Just two weeks ago, Qiangzi, the group’s all-knowing gossip, overheard people in the group chat talking about a large-scale challenge show being filmed in Nancheng. The equipment was trendy and advanced, and the gameplay was incredibly exciting, not only did it require physical strength, but also brains.
[Netizen 1]: I heard anyone can participate, and the prizes vary. Too bad I only made it halfway. You can only sign up once.
[Netizen 2]: Qiangzi, you’re strong, you’ll definitely do well. Go give it a try.
[Netizen 3]: It’s not all about strength, actually. The key is using your brain, some stages require understanding the rules of balance.
[Netizen 4]: I made it halfway and got a bottle of peanut oil. Qiangzi-ge, jiayou ah!
[Netizen 1]: Why didn’t I get any peanut oil?
Playing a game that puts you on TV and gives out prizes. How could Qiangzi’s ragtag group of debt-chasing gang miss out on such a good deal?
Debt Collection Team group chat lit up.
[Huangfu]: It’s real, real. Just going there gets you a bottle of peanut oil.
[Wei-ge]: How big a bottle of peanut oil ah?
[Huangfu]: Should be pretty big.
[Da Fei]: @Weishi Ge, are you going?
[Weishi]: I still got acting class and English class on the weekend. No time.
[Da Fei]: What’s with the extra English class la?
Zhong Weishi pressed his lips together in a small smile, feeling proud but trying to keep it low-key.
[Weishi]: Your Gu dage bought me an online course. It’s such a pain.
[Da Fei]: So good? What course is it ah? I wanna learn English too.
[Huangfu]: No time? Then forget it.
Right after Qiangzi’s message, he followed up with a digital poster of the challenge event. At the center of the poster was what looked like an ordinary washing machine, but beside it was a line of bold, visually striking text:
First Prize: One fully automatic washing machine worth 3999!
Zhong Weishi’s eyes widened.
That was 3999!
And so, the four little friends set off at 5 a.m. the next morning, full of anticipation as they boarded the earliest bus to Nancheng.
Zhong Weishi and his friends sat in a corner, cheerfully humming an English song they had just learned:
“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
You make me happy, when skies are grey.
You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you.
Please don’t take my sunshine away…”
His voice was bright and clear like warm sunlight, with a slightly teasing lilt at the end of each note—so much so that even a rough guy like Qiangzi was completely absorbed listening.
“Urgh…”
The sound of vomiting cut through the singing, and everyone on the bus looked around in confusion.
Zhong Weishi turned his head and saw that it was Da Fei.
Da Fei forgot to buy motion sickness pills before boarding and vomited to death during the three-hour ride.
Throughout the ride, Zhong Weishi sang and told stand-up jokes to distract the other passengers, covering up the sounds of vomiting and easing everyone’s nerves.
Those three hours were nothing short of explosive energy and nonstop entertainment.
When they got off the bus, Da Fei looked like a dehydrated fish, waving weakly as he said, “I’ll just stay down here and cheer you guys on.”
Wei-ge was even more impressive. When they got to the registration area, he reached into his pocket and realized he had forgotten his ID. He was so furious he stomped his feet and gritted his teeth.
“Can’t you just make an exception?”
Staff member: “Sorry, that’s a rule set by the production team.”
“Rules are dead, people are alive ya! This is really my first time coming! I rushed here all the way from Yucheng early in the morning! Spent 58 yuan on bus fare—look, here’s my ticket, I’m not lying. Seriously, little miss, I wouldn’t lie. Just look at this face. Do I look like someone who would lie?”
A’Wei poked at his thick-skinned face. Combined with his strong out-of-town accent, to the people of Nancheng, he was practically a country bumpkin straight out of the mountains.
The two young women exchanged a glance and tried to stifle their laughter.
“Just let me try once, okay? I really love your show! I watch it all the time when I eat! I’ve dreamed of joining!”
Zhong Weishi thought to himself: More like you’ve dreamed of that washing machine.
The young women still shook their heads.
Wei-ge had a flash of inspiration. “Da Fei, let me borrow your ID to register!”
And just like that, the three of them managed to sneak into the backstage area of the show.
The competition began in the afternoon. Wei-ge didn’t even get a fart at the second stage. Qiangzi made it halfway and shamelessly managed to wrangle two bottles of peanut oil, which he then gifted to Da Fei, who had screamed himself hoarse from the sidelines.
Before going on stage, Zhong Weishi took off his thick down jacket. Despite the single-digit temperature, he was only wearing a fleece-lined sweatshirt underneath. His tall, lean, athletic build made even the male host hesitate to approach.
The female host greeted him warmly, giving him a once-over as she introduced him. “I heard you’re an actor? Have you acted in any TV dramas?”
Zhong Weishi couldn’t find the camera for a moment and replied blankly, “I used to do extra work. Now I’m with the Nanhu Drama Club. If anyone’s interested, you can look us up online. We have a performance on the 20th.”
The male host joked, “Hey now, young man, it costs money to advertise on our show ah.”
“Ah?” Zhong Weishi scratched the back of his head. “But I don’t have money. Can I reintroduce myself?”
The male host burst out laughing. “No worries, we’ll cut it later.”
The female host smiled and asked, “Do you feel confident about winning our grand prize today?!”
“Yes!—” The boy’s roar was so loud it startled the female host into a shoulder jerk, momentarily forgetting to control her expression.
By the time Gu Lizhou saw this, he was already laughing so hard he was slapping his thigh and leaning back with his head thrown up.
On the TV screen, Zhong Weishi still hadn’t found the camera. He stared straight ahead, pushing his sweatshirt sleeves up to his elbows. Around his wrist was a red string bracelet.
Under the spotlight, his skin looked paler than usual, making the red string even more noticeable. His forearms weren’t exactly slim, but they were defined and structured. The sight of that red string made Gu Lizhou’s heart skip with joy, he unconsciously touched the matching string on his own wrist.
As soon as the whistle blew, the boy dashed forward on his long legs, light and agile like a specially trained soldier. He barely stayed longer than five seconds at each obstacle.
The audience and the hosts were dumbfounded and held their breath, including Gu Lizhou in front of the TV.
As he neared the finish line, there was still half the countdown remaining.
Zhong Weishi’s foot suddenly slipped. He nearly skidded off the spinning platform, which was soaked in soap water. The only way to move forward was to tightly grip the wooden stick at the center and inch along slowly.
Gu Lizhou felt a chill in his chest. Looked like the washing machine was a lost cause.
Zhong Weishi stayed sprawled on the turntable for a bit, and just as he was about to be flung off in the next instant, Gu Lizhou shut his eyes in distress. Then, in the very next second, both hosts let out a heart-shaking gasp.
Zhong Weishi had landed safely on the next obstacle!
Thunderous cheers erupted at the scene.
Gu Lizhou had barely recovered from that scare when he saw him get smacked to the ground by a giant cylindrical log.
“Does your head hurt ah?” Gu Lizhou asked.
“It didn’t really hurt at the time. I only felt a tiny bit of pain after I got off the stage,” Zhong Weishi said with a smile.
Maybe that red string bracelet was really blessed. At least, that’s what Gu Lizhou thought when he saw Zhong Weishi standing on the podium, taking a photo with the washing machine.
“Your brain wasn’t working that well to begin with, and now after that hit, you’re probably even dumber.”
“Get lost!”
“Hey, so how did you guys even bring that washing machine back ah?”
“Are you stupid ah! The production team mailed it over ah!”
“Oh.” Gu Lizhou rubbed his forehead. “I think my IQ’s dropping just talking to you.”
“Why me again? Why do you rely on me for everything bad?”
Zhong Weishi’s laughter came through the phone, instantly sweeping away all of Gu Lizhou’s accumulated fatigue from the morning.
Zhong Weishi remembered how Gu Lizhou had said he’d be back after the New Year. Carefully, he probed, “When you come back for the New Year, do you wanna try out the washing machine… It’s actually pretty good. Wash and dry in one go, anti-wrinkle, no need to iron. Anyway, it cleans super well… Uncle Cao even tossed his quilt cover in for it to wash.”
Try out the washing machine, my ass.
Gu Lizhou couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Sure.”
T/N: Sorry for my sporadic updates. I’ll make sure to make it up and update regularly TT
Still, thanks for those who are still here, reading this!
Let me know if there are typos/errors <3
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