But if things really were as he suspected...
If Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci had drawn the "Exchange Card," and he and Li Muting took off their hats, they would get the other pair's money and turn defeat into victory.
Zhou Jin didn't know exactly how much Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci had earned from their tasks, but his and Li Muting's task earnings were "200 yuan." Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci definitely had far more money than that right now.
[...Doesn't Li Muting have way too much of a temper? When she deliberately went over to talk to Ye Qingzhou earlier, I already felt she was no pushover. Now she's proved it.]
[I think so too. Even if this is a dating show, Zhou Jin doesn't need to keep soothing Li Muting, does he? Besides, Zhou Jin already explained his reasoning perfectly clearly. If you think there are holes in it, argue back. Who are you pulling that face for?]
[I seriously hate Li Mu. I hope Zhou Jin never works with her again...]
[Isn't Li Muting just taking advantage of our Zhou Jin's good temper? If he were a hot-tempered celebrity, let's see if she'd still dare talk to him like that.]
Only when she spotted the camera did Li Muting realize how harsh her tone had been. She composed herself. "Sorry, I just..."
"It's fine."
Zhou Jin waved it off. "Let's go."
Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci walked out of the task location.
"Say, we've made it so obvious..."
Chu Ci looked up at the dazzling sunlight. Thinking about how he would soon leave this place improved his mood a little, and even his voice carried a trace of amusement. "Have they figured out that we drew the 'Exchange Card'?"
"Zhou Jin might have figured it out."
Ye Qingzhou answered truthfully.
Before joining "Let's Fall in Love," Ye Qingzhou had asked his agent to look into the guests. Zhou Jin had appeared on the most variety shows and had the highest IQ of all the guests. They had left so many holes just now that if Zhou Jin still caught on, it would prove his agent's research was wrong.
"Let's hope so."
Chu Ci gave a casual yawn.
Logically speaking, Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci had already earned enough money for the task. They should have handed it over to the production team as soon as possible to prevent another team from intercepting them.
Neither of them showed any sign of nervousness. They looked as relaxed as if they were strolling through their own back garden.
[What does that mean? They did it on purpose?]
[Wait, my brain can't keep up. Can someone tell me what Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou's conversation means? [Confused][Confused][Confused]]
[So Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci did it on purpose? But why? They really did draw the Exchange Card. Does the Exchange Card have some other function?]
[I think that's possible! Compared to the other three cards, the Exchange Card's effect really is a little weak. Judging by Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci's reactions, it might actually have a hidden function.]
[If that's true, doesn't that make Zhou Jin's deduction useless? Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci clearly have something up their sleeves.]
[Sheesh, you really need brains to watch this show.]
[Wait, let me sort this out... So are Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci walking this slowly to bait them? Are they deliberately waiting for the other two teams to come take their hats?]
[So Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci are doing this on purpose? But what's their goal? And what special function does the Exchange Card have?]
[Holy crap, who can even tell "Let's Fall in Love" apart from "The Brain" anymore?]
[I just wanted to watch a cute couple date in peace. Why have you started battling wits and courage again?]
"Look! Isn't that them up ahead?"
After another five whole minutes of searching, Li Muting finally spotted the familiar figures. Excitement crept into her voice. "Let's hurry and take their hats off."
"Don't alert them yet."
Zhou Jin was a little excited too, but what had happened earlier reminded him not to let his guard down. "We'll sneak up on them. Make absolutely sure they don't spot us."
By "sneak up on them," he really meant "launch a surprise attack."
Surprise attacks were perfectly normal on variety shows. Viewers loved seeing the guests' caught-off-guard expressions, which made the games much more entertaining.
"They're coming. Hide first."
Zhou Jin instinctively pulled Li Muting into a corner.
The corner they hid in lay on the route Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci had to take to reach the task location. Zhou Jin lowered his voice and whispered, "When they pass us, we'll take the chance to pull off their hats..."
Having decided on a "surprise attack," Zhou Jin had no intention of confronting them head-on. Neither Ye Qingzhou nor Chu Ci was easy to deal with, and he was worried his thinking might change again.
[This is so exciting!!!]
[Do you think Zhou Jin and Li Muting will manage to take their hats off?]
[Aaaaaah! I'm scared to even breathe! I can't believe this show has such a thrilling segment!]
[Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci are doing this deliberately, right? Then Zhou Jin and Li Muting are bound to succeed.]
Meanwhile.
Chu Ci looked at the composed Ye Qingzhou beside him and asked quietly, "Are you sure they're hiding up ahead? Could you have seen wrong?"
"I'm sure."
There was a hint of amusement in Ye Qingzhou's voice. "My eyesight hasn't deteriorated with age just yet..."
As they spoke, the distance between Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci and Li Muting and Zhou Jin kept shrinking.
Ten meters.
Nine meters.
Eight meters.
Zhou Jin and Li Muting were both breathing a little heavily. Sweat began to seep from their palms, and the clammy sensation made Zhou Jin frown instinctively. When he looked up again, the distance between them had already narrowed to two meters.
Two meters, one meter...
Now!
Zhou Jin gave Li Muting a "go" gesture, and the two of them ran toward Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci.
To be precise, Zhou Jin ran toward Ye Qingzhou, while Li Muting ran toward Chu Ci.
But Ye Qingzhou reacted with remarkable speed, retreating the instant he spotted Zhou Jin and putting distance between them.
Seeing that his surprise attack had failed, Zhou Jin sighed in frustration.
"I did it!!!"
Li Muting's excited voice rang out.
Zhou Jin looked toward the voice and saw a bewildered Chu Ci, along with a radiant Li Muting holding up Chu Ci's white hat.
They... succeeded?
Zhou Jin thought he must be hallucinating. He rubbed his eyes, but the scene before him remained unchanged. That meant they really had succeeded.