Chapter 18
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Chapter 18: Title
A smile appeared at the corner of Song Yutian’s mouth. "Actually, I think your initial idea was quite good."
Gong Yu didn’t understand. "What do you mean?"
"Using good looks as a selling point," Song Yutian said with certainty. "Just like I mentioned earlier, this tourist spot has many young girls, and having handsome young men around will definitely be effective."
Before Gong Yu could respond, Wei Yao burst out laughing beside him.
"Yutian makes a good point," Wei Yao said, a thoughtful look on his face. "Gong Yu, you’re such a kind person; you surely don’t mind a bit of hard work, do you?"
Gong Yu had no argument—after all, this was exactly what he had just said and done.
"Okay, I’ll help pull the cart," Gong Yu said, trying to appear willing, though his voice trembled slightly at the end.
"By the way, I still prefer how you look in a suit—it’s more handsome," Wei Yao added, mimicking Gong Yu’s earlier comments about his outfit.
Gong Yu pressed his lips together, unable to say a word. It seemed he had accepted his fate.
Time quickly passed, and by four in the afternoon, there was less than an hour left of the six-hour competition.
The top right corner of the live stream displayed each team’s real-time earnings, and the rankings had mostly stabilized.
As expected, the team in first place was Song Yutian and Gu Feng. Their advertising revenue far exceeded what could be earned from pulling a rickshaw, securing them a strong lead.
In second place were Zhong Yueli and Shen Xi. Their strategy was to sell rickshaw tickets bundled with a dinner package for two at a local restaurant. The package price was very reasonable— even if customers didn’t take the ride, just the meal alone was ten yuan cheaper than the price on group-buying apps.
Although ten yuan wasn’t much, for many people, even small savings were worth it.
With both the rickshaw package and the restaurant’s group-buying price clearly listed, many tourists caught onto this "loophole," and more and more people bought tickets from them.
Even as the competition neared its end, Shen Xi, who was in charge of attracting customers, kept insisting they were about to close for the day and had no time for more riders, yet some tourists still insisted on buying tickets—even if they didn’t use them.
After all, if someone was already planning to dine at that restaurant, buying the package still saved them ten yuan.
As a result, Zhong Yueli and Shen Xi sold more package tickets than the actual number of customers they transported, securing their spot in second place.
To create suspense, in the final two hours of the competition, the production team masked the rankings and earnings of all teams.
Before this, the team in third place had been Qin Yuanzhuo and Su Moying.
Su Moying and Qin Yuanzhuo’s strategy was proposed by Qin Yuanzhuo. Whenever a tourist rode in their rickshaw, Su Moying would perform a short singing and dancing routine for about half a minute, allowing tourists to take pictures and interact with her.
Originally, Qin Yuanzhuo had suggested that Su Moying perform a full song, but after her insistence, they settled on the shorter version.
At first, the strategy didn’t work well. Tourists preferred to watch rather than pay extra for a brief performance and a photo.
However, their earnings gradually improved. After all, Su Moying’s recent show had only just ended, and her popularity was at its peak. Once word spread that she was performing, many fans arrived to see her, and a few girls who admired Qin Yuanzhuo also came to show their support.
Their earnings steadily climbed, securing them third place.
[Yuanzhuo and Moying, keep it up! Stay in third! Aim for second!]
[Can someone keep track of how much they’ve earned?]
[Brother Yuanzhuo, keep going! Any fans here? Go show your support!]
The second-place team, Shen Xi and Zhong Yueli, had earned just over three thousand yuan. If you carefully tracked Su Moying and Qin Yuanzhuo’s earnings through the stream, their total was already approaching three thousand.
The two had lunch at a roadside chain fast-food restaurant, but viewers of the live stream didn’t know how much they spent on lunch, plus there were small expenses for buying water, making it impossible for viewers to calculate the exact amount.
When they discovered that second place wasn’t far ahead, many fans in this group cheered for them to secure third place and push for second. Some even encouraged on-site fans to spend money to support them.
Tickets for the scenic area had to be purchased at least one day in advance, meaning they needed to be bought before midnight on the day before the visit. The production team also kept the filming location strictly confidential before recording, preventing fans from rushing to the site after watching the live stream. This measure also helped avoid excessive crowds disrupting the competition or public order at the scenic area.
However, on weekends, thousands of tourists visit the scenic area, so there were bound to be a few fans around. When they saw their idol closing in on second place, many flooded the bullet comments with excitement.
Just when there were only thirty minutes left in the show, and everyone assumed the rankings wouldn’t change anymore, an unexpected twist occurred.
A young girl with a ponytail squeezed through the crowd and walked up to Su Moying, saying, "Hello, I’d like to buy ten bicycle rickshaw tickets. Is that okay?"
Su Moying was startled and glanced at her watch before replying, "No, we close in twenty minutes. You won’t have time for ten rides."
The girl replied, "I don’t want to ride. I just want to take a picture with you."
Qin Yuanzhuo, who had been listening nearby, spoke up, "Moying, it seems like she’s your fan. Ten tickets is quite a lot."
Not only Qin Yuanzhuo but also the live stream viewers quickly did the math. The price for a ticket with Su Moying and Qin Yuanzhuo was 188 yuan each, meaning ten tickets would cost over 1,800 yuan—enough to surpass Shen Xi and Zhong Yueli and claim second place.
The girl looked quite young, and her generosity surprised everyone.
However, instead of responding immediately, Su Moying told the girl, "That’s not acceptable. We can take a picture together, but I can’t take your money for ten tickets."
The girl shook her head. "It’s not for me; it’s for a friend. She heard you were filming here but couldn’t make it herself, so she sent me the money to buy ten tickets. She’s starting her senior year in high school this fall and loved your show over the summer. She asked me to make sure to tell you how much she admires you and hopes to receive your blessing."
Qin Yuanzhuo was visibly moved, but knowing he couldn’t decide for Su Moying, he simply said, "Moying, it’s rare to see such a heartfelt gesture from a little sister."
Su Moying shook her head firmly. "It’s really not possible."
On camera, Su Moying always had a sweet and gentle image. For the first time, her fans saw her seriously and sternly refuse someone.
However, she quickly broke into her signature warm smile and said, "But you can give me your phone, and I’ll record a supportive video for her. What’s your friend’s name?"
The girl excitedly took out her phone. "Her name is Li Ruotao."
"Peach." Su Moying took the phone, started recording, and flashed her sweetest smile. "Hi, I’m Moying. I hope you’ll work hard toward your dreams just like I do. I believe that heaven never lets down those who strive. I’m cheering for you!"
At 4:45 PM, the six-hour competition finally came to an end.
Next came the announcement of the rankings.
During the final stretch, each team’s earnings were hidden from the live broadcast. While viewers had some estimates, the final results remained a mystery.
For the contestants who had worked tirelessly all day, the outcome was uncertain.
