first guest announced, they were shocked.
"The Asian boxing champion, wilderness survival expert, retired special forces... the first person is so amazing?"
"This season is going to be exciting! Can't wait!"
"The further down the line, the more special and powerful the identities become, so who are the big shots at the end? I'm curious!"
"Trashy programs play this trick every year, just announce them all quickly, stop hiding and teasing!"
"Who will be the headliners this time? Last season it was Liu the movie king and the son of a certain country's richest man."
...
Everyone was eagerly anticipating the appearance of the headlining characters, enduring day after day of waiting, finally reaching the fifteenth day.
At eight o'clock in the evening, the official Weibo account promptly released a microblog post announcing the 29th and 30th participating guests.
However, as soon as everyone saw the same face in those two photos, they exploded in an instant.
"D*mn! Wenrou and Wen Yao!!!"
"Sisters who used to get along now stranded on the island together, d*mn, that's intense!"
"They won't commit murder on the show, will they? My goodness!!"
"Wenrou has no skills, can she survive on the island for even a day? The program crew is clearly just making a spectacle, not caring about lives!"
"The headliners in the previous seasons were truly exceptional, and this year's... is Wen Yao really that formidable?"
"I bet Wenrou won't last more than three days!"
"Although Wenrou's morals are corrupt, she doesn’t deserve to die for it. Is this kind of attitude really okay, everyone?"
"Are there really people who think someone will die in this show? Are the netizens so naive this season?"
...
After the announcement of the "Desert Island Survival" program crew's lineup, it immediately sparked unprecedented popularity online.
Originally, the show was already popular, but now, with Wen Yao and Wenrou, the estranged sisters, onboard as a selling point, it became even more anticipated.
The reaction from the audience, brimming with enthusiasm, was completely different from that of everyone who knew Wen Yao.
Since the program crew revealed Wen Yao and Wenrou on the official account, Wen Yao had been receiving calls and messages non-stop.
Everyone was curious why she wanted to participate in this show, and they all advised her to withdraw quickly before the program began, not to seek suffering.
Of them, the most emotionally charged was Wen An.
After learning the news, Wen An immediately called Wen Yao and exploded.
"Wen Yao, are you throwing your life away? You think you can do anything just because you know a little kung fu? Do you know what you'll face when you get there?"
"You're really playing with your life."
Wen An's harsh words were not because he was blaming her, but after three months of living together, he had already regarded Wen Yao as his own daughter.
For his daughter to go to a dangerous place full of suffering, could he not be anxious and angry?
Wen Yao, who was checking the items needed for this participation in the program, stopped when she heard this. She comforted in a relaxed tone, "Director Wen, don't worry, I will definitely come back unharmed."
"Unharmed? Do you think you're going for an outing?"
Hearing Wen Yao's words, Wen An became even more irritated, fearing that this girl had agreed to participate without fully understanding the situation.
A talented and hardworking actress was not easy to come by, and Wen An was especially appreciative of talented people, so he did not want to see anything untoward happen to her.
Wen An's anger reached Wen Yao's ears through the phone, and Wen Yao knew that Wen An was just worried about her, and she was grateful in her heart.
But once she had made her decision, it would not change.
For a moment, Wen Yao didn't know how to face Wen An's concern, so she could only listen quietly.
Wen An was trying to reason with her on one end and coax her on the other, but the person on the phone did not budge.
In the end, Wen An had to give up.
When making the call, he knew that the hope was slim, but he always wanted to try.
Wen An sighed, and admonished, "Since you've made up your mind to go, I can't stop you. But I have one request for you this time. Come back safely. There's a bunch of promotions waiting for you in 'Jiangmen'. Don't try to slack off as the leading lady."
After hearing this, Wen Yao quickly said, "Of course, I remember that you have the next movie's leading role lined up for me. I can't let your movie not find a leading actress."
"I know you like to talk, but be careful. If you can avoid trouble on the island, don't seek it out. Got it? The most important thing is to survive for a month."
Wen An knew that saying this was pointless, but he still wanted to remind her.
Wen Yao readily agreed, and comforted him in a light tone before hanging up the phone.
After hanging up the phone, Wen Yao carefully checked her backpack again to ensure everything was in order before pulling the drawstring and zip tight.
On this journey of survival, everyone was very nervous, but Wenyao maintained a positive attitude, believing that her survival skills could handle everything.
The guests assembled one week after the official "Surviving on a Deserted Island" account completely disclosed the guest list.
Two days before departure, Wenyao unexpectedly received a call from the company's resources department.
The caller indicated that if she was unwilling to participate in "Surviving on a Deserted Island," there was still a chance to back out, and the company would bear the stipulated penalty for breach of contract.
Wenyao was extremely grateful for this and did not expect the company to consider the artist in this way, even being willing to cover the penalty.
However, her decision was final, and she would not change her mind.
Two days quickly passed, and as per the program's requirements, Wenyao arrived at the assembly site on time.
However, as soon as she had taken her position, she saw Wenrou entering the arrival area.
Wenyao was aware that Wenrou was also participating in the program.
The appearance of Wenrou, dressed just like her with the same hairstyle and even a backpack identical to hers, left the other guests already arrived at the site befuddled.
Both of them had their hair tied up high in ponytails, were wearing identical camouflage combat uniforms and combat boots, and even their backpacks had almost the same curvature when filled.
The other guests on site glanced at each other, feeling that the situation had become subtly strange even before the start of the survival journey on the desert island.
Unnoticed by everyone, the cameras in the four corners of the assembly site had already been activated.
At this moment, their reactions were being clearly displayed in front of the audience via live broadcast.
Inside the live broadcast, comments started flooding the screen as they watched the two seemingly identical individuals.
"Why do Wenyao and Wenrou have the exact same things? Isn't everything supposed to be self-prepared? Is the program team up to something?"
"Wenrou is still deluded, what is she trying to do?"
"Look, they've been called to assemble, and Wenrou's just sprinted there so fast!"
"That's Wenyao!"
"They already look exactly the same, and when they dress and style the same, how can they be distinguished?"
Thirty guests stood in neat rows, following the program team director's request to introduce themselves to their fellow passengers and receive the armband issued by the program team before boarding the plane to the deserted island.
The armband displayed the guest's name on the surface and concealed a locator and drone tracker on the back.
The filming on the island was completed by the most advanced miniature drones in the world at present. Apart from the guests themselves, there were no other people on the uninhabited island, let alone any live camera crew.
However, just before the self-introductions began, Wenyao suddenly raised her hand. "Please give me half a minute."
The director nodded, and Wenyao promptly stepped out of line. Standing before everyone, her eyes swept over everyone present before finally settling on Wenrou.
Wearing the same outfit and appearance, Wenyao was unsure when the error had occurred, and she didn't have the time to investigate it further at that moment. However, she was certain that someone was trying to take advantage of this situation.
As the audience and those present speculated about Wenyao's actions, she untied her ponytail, swiftly gathering her loose hair together.
With a "click," her smooth and flowing long hair was transformed into ear-length hair within moments.
Facing everyone, Wenyao held up the cut hair and said, "Hello, everyone! My name is Wenyao!"
Although Wenyao only spoke two brief sentences, her tone was resolute and forceful.
Wenrou, who witnessed Wenyao cutting her hair, looked ashen-faced.
She never expected Wenyao to make such a move in such a short time.
"Oh my god, Wenyao is so awesome!"
"Wenyao, with this outfit and ear-length hair, is amazing! So cool!"
"Wenyao's actions are so impressive! Not only did she differentiate herself from Wenrou, but she also demonstrated her unique attitude. Short hair is more convenient on the deserted island; it's a win-win situation!"
After Wenyao returned to her place, everyone quickly finished their introductions, and then they boarded the helicopters.
After a 20-hour flight, the thirty guests were delivered to their destination by six helicopters.
The uninhabited island selected by the program team for this event was still in its original state, undeveloped and lacking a landing pad, so the only option was to parachute down.
Almost all the participants in this program were extreme challenge enthusiasts, for whom skydiving was just child's play.
Without any hesitation, they all jumped. Soon, it was Wenyao's turn.
After a quick and thorough check of her equipment, Wenyao too had no hesitation.
In the live broadcast, everyone witnessed Wenyao's performance and eagerly anticipated how Wenrou in the other helicopter would fare.
They had expected Wenrou to struggle even with this first challenge, but the outcome surprised them.
While Wenrou did not appear as at ease as Wenyao, she quickly jumped and handled the parachute properly, seeming like she had undergone special forces training.
If Wenrou weren't so timid, it would have been even more exciting.
The online audience found this quite entertaining.
Six helicopters were distributed in six directions on the deserted island, so the guests' final landing positions were spread out all over the island.
Wen Yao was lucky and landed in a relatively flat area, while another person from the same helicopter got stuck high up in a tree, finding it difficult to come down, and someone else ended up landing in a shallow pool and got drenched.
Wen Yao looked at her companions but did not take the initiative to help them.
Because the next month would be a completely individual battle, everyone would be too preoccupied to help each other.
If they wanted to survive and leave the island alive, they had to rely on themselves.
Wen Yao looked up at the sky, it was clear and sunny, with no sign of rain.
Feeling relieved, Wen Yao observed her surroundings. Apart from the luxuriant trees, she couldn't see anything, and the grass at her feet was knee-high, making the path indiscernible.
She stopped and looked around, quickly spotting a tree branch about the thickness of a wrist.
Viewers who had watched several seasons of the live broadcast guessed Wen Yao's intention.
They thought Wen Yao would take out a tool to deal with the branch, but instead she ran a few steps and effortlessly climbed the tree.
Standing on a branch, she stretched her legs and gave a swift kick to the branch, causing it to break and fall.
Without delay, she then jumped down from the tree, landing smoothly.
The barrage immediately went crazy, with doubters of Wen Yao's skills now falling silent.
What a talented girl Wen Yao was, so incredible!
But before Wen Yao could deal with the branch, she heard a scream.
She immediately ran towards the source of the sound, almost on instinct.
It was a woman from the same plane as her.
She hurried to help the woman up and asked, "What happened?"
The woman pointed at her backpack, where a snake with unique patterns and the thickness of two fingers coiled.
The snake, instead of fleeing, wriggled its body even tighter and seemed to be the robber of their belongings.
All the survival tools they brought to the deserted island were in the backpack. Without it, they would struggle to move forward.
"What should we do?" the woman asked helplessly.
Wen Yao did not speak, she kept her eyes on the snake's movements, and picked up a very sharp-cornered stone from the ground.
As soon as Wen Yao took a step, the woman grabbed her, hinting at danger.
Her attention solely focused on the snake, she ignored the woman.
When the snake was just one or two meters away, Wen Yao forcefully threw the stone.
The snake, with its hooded head, began hissing and then, to everyone's surprise, it suddenly rolled on the ground.
They then saw that the snake had been severed into two by the stone. The stone hit the snake right in the middle.
The viewers were stunned, as was the woman.
Wen Yao handed the backpack to the woman and said, "Remember to never let go of the backpack, your life is in there."
The tone of Wen Yao's words was somewhat admonishing and commanding, paired with her stern expression, making it impossible to refute her.
The woman nodded nervously.
Wen Yao went on, "Snakes usually only attack living things, they don't steal items, there must be something in your bag that attracted it."
Hearing this, the woman's face changed, and she quickly opened the bag to check.
As she did so, Wen Yao's expression became grave, and she said sternly, "It's best not to bring items with strong odors into the wilderness, because you never know if these scents will stimulate or attract certain creatures."
After what had just occurred, the woman had full confidence in Wen Yao's abilities.
She quickly removed all odor-emitting items from the bag.
"What do we do now?"
"Throw it into the sea," to avoid someone picking it up.
Once the trouble was dealt with, Wen Yao didn't want to stay, they were currently on the edge of the island, and there was a possibility of flooding at high tide.
However, the woman followed closely behind her.
Wen Yao halted, and so did the woman.
Under Wen Yao's inquiring gaze, the woman quickly indicated, "Wen Yao, hello! My name is Lu Yunxi, can I accompany you?"
Wen Yao looked over Lu Yunxi. Based on the few incidents just now, it was clear that Lu Yunxi's wilderness survival experience was lacking, and the result would be predictable if she were to act alone.
She nodded, "You can accompany me, but don't expect me to help you."
"Rest assured, I won't hold you back."
-----
On the other side, Wen Rou, who landed safely, was aware of her own abilities.
Since agreeing to participate in "Survival on Deserted Island," she had gone through intensive training with a professional coach for nearly two months.
Although she had learned a lot in these two months, she didn't believe she could make it to the end safely.
She had to find a teammate. Gentle thought to herself as a man approached her.
"Hello, you are Gentle, right? I'm Dong Binrui," the man said.
The man's Mandarin was a little awkward, and Gentle asked, "You're not from Huaguo, are you?"
Dong Binrui shook his head, "I'm from Xinjaiguohua."
Gentle's eyes flashed as she thought of something and then said with a smile, "Nice to meet you. We can team up later for added security."
Dong Binrui also had the same idea, and the two successfully became partners.
After a while, once the two of them had gotten a bit closer, Dong Binrui asked, "Was the person who publicly cut off her long hair today, Wen Yao, your sister?"
Upon hearing this question, Gentle knew she was right in her guess. Dong Binrui, not being from Huaguo, did not know about her and Wen Yao.
So she replied, "Yes, she's my twin sister."
"Why didn't you choose the same helicopter then?" Dong Binrui asked casually, but a hint of sorrow and regret crossed Gentle's face.
She said, "I've done many things to hurt my sister before, and now I can't face her."