Nowadays, if you stopped ten office workers at random in the street, at least eight of them would undoubtedly be company lifest...
Nowadays, if you stopped ten office workers at random in the street, at least eight of them would undoubtedly be company lifestocks1, who spend their entire lives struggling to afford a home.
Bao Ruanruan's statement that she was working hard to buy a house struck a chord with viewers.
However, her next sentence made the viewers burst out laughing.
"Boo-hoo-hoo, I just played someone very likely to die. Could you recite the Core Socialist Values📹 to me?"
[ I only knew about crossing over a basin of fire2…but she wants to listen to the Core Socialist Values📹, hhhh3 ]
[ Kiddo Ruan, what is Mommy supposed to say? Hahaha. ]
[ A harmonious society cannot do without you, Bao Ruanruan! ]
[ What a little model soldier4 of the Core Socialist Values📹 you are! ]
[ The twenty-four characters are a sacred incantation for warding off evil! ]
[ Well done. I've had rather bad luck today too, so I'm going to recite them immediately. ]
Bao Ruanruan looked pitiful and helpless.
However, after holding the receiver to her ear for a long time, she still heard nothing.
Her little face was about to crumple.
"Hello?"
"Hello?"
She lowered the phone and looked at it.
The screen was completely black. The battery had died.
It had shut down automatically at the most critical moment.
Although she didn't use her phone very often, it was an important communication tool and a way to call for help.
She normally made sure the battery was above 50% before she could feel secure.
She had checked it specifically before leaving that morning, and it had been over 70%.
However, the cold weather had caused the battery to drain faster than usual.
She had miscalculated.
Bao Ruanruan's small face immediately tightened with regret.
[ PD, recite it to her! ]
[ PD, hurry up and do it! ]
Bao Ruanruan still didn't have an assistant with her, but she had come prepared and searched her backpack for a power bank.
The thought that she would soon be able to charge her phone and hear the voice that would save her filled her with energy again.
Her body stopped trembling, and her tears stopped flowing.
She solemnly thanked the production team members who had shown concern for her.
Colour then returned to her face.
Only after reaching the extras' lounge, plugging in her phone, and sitting down obediently to wait for it to restart did she once again look like a good little child.
[ 55555, Mommy wants to hug her. ]
[ The child managed to pick herself up. Can this still be considered all right? ]
[ I want to pamper her~ ]
While they waited for the phone to restart, the other three members of the Blue Team did not dare make a sound.
It was utterly silent.
After clearing his throat, Lu Wenhao pushed Zhen Xuan forward.
"Zhen Xuan said he would let you use his phone."
Zhen Xuan: "?"
"Oh, right! Sis Ruanruan, you can use my phone to call him."
Before he could finish speaking, Liu Qiu rushed over with her own phone.
"Teacher Bao, your agent sent a voice message!"
Bao Ruanruan's eyes immediately lit up.
When she took it, the camera revealed that the phone screen was displaying WeChat group.
#Bao Ruanruan–Taking Dream Contact Group (4)#
[ Liu Qiu: All right, all right. @AgentXJ, I'll play it for her now. ]
Rows of voice-message bars filled the screen.
They were seventy-three seconds, ninety-eight seconds, and so on—the messages were so long that the screen could barely contain them all.
[ Oh, hhhh3. It's inhumane to laugh at a time like this, but is Kiddo Ruan's agent a compulsive chatterbox? ]
[ Now that's impressive, Chatterbox Agent. ]
[ Kiddo Ruan's agent is genuinely wonderful. I'm giving him a like6. Mommy can relax now. ]
Bao Ruanruan immediately held the phone to her ear after accepting it.
After listening for a while, she furrowed her small brows.
Then she moved the phone away from her ear again.
She pressed the volume-up button several times, raising it to 75%.
[ What made our Safety Committee Member7 increase the volume to a level that could cause deafness? ]
"One central task and three points of focus—"
[ ?! ]
[ ! ]
[ ...Are these key examination points from the university textbook on Mao Zedong Thought🔗 ? ]
[ Good grief! I attended a lecture on this topic only yesterday! ]
[ Are final exams approaching? Help me! Stop pressuring me to revise! ]
[ These are all exam points! Important things must be repeated three times! ]
[ I know the three points of focus: focus on applying Marxist theory, focus on… ]
[ May I timidly ask? Am I the only hopeless student in this livestream? ]
The scrolling comments were filled with people suffering from the traumatic domination of their university ideology courses.
Although the agent's voice was pleasant, the viewers could no longer endure the content.
However, when the camera turned towards Bao Ruanruan, her previously listless face slowly lit up under the influence of the 'Scientific Outlook on Development🖼️'.
She had regained her spirit.
She looked alive again.
She was even energetic again.
Yes, she must deal with this realistically.
Bao Ruanruan touched her small, strongly beating heart and her unharmed shoulder.
At last, she smiled sheepishly.
She was fine now.
The final voice message began to play, and the man's voice brushed across her eardrums.
Perhaps because he had been reciting for so long, his voice had become slightly hoarse.
His final sentence also carried a noticeable nasal quality.
It was accompanied by two or three coughs.
"Are you feeling more comfortable now?"
Holding the phone, Bao Ruanruan froze abruptly.
Feeling more comfortable now…
More comfortable now…
Now…
'You've cleared the game now…!'
It was the voice of the man that had descended from above the game world after she reached the end of its thousandth level, passed through endless darkness, and reached the light8.
The voice had been neither high nor low and had sounded far away.
It was hoarse and slightly nasal.
Those three characters had cut through the world that imprisoned her!
She still remembered the exact vibration of every syllable and every ending sound!
Bao Ruanruan immediately stood up.
[ ?? ]
[ What happened? ]
"They're the same…"
How could they be the same?
Bao Ruanruan looked utterly shocked.
"What's wrong, Teacher Bao? Did something happen?" Even Liu Qiu was startled by her reaction.
This was a very serious matter!
Bao Ruanruan parted her lips, whose natural colour was concealed by foundation, but could not produce a single word for a long time.
Her mind was completely blank.
All that remained were countless comparisons between the two different versions of the voice…
How had the voice that she had repeatedly used as a substitute for several months suddenly become identical to the original person himself?
They had clearly sounded different before.
However, Liu Qiu interrupted her thoughts the next second.
"Teacher Bao, this is a red packet for having your character collected a boxed meal9. It's from your agent."
"This is another red packet prepared for you after a discussion among our show's directors."
Two large red envelopes were placed in Bao Ruanruan's hands.
"You need to spend them today."
Liu Qiu reminded her timidly.
She then turned and gave red packets to the other three Blue Team members.
However, they each received only one. The production team clearly prepared these, whereas their agents had given them nothing.
Shortly afterwards, Director Li Dong knocked on the door, smiling broadly.
As soon as he entered, he distributed four red packets to the four Blue Team members.
"Thank you for your hard work. May a lucky star shine upon you."
"May you flourish magnificently."
While offering these blessings, Li Dong also instructed them, "Later, ask the stage manager to take you to the supermarket next door to buy something."
As he spoke, he deliberately glanced towards Qu Feifei and the others.
[ Hmm? The Director seems rather considerate towards Qu Feifei. ]
[ Is receiving a red packet after collecting a boxed meal9 some kind of production custom? Kiddo Ruan has already received three. ]
[ Apparently so. Apparently, it's supposed to wash away the bad luck of portraying a dead person. ]
[ Good grief ~ Our Kiddo Ruan's agent really does follow the Scientific Outlook on Development🖼️, hahaha!]
[ No, he is using two brushes together10. The red packet he gave her is rather thick too, 2333311. ]
[ It must be a custom. The PD reminded them to spend all the money, and the Director hinted that they should go shopping. ]
[ Does it mean spending money to avert disaster? ]
[ Kiddo Ruan: "I'll spend it immediately!" ]
On a film set, even an extra portraying a character who collected a boxed meal9 might receive a red packet.
The amount simply varies from case to case.
Qu Feifei and the other two had never experienced this before. As it was their first time visiting a production set, they found the experience very novel.
They opened the red packets and discovered that each contained six hundred yuan.
Lu Wenhao was delighted. "So there really is such a custom."
All the hardship he had endured while filming instantly disappeared.
This was money he had earned through his own efforts!
It hadn't been given to him merely because he was the Lu family's son!
His happiness doubled.
After they had finished filming, the production crew immediately gave the Blue Team the rest of the day off.
The four of them went shopping at the nearby Hengcheng Mall.
"Sis Ruanruan, is there anything you'd like to buy?"
As usual, Zhen Xuan asked the Blue Team's pillar of emotional support12.
Bao Ruanruan was feeling a little out of sorts and absent-minded.
It was only when someone called out to her that she gradually returned to her senses. "Mm, there isn't anything I want to buy…"
She checked her phone and saw that it had charged to twenty-five per cent.
Just as she was about to contact Xue Jing again, she noticed a message in her work group.
#Xiao Baozi Work Group (3)#
[ Chen Feng: @XiaoBaozi, after your schedule ends tomorrow, I'll ask Driver Chen from the company to pick you up. My cold has developed the terrifying ability to spread from person to person, so I won't be coming. ]
Bao Ruanruan paused in surprise.
She was about to respond when Chen Feng sent another message.
[ Chen Feng: @BrotherXue, how are you? Should I buy you medicine? Are you still alive? It might not have been me who infected you. The temperature has been fluctuating considerably lately… ]
He continued chattering without pause.
But suddenly, a beam of light pierced Bao Ruanruan's mind, which had been stalled since earlier.
He had a cold…
He had caught a cold!
It was as though a seed had emerged from within her beating heart.
It took root.
Then it sprouted.
Its branches and leaves slowly unfolded.
A flower bud emerged.
The corners of Bao Ruanruan's lips rose involuntarily.
However, the moment she began to smile, she restrained herself.
"No, I can't celebrate too soon."
She still needed to verify it.
Besides, did he actually play video games?
Bao Ruanruan became thoroughly confused.
Lost in thought, she fell behind the rest of the Blue Team. While the camera operator wasn't looking, she took off her microphone.
She tapped into her private conversation with Xue Jing and held down the voice-message button.
Taking a deep breath, Bao Ruanruan asked nervously,
"Have you ever played…"
Have you ever played How Many Days Can a Female Celebrity Survive?
The moment she uttered the third word, she felt a sudden tingle in her tailbone and her heart squeezed, leaving her unable to breathe.
She was instantly engulfed by the hair-raising threat of death.
She immediately covered her mouth.
She swallowed back the fourth word.
Only then did the trembling pores on the back of her neck settle down.
"Sis Ruanruan, what's wrong?" Zhen Xuan quickly realised that someone was missing from their group of four.
When he turned around, he saw that Bao Ruanruan had fallen behind.
He shouted to her.
Bao Ruanruan swallowed with difficulty.
She sensed an unseen force controlling her.
She could not say the game's name. She could not violate the rules of this world or reveal her extraordinary identity… otherwise, she would be punished.
Bao Ruanruan took a deep breath and forced out a smile. "It's nothing."
She had nearly died just then, had she not?
[ Xue Jing: ? ]
Bao Ruanruan cleared her throat.
"Mm, you have a cold? Have you played video games before?"
Leaning closer to the phone, Bao Ruanruan took the first small step in her search for the truth.
After sending the message, she put away her phone and quickly caught up with the Blue Team.
The series of events had left her thoughts in disarray.
She needed to calm herself now.
As long as one survives cautiously for long enough, everything will eventually come.
If Xue Jing was indeed that person and if they both lived long lives, they would still have more than a hundred years together…
The closer she came to the treasure chest, the more she needed to keep her cool. She could not rush towards it recklessly.
Otherwise, she might fail just short of success.
She had to be patient and composed.
Once she forced herself to calm down, she discovered the key issue.
"Oh no! I forgot to take a shower at the film studio before leaving."
The three other Blue Team members: "?"
[ Has Kiddo Ruan finally returned to her usual self? ]
[ Kiddo Ruan: "Hurry up and wash so all the bacteria will go away~ "]
[ As soon as she removed the armour, I knew her germophobia had flared up. She has looked listless ever since. ]
[ Taking a shower is also a way to remove bad luck, 2333311. ]
"Then should we book a room at the hotel next door?" Lu Wenhao asked timidly.
Upon reaching the mall, he had discovered that his family's hotel was next door.
Zhen Xuan raised an arm and smelled his armpit. "Mm, I do smell a little."
He wrinkled his nose.
Within one second, Qu Feifei had jumped three steps away from behind him.
She had completely dodged out of the camera frame.
Looking for Bao Ruanruan again, they discovered that she had also disappeared from the shot.
The camera could not even keep up with them in time.
[ Hahahahaha, I'm laughing so hard I can't stay alive! ]
[ Are Zhen Xuan's fans here? Don't worry. He is destined to remain single for life! He will never possibly date anyone~ ]
[ Zhen Zhen, you should continue radiating your charm onstage. Variety shows are not suitable for you. This is terrifying~~~ ]
The destructive power of Zhen Xuan's single action was simply too great.
"Let's buy new clothes and then go to the sauna," Bao Ruanruan exclaimed, regaining her energy.
After riding horses and scrambling, crawling, and rolling around, they urgently needed to wash thoroughly and remove more than 70% of the bacteria.
Early winter was the perfect time for a warm sauna to make them perspire.
The high temperature would open their pores and promote detoxification, which is more difficult in autumn and winter, when people do not sweat as easily.
It could also strengthen their blood vessels.
"But…"
Bao Ruanruan took one step and then stopped cautiously.
She turned and looked at her teammates with concern.
"Do any of you have cardiovascular disease?"
The three other Blue Team members froze simultaneously.
"No!"
They shouted so loudly that the sound seemed to shake heaven and earth, as though they were answering a roll call during military training.
They feared that if they answered even a second too late, Bao Ruanruan would immediately send them straight for medical examinations!
Lu Wenhao's face practically turned green thinking of it.
Qu Feifei was also terrified at the thought of being pricked with a needle or having her blood drawn again.
The mere thought made her panic.
"I'm fine. I'm extremely healthy."
"No problem. I'm still a child!"
[ A child, 2333311. ]
[ To be honest, I'm afraid of medical examinations too. Once people reach middle age, they begin worrying several days before every checkup. ]
[ Let's exercise like Ruanruan~ ]
[ People with high blood pressure or heart disease must never use a sauna. You can always trust Ruanruan. ]
[ Let me have a looky at the sauna safety instructions! Let's go, Blue Team! ]
The four Blue Team members therefore went to the men's and women's clothing counters.
They rarely had the opportunity to enjoy themselves.
This was particularly the case for Zhen Xuan and Lu Wenhao. Since giving up video games and no longer spending money on character skins and equipment, they had become practically free of all worldly desires13.
Other than buying clothes, and what Bao Ruanruan had suggested, they could not think of anything else to do.
"I have 2,200 yuan."
Bao Ruanruan counted the money.
The variety show and the drama production had each given her 600 yuan, choosing an auspicious amount for good luck.
Her agent, Xue Jing, had sent Liu Qiu money via WeChat, instructing her to withdraw it and prepare an additional 1,000 yuan red packet.
Two thousand two hundred yuan.
It seemed like a considerable amount, but she looked at the other three Blue Team members.
They had only six hundred yuan each.🦊
"The sauna costs ninety-nine yuan per person."
When they reached the department store, they found that ordinary long-sleeved shirts cost 100 yuan, while plain jeans cost between 200 and 300 yuan. They were disheartened.
A thick jumper would put them over budget.
As the saying goes, it is only when money is urgently needed that one laments how little one has15.
"It doesn't matter."
Bao Ruanruan remained calm.
She was already very experienced in situations like this.
"This episode allows us to take part in independent activities, and the Director never said that we couldn't use props."
The moment she finished speaking, Lu Wenhao's body hair stood on end.
Qu Feifei noticed the change in his expression and immediately became nervous too.
"Life…"
The victims did not dare utter the remaining two words casually.
They had suffered greatly because of those documents in the past.
"You lend us money, and we sign life-saving agreements with you?"
Zhen Xuan blurted it out, having clearly caught up on the previous episodes.
He had instantly become clever.
Then he received death glares from Qu Feifei and Lu Wenhao.
[ Hhh3, long ago there was a legend throughout the jianghu16: whoever obtained a life-saving agreement could unify and rule the entire martial arts world! ]
[ Bai Xiaosheng🔗 : "Their life-saving agreements rank third on the weapons list!" ]
[ ?? Why is it only third? My Little Li Flying Dagger refuses to accept this ranking17! ]
[ Bai Xiaosheng🔗 : "First place belongs to the Director's edition of the life-saving agreement! Second place belongs to the special edition!" ]
[ Hahahahaha… Sister in the previous comment, you're a comedic genius18! I refuse to watch the next season of Taking Dream unless you join the production team. ]
"It's actually fine. I don't need to buy any of this…"
Lu Wenhao looked at the price tags.
Honestly, he would never have given three-digit prices a second glance before!
How could anyone wear clothes this expensive?
"I don't need anything that expensive."
Lu Wenhao waved his hand.
"Where are the cheaper clothes? Those suit me better. If I wear anything too luxurious, my skin is likely to develop an allergy."
He would rather wear nothing at all than sign another life-saving agreement!
[ 2333311, Brother Lu, what kind of skin do you have? Are you allergic to expensive, silky fabrics? ]
[ Since he started following Ruanruan, all of Brother Lu's spoilt rich heir ailments19 have been cured, hhhh3. ]
Even Qu Feifei, a girl group member who usually pays close attention to skincare, didn't mention buying skincare products at all when they discussed their post-shower plans.
Why use skincare products at all?
A cheap tube of urea cream would be adequate.
"My money… should be enough."
Qu Feifei looked at herself.
"I don't need a coat or sweater. I only need a set of underclothes."
Zhen Xuan had originally intended to borrow money.
Now he stared at the two of his teammates in astonishment.
"Brother Lu, one of your usual T-shirts costs four…"
Before he could finish, Lu Wenhao covered his mouth.
Lu Wenhao gave him a sharp warning look.
Qu Feifei also looked at Zhen Xuan admonishingly.
Child, you have never suffered because of a life-saving agreement.
You do not understand how treacherous society can be.
If you insist on exploring the world, you can do it yourself.
Do not pull other people into the water20 with you.
The three of them exchanged meaningful looks.
Zhen Xuan began to feel afraid too.
The three of them reached an agreement.
Then they heard Bao Ruanruan comment lightly, "You're imagining too much. I have no intention of lending you money."
The three of them: "!"
Under normal circumstances, Bao Ruanruan would have been willing to lend them money to foster goodwill, perhaps in exchange for a life-saving agreement.
Today, however, she did not want to give anyone the money in her red packets.
She especially did not want to share the thickest one. She wanted to keep it entirely for herself and spend it as she wished.
Bao Ruanruan's fair little face radiated with happiness at monopolising her agent's red packet.
She had become utterly heartless and disloyal today.
Lu Wenhao and Qu Feifei had imaginary black lines covering their foreheads21.
Had they become frightened for absolutely nothing?
"Then why did you just say we could use props?"
Bao Ruanruan tilted her small face in confusion. "Didn't you earn life-saving agreements last time too?"
Qu Feifei: "!"
Lu Wenhao: "!!"
Zhen Xuan: "?"
[ ! ]
Everyone remembered.
The great escape challenge!
Lu Wenhao, in particular, suddenly remembered the joy of possessing a life-saving agreement. He nearly spun on the spot and flew into the sky.
As he had always been at the bottom of the food chain22 on the programme, he had completely forgotten that, as Party A23, he could exercise authority!
"But Xiao Qi and the others aren't participating in our programme. Can we still use the contracts?"
Qu Feifei asked in surprise.
While filming Taking Dream, they were allowed to participate in independent activities, but the production team did not fund them.
On top of that, they were not allowed to use other funds for spending.🦊
Director Zheng Mingchang had also put in painstaking effort to make this possible for the Blue Team.
"The Director never said we couldn't," Bao Ruanruan replied sincerely.
Therefore, they could.🦊
Lu Wenhao's and Qu Feifei's eyes lit up.
Was what they lacked merely a six-hundred-yuan sweater or coat?
No, on this cold, early winter day, what they lacked was a prestigious opportunity to experience using a life-saving agreement.
From this point forward, they could also turn their situation around and become masters of their own fate26 on Taking Dream.
Excited, Lu Wenhao rubbed his little hands together.
However, when the moment came to use the agreement, he felt deeply reluctant.
During the great escape challenge, he had earned five life-saving agreements.
But there were only five.
He did not know if he would ever have the chance to get more.
Thinking of this, he glanced at Bao Ruanruan.
Without her leadership, he would never have obtained them.
Qu Feifei had reached the same conclusion. She now looked at Bao Ruanruan with a little more respect.
They could only receive such special benefits by following Bao Ruanruan.
Without her leading the way, Qu Feifei would have lost one of her contracts and would have had no way to replace it.
"All right. I'll call the man in black from before and borrow three hundred yuan from him!"
"No, I'm going to borrow… six hundred yuan."
Lu Wenhao gritted his teeth.
Since he rarely had the opportunity to use an agreement, he needed to set a fair price.
Qu Feifei treasured hers too.
Her thrifty instincts became fully apparent.
"Perhaps I should still spend a little less. Now that I've thought about it, five hundred yuan should be enough for a complete outfit."
Lu Wenhao: "!"
He regretted his decision too!
How could he spend one of his precious five opportunities on something as insignificant as buying clothes?
Bao Ruanruan had not expected them to struggle so much. While they were still thinking, she had already entered the neighbouring thermal underwear store to look at long underwear.
"Is there a discount, miss?"
She tightly clutched her red packet, her little face displaying obvious reluctance to spend it.
She wished she could split Xue Jing's red packet into two and spend each half separately.
"One set costs 199 yuan? Ah, that's so expensive."
The other three Blue Team members: "......"
A woman with 2,200 yuan was unwilling to buy a 199-yuan set of thermal underwear.
How could they possibly consider themselves worthy of buying it?
Lu Wenhao slammed his hand against the wall. "Miss, bring out the cheapest items in your shop!"
"Do you have a buy-one-get-one-free offer?" Qu Feifei forced herself to smile.
Zhen Xuan looked at them and nearly cried.
Firstly, he had no life-saving agreement with which he could use to borrow money. Secondly, he did not have 2,200 yuan.
"Do you sell defective merchandise?"
"What? You don't? Good heavens!"
[ 2333311. ]
[ I can't endure this anymore! You're going to make me laugh myself to death just so you can inherit my Mao Zedong Thought🔗 textbook! ]
[ There's no need to go that far. Six hundred yuan is still enough to avoid buying defective goods, Zhen Zhen! ]
[ Poor child. Why are you reluctant to buy thermal underwear now? Good heavens, you're a celebrity! Wake up and remember who you are! ]
[ Watching this show has made me feel superior again~ I'm opening the parcel containing my newly arrived thermal underwear right now! I bought two sets! ]
[ Hahahaha, I'm immediately putting on my prestigious, full-priced, undiscounted thermal trousers! ]
The scrolling comments were filled with laughter.
The four of them were genuinely struggling.
Six hundred yuan normally seemed like a substantial amount, but it was not enough to replace an entire outfit at a department store.
After accounting for dinner and the sauna, the money in their red packets evaporated quickly in such a big city.
Even combining all four people's money would barely be enough to purchase one set of cosmetics if they also needed make-up after showering.
"We'll go without make-up!"
[ Pfft, pfft, pfft———— ]
[ This variety show is genuinely so unpredictable that even the Director has no idea what will happen next. ]
[ Thinking back nostalgically27, they still wanted to go horse riding this morning... ]
[ We're all friends here. It's fine to remove your make-up! I've wanted to see you without it for a long time! ]
They went to the sauna facility, where they would have needed to remove their make-up anyway.
To protect the privacy of the other customers, filming stopped for a while.
After all, this was a respectable, harmonious variety show that didn't rely on sexually suggestive borderline content.
When the four Blue Team members entered the changing room, the broadcast switched to the Red Team.
The four of them were finally free of the cameras and could happily enjoy their rest.
Bao Ruanruan secretly glanced at her phone and noticed a new WeChat notification.
Much to her surprise, she found herself feeling slightly afraid to look at it.
What if he said again that he didn't play video games?
Bao Ruanruan's small face showed intense inner conflict.
She put the phone back in her bag.
"Mm. I won't expose myself to radiation before entering the hot spring."
As long as she didn't open the treasure chest28, she wouldn't be disappointed.
She could still enjoy a pleasant evening.
Bao Ruanruan's heart pounded.
One after another, she remembered the truffles, cordyceps, and mineral water that Xue Jing had given her… the seven-character sacred chant, the twenty-four-character values he had recited, the late-night stories he had told her, and the life-extending kiss she had dreamed about…
She covered her burning cheeks and shook her head.
"Control yourself!"
What if he was not that person?
Yet the thought suddenly made her heart feel strangely hollow and empty.
"Bao... ahem, why aren't you coming inside?"
Standing at the washroom entrance and covering herself with a bath towel, Qu Feifei turned around to find that there was no one behind her.
She nearly bit her tongue while trying to call Bao Ruanruan's name.
Although they had completed several missions together, she had never spent time alone with Bao Ruanruan.
This time they would meet each other completely honestly and without concealment29 and take a little bath together!
Her face reddened!
Qu Feifei also struggled with how to address Bao Ruanruan.
Simply calling her 'Bao Ruanruan' seemed too impersonal.
They had been teammates for a long time, and Bao Ruanruan had taken good care of her.
However, calling her 'Teacher Bao' or 'Sis Ruanruan', as Zhen Xuan did, was also unsuitable. Qu Feifei had debuted earlier than Bao Ruanruan, and they were the same age.
Bao... Bao...
Addressing her the way Xiao Mengfei did made Qu Feifei feel so embarrassingly sentimental that it could numb her flesh to death30.
She could not even force the words out.
Qu Feifei wondered whether she suffered from social anxiety.
How had this happened?
"Ah, I'm coming!"
It was only when Qu Feifei called her did Bao Ruanruan realise that she had been staring at her phone, wavering anxiously between hope and fear.
This did not resemble her at all!
Bao Ruanruan could hide cautiously and prioritise survival, but hesitation was not an option.
Hesitation leads to defeat!
She swiftly removed her clothes, picked up a towel, and entered the washroom.
She showed no formality or emotional distance towards Qu Feifei.
The hot springs there consisted of small artificial pools rather than natural ones.
The men's and women's areas were separate.
Once everyone had finished bathing, they would gather again in the outdoor sauna.
Bao Ruanruan calmly and carefully applied shower gel to her body under the shower, paying particular attention to hard-to-reach areas such as her elbows, neck, and back.
At the same time, she started chatting with Qu Feifei.
"Mm, have you ever desperately wanted to find something—perhaps something you… used to love—but couldn't find it temporarily?"
Qu Feifei had initially felt somewhat uncomfortable about being naked together.
However, when Bao Ruanruan asked the question, she breathed a sigh of relief.
A conversation between friends could always dispel awkwardness.
Bao Ruanruan rubbed her palms and the spaces between her fingers. "You keep searching, but one day you encounter something new and discover that it resembles the old thing you loved."
"But for a while, you can't tell if the new thing and the old thing are actually the same. You desperately hope they are, but they might not be. Mm, and perhaps you're only allowed to possess one of them."
Qu Feifei became slightly confused while listening.
"I don't think I've ever wanted anything like that."
Bao Ruanruan let out a disappointed sigh.
Qu Feifei soon recalled something. "When I was young, I was sent to learn martial arts. I disliked it at the time because the training was very difficult. But during that year's Spring Festival, I saw a senior sister from my school performing a sword dance, and I thought it was extraordinarily beautiful."
"I constantly thought about becoming like her."
"However, after I had started training seriously, my master told me that I needed to practise the fundamentals first."
"I was extremely disappointed, but I gritted my teeth and persevered. I decided to learn the fundamentals first and swordsmanship afterwards."
"But in the end…" Qu Feifei smiled. "By the time I learned the sword dance, I had fallen in love with dancing instead."
Bao Ruanruan froze.
Could that happen?
Qu Feifei smiled. "After I encountered dance, I realised that it was what I truly loved. When I was younger, I didn't understand martial arts very well. As I grew older, I became increasingly involved with dance…"
Bao Ruanruan involuntarily became lost in thought.
Had she not understood it well enough back then?
Speaking of which, she had never truly understood the person who had rescued her from the game either.
When she finally gained her freedom, all she wanted was to thank him.
But now she was struggling with whether Xue Jing was that person.
She even believed that, if he was, she could kiss him without feeling the slightest bit of guilt or emotional burden.
Bao Ruanruan's face immediately reddened.
When she had first ascended the throne as the queen of the game, she had never entertained such thoughts!
Therefore… according to Qu Feifei's reasoning, she preferred… the present substitute… more.
Qu Feifei was rinsing the foam from her hair when she wondered why Bao Ruanruan had suddenly stopped responding.
When she turned around, she was startled.
"Is your water too hot? Why is your face so red?"
Bao Ruanruan touched her face in surprise.
Was she blushing?
It took them half an hour to finish washing and drying their hair.
Only then did they emerge from the shower area.
Bao Ruanruan's luminous, snow-white toes had a faint pink tint to them.
Lu Wenhao and Zhen Xuan glanced at them once, then immediately looked away, unable to bring themselves to look again.
Their faces reddened.
Qu Feifei followed behind her, also displaying an unusually adorable bare face.
[ 55555, my daughter is so beautiful. ]
[ She looks so soft. Mommy wants to hug her. ]
They entered the outdoor sauna and sat beside the two men.
Qu Feifei raised a finger. "We weren't slow at bathing. We did lots of things."
Lu Wenhao and Zhen Xuan: "?"
"We spent ten minutes showering and washing our hair. Then we dried our hair, slowly drank a cup of warm water, and rested for another five minutes."
Zhen Xuan suddenly understood everything. "So that's what happened."
He had unexpectedly encountered girls who were so efficient!
"Yes. If you bathe for more than fifteen minutes, the surface of your skin becomes more likely to lose moisture," Bao Ruanruan added with a nod. "Spending too long inside can also cause oxygen deprivation. If bacteria are floating in the steam, they can enter your open pores more easily."
Lu Wenhao reached for his phone. "Wait, say that again."
He had to record this and play it for his mother!
Zhen Xuan had made the exact movement!
[ 2333311. ]
"Also," Qu Feifei said with a smile, "we spent some time in the ice room next door."
"Alternating between heat and cold strengthens the blood vessels."
Of course, Bao Ruanruan had told her all of this.
"......"
Lu Wenhao and Zhen Xuan had both become hot enough to perspire.
Why had no one told them earlier?
Therefore, they had heated themselves for nothing!
[ Soga31! ]
[ Hahahaha! Thank you, Kiddo Ruan. I'll do the same thing next time. ]
[ People with cardiovascular or cerebrovascular problems should not attempt this. Remember Ruanruan's warning~ ]
For the rest of the day, the Blue Team comfortably played cards in the sauna facility. After dinner, they returned to the hotel to rest.
On Sunday, they worked as extras in Hengdian again.
After Taking Dream ended, Bao Ruanruan travelled back to Beijiao Number One in the nanny van, feeling nervous and hesitant as she approached home.
She immediately returned to her own room and busied herself for a while.
Only then did she gather her courage to ring the doorbell of the house opposite hers.
This time, however, the door did not open.
Only the man's slightly hoarse voice emerged from the smart doorbell monitor.
"You're back?"
"Head back to your room and rest. I'd better not open the door. Or I might spread it to you."
Bao Ruanruan was instantly struck directly in the heart by his voice.
Le32.
There were two instances of the character le32 again!
She couldn't bear the sound of this voice!
Even hearing it once more made her heart race.
Phew—
"It's fine. Don't worry. Open the door. Today… today I'm not afraid of becoming infected!"
The young woman's soft voice carried an unexpected sense of fearlessness today.
Inside the room, Xue Jing froze.
Looking at the door monitor, he could see only one side of the young woman's snow-pale little face. A third of it was also concealed by the insulated food container she held.
It was as though a breeze had passed through his heart, leaving everything soft33.
"Is that for me?"
"Mm. I brought back chicken soup."
"No one else has touched it."
She even explained this because she feared he might mistakenly believe someone else had eaten from it.
"Have you eaten?"
Standing only one centimetre from the door, she asked softly.
Xue Jing's heart ached with bittersweet emotion, and he could barely resist opening the door.
However, he knew that she normally feared colds, illness, and cross-infection more than anything.
For her own good, he had to harden his heart and leave her standing outside.
"Not…yet."
Even if he had eaten, he could not bear to reject her.
"Leave it outside the door. After you return to your house, I'll open the door and collect it."
Bao Ruanruan furrowed her brows upon hearing this.
She checked the time on her phone.
It was almost one o'clock, and he still had not eaten?
"Open the door quickly. I'm genuinely not afraid that you'll infect me. Open it and see for yourself if you don't believe me~"
Xue Jing chuckled.
Was she still trying to trick him into opening the door?
However, halfway through laughing, the curve of his lips froze.
On the monitor, Bao Ruanruan, whose snow-pale face had previously only been partly visible, moved into the centre of the doorbell camera's view.
In front of the camera, she unwrapped a face mask from its sealed plastic packaging.
Stepping back, she demonstrated how to put it on.
Then she bent down again, apparently searching for something else.
A few seconds later, she stood up.
She placed a sturdy plastic shower cap over her small, bun-shaped hairstyle.
She carefully tucked every strand of hair beneath it.
Then she put on transparent plastic safety goggles.
Next, she put on disposable plastic gloves.
She dressed herself in a raincoat and fastened every button. Deciding that the gaps between the buttons were too large, she even sealed them with transparent adhesive tape.
Finally, she raised her bright, almond-shaped eyes from behind the goggles and blinked at the surveillance camera.
"See? Today, I'm genuinely not afraid of being infected by you at all~"
Xue Jing: "…!"
The door opened with a click.
Xue Jing did not know whether to laugh or cry34 and was about to explain that he merely had a common cold.
It was not influenza or any other serious illness…
Before he could speak, however, a cool instrument was immediately extended towards him.
It approached his earlobe.
Then came a long—Beep.
Bao Ruanruan carefully examined the reading while putting on disposable shoe covers.
"Mm, 36.7 degrees. It seems that you don't need to visit the fever clinic today, and you don't need to be isolated for the time being."
"............"
"Come on, sit down. Eat the chicken soup and all the chicken inside it."
This young woman, Bao Ruanruan, always found a way to break through his emotional defenses35.
Every second, Xue Jing felt as though he were experiencing an entirely new world.
At that moment, he fully understood why she was so popular on variety shows.
He understood why the viewers loved watching her.
It was because she constantly broke through everyone's emotional defenses35.
One second, her strangely unconventional behaviour made him want to laugh.
The next second, it was as though she had split open his heart with an iron hammer36.
Author's note:
P.S. : I checked, and when putting on protective clothing, one should put on the clothing before the gloves.
I slightly changed the order while writing this section, awoo37~
Have a wonderful weekend. See you tomorrow~
Footnotes Full List
- 社畜 (shè chù) — internet slang for an overworked employee whose life is dominated by work
- 跨火盆 (kuà huǒ pén) — a traditional ritual believed to remove bad luck or impurity. In Chinese dramas, you will usually see this ritual when a new bride is about to enter the groom's house.
- hhhh — internet laughter based on the initial sound of 哈哈哈哈 (hā hā hā hā)
- 小標兵 (xiǎo biāo bīng) — 'little model soldier'; a playful term for someone who sets an excellent example
- 5555 (wǔ wǔ wǔ wǔ) — internet slang representing 呜呜呜呜 (wū wū wū wū), the sound of crying
- 点赞 (diǎn zàn) — click praise; internet slang meaning to approve or praise
- 安全委員 (ān quán wěi yuán) — safety committee member; a humorous nickname based on her extreme concern for safety
- 穿过无数黑暗,走到光明 (chuān guò wú shù hēi àn, zǒu dào guāng míng) — cross countless darknesses and walk into light; a metaphor for escaping prolonged suffering and attaining freedom
- 领盒饭 (lǐng hé fàn) — entertainment slang meaning that a character dies and the actor finishes their role
- 双管齐下 (shuāng guǎn qí xià) — 'two brushes descend together'; tackle something through two methods at once
- 23333 — Chinese internet laughter
- 精神支柱 (jīng shén zhī zhù) — 'spiritual supporting pillar'; a person who gives a group confidence, guidance, and emotional stability
- 无欲无求 (wú yù wú qiú) — without desires and without requests; wanting or pursuing nothing
- Shouldn't they have 1,200 yuan each? 🤔 They got 2 red packets with 600 yuan each... Or did I miscalculate? 🤔
- 钱到用时方恨少 (qián dào yòng shí fāng hèn shǎo) — only when money must be used does one regret that it is scarce; an adaptation of a proverb about realising the insufficiency of a resource when it is needed
- 江湖上 (jiāng hú shàng) — 'upon the rivers and lakes'; the fictional world of martial artists
- 小李飞刀不服 (Xiǎo Lǐ Fēi Dāo bù fú) — Little Li's Flying Dagger does not submit; a humorous reference to the famous weapon and character from Gu Long's wuxia novels
- 人才 (rén cái) — talented person; internet praise for someone who makes an exceptionally clever or funny remark
- 富家公子的毛病 (fù jiā gōng zǐ de máo bìng) — the faults of a wealthy family's young master; pampered habits associated with privileged upbringing
- 拖其他人下水 (tuō qí tā rén xià shuǐ) — involve others in one's trouble or danger
- 一頭黑線 (yì tóu hēi xiàn) — a head full of black lines; internet imagery expressing speechlessness or embarrassment
- 食物链底端 (shí wù liàn dǐ duān) — the lowest end of the food chain; metaphorically, the least powerful position
- 甲方 (jiǎ fāng) — Party A; the party with purchasing or contractual power, often jokingly associated with being able to make demands
- I think they weren't allowed to use their own private money as funds.
- I guess that since they would be using other people's money to pay, not their own so it should be considered okay?
- 翻身做主人 (fān shēn zuò zhǔ rén) — rise from a powerless position and gain control
- 遥想 (yáo xiǎng) — think from afar; recall something that now feels distant
- 开宝箱 (kāi bǎo xiāng) — a gaming metaphor for checking an answer that might bring either reward or disappointment
- 坦诚相见 (tǎn chéng xiāng jiàn) — meet each other with complete openness; normally means interacting sincerely, but here humorously alludes to being unclothed
- 肉麻死 (ròu má sǐ) — hyperbole describing words or behaviour that feel excessively intimate, sentimental, or cheesy
- soga — internet rendering of Japanese そうか (sō ka), meaning "I see" or "so that's it"
- 了 (le) is one of the most common and versatile particles in Chinese grammar. It can indicate: - Completed action (perfective aspect) — e.g., 我吃了 (wǒ chī le; I ate); - Change of state — e.g., 下雨了 (xià yǔ le; It's raining now); - Emphasis or exclamation — e.g., 太好了! (tài hǎo le!; That's great!). In Bao Ruanruan's context, she was referring to Xue Jing's use of the character 了 (le) twice. One, when he said, "You're back (回来了; huí lái le?)?" and then, "Go back to your room and rest. I'd better not open the door (你先回房休息,不给你开门了; nǐ xiān huí fáng xīu xī, bù gěi nǐ kāi mén le.)." It must have been related to what he spoke to her when she was still a game character.
- 被风吹过,一片柔软 (bèi fēng chuī guò, yí piàn róu ruǎn) — brushed by the wind and becoming an expanse of softness; a metaphor for tenderness spreading through him
- 哭笑不得 (kū xiào bù dé) — feel both amused and helpless
- 破防 (pò fáng) — break through the defence; cause someone to become emotionally overwhelmed
- 被她用铁锤挖开了 (bèi tā yòng tiě chuí wā kāi le) — had it dug open by her with an iron hammer; a vivid metaphor for forcefully exposing his deepest tenderness and emotions
- 嗷呜 (áo wū) — an animal-like, playful sound used to appear cute
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