The group gathered around the phone, thinking this was just too damn thrilling.
Although the show had cooperation with Lindu Police Department, the tracking team was complex in composition, including all sorts of professions.
According to the game rules, if the six of them came within a kilometer of the trackers, the escape would be considered over.
—So, if the coffee shop’s location was near the Lindu TV Tower or the show’s temporary command center, they’d likely be caught as soon as they entered, with no chance of survival.
The issue was, this didn’t really involve the main Lindu Police Department.
The regular officers would go about their business, working and investigating as usual, only assigning a few juniors to assist with the show, so the connection wasn’t significant.
Zhou Ji specifically drove a long way to pick them up, glancing back at the ramshackle Fairy Flower Temple as he reversed: “If you’re going to pray, you shouldn’t come here. Our Lindu’s Lu’an Palace is the real deal. The Crown Prince goes there to pray every year on his birthday. Soon the whole city will be celebrating, everywhere looks great. You guys should stay and enjoy a few more days—”
Huo Ren, peering out the window, was uneasy: “Are we really going to stay across from the police station?”
“To be precise, it’s across the street,” Zhou Ji, afraid they’d misunderstand, swore with one hand on the steering wheel: “I definitely haven’t been turned against you. If I were plotting against you, how would I repay my idol God Mei?”
He paused, unable to resist glancing at the docile Mei Shengyao in the passenger seat: “Your dad, does he really look as young as he does on magazine covers?”
Mei Shengyao blinked: “People believe me when I call him ‘brother.'”
Zhou Ji, a rough man with a slight prejudice against fans, was thrilled to be driving beside the youth he remembered: “God Mei really is God Mei… I’d be satisfied just seeing him once in my life…”
Mei Shengyao nodded: “We can video call after filming tomorrow.”
The rough man covered his face with one hand: “Isn’t that inappropriate?! Should I trim my eyebrows or something? I’m going to use a face mask today!”
The SUV smoothly carried them to the location opposite the police station, with no yellow flashing on their keychains when they got out.
At the crossroads, one corner was the police station, and the opposite corner was a scaffolded, nylon-covered semi-finished building.
The new shop was undergoing a complete renovation, just getting started.
Huo Ren, carrying the lamp and luggage, rushed in and coughed from the dust.
Chi Ji followed, also carrying heavy luggage.
“Ren-ge, we’ll have to sleep in tents tonight,” he said quietly, moving wood and cardboard on the floor: “Better open the windows for ventilation, or the CO2 levels will be too high.”
“That’s no problem,” Zhou Ji boasted: “I’ve cleared a spot for you near the window, you can run if anything happens— I’ll leave the car keys here, just give them back to me after filming.”
Xie Lianyun glanced at the police station across the corner: “This is… too thrilling.”
“Isn’t it?” Zhou Ji gave himself a thumbs up: “Playing games is all about the thrill!”
They indeed made do for the night in the coffee shop.
The next day, when they went out to buy breakfast, police officers were waiting for the traffic light nearby.
Huo Ren, who had never broken the law, clutched a stack of soy milk and dough sticks, his heart pounding as he passed the officers.
I’m not a thief, definitely not…
The officer didn’t even look back, crossing the street as soon as the light turned green.
From last night to after breakfast, the light kept turning on and off, never once turning red.
Xie Lianyun, with time to spare, even decorated the roadside little goldfish grass into a Santa Claus with a red baseball cap.
They waited from morning till 7 pm, steadfastly adhering to the concept of “If the enemy doesn’t move, I don’t move,” playing poker in the dusty building all afternoon.
When the last second ticked by, the cameraman was holding a straight flush.
His phone finally rang.
Without hesitation, the cameraman answered the call and handed it to Huo Ren.
“Congratulations on passing the test!” the host congratulated: “In these seven days, you’ve seamlessly hidden yourselves, contributing significantly to the security efforts of Lin and Shi countries!”
Huo Ren nodded silently: “Thank you.”
“We’ll send a car to pick you up now. After washing up, we’ll hold a celebration banquet and interview session!” The host, looking at the crew and the monitors, asked the question everyone was curious about: “Where exactly are you guys right now?”
“Oh, just pick us up at the police station’s front door.”
“……!!!”
Several nanny vans arrived at the location in the blink of an eye, and the host herself came to the scene, expressing disbelief upon seeing the white ash on the six of them.
“It’s actually at,” she gasped, “actually at the police station entrance?!”
“Dark under the lamp.” Xie Lianyun calmly said, “Next time you chase fugitives, remember to check this spot.”
Although there was still a need to reshoot the glorious scene of ribbons and fireworks, the six members of Corona were all tired and sleepy at this point, so they were first taken back to a five-star hotel to wash up.
When Jiang Shu saw them, he initially wanted to rush over and hug each of the little bears in turn, but seeing them looking like construction workers, he abruptly stopped himself and politely covered his newly custom-made Italian handcrafted suit while shaking hands with them in turn.
Then, Mei Shengyao and Chi Ji cheered and hugged him.
“Good to have you back…” Jiang Shu tried to push back his solemn face, “Uncle missed you too…”
The celebration banquet lasted for three hours, and it was almost midnight by the time they finished eating.
The production team, with the six newly cleaned members, awarded them with commendation medals for the simulation exercise, and then took a group photo for posterity.
Mei Shengyao got his phone back and generously pulled Owner Zhou and those two waiters to video call with Mei Heng.
“Hi… Hi!”
“Hello~” Mei Heng said gently, “Thank you for taking care of Yao Yao, these days have been hard on you.”
When Zhou Ji saw the unfiltered real person Mei Heng, he felt as if his sexual orientation was being turned into a rainbow pony: “Mei Mei Mei Mei… I grew up listening to your songs! You are so handsome and sing so well!”
Mei Shengyao couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Huo Ren led the entire group through seven days of turmoil, and by the time the celebration banquet was over, he was exhausted, thinking that recording a group variety show was even more tiring than a concert.
After the live fireworks and all the photos and autographs were taken care of, he simply said goodbye to Jiang Shu and went back to his room to rest early.
After spending too much time on construction sites and grasslands, stepping on the warm and comfortable carpet now made him feel almost like he was floating.
Abiding by the law is good.
One must abide by the law for life… live a good life…
He was almost unable to walk when he used his card to open the door, took a few steps into the room, and then collapsed onto the thick, soft bed.
“Ah… it’s finally over.”
No need to wake up in the middle of the night to check the lights, no need to worry about where to stay, taking baths eight hundred times a day without anyone caring…
Huo Ren hugged a pillow and rolled over, then suddenly heard a light laugh from outside the door.
He groggily lifted his head, only then remembering he hadn’t turned on the light.
Yet, he instinctively called out.
“…Teacher?”
Pei Ruye also leaned against the door, first turning on the warm night light for him, then closed the door and slowly walked in.
“Mei Heng is holding a concert in Honglu, I borrowed his plane to come see you.”
Huo Ren was so tired that not a single bone in his body could move, maintaining his position hugging the pillow and looking at him sideways, after a while saying, “You’ve grown taller again.”
And thinner than at the beginning of the year.
“It’s been four or five months since we last saw each other.” Pei Ruye also sat by his side, letting the little white wolf gently rub his cheek against his hand, his voice carrying a smile, “Do you think we now, resemble passengers in a flight path?”
Meeting once every so often, barely seeing each other for a few days, then having to travel far apart again.
Huo Ren snuggled against his palm, too lazy to ponder whether this was a dream or reality.
“I also find it strange,” he slowly said, “my understanding of you is intermittent.”
“Your understanding of me, probably also comes more from the internet.”
Having not communicated or met for so long, even a kiss felt somewhat awkward.
But they had already sworn their undying love to each other, deeply ingrained in their subconscious, unshakably profound.
—It even gave Huo Ren the illusion that they had been engaged before.
Strange yet familiar, year after year, there’s a sense of absurd romance.
Their lives belong to the hunting grounds of the human world, sparing little leisure for love.
Both of them are quite clear about this.
“Now short videos have been fully promoted.” Pei Ruye also lay down beside him, lying shoulder to shoulder like old friends, murmuring, “Wait until next year when I’m less busy, and let’s start getting to know each other all over again.”
“What identity?” The little white wolf squinted at him, tail wagging back and forth: “Teacher and student? Colleagues? Pet owner?”
“Friends.” Pei Ruye also smiled at him: “Or… manager?”
There are plenty of reasons to start getting to know each other again.
Jiang Shu has also been tired of running around in social circles for years, without anyone reliable to hand over his responsibilities to, indeed wishing to return to his hometown for a more peaceful life.
Once he stabilizes the two major companies, he will have plenty of time to spend with Ren Ren.
Huo Ren paused in his breathing and sat up, hugging the pillow.
“I definitely don’t mean to disdain Uncle Jiang.”
In the dim light, he looked at Pei Ruye also, his gaze lingering a few seconds longer on the other’s collarbone and the contours of his neck and shoulders, his voice somewhat dry when he spoke again.
“You… doing some simple work occasionally… to change your mindset is also quite good.”
Although it’s still beneath the dignity of a corporate CEO to act as a manager, the two roles do not conflict.
Pei Ruye also looked at him with a smile that was not quite a smile.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll sell you off?”
“Which family would you sell me to?” Huo Ren met his gaze: “If you sell me to the Pei family, be careful my five brothers come over and scratch you.”
The man lay in the tan gold bedding, his eyebrows serene, body slender, even a glance up at him rendered the scene like a 19th-century English classic painting.
“Alright.” He took Huo Ren’s right hand with one hand, touched the back of it with the cool tip of his nose, and sealed it with a smile.
“Agreed.”