Chapter 27: The High-IQ Genius

The man being cursed at and pointed in the face by Wen Bojun was his “strategist.” It was this very man who had proposed getting Qiao Yitong onto this Survival Variety Show, intending to use the show’s harsh environment to eliminate her.

But who could have predicted that despite their well-laid plans, Qiao Yitong would refuse to play by the rules?

From the day she stepped onto the island, she had abandoned the main group. Since then, she had used her own two hands to turn this survival show into a literal “Back to Field.”

Every single one of her actions was completely unexpected.

They had thought having one freak like her on the show was enough, but then, out of nowhere, this Deng You appeared from some godforsaken corner, claiming to have dirt on them.

And the worst part was, what Deng You said was true.

Back then, to utterly destroy Qiao Yitong’s self-confidence, they had orchestrated the evening gown incident.

Making her a laughingstock at a public event, subjected to the insults of the masses, isolated and without help, the target of everyone’s scorn.

Every detail of that design was meant to shatter Qiao Yitong’s spirit.

She had originally been full of energy, driven by a desire for revenge, but after that incident, her spirit had completely dissipated.

It had been a perfectly executed destruction. They thought that after six months, the matter had long since settled.

But who would have guessed that on this very show, there would be someone who held evidence against them?

Even more coincidentally, this person wanted to strike a deal with Qiao Yitong.

And he didn’t even bother to hide it, casually blurting the whole thing out for everyone to hear.

It was a disaster, a total disaster.

Even more disastrous was the fact that the strategist was now facing a direct interrogation from his boss.

Worse than failing a task was being suspected of being Qiao Yitong’s accomplice.

“President Wen, you have to believe me. I’ve followed you for all these years; when have I ever done anything against your interests? This really is just an accident. Qiao Yitong hid herself too well. Not a single one of us knew she had these capabilities.”

Wen Bojun paced the room irritably. Even as he voiced his suspicions, he knew they were unlikely.

“Then what do we do now?” Wen Bojun forced himself to calm down slightly.

“Actually, things aren’t as bad as we think.”

“How so?”

“Think about it. They’re all on the island right now. There’s no communication equipment on that island. Even if that Deng You has evidence, he can’t produce it right now. Everything he says is just empty talk. Even if something does happen, it won’t be for another twenty days.”

With that hint, Wen Bojun immediately understood his strategist’s meaning.

No matter how much the public discussed it now, there was no evidence.

All they needed to do was resolve the issue before that group left the island.

Moreover, there was no guarantee they would even make it off the island safely.

At this thought, Wen Bojun relaxed.

“Call Xiao Liu from PR and Qiao Yitong’s manager, Fu Chao. Tell them to come here for a meeting.”

…

While Wen Bojun was busy plotting his countermeasures, the netizens had never stopped their activity.

Regarding whether the claim that Qiao Yitong had been framed was true or false, everyone launched a passionate investigation and discussion.

• Before we reach a conclusion, shouldn’t we look into this Deng You’s background? If his computer skills are really as great as he says, why would he be an unknown without a job, reduced to this state? –

• Exactly. Look at him; he clearly has that unhealthy look of someone who stays cooped up in his room all year. He probably made that stuff up just to get Qiao Yitong’s protection. I think we shouldn’t let him lead us by the nose. It’s better to remain skeptical. –

• Although I almost didn’t recognize him, I just contacted my old teacher to check. Deng You is our senior, and he’s incredibly strong. His computer skills are beyond question. If he says he can hack into those computers and restore the data, he can definitely do it. He participated in computer competitions in high school, beat a bunch of graduate students to win awards, and was fast-tracked into XX University of Electronic Science and Technology. During university, he was involved in several research projects. A classic high-IQ… –

• The character limit cut me off, continuing: A classic high-IQ genius. And he was actually a very good person, very gentle with his juniors. If anyone needed help, he was enthusiastic and had a great sense of justice. Back in university, so many people were chasing him. When we talked about him, we all thought he was a future pillar of the nation. No one expected him to end up like this… –

• Following up, I showed his current photo to our former mentor, and the mentor was devastated. It’s just… with his abilities, if he used even a fraction of them, he wouldn’t be in a position where he has to gamble his life for money. Back when he was in school, he collaborated with a professor on a network security technology, and his share of the patent fees alone was over a million. How could he have fallen this far? Honestly, even his face has changed. I didn’t dare recognize him at first; he’s lost so much weight he’s unrecognizable… –

• So, something must have happened to make him like this. He’s definitely not the selfish, good-for-nothing loser everyone is calling him. –

• Huh? Is what the person above said true? –

• Why would I lie to you? What’s in it for me? –

• Don’t doubt it. Based on what was said, I actually found a record of this Deng You. And this guy is pretty interesting. He was full of spirit in university. Right after he started, he heard a male teacher was harassing female students, so he hacked the teacher’s phone, dragged out the evidence, and got disciplined for it. –

• I’m reeling. Are we talking about the same person? The guy who stole someone’s canned food the moment he got on the island, who’s selfish, lazy, and looks like he’s ready to rot away at home… that guy is a high-IQ, justice-seeking genius? –

…

Without Deng You’s knowledge, his background was being stripped bare by the public.

As his past achievements—driven by a sense of justice during his school days—became known to the netizens, the contrast between his high-IQ halo and his current cynical, death-weary state created a jarring dissonance. This only served to shroud him in even deeper layers of mystery.

Looking at him in the Live Stream Room again, he seemed much more tolerable than before.

At that moment, Deng You was in the Live Stream Room, completely unaware of the commotion happening outside.

He was bent over, rummaging through the undergrowth, trying to find dry… or at least not-so-damp wood to start a fire.

As he was digging around, he suddenly felt someone standing in front of him.

Deng You stopped what he was doing and looked up.

As luck would have it, the newcomer was none other than Ding Yao, the influencer he had clashed with the moment they stepped onto the island.

Deng You turned to leave, attempting to avoid him.

“Oh, some people really have no shame. The moment they see something good, they just throw themselves at it,” Ding Yao said sarcastically.

Deng You paused and glanced at him, his tone sharp. “You’re the one with class, then. Go back and keep guarding your snails so you can eat. Be a good boy now, and don’t you dare run away.”

This sarcastic retort was more infuriating than a direct insult!

However, remembering the question he wanted to ask, Ding Yao held back his temper.

Ding Yao stepped forward and whispered to Deng You, “Hey, how did you get Qiao Yitong to accept you?”

Deng You paused, then raised an eyebrow at Ding Yao. “You want in too?”

Ding Yao: “…”

Deng You suddenly grinned, a smile so bright it felt like an eyesore to Ding Yao. “Why on earth would I tell you?”

Ding Yao: “…”

Deng You left in high spirits, continuing to follow Sister Tong’s instructions to find branches for the fire.

This was the first task Sister Tong had assigned him, and he couldn’t afford any mistakes.

But he hadn’t gone more than a few steps before he ran into Lu Cheng, who was also out gathering firewood.

Deng You: …

He looked at the wood in his own hands; he had only found three or four usable pieces.

Then he looked at Lu Cheng.

Well, alright, he felt relieved. Lu Cheng only had a single, lonely branch in his hand.

Deng You curled his lips into a smile and continued scrounging on the ground.

Lu Cheng had also spotted Deng You, and naturally, he saw that Deng You had gathered more wood than he had.

Lu Cheng: !!!

He knew it! Having Deng You accepted by Sister Tong was going to threaten his position.

If Sister Tong found out that Deng You was more capable than him, would she gradually marginalize him?

Would she even start questioning whether it was necessary to keep him by her side?

The more he thought about it, the more Lu Cheng’s mental state began to crumble.

He pursed his lips and quickened his pace.

He moved forward and found a thick pile of deadwood. Usually, the pieces hidden deep inside these piles weren’t as wet.

With that thought in mind, Lu Cheng forcefully pushed aside the layer of branches blocking the top.

Just as the middle layer was exposed to his view, Lu Cheng reached out to grab it.

Before he could touch it, a hand suddenly reached in from the side. It beat him to it, snatching the branches away.

“Thanks,” Deng You said with a beaming smile, waving the bundle of branches.

Lu Cheng was stunned.

Watching Deng You stroll away leisurely, he finally reacted. “Dammit! I found those first!”

A while later.

The two men returned to the shore, each carrying a bundle of branches.

Qiao Yitong was there, using the embers they had saved earlier to restart the fire.

After the two of them set their bundles down, Lu Cheng shot Deng You a fierce glare.

Deng You, however, maintained a nonchalant attitude. “What are you looking at me like that for? Didn’t I give some back to you later? Don’t be so petty.”

Lu Cheng: “…”

If Sister Tong hadn’t been right there and he didn’t want to maintain his image, he really would have started cursing.

While Lu Cheng was still fuming, Deng You quickly stepped forward and took the fire starter from Qiao Yitong’s hand. “Sister Tong, take a break. I’ll handle this.”

His attempt to curry favor was incredibly smooth.

Lu Cheng: ???

He had been so busy being angry that he’d let this kid beat him to the punch again?

On a deserted island, there were only so many things to do. If you missed an opportunity to prove your worth, that was one less chance you’d get.

Now that the fire-starting was taken care of, it wasn’t like he could just stand there and fan the flames, could he?

Lu Cheng glared at Deng You. It would have been fine if this kid who suddenly showed up to suck up to Sister Tong was a bit dull.

But after their brief interaction, he realized the guy wasn’t stupid at all; his mind worked fast.

With someone like this competing against him, it wouldn’t be long before Sister Tong started thinking he was useless.

Lu Cheng’s mind was in a state of near-collapse.

Just as he was desperately trying to think of what he could do to earn some points, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore reached his ears.

Something he had forgotten suddenly flashed back into his mind.

Right! His fish!