By this point, all the teams had been decided.
Shao Yuye and Zhang Song were on one team, Jin Xiaoyu and Jiang Yuan on another, and Zhang Yiran and Bai Ling on the third.
When it rains, it pours.
Shao Yuye and Zhang Song’s team uniforms happened to be cyan—a color that perfectly matched the gloomy expressions on both their faces.
The livestream chat was dying of laughter.
[LMAO, the little-sis-con and the elder-sis-con are on the same team. Are they going to fight each other?]
[Brother Ye and Song Song’s expressions are absolutely killing me. Hahaha!]
[Brother Ye and Song Song’s expressions are absolutely killing me. Hahaha!]
[Brother Ye: I need to figure out how to get this brat away from us. Song Song: I need to find a way back to Sister!]
[These uniforms are way too fitting. I can’t stop laughing!]
Some viewers also noticed Jiang Yuan and Jin Xiaoyu’s pairing.
[Oh my god! This is so touching! Jiang Yuan finally gets paired with a girl!!!]
[Hahaha, finally! Jiang Yuan, your good fortune has finally arrived!]
Having finally gotten a female partner, Jiang Yuan was practically glowing with happiness. He raised three fingers solemnly toward Jin Xiaoyu.
“I swear I won’t leave you behind.
“Any dirty work or heavy lifting, leave it all to me!
“If you don’t want to keep doing the challenges, we’ll stop. Even tonight’s punishment will be entirely on me…”
Jin Xiaoyu covered her mouth, laughing helplessly.
“You’re way too funny!”
[Jiang Yuan, that’s enough! Are you confessing on national television?!]
[I’m crying. People who know think you’re forming a team. People who don’t would think you’re making a heartfelt love confession!]
[Xiaoyu, hurry up and say, ‘I do!’ I want to see you two start dating on the spot! Be lovey-dovey together with WanZhou!]
Meanwhile, holding the Number 1 ball, Zhang Yiran enthusiastically discussed strategy with Bai Ling.
“It’s the final episode. How about we take first place together?”
Bai Ling glanced absentmindedly toward Shen Wanwan before replying distractedly,
“…Okay.”
They had teamed up before. Bai Ling wasn’t particularly outgoing, but she had never been the cold type either. Noticing something off, Zhang Yiran asked,
“What’s wrong?”
Bai Ling silently shook her head.
She couldn’t exactly tell him that she simply didn’t want to be on the same team as him.
After a great deal of reflection over the past several days, she had finally realized something.
On this show, the only way to become well-liked was to stay close to Shen Wanwan.
The moment Zhang Song had joined the cast, he’d attached himself to Shen Wanwan.
In just one episode, Shen Wanwan had practically carried him to instant popularity.
Bai Ling wasn’t foolish enough to believe that dream she’d had was real.
Besides, even if she wanted to compete with Shen Wanwan and reclaim everything that supposedly should have belonged to her, she simply wasn’t capable of doing it.
After working through all her frustration and jealousy, she ultimately decided to do her best to get closer to Shen Wanwan instead.
The current Shen Wanwan represented enormous popularity and traffic.
If she could become friends with Shen Wanwan, perhaps everyone would finally stop seeing her as just another forgettable guest.
This was her last episode.
Her final opportunity to build a relationship with Shen Wanwan.
But she didn’t even have a legitimate excuse to approach her.
Bai Ling was anxious beyond words.
[Why does Bai Ling look like she’s carrying the weight of the world?]
[Yeah, everyone else is having fun, but she’s the only one with a long face.]
[What’s going on with her?]
Before anyone could dwell on it, however, the whistle blew, and all four teams set off together.
Shao Yuye swore it was nothing but muscle memory.
He was simply too used to fighting for first place.
Dragging Zhang Song behind him, he sprinted all the way to the shuttle stop. They jumped onto the sightseeing cart, and only after watching the other teams racing toward them did Shao Yuye suddenly realize…
Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou were nowhere to be seen.
He froze.
“Where are those two?”
Having been hauled along the entire way, Zhang Song was still trying to catch his breath.
He’d long heard that Brother Ye was notoriously competitive. The eighteen-year-old’s stamina was incredible—he ran like a gust of wind.
The downside was that Zhang Song hadn’t noticed anything happening around them either.
Now he stared blankly.
“I… I don’t know.”
Shao Yuye: “…”
[Hahaha! Brother Ye, what are you doing? Don’t you want first place anymore?]
[The lovebirds are tying their shoelaces. You just go win your precious first place!]
[I’m seriously laughing to death. Ever since he found out Wanwan and God Zhou are getting married, Brother Ye has somehow become even more overprotective. What happened to that calm confidence when he was saying he trusted God Zhou completely?!]
Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou had fallen to the very back.
When the director’s whistle sounded, they started walking almost perfectly in sync.
Neither especially slow nor particularly fast, they strolled forward at an unhurried pace.
After only a couple of steps, Qi Luozhou suddenly said, “Wait.”
“Hm?”
Shen Wanwan stopped and looked at him.
Qi Luozhou crouched down and deftly tied her shoelaces.
The livestream exploded into another chorus of shrieks.
[AHHHH! Somebody! Just sacrifice me to celebrate their romance already!]
[God Zhou spoils her so much!!]
Today Shen Wanwan was wearing a pair of white sneakers.
Only the colorful shoelaces stood out, making Qi Luozhou’s fair, jade-like hands appear even more elegant as he tied them.
She lowered her head to watch him, feeling a subtle warmth and sweetness bloom in her heart.
He was only tying her shoelaces.
It wasn’t like she was that easy to win over.
Qi Luozhou quickly finished tying them. As he stood back up, he met Shen Wanwan’s smiling eyes.
He smiled at her openly and without hesitation, extending his hand to her in plain sight.
She naturally reached out her own hand in return. Their fingers intertwined, and then slowly tightened around each other.
[Real couples are just that powerful, AHHHH!]
[Don’t stop me! Let me ship them! The world is full of love, ‘WanZhou’ forever!]
Meanwhile, the other teams had gradually gathered near the sightseeing carts. Seeing that Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou were still nowhere in sight, Shao Yuye finally began to lose his composure.
But since this was a team competition, he was just about to tell Zhang Song they should hurry on when Zhang Song suddenly tugged at his sleeve, looked up innocently, and asked, “Brother Ye, should we wait for Sister?”
It was like someone handing him a pillow just as he was getting sleepy.
Shao Yuye shot him an approving glance. For the first time, Zhang Song looked incredibly pleasing to the eye.
“Sure!”
[Hahaha! The first collaboration between a little-sis-con and an elder-sis-con (just kidding).]
[I’m laughing to death. Brother Ye: Kid, that’s finally something I like hearing!]
[Go back so we can watch God Zhou tie Wanwan’s shoelaces! Fight! Fight! 😏😏]
As Zhang Yiran ran over, he was surprised to see Shao Yuye actually turning back.
“What are you two doing? Why are you heading the wrong way?”
[Hahaha, when someone obsessed with winning suddenly stops chasing victory…]
[Obviously because his little sister has fallen into the hands of his rival!]
[LMAO, I can’t wait to see Brother Ye’s face when he sees Wanwan and God Zhou holding hands. It’s going to be priceless!]
The two had only walked back a short distance when they spotted Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou in the distance, leisurely walking hand in hand in another direction.
A gentle spring breeze brushed past them.
The two seemed surrounded by an invisible barrier, naturally shutting everyone else out of their world.
Shen Wanwan wasn’t someone who smiled often. Her personality was usually cool and reserved.
But today, as she looked at Qi Luozhou, her brows and eyes curved with gentle amusement, making her breathtakingly beautiful.
As for Qi Luozhou—
He loved to smile. He always wore one.
Yet his smile was usually light, almost detached, as though it carried no particular emotion.
But today, his eyes burned brightly.
In those eyes, there was only her.
And the hands they held—
They were clasped together openly, shamelessly, fearlessly, with absolutely no regard for anyone else’s feelings.
Shao Yuye abruptly stopped in his tracks.
Oblivious to anything unusual, Zhang Song happily called out, “Sister!”
Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou’s conversation was interrupted. They both turned toward the voice.
Zhang Song sprinted over.
“Brother Ye saw you two hadn’t come yet, so he said we’d wait for you!”
Shen Wanwan looked at her brother as he slowly approached.
“It’s fine.”
Shao Yuye’s gaze never left their tightly interlocked hands.
In a daze, he suddenly recalled New Year’s Eve, when that shameless bastard Qi Luozhou had invited himself into his home—and right in front of him, had kissed his little sister.
“You’re filming a show. Watch yourselves.
“This is supposed to be a racing variety show. Why are you two acting like you’re on a dating show?”
He strode forward, decisively pried apart their clasped hands, then hooked an arm around his sister’s and started leading her away.
“Come on. We’re running out of time. Last episode—first place or nothing!”
[HAHAHAHAHA!! Brother Ye, only you could pull something like this!]
[Brother Ye, let go of her arm! Leave them alone! We want to watch them date!!]
[Brother Ye looks exactly like the evil villain breaking up a pair of lovebirds right now. (just kidding)]
Shen Wanwan couldn’t help laughing as her Brother hurriedly dragged her forward.
He looked rough and forceful, but in reality every movement was incredibly gentle. He wasn’t hurting her in the slightest.
She pointed in another direction.
“That way.”
“We’re planning to take the Super Deluxe Sightseeing Cart.”
The Super Deluxe Sightseeing Cart cost twenty extra Speed Coins compared to the regular carts.
It also allowed only two passengers and departed immediately once occupied.
Normally, no one chose it.
“…!”
Shao Yuye inhaled sharply and stared at Qi Luozhou in disbelief.
Qi Luozhou merely returned a gentle smile.
The more Shao Yuye looked at him, the more he resembled a cunning old fox.
Although Shao Yuye had lived all these years without ever having romantic feelings for anyone…
He might never have eaten pork, but he’d certainly seen pigs run.
Qi Luozhou was obviously planning to seize this opportunity and secretly whisk his little sister away while everyone wasn’t paying attention!
Swallowing his frustration, Shao Yuye decisively changed direction.
“…Fine.
“So you want to ride the Super Deluxe Sightseeing Cart?”
—Your Brother will go with you!
The livestream chat completely lost it.
[Brother Ye, where did all that composure go? God Zhou already believes in the power of Light, so why are you still playing the villain breaking couples apart?]
[Brother Ye: I may be on a different team, but I’m not blind!]
[God Zhou: Guys, who understands my pain? I was having a perfectly nice chat with my fiancée, and then her Brother suddenly showed up and split us apart. What do I do? Urgent answers needed.]