Tang Xueqing was carried back on someone's back.
Only after the three of them left did Tang Shiba and Si Wuyu emerge from the bushes.
She went over to inspect the Cave entrance and found it surrounded by weeds and screened by trees.
Unless someone looked closely, they would never know there was a cave here.
"You heard all that, right? There are people down there, and they're Scammers."
Tang Shiba wanted to see how Si Wuyu would react. After all, what normal person would leave criminals in the Cave instead of calling the police and having them taken to the Police Station?
Si Wuyu seemed to give it serious thought.
Then he asked her solemnly, "Do you think they're Scammers?"
"Why don't we go down and ask? You've seen plenty as a Film Emperor. Want to try something thrilling with me?"
Si Wuyu smiled. His smile was like a spring breeze, yet fearless in the face of any storm, as though nothing could faze him.
He said, "I'll follow your lead."
Seeing that the Film Emperor looked serious rather than joking, she felt like a boss who had just gained a follower, her expression growing even more radiant.
"Come on. Let's head back and get something to eat first, so no one gets suspicious."
She didn't say much more, afraid Si Wuyu wouldn't believe her.
Once she secretly got hold of a rope, she would take the Film Emperor down to confirm things and recruit him as an ally. With him on her side, surely she could outplay these Scammers.
By the time they returned, everyone else was back.
Fang Cheng glared at Tang Shiba unhappily. "Where did you two go? You suddenly vanished."
"We got lost."
Lost? His brother had such a good memory that he could take in ten lines at a glance. How could he get lost?
Tang Xueqing's hands and feet had already been bandaged, and she was sobbing as she wiped away her tears.
One look at her performance was enough to tell that she was about to stir up trouble.
Sure enough, Zhao Shen walked over. Although his face was swollen, his nose was still in the air, and he swaggered around as though he owned the place.
"Tang Shiba, Xueqing isn't feeling well. The Director said there was rice in that bag of supplies. Give it to me so I can make her some porridge."
The Director really knew how to stir up resentment. They must have done it on purpose.
[Oh my god, our precious baby is so pitiful! Tang Shiba, I order you to give her the rice right now.]
[The injured should come first at a time like this. Tang Shiba, she's your sister!]
[Tang Shiba is so selfish. What a waste of such a wonderful sister.]
Because the cameras had been turned off for a while, the livestream viewers only knew that Tang Xueqing had gone missing and was already injured when she was found.
They heard she had fallen into a hole, though some fans claimed Tang Shiba had beaten her up.
Tang Xueqing's injury inexplicably deepened the fans' resentment toward Tang Shiba, bringing her another hundred thousand-plus Anti-Fans on Weibo.
The three brothers, Tang Xuan, Tang Xiao, and Tang Lin, had all been following Tang Xueqing. Learning that she had been hurt broke their hearts, and Tang Shiba's indifference disgusted them somewhat.
They felt she was nothing like a member of the Tang Family—coldhearted, violent, and unconcerned even about her own sister.
"Xiao, once she comes back, you have to make her leave the industry. Otherwise, sooner or later she'll turn our family upside down. Just look at how badly she's bullied Xueqing."
The youngest brother, Tang Lin, was filming abroad, but he still made sure to follow entertainment news back home.
Tang Xiao hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "Tang Shiba's reputation can't get any worse. Her Weibo followers are all Anti-Fans. Whenever there's anything on her, they spread it faster than anyone else."
And their attacks were indiscriminate.
There was a brief silence on the other end, as though Tang Lin was digesting the fact that all Tang Shiba's fans were Anti-Fans.
"I don't care. I'm coming home in a few days. I want to see just what kind of freak Tang Shiba is, making a show popular through sheer notoriety."
It was true. Tang Shiba's fans never said anything nice about her on Weibo. They did nothing but expose her embarrassing moments.
Anyone who dared speak up for Tang Shiba was branded a fake fan and immediately attacked and reported.
Even the Zhao Family siblings' agency had hired Anti-Fans to attack Tang Shiba, only to discover that their efforts weren't needed—her own fans were already tearing her to shreds.
They were utterly dumbfounded.
These were fans? There were even more of them than the paid trolls.
Had she attracted every hater in the entire entertainment industry?
Some people had come to support Tang Shiba, only to get so angry after hearing the Anti-Fans' revelations that they joined the army insulting her.
Insult her! Keep insulting her! Tang Shiba was a violent woman who specifically beat up handsome men! She exposed other people's secrets, too. She had no manners and no sense of public decency.
All the Anti-Fans waited for Tang Shiba to spill more secrets, then took those revelations to every major platform to attack her.
For instance, one hater took screenshots from the video of Tang Shiba hitting Zhao Tiantian.
They added phrases like "plastic surgery woman" and "fake boobs, fake face, fake butt," then posted them across major platforms and under celebrities' Weibo posts.
The captions read things like, "The woman hitting her is Tang Shiba," "She exposed so-and-so for this," and "Why did she hit someone?"
Was this really hate? It looked more like showing off...
Anti-Fans were everywhere. Even plenty of people who didn't follow the entertainment industry had heard about Tang Shiba from their friends.
Meanwhile, back with Tang Shiba.
When Zhao Shen came asking for rice, Tang Shiba said she wasn't the one who had carried the supplies back and handed the problem over to Fang Cheng.
Fang Cheng agreed to give him the rice. He dug open the pit and hauled out the bag, but couldn't find any rice inside.
He was baffled. Clearly, no one had touched the bag, so how could there be none?
Fang Cheng was straightforward and had no idea the production crew had set him up.
The production crew's thinking was simple: We want them to clash. That's what makes it entertaining.
When Zhao Shen heard there was no rice, he went over to check for himself. Once he confirmed it really wasn't there, his expression darkened.
He shouted at Tang Shiba again, "You hid it, didn't you? Tang Shiba, do you even have a heart? She's your younger sister!"
He knew it. How could Tang Shiba possibly agree to give them rice? She had deliberately been toying with them for fun.
He wanted to rush over and strangle her.
Tang Shiba poked at the sand and said flatly, "Believe it or don't. I haven't seen any rice. I suggest you stop picking fights here. Your goddess Tang Xueqing is about to faint from hunger."
Zhao Shen ran off resentfully, determined to steal the rice and get Tang Xueqing something nourishing.
Tang Shiba had something big to do that night, so another fight wouldn't be wise. If she fought again, she wouldn't have the energy for her nighttime plans.
With cooking utensils available, all three of them were thoroughly satisfied with dinner.
Fang Cheng ate his fill and went to lie down.
Only Tang Shiba and Si Wuyu remained by the fire.
Outside the tent on the other side, Zhao Shen still stood guard. Wrapped in thick clothes, he looked thoroughly gloomy and kept glancing their way.
Meanwhile, Tang Xueqing was weighed down with worries. Since arriving on the island, she hadn't had a chance to get close to Si Wuyu, and she didn't know how to catch his attention.
Would she have to use dating rumors to tie herself to Si Wuyu, too?
At that thought, Tang Xueqing blushed a little.
Tang Shiba was terribly sleepy. Once the three people nearby had all fallen asleep, she exchanged a glance with Si Wuyu, and they immediately rose in unison and headed toward the production crew's tent.
The Bomb Fish hadn't all been handed out yet, so there surely wouldn't be many people in the tent that night.
This was the perfect time to get the rope.
Unbeknownst to them, Tang Xueqing also emerged from her tent after they left.
The two of them quietly approached the tent and found it silent inside.
Tang Shiba opened the tent flap and took a look. All the equipment inside was switched off, with only a few faint lights illuminating the space.
Two people lay on the ground, already asleep.
Tang Shiba softened her footsteps and crept toward the spot where the rope was kept.
She had noticed its location the last time she came to ask for supplies.
Si Wuyu kept watch outside. Seeing her get it without trouble, he breathed a small sigh of relief.
Then, under cover of darkness, the two headed toward the Cave.
Tang Xueqing stepped out of the shadows, puzzled.
What had they stolen? Why had they gone into the Woods?
Tang Xueqing was timid and didn't follow them. Instead, she filed the incident away, a calculating gleam in her eyes.
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