WS - Chapter 168

Chapter 168

On Wilderness Planet, aside from the two night watchmen, one from each team, everyone else — whether in tents or sleeping on the ground — had fallen asleep in the deepening night.

But outside Wilderness Planet, in just a few days, too many people had picked up the bad habit of staying up all night.

They couldn't bear to turn off the livestream. Even if the screen was already a mosaic or pitch-black, they always felt that if they turned it off, they would miss something.

Even if they really stayed up too late and were so tired they couldn't keep their eyes open, many still fell asleep with the StarNet livestream running.

If it were just an ordinary wilderness survival reality show, of course it wouldn't make the audience so anxious. Even if the invited guests were major celebrities, at most a wave of hardcore fans would push themselves to such lengths.

But now, it's no longer a reality show.

Those six screens let people outside Wilderness Planet see a real struggle for survival, a crisis where people could really get hurt or die.

Whether it was the popularity the guests brought themselves, the fans they attracted during the livestream, or the massive passersby gathered by the Yaoxing Storm, their perception of this livestream had long ceased to be definable as a mere reality show.

People have emotions.

Even those who initially came because of the Yaoxing Storm, following the livestream with only a spectator's or even a novelty-seeking mindset, had, over the past few days, gradually been seized by something beyond mere curiosity.

And this night, more than just the pure viewers were finding it hard to sleep.

Wang Mancang had already lain down under his blanket. He had been as busy as a dog during the day and was dead tired at night, but even lying there, a row of livestream windows still floated in the air before him.

Ah, you could say that originally, Wang Mancang treated the handful of artists under him equally well, like a few small cats.

But ever since Song Shiyue's suicide attempt, Wang Mancang had unconsciously been giving Song Shiyue more attention.

Now, because of the variety show he had begged and pleaded to get, the person was stranded on Wilderness Planet, unable to return, and had been unconscious for so long — these things made Wang Mancang so worried that even when exhausted, he found it hard to sleep.

And Song Shiyue was not one to put people's minds at ease; more often than not, when something happened in the middle of the night, she was involved. Wang Mancang didn't dare to sleep too deeply.

When she was in a coma, she'd wake up every day at midnight. Now that her health finally seemed to be improving, well then, she was still getting up in the middle of the night and making people chatter.

Wang Mancang could understand the helplessness on Yu Nianbing's face. After all, Song Shiyue was... ah, truly as the danmaku said, a bit dense. But then again, Wang Mancang thought it was actually normal. After all, he knew that Song Shiyue's confession half a year ago was fake.

Pity that Yu Nianbing seemed to have gotten a little serious.

His own family's brat had uprooted someone else's perfectly good cabbage and then didn't even eat it... It really worried Wang Mancang to the point of balding.

These past few days, Wang Mancang had to worry about Song Shiyue's survival on Wilderness Planet on one hand, and on the other, worry about how Song Shiyue would face Yu Nianbing — who thought that confession was real and had truly developed feelings — once they returned. He truly hadn't had a good night's sleep.

Fortunately, a couple of days ago, Song Shiyue's scumbag father, who had come to the company to cause trouble, had been tricked by that insurance guy and left Wang Mancang with a big hold over him. After Wang Mancang casually gave him a bit of meal money, he went back to the Blue House to indulge, and he hadn't come out again these past few days.

With a person like that, as long as he has a little money in hand, he won't come out until he's smoked or snorted it all away.

Wang Mancang had no leisure to deal with him right now. He spent a bit of money and prayed he'd smoke himself into oblivion.

But when Song Shiyue came out in the night to chat with Yu Nianbing and talked about those days of not having enough to eat or eating badly, that made Wang Mancang pay more attention.

As far as Wang Mancang knew, Song Shiyue's parents had divorced when she was very young. Song Shiyue had left with her mother and hadn't seen that scumbag father for many years. So... how terrible must those days have been for such a small child to have such deep memories?

People — once they've invested care and worry in another, they become like a mother hen protecting her chick, caring more, and even more disgusted by anyone who mistreats their own. Even if it's a biological father, even if the mistreatment was years ago, it's just as detestable.

On Wilderness Planet, Song Shiyue, who had the tent all to herself and was sleeping happily, had no idea that her words to Yu Nianbing, which showed some sincerity, would make Wang Mancang again send people to dig up the dirt on the original host's father.

Such is life — some people are written onto the list of miserable ones, while others finally wait until the clouds part and the moon shines bright.

Yao Yuxi was released just before dawn, in the darkest hour.

Luo San personally came with the higher-ups' documents to pick her up.

Although Yao Yuxi had been well taken care of in all aspects of daily life these past days except for her personal freedom, when Luo San received her, he still felt she had grown thin and haggard.

That was truly the concern of an elder.

As soon as he got the documents, Luo San rushed over. On the way, he had already booked a full-service package for Yao Yuxi: a bath to wash away bad luck, a grand meal, and a massage.

When he picked her up, Luo San led her outside, chattering as they walked about all the things he had arranged for her — all top-notch, high-class, and specially chosen by asking a female friend with status. He guaranteed it would make Yao Yuxi comfortably forget the hardships of these past days.

But once they were outside, standing by the roadside, and the arranged driver had pulled the car up in front of her, Yao Yuxi, for some reason, turned to look at a dark corner of the street that the streetlights couldn't reach, and stood still.

Luo San followed her gaze and saw a dark, unlit car parked there. The click of its door opening was especially clear in the quiet night.

"Is it..." Luo San frowned, only getting out one word before stopping.

Who else could it be?

Ye Liu really had some nerve.

These past few days, not only the Mu Group but also the higher-ups had been searching for her and those people taken from the Yao Group.

The surveillance on the road had captured the farm estate that her convoy entered that day. Several groups went in and out, nearly turning the place upside down, and they actually found an underground passage.

But when they went through, it led to another estate...

In broad daylight, with law and order clear, even the Mu Group people, let alone the higher-ups, needed proper documents to enter a private residence like that, right?

Interestingly, after spending time and getting the documents, they still didn't find anyone at the second estate...

The news Luo San heard now was that they had already started applying for documents for a third estate. That's right — yet another underground passage found from the second estate...

Ye Liu and her group really... who knows what they were thinking, to have a place like that, like a rabbit warren.

Ever since the Mu brothers were locked up, the suicide of that deputy director at the Mingtan Aerospace Bureau no longer held up under scrutiny. Although Old Master Mu had many tricks, after all, he wasn't the direct handler, and some leaks weren't so easy to plug. And on Wilderness Planet, Feng Qianqian's testament had instantly reversed the attitude of those within the Yao Group toward Yao Yuxi. After all, Feng Qianqian's leg injury, with no proper medicine or treatment, probably wouldn't hold out long. Yao Yuxi's shares, after all the twists and turns, were about to come back! Not to mention that Yao Yuxi's conduct over the years didn't make her look like someone who would conceal the Yaoxing Storm prediction to kill off the Yao family's true daughter. Even if she had done it, with Feng Qianqian's testament letter, they simply had to protect Yao Yuxi. Once the entire Yao Group mobilized, they could now fight the Mu Group to a standstill. Those places that originally had leaks were instantly torn open, and Yao Yuxi's innocence was just waiting for the higher-ups to make it official.

Now the higher-ups had agreed to release Yao Yuxi for two reasons: first, because setting aside those conflicts of interest, Yao Yuxi was truly innocent; second, because of the livestream in Ye Liu's hands.

The higher-ups had also hinted that Yao Yuxi could trade the livestream rights for her freedom, but Yao Yuxi was truly... from the way she didn't keep even a bit of Feng Qianqian's shares after recovering them, one could tell she was ruthless. Her mouth was tougher than bone.

Originally, if this new livestream page had just started broadcasting, the higher-ups would still have wanted to take the livestream rights and shut it down. After all, this whole affair — whether it was concealing the Yaoxing Storm prediction, or those two fools from the Mu Group harming their half-brothers, or the unauthorized livestreaming of those people's actions and decisions in a real wilderness survival — none of it was good.

Core values still need to be positive and uplifting. Some things happen, and once the heat dies down, it's over. The higher-ups don't want to see this livestream existing, constantly letting the public see the Mingtan Aerospace Bureau's poor oversight, the conglomerates' internal exploitation, and the ugliness of human nature. These aren't things worth rehashing — they're not positive, not healthy.

But this livestream had already been running for days, attracting the deep concern of countless people across various star systems. If the higher-ups wanted to shut it down with one click now, it wouldn't be as easy as it would have been at the very beginning. Still, for the higher-ups, even if they couldn't close it for the time being, they wanted to keep the livestream rights firmly in hand.

Yao Yuxi, with her mouth that tough, was still let out.

Luo San believed that right now, more than one team was definitely hiding nearby. This was precisely why he had taken her straight to the one-stop service package.

But unexpectedly...

"Big niece, get in the car," Luo San said, reaching out to take Yao Yuxi's arm.

Although the few beside him were all trusted subordinates of Luo San's, a prerequisite for living together well was not to test people's hearts. Some things Luo San couldn't say outright, but his attitude was all in the force with which he pulled Yao Yuxi's arm.

How could Yao Yuxi not understand Luo San's meaning?

It's just that...

Yao Yuxi moved her arm, not with much strength, but after a moment of surprise, Luo San finally yielded to the insistence in her eyes.

What use was great strength? The child had grown up and wasn't his own — hard to manage.

"Take this new StarNet client. I'll go pick up your original things tomorrow," Luo San said, opening his bag and pressing a box into Yao Yuxi's hands. He couldn't help adding another reminder: "If anything comes up, remember to contact me. Although your Uncle Luo's position isn't high, he can still lend some strength."

"Thank you, Uncle Luo." Yao Yuxi had a faint smile on her face, one that hadn't faded since she spotted that car in the corner.

She walked quickly, got into the car, and locked the doors.

With a click of the seatbelt, the car shot off in an instant.

One, one, then another...

In the darkness, one car after another drove away.

Luo San shook his head.

Forget it. In any case, the original purpose of setting up that livestream had already been achieved.

Even if they made it disappear now, it wouldn't matter.

It's just that, people need to be safe. Sigh...

In the speeding car, Ye Liu, wearing a baseball cap, laughed wildly. Her words carried less restraint and more temperament: "If you hadn't gotten into this car just now, I might have gone back and shut down the livestream. Do you believe me?"

Yao Yuxi adjusted her seat and also smiled: "I believe you."

Ye Liu: "..."

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