Top Chinese celebrity: Debuted from Running Man

Chapter 425 Huang Xiaochu's Self-Inflicted Trap (10,000 words)
……

……

"Boss, are you sure this melon is ripe?"

Sun Honglei, carrying that huge ham, swaggered over to the watermelon stand and asked in a sleazy tone.

"Look at what you're saying. Do you think I, who run a watermelon stand, would sell you raw watermelons?"

After a moment of stunned silence, Gu Qing's mind flashed back to memories of this famous scene from his past life. He suppressed the laughter that was about to burst out and answered in a serious tone.

"to make!"

Sun Honglei had been walking for half a day and was parched from the sun. He really wanted to buy a watermelon to quench his thirst. "How much is this watermelon per pound?"

"Ten gold bars each," Gu Qing said with a smile.

"Lie..."

Sun Honglei was so shocked by the price that he swallowed the curse that was about to come out of his mouth and asked incredulously, "Ten gold bars?!"

"Hey Gu, is your melon rind made of gold, or are the melon seeds made of gold? You're robbing me!"

“Brother Honglei, you’re not right about that.”

Gu Qing leisurely sat back down on the small stool, picked up a palm-leaf fan and gently waved it, saying, "Look around, in this entire ancient town, can you find another watermelon stall? I've bought them all."

Now, this watermelon, I say it costs a certain price, and that's the price!

"Fine, fine, you're ruthless."

Sun Honglei's small eyes darted around, catching sight of the pile of gleaming gold bars on the steps that the watermelon vendor hadn't completely collected yet. A cryptic smile suddenly appeared on his face.

"Give me one, ten is fine, I'm not short of money."

"Okay, I'll get it for you."

Gu Qing's smile widened. She stood up, bent down, and reached into the bamboo basket to pick out melons for Sun Honglei.

However, just as he bent down and focused his attention on picking melons...

I felt a gust of wind brush past my forehead!

Immediately afterwards, a piercing scream, like someone's tail had been stepped on, was heard from behind the watermelon vendor:
"Robbery! Robbery!!"

Gu Qing looked up and saw Sun Honglei grab the small pile of gold bars on the steps that hadn't been counted yet, turn around and run away!
The skill in his movements and the fluidity of his posture clearly indicated that he was a "habitual offender".

"Robbery in front of the government office?"

Gu Qing was both annoyed and amused, and shouted loudly at the NPCs dressed in ancient official robes who were patrolling nearby:
"Officers! Officers! There are robbers here! They've robbed my gold bars in broad daylight!!"

Standing at the entrance of the county government office, the NPC officials reacted with lightning speed!
"So brave!!"

The head constable roared, his voice booming like thunder, "In broad daylight, under the clear sky, what do you think of the law?! Brothers, seize that thug!!"

At a command, four or five "officers" wielding fire and water sticks chased after the figure carrying gold bars and a pig's leg like tigers released from their cages.

Although Sun Honglei was not slow, he was "guilty-hearted" and was also unable to move easily while carrying gold bars and ham. He did not run far before he was surrounded by a group of fierce "officers" and "arrested" on the spot.

Two tall "officers" pinned his hands behind his back, one on each side, and escorted him back to the watermelon stand like a notorious bandit.

Sun Honglei struggled and cried out "Ouch, ouch!" with exaggerated expressions, making the scene extremely comical.

"The officer is wise."

Gu Qing, suppressing a laugh, stepped forward, bowed slightly to the "head constable," and began to speak in a serious tone:

"This scoundrel's behavior is heinous and has a very bad influence. In my humble opinion, he should be dealt with severely and detained for a short time as a warning to others!"

And his ham, its origin is unknown, it might also be stolen goods, and should be confiscated as well.

"Xiao Gu, you...you're too cruel!!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Honglei immediately began to wail, struggling to move his body, "It's just a few gold bars, I'll give them back to you, okay? Officer, Your Honor, I was wrong! I really know I was wrong!"

I promise I'll never steal anyone's gold bars again! Please forgive me this time, I'll return the gold bars to him!

He put on a mournful face and begged for mercy with exaggerated acting skills, which amused the staff and onlookers around him.

finally,
After Sun Honglei returned all the gold bars with a "heartfelt remorse" and repeatedly promised to "turn over a new leaf and start anew," the "officials" reluctantly let him go, but sternly warned him not to do it again.

At least that ham was saved.

While Gu Qing and Sun Honglei were staging a full-blown brawl at the yamen gate, the purchasing spree of several other "shopkeepers" was also quietly taking place throughout the ancient town.

……

"The current situation is that Xiao Gu took almost most of the initial gold bars, and then he chose me as his guarantor. Theoretically, we are now a community of interests and allies."

As Huang Xiaochu strolled along the cobblestone streets of the ancient town, he analyzed the complex situation on the field in front of the camera, trying to sort out his thoughts.

"Sir/Madam~"

Just then, a deliberately affected, awkward-sounding croaking voice came from behind, causing Huang Xiaochu to stop in his tracks.

He turned his head and saw Huang Bo leisurely sitting with several female tourists in the shade in front of a house, resting on a long bench.

"Hello, young lady,"

Chef Huang walked over with a smile and first politely complimented the lucky female audience member next to Huang Bo, saying, "Sitting next to him makes him look several levels better."

After making the woman blush and cover her mouth with her hands while laughing, he said, "Could you please move over a bit and give me some space? I need to say a few words to him."

When you sit down,
Huang Xiaochu's hand "casually" lifted the bamboo tube that Huang Bo had placed beside him, the movement natural and smooth, as if trying to weigh the contents.

"Hey! You just got here and you're already getting started? Teacher Huang, that's not very gentlemanly of you."

Huang Bo immediately noticed, and with a smile, picked up the bamboo tube and carried it to the left side, away from Huang Xiaochu.

"Xiao Bo, don't interrupt."

Huang Xiaochu waved his hand and got down to business, starting to use his "divine calculation" reasoning ability, "I guess you must have entered that 'just right' room, right?"

The box should have contained forty gold bars when it was opened, and you took half of them…

He spoke with certainty, as if he had witnessed it himself.

Huang Bo inwardly groaned; Chef Huang's reasoning process was completely wrong, yet he had guessed correctly by sheer coincidence.

But he remained expressionless and completely denied it, saying, "I didn't really count how many there were at the time, but I saw a huge pile of them, all glittering and making me dizzy."

He patted the bamboo tube. "Anyway, I didn't take much. It'll be enough for me!"

"Right now, the one with the most gold bars in the entire venue is undoubtedly Xiao Gu. His bamboo tube is so heavy that he can't even carry it himself. He's already incredibly wealthy right from the start."

Huang Xiaochu selectively revealed some information in an attempt to gain trust. "However, he lent me ten gold bars as start-up capital."

"And you? You should have... a dozen or so, right?" he asked tentatively.

"No, no, I don't have that many."

Huang Bo shook his head vigorously, and to increase his credibility, he even poured all the gold bars from the bamboo tube out with a "whoosh" and spread them out in front of him.
“Teacher Huang, look, I’m not lying to you, this is the only gold bar I have, eight of them.”

The eight lonely gold bars lay at the bottom of the bamboo tube, looking particularly "pitiful".

Chef Huang looked closely and confirmed that there were indeed only eight pieces.

"Well, Teacher Huang, I have an idea now."

Huang Bo didn't give Huang Xiaochu much time to think or doubt, immediately seizing the initiative and starting to guide the conversation, "I've already scouted out the previous supply points:"
Ham costs twenty taels of silver, watermelon one tael, chrysanthemum three taels, and salt five taels.

"According to the rules, each of us can only buy one type of supply. To avoid internal friction and wasting resources, why don't we temporarily unite and unify the categories we purchase, so we don't buy duplicates? What do you think?"

"Hmm... Your idea is good; it can avoid cutthroat competition."

Chef Huang pondered for a moment, found it reasonable, and nodded.
"Let's go to the shops together to take a look and then decide on the specific division of labor."

The two walked together, and not far away they encountered Zhang Yixing, nicknamed "Little Sheep," who was picking and choosing among the various stalls and seemed somewhat hesitant.

"Yixing!"

Huang Xiaochu stopped him and asked directly, "How many gold bars do you have right now? Show me so we can cooperate."

Saying,

He even opened his bamboo tube to show the ten gold bars inside, saying, "I have ten here, and your brother Bo has eight. If the three of us form an alliance and share the profits equally, our chances of winning will be much greater."

“Master, I…I only have…twelve roots.”

Zhang Yixing wore his usual bewildered and innocent expression as he patted his equally "shriveled" bamboo tube.

He also had five gold bars hidden in his two pockets.

now,

Of the three, it was actually Huang Xiaochu, who seemed to be the most shrewd, who was kept in the dark by his two "good apprentices" and foolishly manipulated without realizing it.

"Okay, now the three of us have a total of thirty gold bars... We definitely can't afford ham, it's too expensive."

Huang Xiaochu began to devise a strategy: "The remaining watermelon, chrysanthemum, and salt, the three of us can each buy one type, let's get the basic business started first, and then we'll get the 'tickets' for the auction."

"Master, I'll go buy salt."

Zhang Yixing volunteered.

"Wait, Yixing,"

Huang Bo suddenly stopped him, his eyes flashing, and he spoke faster, "Look, the salt shop is at the end of this alley. I'll go buy salt there; it'll be quick."

There's a chrysanthemum shop around the corner. You can buy chrysanthemums there; the division of labor is clear, and it's efficient.

After he finished speaking, without waiting for Zhang Yixing's response, he started walking hurriedly towards the salt shop, as if afraid that someone would beat him to it.

“Okay, then I’ll go buy watermelons. Yixing, you should do as your brother Bo said and buy some chrysanthemum tea from Liujintiao.”

Without giving it much thought, Huang Xiaochu asked for directions to the chrysanthemum shop and then turned to walk in the direction of the watermelon stall he remembered.

"Shall I go buy... chrysanthemums?"

After his master left, Zhang Yixing stood alone, his brows furrowed, his fingers unconsciously stroking the bamboo tube as he fell into deep thought.

"Something's not right... Bo's reaction just now was a bit strange. Why did he insist on buying salt?"
He muttered to himself, feeling that something was amiss.

Having been tricked so many seasons on "Go Fighting!", he is no longer the naive little sheep he once was. Deep down, he is extremely wary of the "good intentions" of his mentor and Bo Ge, the two "old foxes".

"Could it be... that I missed some crucial information?"

He pondered repeatedly, but couldn't figure it out for a while, so he headed towards the chrysanthemum shop with a belly full of doubts.

Meanwhile, in the alley leading to the salt shop.

"Now there are three people on the field who know that I only have eight gold bars left."

Huang Bo walked quickly, muttering to himself smugly as he went, a sly smile on his face.

He glanced around warily, and after confirming that no one was following him, he quickly pulled out two bags of salt that he had bought beforehand from a hidden compartment in the bamboo tube.
“I’ll buy another bag, making a total of three bags. That will be enough to confuse them and make it hard for them to figure out my real number of votes.”

"Hey! Brother Bo! I've finally found you!"

The sudden sound from the alley entrance startled Huang Bo, who was feeling guilty about his "thief" act.

He hurriedly stuffed the two bags of salt back into the bamboo tube and hid them. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the person who had come was Wang Xun, who was carrying the bamboo tube and looked anxious.

"Clang~ Clang~"

Wang Xun jogged over, the sound of gold bars clinking in his bamboo tube sparse and faint, yet clearly audible.

"Did you just take... two gold bars?"

Huang Bo steadied himself and asked directly, his tone resolute.

"Huh?! You...how did you know?!"

Wang Xun looked shocked, as if he had seen a ghost.

"Nonsense! There were only two left in that 'less' room, and I left them there on purpose."

Huang Bo said irritably, then changed the subject, "What are you planning to do next? With just two gold bars, you can only afford a watermelon at most."

"We can't buy any more watermelons! Xiao Gu has booked the whole place and bought them all. There aren't a single one left!"

Wang Xun, with a long face, quickly switched modes, plastering a fawning smile on his face, and went forward to massage Huang Bo's shoulders and back, doing everything he could to be a "sycophant."

"Brother Bo, I won't hide it from you anymore, you're the guarantor I wrote."

"However much money you make, I'll get a share of the profits. We're in the same boat!"

"Really? What a coincidence?"

Huang Bo raised an eyebrow and looked at Wang Xun with feigned surprise. "You're the guarantor I'm writing."

"Huh? Why did you write about me?" Wang Xun was taken aback.

"Because you're stingy!"

Huang Bo answered confidently, "Frugal people generally don't spend money recklessly, so the risk is low."

"I...I didn't have any money, how could I not be stingy?"

Wang Xun, having been touched on a sore spot, smiled wryly and patted his bamboo tube, which only had two gold bars and looked particularly "miserable".

"so,"

Huang Bo came up with another idea and said in a low voice, "Go and buy a pot of chrysanthemum right now. If you don't have enough money, I'll help you pay for it when I get back."

"I'm going to buy salt now. Let's form a secret alliance, share information, coordinate votes, and pull a fast one on them when it matters!"

"Okay! I listen to you."

At this moment, Wang Xun felt as if he had found his backbone. Without hesitation, he turned around and jogged towards the direction of the chrysanthemum shop.

Huang Bo quickened his pace, almost jogging as he rushed into the salt shop. As soon as he entered, he shouted, "Boss, give me another bag of salt!"

He planned to collect three bags of salt to secure his vote advantage.

however,
He had barely finished speaking when a familiar voice, chilling to the bone, slowly rang out from inside the salt shop:
"Xiao Bo, you're here?"

Huang Xiaochu was squatting on the ground, holding two bags of salt he had just bought. Hearing Huang Bo's voice,
He pushed his sunglasses up his nose, and stared intently at Huang Bo, who had just entered, through the lenses with a half-smile.

In an instant,
"hiss--"

Huang Bo felt a chill run from the top of his head to the soles of his feet, and the hairs on his body almost stood on end!
Is...is this Chef Huang a descendant of Zhuge Liang?!

Could he really be a 'divine fortune teller' who can predict the future?
How long has he been squatting here?

Did you hear what I just said?
"What... are you doing here?"

Huang Bo pretended to be calm, but inwardly he was worried that Huang Xiaochu might have noticed something amiss in his earlier comment, "Give me another bag of salt."

"Ugh, don't even mention it!"

Huang Xiaochu didn't seem to think much of it. He stood up, dusted off his hands, and said with a hint of helplessness, "That kid Xiao Gu has completely monopolized the watermelon stall. There aren't a single one left."

"I had no choice but to buy salt. I just bought two bags." He shook the bags of salt in his hand.

"You...you bought them all?"

Huang Bo feigned an exaggerated exclamation to cover up his inner panic. He was too guilty to look Huang Lei in the eye. He quickly took a new bag of salt from the boss, counted out five gold bars and handed them over to complete the transaction.

"Yes, that's what I plan to do,"

Huang Xiaochu explained, "This bag of salt is the foundation of our cooperation among the three of us."

As for the other bag of salt, I'll keep it to do some small business and see if I can make a little extra money.

As he spoke, his gaze unconsciously drifted toward Huang Bo's bamboo tube. He then changed the subject, "By the way, Xiao Bo, I need to ask you something. Could you lend me two more gold bars to tide me over?"
I put it in the bamboo tube just to make it look like I was broke, so that when I walked, the tube wouldn't be too light and people wouldn't hear that I was broke and try to take advantage of me again.

"Uh...this..."

Huang Bo felt a pang of anxiety. Was he supposed to lend money to his most threatening competitor?

How can it be!

He immediately started practicing Tai Chi, a troubled expression on his face. "Teacher Huang, it's not that I don't want to lend you the money, but Wang Xun just asked me to borrow gold bars. He only has two, and he can't afford anything. I felt sorry for him, so I was going to lend him all my extra gold bars."

I'm also short of money right now!

He shrugged, indicating that he couldn't help. "Okay, never mind then."

Seeing that he refused to lend it, Huang Xiaochu did not insist, but a faint thought seemed to flash in the depths of her eyes.

So far,

Both Huangs obtained the key item for purchasing supplies—salt.

They were each given a carrying pole to carry sacks of salt, and according to their mission instructions, they headed to their destination for this business trip—'Tian Tou Mansion'.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yixing used gold bars to buy five pots of chrysanthemums and obtained a small cart for easy transportation.

He happened to meet Wang Xun on the road, who only had a pot of chrysanthemums and was worried about how to transport them.

By playing the victim and promising to help push the cart and do hard labor, Wang Xun successfully "borrowed" a pot of chrysanthemum from Zhang Yixing, thus completing his two pots.

Gu Qing, who was the first to complete the purchase and monopolize the watermelons, received the most luxurious means of transportation provided by the program team: a beautifully decorated horse-drawn carriage.

After refusing Sun Honglei's persistent attempt to hitch a ride, he kindly helped him put the heavy ham in the car.

Gu Qing leisurely set off for Tian Tou Mansion in a carriage.

"Xiao Gu, you just wait!"

Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, Sun Honglei, having suffered repeated setbacks, jumped up and down in frustration, uttering harsh words.

On the way to Tian Tou Mansion, Sun Honglei, whose first plan failed, had a sudden idea: if he couldn't rob it by force, he would try to cheat it!
He casually picked up three long wooden rulers with the contents of the "Standards for Being a Good Student and Child" written on them from a stationery vendor by the roadside, stuffed them into his bamboo tube, and used them as so-called "key mission information" to swindle people.

"Xiao Bo, Xiao Bo, come here quickly!"

Sun Honglei spotted Huang Bo carrying a load of salt on his back and immediately pulled him to a quiet corner by the roadside.
He lowered his voice mysteriously and said, "I'm short of gold bars right now, I urgently need three. I have three crucial mission pieces of information here, can I sell you one?"

"What information? Let's inspect the goods first."

Huang Bo was stunned.

"Look, the information is right here, it's absolutely exclusive!"

Sun Honglei lifted the bamboo tube lid, quickly shook the three incongruous long rulers inside, and then quickly closed it again, as if afraid that Sun Honglei would see them clearly. "Want to exchange them or not?"

"puff--"

Huang Bo almost burst out laughing. He pointed at Sun Honglei with his fan and mercilessly exposed him, "Honglei, Honglei, this thing of yours... why does it look so familiar to me?"
I think I just passed by that stall over there and saw them selling this. Are you using this to impersonate mission information?

A "gratified" smile appeared on his face. "But... Honglei, after three seasons, you've finally developed some brains. You've even learned to spread false information to deceive people. Not bad, you've made progress!"

"Get lost, stop messing around, at least give me some face."

Sun Honglei couldn't keep up the act any longer. He smiled and nudged Huang Bo, then put on a serious expression. "How about this, let's discuss this. Let's stop fighting amongst ourselves and go together to fool them, okay?"

"Who are you trying to fool?" Huang Bo's heart stirred, and he became interested.

"You're lying to Xiao Gu! He has the most money, and he made me suffer so much just now."

Sun Honglei gritted his teeth, his goal clear.

The two hit it off immediately, hiding in a corner and whispering to each other, plotting how to trap Gu Qing. After agreeing on their strategy, they headed towards Tiantou Mansion together.

—Inside the Tian Tou Mansion.

Gu Qing, who arrived first, had already exchanged all forty-three watermelons he had purchased for corresponding "watermelon tickets" at the accounting office, a total of forty-three tickets.

He also learned about the upcoming auction rules: he needed to collect three different items to participate in the combined auction.

Ultimately, the group with the most total votes among all participating bidders will receive a huge reward of up to fifty gold bars!
"Most votes? Then my forty-three watermelon votes are an overwhelming advantage."

Gu Qing looked at the thick stack of tickets in her hand and beamed with joy. "I just need to find two more items to make it three, and I can easily win."

He walked into the waiting hall in a cheerful mood.
Huang Xiaochu, Zhang Yixing, and Wang Xun were sitting on the steps on one side of the hall, whispering and discussing the rules and alliance.

"Teacher Huang, Lay, Xun, you all understand the rules, right?"

Gu Qing walked over and sat down on the steps next to them.

"Xiao Gu, it seems like you have the best chance of winning right now."

Huang Xiaochu habitually took control of the conversation and began to analyze the situation, "Based on the information I currently have: Yixing has four chrysanthemum tickets, Xun has one chrysanthemum ticket, I have one salt ticket, Xiaobo should also have one salt ticket, plus Honglei has one ham ticket."

"Xiao Gu, if you choose to ally with Honglei, you two will each have different priorities: one of you will hold the most watermelon tickets, and the other will hold the most expensive ham tickets."
No matter how the game rules change, you've basically secured the victory.

"Even if the four of us unite, it will be difficult for us to defeat you."

"Brother Honglei, he..."

Gu Qinggang wanted to explain Sun Honglei's unreliable character and that he had no intention of genuinely forming an alliance with him.

"Xiao Gu, are you stupid?!"

Huang Bo's voice suddenly came from the doorway. He had obviously heard Huang Lei's words and immediately strode in, choosing to "betray his teammate" without hesitation.
Exposing Sun Honglei's true colors, "How could you believe Honglei's words? He allied with you? That's like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken—he has no good intentions!"

On the way here, he was desperately trying to team up with me to set a trap and swindle all your gold bars. Don't believe a word he says.

Said Cao Cao, Cao Cao.

Sun Honglei, unaware that Huang Bo had stripped him bare, rushed into the lobby with an excited and mysterious expression, waving his arms and shouting:

"Wait, don't rush to vote! I have crucial mission information here!"

Exclusive insider information! Anyone interested in buying this with gold bars? Price negotiable!

He glanced around and finally locked his gaze on Gu Qing, the "top target," and leaned closer, saying, "Little Gu, do you want some? You won't lose out, you won't be cheated!"

I guarantee with my integrity that this information will be absolutely crucial to your success in the rest of the game!

"Brother Honglei, what information is this? It's amazing!"

He was trying to trick me again, but Gu Qing's face lit up with a bright and "innocent" smile. She opened her eyes wide, pretended not to know anything, and played along with his act.

Around them, Huang Xiaochu and the others tacitly waved their fans, their faces showing amused smiles, watching Sun Honglei's awkward performance as if he were watching a play.

"The mission information is... is..."

Sun Honglei was delighted to see that Gu Qing seemed to have "taken the bait," but the next second, when he wanted to describe this "key information" in detail, he suddenly got stuck.

He was so focused on finding props that he never even considered making up any specific details.

"This idiot."

Huang Bo, standing to the side, held his forehead, unable to bear the sight.

but,

This clumsy performance, however, actually served a "good" purpose.

Gu Qing successfully excluded the extremely unreliable Sun Honglei from his alliance considerations.

"Teacher Huang, Brother Lay, let's go."

Gu Qing ignored Sun Honglei, who was standing awkwardly in place, and led the two "teammates" she had sponsored to the designated room to vote and bid.

Upon arriving at the voting room,
To ensure everything went perfectly, Gu Qing proposed an absolutely foolproof plan: "Teacher Huang, Brother Lay, here's what we'll do: you each give me one ticket, and I'll give you three more watermelon tickets. That way, we'll have five tickets, and there's no way we can lose."

"Okay, we'll do it your way. Give me all the votes, I'll go cast them."

Huang Xiaochu nodded and accepted the chrysanthemum coupon and his own salt coupon from Zhang Yixing.

Gu Qing readily took out three watermelon tickets, handed them to Chef Huang, and then walked out of the voting room with ease.

Unexpectedly,

"Hey, Xiao Gu, come here for a second."

As soon as they stepped out of the room, Huang Bo, seemingly having been waiting for some time, pulled Gu Qing aside, a fawning smile plastered on his face, and held up one finger.
He said in a pitiful tone, "Little Gu, I need to ask you something. You have so many melon coupons that you can't use them all. Can you spare one for me? Just one!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Qing showed no sign of feigning ignorance; she immediately took a step back alertly, looking at Huang Bo with suspicion.

"Brother Bo, shall I give you a melon ticket? What if you use this ticket to participate in the auction too?"

Reality show, reality show

Relying solely on the word "show" is simply insulting the audience's intelligence.

The reality shows that audiences want to see are those that showcase the entertainment value of celebrities in intense competitive situations.

Gu Qing knew when to play dumb and when to be clever; he had a perfect grasp of this balance.

"How could I possibly participate in the auction?"

Huang Bo spread his hands, his expression utterly sincere, "You have over forty melon tickets. Even if I get one, it's a drop in the ocean. There's no way I can compete with you."

I was just thinking, what if there are other stages later that require the tickets?

I don't have a single card in my hand, so I'm not sure what to do.

"Xiao Gu, for the sake of me tipping you off and telling you to be wary of Hong Lei, can you help me this once?"

"Okay, Brother Bo,"

Gu Qing smiled, her tone softening slightly, but she still maintained her bottom line, "After the auction results are out and it's confirmed that we won, I'll give you another melon ticket."

Having said that, he gave Huang Bo no further chance to entangle him and turned to leave.

however,
Inside the voting room, Huang Xiaochu, who was about to put his ballot into the ballot box, suddenly stopped.

He stared at the three watermelon tickets in his hand, his brows furrowed slightly, as if he had remembered something.

"its not right…"

He muttered to himself, "Xiao Bo has a salt ticket, Hong Lei has a ham ticket, Xun has a chrysanthemum ticket... They only have three tickets in total over there."

"On our side, I have salt coupons, Yixing has chrysanthemum coupons, and Xiao Gu has three watermelon coupons... That makes five coupons."

To beat them with three votes, we only need four to guarantee a win. Sending out an extra vote would be a waste.

He shook his head. "Little Gu is still too young and not shrewd enough."

I'll save him one ticket. Let's see if, after the auction ends, we can consider it a reward and have him give me the saved ticket.

Thinking of this,

Huang Xiaochu cleverly folded one of the watermelon tickets and secretly put it into his pocket.

Then, he put the remaining two watermelon tickets, along with Zhang Yixing's chrysanthemum ticket and his own salt ticket, a total of four tickets, into the ticket box.

After casting the vote,
Huang Xiaochu returned to the hall and handed the watermelon ticket he had "saved" back to Gu Qing, saying with a smile, "Gu, four votes are enough for us. They can only get three votes at most. I specially saved one for you."

"Huh? There's no need, Teacher Huang. I have so many melon tickets, one more won't make a difference."

Gu Qing took the ticket and paused for a moment.

"You don't care, but I do. How about... you just give me this ticket as a token of your appreciation?"

Chef Huang boasted, taking credit for the achievement.

And at this moment,
Huang Bo, who had already lost hope, was revitalized when he heard Huang Xiaochu say to Gu Qing, "Four votes are enough."

A glimmer of hope suddenly flashed in his eyes, and he abruptly nudged Wang Xun beside him with his elbow!

Wang Xun, being a shrewd person, immediately understood and pretended to be someone who had nothing better to do than join in the fun.
He said to Sun Honglei, "Brother Honglei, since we're just killing time anyway, how about... the three of us go and cast a vote for fun? Just to participate and go through the motions."

"Are you stupid?!"

Sun Honglei completely missed this strong hint and shook off Wang Xun's hand with a look of disgust, "This is a game we're bound to lose, why bother voting?"
I'm not voting! I'd rather take a break!

"Just give it a try, have some fun?"

Wang Xun was so anxious he almost ground his teeth to powder. What a big idiot!

"If you want to vote, go ahead and vote yourselves. I'm not going to do something so stupid. You might as well just give me all your votes."

Sun Honglei remained unmoved and even started to try to steal other people's votes.

"Sigh...looks like it's hopeless. Congratulations, Xiao Gu, it seems you've won."

Seeing this, Huang Bo deliberately sighed loudly. He opened his bamboo tube, took out two gold bars, and said to Gu Qing, "Little Gu, look, you won the auction, but all those melon tickets you had are wasted."

"How about this, I'll give you two gold bars to buy one of your melon tickets, as a souvenir? Consider it a helping hand to poor, destitute Brother Bo."

Seeing that the situation seemed to be settled, Gu Qing readily agreed: "Brother Bo, one gold bar will do."

With that, he handed a watermelon ticket to Huang Bo, completing the transaction.

however,
Just as the melon tickets and gold bars were exchanged, and before Gu Qing had completely withdrawn her hand, the moment arrived.

A sudden change occurred!

"Butler!!! Please wait!!! I want to bid!!!"

Huang Bo suddenly seemed like a different person, bursting out with amazing energy, leaping up excitedly and shouting loudly.

He didn't forget to rush up to Sun Honglei, who looked completely bewildered, and hit him with his fan with a gesture of exasperation: "You stupid pig, you idiot, I've given you so many signals and you still can't understand!"

"Quick! Give me your ham ticket!!!"

"This way, please, sir."

The butler returned, smiling and gesturing with his hand.

Gu Qing: "???"

His smile froze instantly. He stared in disbelief at the returning butler, then pointed at Huang Bo, his voice rising eight octaves: "No... wait!"
What do you mean?
The game is already over, isn't it?!
Why was he allowed to come back to vote?! Is this in accordance with the rules?!
"Haha, Xiao Gu, I said the game was over, not him."

Huang Bo laughed heartily, "This is the ultimate challenge, you should learn more from it."

As he spoke, he opened his bamboo tube again and pulled out two salt coupons that he had previously hidden.

In addition to the chrysanthemum ticket that Wang Xun provided, and the ham ticket that he had just snatched from Sun Honglei.

The votes are just enough to overtake them!

"Let's go!!"

Huang Bo, full of confidence, casually tossed his ballot into the ballot box.

The auction has ended.

The Gu Qing alliance, which was originally confident of victory, lost a vote because of Huang Xiaochu's "saving".

Huang Bo won a crucial vote by hiding salt tickets and "tricking" someone on the spot.

In the end, they achieved a stunning reversal with five votes, successfully defeating Gu Qing and taking home the huge reward of fifty gold bars!

Gu Qing stood silently in place, glancing at Huang Bo, who was beaming with pride as he received his gold bar reward.

She slowly turned her head and looked at Chef Huang, who was also looking bewildered.

If he remembers correctly and his calculations are accurate...

Even if Huang Bo hid two salt tickets, even if he "tricked" himself into giving up a melon ticket at the last moment...

It wasn't Teacher Huang who "helped" him save that watermelon ticket.

They actually cast five votes, which is the same as Huang Bo's final vote count!

If it's a tie, according to the rules, the prize money will either be split equally or a tiebreaker will be held.

Regardless, the initiative to win ultimately remains in his hands, given his overwhelming majority of votes.

Was this just a series of coincidences?

Or... from the moment Huang Xiaochu took the initiative to "save" votes, it was all a carefully designed scheme by the production team, or rather, by these "old foxes"?

Is everyone just "acting"?
They were all "werewolfs" who had revealed their identities.
Let's join forces.

Are they playing with this clueless "villager"?

"..."

……

……

(End of this chapter)