Tea House

After receiving their task cards, the guests collected the athletic wear provided by the sponsor and went to the changing room to get changed.

The cameramen did not follow them inside, so Li Yu finally found a chance to speak to Chi Yan.

"Brother Chi, you actually came on a variety show too."

As he spoke, Li Yu undid the buttons of his shirt, showing no concern whatsoever about Chi Yan standing beside him.

"Mm. The company invested quite heavily in this show. The director said they were still short-handed, so I came."

Chi Yan kept his eyes lowered, refusing to look at Li Yu's hands.

Li Yu nodded thoughtfully, then bent over and pulled on a sweatshirt.

From the corner of his eye, Chi Yan caught only a flash of pale skin. That toned waist swayed before him for an instant before being completely covered by the hem of the shirt.

No.

I can't look anymore.

Chi Yan took a deep breath. All of a sudden, he felt that coming on this show might have been a mistake.

Just one stolen glance was already more than he could handle.

Li Yu had been sneaking glances at Chi Yan too.

Chi Yan really did have an incredible body. His abs and V-lines were all there, the kind of physique every guy would envy. He clearly worked out often.

No wonder he filled out suits so well. With a body like that, he's a perfect clothes hanger.

Afraid of being caught, Li Yu did not dare stare for long. Before looking away, though, he saw the veins trailing down from Chi Yan's lower abdomen.

They said that great trees had deep roots. Thinking it over again, Li Yu silently sighed that it really was true.

His childhood friend looked abstinent on the outside, but he was quite well-endowed... Suddenly, Li Yu felt a little worried for Chi Yan's future partner. Someone who had abstained for a long time could be terrifying once they finally got a taste.

Still, Li Yu could not imagine Chi Yan being moved by desire for someone else. His childhood friend seemed completely free of wants and desires, okay?

He was simply on a different plane from ordinary mortals like them.

Xie Jingming had already changed and was waiting by the door for the others. His gaze landed on Li Yu and Chi Yan in the corner, and the corner of his lips lifted in an almost imperceptible arc.

Shen Zhonglou had taken him to plenty of events, so he naturally knew quite a bit about the goings-on in high society.

In his opinion, considering Chi Yan and Li Yu's past relationship, Chi Yan's motives for joining this show were definitely not pure.

But other people's affairs had nothing to do with him. He only needed to stand by and enjoy the show.

The phone in Xie Jingming's pocket vibrated. He took it out and glanced at the message, and his brows immediately drew together.

It did not take the guests long to change. By the time Li Yu followed Chi Yan outside, Xiang Zhinan and Shu Menglan were already holding the task cards and discussing them intensely.

"Look at this picture. A few old men are sitting around a wooden table drinking tea. Can you see any clue in it?"

Xiang Zhinan pointed to one of the six pictures for Shu Menglan to see.

Shu Menglan leaned in and stared at it for a long while, then glanced at Xiang Zhinan and shook her head with determined conviction.

Xiang Zhinan did not know whether to laugh or cry. Sounding somewhat exasperated, he said, "It means this is very likely a teahouse!"

Shu Menglan nodded slowly, letting out a sound of profound realization from the depths of her soul. "Ohhh, so that's how it is! Teacher Xiang truly is a genius!"

"I also think it was a little insane of me to choose to discuss the task with you."

Yu Lin could not hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.

It was not that he had a low threshold for laughter. Shu Menglan and Xiang Zhinan just seemed to generate some inexplicable magnetic field whenever they got together, one with comedy effects maxed out.

"I looked into it before coming here. One of Southern Jade Mountain's famous attractions is East Hedge Teahouse. I think the picture Teacher Xiang pointed out is most likely that place."

Li Yu spoke up at just the right moment, and everyone turned to look at him.

"Damn it, Li Yu, you're trying to outdo us? You even did homework in advance?"

Xiang Zhinan slapped the table and sprang to his feet, pretending he was about to argue with Li Yu. Shu Menglan hurriedly went to stop him. "All right, all right, Teacher Xiang. Stop being so dramatic. If you'd gone into acting back then, I would've been the first to object."

"Menglan, if Teacher Xiang had said he wanted to become an actor back then, you probably would've been the first to stand up and throw rotten eggs at him."

Xiang Zhinan and Shu Menglan had livened up the atmosphere, so Yu Lin cheerfully tossed in another joke from the side.

"Then let's go check out the East Hedge Teahouse Little Yu mentioned first."

Liang Meichen had the air of a big sister. Once she spoke, everyone stopped joking around, composed their expressions, and headed outside.

After leaving the assembly point set up by the production crew, the staff handed the guests a map of the old town. Liang Meichen walked in front with the map, while Chi Yan remained silent and followed the group at the very back.

Li Yu glanced back and felt that Chi Yan looked somewhat lonely.

In Li Yu's eyes, Chi Yan had practically become a pitiful little thing who had been forced to join the show but could not fit into the group. So Li Yu slowed down, deliberately waiting to walk alongside him.

The streets of the old town were lined with gray-walled, tiled-roof houses. Red lanterns hung from the eaves, swaying in the breeze with a distinctive charm.

There were quite a few tourists on the road. When they saw a group of handsome men and beautiful women walking together with cameramen following alongside them, they knew celebrities were filming a show.

Occasionally, someone spotted a celebrity they liked and excitedly pulled out their phone to take pictures, practically wanting to rush right over. Fortunately, the production crew had arranged bodyguards to hold back the crowd, preventing any filming mishaps.

The group twisted and turned through the streets and alleys before finally arriving at the East Hedge Teahouse marked on the map.

East Hedge Teahouse was doing excellent business and was filled with customers, most of them elderly.

The proprietress stood behind the counter by the entrance. She wore a light yellow qipao, and though time had left its traces on her face, it could not conceal her gentle and refined bearing.

"Hello, ma'am. We're from the A Day to See All the Flowers production team. We came here to ask whether the director arranged some sort of game at your establishment?"

It was not hard to see that Xiang Zhinan was a social butterfly. Naturally, matters requiring this sort of negotiation fell to him.

The proprietress nodded with a faint smile and led them into the teahouse's back courtyard. A subtle fragrance of tea permeated the entire place, and everyone's mood seemed to settle.

But after hearing the rules of the game from the proprietress, they suddenly could not stay calm.

"This game is called Paper Soldier Stand. It has three rounds. I have a sheet of newspaper here, and I'll tell you in advance what poses all of you need to make while standing on it. Everyone must maintain the required pose until the round ends.

"Take note: no matter what method you use, your feet are not allowed to touch the ground. The only place your feet may land is within the area of the newspaper I've folded.

"Of course, the newspaper will be folded smaller and smaller. While you complete the game, an experienced tea master from the teahouse will test your knowledge of tea arts. For every question you answer correctly, the number of participants in the next round can be reduced by one."

As soon as the proprietress finished explaining the rules, Yu Lin let out an "Ah!" "I know absolutely nothing about tea arts! What are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know either."

Zhou Yanqing had worked abroad for years and did not know much about things in China.

"I do."

"I know a little."

Li Yu and Chi Yan spoke at the same time. Tea arts were practically mandatory knowledge for people from backgrounds like theirs, not to mention that Li Yu had studied them during breaks between completing missions in the past.

"Ah, that's great! You two can just keep answering questions, and we'll make sure not to drag you down."

Shu Menglan snapped her fingers. The group then gathered around the newspaper on the ground, ready to begin the game.