Chapter 35 World 2 [5]

Three minutes later, Shao Qing finished the noodles in the bowl and unscrewed the mineral water bottle to take a sip of water.

As the time on his wrist jumped to six o'clock, Jing Ke was silent for a moment, and did not speak again until six and three minutes later, telling Shao Qing about the benefits of being bound to him.

[If you sign a contract with me, I will continue to help you until the end of your life.]

[I will not burn bridges, nor will I suddenly leave without a word, and I will not do anything to harm you.]

I will do my best to help you. You can quickly escape your current predicament, wash away the stigma, stand on the stage that rightfully belongs to you, and win the award you've always dreamed of.

After hearing Jing Ke's words, Shao Qing's eyelids couldn't help but twitch.

After signing the contract, would Jing Ke be bound to me until the end of my life? Wouldn't that mean I'd never be able to escape this ghost who claimed to be a product of a higher dimension?

As for those words about not burning bridges after crossing them and doing my best to help myself, Shao Qing didn't believe a single word of them.

Shao Qing did not forget what Jing Ke had said. She had helped another person seize his luck. Maybe she had used the same excuse when signing the contract with that person.

"You don't seem to trust me. Was there something wrong with my previous performance?" Jing Ke looked puzzled when she didn't get any response.

I have been very conscientious in my work for the past three hours. I told Shao Qing immediately who the camera was facing, the audience's reactions, and the movements of netizens and internet trolls. I didn't hide anything.

Shao Qing still did not respond to Jing Ke's words in his mind, but chatted with Yu Hongjun who was sitting next to him about some acting skills.

Shao Qing is very talented in acting. When she was in school, she was praised by her teachers for her talent and good understanding more than once. The same is true when she joins the crew. Directors and actors who have worked with Shao Qing are not stingy with their praise for her.

Yu Hongjun is a real acting school and veteran actor. She can tell whether an actor has real talent or not just by observing for a while.

So after chatting with Shao Qing, she took the opportunity to ask the question in her mind, "I've seen almost all the movies you've starred in. Your acting is flawless. You can handle anyone you're with. Why have you focused on variety shows in the past two years?"

Shao Qingshi revealed a helpless smile at the right moment, "Sister Hong, my acting skills are indeed good, but I haven't met the right role yet."

"Don't you have a good relationship with Director Hu? Didn't she invite you to participate when she was filming the new script?" Yu Hongjun was a little confused.

If an actor has good acting skills but average looks, there might be fewer roles suitable for them. But Shao Qing is a person with both good looks and acting skills. As long as the script is good, such a person playing the leading role is a sure-fire box office hit.

"Director Hu is very considerate of me, but there are some force majeure reasons that prevent Director Hu from cooperating with me." There was a hint of bitterness in Shao Qing's smile.

Director Hu was the one who discovered Shao Qing, a talented person. It was also because of Director Hu's appreciation and recognition that Shao Qing was able to take on the leading female role in her junior year, allowing her to win awards one after another when she graduated and finally become a hit.

But sometimes the director cannot control the entire crew. Even if Director Hu is a well-known director, she still needs to refer to the opinions of investors.

Originally, after seeing Shao Qing's situation, Director Hu also wanted to help her and work with Shao Qing, a good junior, again to see if he could win some awards again.

At that time, Director Hu had already sent the biography of the leading actress to Shao Qing. The publicity department of the crew was already planning to make the official announcement and asked her to join the crew to start filming ten days later.

But just two days before the official announcement, the largest investor suddenly said that he would designate the leading female role and added 30% of the investment.

The subject matter Director Hu wants to shoot involves certain risks. If the largest investor withdraws her investment, her filming plan will be postponed for several years.

So Director Hu, who didn't want to offend the investors, had no choice but to let Shao Qing change her role and let her give up the role of the female lead.

But misfortunes always come one after another. Shao Qing is good-looking and has a good acting ability, but she just auditioned for the third female role, and the crew members applauded her, which made the female lead of a certain investor behind the scenes feel a sense of crisis.

The leading actress had put so much effort into this role that she would not give up, nor would she want to be completely outshone by the third female lead. As a result, the only one who left the crew was Shao Qing, who had no support behind her.

Shao Qing felt quite bitter, but he did not reveal too much in front of Yu Hongjun. He just said it was force majeure and let it go.

As an old veteran, Yu Hongjun was also very aware of the twists and turns in the circle. He didn't say much in front of the camera, but just patted Shao Qing on the shoulder.

"You have great potential and ability. With just a few simple cuts, you can become a beautiful jade. Don't give up because of a temporary difficulty. Opportunities will always come."

Yu Hongjun consoled her, "After this episode is finished, I'll take you to meet some of my friends. They all like talented actors."

"Well, thank you Sister Hong." Shao Qing put a smile on his face again.

While Shao Qing and Yu Hongjun were having a great conversation, Jing Ke seriously reflected on himself, trying to find out where he had been negligent.

But Jing Ke kept finding Shao Qing and crawling into the sleeping bag in the tent, and he still didn't figure out what he had missed.

[I can also provide the resources you need. In this case, are you willing to sign a contract with me?] After noticing that Shao Qing was about to rest, Jing Ke started to try again.

"I will fight for the resources myself, I don't need you to provide them." Shao Qing's face lost the smile that he usually wore in front of the camera, and he began to show his true emotions.

Shao Qing read the contract carefully. Except for some aspects involving privacy during the filming process, there were no cameras in the tent at night. This was an absolutely safe and private place.

[With my help, you can avoid many traps and take fewer detours.]

"Nine out of ten things in life are not satisfactory. I'm almost used to it." Shao Qing seemed unmoved. No matter what Jing Ke said, she refused to be bound.

[No matter what I do, you're not willing to sign a contract with me?] Jing Ke prepared to make one last attempt.

If Shao Qing is determined not to cooperate with her, then for the sake of her luck, she will have to change a partner and host.

Jing Ke also needs luck to maintain her function and become stronger. She can't keep wasting time with Shao Qing.

"It's not that I don't want to do it no matter what." Since he wasn't sleepy yet, Shao Qing didn't mind wasting some time chatting with Jing Ke.

"You resided in my consciousness without my permission. This behavior made me feel very insecure, as if my life was in your hands."

"I value security very much. If you are willing to tell me your weaknesses, I think we can still cooperate." Shao Qing paused and said, "I want to know how to expel you from my body. This is the most basic condition for our cooperation."

[Is that so? I understand.]

[Currently, humans have no way to expel us. Only when the bound person dies can the connection between us be forcibly severed.]

[However, after we reach a cooperation, we can no longer reside in your consciousness, but instead possess a body and appear by your side in another form.]

"Another form?" Shao Qing's curiosity was aroused.

Could this ghost, claiming to be a product of a higher dimension, have other abilities? Aren't ghosts usually immune to sunlight? Was the one I encountered a high-end one?

[Yes, after signing a contract with humans, I can mobilize more power and possess a human body.]

"I understand that after I sign the contract with you, you will use the luck in me to create a body for yourself?" Shao Qing narrowed his eyes slightly.

Shao Qing was not sure whether Jing Ke was not smart enough or was pretending to be like this.

[No, my current strength is still enough for me to have a physical body.] Jing Ke spoke frankly, hoping to use this frank approach to make Shao Qing trust her faster.

But the reality seemed to be different from what Jing Ke had expected. The more frank she was and the more open she was with others, the more wary Shao Qing seemed to be of her.

"If you don't sign a contract with me, there are many things you can't do? Then on the other hand, if I sign a contract with you, what can you do? You keep saying that you can help me, so do you have any plans?" Shao Qing was a little interested.

If this ghost named Jing Ke really has a bad brain, maybe I can use her as a good tool to prevent her from harming other people.

[You can understand it this way: after I sign a contract with you, it will become much easier for me to use my power to interfere with reality. As for the plan, I will provide you with some useful information so that you can perform better in this variety show and gain some popularity.]

There's nothing wrong with your looks or acting. The reason you haven't gotten good enough roles is because the director is worried that your anti-fans are too powerful and will affect the production team and other actors.

[I'm currently quite good at gathering and processing information. If you give me some time, I can help you publish a corresponding clarification timeline online. I can also help you screen out the "troll army" and track down the mastermind behind the scenes.]

[To put it simply, you can think of me as a supercomputer that can receive, process, and send a lot of information. I am equivalent to tens of thousands of water armies.]

Jing Ke carefully introduced his own advantages and basically hid nothing from Shao Qing.

Shao Qing had to admit that the proposal of owning a supercomputer was very tempting and it was also what she needed most at the moment.

"Let me confirm again. If I sign a contract with you, I can get back my stolen luck. And you will only take half of the extra luck I gained?" Shao Qing was a little tempted.

Perhaps the night is a time when people are more excited. After hearing Jing Ke talk about a lot of her advantages, an idea in Shao Qing's mind became more and more obvious.

It seems there's no harm in giving this business a try, as it's a sure win. It sounds like I won't lose anything.

[Yes, I will specify this in detail in the contract. This is a contract recognized by the world consciousness and is binding on me.]

"Can you show me all the contents of the contract?" Shao Qing's reason told her that these words were most likely lies told by Jing Ke in order to deceive him into signing the contract.

But as long as one is a human being, it is impossible to be absolutely rational and calm. After hearing so many sincere words with tempting conditions, Shao Qing couldn't help but react at all.

There was a voice in her heart that kept persuading her to give it a try. What if Jing Ke was telling the truth? What if she was the one favored by fate?

[Of course, the content of the contract is very simple.] Jing Ke naturally would not refuse such a reasonable request.

The contract to be signed by both parties was not long, only about 500 words in total, and there was no ambiguous wording.

Shao Qing watched it over and over again three times in his mind, but he couldn't find any problem.

Life is a gamble. If you don't dare to take even the slightest risk, success will only get further and further away from you.

Shao Qing recited this sentence in his mind, and under Jing Ke's instructions, he left a mark of consciousness at the designated location of the contract.

This imprint of consciousness is closely related to Shao Qing's life. As long as she is alive, the imprint will always exist on the contract.

"Is this all right?" Shao Qing asked.

"Yes, we are already partners," Jing Ke said, and after a moment's thought, she added, "Our relationship is one of equality and mutual assistance. There is no hierarchy."

"Really? Then can I ask you a favor?" Shao Qing did not comment.

Please speak.

"When the tide comes in, wake me up in time." Shao Qing said, "If there is any other accident near the camp, you can also wake me up from my sleep."

[Okay, I'll wake you up on time.]

"Don't you need to rest at night?" Shao Qing closed his eyes and began to empty his mind.

[For me, this state is no different from rest.]

Shao Qing was quiet for a while, "Since it's a supercomputer, can you play some light music for me to help me sleep? I can't sleep."

[Is slow piano music okay? Or do I need some white noise like rain?]

"The sound of rain, right? I quite like rain." Not long after Shao Qing finished speaking, he heard the sound of dripping water.

After being immersed in it, Shao Qing's thoughts slowly drifted back to his childhood.

When she was a child, she also liked rainy days. If she was in school, she would lie on the windows and railings during class breaks to watch the raindrops fall from the sky one by one, and then hit the ground and splash out small water droplets.

It would be even better if it rained while she was on vacation. She could hold a nice umbrella and walk back and forth on the small road with few pedestrians, feeling the sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella from a closer distance.

Shao Qing's body slowly relaxed, and his breathing and heartbeat gradually became steady.

-

[Shao Qing, Shao Qing, wake up! The tide has started to rise and it won't be long before it floods the other camp.] Jing Ke began to wake Shao Qing as requested.

The voice in her head made Shao Qing drowsily open her eyes. Amidst the soothing sound of rain, she managed a rare good night's sleep. Seeing the tent roof, faintly tinged with deep blue, brought her thoughts back to reality, having wandered through the rain as a child.

"What time is it now?" Shao Qing sat up from his sleeping bag and rubbed his face.

At 2:05, the photographers and crew members all took a break, leaving only a few fixed cameras for long-range shots open.

Shao Qing responded vaguely, quickly took off his pajamas and changed into the clothes prepared by his assistant in advance, then took out a small flashlight for lighting, and prepared to pretend to get up at night to go to the bathroom.

It’s true that the production team is pursuing authenticity, but they won’t be stupid enough to let the six guests really live like savages.

While providing some basic equipment, the program team will also give the guests an hour every day to hand over to the assistants and pick up some daily necessities.

Of course, the program crew will not stop guests from using things like facial masks and skin care products, but the corresponding shots will definitely not appear in the live broadcast or the post-production film.

The island was not quiet at two o'clock in the morning. After coming out of the tent, the sound of insects chirping mixed with the sound of waves hitting the rock walls came into Shao Qing's ears.

Shao Qing turned on the flashlight, made sure he had the walkie-talkie for communication, and walked towards the coast according to his memory during the day.

"Didn't Liu Chang and the others hear the loud sound of the waves?" Shao Qing didn't walk far, but walked to the edge of the gentle slope as if strolling at night.

The small flashlight had a very limited illumination range, but the moonlight on the fifteenth looked exceptionally bright, enough for Shao Qing to see the tides rising and falling in the distance.

[No, probably because he had used up a lot of energy during the day, Liu Chang slept soundly.]

Xu Yin and Zheng Xingxing both seemed to have put on earplugs before going to bed, so they probably couldn't hear anything.

"What about the staff? Is no one awake?" Shao Qing frowned slightly.

Wearing earplugs while sleeping outdoors? Are Xu Yin and Zheng Xingxing just a little too ignorant, or are they too trusting of Liu Chang and the production team? They don't take their words to heart at all.

Shao Qing was puzzled by their behavior, but after seeing the waves coming, he took out his walkie-talkie and tried to contact the program crew.

The program crew's safety awareness was actually in place, it was just that the staff member on night duty accidentally dozed off.

After hearing the guest's voice coming from the intercom, the staff on duty subconsciously startled and immediately tightened the intercom in his hand.

"Hello, is this Mr. Shao? Is there any unexpected situation over there?" the staff on duty asked. He also clicked on the photographers who were shooting distant scenes, wanting to check the situation near Shao Qing's tent.

"When I got up at night, I found that the tide was rising. How is the situation over there, Teacher Liu? The tent should not have been hit by the waves." Shao Qing said.

After hearing about the high tide at night, the staff shuddered again and quickly switched the camera.

"Oh shit, why is the tide coming up?" You don't know until you see it. It was so shocking. The staff didn't have time to explain to Shao Qing. After seeing the tide about to rush towards the tent, they immediately took out their mobile phones to call the director.

After hearing the shrill ringtone, the sleeping director frowned, opened his eyes, and answered the phone with a bad temper.

"If you call me at this time, it'd better be because there's something really important, not because a guest is complaining about the environment." The director's tone was not very good.

"Director, something happened. The tide is rising, and the biggest waves are about to hit the guests' tents!" The staff on duty couldn't help but let out a sharp cry.

"What? What did you say!" Realizing the seriousness of the situation, the director suddenly woke up. Without even bothering to put on his shoes, he ran out of the temporary camp to look at the rising tide.

The saying that the waves are merciless is not just talk. After seeing the rising sea level with his own eyes, the director also made a sharp explosion and directly activated the emergency plan, waking up all the staff and rushing to the guests' camp as soon as possible.

There were also staff members on guard near the gentle slope. After the shrill alarm sounded, they jumped out of their sleeping bags and began to receive information in a panic.

After all, the program team has produced several episodes of content, so the emergency measures are relatively complete.

In addition, Shao Qing's reminder came in time, so the three people sleeping in the tent were woken up before the waves reached the tent, and they took the important equipment to a relatively higher position in time.

But there was definitely no time to tidy up the tent that was firmly fixed to the ground. Xu Yin and the other two hurriedly put on their clothes and watched the waves rush towards their tent.

"What's going on? Is the tide rising?" Zheng Xingxing, who had not yet recovered from his shock, looked sleepy. His exquisite hairstyle during the day became messy because of his sleeping posture.

"The tide is rising." Liu Chang frowned as he looked at the tent being mercilessly hit by the waves. He couldn't help but think of what Shao Qing had said during the day, and felt a little regretful in his heart.

If he had known that the sea water would come so irregularly, he should have chosen to follow Shao Qing's advice instead of insisting on camping here for the sake of his image.

Xu Yin's expression was not much better than Liu Chang's. The words he had said during the day to slander Shao Qing now became a slap in his own face.

Xu Yin knew very well that the program crew would not miss such good material, and this accident would definitely be edited into the main film in the later stage.

If the timing wasn't wrong, the director might have done a temporary live broadcast, allowing topics related to the program crew to directly become the top trending search topic.

This is not a good sign. If Shao Qing regains the audience's favor, the luck that does not belong to him will return to the other party.