The third group consists of Su Jianqiu and Huang Ming.
They made twice-cooked pork, with the pork belly cut into even slices, and stir-fried with green garlic and Douban until it was very fragrant.
When Su Jianqiu carried the dishes out, she walked with a smug gait, like a student who knew she had done well on a test leaving the examination hall.
Huang Ming followed behind, his expression calm, but with a slight smile on his lips.
After the thirty people finished eating the three sets of dishes, they started to score them.
Han Zheng stood in the backstage corridor, watching the staff collect the scoring box, when he suddenly realized what was happening.
He frowned and muttered, "That's not right."
Zhou Yuan asked from the side, "What's wrong?"
"Army stew," Han Zheng said. " South Korea eat this every day, and I'm making army stew for them? It's nothing new. Besides, this is a film made for domestic audiences, so what's the point of making army stew?"
The more he listened, the more sense it made, and his expression darkened.
Zhou Yuan at him but didn't reply. He was thinking to himself: You're only realizing it now?
After the food-sharing session ended, the thirty tasters left one by one, led by the staff.
Pei Jingshu walked slowly in the crowd.
She glanced back.
Cheng Che stood at the restaurant entrance, confirming something with the PD.
He felt a gaze, turned his head slightly, and saw Pei Jingshu.
She stood in the doorway and made a phone call gesture towards him.
One hand is raised to the ear, with the thumb and little finger extended, like a small telephone.
Cheng Che smiled and nodded at her.
Pei Jingshu's eyes curved into a smile, and her whole face seemed to light up.
She turned around, quickly caught up with the group, and walked out of the restaurant.
Jin Zhixiu was waiting for her at the door. Seeing her smile, she sighed.
"Alright, alright, let's go."
As Pei Jingshu stepped out of the restaurant, a staff member chased after her.
"Miss Pei, please wait."
Pei Jingshu stopped in her tracks.
A staff member handed over a business card. "Our director would like to speak with you for a few minutes, is that convenient?"
Pei Jingshu paused for a moment, took the business card, glanced at it, and then turned to look at Jin Zhixiu.
Jin Zhixiu shrugged, meaning it's your decision.
Pei Jingshu thought for a moment and nodded.
The director stood outside the restaurant's back door, leaning against the wall, holding a cup of hot coffee in his hand.
She smiled when she saw Pei Jingshu walking over.
"Miss Pei, I'm Liu, the director of ' Walking the Flower Road Together '."
Pei Jingshu bowed politely and said, "Hello."
Director Liu didn't beat around the bush. "I filmed the scene where you stood up and called Cheng Che's name today. It'll definitely trend on social media if it airs; you can probably guess that."
Pei Jingshu blushed slightly, but did not deny it.
"I don't mind," she said.
"I know you don't mind," Director Liu said, taking a sip of his coffee. "What I want to ask is, would you mind continuing to appear on the show later?"
Pei Jingshu's eyes lit up.
Director Liu continued, "Not now, but in the later episodes. We can arrange for you to appear as a surprise guest on Cheng Che's mission route. You don't need to do much, just a chance encounter and a few scenes of interaction."
Pei Jingshu paused for a moment.
Then she said, "I have to ask him."
Director Liu laughed, "You're quite honest."
"I don't want to cause him any trouble," Pei Jingshu said. "I caused him trouble last time in Magic City."
Director Liu looked at her for two seconds, then nodded. "Okay. Have your staff tell me what you've thought of."
Pei Jingshu bowed again, then turned and left.
The PD stood in the center of the restaurant, holding a piece of paper in his hand.
"Scores are tallied." She glanced at the six people. "Thirty tasters, each can give one score to each of the three groups, with a maximum score of ten. Now, let's announce the average score."
She paused for a moment and looked in the direction of Cheng Che and Ning Qing.
"Third place, Han Zheng's group, Army Stew. Average score: 5.2 points."
Han Zheng's expression froze.
Zhou Yuan whispered from the side, "5.2... isn't that below the passing grade?"
Han Zheng ignored him.
"Second place, Su Jianqiu's group, twice-cooked pork. Average score: 7.8."
Su Jianqiu clapped her hands, quite satisfied. Huang Ming smiled sheepishly beside her.
"First place," the PD looked at Cheng Che and Ning Qing, " Cheng Che's group, shredded pork with garlic sauce. Average score, 9.1 points."
Su Jianqiu leaned over to glance at Cheng Che, then turned to Ning Qing and said, " Ning Qing, you've already won by default by following Cheng Che."
Ning Qing ignored her, but the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.
Cheng Che stood to the side, his expression unremarkable, only nodding to Ning Qing.
"It's a pleasure doing business with you."
Ning Qing glanced at him and gave a soft "hmm".
The PD continued, "First place: one night in a luxury hotel. Second and third place: decided by lottery, either a regular hotel or a tent on the Han River."
The staff brought in a box containing two balls.
One sign read "Hotel," and the other read "Tent."
Su Jianqiu and Huang Ming drew first.
Su Jianqiu reached in, touched one, and took it out to look at it. It said "Hotel" on it.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
Han Zheng looked at the box, his expression grim. But he still reached in and touched something.
He paused for a moment when he took it out.
Zhou Yuan leaned closer for a look, and his expression changed.
It says "Tent" on it.
Zhou Yuan waved his hand in the air, as if trying to erase the word.
He muttered something under his breath, not loudly, but the sound engineer picked it up.
"I've never had good luck with this greasy guy."
Han Zheng either didn't hear it, or pretended not to hear it.
He put the ball back in the box, gave a wry smile, and said, "Fine, a tent it is."
Cheng Che and Ning Qing took a car to the hotel.
A luxury hotel in downtown Seoul, with a high-ceilinged lobby and warm yellow lighting.
The room is on the 20th floor, and the floor-to-ceiling windows offer a view of the Han River night.
The production crew set up cameras in the room, fixing them at several angles.
After Cheng Che went inside, he looked around and felt a little uncomfortable seeing those dark cameras.
Ning Qing lived next door, and the two of them went back to their respective rooms to rest.
Dinner was a Korean meal arranged by the production team and delivered to the room.
Bibimbap, grilled beef, and seafood pancakes were laid out on the table.
Cheng Che took a few bites and thought the taste was okay, but not as good as the rice noodles in Spring City.
He put down his chopsticks and went into the bathroom.
The camera can't capture anything after the bathroom door is closed.
He took out his phone, found Pei Jingshu's chat window, and dialed her number.
I answered it after it rang once.
" Cheng Che!" Pei Jingshu's voice was filled with barely suppressed joy, "Are you done with your work?"
"Yes. I just finished dinner."
"Was the food good today? I noticed you didn't eat much when you were dividing the food."
"It's alright. Not as good as mine."
Pei Jingshu chuckled softly, her voice tinged with a hint of coquetry. "When are you coming to see me? You promised to keep me company."
Cheng Che leaned against the sink, looking at himself in the mirror.
"There are still two more days of recording to go," he said. "The day after that, I'll stay and spend the day with you."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
Then Pei Jingshu's voice came through, a little lower than before, but more earnest. "Really?"
"Real."
You're not lying to me?
I'm not lying to you.
Pei Jingshu was silent for two seconds, then said a sentence in Korean, her voice very soft, as if she were talking to herself.
Cheng Che understood.
She said, "I miss you so much."
He didn't respond to that sentence, but simply said, "I'll contact you the day after tomorrow morning."
"Okay." Pei Jingshu's voice regained its cheerful tone. "I'll take you sightseeing. I know there are many great places in Seoul that tourists don't know about."
"OK."
"Then you should get some rest." Pei Jingshu paused, then added, "You looked really good cooking today."
Cheng Che smiled and said, "I'm hanging up."
"Okay. Goodnight."
After hanging up the phone, Cheng Che put his phone away, washed his face, and walked out of the bathroom.
The camera is still filming.
He sat on the edge of the bed, glanced at the night view of the Han River outside the window, went over the recording schedule for tomorrow in his mind, then lay down and turned off the light.
the next day.
Han Zheng didn't look well. There were obvious dark circles under his eyes, and although his hair was neatly combed, he looked like he hadn't slept well.
The tents by the Han River were indeed cold; at three degrees below zero at night, even sleeping bags weren't comfortable.
Strangely enough, his performance during today's recording was actually better than yesterday's.
He talks less, is less pretentious, and is much more genuine when doing tasks.
After reviewing the footage, the PD remarked to the director, " Han Zheng did a good job today."
Cheng Che noticed the change, but said nothing.
He knew in his heart that once Han Zheng let go of the burden of "I am very profound", he was actually not that annoying.
The recording went smoothly for the next three days.
The next day, they went to the Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village. Cheng Che and Ning Qing worked together as a team on a task.
Su Jianqiu was hilarious throughout, Zhou Yuan provided the biggest laughs of the episode, and Huang Ming was quiet but reliable.
On the third day, we went to Namsan Tower and Myeongdong. The task was to buy the most things in Myeongdong with the least amount of money.
Cheng Che won again.
The fourth day was the final day of filming, and each person recorded a separate interview.
Cheng Che sat in front of the camera, answered a few questions about the trip, and then said "Thank you everyone," ending the recording.
The South Korea episode has wrapped filming.
The staff began packing up the equipment, and the guests returned to their rooms to unpack their luggage.
The PD informed everyone that the next recording will be announced one week in advance, and the location will be kept secret for now.
Before leaving, Su Jianqiu hugged Cheng Che and said, "See you next time."
Before leaving, Ning Qing glanced at him and said "See you next time," much softer than Su Jianqiu's words, but Cheng Che heard them clearly.
Ning Qing pulled her suitcase to the elevator and pressed the down button.
The elevator hasn't arrived yet.
Cheng Che came out of the room with the room key in his hand, as if he was going downstairs to check out.
The two people stood in front of the elevator door, an arm's length apart.
Ning Qing watched the numbers on the elevator ascend without saying a word.
Cheng Che didn't have it either.
The elevator has arrived.
The door opened, and the room was empty. Ning Qing pulled her suitcase inside and turned around.
Cheng Che stood outside the door and nodded at her.
Ning Qing looked at him, opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something.
But in the end, he simply raised his hand and pressed the close button.
Just as the elevator doors were about to close, Cheng Che saw her turn her head slightly, her gaze falling on the elevator floor.
The door is closed.
The numbers started to drop.
Han Zheng and Zhou Yuan also left.
Before leaving, Han Zheng nodded to Cheng Che without saying much, but that nod was more genuine than the smile he had given Cheng Che on their first meeting.
Everyone's gone.
Cheng Che did not leave.
Qin Lie stood in the hotel lobby, watching Cheng Che put his suitcase back in the room, and his temples began to throb again.
Are you sure?
"Sure."
Do you know what the consequences will be if you're found out?
I don't know. But I'll be careful.
Qin Lie remained silent for a long time, then sighed, "Don't go alone. Have Chen Wei go with you."
"Good."
"Also, the phone's location services are turned on."
"Good."
Qin Lie looked at him, wanting to say something, but ultimately said nothing.
He could only offer suggestions to Cheng Che, but he couldn't say anything that would influence his decision-making.
There is only one Cheng Che, but there are countless Qin Lie.
Cheng Che returned to his room, changed into ordinary clothes, put on a mask and hat, and went out fully armed.
He took the subway to Korea University Station.
The sun was shining brightly when I exited the station.
People were coming and going on campus, and no one noticed him.
He stood at the gate of Korea University, took out his phone, and sent a message to Pei Jingshu.
"I have arrived."