The Film Queen Is Cold and Ruthless, Only Sends Money - Chapter 30.2

Perhaps out of the last shred of kindness in her heart, the director, sitting at the front of the car, spoke up to reassure the guests: “Don’t worry, everyone. Today’s task is absolutely trap-free. All you have to do is reach the mountaintop and take a photo to complete it.”

Hearing this, Su Yun remembered something else: “Director, will you be climbing the mountain with us?”

Jiang Zhi’s lips curved slightly, but she remained silent, tilting her head slightly to see the mischievous glint in Su Yun’s eyes.

Her words opened up a new line of thought for everyone.

Su Xue’s eyes lit up: “That’s right! The director should definitely be with us while we complete the task!”

“Yeah, the director should lead by example,” Liu Yangran chimed in. “If you get thirsty or hungry, we can share with you.”

Lin Yan also extended a sincere invitation: “We might not have as much as the others, but if you need anything, we’ll even perform on the mountaintop to earn money and buy it for you!”

[This is the most generous they’ve ever been! The director can’t possibly refuse now!]

[Su Yun, you’re the best! Making the director experience the suffering firsthand, I love it!]

[The guests are getting more and more in sync! The moment Su Yun spoke, they all knew what she meant!]

[First time seeing a show where even the director gets dragged into the mess. No wonder it’s the top-rated variety show, keep it coming!]

From the moment Su Yun spoke, the director’s sixth sense screamed trouble.

But the others didn’t give her a chance to respond. After their barrage of words, they were practically ready to drag her out of the car and up the mountain right then and there.

Wiping the sweat that had instantly formed on her brow, the director tried to salvage the situation: “I won’t be going up, but I’ll be waiting for you all at the foot of the mountain. Just do your best! Besides, the live audience surely wants to see you, not the production team. We won’t steal the spotlight.”

Her words carried one clear message: the director wasn’t going up.

“That won’t do,” Ye Ying countered. “Director, you said yourself that Ning Mountain is one of Herong County’s iconic landmarks. You’ve come all this way wouldn’t you regret not seeing it?”

Jing Zhaozhao joined in, “Yeah, Ye Ying’s right. The live audience might love to see it too.”

The eight of them were united on this front, tag-teaming the director with relentless persuasion.

One spoke, and another immediately followed, bombarding her without pause.

The director felt like she’d wandered into an aviary, surrounded by their incessant chirping.

Silently, she wondered if she should replace the cast for the next season.

This was unbearable!

It was then that Su Yun spoke up again, offering a considerate suggestion: “Director, I think you shouldn’t listen to the guests’ opinions too much.”

The wronged director nodded emphatically finally, someone who understood her! “You’re right!”

(Note to self: Su Yun stays for the next season!)

But before she could finish, Su Yun continued, “Of course, we can’t just blindly follow the director’s opinion either. I think we should let the live audience vote to decide. What do you think, Director?”

The customer is king, and for their production team, the live audience was their king.

Therefore, Su Yun’s suggestion sounded the fairest and most impartial, and the moment her words fell, the director couldn’t possibly deny it.

After only a brief hesitation, she said, “Then shall we open a temporary three-minute voting channel?”

The guests on-site unanimously agreed.

[Ahhhh, Su Yun, you totally get us!]

[Voted immediately, I’m the kind of person who loves watching chaos, hehe!]

[Director, you’ve got this! You’re climbing this mountain today! I’ve already shared this with all my friends and family!]

At first, when the director heard about the voting, she thought the live audience would prefer watching the guests mess around or complete challenging tasks.

So, she didn’t actually believe she’d be voted to climb the mountain.

In fact, it was more likely that the live audience would go against the guests’ wishes and vote against her climbing.

But just ten seconds later, she saw the rapidly changing poll results on the backend, the option for her to join the climb was overwhelmingly dominant, leaving the other choice far behind!

Only then did the director realize: the live audience loved chaos.

No matter whose chaos it was, they were here for it!

When the three minutes were up, the guests looked at the final results. Lin Yan said, “Director, no excuses now, right?”

Su Xue also smiled sweetly at the director from the side.

Her earlier bad mood had completely vanished, and she no longer cared about their meager funds, simple food, or the less-than-two-hours of sleep.

Now, she had only one thought to make the person who assigned the task experience the hardships of completing it firsthand!

Director: “…”

How on earth had she managed to dig her own grave like this?

Meanwhile, Su Yun, the mastermind who had already achieved her goal, leaned back in her seat and winked at Jiang Zhi: Success!

Wang Yue, a staff member who had been watching the whole thing unfold, understood perfectly.

From the moment the director agreed to the vote, she had been walking step by step into Su Yun’s trap.

Sighing to herself, Wang Yue closed the burner account she’d used to vote in the livestream.

Who wouldn’t love watching chaos? Hehe!

–

By the time they arrived at the foot of Ning Mountain, Su Xue had to crane her neck to see the summit.

Ning Mountain was beautiful lush with trees and flowers lining the paths.

It was summer, and the dense green canopy filtered the golden sunlight, making the whole scene look like it had been touched up with a filter almost too picturesque.

But for the guests, the first thing they noticed wasn’t the scenery, it was the mountain’s height.

Su Xue stared up uncertainly. “It seems, kinda high?”

“No need to doubt it. It is high,” Jing Zhaozhao said, nudging Su Xue’s jaw shut.

Ning Mountain was technically mid-to-low in elevation, but because of its steepness, it looked intimidating.

Normally, the director would’ve encouraged the guests upon hearing their concerns.

But alas, the director was also staring up at the mountain.

She thought to herself: If I back out now, I’ll lose face in front of the entire livestream audience.

But then again… compared to climbing this mountain, was pride really that important?

Just as she was about to speak up, she saw the guests already buzzing with excitement, ready to start the ascent.

Su Yun turned around and waved at her. “Director, let’s go!”

Director: “…”

For the nth time, she regretted ever inviting Su Yun as a guest.

The other crew members of the show did their best to hide their gleeful expressions as they sent the director up the mountain.

[I thought they’d at least complain a little, but no! This is the most enthusiastic the guests have ever been about a task they’re practically afraid the director might change her mind!]

[I originally thought Su Yun would be the rising star of the entertainment industry, but if this segment airs, I’m worried any variety shows would still dare to invite her…]

[From now on, before any director invites her, they’ll have to assess whether they can handle mountain climbing, hahaha!!]

[Be bold! Be confident! If no variety shows invite Su Yun, wouldn’t it be even more fun if she just became a director herself?!]

[Commenter above, you’ve opened up a whole new path! If Su Yun were the director, the scene would probably be her running circles around the guests, right?]

They didn’t rush up the mountain in their eagerness to complete the task. Instead, they took their time, savoring the scenery along the way.

Each of them had brought a phone for taking photos, and they snapped pictures whenever they came across a beautiful view.

“Jiang Zhi, want me to take a photo of you?” Su Yun spotted a perfect spot for pictures.

Not only was the lighting ideal for composition, but the backdrop was stunning too.

Hearing this, Jiang Zhi lowered her gaze slightly to look at the phone in Su Yun’s hand. “Just me?”

Su Yun grinned and nodded. “Yeah! And if you don’t mind, could you take one of me too?”

How could you go on a trip without leaving behind some photos?

“…” Jiang Zhi studied Su Yun’s guileless expression for a moment before saying, “How about we take one together?”

[Group photo! My favorite part! You two lovebirds, feed me some sugar, quick!]

[Su Yun usually seems so sharp, why does she come off a little silly around Actress Jiang?]

[That’s putting it too bluntly! If Su Yun heard that, she might just argue back, hahaha!! This is what we call couple’s banter!]

Su Yun had no objections to Jiang Zhi’s suggestion. “Sure! Let’s find someone to take the photo for us.”

She glanced around, then fixed her gaze on the director.

Before she could even ask, the director took the initiative and reached for the phone. “I’ll do it.”

“Thanks, Director!” Su Yun stood beside Jiang Zhi, pulling her over to the spot she’d picked earlier.

When she’d agreed to the group photo, Su Yun had thought it was just a matter of combining two photos into one nothing more.

But the moment she actually stood next to Jiang Zhi, she could keenly sense the other woman’s presence.

A faint, clean fragrance mingled with the scent of sunlight. The two of them, similar in stature, stood side by side, outshining the scenery behind them.

[I’ve already screenshotted this! They look so good together!]

[+1. The moment they stood next to each other, it was like they were a match made in heaven! The CP fan page has its new cover photo!]

[Maybe you two should just keep climbing the mountain. It’s fine, I’m just saying this for a friend who’s single and doesn’t want to see this right now!]

[I also have a friend who says she loves watching this and hopes the show gives us more scenes like it, so she can learn how to take couple photos with her girlfriend!]

[Someone, drag the commenter above away! My heart is too fragile for this!]

As a director, she naturally had some skill when it came to photography.

Even with just a phone, the results were impressive.

After seeing the photos, the two had taken, Su Xue exclaimed in amazement, “They’re so beautiful! Director, could you take one of me and Chaochao too?!”

The director, feeling proud of the recognition, naturally agreed to her request.

And so,

Within the next few minutes, the director had taken photos for all four pairs of guests on the show.

Each couple looked stunning and perfectly matched, radiating sweetness.

By the time the guests continued their hike up the mountain, the director was still standing in place, holding the phone used for photos.

It only dawned on her later: She was the director, so why was she gradually turning into a photographer?!

And, more importantly, she suddenly realized that all the guests heading up the mountain were couples she was the only single one left.

She didn’t even have anyone to take a photo with!

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