CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol-Chapter 507 - 499: Martian Rocks

The next day

The golden sun drenched the entire desert.

"Oh my god! How did we even make it through yesterday?" Duan Yuxin stared at the endless expanse of dunes.

"We just muddled through somehow. Anyway, slept through it without really knowing what happened." Lv Fangxin said, her legs aching terribly.

"Come on, let’s keep going. Today, we’ll reach our destination—the Mars Rock!" Yuwei encouraged the group.

By now, everyone was becoming increasingly hot and thirsty, their vision blurred, and their limbs weak.

They couldn’t imagine how people who lived here year-round managed to survive.

The wind rose, filling the sky with whirling sand.

Already tortured by the oppressive heat, the group now struggled to breathe and seemed on the verge of being buried under the sand.

"My foot is stuck!"

Li Zimeng screamed in panic, but the sandstorm was so fierce that no one could hear her clearly.

"I’m going to be blown away!"

Lai Ruoxuan crouched on all fours, but her legs and feet were quickly swallowed by the sand.

The others fared no better, appearing as insignificant as ants before this terrifying natural disaster.

The drone that was following them in the sky was also struck down by the storm.

The flying sand turned the sky into a horrifying blood-orange hue, as if some sinister entity was about to descend upon them.

The entire team fell into chaos, with everyone screaming in terror, all buried in the swirling sands.

Yuwei grabbed the panicked Duan Yuxin, then secured her with a safety tether.

She then trudged with difficulty toward Zhang Zijing.

From Zhang Zijing, she pulled another safety tether and attached it to herself.

The two understood Yuwei’s intent; having companions by their side, they no longer felt as afraid.

Over on the other side, Meng Meixuan was doing the same thing, gathering Wu Zixuan and Fu Xiaoyu together.

The sandstorm grew fiercer, and the blood-orange sky began to darken into a devouring black.

The girls followed suit, fastening themselves to one another.

"Don’t panic, don’t panic!" Yuwei shouted hoarsely, desperately trying to calm everyone.

She and the others fought to pull Li Zimeng and Qiqi out of the sand.

"Follow me, follow me!"

Yuwei yelled and gestured, leading them toward the backside of the nearest dune.

She silently hoped that this dune was stable; if it were quicksand, they were doomed.

But there was no other choice—they had to go there to escape the even more ferocious sandstorm that was coming.

The production crew was completely stunned; they hadn’t expected the sandstorm to appear so suddenly.

Originally, the team’s plan was to minimize filming time to prevent accidents.

They had intended for everyone to move together so they could take care of each other in case of emergency.

But for the sake of dramatic effect, the director decided to use drone footage and let the girls travel as a single group on their own.

Though fuming with worry, the director and crew had no way to intervene now.

The winds continued to rage, the sands showed no mercy.

Once it all subsided, the blistering sun reemerged in the sky.

The apocalyptic sky from a moment ago was now cloudless, so astonishingly blue it resembled a tranquil sea.

Disheveled and panic-stricken, the production crew immediately launched backup drones to search.

They also relied on local guides to head back and check on the girls.

The situation was dire. The estimated distance between the two groups was originally about an hour’s journey.

But on the planned route, there was no sign of the girls.

Sand dune

A spot buried under the sand suddenly started to move.

Soon, a blanket was pushed aside, and Yuwei emerged from underneath it, completely covered in sand and dirt.

"Zijing, Fangxin, Meixuan..."

Her eyes were bloodshot, tears streaming as she screamed loudly.

Whoosh!

Lv Fangxin also crawled out from under the blanket, looking just as battered.

One by one, the girls shot out of the sand like prairie dogs.

"Hahaha! Hahaha!"

"Yuwei, you’re hilarious! Your face has turned into a set of trenches."

"Fangxin, look at yourself—you’re like a little dust spirit."

"Meixuan, you’re terrifying—you must’ve cried from fear."

Upon climbing out, they discovered that everyone looked both pitiful and funny.

The girls began teasing each other.

"You lot are so carefree; we nearly died back there!" Yuwei said helplessly.

"Dying would’ve been fine—we could all be buried here together, right?" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"We’ll start a girl group in the underworld and dance ’Moon Warriors’ for the King of Hell!"

"Even in the underworld, we’d be the number-one girl group."

"We’d even visit Mr. Zhou in his dreams to get him to continue being our manager!"

Surviving the ordeal, the girls let their imaginations run wild.

Yuwei felt that years of living the girl group life had really broadened their minds.

"Look, it’s the drone!"

"That old bastard director is watching us—when we get back, let’s pummel him!"

"That old scoundrel nearly got us killed!"

"You rotten old tyrant!"

The group of girls furiously pointed at the drone, shouting insults.

Those watching on-screen felt second-hand embarrassment for the director, but he himself was smug and delighted.

This footage was absolute gold.

Although the girls had almost been killed, the director still pressured them to continue toward the most significant location of the show.

Deep within the vast desert lay an enormous "platform."

From a bird’s-eye view, it resembled the stump of a mythical towering tree that had been felled.

In fact, it was a marine rock left behind by dramatic geological transformations millions of years ago.

During ancient times, this enormous desert was once a boundless sea.

Eventually, it transformed into expansive forests and ultimately evolved into the current desert landscape.

The girls stood before the majestic, awe-inspiring rock formation, appearing so diminutive—life itself seemed no greater than specks of dust.

Yang Ni rebandaged her injured foot.

Qiqi gulped down her nutritional drink.

The others devoured rich chocolate bars.

The eleven girls split into three smaller groups—front, middle, and rear—to begin their climb to the summit.

The coarse, steep rocks felt as scorching as heated iron plates under the sun.

Wearing thick gloves, the girls exerted every ounce of strength they had.

At this moment, their minds were blank with exhaustion, focused only on their single goal: reaching the top.

The heat seemed to roast them inside and out, turning their clothes into tiny steam ovens.

"I... I can’t do this anymore. I’m terrified of heights!"

Meng Meixuan, usually fearless, slumped against the rock in tears.

"Meixuan, don’t stop—we’ve made it halfway!" Wu Zixuan encouraged her fervently.

"I can’t move anymore. I’ll stay with Meixuan."

Li Zimeng was also at her limit. She’d never considered herself a pampered princess.

In fact, being hailed as the only girl in "Celestial Idols" had always struck a nerve.

She constantly wanted to prove she was a true "tough girl."

But after everything she’d been through, she realized she might prefer being a chic, noble young lady instead.

"Why are you both staying here? To dry up into fish jerky?" Qiqi clenched her little fists.

"I’m scared of heights—I can’t look down!" Meng Meixuan pleaded, her face full of despair.

"Don’t look down, just look ahead," Yang Ni suggested.

"Let the captain go ahead of you. Just stare at her butt—it’s what you secretly do anyway!" Jiang Mengqi interjected.

Suddenly, everyone froze in shock.

"Jiang Mengqi, what are you talking about? Don’t blabber about our secrets for the whole world to hear!" Wu Zixuan exploded in indignation.

"I was just trying to give Meixuan a goal!" Jiang Mengqi quickly shrank back, deciding to keep quiet.

Yuwei felt unbelievably awkward:

"Nobody gets left behind—we’re all climbing up together."

"Zijing, you’re responsible for Zi Meng."

Under Yuwei’s orders, the eleven girls resumed their journey upward.

Who knew how much time had passed when Yuwei suddenly felt the view around her open up.

The blazing sun emerged once again.

Using the very last shred of energy they had, they reached the top of the broad disc-like summit.

It was covered with remnants of history—shells, oyster fossils, and even ancient insects.

The others followed suit, collapsing atop the summit. The eleven girls gathered together, gazing out into the horizon.

The heavens were vast, the world serene, and the dunes stretched endlessly, resembling ocean waves frozen mid-crash.

"We did it!"

"We’ve triumphed!"

"We’re the celestial girls who can overcome anything!"

With tears streaming down her face, Yuwei pulled the flag from her backpack and unfurled it.

Eleven girls who had survived sandstorms and endured scorching heat now stood together, announcing their triumph to the entire world.

Their faces were filled with passion, pride, and the everlasting memories of their youth.

"Zijing, they say these stones are magical—if you make a wish, it can come true."

Yuwei handed a Conch Stone to Zijing.

"Then let’s make a wish together!"

Zhang Zijing grabbed Yuwei’s hand, and the two walked to the edge of the rock, placing their hands on its surface.

At that moment, Zijing’s heart pounded wildly, as though she were completing the most significant thing in her life.

Lv Fangxin slipped past them and picked up another stone.

"What are you doing?" Yang Ni sidled closer.

"I’m making a wish."

"Aren’t wishes supposed to be made in pairs?"

"Why can’t one person do it? I like being alone."

Fuming, Lv Fangxin scared Yang Ni off.

Jiang Mengqi couldn’t help but laugh as she picked up a small stone and earnestly began wishing.

So did the others: time seemed to freeze as eleven girls left a moment of their lives forever on this mountaintop.