Chapter 59 I'll carry you on my back.

When the production team announced the new rules for the game segment, the male guests' eyes flashed with thoughtfulness.

Dressed in a Republic-era robe and holding a folding fan, Li Yichen, looking every bit the refined gentleman, asked, "Director, what trick are you playing? The scenic area is so big, how are we going to find someone?"

"Are we supposed to just search aimlessly? If two people find the same female guest at the same time, how are they supposed to choose a partner?"

This is what all the male guests care about. They want to partner with Chu Ruofu, and Chu Ruofu is their first target. So it is very likely that two male guests will find the same female guest at the same time.

How will the partners be assigned?

Live stream chat:

[Brother Li is right. If two male guests both choose to date the same female guest, what happens to the remaining female guests?]

[Seriously, is the production team incredibly wealthy? They rented an entire scenic area to film the show. I wonder what they're going to film this episode.]

[The male guests all had different looks today! The production team must have planned a large-scale murder mystery game. Looking forward to it!]

Where exactly are the female guests hidden on the show? I want to see them!

The director said with a smile, "If several male guests find the same female guest at the same time, it depends on your performance. The power is in the hands of the female guests. Whoever they want to be their partner will be their partner."

The director instructed, "After the male guest finds the female guest, he must carry her back to the location arranged by the production team. The priority of the next game segment will be determined by the points system."

"By participating in the game activities, each guest will receive a designated date invitation card, which can be used to invite a guest of the opposite sex they wish to date to a date next time."

"Special reminder to all male guests: If you fail to form a team within the specified time, you will be forced to withdraw from this recording and will lose your eligibility to receive a date invitation card."

The production team used a dirty trick. To prevent the male guests from not teaming up with other female guests, they used dating cards to lure them and threatened the guests, saying that if they didn't want to quit the show, they had to work hard to complete the tasks.

There's no reason for anyone to quit once they've come to record a dating reality show.

The male guests' eyes flashed with determination; they were all thinking that they would find Chu Ruofu as soon as the game started.

Live stream chat:

I'm starting to get nervous now. The production team is too cruel; the rules for the games are extremely strict.

[Brother Li looks so handsome today, like a wealthy young master from the Republican era [heart][heart]]

I think the third male lead is more handsome. He's tall and in a proper military uniform; he's so handsome it makes my legs weak.

[My guesses about the male guests' identities: Male lead one is a wealthy young man who studied abroad; male lead two is a literary giant from the Republic of China era; male lead three is a young warlord; and male lead four is a young master from the Republic of China era.]

Some viewers in the live stream were discussing the outfits of the male guests, while others were wondering if the male guests could find the hidden female guests within the allotted two hours.

Stop swooning, okay? Quickly figure out where the production team will hide the female guests.

The scenic area is so big, is two hours enough?

[The Fu-Bai couple is the real deal! Go, Young Marshal Lu! Be the first to find Fu-mei!]

[Go, Mr. Gu! Our Fusheng CP is the sweetest! You absolutely have to be paired with Fumei this episode!]

The production team arranged for the male guest to stand at the entrance of Xuezhen Ancient Town. Because the show was being filmed, there were no other passersby in the scenic area except for the fixed NPCs.

Each male guest has a designated cameraman who follows them live, giving viewers a sense of participation.

The production team wasn't completely inhumane; they gave the male guests a clue card with a diagram of the five elements and directions, and the four female guests were scattered in one of the directions.

The audience also saw the Five Elements orientation diagram.

Holy crap, this time it's a brain-teasing game!

[Who can understand the Five Elements directional map? Each location is far apart; if you go to the wrong one, there won't be enough time to go back.]

[This is absolutely mind-bending! Could the male guest really guess it?]

[Hahahaha, it's time for our Fuyang CP to make their appearance! They've entered Shanhe Wuyang's comfort zone; he's definitely going to take first place.]

When the male guests saw the Five Elements Direction Chart, they all frowned. It was a card with the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth) and no clues whatsoever. How were they supposed to guess where the female guest was hiding?

Li Yichen looked at the Five Elements Direction Chart with disdain and said, "Is this thing really a clue? Is the production team going to play us again?"

He stuffed the clue card into his pocket, picked up a folding fan and fanned himself, then stepped into the ancient town.

Unable to decipher the clues, he decided to enter the ancient town to search. If fate smiled upon him and he found Fu Mei directly, they could become partners.

The audience was anxious:

[Brother Li, are you really not going to take another look?]

[Even Xiao Shen was badly tormented by the ancient town back then, Brother Li, why don't you go and learn from him?]

[The ancient town scenic area is so big, are you sure you want to just look for it directly?]

Gu Junsheng walked along, pondering the clue card in his hand.

The Five Elements directional diagram represents: Fire → Up → South, Water → Down → North, Wood → Left → East, Metal → Right → West, Earth → Center → Center.

The ancient town has two entrances, one in the southwest and one in the northeast.

I don't know if the production team arranged the female guests' hiding places according to the Chinese zodiac or their surname. I haven't learned about this kind of knowledge, and I don't have a mobile phone on me, so I can only search blindly in the ancient town first.

It seems Mr. Gu still hasn't figured out where Fu Mei is.

This is too difficult. How exactly did the production team arrange this? Even a few more clues would be appreciated.

Lu Xubai also didn't understand the Five Elements Direction Chart. He planned to go to the innermost part of the ancient town first, pass through the central area, and search for the direction one by one according to the circle.

[Go, Lu Ge! If you don't know any clues, just go all out with your physical strength.]

[Fu Mei is waiting for you to find her. Find Fu Mei first, and you'll be able to partner with her this episode. Let's go for happiness!]

All three male guests entered the ancient town, but Shen Wuyang remained standing in the same spot, holding a Five Elements Direction Chart, motionless as if in a daze.

The viewers in the live stream were getting anxious.

[If the fourth male guest doesn't make a move soon, he might cry when his favorite female guest is snatched away by someone else.]

[I'm so anxious! Forget about the clue card, hurry up and find them in the ancient town.]

If you can't think of a solution, don't waste your time; action is the only truth.

The cameraman watched as several minutes passed without Shen Wuyang showing any sign of moving. He wanted to remind him to hurry up and get on with his mission, but he was afraid of disturbing Shen Wuyang's concentration.

Shen Wuyang used the Five Elements and Directional Chart in his mind to deduce the hiding places of the female guests.

The Five Elements orientation chart can be used to infer attributes from the zodiac sign and surname or given name. However, the attributes of the zodiac sign are different every year, which is too complicated. The program team probably won't arrange the attribute positions according to the zodiac sign.

He mentally deduced the female guests' surnames according to the Five Elements and Directions chart: Chu Ruofu belonged to Wood, Song Yi to Metal, Xia Yuqing to Fire, and Qiao Yimo to Wood.

If we deduce based on attributes, Chu Ruofu is in the east direction of the ancient town, and Qiao Yimo is in the same place as her.

The production team will not arrange the female guests in the same direction, so deducing clues solely from their surnames is not valid.

So, Shen Wuyang quickly used the last name of the female guest to deduce the five elements and directional attributes.

Chu Ruofu belongs to the Wood element, Song Yi belongs to the Earth element, Qiao Yimo belongs to the Water element, and Xia Yuqing belongs to the Fire element. These four female guests have distinct attributes and are in different positions.

A smile appeared on Shen Wuyang's lips; he knew where Fufu was.

Having determined the location and direction, he ran towards it with anticipation, like someone carrying flowers to confess their love to a girl they had a crush on in the early morning.

The cameraman paused for a moment, then quickly chased after them.

Live stream chat:

[Didn't the fourth male lead guess it?]

[Guessing the female guest's hiding place from a Five Elements directional chart in three minutes is a bit much.]

[The fourth male lead is truly brilliant; no wonder he's a master writer specializing in suspense novels.]

[Actually, this calculation was already considered slow, but compared to the other male guests, Shanhe Wuyang far surpassed them.]

...

At 8 a.m., the female guests were woken up by the production team. After washing up, they were blindfolded and taken away by mysterious bodyguards arranged by the production team.

Chu Ruofu was terrified when her eyes were covered, and she only calmed down when she heard the director's voice.

The director explained to them: "Today, the female guests will go to the makeup booth to get their hair and makeup done in advance. Then the production team will hide you somewhere in Xuezhen Ancient City and wait for the male guests to come and rescue you. Points will be calculated based on the time spent."

"Your points will affect your next game mission."

Xia Yuqing laughed upon hearing this: "Director, why don't you hide the male guests and let the female guests rescue them?"

The director laughed and said, "I've taken your suggestion. Next time, I'll hide them and let you rescue them."

Song Yi raised the question: "If you are approached by several male guests at the same time, how should you allocate your attention?"

Chu Ruofu looked at the director, wanting to know what to do in this situation, as she was very worried about it happening.

The director laughed and said, "Let the male guests fight. Whoever wins can team up with someone."

The live stream chat was flooded with question marks.

The director said, "Just kidding. The choice is in the hands of the female guest. Whoever the female guest chooses will be her partner today."

Xia Yuqing crossed her arms and said, "What if the male guest doesn't find a female guest? Then my mission will fail?"

The director smiled and said, "If the male guest fails to complete the task, you can choose a male guest you are satisfied with to form a team."

He glanced around and asked, "Ladies, do you have any questions?"

Seeing that the female guests did not speak, the director asked the staff to take them away to get their makeup done and then hide them at the location arranged by the production team.

The male guests then set off to search for the female guests.

At the urging of the viewers, the production team finally opened the individual live broadcast rooms for each female guest.

The female guests were hidden inside shops in the ancient city, separated by screens. They could only see the occasional figure of someone passing by outside, but could not see the scene inside the shops from the outside, and were just like an ordinary screen.

Chu Ruofu sat in the chair, somewhat bored and lost in thought.

The show's rules stipulated that the female guests could not leave the shop where they were hiding, could not make a sound, and could only wait for the male guests to discover their location.

Today, the production team dressed Chu Ruofu in a Qing Dynasty Hanfu style, reminiscent of the Republican era. Her long, smooth black hair was styled up, adorned with flowers and a phoenix hairpin. She sat languidly in a chair, looking like a young mistress from the Republican era who married without knowing the ways of the world.

[Ahhhhh, Fu-mei is so beautiful! How can she be so pretty?]

[In my mind, the heroine of a Republican-era novel is exactly like Fu Mei.]

[Fu Mei is so suited to a delicate and elegant makeup look. Her hands are as soft as tender shoots, her skin as smooth as jade, and her beautiful eyes are captivating.]

[The best look was actually in a dating reality show; Romantic Encounters truly lives up to its reputation as the show that best styles outfits.]

Chu Ruofu waited for more than ten minutes, yawned, and turned to ask the photographer, "Can I take a nap?"

She got up too early today and didn't get enough sleep. As a lazy bum, she has the ability to sleep comfortably anywhere, so she plans to rest for a while first.

The cameraman paused for a moment, then replied, "Yes."

The show did not stipulate that the female guests waiting could not sleep, but the male guests were outside looking for people under the sun, while the female guests were sleeping in the air-conditioned shop.

In comparison, the male guests seem to be in a rather unfortunate situation.

Chu Ruofu's live stream initially had only tens of thousands of viewers, gradually reaching 100,000, and then hundreds of thousands of people were online at the same time, making it far more popular than the live streams of other guests.

Live stream chat:

[A group of people are watching the female guest sleep, is that okay?]

[Male guests: Fu Mei, where are you?!]

[Fu Mei: My darlings, see you in my dreams.]

[Here he comes! The male guest is here! Fu Mei, wake up! Don't sleep!]

After determining the direction, Shen Wuyang entered the eastern area of ​​Xuezhen Ancient City, searching shop by shop, leaving no corner unchecked, and even turning over the blankets covering the shops.

Time passed second by second.

Even though Shen Wuyang guessed Chu Ruofu's location, it still took a lot of time to carefully search for her.

As Shen Wuyang stepped into the shop where Chu Ruofu was hiding, his live stream went wild.

[Four young male puppies climb the ranks!]

[Shen Wuyang was actually the first male guest to find Chu Ruofu! Congratulations!]

[It's all arranged by fate! The Fu-Yang couple is so sweet and reassuring.]

Chu Ruofu slept soundly, her hair falling beside her cheeks, her fair and delicate face graceful and charming.

Shen Wuyang walked around the screen and saw this scene. He gasped for breath and stared at her in a daze.

The two guests appeared in each other's live streams, creating a subtle feeling among their fans: one was waiting to be found, while the other found her in the shortest amount of time.

The photographer accidentally bumped into the screen, making a slight noise.

Shen Wuyang turned his head, put his finger to his lips, and gently shushed, "Don't disturb her."

He knew that the shorter the time it took to complete the task, the higher the points he would get, but he saw that Chu Ruofu was sleeping soundly and couldn't bear to wake her.

Shen Wuyang squatted down at Chu Ruofu's feet, looked up at her sleeping face, and felt a sense of satisfaction.

Her outfits always amazed him for a long time; she was as beautiful as a goddess from mythology.

The audience went crazy over this scene.

From this angle, the fourth male lead looks so well-behaved.

[The fourth boy looks like a well-behaved young master from the Republican era. He's so handsome and cute; I want to pat his head.]

[Shen Wuyang gives me the feeling of being crazy about Fu Mei. This green tea puppy only has eyes for his older sister. Sigh, I'm totally shipping them.]

[The two of them today have a taboo feel about a young mistress and her brother-in-law.]

Chu Ruofu was a light sleeper. Hearing the faint footsteps, she opened her eyes and stared blankly into a pair of dark eyes.

Shen Wuyang squatted at her feet, like her most loyal servant.

She hadn't expected that Shen Wuyang would be the first person to find her. She cleared her throat and asked, "Why didn't you wake me up?"

Shen Wuyang smiled shyly: "I was afraid of bothering you."

Chu Ruofu tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and asked, "How long have you been here?"

"Not long." Shen Wuyang stood up, looked at her, and said, "Fufu, would you like to partner with me?"

Chu Ruofu nodded in agreement: "I'm willing."

She secretly hoped that Gu Junsheng would find her first, but Shen Wuyang found her first, and according to the rules of the game, she had to team up with him.

The two teamed up, and the news began to be broadcast throughout the ancient town.

Shen Wuyang found Chu Ruofu, and the two successfully formed a partnership.

The announcement reached the ears of each guest.

The male guests stood there stunned for a long time, their eyes dark and brooding. None of them had expected that Shen Wuyang would find Chu Ruofu first.

Chu Ruofu was found first. They either had to give up recording the show or continue looking for other female guests to form a team and record the next episode.

Giving up on the game and quitting was clearly not a wise choice, so they opted to randomly find a female guest to team up with.

Chu Ruofu stood up, stretched, and said, "Let's hurry back to the mission location."

Shen Wuyang walked out of the shop with her, then squatted down with his back to her, saying, "Fufu, come on up."

Chu Ruofu hesitated for a moment, then leaned over.

Shen Wuyang carried her on his back and strode towards the location of the program's mission.

Chu Ruofu placed her hands on Shen Wuyang's shoulders. She thought that Shen Wuyang was too thin to carry her, but she was surprised to find that he walked with great speed and ease.

The audience was incredibly excited.

[Go, Fuyang CP!]

[That's awesome! Fumei got first place again! I'm so happy!]

The puppy was quite strong; he wasn't even panting heavily while carrying Fu Mei on his back.

[The fourth guy was having a blast; the corners of his mouth never left his lips.]

The photographer followed along, keeping the camera steady and shooting from different angles, front, back, left, and right.

Shen Wuyang turned his head slightly and said, "Fufu, put your arms around my neck and I'll carry you on my back."

Afraid of falling, Chu Ruofu reached out and hugged his neck.

The next second, Shen Wuyang carried her on his back and started running. Their feet pounded on the ancient town's paving stones, and the two of them felt as if they were running from the old era into a bright future.

Ahhh, this scene is so moving, I have to draw it.

[Live update: Lu Xubai has found Qiao Yimo, and they've teamed up. They're running towards their destination.]

Gu Junsheng found Xia Yuqing, and the two became partners.

[Fu Mei was found first, and the male guests are finding partners much faster, which means they're open to pairing up with anyone.]

Finally, Li Yichen found Song Yi and carried her on his back to their destination.

The game mission was set up in the main live broadcast room by the program team. A drone took off and four dots moved towards the destination from different directions.

The audience's eyes were fixed on the only entrance.

A young man dressed in Tang suits was seen carrying Chu Ruofu on his back, running towards their destination. The two were the first to arrive at the mission location.

The program team broadcasted in real time: "Shen Wuyang and Chu Ruofu are the first to arrive at their destination."

Shen Wuyang put Chu Ruofu down. His cheeks were flushed, and his dark eyes were shining. Anyone could tell that he was very happy.

In the earlier episodes, he didn't have many opportunities to partner with Chu Ruofu, and could only watch helplessly as she teamed up with other male guests, played games together, and had intimate contact.

This time he finally had the chance to get close to her, and he was filled with excitement and exhilaration.

Chu Ruofu noticed the fine sweat on his forehead, reached out and took off the silk handkerchief tied in front of her, and handed it to him: "Wipe your sweat."

Shen Wuyang took the silk scarf, smelled a faint fragrance, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he used the scarf to wipe the sweat from his forehead, looking satisfied.

This scene was witnessed by the male guests who rushed over from not far away.

Lu Xubai walked to his destination in a few steps, suddenly put Qiao Yimo down, and stared straight at Shen Wuyang, his coldness almost piercing through him.

Shen Wuyang approached Chu Ruofu and whispered, "Fufu, I've dirtied your silk scarf."

Chu Ruofu glanced at the silk handkerchief stained with his sweat and said, "Take it first, and return it to me after you wash it clean."

Upon arriving at their destination, Gu Junsheng walked up to her, took a white silk handkerchief from his suit pocket, and handed it to her: "If it gets dirty, don't take it. Here, take mine."

Chu Ruofu accepted Gu Junsheng's silk scarf. Seeing Shen Wuyang's embarrassed look, she said, "This is a prop from the program, not my silk scarf. You can just wash it and return it."

Shen Wuyang lowered his eyes and said, "Fufu, I will wash it clean."

Li Yichen and Song Yi arrived just in time to complete the game task.

The show's director looked at the guests and said, "Please send one representative from each of the paired guests to come forward and receive the silver coins."

The guests were all surprised by these words.

Xia Yuqing asked, "Director, are you giving me real silver dollars or fake silver dollars?"

Chu Ruofu's gaze fell on the silver coins prepared by the staff. The production team had actually prepared silver dollars to immerse the guests in the recording of the program.

The silver dollar was a hard currency during the Republic of China era and could be used to buy things. I don't know if the silver dollars shown in the program are real or fake.

The director laughed and said, "Come and see for yourself, and you'll see."

Seeing that Chu Ruofu was very curious, Shen Wuyang said, "Fufu, go and collect your silver coins."

Chu Ruofu glanced at him and walked towards the staff.

The director said, "The silver dollars will be distributed according to the rankings. Chu Ruofu and Shen Wuyang will receive five silver dollars, Lu Xubai and Qiao Yimo will receive three silver dollars, Gu Junsheng and Xia Yuqing will receive two silver dollars, and Li Yichen and Song Yi will receive one silver dollar."

Xia Yuqing took two silver dollars and stared enviously at the silver dollars in Chu Ruofu's hand, saying, "Director, the difference is too big."

The director said, "It was given according to the game rules."

Holding the heavy silver dollar, Chu Ruofu really wanted to bite it with her teeth to see if it was a real silver coin, if it weren't for the live broadcast.

"Guests are free to explore the ancient town and use silver coins to purchase supplies or clue cards."

The guests stared at the director: "A clue card?"

The director said, "Guests need to explore and find treasures in the ancient town with their partners. The task will be completed by 5 p.m. Good luck, everyone, and try to find as many keys as possible."

When the guests asked what the key was for, the director remained mysterious, only saying that it would be useful in the next game segment.

Shen Wuyang stood beside Chu Ruofu and said, "Fufu, let's go."

Before Chu Ruofu could answer, Gu Junsheng walked over.

"Let's go find the key together."