Chapter Six: Drawing the Task

“Now, we need to divide everyone into groups. Since this is our first grouping of the season, we'll do it by drawing lots.”

“Ladies first, let's have the girls draw,” the director said, thinking himself a gentleman.

Shen Tianshi once again stepped forward to make a scene, raising both hands high. “I object.”

Drawing lots—what if he ended up in a group with Yu Tang? That would be terrifying!

The director replied coldly, “Objection overruled.”

Grumbling, Shen Tianshi lowered his hands.

The staff brought out a box, and everyone took turns drawing their lot.

Yu Tang, not wanting to be scolded, waited until the other guests had drawn theirs, then took the last remaining slip.

As long as it wasn’t Shen Tianshi, she thought. She had watched previous episodes; if Shen Tianshi wasn’t a black hole, he was certainly useless at everything.

She drew her lot with an easy expression, but the moment she saw the name, her face darkened.

Whatever you don’t want always comes to you—is this the dreaded Murphy’s Law?

Shen Tianshi noticed her reaction, and a sense of foreboding swept over him. He quickly leaned in to look, and when he saw his own name, he broke down.

He shouted, “I want to switch groups! I refuse to be in a group with Yu Tang!”

Yu Tang, that troublesome woman—being teamed up with her would mean constant arguing. He was too sensitive for that.

Yu Tang clenched her teeth and slapped him hard across the face.

“I didn’t even complain about you being the leftover, and now you’re being picky?”

Shen Tianshi was stunned, disbelief written all over his face. Then, feeling aggrieved, he rubbed the spot where he’d been hit. “I’m sorry…”

The groupings for the other guests had been settled as well.

Xiang Youran glanced at the name on her slip, then bashfully looked at Zhou Ziheng. Her face bloomed with shyness, an obvious sign to anyone who her partner was.

Zhou Ziheng couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth turn upward.

[Betting a bag of spicy strips, Zhou Ziheng is definitely secretly delighted.]

[Oh my, who understands the look in Zhou Ziheng’s eyes—happy, restrained, excited!]

[Who gets it? I sure don’t. Looks normal to me, just the way you look at someone.]

Chen Cheng and Xiao Yufei revealed their slips as well.

Chen Cheng was paired with Lu Zhiming, Xiao Yufei with Xie Yi.

[Xiao Yufei and Xie Yi, I can’t stop laughing—it’s them again.]

[Xie Yi, weakly: Feifei, could you slow down? Xiao Yufei: Real men fight on!]

[Laughing so hard, memories of past episodes are attacking me.]

[Shen Tianshi really seems to dislike Yu Tang.]

[But honestly, Yu Tang is stunning. Looks like she’s barely wearing makeup, and even Xiang Youran beside her doesn’t compare.]

[Above! I can confirm she’s not wearing makeup! The production team went to pick her up, and she was still wearing a face mask when they arrived, haha.]

[I saw it too, haha. She clenched her fist so hard, did a chest expansion exercise, and let it go—too funny.]

With the groups finalized—

“We won’t be providing a free lunch today,” the director announced, prompting a chorus of groans.

“You brought me on this show just to starve me? If I die of hunger, you’ll have a real problem on your hands,” Yu Tang replied calmly, though her gaze was already on the verge of collapse, ready to go down with the ship if they didn’t feed her.

Having been paired with Shen Tianshi, she was resigned to a string of defeats.

The director’s lips twitched at her words.

“Relax, it won’t come to that. There will be food, but what kind of meal you get depends on your own performance.”

As his words fell, the guests began to discuss.

“What does that mean? We have to complete tasks to earn ingredients?” Xie Yi asked, puzzled.

“No way, this is a dating show! A dating show! Not a survival reality!” Xiao Yufei complained.

Shen Tianshi was still sulking about the groupings, glaring fiercely at the production team.

He shouted with bravado, “Let me tell you! Today, even if I starve, even if I throw myself off this platform, I will not eat your food!”

Yu Tang shot him a strange glance—what was this hot-blooded teenager doing now?

Beside them, Zhou Ziheng and Xiang Youran were in a completely different mood.

With affectionate eyes, Zhou Ziheng brushed aside Xiang Youran’s hair, which was covering her face. “Don’t worry, Youran. I’ll make sure you have a feast for lunch!”

Xiang Youran, forced to show her round face: …She wanted to laugh but couldn’t, wanted to cry but the tears wouldn’t come.

Seeing the guests’ interactions, the director nodded in satisfaction and continued, “The luxury of today’s lunch will be determined by how well you complete the tasks.”

“First place gets a lavish feast; last place gets rice soaked in hot water.”

[I can’t believe it—rice in hot water, even worse than what I eat.]

[Shen Tianshi’s ‘smells so good’ law strikes again.]

[Zhou Ziheng and Youran are such a perfect match.]

“This morning’s tasks consist of four items,” the director explained.

“First, ‘Eagle Catches the Chicks’: help the villagers catch chicks and vaccinate them.”

“Second, ‘Cats Love Fish’: go to the fish pond and catch fish—you may use any tools.”

“Third, ‘Lotus Roots, Still Connected’: help the villagers pull lotus roots from the mud pond.”

“Fourth, ‘Corn Stalks’: help the villagers harvest corn.”

The director’s explanation was concise, lacking specifics.

None of these tasks sounded easy.

Looking them over, corn harvesting and fishing seemed the most manageable.

The guests couldn’t smile anymore.

“Director, wait—I need to check my contract,” Yu Tang interjected urgently.

“Why do you need your contract?” the director asked instinctively.

Yu Tang crossed her arms and stood firm, sneering, “Why? I want to see if I really signed up for a dating show. Anyone watching would think I sold myself into slavery!”

The director fell silent. The assistant director, nearby, struggled not to burst out laughing, thinking of all the heartbreaks in his life to keep it together. But when he looked up and saw Yu Tang’s face, he couldn’t help but let out a snort.

The director, seeing this, smacked the assistant director’s head and glared, “What are you laughing at? Stop it! Is it really that funny?!”

Assistant director: Maybe you should tuck your teeth in before you speak.

The director cleared his throat. “Alright, we won’t make it too hard for you today. Let’s draw task cards.”

“Following the principle of ladies first, female guests will draw task cards to decide which task each team must complete.”

Shen Tianshi had something to say again.

“Director, can male guests draw too?”

The director was about to shake his head, but caught Yu Tang’s mocking smile at Shen Tianshi—she looked ready to knock him out in the next second.

He had a feeling this group would provide a wealth of material.

So the director sweetly changed his tune, “Each team can coordinate and decide who draws.”

Shen Tianshi didn’t even look at Yu Tang, heading straight to the staff member holding the cards.

Muttering to himself, “This time, I will reclaim everything I’ve lost!”

He completely ignored Yu Tang, who was glaring at him from the side.