When Fu Jinxiao finished speaking, there was a brief moment of silence in the entire scene.
The other guests who heard clearly were stunned, the cameraman next to them was stunned, and the crew members were stunned. No one expected Fu Jinxiao to be so brave and daring.
Shen Xingsui, who was standing right opposite Fu Jinxiao, was completely dumbfounded.
"I..." Shen Xingsui's eyes widened, and he stammered, his mind completely blank: "I..."
The live stream audience was stunned by this sudden question, and the screen was filled with question marks.
"?"
"???"
"What?! Is today April Fool's Day?!"
The crew members gradually realized something was wrong. The director, who was not far away, reacted immediately and quickly tried to salvage the situation by asking, "Teacher Shen, Brother Fu asked if you could team up with him again."
Shen Xingsui was stunned for a moment, and her somewhat detached emotions slowly returned.
Because of the interruption by the production team, the other guests slowly realized what was happening, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. After all, this news was too explosive. If Fu Jinxiao's relationship had been made public on their show, then not only the live broadcast room, but even Weibo might have crashed today. Of course, there were also benefits, as the show might have become a huge hit, the kind that becomes popular all over the country.
Fu Jinxiao quietly looked at Shen Xingsui.
When Shen Xingsui met the man's gaze, for some reason, or from some unknown source, she inexplicably felt nervous and her heart raced as Fu Jinxiao looked at her so intently and quietly.
It's like...
He wasn't asking about forming a team at all.
Fearing something might go wrong, the production team specifically said, "According to our winners' rules, you can't refuse."
Shen Xingsui snapped out of his nervousness, smiled gently, and nodded, "I accept."
The atmosphere became lively again.
Shen Xingchen muttered from the side, "Looks like you're going to win again by doing nothing?"
The production team said, "Although this team invitation is not against the rules, we can only use this team opportunity in the next mission. The teams will have to be rearranged afterward."
If you put it that way, others will understand.
The viewers in the live stream were also discussing it after listening:
"Haha, why does it seem like Sui Sui isn't too willing?"
"So, my brother Fu has finally met his end?"
“I remember that before, it was always others who took the initiative to ask him to team up.”
"Haha, you've finally met your match, Teacher Fu."
Fu Jinxiao's favoritism towards Shen Xingsui was blatant. He was never a man who hid things, just like himself. Although he was cunning and treacherous, he was never ambiguous about important matters.
Soon, having passed this test, the guests were able to enter the village.
It was winter, but the temperature here wasn't particularly cold. Upon entering, we saw the villagers, whose clothing was mainly blue and white, clearly reflecting the characteristics of ethnic minorities. Some of the young girls wore unique ornaments and had their hair braided into pretty pigtails. They walked with light steps and occasionally glanced in our direction with curiosity.
The director said, "Everyone has worked hard. Our Fei people are very hospitable. They have prepared a welcome song and dance for everyone. Please come to the square in front and sit down to watch."
As the group walked inside, they indeed saw many people dressed in ethnic costumes standing in the square not far away.
This was the first time everyone had seen ethnic minorities dance. There were quite a few people in the square. The men wore gongs and drums around their waists, and the girls wore waist rings with silver bells and colorful gauze ribbons, which were very beautiful.
The director said, "Please sit in pairs on the chairs in front. Please form pairs according to the order in which you entered."
Shen Xingsui naturally sat with Fu Jinxiao.
Shen Xingchen said, "Why do we have to team up again?"
Shen Xingsui looked at the chair with the program's logo and felt a sense of apprehension: "Usually, if you're going to form a team, it means there's a task involved, and it won't be as simple as just watching a song and dance performance."
Fu Jinxiao opened her mouth: "When the ball starts in a while, pay attention to counting the number of people, including the number of props, and remember the dance moves."
A single, simple sentence contains all the key points for the exam.
It's like a well-meaning top student leaking the exam questions before the exam even starts.
Shen Xingsui and Shen Xingchen both looked at Fu Jinxiao with gratitude and admiration, after all, how many times must they have been tricked by the unscrupulous production team to come up with this outline?
The director called out from a short distance away: "Alright, everyone to your positions, please enjoy the Fei ethnic dance!"
As the music began, the hospitable Fei people took the stage. They seemed to be born with a talent for singing and dancing. The men's dance movements were bold and graceful, while the women's figures were exquisite. When the songs and dances started, the loud drumbeats and the graceful women's gauze skirts complemented each other perfectly, dazzling the audience and making them unconsciously lose themselves in the moment.
As the dance was about to end, the villagers who were performing approached and interacted with the guests.
A man approached and pulled Shen Xingsui around in a circle. His interactive enthusiasm even made Shen Xingsui pat the drum. Two girls shyly placed ribbons on Fu Jinxiao and danced around the man before leaving. Their dance was enthusiastic and generous, with a strong exotic flavor, yet it was also simple and honest.
After the song and dance performance ended, everyone applauded.
The director said, "Okay, everyone, what do you think of our Fei ethnic group's performance?"
Everyone shouted in unison, "Excellent!"
The director then asked, "Is this dance beautiful, lovely, and moving?"
The crowd, still oblivious to the director's sinister intentions, continued to applaud and exclaim, "It's incredibly beautiful, incredibly moving!"
The director nodded and then smiled meaningfully, saying, "Since you think it's good, then we should learn it. Today's task is to learn this dance and the group that can perform it completely before sunset will be the winner. They will be rewarded with a lavish meal, including beautiful accommodations provided by our Fei people. The losing group will not be provided with food and will have to squeeze into tents for accommodation."
"..."
There was a moment of silence at the scene.
Almost simultaneously, the smiles that had just graced the faces of all the guests slowly cracked, gradually replaced by masks of pain.
The viewers in the live stream burst into laughter:
"The starlight is still the same starlight, it's still as beautiful as bamboo shoots."
"That dance looks simple, but it's actually very difficult."
"Brother Fu is so good, he explained the moves before the performance."
"The biggest flaw in this show is Fu Jinxiao."
"Hahahaha, but it's really funny. This variety show is so clever."
An Ran stepped forward and said, "Director, it's true that this dance is very beautiful and entertaining, but it's really impossible to memorize it after just one take."
This time, no one refuted that statement.
Tuya reached out and said, "Since you said you'd learn it tonight, does that mean we have time to rehearse and study?"
Fortunately, the production team wasn't completely insane.
The director replied, "Of course, we also took into account everyone's intelligence. So all the dancers who performed just now can teach you. As long as you find them and get their approval and consent, you can learn from them."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Honestly, learning dance and vocal music is not difficult for most people.
Every single person standing here, without exception, has been a trainee, excelling in both singing and dancing. Each of them has some basic skills to their name, and if someone teaches them, they will have no problem learning.
Shen Xingchen was the one laughing the loudest, turning around and saying, "This is so great! Brothers and sisters, please teach me..."
His words came abruptly.
The others turned around and saw only an empty stage behind them; the performers were nowhere to be seen.
Shen Xingchen's eyes widened, and she stammered, "Where...where is he?!"
The director smiled and replied, "They've already left. You've just seen the performance, so you should remember what they look like. Today, you need to find them in the village and invite them to become your teachers. You'll then learn singing and dancing after overcoming many challenges."
"..."
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Shen Xingchen slapped her forehead: "Oh no, after the interruption of the director's rules announcement, I can't quite remember."
Teacher Tuya, who was unfortunately paired with him, said, "I do remember two of them, but I can't quite recall most of the faces. The main thing is that the song and dance was really good, so I got excited and..."
I didn't pay much attention to my face.
And everyone had planned everything meticulously, even considering memorizing the movements, but who knew they'd have to memorize the face?!
Shen Xingsui was both amused and exasperated. He glanced at Fu Jinxiao and said gently, "I have a good memory and should remember most of the people's faces, but I was also distracted by remembering their actions and the number of people, so I can probably only recognize a small portion of them. However, if I could meet them, I should be able to recognize more."
Fu Jinxiao lowered his head: "They might change their clothes."
These words left Shen Xingsui speechless and deep in thought.
Yes, how could he have completely overlooked this point? His memory is based on his clothing. If he changed his clothes or hairstyle, then this would be a big problem.
Fu Jinxiao curled her lips and said slowly, "Find the solution first, and deal with each move as it comes."
Shen Xingsui snapped out of her daze and nodded heavily: "Yes!"
For some reason, no matter how difficult or challenging the situation, as long as she could discuss it with Fu Jinxiao, everything would feel much easier. Even knowing that things might not go smoothly, Shen Xingsui felt a sense of security whenever he was by her side, believing that the problem could definitely be solved. Perhaps this was the charm of this man; he was so powerful that he seemed fearless, which influenced those around him.
...
Several groups set off.
This village doesn't look big from the foot of the mountain, but it's actually very large. The roads are rugged and complicated, and you can easily get lost while walking around.
Shen Xingchen and Teacher Tuya traveled with them. The journey was like a spy war. They found everyone they saw suspicious, especially the silly Shen Xingchen, who seemed to have face blindness. Whenever she saw someone who was about the same age as her, she would approach them and ask, "Excuse me, can you dance?"
The passerby shook his head.
Shen Xingchen was not discouraged and continued to grab anyone she could find and ask, "Hey, hello, can you dance?"
The man who was caught said, "I can't dance. I'm going to the fields to farm."
Shen Xingchen said somewhat awkwardly, "Oh, I'm sorry to have bothered you."
Later, she met another girl who looked very young. When she saw Shen Xingchen, she smiled shyly and said, "I'm your fan, and I can dance."
Shen Xingchen laughed: "Then can you teach me?"
The girl nodded: "But you have to take a picture with me."
Shen Xingchen immediately agreed, and the girl took out her phone from her pocket to take a photo together. After the two finished taking the photo, the girl said, "I can dance a traditional Chinese dance."
Shen Xingchen was taken aback and said, "That won't do. What I want to learn is the dance of your Fei ethnic group, the dance that is performed in the square."
The girl understood and replied, "That? Not everyone can do that. Only those of us who have specifically studied it here can."
Shen Xingchen was dumbfounded.
The viewers in the live stream were amused:
"We lost money."
"I paid for a group photo, Chenbao."
"That's hilarious."
Shen Xingchen looked dejected and waved her hand, saying, "Alright then, you can go now. Sorry to bother you."
However, just when everyone was somewhat disappointed and felt that the task was very difficult, the girl said again, "But my sister can do it."
Shen Xingchen's spirits lifted again!
The girl took a step forward and said, "You can take your time looking. I'll be going now."
How could Shen Xingchen let her leave? She immediately went up to her and said, "Miss, please don't go! Can you take me to find your sister? I can take two more photos with you, three photos are fine!"
The girl hesitated for a moment: "Does it have an autograph?"
Shen Xingchen answered without hesitation: "Yes!"
Seeing that the little girl had agreed, Teacher Tuya remarked, "Then, can Sui Sui and Teacher Fu come and study together?"
The production team immediately replied, "No, a group can only learn from one person."
There's nothing we can do about that.
Shen Xingsui said, "It's okay, you guys go ahead, we'll look for it ourselves."
In order to complete the mission as soon as possible, Tuya and Shen Xingchen did not refuse. As soon as they got the clue, they went there immediately, leaving Shen Xingsui and Fu Jinxiao behind.
Shen Xingsui also felt a bit of a crisis. He said, "There was an older brother dancing with me back then. He was quite handsome. I remember him fairly clearly. I heard the gentleman from earlier say that they all have to work in the fields during the day. Why don't we go and take a look over there? Maybe we can find something there."
Fu Jinxiao responded with a faint "yes".
Then, whether half-jokingly or not, Fu Jinxiao glanced at Shen Xingsui and said slowly, "What, you like that kind?"
Shen Xingsui was taken aback.
It took him a while to realize what Fu Jinxiao had said. He glanced at the person beside him with a hint of embarrassment and annoyance: "You're joking with me again!"
It was already noon. The sun was slowly rising, and the warm sunlight fell on people's shoulders. Sparrows landed on the eaves and chirped softly. The young man walking on the stone path had a soft voice and a faint blush on his face. They walked side by side and talked quietly.
Fu Jinxiao raised an eyebrow and smiled, saying, "It sounds like I've made quite a few jokes with you."
Shen Xingsui walked slowly, muttering, "Isn't that right? You scared me this morning."
As the two were talking, a person suddenly appeared not far away. Her clothes had been changed, but her headdress was the same, so it could be confirmed that she was one of the girls performing the song and dance today!
Shen Xingsui's eyes lit up, and she pointed at the person, saying, "It's her! Let's hurry and chase after her."
Fu Jinxiao grabbed his wrist, and Shen Xingsui turned around in surprise. The two of them were suddenly quite close. He met the man's dark and deep gaze, which seemed to carry some other, extra emotions. The sunlight fell on the two of them, which was a little dazzling. For a moment, Shen Xingsui squinted and was in a daze.
Fu Jinxiao made him stand beside her and looked down at him.
This man seemed to be unrestrained by rules and undefined by winning or losing. Under the sunlight, he leaned down, bent close to Shen Xingsui's ear, and said in a low and hoarse voice, "That's not a joke."
Shen Xingsui was taken aback.
He froze completely.
Fu Jinxiao said that he wasn't joking about the question, and he even reiterated it again.
The man's voice continued to reach her ears. He turned his head, his handsome face with a hint of aggression. His eyes, in the sunlight, were not pure black, but rather had a faint blue tint, giving them a gentle yet sharp quality. He whispered to himself, "I'm serious."
Everything in the world seemed to fall silent for a moment.
Shen Xingsui stared wide-eyed at the man in disbelief, his heart pounding erratically, so nervous that he barely breathed.
Fu Jinxiao straightened up, then instantly regained his seriousness, as if he had finally realized that they were filming a TV show: "Alright, let's go watch it now."
Shen Xingsui stammered, "Chase, chase who?"
"Chasing you?" Fu Jinxiao's eyes held a faint, teasing smile, and his deep, elegant voice said calmly, "Then we won't learn dance anymore."
Shen Xingsui then realized that she still needed to learn dance from someone!
His face flushed red, and he turned around in a panic to chase after the person. He almost fell after taking two steps, but luckily Fu Jinxiao pulled him up from behind so that he wouldn't have a close encounter with the ground.
The viewers in the live stream were also anxious when they saw this:
"I hate it! What did Teacher Fu just say?!"
"Why don't these two people have separate microphones for recording?"
"The cameraman was docked his chicken leg."
"Waaaaah, I really want to travel inside and listen to it."
"To be honest, I was there. I was the sparrow on the wall. He must have said 'I love you'."
"Hahahaha..."
Fortunately, although there were some minor mishaps along the way, the final result was good. They caught up with the girl together, and the girl admitted that she could indeed dance in the square. However, she said that there were conditions for her to learn. She said, "I have something with Uncle Wang in the fields at the edge of the village. I hope you can help me get it back, and then I will agree to teach you."
Without hesitation, Shen Xingsui replied, "Okay, sure."
The girl said, "Only one person can go. The other person has to stay and help me with the work. I'll only give you fifteen minutes. If you don't come back by then, the person who stays behind will have to work for me for free for the whole day."
Shen Xingsui was taken aback: "I see."
The little girl nodded: "You go, he stays."
Since the assignments had been made this way, Shen Xingsui had no choice but to follow suit. After the little girl started the timer, he took off running.
Unexpectedly, he wasn't the only one running through the village at the same time. He also encountered Shen Xingchen and Ning Ze along the way. They had all received their missions and were running as fast as they could.
Shen Xingsui quickly arrived at Uncle Wang's place at the village entrance. After explaining his purpose, he was eager to get the things, but Uncle Wang said, "You have to help me chop all this firewood before I can give you the things."
Shen Xingsui: "Huh?!"
There was at least a pile of firewood inside.
Uncle Wang waved his hand and said, "If it doesn't work, then forget it."
"Okay, okay, I can do it!" Shen Xingsui dared not refuse, after all, his teammates were being held captive. He quickly took the axe: "I'll chop right away."
It was winter, and chopping firewood was indeed hard work. He was in a hurry and started chopping as soon as he picked up the firewood. There happened to be a splinter on a piece of wood, and he got pricked. Blood immediately dripped from his palm, and he groaned in pain.
Uncle Wang said, "Let me pick one out for you?"
Shen Xingsui shook her hand, not daring to stop: "It's nothing, thank you, but I'm in a hurry."
His hands seemed to be trembling from the pain as he chopped wood, but he didn't stop. After finishing chopping wood within the allotted time, he grabbed his things and ran back as fast as he could. In the dead of winter, sweat streamed down his face, and he didn't dare to stop for a moment.
The viewers in the live stream were stunned:
“I always thought this child looked very thin and quiet, which really scared me.”
"Isn't that pushing yourself too hard?"
"This show is really daring."
"They have such a strong desire to win."
"He's not just trying to win; he just doesn't want to hold the team back."
"Because Teacher Fu is waiting for him."
…
When Shen Xingsui jogged back to the courtyard, exactly 15 minutes had passed. The little girl was startled to see her. After taking the things, she announced, "Okay, you've passed the test. I'll teach you how to dance today."
Shen Xingsui bowed, panting as she said, "Thank you."
Fu Jinxiao, who was fetching water not far away, returned from outside. He paused for a moment when he saw the person who was sweating profusely and so tired that he couldn't straighten up. He walked over and said, "What are you doing? Why are you in such a hurry?"
Shen Xingsui muttered, "Chopping wood. Uncle said he would only give me the things after I finished chopping the wood."
Fu Jinxiao took out a dry towel to wipe his face, and looked at the exhausted man with a helpless and heartbroken sigh, "How could you be so stupid? I just met other people, and no one actually finished the task within 15 minutes. They just said nice things and gave you the task items without caring too much. But you actually chopped all the wood. How stupid of you."
Shen Xingsui paused, then slowly wiped his face with a handkerchief. His voice was soft, tinged with a hint of grievance, almost inaudible: "But I'm not good at saying nice things... I'm just afraid that if I don't complete the task, you'll have to do the work..."
But
I'm not good at saying nice things.
In that instant, Fu Jinxiao froze. He lifted his eyelids, his gaze darkening, becoming as deep as a still pool.
Yes, Shen Xingsui has always been a somewhat naive child. He doesn't have eloquent speech, nor can he fake his emotions. In a world where everyone is thinking about taking shortcuts and no one is willing to settle down and treat others with sincerity, he has always held a sincere heart and clumsily confronted the world head-on.
Fu Jinxiao's expression softened considerably, and he said in a gentle tone that he himself didn't even realize was gentle: "It's okay, you did very well."
Shen Xingsui looked up, her bright eyes revealing a smile: "Really?"
"Mm." Fu Jinxiao smiled and reached out to ruffle Shen Xingsui's hair, not minding that it was dirty at all: "So we will win."
so
I won't let you lose.
...
midday
The guests, who had been hungry all morning, hadn't eaten yet.
The outrageous production team extended an invitation: "As long as you complete the mini-games we set up, you can win a dish for every win. The more you win, the more you get. How about it?"
The guests were a little hesitant, but they were too hungry, and most of them agreed.
Shen Xingsui asked Fu Jinxiao, "Should we participate?"
Fu Jinxiao wasn't interested: "I took a walk around the village today and found a restaurant, so I don't have to participate."
Shen Xingsui nodded, seemingly lost in thought.
To everyone's surprise, the director added, "The team that loses the game will also be punished. You all have to eat a chocolate bar together until you finish it before you can continue the game."
Shen Xingchen exclaimed in surprise, "Are you really going this far, Director?"
Isn't this a bit like the indirect kissing thing we used to play?
Others covered their mouths and laughed:
"Oh my god."
"Making a living here isn't easy."
"Maybe they're already full from eating chocolate bars."
The director then asked, "Is this the last time? Are there any groups that won't participate?"
Just as Shen Xingsui was trying to remember where the small restaurant was, Fu Jinxiao suddenly spoke up: "Let's participate."
? ?
Shen Xingsui looked at him in shock and asked, "Didn't you just say you knew the location of a restaurant?"
"Really?" Fu Jinxiao said seriously, completely forgetting how rebellious she was, and said in a low voice, "Since we've participated in the show, we have to cooperate with the game rules set by the production team. The director has already told us to participate in the games, so we have to follow the rules, understand?"
Shen Xingsui: "...Okay."
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