Chapter 27

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Chapter 27: Title

An Xin soon fell behind due to exhaustion, leaving only Liu Tian, who stubbornly continued chasing the rickshaw with no sign of stopping.

Song Yutian watched Liu Tian and almost laughed. After a brief pause, he said, "Maybe they think that following us will lead to some clues."

Gu Feng said, "However, the rickshaw they pulled yesterday isn’t the same as ours. So even if they follow us, it’ll probably be pointless."

Song Yutian said, "What do you think—if we shouted at them to stop chasing us, would they actually stop?"

Gu Feng fell silent for a moment. "…Probably not."

Perhaps it would only make them more certain that following us would lead to a clue—otherwise, why forbid pursuit?

Song Yutian thought the same. She sighed helplessly. "Each rickshaw ride lasts fifteen minutes. He must be exhausted after running for so long."

Although the rickshaw puller had to pull the cart, which was far more strenuous than just running, these workers did this day after day—their physical endurance far exceeded that of ordinary celebrities who only occasionally filmed shows and programs.

Gu Feng turned to look at Liu Tian again, then couldn’t help but say while turning away, "Moreover, if I remember correctly, the route I took yesterday was a loop. That means we’ll return to the same spot in fifteen minutes."

The two locked eyes.

For the first time since the show started, they glanced at each other before bursting into simultaneous laughter.

[??? Why do I suddenly feel like shipping them?]

[I’ve been meaning to ask—doesn’t everyone think this pair actually has great CP chemistry?]

[I’ve been holding back too—there’s really a special dynamic between these two.]

[What nonsense are you all talking about? Don’t forget Gu Feng personally confirmed in episode 1 that he came for Su Moying.]

[Get a grip! Don’t just ship any man and woman you see together.]

Fifteen minutes later.

The rickshaw gradually slowed and stopped by the roadside.

Liu Tian was gasping for breath, leaning against the wall with his hands on his knees, taking in huge gulps of air.

When he finally caught his breath a little, Liu Tian slowly raised his head only to find the person he had chased so desperately now standing right before him.

"Uh…" Liu Tian’s expression froze for just an instant before he quickly regained his energetic smile. "Sister Yutian, Brother Gu Feng, hello there!"

Though his chest was still heaving and fine beads of sweat clung to his temples, Liu Tian’s smile remained as bright as ever.

Song Yutian took out a tissue and handed it to Liu Tian. "Wipe your sweat first."

"Wow! Thanks! Sister Yutian, you’re the best!" Liu Tian said in an exaggerated tone, taking the tissue to dab at his sweaty face.

"Where’s the other member of your team?" Gu Feng asked from the side.

"Y-You mean Xinxin?" Liu Tian replied, still catching his breath. "She… she said she couldn’t run anymore, so I told her to wait somewhere. I’ll find her later."

After speaking, Liu Tian finally had the energy to scrutinize the two before him—and noticed the intricately carved wooden box in Gu Feng’s hand.

Liu Tian’s eyes lit up instantly. "Whoa! Is this box a clue you found? Sister Yutian, can I take a look?"

The sweeter Liu Tian’s "Sister Yutian" sounded, the tighter Gu Feng’s frown became. A strange irritation simmered in his chest—why was he asking Song Yutian when he was the one holding the box?

What annoyed Gu Feng even more was Song Yutian’s equally sweet smile toward Liu Tian. Does she act this charmingly toward every man?

Unaware that her expression had stirred such emotions in Gu Feng, Song Yutian smiled at Liu Tian. "Sure, take a look."

Liu Tian’s smile brightened. "Sister Yutian, you’re so kind." He then glanced at the box in Gu Feng’s hands before shifting his gaze back to him.

Gu Feng’s face darkened.

"Ahem." Gu Feng cleared his throat. "This is the clue we found. It’s not appropriate to show others." But even as he spoke to Liu Tian, his words seemed directed at Song Yutian.

Gu Feng had expected Song Yutian to argue back, but to his surprise, she said nothing at all—simply shrugging at Liu Tian.

It was as if she were silently saying, There’s nothing I can do; it’s not that I’m stopping you from seeing it.

Gu Feng suddenly felt like he’d been used, as though Song Yutian had long anticipated his refusal.

Unfazed, Liu Tian continued smiling, "Alright then, Brother Gu Feng, Sister Yutian, could you at least tell me how you obtained this clue? Please, please!"

The freshly nineteen-year-old Liu Tian still resembled a big boy. His earnest "please" carried no hint of greasiness, instead radiating a cheerful charm.

Even Gu Feng felt that further refusal would make him seem utterly unreasonable.

Thus, Gu Feng wisely looked to Song Yutian again, deferring the decision to her.

Song Yutian smiled and replied, "Sure. It’s exactly as you guessed—we took that rickshaw you just saw, and after getting off, the driver handed us the box."

Liu Tian exclaimed in surprise, "So that’s how it is! Then I’ll take that rickshaw too! Thank you, Sister Yutian! Thank you, Brother Gu Feng!"

After speaking, Liu Tian impatiently bid farewell to the two and walked toward the rickshaw parked by the street.

Song Yutian turned her head, as if just noticing Gu Feng’s expression, and asked, "What’s wrong with you? Are you unwell?"

Gu Feng’s face darkened. "…"

He asked incredulously, "You just told that kid… told him like that?"

Song Yutian raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

Gu Feng, seeing no trace of remorse on Song Yutian’s face, felt even more uncomfortable. "We’re in a competition. I don’t want to lose because my teammate can’t keep her mouth shut."

Song Yutian looked at Gu Feng, first showing some confusion. "You’re angry?"

Then, as if suddenly understanding something, she added, "Oh, you’re worried we won’t get first place, and that you won’t be able to team up with Moying next round if we fail?"

Gu Feng instinctively retorted, "It’s not—" then abruptly stopped.

Because he realized he’d completely forgotten about teaming up with Su Moying until Song Yutian mentioned it. Even he didn’t understand why he felt so irritated—was it just because Song Yutian shared clues with Liu Tian?

This loss of control over his emotions made Gu Feng feel even worse.

Song Yutian didn’t know Gu Feng’s inner thoughts—she had already convinced herself of the reason for his anger.

"Don’t worry, I promise to try my best to get first place so you can team up with Moying next round," Song Yutian said. "Think about it—I just mentioned we took that rickshaw to get the clue, but I never said why."

Gu Feng, still recovering from his outburst, snapped, "So what?"

Song Yutian glanced at Liu Tian in the distance. "Look, Liu Tian’s going to take the same rickshaw we just sat in. That means he’ll only be wasting time."

Gu Feng finally regained his composure. In fact, he understood this logic too.

Clearly, each group needed to use the rickshaw they had personally taken yesterday for it to work.

For some unknown reason, in that earlier moment, resentment had overridden reason.

Song Yutian added, "This must be why the production team dared to arrange our departures from the same location. Though we share the starting point, everyone’s destinations are actually different."

Gu Feng remained silent but acknowledged in his heart that Song Yutian was right.

Such a simple matter shouldn’t have required Song Yutian’s explanation. His inexplicable anger earlier must have been morning irritability from poor sleep yesterday.

Not far away, in a beverage shop…

Gu Feng placed the clue box on the table so they could study it together.

Song Yutian picked up the small combination lock attached to the box and fiddled with it a few times. "It’s a six-digit password, and each digit is an Arabic number… Hmm?"

"What’s wrong?" Gu Feng asked immediately.

Song Yutian flicked the lock a few times with her fingers and said, "The first digit won’t move. It’s fixed at zero."

Gu Feng said, "That means, besides the fixed first digit, there are five remaining digits we can adjust. Should we try today’s date?"

Song Yutian remained motionless. "I’m wondering—why would the first digit be fixed at zero?"

Gu Feng shrugged. "Maybe the production team wanted to reduce the difficulty level?"

Song Yutian didn’t respond, her gaze fixed on the lock as she contemplated something.

Gu Feng glanced at her, puzzled. "Let’s just try it. It’s better than just thinking—"

"Gu Feng, take out your phone," Song Yutian suddenly interrupted.

Gu Feng furrowed his brows. "What now?"

Even as he spoke, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.