The first rays of the tropical sun pierced through the canopy, painting everything in shades of amber and gold.
Chen Ying sat on a flat stone near the spring, cleaning her new boots. Beside her, the Star-Light Orchid sat in its bamboo tube, its glow fading as the daylight took over.
Ding!
[System: Good morning, Host! You look radiant and ready to conquer today! Would you like to start your day with our 'Goddess Breakfast Pack'? Only 50 Points! It includes organic avocado toast, fresh-squeezed dragon fruit juice, and a latte with edible 24K gold flakes!]
Chen Ying wasn't surprised at all when she heard the system's enthusiastic announcement. Most of the time it barely made any noise aside from updates but once in a while it would try to empty her pockets. She had fallen for it at the beginning but never again.
'Fifty points for toast?' Chen Ying replied internally, her brow twitching. 'I just spent thirty points to keep my organs from failing yesterday. You are a money-grubbing scammer.'
[System: I am a high-dimensional entity! Gold flakes provide... uh... spiritual conductivity! It's an investment in your aura! Fine, be a cheapskate. Eat your wild grass and be grumpy.]
'Just open the Beginner's Luck Mystery Box,' Chen Ying commanded. 'And don't try to charge me an 'opening fee.'
[System: Fine. A merchant always honors a contract. Opening 'Beginner's Luck' Mystery Box...Congratulations! You have received a Unique Grade item: The 'Influencer's Instant-Ambience' Sparkler (Infinite Battery).]
Chen Ying stared at the small, sleek rod in her mental inventory. It looked like a luxury vape pen or a high-end glow stick. 'A sparkler? I'm in a life-or-death survival game and you gave me a party favor?'
> [System: It's Unique Grade! It has infinite battery life and uses a Magnesium-Lithium core for the "most aesthetic" glow. It's perfect for your next viral photo!]
'Useless,' muttered Chen Ying but still accepted it.
---
In the Camp...
"Ying-jie, look! I made a drying rack for our socks!" Zhou Yaya ran over, holding up a surprisingly sturdy rack made of vines and bamboo. Her face was glowing with a pride she hadn't felt in years of scripted television.
Chen Ying looked at Yaya's soot-smudged nose. A small, genuine huff of laughter escaped her—not a smirk, but a sound of genuine amusement. "It's slanted, Yaya. Your socks will slide off the moment the wind blows. Use a cross-hitch knot here."
She reached out, her fingers moving nimbly to correct the vine.
Yang Zixuan, who was nearby trying to sharpen a makeshift spear, paused. He hadn't heard her laugh before. It wasn't the high-pitched, performative giggle of the socialites he was used to; it was a low, melodic sound. He found himself staring a second too long, intrigued by the "mask" she was finally shedding.
[Comments: "DID THE ICE QUEEN JUST LAUGH? REPLAY!"]
[Comments: "Her smile is actually... really beautiful. Look at Zixuan's face, he's totally stunned."]
---
Meanwhile, on the Yacht...
Chen Shao was standing on the deck, looking toward the Highland with a pair of binoculars. His phone was pressed to his ear, his voice cold and commanding.
"Yes, I want the full school records from the seventh grade," Chen Shao said. "And I want to know why my sister's name was removed from the list of students who studied abroad. I remember paying the tuition myself."
"Sir," his assistant's voice crackled on the other end. "We found a financial trail. It... it seems the tuition was redirected. Not back to the company, but to a private account held by the Head Maid's sister. The forms were filed as 'Miss Chen Ying's voluntary withdrawal due to academic pressure."
Chen Shao lowered the binoculars. His knuckles were white against the rubber. "Withdrawal? She never withdrew. She wanted to go. She told me she wanted to study art... and I told her she wasn't talented enough to waste the family's money."
He remembered the look on her face that day. The curve of her lips that he had dismissed as a bratty scowl. Now, he realized it was the look of someone whose last bridge had been burned by the only person she had left to trust.
Behind him, Wang Bai approached, her footsteps soft and hesitant. "Brother Shao? The Director is asking if you want to join the 'Sponsor's Lunch' on the beach. Zhang Rui is there, and he's very upset about the... 'misunderstanding' at the camp last night."
Chen Shao turned. The "closeness" he usually felt toward Wang Bai now felt like a layer of oily film on his skin. "A misunderstanding? He destroyed her physical belongings on a national broadcast, Xiao Bai. Tell me, if someone did that to you, would you call it a 'misunderstanding'?"
Wang Bai flinched, her lower lip trembling as her eyes filled with tears. "I... I was just trying to defend him! He truly thought she was bullying me again!"
"Funny," Chen Shao said, stepping past her. "The more I look into the past, the more I realize that the only person being bullied in that household... was the one who didn't say a word. I will handle the 'misunderstanding' my own way."
[System: Ding! Target Chen Shao's Brainwashing Level: 30%. Internal Conflict: Extreme.]
[Points Earned: 20. Current Balance: 362 Points.]
Chen Shao ordered his subordinates to send Wang Bai back to the island. She left looking tearfully aggrieved but her expression turned twisted and frightening after she was finally alone. 'I will make sure Chen Ying dies on this wretched island' she swore to herself.
Later in the day, on the island…
"Good afternoon, Survivors! Today's task is a test of individual resourcefulness. Scattered across the 'Neutral Zone' are ten golden tokens. Some are hidden in the canopy, some in the stream, and some in the rocky crevices. The person who brings back the most tokens in two hours wins a 'Luxury Feast Crate'—enough to feed four people a five-course meal." Director Zhao announced on the camp's speakers.
Chen Ying tightened the laces of her tactical boots. In her peripheral vision, she saw the Lowland team—led by Wang Bai—already scrambling toward the forest.
[System: Host, look at them! They're running like headless chickens. For a small fee of 10 Points, I can show you a heatmap of the tokens!]
'Keep your points,' Chen Ying thought, standing up.
As the timer started, Wang Bai took off, her heart pounding. She relied on her "Luck." Usually, she would just walk and "accidentally" trip over exactly what she needed. But today, her jade pendant felt cold and heavy against her skin. She found one token in a hollow log, but her hair got caught in the thorns, and she ended up scratched and muddy within minutes.
On the other side of the ridge, Chen Ying moved like a shadow. She didn't run. She watched the behavior of the island's monkeys—noticing where they were hovering with curiosity—and climbed a cedar tree with a grace that left the camera crew breathless.
While Wang Bai was crying over a broken nail on the live stream, Chen Ying was silently collecting her fourth, fifth, and sixth tokens.
[User 'RealityCheck': Look at the split screen. Wang Bai is a mess, but Chen Ying looks like she's out for a morning stroll. The difference in competence is insane.]
[User 'TeaSpiller': Is it just me or is Wang Bai's 'luck' totally gone? She's literally walked past two tokens!]
By the time the whistle blew, Wang Bai arrived at the finish line with two tokens, her face red and tear-streaked. Zhang Rui tried to comfort her, but even he looked exhausted.
Then came Chen Ying. She stepped out of the treeline, her tactical jacket clean, holding seven golden tokens in her palm.
"The winner is Chen Ying!" the Director announced immediately.
"The feast is mine?" Chen Ying asked, her voice neutral.
"Yes, Miss Chen. It will be delivered to the Highland camp at sunset."
Chen Ying turned to her team. Her teammates were all cheering, but they looked a bit shy, knowing they hadn't contributed to the win. Chen Ying stopped in front of them.
"Haoran, clear the big flat stone. Yaya, get the water ready. We're having a five-course dinner tonight."
Yaya gasped. "But Ying-jie, you won this alone! You should have it!"
"I don't eat five-course meals alone," Chen Ying said, her eyes flickering toward the camera. "And a leader doesn't let her team starve."
The Highland camp was transformed. The "Luxury Feast Crate" had yielded grilled steaks, roasted asparagus, fresh sourdough bread, and even a chilled bottle of sparkling grape juice.
The three of them sat around the fire, laughing as Haoran tried to figure out which fork was for the salad. Even Yang Zixuan's usual stoic expression was replaced by a look of genuine relaxation as he shared a joke with Yaya.
"To Ying-jie!" Haoran raised his plastic cup. "The best hunter on the island!"