The Film Queen Is Cold and Ruthless, Only Sends Money - Chapter 31.1

At first, they were full of energy and climbed the mountain with ease.

But after an hour, when they had slowly ascended to about one-third of the height of Ning Mountain, their stamina began to wane, and signs of fatigue started to show. That was when the food and water they had prepared came in handy.

They stopped at a nearby temporary rest area, taking out the water they had brought with them.

Su Xue observed the prices of items inside the rest area and, upon seeing that a bottle of water cost ten yuan, muttered under her breath, “Here, our money can’t even buy two bottles of water.”

Lin Yan nodded in agreement. “It’s really expensive. If you don’t plan ahead, you’ll easily get ripped off.”

If this had been a month ago, they might have been the ones forced to pay the exorbitant prices.

But now, things were different. After running out of money, they had become extremely meticulous, considering every aspect of a problem this was growth!

Liu Yangran still remembered the promise they had made before the show. She handed a bottle of water to the director first.

The guests were far kinder than the production team, and they kept their word, never setting traps for others along the way.

As the director took the water and was about to wipe the sweat from his forehead, Lin Yan asked, “We’d like to interview the director any special feelings right now?”

Director: “…”

When planning the task, “mountain climbing” had just been two simple words.

But now, as she climbed alongside the guests, those two words had gradually transformed into countless repetitions of “exhaustion” in her mind!

[Director Lin: Revenge time! Let’s see if the director dares to assign them such tasks again!]

[The boomerang has come full circle and hit the director herself, hilarious!!]

[Seeing the director and the guests doing the tasks together still feels surreal, this is the most authentic production team ever!]

[But as an audience member, I feel super engaged. I hope there are more voting opportunities like this, I want to see the entire production team try out the tasks they designed themselves!!]

Though exhausted, the director refused to show it. “Mountain climbing is great exercise. I’m feeling pretty good.”

Su Yun didn’t hold back: “Director, maybe catch your breath first.”

–

Halfway up the mountain, their pace began to slow. Su Xue, trying to distract herself, said, “I’m getting tired. How about you guys?”

“I’m alright. Xue, do you not usually exercise?” Lin Yan fanned herself lightly. “It’s just a bit hot.”

Su Xue: “How did you expose me in just one sentence?!”

Jing Zhaozhao had a habit of running in the mornings and had repeatedly tried to get Su Xue to join her.

But Su Xue loved sleeping in, and the idea of waking up early to run was out of the question.

According to her life philosophy: “Early to bed and early to rise makes you healthy, but late to bed and late to rise makes you happy.”

The same went for exercise running might be good for the body, but not running was good for her happiness.

Even now, the director hadn’t forgotten to encourage the guests. “Look at the people ahead of you doesn’t that give you more motivation?”

Despite the blazing sun, there were many climbers, spanning all age groups, from the elderly to children.

Just a few steps ahead of them, an elderly woman with white hair was walking briskly, full of energy.

Su Xue’s expression was blank. “I’m younger than her, so it’s normal that I’m slower.”

Director: “…”

[Xue Xue: Any hardship can defeat me!]

[I can vouch for Xue Xue, no matter how much you encourage someone who doesn’t want to exercise, they still won’t budge! Hahaha!!]

【It’s perfectly normal to hike slower than someone older after all, you lack their experience! And it’s just as normal to hike slower than someone younger your legs definitely aren’t as nimble as theirs!】

Seeing Su Xue exhausted, Su Yin pulled out the bottle of drink they had bought and asked, “Want some?”

Su Xue’s tired expression instantly brightened, and she nodded eagerly. “Yes!”

“If you open this, you might win another bottle. Just hike a bit further, and we can exchange it at a convenience store maybe even get an iced one,” Su Yin said. “You can hold onto this bottle for now. Open it when we get there, and if you win, it’s yours.”

“Deal!” Su Xue, revitalized by the promise of a drink, declared, “I think I can hike for another whole day!”

【Hahahahaha!! Su Yin’s encouragement works like magic or rather, iced drinks are the real magic!】

【Director, take notes on how to motivate people [dog.jpg], no more empty promises!】

【After getting the drink, Xuexue sprinted to the front of the group!! Is this the same person who was just complaining about being tired?!】

Mission accomplished, Su Yin returned to Jiang Zhi’s side and asked softly, “Tired?”

Jiang Zhi shook her head. “Not really. Are you?” She took the heavier water bottle from Su Yin.

“How could you tell?” Su Yin lowered her voice, curious.

Noticing the faint sparkle in Su Yin’s eyes, Jiang Zhi chuckled. “You were encouraging Su Xue, but you also wanted her to carry that drink for you, right?”

Over the past few days, she had gradually tuned into Su Yin’s thought process, learning to consider things from multiple angles.

Su Yin nodded, watching Su Xue at the front with a smile. “Keep it a secret for me.”

【Aaaaaah! There’s actually a twist to this?!】

【Jiang Zhi, how did you figure it out?! Is this what couple telepathy looks like?!】

【If I hadn’t heard their conversation live, I’d never have guessed Su Yin was secretly a cunning little black sesame tangyuan!!】

【Now that I know the truth, watching Su Xue leading the pack just makes me want to say: Oh, you sweet summer child!】

【Hehe, don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret! Just between you, me, and everyone watching!】

And so, a trending hashtag was born: #AWorldWhereOnlySuXueGetsHurt

–

There was no denying it, the promise of an iced drink had supercharged Su Xue’s enthusiasm and hiking speed.

Standing on the highest step, she waved at the group below. “Come on, everyone, hurry up!”

Liu Yangran turned to Jing Chaochao in surprise. “Does Xuexue really hate exercising?” The girl was now more energetic than any of them!

Jing Chaochao was equally puzzled. “Maybe I’ve been waking her up wrong all this time? Should I start leaving drinks for her in the mornings?”

Su Yin shook her head. “That probably wouldn’t work.”

After all, an iced drink was like a lifeline under the scorching sun, mid-hike, when you were gasping for breath. But in everyday life? It was just a drink.

The director, who had earlier been cheering Su Xue on, now leaned against the railing, watching her wave energetically from afar. Silently, he thought: Guess you really do have to dig deep to unlock a guest’s potential.

But her potential? No thanks! So exhausting!

Finally reaching the next rest area, the group gathered around to watch Su Xue open the bottle cap.

[She should win a prize, right? If she doesn’t, I bet Xuexue will just walk straight back down the mountain, LOL!!]

[Su Yun said she’d definitely win! So she’ll win!]

[But this is really unpredictable sometimes I win four or five bottles in a row, other times I don’t win a single one! It’s not something you can predict!]

[But I believe Su Yun, haha! Didn’t she tell Jiang Yinghou earlier when buying it that she’d definitely win?]

Su Xue held her breath, suddenly nervous as she twisted the cap open. “What if I don’t win?”

She felt her luck today couldn’t be that great otherwise, she wouldn’t have ended up in the group with the least funds.

Hearing this, Su Yun told her to flip the cap and check. “Just open it and see.”

The moment she turned it over, Su Xue squeezed her eyes shut.

Then, slowly, she peeked through a slit and gasped in delight at the words on the cap. “I won! I’m going to exchange it!”

Lin Yan curiously asked Su Yun, “How did you know she’d win?”

Admittedly, this wasn’t just a question the guests wanted answered, the live audience was dying to know too.

Su Yun pulled out a bottle of water, flipped it over, and pointed at the bottom. Under the light, the words on the cap were faintly visible. “If you hold it under strong light, you can see it a bit clearer.”

This was her carefully selected trick!

Lin Yan: “Impressive!”

[Learned something new! Why didn’t Su Yun share this method earlier?!]

[Wait, you guys didn’t know you could cheat like this? I’ve always done this! Though sometimes it’s wrong, it works most of the time!]

[No more talking, I’m heading to the convenience store right now! Anyone know which drinks are easier to check?]

After getting her drink, Su Xue didn’t slow down.

If she saw someone ahead of her, she’d push herself to overtake them.

And so, after all that chasing, the only ones left lagging behind were Su Yun, Jiang Zhi, and the director.

Su Yun: “This pointless competitive spirit.”

But because of this, they reached the summit half an hour earlier than expected, where they even spotted the spry elderly man from before.

The view from the top was indeed better than halfway up. Standing at the highest point, overlooking the sea of clouds, the vast mountain mist, and the lush greenery, everything felt expansive and freeing.

Even without the photo task, they instinctively pulled out their phones to capture the scenery.

[So beautiful! The show’s tasks might be tough, but the locations they pick are stunning!]

[Watching them climb step by step, I don’t know why, but I’m kind of moved!]

Once at the summit, the director asked them to share their thoughts on the day’s hike.

Lin Yan: “Exhausting, but seeing such a beautiful view made it worth it.”

The others felt the same.

Of course, Su Xue made sure to thank Su Yun and Jiang Zhi for their “tremendous support” in her climbing endeavor.

Finally, it was Su Yun’s turn. Reflecting on the journey from last night till now, she summed it up: “The weather was perfect, the scenery was perfect and we’re almost broke.”

She felt that these words didn’t just describe today, but rather encapsulated her entire experience since joining the variety show.

The director who was recording: “…”

[How can there be such an accurate summary in the world! Just a few short words, saying nothing yet saying everything!]

[How can this be so real!! Can’t the production team give the guests a bit more funding, hahaha!!]

[Director: The recording hand trembles slightly. How can someone say such things when seeing such beautiful scenery!]

–

The next morning.

When they woke up, instead of the usual early morning complaints, the guests were all groaning in pain.

[First! The live stream is starting so early today!]

[Why haven’t they appeared yet? Their voices are already coming from inside the house, hahaha!]

[Am I late? Did they already go do another task?! Their voices sound so pained!]

Su Yun and Jiang Zhi slowly emerged from their room, seeing the other guests also walking unsteadily. Understanding dawned on them as they asked, “Your legs hurt too?”

After returning from the mountain yesterday, they hadn’t felt too uncomfortable. After relaxing, they even managed to pull the production team into playing games with them.

But after a night’s sleep, the soreness and muscle numbness all came rushing back.

“It hurts,” Liu Yangran moved even slower, practically shuffling, “Right now, it feels like my limbs are separate entities, each with their own ideas.”

Lin Yan walked with a noticeable limp, “Same here. I don’t even dare make any big movements now.”

As the most active participant yesterday, Su Xue was now struggling to tame her limbs.

She slowly lifted one leg, even using her hands to assist, looking less like she was walking and more like she was placing her leg on the ground deliberately. Her eyebrows furrowed tightly: “Such a refreshing feeling of soreness.”

This successfully made everyone burst into laughter.

Even hearing their laughter, Su Xue could barely manage to walk over to argue. She moved her other leg at an extremely slow pace, “I’m walking pretty well, right?”

She felt she was doing alright.

Su Yun, after laughing, reminded her, “You’re moving your arms and legs on the same side.”

Su Xue looked down at her hands and feet: “Wahhh.”

What would normally take them two or three seconds to walk now took them a good ten seconds to reach the designated spot.

[As someone who’s actually climbed mountains before, I can confirm, the second day is exactly like this, hahaha!! If it’s bad, the pain might last for days!]

[Their walking postures make them look like waddling penguins. Why is this so funny?!]

[My friend saw them walking and asked why I was watching the show at 0.5x speed, hahaha!!]

Lin Yan walked over and saw the director still sitting in the same spot as before. She asked, “Director, why don’t you stand up and move around a bit?”

Director: “…”

After the high-intensity tasks of the past few days, the guests’ physical endurance had improved quite a bit.

So even with the soreness in their legs, it was still within tolerable limits.

But the director wasn’t like them. When she woke up this morning, it felt like her entire body had been reassembled.

No one could know how much effort it had taken for her to maintain her composure when sitting down, ensuring none of the staff noticed her discomfort.

“Yeah, director,” Su Xue chimed in, even as she wobbled unsteadily, eager to drag the director into this, “Why don’t you join us for today’s tasks?”

Director: “Then let’s not do that.”

Mentioning the task shifted the guests’ attention.

Lin Yan thought to herself, “If today’s mission is the same as usual, wouldn’t that be a bit too much?”

Whether it was running, walking, or doing other activities, given their current condition, the best they could manage would be described as “disabled in body but firm in spirit.”

Director: “Don’t worry, everyone. Today’s task won’t be too difficult.”

Hearing this, Su Yun raised an eyebrow and looked at the director, asking, “Really? Or are you just saying that?”

She found it hard to believe, it seemed like the director always said the same thing.

The other guests had the same initial reaction. Ye Ying asked curiously, “Not too difficult? In what way?”

Director: “It won’t be difficult in any aspect.”

Su Xue took it in stride: “If the director is lying to us, how about making him do push-ups on the spot!”

Given the director’s current state after just climbing the mountain, even a single push-up would probably leave him flat on the ground.

[Snow, turns out you’re the most ruthless one among the guests, hahaha!!]

[Can we get a shot of the director right now? I bet his expression is either [shocked.jpg] or [grinding teeth.jpg]]

[Wait! If the production team gives them a really hard task, not only will we get to see the guests suffer, but we might also see the director doing push-ups!]

[+ID number! Hurry up and bring out the toughest task the production team has!]

It had to be said the moment Su Xue made that remark, the director, though still seated, suddenly felt his legs go weak.

Where was the innocent, kind-hearted guest from before?!

Without even pausing to wipe his sweat, the director quickly explained the day’s itinerary: “At the start of the show, we mentioned that we hoped to spend seven pleasant days with our guests in Herong County.

Today is the sixth day. Originally, the plan was for the production team to take everyone to the next scenic spot in Herong County, where you’d unlock entry tickets by completing tasks.”

“Unlocking tickets through tasks” it was obvious the challenges would be tough, and the number of tickets might even be limited.

Dragging their nearly “disabled” legs and feet into a competition, whether they could complete the tasks was uncertain, but they’d definitely embarrass themselves in front of the entire live audience.

However, they caught the underlying implication in the director’s words. Xu Zhi asked, “So does that mean today’s task plan has changed?”

The director nodded.

“…” Su Xue eyed him suspiciously: “Did you just change it?”

She wasn’t fond of doing tasks, but if it meant watching the director struggle through push-ups right now, she could endure it.

A battle where both sides suffered? She was more than happy to take part.

[Hahahaha!! Why does it feel like the guests don’t seem happy at all and would rather stick to the original plan?!]

[Maybe the director’s afraid we’ll vote again, and then he’d have to do push-ups AND join the tasks!]

[This season’s almost over already, I’m going to miss it so much! Can’t we have a few more days? Waaah!]

Director: “There was some last-minute adjustment, but it definitely wasn’t just now.

A few days ago, our production team received a call from Herong County Central Primary School. They knew we were doing tasks, so they invited us to spend a day at the school.

Because the economic situation in Herong County isn’t very good, many people here go out to work, leaving behind a relatively large number of left-behind children.”

This was also the main reason the production team had suddenly changed their plans.

“Oh, I see,” Su Xue nodded. “I thought the director was genuinely scared.”

Director: …

Well, she was indeed quite scared.

[That makes sense! I knew they wouldn’t change the itinerary just because of the director alone!]

[The production team is so wholesome! The topic of left-behind children is common, but since people rarely bring it up, not many pay attention to it!]

[With the guests and kids together, I can already picture the scene, hahaha!!]

[Agreed! Honestly, I feel like the guests are more like kids themselves!]

When they got into the car, they saw the school supplies, plush toys, and various snacks the production team had prepared for the children.

“I’ve never spent time with kids before,” Liu Yangran said, squeezing a plush toy in her hand. “Are you guys nervous?”

“Don’t be nervous. With kids, just praise them a lot, and you’ll be fine,” Su Xue, a natural social butterfly, could get along with anyone young or old within three sentences.

In fact, after reaching the mountaintop yesterday, Su Xue had even struck up a long conversation with the elderly hiker who had outpaced them.

Su Yun wasn’t particularly nervous either. “From school until now, I’ve always felt kindergarten and elementary school were the best.”

“Because it was easier?” Jiang Zhi guessed.

Su Yun reminisced: “No, because in kindergarten, I could be the boss.”

But once her classmates grew up, that title was no longer hers.

Jiang Zhi: “…”

[Kids really do get happy for half a day just from praise, especially the younger ones!]

[Hahahaha!! This reminds me of my own kindergarten days, I was obsessed with being the boss too. It felt so cool!]

[Su Xue: It was easy to get along with them because kindergarteners were all silly. Once they grew up, everyone started using their brains!]

When they arrived at Herong County Central Primary School, they got out of the car.

Since moving inevitably strained their leg muscles, everyone took a deep breath as they stepped out.

It was recess, and the children were running around the playground, nimble and energetic, a stark contrast to the guests.

Director: “Today’s main task is to teach the children a lesson. The guests can choose from handicrafts, math, music, or P.E. The subject each group teaches will be decided by drawing lots.”

Hearing the last option P.E. Su Yun glanced at the sprinting kids and asked, “Are we teaching them P.E., or are they teaching us P.E.?”

[Hahahaha!! Talk about the spirit being willing but the flesh being weak!]

[Kids: Yeah, it’s weird. Today, our P.E. teacher just stood there motionless!]

[Let’s see which group ends up with P.E.!]

“Of course, you’ll be teaching the kids P.E.,” the director chuckled before bringing out the lottery box. “Time to draw now.”

Recalling her lifelong streak of never winning any lottery, Su Yun decided to delegate this critical task to Jiang Zhi: “You go draw! I believe in you, it definitely won’t be P.E.!”

Jiang Zhi paused. “And if it is?”

Under Su Yun’s gaze, she suddenly felt the weight of responsibility.

“If that’s the case.” Su Yun looked sincerely at Jiang Zhi, “then I’ll teach together with you.”

Jiang Zhi: “So you actually had the idea of separating from me before?”