Chapter 76: A Prize? I'm In!

The next morning, at seven o’clock, all the guests woke up in the presidential suite. Today marked the first day of the program’s arranged journey, and for the sake of convenience, everyone had changed into their own casual sportswear.

The show’s sponsors had provided each person with a premium XX-brand travel backpack—yes, one of the major sponsors of this season. In addition, each guest received a checklist of travel supplies, and each pair of travel partners could adjust the list according to their own needs.

Although last night’s game segment had caused some unpleasantness, the travel pairings for today were already settled. Since everyone was here, they might as well make the best of it. During the packing process, the atmosphere among the partners was reasonably amicable.

At precisely eight o’clock, everyone gathered at the hotel entrance. The production team announced the rules for today’s journey.

This was to be a phone-free, wallet-free two-person adventure. The route was broadly planned: today, they had to check in at three main scenic spots. The first destination was the Crater Lake; for the other two, guests would need to visit the Crater Lake, complete the assigned tasks, and then receive clues for the next checkpoint.

If a pair encountered another group during the journey, those who had already completed their tasks could not reveal any information about the checkpoint locations. Each pair needed to check in at all three spots and finally return to Kama Hotel between 18:00 and 20:00 for a chance to win the mysterious grand prize provided by the production team.

Those who returned early or arrived late would not be eligible for the prize.

Before departure, each pair received a tourist map.

“Your first destination is The Crater Lake,” announced a staff member. “Behind you is a dedicated car and driver arranged by the show. If you have international driver’s licenses and wish to drive yourselves, you may do so without the driver.”

“Now! Prepare to set off! Your journey, testing your chemistry and teamwork, begins at this moment!”

As the words fell, Qi Jiajia looked at Zhang Chen with enthusiasm, “I have an international driver’s license. Should we try self-driving?”

“No,” Zhang Chen refused without hesitation. “I have one too, but unfamiliar roads will waste a lot of time. It’s better to use the driver.”

Qi Jiajia’s excitement was instantly doused. Wasting time?

“Are you aiming for the mysterious grand prize?” she asked, voicing her suspicion.

“I have no interest in the prize itself, but I want to win,” Zhang Chen admitted.

Last night’s defeat in the game still stung him. Today, his competitive spirit was fiercer than ever—he could not lose to Lu Zhou again, and was determined to return to the hotel before him.

His mind wasn’t on sightseeing at all. The woman he wanted had been chosen by another man; who could enjoy a trip under such circumstances?

Qi Jiajia was silent. Well, Zhang Chen had picked her only because he couldn’t choose Ye Fangfei—not because he truly wanted to team up with her. In this situation, if not for the grand prize, what else was there to pursue? Might as well go for it; it was all gain and no loss. So, she decided to give it her best.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei had already boarded their vehicle.

Seeing this, Zhang Chen quickly patted Qi Jiajia’s shoulder and urged, “Come on, hurry up, get in the car.”

Qi Jiajia had no words. Zhang Chen’s attitude made the atmosphere feel like a race.

Li Jiayan sensed the tension and quickly called to Xu Junze, “Everyone seems anxious. Should we hurry up as well?”

Truth be told, she had hoped to travel with Lu Zhou, but ended up paired with Xu Junze. She’d thought she might just coast through the day, but the mention of a mysterious prize suddenly gave her a new goal.

If she couldn’t win affection today, winning a prize would make the trip worthwhile.

Xu Junze was easygoing and followed her lead, quickly getting into the car.

Actually, he wanted to say, “It’s not about who gets back to the hotel first—no need to rush. As long as we return between six and eight in the evening, it’s fine.” But since it was their first outing together, he decided to go along with her wishes.

On the other side, Wen Yiming and Chu Yao sauntered to the last remaining car.

“Trust me, rushing won’t help,” Wen Yiming said confidently. “The key is to conserve energy.”

Chu Yao smiled, not responding.

Once in the car, the driver turned and asked, “There are two main routes to The Crater Lake. One is shorter, but may have traffic at this hour. The other is longer but more open. Which will you take?”

Chu Yao and Wen Yiming exchanged glances. “You decide,” she said.

Wen Yiming leaned forward to check the navigation map, then declared, “This segment? Even if there’s a jam, it’ll only be minor and brief. Not a big problem—let’s take the short route.”

With that, the driver set the route and departed.

Other guests faced similar choices in their vehicles.

Lu Zhou looked at Ye Fangfei, “Do you get carsick?”

She shook her head, “No, but I hate traffic jams.”

“Then let’s take the longer route,” Lu Zhou replied.

In Zhang Chen and Qi Jiajia’s car, both scrutinized the map and soon disagreed.

“Let’s take the short route,” Zhang Chen said.

“The long one,” Qi Jiajia countered. “There’s a stretch through a dense office district; it’ll cause delays.”

The driver asked, “Whose instructions should I follow?”

“Mine,” Zhang Chen insisted.

“Mine,” Qi Jiajia countered.

“Perhaps you should discuss and decide together?” the driver suggested.

Qi Jiajia ultimately gave in, and they chose the short route, though she muttered internally: You’ll regret not listening to me.

Meanwhile, Li Jiayan said to Xu Junze, “Isn’t it rush hour? I think there’ll be heavy traffic, and I get carsick.”

“Let’s take the longer route, then,” Xu Junze agreed.

And so, the four cars set off in turn.

On the way to Crater Lake, each car’s atmosphere was distinctly different.

Stuck in traffic in the office district, Wen Yiming and Chu Yao’s car crawled forward.

“Didn’t you say the jam would be brief? It’s been nearly twenty minutes, and we haven’t gotten through yet,” Chu Yao said, leaning against the window, watching the unmoving cars outside.

Wen Yiming looked embarrassed, rubbed his nose, and laughed, “I thought the city wasn’t heavily populated, so commuting wouldn’t be stressful. Something’s up with this segment…”

“Did you study abroad here?” Chu Yao asked, curious, though she remained calm and didn’t show clear annoyance at his misjudgment.

“No, but I’ve visited.”

“So, have you been to the lake we’re heading to?” she asked.

“Yes, once. But it was winter, years ago,” Wen Yiming replied. “I’m not sure what’s changed, but it’s worth seeing—it’s beautiful.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Chu Yao smiled, then softly sighed, “If only I’d remembered to bring my camera.”

“There’s a show photographer following us. We won’t lack photos. Our eyes are enough,” Wen Yiming replied.

Chu Yao laughed, and the oppressive atmosphere from the traffic jam eased.

In the same jam, Zhang Chen and Qi Jiajia’s car had a different vibe.

“We’ll probably be stuck for over half an hour. This segment is notorious for jams. If we’d taken the other route, it would’ve been faster,” Qi Jiajia said, checking the time, growing impatient.

Zhang Chen was already frustrated by the jam, and thinking that Lu Zhou’s group might be much faster on the other route made him even more irritable. Qi Jiajia’s comment only added fuel to the fire.

He felt like a powder keg about to explode.

“Next time, should I just listen to you when choosing routes?” Zhang Chen snapped.

Qi Jiajia noticed his tone and studied him, seeing his displeasure.

“I didn’t mean it that way. You misunderstood. Traveling together means cooperating; it's not about whose opinion wins, but whose reasoning is better,” she explained.

“At the time, I couldn’t know your reasoning was better,” Zhang Chen replied, his temper cooling a bit, though he still felt the need to defend himself.

She thought he was somewhat childish and smiled, “There’s no right or wrong; I was just venting. Are you angry?”

“No,” Zhang Chen said, looking out the window, refusing to admit it. Now that his anger had mostly dissipated, he considered another possibility, “It doesn’t matter—even if we arrive a bit later, it doesn’t mean we’ll lose.”

Qi Jiajia nodded, thinking to herself that he was truly obsessed with winning and losing.

...

On the other road, traffic flowed smoothly. Two cars traveled one behind the other, not far apart.

Li Jiayan hugged her backpack, occasionally glancing at the car ahead. She couldn’t see inside, but instinctively tried.

Truth be told, she cared.

If, last night, Xu Junze had asked Lu Zhou whether he minded him choosing her, and Lu Zhou had said he minded, then she would have been the one sitting in the front car, not Ye Fangfei.

She cared, but what right did she have to care? After all, they had both made it clear they had no lingering feelings.

Yet Lu Zhou’s bold choice of Ye Fangfei made her uncomfortable.

Why did he choose her? He could have chosen Chu Yao, or Qi Jiajia, and she would have felt much better. But he chose Ye Fangfei, risking Zhang Chen’s displeasure—he chose Ye Fangfei.

What was he thinking?

Did he have feelings for Ye Fangfei?

Staring at the passing scenery, Li Jiayan’s mind was tangled with a thousand thoughts.

Beside her, Xu Junze kept glancing at her. Today she wore her hair in a bun, hugging her large backpack to her chest, giving her an unexpectedly soft and cute look. But her gaze remained fixed on the car ahead.

Xu Junze wasn’t oblivious; he knew well whom Li Jiayan was thinking about.

Men know men best.

If Lu Zhou really wanted to reunite, he wouldn’t have acted as he did last night.

Why had Xu Junze deliberately asked Lu Zhou if he minded? It was a test—a probe into Lu Zhou’s true feelings, and a way to help Li Jiayan see the truth.

His first choice had always been Li Jiayan, but given his previously friendly relationship with Lu Zhou on the show, he felt a bit guilty about being too impulsive. Lu Zhou had been there for him during his hardest times, offering comfort.

He had struggled with the decision, so later he deliberately hesitated.

Everything was part of his plan.

It was just that the girl beside him wasn’t clear-headed yet, hadn’t seen the truth.

But that wasn’t a big problem.

Xu Junze smiled, his gaze falling on Li Jiayan’s backpack, and broke the silence.

“Tired?”

Li Jiayan’s thoughts were interrupted; she turned and smiled, “Not really. If I’m tired just after setting out, there’s no point in playing today.”

Xu Junze smiled, “Want me to carry your backpack?”

“No need—it’s not heavy. I’ll carry it myself.”

“All right. We’ve still got a long way to go. If you get tired, let me know. Don’t be shy—we’re partners today,” Xu Junze gently reminded her.

Li Jiayan nodded, “Okay.”

...

In the car ahead, only the music from the driver’s traffic radio filled the air.

Ye Fangfei hadn’t slept well the previous night; she grew drowsy as soon as she got in the car. With smooth roads and a skilled driver, she was soon sleeping soundly against her seat.

No one spoke, and with no phones to distract, the radio’s music became a lullaby. Lu Zhou folded his arms and closed his eyes, resting as well.

The road was long; resting was the sensible thing to do.

Ahead, as the car rounded a sharp bend, Lu Zhou opened his eyes, feeling his body sway. Outside the window, the distant mountains under blue sky and white clouds looked beautiful.

He gazed silently for a while. Suddenly, his shoulder grew heavy.

Lu Zhou’s body tensed slightly; he turned his head slowly.

He saw the sleeping Ye Fangfei, who, due to the sudden turn, had leaned toward him. Her unconscious head seemed to find a comfortable spot and naturally rested on his shoulder.

Lu Zhou froze, his heart suspended for a moment; his Adam’s apple bobbed nervously.

He dared not move, fearing he might wake her and create an awkward moment.

Time ticked by, echoing the rhythm of a heartbeat.

Meanwhile, viewers in the livestream erupted into excited squeals—

[Ahhh! I love this scene!]
[They don’t even need my help to get together.]
[Lock them up with chains—never let them part!]
[My mom asks why I’m grinning at the screen like an idiot.]
[The driver’s doing great—give him a hundred bucks!]
[Wonder how big Zhang Chen’s psychological trauma is after seeing this.]
...

Soon, the car rounded another bend. Due to inertia, Ye Fangfei’s head slipped away from his shoulder, tipping toward the window.

Seeing this, Lu Zhou reflexively extended his arm, placing his palm against the glass. In the next moment, her head landed directly in his hand.

The impact was strong enough to make her frown slightly. Stirring, she slowly opened her eyes.

It took her a few seconds to realize something was off. She gradually turned her head.

She found herself face-to-face with Lu Zhou, awkwardly posed.

Lu Zhou: “...” I can explain.

Thank you to Sword Drawn for the generous reward of 500 starting coins.