WS - Chapter 137
Chapter 137
Ordinary people writing with charcoal on a sheet of rigid cardboard really does look... pretty awful.
Feng Qianqian was, of course, just as ordinary. On the livestream page, the characters— some with uneven stroke thickness, some not even uniform in size— sprawled across the cardboard, barely recognizable as writing.
But they were the finest handwriting Ye Liu had ever seen!
Each character, forming words, forming sentences, each section crystal clear...
Feng Qianqian... was returning the shares Yao Yuxi had given her a year ago!
The intelligent StarNet was clearly supposed to adjust the distance between a person and a hovering interface page automatically; it was impossible that leaning closer would actually bring you closer. And yet, as she watched Feng Qianqian write, Ye Liu couldn't help but rise to her feet and step forward.
By the time Feng Qianqian finished the share transfer section and drew a period, and Ye Liu exhaled the breath she had been holding, she realized she had moved quite a distance from her earlier seat.
Truth be told, Feng Qianqian didn't know the cameras were still rolling. A will like this, at such a moment, disclosing her relationship with the Yao Group and with Yao Yuxi, did create a minor complication for Ye Liu's work.
But compared to the content of the share transfer in the will, that minor complication was utterly negligible.
In the current situation, the shares Feng Qianqian held in the Yao Group were no longer a matter of money.
Although Feng Qianqian had written this hasty will, and with her still alive the shares had not yet returned to Yao Yuxi's hands, the question was no longer about who currently held the shares but about an attitude, a symbol.
Mu Group, though an older enterprise with vast family assets, had in recent years been outpaced by the Yao Group's ferocious momentum in technological achievements. Weighed comprehensively, the Yao Group was hardly inferior to the Mu Group at all.
Hadn't they been bullying Yao Yuxi for being reduced to someone drawing a salary with no shares?
Wasn't it because Feng Qianqian's identity had been concealed, preventing anyone from seeing what the shareholding party's attitude toward Yao Yuxi really was?
Now that was settled.
Whether Feng Qianqian survived or not, at the very least, the attitude and stance of those shares had been made clear.
Thinking of Yao Yuxi still in the detention center, Ye Liu dared not delay a moment longer. She hurried the technical staff to grab screenshots and make a video of the section where Feng Qianqian wrote her will, then began contacting old connections who had been impossible to reach these past two days.
As expected, some people... just like that, were suddenly online again.
The Aerospace Bureau side of things, Ye Liu still had to investigate, and Feng Qianqian's little complication here had to be handled too.
Since Feng Qianqian had inadvertently exposed herself, Ye Liu stopped hiding it as well. Posing as an anonymous insider, she posted that old matter onto StarNet, and of course, she did not forget to praise where the shares in Feng Qianqian's hands had come from.
Ye Liu's reaction was fast. She had just uploaded the material to StarNet, and the trending topics and paid commenters she had bought were not even deployed yet, when a wave descended from the sky and started opening topics all over StarNet. Those people bluntly claimed that the mix-up incident years ago had cost Yao Yuxi her shares, and that Yao Yuxi, nursing a grudge, had bribed the deputy director of the Aerospace Bureau, concealing the Yaoxing Storm precisely to kill Feng Qianqian, the Yao family's true daughter. And this girl Feng Qianqian happened to be such a fool that, reduced to such a state, she actually returned the shares— practically letting that venomous woman Yao Yuxi gloat.
Because of the Yaoxing Storm on Wilderness Planet, StarNet had long been a pool of muddied waters.
Muddied waters though they might be, as the new livestream page continuously broadcast its content, right and wrong, even truths not yet backed by solid evidence, were already becoming somewhat clear in the public's mind.
Where that timely airborne assault came from hardly required much thought. It could only be the Mu Group, eager to extract itself.
Fortunately, Ye Liu still had the evidence from a year ago of how Yao Yuxi, after Yao Qing's death, had accidentally learned of the switch, actively sought Yao Qing's biological daughter, and voluntarily offered up all the shares. That was far more stone-solid than Mu Group's shallow investigation and airborne conjectures pulled from thin air. Otherwise, the minor complication of Feng Qianqian's sudden self-exposure would have become a major complication that let the other side whitewash itself.
And in fact, that airborne assault truly did come from Old Master Mu's side.
Originally, Old Master Mu truly did not pay much mind to anything on the livestream beyond Mu Xingzhou's safety.
But after a check in the morning— all right, that Waterloo of a stock price— it actually was connected to all that talk of "every man for himself" at the first sign of calamity.
Mu Group's crisis PR advised Old Master Mu to push the narrative on StarNet a little, at least first rallying Mu Xingzhou's brain-damaged diehard fans, and then sending those people out to anti-brainwash everywhere.
"Only living holds hope. Those people clearly knew it was impossible, that they couldn't survive, and they still stayed behind— that is pure irresponsibility toward themselves!"
"What use is fighting just over appearances and a bright surface? Why do something fundamentally impossible? This life was given by your parents— can you just throw it away so casually?"
"Originally, it would have just taken spending some time climbing out of that cave. Originally, there haven't been any aftershocks up to now. Just for that half a day or a day earlier of getting out, should they stake their lives?"
"Carrying those two people along makes the distance three times longer, the difficulty more than ten times greater. Where would that much food come from? Those who stayed behind are really too naive."
...
Song Shiyue's rescue was unnecessary; life was given by one's parents and should not be casually used to repay kindness of no great significance; the people who stayed behind were merely seeking a pretty face, which was in fact irresponsibility toward themselves and their families... These similar propagandistic messages were meant to fool those with relatively low moral standards on StarNet, or the diehard fans among those who had left.
After all, every person in this world is different, and not everyone lives guided by reason.
Spend money, steer the narrative, stir up the muddy waters, get the masses fighting each other.
That was what Mu Group had originally planned to do.
However, this plan was swiftly replaced by a new idea as soon as the will Feng Qianqian wrote was livestreamed out.
But it was a pity, no matter from what angle, Mu Group's so-called counterattack actually resembled dying convulsions more and more... It might kick up a brief ripple, but it quickly ceased to be useful.
The storm this one will stirred up beyond Wilderness Planet could be discussed another time.
On Wilderness Planet, after finishing the share transfer section, Feng Qianqian wrote one final line, then carefully folded the rigid cardboard and placed it inside a sealed bag.
Several days without eating much, surviving on water alone— how much energy could such a person have? Feng Qianqian had waited nearly a full hour for Ning Chuyang to burn the charcoal. Even though she spent most of that time resting with her eyes closed, holding out until now had not been easy.
But again, it was thanks to the seemingly unceasing pain in her legs that, despite her body and mind both being utterly exhausted, Feng Qianqian, without taking painkillers, could not easily fall asleep.
Feng Qianqian pressed her hand against the thickly folded rigid cardboard inside the sealed bag, not entirely certain whether this wish of hers could truly leave Wilderness Planet and reach the place she hoped it could reach.
After all...
There probably weren't many healthy people left here who could move freely...
Yes— even though Ning Chuyang had said nothing, Feng Qianqian already knew.
The evening before, when the rain was nearly ending, Feng Qianqian had woken once from her drowsy slumber. But her mind had not been clear then; she'd only eaten two bites of jerky, swallowed a painkiller, and was about to sleep again.
Perhaps because of the prolonged rain, her legs had hurt especially badly that day, and the painkiller's effect seemed somewhat diminished. Although she fell asleep, she was in fact drifting hazily and never slept deeply.
And so... not long afterward when the rain stopped, although she could not clearly hear the arguing voices of the split factions outside, later inside the tent, the conversation Ning Chuyang had with those two people— that, Feng Qianqian did hear.
It was just that hearing it— what meaning did that have?
Already burdened by her body, Feng Qianqian, at that moment, was like a snail sprinkled with salt. She could only instinctively surrender her will and force herself into deep sleep.
Unexpectedly, after sleeping another night like this and waking again, her spirit was somewhat improved.
Waking again, Feng Qianqian was so startled by the sight of Song Shiyue lying barely a fist's distance away beside her that she nearly coughed herself to choking.
The two prior brief wakings, plus one instance of failing to fall asleep in time and overhearing messages, had given Feng Qianqian a rough understanding that Song Shiyue also seemed to have encountered some problem. She just hadn't expected that the moment she woke, this person would be lying right next to her...
Fortunately, Ning Chuyang was right at the tent entrance and poked her head in immediately, dispelling Feng Qianqian's shock and confusion.
Ning Chuyang did not bring up the others.
But from the moment Feng Qianqian woke until she finished writing this will, she had seen only four people from the group.
Mm... and one was lying beside her.
None of them had mentioned the others, and there were no sounds of more people outside either.
Combined with what she had overheard the day before, Feng Qianqian could roughly guess the current situation.
Calling out softly, Feng Qianqian soon saw three heads appear at the tent entrance.
Since the tent was not large enough, the three couldn't all squeeze in and could only stack up at the entrance, looking in at Feng Qianqian.
"All done? Perfect timing— Teacher Zhuang and the others got the thermal storage boxes back. Want to eat something? Earlier you didn't want the hamburgers, sandwiches, or xiaolongbao. Now we've got dried-scallop spare-rib congee and eight-treasure congee. Want some? Oh, right, there are also some boxed meals, with rice and dishes. Want that?" Ning Chuyang spotted at a glance the sorrowful look in Feng Qianqian's eyes, and the sealed bag pressed beneath her hand. The well-folded rigid cardboard inside the transparent sealed bag was clearly visible. But Ning Chuyang had no intention of indulging such pessimistic moods and was naturally the first to speak, diverting Feng Qianqian's attention.
Life was so beautiful, and there were still so many delicious things. For someone in Feng Qianqian's condition, wanting to live had to come from within, or there'd be no hope!
It was just that Ning Chuyang's passionate enthusiasm seemed to have fallen into the ocean.
Feng Qianqian gently shook her head, forcing an awkward smile at Ning Chuyang, then let her gaze wander among the three heads at the entrance for two cycles, finally coming to rest upon Yu Nianbing.
The sealed bag containing the will, amidst Feng Qianqian's earnest gaze and soft-spoken request, was placed into Yu Nianbing's backpack.
Although Yu Nianbing had no idea what Feng Qianqian had written, the line "when you leave Wilderness Planet, you'll know who it's for once you open it" really sounded like she was about to meet Mu Xingzhou again.
It wasn't just Yu Nianbing who had that feeling— Ning Chuyang and Zhuang Jiachuan felt the same, and even Song Shiyue, lying quietly nearby and listening, thought as much.
And yet, on that will, there was no mention of Mu Xingzhou's name. The reason Feng Qianqian said that was merely because the Yao Group of Mingtan Planet was truly very famous— one look and anyone would know where it should be sent.
The word love— it is deeply moving.
But for someone like Feng Qianqian, who had broken both legs on such a barren planet, whose wounds had received medicinal powder only once and had to rely entirely on self-healing thereafter...
Her life had already entered its countdown, and many things, on the contrary, were easier to see clearly than before.
"Thank you..." Feng Qianqian watched Yu Nianbing put the sealed bag away and pull the zipper of her backpack closed, finally revealing a relieved smile.
Feng Qianqian's gratitude was not merely in words.
Earlier, worried that the brief clarity of this waking moment would not last long enough for her to finish writing the will, Feng Qianqian had closed her eyes and rested, waiting quietly for all that time.
Now that what weighed on her mind was settled, Feng Qianqian naturally had no need to hoard her small remaining reserves of energy.
Even though fatigue was already visibly setting in, and lying down now might well mean she could sleep deeply again, Feng Qianqian deliberately pressed down on her injured leg, letting a fresh wave of pain boost her alertness.
The six production crew members who had followed the cast to this Wilderness Planet, plus one Captain Yang, made seven people in total. Three of them had, before The Wilderness Journey began filming, spent over ten days walking this route in full.
Those three were: Captain Yang, who was needed to lead the cast and the group forward during the show; Zhao Da, one of the bodyguards responsible for protecting the group's safety; and the last should have been Director Zhang, but Director Zhang's back had been bothering him in those days. Given the choice of whether Wang Daming could or could not go, Feng Qianqian had volunteered and became the third person to endure that first bitter journey.
Earlier, Yu Nianbing had extracted some information from Director Zhang about the conditions on the upcoming route. Whether Director Zhang really had been tricked into spilling, or felt some guilt as well, he had indeed spoken quite a lot and in considerable detail.
But someone who only understood the situation through watching visual records, like Director Zhang, could not match someone who had personally walked the route in certain details— that would be Feng Qianqian.
Just as earlier on the route some setups were handled by Wang Daming taking detours in advance, and most of the time, whenever he took a detour, Wang Daming still had to ask Feng Qianqian once and confirm it again.
Feng Qianqian, riding the boost of energy from the pain in her legs, began to explain the journey ahead to the three— actually, it should be four— people, breaking it down into the finest detail.
But this pressing on her leg— once was fine, but the second time, Yu Nianbing noticed it.
Wouldn't eat anything, wouldn't take medicine, had written a will, was pressing on her wound to force out the energy to hurriedly arrange her affairs... This girl was truly...
Yu Nianbing didn't know whether Feng Qianqian was doing this because of the burden of her body, or because she had already guessed the group's situation, Mu Xingzhou's choice. All she could do was, when Feng Qianqian prepared to press on her injured leg for a third time to draw another wave of energy, step forward and grab hold of her wrist, then shove this delicate young girl at Ning Chuyang, instructing her to manage the wound and force-feed her food and medicine, before heading out with Zhuang Jiachuan.
Yes, just a young girl she barely knew.
Whether her wound hurt or not, what was it to them anyway.
Getting intel on the route ahead was the most important thing, wasn't it.
If she really... it would also save food...
But Yu Nianbing couldn't think that way.
Set everything else aside— just imagining Song Shiyue, likewise unconscious for just as long, similarly self-harming, despondent, and arranging her last affairs for others as Feng Qianqian was doing, was almost unbearable for Yu Nianbing.
Where the road ahead led, how far they could get— truthfully, Yu Nianbing had no certainty at all.
All she could do was try her best with every step she could manage, and pray that this effort could let them hold on even one more day, or even just a few more hours.
Maybe, between them and rescue, the only difference was just that little bit of time.
"Are we moving the tents now?" Zhuang Jiachuan looked around. According to the plan they had discussed earlier, they still needed to stay at this camp for several more days. The next step was to shrink the camp perimeter to make building defensive fencing and traps easier.
Yu Nianbing nodded, then pointed to two double-person tents farther away. "I think the position of this tent is okay. Let's move those two over here. Ning Chuyang will take care of Feng Qianqian at night; Song Shiyue and I will share one."
The people who had left, to lighten their burden, had taken no tents with them— neither double nor single.
As it happened, not counting Feng Qianqian's tent, there was still one double-person tent left. At night, Yu Nianbing and Song Shiyue could finally sleep a bit more comfortably.
The two outside were dismantling the tents quite smoothly. Inside the tent, however, things were not progressing well.
"All right, don't overthink, don't say too much. Come on, down this bowl of dried-scallop spare-rib congee, and we're still friends. Then take two more painkillers, or anti-inflammatories— which one do you want? Whichever you choose, you have to take one. Finally, drink half a bottle of water and I'll let you go to sleep." Ning Chuyang put on a stern face, attempting to command Feng Qianqian seriously and properly to live well and put down all those strange thoughts.
But Ning Chuyang as a person naturally carried a tinge of pampered arrogance. Arranging someone in such a stilted, formal way, when she was supposed to be fierce, she instead looked somewhat puffed up with indignation, which was rather amusing in an incongruous way.
Of course, of the three people inside the tent, perhaps only Song Shiyue found it amusing.
But Song Shiyue hadn't expected that such amusement would be so short-lived...
Feng Qianqian completely ignored Ning Chuyang's words, only softly and gently wheedling, "Just listen to me finish explaining the things ahead first. There are only a few more camps left..."
"Not listening, not listening, not listening!" Ning Chuyang plugged her ears, puffed up like a blowfish. "Are you eating or not! If you're not, I'll come feed you! Just like Teacher Yu fed Song Shiyue last night! Force-fed like a duck! Don't you regret it! Let me tell you, yesterday Song Shiyue turned red in the face and neck from being fed that way— do you want to try it!"
Feng Qianqian: "..."
Song - Duck - Shiyue: "..."
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