The two left the task location after drawing their skill cards.
They hadn't drawn a "Double Card," so their total was still 350 yuan. This meant Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou needed to head to the next task location as soon as possible and complete tasks to earn money.
"Hello."
Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou had barely stepped out of the task location when they saw Zhou Ze, Zhou Jin, Li Muting, and Bai Zihan blocking their path.
They hadn't come with good intentions.
Ye Qingzhou raised an eyebrow slightly. "What do you want?"
Five minutes had passed since they drew their skill cards, and Ye Qingzhou's skin had returned to its original cool, pale tone.
As he looked at the people blocking their way, his gaze held a trace of impatience.
"How about... we forget it this time..."
Zhou Ze felt a little intimidated by Ye Qingzhou's indifferent gaze. "We'd be better off spending this time doing any random task."
"Do you still want to win or not?!"
Zhou Jin looked at the hesitant Zhou Ze, a hint of wariness in his voice. "If we don't stop them now, we're both going to lose."
Losing meant filming would end.
The end of filming meant the outcome of this episode would be set in stone.
The "Let's Fall in Love" livestream was gaining more and more popularity and traffic, and Zhou Jin still wanted to seize this opportunity to turn things around and gain some fans.
That was why, while at the respawn point, he had taken the initiative to propose an alliance with Zhou Ze, splitting whatever money they earned fifty-fifty.
No matter how capable Ye Qingzhou was, he was only one person. As the saying went, two fists couldn't beat four hands. If Zhou Ze agreed to ally with him, their chances of winning would grow greater and greater.
Besides, their target this time wasn't Ye Qingzhou, but... the seemingly frail Chu Ci beside him.
Zhou Ze had also joined the dating show to gain more exposure. Half an hour ago, he had secretly checked Weibo's trending searches, and the top ten spots were already dominated by the names "Ye Qingzhou" and "Chu Ci." More and more people were starting to follow "Let's Fall in Love." If he really could beat Ye Qingzhou, wouldn't that tremendous windfall come his way instead?
At that thought, Zhou Ze finally stopped hesitating. "All right!"
According to their original plan, Zhou Ze and Zhou Jin would hold Ye Qingzhou back, while Li Muting and Bai Zihan would remove Chu Ci's hat.
The production team's guiding principle was "share the good fortune and the hardship." As long as they removed Chu Ci's hat, Ye Qingzhou would be eliminated too, and both would have to return to the respawn point.
Ye Qingzhou heard their conversation perfectly clearly. His lips curved slightly as he looked at Zhou Ze with a casual gaze. "Do you really believe Zhou Jin will share the money with you?"
"...What do you mean?"
Zhou Ze had been ready to charge, but those words made him hesitate again.
"Sharing the good fortune and the hardship only applies within the same team. You and Zhou Jin are on two different teams, and both of you want to win."
At this point, Ye Qingzhou paused for two seconds. "You've watched variety shows before, haven't you? Then you should know these temporary 'alliances' are the most fragile kind. Your so-called 'alliance' hasn't been officially recognized, so anyone can back out at any time."
"Well..."
What Ye Qingzhou said wasn't without reason.
Zhou Ze had appeared on quite a few variety shows over this period, and there were countless cases of people forming temporary alliances only to go back on their word. He had been tricked himself before. The other person had clearly promised to split the prize money evenly after winning, but who would have thought they would pocket all of it once they won?
Things like this were common on variety shows. Many viewers enjoyed watching these clashes and conflicts, and some variety shows even deliberately scripted these "brothers turning against each other" scenarios to make the show more entertaining.
Although "Let's Fall in Love" was a dating variety show, there could only be one winning team in the end. If he really helped Zhou Jin get the 350 yuan from Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci's team this time, would Zhou Jin definitely split the money evenly with him?
Zhou Ze didn't want to do all the work for someone else's benefit.
Seeing signs that Zhou Ze was wavering, Zhou Jin spoke with a hint of urgency. "I'm not the kind of person who goes back on his word. Since I've already promised to split it evenly with you, I won't change my mind halfway through..."
Zhou Ze was torn.
Deep down, he actually wanted to work with Zhou Jin, but Ye Qingzhou had a point too. Zhou Ze had already been tricked many times.
Ye Qingzhou noticed Zhou Ze's expression too.
He spoke slowly, but persuasively. "None of us are newcomers anymore. Putting your hopes in yourself is the wisest choice. Our team currently has the most money, so Zhou Jin chose to ally with you. But what if your team had the most money? Wouldn't he ally with us to go after you?"
That final question completely convinced Zhou Ze.
Zhou Ze looked at Zhou Jin beside him and said apologetically, "Sorry, Zihan and I are leaving the alliance. You'll have to handle this yourselves..."
[Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!]
[Hahahahaha, Ye Qingzhou, you really know how to sow discord.]
[After all, Zhou Jin and Zhou Ze only formed a temporary alliance. Neither side trusted the other much. Ye Qingzhou figured out exactly what Zhou Ze was thinking, which was how he came up with that whole spiel.]
[Honestly, I think Ye Qingzhou has a solid point. Zhou Jin and Zhou Ze's alliance has no official guarantees. All Zhou Jin has to do to tear up their agreement is say the word. Zhou Ze could only condemn him on moral grounds, but a word of condemnation wouldn't change the outcome.]
[Ultimately, Zhou Ze just doesn't trust Zhou Jin. There's no real bond between them, and their so-called "alliance" can't withstand a single blow.]
[Waaah, Ye Qingzhou is really made for variety shows.]
[I think so too! I even think Ye Qingzhou knows Mind Reading. It feels like he saw right through Zhou Ze's worries and concerns at a glance.]
[All I can say is that Ye Qingzhou really is smart.]
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Li Muting and Bai Zihan had gradually surrounded Chu Ci too.
Perhaps because Chu Ci's performance on the variety show today had stood out, and because he had used a "Plunder Card" not long ago, both Li Muting and Bai Zihan looked wary.
Compared to their tense expressions, Chu Ci was much more relaxed. He pointed at the brim of his white hat, a trace of laughter in his voice. "May I ask, is this what you two want?"
[That smile! That expression! It feels so familiar!]
[If I remember correctly, wasn't that the expression he had when he faced off with Zhou Jin? Zhou Jin hesitated forever and still didn't dare take Chu Ci's hat off. Li Muting was braver than Zhou Jin, but what she got was the notification that a "skill card has been activated."]
[I had to step out for something just now. Would any kind soul tell me what skill cards Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci just drew?]