[What the heck?! Shen Wanwan, why did you turn off your mic? What are they talking about?!]
[Urgent! Urgent! Urgent! I’m the king of urgency—anyone here know how to read lips? Sisters, I need to know what those two are saying, ahhh——]
[Even if you can read lips, you can’t translate it. Brother Ye’s face isn’t even facing the camera, you can’t see his mouth at all! And Shen Wanwan’s mouth is half-covered by her arm!]
[Production crew!! Where are you guys?! Is a livestream with just video and no audio supposed to be fun? Does it look fun to you?! Hurry up and penalize Shen Wanwan already!]
The entire screen was flooded with calls for the director, and only then did the production team realize something was off and hurried over to the two.
But with one being a temperamental top idol and the other a proud heiress, neither was someone easy to deal with. So the crew could only cautiously word their request:
“You two, how about turning your mics back on? Whispering to each other in secret doesn’t seem very fair to the livestream audience, right?”
Since Shen Wanwan had already asked everything she wanted to ask, she cooperatively turned her and Shao Yuye’s mics back on.
“Alright.”
The director didn’t dare relax. Remembering Shen Wanwan’s earlier antics, he quickly added:
“From now on, no turning off mics, okay? Turning it off once will cost 200 Speed Coins. Since this is your first offense, we’ll let it go this time.”
Bullet comments:
[Hahahahaha, Shen Wanwan turning off the mic made the director visibly panic!]
[This is kinda hilarious—she might be the first guest to make the director set a new rule on the spot!]
[Wanwan’s fans, stop defending her. Just look—your idol is just as awkward as you guys!]
Jiang Yuan and Qi Luozhou weren’t competing for rankings, so they weren’t moving fast—but not slowly either. They maintained a steady pace, climbing the mountain while also enjoying the scenery.
They had just reached a pavilion. On the stone steps inside, two old men were loudly bickering:
“Old Chen! That doesn’t count! You made a mistake at number 26—I’m not accepting it! Do it again!”
“Hey, Old Zhang, you’re no easy one either at your age! Fine, I’ll redo it, alright?”
Qi Luozhou had just focused in to listen when Jiang Yuan suddenly muttered:
“Shao Yuye is actually carrying Shen Wanwan on his back up the mountain.”
Qi Luozhou turned his head, following Jiang Yuan’s gaze downward, and saw Shao Yuye carrying Shen Wanwan as he slowly walked forward.
The mountain trail was a winding staircase. The distance between teams had grown large and they were quite far apart. From their angle, they could only make out the general outline of the two.
Just the thought of it made Jiang Yuan’s legs go weak.
Even though Shen Wanwan was light, this was ‘mountain climbing,’ after all!
He truly admired Shao Yuye. “Shao Yuye is kinda impressive.”
“I just hope they stop fighting now.”
Qi Luozhou retracted his gaze calmly and casually leaned his hiking stick—given by the director at the start—against the side of the pavilion.
“Let’s go.”
Shao Yuye had carried Shen Wanwan a while longer when Bai Ling and Su Tingxuan—who’d started half an hour later—caught up.
When Bai Ling saw Shao Yuye’s back carrying Shen Wanwan, she gasped:
“Oh my god. Is Shao Yuye planning to carry her all the way to the top?”
“No way.”
Su Tingxuan had seen with his own eyes how much Shao Yuye disliked Shen Wanwan. How could Shao Yuye possibly be carrying that drama queen?
But when he looked up, Shen Wanwan really was on Shao Yuye’s back. His heart suddenly sank, and disbelief filled his chest.
“How is this possible?!”
He instinctively quickened his pace with two long strides forward.
As they passed by the two, Bai Ling greeted them first. She looked at Shao Yuye with concern, her voice as gentle as ever:
“Are you alright? You look like you’re struggling.”
Shao Yuye : “I’m fine.”
After all, he came from an idol background, accustomed to intense dance training. His physical condition was excellent.
Bai Ling instinctively glanced at Shen Wanwan.
Shen Wanwan was backlit, her long pale neck glowing in the sunlight.
The bright light behind Shen Wanwan made Bai Ling squint.
Su Tingxuan also narrowed his eyes against the sun, which made his face look a bit distorted.
Shen Wanwan looked away in slight disgust.
That made Su Tingxuan’s attempt at small talk instantly catch in his throat.
All he could see was one stunning side profile of hers.
And it irritated him.
Bai Ling tried a few topics beside Shao Yuye, but none got his attention. Seeing how slowly the pair was walking, she finally gave up and said:
“Well… we’ll go on ahead then.”
Shao Yuye, focused on carrying Shen Wanwan, replied: “Mm.”
Bai Lign and Su Tingxuan passed them in silence. But Su Tingxuan’s mood wasn’t as light as before.
He was quiet for a moment, then suddenly said softly:
“Feels like… something’s changed.”
Once Shen Wanwan felt the pain in her foot had eased quite a bit, she immediately said:
“Put me down now.”
Shao Yuye didn’t let go.
“I can carry you.”
Shen Wanwan insisted, “I want to get down.”
Even if her brother was willing to carry her on his back, there was no way she’d let him do it the whole way.
It was fine for a while, but if it continued, carrying such weight up a mountain could damage his knees.
Shao Yuye had no choice but to crouch down cooperatively.
While she had been on his back earlier, Shen Wanwan spotted a small pavilion ahead.
“Let’s rest up there for a bit.”
Shao Yuye had no objections and agreed easily.
The livestream comments were full of dissatisfaction:
[I was wondering why Shen Wanwan suddenly didn’t want Yuye to carry her anymore. Turns out she saw the pavilion.]
[Seriously? It’s only five more minutes to the pavilion, and she already wants to rest! At this rate, they’ll reach the top by nightfall.]
[I just checked—Zhang Yiran and Jin Xiaoyu have already reached the summit! Ugh, my Brother Ye used to care so much about rankings, and now Shen Wanwan’s made him completely indifferent.]
[Don’t tell me… Shen Wanwan’s really used her “money power”? Brother Ye’s lost the light in his eyes. Ugh, he used to be so vivid and energetic, and now he’s oddly calm…]
[Definitely! I saw the leaks—they said Shen Wanwan has big money backing her and is using Brother Ye to carry her popularity. Ha, why didn’t she pick God Zhou? Think about it, God Zhou is too nice, there’s no drama, everyone would just bash her one-sidedly! But Brother Ye is different—he’s fiery and straightforward, perfect for hot topics and views. The leaks even said Shen Wanwan’s script is already written—six episodes, each with its own storyline. Ugh… my poor Brother Ye. No connections, no background, and now he’s just a pawn in this dirty industry. TAT]
A single comment stirred up a storm.
[Is that for real?!]
[Damn! How can you stand this?! I seriously can’t anymore! I already wanted to scream when I saw the team-picking video this morning!]
[I know as Brother Ye’s fans we’re supposed to stay rational, but blind tolerance only makes them stomp on us more. Sorry, I can’t take it anymore—this time, I really can’t keep quiet!]
Soon after, hashtags like #Shen Wanwan Uses Capital To Force Shao Yuye#, #Biggest Scandal In Extreme Challenge# began trending, as furious ‘Yu Yu’s lashed out at the production team and Shen Wanwan for exploiting Shao Yuye to create drama and demanded an explanation.
No wonder the ‘Yu Yu’s were enraged.
Back when Shao Yuye was on the survival show <One Pick>, his fiery temper and impulsiveness got him maliciously edited again and again, making casual viewers seriously dislike him.
Even though he was overwhelmingly popular by vote, with no big company backing him, he was manipulated into 10th place right before the finals.
10th place.
He wanted so badly to stand at the top, but the show ruthlessly placed him one step away.
Only the top 9 could debut.
And he was just one rank short of his dream.
Everyone knew this kind of shady manipulation was standard in survival shows, but the ‘Yu Yu’s had to admit:
It still hurt like hell.
Was the show testing if they could fight for their underdog idol?
Then so be it!
After a week of non-stop campaigning by all the ‘Yu Yu’s.
On the night of the finals, just as Shao Yuye thought he’d be saying goodbye to the stage, he was instead surrounded by cheering fans—and took the center position.
The center, symbolizing first place.
That passionate, genuine, hot-headed boy broke down sobbing on stage.
That moment was etched into every ‘Yu Yu’s heart.
This wasn’t the first time Shao Yuye had been dragged down by capital—and it wouldn’t be the last.
But they were determined to protect him with everything they had.
No matter how powerful the forces behind Shen Wanwan were, they would not be allowed to trample over Shao Yuye.
They would not allow the boy they fought so hard to lift up be reduced to a stepping stone for someone else’s success.
Absolutely not!
There were people in the pavilion, so Shen Wanwan didn’t plan to go in.
Just as she was about to find a stone to sit on, she caught sight of a walking stick discarded beside the pavilion.
They’d tossed theirs aside earlier when Shao Yuye carried her.
If she had to walk on her own, having a hiking stick would help a lot.
Wait a second…
She suddenly heard a conversation between two elderly men inside the pavilion—
“Old Chen! That doesn’t count! You messed up by 26—I’m not accepting that. Start over!”
“Heh! You old rascal Zhang, you never let anything slide at your age. Fine, I’ll start over, happy?”
“I’m just waiting to see it—someone here said they could write from 1 to 100 without a single mistake. You really think such a person exists?” The old man said it with dramatic flair and smug exaggeration.
Shen Wanwan suddenly stepped forward and said calmly to the two old men in the pavilion:
“There is.”
The two old men pretended to be surprised and turned around.
They’d been acting ever since they encountered the first pair of participants, but no one had paid them any attention.
Now this was the final group. One of the old men’s eyes lit up instantly and he took the initiative to speak:
“Little girl, look here—my old buddy and I made a bet. He said no one could write from 1 to 100 without making a mistake. I said it’s possible. He insisted I prove it, but my old eyes are too dim to do it myself. Can you help me?”
The other quickly followed the act: “Hah! Words are cheap, seeing is believing. Since you say it can be done, show me!”
Seeing her stop here, Shao Yuye walked over as well to see what was going on. One of the old men instantly handed him paper and pen.
“Young man, you try it too!”
Shao Yuye had originally wanted to say, “What’s the point of this? So childish! Just a waste of time.” But when he saw Shen Wanwan already sitting down and writing with focus, he was instantly left speechless.
Fine. Write it is.
One of the old men gave a stern reminder beside them: “Write carefully—if you make a mistake, you have to start over!”
Shao Yuye : “……”
He had just begun when he got distracted by the old man’s words, and ended up writing a 5 instead of a 4.
He hadn’t expected to fail so fast, which amused the old man to no end.
“Ha ha ha! You’ve got to start over!”
Shao Yuye could only start a new line and begin again.
Next to him, Shen Wanwan was writing steadily and had already reached 25.
The two old men stood with their hands behind their backs, watching over her shoulder.
No matter what they said or did, she remained completely unaffected.
Shao Yuye made it through another round—better than the last—but slipped up again at 36.
Even though he kept reminding himself there was no time limit and he mustn’t make mistakes, the more he thought about it, the more distracted he got.
At this point, Shen Wanwan had already reached 84.
The livestream comment section was just as tense as she was.
[OMG, only 16 numbers left—Shen Wanwan, please don’t mess up!]
[I can’t even breathe watching this! One mistake and she’s back to square one!!]
[You guys, get a grip. What’s the point of writing numbers? Don’t forget this is a speed-based obstacle course show, and several teams have already reached the top!]
[But watching them do this is seriously nerve-wracking—my palms are sweating…]
[Yeah, she’s already this far, just let her finish! It didn’t take that long anyway…]
In the tense atmosphere fueled by the barrage of comments, Shen Wanwan reached 97.
Now, only the last three numbers remained!
She flicked her wrist once, and under the intense anticipation of everyone watching, she calmly and flawlessly wrote the final three numbers on the sheet.
She passed in one go!