Chapter 63: Transmigrated as a Stingy Phoenix Man (63)
Pei Zhuo naturally had zero interest in breaking the ice—he’d rather smash Sang Qianshan’s pigheaded brain against an iceberg.
He cast a glance at Sang Qianshan, and seeing that Cen Yu was standing his ground, he simply suggested, “Then let’s do rock-paper-scissors.”
Sang Qianshan naturally went along with whatever Cen Yu said. Pei Zhuo thought it over; if rock-paper-scissors somehow tied him together with Sang Qianshan, it would only prove that he was cursed on this damn show, and he should go pray at a temple the moment filming wrapped.
So he agreed to the game as well.
“Just so you know, I’m planning to throw scissors,” Cen Yu announced. “I’m giving you a heads-up in advance.”
Hearing this, Sang Qianshan remarked, “Playing mind games on us now?”
Pei Zhuo thought to himself that it was no wonder Cen Yu and Sang Qianshan got along so well—neither of their brain circuits functioned normally.
He nodded, not even bothering to think about what to throw; he just wanted to put an end to this farce.
Sang Qianshan spent half a day overthinking the psychological layers, but in the end, he decided to just throw whatever—
Once the three reached their decision, they showed their hands simultaneously. In the end, both Cen Yu and Sang Qianshan threw rock, while Pei Zhuo threw paper.
Cen Yu looked down at his own hand, then over at Pei Zhuo.
Pei Zhuo actually found it quite amusing now. Wearing a faint smile, he said, “I believed you, but I wanted to lose, so I threw paper.”
[…Family members… is anyone else seeing what I’m seeing…]
[Mm, I get it… My husband, this is a imperial feast, your humble servant doesn’t dare indulge!]
[I’ll eat it! I’ll eat it! I’ll eat it! My ship is tasting delicious!]
Having won, Pei Zhuo naturally earned the right to first pick. He immediately claimed the spot on the far right. Cen Yu and Sang Qianshan put up one last desperate resistance—
Ultimately, a dejected Cen Yu was forced to stand right in the middle.
The staff then stepped in and began tying the three of them together.
Cen Yu glanced at the two men flanked on his sides. “I think you guys should listen to my count.”
Sang Qianshan naturally had no objections, and Pei Zhuo felt it was completely fine as well.
The entire three-legged race was a round trip: walk over to the table by the director’s station, grab a cup of water, and return. The final rankings would be decided by a combination of time and the remaining volume of water.
Cen Yu gauged the distance. “Let’s just start off walking fast.”
The moment the starting whistle blew! Jian Zhou and Lin Xinyan’s respective teams set off smoothly, whereas Yu Huaining and Wei Ke took mismatched strides, stumbling along awkwardly.
Over on Cen Yu’s side—
“Are you two incapable of telling left from right?!” Cen Yu barked loudly!
With his arms wrapped around their shoulders, he felt as though he was about to be drawn and quartered!
These two knuckleheads had somehow stepped with their left and right legs at the exact same time! They were practically hoisting his entire body off the ground!
Yet perhaps due to some inexplicable competitive drive!
Pei Zhuo and Sang Qianshan transformed on the spot into a berserker and a wild bull, each slinging one of Cen Yu’s arms over their shoulders and charging straight ahead!
Anyone out of the loop would think these two were sprinting for their lives just to win an air conditioner for their dorm room.
[…Didn’t expect Pei Zhuo to pack this much strength (covering mouth) (covering mouth)]
[To keep from falling, our sister-in-law is hooking an arm around each of their necks… If you get the skin-tone contrast, you get it!]
[Welcome to the Boys and Girls Rush Forward side arena! Striding toward us now are contestants Pei Zhuo and Sang Qianshan!]
In the frame, Cen Yu had no choice but to desperately lock his arms around the back of both men’s necks to avoid getting tripped up by these two wild bulls.
Having just taken part in the swimming event earlier, his body was still somewhat damp. To keep himself from slipping down, he had to keep exerting force to cling onto their shoulders.
Flanking him on either side, Pei Zhuo and Sang Qianshan held onto his arm with one hand while wrapping their other arm around his waist.
Cen Yu already possessed a cool-toned, fair complexion, which looked even paler after soaking in the pool. The stark difference in skin tones among the three was blinding. Both Pei Zhuo and Sang Qianshan took massive strides; standing well over 185 centimeters tall, they quickly used their long legs to reach the table.
With Cen Yu’s hands completely occupied, Pei Zhuo reached out and grabbed a cup directly.
Then, the trio prepped to dash back.
Cen Yu knew there was no way they could preserve the water level at this rate, so they might as well bet everything on speed.
Abandoning all care for whether he currently looked like a suspended loofah, he patted Pei Zhuo’s shoulder. “Charge! Charge! Charge!”
Holding the water cup in one hand, Pei Zhuo kept his other arm wrapped firmly around Cen Yu’s waist. Sang Qianshan held onto Cen Yu even tighter, terrified he might slip and tumble down.
In the end, the two wild bulls successfully crossed the finish line along with their human chariot!
Naturally, only a fifth of the water remained in the cup. Coming in behind them were Lin Xinyan and her best friend, followed closely by Jian Zhou, and finally Yu Huaining’s pair.
Yu Huaining’s face was utterly dark by now.
He knew Wei Ke wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but he hadn’t expected him to be so utterly inconsiderate. The two shared zero chemistry whatsoever.
To make matters worse, Wei Ke kept blaming him for failing to keep up.
Meanwhile, Lin Xinyan and Jian Zhou coordinated seamlessly with their civilian friends, presenting a warm and harmonious vibe that perfectly aligned with the show’s intended tone.
As for Cen Yu, Pei Zhuo, and Sang Qianshan—
“…Your running speed is pretty fast.”
“And your strength is quite something, too.”
Cen Yu delivered his evaluation of the two.
Over on the production side, the crew was busy calculating the remaining water volumes and times for each group.
Ultimately, although the trio’s speed was blistering, the meager amount of water left in their cup meant they could only secure second place.
Having just finished picking his ingredients, Cen Yu was high-fiving his teammates in celebration when he suddenly felt a prickle of gaze on him… Following the sensation, he looked up and spotted Yu Jinheng leaning against the second-floor balcony.
The balcony doors were wide open now, and Yu Jinheng was leaning over the railing, looking down at their game.
His health truly seemed quite fragile. Night had fallen, and although temperatures remained relatively warm, the incoming sea breeze still carried a trace of chill.
Yu Jinheng simply leaned quietly against the railing, a thin cardigan draped over his shoulders.
Much to Cen Yu’s surprise, Yu Jinheng lit a cigarette, quietly watching them from the balcony.
Because the sky was darkening, the production team had set up numerous massive floodlights for the recording. The scorching heat and blinding glare from these high-wattage lights meant that ordinary people wouldn’t naturally look up at a time like this.
Under the crew’s stage lights, the space below and the second-floor balcony were cleaved into two separate worlds by the light.
Looking up, Cen Yu could catch a glimpse of the fading twilight sky over the ocean. Yu Jinheng stood right where the light couldn’t reach, looking down at them.
The room behind the balcony had no lights turned on. Had Cen Yu not happened to look up just then…
He likely wouldn’t have spotted Yu Jinheng holding a cigarette and watching them.
In that instant, Yu Jinheng’s eyes locked with Cen Yu’s. Under Cen Yu’s gaze, he brought the cigarette between his fingers to his lips and took a slow drag.
Then, after breaking into another quiet fit of coughing, he snuffed out the glowing ember right beneath Cen Yu’s watchful eyes.
It wasn’t until the evening seaside BBQ that Yu Jinheng reappeared, having changed into a fresh set of clothes.
His face had turned a shade paler than before.
Due to their earlier game partnership, Cen Yu and Sang Qianshan had simply teamed up with Pei Zhuo for dinner. At that moment, Cen Yu held a freshly grilled king prawn and offered it to Yu Jinheng.
Yu Jinheng glanced at him. “Thank you.”
“Why were you smoking?” Cen Yu blurted out suddenly. “You don’t look like someone who smokes.”
Although Yu Jinheng held a cigarette with an effortless grace, he looked as though he didn’t actually know how to smoke at all.
“Curiosity,” Yu Jinheng said softly.
He followed it with another light cough. “So I thought I might as well try it while I’m still alive.”
