Chapter 175: Surprise in Progress

Fang Wei fell silent, while Yin Shanshan’s expression grew increasingly frantic.

If everyone except Su Wanning were to be summoned to prepare a birthday surprise for Qin Jingchen, it certainly wouldn’t draw public criticism, but as for Su Wanning at that moment...

Fang Wei suddenly didn’t dare to imagine further.

If she were the one being ostracized and isolated by everyone, and facing the live broadcast cameras, Fang Wei shuddered to think how she would handle it.

For some reason, Fang Wei, who had always stood firmly by Yin Shanshan’s side, suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for Su Wanning in her heart. She couldn't help but speak up: "But if that's the case, won't Su Wanning be brutally mocked by the entire internet? She might even end up quitting the show by then."

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Yin Shanshan looked completely unconcerned and even nodded with a hint of excitement.

"So what? Every time I see her deliberately acting all lovey-dovey with President Qin on the show, it makes me sick. Pretentious guests like them should quit the show early. No, she shouldn't have even come here in the first place."

Having said this, Yin Shanshan belatedly noticed the strange look in Fang Wei’s eyes. Frowning, she scrutinized her expression and asked hesitatingly, "What do you mean? You aren't actually sympathizing with her, are you?"

"I definitely haven't." Fang Wei looked away guiltily, not daring to meet her gaze.

Yet having known each other for so long, Yin Shanshan could tell at a glance that Fang Wei was not being honest.

"Fang Wei, don't assume that just because Xiaotian was scared last time and Su Wanning boiled medicine for you, she was genuinely being nice to you. That woman has always been hypocritical; haven't you figured that out yet? Didn't she constantly argue with Yu Xin on the show before, and aren't they acting like biological sisters now?"

Just as she finished speaking, Yangyang walked into the bedroom from outside. The two exchanged glances, and neither continued the topic.

That night, Fang Wei lay awake until the late hours, her mind consumed by the thought of whether she should secretly tell Su Wanning about Yin Shanshan’s plan.

For some reason, she kept recalling the words Su Wanning had said to her when she had encountered her halfway down the mountain after being cyberbullied.

From that moment on, Fang Wei felt that Su Wanning was completely different from the image Yin Shanshan portrayed. Although Su Wanning did indeed intentionally target Yin Shanshan on the show, her attitude toward herself had always been quite neutral.

Waking up early the next morning, Fang Wei had faint dark circles under her eyes, looking thoroughly sleep-deprived. Yin Shanshan noticed, but because the live stream was starting early, she didn't say anything.

Taking advantage of the fact that the morning activities had not yet begun, Yin Shanshan went to find Wang Zan and informed him that the next day was Qin Jingchen's birthday.

"President Qin's birthday? Shouldn't the production team prepare something then? But why are you the one telling us instead of Su Wanning?"

Wang Zan felt both surprised and odd.

Yin Shanshan had already prepared her excuse.

"Su Wanning has long since been preparing a surprise for President Qin together with the two children. I just happened to overhear those two kids talking about it, so I came to find you today to see if our production team should prepare a birthday surprise for President Qin as well."

Wang Zan didn't harbor any suspicion and nodded. "I see. It's rare for President Qin to be on a show, so this is indeed a good opportunity to get closer to him."

Hearing Wang Zan say this, Yin Shanshan’s gaze deepened, but she immediately lowered her head to mask the disdain on her face.

"Shouldn't we still ask Su Wanning about it? After all, they are husband and wife, so she should know President Qin's preferences best, which would make it easier for us to make arrangements."

When Wang Zan mentioned notifying Su Wanning, Yin Shanshan hurriedly interjected, "How can we tell her? What I mean is, aren't you trying to ship their CP? This surprise needs to strongly highlight the theme of their deep marital affection, so we must keep it a secret from their entire family to make the effect even better."

Yin Shanshan had planned this long in advance, and Wang Zan naturally found no reason to object.

"Do you have any specific ideas?"

"I think we still need to tell the other guests. Given how big the scale was, if they haven't prepared gifts, President Qin might be displeased. However, these matters must be kept strictly confidential; we can't even leak it to the netizens, otherwise it will get out in advance and ruin the surprise."

Yin Shanshan had thought it through thoroughly, and Wang Zan had no reason to refuse. He nodded repeatedly as he listened, "Alright, let's do it just as you said. I'll take charge of notifying the other guests."

"Leave Yu Xin to you, and I can handle the rest."

After Yin Shanshan left the room, Chen Rui, who had remained silent all along, finally spoke up.

"Director, aren't Yin Shanshan and Su Wanning always at each other's throats? Why is she suddenly being so kind this time, even helping to organize a birthday party for her husband?"

"We don't need to get involved in their petty rivalries. We just need to maximize the show's benefits."

Wang Zan was well aware of Yin Shanshan's ulterior motives, but he naturally assumed she merely wanted to use this opportunity to brand Su Wanning as an unsupportive wife, never expecting things to escalate to such a serious degree.

That day, under the pretext of announcing a task, Wang Zan called Yu Xin into his room when no one else was around and turned off all the cameras to prevent netizens from prying into the secret.

Upon hearing the news, Yu Xin’s reaction was identical to his: "Shouldn't we notify Su Wanning first? After all, they are husband and wife."

"As it happens, they are the only real couple who have stayed the longest on the show, so we also want to use this opportunity to deliberately foster an atmosphere surrounding their marital bond. Therefore, this surprise can also be said to be meant for both of them simultaneously. If we can keep it strictly confidential, the effect will be even better."

Using Yin Shanshan's rationale, Yu Xin was quickly persuaded. Wang Zan didn't tell her that the idea came from Yin Shanshan, and Yu Xin harbored no suspicions.

Soon, everyone knew about it and began quietly preparing gifts for Qin Jingchen. Even Suisui and Niannian had their own arrangements, while Su Wanning remained completely oblivious, having cast the matter of Qin Jingchen's birthday to the farthest reaches of her mind.

After lunch that day, Wang Zan announced that group tasks would be conducted in the afternoon, assigning a specific plant from the forest to each pair.

"Whichever group brings back the plant corresponding to their picture first will be considered the winner, and shell rewards will be distributed according to their finishing order."

Naturally, Su Wanning and her family of four were grouped together. Holding the picture given by the director, Su Wanning led them straight toward the depths of the forest.

The picture showed a plant. Su Wanning, who had previously studied medicine, recognized that this herb only grew deep within dense forests, so she plunged straight into the woods. Soon, aside from their family of four, there were no other guests trailing behind them.