Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou spent the entire day happily.

While Shao Yuye and Jiang Yuan were getting scared half to death by ghosts while placing the Eternal Lamp—

They were boating on the lake.

While Zhang Yiran and Jin Xiaoyu were debating whether to enter the hidden stage—

They were leisurely riding the sightseeing car and enjoying the scenery.

While Bai Ling and Su Tingxuan finally caught up with everyone, only to repeatedly fail and fall into the water at Level 7 while clamping small balls with their knees—

They were already worn out from having fun, sitting in a café and enjoying afternoon tea.

[The other groups are doing a racing challenge variety show, but you guys look like you’re on a dating show. Hey! Can you reflect on that a bit?!]

[But the two of them still took first place after playing all day. It’s just… absurd.]

[Ahhh, can ‘WanZhou’ just be locked in already? I love watching this! Can’t get enough!]

And so the day came to an easy, pleasant end.

Even though Shao Yuye and Jiang Yuan chased hard all the way after coming out of the haunted house, their progress through the stages ultimately only matched that of the others.

It wasn’t until the live broadcast ended and the guests went back to their respective rooms to sleep that the production crew finally unlocked the shackles for Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou.

After being restrained for an entire day, a faint redness spread across Shen Wanwan’s fair wrist.

Perhaps just as 001 had said, the light around her had grown brighter and brighter. Shen Wanwan didn’t actually feel any pain.

That didn’t stop her from holding out her reddened wrist in front of him, acting spoiled. “You compensate me.”

Qi Luozhou lowered his gaze to the redness around her wrist; something flickered in his eyes.

This time, when he said “Sorry,” he truly meant it.

Qi Luozhou hurried to buy a cooling, swelling-reducing ointment from the production crew and was just about to apply it for her when a hand reached over. Two fingers overlapped, and with ease, the ointment was snatched away.

Shao Yuye held the ointment between two fingers, his heart aching at the red marks on Shen Wanwan’s wrist.

“Qi Luozhou, if you lose the key again next time, I’ll make sure you pay for it!”

For once, Qi Luozhou didn’t retort. Instead, he took a deep breath and made a serious promise:

“There won’t be a next time.”

Shao Yuye froze.

This bastard suddenly backing down, what kind of trick was he playing now?!

He coughed awkwardly and said fiercely, “It’d better be!”

Only Shen Wanwan saw it clearly. She curved her lips into a smile.

“You should head back first. Good night.”

Qi Luozhou nodded at her.

“Good night.”

He turned around. From behind came Shao Yuye’s dissatisfied voice: “Why are you saying good night to him? You didn’t even say good night to me…”

The corners of Qi Luozhou’s lips lifted slightly. After returning to his room, he took the key out of his pocket.

The key, engraved with intricate patterns, gleamed faintly under the light.

His tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth as he thought silently:

—Qi Luozhou, be a decent human being.

Meanwhile, Shao Yuye was helping Shen Wanwan apply the ointment.

Bai Ling stood not far away, watching the entire process with a complicated expression.

Today, Qi Luozhou and Shen Wanwan had been bound together all day, and the number of CP fans for the two of them had skyrocketed.

Meanwhile, not only was her own topic with Su Tingxuan growing colder, even the viewer count in her livestream room kept dropping.

She had to find a way to get closer to Qi Luozhou or Shao Yuye!

A glint flashed in Bai Ling’s eyes. Spotting a fresh wound on Shao Yuye’s arm, she suddenly had an idea.

After Shao Yuye and Shen Wanwan separated and returned to their rooms, she took some ointment and knocked on Shao Yuye’s door.

Shao Yuye had just finished showering; water was still dripping from his undried hair.

When he opened the door and saw it was her, he paused. “What’s up?”

Bai Ling tried to walk in familiarly, but his hand on the door hadn’t loosened, forming an unmistakable line of defense.

“I saw that your arm is injured…”

This was a racing challenge variety show. Although the production crew tried their best to prevent injuries, small wounds from time to time after an episode were normal.

Shao Yuye glanced at the ointment. “You should keep it for yourself. I’ve got some.”

Bai Ling persisted. “I know some massage techniques. You’ve been tired all day—how about I give you a massage?”

Shao Yuye stared at her intently.

Feeling a little guilty, Bai Ling almost didn’t dare meet his eyes; she nearly forgot how to breathe.

“I don’t need it.”

After thinking for a moment, Shao Yuye added, “Bai Ling, are you running into some kind of problem?”

He remembered she hadn’t been like this before.

But before he could even finish asking, Bai Ling suddenly threw herself into his arms.

Shao Yuye: ???

He shoved her away at once. “What are you doing?!”

He was an idol!

The kind of idol who had to stay pure for his fans!

His good mood shattered instantly. He frowned, practically itching to punch her twice.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Bai Ling’s eyes turned red. She bit her lower lip, looking pitiful, and shook her head.

“I’m sorry!”

After blurting out that inexplicable apology, she turned and ran off.

What the hell?

Shao Yuye stared at her retreating figure, completely baffled.

Her perfume scent still lingered on him.

Damn it.

His shower had been for nothing!

He stepped back into the bathroom, scrubbed himself clean from head to toe, then went out to look for Shen Wanwan.

Shen Wanwan opened the door for him.

“What are you doing?”

Shao Yuye stepped inside. Shen Wanwan casually closed the door, holding a phone in one hand and making a pointing gesture with the other, lowering her voice. “I’m on the phone with Mom.”

Shao Yuye’s steps halted.

The next second, he heard that voice he hadn’t heard in many years.

“I’ve been watching him these past few days. The more I watch, the more I feel that Xiao Ye has really suffered a lot all these years… It’s all Mom’s fault. Wanwan, be a little nicer to your Brother…”

It felt as if the back of Shao Yuye’s head had been struck hard by something.

With a loud *buzz*.

That long-unheard form of address came rushing straight at him, hitting him so hard his head spun.

He didn’t make a sound. His expression was stiff as he sat silently on a chair to the side.

Shen Wanwan sat down next to him, placing her phone at an angle where he could see it too.

Even though he didn’t want to look, Shao Yuye’s gaze still drifted to the phone screen from time to time.

Shen Mingzhen looked quite young overall. Her skin was in good condition, though there were dark circles under her eyes that made her look a little worn and tired.

This was exactly the same conclusion Shao Yuye had reached before.

All these years, she hadn’t suffered any more grievances.

Shen Rong had taken very good care of her.

He lowered his eyes, listening to the soft, rambling voice from the other end.

Shen Mingzhen said the weather was getting cold and told him to put on more clothes.

She still remembered that he was prone to catching colds whenever the seasons changed, and told Shen Wanwan to remind him not to take his clothes off so casually.

Shen Wanwan chatted with her casually, without any particular topic.

And yet, Shen Mingzhen kept steering the conversation back to him from time to time.

Shao Yuye listened from the side, but the more he listened, the colder he felt.

Then Shen Mingzhen suddenly said with a sigh, “When will that child finally be willing to see me?”

Shen Wanwan turned her face slightly, her gaze lingering for a moment on his tightly clenched fingers.

After a brief pause, she said to Shen Mingzhen, “Brother is just a little angry.”

Shen Mingzhen’s tone immediately became cautious and tentative.

“He should be angry with me… back then…”

Before she could finish, Shao Yuye suddenly stood up.

Shen Wanwan’s eyes followed him. Shao Yuye lowered his gaze and said softly, “Go to bed early.”

Shen Wanwan nodded.

After leaving her room, Shao Yuye took a deep breath.

Seeing Shen Mingzhen again after so many years still hit him hard.

Even though he had imagined it countless times in his mind, telling himself that his emotions could no longer possibly be stirred by Shen Mingzhen, the moment he saw her with his own eyes, all those negative feelings surged back up again.

He walked all the way back to his own room, his emotions still unsettled.

His chest felt stifled, as if a huge stone were pressing down on it.

No matter how much he inhaled and exhaled, he couldn’t suppress those feelings.

Numbly, Shao Yuye closed the door. Just then, his phone rang. It was a video call from Shen Wanwan.

He answered and walked into the room.

The phone was tossed casually onto the bed. With one hand, he undid the buttons of his coat, his lashes lowered as he looked down at Shen Wanwan from above.

“What is it?”

His tone sounded distinctly irritated.

Resting her chin on her hand, Shen Wanwan suddenly spoke.

“Brother, I love you.”

Shao Yuye’s hand paused mid-motion. A tingling spread to the roots of his ears, which then began to heat up uncontrollably.

“Hey, that’s really cheesy—”

He took off his coat, revealing the short-sleeved T-shirt underneath, and moved his bare arm closer to the camera. “Look, I’ve even got goosebumps.”

Saying this kind of nonsense out of nowhere.

The smile at Shen Wanwan’s lips widened as she said softly, “Mom loves you too.”

Shao Yuye ran his tongue over his back molars, thinking dismissively.

Tch.

Yeah, right.

He reached out to grab the phone, his tone already much less cold and rigid than before.

“I’m hanging up.”

Shen Wanwan looked straight into his eyes and very seriously emphasized again—

“Brother.
“We all love you.”

She hit the softest part of his heart with pinpoint accuracy.

He lowered his eyes, the corners of his lips lifting unconsciously, and said each word distinctly,

“Shameless flatterer! Go to sleep already!”

“Mm.”
Shen Wanwan nodded. “You too.”

“Good night.”

“Good night.”

Their call lasted only a little over a minute.

Yet the gloom weighing on his heart had completely vanished.

Tossing the phone aside, Shao Yuye lay flat on the bed, staring at the ceiling, his hands clasped behind his head, seriously thinking:

He really had to find a way to get that partner-switch card, and rescue his sister from Qi Luozhou’s clutches as soon as possible!

---

When the ‘riot’ finally ended, Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou officially began their journey to search for the fragments.

Clearly, they didn’t have a map, yet every path they took was correct. They didn’t make a single wrong turn.

[What does this mean? Did Shen Wanwan actually memorize the map?]

[This is insane! How did God Zhou remember it too?!]

[Suddenly feeling like… WanZhou really fits, don’t they? A pair of high-looks, high-IQ CP—love it, love it!!]

[Their efficiency is insane! Oh my god. Suddenly I feel like if God Zhou had been a bit more serious before, maybe Brother Ye really wouldn’t have taken so many first places.]

[Could it be that God Zhou is deliberately giving him chances to draw good cards?]

The advantage of being the first team to clear the stage was slightly more obvious than for the later teams. The item cards on the big roulette wheel had better attributes than those drawn afterward.

[I’ve fallen for Rivals CP again (sorry).]

[God Zhou dotes so much, T_AT. Brother Ye, you’re really blessed!]

But the ‘Yu Yu’s weren’t happy hearing that:

[Hey, hey, hey, you guys are overthinking it way too much, okay? Brother Ye’s first place was won purely by his own strength. You insist on saying Qi Luozhou let him have it. Seriously, you’ll say anything.]

[Exactly! What are you ‘Xiao Chuan’s fantasizing about? Is this just saving face for the defeated?!]

[We didn’t even say anything. Why are you ‘Yu Yu’s suddenly breaking down?]

A war was about to break out. Both sides went back and forth, arguing so fiercely it was chaos.

In the end, some bystander really couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke up:

[Stop arguing. Next episode, just let the two of them be partners. Won’t we know then who’s better?]

As soon as that was said, both the ‘Xiao Chuan’s and the ‘Yu Yu’s fell silent.

That image was too beautiful…

Didn’t dare look…

---

After Qi Luozhou and Shen Wanwan gathered all five fragments, they finally synthesized the Everlasting Lamp.

But to place that lamp at the highest point, one person had to stay inside a light circle with a time limit of only two minutes, while the other put on climbing gear, climbed a 10-meter ladder, then jumped across a gap in midair before they could place it.

If they went over time, the person staying behind would be killed by the ‘Shadow Ones,’ the progress would reset, and all collected fragments and items would return to their original positions.

But the problem was—

Their hands were shackled together. They couldn’t act separately.

[Ah! Then what should God Zhou and Wanwan do?]

[Director? Director! We’re calling the director! It’s the final step—aren’t you coming out to unlock them?!]

Watching the barrage of rapidly scrolling comments on the screen, the director finally felt a bit of satisfaction.

Wasn’t Shen Wanwan always ridiculously capable? Everyone should occasionally get to see her stumble, as a bit of balance.

Before, when she pulled all sorts of outrageous moves, they’d tacitly allowed it and didn’t stop her. There was no reason to help her now the moment she ran into trouble.

And besides—

His eyes lit up as he looked at the girl on the screen, her gaze firm.

He really wanted to know too: in a situation like this, what kind of move would Shen Wanwan make?

Qi Luozhou lowered his voice; it sounded muffled.

“Sorry.”

Shen Wanwan’s expression instantly softened.

Qi Luozhou had long noticed that she responded to gentleness, not force.

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “We’ve got plenty of time.”

Qi Luozhou blinked slowly, his lips pressed into a straight line.

Probably because he’d never made such a low-level mistake before. Under the dim lighting, he looked excessively self-blaming.

Shen Wanwan placed the Everlasting Lamp into his palm.

“Lend me your hand.”

[What is Shen Wanwan trying to do?]

[Does she have another solution?!]

[But they’re both locked together—what could she possibly do?!]

Standing together inside the narrow light circle, not far away the ‘Shadow Ones’ lurked like a pack of wolves, waiting only for the countdown to end so they could rush in and ‘devour’ the two of them alive.

One of Shen Wanwan’s hands was cuffed by the shackles; her other hand rested on Qi Luozhou’s wrist.

He held the Everlasting Lamp in his hand, adjusting its direction according to the pressure of her fingertips.

[No way, does Shen Wanwan plan to have God Zhou throw it up there?!]

[Holy, so crazy!! What if he misses, or breaks the lamp? Do they both die together?!]

[There’s this violent aesthetic of ‘if we die, we die together’!]

[Ahhh it’s too shippable! ‘WanZhou’ just has to be together, together!]

[So tense, will God Zhou hit it?!]

Their bodies were pressed tightly together.

She carried a pleasant fragrance. Qi Luozhou’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and the arm she was holding tightened for a brief moment.

Shen Wanwan’s face was just a little above his shoulder.

After a few seconds of daze, he let out a hoarse chuckle.

He heard her crisp, commanding voice.

“Throw!”

Qi Luozhou exerted force with his arm. The Everlasting Lamp traced a bright arc through the air, flying steadily toward the 10-meter-high platform.

Everyone’s gaze converged on that hopeful point of light.

But he lowered his eyes, quietly looking at her.

Shen Wanwan also didn’t look at the lamp. She only tilted her face up slightly, her gaze bright and clear as she looked at him.

Their eyes met, and in each other’s gaze was a shared, knowing smile.

In the next instant, a sharp *clang* rang out.

There was no need for them to turn their heads. Lights were already flickering on one by one above them.

Bright light flooded the entire room. The grotesque figures that had lurked in the darkness vanished without a trace, replaced instead by the hopeful cry of the little boy from before—

“It’s light!”

“It’s light!”

The livestream comments exploded with excitement as well:

[Aaaah! It’s light!!!]

[Wanwan is amazing! God Zhou is amazing! ‘WanZhou’ is the ultimate OTP¹, no rebuttals accepted!!!]

The path ahead of Shao Yuye and Jiang Yuan was also suddenly illuminated.

The abrupt brightness made the two of them squint and blink uncomfortably. A staff member signaled that they needed to pause their actions and wait until Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou cleared the stage before continuing.

Shao Yuye exclaimed excitedly, “Holy shit, they cleared it?!”

They had passed by the Eternal Lamp platform earlier and read the rules. Completing the task within two minutes was still quite challenging.

Qi Luozhou really is something.

Jiang Yuan looked on enviously. “Ah… I’m so jealous of God Zhou.”

He had just witnessed the entire process of Shen Wanwan efficiently ‘killing ghosts.’

So cool!
So badass!
So reassuring!

Shao Yuye snorted coldly. “I’ll make you jealous of me in a second.”

Jiang Yuan: “……”

With your kind of luck, buddy, the two of us are probably teaming up till death, dear.

As the first team to clear the hidden stage, Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou received extremely generous rewards from the production team.

Not only did they jump ahead ten stages in one go, they were given ten stage-clearing item cards, plus a bonus of 500 Speed Coins.

The barrage erupted in celebratory cheers for them—while behind the screens, the director was grinding his teeth.

They had poured a lot of effort into designing this hidden stage.

Basically, any guest who entered could easily be trapped for several hours, even days.

Especially the final segment—

They had actually placed ‘ghosts’ on the high platform as well.

When adventurers thought victory was within reach, when they were ready to savor the final triumph—completely focused and totally unguarded—

That final ‘gift’ was guaranteed to scare them senseless.

But Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou broke the setup entirely.

Damn it!

The director clenched his jaw, silently staring at Shen Wanwan on the monitor.

After walking through the haunted house, she was still radiant, red lips vivid, elegant and captivating.

At this moment, even he had to admit one fact—

Shen Wanwan really was…

Damnably charming.

A staff member came over to ask, “Director, should we unlock their shackles?”

The director snorted. “No.”

He refused to believe that in the upcoming stages, she and Qi Luozhou could keep breaking through every single one.

The exit of the haunted house was also a bright glass conservatory.

But compared to the withered flowers when they entered, the conservatory was now brimming with vitality.

As bright light poured in through the transparent glass, 001—who had crashed the moment they entered the haunted house—finally spoke weakly:

{Actually, just now the male lead was lying to you.
{The key was in his jacket pocket. It never fell.}

Unexpectedly, Shen Wanwan wasn’t surprised at all. Instead, she raised an eyebrow.

“I know.”

{???}

The little light orb was completely confused.

{Huh? Huh? Huh?
{Then why didn’t you—}

—{Expose him?}

“You wouldn’t understand.”

Her tone was as arrogantly casual as ever as she looked at Qi Luozhou. In the morning light, the man’s brows and eyes carried a gentle warmth.

“This is called…”

She curved her lips, clearly amused by the term she had come up with, and enunciated each word slowly:

“Married. Couple. Intimate. Play.”

001: {……??}

What the hell?!

When it finally realized that the host wasn’t joking at all, 001 rolled several times in midair, clutching its head: {My ears! My ears!!!}

What kind of scandalous words had it just heard?!

After teasing the little light orb, Shen Wanwan smiled again at Qi Luozhou.

They had completed the day’s challenges in one go, yet only two hours had passed.

“Want to go play?” she asked.

Qi Luozhou smiled like a spring breeze.

“Sure.”

The shackles on their wrists were never removed.

The livestream comments wailed nonstop—

[Honest question: is this a date?]

[Don’t stop me, I’m shipping ‘WanZhou’ today, no backing out!!!]

---

1. One True Pairing ↩︎

---

After entering the haunted house, Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou had remained remarkably calm the whole time.

But when the two of them turned their heads at the same time and saw Shao Yuye’s face—lit by the lamp and pale as a ghost—they were both startled.

Qi Luozhou’s first instinct was to step sideways to shield Shen Wanwan, while Shen Wanwan raised the ‘Ghost-Slaying Knife’ in her hand.

[Hahahaha! Brother Ye : Do you maybe want to take a closer look at who I am?!]

[Even slashing your former partner, are you trying to get yourself killed?!]

[I swear I’m going to laugh myself to death here, hahahahaha!]

By the time Shen Wanwan realized that the ‘ghost’ in front of her wasn’t an NPC staff member, but her own biological brother holding a lantern, the ‘Ghost-Slaying Knife’ had already stabbed straight and cleanly into his chest.

“……”

“……”

An awkward silence followed.

Shao Yuye lowered his gaze, stunned for a moment, clearly not understanding what had just happened.

But that didn’t stop him from instantly feeling overwhelmingly aggrieved as he asked in disbelief:

“You stabbed me?”

Shen Wanwan: “……No.”

[Hahahahaha! Brother Ye: I was thinking about meeting up with you the whole time, and this is the big gift you give me?!]

[Mainly because Shen Wanwan’s reaction was way too fast!]

Since his sister said it didn’t happen, Shao Yuye easily let the matter go.

Besides, it was just a toy knife, there wasn’t the slightest bit of pain anyway.

The lantern in his hand was currently the only light source, casting sharp shadows over all three of their faces.

Shen Wanwan asked, “Why are you here?”

It would’ve been better if she hadn’t asked. Once she did, Shao Yuye remembered the main issue.

“I was just about to ask what’s going on with you two.”

He pointed at the wooden shackles around Shen Wanwan’s and Qi Luozhou’s wrists.

“A debuff that came with opening a treasure chest,” Shen Wanwan replied lightly.

Shao Yuye brought the lantern closer to take a look, only then realizing that the two of them weren’t holding hands at all.

They were simply bound together by the shackles. It just looked like they were holding hands.

At this moment, the countdown on the panel above had already turned into 00:00:00.

“Isn’t the time already up? Take them off.”

Shao Yuye shot Qi Luozhou a wary glance and held out his hand. “Where’s the key? I’ll help you unlock it.”

From the beginning until now, Qi Luozhou hadn’t said a single word.

He stood there quietly, almost blending into the pitch-black wall behind him, ghost-like.

Shao Yuye lifted the lantern higher, and the bright light instantly illuminated Qi Luozhou’s refined face. His brows and eyes held a calm composure, utterly unruffled.

“Can’t take them off.”
Qi Luozhou looked at him. “I lost the key.”

After saying that, he lowered his lashes again and apologized softly to Shen Wanwan.

Shen Wanwan shook her head. “It’s fine.”

They’d already kissed before. This really wasn’t a big deal to her.

But beside them, Shao Yuye narrowed his eyes dangerously.

“Lost it?”

Qi Luozhou was usually meticulous, how could he be this careless?

A man’s intuition told Shao Yuye something felt off.

But then he quickly reconsidered. This was a haunted house.

Even someone as bold as himself had nearly ended up like a lamb waiting for slaughter inside.

With Qi Luozhou’s skinny build, he was probably just forcing himself to stay calm.

“Alright then.”

Shao Yuye finally relaxed.

[Hahaha, so Brother Ye rushed over because he saw Wanwan and God Zhou?]

[This damn possessiveness is getting ridiculous, ahhh!]

[ Speaking of which, who still remembers the classic ‘ChengYe CP’ moment from back then?! That day Brother Ye just bought strawberries and Yu Cheng gave them to Liang Jing first, then Brother Ye sulked for an entire afternoon. Because those strawberries were something Cheng had said he wanted, so Brother Ye bought them especially for him. But Cheng casually shared them with everyone, didn’t even leave one for Brother Ye. It took three days to coax Brother Ye, and in the end he bought Brother Ye a whole truckload of strawberries—everyone on the team ate until they were sick, hahaha!]

[Cheng: So between me and Shen Wanwan, who’s more important in your heart?!]

[Yu Cheng: The house has collapsed. Right now.]

At this point, Jiang Yuan finally caught up with them.

He usually looked gentle and mild, but now he was thoroughly frightened by the ‘ghosts,’ trembling as he came over to greet them. “Should we share information?”

That reminder instantly pulled Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou back to twenty minutes earlier—

The plot hint had been far too obvious, so Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou stepped forward together to question it.

The little boy’s eyes were hollow and empty.

“My uncle didn’t make it into a shelter during the riot. He was ‘killed’ by the Shadow Ones.
“This is already the fourth family member I’ve lost…”

People nearby gradually gathered around as well.

“That’s right. Those hateful Shadow Ones, those terrifying Shadow Ones—they ‘killed’ my mother, ‘killed’ my sister… Who will help us?!”

“I haven’t seen the light in so long.”

“Ever since this place was taken over by them, we’ve never seen light again…”

“I need light!”

“We need light!”

“Adventurer, are you willing to help us?”

From that moment on, the hidden quest’s main storyline was officially unlocked.

Once they collected all five fragments, they would combine them into an Eternal Lamp and place it on the highest platform inside the house. Lighting up the haunted house that way meant clearing the level.

When there was no ‘riot,’ those ‘Shadow Ones’—the ‘ghosts’ they were seeing now—did not possess any ‘killing’ attributes.

But once a ‘riot’ began, they would reveal their bloodthirsty nature. Any ‘person’ who failed to reach the circle of light in time would be cut down by them.

Jiang Yuan pondered for a moment. “So the real difficulty of the task is this: if a riot breaks out while we’re retrieving the fragments, how do we avoid those ‘Shadow Ones’?”

Shen Wanwan nodded. “That’s exactly it.”

“Then we need to hurry.” Both Jiang Yuan and Shao Yuye were wearing watches on their wrists. The timers showed that only the last ninety minutes remained.

“This is our debuff. We have to clear it within ninety minutes, or we’ll be wiped out!”

With time running short, Shao Yuye didn’t have the luxury to say much more to Shen Wanwan and the others.

Before leaving, he handed her the lantern he was holding.

“Take it.”

[Brother Ye is scared to death himself, yet he’s actually giving the lamp to Shen Wanwan?!]

[What’s going on? Brother Ye’s whole vibe suddenly turned manly!]

[Ahhh Brother Ye is a real man!!]

Shen Wanwan didn’t take it. She gestured toward the ‘Ghost-Slaying Knife’ in her hand.

“I’ve already got this.”

One of her hands was tied to Qi Luozhou’s, so she couldn’t use it. The other hand had to hold the knife. There really wasn’t a free hand left to carry a lantern.

She motioned for Qi Luozhou to pass the map the little boy had given them to Shao Yuye.

“The fragment locations are marked on here.”

[What the hell? She just handed over the map?!]

[Then what about them?!]

[This is mutual trust, folks! Once again moved by this ‘Petty Revenge Duo’ pairing!]

Shao Yuye was about to say something else when the ground suddenly began to shake again.

Amid the violent trembling, he saw a black shadow suddenly appear behind Shen Wanwan. His pupils shrank sharply as he tried to rush forward to block this fatal blow for his sister.

“Watch out!”

But Shen Wanwan was even faster.

She almost instantly turned her head, then cleanly drove her blade into the ‘ghost’’s chest.

Not off by even a fraction, right in the heart.

The ‘ghost’ immediately widened its eyes, staring at her in disbelief. Then it slowly lowered its gaze to the ‘Ghost-Slaying Knife,’ tilted its head, and died on the spot.

Shen Wanwan withdrew the knife and called out with praise, “Nice acting.”

*Gulp*—the sound of Shao Yuye swallowing hard.

He stood there, dumbfounded, his mind blank, until Jiang Yuan tugged him and reminded him, “Hurry, get to the shelter point!”

Only then did he turn and sprint toward another refuge.

[Hahahahaha! Brother Ye: Suddenly I feel like I’m the one who needs protecting!]

[Imagined Shen Wanwan: weak, helpless. Real Shen Wanwan: ferocious—blade up, blade down.]

In the chaos, the two teams ran in opposite directions and were instantly scattered by this wave of ‘riot’.

The shelter where Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou hid was even narrower than the previous one.

It was more than enough for one person, but once two squeezed in, it became extremely cramped.

The light and shadows around them were dim. Their breaths mingled. He held her hand with one hand, and with the other supported the back of her head. There was an uneven crack there; Shen Wanwan’s head rested against his palm, and she didn’t feel the slightest bump.

Because of this scene, the barrage exploded again.

[They’re dating, right? They HAVE to be dating!]

[So jealous of Shen Wanwan. Both God Zhou and Brother Ye want to protect her T_AT]

[But Shen Wanwan doesn’t even need protection. She’s strong on her own.]

[First time noticing how gentlemanly and gentle God Zhou is. Such a small detail! Most guys wouldn’t even notice the cracked wall. I’ll always be moved by details like this—ahhh!]

---

Compared to the calm pair over here, Shao Yuye and Jiang Yuan on the other side were in complete chaos.

“Holy crap, it’s a haunted house!”

Jiang Yuan was a bit scared too and asked, “I-is it too late to back out now?”

Shao Yuye didn’t like hearing that at all. He grabbed Jiang Yuan and dragged him a step forward, stressing, “Damn it, real men can’t say they can’t—…WAAAHHH—!”

A ‘ghost’ suddenly sprang out, scaring him so badly he jumped on the spot. His legs went weak. If Jiang Yuan hadn’t held him up, he would’ve practically dropped to his knees.

[Hahahahahaha help!]

[Brother Ye, calm down, you’re hurting my ears!]

[Hahaha sorry everyone, my husband’s a bit timid, please excuse him.]

[Never thought you were like this, Brother Ye, hahahaha!!]

The two of them huddled together, shivering as they moved forward. Any little movement sent them shrieking. Still shaken, Jiang Yuan clung to Shao Yuye’s arm.

“Good thing I’m not teamed up with a girl.”

Otherwise, being this cowardly would definitely get him disliked!

Shao Yuye scanned his surroundings warily, swallowed hard, and complained, “At a time like this, you’re still thinking about girls.”

Jiang Yuan muttered, “You’re just talking big because it doesn’t hurt your own back.”

Shao Yuye was about to retort when a green flash suddenly crossed his vision. A ghastly, green-faced, fanged visage appeared sinisterly before him, and his hair stood on end.

“AAAAAH—!”

There was almost no light inside the haunted house.

Compared to a traditional haunted house, it was more like a large-scale scripted simulation game.

Because besides ‘ghost’ NPCs, there were also ‘human’ NPCs.

Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou reached a corner and spotted a hidden nook with a treasure chest placed there.

Shen Wanwan’s eyes lit up. Just as she was about to open it, an anxious voice called out—

“Don’t open it!”

They turned to see a little boy dressed in a black robe.

His body seemed to merge with the darkness; only his eyes shone unusually bright in the gloom.

Staring at the chest behind them, the boy said haltingly, “There may be good things in the chest… but it also brings misfortune…”

As he spoke, it was as if he remembered something. Terror flashed in his eyes; he took two steps back, then turned and ran off.

[Ah… what kind of misfortune??]

[Oh my god, he made it sound so ominous. Maybe don’t open it?]

Shen Wanwan glanced at the chest, then looked at Qi Luozhou.

“Open it?”

Qi Luozhou’s expression was calm. “Up to you.”

Shen Wanwan undid the latch and lifted the lid.

Inside lay a retractable toy knife and a pair of shackles.

The inside of the lid also had a speaker attached, and a voice-over explanation sounded.

“Ghost-Slaying Knife—just as the name suggests, it can kill any ‘ghost’ with one strike. Uses: 5.
“Curse of Misfortune—please have both participants put on the shackles. Do not remove them without authorization. Duration: 1 hour. During this period, if the shackles are opened, current progress will be wiped. Please take note.”

[Huh? Director, are you sure this is the haunted house segment and not a dating show?!]

[This counts as a curse?! Please give me this kind of curse too!! I want to be tied to God Zhou as well!]

[Uh… it actually does count as a curse. They could’ve split up before, but once shackled their movement is restricted. And they can’t open it. If they do, progress gets wiped. Both their actions are limited now…]

Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou bent down at the same time.

She picked up the ‘Ghost-Slaying Knife,’ while Qi Luozhou took the shackles.

They were wooden, cold to the touch.

Qi Luozhou gently rubbed them with his fingertips. His dark brown eyes looked at her as he leaned closer.

Shen Wanwan was still testing the toy knife.

“Don’t move.”

He said softly, his arm reaching over.

With a *click*, their wrists were locked together by the shackles. In the sudden closeness, their little fingers brushed against each other unintentionally.

Two completely different sensations.

The shackles were cold; his fingertips were warm.

Shen Wanwan tilted her face up. In the darkness, the contours of his brows and eyes blurred slightly.

But that didn’t stop her from clearly seeing the smile in his eyes.

She curved her lips as well.

Yet all that calm lasted only for that one second.

The next moment, the ground trembled, and a terrifying inhalation echoed in the darkness.

In the pitch-black room, many square areas suddenly lit up with faint white light.

People ran in all directions, shouting.

“Night has fallen… hurry to the safe zones!
“Run! Anyone who doesn’t reach a safe zone will be wiped out—!”

They rushed desperately toward those circles of light.

Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou exchanged a look and, in perfect sync, sprinted toward the nearest safe zone.

The live comments grew tense:

[Ahhh! Wanwan and God Zhou, run! There’s a ‘ghost’ behind you!!!]

[Go go go!! That ‘ghost’ is so fast!!! Ahhh this is making me nervous!]

[Friendly reminder: you are allowed to breathe while watching this scene.]

The wind howled past their ears. A safe zone meant for only one person was suddenly crammed with two.

This spot was a recessed niche in the wall. Shen Wanwan’s back was pressed against the icy surface, her body facing Qi Luozhou, and there was no avoiding the warmth radiating from him.

At some point, their hands overlapped. They were so close that they could even feel each other’s breathing.

Behind them, the ‘ghost’ in pursuit was only an arm’s length away, standing there in irritation and staring at them.

[Aaaah!!! Let me possess Shen Wanwan, right now!]

[I want to stick close to God Zhou, I want to stick close to God Zhou!]

[Am I the only one who wants to possess God Zhou? Shen Wanwan looks… really beautiful right now 😋😋]

Just as the barrage said, Shen Wanwan had always been exquisitely beautiful.

But the frantic escape had messed up her hair a little. A single lock fell along the side of her face, giving her an extra touch of fragile, pitiful brokenness—enough to stir protective instincts not only in men, but even in women.

The two of them had already hidden in the safe zone, which gives them absolute safety.

Yet the ‘ghost’ refused to leave. It circled nearby, staring at them, occasionally making *huff huff* noises. It even leaned in provocatively, grinning at them with a sinister smile.

[Hahahaha! This staff member is hilarious!]

[Ghost: Sure, this is a safe zone, but you two squeezed in here, hey—come out, one of you!]

The barrage hadn’t even finished laughing when—

Shen Wanwan suddenly struck.

With a swift, decisive motion, the ‘Ghost-Slaying Knife’ stabbed straight into the ‘ghost’s chest. The blade was retractable: the moment the tip touched the ‘ghost,’ it slid back into the handle.

But visually, it looked exactly like she’d stabbed him through the body.

The ‘ghost’ rolled his eyes back at once, tilted his head, and collapsed to the ground.

Shen Wanwan tucked the loose strand of hair behind her ear and said coolly:

“Don’t smile at people from that close again. It’s impolite.”

The barrage froze for a moment, then exploded with wall-to-wall “Wow”s!

[Shen Wanwan is so badass!!]

[Who would’ve thought this would be the ending? ‘WanZhou’ shippers, are you eating this?]

[🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️I was actually imagining a pure, innocent little white flower being forced to hide under the same roof as the male god… I really overthought it.]

[Wanwan: Oh? I hear you’re pretty arrogant?]

[God Zhou : To be honest, I’m terrified right now.]

[Hey, hey, hey—does that look like fear to you?! I don’t know why, but I think it’s even more shippable now, ORZ.]

Soon, the ‘earthquake’ ended. The moment of utter darkness passed, and a faint light returned to the surroundings.

Everyone else, still shaken, emerged one after another from their safe zone.

Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou also stepped out of the narrow space together.

The ‘ghost’ she had just stabbed was still lying on the ground, dutifully playing dead.

They walked around his ‘corpse,’ when Qi Luozhou suddenly said seriously, “The key seems to be gone.”

“Hm?”

Shen Wanwan looked at him.

He opened his palm and held it out before her eyes.

It was clean and bare, there was nothing there at all.

“The key to unlock it is gone,” he said. “Probably dropped it when we were running.”

Shen Wanwan thought it was something major.

She merely responded with a calm “Oh,” then said, “It’s fine. Let’s just stay tied together.”

Qi Luozhou curved his lips into a warm smile.

Lowering his lashes, he said softly, “Sorry.”

The barrage erupted into another frenzy.

[So the mission isn’t over, and the two of them have to stay tied together?]

[Possession stance ready! God, did you hear that? Please arrange it!!]

At that moment, a wail of grief came from afar: “Uncle! Uncle—!”

Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou turned their heads at the same time and looked in that direction.

The little boy they had seen earlier was clutching a ‘corpse’ on the ground, crying bitterly…

---

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shao Yuye was shrinking back timidly, his neck hunched. One hand rested on Jiang Yuan’s shoulder, the other clutched his chest, his mouth constantly muttering:

“Three souls and seven spirits, return to me—demons and monsters, get away…
“Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, Supreme Lord, please show your power…”

[Tsk, my idol really looks so worthless right now.]

[I’m dying laughing—Brother Ye’s faith is a Chinese–Western fusion? Not only believes in light, but also in mysticism?]

[Hahahahaha Brother Ye: As long as I believe in enough things, at least one of them has to work!!]

The two of them had already been inside the haunted house for quite some time.

But instead of growing braver as time went on, the two of them became even more timid, like startled birds, jumping at the slightest hint of danger.

Just dodging the ‘ghost’s pursuit earlier had already scared them half to death.

Shao Yuye somehow managed to turn the haunted house into a parkour course. Even while being scared out of his wits during his frantic escape, it didn’t stop him from sprinting straight into a safe zone, then laughing loudly at the helplessly enraged ‘ghost’ on the other side.

But he only got cocky for that brief moment…

After the earthquake, the lighting in the shelter dimmed and it no longer offered protection. The moment he stepped out, a long-tongued ghost suddenly jumped out at him, making his heart leap as he recoiled in fright, stumbling back several steps.

He reunited with Jiang Yuan, who asked, “Have you noticed that we’ve basically been going around in circles in this area the whole time?!”

Shao Yuye was so scared his brain had practically stopped working.

“Damn it, don’t scare me like that!”

“I’m serious.”

Just as Jiang Yuan was about to list everything he’d observed, Shao Yuye suddenly cursed, “Shit!”

Jiang Yuan froze.

Shao Yuye turned his head, his gaze burning as he stared intently into the distance.

At that very moment, a ghost jumped out without warning—

“Waaah!!!”

Shao Yuye stood perfectly still, his expression cold, not moving an inch.

As if the one who’d just been scared stiff by all kinds of ghosts wasn’t him at all.

[???]

[What is Brother Ye looking at?]

[Judging by how intense that pupil quake is, something really terrifying must be charging over there… oh my god, I’m a coward, I suddenly don’t even dare to look!]

[So what’s over there? Brother Ye isn’t even afraid of ghosts anymore!]

As if responding to the cries in the live comments, Shao Yuye suddenly charged straight in that direction.

The lantern in his hand lit up his face from below. Backlit like that, Shao Yuye’s expression looked even more terrifying than the ghosts.

He sprinted all the way to the end of the corridor.

A head abruptly shoved itself between Qi Luozhou and Shen Wanwan. His gaze dropped downward, landing on their hands, shackled together, seemingly clasped as one, as he spoke in a gloomy voice:

“You two… what are you doing?”

---

The director always loved to drag out those suspenseful pauses at critical moments when announcing results.

Shao Yuye clenched his fist, his palm slick with sweat.

Damn.

He hadn’t been this nervous since debut night!

Everyone else was curious too.

“Who is it? Director, just say it already!”

There was basically no suspense about first place, it had to be between Shao Yuye and Qi Luozhou.

Compared to Shao Yuye’s confidence and determination, Qi Luozhou looked exceptionally calm. His lashes were lowered slightly, hands loosely clasped together, his left fingers tapping absentmindedly on the back of his right hand.

“I bet it’s God Zhou!”
Jin Xiaoyu was still annoyed about Shao Yuye guarding against her earlier and said angrily, “Seriously, I just want to see Brother Ye lose once!”

Unfortunately, the director called out : “Shao Yuye.”

Shao Yuye beamed. “That’s great!”

Damn.

What kind of gods were his fans?!

Before he could even enjoy it, the director immediately added another line:

“—Who do you think first place will be?!”

“…………”

The entire venue fell silent.

Jiang Yuan let out a helpless laugh and patted Shao Yuye on the shoulder in consolation.

“Looks like first place is probably God Zhou then.”

“I know this routine. Didn’t the director pull the same trick when announcing teams this morning?”

“Pfft.”

Jin Xiaoyu laughed gleefully at his misfortune.

Shao Yuye gritted his teeth and glared at the director, “If it’s not me, who else could it be?!”

That was way too arrogant!

No one in the room dared to even breathe.

Only Shen Wanwan was smiling brightly.

—Idiot Brother.

Seeing the atmosphere reach its peak, the director laughed.

“Correct!
“Congratulations, you’ve won the popularity king for day one at this stop, and you’ll receive an item card!”

Holy crap.

Happiness came way too suddenly.

The emotional roller coaster left Shao Yuye almost doubting himself.

“So, have you finally caught your breath this time?” he asked.

The director wiped his brow. “…Yes, I have.”

Over there, the staff brought out the big prize wheel.

As if it had read Shao Yuye’s mind, the Partner Swap card was clearly listed on it!

At this moment, the previously relaxed Qi Luozhou suddenly paused, turning his head to look toward the wheel.

Burning with fighting spirit, Shao Yuye spun it hard.

As the wheel spun, Shen Wanwan couldn’t help but close her eyes.

Five seconds later, a staff member shouted excitedly:

“Congratulations! You’ve won the Ultra-Rare Progress Reset Card!”

Shao Yuye : “……”

Jin Xiaoyu exclaimed enviously, “Damn, that card is an instant kill!”

If it landed in the hands of the last-place team, it would be a true super weapon—slay gods if gods block you, slay Buddhas if Buddhas block you! Whoever you want at the bottom stays at the bottom!

Yet the card she desperately wanted was treated like trash by the very person who got it.

Shao Yuye’s shoulders slumped as he waved his hand listlessly.

“So lame.”

What rotten luck.

For a moment, his vengeful instincts kicked in and he wanted to throw the card to Qi Luozhou’s team just to spite him.

But the problem was…

His sister was currently on Qi Luozhou’s team too.

Holding this so-called god-tier card, Shao Yuye was so angry his chest hurt.

After voting closed, fans online were also closely watching to see who the final popularity king would be.

Qi Luozhou and Shao Yuye’s rankings had been extremely close.

But there were more ‘Petty Revenge Duo’ casual fans, and Shao Yuye had actively asked for votes. Casual viewers tossed in a few bullets of support and each gave him a vote.

When the show’s official Weibo announced that the first night’s popularity king was Shao Yuye, the ‘Yu Yu’s were ecstatic!

[Aaaaah, Brother Ye, charge!!!]

[So does that mean we’ll see the ‘Petty Revenge Duo’ reunited tomorrow? So happy!]

[Director team, hurry up and release the livestream, I want to see smug Brother Ye being happy!]

Meanwhile, the ‘Xiao Chuan’s failed to keep Qi Luozhou in first place and were deeply disappointed.

[Ahhh what do we do? Is Shen Wanwan going to be snatched back by Shao Yuye?!]

[But it’s not a big deal. Worst case, they just go back to the original teams. God Zhou with Jiang Yuan, and ‘Petty Revenge Duo’ as a team…]

[Wait, why are you guys getting led astray by those fish snacks too? Do you seriously believe Shao Yuye’s terrible luck—his infamous bad hand—could actually draw the swap card in one try?]

Whether a swap happened or not would only be known once the livestream aired.

Fans from both sides tossed and turned all night. As soon as the livestream started the next day, they rushed eagerly into the stream.

When they saw Shen Wanwan standing with Qi Luozhou, still wearing the pink team uniform, the ‘Yu Yu’s were confused:

[Why is WanZhou still in a team?]

[Oh, do they announce the swap first and then change uniforms?]

[Director, I urge you to be kind. This kind of suspense really isn’t fun!]

Until someone timidly typed:

[Um… is there a chance that Shao Yuye didn’t manage to spin the swap card at all?]

[…………]

The bullet comments instantly fell into an eerie silence.

Thinking about Brother Ye’s historically awful luck… yeah, that really was possible.

When Shao Yuye appeared on camera wearing the blue team uniform, countless ‘Yu Yu’s spat blood in despair.

[Brother Ye… Brother Ye… we really overestimated your luck. The production team only said you’d get a chance to draw an item card, they never said you’d actually draw a good one!]

Yet Shao Yuye was still fired up, and during the trash-talk segment he coolly tossed a line at Qi Luozhou: “Time is on my side!”

The barrage fell into collective silence.

[……]

[………………]

[Brother Ye, how about… we just accept it.]

[Your luck… really is something else.]

Shao Yuye and Jiang Yuan were already at level 10.

The fastest progress on the field so far.

A full three levels ahead of second place—Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou.

Just yesterday alone, they’d accumulated quite a few item cards.

But as Shao Yuye looked at those cards, he only shook his head, unimpressed, and sighed gloomily:

“We still haven’t cleared enough levels.
“Let’s set a small goal for today, charge through another ten stages!”

Jiang Yuan had been drinking water nearby. Hearing that overflowing enthusiasm, he let out a *pfft* and sprayed it out.

The stream of water traced a neat arc through the air.

Clutching his chest and coughing, Jiang Yuan wheezed.

—I’m dying here!

A fired-up Shao Yuye is not human!

“*Cough cough*… isn’t ten levels a bit too much?”

Seeing his partner starting to waver, Shao Yuye narrowed his eyes and extended his right arm toward Jiang Yuan.

“Certain!”

Having been thoroughly brainwashed by him yesterday, Jiang Yuan almost reflexively reached out as well: “Victory!”
Only after completing the gesture did he regret it. “This is so stupid!”

The barrage exploded with laughter:

[First thing every morning: give yourself a pep talk!]

[Hahaha Jiang Yuan, honestly, you really dote on him.]

[Jiang Yuan is so versatile, he vibes well with literally everyone!]

As they chatted, the two passed by a small wooden hut.

Jiang Yuan glanced at it and hesitated. “Could this be a hidden level…?”

Shao Yuye casually glanced at the hut. It didn’t seem anything special.

But since Jiang Yuan mentioned it, he gestured for him to go ahead.

“Let’s check it out.”

---

On the other side, Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou were also heading toward level 7.

Level 7’s game was simple: by a small lake, toss a ball high into the air, then clamp the small ball with your knees.

If the guest managed to catch the ball between their knees, it counted as clearing the stage.

Actually, clamping it wasn’t hard. The difficulty lay in controlling one’s balance.

If your center of gravity wavered during the movement, it was easy to fall straight into the lake.

After the staff finished explaining the rules and handed the ball to Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou, the two didn’t seem eager to start right away.

Shen Wanwan’s attention was drawn to a transparent greenhouse not far away.

Inside were all fake flowers, yet every single one lay wilted and drooping on the ground.

When she withdrew her gaze, she realized Qi Luozhou was looking in the same direction.

Shen Wanwan: “Go over there?”

Qi Luozhou nodded.

“Okay.”

After walking closer, they discovered there was also a wooden door inside the greenhouse.

There were no NPCs around to explain anything, but beside the door was a circular button, like a doorbell.

Shen Wanwan reached out and pressed it. The next second, the door opened silently before them.

Inside was a long corridor. Portrait oil paintings of human heads hung all around, while candle-like lights flickered inside their lampshades. In the dim light, a cold and eerie aura seeped through…

At the same time, a gentle female voice came from a hidden speaker above them—

“Only adventurers filled with a spirit of challenge can open this door.
“Clear the challenge to receive a grand reward. Once you enter, there will be no exit. If you fail to clear it, you will be trapped inside.
“Do you wish to enter?”

This was unmistakably hidden level narration.

Qi Luozhou looked at Shen Wanwan. “Do we go in?”

Shen Wanwan nodded. “Seems like an escape-room type.”

They continued inward. Almost the moment they stepped fully inside, the glass door automatically closed behind them, accompanied by a clear *click* of the lock engaging.

The room fell instantly silent, making their footsteps echo sharply as they moved forward.

The strands of hair falling along Shen Wanwan’s cheeks were lifted by a sudden chilly breeze. At the same time, the candle lights seemed to be blown by the wind as well, causing the dim shadows in the room to sway.

[Wow, this hidden level looks huge!]

[Did the production team really put effort into this? Looking forward to it!]

[So exciting! I peeked at the other stream, Shao Yuye’s team seems to have entered here too!]

[Am I the only one who’s scared? I need the barrage to protect me, wuwuwu!]

In the darkness, faint hissing sounds rang out from time to time. And then, suddenly, the flickering lights went out.

[AHHHH! That’s terrifying!]

The suddenly dimming lights plunged everything into darkness. Shen Wanwan felt the person beside her pause in his movement; in the dark, Qi Luozhou tried to reach for her hand.

At that very moment, a shrill scream rang out from Shen Wanwan’s left.

She turned her head, and her gaze met, head-on, a ghastly face that suddenly lunged out from a picture frame.

The ‘ghost’ looked ferocious—eyes blood-red, a long tongue dangling, pupils rolled back, face deathly pale like paper.

The camera cut to an extreme close-up, and the barrage instantly erupted into wails of terror:

[Holy shit! That scared me to death!]

[Aaaah, director, are you trying to kill us?! You nearly gave me a heart attack!]

Yet the two people on screen showed almost no reaction.

Shen Wanwan stared expressionlessly at the ‘ghost.’ Finding it rather amusing, she even reached out and tugged on its long tongue.

Qi Luozhou froze where he was, watching her move, then broke into a speechless laugh.

The ‘ghost,’ seemingly feeling provoked, let out another “Aah,” and shook violently, as if determined to swallow her whole—

Shen Wanwan grabbed the fake tongue with a hint of disdain, as though she wanted to shove his head back into the frame.

Who would’ve thought that with that tug, she’d actually pull the tongue right off.

Both of them froze for a moment. The atmosphere visibly turned awkward.

“……”

“……???”

[Hahahahaha! What kind of quality is this tongue?!]

[Shen Wanwan is kind of amazing. I thought someone as delicate as her would scream and hide in God Zhou’s arms.]

[Ahem, ahem—she’s just physically delicate and can’t do heavy labor. That doesn’t mean she’s timid, okay!]

Shen Wanwan choked a little, then silently stuck the tongue back onto the ‘ghost.’

Probably sensing that he’d failed to scare her, the person felt somewhat defeated inside. Out of kindness, she comforted him with a couple of words: “You’re really scary!”

Qi Luozhou, who had been silent at her side, also nodded cooperatively, his smiling eyes curved. Where was even the slightest trace of fright?!

The staff member playing the ghost: “……”

—Thanks. Wow, I really felt mocked!

---

Very soon, Zhang Yiran and Bai Ling ended up competing for the same seat and Zhang Yiran chose to get eliminated.

And at this moment, Qi Luozhou and Shen Wanwan were also facing the same dilemma.

Shao Yuye shot a sideways glance and quietly clenched his fist.

If Qi Luozhou dared to get his sister eliminated, he definitely wouldn’t let him off easy!

Who would have thought that Qi Luozhou would instead take a step back of his own accord and give his seat to Shen Wanwan.

Shen Wanwan didn’t stand on ceremony either. Since they were on the same team anyway, it didn’t really matter who stayed.

Seeing that his sister was still in the game, Shao Yuye felt only barely satisfied.

At least Qi Luozhou could look out for his sister a little.

Fine then, later he’d begrudgingly send his archenemy a small thank-you gift.

At this moment, there were four people left on the field—

Bai Ling, Jin Xiaoyu, Shen Wanwan, and Shao Yuye.

Each of them represented a different team.

Which also meant that the first team to be eliminated was about to be decided.

[Wow, it feels like all the guys automatically dropped out. So what’s going on with you, Brother Ye?]

[Hahaha, don’t morally kidnap him, people upstairs. Our Brother Ye is a man aiming for first place.]

[After all, this is about accommodation, better be careful.]

Four people, three chairs.

Standing in front of Shao Yuye was Bai Ling; behind him was Jin Xiaoyu; and across from him was Shen Wanwan.

The music started. As Bai Ling walked, she kept glancing at Shao Yuye out of the corner of her eye.

When the director’s whistle blew again, Bai Ling locked onto the same chair Shao Yuye was aiming for.

Now!

Seizing the moment, Bai Ling moved to sit on the seat Shao Yuye was about to take.

The chemistry between Jin Xiaoyu and Jiang Yuan earlier had been pretty good—tonight they were bound to gain a wave of CP fans.

Bai Ling planned to recreate that famous moment as well, striving to become Shao Yuye’s first CP partner tonight—

But just as she bent down, her hips still in midair…

A large hand suddenly landed on her back.

It was obvious whose hand it was—Shao Yuye’s.

Her movement stalled. Her heart skipped a beat, and her mind went completely blank.

Immediately after, a powerful shove came from behind, forcing her center of gravity—originally leaning back—to lurch forward, making her stumble two steps ahead.

Bai Ling: ?

Facing the already-eliminated male guests, she stared wide-eyed and turned back.

Shao Yuye was sitting calmly on the chair, looking at her unhurriedly.

And beside him, Shen Wanwan curled her lips slightly.

Strictly speaking, Shen Wanwan had reacted the slowest just now.

She had no interest in this kind of game and even felt it was rather meaningless. Earlier, thanks to Qi Luozhou, she’d always had a chair to sit on.

Now that Qi Luozhou had been eliminated, the chair to Bai Ling’s right had actually been empty just moments ago.

But Bai Ling had chosen to go for the one on Shao Yuye’s side instead.

That gave Shen Wanwan an opening.

She sat down on the chair as a matter of course.

By then, Bai Ling still hadn’t recovered from being pushed away by Shao Yuye. Her voice was filled with disbelief:

“You pushed me?!”

Shao Yuye cupped his fists toward her, his face full of righteous sincerity, “Sorry, sorry.”

Bai Ling: “……”

The director announced mercilessly, “Bai Ling and Su Tingxuan, sorry—you are the first team to be eliminated. Your reward will be sleeping in a tent tonight!”

The livestream chat froze for two seconds, then erupted into earth-shattering laughter.

[Sorry, sorry. Our Brother Ye is an idol, please understand!]

[I’ve never seen such a ‘morally upright’ idol. Brother Ye, really, I’m crying.]

[‘Singles Team’ supremacy!!!]

[I’m laughing to death. Jiang Yuan: ‘What if a girl wants to sit in the same seat as me? Ah, I’ll just give it to her.’ Brother Ye: ‘What if a girl wants to sit in the same seat as me? Ah, no one can stop my march toward first place! Make! her! go!’ ]

Bai Ling’s fans originally wanted to complain, but when they thought about the fighting power of the ‘Yu Yu’s, they decided to let it go…

Besides, Shao Yuye was already sitting on that chair.

If he hadn’t acted and had let Bai Ling sit on his lap, it would have been easy for people to spin it as him taking advantage of a female guest.

So in that sense, his action was entirely out of an idol’s professional instinct.

Even Zhang Yiran, watching from the sidelines, couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration, “Damn… you really are cut out to be an idol.”

That reaction speed was unmatched.

By this point in the show, every pair already had CP fans.

Shao Yuye, apart from a purely friendship-based ‘Petty Revenge Duo’ pairing, hadn’t accumulated a single CP fandom.

Jin Xiaoyu watched from the side, laughing her head off.

“Not bad, not bad, Brother Ye is impressive.”

Who knew that as soon as she said that, Shao Yuye shot her a death glare.

“Don’t get happy too early. You’re next.”

Jin Xiaoyu’s face instantly went pale. “No, Brother Ye!!!”

She clasped her hands together, making a pleading gesture. “I really need a big room. Please, I’m begging you.”

Shao Yuye snorted coldly.

The livestream chat was laughing itself to death.

[Hahahaha! Brother Ye : Don’t I need it?!]

[Brother Ye : Women only slow me down from getting first place!]

[Jin Xiaoyu : Brother Ye! I advise you to be kind!]

Jin Xiaoyu was eliminated by Shao Yuye without much trouble.

She had wanted to fight Shen Wanwan for the seat, but when the whistle blew, she happened to be on the other side. And Shao Yuye had his eyes locked on her the whole time, guarding against her so tightly there was no opening at all.

With the elimination a done deal, Jin Xiaoyu and Zhang Yiran could only sleep in the RV that night.

Now, on the field, only Shao Yuye and Shen Wanwan were left, battling for the final chair.

The chat instantly got hyped.

[Hahahaha! Later when Brother Ye grabs Wanwan’s chair, she’s definitely going to get mad at him, right?!]
[I’m dying. Brother Ye : Am I the type to give way just because you’ll be angry? Excuse me, first place coming through, everyone move aside!]
[ Hahahaha, ‘Petty Revenge Duo’ internal battle, this is getting good!]

At this moment, the director very sneakily had the two of them exchange trash talk.

Shao Yuye pointed fiercely at the chair, lifting his chin in arrogant defiance, “Just you wait!”

Shen Wanwan’s eyes shone brightly as she blinked at her brother, “Alright.”

Amid the music, the chat was full of complaints:

[Do you two even hear yourselves? Does this sound like trash talk?!]

[I’m laughing so hard, so gentle!]

[Why did both of them suddenly become so gentle with each other hahahahaha!]

[Ahhh I’m betting 500 tokens, Brother Ye-ge definitely won’t give way!]

[‘Ultra-competitive’ Shao Yuye didn’t get that nickname for nothing!]

Very soon, under everyone’s gaze, the whistle blew—

Shao Yuye stepped forward quickly.

But he only took one step.

Then, as if he’d been frozen in place by a spell, he stood there admiringly, watching Shen Wanwan gracefully sit down on the chair.

Under the stunned stares of all the viewers, his expression turned solemn. His lips moved with great ceremony, as if accompanied by the rhythm of a coronation drumbeat.

He lifted an invisible crown with both hands and steadily placed it atop Shen Wanwan’s head.

Shen Wanwan froze for a moment, then felt warmth bloom in her chest.

Even though there had been such a long blank period between her and her brother—

He still understood her.

The camera swept over Shen Wanwan’s dazzlingly beautiful face.

Beside her, Bai Ling stared in shock, jealousy surging in her heart.

Wait—what?

Weren’t you supposed to always fight for first place?!

He wouldn’t give her the seat just now, yet he handed first place over to Shen Wanwan?!

The chat was also stunned by the reversal for a split second, before erupting into screams—

[Where’s my Brother Ye? Where’s my ultra-competitive Brother Ye!!]

[Hey! Brother Ye, don’t be this double-standard, okay!!!]

[I’m crying laughing. Brother Ye to others : Get lost~~~ to Shen Wanwan: Wanwan, please sit.]
[I, Shao Yuye, a.k.a. famously double-standard, ultimate protector of my own!]

[Forever ‘Petty Revenge Duo’! I’m actually crying. He knows she’s delicate and hates sleeping in bad rooms, right? Shen Wanwan once spent 1000 tokens just to buy a luxury villa. So Brother Ye gave her the first-place big room, didn’t he?! Even though she’s still on a team with his archenemy—wahhh, how can Brother Ye be this good!!]

[So that’s why… I almost thought Brother Ye liked her just now. He was way too double-standard, even breaking his own principles!]

Jin Xiaoyu wailed from the side, “Brother Ye, that’s too much! You weren’t like this when you eliminated me just now!”

Shao Yuye seriously started settling accounts with her. “If Jiang Yuan hadn’t let you go just now, you wouldn’t have even made it to the finals. What’s ‘too much’ or not?”

Jin Xiaoyu: “……”

Damn it.

Now she finally knew why Lin Kexin had assigned Shen Wanwan to his mortal enemy!

There was no other reason—

Lin Kexin just wanted to vent her anger!!!

Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou smoothly took first place in the room-grabbing round.

Qi Luozhou looked at Shao Yuye, the corner of his lips curving up slightly, “Many thanks.”

Shao Yuye snorted. “I’m only doing it for the sake of that transformation device.”

[Ahhh tsundere Brother Ye spotted!]

[So he gave up the seat because of that transformation device?]

[Ugh, this damned ‘Rivals’, I’m shipping it again!!!!]

Although Shao Yuye had thrown out harsh words, Qi Luozhou remained smiling, which made Shao Yuye extremely annoyed, like punching a wad of cotton.

He added viciously, “Don’t get cocky. The popularity rankings are about to be settled. If I get first and draw a partner-swap card, who actually sleeps in that big bed tonight is still up in the air!”

Qi Luozhou smiled lightly. “We’ll see.”

With that, both fandoms instantly went back to frantically spamming the chat.

The livestream was about to end, and the votes for the two sides were biting incredibly close, rising and falling nonstop within the same day.

These were the final five minutes.

The ‘Yu Yu’s were so nervous they could barely breathe, and the ‘Xiao Chuan’s were holding their breath too.

Five minutes later, the livestream officially shut down.

And the director, holding the vote tally sheet handed up by the staff, began the final announcement—

“Up to tonight at 10 p.m., the current number one on the popularity rankings is…”

---

Actually, the people who chose Shen Wanwan wasn’t only Qi Luozhou, there was also Jiang Yuan.

But the impact of Qi Luozhou choosing Shen Wanwan was simply too great.

At this moment, Lin Kexin, who had been holding it in all day, finally got the chance to speak up:

@LinKexin : [It’s really not my fault, mainly because Wanwan is just too popular, *ahem ahem*.]

[This is a script, right?! It has to be a script!]

[The production team definitely interfered. Let me analyze it for you. ‘Petty Revenge Duo has basically finished showing its highlights, and the same pair taking first place every episode has lost its novelty. The directors were bound to split them up. But who to pair with whom? From the perspective of conflict and watchability, they’d definitely put Shen Wanwan with Qi Luozhou. Shao Yuye is so fiercely protective, wouldn’t he go crazy seeing that? He’s already shown it pretty thoroughly today.]

[That makes sense! But why not put God Zhou and Brother Ye together? I think that would be even more interesting, hahaha!]

[Don’t worry, we’ll definitely see those two team up. I bet the final episode will be them together. This is such a huge hook, the production team would never let a natural highlight like that go!]

[So was God Zhou really forced to choose Shen Wanwan?]

As for this question, the number-one trending topic had already given the best possible answer.

‘WanZhou’ was once again pushed onto the hot searches by fans. The reason was that just before the third level ended, Qi Luozhou picked up one of the long balloons placed by the production team and quickly twisted it into a little balloon dog, holding it in his hand and playing with it.

[Ahhh! God Zhou is way too skillful!]

[Amazing! I want to possess that balloon, then I could get kissed by God Zhou (just kidding)]

[Sister upstairs, put on some pants, hahaha!]

Even though Shen Wanwan had been fairly calm all along, when she saw that little dog, her eyes still lit up for a moment.

“I want a magic wand. Can you make one?”

“Here.”

Qi Luozhou handed the balloon dog to her, then turned and picked up a pink balloon.

Shen Wanwan stood to the side with her arms crossed, watching, blinking, feeling a bit intrigued.

She rarely came into contact with things like this. Although they were easily within reach, it was precisely because of that that she found them especially novel.

This time, the steps were clearly more complicated than the first. After finishing the pink balloon, Qi Luozhou blew up a yellow one as well. His slender, fair fingers folded and twisted deftly. The yellow formed the pentagram of the magic wand, while the pink made up the outline and handle.

“Didn’t expect you to have this kind of skill.”

There was a trace of surprised admiration in her tone.

Qi Luozhou shot her an amused glance, his hands not stopping.

“I learned it when I used to look after my little niece.”

He quickly finished the magic wand.

Shen Wanwan’s eyes sparkled as she eagerly reached out. The sight of her made Qi Luozhou think of his five-year-old niece.

When faced with something they like, children are always impatient.

He chuckled softly and handed the magic wand to her.

“Little kid.”

Qi Luozhou and Shao Yuye were the same age, three years older than Shen Wanwan.

Three years wasn’t really that big a gap.

Shen Wanwan frowned slightly.

She flipped her wrist, turning the magic wand around in her hand, and pressed it against his chest.

“Turn into a pig.”

The man very cooperatively raised both hands in a surrender pose, his smiling eyes curving as he obediently went, “Oink.”

The barrage instantly exploded with screams.

[God Zhou has a little niece?! I want to transmigrate into the niece!]

[But little nieces can’t date, I still want to transmigrate into Shen Wanwan. Guys, who understands? That “Little kid,” line hit me so hard!]

[Am I the only one shipping their current pose? I don’t know why, but God Zhou feels so doting, wuwuwu!]

[Why is my screen filling up with pink bubbles?!]

On the screen, Shen Wanwan swept her gaze arrogantly over his handsome face.

She said softly.

“Compared to that title, I’d rather you call me…

“Your.
“Majesty.
“The Queen.”

She almost mouthed those four words soundlessly.

Her face was hidden behind the balloon magic wand she’d pulled back, the pink of the balloon seeming to reflect onto her cheeks.

“……”

Qi Luozhou looked at her pinkish face.

His tongue pressed lightly against his palate, and he couldn’t help but laugh again.

[Damn it! Production team, can you upgrade your audio equipment?! What did Shen Wanwan say this time?]

[And every time she speaks silently, her face gets blocked, I’m so mad!]

[Ahhhhh! I want an item card that can reveal what Shen Wanwan said, give me that card ahhh!]

The screen recording ended here.

Viewers who came from the hot searches to catch up on the clip felt a little dazed after watching—

[Honest question, is this an idol drama?]

[Whispering, are they dating? They’re dating, right?! God Zhou-god actually made a magic wand for Shen Wanwan ahhh I’m dead!]

[No, she asked him to make it.]

[Yeah, and later she even had God Zhou make an Ultraman transformation device for Shao Yuye.]

[‘Petty Revenge Duo’ really, I’m crying. Even after switching teams, she still kept Brother Ye in mind!]

[No wonder Brother Ye worked so hard to get that partner-swap card!]

At this point, the ‘Yu Yu’s started shouting passionately again:

[Ahhh! Where are the ‘Petty Revenge Duo’ fans?! Hurry up and vote for Brother Ye!!!]

Their shouting also reminded the ‘Xiao Chuan’s, who quickly organized everyone to flood the livestream with comments again:

[God Zhou can switch partners on his own, but he cannot have his partner snatched away, especially not by a nemesis! Everyone, go vote!!!]

Only the ‘Wan Feng’s looked left, then right, caught in a dilemma.

Sigh.

Both sides were top-tier stars. They liked both sides. It was really hard to choose.

Forget it, let’s just vote for Wanwan.

---

At this moment, the livestream was showing the final room-snatching segment of the day.

The first-place team would get a classic king-bed room.

The second-place team would get a plain standard twin room.

The third-place team would have to stay in an open-air camper room.

And the fourth-place team could only sleep in a narrow tent outside.

Fortunately, this stop was in Yangcheng.

Yangcheng is warm like spring all year round, so camping on an autumn night like this wouldn’t be too cold.

Still, sleeping in a tent at night was obviously far less comfortable than having a proper bed.

The room-snatching game was the very classic ‘musical chairs.’

There would be several rounds. In each round, there would be one fewer chair than the number of people on the field.

After the director blew the whistle, anyone who failed to grab a seat would be eliminated.

If both members of a team were eliminated, their room would be assigned according to a 4–3–2–1 ranking.

Light, cheerful music played as everyone had to circle around the chairs and dance along casually with the rhythm. Shao Yuye half-heartedly paddled through a couple of perfunctory dance moves, his eyes burning as he stared straight at Qi Luozhou.

Damn it.

Qi Luozhou was always pulling all kinds of pointless tricks, and Qi Luozhou even made some kind of magic wand for his sister. Tch.

Back at noon, when Shen Wanwan handed him that balloon-made transformation device…

Shao Yuye had been happy at first.

Very good.

His sister hadn’t been abducted yet. She still had him, her older brother, in her heart.

But once he found out that the balloon had been made by his mortal enemy, his heart filled with extreme resistance.

Ugh…

His sister was simple-minded and easily bought over or fooled, but he wasn’t.

Qi Luozhou calmly met his gaze in return.

Their eyes crackled with sparks, and the fans went all out spamming the bullet comments.

Everyone looked relaxed on the surface, but in truth they were all keeping a close eye on the chairs beside them.

When the whistle blew, the people who had looked perfectly calm a second ago instantly sat down on the chairs next to them.

Only Su Tingxuan stood there dumbly. By the time he reacted and tried to sit, there was no seat left for him.

The viewers were already sick of him.

He couldn’t even handle such a simple little game.

This wasn’t just being bad at games anymore. He was clearly a variety-show black hole!

Bai Ling glanced at him and let out a helpless sigh.

The second person to be eliminated was Jiang Yuan.

He and Jin Xiaoyu had both locked onto the same seat. When the director’s whistle sounded, Jiang Yuan reacted quickly and plopped down firmly onto the chair.

Jin Xiaoyu was a step slower and was clearly about to sit down as well!

Jiang Yuan instantly jumped up and awkwardly gave the chair to Jin Xiaoyu.

After sitting down, Jin Xiaoyu realized he had yielded the seat to her, and she smiled sweetly as she said, “Thank you, Brother Jiang Yuan!”

She was cute to begin with, and her voice was sweet too. Jiang Yuan’s face instantly turned bright red.

The bullet comments were full of people lamenting for him—

[Baby Yuan, how can you be so useless when the opportunity is handed to you! That was such a perfect chance to get close to a girl!]

[Help, look at Jiang Yuan’s ears, they’re completely red hahaha!]

[Jiang Yuan has achieved his dream, achieved it, achieved it! Listen to me, don’t pick Shen Wanwan anymore, just pick Jin Xiaoyu! I hereby declare my loyalty to the ‘Chair’ CP!]

[Everyone forgive him. After all, this is already the fourth stop and it’s his first time interacting with a girl. Our Baby Yuan is shy!]

Only Shao Yuye wore a look of utter disbelief.

“You—
“You just gave it up like that?!”

What about winning at all costs?!

What about the vows?!

What about fighting tooth and nail for first place?!

Jiang Yuan scratched his head awkwardly. “Ah—sorry, sorry.”

[Hahahaha, seriously. Jiang Yuan has already boarded the train of love, and Brother Ye is still here being childish!]

[Who knew when I first stanned him he was such a cool guy? Why is he so cute now? I like him so much!]

[Really! He’s not cool anymore, but he’s hilarious. It feels like he’s closer to us now. Compared to before, I like this version of him more!]

[Same here!]

---

After finishing his instructions to Jiang Yuan, Shao Yuye puffed out his cheeks and started blowing up the balloon with all his might.

He had to hurry through the stage and get the partner-swap item card. Just thinking that every extra minute he wasted meant his little sister spending one more minute with that dog Qi Luozhou…

He immediately blew even harder.

Jiang Yuan was also fired up by him, taking a deep breath and blowing up his balloon.

Logically speaking, the bigger they blew the balloon, the farther it should fly.

Compared with the urgency on their side, the vibe over at Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou’s side was much more relaxed.

By the time Shao Yuye and Jiang Yuan’s balloons had both swollen into huge round shapes, the two of them had only just taken their balloons out of the bag.

[I’m laughing to death. Brother Ye and Jiang Yuan’s side looks like <Seven Swords Battle Anthem¹>, while God Zhou and Wanwan’s side is <Mandarin Ducks under Auspicious Moon²>³. Hahahaha!]

[Are you guys really on the same show? The contrast in vibes is way too big!!]

Shao Yuye finished blowing his balloon first.

It was enormous, bulging to the brim. Held in his hand, it was even bigger than his head. Brimming with confidence, he glanced around.

At this moment, Qi Luozhou and Shen Wanwan had only just started blowing their balloons.

The ‘good homie’ Jiang Yuan, whom Shao Yuye had just brainwashed, had also nearly finished blowing his.

Their progress was completely in the lead.

Shao Yuye squatted down and placed the balloon behind the starting line.

The finish line set by the production team was three meters away. Not too close, not too far. By his estimation, the air in the balloon should be enough to carry it drifting all the way there.

Shao Yuye let go.

The blue balloon, no longer pinched shut, released a faint hiss and shot forward with unstoppable momentum—

Jiang Yuan paused mid-blow for a second, watching helplessly as the blue balloon surged forward, took off directly, then spun *piu-piu* in the air before landing with a *pop*, neatly at Shao Yuye’s feet.

“……”

He silently shut his mouth.

Shao Yuye also choked for a moment.

The bullet comments exploded with laughter:

[Hahahaha! Brother Ye’s balloon looks impressive but is totally useless!]

[When he finished blowing it just now, I even got excited, thinking Brother Ye was about to clear the stage already, hahaha!]

Thanks to Shao Yuye’s failed experiment, it became clear that blowing the balloon too big—too much air—didn’t work either.

Jiang Yuan quietly let a bit of air out of his own balloon, adjusting it to what he thought was the right size.

On the other side, Qi Luozhou had also finished blowing his first balloon.

If Shao Yuye’s balloon was an XXL, then Jiang Yuan’s was an XL, while the one in Qi Luozhou’s hands barely counted as an M, not even an L.

Shao Yuye snorted coldly.

“If that can pass, I’ll livestream myself washing my hair upside down!”

Qi Luozhou replied nonchalantly, “I don’t even mind if you cut your hair upside down.”

[Hahahaha! As a chaos-lover, I suddenly really want God Zhou to pass. Not for anything else, just to see Brother Ye washing his hair upside down!]

[Even though God Zhou’s chances look tiny, I still want to beg the heavens. Please let God Zhou pass!]

Qi Luozhou and Jiang Yuan stood at the starting line together and released their balloons at the same time.

Jiang Yuan’s balloon had an excellent start.

Though it almost skimmed the ground the entire way, it made up for it by being steady and reliable, and in the end barely crossed the finish line.

Yes!

Shao Yuye excitedly high-fived Jiang Yuan.

As for Qi Luozhou’s balloon, its momentum was extremely weak. After flying out, it quickly went limp and collapsed onto the ground.

Seeing this, Shao Yuye mocked, “Pathetic.”

Qi Luozhou just smiled indifferently.

The bullet comments were filled with regret.

[Ah, if God Zhou had blown it a little bigger, it would’ve been fine!]

[It’s okay. As long as everyone blows them to Jiang Yuan’s size, they’ll pass right away. Lock these two teams together, clear the stage together, hahaha!]

Qi Luozhou’s laid-back attitude only strengthened Shao Yuye’s determination to rescue his sister.

Being with a guy like that must be pure torture!

He quickly blew another balloon to the right size, adjusted the angle of release a few times, and passed the stage smoothly.

Before leaving, he reluctantly made a gesture toward Shen Wanwan.

“Wait for me.”

Shen Wanwan nodded.

Standing beside her, Qi Luozhou’s smile never faded. He only lifted his chin slightly, but the usual detached air around him diminished a lot, as if he’d silently accepted some kind of challenge.

[Ahhh! ‘Petty Revenge Duo’ is way too shippable!]

[Thank you, Brother Ye. Even the ‘WanZhou’ shippers secretly got fed. At the moment Brother Ye said “Wait for me,” God Zhou’s expression was so meaningful!]

[Stop fighting already! If you’re gonna fight, go fight in the dance studio!]

After Shao Yuye and Jiang Yuan left, Qi Luozhou leisurely took a new balloon and started blowing again.

His movements were unhurried, looking very elegant.

Shen Wanwan went to release her balloon.

This stage really wasn’t hard.

As long as you got the balloon size and the release angle right, you could pass easily.

But theory was one thing, actually doing it still had some difficulty.

Her balloon fell just one step short of the finish line.

When she walked back, Qi Luozhou set down the balloon he hadn’t finished blowing yet.

At that size, failure was almost guaranteed.

She raised an eyebrow.

“What’s wrong?”

Qi Luozhou smiled brightly.

“Tired.”

He said it with complete justification.

The ‘Yu Yu’s still in the livestream: [???]

How are you tired?!

Do you maybe want to look at your passion-filled nemesis who’s already charging into the fourth stage?!

The ‘Xiao Chuan’s, however, were used to it.

[God Zhou has his own rhythm, okay!]

[Did he discover some hidden mission or something? Feels like he’s deliberately stalling for time.]

[Or maybe he’s just tired. Blowing balloons really does wear out your cheeks!]

Lin Kexin only found out that Shao Yuye had put out a harsh warning toward her because nosy show fans—who love drama as long as it’s not happening to them—kept tagging her like crazy.

She logged onto Weibo and posted an update—

@LinKexin : [Oh my god? Am I being called out by Brother Ye? 🫨🫨]

Fans rushed to the scene in one second and immediately started having fun.

[Brother Ye : Don’t sleep tonight, this is my hunting hour!]

[Kexin, remember to lock your doors and windows before bed. Brother Ye is coming tonight with his 40-meter broadsword!]

[I’m laughing to death, how did you even think of this? You actually split apart ‘Petty Revenge Duo’!]

[‘WanZhou’ shippers thank Kexin! Thank you, Kexin! ‘WanZhou’ just scored big points hahahaha! 😆😆]

At this time, the trending topics were almost completely taken over by <Extreme Challenge>—

#Shao Yuye calls out Lin Kexin#

#’Petty Revenge Duo split apart#

#WanZhou#

#Singles Team#

…

Every single topic had sky-high engagement and insane heat, truly a god-tier brawl.

Even so, one topic shot up like a dark horse, rocketing upward and finally landing firmly at No. 1 on the hot search—

#Shao Yuye eats his own words#

A meme blogger had made a comparison video.

<DJ Playlist—Shao Yuye’s face-slapping compilation!>

The first clip was Shao Yuye at the first stop.

Facing the camera, he was sharp all over, bristling with edge. He gave a cold laugh, his voice full of irritation.

—“Who do you think I least want to team up with??”

Her. Her. Or her!

The delicate Shen Wanwan, the annoying Shen Wanwan, the Shen Wanwan he wished he could split from on the spot.

—“And in the show, who would you most like to partner with?”
—“Anyone but Shen Wanwan.”

Back then, Shao Yuye was full of hostility. Even mentioning Shen Wanwan made him frown uncontrollably.

The scene cuts to today’s livestream.

—“Jiang Yuan, Shao Yuye, you’re a team!”

Shao Yuye, incredulous: “What did you say?”

—“Shen Wanwan, Qi Luozhou, you’re a team!”

Shao Yuye, furious: “Did you mess that up?!”

[Old Brother Ye: irritable cool guy; current Brother Ye: walking meme!]

[Hahahaha ‘Petty Revenge Duo’ is actually really shippable! ‘Even though I hated you before, now I only allow myself to take care of you!’]

At first, the comments were overwhelmingly positive, everyone laughing happily.

Until someone came in to stir things up:

[Heh, I advise you to keep the memes in check. Don’t cry later when the ‘partner’ turns into the sister-in-law.]

[The tone upstairs is way too sour. There’s zero ambiguity in ‘Petty Revenge Duo’, it’s just normal friendship. Why smear them like that? Besides, as long as Brother Ye is still an idol, he absolutely won’t date!]

Although the ‘Yu Yu’s fired back, that person still doubled down:

[Tsk. Believe men’s sweet talk? Pigs will climb trees first!
[I’ll put this here: Shao Yuye and Shen Wanwan are definitely already dating! If not dating, then at least flirting! Feel free to dig this up later!]

Seeing that the person was completely unreasonable, the ‘Yu Yu’s didn’t bother arguing anymore and quickly buried those baseless speculations.

Meanwhile, some people started steering the narrative, claiming the director team had given Lin Kexin too much power, didn’t respect the guests’ wishes, and randomly assigned teams.

Most of the dissatisfaction came from Bai Ling’s fans.

With Bai Ling stuck with Su Tingxuan, a total deadweight, how fast could her progress possibly be?

Lin Kexin’s fans couldn’t match Bai Ling’s fans’ combat power, and within a few exchanges were shut down by the ‘Ling Jiao⁴‘s.

[Is Lin Kexin deliberately targeting Bai Ling?]

[Obviously. Bai Ling and Zhang Yiran were doing just fine, yet Lin Kexin had to split her up and pair her with Su Tingxuan!]

[Don’t tell me Lin Kexin is jealous of our Bai Ling?]

[Really feel bad for our Bai Ling. Such a kind, considerate little angel shouldn’t get this ending!!]

Some ‘Yu Yu’s couldn’t stand it anymore and went in to say a few words for Lin Kexin.

[Some people’s fans are really losing it. This is just a variety show. Are you seriously taking it that far?]

Haters snapped back angrily:

[Shen Wanwan must have paid Lin Kexin off! Otherwise why would Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou be a team? Bai Ling openly said before that Qi Luozhou is her idol and that she wanted to team up with him!]

That logic was truly… touching.

Even passersby couldn’t watch anymore and spoke up:

[What, just because you want to team up with Qi Luozhou, they have to assign you there? Who are you, Queen Mother of the West or the Jade Emperor? So impressive.]

[Anyway, I don’t believe Qi Luozhou would choose Shen Wanwan.]

[Me neither!]

The ‘Xiao Chuan’s stared at these confident statements in total confusion.

Wait.

Why wouldn’t we believe it?

Have you people even watched the show?

They look… really harmonious right now…

The internet was in an uproar.

The show aired all day, and people argued all day over whether Qi Luozhou had chosen Shen Wanwan.

Finally, that evening, the full version of the third stop of <Extreme Challenge> officially went online.

And in the complete episode, all viewers finally saw the full picture of Lin Kexin’s team assignments. In the written partner preferences—

Jin Xiaoyu and Zhang Yiran chose each other.

Shen Wanwan and Shao Yuye chose each other.

Su Tingxuan chose Bai Ling.

Bai Ling chose Qi Luozhou.

And Qi Luozhou…

chose Shen Wanwan.

The live comments exploded:

[Holy sh*t?! Did I see that right?! Qi Luozhou actually actively chose Shen Wanwan?!]

---

1. most likely refers to the background music theme during battles from the movie <Seven Swords>, a wuxia movie released in 2005. ↩︎
2. 鸳鸯 (yuānyāng) literally means mandarin ducks, and 祥月 (xiáng yuè) literally means auspicious moon. Mandarin ducks are a Chinese symbol for lifelong couples and the moon is a classic romantic setting in Chinese poetry and song. ↩︎
3. This whole sentence means that Shao Yuye and Jiang Yuan’s side had a tense battle vibe while Qi Luozhou and Shen Wanwan’s side had an old-school romance vibe. ↩︎
4. 菱角 (líng jiǎo) literally means water chestnut. Bai Ling’s fandom name. ↩︎

---

The director turned to Shen Wanwan and announced:

“Shen Wanwan, Qi Luozhou—you’re a team.”

Shao Yuye looked like he’d been struck by lightning. His fur instantly bristled as he exploded, “Did you mess up?!”

His little sister, on a team with Qi Luozhou?!

Meanwhile, Shen Wanwan stood off to the side with her arms crossed, utterly calm. The director had deliberately dragged things out to tease everyone earlier, and she’d already known there was no way she’d be teamed up with her brother.

She reached out and lightly patted her brother on the shoulder. “It’s fine. We can be on a team another time.”

[Hahahaha, obviously, not having to team up with his mortal enemy, God Zhou quietly breathes a sigh of relief!]

[Holy crap! ‘WanZhou’ shippers are ecstatic!]

[Why does Shao Yuye look so reluctant to part?]

[Laughing to death, if I were Shao Yuye, I wouldn’t want my partner switched either. Teaming up with Shen Wanwan would be so fun!]

[Yeah, and Shen Wanwan’s finally playing to her strengths now. If physical strength isn’t her thing, she uses her brain. She and Brother Ye are a perfect match!]

[Wuwuwu, my ‘Petty Reveng Duo’… how could it be dismantled just like that, T_AT]

[It’s fine, ‘WanZhou’ can take over. Keep going, keep shining!]

Although the audience accepted the team results pretty well, Shao Yuye was still seething. In his anger, he swept a glance sideways at Qi Luozhou, just in time to see Qi Luozhou curve his lips into yet another smile.

The little flame in Shao Yuye’s heart instantly flared up with the wind. He sneered coldly, “Lucky bastard.”

Qi Luozhou’s response was to walk over to the director, pick up a team uniform, and hand it to Shen Wanwan.

A pink pullover hoodie. On an autumn day like this, it carried a special kind of warmth.

As Shen Wanwan reached out to take it, Qi Luozhou tilted his head toward Shao Yuye, the corner of his mouth lifting into a provocative smile.

Watching Qi Luozhou’s smug, spring-breeze smile, Shao Yuye felt dazed for a moment, as if he could hear an unspoken reply drifting through the air.

—”Jealous?”

凸(艹皿艹)

So damn punchable!

Unable to help himself, he faced the camera directly and blurted out, “Lin Kexin! Lin Kexin, have you been sleeping well these past few days?”

The live comments instantly erupted into laughter again.

[Brother Ye’s 40-meter-long blade has been unsheathed!]

[@Lin Kexin, be careful when you go out lately. I’m afraid Brother Ye’s coming to assassinate you.]

Still full of resentment, even after calling out Lin Kexin, Shao Yuye remained dissatisfied with Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou wearing the same-colored uniforms. He turned sideways and complained to Jiang Yuan, “The production team, seriously. Early on they don’t do team uniforms, later they don’t do them either, but they just have to pull out this flashy nonsense now!”

Jiang Yuan said, “Mainly it makes it easier for the audience to tell the teams apart. You can see it at a glance by color.”

That explanation finally made Shao Yuye feel a bit better.

He picked up his blue uniform and looked at it again and again… somehow, he still felt the pink one looked better!

Over there, Bai Ling and Su Tingxuan stood together. That faint hint of ambiguity that had once lingered between them had already dissipated without anyone noticing.

Bai Ling stared blankly at Qi Luozhou and Shen Wanwan, feeling especially downcast.

If it were only Shao Yuye treating Shen Wanwan differently, that would be one thing…

But now, she could clearly sense an indescribable, unnameable emotion flowing between Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou as well.

She didn’t know if it was just her imagination.

After everyone changed into their team uniforms and returned, the challenge of this stop officially began.

Jiang Yuan, now in a blue uniform, walked over to Shao Yuye and muttered softly, “Am I really cursed or something? Why do I always get assigned to the singles team…”

The comments burst into laughter:

[Jiang Yuan: Does nobody want to speak up for me?]

[The show’s already more than halfway through, and Jiang Yuan has been ‘the king’s man’ from start to finish. The only difference is he moved from God Zhou’s side to Brother Ye’s side, hahahahaha!]

[I swear, I’m laughing myself sick. Baby Yuan just wants to team up with a girl, why won’t anyone give him a chance?! ]

Shao Yuye raised an eyebrow, dissatisfied. “What’s wrong with being single?”

He was a man determined to stay single for life!

“What singles team? We’re the Certain Victory team!”

Jiang Yuan : “……”

As expected of you.

Just as he was about to speak, Shao Yuye suddenly fixed him with a determined gaze and thrust out an arm.

“Certain!”

Jiang Yuan’s pupils trembled twice.

His mind was full of what is this, what is this…

Even though he had no idea what Shao Yuye was about to do, he still cooperated and extended his arm…

Under Shao Yuye’s guidance, the two crossed their arms, forming a big X!

Shao Yuye: “You say ‘Victory.’”

Jiang Yuan, confused: “Victory?”

Shao Yuye: “Certain!”

Jiang Yuan: “Victory!”

“Certain!”

“Victory!”

“Certain!”

“Victory!”

[What kind of new nonsense is Brother Ye pulling now…]

[Not gonna lie, I’m starting to think Brother Ye might be a walking meme.]

[Hahahahaha I’m about to pass out laughing. What even is this?! Two walking memes! I’m dead!]

[Jiang Yuan is such a serious guy, and Brother Ye’s dragged his whole vibe off course. I’m laughing so hard I’m choking!]

Shao Yuye withdrew his hand and patted Jiang Yuan on the shoulder with satisfaction.

“Very good.”

“You’ve grasped the essence.”

Shao Yuye snapped into seriousness in an instant and began questioning him. “What’s our goal?”

Jiang Yuan hesitated, then answered uncertainly, “…Certain victory?”

Shao Yuye shot him an approving look.

“And our slogan?!”

Jiang Yuan answered instantly: “Certain Victory?!”

Shao Yuye’s gaze burned. “And our guiding principle is—?!”

Jiang Yuan, brimming with fighting spirit: “Certain! Victory!”

[Hahaha help, this feels like I’ve wandered into a pyramid scheme seminar!]

[How did I never realize Brother Ye was this good at brainwashing?!]

[Jiang Yuan!!! Wake up! I suspect Brother Ye is CPU-ing¹ you! ]

Shao Yuye nodded in satisfaction.

His next goal was clear. Speed through the levels like crazy and do everything possible to get a partner-swap item card, so he could swap his sister back!

That meant Jiang Yuan had to keep up with his pace and charge forward with him at full force!

Everyone’s attention was drawn to the two of them, and for a moment the whole place fell silent.

Until Zhang Yiran couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing with a snort, teasing them, “How old are you two?”

Only then did Jiang Yuan snap out of Shao Yuye’s brainwashing, dazed and confused, the little man in his head launching a triple soul-searching question.

—Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

The barrage comments were already in hysterics:

[The vibe of Brother Ye just now was totally like some MLM-style self-motivation speech!!]

[Jiang Yuan is his first victim, hahaha! Baby Yuan, use your brain a bit!]

[My eyes!! My eyes!! Brother Ye, I never thought you were this kind of person…]

[Suddenly feel like Brother Ye was born to be an idol, and one who’ll never have a scandal either. (Not saying Brother Ye deserves to stay single.)]

[Hahaha the clarification in the comment above is really something!]

Watching from the side, Shen Wanwan couldn’t stop laughing either.

Qi Luozhou turned his head and asked with interest, “So what’s our team name?”

The pink color made his complexion look less cold.

There was still a smile at the corner of Shen Wanwan’s lips as she silently mouthed a reply to him.

—“The husband-and-wife team.”

Qi Luozhou paused for a moment, then understood.

She really was far too good at surprising people.

No buildup, completely out of the blue.

He let out a soft laugh.

The venue was noisy.

All the teams’ individual livestream rooms were still being set up, and each group was chatting among themselves. Shen Wanwan spoke very softly, so the audience only heard Qi Luozhou’s question at the start, but not her answer.

On top of that, Zhang Yiran, who was standing next to Shen Wanwan, took a step over to avoid Jin Xiaoyu’s grabby hands. His broad body immediately blocked Shen Wanwan from view.

The barrage instantly became restless:

[What did Shen Wanwan say? God Zhou is smiling so happily!]

[Damn it, Zhang Yiran, why are you standing over there?! Go back!!!]

[I’m level-ten at lip-reading!! If you’d just give me the shot, I could definitely read it! Damn you, Zhang Yiran, I hate you!!]

001 thought Shen Wanwan was way too bold, and clung to her shoulder to analyze things rationally with her:

{Aren’t you afraid you’ll tease the male lead too far?
{Even though he doesn’t have a yandere personality, he’s still the kind who can pick you up and do things to you.}

As it said this, the little light orb’s body turned a bit pink.

Ahhh, what nonsense was it spouting?!

Shen Wanwan deliberately teased it, “Is he good at it?”

001’s little face turned bright red: {…Yes.}

“Mm, that’s good then.”

Shen Wanwan replied calmly, and continued without a hint of embarrassment, “When we’re being intimate, will you be watching from the side too?”

001 was so scared it trembled all over:

{No!! When you two flirt, I’ll enter sleep mode!
{I’m not a pervert, why would I spy on you?!}

“OK.”

After teasing the little light orb, the production team finally finished setting up and turned on the team livestreams.

Countless fans flooded into Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou’s livestream room, and the popularity kept climbing.

At the same time, the director announced that the team ranked first on the daily popularity chart would receive an extra item card as a reward.

Shao Yuye had been in the middle of brainwashing Jiang Yuan, but his eyes lit up the moment he heard that rule.

“What does that mean?”

[Wow! The director team’s schemes are way too deep!!!]

[Is the ‘Fish vs. Boat²’ war starting again?! ]

[👏😈 Sitting back to watch a once-in-a-century showdown!]

Shao Yuye and Qi Luozhou had been rivals for ages, so naturally their fans never got along either.

A top-tier star’s prestige could not be lost.

The fight for first and second place was always the biggest highlight.

Ever since Qi Luozhou and Shao Yuye joined this variety show, the two openly competed, while in secret their fans also fought fiercely. The first and second places on the popularity chart shifted every hour, with the ‘Yu Yu’s and the ‘Xiao Chuan’s locked in constant battle.

The show’s popularity chart was judged based on the activity level of bullet comments in each livestream room. For any single account, only one comment within five minutes counted as one vote.

Once fans heard that the popularity chart could directly help their favorites, every single one of them went all out, shouting and spamming with renewed energy.

The two sides’ votes instantly began doubling, biting at each other tightly, determined to fight to the bitter end.

At that moment, Shao Yuye stood at attention, gave a respectful bow to the camera, and said politely:

“I’ll leave the item cards to everyone, then.”

[Ahhh! Brother Ye, how badly do you want to keep teaming up with Shen Wanwan?!]

[I’m dying of laughter. Others might want to team with Shen Wanwan because of her. But if Brother Ye is trying this hard to get Shen Wanwan back to his side… there’s only one reason—he! wants! to! win!]

[Stop arguing, everyone! Since Brother Ye wants to charge for first place, let’s help push him up there!!! Take God Zhou down!]

[Take him down! Take him down!]

The ‘Yu Yu’s were instantly fired up.

Over on the ‘Xiao Chuan’s’ side, their fighting spirit was ignited as well—

[God Zhou never fights or competes, but we can’t let him lose his prestige just because he’s chill! Sisters, charge!! Vote, vote, vote!!]

Since the two teams had swapped one member each, their starting progress was the same. They would both begin from the third stage.

The third stage’s task was very simple.

Each pair of guests had to blow up balloons, then release them from the starting line. Using the force of the escaping air, the balloons would fly forward. As long as both balloons crossed the yellow line set by the production team, the challenge was a success.

The balloons provided by the production team were color-coded.

Shao Yuye and Jiang Yuan got blue ones;

Qi Luozhou and Shen Wanwan got pink ones.

Shao Yuye glanced at the finish line and felt this stage should be easy.

“Three minutes.
“Let’s clear it fast.”

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1. In Chinese internet slang, CPU is used as a verb to mean gaslighting, brainwashing, or psychological manipulation. It originated from a viral clip where someone accidentally said “CPU” when they meant to say PUA (Pick-Up Artist). In China, “PUA” became a broad term for toxic emotional control or workplace negging. Because “CPU” sounds vaguely similar and relates to “processing/programming” someone’s mind, the internet turned it into a meme. ↩︎
2. Just a reminder : Shao Yuye’s fandom ‘Yu Yu’ means fish and Qi Luozhou’s fandom ‘Xiao Chuan’ means little boat. ↩︎

---

After the gala ended, Shen Wanwan rode home in Shao Yuye’s car.

By then, people online had already pieced together the whole story: some unknown female celebrity had been snidely mocking Shen Wanwan, and Shao Yuye just happened to overhear it. So he stepped in and played the hero, pulling Shen Wanwan straight from the last row to the very front.

Many viewers had watched <Extreme Challenge>, and they’d seen for themselves how Shao Yuye and Shen Wanwan’s relationship evolved—from mutual dislike to becoming a tacitly coordinated duo—so no one really overthought it.

[Seriously, being friends with Brother Ye must be such a blessing, right? Shen Wanwan used to clash with him so badly, but now that things have eased up, he still protects her like this. Righteous Brother Ye, I’m really in love!]

[So which female celebrity was it? How dare she mock Wanwan, what kind of status does she even have? Say it out loud, let me hear it!]

[Totally two-faced, one way onstage, another offstage! People who don’t know better would think she’s some big shot!]

Meanwhile, the ‘Wan Feng’s all flocked to Shao Yuye’s Weibo to leave comments:

[Thank you so much, Brother Ye! If it weren’t for you, Wanwan might’ve been bullied!]

[Wuwuwu, thank you, Brother Ye!]

On the other hand, the ‘Yu Yu’s were even more rational than that.

[Uh… are you guys really sure Shen Wanwan would get bullied?]

After all, she was a woman who had even bullied the director of <Extreme Challenge>!

In the end, after everyone argued back and forth, they all went to boost that trending topic #Shen Wanwan: Life’s Ultimate Winner”#

[I wouldn’t even dare dream this big! Shao Yuye on the left, Qi Luozhou on the right! Calling Shen Wanwan a life winner, I’m honestly tired of saying it!!!!]

Shao Yuye scrolled through Weibo for a while, then noticed that the small group chat with his teammates was ‘poisoning the night.’

It was nothing but photos of brightly colored, high-calorie foods—one after another—making his stomach growl.

He lifted his head from his phone and asked Shen Wanwan seriously:

“Do you want some malatang?”

To maintain his condition, Shao Yuye usually avoided food like this. Still, he wasn’t a true ascetic. Once a month, he allowed himself a chance to indulge and enjoy good food.

“Malatang?”
Shen Wanwan frowned and rejected it without a second thought, “No.”

When she said no, Shao Yuye hesitated again. Damn it, eating alone was no fun.

“Hotpot? Barbecue? Crayfish? Anything you feel like eating?”

He offered earnestly.

Shen Wanwan turned them all down.

“No.”

Shao Yuye swallowed quietly.

—I really want to eat…

In the end, he turned his gaze toward Brother Li.

“Do you want some?”

Unable to bear it, Brother Li said.

“…If you want to eat, then eat. I’ll order it for you.
“Just remember to run for an hour afterward.”

Shao Yuye’s eyes instantly lit up.

“Deal!”

With Brother Li handling the arrangements, as soon as they got home, Shao Yuye received the malatang delivery he’d been longing for.

Fresh out of the pot. When he lifted the lid, streams of hot steam rushed upward.

He grabbed a small bowl, scooped out a few meatballs to cool them, then looked at Shen Wanwan, trying to tempt her:

“Come on, try one?”

“No.”

Shen Wanwan began explaining just how picky her tastes were.

Even five-star chefs often failed to hit the flavor she wanted, let alone this malatang, which didn’t look particularly appetizing at first glance.

She glanced at the red, oily broth with a trace of pity and delivered her final verdict:

“I wouldn’t dare to ea—”

Before the word ‘eat’ could leave her mouth, Shao Yuye suddenly stuffed a round object into her mouth.

She frowned and was about to spit it out, but as her tongue touched the surface of the meatball, a burst of savory aroma flooded her mouth.

Shen Wanwan hesitated, then took a bite. The mild spiciness tingled on her tongue, the flavor of the beef meatball spreading between her lips and teeth. Her eyes lit up.

“Delicious!”

Shao Yuye wore a ‘told-you-so’ expression.

“Obviously. Would I ever mess with you?”

She carefully chewed and swallowed the beef meatball, then leaned over to peek into Shao Yuye’s bowl, pointing at a piece connected to a bone.

“I want to try that one too.”

Shao Yuye fished one out and fed it to her.

“Good, right?”

“It’s… okay.” Determined to maintain her persona, Shen Wanwan replied haughtily, “If you want to eat it in the future, I can accompany you and try it.”

Shao Yuye burst out laughing.

“Oh ho, look at you being all nice!”

The happy holiday soon passed, and the recording of <Extreme Challenge>’s fourth stop was right around the corner.

After Shen Wanwan’s stunning appearance on the StarShow red carpet, all the other guests congratulated her as soon as they met.

Bai Ling hadn’t been invited, but she had watched the livestream. Seeing Shao Yuye stand up for Shen Wanwan, seeing Shen Wanwan seated right between Shao Yuye and Qi Luozhou, she couldn’t help saying:

“Wanwan, I really envy you. If only I’d been grouped with Brother Ye back then.”

It was hard to tell whether Bai Ling said it intentionally.

But the hidden implication in her words seemed to suggest that Shen Wanwan had only received the StarShow invitation because she was on the same team as Shao Yuye.

Shen Wanwan raised an eyebrow and comforted her, saying, “It’s fine. You can try your best to choose him.”

Whether he would choose Bai Ling, however, was another matter altogether.

Bai Ling sighed quietly to herself, then silently looked toward Qi Luozhou.

Qi Luozhou was talking with Jiang Yuan, his side profile smooth and refined.

More than half of the variety show had already passed, yet she still hadn’t had the slightest interaction with either Shao Yuye or Qi Luozhou.

Her manager had long since started pressuring her, using Shen Wanwan’s recent explosive popularity as an example, how it had all been achieved by riding on Shao Yuye’s massive traffic. The manager demanded that she step up her contact with both Shao Yuye and Qi Luozhou, strive to create buzz, and replicate Shen Wanwan’s success.

It was hard for Bai Ling not to feel anxious.

She didn’t know what kind of new partner Lin Kexin had assigned her in the previous episode.

Please…

Let it not be Zhang Yiran.

She prayed silently in her heart.

After dangling the suspense for so many days, <Extreme Challenge> was finally about to reveal the answer. Almost the moment the show went on air, huge waves of viewers flooded into the livestream—

[Finally starting! I’ve waited so long my flowers have withered!]

[Director, I advise you not to tease us anymore! Air the results right now!!!]

[Damn it, Lin Kexin is really tight-lipped, she still hasn’t said how the swap went! Ahhh so annoying!]

These past few days, Lin Kexin’s Weibo had been unusually active. Every time she posted, many show fans rushed into her comments to ask questions.

She posted a line saying, [Heavenly secrets must not be revealed], and amid everyone’s wails, added another sentence: [Anyway, you’ll be very surprised when you see it.]

Although some bloggers had already calculated the most likely team combinations, guessing was one thing, seeing it with your own eyes was another.

The director did not disappoint. After gathering everyone together, he officially began announcing the team assignments for the fourth stop.

Jin Xiaoyu clenched her hands tightly.

Oh my god, she really didn’t want to be paired with Su Tingxuan again!

The director held his cue cards and read aloud:

“Based on the grouping of last episode’s lucky guest helper, the results are as follows—
“Jin Xiaoyu.”

Jin Xiaoyu’s heart leapt straight up into her throat.

She crossed her arms over her chest, her forearms trembling.

Please…

Please don’t let it be Su Tingxuan!

The director finally read out the next name.

“Zhang Yiran.”

Jin Xiaoyu instantly let out a breath of relief. As she looked toward Zhang Yiran, the director brought the hammer down.

“You are a team.”

That’s great!

She was so moved she was about to cry!

Zhang Yiran, on the other hand, grinned at her cheerfully, laughing without a care: “Yo, it’s you again. Same old rules, call me ‘Brother’ and I’ll carry you!”

Jin Xiaoyu : “Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother!”

Forget calling him Brother, even calling him Dad would be fine!

Thank you, Lin Kexin, she had finally escaped that deadweight Su Tingxuan!!

The bullet comments erupted in laughter.

[Jin Xiaoyu looks so touched.]

[Hahaha, with Zhang Yiran you can get first or second place; with Su Tingxuan it’s last or second-to-last. No wonder the kid’s been driven to this state!]

[So isn’t the production team considering kicking Su Tingxuan out? He’s really dragging everyone down!]

For some reason, Bai Ling also felt a little nervous, infected by Jin Xiaoyu’s excitement.

She secretly glanced at Shao Yuye, just as she heard the director call her name.

“Bai Ling.”

Her breathing stopped in that instant. She waited for the director’s final verdict, anticipation rising in her heart—whether it was Shao Yuye or Qi Luozhou—

“Su Tingxuan.”

The director’s cold voice shattered her unnecessary fantasies. Bai Ling’s eyes widened in disbelief as she heard him confirm:

“You are a team.”

Su Tingxuan’s face lit up with joy. “Bai Ling—”

Bai Ling felt dizzy, the world spinning.

[Oh my god, poor Bai Ling! She’s actually teamed up with that deadweight Su Tingxuan!]

[Honestly, Su Tingxuan really should be kicked off already!]

[Stop arguing. Next it’s either Brother Ye or God Zhou. How unexpected can it get? Will Brother Ye and God Zhou be on the same team? 🤩🤩]

Everyone held their breath, craning their necks for the final result.

At this moment, the director called out Shen Wanwan’s name.

“Shen Wanwan.”

At this point, the only guests left without teams were Qi Luozhou, Shao Yuye, and Jiang Yuan.

The ‘Wan Feng’s immediately felt reassured.

[All three are reliable. No matter who Wanwan teams up with, there’s nothing to worry about!]

[The main thing is that the Su Tingxuan bomb has been removed, so satisfying!]

[Hehe, selfishly hoping for another round of ‘Petty Revenge Duo’!]

[Damn it, I just started shipping ‘WanZhou’, can I dream of WanZhou being on the same team?!]

As if deliberately stretching the suspense to the limit, the director lowered his gaze and paused for a long time.

During this extended pause, Bai Ling clenched her teeth and analyzed silently.

The director dragging it out like this meant that Shen Wanwan definitely wasn’t on a team with Shao Yuye.

Then…

Among those left, there were only Jiang Yuan and Qi Luozhou.

Will Lin Kexin really put Shen Wanwan and Qi Luozhou on the same team…?

Probably not, right?

A wave of nervousness rose in her heart.

But Shen Wanwan herself wasn’t nervous at all.

Arms crossed, Shen Wanwan waited lazily for the director to announce the final partner.

“Jiang Yuan.”

[Wow! So Brother Ye and God Zhou are in the same group?!]

[Hahahaha! Lin Kexin, you’ve got some nerve! Aren’t you afraid Brother Ye will chase you down with a 40-meter broadsword?!]

Bai Ling secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness.

At this moment, the expressions on the three men on set all became quite something.

Jiang Yuan looked as if he’d been hit by a pie falling from the sky, his face full of glee and disbelief;

Shao Yuye looked like he was questioning his very existence, wondering if he’d heard wrong;

As for Qi Luozhou…

Seemingly unhappy about being grouped with his nemesis, even the usual smile at the corners of his lips faded.

At this point, the director added another line: “Please say goodbye to your original partners.”

Jiang Yuan, grinning foolishly, waved at Qi Luozhou. “It’s fine, we’ll hang out again next time.”

Qi Luozhou, for once, didn’t respond.

The barrage of comments burst into laughter—

[God Zhou: You’re just leaving me like this?]

[Hahahahaha! God Zhou : There is no ‘next time’. Jiang Yuan, you brat, running off the moment you see a pretty girl!]

Just as Jiang Yuan was about to walk toward Shen Wanwan, the director spoke again: “Jiang Yuan, Shao Yuye, you two are a team.”

Jiang Yuan, who had just taken a step forward: ???

Shao Yuye, standing to the side with a forced smile, having thought he was about to be teamed up with his nemesis and feeling utterly speechless: ???

Shao Yuye stared at the director in disbelief. “What did you say?”

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