Chapter 427: Chapter 427

Wei Lan herself wasn’t in much better shape—her hair was so messy it could serve as a bird’s nest—but unlike Li Haidong, she wasn’t the type to fuss over these things. Being alive was better than anything else.

Wei Lan asked Zhou Rui for help, and Zhou Rui didn’t hesitate. He quickly found a spare men’s sports outfit.

The quality was terrible; the fabric felt coarse at a touch. But given the current circumstances, it was the best option available—after all, their luggage had gone up in flames along with the car.

Fortunately, this time Li Haidong didn’t nitpick. While he smacked his lips in disdain upon receiving the outfit, he obediently changed into it.

The night ended without further incident. The police chief personally apologized and arranged for a police car to escort Sang Ning and the group all the way to their hotel.

When they arrived at the hotel, everyone looked utterly defeated, as wilted as eggplants scorched by frost. Not one of them had any energy left.

Sang Ning was simply too exhausted and sleepy to muster up any strength.

The others, in addition to being physically drained, were also mentally shattered from the countless heart-pounding moments they’d experienced throughout the night. They were on the verge of going mad.

The hotel was actually a small guesthouse with a courtyard. When they arrived, instead of heading directly to their rooms, everyone rushed to the backyard courtyard. They gathered around a long table and began spilling out their pent-up emotions from the night.

The more they talked, the livelier they became; they looked ready to pull an all-nighter. Zhou Rui decided to bring out the alcohol he’d reserved for the wrap-up night on New Island.

Drinks paired with chatter—they talked and drank more and more.

Zhou Rui, leading by example, ended up drinking too much. As the alcohol took hold, he couldn’t hold back his tears. While wiping his eyes, he apologized to everyone, choking with emotion: "I’m so sorry, everyone. It’s all my fault this time—you’ve all suffered because of me. When I went to look for you, I had already prepared for the absolute worst. If anything had really happened to you, I was ready to follow you."

Zhou Rui was genuinely emotional, choking up as he spoke. Qin Feng, also emboldened by the drink, became sentimental as well. He reached out and pulled Zhou Rui over: "Director, I should be thanking you. I’ve never had to endure anything hard in my life before. Just one day with you, and I feel like I’ve gotten enough hardship to last a lifetime."

"You’re not exactly comforting me," Zhou Rui said, crying and laughing at the same time. The laughter came so suddenly that he burst a snot bubble, prompting Qin Feng to hurriedly push him away in disgust.

Lu Yujing, sitting directly across from Zhou Rui, was riddled with guilt and dread. She feared the group blaming her for not confirming with her friend beforehand and recklessly leading everyone into danger.

Since Zhou Rui had willingly taken the blame, Lu Yujing seized the opportunity to pile it all on him, trying to shift attention away from herself.

"Director Zhou, I have serious doubts about your professional competence. You’re producing a travel-themed show, yet you didn’t even properly research the destination before bringing such a large group here to a foreign country to film. Luckily, no one got hurt today. If something had happened, what good would it do for you to offer your life as recompense?" Lu Yujing’s tone was extraordinarily gentle, as if she were merely stating a fact.

Zhou Rui dared not defend himself. At once, he stood up and bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle: "I know saying ’sorry’ a million times won’t help. A mistake is a mistake—I admit it. I’ve already started arranging flights to head home soon. This time, the program’s halt is my fault, and I’ll take full responsibility. It’s all I can do."

"Xiao Zhou, did you consult us before booking return flights?" Li Haidong asked, tapping his finger firmly against the table with an authoritative tone.

Zhou Rui lowered his posture even further: "Then, when would you like to return?"

Wei Lan interjected: "Xiao Zhou, Old Li’s point is why should the program be stopped now? The trouble is resolved, and none of us were seriously harmed. Why cancel the show just like that?" For more chapters visıt novel fire.net

Li Haidong exchanged a satisfied look with Wei Lan—his wife always knew what he meant.

If anyone had a reason to quit, it was him—he’d taken quite the beating. Yet he hadn’t once thought about bailing, while Zhou Rui, who hadn’t been punched even once, wanted to throw in the towel halfway.

"Huh?" Zhou Rui was momentarily stunned. He thought that after what had happened, the guests being kind enough not to sue the production team was already a blessing—he hadn’t dared to imagine they would agree to continue filming.

"You all still want to keep recording?" Zhou Rui asked, astonished and elated.

"Record—why not? We signed the agreement. What, is the production team planning to lead the charge in breaching the contract?" Li Haidong said seriously, without a hint of joking.

Lu Yujing felt uneasy. She couldn’t understand why Li Haidong was insisting—how could a contract be more important than their lives? With the Li Family’s wealth, they could buy out the entire production team if they wanted. Why worry about breaching a contract?

Zhou Rui started crying again but then laughed through his tears. Once again, he embarrassingly burst a snot bubble: "No breaches! No breaches! As long as you’re willing to stay, the program will go on as planned!"

"I’m in," Li Haidong said, raising his hand in agreement. He then added, "But I can’t make this decision alone—we need everyone’s input."

Zhou Rui clung to a shred of hope; as long as not too many people opted out, the program could continue. He eagerly looked at the group, hoping to hear unanimous agreement to stay.

Sang Ning, curled up in her chair, lazily yawned before raising her hand: "I’m not in. Director Zhou, please arrange the earliest flight back for me—I want to go home."

Zhou Rui’s face froze instantly. He’d anticipated every possible person who might quit, but not Sang Ning.

After all, she’d had the guts to charge in and rescue people single-handedly. Now that the pirates had been dealt with, what was there for her to fear?

The others hadn’t expected it either. Li Haidong tried to provoke her: "Weren’t you fearless just now? What’s with the cowardice now?"

Li Haidong didn’t want her to leave—he suddenly felt like having her around made things more interesting.

But Sang Ning wasn’t fazed by his attempt to rile her up. Instead, she candidly admitted: "Yeah, I’m a coward. I’m scared, so I’m leaving—is that not allowed?"

Lu Yujing felt elated upon hearing Sang Ning’s response. If it weren’t for trying to score points in front of Li Haidong and Wei Lan, she wouldn’t have wanted to stay in this lousy program either.

But since Li Haidong had already stated he wouldn’t quit, she didn’t dare openly leave. Now that Sang Ning had taken the lead, she seized the opportunity to align herself with her decision, knowing criticism would be directed at Sang Ning rather than herself.

Lu Yujing quickly raised her hand: "Director Zhou, I’m not feeling well—I’d like to go back too."

Seeing two teammates in quick succession deciding to quit, Jiang Xiaoti looked visibly disappointed: "Huh? Why are you all leaving?"

She, timid as she was, hadn’t even considered abandoning the program halfway through. How was it that Sang Ning, who seemed bold, was actually the first to give up?

"Sister Sangsang, if you leave, I’ll go with you," Song Shiye promptly chimed in. Since Zhou Rui admitted fault, it was easy for him to explain things to his company if he left.

"If everyone starts leaving, what’s the point of continuing? I’m out too," Qin Feng muttered. Without Sang Ning around, his motivation was fading fast.

He’d hoped to stick around and see what Sang Ning’s reaction would be once she learned the truth about Li Haidong and Wei Lan’s identities.