The Fake Daughter Want to Be Villainess - Chapter 21

Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events.

The Director was the first to react. He called out to Yu Zhen, “What are you doing?”

He wore a stern expression, his mood clearly not good, as he scolded, “You come and go as you please? Do you think this is a market?”

Yu Zhen turned back, her hands stuffed in her pockets, her expression cold as she fixed her gaze on the Director without saying a word.

After the Director finished his outburst, his tone softened a little. “Are you sure you want to withdraw from the program? Failing to fulfill your contractual obligations won’t just result in a penalty of three times the breach fee; you’ll also have to compensate the Program Team for their losses. Essentially, all your work this past year would be for nothing.”

The issue wasn’t solely about the money; breaking a contract during filming without cause was a serious taboo in the Entertainment Industry. If this got out, no matter how big the star, future collaborations would be weighed carefully.

Yu Zhen remained silent, and Qu Mei didn’t move either. The Director glanced at both of them, then waved for Lin Hui and Wang Siyuan. “Come, come, come, the next group can continue filming.”

He approached Qu Mei, tapping her chair lightly with his fingers. “Let’s talk.”

The three of them walked aside while Lin Hui and Wang Siyuan stood before the bungee jumping equipment, looking somewhat apprehensive.

The staff helped them fasten their safety harnesses. Lin Hui nervously grasped the arm of one of the staff members. “Is this safe?”

The staff member smiled reassuringly. “Our equipment fully meets national standards. As long as you follow the instructions, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

He checked their harnesses, guided their movements, emphasized several points of caution, then took a step back and gestured, “Jump.”

Lin Hui was still scared, but Wang Siyuan had already tightened his grip around her waist, taking her with him as they jumped together.

Their screams echoed through the valley, and Jiang Shu instinctively shrank her neck in fear.

With the Director not present, Jiang Shu reached out, discreetly grabbing the hem of Pei Wang’s shirt and leaning closer to him, whispering, “Brother.”

Pei Wang slightly turned his head. “Hmm?”

The cries had subsided, and the staff pulled Lin Hui and Wang Siyuan back up.

Lin Hui appeared shaken, starting to quietly sob as soon as she got up. Wang Siyuan leaned close and whispered something, but she pushed him away. She stumbled forward and then weakly fell to the ground.

Wang Siyuan immediately knelt down beside her.

Jiang Shu withdrew her gaze, sidling up to Pei Wang and subtly indicating, “Brother, our group only needs to complete one individual bungee jump.”

Pei Wang looked down at her.

The little girl’s eyes were wide and anxiously expectant as she gazed up at him. The fluffy pom-pom on her hair tie swayed back and forth with her movements, resembling a small creature rolling on the ground.

Pei Wang suddenly felt like teasing her.

He tugged his shirt hem back, smoothed it patiently, then lowered his voice, gently countering, “Just complete one jump—what’s wrong with that?”

Jiang Shu was momentarily speechless.

She felt a bit anxious; Pei Wang was always very perceptive, and he couldn’t possibly not understand what she meant. His attitude must be a rejection—

Jiang Shu let out a small sigh, grabbing the freshly smoothed part of his shirt again, quietly saying, “Are you afraid too?”

She hesitated for a moment, trying to mentally prepare herself. “It’s fine for me to jump; judging by Senior Yu’s attitude, it shouldn’t be that scary, right?”

Her voice was quite low, and Pei Wang listened closely, unable to discern what she was saying. He simply spoke up, “Jiang Shu.”

The little girl turned her head sharply, and the pom-pom on her ponytail bounced again.He reached out and pinched the pom-pom: “Why don’t you ask a few more questions?”

Jiang Shu looked momentarily confused: “Huh?”

She quickly understood, her eyes lighting up. She took a small step back, fixing her gaze on Pei Wang, and raised her voice, beginning her portrayal of the Vicious Supporting Female Character’s petulance: “I don’t want to go bungee jumping; you go jump.”

Pei Wang laughed: “Alright, I’ll go.”

Lin Hui and Wang Siyuan had already completed their bungee jumps, and the Assistant Director was calling through the megaphone: “Next group.”

Ren Lishu stood up from her chair, intending to walk over, but Qiao Xian pressed down on her shoulder.

He turned to the Assistant Director and asked, “Do we only need to complete two individual bungee jumps? There’s no rule about who jumps, right?”

The Assistant Director smiled but did not respond.

This was a small loophole intentionally left by the Director; if any group of guests felt soft-hearted, they could take advantage of it.

Silence was taken as acquiescence, and Qiao Xian sighed in relief, explaining, “She has a heart condition; I’ll jump both times.”

“Who has a heart issue?” Ren Lishu exclaimed, rising from her seat in a hurry. “I climbed the mountain just fine; don’t slander me here!”

Qiao Xian turned back and glared at her: “Who was it that said they felt unwell and went to the hospital, only to find out they had myocarditis?”

Ren Lishu shouted back, even louder: “That was three years ago! Just because I found out about the illness, I wouldn’t treat it?” She was fuming: “You didn’t care back then, so what are you pretending for now?”

Qiao Xian nearly jumped up. He had more to argue, but Pei Wang gently pulled him back.

“Just give in,” he suggested.

Qiao Xian was reluctant; he had this bad temper half his life, and it was this temper that had helped him make a name in the Entertainment Industry. He—

Suddenly, he noticed Jiang Shu trailing behind Pei Wang like a little tail and froze.

When these two had first arrived at the program team, the atmosphere had been palpably awkward… Did giving in really help?

Qiao Xian slowly raised his hand in surrender: “Alright, alright, it’s my fault. It’s me pretending. It’s me who likes bungee jumping; I just want to jump twice.”

The tone was more of a provocation.

Pei Wang was silent for a moment.

Jiang Shu behind him quietly laughed: “Senior Ren will definitely get angry again.”

Ren Lishu indeed grew upset again, and she started arguing with Qiao Xian. The Assistant Director furrowed his brow in frustration and turned to Pei Wang and Jiang Shu for help: “Why don’t you two go first?”

Pei Wang had no objections; he walked to the equipment, let the staff fasten his safety harness, listened carefully to the precautions, and then jumped down willingly.

Jiang Shu nervously followed him to the cliff’s edge, peering down.

In truth, it was hard to see; the fog was dense, obscuring the bottom, but she could faintly make out the greenery on both sides of the cliff and a few small dark shadows.

The staff nearby counted the time by monitoring the rope, waiting a while before pulling Pei Wang back up.

Pei Wang looked quite disheveled, his hair damp and hanging down from the mist, and the safety harness had lifted his shirt slightly, exposing a slender waist.

Jiang Shu quickly averted her gaze.

She thought she had seen a couple of abs.

“What are you doing?” the Director’s voice suddenly rang out as he approached, chewing on a cigarette. “Has your group completed the bungee jump?”

Jiang Shu nodded. She was a bit curious about Yu Zhen and Qu Mei, peering behind the Director to ask: “How are they doing?”

The cigarette wasn’t lit; the Director anxiously bit the filter, irritable: “Just like that.”

He let out a cold laugh: “They’re ignoring each other but aren’t planning to quit the program.”

“Oh,” Jiang Shu said, a bit disappointed. “I thought they’d have an argument and then make up.”

The Director laughed: “It’s not that simple.”

He lowered the cigarette from his mouth, holding it in his hand, and abruptly stated: “Actually, Yu Zhen recommended herself to record the program.”

He pulled out a chair and sat down, watching as Ren Lishu and Qiao Xian jostled to the equipment, where Qiao Xian strapped himself in and jumped from the cliff.

“Her requested pay was very low, basically free. I tried getting in touch with Qu Mei, hiding the guest and program information, and deceived her into coming for the recording.”

Jiang Shu: “…”

This method seemed so familiar; wasn’t that how she ended up here too?

She shot a complex glance at the Director.

The Director clearly didn’t notice her expression. He clenched the cigarette and let out a long sigh: “Cheap things indeed bring trouble; she’s truly a ticking time bomb.”

Jiang Shu stayed silent, feeling that this situation was a result of the Director withholding information, and it wasn’t Qu Mei’s fault.She blinked, not wanting to continue speaking with the Director, and raised her hand to point at the bungee equipment: “I’m going to check that out.”

Qiao Xian had already been pulled back up, and he was preparing for his second jump when the Assistant Director stopped him, quietly advising, “Just pretend to jump; you won’t need to actually jump for the second time.”

Ren Lishu’s heart condition was uncertain, but there was no way she could be allowed to jump. Qiao Xian was also getting older, and the program team was hesitant to let him jump twice: “Just a show will suffice.”

Qiao Xian breathed a sigh of relief; he didn’t argue and dutifully pretended to jump once before unstrapping his safety harness and giving his spot to Qu Mei.

The Director’s communication clearly had an effect; although Qu Mei still wore a cold expression and didn’t speak, she began to cooperate in her actions.

Both she and Yu Zhen had bungee jumping experience, and whether it was a solo jump or a tandem jump, everything progressed smoothly.

All the guests had completed their bungee jumps, and the Director stood in the middle of the mountaintop with a megaphone, expressing, “This recording has been quite bumpy.”

He wanted to say more about the recording, but upon turning to see Qu Mei and Yu Zhen, he felt a headache coming on, deciding instead to swallow his words. He waved his hand, fatigue evident: “There are no other activities today; everyone can head back to the villa to pack up and leave.”

They descended the mountain in the program team’s car, which dropped them off at the entrance, returning the items that had been collected earlier.

The Director reminded, “Check your belongings.”

There wasn’t much to check. Jiang Shu clutched her phone, following behind Pei Wang as they walked to the Basement.

She first went to gather her luggage, then dragged her suitcase and stood at the door of the nanny’s room with her phone in hand.

Calmly, Jiang Shu thought that she was waiting for the car; the Jiang family’s driver hadn’t arrived yet, and leaving early wouldn’t help—

Her phone rang; the driver called to tell her the car had stopped at the villa entrance.

Jiang Shu hesitated for a moment, fiddling with the silicone bunny on her phone case, then said softly, “Wait for me a few minutes.”

She hung up the phone and stood hesitantly at the door for a while, then began tapping on her phone, bringing up a black and white checkered image.

Leaning against the door frame, Jiang Shu listened carefully to the sounds inside.

The rolling of a suitcase echoed, followed by the sound of a door opening—

She didn’t turn around but quickly raised one hand, holding her phone up beside her, and exclaimed, “Pei Wang! Scan this!”

Pei Wang saw a friend’s QR Code.