Chapter 40

Chapter Forty

The production team quickly picked them up and took them to the hotel shuttle bus.

This time, the production team had booked a hotel called Bird's Nest, located on a mountain. The rooms were spread out, requiring a short walk along a wooden plank path.

Being on the mountain, they encountered many small animals along the way, accompanied by the crisp chirping of birds.

Lu Yan took a deep breath: "The air is amazing."

"If you like it, we can come back every year," Gu Xu followed behind him, casually adding.

S City is known for its year-round high temperatures. While other places had already entered autumn, the temperature here was still as high as 27 degrees Celsius. The six of them quickly changed into short sleeves after arriving at the hotel.

At the meeting spot, another celebrity had already arrived. Cameras were already positioned around the area, with more than twenty staff members standing in front of them, methodically setting up for the shoot.

Even though the show had lost some of its popularity, given its previous success over the years, the behind-the-scenes team was still top-notch.

"Welcome to S City! Today’s activity is straightforward; no mountain climbing or heavy effort is required," the director, sitting a few meters away, said. "Just kick back and enjoy yourselves."

Yun Anqing was a go-getter. Before arriving, he’d spent two days binge-watching past episodes. The others had only experienced one survival episode on a deserted island, and the skepticism was written all over their faces.

Unbeknownst to them, the production team had made last-minute changes over the past two days, ditching all the original plans to mess with the guests—because the official Weibo teaser hinting at a romantic angle had been shared 260,000 times in just two days.

Just a teaser, without any paid promotion, had racked up 260,000 shares. What does that tell you?

Up until now, no reality show’s Weibo post had ever hit over 200,000 shares, not even the show that thrived on celebrity drama, which had barely hit 200,000 shares at its peak.

The production team finally got it—pranks are old news, feuds are played out, and the audience is all about the sweetness now.

Lin Qing tilted his head and asked, "Director, what’s the deal? What are we doing today?"

"Your task today is simple: visit the designated locations and have fun," the director read from his script. "Team up in pairs. The one who draws a blank goes solo. The groups and locations will be decided by a draw. All selected activities must be completed. The first team to finish wins, and the remaining teams will face punishment."

Xu Ze: "What kind of punishment?"

The director coughed lightly: "Trust me, you won't like it."

After explaining the rules, a staff member immediately handed over a small lottery box—to the director.

Xu Ze: "Why are you drawing the lots? Shouldn't we be the ones drawing?" He was hoping to get lucky and pair up with Xiao Yan!

The director ignored him, swiftly drawing the lots: "First group, Xu Ze, Wu Xiaoxiang."

"Second group, Yun Anqing, Lin Qing."

"Third group, Gu Xu, Lu Yan. Wang Chengming gets a bye."

Lu Yan was amused, thinking to himself, "Just a few days ago, I praised you for being refreshingly original, but today the script is so thick it's choking."

"Now, let's decide the order of departure," the director said, pushing a shoebox in front of everyone.

Opening it, they found three pairs of pink high heels inside, alarmingly tall with a playful bow at the front.

The director: "Each group will send one person to participate in the 'High Heel Race.' The ranking will determine your departure order. Wang Chengming is a solo team and doesn't need to compete; he gets the first departure right."

"I'll do it," Lu Yan was already taking off his shoes.

Gu Xu glanced at the height of the heels and squinted: "I'll run."

"You'll fall. I've worn them before when filming, so I have experience," Lu Yan said.

Gu Xu looked at him and asked, "Which TV show?"

Lu Yan didn't understand: "Huh?"

"In which TV show did you wear," Gu Xu paused, then added, "high heels."

"..." Lu Yan remembered his role in drag and declared firmly, "I'm not telling you."

The crew had "considerately" included a pair of pantyhose in the shoebox. Without a second thought, Lu Yan tossed the pantyhose aside and tried to put the shoes on directly.

The front part went in smoothly, but no matter how hard he tried, the heel just wouldn't budge. Lu Yan frowned, turned the shoe over, and saw two large numbers printed on it.

"Director, size 43 is too small," Lu Yan said. At 187 cm tall, he usually wore size 44 shoes, and with the high heels being inherently small, there was no way they would fit.

The director replied, "That's part of the challenge, and we searched for a long time to find size 43 high heels..."

"..." Lu Yan suddenly remembered that the pair he wore during filming was also custom-made by the crew.

Despite his efforts, his foot still wouldn't go in.

Gu Xu, who was nearby, knelt down suddenly, picked up the short pantyhose, and folded the edges.

He then lifted Lu Yan's foot onto his thigh and carefully slipped the pantyhose on.

He said, "The pantyhose will make it easier to slide on."

Sure enough, with the pantyhose on, Lu Yan struggled a bit but managed to slip the shoes on.

On the other side, Xu Ze didn't hesitate: "You wear them."

Wu Xiaoxiang said, "They won't fit. I wear size 45."

Xu Ze glared at him: "Are you some kind of giant?"

Wu Xiaoxiang replied, "I'm 190 cm tall. Is size 45 a problem?"

Xu Ze clenched his teeth: "I, I also wear size 45, so they won't fit me either!"

Wu Xiaoxiang didn't even look at him: "At your height, size 42 at most."

Xu Ze, almost embarrassed into anger: "..."

The two argued for a while—though it wasn't much of an argument, as Wu Xiaoxiang's expression didn't change throughout, and only Xu Ze was fuming.

Ultimately, Xu Ze ended up wearing the high heels.

To make matters worse, he didn't even need to find the right angle; his foot slid in effortlessly.

Lin Qing said, "Xiaoqing, I have a lingering leg injury, so I might not be able to run very fast."

Yun Anqing wasn't bothered at all and nodded, "I'll do it."

And so, the three participants were set.

The race was set up quite formally, with a starter pistol and a standard running track. The distance was short, just a 400-meter round trip.

As soon as the gunshot sounded, the three of them took off in three distinct styles.

Yun Anqing ran just like his personality—his strides were just right, his pace was steady, and his expression was calm.

Xu Ze, on the other hand, lunged forward... only to stop abruptly.

He felt as if his entire weight were pressing on that thin heel, and with a slight loss of balance, he could fall.

He looked at Wu Xiaoxiang, his eyes conveying—under these circumstances, just finishing these four hundred meters was already challenging his limit.

Wu Xiaoxiang coldly glanced at him, his eyes responding, "Do as you please."

When the camera turned to Lu Yan, the tone shifted dramatically.

Compared to the other two, he was very fast, his strides were long, his arms swung broadly on both sides to control his balance. From behind, you could even see his calf muscles faintly visible due to the intense movement, appearing both amusing and endearing.

Ignoring his slightly complex facial expression, if the camera focused only on his upper body, people might think this race was at least at the level of a school sports meet...

When Lu Yan ran back, he overtook Xu Ze, who was still midway.

This first place wasn’t too easy for him; his heel and the sides of his feet ached intensely, the former chafed, the latter pinched.

Gu Xu was standing at the finish line. As soon as Lu Yan reached the finish line, Gu Xu reached out and wrapped his arm around his waist, supporting his weight, then whispered, "Take off your shoes first."

Lu Yan, panting heavily, placed his hand on Gu Xu’s shoulder and swiftly slipped off the high heels.

Wang Chengming from the solo group had already set off ten minutes ago. The director said, "The group that won the race, come pick your travel destinations."

Lu Yan stepped forward and randomly picked two slips, one labeled "Yalong Bay Diving" and the other "Nanshan Sea Guanyin."

Each group was assigned a small car, with a small camera mounted on the car’s front. Their photographers followed in a separate car behind.

Noticing Lu Yan rubbing his foot, Gu Xu asked briefly, "Hurt?"

"It’s okay, not too painful," though his heel felt a bit raw.

Gu Xu said, "Don’t rub it, put on a band-aid later."

Lu Yan smiled, "I’m not that fragile, it’ll heal soon."

Both of them had diving experience. After arriving at the designated spot and changing into diving suits, they went down together.

As soon as they entered the sea, Gu Xu grabbed Lu Yan’s hand.

Lu Yan shook his hand, signaling that there was a camera nearby.

Gu Xu ignored it, still holding his hand, and led him deeper.

The water in Yalong Bay was very clear, and the underwater view was stunning, teeming with diverse marine life. No matter how many times you’ve seen it, it never fails to impress.

It was very quiet, with only the occasional sound of water waves, and no other sounds.

Gu Xu suddenly turned and got closer to Lu Yan, so close that their diving masks touched. Gu Xu’s brown eyes were full of tenderness as he looked at Lu Yan.

Lu Yan also smiled, extending his other hand, crossing his thumb and index finger to make a heart shape.

The camera guy on the side felt very relieved: these two finally understood how to generate interest.

After diving, they didn’t stay long and headed straight to the Nanshan Sea Guanyin.

The place was crowded with people offering incense, and the entire site was shrouded in smoke, like layers of mystical haze.

Lu Yan asked, "You been here before?"

Gu Xu nodded, "Yeah." Li Shufang, who believes in Buddhism and Guanyin, comes here almost every year to pay her respects.

Since Buddhist sites are very strict, although the production team had informed the management in advance, they still weren’t allowed to film inside.

So the camera guys shot their backs as they walked into the scenic spot and kept reminding them to snap some pictures.

The smoke was thick and stinging, and once inside, they made a beeline for the massive Guanyin statue by the sea.

In front of the Guanyin statue, Lu Yan smiled at him and said, "We’re here—might as well make a wish."

Gu Xu tilted his head and asked, "What do you want to wish for?"

Lu Yan responded, mimicking what Gu Xu had said when he had a fever last time, "Even children know that if you say your wish out loud, it won’t come true."

"With so many people paying their respects here every day, Guanyin might not hear yours," Gu Xu chuckled, then leaned in and kissed Lu Yan’s ear.

"Tell me your wish. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you."