Chapter 86

Chapter 86

The weather was great on the day the "Friends of the Opposite Sex" show began filming, and the recording started at 10 a.m.

The opening content was related to the pre-recorded interviews. The five regular guests would go on stage first, with the celebrities standing side by side behind five paper doors. The host would summarize the celebrities’ impressions of their friends from the interviews and print them on several slips of paper, which would then be stuck on the paper doors. The regular guests had to choose their celebrity friends based on these clues.

Those who chose their actual friends would have priority during the group selection in the afternoon's live broadcast, based on their rankings.

The rules for selecting friends weren’t announced until all the guests had appeared on stage. When Qi Wéi saw the rules, she immediately felt a headache.

Before the show started, Qi Wéi knew that the opening would include a priority draw for the afternoon group selection. She had already told Chí Tuō, "You must choose to be in the same group. The first live broadcast impression is crucial, and every selection comes with hints. If Guān Shèngyǔ gets the priority, he will definitely put Diāo Tóng and Ān Yě in the same group."

But now, the show had revealed the rule…

Ān Yě’s impression of Chí Tuō was "Dad"…

It was so embarrassing. She thought, “Anyway, when the show airs, Chí Tuō will see it for himself. No need for me to pass it on.”

And then…

This was a disaster. Could he really guess it?

Chí Tuō looked at the other four people on stage.

Guān Shèngyǔ was familiar; they had crossed paths earlier that morning when they went to the restroom, but neither of them greeted each other. One was at the far left of the urinals, the other at the far right.

The other three people were a girl who looked like a student, about the same age as them, a woman in her thirties wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking very professional, and a man in his early thirties with a particularly kind expression.

When the host started, he didn’t introduce their occupations or names. He just immediately announced the game rules: The game would take place on the large lawn in front of them. The five contestants had to blindfold themselves, pinch their noses, and spin around ten times like elephants. Afterward, they had to find a triangular flag 100 meters ahead, and pulling it out would mean they succeeded.

Based on the order in which they pulled the flags, the host would distribute gold, silver, bronze, and iron paper hammers.

The host said, “Now, your friends are trapped in another dimension, and only by finding weapons can you truly save them.”

Very… cringeworthy.

Before, watching these types of games on TV, it never occurred to Ān Yě how embarrassing they could be in real life.

Chí Tuō’s calm, steady persona was already crumbling inside. Before putting on the blindfold, he glanced at Guān Shèngyǔ and found that the other man was also looking at him.

"What the hell?"

He thought irritably.

What a fool, a rich second-generation heir plus an executive at a listed company, playing this elephant trunk game here.

Guān Shèngyǔ must be even more embarrassed than he was.

After quickly completing his mental prep, Chí Tuō became the most energetic one on the field. He had been into fitness and martial arts for years, so his body’s flexibility and balance were better than most people’s. He was also tall, and once he saw where the flag was, he began spinning rapidly as soon as the referee blew the whistle.

Guān Shèngyǔ, who was standing next to him, was also quite fast.

However, Guān Shèngyǔ clearly didn’t follow the rules. He spun and moved forward, charging directly toward the triangular flag. By the time he completed his ten spins, he was already halfway to the flag.

The referee didn’t blow the whistle for a foul on Guān Shèngyǔ.

After all, Huàn Zhòu had later invested more in this variety show.As the host excitedly finished counting the spins, Chí Tuō, who had been following the rules and was very precise, ran toward the triangular flag.

However, as he reached out to grab it, his hand touched someone’s clothing.

It was someone he had just gone to the restroom with an hour ago. Out of the five regular guests, this person was the only one still wearing a casual suit, and the fabric felt very familiar.

He had probably grabbed the person’s sleeve.

The referee hadn’t blown the whistle yet, meaning the flag was still in play, and it was still up for grabs.

With the blindfold on, Chí Tuō couldn’t see anything, but as he was rushing forward, he sensed that this person next to him was about to trip him.

Chí Tuō admitted to himself that he was a little angry.

The black hoodie he was wearing had been bought by Ān Yě for the recording, and it was the only black one he had. The others were in colors he had to mentally prepare himself to wear. If he fell now, he would probably have to wear that pale green hoodie during the afternoon's live broadcast…

Plus, he didn’t quite believe that Guān Shèngyǔ, who was less than 1.8 meters tall, could run that fast while blindfolded.

When he was handling Yán Wàn’s case, Chí Tuō had seen Guān Shèngyǔ’s name in several of the parties Ān Yě had turned down invitations to.

Huàn Zhòu and Jīn Dǐng did have some legal collaborations, but not with the entertainment team he was currently managing.

So what did this have to do with him?

Chí Tuō’s narrow eyes under the blindfold narrowed further. He pulled Guān Shèngyǔ toward him by the sleeve with force, yanking the person’s collar and holding him in a way that completely immobilized him.

This position made it hard for Guān Shèngyǔ to breathe, and he cursed under his breath.

The referee’s whistle blew the next second, and Chí Tuō snatched the triangular flag.

"That move was really cool!" The host handed Chí Tuō the golden hammer. "It’s clear you were really eager to save your friend."

Chí Tuō tilted his head slightly, his face slightly glistening with sweat.

The golden hammer was actually made of cardboard, just covered with some golden paper, and in the sunlight, it didn’t look like something an adult should be holding.

The other four were also given their hammers. Guān Shèngyǔ got the silver one and stood behind Chí Tuō with a very unpleasant expression.

The host, a newly signed artist from Huàn Zhòu’s agency, was very quick to react: "However, after reviewing the VCR, it turns out that both the golden and silver hammer holders touched the triangular flag at the same time, so they should be considered tied for first place."

"Please, both of you, go save your friends," the host gestured invitingly.

Chí Tuō didn’t move, and Guān Shèngyǔ glanced at him but also didn’t move.

Qi Wéi, in the crowd of staff, made a "calm down" gesture toward Chí Tuō.

Chí Tuō still didn’t move.

His height made him stand out in the crowd, and his build wasn’t slim. With a cold face, he exuded a heavy sense of pressure.

The host’s face stiffened, and he gestured again, inviting them.

"You go first," Chí Tuō stepped aside slightly, gesturing to Guān Shèngyǔ as well.

Guān Shèngyǔ’s expression grew even darker.

He knew that during the editing of the game, the part where he spun fewer circles and directly ran toward the track could be edited out, but in the final scramble for the flag, Chí Tuō had grabbed him by the neck, and his face had turned pale, never even touching the triangular flag.

That part was hard to edit.The host announcing that the two of them were tied for first meant that the production team had already decided to cut the part where Guān Shèngyǔ had been completely immobilized by Chí Tuō. After the opening segment, they could just reshoot the part where both of them touched the triangular flag at the same time.

If it was someone cooperative, that wouldn't be an issue.

But when it came to Chí Tuō, he clearly didn’t want to cooperate. The host was changing the rules, and Chí Tuō didn’t intend to follow them. His gesture of letting Guān Shèngyǔ go first clearly showed his disagreement with the shared first place.

The image of Chí Tuō holding the golden hammer while letting Guān Shèngyǔ go ahead became very ironic.

To reshoot this part, they’d have to start the entire opening sequence over again.

Although there was enough time for the reshoot.

But starting the show off like this, how could they proceed with the rest of the filming?

"No need," Guān Shèngyǔ gritted his teeth, his face unchanged. "The golden hammer can go first."

Chí Tuō smiled and, without hesitation, stepped toward the arrow the director had pointed to.

The host, hitting a wall, awkwardly smiled and continued with the process.

The three people holding the copper and iron hammers subconsciously moved away from Guān Shèngyǔ in this atmosphere.

They were true amateurs and had no idea what had just happened, only realizing that the host had very naturally made up a story about a shared first place.

That meant this person was untouchable.

So they’d better stay away.

The scene turned into [exclusion.jpg].

The director on set: "..."

He made a gesture to avoid wide shots.

Sweat beaded on his forehead as he began to think about the consequences of offending Huàn Zhòu’s young boss right at the start.

Really bad luck.

What was Guān Er-gōngzi even doing here? And that "father" of Ān Yě’s! A lawyer, and here he was making enemies with Guān Er-gōngzi right from the start—was he out of his mind? Isn’t he a lawyer in entertainment law? Doesn’t he care about his career anymore?

Chí Tuō stood with the golden hammer in front of the prop doors.

Five doors, five colors, each with various labels in different fonts and colors.

The first and second doors were quickly filtered out by Chí Tuō, one labeled "Five years of acquaintance," and the other "A fateful meeting."

The last door, with the largest font, read: "Dad." Chí Tuō frowned and quickly filtered that one out as well.

The two doors in the middle, one was labeled "Childhood sweethearts," and the other "Most trusted person."

Chí Tuō hesitated.

The door labeled "Childhood sweethearts" had an additional line: "I never thought of him/her as the opposite sex."

Chí Tuō: "..."

He had a slight feeling that this phrasing resembled something Ān Yě would say. If it hadn’t been for that scene in the bathroom two nights ago, he almost would have chosen this door…So this door shouldn’t be the one.

That leaves only the fourth door.

The label on this door was quite sentimental—besides "most trusted," there were also "a friend in need," "a lifelong confidant," and "like-minded."

Chí Tuō: "..."

First of all, Ān Yě is not the kind of person who constantly spouts four-character idioms during interviews. She rarely uses idioms in everyday speech.

Secondly, what does "like-minded" have to do with them?

Their aspirations were completely different...

When the host urged him with only two minutes left, Chí Tuō confirmed with him, "These labels are all things the person has said, and they haven’t been altered, right?"

"Yes." The host, who had taken a blow earlier, now looked very pleased. "You still have one minute and fifty seconds. If you don’t choose the right door before the countdown ends, you’ll have to wait until everyone else has chosen."

Chí Tuō: "..."

He began to pace in front of the third and fourth doors again.

Maybe it was the third one, after all. Ān Yě wasn't the type to show off their relationship in front of others, and they hadn't actually said anything about officially announcing it on the show.

Chí Tuō stared at the label "I’ve never thought of him/her as the opposite sex." No matter how he looked at it, it felt awkward.

And there was another line below it, "The best buddy in this lifetime."

Chí Tuō: "..."

Unless Ān Yě had some kind of variety show persona, there was no way she would say such corny lines.

So he went back to the first and second doors. These two were too obvious—friends of less than ten years...

That left only the last door.

As Chí Tuō approached, he saw the big, bold "Dad" and the other labels: "Neighbor," "Very strict," and "Playing the role of a parent."

Crazy!

Chí Tuō quickly filtered that out. He didn’t even look at the other labels before returning to the third door.

He began to suspect that Ān Yě might have been given some variety show persona, but neither Qí Wéi nor Ān Yě had mentioned it.

That meant Ān Yě had backed off again...

But she hadn't shown any unusual behavior these past two days. Last night, she accidentally overate and then dragged him into an hour of aerobics.

"Made your choice?" the host asked, standing beside him.

Chí Tuō furrowed his brows. In the end, he chose the third door. It was the only one that seemed to match Ān Yě's tone, somewhat similar.

The host continued with his mysterious smile, moving on to the next part of the process. The answers would be revealed after everyone had made their choice, so there might be situations where no one was behind a door or multiple people ended up behind the same door.

After a bit of chaos, Guān Shèngyǔ stood behind the first door, the student-dressed girl and the white-collar woman were behind the second, and Chí Tuō found someone behind the third door—an unfamiliar man in his thirties.

No one chose the fourth or fifth doors.

The host gave everyone two more minutes to adjust. After exchanging glances, no one moved and they all continued to stand.So, the first door with no doubts was revealed first.

No one competed with Guān Shèngyǔ. Diāo Tóng had debuted five years ago, and they had known each other for five years. The production team directly placed this label on it, essentially cheating.

Although Guān Shèngyǔ didn't grab the triangle flag, he still obtained the priority draw for the team selection in the afternoon.

The other three newbies quickly realized that the man in the casual suit was definitely some big shot they couldn’t offend, and with perfect tacit understanding, they moved away from him a little.

Behind the second door came the idol Lù Yīfēi. His opposite-sex friend turned out to be the white-collar lady. As soon as they appeared, the white-collar lady started complaining, "What kind of 'we meet too late' is this? You suddenly start throwing out idioms and almost made me pick wrong."

The girl dressed like a student, who had almost picked incorrectly, stood awkwardly, scratching her head while looking at the other three doors.

The host asked her if she had a second choice.

The student-dressed girl pointed to the third door with great frustration.

The host was surprised, "How can it be 'we meet too late' and still be childhood sweethearts?"

The girl scratched her head and said, "My parents cook really well, so he’s always said that if he had known me since kindergarten, maybe he would have grown five centimeters taller."

Everyone laughed.

The third door, being a hot favorite, was paused by the host with great suspense.

"I'll give you all one last chance. There are three doors left, do you want to reconsider your choice?"

At that moment, Chí Tuō suddenly had a very strange feeling.

He looked towards the fifth door.

Aside from the title "Dad," "Neighbor," "Strict," and "Playing the role of a parent," he had done all of those.

He looked down at the small label, which was written in very tiny letters: "Little Wontons."

...

Chí Tuō: "…I’ll switch."

He silently moved to the fifth door.

The girl and the familiar-looking man didn’t move.

The host first revealed the fifth door.

Ān Yě was standing inside the door, dressed in a light green spring dress.

Chí Tuō: "…Dad?"

Ān Yě: "…Uh."