"Bang—"
The camera that Zhou Niannian had patted flew a considerable distance before being caught by Jiang Fan.
This was Hu Carol's technology, capable of recharging the store, so protecting it was paramount.
The middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the camera was undamaged; at least he wouldn't have to use another one.
Meanwhile, the viewers in the live stream, upon seeing Zhou Niannian's appearance, burst into laughter.
"I'm balanced now. Staying up late, whether for ordinary people or female streamers, is just too much, hahaha!"
"Thanks to the black technology camera, which can even capture the pores on Sister Zhou's face. It's too powerful!"
"Before, it was just my mouth that was no good. Now... actually, I can accept bare faces too!"
Zhou Niannian's fans were enthusiastically commenting, completely disregarding her appearance.
Zhou Ye, watching this scene from his dorm room, couldn't help but cover his forehead.
It was too embarrassing!
She had looked so groggy at home before, and now she was appearing on camera.
And with millions of viewers watching her.
While internally complaining, his phone suddenly rang.
Zhou Ye picked up the call.
"Hello? Dad, Mom."
"...It's okay. She's doing well on the island, has food, drinks, and a place to live."
"She hasn't lost weight; she's gained some."
Zhou Ye looked at Zhou Niannian, who was running back on the screen.
Her back now looked at least a circle wider than when she was at home.
While others suffered in the wilderness, she was gaining weight. Truly one of a kind.
After appeasing his parents, and having finished his thesis the day before, Zhou Ye sat at his desk and, after some thought, began editing highlight videos of Jiang Fan and Zhou Niannian.
His parents were already urging him.
Lin Yang had woken up early to go to the library to finish his thesis.
He was the only one left in the dorm, with only the sounds from the live stream on his computer.
Zhou Ye glanced at the comments. During his phone call, the discussion in the live stream had shifted again.
"God Jiang is different; still so handsome!"
"Wait, what did Sister Zhou say about shifts? God Jiang didn't sleep last night, did he?"
"Blind guess, you've found the key point! God Jiang really... six days awake, two days sleeping. I'm crying. What kind of sleep-deprivation champion is this?"
The audience, after mocking Zhou Niannian's appearance, had shifted their focus to discovering Jiang Fan's sleep deprivation, all within a few seconds.
Some were bewildered, not yet having processed the information.
What???
He stayed up late again???
As long as he doesn't die, he'll keep staying up, right?
In the studio, Bear Grylls, seeing the obvious hole in the floor of the bamboo house and the pile of firewood, understood the reason.
"Look at the campfire on the floor. That fire provides warmth and comfort indoors, but one thing is crucial: someone has to watch it all night, or the house could easily burn down."
"Jiang Fan must have stayed up all night guarding the bamboo house to prevent it from being destroyed."
He couldn't help but admire him.
Building a complete bamboo house in an afternoon was already a feat.
Not to mention the various clever details within it.
The campfire on the ground was one, and he even noticed the hole for storing firewood beneath the floor.
It was incredible; it didn't look like something made in an "emergency" at all.
It was as if he had a blueprint in his mind, readily available when needed.
Bear Grylls' explanation made everyone understand why Jiang Fan had stayed up so late.
Some contrarians, before they could even argue about him staying up late, were silenced by Bear Grylls' explanation, much to their chagrin, though they could do nothing about it.
The comments in the live stream remained calm for a moment.
The heavy rain continued outside, but the interior remained quiet and tranquil. This atmosphere was something other contestants could only dream of; it was too perfect.
It was undoubtedly the best among the remaining teams.
However, Bear Grylls' explanation also revealed that this tranquility and warmth came at a price.
Staying up all night was a significant issue.
But since it was raining today, at least they could catch up on some sleep during the day when there was nothing else to do.
This was a comforting thought.
Zhou Niannian's shouts were loud; she had no intention of hiding her voice.
Dai Xiaomei, in the same bamboo house, was eventually woken up, even if she hadn't been fully awake.
She slowly walked out, and the first thing she saw were the three cameras still flying and bobbing around.
Dai Xiaomei also heard Jiang Fan's words. Looking at the cameras, her gaze darkened, a hint of disgust flashing across her eyes.
"New cameras?"
They were just tools for monitoring them, albeit beautified.
This realization truly depressed her, and a flood of dark emotions surged within her, intensifying with Mu Zi's departure.
The expression on her face deepened, and she felt an urge to rush over and smash the cameras.
The hatred in her heart grew and festered.
The next second, a hand landed on her shoulder, with a slight force, as if reminding her not to lose composure in their current environment.
Dai Xiaomei turned her head.
It was Zhou Niannian, who had tidied her hair and clothes.
She said, half-jokingly,
"What's wrong? Mu Zi leaving had such a big impact on you?"
"Sister. Are you going to perform that?"
"I'm going to turn dark!!!"
As Zhou Niannian spoke, she gestured wildly, deliberately making exaggerated movements.
The viewers watching the live stream were instantly captivated by her reaction.
Dai Xiaomei's expression, under her imitation, gradually became comical.
The comments also started to play along with the memes.
"Ahhh! I can't take it anymore, I'm going to turn dark!"
"Dai Xiaomei has it too hard. Mu Zi is gone, and she's left to survive alone in the wilderness. Sadness is inevitable, but turning dark... hahaha!"
"Is there a possibility that the old woman just got back into her streaming mode and started acting?"
Fortunately, Dai Xiaomei had indulged in dramatic acting more than once during her previous streams, so the viewers were used to it.
Lele looked at the comments, utterly speechless. These fans were truly carefree.
Looking at Dai Xiaomei's expression, it wasn't pure sadness.
It seemed to be hatred towards something, but she couldn't articulate what it was.
Nor did she intend to.
Just as she was about to say something, the camera suddenly went black.
Lele: ???
Viewers: ???
The abrupt darkness caught them off guard.
The director quickly switched to another sphere camera, 'The Observer,' and only then did they see Jiang Fan withdrawing his hand.
He held the camera that had been pointed at Dai Xiaomei in his hand, motionless.
"If you don't want it on, just turn it off. Thinking so much."
"You..."
Dai Xiaomei hadn't fully registered what happened. She opened her mouth, and in the end, only managed to say,
"How did you do that?"
"There's a trigger here. Press it, and it turns off... probably."
He said, still fiddling with the now-unpowered little sphere in his hand, unaware of the immense impact this action had on others.
Especially the director, who was also watching the live stream. Seeing this scene, he almost screamed,
"Is this fucking cheating?! He actually knew that?!"