Filming of the Pengmai sports commercial was completed a long time ago, but it remained in post-production for a considerable p...
Filming of the Pengmai sports commercial was completed a long time ago, but it remained in post-production for a considerable period.
They also had to align its release with the planned publicity schedule, which was why it had taken so long to show to the public.
[Isn't this the commercial that Bao Ruanruan filmed during that livestream back then?]
Fans with good memories immediately recognised it.
During Bao Ruanruan's special livestream to celebrate reaching one million followers, her off-camera life as an artist included reshooting parts of this commercial.
The Director and crew at the scene couldn't stop praising her then.
Her fans were unbelievably curious at the time.
Today, they finally got to see it.
Some observant people also noticed that Pengmai had tagged Brand M's footwear in their Weibo post, with a caption saying it was a joint advertisement.
[Sports shoes collaborating with high heels?]
[This is a first for me— I'm kind of curious now.]
Viewers had only just sent these two lines of comments before they became too preoccupied to post anything else.
In the commercial, in order to rescue her friend, Bao Ruanruan put on her 'battle boots'—the lightweight Pengmai running shoes—and dashed upstairs in an instant.
Then, she performed a long single-leg leap, a diving roll, a backward hand-grab on the railing, a cat pounce, a sideways jump, a precision landing and a backflip!
She was practically a runaway gymnastics athlete destined for the next Olympics!
With three beautiful, precise jumps and a series of complex moves, she leapt across three tall buildings, moving as if walking on flat ground, and dove through the window of a fourth.
With these moves, she rescued her friend.
When night fell, and the hunters came after them again, Bao Ruanruan escaped the room with her friend.
After their successful escape, she took off her Pengmai shoes and put on a pair of exquisite crystal heels.
She acted as if nothing had happened.
She put on a beautiful gown, smiled, and calmly pushed open the door in the hallway.
Then she walked into the banquet hall.
— Pengmai: I can, without limits.
— M: elegance, radiant.
Until, at last, the joint slogan of the two brands scrolled out.
Only then did everyone come back to their senses.
It wasn't until then that the comments started pouring in again.
[!]
[Bao Ruanruan… you're a shark-hand1!]
[Shark-hand Bao Ruanruan… I have evidence!]
[Don't come over! Don't shark me, I'm already nervous!]
No one doubted whether Bao Ruanruan could play the role of an assassin anymore.
Even the barrage of comments was already scared of her.
[Big Boss Bao Ruanruan is being forced to play parkour.]
[Who just said Bao Ruanruan was cautious? Was that a fan? Are you a fake fan?]
[Bao Ruanruan's fans, didn't you all flood the screen with messages about how she couldn't handle an assassin role? Did you say that on purpose? Fans these days are all so modest… d@mn, I almost got tricked.]
[Following Bao Ruanruan now! When are you returning to the Wudang Sect?]
[Accepting disciples, Lady Warrior?]
The view count for this advertisement shot past one million in an instant.
Pengmai also placed the ads simultaneously on C Station, Douyin🔗 and Xiaohongshu🔗.
The comment barrages were trembling2.
And at one o'clock in the afternoon, M-brand footwear also released its collaboration advertisement simultaneously.
Bao Ruanruan, dressed in a 'Starry Galaxy' gown, stepped into the banquet hall wearing crystal shoes.
She was then seen dancing gracefully with the prince.
However, when the clock struck midnight, she checked the time and her face lost its colour.
Gathering up her skirt, she hurried away.
Halfway out of the building, she slipped off her crystal shoes and ran swiftly across the deep black tiles on her bare, fair, and beautiful feet.
When the prince chased after her, he saw only an empty stretch of ground and froze in surprise.
There wasn't a single crystal shoe left behind.
Bao Ruanruan returned home and let out a breath of relief.
Smiling, she placed the precious crystal shoes in her shoe cabinet next to the Pengmai running shoes she had worn for parkour earlier that day.
— M: You are the princess; you don't need a prince.
— Pengmai: Always by your side.
[!]
[Oh my gosh, the two ads connect seamlessly—it's a story of day and night.]
[So amazing! I want both pairs of shoes too!!]
[I've decided! I'm going to start saving money! Cut, discard, leave📹. From now on, the only shoes I'll own are from M+Pengmai.]
[These two brands go so well together~]
[Civil Affairs Bureau, I've brought these two brands over for you!]
[I'm dying of laughter — the matchmaker is Bao Ruanruan, the shark-hand~]
On this day, the sales of M and Pengmai hit a new record high.
Snow Mountain film crew location.
Yang Xueni stared at the tablet, her beautiful face shifting through a series of expressions.
Especially during the Pengmai commercial — it was the first time she realised that Bao Ruanruan had such a special skill.
"No wonder Director Wen skipped the audition and took her directly. Her management team must have sent this ad to him."
Jiang Zhengle was amazed.
She certainly lived up to the reputation as the talent he wanted to poach.
"Brother Ge."
"Hm?"
"For making me join this Assistant programme, I truly am… thankful to you."
She felt that if they had even the slightest argument, Bao Ruanruan could throw her off a building.
"………"
Yang Xueni seriously wondered what she would do if she really couldn't stand Bao Ruanruan in the future.
At that moment, she remembered the meme that people used online to mock her.
"......"
This is the only thing I can do now!
I don't even dare to make any move!
[Yang Xueni and her fans' support rating: dropped by 0.85%]
Tang Yuxin spent the whole afternoon in her room, hearing nothing but bad news from the system.
Whether she called or not, the rating still dropped!
It was harder to maintain than usual.
[Host, this indicates that your personal charm is no longer enough to further win over the target or maintain the current support rating.]
[Please work harder.]
......How much harder must I work?
Tang Yuxin felt slightly suffocated.
Back then, to 'conquer' the actress Yang Xueni and push her support rating above 70%, she filmed like crazy with the crew, absorbing acting experience from a variety of directors.
This act of hers was what earned her Yang Xueni's admiration, as well as the right to call and teach her how to act, ensuring her compliance and belief...
Had it hit its limit now?
It was just like a dating game.
At the beginning, each character's favourability rose incredibly quickly, and it worked even if you gave them any random gift. Later on, however, it became much harder to increase.
And there were even conflicts between characters.
For example, Lu Wenyao now had a bad public reputation, yet his support rating remained as high as 90%. Meanwhile, Yang Xueni's and Qu Ji'en's support ratings had started to decline.
Tang Yuxin flipped through her stat panel.
Her gaze finally landed on a character she could 'capture'.
—Lu Wenhao and his fan support rating: 30%.
Tang Yuxin took a deep breath.
"Mark Lu Wenhao as this week's priority strategy target."
[Please note: Once marked, this cannot be changed.]
[Weekly priority target: If the daily support rating drops, a random penalty will be triggered. If it increases, it gains a 200% bonus and counts towards the total support rating.]
"Got it."
For now, she could only set aside Yang Xuenni, whose support rating kept dropping no matter what she did.
Among the others, only Lu Wenhao had clear, defined traits and a simple mind.
He was also an 'older-brother slave3'.
Originally, she had wanted to save him for when Lu Wenyao made his comeback, but now she could only move the plan forward.
While the two sponsor daddies4' products were selling like crazy, Bao Ruanruan was on her way to the Saturday recording of Chasing Dreams.
This time, Director Zheng Mingchang finally didn't make them gather at the hotel entrance.
"Today we're filming a Winter Solstice🔗–themed special episode."
"A haunted house."
It was only mid-November, still some time before the Winter Solstice🔗.
But Director Zheng lived up to his reputation—thoughtful as ever.
"It is very inappropriate to show content with a high horror rating to the audience during the Winter Solstice, when the 'gate of ghosts' opens."
"So we aired it a month in advance."
[Hahaha, please type the word 'thoughtful' onto the public screen.]
[Thank you, Director!]
[Just came over from the Pengmai ad loop, hehe. The haunted house looks great! Can't wait to see my Kiddo Ruan make her k!ll in all directions5!]
The five members of 'Chasing Dreams' were very united today.
When everyone heard 'haunted house', they all moved closer to Bao Ruanruan.
Lan Zhi and Xiao Mengfei, clearly scared, shrank back behind her.
Cheng Yao felt embarrassed but also showed a very cowardly expression, taking a step back.
Lu Wenhao wasn't very enthusiastic.
He was in the same state last week. Ever since his older brother Lu Wenyao's incident was exposed, he had been a bit distracted while doing the show.
He had initially turned things around, becoming the master of his fate and holding a few 'life-saving' agreements, which had made him quite happy. Now, however, he was very listless.
[Hey, Bro Lu… still haven't recovered from the setback?]
[That is totally unnecessary!]
[Even though you two are brothers, Bro Lu, you need to snap out of it; you are your own person!]
[Ruanruan, quickly teach him a lesson!]
[I think it's very necessary to exile Lu Wenhao to be Bao Ruanruan's assistant as well, so he can take a beating from society.]
Lu Wenhao was out of sorts.
Director Zheng had noticed this a while ago and tried to comfort him and talk things through, but it was to no avail.
Seeing that the show was practically one person short, Director Zheng had no choice but to call in outside help.
One was Zhen Xuan, another dancer in Lu Wenhao's boy group. Director Zheng hoped he could lift Lu Wenhao's spirits.
The other two were Qu Feifei, who the guests were already familiar with and who was also very popular with everyone, and her brother Qu Ji'en, who rarely appeared on variety shows.
[Whoa, handsome!]
[Oh my god, a supermodel with legs like that… can I lick my phone]
[The screen can barely contain them… do these legs even exist in real life?]
Qu Ji'en was 1.9 meters tall with his shoes on.
He stood out like a crane among the chickens.
His first appearance on a variety show with his sister this time gave the audience a fresh feeling.
However, Bao Ruanruan, whose arm was hooked by Xiao Mengfei, cast him a wary glance.
Werewolf.
"There are eight of you in total. We'll draw lots to divide into Red and Blue teams."
"The team that completes the haunted house challenge the fastest will enjoy a free hot spring experience tonight, provided by our show. The team that fails will help the production crew make follow-up calls to the audience."
Director Zheng Mingchang spoke.
Surrounded by familiar faces, Bao Ruanruan relaxed her gaze.
The cost of losing the challenge this time wasn't paying for the rooms.
Making follow-up calls was neither dangerous nor a loss, so she was happy to accept the punishment.
The outcome of today's challenge didn't really matter much to her.
Bao Ruanruan's schedule had been packed recently, leaving her under constant tension, so she was glad to finally be able to take a break.
Director Zheng is the best.
As the camera panned, Bao Ruanruan's little expression, openly showing her desire to paddle in the water6, was fully revealed.
[Hahaha! Guess what just popped into my mind!]
[Let me count—how many divine beasts are on the field with Bao Ruanruan~]
[Except for Zhen Xuan and Boss Qu, there are no fish left to be caught hhhhhh.]
[Kiddo Ruan: "This... is all my kingdom~"]
["Another day where I can win effortlessly~ Which divine beast will I summon to fight for me today?"]
Director Zheng Mingchang glanced at Bao Ruanruan, a vein twitching at his temple.
He spoke with absolute resolve, "This time, no one is allowed to use props unrelated to the haunted house, including but not limited to the Life-Saving Agreement, and… the special edition Life-Saving Agreement."
Bao Ruanruan blinked her clear eyes and opened her small mouth.
She hesitated, wanting to say something, but stopped.
[!]
[Report! The Director has evolved!]
[Director Zheng has gone after poor Kiddo Ruan~]
Zheng Mingchang glanced at Bao Ruanruan, who wanted to speak, and chuckled. "Xiao Bao, you object? Sorry, but the production team does not accept objections."
As expected, Bao Ruanruan was hurt and pouted in grievance.
Blinking her clear eyes, she said,
"But, Director, you forgot to mention the Life-Saving Book V2 and V3 versions."
"So… can we use these?"
Zheng Mingchang: "............!"
[Hahaha!]
[OMG, I can't stop laughing.]
[Sooner or later, all of Mom's Huabei7 will belong to Kiddo Ruan—laughing till my head falls off.]
"In short, none of those papers can be used."
Zheng Mingchang was thick-skinned.
Without hesitating for a moment, he even revised the rules he had just set himself.
Bao Ruanruan nodded obediently.
This time, she really didn't intend to use them.
Seeing her show no resistance at all caused a hint of doubt to flash through Zheng Mingchang's mind.
After all, his student Zhong Zeyuan had sent him a message that day praising Bao Ruanruan as a talent within the industry.
She played the show 'Great Escape' so skilfully that the wind rose and the water surged8.
Zhong Zeyuan had even put the latter part of the sentence in quotation marks for emphasis.
Zheng Mingchang grew cautious.
"Then let's draw lots."
The staff brought over a lottery box that the production team had temporarily requisitioned.
"Those with the same colour form a group, and each group of four will elect one person to be the team leader."
The eight guests walked up one by one.
When the time came to elect a team leader, the unenthusiastic Bao Ruanruan ended up becoming the tail of the crane truck9, alongside the listless Lu Wenhao.
[Go Bro Lu!]
[Kiddo Ruan, cheer up! Look, there are two people on the field today without a life-saving token~ Zhen Xuan, the little fresh meat10; and Qu Ji'en, the big handsome pot11. Your harem is worth it!]
[Today's flag12: Xiao Bao, grab another drop of blood!]
[Mama is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to see Kiddo Ruan fly over eaves and walk on walls13~ The team leader can be no one but you!]
Bao Ruanruan's astonishing performance in the Pengmai advertisement made everyone feel she was particularly impressive and set high expectations for her.
Even the regular members of 'Chasing Dreams' wanted to ride on Bao Ruanruan's momentum to soar.
While everyone was waiting to draw lots, several people kept turning around and looking back at Bao Ruanruan expectantly.
However, Zhen Xuan and Qu Ji'en, who were appearing on the show for the first time, were unaware of this.
Being the gentlemen they were, they let the female guests and the regular cast members draw first and lined up towards the back themselves.
So now they thought Lan Zhi, Xiao Mengfei, and Cheng Yao were turning back to look at them.
Zhen Xuan, the other leading dancer of his boy group, proudly stretched out his arm.
Then—pause!—in the slightly chilly November wind, he lifted the hem of his black Pengmai-sponsored sports jacket, did a backflip right there in the open area, and landed in a handstand.
"Brother Cheng Yao, Sis Lan, Sis Xiao—I'm not afraid of ghosts. If you team up with me, I can be the team leader.'"
Zhen Xuan was even capable of debuting in the same boy group as Lu Wenhao, the 'little crown prince'.
His dance skills and physical ability ranked among the best in all current domestic boy bands.
He was straightforward and confident, neither shy with strangers nor camera-shy.
He was exactly the type of artist Zheng Mingchang liked most.
[Xiao Zhen Zhen, hahaha, he's trying his best!]
[As expected of Xiao Zhen Zhen, he's carrying the entire group's hopes on his back—go go go!]
[Nice~ now he can team up with my Kiddo Ruan to handle the ghosts.]
Meanwhile, at the back of the line, Qu Ji'en glanced at his younger sister, then at Lan Zhi, his senior, who was looking at him expectantly.
He also stepped forward and made a standard martial arts fist salute.
"My sister and I learnt some martial arts when we were young."
As soon as he said that, Bao Ruanruan—who had been spacing out at the end of the line—rose on her tiptoes.
She gave him an extra look.
A 1.9-metre-tall martial arts werewolf.
Danger level UP.
Qu Ji'en smiled gentlemanly. "If you're on my team, I can protect everyone, too."
[Wow, Feifei's bro truly is an all-rounder~ He can walk the runway, look sexy in photos, has his own streetwear brand, and he even knows martial arts?]
[Good grief, what a pair of martial arts expert siblings!]
[Tsk, ghosts—be careful, you guys!]
Zhen Xuan and Qu Ji'en had clearly injected a small dose of courage into the frightened Lan Zhi and Xiao Mengfei.
But… only a very small dose.
"Amitabha, please bless me to be in the same group as Bao Bao~"
"I also want to draw the lot that puts me with Xiao Bao!"
Qu Ji'en: "?"
Zhen Xuan: "?"
They acted as if the two of them didn't exist.
No, they still had a bit of use.
"If I'm not in Xiao Bao's group, Xiao Qu, I'll be relying on you."
"Brother Zhen, if Bao Bao ends up in another team, please look after me~"
The two men: "……"
Joining such a big family is really hard.
Once everyone had finished drawing their colours, the results were announced quickly.
Red Team: Xiao Mengfei, Cheng Yao, Qu Ji'en, Lan Zhi.
Blue Team: Qu Feifei, Bao Ruanruan, Zhen Xuan, Lu Wenhao.
"Feifei, could you swap with me?" Lan Zhi asked hesitantly.
Xiao Mengfei's eyes were glowing too.
Qu Ji'en felt that he was being disliked.
He glanced at the girl with delicate features who was still standing quietly in the corner.
With her snow-white skin and slender figure, she resembled a little bird leaning on someone14 for protection.
A faint ripple stirred in his heart, and he looked at his younger sister. "Then why don't you switch with Teacher Lanzhi?"
It would be good for the siblings to stay together, too.
However, Qu Feifei, who was being watched with expectation by several people, didn't know whether she was influenced by the atmosphere or whether she remembered the thrill of being 'carried to victory15' by Bao Ruanruan throughout the Great Escape challenge...
She hesitated.
"Brother, Sister Lanzhi."
"The Director said we have to draw lots for grouping. We can't just break the rules, can we?"
Qu Ji'en: "……"
Not only had he failed to join someone else's family, but even his own family had also fallen apart16.
The Red and Blue teams quickly elected their team leaders.
They were the two who had just volunteered themselves: Qu Ji'en and Zhen Xuan.
Bao Ruanruan had no interest in being the team leader.
In games, the one who held this position worked the hardest, both mentally and physically.
It was not a role the average person could handle.
Xiao Mengfei and Lan Zhi looked at her reluctantly, but could only follow Qu Ji'en obediently.
"Rock–paper–scissors. The Blue Team lost, so they go first."
"Whichever team gets out of the haunted house the fastest will be today's winning team."
"Don't worry, everyone. There's no danger here. All of our staff have tried it, and the fastest anyone made it out was in 23 minutes."
[That's actually quite long, huh.]
The staff reminded them:
"Each team may take two flashlights."
"All other items, including phones, are not allowed."
"If anything extra is found, each additional item adds 2 minutes to your time."
[!]
[Director Zheng, you definitely watched The Great Escape!]
[Kiddo Ruan definitely won't be able to sneak anything in this time.]
[Mom is getting worried now.]
In front of the camera, Bao Ruanruan greeted Zhen Xuan, whom she was meeting for the first time, with solemn seriousness.
She showed full respect to this slightly goofy, straightforward boy who had done a backflip the moment he arrived.
"Leader, sir—do you have any instructions for me?"
As a team member, she would obey unconditionally.
Zhen Xuan froze for a moment.
He wasn't the leader of his idol group, nor had he ever done any managerial work.
So Bao Ruanruan's question left him completely stumped.
Zhen Xuan even blushed a little.
Leader, sir… the way she said it actually sounded pretty nice.
But how could he possibly come up with any instructions?
He had just put himself forward to be the team leader, purely because he wanted to use his gym-honed muscles to protect his teammates!
"Protect us?"
Bao Ruanruan's eyes sparkled.
It was her first time meeting such a nice kid on a variety show.
"Leader, you're so kind."
Zhen Xuan blushed so hard that he looked as though he were about to explode.
He didn't even know what to do with his hands. "No, no, Teacher Bao, I'm nothing special."
Lu Wenhao: "…"
He had originally been indulging in melancholy, thinking about his older brother's troubles. But when he looked up, he saw Bao Ruanruan had turned his teammate into a tomato—he was bright red all over.
"Since the Leader wants to protect us, then I won't hold back. Today, we'll be counting entirely on you."
Bao Ruanruan smiled with narrowed eyes.
She was determined to paddle in the water to the very end.
"No problem, Teacher Bao!" Zhen Xuan straightened his chest proudly.
Teacher Bao? What's with that?
Lu Wenhao shot him a look.
She had only joined the company a few days earlier than they did.
What was he doing?
But Bao Ruanruan clasped her hands behind her back and nodded. "The haunted house is really dark, and we may get separated. No matter what happens, Leader, you must do your best and make it to the end."
Zhen Xuan was moved.
After she had left, he nudged Lu Wenhao with his elbow.
"Bro."
"You said before that the person we needed to be most careful about on this show was Teacher Bao, right?"
"I think she's the kindest senior I've ever met."
Lu Wenhao: "……"
He got captured just like that?
Have you seriously never seen the world?
"What do you mean by calling her 'senior'? We're the same age!"
She had even been his older brother's former rumoured girlfriend.
The moment he thought of this, Lu Wenhao felt as if his heart were being cut by knives.
Originally, he had always trusted his big brother.
When his brother said he had nothing to do with Bao Ruanruan, he believed him.
But recently, his brother kept being called into their father's study. He could hear their father yelling at him even through the door.
'Can you honestly say you never did any of these things?'
'Even now, you want to cover everything up? Are you still trying to fool heaven so you can cross the sea17?!'
'All those rumours online are fake—do you dare guarantee that to me? As long as you dare to say it, I can let you return to the company! But if I find even a shred of evidence proving you lied, then the Lu family's assets will have nothing to do with you from now on!!'
'Do you dare say it or not?!'
'Dad… the world isn't just black or white. No one is perfect. I had my own difficulties too…'
Looking back on it now, Lu Wenhao's face was full of bitterness.
So his older brother was also someone who could make mistakes.
Someone who could tell lies.
Right now, he didn't even know whether his older brother had lied to him about the matter involving Bao Ruanruan.
If he did lie…
To what extent?
Was he deceiving and toying with two girls at the same time?
Lu Wenhao watched the slender figure walk away with her hands behind her back, then let out a bitter laugh.
If she really was his fan, then he truly was a terrible idol.
His older brother toyed with her feelings and refused to admit their relationship, leaving her to be cyberbullied.
And he himself had refused to believe her and had spoken harshly to her.
Lu Wenhao sighed.
Zhen Xuan: "Pull yourself together, bro! How can you be less obedient to your Leader than that girl is?"
Lu Wenhao: "……"
Are you getting full of yourself or what?!
The haunted-house challenge officially began.
Zhen Xuan of the Blue Team stepped forward first, leading his three teammates out of formation.
This haunted house had been converted from an abandoned office building on the outskirts of Jiangcheng.
Its exterior walls were mottled and splattered with patches of red paint.
Its entrance was a pair of double iron doors.
When it was pushed open, it still let out a strained, creaking krr-krr sound.
Along with the overcast weather, which prevented any sunlight from penetrating the place, the atmosphere on site felt even more chilling.
Qu Feifei stepped onto a patch of poorly maintained grass at the entrance. The overly lush clumps of greenery were poking at her ankles. Her expression looked slightly unpleasant.
Lu Wenhao looked toward the gloomy little building and immediately scrunched up his brows.
"Blue Team, your time starts now!" a staff member shouted.
Leader Zhen Xuan took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
Inside, it was pitch-black.
Looking up, they could vaguely make out a few red dots blinking.
They were the night-vision cameras set up by the production team for night filming.
"Don't be scared, it's okay."
Zhen Xuan reassured her teammates and bravely took the first step forward.
But once they had all gone inside, the main door slammed shut with a loud creak!
The metallic scraping against their eardrums felt as though it were rubbing right across their raw nerves.
As the door closed, all the light vanished before their eyes.
The path ahead was filled with a thick, impenetrable darkness.
[They're definitely scared now.]
[Gosh, it's so dark you can probably only see silhouettes, right?]
Zhen Xuan switched on the flashlight.
It lit up the road ahead.
Qu Feifei held another flashlight in her hand.
They walked in a line, with one of the two holding the flashlight at the front and another at the back, ensuring that the two beams of light covered every step they took.
"This looks like an abandoned school?"
Zhen Xuan spoke to give himself courage.
Lu Wenhao felt a prickling sensation on his back, so he walked with his body turned halfway to the side, feeling uneasy.
With every step he took, he would check behind and in front of him.
The first room was a classroom.
The desks and chairs were all askew…
A few chairs had fallen onto the floor.
When Qu Feifei shone her flashlight over, they saw a dark figure swaying in mid-air in the middle of the classroom.
Lu Wenhao: "!"
He instantly stumbled backwards!
[Pfft! Stay strong, Brother Lu!]
But just as this message was sent to the chat, the dark hanging figure suddenly turned towards them when they opened the door, and the flashlights illuminated it.
It revealed a terrifying masked face covered with long hair, and then it suddenly lunged at them!
It charged at them, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.
"Argh!"
"Ah!!"
"Holy shit!"
Three tragic-sounding screams rang out as the three of them quickly stumbled backwards.
Qu Feifei even treated her flashlight like a hidden weapon, hurling it at the figure. "Don't come any closer!"
Lu Wenhao grabbed Zhen Xuan and spewed a non-stop stream of filthy Zuan-style curses18 while sprinting away without even looking back!
[They are blazing with passion.]
[Even the main dancer's posture when running away is so beautiful.]
[Feifei is scared out of her mind. My poor baby girl.]
[…Sorry, I have a question: isn't the team missing one more person?]
[?!]
[Holy shit! Where's Bao Ruanruan?!]
The three who had escaped leaned together, panting heavily, their faces drained of all colour.
Zhen Xuan patted Lu Wenhao and gave a wry smile. "Brother… your variety show is seriously too hard."
No kidding.
Qu Feifei also nodded miserably.
When she came here, she had even signed a 'life-saving agreement' with Bao Ruanruan.
The thought made Qu Feifei freeze. She turned her head—in the dim light of the fallen flashlight, she noticed something seemed to be missing.
"We… are missing someone, aren't we?"
"!"
"!!"
The three of them jolted violently.
[Geez… You're only noticing it now?]
[23333]
Where was Bao Ruanruan?
She was still at the starting point.
When the livestream camera switched to the haunted house entrance, they realised she was standing there very cautiously in complete darkness.
[Pfft, pfft— as long as I don't move, the monsters won't catch me.]
[Ruanruan: "Leader, I leave it to you."]
[23333, Bao Ruanruan, do you dare to take a step forward?]
[Wake up! Are you still the same you from that Pengmai commercial, who could fly over eaves and walk on walls13?]
At this moment, in the corridor...
Screams could be heard ahead, and Bao Ruanruan tilted her head to listen.
But she still didn't move.
If the enemy doesn't move, I won't move.
If the enemy moves, I still won't move.
As long as Bao Ruanruan stood still in the complete darkness, she would be safe.
Moreover, her eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness inside the building, and she could now barely make out the outlines of some objects.
All she wanted was to paddle in the water.
Alas, the moment she walked in, she immediately saw five red lights shining in the pitch darkness on the ground floor.
Camera lenses.
In the darkness, she lifted her little face towards the blurry outlines of the cameras.
In the pitch-black darkness, her eyes seemed to reflect a faint light, but they were devoid of emotion.
She let out a gentle sigh.
Amid the footsteps of the three people walking towards her and their voices calling her name, she spoke softly and quietly.
Her voice was loud enough for everyone watching the livestream to hear.
It was full of sighs and regret.
"Director Zheng, are you watching?"
"I have a suggestion. Do you want to hear it?"
[?]
[!]
The livestream instantly switched to Zheng Mingchang's aged face.
He looked just as confused and puzzled.
However, Bao Ruanruan didn't have a phone or any other means of communication with her, so they couldn't speak directly to each other.
She could only continue talking one-sidedly.
"Actually, today, I really don't want to work hard anymore."
Zheng Mingchang: "?"
[Wake up! When have you ever worked hard on this show? Pffft!]
[Girl, just be honest—if you're afraid of the dark, then say you're afraid of the dark. We can just stay right here and wait for the Leader to come get you~]
[Our girl is skilful, but she's timid. Mama's used to it—can only spoil her~]
However, when she was in front of the camera, Bao Ruanruan started to chant softly.
"The haunted house is one of the amusement park attractions, and it brings joy to visitors."
"I shouldn't deprive everyone of their joy."
Bao Ruanruan's soft little voice was full of consideration.
"So, Director Zheng, if you agree to one condition, I can stay right where I am without moving."
Director Zheng Mingchang: "……??"
"What did she just say?"
"Did I hear that right?"
Director Zheng Mingchang asked the staff beside him in disbelief.
Her whole face had 'ridiculous' written all over it.
"Is she threatening me?"
[!]
[Hahahahaha—so this is why Qu Ji'en and Zhen Xuan aren't good enough for her; turns out she's after the Director instead!]
[Ruanruan: "Since the Director is restricting me from using the Life-Saving Agreements, I must keep him under control."]
[Ruanruan, the woman at the top of the variety-show food chain~]
[Hahaha! But seriously, why would the Director agree to a condition that allows you to stay still? He can't wait for you to move forward and be scared witless!]
"Why should I agree to her request?"
Standing on the lawn outside the haunted house, Director Zheng Mingchang felt completely at a loss.
He began to doubt everything.
"Did she misunderstand the rules?"
Did she think that threatening the Director would help her clear the level?
"Who told her to stay put? The rest of the Blue Team have already run ahead—now they have to come back and find her!"
Director Zheng couldn't figure it out.
And he definitely wouldn't agree to such an absurd request.
Of course, even if he had agreed, Bao Ruanruan wouldn't have been able to hear him at that moment anyway.
So, before long, in the pitch-black livestream feed, Bao Ruanruan nodded slightly.
"Looks like our negotiation has fallen apart."
[Hahahahaha!]
[I'm dying of laughter.]
[It's a one-sided conversation—how could it not fall apart?]
But just as these comments scrolled by, viewers saw Bao Ruanruan's slender figure, which had been standing still, suddenly move.
In front of the camera, she took two steps back.
She was now standing at the starting point of the haunted house, right in the middle of the corridor.
When Lu Wenhao came running towards her, flashing his flashlight and yelling, "Bao Ruanruan, what are you doing?!"—
—The beam of his flashlight landed on her instantly.
And the image of the scene became much clearer.
Then she suddenly jumped straight up on the spot.
Her legs snapped open into a full split in mid-air.
[!]
The next second, it was as if the viewers' hands in the live comments were gripped, stopping them from typing.
Bao Ruanruan spread her legs wide, forming a split in mid-air.
Her feet were fixed firmly to the walls of the left and right corridors like suction cups!
Wearing black-and-white striped Pengmai sneakers, her two exposed, slender ankles slowly shifted upwards towards the ceiling, inch by inch.
She climbed all the way to the top of the wall.
[!]
[Ghost, go ahead and walk under my feet~]
[As long as I climb high enough, the ghost can't get me.]
The live comments were still in shock.
But then they saw Bao Ruanruan's body slowly bend backwards toward the wall on the right.
Her right hand reached out as if to touch her right toe.
Right before their eyes, her index finger was about to touch the edge of the wall.
However, she made a hooking motion with her fingernail instead.
With a snap, she flipped open a rectangular metal panel on the wall.
In the faint light of the flashlight, her slender, long fingers moved like a pianist's, tap, tap, tap… gently lifting the circuit breaker switches inside the metal cover, one by one!
Instantly, the haunted house was flooded with light!
Lu Wenhao: "……!"
[!]
[!!!]
Director Zheng Mingchang: "!!!"
In the camera frame, Bao Ruanruan jumped down from the wall with a whoosh.
She then patted the dust off her hands.
Frowning, she took a bottle of no-rinse King Clean alcohol gel out of her pocket.
"Sorry for adding 2 minutes to our time."
The shot of her cleaning her hands looked like a slow-motion close-up shot.
Everyone's gaze fell on her fair, delicate hands.
Even Qu Feifei and Zhen Xuan, who had been sprinting behind Lu Wenhao, were stunned.
Their mouths fell open in unison as they waited for her to slowly and methodically disinfect her hands.
They were watching... as if it were an action blockbuster.
When a true boss makes a move, you can instantly tell how powerful they are!
Bao Ruanruan looked up and noticed them, too. She smiled at her dear leader on the spot.
"Leader~"
"Because we were walking in the dark, I thought it was too dangerous… and then having to chase through the classroom and corridors—it really wasn't appropriate."
"Everyone knows we're not supposed to run in the school corridors."
"So, I took it upon myself to turn on the lights so we could walk slowly."
"You're not mad at me, right?"
Zhen Xuan: "…I…"
With a smooth, floating moonwalk, he slid over to Bao Ruanruan and dropped to one knee.
"Lady Warrior! Please teach me martial arts!"
[Pff pff!]
[Hhhhhh! D@mn!]
[How can anyone be running around the school at night? As Justice Bao, I absolutely won't allow it!]
[If she doesn't mess around for a day, her heart gets itchy. Mommy knows best 23333]
[Pfft… I knew it. The safety monitor never disappoints. How can a haunted house, where it's so easy to fall and get hurt, even be allowed to exist?]
"All right, then let's go."
"Oh, right — someone can stay here to guard the circuit breaker, just in case the director tries to send people in to shut it off."
Bao Ruanruan suggested sincerely.
"I propose that I stay."
[Hahahahaha!]
[D@mn it, you're still this unmotivated!]
Zhen Xuan was deeply moved, but as the team leader, he couldn't leave a girl behind.
"Teacher Ruanruan, you go with them. I'll cover the rear."
Even the way he addressed her had become more affectionate.
I guess this way works too.
Bao Ruanruan nodded, casually sliding both hands into her pockets.
"Then I'm scared. Let's walk faster."
Qu Feifei: "…"
Lu Wenhao: "…"
Zhen Xuan: "…"
We really couldn't tell that you were actually scared!
With lighting as bright as daylight, the interior layout of this 'haunted house' was completely exposed.
An abandoned school?
It was just a series of rooms with a few desks set out—brand-new ones, at that!
Even the room that was supposed to look like a laboratory had specimens in glass jars that were just cheap, fifty-cent Taobao toys thrown together half-heartedly.
Lu Wenhao walked by and gave them a contemptuous glance.
The three of them passed through the rooms quickly.
And as for the 'ghost brothers', they turned out to be just members of the production team.
"PD Li, is that you?"
"Oh? PD Zhang!"
"Long time no see, PD Liu."
Bao Ruanruan greeted everyone politely as she walked past.
Lu Wenhao and Qu Feifei exchanged a look.
"What the heck! This haunted house is so poorly made."
"Yeah, it's not scary at all."
It was as if they weren't the ones who had just screamed the loudest and bolted in panic, even dropping their flashlights in the process.
[Pfft, what haunted-house adventure? This is basically a vacation~]
[Bao Ruanruan: "I've visited this place."]
When the Blue Team had cleared the two floors and twelve rooms of the haunted house, the timer stopped.
"Six minutes and fifty-seven seconds!"
They completed the task in just a quarter of the fastest time achieved by staff members, which was 23 minutes!
Staff: "……"
Are we even playing the same game?
[Where's Director Zheng? Are you okay? Are you still alive?]
[Someone help! Put Director Zheng on a respirator!]
Stepping out of the haunted house, Bao Ruanruan kept a low profile by walking at the very back of the Blue Team, while displaying an innocent expression towards the pale-faced Director Zheng Mingchang.
Her clear eyes blinked.
"There once was a precious life-saving agreement, placed right in front of the Director."
"But the Director didn't cherish it."
[Pfft pfft pfft!]
Zheng Mingchang: "……"
Where's his blood pressure medication?!
Author's note:
Director Zheng shed tears of regret.
Footnotes Full List
- 鲨手 (shā shǒu) — pun on 杀手 (shā shǒu/killer/assassin). "鲨" (shark) is a humorous homophone swap often used online. Here, it jokingly means 'killer', but with a playful tone.
- "弹幕都在颤抖了 (tán mù dōu zài chàn dǒu le)" is a metaphorical exaggeration. It means viewers are reacting with intense emotion, often excitement, shock, or frenzy. The "bullet comments" themselves are not literally trembling—this expresses the overwhelming response.)
- "哥哥奴 (gē ge nú)" — slang. Literally 'brother slave'; it means someone extremely devoted to or obsessed with his older brother, treating him as a core emotional anchor. Similar to 'brother hardcore fanboy' or 'bro-con'.
- "金主霸霸 (jīn zhǔ bà bà)" — playful slang; literally 'sponsor daddies', referring to powerful sponsors or benefactors with a jokingly exaggerated honorific.
- "大杀四方 (dà shā sì fāng)" literally "kill in all directions" is an idiom meaning "to dominate or excel in all areas." Here, it's used playfully to hype someone's performance. And probably because Bao Ruanruan is going to play the role of an assassin.
- 划水 (huà shuǐ): Internet slang/metaphor meaning someone is doing the bare minimum or trying to get by without putting in effort. Here, it's playful and informal.
- "花呗" is a popular Chinese credit/pay-later service by Alipay, often used humorously to talk about debt or spending.
- The idiom 风生水起 (fēng shēng shuǐ qǐ) means that a person or venture is flourishing, becoming highly successful, and gaining great momentum.
- The idiom, 吊车尾 (diàochēwěi), means the one at the very end — someone who is always last, the slowest, or lagging behind the rest of a group (e.g., in rankings, performance, grades, etc.).
- 小鲜肉 (xiǎo xiān ròu) literally 'little fresh meat', slang for young, attractive male celebrity.
- 大帅锅 (dà shuài guō) literally 'big handsome pot', playful slang for a very handsome man.
- flag here is borrowed internet slang from gaming: setting a goal, challenge, or prediction.
- 飞檐走壁 (fēi yán zǒu bì) literally 'fly over eaves and run on walls' idiom meaning to move with incredible agility, and often used metaphorically to describe someone performing with skill or flair.
- 小鸟依人 (xiǎo niǎo yī rén): an idiom describing a demure, gentle girl who evokes a desire to protect her.
- 被带飞 (bèi dài fēi): gaming slang meaning 'to be carried', 'to be helped by a more capable teammate so much that you win easily'.
- 家庭破碎 (jiā tíng pò suì/lit. family shattered): humorous exaggeration. He's not literally losing his family; it's a humorous exaggeration to express mock tragedy over his sister refusing him.
- Figuratively, the idiom, 瞒天过海 (mán tiān guò hǎi), means to pull off a plan by distracting or fooling a higher authority
- "口吐祖安语录 (kǒu tǔ zǔ ān yǔ lù)" — Zuan (祖安) is an internet meme referring to extremely aggressive, insulting trash-talk. "Spewing Zuan quotes" = unleashing a stream of vulgar curses.
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