Carry You

In the first round, the newspaper had not been folded, but its tiny surface could at most accommodate one foot from each person, while their other foot could not touch the ground. This put everyone's balance to the test.

"My feet are smaller, so I'll try to take up less space."

Shu Menglan stepped onto the newspaper first, standing as close to its edge as possible. Liang Meichen followed, placing her foot beside Shu Menglan's and pressing especially close to her to save space.

But standing so tightly packed together made it even harder to keep their balance. Liang Meichen and Shu Menglan swayed back and forth, their raised feet constantly wanting to touch the ground.

"I'm steadier. I'll go over and support Menglan."

Seeing this, Xiang Zhinan joined them as well.

The others tacitly lifted one foot and stepped onto the newspaper. All eight of them stood on one leg like golden roosters, making for a rather comical sight.

Yu Lin was swaying the hardest. Li Yu moved closer and grabbed onto him tightly, and Yu Lin immediately blushed—there was a slightly enticing fragrance on Li Yu, though he had no idea what perfume he was wearing.

Shu Menglan was swaying too, giggling as she did so, and soon Yu Lin started laughing as well.

Laughter was contagious. Before long, everyone was laughing, making it even harder to stay steady. They only managed not to fail by holding onto one another.

"I'm telling you, Yu Lin, stop it. If you keep laughing, I won't be able to stop either!"

Sometimes, Shu Menglan was truly amazed by how terrible her sense of humor was.

"Okay, Menglan."

Yu Lin coughed, trying to calm himself down.

"Now that we're standing properly, are we starting?" Zhou Yanqing stood very steadily and was the calmest of them all, with one hand resting on Liang Meichen and the other on Xie Jingming.

"Didn't the boss lady say there was a required pose too?"

As soon as Xie Jingming said that, the boss lady replied, "Look here. The pose is in the picture."

Li Yu turned around and saw a one-handed phone-call gesture.

That meant they could not use both hands to support each other. One hand had to be freed up for the gesture.

Li Yu looked at Yu Lin beside him, who was swaying badly, then glanced at the exceptionally calm Chi Yan. In the end, he decided to use his remaining hand to support Yu Lin.

Chi Yan said nothing, but his gaze remained fixed on the hand Li Yu had placed on Yu Lin.

So annoying.

Why was Little Fish holding onto someone else?

He wanted Little Fish to hold onto him too.

But given the situation, he could not exactly shamelessly pretend that he was about to fall, could he?

"Ready? I'm starting the timer~"

The first segment required them to hold the pose for twenty seconds, and they also had to answer questions.

As soon as the boss lady finished speaking, the old tea master in front of Li Yu began asking questions.

"Let's start with a few easy ones. What is the tea utensil on my left called?"

"Tea Scoop! The Tea Scoop for taking tea leaves!"

Li Yu shouted the answer after only one glance. The old tea master did not waste any time and continued, "What about the one on my right?"

"Fairness Cup."

Chi Yan answered immediately after him, quick and calm.

"Another question. What tea utensil is used to clear a tea spout?"

"Tea Needle!"

This time, Li Yu and Chi Yan spoke almost at the same time, just as the twenty seconds ended.

"Little Yu reacted so quickly." Liang Meichen praised him sincerely. "You and Chi Yan work really well together."

"Yes! We got all three questions right! The next segment will be much easier."

Finally free from maintaining their formation, Shu Menglan immediately felt relieved.

"Let's discuss who should stay for the next segment first."

After Xie Jingming spoke, Chi Yan was unexpectedly the first to respond. "I think those with poor balance don't need to take part in the next segment."

"I won't participate, and neither will Yu Lin. He keeps swaying and laughing, so he shouldn't go either."

Shu Menglan was very self-aware, and she dragged Yu Lin down with her while she was at it.

Yu Lin let out an "Ah," but he knew his own ability well enough and obediently stepped out.

"Then I won't participate either. That makes exactly three people."

With Liang Meichen being the only woman among them, the others would indeed have felt somewhat restrained.

With the participants for the second round decided, the second game began right away.

With the experience from the first segment, even faced with a newspaper folded in half, the five of them could stand steadily on it.

This time, the required gesture was making a heart with one hand, not much different from the first segment.

"Watch my movements carefully. You only need to name the brewing technique."

The old tea master picked up a kettle of hot water and poured it over the Lidded Bowl several times. The Lidded Bowl began to bob.

"White Crane Bathing."

Li Yu answered first. The old tea master deliberately moved faster than usual, then immediately poured out the water from the teacup and used the Tea Scoop to pour tea leaves into the cup.

"Oolong Enters the Palace."

Li Yu snatched the answer again. Shu Menglan, watching from the side, clapped excitedly, grinning from ear to ear.

After adding water again, the old tea master used the lid of the bowl to circle along the cup's rim several times, scraping away the foam.

"Spring Breeze Brushes the Face."

This time, Chi Yan answered. Thirty seconds passed, and they had once again answered exactly three questions correctly.

That meant only two people needed to participate in the third round.

After a brief discussion, with almost no suspense at all, Li Yu and Chi Yan were chosen for the third segment.

Although the final segment no longer required them to divide their attention to answer questions, the newspaper on the ground had been folded once more, leaving it only slightly larger than an adult's foot.

"Two people, four legs, and we can only put one foot on it. How are we supposed to do this?"

Li Yu frowned. When it came to inventive games, the production crew really took the cake.

"I'll carry you on my back, and stand on one foot."

Chi Yan's expression did not change, as though he were compromising merely to complete the game. In truth, only he knew how fast his heart was beating.

"Brother Chi, take it easy. I'm scared of pain." Only after saying it did Li Yu realize how ambiguous it sounded, so he hurriedly added, "I mean the kind of pain where you lose your balance and I fall off your back."

Chi Yan's gaze darkened even further. He turned around and crouched halfway down, signaling for Li Yu to get on.

Li Yu did not hesitate in the slightest. He immediately reached out to wrap his arms around Chi Yan's shoulders, his legs tightly clamping around Chi Yan's waist.

Chi Yan firmly supported the roots of Li Yu's thighs with both hands, his palms scorching hot. Li Yu was wearing athletic shorts, leaving his long legs boldly exposed to the air—fair and straight enough that anyone who saw them would say, "Those legs could keep me entertained for years."

"Damn, Li Yu's leg shape is so pretty. Even I, as a woman, am insanely jealous."

"Yeah, and they're so pale too."

Shu Menglan and Liang Meichen discussed it in low voices, while everyone else's attention unconsciously drifted toward Li Yu's legs as well.

"The third segment lasts one minute. It won't be easy for you to hold on that long, so we simply won't require a pose."

The boss lady smiled from the side. Li Yu lowered his head, leaned close to Chi Yan's ear, and teased, "Brother Chi, you absolutely have to stay steady, okay~ I'm counting on you."

As he spoke, warm breath brushed across Chi Yan's cheek, making Chi Yan's body, which had been ramrod straight, sway slightly.

Afraid of falling, Li Yu instinctively tightened his legs around him.