Zhou Haimei seemed to sense Xu An's intentions, a hint of slyness flashing in her eyes.
"An'an, should we really break the wristbands?" Zhou Haimei's tone was hesitant, as if she didn't want to do it.
Xu An's voice was much firmer. She glanced at Zhou Haimei indifferently, her voice cold as she said, "Smash it! I will absolutely not be a plaything for others! Nor will I be a joke for others to gossip about!"
With that, Xu An didn't look at Zhou Haimei again. She casually picked up a stone at her feet and was about to smash it at her own wristband.
Just as the stone was about to hit the wristband, a crackling sound of electricity came from the wristband.
Immediately after, an anxious male voice came from the wristband: "Wait! Wait a moment!"
At the last moment, Xu An stopped the stone she was about to hurl at the wristband. She maintained this posture and, from an angle no one could see, slightly curved her lips upwards.
This time, she had won her gamble!
Xu An pretended not to know, stopping her actions and looking at the wristband thrown on the snowy ground.
"How can this wristband talk? Am I hallucinating?" Xu An looked at Zhou Haimei beside her with a look of surprise.
Zhou Haimei naturally knew what was going on, but this was a test of acting skills. Whoever showed weakness first would lose.
So Zhou Haimei didn't show anything out of the ordinary, only feigning ignorance and looking at Xu An with curiosity.
"You must have misheard. An'an, I think you're right, let's smash it. I'll smash mine later too. We're working ourselves to death here, and the Lighthouse not only didn't inform us about the live broadcast in advance, but now they're broadcasting us as entertainment. Who can stand this?"
Zhou Haimei seemed to have resigned herself to it, taking off her wristband and preparing to throw it on the ground.
But one person's actions were faster than Zhou Haimei's.
Guan Shan didn't understand what Xu An and Zhou Haimei were acting out, but before they entered, Sister Mouse had told him that Xu An was a trustworthy person.
Whatever she said, he just had to follow it.
Due to postnatal stimulation, Guan Shan had significant flaws in emotions and interpersonal interactions.
However, he was not stupid and could distinguish between simple right and wrong.
He trusted Mouse, and since Mouse said Xu An was a trustworthy person, Guan Shan would trust Xu An unconditionally.
He saw that both Xu An and Zhou Haimei said they wanted to smash their wristbands.
His mind didn't even entertain any doubt about this matter. Without hesitation, he took off his wristband and prepared to hand it to Xu An.
After all, the instructor who brought them to the extreme cold competition had said that wristbands were very important.
They were the only proof that could bring them home.
Yet, Guan Shan could so carelessly throw such an important wristband to Xu An, which showed how much he trusted her.
As expected, just as Xu An was about to pick up the stone to smash it a second time, the wristband made a sound again.
"Xu An, we are the organizers of this competition. Regarding the live broadcast, I think we can still discuss it!"
The voice from the wristband was fast and urgent, as if if Xu An delayed by a second, she would smash all these wristbands.
"Hmm."
Xu An stepped forward curiously. "It really is making a sound, Mei Jie, look. It seems it's not our hallucination. This wristband is actually talking."
Xu An here was practically a drama queen, her act becoming more and more fervent.
But on the other side, the staff, in the cold weather, all had cold sweat breaking out on their foreheads.
In that very moment, they truly felt that Xu An would smash the wristbands directly.
In fact, if even one of them could remain calm, they wouldn't be so manipulated by Xu An.
Not to mention that the cameras in the wristbands were linked to counting equipment; even the positioning system within the wristbands meant Xu An couldn't truly smash them.
If the positioning system were lost, if any of them got lost, it would be a case of crying to the heavens but no one answering, and calling the earth but no one listening.
But hindsight is always 20/20.
These people were clearly not as patient as Xu An.
Therefore, they were destined to be manipulated by Xu An.
...
"Hello, Xu An. To introduce myself, I am from the organizer of this extreme cold competition. We indeed made a mistake by concealing the live broadcast. We can offer you some compensation, but the live broadcast must proceed as scheduled. What do you think?" The man's voice was respectful.
But if one listened carefully, there was a trace of tremor and humility mixed with his feigned steady voice.
He was simply too scared.
Xu An, however, became somewhat obstinate at this moment, like a child throwing a tantrum.
"No! You broadcast us without our consent, which is an infringement of our rights. I do not accept the live broadcast. Turn off my broadcast, or I will smash all the cameras."
Of course, Xu An's words were purely provocative.
The live broadcast had already started, so how could it be stopped just like that?
Besides, the attitude of these staff members had already revealed everything.
Xu An guessed that her team's traffic on the Lighthouse was probably quite good.
No, or rather, it should be exceptionally good.
So good that it could cause the Lighthouse to break the rules and contact Xu An privately.
It could also allow Xu An more leeway.
Xu An listened to the voice from the wristband, secretly rejoicing.
Since the fish had taken the bait, it would be a waste to not reel it in.
The organizer and Xu An bickered back and forth for a few more sentences. Xu An kept acting like a spoiled child, appearing as if no agreement could be reached.
If the organizer still couldn't understand what Xu An meant, then they would have truly lived thirty years in vain.
The man let out a long sigh of turbid air. Looking at the live broadcast screen showing Xu An, as if accepting reality, he sighed.
"Tell me, what do you want?"
Xu An thought inwardly, "Wouldn't it have been better to just say this earlier? You talked so much nonsense." But outwardly, she still maintained a facade of feigned innocence.
"What are you talking about? What I want is for you to stop broadcasting me."
At this moment, everyone watching on screen could see Xu An's intention.
This was simply a case of waiting for the best offer!
Everyone sighed, "How shameless!"
But Xu An didn't care at all.
Was a thick skin more important than tangible benefits?
What followed was a tug-of-war that lasted for two and a half hours.
At first, no matter what conditions the organizer proposed, Xu An played dumb.
Until the organizer reluctantly revealed that when this snowfield was surveyed, a rare mineral vein was discovered.
They had originally planned to wait until the beasts in the area were cleared out before sending people to survey and mine it. But by informing Xu An in advance now, it meant that Xu An could mine this mineral vein freely. Anything she could take, she could take.
However, the subsequent transactions were private deals between the organizer and Xu An.
This conversation was cut off from the live broadcast feed.