Chapter 143 Spin-off Program (Final) Part 1
"Wow! This plan is amazing!"
Wei Liangchen used his handsome face to grin, revealing eight teeth and raising his signature fake smile. The corners of his eyes curved into crescent shapes, and he clapped his hands in a serious manner, giving the camera an exaggerated thumbs-up. It was really hard not to see that he was being sarcastic.
Seeing this, several contestants who were good at livening up the atmosphere forced themselves to move their lips and utter a few dry words of agreement:
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha--it's really good!"
The dark cloud that had originally shrouded everyone's heart had not yet dissipated. After all, no one expected to be suddenly thrown into this desolate wilderness.
But the awkward laughter of these atmosphere group members was too deliberate. The deliberately drawn-out tone coupled with the expression of despair actually tickled everyone's funny bone.
Like dominoes being pushed down, someone couldn't help but laugh, and then the laughter spread among the crowd like a contagion.
Even Xie Qingyu couldn't help but hold his forehead and laugh. He himself couldn't explain why he laughed out loud.
After the laughter gradually subsided, everyone had time to look around.
This open space had obviously been carefully "groomed" by the production crew - there was still freshly cut grass stubble on the ground, as if it had just been roughly shaved bald.
The wild grass around grew unrestrainedly, more than two people tall, and the dense grass wall turned this place into an isolated island.
Occasionally, when the wind blows, the grass waves rustle, adding a bit of desolation.
What is even more despairing is that their stomachs have been empty since they were dragged into the car early in the morning.
The staff of the program team also left with the car, and it seemed that they had no intention of providing food.
Leo dragged out a long tone and said in a low voice: "Brother~ I'm hungry~" The boy's clear voice wilted into a wavy line.
His stomach had been complaining since the car ride, and that inexplicable burst of laughter had drained away his last bit of energy. A teenager of his age is in his prime for eating; normally at the training grounds, he would have devoured several of his favorite shrimp dumplings by this time.
At this moment, he felt as if all his bones had been pulled out, and he was about to fall down, but was hugged by Xie Qingyu.
After his reminder, the stomachs and intestines of the others received the signal and woke up belatedly.
He immediately reacted by covering his stomach, yelling nonsense, and even exaggeratedly gasping for airs with hunger. Although it had a certain variety show effect, he was really hungry now.
Amidst the wailing sounds, someone's stomach suddenly made a loud "gurgle", which made everyone laugh bitterly again.
"Camera teacher... probably hasn't had breakfast yet?"
Gu Zheng suddenly spoke, his eyes turning towards the cameramen who were filming.
The production team can ignore them, but they have to take care of their own staff, right? Maybe... I can get some free food?
As soon as he said this, the other contestants turned their heads in unison. Some of them, whose eyes were glowing with hunger, turned around and stared at the cameraman with burning eyes.
The big brothers were frightened by the look and subconsciously took a few steps back, and the camera shook along with them.
Xie Qingyu raised his eyebrows and exchanged a tacit look with Gu Qiong - this child has been smart since he was young.
Of course, he had thought of it himself, but Gu Yan said it first. Tsk, he is indeed the old fox Gu.
"We... brought some bread..."
One of the cameramen couldn't stand the death stares of this group of "hungry men", so he quickly and quietly explained as a representative that his voice would be edited out later, leaving only subtitles.
However, just as he finished speaking, the scene before him made his mouth twitch violently -
The contestants instantly switched to weak and pitiful mode, looking at him eagerly with wet eyes, like a group of abandoned stray cats.
Among them, Ding Zai was even more possessed by the spirit of drama. He staggered forward two steps while holding his stomach, and finally "weakly" fell down in front of the cameraman, grabbed the corner of his clothes, and stretched out his hand tremblingly -
"Give...give me some..."
Cameraman: “…”
What kind of on-site fraud is this???
He took a few steps back suddenly and almost broke his waist because of this exaggerated acting.
No, you guys, where is your idol image? Where is your personality?
"There's really not much! We only have enough for ourselves!" He emphasized quickly, fearing that this group of people would just grab it.
Even if I have extra, I can't give it to you! If I give it to you, wouldn't today's show become "Eating Bread in the Wilderness"?
In fact, Gu Qie had anticipated that there was little hope before he opened his mouth, but based on the principle of not asking until it was unnecessary, he still brought it up tentatively.
After all, in such a desperate situation, any possibility is worth trying. Asking a question won't hurt you anyway.
Seeing the cameraman's firm attitude, everyone had no choice but to give up.
Ding, who was "dying" just now, jumped up with a somersault, patted his butt and returned to the team with a neat movement, without even bringing his head back. The speed at which his expression changed was so fast that the cameraman couldn't help but be amazed.
With such acting skills, it would be a loss to the entertainment industry if he doesn’t continue to act!
Since the "begging" plan failed, everyone had no choice but to start looking for clues honestly.
At this moment, Dai Weiran suddenly shouted in front of a dense bush: "Come and see!"
Hearing the sound, everyone gathered around and saw an extremely hidden landmark sign pointing to the depths of the dense grass.
Twenty pairs of eyes stared at the sign, and the air suddenly became quiet.
Is this program crew serious?
Ask them to carve out a path with their bare hands?
Not to mention that there are no tools, it looks like there are a lot of "spicy strips" inside, which makes people's scalp tingle just thinking about it.
Who dares to go in and confront them directly? It’s amazing that they could come up with such an idea!!!
With almost no communication required, the twenty people turned around at the same time and retreated in unison in the direction they came from, preparing to return home.
Isn’t that flat bus route nice?
As the saying goes: Nothing is difficult in the world as long as you are willing to give up!
Anyway, the program team didn't assign any specific tasks, so everyone can just play freely.
Wei Liangchen, who was walking in the front, even hummed a tune, interpreting the "passive slowdown" with full confidence and righteousness.
But this carefree attitude did not last long.
The production crew had obviously planned their escape route long ago - this damn place is really remote!
When we came here, the curtains on the bus were closed and the ride was smooth, so no one noticed that we were being taken into the deep mountains and forests.
If the drop-off point is an isolated island surrounded by weeds, then walking out is like being in a wilderness survival scene.
Looking around, the rolling hills are scattered at different heights, appearing and disappearing in the morning mist.
The morning sun had just emerged from the clouds, and the golden sunlight penetrated the mist, making the morning dew on the grass leaves crystal clear.
The mountain air is intoxicatingly fresh, making it a perfect place for a morning jog.
Unfortunately, the people who were enjoying this beautiful scenery at the moment were a group of starving teenagers.
"I'm hungry~~~~~~" The repeated wailing scared away the sparrows that were watching the fun on the branches.
Compared with the heroic posture when they turned around just now, the team is now in disarray.
A few contestants with very good digestive systems picked up long wooden sticks from somewhere and used them as crutches. They moved forward staggeringly with every step, like refugees fleeing famine.
Leo, who was walking at the end, weakly tugged at the corner of Xie Qingyu's clothes, muttering "shrimp dumplings, steamed buns, and xiaolongbao" to himself. It seemed that the child was hallucinating from hunger.
Xie Qingyu raised his hand and pressed his brow, feeling that the program crew's move was too cruel.
We are now in a dilemma. It is simply a fantasy to think that we can walk back to the base on empty stomach.
There were only two choices before them: either return the same way and face the 'grass of death'.
Or you can just keep going all the way and try your luck to see if you can run into a kind family in these desolate mountains and hills to take you in and wait until the program crew comes to pick you up in the evening.
But now that we have walked so far, it is still unclear whether we will have the energy to go back and open up new land.
Xie Qingyu looked up at the winding mountain road. The trees on both sides were becoming more and more dense, and the intertwined branches almost blocked out the sky.
Want to meet someone in a place like this?
The probability of this happening is probably even lower than if all of them passed the test of the program team. Even if they really did encounter it, who would have enough food in their home to feed twenty young men in their growth spurts?
Just as he was thinking, he suddenly felt something light behind him. Leo, who was originally pulling at the corner of his clothes, was so hungry that he couldn't even lift his hands.
Without even turning his head, Xie Qingyu grabbed the puppy's wrist with his backhand and said, "Hold on a little longer, maybe there's something ahead..."
The words were on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't continue. After all, even he himself didn't believe that there would be any turning point in this damn place.
Gu Zheng, who was walking in the middle of the group, suddenly stopped and squinted his eyes to look into the distance: "Wait, is that...smoke from cooking?"
Gu Qi leaned forward slightly and tried hard to focus his vision. Although his myopia was not severe, he could not see clearly at this distance.
Is that faint white wisp of light in the morning mist the mountain fog or the life-saving smoke?
"Who among you has good eyesight and can help confirm this?" As soon as he finished speaking, the people who were originally drooping their heads suddenly became energized and looked up in unison.
"Where is it??!" Someone was so excited that his voice choked.
"There! I saw it!!!" Leo suddenly jumped up, and the whole person seemed to have a last burst of energy, pointing at the distance and jumping excitedly.
Xie Qingyu was almost thrown away from the hand that she was holding, so she had to increase her strength to hold him down.
Following the direction of Leo's finger, several sharp-eyed players also discovered the target one after another.
In the mist-shrouded mountain forest, there was indeed a thin wisp of white smoke rising.
This discovery instantly made the team excited, and the atmosphere became much more relaxed.
Now, I have time to joke around.
"It's good to be young. You have an amazing eye~" someone deliberately dragged out a long tone to tease, which earned Leo a smug grimace.
With a goal in mind, the team moved significantly faster. However, as the saying goes, "If you run too fast, your horse will die." By the time they finally reached their destination, they had already trudged for nearly an hour.
When everyone stopped panting, they saw a rather dramatic scene: a mottled wooden plaque hung crookedly on the door, with the faded characters "Happy Nursing Home" vaguely visible on it.
However, the three words "nursing home" were roughly crossed out with red paint, and the two words "family" were crookedly added next to it. At first glance, it looked like some kind of weird graffiti art.
"Um... I suddenly don't feel very hungry..." A contestant swallowed, his voice trembling, "How about we just go?"
This remark resonated instantly.
Who would build a nursing home in the middle of nowhere? This setting feels like something straight out of a horror movie.
Not to mention the name change operation that was intended to cover up the truth, which seems weird no matter how you look at it.
A few of the timid ones had already imagined a series of classic horror movie scenes and unconsciously took a few steps back.
But there are not many brave contestants this time, so the ones standing in the front stand out particularly.
The brave will die of overeating, and the timid will die of starvation!
Xie Qingyu shook his head helplessly and was about to step forward when he was stopped by Bai Lang.
He walked up to the mottled wooden door and knocked lightly three times with his knuckles.
“Knock, knock, knock—”
The knocks quickly faded into the morning mist, and there was no response from within the courtyard. Bai Lang knocked twice more, this time with increased force, and the wooden door clunked.
Finally, a hoarse female voice came from inside: "Here it comes!"
The reply with a strong rural accent sounded like that of an elderly lady.
Bai Lang immediately retreated to the front of the team, and twenty pairs of eyes stared at the creaking wooden door.
With a "click," the sound of the bolt being pulled open was particularly clear, and the old wooden door slowly opened a crack...
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