Chapter 4
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Chapter 4: Title
[Yao-jie’s slayinggg!]
[Old comrade = Zhong Yueli lolol]
[Can’t wait for Yao’s new drama!]
The camera captured Zhong Yueli subtly twitching an eyebrow.
Wei Yao and Zhong Yueli had co-starred in the historical romance drama Ask You for Decision, soon airing on Shanzhu TV. Their variety show appearances served dual purposes—boosting personal fame while cross-promoting their series. A hit show would mean victory for both production teams.
[OMG, my ship sails again!]
[Yueli’s new drama hype!]
[When’s the premiere? The wait’s killing me!]
Wei Yao concluded the introductions. The Chief Director’s voice boomed: "Thank you. Now, we’ll unveil the core rules for the competitive livestream reality show Unexpected Challenges."
Staff wheeled in a whiteboard displaying regulation cards. Simultaneously, the stream cut to animated explainer footage.
This hybrid live-recorded show comprises two phases: Team Battles and Championship Finals.
The group points competition is divided into the first half and the second half, each containing two themes.
Each theme consists of two Match Days, completed by teams of two.
Points are calculated after each Match Day: the first-place team gets 100 points, the second-place team 50 points, the third-place team 30 points, and all others receive 0 points.
At the end of the first half, the two contestants with the lowest points will be eliminated, and two new contestants will join. After the second half, five contestants will advance to the finals.
The finals will take place after the group points competition, though specific rules remain undisclosed for now.
After the rules were announced, the camera cut back to the contestants.
[These rules are so lengthy—anyone want to summarize?]
[Look at Yingying’s face—she clearly didn’t get it, lol!]
[Our adorably clueless Yingying deserves better T_T]
[Basically: team up, earn points, high scorers stay, low scorers leave.]
"Any questions?" asked the director.
"I have one." Gu Feng raised his hand first. "Since teams require two people, how are teammates decided? And will partners change during the competition?"
Song Yutian glanced at Gu Feng, suspecting his real motive was to figure out how to pair with Su Moying.
In the original storyline, male lead Gu Feng had met female lead Su Moying at an event earlier and deemed her his soulmate. As the only non-entertainment industry participant here, he’d joined this show solely to pursue her.
"Good question. First answer: teammates will change. Teams reshuffle with each new theme. As for how teammates are chosen—" The director grinned. "That’ll remain a mystery for now!"
For some reason, everyone present felt an inexplicable sense of dread.
"What’s this about replacements after the first half?" An Xin asked.
"After the first half concludes, the two lowest-ranked contestants will be eliminated. We’ll then invite two new participants to maintain a total of ten contestants," the director explained. "Other questions?"
Song Yutian raised her hand. "Pardon me—a few minor queries."
The director gestured magnanimously. "Go ahead!"
"Since there are Match Days, do we get rest days? How frequent are they? And are rest day schedules self-managed or decided by the program group?" She paused. "That’s all."
The Chief Director visibly faltered, while viewers seemed equally puzzled.
[Wait—she’s already asking about vacations?]
[This girl’s question quota is unlimited!]
[Lowkey valid though—I’d want breaks too.]
[Right? Can’t have nonstop competitions for months!]
The atmosphere grew tense—this concerned everyone’s basic welfare. Even with high appearance fees, daily high-pressure competitions across months of live broadcasts would be exhausting.
"Ahem." The director cleared his throat. "Yutian guessed correctly—rest days do exist. We planned this as a surprise, but since you asked: after every two Match Days (i.e., each theme), there’ll be a rest day. As for scheduling…" He smirked. "That’s the program group’s prerogative!"
"Any final questions?" he asked.
None remained.
"Great! Before our first task, let’s break the ice with a bonding game."
An assistant approached with red and blue bowls.
"Simple rules: these hold names of male and female contestants. Each person draws an opposite-gender name and asks them a question—the chosen contestant must answer."
[Opposite-gender Q&A? Is this a dating show now?]
[My favorite segment! Let’s gooo!]
[When does the actual competition start?]
[Patience! This probably affects team formations.]
Following the introduction order, Gu Feng drew first.
He stepped forward, glanced at Su Moying, then swiftly plucked a paper slip and unfolded it for the camera.
"Song Yutian."
Gu Feng froze, then frowned slightly.
[That frown speaks volumes 🐶]
[LMAO his face—he’s not into her either.]
[Who would like Miss Question-Asker?]
When Gu Feng stayed silent, the director prompted, "Gu Feng, please ask Song Yutian your question."
Song Yutian met his gaze and tilted her chin up, waiting.
Ahem. Gu Feng cleared his throat. "Alright… I’ve decided—"
"Why did you join this show?"
Song Yutian blinked.
She’d expected some clever trap from someone who clearly disliked her—not this bland cliché.
Oh right, Song Yutian suddenly remembered. In the original plot, the male lead had asked this exact question. How did that "Song Yutian" respond back then? It was something like—
"Because you came to participate."
The room fell silent for a full second, with even the production crew caught off guard.
Gu Feng’s eyes widened instantly, revealing surprise, awkwardness, and a trace of poorly concealed self-satisfaction.
Song Yutian had answered this way for one simple reason: she wanted to mess with Gu Feng.
She wanted to personally witness what expression Gu Feng would make when following the original plot’s response.
After all, when she’d first read the novel, she’d disliked this male protagonist—someone who could casually flirt with countless women while claiming the female lead was his first love, insisting all other relationships were just meaningless fun without commitment.
"—Just kidding," Song Yutian quickly added.
Having achieved her goal, she didn’t want Gu Feng basking in self-satisfaction for too long.
"I noticed everyone seemed tense, so I wanted to lighten the mood. My real reason for joining this show is much simpler—"
"I haven’t had any acting roles in eighteen months, so I desperately need this appearance fee."
Another heavy silence blanketed the room.
Then a girl giggled. Whether genuine or polite, the laughter soon spread through the group.
Liu Tian pulled a comical grimace. "Wow, looks like we’ve got some serious competition here! Talk about motivation!"
Since the self-introductions began, the atmosphere had remained stiff despite polite applause and attentive smiles. Song Yutian’s antics might not have erased everyone’s inner discomfort, but they at least created surface-level camaraderie.
The bullet comments section exploded into activity:
[What just happened??]
[Who does this girl think she is? Making jokes like that? Gross!]
[LMAO sorry but I live for messy contestants like this.]
[So fake! Actors aren’t actually poor!]
When the laughter finally subsided, the director resumed control and called the next contestant to draw lots.
Liu Tian picked An Xin. Gong Yu selected Wei Yao. Zhong Yueli drew Shen Xi. As the last remaining male contestant, Qin Yuanzhuo was automatically paired with Su Moying.
The male contestants asked gentle questions when facing female partners, receiving carefully diplomatic answers. The process flowed smoothly until it reached the girls’ turn.
Su Moying drew Gu Feng’s name.
