CHAPTER 414: CHAPTER 414: ENJOYMENT COMES AT A COST

Here is the English translation:

On the plane, Li Haidong kept sarcastically provoking Sang Ning with his snide remarks.

Sang Ning pretended not to hear him. Dealing with people like him, the less you respond, the more anxious they get.

Except during the time everyone needed to rest, Sang Ning spent the remaining time tutoring Song Shiye on his homework, not even sparing Li Haidong a second glance.

In the end, it was Wei Lan who couldn’t take it anymore and used her gaze to stop Li Haidong’s childish behavior.

Overall, aside from being a bit boring and the flight taking too long, the journey went smoothly.

The flight took nearly twenty hours before reaching the destination, and by the time the plane landed, it was already past 1 AM local time.

There were other passengers on the same flight with Sang Ning and her group, but from Sang Ning’s observations on the plane, it seemed like most of them weren’t tourists but were here for work.

When they reached the airport terminal, Sang Ning found it even stranger.

The airport was tiny, resembling a bus station, and it seemed like the only flight arriving today was the one they were on.

The first filming location was a coastal city on an island, and Sang Ning thought it shouldn’t be this desolate.

While the group waited by the carousel to retrieve their luggage, Sang Ning couldn’t help but tease the director, "Director Zhou, this place is so deserted. You’re not tricking us into coming here to harvest kidneys, are you?"

Song Shiye chimed in with a laugh, "If we really were here for kidney harvesting, we’d just offer Director Zhou up first!"

"Cut it out, you little brat!" Director Zhou raised his chin high in indignation.

At this point, the show’s PD stepped forward to resolve everyone’s confusion.

"Everyone, this place is New Island, a picturesque, remote island with an inviting climate. The weather is warm, and the seafood is abundant, so you don’t have to worry about hunger or cold. People here can survive easily even without working much."

Qin Feng raised his hand to interrupt the PD, "And how is any of this remotely relevant to our trip?"

"Of course it is!" This time, Director Zhou jumped in. "In such an environment, people don’t need to work hard to survive, so they don’t have much ambition to earn money."

Sang Ning secretly curled her lips in disdain. Director Zhou’s words were just shy of outright calling the locals lazy and unmotivated.

"So, Director Zhou, what exactly are you trying to say?" Qin Feng couldn’t make sense of Zhou Rui’s roundabout statements and interrupted him again.

"So..." Director Zhou paused deliberately for a second, "So, it’s now past 1 AM, local time. The island’s taxis have stopped running. You’ll have to figure out your own way to get to the hotel."

"What the hell! This is a rip-off!" Qin Feng couldn’t help but curse, but soon realized his slip-up and quickly covered his mouth.

Sang Ning had already expected there would be no free lunch.

On the plane, the production team cheerfully told them that this season was purely recreational. There was no budget, no need for the guests to plan itineraries themselves, and all the guests needed to do was relax and follow the program.

Now it seemed this "relaxation" came with strings attached.

The crew sent the hotel address to everyone and would now fully withdraw, marking the official start of the guests’ journey.

Outside the airport, they were met with endless darkness; there weren’t even streetlights on the road outside.

Opposite the road was the sea, and in the dead of night, the sound of the waves crashing against the coast was eerily distinct.

Even though it was late at night, the island’s temperature hadn’t dropped at all. The salty sea breeze assaulted their senses, carrying layers of heat with it.

Sang Ning took off her down jacket and stuffed it into her suitcase, leaving only a slim-fitting, thin base layer and rolling up her sleeves high, though she still broke into a sweat from the heat.

She downloaded a local map navigation app. The hotel was nearly twenty kilometers from the airport, so walking there simply wasn’t feasible. The group started an intense discussion about how to get to the hotel.

Qin Feng, thick-skinned as ever, thought about hitching a ride with someone.

He waited by the airport exit, ambushing passengers as they came out to ask if they could give them a ride.

Some people, annoyed by the hassle, hurried away before Qin Feng could even finish speaking.

One finally showed some kindness, but once he asked where they were going, they politely refused.

It was late, and everyone wanted to rest as soon as possible. No one was willing to go out of their way to drop off strangers.

Besides, Qin Feng and the others clearly appeared to be filming a show. No matter what, people trusted that the crew wouldn’t abandon them entirely.

With hitchhiking out of the picture, the guests could only watch helplessly as their fellow passengers were picked up by pre-arranged vehicles.

When all the travelers had left, the airport became even emptier.

Had it not been for the terminal lights still being on, Sang Ning might have felt like she was stranded on a deserted island.

"What are we going to do? Are we really going to spend the night at the airport?" Jiang Xiaoti was deeply worried. Even though the island’s temperature hovered around thirty degrees, she felt a chill creeping up her back. She hugged her arms tightly and kept glancing around nervously, afraid some unknown wild beast might suddenly leap out from the darkness.

Song Shiye kept squeezing closer to Sang Ning. "Sister Sangsang, what should we do? I’m afraid of the dark. If we stay here overnight, won’t I end up getting eaten by a ghost?"

Although it was New Island’s early hours, it was still daytime back home. Many viewers watching the live broadcast couldn’t help but laugh at Song Shiye.

[I don’t even want to expose him. Is he really afraid of the dark? That’s obviously him acting spoiled, fishing for comfort.]

[But I don’t think Song Shiye is pretending. The island may be beautiful during the day, but that doesn’t make the creepy nighttime any less eerie. Those sprawling Banana Forest clusters are terrifying—I’d be scared something might jump out from there too.]

[Is the production team really so heartless as to leave the guests stranded? At this rate, they probably won’t make it to the hotel tonight.]

[So many people and still no one can come up with a solution? I’m really disappointed!]

Li Haidong and Wei Lan were equally stumped. The Li Family had business operations in all major cities worldwide, but New Island happened to be outside of their investment reach.

Distant water can’t extinguish a nearby fire; calling someone to come pick them up would take significant time.

While the group remained desperate, Qin Feng turned to Sang Ning with hopeful eyes. "Sang Ning, you always have clever ideas. Any solutions?"

Sang Ning shook her head and waved her hand. "Do I look like someone with a plan? I’m not a god."

In reality, a tentative idea popped into her head, though it wasn’t something she could openly suggest.

And that idea was to hijack a vehicle!

The production staff would also need to head to the hotel for rest, and Sang Ning didn’t believe they hadn’t pre-arranged transportation. It was just a matter of waiting.

Once the cars arrived, she planned to shamelessly hijack a ride. She refused to believe the production team was heartless enough to let them spend the night at the airport.

This whole ordeal of letting them "figure out their own way" was just for show, a stunt for the program.

Upon hearing Sang Ning’s dismissal, Qin Feng grew even more dejected. Looking toward the production team, they had already retreated far away, showing no intention of assisting.

While everyone remained on edge, Lu Yujing, who had been quiet the entire time, suddenly stepped forward. "How about I give it a shot?"