Chapter 76 Team Change

The challenge set by the program team was not too difficult. After a little preparation, Yu Shuling passed the challenge in two attempts and obtained the key to open the treasure chest.

"With this speed, we're sure to be number one, right?"

You Jingzhou didn't rush up to steal the spotlight from Yu Shuling as she opened the box. Instead, he waited patiently on the side, confidently asking the director questions through his communicator.

A cold, unfeeling voice came from the director's side:

"You are ranked third."

You Jingzhou: "???"

The director suppressed a laugh: "Two groups have already found the treasure chest reward at the starting location."

The production team actually set it up at the starting location? Well, it's completely blind to what's right in front of them; neither of them had considered that possibility. Even the quick-witted You Jingzhou now felt a pang of regret, realizing his cleverness had backfired. But the moment Yu Shuling opened the treasure chest, he immediately leaned in.

Two puzzle pieces, 200 coins!

There are 18 puzzle pieces in total, and there is no limit to the number of gold coins. However, in the city center, you need at least 300 to stay in a comfortable chain hotel, and you'd need to be a couple of opposite sexes and book two rooms. Even with a budget of 800, you'd only be able to afford the accommodation.

If the budget is reduced, there will be room for other expenses. At the beginning, Yu Shuling and You Jingzhou planned to solve the accommodation problem within 300 yuan. It doesn't matter where they stay.

However, the fact that they started with 200 points rekindled their confidence, and Yu Shuling praised them generously while also comforting You Jingzhou:

"It's alright, their rewards might not be better than ours, and the starting location is obviously not difficult."

Since they were already there, there was no need to run back to the starting point and compete with them. The two of them simply followed the route calculated by You Jingzhou and started running. After wandering around all morning, they managed to visit both attractions and take photos of them. Along the way, You Jingzhou was still doing research. At noon, he took Yu Shuling to a small restaurant that served delicious and inexpensive food.

It only costs a little over 30 yuan per person. We each ordered a casserole and a stir-fry dish, and we were also very happy drinking the Coke that came with the "collect and check in" gift.

The only time Yu Shuling went on a date on the dating reality show was with Zhao Cheng. The two went to a high-end restaurant, but she also showed off her culinary skills later on. She didn't mind the rural setting at all, and the meal at the small restaurant was delicious.

After eating, they had more energy in the afternoon. Considering that they had been working very fast in the morning, they started strolling around after lunch, but they still didn't neglect their tasks.

This episode's tasks weren't all singing and dancing; one task involved copying two calligraphy models within a set time, some of which contained obscure characters. For some young artists who didn't even have a high school education, it was a complete disaster.

The task overlapped with those of Yu Shuling, Jiang Wenxi, Bai Fan, and Mu Xingqi Xiuxiu. After all, there are only so many tourist attractions, so it's possible to run into each other.

According to the program's rules, they could compete simultaneously, and whoever scored the highest would get the treasure chest. Mu Xing was quick and grabbed the best-performing regular script first. Bai Fan was a step slower but still got the clerical script. There were still one cursive script and one regular script left. The wild cursive script looked messy, but in reality, there were no templates or patterns to follow, making it the most difficult set.

You Jingzhou chose a slightly easier regular script calligraphy style, but one full of rare characters, and sat down next to Yu Shuling, considerately whispering:

"Okay, I'll do it."

The rules don't say that two people have to complete it together; it's not wrong for one person to write two pages.

Yu Shuling declined his offer, a spirited smile playing on her lips.

"Come on, I can too."

Most celebrities in the entertainment industry either take the art exam route or have wealthy and powerful families who hire people to help them. At least half of them have low levels of education, and very few have seriously practiced calligraphy. It has become a common joke that they embarrass themselves at such times.

You Jingzhou had a proper university education and had participated in calligraphy examinations since childhood, so he was quite confident based on his previous skills. He didn't rush to put pen to paper, but instead turned his head slightly to watch Yu Shuling begin. The girl skillfully picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, as if she had done it countless times. Her strokes were spirited and effortless.

The umbrella blocked out a large portion of the glaring sunlight. Under that shade, there was no interference. After a slight pause, Yu Shuling resumed writing with the swiftness of a dragon, her brushstrokes precise and decisive, stopping and starting with the right pauses.

It is said that laymen watch the spectacle, while experts see the details. The teachers behind her, who were in charge of judging, all turned their attention to Yu Shuling. Yu Shuling could feel the gaze from behind, but she remained calm and composed, maintaining a relaxed and upright posture.

You Jingzhou looked at her for a moment before completing his own work. At first, he needed time to recall, but observing Yu Shuling's brushstrokes quickly brought back his memories. The boys' handwriting was also beautiful, with strong strokes and graceful pauses. Undoubtedly, this group received the highest score of the entire competition.

Jiang Wenxi's handwriting is not bad, but he struggles a bit with calligraphy. This is something that is learned in elementary school extracurricular classes. Who has time to do this after entering junior high school?

Among all the artists, he might be considered decent, but compared to others, his inferiority is immediately apparent, and even his fans can't bring themselves to praise him anymore.

Jiang Wenxi couldn't help but glance at Yu Shuling.

The calligraphy masters behind her couldn't help but look at her with the eyes of someone who was a prodigy. Yu Shuling exchanged a few polite words, then turned back and smiled at them before walking away confidently, ignoring the scorching sun.

When did Yu Shuling become so amazing?

Or was she hiding her true abilities all along?

However, upon closer examination, Lyra had already been semi-shelved while they were still on the rise, and they hardly had any opportunities to showcase their talents. Given Lyra's previous popularity, they would have had very few chances to meet her. Jiang Wenxi was used to looking at people from a superior perspective, but at this moment, she could clearly feel the distance between them.

In every sense of the word.

Before he could think any further, Yu Shuling and You Jingzhou had already disappeared.

By the end of the day, the guests had all walked at least 30,000 to 40,000 steps, which was quite a lot of exercise. Among them, Yu Shuling and You Jingzhou's group had the biggest gains, getting a total of six puzzle pieces, which is quite impressive.

Besides them, the best performers were Kawana and Liao Zhouzhou, who each obtained four fragments. That evening, everyone gathered together, and the production team generously treated everyone to an open-air hot pot dinner by the river, followed by a game of Truth or Dare. The atmosphere was quite relaxed.

Jiang Wenxi's two former teammates seemed to have only a so-so relationship with him, and were described as cannon fodder in the original text. They were quite interested in Yu Shuling, who had given Jiang Wenxi a hard time. Later, when Yu Shuling was chosen in the truth-or-dare game, Li Qizai asked with a grin:

"Has Shuling ever been in a relationship? Could you tell me about your ideal type?"

Yu Shuling scooped a large spoonful of fatty beef from the mushroom soup and gave it to Li Song, who was closest to her, before answering him expressionlessly:

"You have two questions."

Li Qizai scratched his head: "Then answer the next one!"

Yu Shuling, however, insisted on answering the first question he posed:

"We haven't talked about it, we don't have time to talk about it, and we're not interested at the moment."

A few enthusiastic "Wow!"s rang out from the audience. Next up was Mu Xing, who repeated Li Qizai's second question with a grin:

"I'm also very curious about what Qi Zai said, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's curious."

“That’s right,” Lin Yujie chimed in, “Shuling, you never told us this before!”

"So curious?"

Yu Shuling challenged herself with the local spicy hot pot again. She had just wiped her mouth and taken a sip of ice water when her eyebrows and eyes narrowed into bright crescent moons. The bright-eyed girl's gaze swept across the faces of the people around her, as if she were thinking seriously. Jiang Wenxi felt that her gaze lingered on his face for a couple of seconds longer, and he couldn't help but straighten his back.

The steam from the hotpot, carried by the river breeze, flushed the young people's cheeks a light pink, creating a romantic atmosphere under the ambient lighting. Yu Shuling, resting her chin on her hand, finally fixed her gaze on Mu Xing and slowly said:

"He hasn't awakened yet, but—he's probably not one of your type, Brother Mu Xing."

After saying that, he raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat mischievous, making it impossible for anyone to get angry with him.

...

Afterwards, everyone dispersed. You Jingzhou and Yu Shuling went to the nearest chain hotel to rest, while Lin Yujie and Zhong Xinfan stayed at the budget hotel next door. Lin Yujie couldn't help but sigh:

"You two are really rich. How much did you make today?"

"The chests we opened later only had a dozen or so gold coins each," Zhong Xinfan said helplessly.

"It's alright," Yu Shuling said, carrying her suitcase to the door. Suddenly remembering something, she went inside, quickly glanced at the prices, and then jogged back. "How about I book a family room so we can all stay together?"

Yu Shuling looked up and smiled sweetly at You Jingzhou:

"Is that alright, Teacher You?"

The production team used gold cards for their check-in, which usually includes a free room upgrade. The price difference between a business king room and a family room is only a few dozen yuan, and gold coins are exchanged one-to-one, so You Jingzhou certainly wouldn't mind. After getting his consent, Zhong Xinfan couldn't help but smile, after all, the accommodation experience at the two hotels was quite different.

Moreover, the free breakfast saves you a lot of money the next day.

The production team following behind: "..." They heard that, didn't they!

Even so, they didn't fuss over these details with the guests and let the girls check in beautifully.

The next day, everyone received a notification from the program team that the rules had been changed. Yesterday's group was disbanded, and a new draw would be held today, so the money could be divided among everyone.

Moreover, with only two days of preparation time from today to tomorrow, everyone needs to have a collaborative stage performance, so the time is very tight.

The guests who woke up in the morning were all confused, especially since the other rules were almost unchanged, which meant that it would take more than an hour for those living in the countryside to get to the city. Although it saved money, it still put them at a disadvantage from the start.

"Aaaaaahh ...

Some people were going crazy in the face of the new rules, while the production team chuckled maliciously. Moreover, this time an online lottery system was adopted, with Yu Shuling and Jiang Wenxi forming teams, Qi Xiuxiu and Liao Zhouzhou, Lin Yujie and Bai Fan, Li Song and You Jingzhou, Chuan Nai and Li Qizai, and Zhong Xinfan and Mu Xing.

It's a perfect combination of men and women, especially the first pair, which is so interesting that it's impossible not to think about it.