The semi-paralyzed contestant Li Yang, who once played as a roaming NPC, cheered, while Shu Ran and Shi Yuhuai, who were at the bottom last ti, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Only Guan Yu from the winning group was utterly displeased.
"Director! I barely managed to secure first place with Brother Cheng’s help, and just this once, there’s no reward?!"
If the director was persuaded to give a reward, it might lead to punishnt for the bottom group, so for the first ti, Shu Ran’s brain was working at high speed. She quickly spoke up before the director could say anything,
"You want a reward? Then wear the red armband, and we’ll keep a special watch on you."
Sabotage your tasks so you’ll realize rewards aren’t always good.
Guan Yu exclaid in surprise, "Hey, hey, hey Shu Ran, you’ve turned bad! You weren’t like this in the pilot episode!"
Shu Ran replied, "All I can say is, I’ve grown through this show."
Especially under Shi Yuhuai’s straight-man blows, her growth was particularly rapid. According to her newbie agent, the tea-like aura around her was fading.
"Then I must applaud you," Guan Yu said, clapping like a seal, "This is enough to move the director to tears."
Shu Ran was speechless, "Anyway, if you really think it over and want a reward, then according to the rules, you definitely have to wear the red armband, and everyone will be watching you. Sabotaging a tiny task of yours is a piece of cake."
"You’re even threatening people now. Fine, fine, I didn’t buy insurance, so I won’t risk it. I’ll back off, okay?"
Guan Yu retreated back to the group, sighing dejectedly.
"The world is deteriorating, and people’s hearts aren’t what they used to be. Even Shu Ran has learned to threaten people."
The director just watched them bicker back and forth without interrupting. When they finally stopped, he slowly lifted the gaphone and said:
"Although there are no benefits or punishnts, due to the general rules set by the author herself, we have decided to add extra information to the identity cards of the mbers in both the winning and bottom groups."
Sothing felt off, and Mu Qiu frowned, "??? What does this have to do with again?"
Can’t they stop bringing her, the completely useless author, into it every ti? When there’s drama, there’s drama, why must they pretend to care about her? The director is really exaggerating.
Li Yang consoled her, "It’s okay, we all know you’re useless, and the director’s words won’t make us want to bother you."
"Thank you, if only you hadn’t emphasized the useless part several tis," Mu Qiu said with the fakest, driest smile, which quickly turned into an eye-roll.
The people around weren’t concerned about her usefulness, as it was already the fourth episode, and the smart guests had learned to grasp the key points.
Guan Yu’s eyes glead with anticipation, "What information? Give a highly-coveted identity, endless cash, and a tall, handso partner?"
Mu Qiu cupped her hands into a makeshift gaphone, "You’re daydreaming."
Guan Yu looked at her listlessly, "Do you know what you look like?"
"Like what?"
"Soone who’s poor themselves but won’t let their friends get rich."
"......" What a ridiculous analogy.
Everyone else was amused by Guan Yu’s vivid taphor.
Cheng Zhirang laughed and shook his head, thinking maybe their brains were wired differently from others, as they always ca up with these quirky yet accurate expressions.
Apart from Guan Yu, Shu Ran was also eager to ask what information would be provided, but while Guan Yu was dreaming, she was disaster-proofing.
"Director, what kind of information will it be? Will we be given difficult tasks?"
As a mber of the bottom group himself, Shi Yuhuai also frowned and stared at the director, the intensity of his gaze giving the director goosebumps.
"It won’t be too hard, and it won’t necessarily be about tasks; you’ll find out once you encounter it. Alright, everyone get ready, change your gear, and let’s start today’s ga!"
The show gave ten minutes for gear changes, and the caras turned to other spots, surprisingly, with no caras fixed on the guests heading to the rest area.
On typical variety shows, there are always caras rolling, which is how juicy tidbits often co out, usually with photographic evidence.
Soone like Shu Ran, who’s frequently on variety shows, was used to it. Even if the director said they were having a break and suspending filming, she wouldn’t relax and would maintain her tense persona.
But in this show, when they said they’d pause filming, everything really stopped without any shenanigans.
Is it the backing of the Changtong Group? No need for any scoops, malicious editing, or press releases; they can garner enough attention.
Overall, it was a very comforting behavior.
While these reasons ran through Shu Ran’s mind, wearing her sky-high heels, she was on her way to the temporary rest area to change shoes. When she turned to call her assistant to ask about news online, she accidentally spotted Cheng Zhirang entering Mu Qiu’s rest area.
She paused, amused by her own recent speculation.
Turns out, this was the real reason, how did she not think of it?
She didn’t call her assistant anymore, and like everyone else, walked straight into her rest area, making the most of every minute of break ti.
anwhile, in Mu Qiu’s rest room, she was a bit taken aback as Cheng Zhirang walked in after knocking.
"Brother Cheng, what’s up?" With so many people watching outside, he just walked in openly, even maintaining courtesy by knocking first.
Probably half the people present saw it.
"Just now, I had the staff fetch shoes for Shu Ran. Are you upset about it?" he asked directly.
Mu Qiu hadn’t expected him to bring this up. Thinking about her own uncalled-for jealousy earlier, she bit her lip, lowered her lashes, and didn’t speak.
Cheng Zhirang’s tone was gentle as he softly inquired, "Do you think I shouldn’t have helped her?"
He used the word "help," Mu Qiu bit the corner of her lip, shaking her head, "I should have, but I felt a little, just a tiny bit unhappy, for a brief mont."
"Then let explain, I hope it’ll make you feel a bit better," he paused, lowering his beautiful eyes, looking at her earnestly:
"Helping soone at risk is what I need to do as a teammate when I see it, but it has nothing to do with gender."
"I just happened to see it and gave a reminder; that’s not concern. Whether she feels pain or discomfort from wearing high heels isn’t within my consideration."
"But if it were you," he placed his palm on her hair, tugging the long red ribbon a bit, softening his voice even more,
"if it were you, then it would be concern. It’s about sensing a girlfriend’s emotions. I’d worry about whether you’re in pain, if you’re uncomfortable, or if you feel wronged. I’ll only be this way with you, never with anyone else, like Shu Ran."
Mu Qiu fell silent again, but she leaned her head, rubbing lightly against his palm.
Cheng Zhirang loved these little gestures from her, affectionately rubbing her hair twice, pulling her into his embrace.
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