"Wait..."
Zhou Jin felt a little muddled. He couldn't help raising a hand to interrupt the director. "Why didn't anyone tell us when Chu Ci used the Exchange Card for the second time?"
He had barely finished speaking when a staff member caught up, panting. "Mr. Zhou, please... please slow down... I... I have something to tell you..."
The director shrugged helplessly and explained, "Mr. Zhou, our staff wanted to tell you, too, but you were running far too fast."
Zhou Jin: "?"
[Hahahahaha, Zhou Jin is completely stunned.]
[I hereby declare Zhou Jin the most unfortunate person in this episode.]
[Zhou Jin even ran all that way carrying Li Muting on his back to complete the task, and he still lost.]
[They've maxed out the entertainment value.]
"Mr. Zhou, don't be discouraged..."
Perhaps because Zhou Jin looked so dejected, the director patted his shoulder reassuringly. "This trip wasn't a complete waste. At least you still have fifty yuan..."
Before Zhou Jin and Li Muting encountered Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci, they had fifty yuan. When Chu Ci used the "Exchange Card" for the first time, their money became five hundred yuan. When Chu Ci used the "Exchange Card" a second time, their original fifty yuan returned to their hands.
Zhou Jin: "..."
[Director, if you don't know how to comfort someone, don't force it. Zhou Jin already lost. Does he still care about those fifty yuan?]
[Zhou Jin: thanks, but you can shut up now.]
[The main thing is that the production team didn't announce the specific functions of the "Skill Cards." With the "Plunder Card" coming first, Zhou Jin and the rest of us assumed the "Exchange Card" was a consumable like the "Plunder Card" and could only be used once.]
[Having watched the whole thing, all I can say is that Chu Ci really is smart. Whether it was using the "Plunder Card" earlier to eliminate Zhou Jin and Li Muting or voluntarily handing over his hat to make Zhou Jin more suspicious of them and lure them into taking off their own hats, both moments were great to watch.]
[Who exactly keeps calling Chu Ci a good-for-nothing? Can your good-for-nothing take first place? Does your good-for-nothing know how to retreat in order to advance? Can your good-for-nothing run circles around Zhou Jin?]
[Isn't the praise in these comments a bit much? Chu Ci really did like clout-chasing before. Just search Baidu and you'll know. The things he did before were really...]
[I don't know about Chu Ci's past, but to be fair, he's performed pretty well in this episode.]
[Ye Qingzhou is smart, too. He also guessed that the Exchange Card had a hidden function. Chu Ci just beat him to it.]
[Can we lock in Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci as a pair? Chu Ci is so much better than a certain someone who drags others down and throws tantrums.]
[Did you hear that? Sis means you, @Li Muting.]
[Hahahahahaha, stop making me laugh myself to death.]
However unwilling Zhou Jin was, he could only accept reality.
He picked up the mineral water the production team had prepared. Only when the cool water slid down his throat did his irritation ease a little.
Victory and defeat were common in battle...
Zhou Jin silently comforted himself. After gulping down a few more mouthfuls of water, his anxiety gradually subsided.
Just then, Zhou Jin heard a familiar voice. "Mr. Zhou, thanks for making the trip for us."
Zhou Jin looked toward the voice and saw Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou, both looking utterly relaxed.
Seemingly noticing Zhou Jin's gaze, Chu Ci even raised his fingers in a friendly greeting.
Zhou Jin: "..."
Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou had strolled over the whole way. There was no sweat on their foreheads, their clothes were clean, and their figures were handsome and upright. There was even a gentle smile in Chu Ci's eyes, forming a stark contrast with the disheveled Zhou Jin.
To hand the five hundred yuan to the production team as quickly as possible, Zhou Jin had sprinted all the way over. Even when he later carried Li Muting on his back, his pace had only slowed a little.
As a result, Zhou Jin had exhausted himself on the way and was drenched in sweat. Sweat kept seeping from his fair forehead, and the wind had left his black hair somewhat tousled. Only after drinking the mineral water prepared by the production team and resting for ten minutes had he barely returned to normal.
Meanwhile, Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci, who had arrived so leisurely, both looked like fresh, graceful young men.
Zhou Jin felt as though he was starting to lose it.
Yet Chu Ci deliberately needled him again. "Mr. Zhou, thanks for making the trip for us."
The anger Zhou Jin had finally managed to suppress flared right back up. Looking at the production team's cameras, he took a deep breath and held his temper in check. "No trouble."
Perhaps finding that reply too stifling, he added through gritted teeth, "Just my rotten luck."
[Hahahahaha, Zhou Jin is so cute.]
[Zhou Jin is so emotionally stable. Even with Chu Ci provoking him like that, he can still stay so calm.]
[Hahahahahaha, why do I feel like Zhou Jin is grinding his back teeth to dust with hatred?]
[Chu Ci has such a smart mouth. I love it [finger heart]]
[Don't you think Chu Ci is going too far? Zhou Jin is his senior, after all. Does he really have to mock and ridicule him like that? Isn't this a classic case of getting the advantage and still acting innocent? I hate people like that.]
[Here's some advice for the person above: get a nucleic acid test and buy a plane ticket to Sichuan. Once you arrive, go to Leshan City. There's a giant Buddha there. Tell him to leave and take his seat.]
[First, this is a variety show, and the guests have an obligation to make it entertaining. Second, if you're that fragile, don't watch.]
Chu Ci hadn't expected Zhou Jin to react like that. The smile in his eyes deepened. "Mr. Zhou, you're... you're actually pretty cute..."
Chu Ci had racked his brains for a while without finding a suitable adjective, so he simply settled on "cute."
Beside him, Ye Qingzhou heard Chu Ci's praise of Zhou Jin and furrowed his brow slightly. He raised his eyes to look at Zhou Jin a short distance away, then slowly walked up to him.
Zhou Jin still respected Ye Qingzhou a great deal. He gave two light coughs. "Mr. Ye, is there something you need..."
Before Zhou Jin could finish, Ye Qingzhou took a crisp fifty-yuan note from his pocket and handed it to him.
Although he said nothing, his meaning was clear.
These were the fifty yuan Zhou Jin and Li Muting were entitled to after Chu Ci used the "Exchange Card" for the second time.
Zhou Jin: "..."
This was far too humiliating.
Ye Qingzhou's gesture was much more devastating than Chu Ci's "thanks for making the trip for us."
Given Ye Qingzhou's status as a top star, Zhou Jin didn't dare openly fall out with him. He could only accept the fifty yuan, his thin lips pulling into a smile uglier than a grimace. "Mr. Ye, thank you..."