From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

"Brother Lin, I've been struggling to know how to tell you this. I know you'll be disappointed, but it's really due to an unexpected situation that I can't make it this time. I'm so sorry!!"

When I saw the message she sent, I froze on the spot, my mind going completely blank.

Everything is settled, the start-up capital will be in place tomorrow, and we can set off anytime as soon as the permit is issued.

Unfortunately, at this crucial moment, the team's core publicity force failed them.

Before I could recover from the huge disappointment, the screen lit up again, and Anran sent a replacement picture.

It's a hospital ultrasound report.

Clicking on the image, the words "Embryo Diagnosis" are clearly visible and glaring.

I almost instinctively typed the message: "Are you pregnant?"

Messages are replied to instantly.

"Yeah, I just found out today. I never expected this myself. I'm really sorry, Brother Lin. If I had a choice, I would never have stood you up at this crucial moment."

Looking at these words, I felt suffocated and depressed, but I couldn't muster any anger.

She did not breach the contract intentionally, nor did she change her mind at the last minute, nor was she afraid of hardship or danger.

Pregnancy is an unexpected situation that no one can predict, and it is an absolute taboo for exploring uninhabited areas.

The dangerous and harsh environment made it impossible for her to accompany them.

I understand the logic, but I just can't suppress the frustration and disappointment in my heart.

I took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing my surging emotions, and replied, "It's okay, don't feel guilty. Take good care of yourself and get plenty of rest."

Several clasped hands emojis popped up in succession, and the words were full of guilt: "I'm really sorry. We had everything finalized with you long ago, but I messed up at the last minute. I feel really bad about it."

"Don't overthink it, just focus on your pregnancy, nothing else matters."

"Okay, I wish you a safe and smooth journey home! If you need me again, I'm always available and ready to help."

"Okay, we'll talk about it when we get back."

After sending the last message, I helplessly locked my phone screen, feeling utterly cold inside.

This is outrageous.

In this uninhabited area project, I was never just focused on the one million yuan reward.

My real goal is to leverage the client's off-road promotion project, along with Anran's online influencer traffic, to create high-quality outdoor documentary content and establish our own outdoor brand.

Money is a one-time gain, but traffic and fame are resources you can live off for a lifetime.

Now that the core promotional space has been withdrawn, all plans have been disrupted.

Even if I safely complete the uninhabited area and successfully finish the project, I will only earn a meager sum of hard-earned money.

All the previous long-term plans have fallen through.

That's a perfect description of my current situation – all my efforts were in vain.

I let out a heavy sigh, feeling utterly agitated and completely lost.

Wang Ge, who was quietly tidying up his equipment, seemed to sense my low spirits and embarrassment.

He paused in his work, looked up, and asked calmly, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

I sighed again, and said with barely concealed somberness, "The team is missing a core member."

"Who's missing?" Wang asked calmly, without a trace of panic.

"An Ran, the influencer we had previously confirmed, was specifically in charge of vehicle promotion and is our team's most crucial source of traffic. But now she has an unforeseen situation and can't come."

I thought Brother Wang would also be worried, since without the main force of publicity, the project's effectiveness would be greatly reduced, which would likely dissatisfy the client.

But after listening, he remained calm and casually said, "If we need more people, we'll find new ones."

I gave a wry smile and shook my head: "It's not that easy. The no-man's-land is too risky; ordinary people wouldn't dare go there. Finding someone on short notice is not only difficult to find a reliable one, but the price will also be inflated, making it too low-value."

Wang Ge continued organizing the outdoor gear in his hands, his movements unhurried and his tone calm as he said, "Then don't bother looking for it."

I was slightly taken aback, not quite understanding: "Not going to look for them? What about the publicity?"

"You do it yourself."

These three short words completely baffled me.

I looked at him blankly and asked, "Do it myself? I have no traffic, no followers, who's going to watch me?"

Wang Ge finally stopped what he was doing, looked at me, and asked:

"Do you think that content about hardcore off-roading and extreme crossings in uninhabited areas can be convincing based solely on the looks of a female internet celebrity?"

I was stunned; I really hadn't expected this.

I've been stuck in a fixed mindset, focusing on internet celebrity traffic, but ignoring the most essential core essence.

While I remained silent, Brother Wang continued, "You're a man, and you're not bad-looking. You can promote yourself; there's no need to hire internet celebrities."

"I...I don't have any data either!"

Wang Ge shook his head and said calmly, "Do you think this needs traffic? The no-man's-land itself generates its own traffic, and does that internet celebrity you found actually have a lot of traffic? I doubt it."

He is usually very sparing with words, but this time he spoke so much.

After listening to it, the frustration and confusion that had been weighing on my mind instantly cleared up.

Yes, I was completely obsessing over it before.

I always thought that only internet celebrities with fans and a basic level of traffic could do a good job of this kind of promotion.

But I forgot that it involved traversing uninhabited areas, a million-dollar modified hardcore off-road vehicle, and testing in extreme road conditions.

These tags combined make it a top-tier topic that inherently attracts trending searches.

An Ran's fan base is not large, and most of them are fans of her looks, who care about her appearance rather than her car.

She went, but the buzz was all about her; it didn't boost the reputation of the cars or the off-road project at all.

Wang Ge is right. For these extreme and hardcore projects, it is most convincing when men personally appear on camera and lead the team through them.

So the client doesn't care how many followers the influencer I found has; they only care whether I can successfully drive the car out of the no-man's-land.

Once you think about it that way, you'll understand.

After saying that, Wang Ge continued to organize his equipment with his head down, as if he were talking about something that wasn't worth discussing.

I stood there, my mind racing, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized he was right.

Anran's presence is the icing on the cake.

But since she wasn't there, my personal involvement actually better suited the project's tone and generated more genuine positive word-of-mouth.

Once I understood this, everything became clear to me instantly.

I sat back down on the camping chair, took out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and looked seriously at Brother Wang, asking, "Brother Wang, honestly, can I really do this?"

Wang Ge, head down checking the equipment, said without even looking up, "If you can't do it, who can? You were the one driving the car, you decided the route, and you signed the contract. You know best what happened from beginning to end. If someone else came, they'd have to explain it all to you again, which would be a waste of time."

I was momentarily speechless. He didn't talk much, but every time he did, it was insightful and thought-provoking.

My phone vibrated again. I took it out and saw that it was an address sent by Su Qing.

There's also a voice message: "I've booked the place, right here. You can talk to them, and you can decide the time."

I replied, "Okay, you go ahead, I'll be right there. I have something to tell you."