[Sigh, I feel sorry for Yin Xingzhi. Luo Tian isn't interested in him at all.]
【Or let's find someone else. After all, the point of dating reality shows is to get to know each other better, right?】
This is exactly the effect Yin Xingzhi wanted. Once he's done his part, he won't be criticized for being a womanizer if he switches his focus to You Ziang.
When night finally fell, the staff brought everyone to the resort. They then brought up boxes and had the guests draw lots to form groups. The boxes contained small balls, and those who drew balls of the same color formed a group.
The result of the lottery grouping is the most random, and no one can predict it in advance.
After taking out the ball, Yin Xingzhi was overjoyed. He never expected to be so lucky as to be drawn into a group with You Ziang!
This is practically an opportunity delivered to his doorstep! He must seize it today and make his presence felt.
Qin Shuang looked at the balls in everyone's hands and found that she was in a group with Xu Baichang.
So, does that mean the remaining two are—
Xiao Shulang, holding the small white ball, met Luo Tian's gaze and openly expressed his disdain: "Ha."
Xiao Shulang and Luo Tian were drawn together, what a troublesome pairing!
Luo Tian clutched the ball in his hand, watching helplessly as Xu Baichang and Qin Shuang stood together, wishing he could crush the ball in his hand.
The group assignments are like this, and even if you're not happy about it, you have to go. Xiao Shulang tossed the ball in his hand and said, "There's no way around it, the group assignments have already been decided. I'll play the game well; it's part of the job, and I should take it seriously. I hope someone won't hold me back."
Luo Tian gritted his teeth: "Heh, who knows who will drag whose down!"
"You can still pretend for now," Luo Tian thought. "When we get into the forest and encounter 'ghosts,' I'll have to observe how scared you are and see how you'll still be so stubborn!"
But what Luo Tian didn't know was that the person standing there wasn't the original owner who was afraid of ghosts, but Xiao Shulang, who could remain calm throughout a horror movie and dared to greet the staff when entering a haunted house.
If Xiao Shulang is truly frightened, the people next to him will likely be the first to be overwhelmed.
Resort staff and the production crew were all in position outside. Later, the caption read: "'Escape from the Forest' begins now!"
Chapter 19 Xiao Shulang: "Sorry, I was startled."
Two guest stars and staff members stayed together at the finish line, observing the situation of others on a screen. The three groups of guests were taken to three starting points to prepare for departure.
Each group has only one map, which the two people have to share. To save time, it is obviously the most efficient way to look at the map together.
If you want to look at a map together, the distance between you two will inevitably shorten.
Qin Shuang and Xu Baichang were the most proper. They each held one end of the map and maintained a polite social distance, with an unspoken, courteous boundary.
You Ziang wanted to maintain a polite distance, but as soon as he looked down, he felt that the person next to him was too close. He quickly looked up and moved away. Yin Xingzhi, however, did not seem to find it inappropriate. He only asked after You Ziang looked up, "Did you find something?"
"not yet."
If Yin Xingzhi were the kind of person who had directly offended him, You Ziang wouldn't need to be polite. But Yin Xingzhi had only been clinging to Luo Tian and had very little interaction with him, so he was only slightly better than a stranger.
Within ordinary social circles, You Ziang still maintains a very gentlemanly demeanor.
He simply let go of her hand: "Keep the map safe. I'll look at it when I need it."
Yin Xingzhi, attempting to close the physical distance between the two by looking at the map, said: "Okay."
There's no need to be so polite.
Compared to the smooth start of the other two groups, the tension between Xiao Shulang and Luo Tian was palpable.
Luo Tian originally intended to grab the map first and simply not show it to Xiao Shulang, but after thinking about it, he realized that doing so would be too obvious and would definitely attract criticism from passersby, so he changed his approach—
Let Xiao Shulang look at it alone first. After he had looked at it for a few minutes, Luo Tian reached out and said, "Let me see the map too."
If Xiao Shulang doesn't give it to him, he'll be the one criticized for being stingy; if Xiao Shulang does give it to him, he'll keep the map for himself, ostensibly to safeguard it.
Xiao Shulang was quite decisive. After reading it, he tossed a roll of map to Luo Tian from a distance, as if grabbing both ends of the map with Luo Tian would dirty his hands.
Luo Tian almost missed, and hurriedly caught the map. After holding the map in his hand, he hummed softly and pretended to open it.
Xiao Shulang had already gone inside, while Luo Tian lagged half a step behind him, thinking to himself, "Without a map, I can't see how far you can go."
The lights in the forest at night were dim and unclear. Everyone was equipped with a flashlight, and the pale light mingled with the dim yellow streetlights, instantly creating a gloomy atmosphere.
Just ten meters or so away, a faint sigh suddenly rang out, startling Luo Tian, who was studying the map, and making his hair stand on end.
He didn't scream out loud, but his facial expressions and body language were already quite dramatic. He even let out a sound and trembled slightly. The post-production team and the camera crew wouldn't miss any footage of the guests being frightened; they would always give close-ups. They were particularly good at filming, magnifying even the smallest expressions.
Xiao Shulang simply stopped and scanned the surroundings with his flashlight. When another sigh drifted out, he actually went straight to the direction of the sound, parted the grass, and found that it was coming from a small speaker hidden in the grass.
Xiao Shulang looked the small speaker up and down: "I didn't find anything special. It shouldn't be related to the decryption."
The audience was amused by the scene between the two.
[Haha, Xiao Shulang is so daring, he actually went to check where the sound came from!]
[Brother Xiao, whose sole focus is on deciphering the mystery]
I initially thought Luo Tian was a daring person, but now I have to question that. I'm looking forward to seeing what exciting things will happen next.
The appearance of the eerie sound seemed to be a signal that the peace had been broken. The feeling of terror grew stronger under the influence of his mind. Luo Tian's heart was in his throat. He unconsciously quickened his pace and moved closer to Xiao Shulang.
He was walking too fast and almost bumped into Xiao Shulang's arm. Xiao Shulang dodged to the side and asked, "What are you doing?"
"I—" Luo Tian swallowed hard in the dim light, stubbornly insisting, "You're walking so slowly, blocking the way. Are you scared?"
Xiao Shulang rolled his eyes in front of the camera, then walked to the side. The path was wide open, and his meaning was clear: If you want to leave, then leave. Don't come near me anymore.
Some audience members were initially intimidated by the eerie atmosphere and began to feel tense, but Xiao Shulang's expression made them burst out laughing.
[Haha, that expression is so expressive! Even without saying a word, the disgust is palpable!]
I was starting to get scared, but Xiao Shulang looks so relaxed. I'd definitely feel super safe with him.
There were also calm people in the other two groups, but none of them were as interesting as Xiao Shulang and Luo Tian. There were already a lot of people waiting to see a good show when exes got together, and now even more people were paying attention to them.
Tian Xiaole and Zhou Tong were there to add to the entertainment by making sarcastic comments. Zhou Tong was more focused on Luo Tian, and he even laughed when Luo Tian was startled. He was definitely the type to gloat. But when he saw Xiao Shulang and Luo Tian's reactions, Zhou Tong couldn't laugh anymore.
"Hmm... The design of the secluded forest is quite well done; those who are inside should be able to better feel the terrifying atmosphere."
Zhou Tong could only try to salvage the situation for Luo Tian from the sidelines, while Tian Xiaole genuinely rubbed his arm: "Wow, thank goodness I don't have to play, it looks terrifying."
After walking a little further, Xiao Shulang saw a road sign by the roadside.
Unlike ordinary road signs, the road signs in the secluded forest do not directly indicate the direction. Some have pictures, and some have words written on them. The one in front of me has three pictures.
Xiao Shulang stared at the graphic in front of him for a moment, then suddenly realized what it meant and was about to leave.
Luo Tian quickly called out from behind him, "Wait! Are you going to go to the left?"
Xiao Shulang silently told himself that this was a job he had to take seriously, and that he wanted to live up to the expectations of the viewers who came to watch the live stream. So he paused and nodded slightly.
"But the map indicates we should go to the right!"
Luo Tian spoke up for two reasons: first, to show off, since Xiao Shulang had made a mistake this time; and second, because he had underestimated how terrifying Youlin was... That's right, he didn't dare to walk alone.
The filming in the forest was done by drone; no staff members came up. If Xiao Shulang hadn't been with him, he would have been all alone.
Before the game started, he even thought about leaving Xiao Shulang alone in a scary environment to embarrass him, but after walking only a short distance, he found himself too scared to walk alone.
Xiao Shulang didn't want to waste words with Luo Tian, but he felt he should explain to the viewers in the live stream how the puzzle would work: "Both the left and right paths are correct, but there is a badge on the left."
Luo Tian was stunned: "How did you know?"
"Look at the map. We need to decipher the correct route. You can't just look at the map on your own."
Xiao Shulang tapped the road sign: "I'm talking about this one—"
"Rustling!"
Xiao Shulang's fingers merely tapped the sign twice, yet the surrounding woods suddenly trembled violently, the rustling of leaves breaking the stillness of the night, and then—
A pale figure darted out from the woods on the side with lightning speed and grabbed Luo Tian's shoulder unexpectedly.
A distorted voice and wet, black hair brushed against Luo Tian's ear: "Will you play with me—?"
"Ahhh—"
Startled, Luo Tian dropped the flashlight in his hand and jumped three feet high on the spot. But the road in front of him became even darker after the flashlight was thrown away. He screamed and almost scrambled over to pick up the flashlight.
"Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!"
Luo Tian picked up the flashlight and waved it wildly. The white light swept directly into Xiao Shulang's eyes, forcing Xiao Shulang to close his eyes and raise his hand to shield them. Fortunately, the flashlight's beam was specially designed and not too bright, so it wouldn't harm his eyes. The production team was very thoughtful in this regard.
However, as Luo Tian shone his flashlight, he noticed that the trees above Xiao Shulang's head seemed to move, and something slowly drooped down...
So everyone saw Luo Tian freeze for half a second, then turn around quickly and run into the right-hand road.
He ran away.
He actually abandoned his partner and ran away!
The other two groups also encountered ghosts and monsters, which was exciting and frightening. The scene was quite spectacular, but Luo Tian was the only one who abandoned his partner and ran away, making him stand out.
Even Zhou Tong, who had stopped in Bengbu, grabbed the tablet he was using to watch the video and exclaimed, "Why are you running?!"
Unfortunately, Luo Tian couldn't hear what he said.
The live stream was instantly flooded with comments.
[Damn it, he ran away! He ran away all by himself!]
Hahaha, I'm going to die laughing at this show sooner or later. Is it really a dating reality show? Hahaha
[Okay, abandoning your partner and running away, that's just like your brother Luo Tian.]
Zhou Tong and Tian Xiaole could see the live chat comments right now. After yelling, Zhou Tong, feeling both disappointed and exasperated, quickly tried to cover it up: "Uh, no, he's probably just scared. He'll definitely turn back soon. Let's check again..."
Then they saw Luo Tian rush a long way, and then, as if finally realizing something, he stopped panting and looked back.
Zhou Tong gripped the tablet and screamed in his mind: Go back quickly! Go back quickly!
Luo Tian finally responded to his feelings, hesitated for a moment, and then started walking back. Zhou Tong breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that there was still hope, but Luo Tian was walking too slowly. He wished he could hold down the screen to speed him up!
If you dawdle any longer, Xiao Shulang will be leaving!
Just as Luo Tian ran away, Xiao Shulang suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck, as if something had touched him. He instinctively turned around and swatted at it, and a long, red stick flew out.
When the thing fell to the ground, Xiao Shulang looked closely and realized it was a prop tongue, used by the staff hanging in the tree to play the role of a long-tongued ghost.
The person dressed as a ghost: "..."
The staff member hung himself from the tree with a rope, and when the prop flew out, he was dumbfounded. He remained frozen in the frightening pose, his eyes, which were wearing colored contact lenses, wide open.