After Binding the Face-Slapping System, I Rose to Fame [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 9

The island was shaped like a vertical mermaid’s tail. They had landed on the western beach, while the eastern side consisted of steep cliffs and vast stretches of jagged reefs.

To make the show more interesting, the “Survival Watches” included a clever feature similar to a game map: the terrain would only be recorded and revealed once a guest had physically walked through the area.

Although the island wasn’t massive, it couldn’t be explored in a single afternoon. Chu Jinzhi first “lit up” the map along the western beach before stopping at a high vantage point surrounded only by weathered, pale rocks and no vegetation.

Given that she only had a small leather fire-striker pouch adorned with three flower-shaped metal plates, she hadn’t planned on building an elaborate camp. Instead, she found a relatively wide crevice in the wind-eroded rocks.

The crevice angled inward at 45 degrees, narrow at the entrance and wider inside. It was filled with gravel and weeds but free of animal droppings. The interior was large enough for two slender women to lie side-by-side and high enough to sit up in.

For Chu Jinzhi alone, this was an excellent shelter. As for the cameraman and the executive director? They naturally had much more comfortable tents provided by the crew.

The Livestream Battle

It had been nearly six hours since they disembarked at 8:30 AM. The livestream had entered a “lull period” for traffic, though Chu Jinzhi managed to maintain a steady viewer count primarily because people were waiting to watch her fail.

However, the comments in the bullet chat (danmu) were becoming less frequent.

Even though it was an unscripted livestream, the executive director was responsible for providing guidance and prompts. Seeing Chu Jinzhi clearing out the rock crevice, Cui Meili asked, “Jinzhi, are you planning to set up camp here?”

Chu Jinzhi glanced back at the camera and smiled. “Yeah. It’s high ground, and the opening faces east, clearly shielded from the prevailing winds. Even if it rains, I won’t have to worry about water flooding in.”

She sounded surprisingly professional. Cui Meili was taken aback, beginning to suspect that Chu Jinzhi wasn’t as useless as they had imagined.

In the livestream, the viewers were also surprised:

【She actually sounds like she knows what she’s doing. No wonder she was observing the island’s topography earlier.】

【I’d almost believe the crew pre-arranged this rock crevice; the conditions are just too perfect!】

【Stop hating if you don’t know what you’re talking about. Crevices like this are naturally formed by the prevailing westerly winds on the island. Anyone with middle-school geography knowledge would know that!】

【Can the paid trolls stop being so cringey? Can’t you see there’s zero trace of manual labor? The rocks and rotting leaves she pulled out are right there. Just watch the stream in peace.】

A small-scale argument broke out in the chat, causing the traffic engagement to spike again.

Since Chu Jinzhi was camping there, Cui Meili briefly took over the camera work so the cameraman, Da Jie, could install several fixed cameras nearby. By nightfall, these cameras would take over as the primary filming tools.

It was already past 2:00 PM, and having skipped lunch, Chu Jinzhi needed to find food to replenish her energy. After clearing the crevice, she led the cameraman into the nearby forest to gather firewood while occasionally stopping to dig in the mud. She unearthed some tubers and told the camera that since there were signs of animals gnawing on them, they were likely non-toxic.

Once she had enough for a meal, she returned to the rocks with her firewood for the main event: Starting a fire.

Lighting the Spark

The viewers perked up immediately, their interest piqued.

【Waiting for Chu ‘Red Rose’ to get slapped in the face [smile][smile]】

【Keep acting tough. You’ll be crying in a minute, lol.】

【Here it comes! The classic fail moment is about to happen!】

【The production crew is so mean. A beautiful starlet performed fire-breathing regardless of her image, and they didn’t even give her a lighter? At least a box of matches!】

【Hahaha, I’ve already made a series of Chu Jinzhi fire-breathing emojis. Anyone want to trade? [doge]】

【What starlet? She’s barely better than a commoner. Has she had any work in the last two years? She’s just a face, and that face will collapse in a couple of years anyway.】

【Speaking of which, wasn’t there a rumor that she was being kept by a sugar daddy? Why did she go silent for two years? She was incredibly popular back then; even my 60-year-old mom thought she was stunning.】

The paid trolls stationed in the chat felt a sudden jolt of nervousness. They threw out some mindless hate comments and immediately reported to their boss, Zhang Jun.

Zhang Jun was also having a headache. He had tried to push a reverse-psychology smear campaign against Chu Jinzhi a few days ago, but now the public was becoming suspicious. The old method of flooding the web with “black material” (scandals) clearly wasn’t working. He ordered his men to act like mindless, rabid dogs and attack the regular viewers to ruin the atmosphere of her stream. Usually, if a chat becomes toxic, most people will just leave.

Director Chen soon noticed the professional trolls. He cursed under his breath, “That mad dog Young Master Wang, what a nuisance!” He had the moderators ban several foul-mouthed accounts to barely keep the peace.

Chu Jinzhi, who shouldn’t have known about the online sentiment, knew everything thanks to the System. As she pressed the tinder against the flower-shaped iron plate and struck the flint, she asked the System curiously: [Why hasn’t the ‘Daily Scandal’ I bought for Brother Wang gone live yet?]

The System, feeling its professional integrity questioned, replied solemnly: [Scandals must be posted during peak traffic hours to achieve maximum effect!]

Peak hours? Naturally, that meant 8:00 PM to midnight, when people were finished with work and relaxing with their phones.

Just as they finished the conversation, sparks flew from Chu Jinzhi’s hand. The tinder caught a spark and began to smoke. Without a hint of panic, she put down the striker, cupped the tinder, and blew gently. A flame roared to life. She tucked the burning tinder into the kindling she had prepared, and the dry twigs caught fire instantly.

Starting the fire had been incredibly easy. The viewers and the trolls were stunned.

Cui Meili couldn’t help but ask, “You lit it that fast?!”

Chu Jinzhi smiled and raised an eyebrow at the camera with a triumphant look. “Surprised? Haha, I bet I’m the first one to start a campfire, right?”

In reality, however, Lin Shuyu had successfully started her fire a few minutes earlier using a bow drill. Since viewers could hop between rooms, Lin Shuyu’s stream which hosted three popular guests was significantly more crowded and lively.

The “melon-eating” busybodies of the internet, those ever-energetic observers always on the hunt for drama were particularly active. It didn’t take long for them to relay the latest updates between the two livestreams.

Over on Lin Shuyu’s channel, the bullet chat was jubilant, celebrating the fact that their favorite had once again “slapped the face” of Chu “Red Rose” Jinzhi. Meanwhile, Chu Jinzhi’s own chat was filled with collective mockery. Though the comments were snide, the atmosphere was actually better than when the paid trolls had been dominating the screen; most of the viewers were now just there for the laughs.

The A-List Camp

At Lin Shuyu’s site, the group dynamics were clear. Cao Xu was physically useless, and while Tong Zixuan had better stamina, she was terrified of ruining her makeup and refused to venture too far. They eventually settled on a slope near the beach to set up camp.

Wilderness survival boils down to three things: food, shelter, and water. Fortunately, the beach was lined with coconut trees, providing them with a temporary water source.

Almost naturally, Lin Shuyu stepped into the role of the group leader. Under her direction, Cao Xu began clearing the ground while Tong Zixuan gathered as many large leaves and branches as possible. Lin Shuyu took on the task of harvesting coconuts and scouting for any freshwater outlets where island runoff met the sea.

With her crossbow in hand, Lin Shuyu might not have had a 100% hit rate on moving targets yet, but stationary coconuts were no match for her. She made short work of the harvest. Though she didn’t find a freshwater source immediately, she decided to head back, finish the shelter, and resume the search later.

Stealth Mode Engaged

At 4:30 PM, the day’s official broadcast ended.

Cui Meili and Da Jie took the opportunity to set up their own tents. Seeing this, Chu Jinzhi announced she needed a “private moment.” Once she was off-camera, she used the environmental cues she’d noted from Lin Shuyu’s stream to stealthily navigate toward their location.

While seven days of survival wasn’t daunting for Chu Jinzhi, Lin Shuyu appeared delicate. Even with pre-show training, she was no match for someone with real experience. To ensure Lin Shuyu wouldn’t actually drop out midway, Chu Jinzhi needed to scout their camp and find an opportunity to act as a “Living Lei Feng”—a secret benefactor delivering supplies.

On her way, she even set a few simple snare traps just to test her luck. After locating the trio’s camp, she didn’t approach. Instead, she scouted in the direction Hou Mi had gone, found signs of his activity to confirm his location, and then headed back to her own rock crevice to weave the branches and leaves for her seven-day nest.

The Midnight Hunt

Night in the wilderness is truly pitch black. Even with a canopy of stars, the light couldn’t penetrate the dense forest. Around 8:00 PM, after Da Jie and Cui Meili had retired to their tents, Chu Jinzhi slipped out of her crevice. She carefully bypassed the cameras set to night-vision mode and vanished into the trees.

Under the cover of darkness, the small animals that had been spooked by the daytime filming crew finally emerged from their burrows.

Armed with a few sharp stones she had hand-picked, Chu Jinzhi didn’t even need the System’s night vision. Following the rustling sounds, she flicked a stone. After a few brief squeaks of struggle, a foraging wild rabbit lay on the ground, breathing its last.

The System was stunned: [How are you this good?]

Chu Jinzhi smugly blew a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. [Underestimating me? I grew up in the woods, practically cradled by my grandpa’s hunting rifle.]

Back then, mountain dwellers could still hunt occasionally, and her grandfather had been a renowned hunter. It was a pity that when hunting was banned, he’d had to turn in the rifle that had been his lifelong companion.

System: [No, I mean how are you this strong?]

Chu Jinzhi (surprised): [Oh? Did I not mention I was born with superhuman strength?]

System: [?] I suspect you’re playing me, but I have no proof.

A Mysterious Gift

The next morning, Lin Shuyu woke up early to practice with her crossbow, frustrated by her failed hunt the previous day. However, just outside the camp, she found a wild rabbit lying under a tree.

The rabbit had a bite-like wound on its neck. It looked as though a small predator had caught it and intended to drag it home, only to be spooked by something and abandon its meal.

Tong Zixuan and Cao Xu were delighted at the prospect of meat for lunch, but Lin Shuyu found it strange. While skinning the animal, she discovered traces of fresh bark inside the wound.

Wait, she thought. Could there really be a predator out here that hunts rabbits right after snacking on fresh bark and leaves?