Chapter Seven: Yu Tang! They Bullied Me!

Shen Tianshi returned from drawing his card, clutching it tightly to keep its contents hidden, wearing an air of mystery. Yu Tang stepped up and snatched it away. Shen Tianshi panicked, "Hey, what are you doing! We’re supposed to wait until everyone reveals theirs, otherwise our luck will turn bad!"

Yu Tang didn’t believe a word of it.

She flipped over the task card. A cartoon lotus root appeared on it.

Yu Tang froze.

Shen Tianshi stomped his feet the moment he saw it. "See! I told you! Yu Tang, you’re driving me crazy!"

Yu Tang was too embarrassed to argue, rubbed her nose, and for a moment doubted herself—was it really true?

[This is hilarious, I can’t believe this superstition.]
[I was wondering why luck sometimes goes up and down.]
[Yu Tang is so bewildered, hahaha.]
[He said not to flip it, and look at Yu Tang—if it weren’t for her, would they be digging for lotus roots?]
[Come on, don’t be ridiculous, you really believe that…]

Once everyone had claimed their task cards, the guests turned them toward the camera.

Yu Tang’s group drew "Ties That Cannot Be Severed."

Xiao Yufei’s group got "Corn Stalks Standing Tall."

Chen Cheng received "Cats Love to Eat Fish."

And the "Eagle Catching Chicks" task card ended up in Xiang Youran’s hands.

Zhou Ziheng glanced at the card in Xiang Youran’s hand, his lips twitching involuntarily.

Catching chicks, vaccinating chicks…

He didn’t want to do it! Why couldn’t he have drawn "Cats Love to Eat Fish"? That one looked so easy!

Zhou Ziheng silently complained.

Xiang Youran looked at her task card, guilt written all over her face. She gazed pitifully at Zhou Ziheng, "Sorry, Ziheng, it’s all my fault for having bad luck. Now we have to go into the chicken coop and catch chicks."

Zhou Ziheng snapped back, his expression gentle, showing not a hint of blame. "Silly, it’s fine. If we don’t know how, we’ll learn together."

His voice was so soft, it could drown someone in kindness.

Beside them, Xiao Yufei couldn’t help but feel envious, lamenting internally why she was paired with Xie Yi yet again.

Xiang Youran’s face showed gratitude, but inside she was secretly smug.

In her previous life, she had drawn this task as well. She had worked herself to exhaustion, while Zhou Ziheng just played around nearby. In the end, they didn’t complete the task, but there was no plain meal of rice soaked in water as the director had warned—instead, they had a lavish feast.

Maybe this was a hidden task: whoever drew it got rewarded with a big meal.

This time, she wasn’t going to foolishly work hard to finish the task.

Yu Tang, meanwhile, was staring at her "Ties That Cannot Be Severed" card, lost in thought.

There was a period when she loved watching bloggers dig lotus roots in muddy ponds—it was oddly satisfying, though it looked exhausting. She never imagined she would become one of those bloggers herself.

Thinking of this, Yu Tang remembered the reward she had once scoffed at: the "Strength Pill." The name alone sounded useful.

She took the initiative to greet Zhou Ziheng and received a reply…

Without hesitation, Yu Tang slid across the ground right up to Zhou Ziheng!

"Hello there~"

This move drew not only Zhou Ziheng’s attention, but everyone present turned to look.

Shen Tianshi was startled by Yu Tang’s antics and immediately covered his face with his hand, pretending not to know her.

Though he had no idea what Yu Tang was up to, Zhou Ziheng was secretly delighted but outwardly surprised, quickly supporting Yu Tang.

"Yu Tang, what are you doing?"

[Zhou Ziheng harbors deep resentment toward you. Getting him to respond means you’ve earned some of his recognition, greatly advancing your redemption process.]

[Congratulations, reward granted.]

The moment the Strength Pill arrived, Yu Tang felt energy surge through her body.

She stood up and dusted herself off.

Just as she was about to show off with a smile, she realized she was being dragged forward.

Yu Tang looked back.

Shen Tianshi, one hand still covering his face, was pulling Yu Tang along, muttering, "Oh my, this is so embarrassing!"

Yu Tang had no choice but to wave goodbye to the remaining guests still in place.

[Hilarious! Where did Yu Tang come from, she’s such a character.]
[Is she trying to get Zhou Ziheng’s attention?]
[What a clumsy way to steal the spotlight.]
[Am I the only one wondering when Shen Tianshi got so strong?]

After Yu Tang left, the other three teams set off to find their task locations.

The camera crew split into four groups, following each team.

Even the livestream was divided into four feeds.

Not long after leaving their lodging, Shen Tianshi let go of Yu Tang.

The two followed the signs to find the muddy pond.

"Yu Tang, why did you come on this dating show?"

"Hey, Yu Tang, do you remember our old class monitor? He seems to be dating the study rep now."

"Yu Tang, can you get Zhou Ziheng to leave? I want to team up with Xiang Youran."

Shen Tianshi really had a soft spot for gentle types like Xiang Youran.

Yu Tang grew annoyed by all the chatter.

"Shut up!"

Caught off guard by the outburst, Shen Tianshi stopped in his tracks, staring at Yu Tang in disbelief, his eyes reddening instantly. "You scolded me?! You actually scolded me?!"

Yu Tang’s eyelid twitched—where did this delicate soul come from? Even scolding him was impossible.

She was about to say something when she caught sight of a lotus root sign nearby.

She couldn’t be bothered with Shen Tianshi any longer.

A smile tugged at her lips. "Found it."

Shen Tianshi’s nose bubbled with snot, but hearing Yu Tang’s words, he sniffed it back in, following her gaze, and asked blankly, "Huh? What?"

…

Two of the four livestream feeds showed the same scene.

Yu Tang saw Xiao Yufei and Xie Yi approaching and greeted them with a smile.

"Your task is here too?"

If memory served, Xiao Yufei’s group had the "Corn Stalks Standing Tall" task.

Xiao Yufei nodded toward the neighboring field.

"Yeah, that field next to us is ours."

Looking at the endless corn stalks, Yu Tang fell silent. How long would that take?

"You’re definitely going to be at this forever. Maybe you should beg us—if we get a feast, we might share some with you."

Shen Tianshi chimed in gleefully, "You should worry about yourselves first. With all this mud, are you sure you’ll even be able to walk?"

Shen Tianshi fell silent.

He wasn’t so sure.

He looked at Yu Tang. "Yu Tang!!"

Yu Tang stared gloomily at the muddy pond, still unsure what to do, when a shout rang in her ears.

She was exasperated—what a little lord. "What is it, young master?"

[I have to say, Yu Tang and Shen Tianshi make a surprisingly good couple.]
[Agreed! He’s always causing trouble and she’s always smiling.]
[Come on, leave our Young Master Shen alone. If he finds out you’re shipping him, he’ll freak out.]

Shen Tianshi had once worked with Xiang Youran on a show and liked her ever since.

Young Master Shen fears nothing; when people ship him with Xiang Youran, he applauds, but if they ship him with anyone else, he’ll write an 800-word rebuttal.

Yu Tang turned away, helpless.

Shen Tianshi, full of righteous indignation and grievance, shouted loudly, "They’re bullying me!"