In the middle of the night, Xu Chao felt the woman in his arms had settled into a steady breathing pattern. He carefully shifted her out of his embrace.
Then, he cautiously crawled out of the sleeping bag and began searching for a signal with his phone.
Sun Wenli was awakened by the cold. Having been cuddled with Xu Chao before sleeping, half of her body had already slipped out of the sleeping bag, which was why she felt so chilly.
She crawled back into the sleeping bag and zipped it up tightly. After sleeping for a while, she realized something was off—where had Xu Chao gone?
"Xu Chao? Xu Chao?" She called out a few times, but received no response. However, seeing that his backpack and other climbing gear were still there, she assumed he had gone to look for a signal or to relieve himself.
Initially, she wanted to continue sleeping, but after lying back in her warm sleeping bag, she found it impossible to feel sleepy. She decided to take out her phone and watch some videos for a bit.
But the video wouldn't load; the little circle kept spinning. There was no signal in the mountains.
"No wonder he ran off…" Sun Wenli muttered to herself. She crawled out of the sleeping bag, unsure of where Xu Chao had gone to find a signal. She didn't dare venture far, so she held her phone and moved a little away to search for a signal.
Fortunately, even though they were near the border, she could still catch a faint signal. Her phone displayed two bars of service. Finally able to connect with the outside world, she quickly opened the map. However, this area of forest wasn't developed, and the mountain paths weren't registered on the map. Only by getting to the road at the foot of the mountain could she activate the navigation.
Feeling disheartened, Sun Wenli closed the navigation app. What kind of ridiculous place had Xu Chao brought her to? She vowed never to go camping with him again.
At that moment, her phone received a notification: "The streamer you follow is live now, come and check it out..."
"Huh? Zhuang Zhou Meng Die is live? Didn't she take a break?" Sun Wenli wondered, opening the live stream. She was delighted to see that the broadcast was indeed happening.
Since Xu Chao was busy waiting and bored, she thought it would be a great idea to watch her favorite streamer for a while.
Just in time, she caught the live stream's red envelope lottery event, one of the favorite activities for online viewers, often humorously referred to as the selection of the "Great Fool."
Almost everyone selected as the "Great Fool" had abysmal luck; they either got scammed or misled in various ways.
In the live stream, Xiang Wan also noticed the lucky viewer who had snagged a red envelope in the background: "Is the lovely viewer Lili here?"
"Ah!" Sun Wenli, still waiting in the mountains, suddenly jumped up excitedly: "Is it my turn? Is it really my turn?"
The red envelope displayed a winning amount of 0.88, which was proof of her victory. It was simply too cool!
However, she quickly remembered that this segment was also called the path to becoming a "Great Fool," and her excitement was tinged with worry. Still, her joy ultimately outweighed her concerns.
Oh my God, this is Zhuang Zhou Meng Die! She drew me in front of millions of viewers in her live stream! Even if I become a "Great Fool," it's worth it!
When Xiang Wan asked if she wanted to connect, Sun Wenli didn't hesitate and sent a thousand yuan to accept the connection.
At that moment, the viewers in Xiang Wan's live stream saw nothing but a dark screen and a blurry face.
"Outdoor?"
"Sneaking around? Are they poaching?"
"Poaching? This is a young lady we're talking about! If you said she was stealing, I might believe you."
"It looks like it's surrounded by woods. What is she doing here so late? Digging for treasure?"
"Come on, everyone, don't be ridiculous!"
Xiang Wan ignored the playful banter from the viewers in the live stream and turned her attention to Sun Wenli: "Lili Chao Kawaii, what do you want to consult about?"
Sun Wenli thought seriously for a moment. It seemed like there was really nothing much to consult about! She had a happy family, a good relationship with her boyfriend, and was planning to take him home to meet her parents soon to discuss marriage.
Currently, she was very satisfied with her life and truly had nothing to inquire about.
Xiang Wan smiled slightly, as if she could see through her thoughts: "You think life is smooth, without worries, and you even consider giving up this fortune-telling opportunity for someone else, right?"
Sun Wenli wasn't surprised and honestly nodded: "As expected of Zhuang Zhou Meng Die, what you said is exactly what I was thinking."
Xiang Wan glanced at the dark, dense woods around her and shook her head: "Do you know that when you agreed to go camping with your boyfriend, you were already inviting danger?"
Sun Wenli, who had been feeling quite comfortable, tightened her skin involuntarily upon hearing the streamer's words.
"Anchor, did you know I was camping?"
"Are you with Xu Chao?"
At this point, Sun Wenli sat up straight in shock. Before she could say anything, Xiang Wan said, "To ensure your safety, you need to leave this area immediately."
Sun Wenli immediately got up and moved to a farther place, hiding in a bush that concealed her figure.
The viewers in the live stream became excited.
"Every time I watch Zhuang Zhou Meng Die's live stream, it feels like a crowd gathered around a murder scene—it's so thrilling!"
"This is the prelude to something big!"
"Indeed, the people who enter Zhuang Zhou Meng Die's live stream are never just peaceful souls."
"I've said this is a selection for the big foolish ones…"
"There are always people in constant danger in this world. If Zhuang Zhou Meng Die can save even one person, it's worth it."
"I really envy everyone who has been saved by her. If one day I find myself in a dangerous situation, I'd hope for Zhuang Zhou Meng Die to appear the most."
Xiang Wan looked at Sun Wenli, whose expression was grave, and clearly articulated, "Listen closely to what I'm about to say. Hide well. You can think of this as a game of hide-and-seek where losing means losing your life."
Sun Wenli trembled all over; the mountain breeze that had felt cool moments ago now felt chillingly ominous. "主播,到底发生什么了?" ("主播, what's happening?")
"Xu Chao's purpose in taking you camping isn't for relaxation; he plans to sell you across the border to Myanmar. You're the sixth girl he's dealt with like this."
"The wealthy persona he shows you—with luxury cars and mansions—is funded by human trafficking. You are his means to make money, do you understand?"
Sun Wenli shook her head, wanting to say something, but Xiang Wan hushed her softly: "I know you have many questions. Why don't you follow my advice and proceed cautiously? I'll help you find him, okay?"
"Go past this bush, and to the left, there's a small path. Keep going on this path for fifty meters, and there will be a fork—take the right path…"
Sun Wenli was a compliant viewer, following Xiang Wan's instructions strictly. It was too dark, and to avoid being discovered by the brightness of her phone screen, she lowered the brightness. In the darkness, she finally became less conspicuous.
However, this came at the cost of the viewing experience for the audience in the live stream.
"Ahhh, I'm starting to hate it when the goes live at night!"
"Me too! It was the same with Shen Ning's incident; that guy kept his phone tucked away, so I could only hear him huffing and puffing as he rushed along."
Despite this, no one wanted to leave the live stream; they eagerly listened for the developments that would follow.