Bargain-bought on Some Xi: Poor quality, guaranteed to exist, not to work

Then Director Yu began explaining the rules of the little quiz game:

"There are twelve fill-in-the-blank questions in total. After hearing each question, write your answer on your whiteboard. When the bell rings, everyone must reveal their boards together. Anyone with the correct answer earns one point."

"At the end, you'll be ranked by your scores. The higher your score, the smaller the area of wasteland you'll be responsible for."

When he finished, Lu Jing asked, "Director, are the questions hard?"

Director Yu smiled. "Don't worry, they're all very easy~!"

"They don't reach as high as the Jade Emperor or as low as Black and White Impermanence. They don't touch physics or chemistry on the left, or advanced math or foreign languages on the right. Just a little general knowledge sprinkled in from the five thousand years of Chinese history in between."

Everyone: "..."

[Would it kill you to just say it's history and literature?]

[Director, do you think you're being funny? [smile]]

After learning what the questions would cover, Xu Su was dumbfounded.

He had never imagined this would actually be a proper show!

Physical labor wasn't enough; they had to use their brains too!

Had he known, he might as well have died the day he was born. At least that would have bought him some peace.

Heaven help him, he couldn't even remember what takeout he'd eaten three days ago. How was he supposed to remember little facts from five thousand years of Chinese history?

It wasn't as if he were a high school student at his intellectual peak!

Sigh. Heaven wanted him dead...

In his dejection, Xu Su's wandering gaze caught sight of Huo Yuchen.

Looking more closely, he saw Huo Yuchen leaning lazily against a nearby tree, his arms loosely folded, his gaze drifting aimlessly into the distance.

His face was exquisite and handsome, his figure tall and slender, his bearing distinguished and elegant. His well-fitted black sportswear made his already fair skin look even more luminous. He looked incredibly sexy and eye-catching...

Okay, that wasn't the point.

The point was that Huo Yuchen looked perfectly composed and at ease, seemingly not worried at all that he might be unable to answer.

Seeing this, Xu Su had a flash of inspiration and came up with an idea.

While the crew was still getting things ready, Xu Su darted over to Huo Yuchen.

He smiled ingratiatingly. "Your Highness, are you thirsty?"

Huo Yuchen lazily lifted his eyelids. "There's an old Chinese saying."

Xu Su: "?"

Huo Yuchen said, "Unsolicited favors mean ulterior motives."

"..."

His little scheme had been seen through at a glance.

But that was fine.

Xu Su responded calmly. "There's another old Chinese saying."

Huo Yuchen: "?"

Xu Su said, "Long and winding is the road ahead; whenever you can rely on someone else, try not to rely on yourself."

"..."

Huo Yuchen laughed in exasperation. "Leaving aside whether that's actually an old Chinese saying, why should I let you rely on me?"

Xu Su grinned. "Because I'm shameless."

"..."

Huo Yuchen laughed in exasperation again.

[?? Can someone tell me what those two under the tree are saying??]

[Can the cameraman get closer? We can't hear!!!]

[According to my all-seeing eyes, Xu Su must be begging Huo Yuchen to give him fifty million again!]

[I don't know why, but I keep feeling there's something going on between these two... Not sure. I'll keep watching.]

Perhaps his shamelessness had worked, because Huo Yuchen actually agreed to help Xu Su cheat.

As he watched Xu Su skip back to the center of the area, a gleam shifted in Huo Yuchen's eyes...

Three minutes later, Director Yu had everyone sit in a row on the meditation cushions the production team had prepared, and handed each of them a small whiteboard for their answers.

Afraid he would be too far from Huo Yuchen to see his hints clearly, Xu Su immediately ran over and sat in the spot beside him as soon as Huo Yuchen approached a cushion.

The corners of Huo Yuchen's lips unconsciously curved up ever so slightly.

After settling on Xu Su's left, Lu Jing asked, "Xu Su, are you confident?"

Xu Su turned his head. "I'm confident, just not confident I'll win."

"??"

Lu Jing was stumped. "Then what's that confidence of yours..."

Good for??

Xu Su said, "Bargain-bought on Some Xi. Poor quality. Guaranteed to exist, not to work."

Lu Jing: "..."

[Some Xi: Don't look! It's a bad review!]

[Fuck! I was taking a shit, and that made me laugh so hard I pinched it off. The other half is stuck inside.]

On Huo Yuchen's right, Zhuang Luo suddenly offered some reassurance:

"Xu Su, it's okay. Just stay relaxed and answer as you normally would. Don't be too nervous."

Xu Su glanced sideways, looking past Huo Yuchen's profile at him.

"Forget laying my worries to rest. If the director allowed it, I'd lay my whole body down."

"..."

The corners of Zhuang Luo's mouth twitched awkwardly.

But he quickly recovered. "That's good, then. We're doing our best for the villagers anyway. Whether we do more or less, it's all the same."

Xu Su raised his eyebrows slightly. "It's all the same?"

Zhuang Luo nodded readily. "Yes!"

Xu Su smiled.

Someone was trying to build a kindhearted persona at his expense. How interesting.

"Since it's all the same, why don't you just choose eight mu of land?"

Zhuang Luo froze before speaking. "Huh?"

Apparently pretending he hadn't heard.

Xu Su didn't indulge him. He raised his voice and roared, "I said! Since it's all the same! Why don't you just choose eight mu of land!"

"..."

Now Zhuang Luo truly had no idea how to respond.

He hadn't expected Xu Su to be so ruthless in everything he said and did now, leaving no room for anyone.

How vicious!

[Honest question: is that bitch Xu Su allergic to reassurance? Zhuang Luo was kind enough to comfort him, and he turned around and mocked him. What's that supposed to mean? [smile]]

[Honest question: since it's all the same, why doesn't Zhuang Luo just take the eight mu? What's he hesitating for? Is he allergic to the number eight? [smile]]

Amid the awkwardness, Li Weizhou spoke up in his defense just in time. "Xu Su, don't go too far."

Xu Su: ?

"How am I going too far?"

He met Li Weizhou's gaze. "Wasn't he the one who said doing more or less was all the same?"

Li Weizhou frowned slightly. "Zhuang Luo was only trying to comfort you. He didn't mean anything else."

His stern gaze stayed fixed on Xu Su, a hint of warning in his eyes, as if to say: Don't make a scene. The audience is watching. Watch what you say.

Xu Su pretended not to understand, his lips curving into a smile that was part sly, part friendly.

"He didn't mean anything else?"

"So you're saying he didn't mean that doing more or less was all the same?"

"Then why did he say it?"

"Is he playing two-faced games with me?"

Hearing this, Zhuang Luo immediately grew anxious. "Xu Su, that's not what I meant. I..."

"Are you done talking?"

Huo Yuchen, who sat between them, suddenly spoke, cutting off Zhuang Luo's explanation.

His tone held a measure of impatience, and his expression was somewhat dark and cold as well.

Zhuang Luo immediately fell silent.