Chapter 66 – The Finish Line
That night, Lin Ganzhi experienced his first bout of intermittent insomnia since transmigrating. He frowned before falling asleep and upon waking up, seriously contemplating what gift to give Yan Shengping.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t asked his friends, but the results were…
Wenren Yi, who was about to sleep, raised an eyebrow. “Why don’t you just give yourself to him?”
Lin Ganzhi scoffed internally. If he washed himself clean and presented himself on his boss’s bed, wouldn’t his boss throw both him and the bed out the window? Was he crazy? To joke with his million-a-month salary.
But even so, Lin Ganzhi was very concerned about his pride. So he said, “That’s not creative.”
Wenren Yi’s mind went somewhere else, her expression seeming to say, Damn, you actually managed to show off?
Lin Ganzhi tilted his head, a classic Ganzhi-style confused face.
Que Jin came to the rescue, saying, “I don’t think Mr. Yan would care too much about material things. Although what Wenren said was a bit blunt, Ganzhi, you can think along those lines. The price of the gift doesn’t have to matter; the sentiment is what’s most important.”
Lin Ganzhi nodded. That was true. After all, Yan Shengping was the man who had said he had a few hundred million in his pocket. Expensive gifts were probably nothing new to him. Lin Ganzhi was frustrated. If only he had observed Yan Shengping more closely, he wouldn’t be in this last-ditch effort now!
As a result, even by the next morning, Lin Ganzhi still hadn’t thought of what to give Yan Shengping. But with a commitment to his job, he decided to first complete the eighty-thousand-yuan task at hand.
The next day, everyone woke up early. It was the last day of this episode. If neither team could find the mark today, it would be considered a loss for both.
The two teams had a simple breakfast, buried their food scraps, and continued along the waterway.
This time, Lin Ganzhi clearly felt that Qi Yushuo’s team was moving much faster than usual. The key was that Zhong Jingyi was walking exceptionally fast today, with an impulse to overtake them.
Wenren Yi snorted coldly, not bothering to compete with such a person.
Lin Ganzhi thought the same. Walking fast didn’t mean they could find the mark. They had been searching for six days already, so there was no rush now.
By noon, the alarm clock in Lin Ganzhi’s stomach went off. He immediately stopped to eat with his teammates. Qi Yushuo’s group, whose backs they could still see just a moment ago, had now completely disappeared from sight.
Lin Ganzhi’s team didn’t care, but Qi Yushuo, who was in his team, had to. He looked at Zhong Jingyi walking ahead and couldn’t help but mention, “Senior, we’ve been walking for four hours. Can we stop for a meal first?”
Zhong Jingyi had just managed to shake off Lin Ganzhi’s team and was in a good mood. Hearing Qi Yushuo’s words, his brows furrowed in displeasure. These past few days, Lin Ganzhi and Qi Yushuo had been in the spotlight. He hadn’t been a mere background character for this long since returning to the country. The key was that he couldn’t show his unhappiness on a live variety show.
He said, “Yushuo, today is the last day. I think we should see things through to the end. Didn’t you pick a lot of fruit yesterday? We can just eat while we walk. If we stop to cook, I’m worried neither of our teams will find the mark. You know how Ganzhi’s group is. I think, at the very least, we should be a bit more proactive, don’t you think?” Zhong Jingyi finished with a smile.
Having a competitive spirit was by no means a bad thing, but not eating lunch was asking a bit much.
Qi Yushuo frowned. Before he could speak, Fan Feimiao quickly said, “Sure, I think Jingyi is right. It’s the last day, everyone just needs to bear with it. Let’s eat some fruit and keep walking. We haven’t won yet on this show, we have to find it today! Right, Yuanzhou?”
Luan Yuanzhou thought for a moment. If their team won this episode, it would definitely be beneficial for Jingyi. And the purpose of him participating in this show was for Zhong Jingyi!
“Yes, Jingyi is right. I can manage. Yushuo, if you need to eat something, we can go ahead and look for a spot. You can catch up after you’re done eating,” Luan Yuanzhou said. Unlike Fan Feimiao, he didn’t force others, knowing he didn’t have the right to.
Qi Yushuo paused, then divided the food in his hand. “Then let’s just bear with it.”
A victorious smile appeared in Zhong Jingyi’s eyes, completely ignoring Qi Yushuo’s increasingly cold expression.
It was already one in the afternoon by the time Lin Ganzhi’s team finished eating. They patted their full bellies and let out satisfied burps. After packing up for a while, they set off on the southward path. After walking for about two hours, Lin Ganzhi met Qi Yushuo’s team at a steep slope.
Not far from the slope stood several signs with crosses painted on them. It turned out this was the end. After walking for a week, the surprise on the faces of Lin Ganzhi’s team upon seeing the finish line was a stark contrast to Zhong Jingyi’s group.
Lin Ganzhi walked over. Qi Yushuo was using a stick to sweep away the weeds on the ground, while the others were also anxiously searching around.
“Haven’t found it yet?” Lin Ganzhi went up to greet them.
“No,” Qi Yushuo’s tone was flat, and he didn’t seem to care much. He even gave Lin Ganzhi a stick.
Lin Ganzhi accepted it with a smile. These past few days, the two of them had gone from secretly exchanging seemingly useless supplies to doing it openly. At first, Brother Chen would say something, but later he just turned a blind eye. After all, if the director didn’t say anything, there was no need for him to care too much.
In the end, a show’s success depended on its ratings. With Lin Ganzhi and Qi Yushuo’s head-to-head competition, this episode’s ratings had more than doubled compared to the last one. A show with content that wasn’t very popular in the country was now frequently trending. Some capitalists were even planning to invest in the show.
Not far away, Zhong Jingyi saw all of this, his displeasure almost written on his face.
“By the way, have you guys been up that slope?” Lin Ganzhi pointed to the steep slope not far away. It looked to be about eight meters high, with a relatively smooth surface and not many visible footholds. The slope was quite long, extending into the jungle as far as the eye could see. It was because of this that Qi Yushuo hadn’t considered going up.
“No, it’s hard to get up,” Qi Yushuo said honestly. After he spoke, Lin Ganzhi let out a thoughtful hum, then said goodbye and went to find Wenren Yi.
Seeing this, Zhong Jingyi and the others quickly went over to Qi Yushuo to ask what Lin Ganzhi had said to him.
Qi Yushuo frowned, holding back his piercing disgust for Zhong Jingyi for a long time. “Nothing, just asked if we had climbed that slope.”
Zhong Jingyi knew of Lin Ganzhi’s climbing ability, but looking at the steep slope with no footholds, he hesitated. Climbing a tree, you could at least hold onto something. A slope this steep, the possibility of climbing it should be minimal, right?
But when he looked up at Lin Ganzhi again, he and his team were already walking towards the steep slope.
“Ganzhi, this slope is so steep. Are you sure you want to free-climb it?” Que Jin asked worriedly.
Lu Xi felt dizzy just looking up. “Ganzhi, we’re not aiming to win at all costs. There’s no need to push yourself so hard, right?”
Wenren Yi didn’t speak. Her two teammates had already said what she wanted to say. But the determination on Lin Ganzhi’s face remained unchanged.
“I’m confident I can climb it. I used to climb slopes like this all the time as a kid. Although this one doesn’t look like it has many footholds, its texture is rough. Some places might be narrow to grab, but the friction is enough. I just need to speed up and I’ll be fine,” Lin Ganzhi analyzed seriously.
He had promised Yan Shengping not to do anything he wasn’t sure about. Besides, Yan Shengping had sent bodyguards to follow him. If something happened, he had a safety net.
Plus, he was just not happy with Zhong Jingyi right now. Framing his boss was one thing, but now he hadn’t done anything and was still bullying Little Qi, thinking he could win on the last day by taking a shortcut. No such good thing existed!
“Go up. If you fall, I’ll catch you,” Wenren Yi’s tone had no hint of a joke. She meant what she said.
Lin Ganzhi smiled. He also believed that Wenren Yi would do just that. To have met such good friends on this show, he had truly gotten his money’s worth.
“Trust me!” Lin Ganzhi patted Wenren Yi’s shoulder.
“Then-then I’ll catch you too!” Lu Xi stood up. Although he stuttered a bit, he still tried hard to state his position.
“I…” Que Jin’s voice was gentle and moving. “I believe you can do it, Ganzhi. After all, in these two episodes, you’ve completely redefined my understanding of the physical limits of people in the entertainment industry.”
“Sister Que Jin~” Lin Ganzhi was touched.
Que Jin gently ruffled Lin Ganzhi’s pink hair and continued, “So, if you really mess up this time, I’ll help you ask the show for medical expenses.”
Lin Ganzhi instantly wilted.
After wilting for a minute, the little pink-haired boy finally prepared to climb the slope.
“Could the mark really be up there?” Fan Feimiao and the others also walked over.
Zhong Jingyi frowned as he watched Lin Ganzhi skillfully explore his way up. His hands moved up and down, grabbing the flat protrusions on the rock face. With a push, he lifted his slender body, and his feet easily landed on the protrusions on the rock wall. He then repeated the previous movements.
Lin Ganzhi usually looked cheerful and carefree, but when it was time to act, his meticulousness was enough to make everyone present marvel. For example, how to determine the most stable protrusions on the rock wall, how to use his limbs, how to balance his body—these were scenes that seemed to belong in a professional competition, yet they were appearing in an all-star variety show.
“Yushuo, why don’t you go up and take a look too?” Fan Feimiao suggested.
“Feimiao, don’t force him. That slope is so steep. Yushuo is a dancer. What if he falls?” Luan Yuanzhou frowned and interrupted Fan Feimiao’s suggestion.
Fan Feimiao’s expression soured. Luan Yuanzhou had been nagging him this whole way, especially when he asked Qi Yushuo to do things. But he didn’t think he had done anything wrong. Qi Yushuo had the ability, so why not do it? Lin Ganzhi was doing it just fine, wasn’t he? Why was it a problem when it came to him? What, were idols so delicate these days?
“Hey, Yushuo didn’t say he couldn’t do it. Didn’t Lin Ganzhi go up too?” Fan Feimiao retorted, unwilling to back down.
“You!” Luan Yuanzhou was about to die of anger looking at Fan Feimiao’s attitude. Just then, Zhong Jingyi came over and pulled Luan Yuanzhou, a familiar smile on his face. “Yuanzhou, don’t be angry. We can’t make the decision for Yushuo. Let’s see what Yushuo says first.”
Luan Yuanzhou looked at Zhong Jingyi in disbelief. Zhong Jingyi was startled by Luan Yuanzhou’s gaze and even took a few steps back.
At that moment, Qi Yushuo stood up and looked at Luan Yuanzhou. “Thank you for your concern, Senior. I considered these things when I joined the show. I’ll go give it a try. If we really find it up there, it won’t be a waste of our hard work these past few days.”
“I told you Yushuo could do it!” Fan Feimiao laughed, happily trying to put his arm around Qi Yushuo’s shoulder. But Qi Yushuo quickly turned and dodged, leaving Fan Feimiao to awkwardly retract his hand. Qi Yushuo then walked towards the steep slope without looking back.
And at this time, Lin Ganzhi had already climbed halfway up.