The Fake Daughter Want to Be Villainess - Chapter 20

The Director proudly flicked his bangs, saying, “You’ll find out this afternoon.”

Jiang Shu wasn’t particularly looking forward to the afternoon. Sitting in her chair, she focused on massaging her own legs when she heard a rustling sound nearby.

Ren Lishu parted the grass and struggled her way to the mountaintop.

She plopped down on the ground, rubbing her legs as she complained, “I’m exhausted! You have no sense of responsibility, making me lead the way—”

Qiao Xian followed her out, scanning the mountaintop before casually retrieving a chair. “Ah yes, yes.”

He sat down, supported his waist, pushed a nearby chair forward, and called out to Ren Lishu, “Are you just sitting on the ground?”

Qiao Xian frowned in discontent, “You have no image at all.”

Ren Lishu paused in her leg massaging, then gave a cold laugh, ignoring the pushed chair and continuing to rub her calves, sarcastically replying, “We’ve been divorced for two years; my image has nothing to do with you.”

Qiao Xian fell silent, while Jiang Shu tilted her head to observe them for a moment. She then moved a chair from beside her to Ren Lishu, saying, “Senior Ren.”

She whispered, “The ground is a bit damp; it won’t be comfortable sitting for long.”

Ren Lishu glanced at her, then got up from the ground, brushed off the dirt and dust, and sat in the chair, “Alright.”

She leaned to the side to look at Jiang Shu and sighed, “It’s nice to have a thoughtful young lady. If it were my brat at home, he would be squatting next to me playing in the mud.”

Jiang Shu blinked, still about to speak, when Qiao Xian suddenly chimed in, “He’s already nineteen; he wouldn’t do that.”

Ren Lishu’s face immediately turned cold as she turned to look at Qiao Xian.

The two were about to start an argument when luckily, Lin Hui and Wang Siyuan’s arrival broke the tense atmosphere.

Lin Hui took a breath, a bit astonished, “Everyone’s here already.”

She pulled up a chair next to the other guests, looked around, somewhat unwillingly saying, “Senior Ren, you all are so fast.”

She could understand that Pei Wang and the others were quicker than her, but there was no way Ren Lishu and Qiao Xian had better stamina than her and Wang Siyuan—

Did the Program Team give them a lift?

She skeptically glanced at Ren Lishu but soon realized her expression was too obvious, so she quickly withdrew her gaze.

Having been in the Entertainment Industry for so many years, Ren Lishu could easily see through such thoughts. She raised an eyebrow, scrutinized Lin Hui, then chuckled, “Oh, you’re asking about this?”

In a very casual tone, she boasted, “I got lucky and found a small path; it looks like the workers’ route for carrying things up the mountain. It’s not too hard to climb.”

Lin Hui smiled awkwardly, “In that case, Senior Ren, you’re really lucky.”

She touched the back of her chair, trying to change the subject, “Director, does that mean the mountain climbing competition is over?”

The Director, holding his thermos, sipped his tea, glancing at her. “How could it be over?”

He leisurely took another sip, “Aren’t we four groups of guests?”

Lin Hui paused, “Qu Mei and Yu Zhen—”

The Director slammed his cup down heavily, snorted, “Don’t mention them.”

He repeated what happened with Yu Zhen and Qu Mei while also giving a warning to the other guests: “Do not challenge the Program Team’s rules. I will really enforce the breach of contract penalties.”

Jiang Shu blinked, lowered her head, grabbing one end of her scarf, using the tail to brush against Pei Wang’s arm.

Pei Wang turned to look at her, his eyelids lowered slightly, a hint of attentiveness in his gaze.

Jiang Shu whispered, “Does what we did yesterday count as challenging the Program Team’s rules?”

She was referring to the incident with the vendor selling fish for fifty.

Pei Wang pinched the end of the scarf, brushing it off his arm before replying, “No, it doesn’t count. We just found a loophole; that was a mistake on the Program Team’s part.”

Jiang Shu replied with a soft “Oh,” wanting to ask a couple more questions when the Director’s gaze shot over.

Instinctively, she fell silent. The Director took a deck of cards from a staff member, shook it in his hands, and said, “They probably need some time. How about we play a game to pass the time?”

Ren Lishu glanced at the deck of cards, “There are six of us here; how do we play?”

The Director smiled cheerfully, “We’ll play Dou Di Zhu (a card game). Isn’t it perfect with three groups? One person from each group plays, while the others watch, and they take turns.”

Jiang Shu leaned forward a bit, worried, “There won’t be any penalties or rewards for this, will there?”

The Director glared at her, “Am I that petty? Would I set penalties for something meant to pass the time?”

He tossed the cards into the center of the group, muttering, “I kindly offer you a fun way to pass the time, and you’re still guessing left and right.”

He waved his hand dismissively, “Play if you want; don’t if you don’t.”

The guests looked at each other, and Qiao Xian bent down to pick up the cards, tearing off the plastic wrap. “Shouldn’t be a problem.”

He shuffled the cards casually, “Who wants to play?”

Jiang Shu and Pei Wang both stayed still, while Wang Siyuan and Lin Hui leaned forward. The three had just dealt the cards when Yu Zhen and Qu Mei appeared at the mountaintop.

The Director sighed in regret, “You two arrived too early.”

He lamented, “I wanted the losers of the card game to do ten push-ups.”

The three holding the cards turned to look at the Director in unison.

The Director felt no guilt at all. He stood up from his chair, opened his arms to embrace the air, then turned and walked toward the cliff’s edge. “Come, come, come; everyone, enjoy the beautiful scenery of the mountain.”

He walked in the direction very close to the bungee jumping equipment. Yu Zhen caught sight of it and instinctively asked, “Director, what’s that?”

The Director was pleased with Yu Zhen’s sharpness.

He withdrew his arms, no longer calling for others to admire the landscape, and walked over to the equipment. Placing one hand on it, he introduced, “This is what we’ll be using this afternoon.”

The guests all approached, and Lin Hui looked at him in confusion.

“This is a bungee jumping setup,” the Director proudly patted the thick metal tube next to him. “It hasn’t been built for long, so you’re the first batch of users.”

“The afternoon activity is bungee jumping?” Yu Zhen frowned, “I can’t do bungee jumping.”

“No worries.” The Director pointed to several staff members standing by the equipment. “They will teach you.”

He spread his hands with a bright smile, “Are you all surprised?”

No one responded, and after a moment of contemplation, Qiao Xian broke the silence, “What are the rules for bungee jumping?””This afternoon’s matters will be discussed this afternoon,” the Director waved to the staff, gesturing for them to bring over the food cart. “Come, come, everyone, let’s have lunch first.”

No one paid much attention to the lunch; everyone ate in silence. Jiang Shu even deliberately slowed her eating pace, wanting to prolong the meal time just a bit longer, hoping to delay their entrance into the afternoon.

However, they eventually had to finish eating. The staff collected the dishes, and the Director, holding a microphone, stood before them again, smiling warmly. “Does everyone remember the points from this morning’s mountain climbing competition?”

He revealed his intentions: “Pei Wang and Jiang Shu arrived first; they only need to complete one individual bungee jump.”

“Ren Lishu and Qiao Xian arrived second; they need to complete two individual bungee jumps.”

“Lin Hui and Wang Siyuan arrived third; they must do one tandem bungee jump.”

The Director paused for a moment, his gaze scanning the guests before finally landing on Qu Mei and Yu Zhen. “As for the group with the lowest points, Qu Mei and Yu Zhen, not only do you need to complete two individual bungee jumps, but you also have to do one tandem bungee jump.”

He gestured invitingly, “The last group, please come forward.”

Everyone turned to watch them. Yu Zhen walked over first, opening her arms and signaling to the staff to help her with the safety harness.

She clearly had bungee jumping experience, showing no hesitation. After exchanging a few words with the staff, she jumped off without any trepidation.

The elasticity of the rope quickly dissipated, and Yu Zhen was pulled back up. Her hair was tousled by the wind, her face flushed, and her breathing was slightly labored, yet she appeared quite relaxed.

The Director looked at her and chuckled, “I didn’t expect you’ve bungee jumped before; that was a miscalculation on my part.”

He turned to Qu Mei. “Your turn.”

However, Qu Mei did not move. She sat in her chair for a moment, staring ahead, then suddenly said, “I’m afraid of heights.”

She moved to a nearby chair, showing a clear attitude of rejection. “I’m not jumping.”

The Director seemed to have anticipated this issue. “No problem, you can jump!”

He waved a hand dismissively, filled with confidence. “I asked the experts; it’s not a big deal. Just jump with your eyes closed.”

Qu Mei still did not budge. The Director glanced at her, picked up a document from a nearby table, and began flipping through the pages, then loudly proclaimed, “Refusal to cooperate with the Program Team’s filming will be considered a breach of contract, requiring compensation of three times the payment—”

Qu Mei’s expression was icy: “I’ll pay.”

Her brows didn’t budge, “I remember the amount for withdrawing from the program is the same.”

Qu Mei stood up from her chair. “I’m withdrawing from the filming.”

Everyone was momentarily stunned. The mountain breeze howled past, and the damp mist clung to their skin, almost forming beads of water.

Yu Zhen suddenly turned around, unbuckled her safety harness, took a few quick steps back to Qu Mei, and stared down at her. “Is it really necessary?”

“You’re afraid of heights?” She scoffed, “What height are you afraid of! Weren’t you the one who bungee jumped with me in Vies a few years ago?”

She grabbed Qu Mei by the collar and yanked her up. “I only misunderstood you once! I’ve apologized to you; what more do you want from me?”

“You’d rather pay the penalty than be in the same program with me, right?” Yu Zhen tossed her sleeves dramatically, her expression stern as she turned to the Director. “Alright, you don’t need to withdraw; I’ll cover the cost, Director—”

She added coldly, “I’m not filming anymore.”