Chapter 125

This year's wilderness survival show, besides having uncontrollable timing, required Qin Yun to arrive early at a training camp organized by the production team for a ten-day intensive training.

The training camp was mandatory, gathering all fifty participants from around the world for targeted training.

After all, the environment around Atlin Lake in Canada is an extremely hellish challenge for many, and the production team didn't want mass eliminations right at the start—this would only showcase the cruelty of the geography without benefiting the show in any way.

That meant Qin Yun had to reserve sufficient time for the wilderness survival show before January 1st next year.

After leaving ByteDance, Qin Yun had no regrets. His current goal was to go out on his own, so the wilderness survival show was a rare shortcut for him, sparing him the need to accumulate foundational experience from scratch.

After having lunch with Liu Wei, he returned to the hotel.

ByteDance's efficiency was even higher than he imagined; just a few hours later, the wilderness survival account on Douyin jointly released a silhouette preview of the Chinese contestants.

In other words, the participants were confirmed.

Glancing at the silhouette, Qin Yun immediately knew who it was. No surprise—it was exactly as He Jian had said, the other Chinese slot went to Guo Yao.

He figured Luo Jiahai must be furious—having thought the second slot was in his pocket, only to have it snatched by someone outside the Douyin ecosystem.

The reality was indeed so: Luo Jiahai was so angry his liver hurt.

"I'm a three-million-follower anchor on Douyin! Am I really that insignificant here? Fine, I'll accept Qin Yun getting the slot—but Guo Yao? A Douyu anchor? Is she really better than me? What can she even bring to Douyin?"

Though furious, Luo Jiahai knew the decision was final, so he chose to post his own video to vent.

"Sorry, as everyone knows, the two Chinese slots for this wilderness survival show have gone to others—I didn't make the cut."

"To my over-three-million fans, I'm sorry—I let you down."

"I accept Qin Yun taking one slot; after all, his fanbase is larger than mine. But the other person? I genuinely can't understand why Douyin did this."

"Does representing China in this competition outweigh certain other factors?"

"Everyone knows this show is international—contestants and viewers alike come from all over the globe. When the show starts, contestants might be fine, but viewers will inevitably develop biases."

"Meaning, if you represent China and get eliminated on day one, what will international viewers think? They'll just think Chinese people are weak."

"So shouldn't the official side pick someone with more experience?"

"Me—Hai Ge—a three-million-follower anchor—every long-time fan knows my outdoor skills, yet…"

Luo Jiahai's video brought him a surge of traffic, and even Douyin secretly boosted its recommendation, increasing its exposure further.

As a result, the other contestant hadn't even shown her face yet, but she was already gaining fame and drawing widespread anticipation.

Whether this anticipation was positive or negative, Guo Yao now faced greater pressure.

"Qin Ge, what if I totally mess up? Won't I embarrass our country?"

That night, Guo Yao suddenly showed up at Qin Yun's door, insisting on treating him to dinner.

Out of respect as fellow Chinese contestants, Qin Yun didn't refuse—he gladly agreed.

Seeing Guo Yao's worried expression, Qin Yun laughed: "You're overthinking this. You represent only yourself, and I represent only myself. Sure, labels will be slapped on us, but this show's been on for how many seasons now? Countless contestants get eliminated every cycle—if we followed your logic, every country's face would've been lost long ago, and the most losses would've come from the U. S."

Guo Yao gulped down her beer in one swallow, smiling bitterly: "Luo Jiahai's video dragged me through the mud—I'm terrified I'll get eliminated on day one. If that happens, I'll be finished in this industry."

"Do you regret signing up?"

Guo Yao paused, then shook her head immediately: "I've hit my ceiling at Douyu. A monthly income of thirty to forty thousand is enough to live on, but getting rich is nearly impossible. No matter how well I do outdoors on Douyu, it still can't compete with gaming and entertainment. I've always wanted to leave Douyu and try Douyin."

"Then there you go," Qin Yun shrugged. "Without this show, switching to Douyin might not have helped you—but joining this show is a rocket boost for your exposure. Believe me, once the official announcement drops your identity, your account will explode in popularity within days."

Hearing this, Guo Yao's worries eased slightly.

She knew all this already—she just feared elimination on day one.

"Put it bluntly," Qin Yun continued, "even if you get eliminated on day one, it's still better than staying at Douyu. After all, you were selected by China for this wilderness survival show—that's an implicit declaration that you're among the best. And…"

He glanced up and down at Guo Yao: "Your physique and appearance are excellent—those are big bonuses on Douyin. Becoming a top anchor is practically guaranteed for you. You don't need to worry about these pointless rumors."

Guo Yao touched her face—her skin wasn't great—but Qin Yun was right: her figure and looks were still decent, just roughened by years of outdoor exposure.

She looked at Qin Yun—his face still bore traces of highland desert exposure, yet his baseline condition was vastly superior to hers; his skin made even a woman like her feel ashamed.

"Qin Ge, how do you take care of your skin?"

…

The next day, the weather was overcast and rainy, shrouded in mist.

After washing up, Qin Yun received a WeChat message.

"Sorry, I accidentally let slip yesterday—quickly change hotels. I'm afraid Song Ya will come looking for you."

The message came from Zhang Chao.

Qin Yun thought: knowing Song Ya as he did, she'd never come looking for him—she'd never dare lose face like that.

Before the thought finished, a sudden banging came at the door—*bang bang bang*.

Qin Yun frowned and opened the door. Two familiar figures appeared before him.

Song Ya and Song Ya's mother—Zhu Yan.

Seeing this man, whose aura and physique were utterly transformed, Song Ya's breath caught.

The video had shown Qin Yun's transformation was drastic, but seeing him face-to-face, the sheer vitality radiating from him still left her incredulous.

How could a person change so drastically in such a short time?

"What are you doing here?"

Qin Yun didn't step aside—he blocked the doorway, staring coldly at the two.

Song Ya's expression darkened slightly. She tugged Zhu Yan's arm: "Mom, there's nothing to say. Let's go."

Zhu Yan glared at Song Ya: "Go where? Xiao Yun is doing so well now—he's making big money. Why divorce? You should get back together immediately."

Qin Yun nearly spit blood at those words.

But Zhu Yan didn't feel it was wrong. She looked up at Qin Yun and smiled before speaking: "Xiao Yun, Mom always knew you'd amount to something. Look—you've become a top Douyin anchor! Mom looked it up—top Douyin anchors earn tens of millions a year."

"I know you still have feelings for Xiao Ya. Your divorce was just a rash decision. So Mom hopes you two can reconcile. After all, girls as beautiful, fit, and sweet as Xiao Ya are rare."

"After you reconcile with Xiao Ya, you two…"

Qin Yun raised his hand, suppressing the urge to curse aloud—he was a famous anchor now; he couldn't just lose his temper.

"Auntie, you've got the wrong person. I don't know you. Please leave."

Zhu Yan's expression changed instantly.

The gentle, conciliatory tone she'd shown moments before vanished like a mountain wind.

"Qin Yun, what do you mean? You don't want to reconcile with Xiao Ya?"

Qin Yun's gaze passed over her, ignoring her entirely, and settled on Song Ya: "Since you've chosen dignity, see it through. Don't make things embarrassing for either of us. Song Ya, don't destroy the last shred of impression you have in my mind."

Song Ya's eyes turned red. She yanked hard on Zhu Yan's arm: "Mom, let's go."

"Go where?" Zhu Yan shook her off, her shrill voice echoing far down the hotel corridor. She jabbed a finger at Qin Yun's nose. "You think you're so great now? When you were down and out, Xiao Ya didn't abandon you. The house was ours to buy. The car was ours too. We only asked for twenty thousand as bride price. Go ask anyone—given Xiao Ya's condition, where else would you find such a deal?"

"Now that you've made it big, you turn your back on us? Let me tell you, no way. Either reconcile, or pay compensation for Xiao Ya's lost youth."

Qin Yun laughed. So it was all about money. The Song family wasn't rich, but they weren't poor either—how could Zhu Yan be so shameless?

"First, the house and car have nothing to do with me—they were pre-marital assets. Second, I'm the one paying off the loan. Third, Song Ya's youth is youth, but is mine not? And finally, we're already divorced. Dragging this up is meaningless."

"Mom, don't do this," Song Ya pleaded softly beside her, but Zhu Yan ignored her completely.

She gripped her waist like a shrew: "Meaningless? I'll tell you, Qin Yun—one million yuan. Without one million, I won't leave. Otherwise, I'll go straight to the press and expose how you abandoned your wife. Make you lose your influencer status."

Qin Yun was speechless with rage. He'd always thought Zhu Yan was unreasonable, but he hadn't expected her to be this absurd. This kind of talk was utterly ridiculous.

He dropped all pretense, his face darkening: "Song Ya, take your mother and leave right now. Otherwise, I'm calling the police."

"Call the police?" Zhu Yan's eyes bulged. She lunged to claw at Qin Yun's face. "You dare call the police? Go ahead—try it! You're bullying us mother and daughter, but even the police won't side with you… Don't pull me… Song Ya, stop right now!"

Song Ya used all her strength, dragging Zhu Yan toward the elevator.

She'd been a fool to believe her mother had come here genuinely to ask Qin Yun to reconcile. She hadn't realized the real goal was money—she regretted it bitterly.

She was willing to reconcile—after all, Qin Yun was now so successful, he could give her a far better life.

But money? She, Song Ya, was no prostitute. She still had some pride.

Yet Qin Yun's coldness made her both heartbroken and furious.

Boom!

Qin Yun shut the door and immediately began packing. He'd try to come to Beijing as little as possible from now on.

Just as he finished packing and was about to leave, the system's voice and the interface reappeared before him.

【Publishing check-in task: Host must enter the Forbidden City through the Meridian Gate and exit through the Shenwu Gate, completing check-ins at fifty designated scenic spots along the system's preset route.】