Mission accomplished

A rumbling filled the air-the roar of a car engine starting.

Huo Chuyun decisively pulled down the handbrake and stepped on the gas, looking as though he really would run the three of them over if they refused to move. At the sight, they hurriedly scrambled out of the way.

The car successfully made its way through Tuanjie Village.

Through the car window, Wang Xiuli watched the scenery of Tuanjie Village blur into streaks through her hazy vision. Seeing the car leave the village that had trapped her for a lifetime, she could not hold back her sobs.

Only at this moment did Wang Xiuli truly realize that she had finally... finally escaped.

"Meng, we... we can finally go home."

Wang Xiuli took the tissues Wang Meng handed her and wiped away her seemingly endless tears, hope returning as she spoke.

"Yes, we can go home. Dad has missed you all these years. He always told me, 'Your aunt is still alive. She was the first university student in our family, and my role model, too. Your aunt is so clever. She'll definitely find her way home.'"

Wang Meng held Wang Xiuli's frail body tightly in her arms.

Wang Xiuli stroked Wang Meng's face with heartache and said regretfully, "It's all my fault. If you hadn't been looking for me, you wouldn't have been trapped here, either..."

"No!" Wang Meng firmly interrupted her.

"I've never regretted looking for you, Auntie. Everyone at home misses you, and so do I. At least I found you. We could rely on each other to survive and keep each other warm."

"At least we made it out alive. None of our efforts were wasted."

Wang Xiuli nodded, gazing tenderly at the baby girl sleeping beside them.

"Let's raise our little girl well. An innocent baby who doesn't understand anything yet shouldn't have to bear the consequences of the traffickers' sins."

"Yes."

The instant Huo Chuyun drove out of the mountains.

The dark, oppressive clouds gradually dispersed, replaced by brilliant sunshine and a sky as blue as a gemstone.

A breeze brushed gently past, bringing fresh air and the fragrance of nature.

Birds sang cheerfully, as though celebrating Wang Xiuli and Wang Meng's successful escape from these dangerous mountains.

Wang Meng felt an unprecedented sense of ease and release. She took a deep breath, feeling the warm caress of the sunlight.

The scenery around them brightened, rolling mountains and shady green trees unfolding before their eyes in a scene brimming with life.

She believed they had left their past hardships behind and were about to begin new lives.

Lu Xingchen checked the time. The game had already ended.

Apart from him and Huo Chuyun, everyone else had been located, captured, and eliminated by the hunters because they had failed to complete the third mission correctly.

At the foot of the mountains were staff members arranged by the production team, along with Wang Xiuli and Wang Meng's family.

Once the car was parked, Wang Xiuli and Wang Meng's family rushed over to meet the three of them. The family embraced, weeping with joy.

Song Zhiyan stepped forward to congratulate them. "Lu Xingchen, congratulations to you and Huo Chuyun on completing the third mission and winning the game."

Song Zhiyan handed them each a check. "These are your final Speed-Up Coin earnings-540,000 each. Keep them safe."

Lu Xingchen asked in confusion, "Director Song, didn't you say that everyone's final Speed-Up Coin earnings in the game would be converted into yuan at an equivalent rate and donated to charity openly and transparently?"

"This is your pay. Of course, if you'd only earned a few thousand Speed-Up Coins in the end, your pay would only have been a few thousand, too."

Song Zhiyan adjusted her glasses and smiled. "As for the charity donations, don't worry. The production team will make a separate donation to charity equal to your total final Speed-Up Coin earnings."

"Of course, we'll decide which charity to donate to based on each episode."

Lu Xingchen nodded and picked up the thread. "So for this episode, you'll donate the money to a nonprofit organization that combats the trafficking of women and children?"

Song Zhiyan nodded. "Yes."

Filming for the show had already ended.

Lu Xingchen asked Huo Chuyun for his check, then handed both checks back to Song Zhiyan.

"Director Song, sorry for the trouble, but please donate this money to a nonprofit organization that combats the trafficking of women and children, in the name of Huo Chuyun's fans and mine."

Song Zhiyan raised a delicate brow. Rather than taking the checks immediately, she looked at Huo Chuyun and teased, "Best Actor Huo?"

Huo Chuyun put an arm around Lu Xingchen's shoulders and agreed. "Do as Xingchen says. Donate this money in our fans' names."

At the sight of their intimate gesture, the excitement in Song Zhiyan's eyes nearly spilled over. "What's going on with you two? Huo Chuyun, you brat, you came to be on the show. Who told you to come find yourself a wife?"

Seeing that Song Zhiyan seemed very familiar with Huo Chuyun, Lu Xingchen gave him a questioning look.

Huo Chuyun leaned close to Lu Xingchen's ear and explained, "Ahem. Director Song is my second aunt. You could say she forced me to come on this show."

Song Zhiyan was not happy to hear that and retorted indignantly.

"Who forced you? I didn't insist when you wouldn't come. You were the one who asked Lin Yufan for the guest list, then fell over yourself to join."

"Second Aunt!" Huo Chuyun gritted his teeth when Song Zhiyan exposed him in front of Lu Xingchen.

Lu Xingchen obediently followed Huo Chuyun's lead and called her "Second Aunt," but there was not a trace of surprise on his face as he listened to their conversation.

"I knew from the start that Huo Chuyun came on this show because he wanted to see me."

With a look that said she had just witnessed a perfect romantic moment, Song Zhiyan cast Huo Chuyun a sidelong glance.

Huo Chuyun, on the other hand, looked surprised. He asked Lu Xingchen, "How did you know? I don't remember ever saying anything."

Lu Xingchen gave Huo Chuyun a sly look, tilting his head with an inscrutable expression.

"Huo Chuyun, I know you even better than you think. I'm very confident that I'm your type. Besides, the way you looked at me that night was anything but innocent. There's no way you weren't attracted."

Huo Chuyun looked helpless. He had lost count of how many times Lu Xingchen had said he understood him. He had never taken it seriously before, always assuming Lu Xingchen was joking.

Now that he thought about it, if Lu Xingchen did not understand him, he would never have dared to act so brazenly around him.

On the surface, Lu Xingchen had pursued Huo Chuyun, and Huo Chuyun held the upper hand in their relationship. In reality, Lu Xingchen had long since had him wrapped around his finger.

Huo Chuyun brought over a small stool for Lu Xingchen to sit on, then fetched clean water, povidone-iodine, and cotton swabs from the staff.

Huo Chuyun rinsed the dirt and dust off Lu Xingchen's knees with clean water. Seeing his unperturbed expression, he asked helplessly, "Doesn't it hurt?"

Lu Xingchen pressed his lips gently to Huo Chuyun's. "It doesn't. But Chuyun, I like it when you worry about me."

Huo Chuyun kissed Lu Xingchen back, helped him sit upright, then blew gently on his wounds as he applied the povidone-iodine.

His heart aching, Huo Chuyun admonished Lu Xingchen, who did not take his own well-being seriously. "Baby, next time you're on a show, promise me you'll put your health first, no matter what happens."

Afraid Lu Xingchen would brush it off, he patiently guided him. "Xingchen, if I went on the next episode and only cared about completing the missions, ignoring my health and even getting hurt because of it, would you be angry and upset?"

"Of course I would!" Lu Xingchen could not stand the mere thought of it. Then he put himself in Huo Chuyun's shoes and looked at him apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Chuyun. I promise you, it won't happen again."

Huo Chuyun stroked Lu Xingchen's cheek in satisfaction. "Good boy."