Idiom Chain
This garden is quite large, with a wide variety of flowers and plants, and it's been meticulously maintained. Ahead stands a European-style mansion; it seems this is the back garden of some kind of luxury residence.
There are tall trees here, and many beautiful birds fly to and fro in the forest.
To the left is a heated swimming pool with clear, shimmering water; to the right is a beautiful garden planted with orchids, gerberas, bougainvillea, sage, and other flowers, as well as some that Jian Tanxi doesn't recognize.
They stood on a winding road, the surface of which was clean and free of dust.
Jian Tanxi looked around at the people and, besides Meng Yuening, there were actually a few familiar faces.
One of them is Qin Man, and the other is Du Jiaojiao.
Strangely, Du Jiaojiao's boyfriend, Hong Zicheng, was not there.
Qin Man saw Jian Tanxi and was somewhat surprised, but more than that, she was flustered and at a loss.
Jian Tanxi asked, "Sister Qin Man, what's wrong? Where's Xiao Chen?"
Qin Man said worriedly, "Xiao Chen is missing... Ever since the last game ended and I was teleported out, I've found that Xiao Chen isn't with me. I've been looking for him, but I can't find him at all... Several days have passed, and I was teleported here again, but Xiao Chen is still not here... I'm so worried. He has autism and can't be separated from his mother..."
Jian Tanxi was also startled and began to worry.
Given the current dire situation, even normal children are in danger of dying if they are separated from adults, let alone Qu Chen.
That kid Qu Chen probably can't find anything to eat, and he doesn't know that places like cliff edges and watersides are dangerous and shouldn't be approached.
Without Qin Man's care, there's a high chance he'd have an accident.
Qin Man's face was deathly pale. She clenched her fists tightly to keep her calm.
Jian Tanxi could only comfort her, saying, "Sister Qin Man, don't worry. Everyone's bodies have been strengthened now, so one meal can last for ten days. At least Xiao Chen won't starve to death."
Qin Man said, "I know... but he puts a lot of strange things in his mouth... He's eaten tissues, stones, and dirt before... What if he eats something he shouldn't, like broken glass? What if he goes to a dangerous place and doesn't know how to avoid it..."
Jian Tanxi had a sudden inspiration: "I have the ability to read minds, so why don't I try to read Xiao Chen's mind and see what he's thinking? If I can read it, it proves that he must still be alive."
Dead people have no thoughts, so their minds cannot be read.
Qin Man thought it was a good idea, but she didn't dare let Jian Tanxi read her mind.
Because she was afraid that Jian Tanxi wouldn't be able to understand Qu Chen's heart.
Jian Tanxi comforted her, saying, "Okay, then I'll stop mind reading for now. At least there's still hope."
Qin Man nodded: "Yes, thank you..."
Jian Tanxi originally thought that combinations like mother and son or lovers would never be separated.
But it turned out she was wrong. Qin Man and her son were separated, and Du Jiaojiao also broke up with her boyfriend.
Du Jiaojiao ran around everywhere, trying to find her boyfriend, Hong Zicheng. But she couldn't find him.
She wanted to go inside the villa to search, but an invisible barrier kept her away.
It seems that everyone's activities are now limited to the garden.
Du Jiaojiao searched every tree again, even moving many potted plants, trying to find traces of Hong Zicheng.
Meng Yuening couldn't help but say, "Stop looking. There are six people in the game, and they're all here. Your boyfriend isn't here."
Du Jiaojiao still refused to give up: "Impossible, we've never been apart..."
Meng Yuening: "We've searched everywhere we can, but it's not here. You should save your energy and think about how to pass the level later."
However, Du Jiaojiao continued searching through the flowerbed.
Meng Yuening said, "The flowers in the flowerbed are all so short, they can't hide anyone unless he's been dismembered."
Du Jiaojiao retorted angrily, "Shut up! You're just jealous of us! You're so old and still single, so you can't stand seeing us get along so well..."
Meng Yuening gave a cold laugh and said no more.
Previously in the seesaw instance, Meng Yuening disliked Du Jiaojiao. Of course, Du Jiaojiao also disliked her.
Meng Yuening thought she would never see Du Jiaojiao again, but she didn't expect to see her again so soon.
Jian Tanxi's heart sank as she thought that these aliens really knew how to arrange their teammates, always making sure that one or two people she didn't like appeared.
All told, Jian Tanxi has teamed up with Du Jiaojiao twice already, and this is the third time.
With Hong Zicheng absent, I hope Du Jiaojiao won't hold us back.
Du Jiaojiao searched the flowerbed again, but found nothing, so she gave up.
She cried, "What am I going to do... all my props and pills are with my boyfriend..."
Jian Tanxi: "..."
Meng Yuening: "..."
Others: "..."
Taking this opportunity, Jian Tanxi glanced at her teammates beside her.
There were six people in the game, all of them women. She knew Qin Man, Meng Yuening, and Du Jiaojiao, but there were two other women she didn't know.
One of them was a gentle and intellectual young girl, who looked to be in her mid-twenties, about 175 cm tall, wearing a light blue dress. She was tall and slender with a straight figure and a very approachable demeanor.
The other woman looked to be in her forties, of medium build, wearing thick-rimmed black glasses, and had a serious expression, as if she were ready to yell at someone at any moment.
She was wearing a black suit with many outdated prints. This style is usually worn by women in their sixties or seventies, and it didn't suit her age.
Everyone began to introduce themselves.
After Jian Tanxi and the others finished their introductions, it was the turn of the two unfamiliar women.
The young woman in the light blue dress is named Shen Kexin. She graduated with a degree in English and is a senior childcare worker. She not only takes care of children but also teaches them to recognize characters and learn English.
The woman in her forties with a serious expression was named Wang Juanhua, and she was the dean of students at a high school.
Jian Tanxi felt that both of them looked very much like their profession.
Young girl Shen Kexin smiled and asked, "How many times has everyone participated in the games?"
Jian Tanxi said, "I participated four times."
Shen Kexin: "Me too."
Qin Man: "Me too, four times."
Du Jiaojiao: "Four times."
Shen Kexin: "It seems we're all pretty much the same."
Dean of Students Wang Juanhua asked, "Have you all summarized any lessons learned?"
Although it was a very ordinary question, the way Wang Juanhua asked it gave it a powerful sense of pressure.
Everyone seemed to have returned to their student days, answering the teacher's questions.
Jian Tanxi timidly asked, "The experience is... to unite and help each other to pass the level?"
Wang Juanhua nodded: "That's a good summary. Others should learn from Jian Tanxi."
Jian Tanxi: "..."
Others: "..."
Du Jiaojiao: "My experience is that these aliens are really too much. They don't stay on their own planet, but come to our planet to cause trouble. It makes me so angry! All I want to do now is find my boyfriend."
Wang Juanhua: "You've played the game four times already, and you still haven't learned anything. All you can think about is your boyfriend. Your grades must not be very good, right?"
Du Jiaojiao: "..."
Du Jiaojiao: "Are you the boss of this level? If so, I'm forfeiting, and I'll consider myself a failure to pass the level."
Wang Juanhua: "You misunderstood. I'm not the boss. I just want everyone to be in better spirits for the new round of games, to compete with style and skill."
Others: "..."
At that moment, a huge piece of paper appeared in front of everyone.
There was a clown drawn on the paper.
The clown said, "This Teacher Wang is truly embodying the spirit of a head teacher, still rigorously testing the teammates' abilities. In response to Teacher Wang's spirit, this challenge is—an idiom chain game. Participants: Jian Tanxi, Qin Man, Du Jiaojiao, Meng Yuening, Wang Juanhua, Shen Kexin."
Game Rules: I will say a Chinese idiom, and the players will start a word chain game. The characters don't have to be the same, as long as they sound similar or identical. You must complete 100 consecutive idioms to pass the level.
The pause between each idiom must not exceed 3 seconds, and idioms cannot be repeated; otherwise—all will be executed.
Suddenly, a huge hammer appeared in the air, emitting a crackling sound of electricity.
The clown said, "This is the Thunder Hammer. The current it generates will send you flying into the sky, hehehe... Alright, I think playing the idiom chain game shouldn't be too difficult for you. Let's begin."
Jian Tanxi asked, "Wait a minute! Does each player have to take turns, or is there no restriction?"
The clown said, "You're all veteran players, so I won't be too strict. No need to take turns; whoever thinks of something can continue, to avoid wasting time. The person who comes up with the most idioms at the end will get a reward. Let's begin: Do whatever you want."
Everyone was taken aback, because when someone used the character "为" (wéi), they instinctively thought of the idiom "to do whatever one pleases." But the clown had already uttered that phrase.
Jian Tanxi had a sudden inspiration: "To do evil."
Qin Man replied, "Stunned as a statue."
Shen Kexin continued, "Even chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."
Wang Juanhua: "There are heavens beyond heavens."
Others: "..."
Du Jiaojiao continued, "The world has turned upside down."
Jian Tanxi: "Going through fire and blades."
Qin Man: "Following the crowd."
...
Later on, no one else could think of any idioms, or they were afraid of using idioms they had already used and violating the rules.
Therefore, several players were too afraid to accept any more challenges later on.
Although Wang Juanhua is the dean of students, she teaches mathematics, and Shen Kexin is an English major. Therefore, although they are highly educated, they do not have any talent in Chinese language.
Only Jian Tanxi and Qin Man continued the idiom chain game until they had completed 100 idioms.
Jian Tanxi couldn't figure out who had used more idioms; she just felt that the two of them were about the same.
Jian Tanxi was very surprised because Qin Man was able to keep her composure and come up with so many idioms even after her son was lost. Her composure was truly admirable.
At this moment, the clown said, "Congratulations on passing the level! The players who answered the most idioms correctly are Jian Tanxi and Qin Man, therefore I will reward you..."
Before the clown could finish speaking, a furious roar suddenly rang out: "Damn clown, you've ruined my game again!"
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