As expected, the final voting results were as follows: Lang Zhuo came in first, Gu Changlin second, and Yu Lin third.
Nan Xian only received one vote, which was cast by the boy's mother.
All four of them knew perfectly well how they got this ranking; it was simply because someone had tampered with Nan Xian's buckwheat pastry during the baking process.
This tactic is very common in the entertainment industry, so everyone pretended nothing had happened and continued recording while maintaining their smiles.
During a break in recording, Nan Xian was called away by Director Deng under the pretext of adjusting the microphone.
After the two were in front of the camera, Director Deng asked her, "Have you completed the hidden mission?"
She nodded, took a folded piece of toilet paper from her pocket, and unfolded it.
There were two strands of hair inside, one black and one red.
Director Deng froze, pointing to the one on the right: "This is—your own hair?"
“Yeah, the mission card said any two people’s hair, but it didn’t say it didn’t include my own.” Nan Xian smiled slyly. “It was agreed that completing the mission would give you a clue.”
She had noticed the loophole in the rules while getting her makeup done, and deliberately didn't show it on camera, just to catch the director off guard.
Director Deng scratched his head, somewhat worried that this segment would generate negative online comments about Nan Xian after it aired, and hesitated before saying, "This..."
Just then, Assistant Jiang, carrying a cup of coffee, passed by. He deliberately slowed down and glanced at Director Deng, seemingly unintentionally.
Director Deng immediately realized—Nan Xian had He Mingxiao behind her, how could he possibly allow those unfavorable comments to appear? He was really worrying for nothing!
"Okay, I'll have the cameraman send you a clue later!"
*
The recording ended in the evening, and everyone returned to their rooms to rest.
Ding He helped Nan Xian pick out the ginger shreds from her lunchbox. Seeing her eating calmly, she couldn't help but say, "Sister, you put so much effort into making these buckwheat cakes, you could definitely have gotten second place, but something was rigged and you only got one vote... Aren't you angry?"
Nan Xian put down her chopsticks and looked at her with a smile. "Of course I'm angry, but being angry won't solve anything. As long as I find out who's behind this, I'll definitely get my revenge."
Ding He's eyes lit up, and she lowered her voice: "Is it Gu Changlin? I think he suspected you had a hidden mission before. Is he afraid that if you get second place and complete the mission, you'll get more clues?"
Nan Xian shook her head.
"It's unlikely. Although I don't know him well, anyone with a brain wouldn't be so blatant as to sabotage a fellow guest on a variety show. Besides, I'm no weaker than him. If he attacks me, it will definitely hurt him a lot while he also loses a lot."
Upon hearing this, Ding He suddenly realized: "Oh right! Sister, you're practically half the boss of Fanmeng now. There's no other female star in the entire entertainment industry more powerful than you. Gu Changlin would have to think twice before he dares to go against you!"
Nan Xian pursed her lips and remained silent.
Ding He belatedly realized that she seemed to have talked about a topic she didn't want to discuss, and slapped her forehead in annoyance, "Oh dear, look at my mouth, I really can't watch what I say, sister, punish me!"
Nan Xian was both amused and exasperated: "Fool, why punish me? You're not wrong. Since He Mingxiao gave me the shares of Fanmeng, they are mine. I won't object to them because of my relationship with He Mingxiao."
She took a deep breath and confidently raised her lips, "This is a rare resource, and I must hold it firmly in my grasp and make good use of it!"
"Wow—" Ding He looked at her with admiration, cupping her face in her hands. "Sis, you were so cool for a moment just now!"
Nan Xian couldn't help but chuckle, and tapped her forehead, "Alright, you should go eat too, the food's getting cold."
"Hehe, I'm on a diet, I'm not eating tonight!" With that, she picked up her bag and skipped out of the room.
Nan Xian watched her leave, her gaze returning to the phone screen in front of her, her smile gradually fading.
She has been in the industry for more than three years and has countless rivals. Many people are eyeing her position and want to bring her down.
But among them, there is only one person who has the ability and the courage to do what happened today—
Wei Zeling.
She was the only one who dared to lay a hand on herself right under He Mingxiao's nose without worrying about being blamed.
Nan Xian stared at her reflection in her phone screen and slowly revealed a cold smile.
Wei Zeling is still the same Wei Zeling, but she is no longer Nan Xian from her previous life.
Two "tap taps" interrupted her thoughts.
Nan Xian sat up straight. "Please come in."
The cameraman carried in his equipment and handed the clues to her.
This is a recipe for making "Throat-Locking Gu": three earthworms, a little horse manure, one Bauhinia flower, and three fruits of the mute grass.
Earthworms are called "dilong" (地龙), and horse manure might be used to feed them. So what is the purpose of the latter two?
She searched online and found out that "dumb grass" is the common name for the evergreen plant.
The sap of the variegated evergreen plant is highly toxic. If it comes into contact with the skin, it will cause unbearable itching. The fruit is even more toxic. If ingested, it can cause swelling and pain in the mouth and throat, and even cause loss of voice.
Prolonged contact with the pollen of the Bauhinia flower can trigger asthma or worsen cough symptoms...
In the travelogue she and Yu Lin found that day, there was a person who claimed to have been poisoned with "throat-locking poison," and the symptoms almost perfectly matched the toxic effects of these two plants.
When she saw that description that day, she guessed it might be an allergic reaction or poisoning, and upon looking at it, she was right.
"Throat-locking Gu" has nothing to do with Gu at all; it is the poisonous flowers and plants that have the effect!
Nan Xian suddenly understood.
The cameraman then popped up again and revealed an important piece of information to her: "The person with the most clues right now is Gu Changlin; he has already collected five clues."
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