Anger completely washed away Yun Xi's physical exhaustion.
"What happened? Did Mars crash into Earth? Did you see a UFO?" Xu Wang asked, looking puzzled as he drank his soda.
"What happened? We got scammed! Do you know how much that bottle of peach soda in your hand costs?" Yun Xi's face twisted.
"Eight yuan? Ten?" Xu Wang raised the glass bottle in his hand and thought for a moment before guessing.
"Wrong! Completely wrong! That one bottle in your hand costs two hundred yuan! Even profiteers don't make money like this!" The can in Yun Xi's hand creaked under his grip.
Xu Wang looked at the glass bottle in his hand, his eyes full of astonishment. What the hell? Two hundred yuan a bottle? Was he holding gold or silver?
Xu Wang turned his gaze toward Pei Yanchuan beside him, who seemed to have known all along.
Pei Yanchuan calmly took Xu Wang's hand. "It's fine. We have money."
"True." Hearing Pei Yanchuan's words, Xu Wang immediately felt at ease.
"Aaaaaah! I'll take you rich people on!" Their exchange completely broke Yun Xi.
Just as Yun Xi shouted, a member of the production crew appeared behind him, right on time.
"Mr. Yun, please pay the two hundred yuan." The female crew member held out her hand with a smile.
Looking at the camera thrust in front of him, Yun Xi tried hard to control his twisted expression and forced a smile.
"You win." Yun Xi pulled the thirteen hundred yuan from his pocket, took out two crumpled hundred-yuan bills, and handed them over.
The crew member pinched the other ends of the bills and tugged two or three times, but they wouldn't budge. Yun Xi hadn't let go.
Crew member: ???
Yun Xi: I don't want to pay. [Internally screaming]
The crew member's expression stiffened. "Mr. Yun, if you don't let go and the bills tear, you'll have to pay another two hundred."
The instant she finished speaking, the money was in her hand.
A pained look crossed Yun Xi's face the moment he let go. Very good, production crew. You've officially made my assassination list!
"Thank goodness." Xu Wang looked relieved beside him.
"What is it?" Pei Yanchuan asked, puzzled.
"Thank goodness I didn't let him have a sip out of pity just now. One mouthful costs at least thirty yuan." Xu Wang glanced at the glass bottle in his hand. It held only 300 ml, not even enough for six mouthfuls.
Yun Xi had only just managed to console himself when he turned and heard this, taking another devastating blow.
[Hahahahaha, why is Yun Xi kind of hilarious?]
[Yun Xi is getting more and more absurd.]
[President Pei: We have plenty of money.]
[Xu Wang: Bring me a few more bottles. I haven't had enough!]
[Yun Xi, dragging his forty-meter-long saber: I'll take you all on!]
[Speaking of which, the other livestream still isn't back up.]
[We'll probably have to wait a while. What a shame we can't see the juicy stuff.]
As the sky gradually darkened, all the other pairs of guests returned from their tasks.
When Zhong Ran and Leng Yifan returned, they still had several feathers stuck in their hair, and their cheeks were red, as though something had slapped them.
That night, all the lights in the courtyard were on.
A huge table stood in the middle of the courtyard, covered with all kinds of dishes.
"Next is our final competition of the day. How you do in this competition will also determine your dinner."
"The competition is called 'Understanding.' We trust that each husband knows his husband better than anyone else. The production team will give everyone the same questions, and all the guests will answer together. If both husbands give matching answers, they'll earn one point. Otherwise, they'll get no points. At the end, your scores will determine the order in which you get your food."
After explaining the rules, the director handed the whiteboards out to the guests.
"What about me?" Yun Xi raised his hand, bewildered.
"As the tour guide, Mr. Yun won't be taking part in this task competition, but he can choose a pair and take the place immediately after them. If that pair comes first, Mr. Yun will get second choice of tonight's dinner, and so on."
"I choose Xu Wang's team!" Yun Xi chose Xu Wang without the slightest hesitation. He might stumble somewhere once, but he would never stumble in the same place twice.
"All right, let the competition officially begin! The first question is very simple: what does your partner like eating most? Each guest must write two answers for this question: one for your own favorite food, and one for your partner's," the director announced through the megaphone.
Without the slightest hesitation, Xu Wang wrote down two words.
Pei Yanchuan didn't hesitate either. His strokes were firm, and he quickly finished his answer.
Qin Huai frowned and looked at Gu Yunlan beside him. What did he like eating most? As far as Qin Huai remembered, he wasn't picky at all.
Sensing his wife's gaze, Gu Yunlan immediately turned to him with a smile.
Qin Huai turned away. He was tired.
Hou Yunqi wrote quickly, while Xia Yu deliberated for a while.
Zhong Ran breathed a sigh of relief. He and Leng Yifan had discussed this question before.
The whistle blew.
"All right, time's up for the first question. Please show your boards."
Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan flipped theirs over at the same time.
Both their answer boards were very neat and tidy.
Xu Wang's answers were: shrimp, meat.
Pei Yanchuan's answers were: shrimp, all kinds of meat.
Their answers were a one hundred percent match.
Everyone present applauded.
Xia Yu and Hou Yunqi had been together since childhood, so they also got the first question right with ease.
"Yes!" Xia Yu happily threw his arms around Hou Yunqi.
Qin Huai and Gu Yunlan were also counted as having answered correctly. Their discrepancy lay in Gu Yunlan's favorite food. After thinking for ages, Qin Huai had simply written "snacks," while Gu Yunlan had written "potato chips."
Finally, it was Leng Yifan and Zhong Ran's turn.
Both their answers were steak, and they passed without a hitch.
[Ohoho, they actually all got the first question right.]
[Let's put the pressure on the director.]
[President Pei looked so serious writing his answers. He didn't hesitate at all.]
[Xu Wang too. The first thing he wrote was shrimp.]
[Ranran and Young Master Leng actually like the same food. What a coincidence.]
[Director, do you dare ask something a little bolder? The kind you don't dare say, but I dare listen to. (Covering my mouth and snickering)]
Before you continue