Chapter Five: Unequal Distribution of Resources

Surging waves beat tirelessly against the sand and reefs. In front of a small boat labeled with the program "Black and White Confrontation," a man in a black suit stood holding a card.

As they approached, the man bowed thirty degrees: "Congratulations on being the first to gather your teammates and arrive at the landing point. Please board." At the same time, a virtual screen appeared once more, and an ethereal voice read the notification aloud:

【Preliminary assessment complete. The "Blacklist" team has won and receives a reward. The "Top Tier" team is requested to proceed to the beach immediately to board the boat.】

--What is this? Does the production team not know who we are here to see! Who wants to watch a bunch of disgusting people win?
--Exactly, especially that murderess. Can’t she just fall into the sea and die?
--Agreed!
--Could the production team please figure out who they are supposed to be promoting? OK? I’m so annoyed!
...

After the virtual screen retracted, several people walked ahead, laughing and talking. Shen Li lingered at the back. As she reached the boat, Ji Beishu helped the two women aboard and then prepared to step on himself.

Suddenly, a violent wave rolled in, causing the boat to sway. He stumbled backward, losing his balance, and no matter how he struggled or flailed his limbs, he could not steady himself.

How much would it hurt to hit his head on the ground?
It must hurt quite a bit.

Just as he reached out to brace himself against the ground to cushion the impact, he suddenly grabbed a piece of fabric. He looked up: "Shen..." The next second, he fell into a warm embrace.

Ji Beishu wanted to push her away in disgust, but Shen Li preempted him with concern: "Are you alright?" She stared, stunned.

Those clear, lively, water-like eyes gazed down at him, a hint of worry lingering in their depths. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his waist, and beads of sweat, fine as diamonds, clung to her fair forehead from the exertion, making her look incredibly beautiful.

He suddenly didn't know what to say.

"Can you try standing up on your own? I’m running out of strength," Shen Li said, biting her lip as she struggled to hold him up.

She knew that men found it hardest to resist a beautiful, frail woman. Ji Beishu was a man with a hard mouth but a soft heart; even though he had looked down on her in her past life, he had still saved her once. This act would surely plant a seed of goodwill in his heart.

Ji Beishu looked flustered and immediately sprang up to stand straight, his posture as rigid as a soldier.

He glanced at Shen Li a few times and stammered: "Well, that, thanks." After a moment of silence, he didn't forget to add: "One thing is one thing; I still really dislike you."

Human emotions are complex, much like her feelings toward these three teammates.

The events of her past life were still vivid in her mind; although they weren't the masterminds, those who remain silent are accomplices.

This time, Ji Beishu didn't board the boat first; instead, he helped her up before climbing on himself. As the boat headed toward an unknown destination and reached the middle of the sea, Shen Li caught sight of several figures in the distance—the "Top Tier" team, no doubt.

She curled her lips slightly and shifted her gaze toward the coastline.

The location chosen by the production team was an archipelago. They had now arrived at a small island within the group, much smaller than the one they had just left. Shortly after, the four members of the "Top Tier" team disembarked, and the two teams stood face-to-face.

Shen Li scanned them, already knowing their identities by heart. However, when her gaze landed on the final person, her pupils dilated instantly.

Who was he?

She was absolutely certain that this person had never appeared in her past life; she did not recognize him.

Jiang Fuya, Lan Ting, and Lu Ziwei were all members of the "Top Tier" team from her previous life. So, what was the deal with this strange man?

Once everyone had arrived, the director asked them to introduce themselves one by one. Shen Li focused her gaze on the stranger's face. That bloodless face, paired with cold, pale skin, made him look like a zombie.

Muscles strained beneath his white shirt, highlighting his athletic build. Her gaze dropped to his long, slender hands, where the knuckles were prominent and the tendons intertwined, making him look even less like a living person.

Shen Li frowned. Could this be a side effect of her rebirth?
Was she hallucinating?
In reality, what she was seeing was a ghost.

In the midst of her thoughts, the man spoke. His cold, emotionless eyes, which betrayed no feeling, were fixed directly on her. After a long pause, he spoke leisurely.

"Hello, I am Jiang Nian, a painter."

A painter?

Shen Li was certain that this was a new character added to the show in this lifetime, as all the guests in her previous life had been from the entertainment industry.

At the same time, the comments section exploded:
--Is that the Jiang Nian I know!!!
--The painter who became super popular a while ago? The one who went viral across the internet because of a single stolen photo? Wow, the production team actually managed to invite him?? Didn't they say he never makes public appearances? Didn't he almost sue the person who took and spread that photo before!
--Actually, he became famous for the themes of his personal exhibition. All the paintings in that exhibition exposed stories of women suffering in life, family, work, and marriage. They were very graphic and heartbreaking. You guys should look them up; the paintings are incredible. After I went to see them, I sat at the exhibition covering my mouth, sobbing without daring to make a sound.

Netizens frantically dug into Jiang Nian's background, pushing him to the top of the trending lists. During a break in filming, Shen Li searched for him too. She was certain she had never heard of this person in her past life.

There was no such painter.

It seemed that some things she didn't know had changed in this life. As for the reason behind these changes, she didn't want to dwell on it now. She only knew that this person's participation in the show was certainly not simple, and she had to be on her guard.

Half an hour later, the live broadcast resumed. While they were resting, a swarm of people in black suddenly rushed in, grabbed them, blindfolded them, and took them to another location.

After walking for quite a while, Shen Li was brought to a stop. As the breeze brushed past her, besides the salty, damp scent of the sea, she caught the faint, fragrant smell of vegetation.

She tapped the ground with her feet, hearing a rustling sound. She judged that she was likely in a small forest.

During the break earlier, she had walked around and roughly memorized the map. It was mostly the same as in her past life, but the "men in black" segment had not existed before. It was likely that the director had changed the rules based on her earlier performance.

An ethereal voice suddenly echoed in her ears:

【Reward Settlement 1: Based on the pre-broadcast voting results, the "Top Tier" team is in the lead and receives a reward of 20,000 recommendation points.】

Recommendation points were the most important currency to compete for in each episode. The team with the highest cumulative points would win the final resources for that episode, including opportunities with famous guest stars, fashion resources, endorsement deals, and even the right to star in original short dramas produced by renowned screenwriters invited by the production team.

At the same time, the winning artists would enjoy full-platform exposure and maximum traffic promotion. In short, for artists with tarnished reputations, this was an excellent opportunity for a comeback.

That was why so many scandal-ridden artists in previous seasons—even knowing they were merely being used as stepping stones for the top-tier celebrities—would fight tooth and nail to get on the show, just for that glimmer of hope for a comeback.

Shen Li curled her lips. This was only the beginning; the production team's unfair allocation of resources would only get worse later on.

The ethereal voice continued:

【Reward Settlement 2: The "Blacklist" team, having won the preliminary assessment, receives 4 "Favorability Coupons," each with a value of 10.】