After familiarizing themselves with their respective areas, they were led back to where they had been staying.
Ye Feifei remained in her room, lost in thought, a picture of dejection. She didn't even greet Bai Suxiang and Fang Xiaoxia when they returned.
"Feifei, Feifei, what's wrong?" Fang Xiaoxia asked, seeing Ye Feifei staring blankly out the window.
Ye Feifei didn't answer immediately, her gaze still fixed on the outside.
Bai Suxiang was busy taking off her shoes and tidying her clothes, remaining silent for the moment.
Fang Xiaoxia, not yet having removed her shoes, walked over to Ye Feifei and gently patted her shoulder.
"Why, why? Tell me, why is this happening?" Ye Feifei suddenly turned to Fang Xiaoxia, her voice laced with emotion. The sudden outburst left Fang Xiaoxia bewildered, unsure whether to offer comfort.
"We came together, but now I have to leave first. Wuwu~~" What could Fang Xiaoxia say to that? Any words of comfort would sound insincere. Fang Xiaoxia understood that her own passage through the first stage was likely due to Bai Suxiang's intervention. However, the subsequent selection process, a three-out-of-ten elimination, would undoubtedly be rigorous. With her own situation in disarray, she couldn't possibly tend to Ye Feifei's distress. Out of friendship, all she could do was gently pat her shoulder in a gesture of solace.
"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have gone to the blue area. I wouldn't have taken that ten thousand yuan!" Ye Feifei sobbed, unable to suppress her inner turmoil and disappointment. But the reality was, she had already been eliminated. It was a done deal, something that couldn't be changed. To be frank, she desperately needed this job.
"Don't be sad! Make plans instead. When will you be leaving tomorrow? We'll escort you!" Bai Suxiang said.
Hearing this, Ye Feifei cried even harder. "Wuwuwu, wuwuwu~~" Women are like this; they cry when happy and cry when sad. Their tears leave others feeling helpless and evoke boundless pity. At this moment, all they could do was keep her company, remaining silent.
They didn't know how time passed until dawn. By the time of farewell, Ye Feifei's emotions had stabilized. She had accepted her reality and was now leaving the island alone. However, as she dragged her suitcase and stepped across the threshold, a voice called out from outside: "Ye Feifei! Ye Feifei!"
"What is it?" Ye Feifei replied softly.
"Come with me!" The person who called out was a young man, appearing to be around thirty years old.
"Why should I go with you? Where are we going?" Hearing this, Bai Suxiang and Fang Xiaoxia hurried out of the room to see what was happening.
"Heh, where do you think? To see the boss!"
"See the boss? Who is your boss, and why do I need to see him?" Bai Suxiang interjected quickly. She felt something was peculiar, as Ye Feifei hadn't mentioned finding a job so quickly the previous night.
"You'll know when you get there. Why ask so many pointless questions!" the man said gruffly, his tone commanding, as if she had no choice but to obey.
"If you don't tell me, I won't go. Why should I go with you? Who are you?" Ye Feifei suddenly became agitated.
"You'll go whether you want to or not. You took that ten thousand yuan!"
"What? What ten thousand yuan? Wasn't that given to us unconditionally?" Ye Feifei exclaimed, her brow furrowed in surprise.
"Heh, you're an adult now, don't you know that once you take someone's money, you have to be beholden to them? Hurry up, the boss is specifically waiting for you!" the man said, stepping forward to grab Ye Feifei's suitcase.
Ye Feifei tried to dodge, but it was too late. The man had already gripped the handle of the suitcase with immense strength, making it impossible for Ye Feifei to reclaim it.
"What are you doing? What do you want?" Bai Suxiang rushed forward, forcefully prying the man's hand off, and demanded.
"Hmph! If you have questions, ask the boss. My only job is to bring you there!" The man said, giving a strong pull and snatching the suitcase away. He turned and walked off, unconcerned whether Ye Feifei followed. Bai Suxiang and Fang Xiaoxia each took an arm, preventing Ye Feifei from moving.
"If you don't come with me, you won't be able to leave the island. To tell you the truth, the boats responsible for taking you down were all arranged by the boss. You decide for yourself!" the man said without looking back.
She had no other choice but to follow.
"Let's go, we'll go together. You hurry and get that ten thousand yuan ready to return to the boss. It's best to leave here safely!" Fang Xiaoxia said. She naively thought that if the money was returned, the boss would let Ye Feifei go.
"Right, right, ten thousand yuan, ten thousand yuan!" Ye Feifei stammered, flustered, and began searching her small handbag for the money.
The three of them followed the man's retreating figure until they reached a sumptuously decorated building.
"Boss, they're here!" The man turned around, and Bai Suxiang, seeing him, had a realization. It was the flat-top haircut guy. It seemed this boss was indeed him.
"You again?"
"It's me. What's wrong? You'll be seeing me often on the island from now on, so don't look at me with such hatred!" the flat-top haircut guy said calmly, noticing Bai Suxiang's piercing gaze. He had no right to interfere with those selected, but those who had taken money were his to control and deal with as he pleased! Here, they were commodities. As long as money was involved, they were treated as mere goods, to be bought and sold at will.
"Here... here is your ten thousand yuan... take it!" Fang Xiaoxia said, trembling, and gestured for Ye Feifei to quickly hand over the money. Ye Feifei was extremely panicked, feeling as though she had encountered gangsters.
"Heh heh heh, ten thousand yuan? Isn't that right?" The flat-top haircut guy eyed Fang Xiaoxia's ten thousand yuan with a sly smile. Ye Feifei's mind went blank. She had indeed taken ten thousand, not a penny more. She tried desperately to recall the events of that day.
"It's ten thousand yuan. I didn't take any extra! Really, really!" Ye Feifei said in a panic, looking from the flat-top haircut guy to Bai Suxiang and Fang Xiaoxia. The flat-top haircut guy didn't respond, his face devoid of any smile. This was perfectly in line with his character, a complete ruffian. Many people fail to distinguish: when a villain smiles at you, they might assume he just has a fierce appearance, not that he's truly bad. It's only when a villain reveals their true nature that they can discern that this is indeed a villain. But where in the world is there a cure for regret? When you misjudge someone, it's always too late when you suffer the consequences.
"Then how much do you say it is? You must have a figure in mind!"