Xie Wang frowned: "My anger isn't entirely about me, it's about you. Anyone with eyes can see that he liked you on the variety show, but you didn't choose him in the end. Now he's saying this, what does he take you for? He's a big star, very famous, and has so many fans. If it were an ordinary person, they would have been cyberbullied by his fans long ago."
Ling Shuangjiang sat down next to Xie Wang, laughing and saying, "So it seems I'm not ordinary?"
Xie Wang: "Given the size of his fanbase, his team should have someone specifically monitoring their activities. With me protecting you, their team wouldn't dare let the fans go crazy."
Ling Shuangjiang: "Wow, you noticed that." He leaned closer, his voice soft and gentle: "Since you're so smart, why do you make silly mistakes in certain things?"
Xie Wang cleared his throat: "Concern leads to confusion."
—
Recording continued, and Awen asked Joey, Huang Shan, and others some more questions before moving on to the next segment.
He originally wanted to ask Wen Ai and Qi Yu questions, but Wen Ai's agent specifically instructed the program team that Wen Ai would not respond to any questions related to Qi Yu.
Awen guessed that the two must have had a very unpleasant falling out, and that he had only talked to Qi Yu about company matters.
Next up is a little game.
The guests need to be divided into two groups to compete against the host team.
Before them stood a metal maze, where the guests had to calculate the shortest route and use electric batons to navigate the winding maze to reach the finish line.
If the electric rod touches the steel frame during the challenge, an electric current will be generated, and a yellow light will illuminate around the steel frame, indicating that the challenge has failed.
The iron frame is four meters wide and two meters high. It is estimated that it will take ten minutes to navigate the maze, testing not only physical control but also composure.
When the groups were formed, Lu Shaoheng realized that he was not in the same group as Xie Wang, so Bai Xinyu, Qiao Yi, and Shen Ke stood next to him, while the rest of the group followed behind Xie Wang.
There are three groups in total: the host's team is Group A, Xie Wang's team is Group B, and Lu Shaoheng's team is Group C.
Lu Shaoheng's team was short one person, so a host filled in for them.
The rule is that the team with the most players who pass the level wins.
The whistle blows, and you have twenty minutes to figure out how to navigate the steel maze.
To help the guests solve the puzzles, the production team will provide any materials they need in a timely manner.
Each group has a mini model of the maze. Xie Wang took a pen and some draft paper, intending to use physics formulas to calculate the fastest route through the maze.
“I’ve redrawn the original maze diagram on paper.” Ling Shuangjiang handed it to Xie Wang. “You use this to calculate, and give me the model. Let’s see which method is faster.”
Xie Wang nodded: "Do you have other methods?"
Ling Shuangjiang: "Hmm, I'll give it a try."
Time waits for no one. Xie Wang sat to one side, used a piece of scrap paper to calculate the mathematical formulas, and began to substitute them into the calculations to program.
For low-structure mazes like this, there are techniques and formulas that can be solved in three minutes.
On the other side, Ling Shuangjiang found two kinds of pigments and two kinds of chemical pigments, mixed the pigments with them separately, and poured them into the outlet and inlet.
The two chemical materials react with each other, and when they are absorbed into the air, they create convection currents, allowing them to move rapidly through the maze.
In just two minutes, the two pigments collided and fused together along the shortest path.
Wen Nuan clapped her hands in delight: "Frost's Descent has a good route!"
At this moment, Xie Wang also stopped writing the last stroke, took the route map in front of everyone, and compared it with Ling Shuangjiang's.
Lu Shaoheng, who was on the other side, looked up at Ling Shuangjiang and continued to try out different routes.
After comparing Xie Wang's and Ling Shuangjiang's route maps, all the guests in Group B found that the shortest route was exactly the same.
The fans below cheered and applauded. Xie Wang cast an admiring glance at Ling Shuangjiang: "Little Shuangjiang, not bad."
Ling Shuangjiang: "You too."
The other two groups haven't figured it out yet. Bai Xinyu tried to learn from them, but Wen Ai stopped him.
Wen Ai glared at him: "Cheating is not allowed."
Bai Xinyu rolled his eyes and slunk away.
Another half hour passed, and the other two groups finished and prepared to move on to the next challenge.
The host team went first. They were experienced and played this game often, so from a fairness standpoint, their team only had four spots, one fewer than the other teams.
In the other two groups of five people, one guest needs to lead the others through the challenge route, so each team has four people.
The game started quickly, and the host team failed in the first round of challenges.
Xie Wang was the first to go up in Group B. Before the match, he put on his goggles and steadily raised the stun gun.
Because it was a maze, two people needed to work together. Ling Shuangjiang held the route map and was responsible for guiding Xie Wang on how to proceed, as well as helping him stay calm and avoid taking detours.
The two worked together seamlessly, and Xie Wang didn't need to stop at all; Ling Shuangjiang was able to tell him the next step immediately.
The two stood very close and were very focused. When Xie Wang was going through the challenge, his arm muscles were slightly tense and powerful, showing off his good physique.
Xie Wang has an impatient personality, which is evident in his attempts to complete the challenges. Sometimes he grips the electric baton so fast that sparks are almost generated, but Ling Shuangjiang always patiently comforts him during these moments.
"Don't be nervous, we'll be done soon."
"That's impressive, we held on for those last few seconds."
With a "ding," the notification sounded that the challenge had been successfully completed, and Xie Wang had successfully earned a point for Group B.
Amidst applause, Lu Shaoheng from Group C arrived at the iron maze, partnered with Joey.
The two were very nervous from the start, and their attempt ended in failure halfway through due to a confusing route.
After three more intense rounds of competition, only Qi Yu, A Wen, and Shen Ke successfully passed the test.
Therefore, the winning team was Group B, who scored a total of two points.
Applause erupted, and Awen said, "This time it's our production team's fault for not being well prepared. The electric batons were too heavy, and the female guests might have had some trouble. So the few who were able to persevere are already amazing. Let's give them a round of applause."
Chyi Yu chimed in, "Indeed, it's hard for me to even hold it; it must weigh five or six pounds."
Ling Shuangjiang looked at the iron maze in front of him with great interest. His job was to guide the team members through the maze, so he didn't have the chance to try going up himself.
This segment is about to end. Awen signaled that everyone could rest and arranged for the staff to move the maze down.
At this moment, Xie Wang said, "Can we leave it a little longer? We haven't played with the Frost's Descent game yet."
Ling Shuangjiang glanced at Xie Wang in surprise, and Awen smiled and said, "Of course, we have a half-hour break."
Xie Wang walked to the front of the maze and gestured for Ling Shuangjiang to follow.
Ling Shuangjiang whispered, "How did you know I wanted to play?"
Xie Wang: "You glanced at it several times just now."
As he spoke, he picked up his goggles, adjusted the rubber straps to make sure they wouldn't chafe Ling Shuangjiang, and then asked, "Are you allergic to rubber?"
Ling Shuangjiang shook her head: "I'm not allergic."
Xie Wang walked up to him and very gently helped him put on the stun gun. Finally, he bent down to adjust the position of the goggles, checked it several times, and handed it to him.
Some of the other guests had already left the stage, but seeing Ling Shuangjiang playing around on stage, they came back to join in the fun.
"Will it sink?" Xie Wang asked.
Ling Shuangjiang weighed it in her hand and found that it was about the weight of five bottles of mineral water. It was indeed very heavy, not to mention that everyone had to hold on for ten minutes, which was not easy.
"Hmm, some." He had just raised the stun gun when he accidentally bumped into the metal frame, igniting an alarm throughout the maze. He smiled sheepishly and whispered, "I'll try again."
Seeing his shy expression, Xie Wang ruffled his hair, then put on goggles and stood behind him, holding his hands with both arms to help him raise the stun gun.
At that moment, the audience erupted in the loudest applause of the entire episode. The staff who were taking a break rushed back curiously to look at the two on stage.
"If I don't help you lift it, your arms will be sore when you get up tomorrow."
Xie Wang spoke in a low voice, slowly moving the stun gun with Ling Shuangjiang's hand.
The two had already memorized the maze route and didn't need anyone to remind them.
Ling Shuangjiang could sense everyone's intense gazes, but he didn't intend to refuse Xie Wang's help and focused entirely on the game.
My heart was pounding.
Their breathing rhythms gradually merged into one.
Without speaking or exchanging glances, they seemed to know exactly where they were headed when they reached an intersection.
Gradually, Ling Shuangjiang's palms became sweaty. But he didn't feel the weight at all; Xie Wang steadily supported almost all of his weight.
Wen Ai watched everything from the sidelines and said enviously, "I also really want to start dating soon."
Huang Shan joked, "Go ahead and date, nobody's stopping you. Is there someone you like?"
Chyi Yu stood behind the two of them, silently watching Wen Ai.
Wen Ai smiled and said, "There is one, but it's in the incubation stage. Whether it will succeed depends on luck."
Huang Shan joked, "This is the first time I've heard of dating depending on luck. If you like someone, just go for it."
Wen Ai sighed softly, "It's not that easy."
Lu Shaoheng watched the two leave after a while, and his agent waited for a long time in his dressing room.
"What's wrong with you? Why did you go and provoke Xie Wang when you knew he had something going on with Ling Shuangjiang?" The manager's tone was reproachful: "I've never said this to you since you became famous, but this is a serious matter."
Lu Shaoheng poured himself a glass of water: "How serious is it?"
Agent: "If he wants to make things difficult for you, you will almost certainly not get any acting roles in the Chinese entertainment industry anymore."
Lu Shaoheng gave a sarcastic smile: "I can go abroad to make movies."
"Shaoheng!" the manager said sternly, "Can you please wake up? Besides, you don't even really like Ling Shuangjiang that much, do you? You've always been very career-oriented. For your career, you were even willing to give up Ling Shuangjiang in a dating reality show, but what's wrong with you today?"
Lu Shaoheng calmed down for a moment and said, "I'm sorry, it was my fault."
The agent softened her tone: "After filming, the production team will treat everyone to dinner, which will give you two a chance to mend your relationship."
"Mm," Lu Shaoheng replied.
On the stage, Ling Shuangjiang and Xie Wang were already at the very end.
Under the studio lights, Ling Shuangjiang's skin appeared even whiter. He had never dyed his hair, but it naturally had a light brown tint, and his hair was soft.
Xie Wang's skin tone contrasted sharply with his, but the two of them looked surprisingly well-matched standing together.
At first glance, it looks like an innocent little rabbit being held in the arms of a big lion, who is doing his best to protect it.
A bead of sweat silently rolled down Ling Shuangjiang's forehead. His eyelashes trembled slightly as he felt the warmth on his back, a sense of security he rarely experienced.