Director Cui announced, “Mu Ye’s challenge is successful, and you can draw a welfare card.”
The barrage paused, and a sea of question marks appeared.
[“What? How did Teacher Mu guess that?”]
[“Did he see himself chewing gum???”]
[“What’s going on? What just happened?”]
[“Can someone who knows the situation explain?”]
[“Is chewing gum some kind of inside joke? Did I miss something?”]
Pei Shinian hesitated for a moment, then realized and exclaimed angrily, “You cheated!”
Mu Ye sneered, “Do we really need to cheat in such a simple little game?”
Bai Xingyu confirmed that Mu Ye hadn’t seen the question board just now, and Song Jianchu hadn’t given any subtle hints. He couldn’t help but feel amazed. “How did you guess it?”
Mu Ye smiled mysteriously and said, “Telepathy.”
Everyone: “…”
“How can there be telepathy? You must have used a secret signal,” Pei Shinian carefully pondered, “What could that signal be? This method is way too advanced; I didn’t even notice…”
Director Cui said, “Teacher Mu can come and draw a card.”
[“We were just saying how great it is to have a wife.”]
[“Stinky Treasure did his best, now let’s see if Teacher Mu can make it ‘ooh.'”]
[“Ooh god possessed him!!”]
After putting down his drawing board, Song Jianchu’s flushed face hadn’t cooled down yet when he caught a glimpse of Mu Ye going to draw a card, and his gaze unconsciously followed.
Mu Ye reached into the bag and then turned to him with a flirtatious look, handing him the card.
Though this definitely wasn’t cheating, Song Jianchu still felt a bit guilty and awkwardly cleared his throat.
Pei Shinian got nervous and stepped forward, joining the onlookers, “No, the gold card is mine.”
Mu Ye took out the card—it was a regular welfare card that could be used to receive a compliment from the leader at any time.
“Too bad,” Mu Ye sighed lightly but quickly smiled, “But compliments are nice too.”
[“Is getting a compliment from your wife enough for you? You’re so easily satisfied, Teacher Mu.”]
[“Yeah, you can’t blame your wife for this.”]
[“What a pity, but it’s also nice to get a compliment from a leader.”]
[“There will be more chances! Keep it up, Teacher Mu!”]
[“No worries, let’s try telepathy again!”]
“Yes!” Pei Shinian pumped his fist. “It’s my turn now!”
The producer opened a new question.
Song Jianchu took a quick look and immediately got an idea, smoothly drawing his picture.
As for the cartoon character around Mu Ye, he saw it every day on his pajamas, so he naturally had a better grasp, but even when drawing for other members, he didn’t just go through the motions; he took it seriously.
When Song Jianchu opened his drawing board, there was a little person with two thick waves on their face.
This question was simple, even a soul artist wouldn’t find it difficult to understand.
Pei Shinian immediately answered, “Tears streaming down the face.”
The director announced, “Pei Shinian’s challenge is successful; he can come and draw a welfare card.”
Pei Shinian happily walked over to draw a card, rubbing his hands with anticipation, “Ooh god, if I draw a gold card, I can remain single for another three years.”
[“This is too easy.”]
[“His luck is really good. He draws skins in games too, ooh.”]
[“Haha, Stinky Treasure seems to have improved after playing a few times.”]
Mu Ye protested to the director, “Why is his question so simple?”
Bai Xingyu was dissatisfied too, “Tears streaming down the face and wolfing down food, they are clearly different levels of difficulty!”
The director didn’t take the blame, saying, “The questions are all random.”
While they were talking, Pei Shinian suddenly burst into laughter, holding up a shiny gold card, “I am the ooh king tonight! Who else? You all better prepare to be dominated by me!”
Everyone was stunned, “…”
This was just the first round, and Pei Shinian already drew the gold card.
The director said, “Congratulations to Teacher Pei for drawing the gold card and getting a one-day experience as a leader.”
Mu Ye muttered, “Foolish people are lucky.”
“Damn it,” Bai Xingyu said in exasperation, “Can this even happen? Did you cheat?”
Lu Shen said, “Prepare to be single for three years.”
Though Pei Shinian was already quite satisfied with drawing the gold card, winning had ignited his competitive spirit. He nonchalantly replied, “What’s so great about being in a relationship? Is it more fun than being a leader?”
“The gold card has been drawn, and the game is over,” the director said.
“Nice,” Bai Xingyu slumped back lazily, “So boring.”
Lu Shen sat down as well.
Pei Shinian kissed his precious gold card a few times, forgetting about his earlier discomfort from accidentally ending up on the set, and said, “This is so much fun. Director, please arrange more luck-based games in the future.”
Mu Ye looked regretful as he returned to Song Jianchu’s side, leaning on his shoulder, and said apologetically, “Sorry, I didn’t draw it.”
Song Jianchu comforted him, saying, “There might be more chances in the next episodes.”
Mu Ye picked up his compliment welfare card and showed it to him, explaining, “All the compliments belong to me; it’s better to let the leader compliment me.”
Song Jianchu couldn’t help but smile, using his authority as a leader to say, “You can use it twice.”
Mu Ye looked up, a hint of a teasing look in his eyes as he lightly hooked Song Jianchu, “The leader is really good.”
Song Jianchu took a soft breath, naturally averting his gaze, and took a sip of juice from the table.
[“Hehe, that’s right, being complimented by the leader is better than being a leader.”]
[“Is this the start of using your authority to seek benefits for your boyfriend?”]
[“So sweet, so sweet, they are killing me!”]
[“My son, spoil him! Spoil him thoroughly!!”]
[“What kind of divine CP is this? Please get married soon!”]
The birthday party continued into the late night, and apart from Song Jianchu, everyone had a bit too much to drink and was ready to go home and rest.
Suddenly, several suitcases appeared at the door.
The suitcases of Song Jianchu and Muye were almost unchanged, personally delivered by Gu Jiaming.
The members were puzzled, “?”
After not recording for a while, they had forgotten that the director was a lunatic.
The lunatic director picked up a small megaphone and coldly announced, “The fourth episode of ‘Let’s Clock Out’ officially begins now. Let’s go to work.”
With the alcohol taking effect, everyone was feeling drowsy, and they all chimed in, “…”
[“I knew it.”]
[“Just as expected, let’s head straight to work, teachers.”]
[“Hehe, this scene is always so enjoyable to watch.”]
[“Hahaha, that’s the way to do it!”]
[“We weren’t surprised at all.”]
Bai Xingyu squeezed his fists and clenched his teeth, “You can’t stand not doing this, can you?”
Though Pei Shinian was excited about going to work, he didn’t want to set out while still feeling tipsy. He put on a pained expression, “I knew it, I shouldn’t have drunk so much. I’m so tired now.”
Lu Shen closed his eyes, feeling exhausted.
Song Jianchu had anticipated this, and though he had been asleep on the bus, he wasn’t feeling drowsy now. He looked at the people around him who had been drinking and worriedly asked Muye, “Are you feeling uncomfortable?”
This little amount won’t be a problem; Muye was still quite energetic and smiled helplessly, saying, “It’s fine. I brought plenty of clothes to change into.”
Since the staff couldn’t drive after drinking, the production team prepared a bus to take everyone to the airport, where they would catch a night flight to the filming location for this episode.
The next morning, the members successfully arrived at the filming location for the fourth episode.
After getting off the bus, the alcohol had mostly worn off during the journey, but they were still quite sleepy. They all stared blankly at the vast grassland and the cows and sheep in the distance.
“A ranch?” Bai Xingyu raised an eyebrow.
Pei Shinian stared at the large group of slow-moving white sheep and instantly became energized. He paused and asked, “I won’t have to shepherd this time, will I?”
Mu Ye lazily lay on Song Jianchu’s back and said contentedly, “Now I can count real sheep.”
Song Jianchu looked at the scene before him, which somewhat overlapped with his memories, and seemed to have a realization.
The weather was clear, and the blue sky above the grassland was particularly vast. The sun, just risen, hung like a crimson ball on the green horizon. The air was filled with the fragrance of grass, and the sounds of cattle and sheep came from afar.
Director Cui held a small megaphone and said, “For this episode, you will be running this grassland ranch as proxies, for three days.”
“The fast-paced life in the city can be exhausting. In this episode, you will experience the joy of managing a ranch,” Director Cui explained. “The ranch is vast, and there are many different types of animals being raised, so we have invited two special guests to help you during the adaptation period. They have already arrived.”
“They are here already?” Pei Shinian exclaimed, surprised. “The guests came so quickly?”
“But it’s true,” Bai Xingyu said. “With just a few of us newcomers, how could we take care of so many animals?”
At this moment, an off-road vehicle stopped nearby, and the passenger door opened. A bright-smiled young man got out of the car and greeted everyone warmly with a wave, “Hello, everyone.”
The members fell silent for a moment, all looking a bit surprised.
Song Jianchu was also taken aback.
The young man wore a sun hat, his eyes full of vitality, and his features were handsome and bright.
The young man’s gaze fell on Song Jianchu, and he smiled, saying, “Junior, it’s been a long time.”
Song Jianchu snapped out of it and nodded politely, “Senior Sheng Yi.”
Mu Ye raised an eyebrow and whispered in his ear, “Is that the artist senior?”
Song Jianchu replied, “Yes.”
Mu Ye: “Mhm.”
Song Jianchu was quite surprised that Sheng Yi was invited; he was not expecting this.
The audience also had no idea, never imagining that the show could invite such a prominent figure in the art world.
The guest’s name was Sheng Yi, one of the most eye-catching young artists in recent years. Top luxury brands in the fashion world were vying to collaborate with him, and his artwork had been sold for eight figures. Although not a celebrity, he had a significant online following and a large number of admirers.
Rumors had it that Sheng Yi had fallen into a three-year coma due to an accident several years ago and had temporarily lost his memory upon waking up. Throughout that difficult time, his lover never left his side and accompanied him through the ordeal.
His lover had never made a public appearance, but Sheng Yi always wore a wedding ring during interviews and openly admitted to being married.
[“!!!!!! It’s Sheng Yi!! My idol!!!”]
[“Teacher Sheng is actually participating in a variety show?!”]
[“His looks are stunning!”]
[“Wait, if he’s here, could the other guest be Sheng Teacher’s mysterious wealthy boyfriend?”]
[“Hahaha, not just a boyfriend, Teacher Sheng has been married for many years.”]
The barrage was buzzing with excitement, and the person in the driver’s seat also got out of the car.
A handsome man pushed a suitcase and stood next to Sheng Yi, exuding a calm and composed demeanor. He politely greeted everyone, “Nice to meet you all, I’m Rong Yu.”