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A warm, gentle breeze drifted in through Jiang Tangmian’s window. She emerged from her morning shower, hair still damp and wrapped in a towel. Even with a thick layer of white mask smeared across her face, a smile lingered at the corners of her lips, her mood radiant and bright.

She opened the system. Though her favorability rating had plummeted these past two days due to the sudden change in the lead actor of her new drama, thankfully, the Friday on the island had managed to pull her numbers back up a bit.

All of this would be resolved once her new series aired—her favorability would rise with the tide.

Lately, she’d been busy preparing for the new drama and hadn’t had time to watch “Friday’s” livestream. Fortunately, the production team had edited each week’s highlights into a full episode, waiting for her to catch up.

She picked out a bright blue suit in the dressing room, slipped on black polka-dot stockings, and, almost absentmindedly, tapped open the tablet beside her. She washed off the mask and began to put on her makeup while catching up on the show.

The latest episode of “Go Wander, Friday” was playing on the tablet, the barrage of comments especially lively.

“My digital pickled veggies are finally here!”

“Who else gets it? Came from the livestream—so many iconic moments, don’t miss them, hahaha!”

“I can vouch this variety show has no script. I’ve stayed up half the night watching the livestream.”

“I’m done for, I’ve been corrupted. Out of curiosity, I watched the livestream and ended up finding this resource-grabber actually tolerable.”

…

“If you were given a chance to make a phone call right now, who would you call? Your parents? Or a close friend?”

As the director’s question fell, the camera pulled back, fading from black to the wide-open sky and sea of a solitary island.

The words “Go Wander, Friday” appeared, hollowed out and floating above the ocean at the center of the screen.

[DAY 1]

After the director left, Zhao Shuocheng sat in disbelief. The cameras captured him crouched beneath a coconut tree for hours, his face etched with misery.

Suddenly, a coconut dropped from above.

With a loud “clang—” it struck Zhao Shuocheng squarely on the head. He immediately clutched his head, howling in pain.

The production team, watching from the monitors, hurriedly called out to him through the loudspeaker, “Friday? Friday?! Are you okay? Are you hurt??”

Zhao Shuocheng cursed back at them, his words so foul the show had to bleep them out. At the end, he shouted, “I’m not—bleep—Friday!!!”

“Hahahaha, I was watching this live—he really cursed up a storm, hahaha!”

“At least the production team has some conscience.”

“If I were dragged to this godforsaken island, I’d curse even worse.”

“The resource-grabber’s been roasting under the sun for five hours. I was at work, supervising the whole time.”

“Hahahaha, all the guests on this show are villains.”

“Man’s bad, but the coconut tree’s worse!”

…

[DAY 2]

Zhao Shuocheng wandered the island a few times, confirming there was truly nothing there. In his white suit, his face looked several shades darker, already peeling and flushed from the sun.

The director, unable to bear it, finally showed some concern, “Friday, you haven’t eaten in two days. There’s a can of tuna prepared for you over there.”

At the mention of “Friday,” Zhao Shuocheng bristled, shooting a look at the nearest camera. But having not eaten, even his glare lacked its usual menace.

Listless, he pounded the coconut in his hand, trying to crack it open for the juice inside.

But he used too much force, and the next second, the coconut split wide open, most of the juice spilling out.

Zhao Shuocheng, abandoning all pretense, crouched on the ground and licked it up. After a long drought, even the spilled coconut tasted especially sweet.

Late at night.

Unable to endure any longer, Zhao Shuocheng quietly took a can of tuna, hid in a camera’s blind spot, and began to eat—only for the camera to broadcast every bit of it live.

“Friday finally gave in.”

“Faster than I thought. I figured he’d hold out till day five, but he surrendered on day two.”

“Eating it straight? Isn’t that super salty?”

“Should be grateful for food at all, and still complaining.”

…

[DAY 3]

Because the camera equipment on the island needed new batteries, the production crew arrived by speedboat.

Zhao Shuocheng’s beard had grown out in patches, making him look utterly haggard. From afar, he spotted the crew’s arrival and perked up a little, “Are you here to take me home?”

Director: “Of course not! We’re just here to change the batteries.”

Zhao Shuocheng rolled his eyes, “This is illegal detention!”

The director brandished a copy of the contract, emphasizing, “No, no, this is a perfectly legal, reasonable, and emotional survival variety show. Friday, once you finish making the straw sandals, you can leave.”

Zhao Shuocheng cast a resentful glance at the pile of straw and chose to ignore it.

As the crew’s boat departed, he roared after them, “I am NOT Friday!!”

“Hahaha, Friday ate the tuna, but still can’t accept his name.”

“If he doesn’t finish making a hundred thousand pairs of straw sandals, he can’t go home?”

“If he makes two hundred pairs a day, it’ll take him five hundred days.”

“It’s not five hundred years—why feel sorry for the resource-grabber?”

…

[DAY 4]

At last, looking noticeably thinner, Zhao Shuocheng opened the straw sandal blueprints and began to study the process.

“Prodigal son returns, gold—”

The comment hadn’t even finished scrolling across the screen.

The next second, Zhao Shuocheng impatiently tore the blueprints to shreds and started pacing the island in a rage.

At midnight, a sudden downpour hit the island. With no shelter from the wind or rain, he could only use his white suit jacket to shield himself.

The jacket was already ruined by mud, and even the arrogance that once marked Zhao Shuocheng’s face was gone.

In the dark, stormy night, he fought back tears, his hands trembling as he picked up the last can of tuna on the table.

Commercial break.

“This show is brought to you by the bounty of the deep sea—Haodao Tuna, proudly sponsoring.”

“Hahaha, it’s that tuna again. Got it, already placed my order.”

“Is this show going to be filmed for years, hahaha?”

“Even better—he won’t appear in dramas or movies for years.”

“Production team’s good deed for the day +1.”

…

[DAY 5]

On this island with barely a few coconut trees, its only inhabitant, Zhao Shuocheng, was in a dire mental state. The last of his white shirt and suit pants had been torn into strips, hanging loosely from his body.

“Hahaha, he tore them up out of boredom last night—I saw it on the livestream.”

“Has he gone mad already?”

“If the resource-grabber goes crazy and quits the industry, I’ll support it with both hands and feet.”

…

Back to the beginning of the episode, the production crew saw that Zhao Shuocheng hadn’t woven a single pair of straw sandals and had no choice but to move on to the next segment.

The director asked sincerely, “If you had a chance to make a phone call right now, who would you call? Your parents? Or a friend?”

Trying to awaken some sense of conscience in him.

Finish the task early, and you can go home sooner.

Zhao Shuocheng quietly made a request to the crew. The director pondered for a moment before reluctantly agreeing.

Director: “Even if the call doesn’t go through, it still counts as your one chance. And you only get this one call.”

Zhao Shuocheng nodded, eyes resolute.

International calls weren’t easy to make.

Beeeeep—beeeep—

Finally, the call connected. After a long tone, there was a sudden burst of harsh beeping—the call had been hung up.

Zhao Shuocheng saw the director’s hand gripping the phone, his expression stiffening. The hollow dial tone echoed in his ears, and time on the island seemed to freeze once more.

Since the call hadn’t gone through, an awkward silence fell between them. Only the wind could be heard, drifting aimlessly around the island, as if mocking Zhao Shuocheng’s helplessness.

“Who did he call?”

“If it were me, I’d ask a friend to bring a factory over—finish the sandals early and escape.”

“I was there live, hahaha—iconic moment.”

“I never expected he’d call that person.”

…

Zhao Shuocheng hugged his knees, curling up beneath the coconut tree to nurse his wounds.

The director seized the moment, sitting beside him to conduct a follow-up interview. “Friday, can you share who you just called?”

Zhao Shuocheng seemed to have lost his temper, finally starting to accept the name. “I called your production company’s boss!!”

The comment section exploded—

“Checked it—this show is produced exclusively by Jiang Entertainment, hahaha!”

“Thanks to the kind soul above.”

“Warning: High-energy moment ahead!”

…

Director: “Friday, your call didn’t go through. What were you planning to say to her?”

Zhao Shuocheng shot the camera a sidelong glance. “Tell her not to sleep too soundly tonight! Bleep—bleep—”

“Hahahahaha…”

“Caught this live! Another iconic moment, but they cut it from the episode!”

“After he said that, he ran off to kick a coconut tree and got hit by another falling coconut.”

…

[Don’t sleep too soundly tonight!]

At that moment, Jiang Tangmian was drawing her eyeliner. Hearing Friday mention her from a distant Pacific island, her hand slipped, accidentally dragging the line too long.

Jiang Tangmian smiled faintly. Not only had she been sleeping soundly lately, she’d been sleeping well—no more exhausting idol group auditions, no more clocking in at work, not a trace of that office-worker vibe left on her.

She didn’t take the wild man’s harsh words to heart. Any guest who boosted her favorability was a good guest.

Thinking back, the time Friday made that call seemed to coincide with when she’d hung up on a “foreign” number during a meeting.

Jiang Tangmian had thought it was a scam call.

She quickly sent a comment: “Sorry~ Friday, I won’t hang up next time.”

“That last comment—could it really be from Jiang Entertainment’s producer?”

“This production company really has an eye for variety shows.”

“What other shows have they made? I need to catch up!”

…

Until the end of this episode of “Go Friday,” the wandering guest Friday still hadn’t started making straw sandals. The show’s direction and the guest’s fate remained a mystery.

A string of trending topics appeared on social media, even more easily than when Zhao Shuocheng was just a resource-grabber.

Jiang Tangmian scrolled through Weibo and saw one trending tag related to her new drama, sitting at the top of the entertainment charts, glaringly obvious.

“Mu Xi—Lead Role in New Drama”

She frowned slightly, finishing her look with a dab of lip gloss.

Just then, Sister Susan’s call came through.

“Hello, sis,” Jiang Tangmian answered on speaker.

“Tangmian, as expected, they’re insisting on the top billing,” Susan said through clenched teeth.

Jiang Tangmian had already seen the trending topic. Mu Xi was the originally slated female lead for “Solemn Oath,” and her management company had signed an intent agreement with the previous production company.

Because the original company was about to declare bankruptcy, Jiang Tangmian had taken over the project, and the female lead’s intent agreement had transferred to Jiang Entertainment as well.

But when Mu Xi’s agency heard the male lead was being replaced with a newcomer, they argued with Susan for two days, demanding the top billing for their actress—anything else was off the table.

Jiang Tangmian pulled on her coat. “Sister Susan, if they want top billing, why not just give it to them?”

After all, the current male lead, Gu Yanxun, was a newcomer, and Mu Xi was now a second-tier popular actress. In terms of fame, the female lead was clearly the bigger name.

“No, I won’t give in. ‘Solemn Oath’ was never structured as a female-centric story—why should she get top billing?”

Susan’s firm stance left Jiang Tangmian puzzled.

In the past, Susan had always been open to discussion with her. She didn’t understand why Susan was so adamant this time.

Susan continued passionately over the phone, “Mu Xi’s current agent is my ex-husband. Why should I give in just because he asks? He fought me for custody back then! Now he wants to fight me for top billing too!!”

No wonder.

Jiang Tangmian nodded, backing her up. “Got it, sis! On the issue of billing, we won’t back down an inch!!”