Everyone took their places.
The director cradled his pig's head in one arm and held up his portable loudspeaker with the other to read out the rules.
"Next, our staff will hand out black ribbons.
"One per team. Once you have your ribbon, tie one of your legs to one of your partner's.
"We've set up a finish line up the mountain. Anyone who reaches it within ten minutes will pass the mission.
"If you don't make it within ten minutes, you fail.
"To make the game more fun, we've added an extra rule.
"And that is-
"Ta-da!
"Manman's team will be linked to Zhao Jiayuan and Chen Chong's team. If the celebrity team fails, the tourist team loses its reward. If the celebrity team succeeds, the tourist team will receive a sweet gift package provided by our production team!
"Likewise, Qianqian's team will be linked to Jiang Mingxi and Song Lan!
"For the tourist teams, it's all about enjoying the game. Your results won't count toward the competition.
"For the celebrity teams, it's purely a competition."
The moment the director finished, Manman, the girl on the college student team, bounced over to Zhao Jiayuan and said, "..."
Before she could speak.
Zhao Jiayuan beat her to it. "Shut up!"
Rebellious to the bone, Manman insisted on finishing. "You've got this, my idiot son!"
[Hahahahaha!]
[Yep, Zhao Jiayuan and his fans definitely have a love-hate relationship!]
[Manman, take good care of our idiot son!!!]
On the other team, Qianqian, the young woman who had already entered the workforce, had just been snapped at by her boyfriend and kept her head down without speaking.
Her boyfriend, on the other hand, wore a warm smile as he said to Song Lan, "Good luck, Teacher Song. Qianqian and I are both your fans. We really like you."
Song Lan gave him an indifferent glance and nodded.
The instant the staff handed over the ribbons, the director suddenly shouted, still holding his pig's head, "The game starts now!"
[Holy shit, that was sudden!]
[Fuck, that scared me!]
[Director, can't you put the pig's head down? I want to watch the guests, but I can't help looking at that pig's head in your arms.]
[Hahahahaha! It looks like the pig's head even has makeup on! I'm dying!]
At the director's sudden shout.
Jiang Mingxi practically snatched the ribbon from the staff member and bent down to tie his leg to Song Lan's.
Hehehe.
Leg-to-leg with my dream man~
But.
He had only just bent down.
When he felt a very light pat on the side of his waist.
Jiang Mingxi looked up in confusion.
Song Lan looked down at him. "Isn't your knee on this side injured? Switch to the other side."
[Wait, I can understand everything else, but patting his waist? Not his back, not his shoulder, but his waist???]
[Aaaaaah! I don't care, I'm shipping them now. Fuck, I've never seen Song Lan pat anyone's waist! That really made me swoon!]
[Was that a pat on his waist? That was a pat on my heartbeat!]
[The point is, Jiang Mingxi openly said he likes Song Lan and came here to pursue him, and Song Lan still patted him! Don't blame me, he's the one insisting on feeding me sugar!]
A warm glow immediately shone in Jiang Mingxi's bright eyes.
Hehehe~
My dream man actually showed concern for me~
He straightened up, delighted, and then-
A little scheme occurred to him, and he toppled headfirst into Song Lan's arms. "Oh, I got up too fast. I'm dizzy."
How could Song Lan not see he was pretending?
His terrible acting exasperated Song Lan into laughing.
He caught him. "If you're dizzy, stand still!"
He pulled the black ribbon from Jiang Mingxi's hand and bent down to tie it.
[Holy shit, Jiang Mingxi, you scheming bitch! You're faking it on purpose, aren't you!]
[He definitely is, but Song Lan didn't push him away. He even caught him!!!! That's the point!]
[This isn't just shippable, it's actually kind of sweet.]
[I can't call Jiang Mingxi a clout-chasing bitch anymore, because Song Lan seems to be responding...]
The black ribbon wound around their thighs three times. As Song Lan tied it, he couldn't stop himself from thinking about last night.
Jiang Mingxi's fair legs swayed before his eyes.
Those wet eyes looked at him.
That soft voice said to him, "Teacher Song, comfort me~"
His eyelid twitched. Song Lan took a deep breath, finished tying the ribbon, and stood.
Jiang Mingxi smiled at him with sparkling eyes. "Teacher Song, let's gooo!"
On this side, Jiang Mingxi and Song Lan started up the mountain along the boardwalk.
Over on the other side.
Zhao Jiayuan and Chen Chong had also tied their ribbon and set off-
Like hell they had!
Zhao Jiayuan charged forward with all his might, but Chen Chong couldn't keep pace, and they stumbled forward, about to fall.
If Chen Chong hadn't reacted quickly and grabbed a nearby tree, both of them would have planted their front teeth in the ground.
With one hand braced against the tree, Chen Chong grabbed Zhao Jiayuan, who had lunged forward headfirst, with his other hand in a flash.
The sudden tug sent Zhao Jiayuan's forward-rushing body slamming backward, almost straight into Chen Chong's arms.
Before the comments could flood with remarks about how sweet it was, Zhao Jiayuan jumped up to take a swing at Chen Chong. "Can you fucking hurry up!"
But.
Their legs were tied together.
He gave that sudden jump.
Chen Chong had only just managed to steady himself against the tree when that hard yank-
Splat!
Both of them fell.
Beside them, Manman, the college girl, immediately slapped her thigh and burst out laughing. "Hahahahahahaha!"
[Hahahahaha, Manman, you're laughing so loudly you're disturbing my jealousy! I want to be there laughing at this dumbass too!]
[Zhao Jiayuan, you never disappoint! Fuck, if I were Chen Chong, I'd slap you!]
[Poor Chen Chong. He thought he'd get through this round safely, but what's coming will come eventually!]
[As a Zhao Jiayuan fan, I apologize to Chen Chong. Sorry you had to suffer!]
[Apology +1. Next time we meet in the public feed, I'll let Chen Chong's fans have ten remarks without talking back.]
Still laughing hysterically, Manman went over with her boyfriend and pulled Chen Chong and Zhao Jiayuan up.
Beside them.
Qianqian and her boyfriend had also tied their ribbon and started off.
When the two fell over, Qianqian turned to look and was just about to laugh when her boyfriend snapped under his breath, "Why are you looking at other people? We're on Song Lan's team. Hurry up and catch up with Song Lan and Jiang Mingxi. It's all your fault, dawdling like that. We're already so far behind. Don't forget what we came here for!"
Qianqian immediately shrank back, withdrew her gaze, and followed her boyfriend, doing her best to catch up with Song Lan and Jiang Mingxi.
[Why do I feel like there's something weird about this couple?]
[The guy talks so quietly I can't make out what he's saying, but every time he speaks, Qianqian's smile disappears.]
[So everyone online is Holmes now? You're just dying for them to be unhappy? Seriously ridiculous. What's wrong with you people! Didn't you hear their introduction earlier? They're about to get married. From school uniforms to a wedding dress, they're perfectly happy!]