Chapter 67 – Argument
Down below, Wenren Yi was the first to notice Qi Yushuo’s arrival. Seeing him roll up his sleeves, she couldn’t help but frown and ask, “You’re going up too? Aren’t you not good at climbing?”
Qi Yushuo’s movements paused. He touched the rough rock face with one hand. “I know a little, I just don’t like it. Someone has to try.”
Hearing this, Wenren Yi subconsciously looked at the three people not far away and snorted coldly. What a bunch of jerks!
“Do your best, don’t force yourself.” Wenren Yi’s advice could only go so far. She also knew that Qi Yushuo was not an impulsive person and would only do things he was confident about.
Qi Yushuo nodded, placed one foot on a protrusion fifty centimeters off the ground, and slowly began to climb in Lin Ganzhi’s direction.
Seeing this, Luan Yuanzhou quickly walked over and stood directly below Qi Yushuo. The other two followed. Zhong Jingyi tugged on Luan Yuanzhou’s sleeve, trying to pull him a little further away, but this time Luan Yuanzhou expressionlessly shook off Zhong Jingyi’s hand.
“If you think it’s dangerous, you and Fan Feimiao can stand further away. I’ll keep watch.”
Zhong Jingyi looked at Luan Yuanzhou in disbelief, completely shocked that he would say such a thing to him. A sense of grievance instantly welled up inside him, and even his tone became moist. “That’s not what I meant.”
Luan Yuanzhou was unwilling to respond at this moment.
Not far away, Wenren Yi, who was enjoying the show, raised the corner of her lips and exchanged a look with Que Jin. Que Jin raised an eyebrow slightly, a silent understanding passing between them.
Indeed, a reality show was the fastest way to see through a person in the entertainment industry. Que Jin didn’t know what Luan Yuanzhou was like personally, but his work and professional spirit were well-known in the industry. He was clearly about the same age as her, yet Luan Yuanzhou had already made a name for himself in college with his outstanding looks and daring determination. At that time, no one in the industry even knew he was the sole heir to the Luan Family. Directors were really tough on him, never giving him a stunt double. And it was precisely because of this that he had won the Best Supporting Actor award for an important role in a martial arts film.
Luan Yuanzhou never acted in blockbuster films; every role he took on was full of challenges. Once, to play a paraplegic, he spent half a year in a wheelchair just to get the feel for it, while also losing a crazy amount of weight. He was over 1.8 meters tall but had slimmed down to just over fifty kilograms. It was something that many people admired at the time.
But since participating in this variety show, even Que Jin couldn’t understand why such an outstanding person like Luan Yuanzhou would fall for Zhong Jingyi. Was it because he was dramatic?
Fortunately, it seemed Film Emperor Luan was finally starting to get it.
Que Jin thought for a moment, her gaze returning to Lin Ganzhi, who was about to reach the top.
While they were discussing, Lin Ganzhi was climbing towards the top of the slope at an extremely fast speed, living up to his nickname as the monkey from Mount Emei. He didn’t even pause in the middle. When both his hands touched the edge of the slope, he pushed himself up with all his might.
Suddenly,
The chunk of earth on Lin Ganzhi’s right side suddenly loosened and fell, the entire piece plummeting down. His body tilted to one side like a kite with a broken string, falling at an incredible speed.
“Ganzhi!” his teammates below screamed in terror.
In that flash of a moment, Lin Ganzhi pressed his foot firmly against a protrusion on the rock wall and gripped the turf on the edge of the slope with his left hand. He took a few quick, deep breaths and miraculously held his position. Lin Ganzhi let out a sigh of relief, flexed his right hand to check it, and saw that he hadn’t sprained his arm. He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“I’m fine, don’t worry!” Lin Ganzhi tried to keep his voice from trembling as he flashed a smile at those below. His sweat-soaked bangs and pale face were warmed by the smile.
The people below finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, “Get up there quickly! It’s dangerous to hang in mid-air!”
Lin Ganzhi nodded and shifted his body to the left. That side was all rock, so there was no risk of the earth collapsing again. He pushed off with his feet once more, and this time he steadily climbed up.
The people below couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat, then they started to applaud wildly, giving Lin Ganzhi a thumbs-up.
“You’re the man!”
Lin Ganzhi smiled shyly and stood up to scan the surroundings for the mark.
“Ganzhi, do you see the mark?” Lu Xi called out.
Lin Ganzhi shook his head. “Not yet!”
The top of the slope wasn’t actually very large, and it was covered in green grass. There was no trace of a mark anywhere. Lin Ganzhi couldn’t help but feel disappointed. It seemed he had come up for nothing.
He glanced down and saw that Qi Yushuo was also climbing the rock face. He was currently more than halfway up, his long limbs struggling to find purchase on the surrounding protrusions. Qi Yushuo’s height advantage had become a limitation in climbing.
“Qi Yushuo, do you still have the strength? Don’t force yourself!” Lin Ganzhi walked over and called out worriedly.
Qi Yushuo’s face was slightly flushed at this point. He took a deep breath, and his fingers had a purplish tint. He subconsciously looked down at the ground, and his face turned even paler.
“It’s fine, I can hold on a little longer.” After saying that, Qi Yushuo reached out with his left hand. The flat protrusion made it difficult for him to find a grip. After a failed attempt, he had to put his hand back, but a dark handprint was clearly visible in the original spot.
“Yushuo, hang in there, you’re almost there!” Fan Feimiao shouted.
Qi Yushuo grunted, his mood visibly worsening, but he gritted his teeth and continued to climb.
How could he still tolerate this?
Lin Ganzhi stood up and shouted at Fan Feimiao, “If you don’t speak, no one will think you’re mute!”
If you’re not capable yourself, don’t urge others to be brave. Lin Ganzhi held back that last sentence for a long time before managing not to say it.
“You!” Fan Feimiao’s face instantly darkened.
Wenren Yi walked over with her hands on her hips, staring at Fan Feimiao as if to say, What are you going to do about it? Fan Feimiao only dared to put on a show in front of his juniors. Although Wenren Yi had never revealed her identity, he was definitely no match for her in a fight.
“What’s wrong with me cheering for my teammate?” Fan Feimiao grumbled under his breath.
Wenren Yi’s face was grim. She didn’t waste any words and said bluntly, “Don’t make selfishness sound so righteous!”
“You watch your mouth—”
“Feimiao! Stop talking and watch Yushuo.” Luan Yuanzhou turned his head and gave him a harsh, warning look.
Feeling like he was being unfairly targeted, Fan Feimiao couldn’t take it anymore. “Fuck! We’re all just watching from down here, so you guys are the fucking noble ones, huh?!”
In the end, Fan Feimiao couldn’t hold back his anger. Zhong Jingyi realized the severity of the situation and quickly went to pacify him. Fan Feimiao’s eyes were red, and he looked furious.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Lin Ganzhi was truly fed up with this idiot Fan Feimiao. What kind of brain could say such idiotic things? And Qi Yushuo, too, he hadn’t said a word even after all this and was still struggling to climb. It was making him anxious just watching.
“Qi Yushuo! There’s nothing up here, you—”
“I’m almost there. I’ll come up first and then we’ll talk,” Qi Yushuo managed to force out, grabbing another protrusion with his right hand.
Lin Ganzhi couldn’t persuade him, so he could only stand by and wait to give Qi Yushuo a hand when he was about to reach the top.
Perhaps the argument just now had put some pressure on Qi Yushuo, because he climbed the second half much more smoothly and his speed increased. Apart from his gradually worsening complexion, there seemed to be no other problems. When he reached the very last bit, Lin Ganzhi didn’t hesitate to extend his hand. Even if it meant breaking the rules of the competition, he had to help, because Qi Yushuo looked like he was about to collapse.
Qi Yushuo clearly knew his own condition. The moment he reached for Lin Ganzhi’s hand, his body could no longer support him and he slid straight down.
Below, Luan Yuanzhou quickly reached out. Lin Ganzhi also pulled with all his might. The impact forced him to his knees, but fortunately, Qi Yushuo’s state was only momentary. The next second, he once again used his feet to support most of his weight and was then pulled up by Lin Ganzhi.
The people above and below simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.
“What a fuss. He could have gotten up on his own,” Fan Feimiao muttered under his breath.
Luan Yuanzhou glanced back at Fan Feimiao, a sense of helplessness washing over him.
Seeing this, Zhong Jingyi walked over to Luan Yuanzhou’s side again, but what he said was, “Yuanzhou, Feimiao is just like that, you—”
“You also think he’s not wrong?” Luan Yuanzhou asked softly.
“I… I understand what you mean, but…”
Luan Yuanzhou disappointedly pulled his hand away from Zhong Jingyi’s, not wanting to say more.
“Qi Yushuo, there’s really nothing up here. I told you to go down,” Lin Ganzhi said irritably, panting heavily. That was almost a disaster.
Qi Yushuo took a moment to recover before saying in a voice only the two of them could hear, “I… I have a mild case of acrophobia. When I got up there, I felt a little dizzy looking down.”
“Huh?” Lin Ganzhi really hadn’t expected that.
Qi Yushuo uncomfortably turned his head away, revealing a smooth line of his shoulder and neck covered in a thin layer of sweat.
“It’s fine, it’s normal for people to have some flaws. I have them too.”
Qi Yushuo turned his head back, his eyes filled with curiosity.
Lin Ganzhi thought, What, you’re interested as soon as I say I have some? Why don’t you pay more attention to other people’s strengths?
“I’m… afraid of death,” Lin Ganzhi said, revealing his true feelings.
“That… I think everyone is quite afraid of that.” Although Qi Yushuo didn’t say it outright, a faint hint of teasing could be seen in his eyes.
Lin Ganzhi gave a bitter smile. He thought his feelings would be much stronger than the average person’s. After all, he had truly experienced death just a few months ago, which was why he cherished the chance to be alive more than most.
“If you’re afraid of heights, you shouldn’t take risks like this next time. You said yourself you were scared. If you fell from here, you’d be lucky to get away with just a few scrapes,” Lin Ganzhi lectured seriously.
Qi Yushuo chuckled. If it weren’t for his career and dreams, who would be willing to take such risks?
The two of them sat for a while, then stood up again to see if they could find any last clues.
Lin Ganzhi walked around and his gaze fell on a strange semicircle. The mark didn’t look like it was naturally formed. Qi Yushuo also walked over to take a look, his gaze following the end of the semicircle.
“Look ahead!” Qi Yushuo pointed not far away.
Lin Ganzhi followed Qi Yushuo’s finger. The semicircle at their feet actually connected to the grass in the distance, miraculously forming their show’s tree-shaped logo along the jungle river.
!!!
You had to hand it to Director Fang! He really played some fancy tricks.