The viewership ratings for the variety show Chasing Dreams had been steadily increasing, far exceeding Zheng Mingchang's expectations.
In most variety shows, the peak ratings were usually in the first two episodes and the finale.
The middle episodes tended to decline in popularity.
This was because the audience grew accustomed to the fixed dynamic between the guests and the repetitive jokes, so they slowly lost interest.
But 'Chasing Dreams' displayed an entirely different kind of vitality!
With each new episode, the audience grew.
Thinking of this, Zheng Mingchang stood before the hotel entrance and looked at Bao Ruanruan, whose face had gone pale with shock and panic and couldn't help but laugh inwardly.
She still pretends to be weak and helpless?
Thanks to this girl, their production team had been able to keep innovating; every new episode would bring something fresh to the audience.
Even he, the main director, had no idea what form the next episode would be!
That was because — Bao Ruanruan kept breaking the show's rules!
She had forced their team of five scriptwriters to lose their hair every week as they racked their brains trying to keep up with her!
They tried every trick in the book to get her to complete the tasks in a normal way.
"This episode, we've invited some special guests to join us," said Zheng Mingchang as he gave Bao Ruanruan a sharp look.
Bao Ruanruan: "?"
She started to panic.
She could feel the director's not-so-kind gaze.
"Today will be an absolutely thrilling 'Who's the Big Boss' challenge."
"Go upstairs first. The staff will give you your mission cards. Each of you must take your own card, open it, and complete your assigned task."
[Sounds exciting.]
[What does 'Big Boss' mean?]
"The winner gets to enjoy a night in the riverside view suite for free."
"The loser will have to pay the hotel bill."
Zheng Mingchang smiled and looked at Bao Ruanruan. "Xiao Bao, good luck."
Bao Ruanruan: "?"
She could feel that she was being targeted.
[The kid has been singled out.]
[It's over — Ruanruan's weakness for money has been discovered.]
[Nonsense! Our child only cares about her health, not material things like money, right?]
[......She probably does. Do you think all those healthcare products come cheap? Hahahaha.]
The director clearly paid special attention to Bao Ruanruan.
This outrageous bullying of a young woman drew criticism from the team's big sister figure, Lan Zhi.
"Xiao Bao, ignore the director. Just have fun. I'll pay for your room."
"Bao Bao, if your task is too difficult, I'll help you!"
Xiao Mengfei also stood up for her.
Cheng Yao, who had previously caused trouble for Bao Ruanruan with a scandal, quickly joined in.
"Xiao Bao, we've all got your back. The five of us are a team."
"Right, Brother Hao? Bullying our little sister? That's not okay!"
Lu Wenhao, the one who couldn't swallow his pride: "...?"
Little sister... who?
But the next moment, an image flashed through his mind — he'd only ever had an older brother growing up, no delicate little sister.
Back then, he used to envy the neighbourhood boys with their little sister—that adorable little figure always following them around.
Lu Wenhao fell into a sentimental reverie.
"Teacher Lu, Teacher Lu, the others have already entered the elevator!"
Lu Wenhao: "!?"
Little sister, my @ss!?
They went up to the 23rd floor, returning to
the same five-room suite as last time.
When the elevator doors opened, Lu Wenhao, gentlemanly, held the door open for the others.
He only stepped out after the last person, Bao Ruanruan, who was always the one to graciously step back, had exited.
But Bao Ruanruan, moving at her usual leisurely pace, gradually fell behind again.
Lu Wenhao curled his lip.
He lengthened his stride and caught up with Cheng Yao at the front.
The four of them chatted and laughed as they walked straight into the suite's living room, where the staff was waiting.
Only Bao Ruanruan, hands clasped behind her back and a solemn expression on her pretty little face, made a slow detour, circling the suite's entrance and then checking each of the five bedroom doors.
Only then did she saunter back into the living room and take her place at the end of the guest lineup.
"Teachers, these are your task cards. You cannot swap cards or abandon your tasks."
"Teacher Lan Zhi, Teacher Cheng Yao..."
The staff handed out the cards one by one.
Lan Zhi opened hers immediately and read it with a frown. "Please go to the 'Kunlun Summit' room... What room is that?"
The rooms in this hotel were usually numbered.
The staff member smiled and was about to speak, and raised a hand to point the way—
When a soft, delicate voice spoke up casually from the room.
"'Kunlun Summit' is the third door on the left, the room Brother Cheng stayed in last time."
Bao Ruanruan blinked.
The staff froze in surprise, then nodded.
Cheng Yao also opened his task card. "Mine says 'Duel in the Forbidden City' room..."
"Second on the left," Bao Ruanruan interjected casually, pointing. "The one closest to the elevator."
The staff froze.
After receiving his task card, Lu Wenhao skipped asking the staff and directly challenged Bao Ruanruan. "Which one is mine?"
Let's see how you're going to show off now!
Bao Ruanruan tilted her pale little face and glanced at the task card. "First on the right."
Lu Wenhao: "!"
Staff: "!"
[!]
"How did you know that?" Lu Wenhao was shocked. "Did you cheat and see the tasks ahead of time?"
False accusation!
Bao Ruanruan's delicate face scrunched up in protest. "There's a piece of paper taped to each door with the names written on it."
[!!]
[Whoa — I thought my girl was just a health nut; it turns out she's a hidden genius?!]
Lu Wenhao was stunned.
He immediately remembered that she had been slow to enter earlier.
By the time everyone was already in the living room, she finally walked in.
So she had gone to check the room doors.
But... she was only behind by a minute?
One minute at the most!
Five rooms, five names, and she remembered them all?
"What are the names of the other two rooms?" Lu Wenhao couldn't believe it.
Weren't people in the entertainment industry supposed to be... not the brightest?
He'd always thought his level of intelligence was the norm.
Bao Ruanruan pursed her lips.
Then she closed her eyes.
A miniature map of the suite slowly appeared in her mind.
The layout of the five rooms she'd just explored and their corresponding names appeared vividly before her.
"First on the left, Emei Storm."
"Second on the right, Jiayu Flames."
Lu Wenhao: "!"
He immediately rushed out to check the five rooms and see if it was true.
The camera followed him over.
[My baby girl is amazing!]
[She just casually strolled around on camera, right? And she remembered everything?!]
The live stream quickly panned from left to right, filming the doors of the five bedrooms.
Each had a sheet of white paper with black characters stuck on it.
Sure enough, the names matched exactly what was on the mission cards and what Bao Ruanruan had just said.
[Wait, were they all correct?]
[I've got crappy memory, I admit. Who remembers the order? Was Ruanruan right?]
[She was right.]
[Hey, the person up front, you've got a good memory too, huh?]
[No, no, I wrote it down in a little notebook (shy); I just wanted to double-check if Ruanruan got it right.]
[So she got ALL of them correct???]
[When I first became a 'mom fan', I never thought my little girl would turn out smart enough for Tsinghua!]
"You..."
Standing before the five doors, Lu Wenhao looked at the phrases stuck on each one.
He was utterly lost.
"You said... the first one on the left was..."
Damn it, sorry, he forgot as soon as he heard it!
He wanted to check if Bao Ruanruan was right, but he couldn't even remember what she had said.
Awkward!
"First on the left, Emei Storm."
Bao Ruanruan, who walked over slowly, repeated it once more.
Even her tone and volume were precisely the same.
[Hahaha, our boy just made a fool of himself.]
[Don't take on porcelain work without a diamond drill1. Boy, she already said it, and you didn't remember — what are you trying to verify?]
[You're being too kind; our Lu boy has just lost his face again.]
[Our boy had to listen one more time to finally pick the correct answer (dog head emoji).]
The cameraman's lens shook again.
Not even image stabilisation could help.
The staff handing out the mission cards couldn't help laughing.
"How did you do that, Baobao? You're amazing," Xiao Mengfei was once in awe.
"Xiao Bao, have you taken an IQ test? Is it super high?"
If you can't even remember the map in a survival game, aren't you just waiting to die?
Bao Ruanruan shook her head. "It's not high. Just average."
It's just some basic survival skills.
Everyone — including the cameramen — turned to look at Lu Wenhao.
Next to Bao Ruanruan's 'average' IQ, Lu Wenhao's intelligence seemed pathetically low and impossible to hide.
Lu Wenhao: "!"
[Pfft!]
"Teacher Bao, what a memory. Here's your task card."
The staff struggled to hold back their laughter as they continued the process.
"Oh, thank you." Bao Ruanruan accepted it.
"Teachers, please enter your respective rooms. Your next tasks are already inside."
The five guests quickly moved in front of their designated room doors.
They all got into position.
And took a deep breath.
Then they opened their doors and stepped inside.
The live stream camera pulled out into a wide shot.
It swept across each guest's nervous face, each door opening, and their cautious steps entering.
One by one, the guests disappeared into their rooms.
Until the last one — Bao Ruanruan.
[?]
[Is the stream lagging?]
[Is the Wi-Fi still working!?]
"Teacher Bao, you can go in now," the staff immediately reminded her.
But Bao Ruanruan raised a finger and gently shushed them.
The camera zoomed in curiously.
A staff member whispered, "Is there a problem, Teacher Bao?"
Bao Ruanruan stood by the door without moving.
Then she closed her eyes and tilted her head as if she were listening.
"I don't hear any sound from inside the room. My first judgment is that there's no one inside."
"Secondly, I haven't heard any cries for help from the other four rooms — so my first judgement is that there is no danger."
Staff: "......!"
[!]
[WTF, hahaha!]
[Hardcore! How does Ruanruan turn a chill variety show into an escape room?!]
[With a kid like this, mom can really rest easy! hhhh!]
Bao Ruanruan stood at the door of the room, which was called 'Emei Storm'.
The camera zoomed in as she finally moved after making her initial assessment.
She took two steps forward — then stopped just one step away from the door as she stretched out her pale arm and slowly turned the doorknob.
Her small hand paused mid-turn for a second before finally pushing the door open.
The layout of the bedroom was finally revealed.
But she just stood in the doorway and did not enter.
Her eyes scanned the room carefully.
It was as if she were eliminating any possible danger she saw.
Only then did she exhale slightly and step inside, somewhat reassured.
[Hahaha!]
[Girl, you're amazing!]
[Ruanruan: My legs won't move until I confirm it's safe, hhhh.]
[If the producers don't set some traps, my girl's talents will be wasted!]
As Bao Ruanruan entered, she turned on the wall light in the room.
The live stream camera switched to the other four guests' rooms.
The room layouts were like standard hotel suites.
But the footage showed all the guests crouching down, bending over, lifting blankets, opening drawers — desperately searching for something.
Lan Zhi walked around the room and held her forehead. "My God, where's the task written?"
She returned to the bedside table.
The camera zoomed in, and everyone saw a note tucked under the lamp:
— [Please find the next clue hidden in this room.]
"I don't even know what my task is; how am I supposed to find clues?" Lan Zhi, tired from searching, looked at the cameraman. "Do you know?"
The camera shook from side to side.
[Hahaha, Sis Lan has picked up some bad habits.]
[Big sis who is as rough as branches and broad as leaves2.]
[It's definitely in the bedroom; just take your time to look, hehe.]
In the next room, Xiao Mengfei was also completely confused, holding her 'Find the clue' note in her hand.
"What does the clue look like?"
She bent down to look under the sofa.
Then quickly got up again.
Cheng Yao and Lu Wenhao were also rummaging around like crazy.
Every drawer was pulled out, cupboards were opened, and even spare blankets were shaken out and clumsily re-folded.
They even jumped on the bed to check the top of the wardrobe.
As they couldn't see clearly, they even grabbed a clothes hanger to reach up and fish around.
[This blanket clearly never survived military training.]
[My brother's so sharp—he even remembered the dead space above the wardrobe!]
The live stream commentators loved watching the guests' chaotic energy.
But they were also curious:
[The room is not that big, but the clue could be just a tiny slip of paper — you really have to search carefully.]
[If I had to guess, probably in a hidden spot. Maybe under the drawer?]
While everyone was frantically searching, Bao Ruanruan had only just stepped into her "Emei Storm" room.
The camera cut to her standing next to the large bed.
She had moved only about half a metre from the door.
[?]
[The other rooms are being turned upside down — why are you still there, Xiao Bao?]
[Start looking already, or you'll be dead last.]
[She... probably prioritises safety. It'll gonna take forever to make sure everything's safe, right? hhhh!]
Bao Ruanruan had already spent ages listening at the door.
After finally getting the door open, she ended up lingering for a long time just inside the doorway.
Now, as the camera panned around her, she barely moved.
Viewers in the chat were both amused and exasperated by this scene.
Messages like 'Xiao Bao, don't be scared, hurry!', 'Find the clue, check the nightstand!' and 'MOVE!' filled the screen.
At last, Bao Ruanruan moved.
She walked toward the sofa opposite the bed.
[There's nothing on the sofa — Xiaoxiao already checked it!]
But Bao Ruanruan didn't stop. As she passed the sofa, she picked up a round fabric pillow from it.
She then held it in front of her.
[?]
[Don't tell me this is her shield.]
[What the hell—genius in the front, stop messing with me!]
Bao Ruanruan's fair little cheeks puffed up slightly, and as the bullet comments flew by, she walked around the fabric double sofa.
She paused in the corridor behind it.
She went close to the wall.
On the left — a potted ornamental plant.
On the right — a simple wooden display shelf with stone sculptures and a few books.
Bao Ruanruan picked up a book.
[???]
[That must be her weapon.]
[Pfft pfft pfft! That's enough out of you up front!]
[Maybe the clue is under the plants?]
Sure enough, Bao Ruanruan's next step was towards the potted plant.
Everyone thought she was going to crouch down, move the plant, and look for clues underneath it.
The next scene was her stretching out her fair and slender arm.
Instead, she used the book she had just taken to gently brush the pale yellow curtain behind the plant.
Then, she quickly withdrew her hand.
[!?]
It was as if she was probing and then giving up.
Soon, she turned around as if nothing had happened.
But to everyone's surprise, in the next instant, she suddenly turned back around!
With a 'whoosh' sound, she immediately used the book to fling open the curtains!
[!!]
[!!!]
No one was expecting that fake-out move!
[If there's nothing there, I'll laugh so——]
But before that comment could finish scrolling—
A pale yellow figure crouching by the windowsill was fully revealed as the curtain swung aside.
The figure looked up in shock —
Clearly not expecting to be discovered so soon!
The chat exploded with exclamation marks.
[!!!]
[WTF WTF WTF!]
[How did she know there was someone behind the curtain?!]
[She's too clever!?]
[Wait a minute, doesn't that person look familiar?]
[Qu Feifei!?]
The pale yellow figure, small and blending perfectly with the curtains, could not be anything other than that person.
The same person labelled as a bad example of lightning safety in the Matryoshka Livestream3—Qu Feifei.
Chasing Dreams fans definitely recognised her!
Everyone in the chat was so shocked that the comments wouldn't stop scrolling!
But then—another sudden whoosh!
Before the comments had even finished scrolling, Bao Ruanruan calmly pulled the curtain back into place!
Everything was restored to its original state.
The curtain completely covered Qu Feifei from head to toe.
It was as if Qu Feifei had never been there.
And it was as if Bao Ruanruan had never seen Qu Feifei.
Bao Ruanruan's fair face remained calm as she silently walked over to the display shelf and put the book back in its place.
Then she returned the pillow to the sofa.
She retraced her steps and exited the room.
Bang.
She closed the door to the study with a blank expression.
As if nothing had happened.
Staff outside the door: "......"
Qu Feifei behind the curtain: "......"
[.........]
[Pfffftt HAHAHAHA!]
[? hhhh can someone tell me what just happened?!]
None of the other guests had left their rooms yet — obviously, none had discovered the secret behind the curtain.
But Bao Ruanruan acted as if nothing had happened. "I've failed my task."
She calmly looked at the staff.
Her tiny face crumpled in exaggerated grief.
Staff: "?"
[HAHAHAHA!!]
[Oh my God, I'm dying, I still don't even know what just happened!]
[We need a class rep to explain this!]
[Bao Ruanruan: Qu Feifei? Never saw her. Just leave her there; I failed in my mission anyway. Mhm.]
[Does Bao Ruanruan think Qu Feifei's more terrifying than a five-star hotel bill? Wait, does she know what the mission is? Did I miss something?!]
[You must be new, huh? This actually goes back to a previous variety show directed by Director Zheng.]
[Hot trivia: Qu Feifei is a die-hard Tang Yuxin fan.]
[...Ah!]
[Warm trivia: In the restaurant, Qu Feifei loved the show's cute and kind mascot, whom she thought had helped her a lot. Then the mascot's head fell off — and it was revealed the mascot was her idol's nemesis: Bao Ruanruan.
At that moment — boom — new grudge (secret identity) + old feud (idol's engagement ruined)... do you get it now?
Oh, and now add the latest twist — Bao Ruanruan calling her a negative example in the lightning safety drama.]
[Pfft! What kind of cursed fate is this!]
[I came here for Lu Wenhao vs. Bao Ruanruan drama.
But now I'm getting Bao Ruanruan vs. Qu Feifei: The Sequel!]
[hhhh, this is so juicy!]
[Kiddo Ruan, run quickly! Mom can't save you now!]
In the shot, Bao Ruanruan had already entered the living room and sat down.
She started to pack her backpack.
She was actually getting ready to leave.
"Teacher Bao, do you know what the task is?" a staff member rushed over. "Don't act rashly — if there's a problem, we can figure something out!"
Bao Ruanruan's watery eyes flickered. "I'm afraid you can't."
[Pfft pfft pfft.]
[Bao Ruanruan: I'm outta here.]
Director Zheng Mingchang, who was both amused and exasperated, had no choice but to appear on screen again.
"Xiao Bao, it's not that serious."
Bao Ruanruan looked at him with quiet resentment, her eyes clearly accusing him.
Director Zheng smiled helplessly. "Then how about this — you swap tasks with Xiao Xiao?"
The live stream camera cut to another shot.
Out of the five rooms, only Bao Ruanruan had come out.
Lu Wenhao and Cheng Yao had both found the hidden special guest crouched by the windowsill.
Lan Zhi caught up with them soon after, having also spotted her guest.
Only Xiao Mengfei was still cluelessly searching for what she thought was a paper clue, completely unaware of the hidden twist behind the curtain.
"As we've emphasised earlier, swapping tasks is not allowed at this time."
"Even I, as the director, can't break the rules either, can I?"
Director Zheng spoke gently.
"Now that only you and Xiao Xiao haven't triggered your task yet, you can still swap."
Bao Ruanruan's face lit up.
But then she cautiously declined. "Actually, I can continue with Qu Feifei's task."
Director Zheng was surprised. "Huh? You've changed your mind? That's very proactive of you, Xiao Bao!"
"Yeah, because according to history, when the director wants the guests to swap tasks, it always leads to something much worse."
"......"
[Hahahaha!]
[She spits out facts! So smart, Xiao Bao! It's true — 9 out of 10 variety shows pull shady tricks like this!]
[She has cracked the director's code, hhhh!]
Director Zheng laughed bitterly, "Then suit yourself."
Bao Ruanruan looked toward the room marked 'Emei Storm', her fair face full of conflict.
On one side was Qu Feifei, who held a deep grudge against her; on the other was the five-star room fee.
What Qu Feifei would do to her in front of the camera had unknown upper and lower limits.
The hotel fee, however, was a concrete loss, equivalent to half a square metre of a future safe room.
She hesitated.
After a long moment, she finally made her decision.
"I can continue the task."
"But for this round, I'm summoning a divine beast."
[?]
[!]
[F*ck, don't tell me she means what I think she means?]
[I swear, Bao Ruanruan, please don't make me laugh to death!]
Director Zheng blinked. "What?"
Bao Ruanruan's delicate, watery eyes glanced at the director. "I'm using a life-saving card."
Director Zheng: "!"
Footnotes Full List
- 没点金刚钻，少揽瓷器活 (méi diǎn jīn gāng zuān, shǎo lǎn cí qì huó) is a Chinese proverb warning against taking on tasks you're not qualified for.
- 粗枝大叶 (cūzhī dàyè) is a metaphor that describes someone as rough, careless, or not paying attention to details—just like a plant that has grown big and wild without refinement.
- referring to the live streaming of another live stream episode
きつね's Musing
By the way, I'd like to inform you that I won't be able to post any advance chapters for DBASCF in Ko-fi for the time being, as I've only had a limited amount of time to do any translations. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Tags:
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It's fine, take your time. Real Life is also important.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, your translations are awesome, keep it up!
*patiently waits on NU for notifications about new updates*