Chapter Thirty-Six: Private Island

"Jiaojiao, everyone's saying your chances in this round are slim,"

Wang Wei whispered to Sheng Jiaoyang as they walked towards the beach.

Sheng Jiaoyang's lips twitched, but she maintained her composure: "I have immunity, what am I afraid of?"

"Yeah, I believe you!" Wang Wei glanced down at Sheng Jiaoyang's figure. "Anyway, Jiaojiao, you're still a child, you'll grow up eventually."

*Pfft!* Sheng Jiaoyang was innocently caught in another crossfire, inwardly spitting blood.

"Swimsuit photos don't necessarily have to be voluptuous to look good, it's mainly about the overall vibe, otherwise it's vulgar. Jiaojiao, don't worry, I think, even though you don't have their cleavage, you have your looks!"

←?← Something about that sounded a little off.

Sheng Jiaoyang gave Wang Wei a wry look.

The beach was the first shooting location, and Luo Yi's group had drawn that spot.

The other two groups sat and played around, while Luo Yi's group all went into the tent to change into their swimsuits.

The beauties in Luo Yi's group all had amazing figures, with long, slender, and fair legs. After a week of fitness training, their waistlines were particularly beautiful, and their curvaceous figures made them look like sexy ladies in bikinis.

The photographer was still Dawei.

The five contestants were subjected to various requests by the photographer. Some were asked to roll around in the sand before taking photos, some were asked to float on the sea with buoys, and others were asked to play in the water in creative ways. The best treatment was lying on a deck chair.

Compared to taking photos in the studio, shooting outdoors was incredibly grueling.

The closer it got to noon, the higher the temperature on the sand became, making it especially uncomfortable to lie on the sand for photos, feeling like a fish being roasted.

"We were chosen to shoot on an island. I wonder how it will be."

"Did those of you who went to the island yesterday notice what was on it?"

Seeing how hard Luo Yi's group was working, the contestants who were chosen for the island couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.

"I just saw some trees."

"I think I saw some houses,"

said two contestants who had been to the island yesterday.

“Jiaojiao, your group got lucky this time, they won a yacht. Taking pictures on a yacht should be really special,” Wang Wei said enviously.

Sheng Jiaoyang didn’t say anything; she didn’t think there was anything to be happy about.

After Luo Yi’s group finished filming, it was already noon. Everyone ate their boxed lunches and boarded the yacht to the island.

“Where are the houses?” As soon as they arrived on the island, the contestants looked around.

Huang Linying pointed to the east side of the island and said, “It’s over there. I saw it when I drove there yesterday.”

At this moment, a member of the production crew came to inform them and told them to follow.

“There’s a cliff over there that’s higher than here, and there’s a very beautiful house on the cliff.” Huang Linying was still talking about the house.

Hearing her say this, some people became curious. “How beautiful?”

“Like a European castle.”

“Really? Hey, should we go take a look?”

Probably having heard the contestants’ words, Zhuo Yiyan came over and reminded them, “Follow the staff, don’t wander off. This is a private island.”

“Wow! A private island!”

It’s a private island, and there’s a house like a castle. How rich must the island owner be!

Sheng Jiaoyang wasn't surprised at all. This was nothing to her former self; buying an island would have been easy for her. The key question was what she would use it for. If people lived there, she would need to generate her own electricity and purify the seawater, otherwise she would have to transport water from elsewhere, which was too inconvenient. Most importantly, she disliked the feeling of isolation and loneliness. Of course, she knew some people liked this kind of lifestyle.

It was clear that the island had been carefully planned; the surrounding flowers, trees, and shrubs were well-maintained, and the roads were neatly constructed.

Everyone walked eastward from the beach where they landed, gradually feeling the terrain rise.

Several contestants chattered and speculated about the island's owner, indulging in unrealistic fantasies, and seemed quite happy as they walked. Others, however, were lost in thought, their minds wandering elsewhere.

After walking for about ten minutes, the path became noticeably smoother, and the house Huang Linying had mentioned came into view.

From afar, the house looked incredibly beautiful, standing against the backdrop of the azure sea and sky, nestled in a vibrant garden, like a castle from a fairy tale—romantic and stylish.

"Wow~" Some contestants couldn't contain their excitement.

"Xiao Yang, you guys are so lucky! You got to take photos in such a beautiful place." Luo Yi's group, who had endured so much hardship, immediately felt resentful.

They had to roll around in the sand to take photos, while others got to take pictures in such high-class places—beautiful gardens and elegant castles. Such a huge difference! How could they possibly compete properly in the future?

Xiao Yang's group was all smiles. Even if it was tough, taking photos in such a place was worth it.

The production team set up a simple tent and asked the contestants to go inside and change.

It was already 3 PM. The sun was still shining, but it wasn't scorching hot anymore. When

Xiao Yang's group came out in their swimsuits, they realized they had been tricked by the production team. Why not take photos in such a beautiful place? Instead, they had to stand on the edge of a cliff to take pictures of the blue sky and the sea. Even if the cliff was only ten stories high, it was still scary enough! The more timid ones' legs went weak with fear, and they couldn't even think about taking pictures anymore.

"Why aren't we filming over there?" Chen Han from Xiao Yang's group was too afraid to approach the designated filming location, which was closest to the cliff, offering a clear view of the rocks below. She pointed aggrievedly at the house surrounded by a garden and questioned the production team.

"If you don't want to film, you don't have to," Dawei said, fiddling with his camera without looking up.

Not filming meant no points, which meant being at the bottom.

Despite her frustration and fear of heights, Chen Han could only slowly incline towards the filming location.

Xiao Yang watched anxiously from the side, but didn't say anything.

Meanwhile, two other groups, sheltered under a tree, watched the scene like spectators, chatting and enjoying themselves.

"I thought the production team suddenly had a change of heart and brought us to such a nice place for photos. Turns out, they just wanted to use this cliff as a backdrop."

"I really feel sorry for Xiao Yang and the others. At least we're on the beach, so we can handle whatever we want. But they're standing on a cliff; anyone with a fear of heights couldn't handle it."

"Haha, the way their faces changed when they saw the filming location...tsk tsk, we definitely shouldn't have trusted the production team from the start."

Sheng Jiaoyang just listened to their conversation without joining in. Suddenly, she felt something was missing. She looked around and asked, "Have you seen Qi Hua?"

"Qi Hua?"

"Oh yeah, didn't she come with us? Where is she?"

Everyone's relationship with Qi Hua wasn't good these days, so no one had paid attention to whether she was around.

Suddenly, they heard a dog barking, and vaguely heard Qi Hua screaming.

Sheng Jiaoyang immediately stood up. As the group leader, she couldn't escape responsibility if something happened to her group.

She immediately ran towards the direction of the sound, which was at the front of the house, while the filming location for the program was on the cliff edge to the side of the house.

When she got there, she saw Qi Hua lying on the ground, a black dog biting at Qi Hua's skirt and growling. Seeing this, her expression changed.

Qi Hua screamed in fright and waved her hands to try to shoo the black dog away.

"Qi Hua!" Sheng Jiaoyang shouted sharply.

Qi Hua stopped at the sound of her voice, turned her head to look at Sheng Jiaoyang, and cried out in a tearful voice, "Come and save me—"

The black dog saw another stranger and barked even more fiercely, scaring Qi Hua so much that she trembled all over.

What a mess she brought on herself! Zhuo Yiyan had clearly told her not to run around before she came.

Sheng Jiaoyang was helpless. She tried to approach slowly, and inadvertently saw the little trinket hanging around the black dog's neck, and paused.

"Bear cub?"

The black dog heard its name, stopped barking, and looked up at Sheng Jiaoyang.

"Bear Cub!" Sheng Jiaoyang was pleasantly surprised. This German Shepherd was one she had raised abroad, but she hadn't taken it with her when she returned to China, leaving it with Mei Niu.

Bear Cub was here, so did that mean Mei Niu was here too?