It was just a love letter; I'm really no great writer!

"what?"

Zhou Haoxi looked completely bewildered.

Am I also going to dine and dash?

"Let's go, college students." Lu Ran walked towards the street.

Zhou Haoxi thought to herself, "You're so young but so precocious; you're still a high school student!"

Meanwhile, the other two groups had already taken action and disappeared.

According to the program's rules.

Travelers will share the funds based on the popularity of their respective live streams.

But the audience is limited...

Simply put, the more engaging your livestream is, the more viewers you'll retain!

indeed.

The sheer number of viewers is overwhelming...

"Oh no, I can only start one live stream. Who should I watch?"

"Come see Da Lin and Xiao Cai, they're hilarious!"

"I choose Teacher Ning and Sister Qing; they're the most pleasing to the eye!"

"Of course it's about Lu Ran! He and Xi Xi are such a good match... Seriously, isn't this supposed to be a dating reality show?"

"Haha, I have one TV on, one phone on, and one tablet on—perfect for watching!"

In the director's car, Di Qingling watched the various data points soaring backstage.

At the start of the broadcast, the three groups were not far apart, and the number of viewers in the live stream quickly stabilized at over 10.

This already generates considerable buzz within the context of travel variety shows.

After all, most viewers are still used to watching the post-edited version of the main feature and highlight clips.

Di Qingling's gaze was fixed on Lu Ran.

After that night, she took some time to go to the provincial hospital to see a gynecologist.

The doctor said there was nothing seriously wrong, and she could have a normal pregnancy without even needing minor surgery.

Di Qingling asked, "Then why..."

The doctor subtly hinted that this was psychogenic frigidity, like a scallop's muscles tightly closed, requiring excessive stimulation the first time... Oh well, never mind, I'll just prescribe a remedy for your boyfriend.

Di Qingling went to grab a few Chinese herbs, still somewhat confused.

Deer antler, epimedium, dodder seed...

……

The provincial capital is known for its nightlife.

On the brightly lit streets, there are KTVs, late-night food stalls, and bars, with neon signs gradually becoming dazzling.

Every evening, the streets are filled with small tables, packed with customers eating skewers, barbecue, crayfish, and enjoying a few glasses of ice-cold beer – it couldn't be more pleasant.

It's so lively and full of life...

The aroma wafting through the air made Lu Ran's mouth water.

"Gurgle."

Zhou Haoxi blushed slightly; she had a microphone clipped to her body.

"Would you like some Sichuan food?"

Lu Ran saw a bustling Sichuan restaurant.

This building is antique and stylish, with a winding stream inside, making it look very elegant.

As night falls, the water murmurs softly, and a woman in ancient style plays the zither behind a screen, the music soothing the soul.

The most amazing thing was that there was also a face-changing performance, which drew cheers from the audience.

"No, that won't do." Zhou Haoxi swallowed hard. "We don't have any money. Let's go find some work first."

There are no extreme challenges in this world; even celebrities who appear on variety shows still have their image to maintain.

"How about I go sing at a bar? Singing at a bar should be lucrative!" Zhou Haoxi thought of a great idea and excitedly grabbed Lu Ran's arm.

Suddenly realizing what was happening, I recoiled as if I'd been electrocuted.

She was so focused on filling her stomach that she almost forgot she had a hidden mission...

"Okay," Lu Ran said casually.

The two then went to the nearest bar, which had a pretty good atmosphere, though not the kind of place where you'd go clubbing.

Zhou Haoxi mustered up her courage and went to the front desk to ask if she wanted to sing. The bar owner readily agreed and they settled on 200 yuan per hour.

Having come from the Beijing Film Academy, he was quite skilled at singing, earning 325 yuan including tips in an hour.

If a QR code could be displayed, it would probably be no problem to receive thousands in tips.

"It has to be a big star," Lu Ran said with a grin.

Under the dim lighting, Zhou Haoxi was wearing a hat and a mask, so her face was not clearly visible.

With a singing voice that's only 10% there and a body that's 90% there, the bar's foot traffic increased by 30%.

"It's alright~ Let's go eat!" Zhou Haoxi was very happy. After getting the money, she was thinking about that Sichuan restaurant. Finally, she could eat.

Before long, dishes such as pickled rabbit with chili peppers, stir-fried eel with mint, stir-fried beef with mutton, and pot-side steamed buns were placed on the table, steaming hot and bright red, making people's appetites soar.

Zhou Haoxi let go of her worries and began to eat heartily, her eyes narrowing with satisfaction: "Eating here is such a pleasure. I wonder how Dalin and the others are doing."

"They're not stupid. How could they starve by just performing?" Lu Ran said.

"Yeah, hehe." Zhou Haoxi pondered the itinerary. "Shall we take the high-speed train to Chang'an tomorrow? I'll sing all night again tonight, and then I should have saved enough money."

"Are you working this hard?"

"We want to get to Chang'an sooner, since bars aren't open during the day."

"No need for that trouble."

After eating and drinking his fill, Lu Ran asked the shop assistant to bring him some writing brush and ink.

It was past lunchtime, but more and more customers were gathering in the restaurant, unable to contain their excitement, and taking out their phones to ask for photos.

Zhou Haoxi discovered...

The passersby surrounded Lu Ran, his popularity comparable to that of a top-tier celebrity.

"It seems poets are quite impressive too," she thought to herself.

I suddenly regretted taking on this variety show. Lu Ran isn't a bad person, why did I have to ruin his career...?

But as a minor celebrity, if I offend the Zhao family...

For a moment, my thoughts were in turmoil.

"Boss lady, I'd like to write a poem for you."

Lu Ran picked up the calligraphy brush and went to the front of the clean white wall.

Actually, facial recognition was used. If a stranger had graffitied the wall, the proprietress would probably have called the police.

But he is Lu Ran.

The proprietress stood at the front of the crowd, recording a video on her phone, looking every bit like a young girl who had just met her idol.

Lu Ran dipped his brush in ink and picked it up.

"A golden goblet of fine wine costs ten thousand coins, and a jade plate of delicacies is worth ten thousand coins."

Well, upon seeing this line of poetry, the proprietress felt quite elated.

A living advertisement!

My restaurant can be renamed Wanqianlou!

But then Lu Ran wrote down another sentence.

"I stop drinking and eating, I draw my sword and look around, my heart filled with confusion."

"Wanting to cross the Yellow River, the ice blocks the way; wanting to climb Mount Taihang, the snow covers the mountain."

The onlookers were all taken aback.

With delicious food right in front of me, why am I so lost and unable to eat?

Then Lu Ran picked up his pen and wrote it down.

"At leisure, I fish on the green stream; suddenly, I dream of sailing to the edge of the sun."

"The road is hard! The road is hard! So many forks in the road, where am I now?"

Everyone was puzzled and opened the live stream.

I'd like to hear what the poetry observer has to say.

The three live streams, which were originally evenly matched, suddenly saw Lu Ran's group's viewership skyrocket from 100,000 to 200,000, then to 300,000...

Far ahead!

Dante wasn't always in the live stream, but when he heard that Lu Ran was going to compose a poem, he got out of bed and started a live stream to appreciate it.

He was greatly shocked when he saw the first two sentences:

"What a beautiful poem! What a wonderful poem!"

An Yi, who was also on the live stream, quickly voiced the audience's sentiments: "Professor Dan Ding, we all know it's a good poem, please give us a brief interpretation."

Dante pondered for a moment and said, "The first sentence goes without saying; Lu Ran used exaggeration to describe the deliciousness of the feast."

"The abundance of material possessions serves as a foil to the inner bewilderment."

"Why are you so lost?" Lu Ran continued to use his magnificent imagination to describe the utter despair he felt when faced with ice-blocked rivers and snow-covered mountains.

"I suspect this doesn't refer to the challenges posed by the production team, but rather to a more frustrating and insurmountable difficulty he himself is facing!"

The audience suddenly realized what was happening.

With Lu Ran being such a prodigy, he naturally wouldn't be stumped by such a small problem from the production team.

If he were to casually write a few words, restaurants across the country would probably rush to open their doors to him.

What exactly is this challenge that's giving Lu Ran such a headache?

The poet doesn't say it directly; the meaning is entirely in the poem.

When Dante saw Lu Ran write two more lines, his expression of shock became even more indescribable.

"This use of allusion is a stroke of genius!"

"Jiang Ziya was still fishing idly by the stream before he was seventy years old; Yi Yin was of humble status before he was given important positions, but he established a great career in assisting Tang of Shang."

"Lu Ran is comparing himself to the ancients, igniting hope, but then using the urgent cry of 'the road is difficult' to suppress his emotions to the extreme!"

"Suppression, hope, and more suppression;"

"The present, the predicament, and the history are like a melody that is sung with repeated sighs, playing out an epic sense of time and space!"

"Moreover... the tone of 'The Road to Shu is Hard' was set by Bao Zhao, and Li Bai also wrote many of them, but Lu Ran's poem is no less emotionally intense!"

"And this last sentence..."

"There will be times when the wind will break the waves, and I will set sail to cross the vast ocean."

Danting smiled with satisfaction:

"The poet firmly believes that the time to ride the wind and waves will eventually come, and we can set sail and cross the vast ocean."

"Sweep away all the disappointment and depression from before, look to the future, and be cheerful and high-spirited!"

"All difficulties, from individuals to families, and even the rise and fall of dynasties, sublimate into the most universal spiritual strength!"

"To have such a young man is a blessing for the Celestial Empire and for China!"

After a long period of distraction, An Yi sighed:

"I see.

"Such a short piece contains such complex and varied emotions."

"This is so amazing..."

In front of hundreds of thousands of viewers.

Amidst countless awesome floating comments on the screen.

Lu Ran wrote the last sentence and casually handed the ink brush to the proprietress.

The proprietress, who had been recording the whole time, said apologetically, "Teacher Lu, I didn't quite understand this. What does it mean?"

"It's very simple..."

Lu Ran turned around and showed the whole poem, saying, "It says your family's dishes are very fragrant and delicious!"

"But we have no money, so we're worried. We're going to Chang'an tomorrow, but it's too far, so we can't make it."

"The road is hard, the road is hard, how can we get there?"

"Oh right, so I wrote a poem in your shop, thinking I might be able to..."

Lu Ran said sincerely:

"Just, could I borrow your car?"

thump—

Zhou Haoxi banged her head on the table and knelt down.