After Transmigrating into a Book, I Ended Up with My Dream Omega - Chapter 17

Everywhere lay the aftermath of the storm’s fury: snapped branches, scattered leaves, and muddy puddles.

Yet, Xia Xiangzhen could not see a single trace of the production staff she so desperately wanted to find.

She knew that the crew had to find their own shelter during the night, but now that the wind had died down and only a light drizzle remained, their continued absence was glaring. This transformed her self-reproach—the guilt of knowing the plot yet still letting Yin Xiaowei fall ill—into a sharp resentment directed toward the show’s producers.

“I have a feeling they don’t want this show to continue,” Xia Xiangzhen said through gritted teeth.

【What a “CEO-style” declaration! I love it.】

【Seeing President Xia working like a tireless ox these past few days, I almost forgot she’s actually the biggest investor in this variety show.】

【With a threat like that from the boss, is the crew in trouble? Let’s wait and see.】

【FIGHT! FIGHT! I love it when the sponsors and the producers go at each other. Grabs popcorn and water.】

【This is a variety show, not a death match. It’s honestly getting a bit tragic.】

While the production crew had retreated to their own shelter to dodge the storm, they were monitoring the guests via the cameras at all times.

However, seeing things through a lens is never as fast as being there in person. It wasn’t until Xia Xiangzhen touched Yin Xiaowei’s forehead and uttered the word “fever” that the crew realized three of the guests had fallen ill simultaneously.

On one hand, they immediately dispatched staff and the team doctor to the guests’ location; on the other, they held an emergency meeting to discuss the PR impact and how to handle the situation.

The producers were facing a massive headache. They had anticipated that guests might fall ill, but they hadn’t expected it to happen so soon, nor in such high numbers.

As soon as the news broke, posts and comments on Weibo began exploding. With every refresh, a flood of new comments appeared, and related keywords shot up the trending charts. Because the show’s new live-streaming format had seized a huge market share, competitors were quick to jump on the opportunity. They began slamming the show’s live system, claiming the producers were sending guests with zero survival experience to their deaths.

Amidst the chaos of PR damage control, they now had to deal with the dissatisfaction of their primary investor and the very real threat of her pulling funding.

While the producers were frantically meeting, the staff and medical team finally reached the shelter. The doctor performed a quick check on the three sick guests and confirmed they had colds and fevers due to exposure.

“I need to ask: do you wish to send them to the hospital in Honiara for treatment, or treat them here?” the doctor asked.

“Hospital,” Xia Xiangzhen said firmly.

“Treat them here,” the Assistant Director said at the same time.

The Chief Director was still in the meeting, so only an Assistant Director with full authority was present. But even with that authority, they couldn’t afford to let three guests be hospitalized on only the second day of the show.

Facing Xia Xiangzhen’s icy, murderous gaze, the Assistant Director could only stammer, “How about… we ask for their opinion?”

“In this state? How exactly do you plan on asking them?” Xia Xiangzhen’s gaze became even more piercing.

“How about this, Doctor: tell us the treatment plan and we’ll start basic care here first. Once they stabilize, we’ll ask them. If they choose to leave for the hospital, our crew will absolutely not delay their treatment,” the Assistant Director negotiated.

“Once they are stabilized and facing the cameras, will they really feel they have a second choice?” Xia Xiangzhen asked, staring the Assistant Director down.

The Assistant Director gave a forced laugh. “We’re just respecting the guests’ personal wishes.”

【This Assistant Director is quite the silver-tongued devil. But the facts are exactly as Xia Xiangzhen says—once they’re on camera, can they really choose to quit?】

【This crew really doesn’t care about the guests’ health. These people came for a variety show, not a suicide mission.】

【The producers are putting them on the spot. If they choose the hospital, they’ll be branded as “unprofessional” by the public. They’re basically forced to stay.】

【Trash producers. Boycott them.】

Normally, the crew didn’t use the “Mass Mute” tool on the live chat unless the bickering got out of hand or touched on sensitive topics. But with various competitors using the illness as a way to manipulate public opinion, the crew began banning IDs left and right. The frantic stream of comments was instantly wiped clean.

Stalling further wouldn’t help Yin Xiaowei’s condition. Even if Xia Xiangzhen wanted to send her to the hospital, she needed the crew to coordinate transport. Only after this episode ended and they returned home would she have total control.

Xia Xiangzhen compromised. “Let the doctor start the treatment then.”

Seeing an agreement had been reached, the doctor spoke up. “First, they need to change out of these wet clothes and stay warm. Since this island doesn’t have the best facilities, you’d better provide sleeping bags and dry firewood. Once they warm up, I’ll start them on an IV drip. That’s the fastest way to recover.”

The Assistant Director didn’t hesitate. He sent staff back to bring female Omega crew members to help with the clothes and fetch the supplies the doctor requested.

The dry firewood was a godsend. Their own supply had been nearly exhausted during the night, and all the wood in the forest was currently soaked.

Once the three most critical patients were attended to, the doctor checked the other three. They were fine, though they had caught a slight chill. With a doctor on-site, Xia Xiangzhen finally felt a bit relieved.

Since the show was continuing and the rain had stopped, she decided to resume the activities that had been interrupted. She and Wei Lan lifted the pot of rainwater onto the fire and retrieved the two baskets of seafood from the pit. They washed the seaweed and added it to the pot, then began shucking the shellfish to add alongside the sliced octopus once the water boiled.

“What about the bird eggs? Poached or grilled? How do you want them?” Xia Xiangzhen asked.

“Grill them,” Yu Yayue said, taking the eggs. “There’s already too much seafood in the pot; adding eggs might make the flavor too muddled. I’ll handle this; I’ve got ‘extensive experience’ now.”

“Watch the pot then. I’m going to check the trap from yesterday to see if we caught anything. After a storm, we might find some scavenged food too,” Xia Xiangzhen said, picking up her machete.

“Be careful.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be quick.”

True to her word, Xia Xiangzhen didn’t stay out long. The trap was full of water but empty of animals. However, she found several small birds on the forest floor that hadn’t survived the storm. She gathered them and headed back.

By the time she returned, the crew had changed the sick guests’ clothes and tucked them into sleeping bags. The IV drips were already running.

As Xia Xiangzhen returned with the birds, Wei Lan added the seafood to the boiling pot and pulled the mud-covered bird eggs out of the fire. “Two minutes and we eat,” Wei Lan said.

The aroma of seafood soup began to fill the shelter. The crew members, who hadn’t had breakfast themselves, found their mouths watering at the scent.

The doctor looked at the pot. “You should feed the patients some soup to warm their stomachs. They can have some bird egg too for nutrition.”

【Isn’t this just creating an opportunity for our President Xia? I bet she’s laughing like a maniac inside.】

【Xia Xiangzhen: This doctor is so helpful, I’m giving her a private bonus!】

【Talk about an unexpected windfall! She wanted to send her to the hospital a moment ago, but look how fast the ‘surprise’ came. (Exclusive to Xia Xiangzhen)】

Xia Xiangzhen tried her best to suppress her rising smile, putting on a stoic face. “We’ll each take responsibility for one person.”

The other two glanced at her, knowing exactly what she was going to say next. Sure enough, Xia Xiangzhen couldn’t wait to blurt out:

“Then I’ll take care of Sister Xiaowei.”

With the IV running, dry clothes on, and a warm sleeping bag by a fire, the three sick guests had stabilized. They lay there listening to the others talk. They had been semi-conscious, but simply too cold, exhausted, and pained to speak.

Yin Xiaowei had actually felt a touch moved. She had been reflecting on her attitude toward Xia Xiangzhen. After all, regardless of how many times she rejected her, Xia Xiangzhen truly remained good to her. Her panic when she fell ill was genuine, and her willingness to ignore the financial loss of stopping the broadcast just to get them to a hospital was also real.

But now… forget it.

Xia Xiangzhen had proven that she was the type of person who, if given a drop of water, would turn it into a flood.

Yin Xiaowei decided she wouldn’t give her the chance for the flood to start.