Chapter 64
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Chapter 64: Title
Song Yutian knew her agent was right.
No matter how she responded, she couldn’t change the fact that the audience saw her as a terrible actress.
For a long time, "Song Yutian" had left that impression in films and dramas. Even if she had gained many fans on variety shows, she couldn’t change that perception without delivering a great performance.
So the only thing she could do was make a great movie.
As for the current opinions, she could only let them be and allow them to settle down on their own.
But what surprised everyone was that Ren Ling, who had not been active on Weibo for a long time, spoke up soon after.
@Ren Ling: Thank you all for your attention. After watching the audition clips, I am very excited to work with @Song Yutian. Let’s all look forward to the final work together.
Although many netizens still had doubts about the movie, and some commented, "Ren Ling, blink if you’ve been kidnapped," the actress’s own words calmed many of the overwhelming questions.
Two days later, the finale of Unexpected Challenges aired.
Before the live broadcast officially started, the contestants and staff had already arrived at the venue to prepare.
Song Yutian and Song Yuan’an arrived quite early, and a woman in her thirties was in charge of styling them.
The makeup artist was shaping Song Yuan’an’s eyebrows while saying, "You two siblings really have good genes. I thought only Yutian had such great skin, but it turns out your brother, a teenage boy, has skin as soft as a peach."
Song Yutian replied with a smile, "Yeah, after all, he is my little brother."
Song Yuan’an remained silent.
After a moment, the makeup artist suddenly said, "Oh, Yutian, your brother is shy."
Song Yuan’an, whose skin had been compared to a peach, quietly turned red at the ears.
Song Yuan’an mumbled awkwardly, "I’m not."
Song Yutian laughed beside them.
After a while, someone knocked on the dressing room door.
It was Wei Yao and Zhong Yueli who had come in.
As soon as Wei Yao entered, he said, "Yutian, I didn’t mean to disturb you. Yueli said we should come in and say hello to you first."
Song Yutian waved her hand at them.
Both of them hadn’t put on any makeup yet and looked completely natural.
Song Yutian had seen Wei Yao’s bare face many times in the villa, but this was the first time she had seen Zhong Yueli without makeup.
Zhong Yueli looked nearly the same with or without makeup; the only difference was that the lines of his eyebrows and the corners of his eyes were much softer, making him look younger—almost like he was Song Yuan’an’s peer at first glance.
Zhong Yueli said, "Yutian."
Song Yutian joked with him, "Without makeup, you look about the same age as my little brother."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Yueli’s expression became a bit complicated.
Wei Yao gasped as if discovering uncharted territory and exclaimed from nearby, "Hey Yutian, is this your brother? He looks so adorable! Introduce us properly!"
Song Yutian smiled. "Yes, this is my younger brother, Song Yuan’an."
Song Yuan’an behaved even more obediently than Song Yutian had expected. "Hello, Sister Wei Yao." After hesitating, he turned to Zhong Yueli. "Hello."
Zhong Yueli nodded in response.
Song Yutian suddenly recalled her brother’s past comments about Zhong Yueli and couldn’t suppress her laughter.
This laughter drew simultaneous glances from both Song Yuan’an and Zhong Yueli.
Before Song Yutian could explain, there was another knock at the door.
When she opened it, Su Moying widened her eyes in surprise. "So many people here!"
"Exactly." Song Yutian pulled Su Moying forward with a smile. "Perfect timing to introduce you. This is Song Yuan’an, my younger brother and your fan, Moying."
Song Yuan’an’s face turned completely red.
Two hours later, the livestream officially commenced.
"Hello, dear audience! Welcome to the finals of Unexpected Challenges. Today, our production team presents an exciting competition while determining the final top three contestants."
On the specially constructed final stage, the chief director addressed the camera with opening remarks.
"We believe everyone is eagerly waiting to find out which partners our five finalists have chosen for their ultimate battle. Let’s now welcome the contestants with their supporters!"
As the director concluded, Su Moying appeared on-screen with a male artist from last year’s debut survival show.
[Senior actually came! Dream crossover!]
[Double fandom bliss!]
[Go Moying! Claim first place!]
Next came Shen Xi and Pei Hao with their companions—Shen Xi accompanied by a lyricist he frequently collaborated with, and Pei Hao with a previously partnered actress.
Zhong Yueli and Wei Yao followed.
"Let’s give a warm welcome to the leading couple from Ask You for Decision!"
[It’s really them! Obsessed with their drama chemistry, now an actual collaboration!]
[Tears of joy for drama fans!]
[Love this pair on-screen and off! Must win!]
"Finally, our most victorious contestant with five first-place wins—Song Yutian and her brother, Song Yuan’an!"
[Yutian has a brother? Never mentioned before!]
[Cute brother, but how’s his ability?]
[Just eye candy’s enough—Sister Song’s here!]
[Exactly! With Sister Song, skills don’t matter!]
After all the contestants had appeared, the stream displayed the final rules.
The director announced, "Three rounds will test wisdom, physical strength, and teamwork."
"Each round requires the contestant and their supporter to work together. The first two rounds will eliminate one team each. The final round will determine the champion among the three remaining groups."
"Understood?"
With straightforward rules, no questions arose.
The director nodded. "First challenge: Aquatic-Terrain Relay!"
"Starting at the pool behind me, the first teammate will swim 200m. The second will then run to the studio to hit the completion button."
"The last team to press the button will be eliminated."
"Each team is free to decide the relay order. The competition begins in 20 minutes—prepare!"
Audience reactions immediately flooded the comments:
[Opening with this intensity? Testing endurance first?]
[Now we see why opposite-sex partners were required!]
[Swimsuits! Show those abs!]
[Secretly hoping the program group grants our wish!]
Hearing the rules, Song Yutian asked, "Can you swim?"
Song Yuan’an hesitated. "Of course! School has swimming classes."
Yet Song Yutian detected uncertainty.
"I’ll swim, you run."
Song Yuan’an protested. "No! I should swim."
Song Yutian inquired, "Why?"
Song Yuan’an whispered, "If you go swimming, you’ll have to wear a swimsuit…"
Song Yutian smiled. "What’s wrong with a swimsuit? You may not look old, but your mindset is quite conservative."
Song Yuan’an glared at Song Yutian. "I do not! It’s because…"
As he spoke, Song Yuan’an stole a glance to the side.
Song Yutian asked, "Because of what?"
Song Yuan’an fell silent.
Song Yutian waited a moment before declaring, "Then it’s settled. I’ll swim, you run."
She had considered this carefully—while men naturally held physical advantages in both running and swimming due to biological differences, swimming relied more on technique for non-professionals. This technical aspect could better compensate for strength disparities.
Though her current physique wasn’t as trained as before, Song Yutian had been diligently exercising daily to regain her former swimming condition. She walked several paces before turning to Song Yuan’an, who remained rooted in place. "Let’s go change and warm up."
The teenager obediently followed her toward the changing rooms.
[Hahaha, the little brother’s adorable!]
[Good choice! Always listen to Sister Song!]
[Comparing him to my rebellious brother—why are others’ siblings so obedient?]
[Mainly because he’s handsome!]
Fifteen minutes later, all participants and their companions stood ready. Ten people flanked the 25-meter pool—swimwear on one side, athletic wear on the other. The rules were clear: after four laps, partners would immediately race to a studio 1,000 meters away.
The broadcast director first showed a split screen before focusing on the five swimsuit-clad participants. Interestingly, apart from Song Yutian, the other four swimmers were contestants’ relatives—three women and two men standing barefoot poolside.
Viewers quickly noticed Song Yutian appeared to be the tallest among them.
[Is Sister Song really 1.7m? She’s taller than the supposed 1.75m guy!]
[Wei Yao’s confirmed 1.6m elsewhere—Sister Song’s height checks out.]
[Hahaha, someone’s lying about height! Public humiliation!]
[You obsess over heights? I’m captivated by Sister Song’s figure!]
[Figure won’t win races! Swimming’s not a beauty pageant!]
[Don’t blame us if your idol lied about height!]
As bullet comments argued, the starting signal sounded. Five bodies sliced into the water. Observers soon noted Song Yutian’s freestyle technique. While initial gaps seemed negligible, by the second lap, she was leading second place by ten meters—a margin steadily widening.
[Seriously?! Am I seeing this right?]
[These guys are embarrassingly unfit.]
[Does physique actually help swimming?]
[Naive comment! Obviously, Sister Song trained hard!]
When Song Yutian neared completion, staff alerted Song Yuan’an at the running start line. The teen pressed his lips tightly and nodded. The instant her fingertips touched the pool wall, he took off at full speed. Being first to finish, the arena momentarily focused solely on this sprinting youth—seventeen years old, running with cinematic intensity, his looks worthy of a campus heartthrob.
[Why’s this suddenly so hype? Male high-schooler aura?]
[That focused expression… I’m smitten!]
[So handsome! Marry me!]
[Is Sister Song’s brother available?]
[Hey! He’s underage!]
Subsequent swimmers soon finished—second and third places set off Su Moying and Shen Xi. Though Su Moying maintained decent speed, she couldn’t close Song Yuan’an’s expanding lead. Shen Xi, overtaken early, was left in last place.
Next, Zhong Yueli and Pei Hao set off almost simultaneously.
As the last two took off, the watching staff members gasped in unison.
Previously, only Song Yuan’an had been running alone, making it hard for viewers to gauge the speed, but now there was a direct comparison.
Both Zhong Yueli and Pei Hao moved swiftly, first overtaking Shen Xi before gradually closing in on Su Moying.
After a while, Pei Hao lagged behind Su Moying while Zhong Yueli had already surpassed her, leaving only about twenty meters between him and Song Yuan’an.
[Wow, so cool! Brother Yueli, go for it!]
[This suddenly got intense—I’m feeling inexplicably nervous now!]
When Su Moying glanced back and saw Pei Hao approaching, she unexpectedly accelerated, preventing him from overtaking.
[Moying’s better than I thought!]
[She practices dancing daily, after all—Moying’s physical conditioning is solid.]
[Keep going, Moying! Almost there!]
Song Yuan’an dashed through the building entrance following the arrow signs, glanced backward, then gritted his teeth and accelerated again.
Ultimately, Song Yuan’an reached the studio first, slamming the button forcefully with both hands.
Zhong Yueli arrived at the finish line two seconds later.
Shortly after, Su Moying and Pei Hao arrived too.
Su Moying held onto her third position until the final moment.
In the studio, Song Yuan’an panted heavily while accepting a bottle of mineral water from staff.
He then glanced sideways at Zhong Yueli and flashed a smirk.
Zhong Yueli froze momentarily.
There seemed to be more than just a competitive spirit in Song Yuan’an’s gaze—something else lingered beneath?
The camera’s close-up perfectly captured Song Yuan’an’s smile.
[Hahaha, that smile’s adorable—equal parts triumphant and tsundere!]
[Zhong Yueli looks completely stunned LOL.]
[Does the younger brother have some beef with Zhong Yueli? Maybe I’m imagining things.]
[Probably just typical high school boy rivalry hahaha.]
As the livestream cut to new footage, the previously swimming contestants reappeared in casual outfits, hurriedly touching up their makeup.
Song Yutian grabbed a hairdryer to dry her locks first.
Soon, the running group arrived too.
Song Yuan’an plopped down beside Song Yutian. "How’s that? Did I kill it?"
Drying her hair with a smile, Song Yutian answered, "Saw everything. Looked super cool."
Song Yuan’an’s lips twitched with suppressed pride before he quickly composed himself.
His eyes then shifted to Zhong Yueli nearby, noticing the latter’s gaze lingering on Song Yutian without looking away.
Song Yutian sat with closed eyes, her slender fingers lifting strands into the dryer’s airflow, her fair skin still faintly flushed from exertion.
Song Yuan’an suddenly snorted in Zhong Yueli’s direction.
Hearing this, Song Yutian turned to Song Yuan’an, only to find him looking elsewhere.
Her eyes followed his line of sight, accidentally meeting Zhong Yueli’s gaze.
Both froze momentarily.
Song Yuan’an coughed pointedly.
