Renee Morgan squatted on the ground to tie her shoelaces, pretending not to hear Lynn Miller's question.
No matter if someone reminds Zara Chapman or not, Zara is going to wear that outfit. Embarrassment is inevitable, and Lynn, as a regular person, really doesn't need to argue with her. Some fans of celebrities are seriously crazy—they'll blame Zara's embarrassment on Lynn. It's best not to meddle in this sort of "good intentions gone bad" drama.
The seven of them just rested for a moment, and soon the show's staff brought their suitcases over.
Zara Chapman was overjoyed, quickly found a suitable outfit to change into, and before she could fix her makeup, the three instructors showed up again.
He wanted to check their bags; once they entered the secret base, any makeup products and items unrelated to training were off limits.
"Secret base?" someone asked in confusion, "Aren't we training with the military? Isn't this the core of the barracks?"
"Plans changed last minute. You've got one minute," the instructor said, no explanations, stone-cold.
Renee Morgan and the others froze for a split-second, then started unpacking at lightning speed. Before they could grab anything, the instructor's icy voice boomed overhead, "You have thirty-five seconds left."
"..."
Renee knew the military rules, didn't bring much, took out all the makeup, picked a few basic skincare items and daily clothes, then stood up quickly.
Lynn's luggage was simple—just a few bottles of chili sauce she asked the instructor about, wondering if she could bring them.
The instructor: "..."
Face dark and strict, the instructor stayed silent. Lynn took that as tacit approval, grinned, and zipped up her backpack.
Miles Yates, like Renee, only packed a few outfits and basic toiletries.
The other three male team members were even more minimalist, bringing only a face wash, moisturizer, and a few sets of clothes.
Zara had a whole mess of bottles and jars spread out on the floor…
The instructor walked over and said bluntly, "These are makeup?" He'd said no makeup allowed.
Zara hurried to explain, "No, these are all skincare! They all have it too…" she pointed at Renee and Miles.
The instructor: "Only three types allowed."
Zara looked at Renee and Miles—they had no more than three bottles—and then at the other team members, who didn't even have three. For a split second, she felt like crying. Why did it feel like the instructor was always targeting her?
Seeing Zara standing there with a pout, the instructor walked past all of them and spoke coldly, "With me, orders are absolute. If you can't do that, get out early."
Zara really wanted to leave without looking back, but then remembered all the contracts she'd signed—she couldn't move. She might be proud, but years in the industry had toughened her up mentally.
She immediately squatted, grabbed a few outfits and three basic skincare bottles, and stood back up.
The rest of the stuff was packed away by the show's staff and taken back to the car.
The instructor told them to get on the bus, took them out of the military base, and headed to the secret base; from here on, the entire show would be set there.
"Morgan, why do you think they suddenly changed locations?" Lynn actually wanted to ask the instructor up front, but seeing his face all serious and gloomy, figured even if she asked, she wouldn't get much of an answer.
"No idea." After getting in the car, Renee finally had time to recall details from her dream; she'd missed the first few days of filming due to severe allergies. Lynn and the others had always filmed at the base, so why the sudden change?
The other male team members were also discussing it, while the three instructors sitting up front kept their eyes straight ahead.
Renee got a bad feeling, gripped the handrail, and actually felt like jumping out of the car.
"Morgan, what are you doing?" Lynn's voice snapped Renee out of it. Embarrassed, she said, "I… I just felt a sudden bump, that's all."
The instructor in the front heard every word: "..."
It's not like they're off-roading—what bump?
The instructor glanced in the rearview mirror and saw that Renee was gripping the handrail even tighter. Looks like this girl is pretty alert.
But being alert won't help; doesn't she know the investors for this show are "Adventurer"?
The instructor kept his eyes ahead, spotted a middle-aged man waving up front, and signaled the driver to pull over.
When the middle-aged man rushed over, panting, Renee finally recognized him as the show director.
The director asked the instructor's car to go first, saying they needed to pick up a female contestant from the hospital.
The instructor frowned, apparently not thrilled about a sick female joining the shoot.
The director seemed to realize the misunderstanding and quickly explained, "I just found out, she went to the hospital early this morning. She just called to say she's only a little allergic, filming won't be delayed, but insisted I pick her up. You know the contract isn't in my hands—if she breaches, it's a problem… I'd let it slide, but that big company over there will stick to legal procedures…"
The instructor was silent for a few seconds, then nodded, "As long as she knows how tough the training is."
Everything had to be voluntary—no forcing anyone.
Renee didn't expect Wendy Aldridge to go to the hospital for allergies and still be in a hurry to record the show.
Makes sense though; in her dream, she never suspected allergies at first, thought it was dirty hotel sheets, bought some basic ointment and went into the base. In the blazing sun, her skin got seriously burned, so she went to the army's medical office. The instructor told her to rest, but by the third day it got worse and she finally went to the hospital.
Wendy was just feeling guilty, knowing it wasn't regular itchiness but exposure to allergy meds, so she went for treatment right away—shouldn't be too serious.
Renee thought about what the director said, and quietly asked Lynn beside her, "Which company is listed as the contract signer for you?"
Lynn thought for a bit and answered aloud, "Seems like a big company, ranked internationally—what's it called, Apex Conglomerate?"
Lynn's a regular person, so the pay for this show isn't bad—at least several times her usual salary. The director handed her those complicated agreements; since there wasn't an outrageous penalty, she just signed without fuss.
Renee: "???"
Is this show really that big a deal?
Renee was puzzled; her contract was signed by her agency, she hadn't seen the details, and now her phone wasn't even with her. Couldn't ask Warren for details either.
The car arrived, and after about an hour, the director's car finally dashed over in a hurry.
The first to get off was the eldest PD, carrying equipment, pointing the camera at the car door. Next, a delicate yet resilient girl got out—it was Wendy Aldridge, the one who hadn't shown up in the morning. She gently brushed her long hair, looking fragile and like a little white flower.
Everyone in the livestream room was sending messages expressing sympathy.
They all knew about the morning's mix-up: Wendy Aldridge hadn't showed up—not Renee Morgan quitting the show.