Chapter 53.1: The Unconventional Group Variety Show (3)
Upon hearing Xuan Yushu’s words, none of the trainees looked particularly excited.
Seeing the lack of enthusiasm, he could only press on: “Alright then, please begin choosing. Those selecting Team A, stand behind Shen Xiu. Those selecting Team B, stand behind Duan Mingf—”
Before Xuan Yushu could even finish speaking, all eight of them moved in unison to stand behind Shen Xiu.
Xuan Yushu: “……”
Duan Mingfei: “?”
Wait… what the hell is wrong with these people?!
Right in front of the cameras and Director Xuan himself, Duan Mingfei held back his anger, still forcing a smile on his face as he said with forced grace, “I get it. You all came from the same survival show, lived together for so long, and developed deep bonds. This kind of choice… isn’t surprising.”
“Seeing you all now, to be honest, while I’m happy for you, I also feel a bit sentimental and bittersweet.”
As he said this, Duan Mingfei let out a soft sigh, his expression tinged with sorrow.
[My Brother Ming must be thinking of those backstabbers from before… a tough guy with a soft heart, sob sob]
[Brother Ming just feels too deeply. He was isolated and b*llied, yet he still thinks about them… He’s finally made it after all these years. Good people really do get rewarded. Those villains are nobodies now—buried for life!]
[LMAO, next time someone says Duan has no acting skills, I’m showing them this clip. Look at that performance!]
[Honestly, his fans can act too. If I hadn’t followed that talent show back then, I’d almost buy into their br*inwashing.]
[(Scratches head) I’m so confused.]
This move tugged at his fans’ heartstrings, but in the live chat, the sympathetic comments were interwoven with sarcastic ones, leaving casual viewers scratching their heads in confusion.
Feeling the emotional manipulation had gone on long enough, Duan Mingfei paused—any longer and it might seem deliberate to the viewers.
He withdrew his sorrowful expression and, following the show’s structure, spoke in a businesslike tone: “But… isn’t this against the rules?”
“I’m not trying to break up your group. It’s just, we have to follow the program’s format. Excluding Shen Xiu and me as team leaders, there are eight remaining guests. Logically, each team should have four people, right?”
Song Chengwang, not even bothering to pretend to care after enduring the long speech, raised a hand to rub his ear right in front of the camera and lazily muttered:
“Huh? What did he say just now? Wind was too loud—didn’t catch it.”
Zhuang Yi looked up at the sky and said, “The sun’s so bright, yet it’s not hot in the mountains.”
Xia Wenhao took a deep breath and said to Xiang Yueting, “Hey, Old Xiang, I’m telling you, seriously—the mountain air really is fresh.”
Hearing their last comment, Shen Xiu silently agreed from the bottom of his heart and couldn’t help nodding and responding, “Mm!”
Duan Mingfei’s earlier behavior had annoyed several of them, and now the entire group had switched into full-on rebellious mode.
Since Duan Mingfei was acting like he didn’t know them, then why couldn’t they act like they didn’t hear anything he said?
Duan Mingfei: “…”
Got it. They must’ve coordinated this behind his back before coming!
“Pfft… ahem.” Qiao Pengyi couldn’t hold back a laugh, quickly raising a loosely clenched fist to cover his mouth and said with a straight face, “Ahem, just a sore throat.”
As a professional host, Qiao Pengyi prided himself on not breaking character or laughing at inopportune times—but sorry, this was just too funny!
[What’s this? B*llying my Brother Ming? Where are the Ming-army troops?]
[The “Ming-army”? OMG help me, I haven’t heard such a cringe name in ages.]
[Then… can I be a “Xiuxologist”? Do we get a fan badge with that?]
[How about… the Wangwang Clan?]
[Protect-the-Husky Alliance?]
[Husky? LOL, does Xiang Yueting know you guys call him that?]
…
Everyone was busy coming up with fandom names for the trainees they supported, and the on-screen live comments were starting to go off-topic.
Xuan Yushu quickly spoke up, trying to steer the show back on track: “Are you sure you’re not changing your decision?”
The eight of them responded in unison, “We’re not changing.”
What a joke — given a choice between Shen Xiu, who protected them in a dangerous moment, and Duan Mingfei, who looked down on nobodies — wasn’t it obvious who to pick?
Qiao Pengyi asked seriously, “Even if that means being kicked off the show and unable to participate in this episode’s live broadcast, you still won’t change?”
The eight replied, “We won’t change.”
If they gave in today just for the recording fee they hadn’t even received yet, their consciences wouldn’t allow it.
Upon hearing that, Qiao Pengyi’s expression flipped instantly. With a beaming smile, he said, “Congratulations! You’ve triggered a special reward!”
The eight: Huh?
Duan Mingfei: What? Since when does this kind of thing come with a reward? Is the production team insane?
Qiao Pengyi said, “The special reward is: if all eight of you insist on choosing the same team and still refuse to change even under threat of expulsion, then so be it.”
“In this episode’s live broadcast, with Shen Xiu as the team leader, the nine of you will trek across mountains and ridges to complete your mission under his lead.”
Everyone except Shang Yu froze for a moment.
After realizing what was happening, Xiang Yueting, not knowing where the live cameras were placed, openly made a heart gesture in all directions: “I freaking love this production team!”
The other seven watched Xiang Yueting acting so gleeful and, for some reason, all thought of the production team from Youth Unstoppable at the same time.
Zhuang Yi muttered, “This kind of wild move feels oddly familiar.”
Song Chengwang, for once not being snarky, nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it really has that vibe.”
Shang Yu, the only trainee who knew the truth: “…”
Jiang Yanxi happily said, “No matter what, the result is a good one for us.”
The other trainees nodded. “That’s right!”
[This is unfair to Brother Ming!!!]
[If you’ve got the guts, tell your Brother Ming to quit the show then.]
[Unfair? Wow, so Ming fans do know that word. I thought it wasn’t in your vocabulary～]
Watching the eight trainees cheer across from him, and seeing Shen Xiu remain expressionless even after being chosen so firmly, Duan Mingfei nearly ground his teeth to dust.
Sensing Duan Mingfei’s gaze directed at him, Shen Xiu stiffened. His mind instantly flashed back to that early face-off in the program, where they battled using eye contact. His eyes began to ache at the memory.
Not wanting to go through that stinging pain again, Shen Xiu pretended not to notice.
Duan Mingfei: “……”
Was Shen Xiu deliberately ignoring him? Acting like he didn’t matter at all?
Duan Mingfei looked to Xuan Yushu, his voice aggrieved: “Director Xuan, I’m not questioning the production team’s decision, but… isn’t this all a bit sudden?”
Xuan Yushu, who also didn’t understand why his own students suddenly added a special bonus this episode, replied, “Xiao Duan, this was decided by the production team. We’re just following the rules here — honestly, I don’t quite get it either.”
Qiao Pengyi chimed in, “Xiao Duan, the production team also said — if you really can’t accept it, you’re free to leave right now.”
Duan Mingfei: “……”
Seriously? After all the effort he put in — the unpaid promos, attending events just to get a foot in the door — now they want him to leave?
What nonsense was this old guy spouting? Over his dead body was he going to walk away.
Duan Mingfei’s mind raced. Since he had no choice but to accept it, he might as well maximize the gain — time to play the sympathy card and reel in some fans.
“It’s fine… it’s not like it’s the first time something like this has happened. I can handle it.”
…
Although Du Heng found the production team’s move a bit odd, he had worked with Duan Mingfei for many years and understood him well. Seeing Duan Mingfei’s performance, he immediately got the hint and bought another trending topic: #HeartbrokenForBrotherMing.
Duan Mingfei’s latest stunt had fans feeling all sorts of sympathy — everyone was worried about their beloved idol.
Meanwhile, Shi Buwen had just seen off the top nine trainees to the program and was now comfortably watching the live broadcast at home with the air conditioning on, a personal assistant standing behind him.
The assistant was giving Shi Buwen real-time updates on trending searches.
“So far, Du Heng has bought two trending topics.”
Shi Buwen took a bite of his apple. “Only two? Back in the day he used to buy them in yearly bundles. Haven’t seen him in years, and now he’s declining? I’m heartbroken.”
Feeling so heartbroken, Shi Buwen immediately made a decision: “Sort out those chat logs we got from his former assistant. Let those fans, who are all heartbroken over their idol, take a good look at how their beloved ‘brother’ was actually treating them like walking wallets behind the scenes.”
As for Qiao Pengyi, he wasn’t the least bit surprised by Duan Mingfei’s answer. Someone who went through so much just to get on the show was never going to leave so easily.
Going solo only made it easier to sell the “tragic lone wolf” persona.
With the way things turned out, Qiao Pengyi wasn’t even sure anymore if the production team’s decision was unintentionally helping Duan Mingfei build his image — or helping the group of trainees fulfill their dream of completing a mission together.
Qiao Pengyi’s expression turned serious again as he announced the rules for this episode: “Since that’s the case, let the show continue.”
“During the next two days and one night of live filming, Teams A and B will traverse the entirety of Wolong Mountain, starting from Point A, where we currently are, and making their way to Point B.”
Xuan Yushu pointed toward two flags planted in the distance. “Shen Xiu, Duan Mingfei, do you see the two flags up ahead?”
Both nodded.
Shen Xiu: “Yeah.”
Duan Mingfei, full of ambition: “I see them!”
Qiao Pengyi continued, “The blue flag represents the mission team, while the white flag represents the team whose goal is to obstruct the mission.”
“If the blue-flag team reaches Point B first and plants their flag within the designated circle, it signifies mission success. Upon completion, the production team will donate one million yuan in education funds to the mountainous region.”
“If the white-flag team reaches Point B first and plants their flag, the blue team’s mission is considered a failure, and no donation will be made this episode.”
Xuan Yushu took out a timer and picked up where Qiao Pengyi left off: “Once my countdown reaches three, both team leaders will run — one from the left, one from the right — toward the flags. Which flag to take is up to the team leaders’ own choice.”
After hearing the rules, Shen Xiu moved to stand beside Xuan Yushu. His gaze locked firmly on the flag fluttering in the wind 50 meters away.
If he beat Duan Mingfei, the children in the poor mountain areas would get that one million yuan scholarship fund. Shen Xiu would not allow anything to jeopardize that.
Duan Mingfei also took his place on the starting line next to Xuan Yushu, eyes fixed on the blue flag.
That flag — he had to get it.
If Shen Xiu’s team got to the finish line and planted the flag before he did, the backlash would be brutal.
The production team’s rules were crystal clear: the one who secured the blue flag was the real winner of this show. The filming locations might have changed from season to season, but the guests all aimed for one thing — the blue flag.
It was free publicity, and it didn’t cost a single cent.
