My cousin asked me to go to Wuha, and Hanikezi stuck to me.

Old Wang raised a megaphone and called for everyone to assemble.

"Recording officially begins today. Chen Yi and Qin Yu, each of you will lead a team. The morning's event is a combination of outdoor orienteering and a knowledge quiz."

Qin Yu walked up to Chen Yi, and deliberately adjusted the collar of his windbreaker, revealing the luxury watch on his wrist.

"Brother Chen Yi, cross-country running is physically demanding. You usually sit in an office, so don't fall behind later. If you really can't run anymore, just let me know and I'll have a teammate give you a hand."

Chen Yi glanced at his hair, which was covered in hairspray.

"You should worry more about whether your two pounds of hairspray will get into your eyes with your sweat. Otherwise, you won't be able to see where you're going."

Qin Yu sneered and turned to walk towards his team.

Old Wang blew his whistle.

Game start.

With his enhanced intermediate-level athletic ability thanks to the system, Chen Yi gained a significant lead from the start.

Hanikezi followed beside him, but started panting heavily after running less than two kilometers.

"Chen Yi, slow down, I really can't run anymore."

Chen Yi stopped and turned to look at her.

"Where does all the energy you put into dance practice go?"

"Are dancing and running the same thing? My legs are sore!"

Hanikezi squatted down on the spot and started acting spoiled.

Chen Yi walked over, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her up.

"Follow my rhythm, don't breathe through your mouth. Whether you want white rice or braised chicken for lunch depends entirely on the points from this match."

Upon hearing the words "big plate chicken," Hanikezi's eyes lit up, and she gritted her teeth and continued running forward.

On the other side, Qin Yu ran less than three kilometers before he was completely out of breath.

He forced a smile at the camera following him.

"Look, this is the beauty of exercise. I work up a sweat at the gym every day, and this distance is just a warm-up for me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Yi pulled Hanikezi past him with ease.

"Is that sweating? You're just applying perfume."

Chen Yi left without turning his head.

Chen Chichi chased after him, sweating profusely, and shouted at Chen Yi.

"Chen Yi, slow down! I'm a regular here! Give me some screen time!"

"If you don't run faster, there won't even be any soup left for lunch."

Chen Yi led his team to the first Q&A point in the ancient town square.

Qin Yu arrived fifteen minutes late, dragging his legs along. His hair was a complete mess, and sweat mixed with hairspray got into his eyes, stinging them so much that he kept rubbing them.

Old Wang stood up with the question card.

"The knowledge quiz begins. It's a buzzer-beater system; a correct answer earns ten points, a wrong answer deducts five. First question: What are the four famous grilled foods of Xinjiang?"

Qin Yu immediately pressed the buzzer.

"Grilled lamb skewers! Baked buns! Whole roasted lamb! Roasted naan!"

Old Wang shook his head.

"Error! Qin Yu's team deducts five points!"

Chen Yi pressed the buzzer and spoke at a steady pace.

"Whole roasted lamb, roasted meat, roasted buns, roasted pumpkin."

Old Wang shouted.

"Correct! Chen Yi's team gets 10 points!"

Hanikezi jumped up excitedly beside her, clapping her hands and cheering.

"All correct! Chen Yi, you're amazing!"

Qin Yu's face was ashen as he stared intently at Chen Yi.

"How do you even know about things from Xinjiang?"

"common sense."

Chen Yi didn't even look at him. "If you read more books and look in the mirror less, you'll understand too."

Old Wang continued to set questions.

"Second question: In music theory, who first proposed the twelve-tone equal temperament?"

Qin Yu was completely stunned. He turned to look at his teammates, but none of them could answer.

Chen Yi pressed the buzzer again.

"Zhu Zaiyu of the Ming Dynasty".

"Absolutely correct! Chen Yi's team gets another ten points!"

Old Wang slapped his thigh excitedly.

Deng Chao protested from the side.

"Old Wang, this question is way beyond the syllabus! Who would know the answer to this!"

Chen Yi turned to look at Deng Chao.

"The original words from the junior high school history textbook."

The whole place burst into laughter.

Qin Yu stood there, his face turning a deep purplish-red.

The morning's competition ended with an overwhelming victory for Chen Yi's team.

In the afternoon, the recording location was moved to the stage in the ancient town.

Old Wang announced the start of the talent competition.

Qin Yu changed into a sequined performance outfit, took a microphone, and walked onto the stage.

He showcased a freestyle rap that he had been preparing for a long time.

The lyrics were all nonsense, the actions were all about showing off, he would occasionally make a heart shape with his hands in front of the camera, and even walked up to Hanikezi and made a flirtatious wink.

Hanikezi shrank back in disgust.

The atmosphere in the audience was entirely due to the efforts of a few regular guests.

Chen Chichi whispered in Deng Chao's ear.

"Did he write these lyrics himself, or did he pay five yuan to have them written by someone else? I'm so annoyed I could dig my toes out of a three-bedroom apartment."

After Qin Yu finished singing, he walked off the stage, enjoying the sparse applause.

He deliberately walked up to Chen Yi, slightly raised his chin, and spoke in a provocative tone.

"Your turn, amateur brother. Don't be nervous. If you're really not good at it, you can go up and sing a children's song. Nobody will laugh at you."

Chen Yi ignored him and turned around to borrow a wooden guitar from the props department.

He walked onto the stage and pulled over a high stool to sit down.

Tuning, strumming.

The whole place fell silent.

Chen Yi spoke into the microphone.

"A rearranged song, dedicated to everyone here."

The guitar began to play, its melody light and lively.

Chen Yi's mental library of impromptu jokes and his guitar playing skills were working simultaneously.

The moment he opened his mouth, the entire audience erupted in cheers.

"Brother Chichi has gained another three pounds. He ate all the boxed lunches from the crew and still said he was the core member."

Chen Chichi covered his face and howled from below the stage.

"Brother Chao's lumbar muscle strain hasn't improved yet; he keeps yelling that he's going to call the police every time he plays a game."

Deng Chao laughed so hard he squatted down on the ground.

"Lu Han forgot to get her hair styled today, and Lao Wang smashed a teacup behind the monitor again."

The camera cuts to Old Wang, who is excitedly drinking water when his hand slips and the goji berry water spills all over his crotch.

As the lyrics shifted, Chen Yi's gaze swept over Qin Yu in the audience.

"Someone came with capital to seize territory, singing awkward raps while thinking they were a top group."

Qin Yu's smile froze on his face, his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white.

The guitar tempo suddenly slowed down, and the melody became more soothing.

Chen Yi raised his head and looked directly at Hanikezi, who was sitting in the first row.

"That Xinjiang girl who stole some roasted walnuts, if your Sister Hong gets angry, I'll help you out."

"Just tell me what you want to eat tonight. We'll have plenty of big plate chicken. We won't be short of food."

The commotion from the crowd was so loud it nearly lifted the roof off.

Deng Chao led the way in whistling.

Chen Chichi slapped his thigh and laughed wildly.

Lu Han frantically recorded a video with her phone.

Hanikezi covered her face with her hands, her ears turning pink, and looked at Chen Yi on the stage through her fingers, her eyes sparkling.

Chen Yi swept down the last chord and finished the note.

Old Wang stood up directly behind the monitor and clapped wildly with both hands above his head.

"Absolutely amazing! This part is absolutely brilliant!"

Old Wang yelled into the walkie-talkie, "All cameras, save this! Not a single second can be missed!"

The recording ended amidst cheers from the audience.

Night falls.

In the conference room of the inn in the ancient town, the production team is holding an internal review meeting.

The names of Chen Yi and Qin Yu were written on the whiteboard.

Old Wang threw his pen on the table and looked around.

"Tell me your thoughts. How is the overall score determined?"

The assistant director was the first to speak.

"What's there to compare? He completely outshone everyone in terms of physical and mental strength this morning, and his talent in the afternoon was simply divine. Once Chen Yi's guitar performance is broadcast, it will definitely be a phenomenal hit."

The planner nodded in agreement.

"Qin Yu's rap was so cheesy, it was practically a public execution for him to be with Chen Yifang. If the investors ask about it, we'll just use the footage to shut them up. What the audience wants to see is real and interesting interaction, not stiff pretentiousness."

Old Wang picked up his newly replaced teacup and took a big gulp of water.

He watched the replay of Chen Yi playing the guitar on the monitor, and couldn't help but smile.

Capital can indeed bring people in.

But in this industry, true talent and exceptional variety show skills are the only true assets.

Old Wang made the final decision and picked up the phone to call Chen Yi's agent: "Xiao Fang, tell Chen Yi that he will be a regular guest starting from the next episode."