After Binding the Face-Slapping System, I Rose to Fame [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 13

Day 4 of Wilderness Survival.

From the early morning, the air was oppressively heavy. At the edge of the horizon, the sea met a sky of ominous lead-grey—a clear sign that a massive rainstorm was brewing over the ocean.

No one knew if this small island would be spared.

Naturally, one couldn’t pin all their hopes on “luck.” Consequently, the guests and staff began preparing for the potential deluge at the crack of dawn.

Chu Jinzhi focused primarily on reinforcing the drainage system of her stone shelter. She also gathered as many dry branches as possible, stuffing them into various hollow tree trunks for storage. Additionally, she collected coconuts (as a temporary substitute for contaminated water sources), wild fruits, vegetables, and edible roots.

After her phone call with her manager last night, Hou Mi had temporarily regained his composure. He stopped blindly trying to project an image of absolute strength and fearlessness.

In contrast, the trio at Lin Shuyu’s camp had fallen into a strange, frigid stalemate.

As usual, Lin Shuyu began assigning the day’s tasks early in the morning. However, Tong Zixuan, who had previously been somewhat cooperative—at least on the surface—suddenly decided to “let herself go”.

“I told you, I’m not feeling well,” Tong Zixuan snapped, her mood foul. Her face looked haggard, with dark circles standing out starkly against her pale skin. “Besides, the storm clouds are so far away. How could the rain possibly reach us?

If it actually rains, this flimsy treehouse won’t stand a chance anyway. Gathering firewood is just a waste of energy.”

Lin Shuyu frowned, genuinely puzzled by Tong Zixuan’s sudden shift in attitude.

Being someone who never forced others, Lin Shuyu simply accepted the excuse. Since Tong Zixuan claimed to be unwell, she could stay in the treehouse and rest. However, Tong Zixuan wasn’t content with just resting; she insisted the others stay at the camp to keep her company, claiming she felt “uneasy” sleeping there alone.

Lin Shuyu: “???”

Cao Xu, a seasoned veteran of the entertainment industry, understood the situation instantly. He glanced awkwardly at the camera, forcing a smile to play it off. “Whether it rains is up to God; whether we prepare is up to us. Zixuan, if you didn’t sleep well, use this time to catch up. Once the livestream starts, you’ll have the staff with you and plenty of netizens watching over you. What’s there to fear?”

Without waiting for Tong Zixuan’s rebuttal, Cao Xu grabbed Lin Shuyu and hurried away.

Once they were clear of the camp, Cao Xu shared a few pleasantries with the cameramen before turning back to Lin Shuyu. “Tong Zixuan is likely planning to give up her spot as a permanent guest. We need to be careful when we go back later.”

Lin Shuyu was still confused.

Seeing this, Cao Xu shook his head. Partly to do her a favor and partly to mentor the newcomer, he shared some “industry secrets” he usually wouldn’t voice: “She wants to quit, but she can’t make it look like it was just her choice. It has to be ‘due to illness’ or some ‘unforeseen accident.’ Both scenarios require a cause—or rather, a scapegoat.”

And who would be the best scapegoat? Obviously, Lin Shuyu.

The domestic entertainment industry currently existed in a “Tripartite Balance.” The three pillars were Sea Princess (Lin Shuyu’s agency), Sky Tone (Tong Zixuan’s agency), and Dream Chaser (Cao Xu’s agency).

Sea Princess dominated film and television, Dream Chaser specialized in variety shows, and Sky Tone focused on the music market. However, with the physical record market in a slump, Sky Tone was desperate to expand into film and variety, leading to fierce competition with Sea Princess.

In contrast, Sea Princess and Dream Chaser maintained a “win-win cooperation” stance. This very show, Celebrity Wilderness Survival, was a joint venture spearheaded by Sea Princess and hosted by Dream Chaser.

As long as Cao Xu and Lin Shuyu completed the seven-day survival task, their spots as permanent guests were guaranteed.

Once the industry dynamics were laid out, Lin Shuyu understood everything. She wasn’t slow; she simply hadn’t been interested enough to look into it before. Tong Zixuan’s sudden targeting now made sense, she was trying to drag Lin Shuyu down with her before exiting the show. Even if Sea Princess could immediately replace her, Lin Shuyu, their rising star would be tainted by scandal right at the start of her career.

Repulsed by these internal power struggles, Lin Shuyu sighed and suddenly asked, “What about Chu Jinzhi’s company?”

Though she had reviewed the profiles of the other guests before filming, she hadn’t known the specific reputations of their agencies.

Cao Xu made a complicated expression.

“Chu Jinzhi’s company, Huaru?” He glanced at Lin Shuyu, confirming she was genuinely curious and not being sarcastic. He shook his head. “They are basically in a state of semi-bankruptcy—the kind of place that might package and sell off their artists at any moment to pay off debts.”

Lin Shuyu: “…”

That was indeed “complicated.”

Having reached an understanding, Lin Shuyu and Cao Xu kept up appearances. While Lin Shuyu wasn’t great at “acting” in her daily life, she was naturally a woman of few words. She let Tong Zixuan do as she pleased and stopped assigning her tasks.

After all, Tong Zixuan had contributed very little anyway. Previously, Lin Shuyu had assigned her light, optional chores just to save the girl’s pride and provide footage for the cameras.

When the livestream finally went live, despite Tong Zixuan’s best efforts to look like a victim, the audience saw something else: Tong Zixuan doing nothing but complaining, while Lin Shuyu worked diligently, occasionally dropping a bit of “unintentional” deadpan humor during her interactions with Cao Xu.

Livestream Comments:

• [Did Tong Zixuan eat gunpowder? Why the sudden personality change overnight?]

• [Ugh. Cao Xu and Lin Shuyu are still funny, but adding Tong Zixuan makes it so cringe [Cold Sweat]]

• [Funny! It’s clearly ‘Ugly Cao’ and ‘Flower Lin’ deliberately isolating our Xuanxuan. Disgusting! [Vomit][Vomit]]

• [Ugly people always cause trouble! Taking Xuanxuan away from this!]

• [To be fair, the atmosphere between the three is too awkward. They might as well split up [Picks Nose]]

• [Laughable. She only survived this long because of our ‘Suyu,’ and now she’s acting like a princess?]

• [This is boring. ‘Red Rose Chu’ is much more interesting. Anyone want to go watch Chu Jinzhi with me?]

• *[Watch your #%@. If you’re gonna leave, leave! Our sister doesn’t need fans like you!]

• [Our Suyu doesn’t have fans who swear every other word. Please watch rationally and don’t be led astray by trolls.]

• [Boring. Not funny at all. I’m out.]

• [This is a survival show, not a comedy show. If you’re leaving, do it quietly, okay?]

Chu Jinzhi was currently picking a cluster of blueberries, eating as she went. Fewer berries made it into the leaf-wrap in her hand than into her mouth. Though the tartness made her grimace and twist her face, she couldn’t stop herself from reaching for more.

Suddenly, the system spoke: [Someone is stirring up trouble in Lin Shuyu’s livestream.]

Chu Jinzhi paused, then realized: [Is it the paid trolls Tong Zixuan hired?]

The system was shocked: [How did you know?]

Chu Jinzhi: [?]

Chu Jinzhi: [Be honest, do you usually view me as an idiot?]

The system shut up, not daring to make a sound.

Meanwhile, her own livestream was a joyous ocean of “Hahahaha” in the comments section.

• [Help!!! Why does this woman still look so gorgeous even when she’s making that face!!!]

• [Hahaha, I’m dying, fam, hahahaha]

• [Am I the only one salivating? Slurp I literally can’t stop drooling QAQ]

• [To the person above: I suspect you’re drooling over Beauty Chu’s face. Don’t ask me why I’m so sure [Doge]]

• [Too real. Every time I eat blueberries, I’m the same—face all puckered up like a little old lady from the sourness, but I still can’t stop stuffing them in by the handful [Laugh-cry]]

• [New blue lipstick shade unlocked!]

• [Honestly, “Red Flower” Chu’s bare face is top-tier. If I didn’t know her tiny, broke agency couldn’t afford to bribe the big-budget production team, I’d suspect hers is the only camera with a beauty filter on [Sarcastic]]

• [Chu Red Flower: Thanks for the invite. I was born with a beauty filter [Wink]]

• [Mama Chu: Correct. When I was pregnant, I ate beauty filters for ten months [Doge]]

• [Mama Chu: Don’t impersonate me! I’m the real Mama Chu! When I was pregnant, I clearly ate steamed Director Zheng and braised Director Yan [Serious]]

• [Hahahahahahahahahahahaha]

• [Director Yan: Hello? I just make the scenery look pretty. If you want to eat someone, go eat Director Zheng! Eating me won’t have any effect!]

• [Director Zheng: Do you have any manners? [Smile]]

On camera, the blueberry-munching Chu Jinzhi suddenly raised her right hand in a subtle “OK” gesture, pinching a particularly elegant blueberry between her thumb and forefinger. Her expression shifted instantly as if she’d been possessed by the spirit of a drama queen and she gazed at the berry, muttering under her breath.

“Blueberry, blueberry on the bush, tell me who is fairer, Lin Shuyu or I?”

The comments froze for a split second.

Then, they exploded with a barrage of [Here she goes again!] and [Hahahahaha!]

Even Da Jie, her cameraman, couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter before quickly trying to stifle it. However, that muffled chortle was caught by the viewers, who flooded the chat with messages saying “Hang in there, cameraman bro!” and “Just laugh, don’t give yourself an internal injury, the director won’t cover that under worker’s comp!”

After eating the blueberry that refused to give her an answer, Chu Jinzhi launched into an impromptu parody of the classic “Who is Fairer” monologue:

“I am of radiant form and feature, like a golden branch against the moon—the jade laurel cannot compare. I say to the blueberry: ‘Who is fairer, I or Lin Shuyu of the Western Island?’ The blueberry saith: ‘Lin Shuyu is far superior; how could thou ever reach her level?’ Hah! Cursed thing! I shall devour thee!”

She popped the berry into her mouth and turned to a patch of wild greens: “I ask thee, wild greens: ‘Who is fairer, I or Lin Shuyu of the Western Island?’…”

After eating the blueberries that favored Lin Shuyu, and trampling the wild greens that also favored Lin Shuyu, Chu Jinzhi proceeded to interrogate tree branches, dewdrops, and more.

If it were pure narcissism, it might have annoyed some viewers. But because this eccentric girl’s self-directed script always ended with “Lin Shuyu is fairer,” leading her to get genuinely “offended” by her own imagination, it was peak comedy.

The livestream hadn’t been running for long, but Chu Jinzhi had already triggered several trending topics on the hot search list. The fastest-climbing one had already cracked the Top 10.

• #WhoIsFairerLinShuyuOrI#

• #LinShuyuIsFairerThanChuJinzhi#

• #ConfirmedComedian:OffendingHerself#

• #ChuJinzhiBeautyContestFailure#

Netizens who clicked in out of curiosity, thinking it was a real beauty pageant, were left speechless: “You really know how to play the game, Chu Red Rose.”