[Hahaha! Zhang Song, you little brat, are you trying to get yourself killed? You actually dared to link arms with Shen Wanwan?!]
[Brother Ye: I hate clueless kids with no sense of personal boundaries! Let go of her arm already!]
[Though honestly, Zhang Song really should be a bit more careful.]
[LMAO, Director, hurry and switch to Brother Ye’s camera!]
Everyone was eagerly waiting to see Shao Yuye’s reaction.
And Shao Yuye certainly didn’t disappoint. The moment the director cut the camera to his face, he vividly demonstrated one universal truth…
When someone wants to murder another person, it’s written all over their face.
Glaring fiercely at Zhang Song, Shao Yuye barked, “Take your hand off her!”
That was his little sister.
Even he hadn’t gotten to link arms with her on the show yet!
Didn’t this kid know what ‘proper boundaries between men and women’ meant?
Hearing that, Zhang Song only hugged Shen Wanwan’s arm even tighter.
“Nope. Not letting go.”
*Bleh*~
Shao Yuye: “…”
Damn it.
Where the hell had this little punk come from?
Shao Yuye genuinely disliked the brat, but there wasn’t much he could do.
He was seven years older than Zhang Song. If he seriously argued with a kid, it’d just make him look petty.
At that moment, Qi Luozhou, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly took out an item card.
“I want to use a prop card.”
[The game’s not even starting yet. Why’s God Zhou using a card?]
[Is he trying to get more supplies?]
[If God Zhou’s using a card, there has to be a reason. Maybe he noticed something.]
Everyone on the set turned to look at Qi Luozhou.
Between his fingers was a card that clearly read—
Running Card.
The Running Card was a targeted item card.
The designated player had to immediately stop whatever they were doing and start running for five minutes.
[A Running Card?]
[Isn’t that a debuff? Why’s God Zhou suddenly using one?]
“God Zhou, did you grab the wrong card?”
His partner, Jin Xiaoyu, quietly reminded him.
“No.”
Qi Luozhou looked calmly at Zhang Song.
“I designate Zhang Song.”
Zhang Song froze.
“God Zhou…”
Qi Luozhou was a senior he deeply respected and someone he hoped to become like one day.
Why was he suddenly using this card on him?
Shen Wanwan, however, burst into laughter almost instantly.
Qi Luozhou’s gaze shifted from Zhang Song to her.
Their eyes met in midair.
She silently raised an eyebrow.
—“What’s this?
—“Jealous?
—“That’s not my fault.
—“He was the one who linked arms with me.”
The smile on Qi Luozhou’s lips widened. His voice remained as pleasant as ever, but what came out of his mouth was downright devilish.
“Welcome to <Extreme Challenge>.”
The livestream chat exploded.
[?]
[HAHAHAHA! Zhang Song: This is how you’re welcoming me?!]
[I’m laughing to death! Black-bellied God Zhou strikes again!]
[That stunned little expression on Zhang Song’s face is so adorable!]
Even Shao Yuye couldn’t hold back a laugh.
“Pfft.”
This sly fox.
He was actually pretty entertaining.
Silently, Shao Yuye shot him a grateful look.
Qi Luozhou’s expression remained calm, smiling with almost no warmth.
—*Tsk.*
What a fox.
But Shao Yuye had to admit.
At this moment…
He felt incredibly satisfied.
Exceptionally satisfied.
He promptly pulled out two identical cards of his own.
During the previous stop, he’d been desperately clearing challenges with Jiang Yuan just to try getting his sister back, so he’d accumulated quite a collection of cards.
Holding up two Running Cards, he grinned.
“Since you’re new here, let’s start you off with a pair.”
Zhang Song: “Are you guys insane?!”
Jiang Yuan chuckled beside him.
“You brought this on yourself. Why’d you have to provoke him?”
If not for Zhang Song being so young, Shao Yuye would’ve probably thrown a whole stack of bomb cards at him first.
Shao Yuye sneered.
“Let go of my sister, and I’ll spare you.”
Zhang Song’s expression immediately became a masterpiece of conflicting emotions.
He already had one five-minute running penalty from Qi Luozhou!
Another ten minutes wasn’t something to joke about!
His face changed in an instant.
He obediently released Shen Wanwan’s arm.
“Brother Ye, I was wrong.”
Just moments ago, he’d been smirking arrogantly, completely unfazed by Shao Yuye’s threats.
Now he behaved like a little boy who’d just been thoroughly disciplined.
He even folded both hands neatly in front of himself and gave Shao Yuye a deep, respectful bow.
[HAHAHAHA! Seriously, why’d you have to provoke him? Brother Ye didn’t earn the title of ultimate siscon by accident!]
[I’m crying with laughter. Experience beats youth. You’re just a kid, how were you supposed to outplay these seasoned veterans? Take this as a lesson learned!]
[Brother Ye’s smug little expression gets me every single time. God Zhou’s move really made his day!]
At this point, the shipping fans spotted even more material.
[AHHHH! This ‘Rivals’ CP energy! I’m eating it up!]
[“You’re only allowed to find me annoying. No one else.” (joking)]
[God Zhou, you spoil him way too much!]
[The ‘WanZhou’ shippers got fed too!!]
[Someone’s jealous… but I won’t say who~]
Only then did Shao Yuye, satisfied at last, put the two Running Cards away.
Zhang Song had barely joined the show, yet he’d almost won himself a fifteen-minute running penalty.
His fans found the whole thing both exasperating and hilarious, flooding the livestream with pleas for the two superstar celebrities to go easy on him.
[He’s still just a kid! QAQ]
[Brother Ye, God Zhou, we’re sorry! Song Song knows he was wrong!]
[Please, just give him another chance! We’ll make sure to discipline this brat. How many peanuts did he eat before coming here to get this cocky? He actually dared to challenge Brother Ye! This little rascal really deserves a spanking!]
Of course, Shao Yuye wasn’t really trying to make things difficult for Zhang Song.
After all, Zhang Song was on the same team as his little sister.
What if the debuff card delayed their progress?
Thinking of that, he turned to look at his sister.
Shen Wanwan was smiling at him sweetly.
“Thank you for showing mercy, Brother.”
Damn.
Who could possibly resist a smile like that?
Pretending to stay composed, Shao Yuye casually waved a hand.
“No problem, no problem.”
The comments instantly exploded.
[Hahaha, Brother Ye, are you blushing?]
[So vicious in front of everyone else, but an absolute sweetheart in front of his little sister!]
[Brother Ye is just too adorable! I’m laughing to death! Hahaha!]
As punishment, Zhang Song had to run for five minutes.
The others headed off to tackle the levels first, leaving only Shen Wanwan behind to wait for him.
When Zhang Song finally came back after his five-minute run, he was panting heavily. A thin layer of sweat covered his forehead, and the cold wind had turned his youthful face bright red.
Shen Wanwan kept staring at him.
Curious, Zhang Song touched his cheek.
“Sister, is there something on my face?”
“No.”
As Shen Wanwan withdrew her gaze, she noticed him about to hook his arm around hers again. Without drawing attention to it, she quietly stepped to the side.
“We don’t seem to be that close.”
The meaning behind her words was obvious.
His behavior had crossed the line.
A flicker of hurt flashed through Zhang Song’s eyes.
“Sister… don’t you remember me?”
The unexpected question caught Shen Wanwan off guard.
The livestream comments immediately became curious as well.
[Huh? Did Song Song and Wanwan know each other before?]
[The way Song Song says it… it sounds like they have some kind of history!]
[Don’t tell me Song Song is actually Wanwan and Brother Ye’s long-lost little brother? (joking)]
The audience thought they were about to witness an emotional reunion.
Instead, Shen Wanwan remained expressionless.
“I don’t.”
Zhang Song: “…”
Too real.
He choked on his words for a moment.
But he quickly continued, “It’s normal that you don’t remember me.
“A few years ago, you encouraged me. You helped me so much. You were the one who helped me find my direction!”
Shen Wanwan raised an eyebrow.
“Really?” As Zhang Song nodded enthusiastically, she replied coolly, “Sorry. I don’t remember.”
Her indifference did nothing to dampen Zhang Song’s enthusiasm.
Excitedly, he continued, “Sister, do you know? To me, you’re practically a god.
“Ever since I listened to what you said… I’ve climbed all the way to Top 1.”
Although Shen Wanwan had absolutely no recollection of him, that didn’t stop Zhang Song from telling the story with great excitement.
He had been discovered as a trainee child star and debuted together with three teammates as part of the idol group III.
When they first debuted, he was by far the least noticeable member of the group.
Even though his singing, dancing, and acting were all the best among the four.
The fans simply liked his teammates more.
Teammate A had a baby face and had been adorable ever since he was little. Fans absolutely adored him, praising him every day for being irresistibly cute.
Teammate B, despite his young age, had an exceptionally cool and aloof personality. Fans loved that too. Whenever he smiled in front of the camera, they celebrated as if it were New Year’s.
As for Teammate C, there was even less to say. He was a refined young heir from a wealthy family. Every word and gesture radiated elegance, earning him the nickname of the ‘Little Gentleman.’
Only Zhang Song… had very few fans, and even fewer people talking about him.
Some group fans even bluntly declared: “This group would be just fine without Zhang Song.”
Hearing that vicious comment completely shattered him.
He remembered it clearly.
It was after one of their performances.
The audience below the stage was passionately cheering for his teammates.
He, too, stood beneath the spotlight, yet he felt completely invisible.
The young boy hid alone in the backstage dressing room, crying in secret.
Until a lazy female voice spoke up.
“You’re being noisy.”
Zhang Song fell silent instantly.
He bit down hard on his lower lip. His upper lip trembled violently as he struggled to hold himself together, but tears continued streaming uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes.
He sobbed quietly, every grievance he’d been bottling up reaching its limit.
He managed to stay quiet for only a second.
Then he completely lost control and burst into loud sobs.
“I know everyone hates me… Nobody likes me… I’ll quit… I’ll leave the group…”
The little boy wanted nothing more than to cry his heart out.
He hadn’t even cried for two seconds before someone stuffed a cookie into his mouth.
It was sweet.
Through blurry, tear-filled eyes, he looked up, and saw a woman of breathtaking beauty.
Her delicate brows were tightly knitted together, clearly annoyed by all the noise he was making.
“Why are you crying?
“If you want people to like you, then keep working hard.”
Still sniffling, Zhang Song replied, “But… in this industry… what’s the point of working hard?”
“Who said hard work is useless?”
Shen Wanwan’s tone turned unexpectedly sharp.
“The problem is that you haven’t worked hard enough.”
Zhang Song protested, “But all my skills are already maxed out within our group! My dancing even competed in world-class competitions…”
Before he could finish, Shen Wanwan had already lost interest and casually waved a dismissive hand, “You don’t have to tell me all that.”
Zhang Song froze.
Then he heard her cold, emotionless voice: “We’ve already been talking for thirty seconds.
“But I have no memory of you.
“I can’t even remember your name. How do you expect me to notice all your hard work?”
It was the plain truth.
And it cut incredibly deep.
A single sentence struck right at the heart.
He stared at her blankly, so stunned that he even forgot to cry. The cookie was still tucked in his mouth.
Finding his reaction a little amusing, Shen Wanwan stuffed the box of cookies into his hands. Before leaving, she gave him one last piece of advice, “Think carefully about how to make people remember you.”
Zhang Song wasn’t stupid.
Because of that one sentence, his popularity quickly caught up with the other members of his group. Before long, he surpassed them all, becoming the group’s undisputed No. 1 member and main ace.
It wasn’t until much, much later that he learned the woman who had shown him the way that day was Shen Wanwan.
She had a breathtakingly beautiful face, one glance was enough to make anyone remember her forever.
Shen Wanwan.
He engraved those three words firmly into his heart.