Huo Ren vaguely felt that Pei Ruye was quite concerned about him. He had taken a few steps back symbolically, and Pei Ruye’s attitude had softened considerably, unexpectedly making him easy to talk to.
When he was a teenager, he used to admire Pei Ruye as his teacher, and he rarely thought of treating him as an equal. But as time flew by, now in his twenties, his societal status and psychological age were steadily approaching Pei Ruye’s. This had given him more confidence in his words and actions.
Huo Ren assessed Pei Ruye’s expression, intending to probe further.
“Teacher,” he softened his tone, letting his voice linger, “The boxed meals lately have been so bad.”
Pei Ruye remained silent for a while and his tone was ambiguous, “It’s too dangerous to take you out for a meal now.”
“…I’ll go to the seventeenth floor and cook for you.”
The little white wolf wagged his tail, expressing his satisfaction.
Huo Ren confirmed a new way of communication. He was an independent person by nature, and as the team captain, he rarely acted coquettish towards anyone. However, his intelligence and observational skills were clearly valuable in interpersonal interactions.
It was evident that Teacher Pei was receptive to this approach.
When Pei Ruye dropped them off at the seventeenth floor, Uncle Jiang had just finished packing his suitcase and bid them farewell.
“Boss Pei said he’s coming back to take a break. I trust him to handle the group,” Uncle Jiang said while weighing a large bag of health supplements in his hand, exuding the relaxed feeling of a homeroom teacher finally getting a break from mischievous students.
“Where are you going?” Huo Ren asked.
“My niece is getting married in the countryside, so I’ll be staying there for a few days,” Uncle Jiang winked, “You all behave, and I’ll come back to straighten you out when I return.”
Once Uncle Jiang left, all the members of Corona felt a strange sense of relaxation. They had switched to a new manager!
No more incessant jingling of that annoying bell every day!
Pei Ruye usually managed large-scale business matters effortlessly, and taking care of the six of them was a breeze. He improved and enhanced all their nutritional meals, and on weekends, they got to enjoy his homemade additional dishes.
Huo Ren went about his daily life with a smile, wagging his tail contentedly.
In no time, they arrived at the filming location for the third stage of the Hunting Battle.
Before drawing lots to determine their matchups, Huo Ren turned back and glanced at his temporary manager.
Pei Ruye, carrying a towel over his shoulder and holding a bottle of water, had a smile on his face, just like a coach.
It’s locked in. We must win this for Teacher Pei to see.
The second stage was filmed at the botanical garden, and now they were back at their previous location, the Shi Du Zoo, for the third stage.
The zoo had a spacious area and a variety of activities, making it suitable for a chase game.
This time, the teams were decided based on who could feed the dolphins small fish.
Two dolphins alternated leaping into the air and catching fish โ Team Long Jia Ren and Team Xie Chi Yao.
Before they set off, each person had to visit the photography studio as usual.
Huo Ren suddenly wished he could draw the “spy” card this time.
He realized that the most challenging part was not being the spy but being an ordinary member who knew nothing.
Being a solo spy was manageable, but being a double spy was incredibly difficult.
In the first round, when he was eliminated by Xiao Chi in a matter of seconds, his mind went blank, unable to believe the reality.
Then, the director asked him a few irrelevant questions before releasing him from the interview studio.
When Huo Ren walked out of the interview studio, he immediately saw his five teammates entering a state of confusion, each wondering if there was one or two spies among them.
Was it a single spy or a double spy this time?
He and Long Jia were in the same group, so there was no way to judge. As for the other three…
Huo Ren quickly cleared his mind and turned to look at the other team.
Xie Lianyun was eating an apple, while Chi Ji and Mei Shengyao were practicing with a jump rope.
…Totally clueless.
In such situations, it was easy to become overly suspicious and consider everyone as potential spies.
What if this was a “no-spy” setup? The show would be hilariously chaotic when it aired.
“Before the game begins, we need to announce the new weapon attributes and prices,” the assistant director motioned for them to look at the display table not far away.
ใLevel 1 weapon: Bamboo Ring Setใ
Price: 20 coins per bag. Each bag contains 20 bamboo ring sets, reusable.
Elimination criteria: Catching an opponent’s head with a bamboo ring set is considered a successful kill.
ใLevel 2 weapon: Radishใ
Price: 40 coins per bag. Each bag contains 10 white radishes, non-reusable.
Elimination criteria: Hitting the logo on an opponent’s team uniform from behind is considered a successful kill.
ใLevel 3 weapon: 98k Water Gunใ
Water Gun Price: 98 coins
Water Balloon Supply: 30 coins per set
Sniper range can reach up to 30 meters, containing eight safe colored water bullets.
Hitting any part of the body except the head is considered a successful kill.
Xie Lianyun’s eyes lit up, “We have a sniper!”
“It’s quite expensive,” Chi Ji whispered, “How many missions do we need to complete to afford that?”
Huo Ren turned to Long Jia and asked, “What’s Xie Lianyun’s shooting score in the shooting range?”
“He won the Shi Du CS Championship,” Long Jia replied calmly, “Let’s target him at the beginning.”
“Cough, cough. To improve everyone’s economic capabilities, we are also introducing a new bounty task.”
Before the director finished speaking, a few lines of text appeared on the electronic screen, and five bags of gem coins fell to the ground, creating a fitting scene.
“As long as you take any of the following photos, you can exchange them for fifty gem coins.”
ใHolding hands with a water otterใ
ใA yawning catใ
ใA flying parrotใ
ใKissing squirrelsใ
ใSmiling beastsใ
Everyone quickly aimed their cameras at the tasks and took a picture, then rushed out to complete them as the bell rang.
The first task location was the zebra field. As soon as Huo Ren’s team left, a group of enthusiastic fans at the entrance began screaming.
“Huo Huo, we love you!!”
“Long-ge, your trench coat looks so cool today!!”
“Bo Jue, Bo Jue, you’re the best in the worldโ”
Huo Ren immediately tried to engage with the crowd, “Excuse me, could we borrow this three-person bicycle from you?”
“Sure! Take it!!”
The Long Jue Ren team sped off on the bicycle, while the Mei Yun Chi team tried to find their own transportation.
Then fans from different groups started fighting at the entrance.
“Not borrowing!! I can’t slow down my brother. I’m riding away now!”
“I’ll pay you any amount! Just lend it to him!”
“It’s not about money; it’s about faith!”
Xie Lianyun suddenly spotted a security guard’s electric bike in its original place.
“Broโ” he called out from a distance, “Can you give us a ride?”
The two groups left one after the other, and a large wave of fans followed them, like a support team, rushing towards the zebra field.
The security guard clearly knew the shortcut well, and in less than five minutes, he had them at the designated location. He even let them take turns signing his uniform.
Xie Lianyun proudly brought his two younger brothers to get the task card and then suddenly blacked out.
ใTask One: Choose any zebra, count the stripes, and determine its gender (male or female). Each mistake will result in a penalty of ten minutes.ใ
ใReference knowledge: Male zebras have white backgrounds with black stripes, while female zebras have black backgrounds with white stripes.ใ
What’s the difference between the two of them??
Xie Lianyun wondered if this wasn’t something that Huo Ren could figure out with just a glance. He nervously picked a zebra and began counting.
Mei Shengyao seemed to have discovered a loophole, “Did the production team really count all these zebras?”
“Yes,” the assistant director sniffed, “It took over two hours.”
“Thirty-eight, thirty-nine, four…”
In the distance, a fan suddenly shouted loudly, “Xie Lianyun, I love youโ”
The zebra immediately turned its head to look at her.
Xie Lianyun was forced to interrupt his counting, and he couldn’t get angry.
“Wait a minute, Chi Chi, you and Yao Yao count together. I’ll go ask a question.”
“Okay!”
While observing the situation and confirming if Huo Ren’s team had arrived, Xie Lianyun quickly walked into the crowd of fans.
“Are you all fans of ours?”
The fans from the large support group and the sole fans quickly nodded.
“Here, help me search a questionโhow many stripes does a zebra have in total?”
Dozens of people quickly took out their phones to help him search.
“No… Nothing.”
Xie Lianyun was also frantically searching on his phone but couldn’t find anything.
“What about Zhihu? Weibo? Bilibili?”
The girls spontaneously divided into three groups to help him search for answers, but they couldn’t find anything related to the zebra’s stripes.
Xie Lianyun looked utterly disappointed.
“This is ridiculous. How can there be no information about this?”
He quickly signed a few more autographs and then rushed back to continue counting the zebras.
In the meantime, Mei Shengyao had already submitted an answer.
“Wrong.”
Xie Lianyun and Chi Ji both chose the same zebra, counted it from head to toe, and then submitted their answers at the same time. At that moment, Huo Ren and his team had finally arrived, took a glance at the question, and went to pick their zebras.
One minute later, both teams submitted their answers.
“The zebra with the red butterfly bow is a female with 62 white stripes.”
“The zebra with the white butterfly bow is a male with 67 black stripes.”
“Correct answers!” the referee grinned. “The Mei Yun Chi team, please accept your time penalty.”
The three of them stood silently by the railing, feeding the zebras. In the meantime, Mei Shengyao curiously asked, “Brother… How did you figure out whether it had black or white stripes?โ
Xie Lianyun was about to answer instinctively, but he stopped himself and playfully tapped his brother’s head.
“Are you silly? You fell into the trap!”
Huo Ren sat at the back of the three-person bike, curiously observing the idol-like behavior of his two brothers.
They were indeed very polite, even using honorifics when handing over a tissue.
Currently, the CP ranking was fluctuating. Yun Ren was in first place, All Chi in second place, and Mei Chi in third place.
The Long Jue team had entered a cold state because they didn’t produce enough content, and they no longer had the same level of popularity as they did when the CP ranking first opened.
This situation was actually in line with his goals and expectations.
Before the variety show started, he had been asked who he wanted to form a new CP with.
“No need to choose anymore,” Huo Ren replied blankly. “At least not for the next five or six months.”
Mei Shengyao looked disappointed. “Oh, I wanted to do it again with you guys.”
Xie Lianyun reached out and patted his head. “What are you thinking about?”
“Why don’t we need to choose?” Long Jia hadn’t quite caught on yet. “Are we planning to change our strategy?”
“Not exactly,” Huo Ren struggled to hold back his laughter. “Because once the variety show airs, no matter what we say or do to each other… they can all fill in the blanks.”
The so-called “sugar in the same frame,” “eye contact equals going to bed,” and “a single interaction means having a big family.” He had learned so many strange theories in the Crown RPF community over the past two years.
“Well, that’s true,” Xie Lianyun sighed. “Just be careful with your words and don’t say anything weird. You might get edited into the show.”
He was afraid that others wouldn’t understand the meaning of this sentence, so he emphasized, “Absolutely, absolutely do not say phrases like ‘please,’ ‘I’m dying,’ ‘faster,’ or ‘no’ while running. Remember to mute the microphone when you’re catching your breath after running.”
Mei Shengyao tried to ask, “What about praising your brother, is that okay?”
“Absolutely! Not! Allowed!”
“Alright then.”
Long Jia seemed to think of something and cleared his throat awkwardly.
Bo Jue belatedly realized what was happening and blushed, turning away.
Only Chi Ji had a puzzled look on his face and asked, “Huh?”