Fang Cheng was huffing and puffing as he dug a hole, while Tang Shiba and Si Wuyu pressed against the tent, listening to the sounds outside.
These scammers were pretty busy. They had kidnapped them hours ago and hadn't even come to check on them.
Just as she was thinking that, voices approached their tent.
Tang Shiba and Si Wuyu immediately returned to their places, slipped the ropes over their hands, and sat down as if they were still tied up.
Fang Cheng planted his butt over the hole, not daring to move.
A scammer pulled open the tent flap and walked in. Seeing them all looking listless, he nodded in satisfaction.
"As long as you don't make a racket. Anyone who does is getting thrown into the sea."
With that, he left again. No one else came in, even after dark.
Since the ground was sand, digging went fairly quickly, and soon the tunnel reached outside.
Everyone's eyes lit up at the sight.
They had a way out.
After selling the last batch of goods, the scammers claimed the equipment had malfunctioned and needed repairs, then cut off the livestream.
With the livestream interrupted, plenty of fans went to Weibo to raise a fuss.
Tang Shiba's Anti-Fans were especially obnoxious.
For example, the comments on one celebrity's Weibo looked like this: Tang Shiba has disappeared. She offended someone and has already been dismembered.
There were also comments like this: Tang Shiba stumbled into a scam ring. Things look grim—she's about to be sold.
And this: Tang Shiba is taking ten men at once. She can't hold out much longer.
And this: Tang Shiba got what she deserved. Is it bad luck, or did even heaven get sick of her?
There were so many Anti-Fans and so many comments that she ended up trending again.
#Tang Shiba and Her Group Kidnapped#
#Tang Shiba Suspected of Falling into a Scam Ring#
At first, plenty of people thought it was only an equipment malfunction and filming would resume later.
But even by evening, there was still no sign of the livestream returning.
Many couldn't help wondering whether something really had happened to them.
Originally, this wouldn't have become a major incident, but Tang Shiba's Anti-Fans had stirred up so much trouble that it was practically headline news. Plenty of shows were discussing it to ride the wave of attention.
The Uncle Cops saw it too. Afraid Tang Shiba's fans would alert the criminals, they had no choice but to shut down the entire Weibo platform.
The fans were baffled.
What was going on? Why couldn't they get onto Weibo?
A system failure? Maintenance?
At the Tang Family home, Tang Dad and Tang Shiba's mother were terrified when they saw the news.
"Wah... it must be true! I have to go save her."
Tang Dad comforted her. "The police won't ignore this. We mustn't panic."
"Wah... what did she ever do to deserve this suffering?"
Weibo's shutdown frightened the families involved. They went straight to the Police Station to report that they couldn't contact their loved ones.
Seeing how big the incident had become, the scam ringleader hurried off to the Airport with his tail between his legs, only to be caught by police who were already lying in wait.
"Why? How did you catch me? My plan was flawless!"
The scam ringleader had no idea where he'd slipped up.
Even if someone got caught, it should have been his underlings on the island. He had hidden himself so well. How had this happened?
The officer paused, then chuckled. "You can thank someone's Anti-Fans for that. They really can do anything. You were already being watched the moment the livestream went down."
One hater said they knew the people by the river and were related to one of them. Remembering the Scammers Tang Xueqing had mentioned, they suspected the entire Production Team might have been taken over, so they used their connections to investigate the company.
That investigation uncovered something suspicious. One of the company's senior executives was a foreign national who frequently organized trips overseas. Without exception, everyone who went had been scammed.
The hater began watching him closely and soon noticed him sneaking around, heading off to catch a flight. Whether he was fleeing or doing something else, they notified the police first.
The police had only appeared suddenly to bluff him, but he panicked and gave himself away.
The scam ringleader had nothing left to say. All he could think was, It's over. It's all over.
With their ringleader arrested, the underlings on the island were left leaderless, and none of their calls went through.
"What's going on? His phone's been off this whole time!"
The Fake Director frowned. Why wasn't the boss answering at such a critical moment? Had something happened to him?
Unease crept into the Fake Director's heart. He asked an underling, "Have you caught those two yet?"
"They're too good at hiding. Whenever they hear anything, they run."
"Send a couple more people to look. I'll call for a boat. We're relocating tonight."
"Okay."
They couldn't stay here anymore. It wasn't safe.
They had to leave as soon as possible.
Having gotten the inside scoop, Tang Shiba knew the Scammers were leaving Moon Island that night. She figured they had been exposed and were planning to relocate before contacting the families to demand money.
She glanced at Fang Cheng's tunnel. Seeing that it was nearly ready, she and Si Wuyu untied everyone else's ropes.
She warned them, "Don't run off once you crawl outside. Wait until everyone's there and follow instructions."
She glanced at the listless Tang Xueqing again. "She goes last. If you still can't escape this time, all I can say is that you're unlucky."
"I'll go first. Film Emperor, follow behind."
"I'll bring up the rear." The Film Emperor was worried and wanted to leave last.
Tang Shiba glanced at him without saying anything and crawled straight into the tunnel. Fang Cheng followed with trembling hands.
They crawled through the narrow sandy passage. About two minutes later, Tang Shiba finally poked her head out.
She looked around. Seeing that they were over ten meters from the tent, she climbed out, satisfied.
Fang Cheng and the others followed.
The last one out was Tang Xueqing.
Tang Shiba snorted and told Fang Cheng, "You've got a pretty good sense of direction. I've got a tough assignment for you."
With life and death on the line, Fang Cheng was fearless. "I'll get it done!"
"See the direction I'm pointing? Lead everyone that way as fast as you can. Someone's waiting for you there. If anyone slows you down, leave them behind."
She meant Tang Xueqing.
Tang Xueqing began crying in humiliation. The others felt Tang Shiba was being a little too harsh.
Fang Cheng nodded. "No problem."
"Good. I'll count down from three. Get ready. Anyone who falls behind will be caught and sold."
Everyone felt nervous, afraid they would run too slowly and be discovered. They listened closely for her signal.
"Three... two... one..."
"Run!"
Fang Cheng sprinted off, and the others followed. Even the crying Tang Xueqing ran for her life.
Seeing that Si Wuyu still hadn't come out, Tang Shiba feared something had happened to him and hurried back into the tunnel.
As soon as she crawled in, their heads bumped together. She quickly backed up.
They both climbed out.
"Everyone's gone?"
"Yes. Let's hurry too."
They got up and ran toward the shore. The wild wind buffeted their faces. The moment was thrilling and tense—an experience unlike anything she'd had before.
For some reason, Tang Shiba really wanted to take the Film Emperor's hand as they ran.
But she was afraid he would accuse her of taking advantage of him, so she dismissed the thought.
She had simply remembered her dog. She used to love running along the beach with her dog on a leash.
But after becoming famous, she had stopped going out.
What a shame.
"Boss, someone's running this way."
"Prepare to engage!"
Fang Cheng didn't dare shout, afraid he would endanger Tang Shiba, who hadn't caught up yet.
The group ran until they were nearly out of breath. When they reached the shore and saw no one there, they almost cried.
"Didn't she say someone would be here to meet us?"
"Where are they?"
"Tang Shiba, you liar!"
Hearing Tang Shiba's name, the officers exchanged glances and hurried out of the darkness.
"You there. Tell us your names."
Hearing the voice, Fang Cheng excitedly raised his hand. "My name is Fang Cheng."
"My name is Wang Gang."
"I'm Tang Xueqing!"
The officers grew excited. "Come over here! We're the police."
The police!
Waaah!!!
Everyone ran toward the Uncle Cops in tears. At that moment, they felt incredibly safe.
Once Captain Yang confirmed that only the Zhao Family siblings were still missing, he immediately led his men in to surround the scammers.
That night, only a single gunshot rang out, and filming for A Loving Family came to an end.
Every last scammer was caught.
The Zhao Family siblings were found in the Cave.
When they were found, they excitedly declared that they had been the last ones discovered, so they had won three days on the trending list.
The Uncle Cop promptly put Silver Handcuffs on them. They were suspected of attempted murder and would be arrested for investigation.
The two were dumbfounded.
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