Chapter 83: What Will They Choose?

Departing from The Crater Lake, it was time for lunch, and each pair of contestants was sent to a different local restaurant to enjoy the day’s meal. After the morning’s exertions, everyone was famished; even those guests who usually couldn’t stomach foreign cuisine found themselves with hearty appetites.

As each pair ate, they discussed strategies for their next route. The second checkpoint for the day was a city called Post. Every team received a task card with two options.

The first option was to head to the city’s central commercial street, find a way to solicit monetary assistance from passersby, and then ascend to the top floor of the central museum. There, using a telescope, they had to count the number of tourists taking photos in front of an old church and provide the correct answer to receive a hint for their next destination.

The second option was to go to Rose Street, a favorite spot for couples, find the wedding taking place there that day, blend in with the celebration, and offer the bride and groom a unique blessing. If they succeeded in making both the bride and groom laugh heartily, the challenge would be considered complete.

The rules allowed contestants to switch choices midway; completing either challenge would suffice.

Chu Yao and Wen Yiming were the first pair to leave Crater Lake. Faced with the task options, they hesitated over which to choose.

“I think asking strangers for money is harder. Finding a couple getting married should be simpler. Plus, it’s their wedding day—they’re bound to be all smiles. Making them laugh shouldn’t be too difficult,” Wen Yiming offered.

Chu Yao found his reasoning sound and nodded. “Let’s try Rose Street first. If it doesn’t work, we’ll switch.”

“Alright.”

Having reached consensus, they finished their meal and asked the driver to head toward Rose Street in Post.

The other three pairs had different perspectives on route selection—

“Do you have any skills that could make the newlyweds laugh out loud?” Zhang Chen asked Qi Jiajia.

Qi Jiajia was honest, shaking her head in defeat. “I can’t even make myself laugh, let alone others. If you could...”

Zhang Chen cut her off. “Definitely not. Others usually make me laugh.”

In the livestream chat—

[No, no, no, you’ve been making me laugh all day. Don’t you know that?]

[You’re pretty funny, you just don’t realize it! Haha.]

...

“So, we’re choosing the central street? Can you manage to ask people for money?” Qi Jiajia asked.

“Your language skills are great—you’ll do fine. You ask.” Zhang Chen rubbed his nose, feeling that begging for money from strangers was embarrassing.

Qi Jiajia gave him a look that said she didn’t know where to begin.

Ever since Zhang Chen told her she could point out his obtuse behavior, Qi Jiajia had felt free to be herself around him.

“What’s that look for?” Zhang Chen noticed her expression and grew wary. “Am I being obtuse again?”

Qi Jiajia found it amusing. “This is a team challenge. We have to do it together. You can’t just push it all onto me, right?”

“That’s not what I meant. Of course, we’ll do it together. You’re the main force, I’ll be your support.” Zhang Chen grinned.

“Fine.” Qi Jiajia let it go.

In the end, they chose the central commercial street.

Li Jiayan and Xu Junze also picked the central street, but for a different reason: they felt it odd to crash a wedding they weren’t invited to, then try to make the bride and groom laugh. It seemed inappropriate no matter how they looked at it. So, they opted for the other direction.

Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei considered it from yet another angle.

“Attending the wedding sounds easier,” Lu Zhou remarked, looking over the task card before setting out.

“Tasks that seem simple on the surface often aren’t,” Ye Fangfei replied. As an entertainer, she was familiar with the show’s love for unexpected twists.

Lu Zhou agreed. “Let’s try the commercial street first?”

“OK.”

So, trusting their instincts, they too chose the central commercial street.

...

Wen Yiming and Chu Yao were the first to reach their destination. Rose Street was filled with couples, but there was no sign of a wedding. The area was lively, dotted with flower shops specializing in all kinds of roses, and lined with romantic bars, restaurants, and brightly decorated hotels. Couples strolled hand in hand, flirting and taking in the sights.

But where was the wedding? Where were the newlyweds?

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was just another tourist street—no wedding processions like those so common back home. How would they know who was getting married?

They could only check the hotels and restaurants one by one, searching for signs of a wedding celebration. But after their strenuous morning at Crater Lake Park, they were already flagging, and a thorough search turned up nothing.

Without the bride and groom, how were they to crash a wedding and make them laugh? It felt like a trick challenge.

So, they changed their minds and decided to head for the commercial street instead.

Meanwhile, on the commercial street—

Li Jiayan and Xu Junze arrived and, after a search, found the target museum. They’d assumed they’d need tickets, but entry was free! Elated, they rushed to the rooftop, only to discover that using the telescope cost two dollars.

So this was where the monetary assistance came in.

Embarrassed but determined, they approached tourists in the museum with halting English to ask for two dollars to use the telescope. The tourists all refused with odd looks.

Their attempts inside failed, so they hurried downstairs to try their luck outside. But with so few pedestrians passing by, despair began to set in.

Summoning their courage, they asked several more people, only to be turned down each time. It was proving to be a tough challenge.

Li Jiayan, who had never experienced such embarrassment in her life, felt mortified begging strangers for money and being ignored. It was... utterly humiliating.

In that light, Rose Street seemed preferable.

Seeing her distress, Xu Junze agreed, and together they decided to switch to the Rose Street task.

The other two pairs, however, didn’t give up so easily. Their strategies differed from Li Jiayan and Xu Junze's.

They didn’t limit themselves to asking for money near the museum. After being rebuffed by the museum-goers, they quickly changed tactics and decided to try their luck elsewhere.

Zhang Chen, in all his years, had never traveled this broke. Having to ask strangers for money—asking was one thing, but not a single person was willing to give it. He was getting frustrated.

“It’s just two dollars—why is it so hard to get?” he grumbled.

Qi Jiajia laughed, patting his shoulder. “Don’t get discouraged. It’s always tough to ask strangers for money. If someone randomly asked you for cash, you probably wouldn’t give it either. Let’s just keep trying; sooner or later, we’ll meet a kind soul.”

“Two dollars... I’d definitely give it. What’s two dollars worth?” Zhang Chen was baffled.

The livestream chat instantly lit up—

[Two dollars can buy plenty of eggs!]

[Two dollars might not mean much to you, but it means a lot to others.]

[Where does Zhang Chen usually hang out? I want to run into him and ask for two dollars every day. That’d cover my meal money for life!]

...

Meanwhile, after several failed attempts near the museum, Lu Zhou said to Ye Fangfei, “Most of the people here are tourists—already spending money on their trip. Of course they won’t want to give cash to strangers.”

“True. Let’s try somewhere more crowded,” Ye Fangfei suggested.

They headed for the busiest square on the commercial street.

“If we find a store I endorse, getting the money will be easy,” Ye Fangfei joked, a mischievous smile on her lips.

Lu Zhou laughed. “Why not go straight to one of your endorsed stores? I have a feeling the telescope might require more than one use—asking for just two dollars won’t cut it.”

The cameraman nearby gave a gentle reminder: “Just so you know, that would be against the rules.”

Ye Fangfei: “...”

Lu Zhou: “...”

Thank you to Love Eternal for the reward of 2,000 Qidian coins;
Thank you to Soft Cheeks for the reward of 100 Qidian coins;
Thank you to King Qiqi for the reward of 100 Qidian coins;
Thank you to fenghuoliant for the reward of 100 Qidian coins;
Thank you to Peerless Good for the reward of 100 Qidian coins;
Thank you to Sanqiang Ernang for the reward of 100 Qidian coins.