Mom's Back. The Villain Triplets Are in Trouble.

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Finally Setting Out

Gu Qingyin hurriedly explained, trying to shift the blame.

”This is all a misunderstanding! I was just taking a stroll, but the cameraman got bitten by a poisonous insect. The camera hit the ground and the screen went black. It took me some time to neutralize the poison for him...”

”Right, and there’s really no signal in the woods. I wanted to let you guys know...”

”On the way back, he had an injury on his foot, and since he’d just had the poison neutralized, his stamina wasn’t up to par, so we were a bit slow.”

The cameraman, sitting off to the side, had been nodding in agreement at first. But the more he listened, the more something felt off. ’How did this all end up being my fault?’

The cameraman felt wronged, but he didn’t dare say anything. After all, who was he to argue with the person who had saved his life?

The director’s tense expression relaxed slightly. He looked around and asked, ”Where’s Lin Xiaoyun?”

Gu Qingyin blinked and asked in return, ”She’s missing too?”

The director’s heart leaped back into his throat. ”She wasn’t with you!?”

Gu Qingyin retorted in shock, ”How could she possibly be with me!” ’Anyone with eyes can see we don’t get along.’

The director’s vision went dark. He said weakly, ”Let’s just call the police!”

After listening to the frantic, overlapping explanations from the people nearby, Gu Qingyin understood what had happened.

Lin Xiaoyun had most likely seen her heading into the woods and secretly followed her in. But because Gu Qingyin walked too fast, Lin Xiaoyun couldn’t keep up for long and lost her, getting lost in the woods herself. That was why she hadn’t returned.

As for why Lin Xiaoyun had followed her... Gu Qingyin sneered. ’She must have been up to no good again, but it looks like she reaped what she sowed.’

Gu Qingyin really didn’t want to get involved, but seeing the director look like he was about to have a heart attack, she didn’t have the heart to refuse. After all, she had just caused him some trouble.

With a sigh, Gu Qingyin said, ”I’ll go back and look for her. She probably didn’t go too deep into the woods.” ’Any deeper and she would’ve reached the edge of the Barrier.’

”No!” the director rejected her outright. ”We should just call the police. What if you go in and get lost too?”

Gu Qingyin was very confident. ”I won’t. I have a great sense of direction, and my wilderness survival skills aren’t bad. There are a lot of poisonous insects and snakes in those woods. Every minute we delay is another minute of danger.”

The director was a little swayed but still insisted they should call the police first. The phrase ”if you have a problem, find the police” seemed to be etched into his very DNA.

The producer, looking worried, chimed in, trying to persuade him. ”Let’s let Teacher Gu go in and look first. She has experience; what if she finds her right away? Besides, even if we call the police, it’ll take time for them to get here. We can’t just sit around and wait.”

The director was finally convinced. He compromised, ”Get a few more people to go in with Teacher Gu. You must guarantee your own safety!”

Five minutes later, Gu Qingyin was about to set off with two tall, sturdy cameramen, shouldering the equipment packs prepared by the production team, when Huo Xinghai’s voice came from behind her. ”I’ll go with you.”

Gu Qingyin looked back, her immediate instinct to refuse.

Huo Xinghai beat her to it. ”If my brother finds out I let you go in alone, he’ll kill me.”

The two cameramen standing nearby, their presence suddenly very strong, glanced at each other. ’So, what are we, chopped liver?’

Gu Qingyin: ”...Fine.” ’It doesn’t matter who comes along. It’s not like I’m afraid of Huo Xingye getting mad!’

Director: ’...Does anyone care about my opinion? There are six guests in total, and suddenly three of them are gone. Are they trying to make my show go off-air?!’

The producer was also getting a headache, but he was in no position to stop Huo Xinghai. With a decisive wave of his hand, he made a call. ”Halt the broadcast!”

The announcement posted in the livestream chat, a blatant attempt to cover things up, read: ”Due to accidental damage to filming equipment, the live broadcast is temporarily suspended. We will be back online as soon as repairs are successfully completed.”

The audience: ’Are you trying to fool a bunch of idiots?!’

But, you know, some people actually believed it.

Just as Huo Xinghai finally finished his preparations and they were about to enter the woods, Lin Xian came over, his eyes shining. ”A jungle expedition? Can I come too?”

Gu Qingyin, mentally exhausted, rolled her eyes. ”No.”

”Take me with you! I’m a medical student!” Lin Xian said proudly, as if he were a renowned doctor with the touch of life, not just a student.

Just as Gu Qingyin was trying to think of a way to refuse, the director slapped his thigh. ”Where’s the on-set doctor? Have her go with them!”

Gu Qingyin was speechless. ’Why are more and more people joining? We’re just going into the woods to find one person. There’s no need to mobilize a whole army, is there?’

Finally, the large party assembled and set off.

”Where on earth is that opening? We searched for a long time before...”

The words were barely out of his mouth when a gap more than a meter wide appeared right in front of them. It looked as if something had crashed through, leaving behind an uneven break, tinged with black.

The cameraman who had just spoken stared with wide eyes, looking as if he’d seen a ghost. ’We passed by this spot several times! How could we miss such a huge opening? Even if one person missed it, it’s impossible for everyone to have missed it! This is too weird!’

The cameraman’s face turned pale. He looked around in a panic, his feet seemingly nailed to the spot, completely still.

Gu Qingyin glanced back at him without any particular expression. In a normal tone, she said, ”If you’re not feeling well, don’t follow. Go back.”

The doctor also glanced back, sneering inwardly with a deadpan expression. ’I’ve been a doctor for nearly ten years. I can tell if someone is really sick or just faking it with one look.’

’For such a big guy, he’s surprisingly timid. Is that supposed to be cute or something?’

Just as the group was about to enter the forest, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from behind.

Everyone turned to see, not particularly surprised, Huo Zhao Hua.

Huo Zhao Hua’s face was pale. He ran, panting heavily, past the cameraman who was frozen in place and stopped beside Gu Qingyin.

He had obviously rushed over as soon as he heard the news, not even taking the time to change out of his diving suit.

Huo Zhao Hua had come ashore a bit later than Huo Xinghai. He’d wanted to catch more fish to give her a better meal that night, only to get ashore and hear that she was missing.

Gu Qingyin glanced at Huo Zhao Hua, said nothing, and turned to leave.

Huo Zhao Hua let out a sigh of relief and quickly followed.

The cameraman watched the group disappear into the opening. He stood there for a while longer before turning to head back, mainly because his legs had gone soft and he was just now recovering...

There were five people in the party: Gu Qingyin, Huo Xinghai, a cameraman, the doctor, and the just-arrived Huo Zhao Hua.

The cameraman was a middle-aged man named Tian Gang. He was powerfully built with dark skin, the type of person who looked like you wouldn’t want to mess with him. But when he smiled, he looked incredibly honest and good-natured, as if the words ”An Honest Soul” were carved on his forehead.

The doctor was a striking, cold-looking woman in her thirties named Shan Zhu. Her personality was on the cold side, and her expressions were even rarer than her words, often making people wonder if she had facial paralysis.

”This forest looks pretty big, and we don’t have a single clue. How are we supposed to find her?” Tian Gang asked, scratching his head as he walked.

Gu Qingyin actually had a way to quickly locate Lin Xiaoyun. After all, Lin Xiaoyun was a former client of hers; she was a woman who knew Lin Xiaoyun’s Eight Characters of birth!

But this method was far too metaphysical for most people to accept. She would have to find a way to present the results of her divination in a more logical and acceptable manner.

Gu Qingyin let out a soft hiss of frustration. ’This is a bit tricky.’