During the meal with Zhou Zhen, he kept smiling and was very warm to Wen Yao and Lu Yunxi, caring and considerate, explaining the so-called misunderstandings to them.
While eating, Wen Yao listened attentively to every word Zhou Zhen said and carefully observed his every move.
Zhou Zhen's explanations sounded very reasonable and his logic was very meticulous, giving reasonable explanations for all her doubts. However, the more he explained, the more dubious Wen Yao became.
As the director of a highly popular reality show and herself just a small artist, Zhou Zhen personally receiving them was already one thing, but his excessive warmth, almost to the point of eagerness, was it because he sensed that they had discovered the secret of the program team?
But if those secrets were as Zhou Zhen himself mentioned, even if exposed, the impact would still be within the public's understanding. As the director, he wouldn't need to personally cater to them in such an accommodating manner. It didn't fit his status.
Wen Yao felt that Zhou Zhen's excessive warmth was abnormal and indicated something suspicious.
After a long monologue, Zhou Zhen observed Wen Yao's expression. He noticed that her face had remained expressionless from the start, not showing much emotion, and he didn't know if she believed his explanation.
Zhou Zhen felt uncertain in his heart, but he had already said all he needed to say. Saying more would seem too deliberate and expose hidden intentions.
He exchanged the plate of large prawns in front of him to Wen Yao and said with a smile, "You must have had a hard time on the deserted island for half a month. Eat more. The chef from the cafeteria went thirty kilometers to the seafood market this morning to buy these prawns. They're fresh."
After caring for Wen Yao, he turned to Lu Yunxi, "Is your body really okay, Yunxi? Did you accidentally eat any poisonous food? I was extremely worried when I saw that video. Although we prepared the best medical conditions for the guests, not all poisons can be resolved by high-quality medical equipment."
Lu Yunxi looked at Wen Yao and shook her head, "I'm okay."
"That's good, at least I can set my mind at ease now." Zhou Zhen stood up, took two cups from the nearby sterilization cabinet, and poured two glasses of milk for them. "Drink some milk. You two girls have lost weight."
Zhou Zhen treated Wen Yao and Lu Yunxi as a concerned father, using his kindly appearance to try to make them drop their guard.
Wen Yao accepted the milk, smiled faintly, and after thanking him, asked, "Director Zhou, how do you plan to arrange for us next?"
The program team already knew that she had discovered their deception, and they certainly wouldn't let them return to the deserted island. If she didn't guess wrong, the program team would probably arrange for her to return to China as soon as possible.
China was thousands of kilometers away from there, a journey of over twenty hours by plane. Once she returned, she wouldn't be able to intervene in the situation here anymore.
But in the eyes of the audience, Lu Yunxi was already "dead from poisoning." According to Zhou Zhen's words, wouldn't Lu Yunxi's return to China imply telling the audience that the mortality rate of "Deserted Island Survival" is fake?
Wen Yao looked at Zhou Zhen, waiting for his answer.
Zhou Zhen said, "Yao Yao, as you can see, it's very inconvenient to go anywhere from here due to the remote location, plus the program team is busy and has no time to take care of you. It's dangerous for a girl who's unfamiliar with the place to go out alone. So, I plan to contact your agent and send you back to China in the next couple of days. What do you think?"
Just as she expected.
"Will my return to China cause any trouble for the program team?"
Because of the presence of Wen Yao, the viewership of this season's program has increased by half, and Wen Yao's departure from the internet is bound to cause a great uproar.
However, all the current commotion is nowhere near as important as keeping the secret behind it.
Under no circumstances should Wen Yao be allowed to know the truth.
"What about Lu Yunxi?" Zhou Zhen knew that Wen Yao had a good relationship with Lu Yunxi, but the production team had already created the illusion in front of the audience that Lu Yunxi was already dead. If she were to return to the country, the audience would definitely be suspicious, causing trouble.
Zhou Zhen's gaze passed over Wen Yao and landed on Lu Yunxi.
He said, "Honestly, if Yunxi were to return to the country, it would indeed have some impact on the production team. If Yunxi is willing to stay abroad..."
Before Zhou Zhen could finish speaking, Lu Yunxi interrupted, "Director Zhou, I'm not willing."
Zhou Zhen frowned slightly at her words, patiently continued, "Yunxi, you don't need to be agitated. We will certainly respect your wishes, but please let me finish."
Zhou Zhen looked at both of them and continued, "Apart from the countries in Asia, you can settle in any other country, and the production team can arrange everything for you. Additionally, the production team will provide you with 30 million for the rest of your life, ensuring a carefree life."
Upon hearing this amount, Wen Yao was surprised.
Although the "Deserted Island Survival" program was popular and had good viewership, it was ultimately just a reality show in Hua country. There was a limit to how much money it could make.
When the production team invited guests initially, the recording fee was 10 million, and thirty guests meant 300 million.
Even though the deserted island for the survival show was uninhabited, it was still under national jurisdiction, with the production team needing to rent it from the governing country, which certainly would not be a small sum.
Additionally, the production team provided so many helicopters and top-notch live broadcasting equipment, the investment costs could be substantial.
Each of the severely injured guests would receive 30 million in compensation, adding up to close to a billion for the production cost of a season.
Wen Yao also noticed that other variety shows, TV dramas, and movies had product placements, with the costs partly borne by the advertisers, but "Deserted Island Survival" did not have any product placements.
This meant that the nearly billion cost was entirely borne by the production team.
Could a program that aired for only thirty days really recoup its costs and make a profit?
Based on Wen Yao's current understanding of the entertainment industry, she felt it was highly unlikely.
No matter how popular the program, there was only so much traffic, and a live program was not like a movie that could be watched repeatedly. This was especially true for a short thirty-day program.
Who would be willing to engage in such a costly enterprise if it didn't bring in huge profits for the program?
In light of these circumstances, Wen Yao could almost certainly conclude that there were problems with the production team, and these problems were definitely not small.
Looking at Zhou Zhen at that moment, Wen Yao didn't feel he was charitable at all. She only saw him as a smiling tiger, ready to pounce and bite their necks at any moment.
Zhou Zhen said, "Yunxi, can you consider the 30 million? I remember your profile mentioned that you studied in the United States before. Did you ever consider settling in the United States? I can help you get a green card, and we can also help your family move to the United States."
To be honest, 30 million plus a green card had a fatal allure for any international student.
However, Lu Yunxi refused without any hesitation.
When she participated in this program, it was not voluntary. It was because her mother was seriously ill and in need of money; she only took this perilous path for the high recording fee.
When the contract was signed, the production team transferred the recording fee to her card. After a month of treatment, her mother's condition had been brought under control, and she was likely improving now.
Currently, she just wanted to return to her mother, with no desire to go anywhere else.
"If I wanted to live in the United States, I wouldn't have chosen to return to the country. Director Zhou, you don't need to say anything further. Regardless, I'm going back to my country," Lu Yunxi said.
After hearing this, Zhou Zhen's eyes showed a hint of displeasure, but it quickly disappeared, and he put on a smile again, showing respect for Lu Yunxi's decision.
"How are you planning to explain it to the audience?" Wen Yao asked probingly.
"You don't need to worry about that, Yaya. The production team will naturally handle everything," Zhou Zhen said, standing up. "Yaya, Yunxi, dinner is over, and I've explained the situation to you. It's already late; you should go back to your rooms and rest. Tomorrow morning, I will contact your manager."
Zhou Zhen was a smiling tiger, and Wen Yao remained unfazed.
She smiled and said, "Okay, thank you, Director Zhou. We'll go back to our rooms."
"Okay."
Wen Yao and Lu Yunxi quickly returned to their room. Once there, Lu Yunxi was about to discuss her concerns with Wen Yao, but she made a gesture to stop her and then handed her a pen and paper to write.
Although Wen Yao had already checked, she couldn't be completely sure that there were no pinhole cameras or bugs in the room.
Lu Yunxi immediately understood Wen Yao's intention and wrote on the paper, "Do you believe what he said?"
Wen Yao replied, "Of course, I don't."
Lu Yunxi asked, "So, what do we do next? Are we just going to be sent back to our country like this?"
In fact, ever since arriving at the headquarters, Lu Yunxi had been very uneasy, even more so than when she was on the deserted island.
For her, being able to safely return to her home country was already the best outcome. She was afraid that if further investigations were carried out, it would enrage the production team, and she would risk not making it back home alive.
Additionally, with so many missing guests involved in the matter, it indicated a very serious situation, something that ordinary people like them couldn't handle.
She was afraid that everything they were doing now might be in vain, and they could end up losing their lives in the process.
All the thoughts that Lu Yunxi had, Wen Yao naturally shared.
To be honest, she didn't have much confidence at this point, but having come this far, retreating was not the Wen Yao she knew.
Wen Yao: "Don't worry, we will definitely be able to find some clues."
Lu Yunxi actually wanted to advise Wen Yao to stop, knowing she was not brave, but she was just an ordinary person and was afraid of death.
But she knew Wen Yao's temperament and after some internal struggle, she just nodded without saying those words out loud.
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Late at night, it was so quiet that even the ticking of the clock on the wall could be heard.
At this hour, it was early morning. Apart from the night shift staff, everyone else had already fallen asleep, but Wen Yao was awake in the darkness.
She got up decisively from bed and went into the bathroom.
Wen Yao pushed open the bathroom window, observed the situation below, and then jumped out of it with a push against the wall.
Their room was on the fourth floor, with a considerable distance from the ground, but there was a soft lawn below, so Wen Yao landed safely without much effort.
After landing, she first found a secluded place to observe the surrounding cameras, and then, sticking to the wall, she made her way to the front office building.
This time, she aimed to go to the seventh or eighth floor.
The buttons for the seventh and eighth floors in the elevator couldn’t have been sealed for no reason, so she intended to go find out.
Since the elevator was sealed, she could only go up through the emergency exit staircase. However, Wen Yao found that the entrance door to the staircase on the first floor was locked, with a thick layer of dust on the doorknob, as if it hadn't been touched for a long time.
Were the stairs not used by anyone?
Wen Yao looked up to the top two floors of the building.
Too high for light skills to work.
But she couldn't take the elevator either; it had lights, surveillance, and sound effects when it reached the floor, making it too obvious.
Looking around, Wen Yao noticed a large tree beside the building, about four floors high. She could jump directly onto the seventh-floor windowsill from the tree.
Wen Yao was fast, and in just a few seconds she successfully stood on the edge of the seventh-floor window. However, she found the window not only welded shut but also covered with pure black stickers, making it impossible to see inside.
Wen Yao pushed on the window, but it didn’t budge. As she was about to find another way in, she suddenly heard voices from inside.