Advertisement

Unaware of Wen Zhecheng’s sneaky entry into the game, Rong Yuheng was still exploring the room at the moment.

The second room was covered with white feathers, and several large conch shells were scattered around, each big enough to accommodate an adult.

Rong Yuheng passed by them without paying much attention, but when he saw them now, he got excited. “Can I lie down inside one of these?”

While Xiao Tang and Ji Yanchu were studying the characters on the wall together, Xiao Tang replied without turning her head, “Why don’t you try?”

Su Yuyin stopped Rong Yuheng, “Let’s not be hasty, what if there’s a mechanism?”

As this was Fang Zhixu’s first time participating in “Treasure Hunt Challenge,” she was not yet familiar with the show’s tricks. She said, “Such beautiful things shouldn’t be dangerous, right?”

Rong Yuheng touched his own face and mumbled, “The more beautiful something is, the more dangerous it usually is.”

The others fell silent at his remark.

Taking advantage of the silence, Rong Yuheng managed to slip away from Su Yuyin’s grasp and immediately crawled into one of the conch shells. Due to his slim build, he fit perfectly inside.

Rong Yuheng was about to start his performance when suddenly he felt his head bump into something.

Rong Yuheng: “?”

Next, he noticed that the other conch shells were all closing in unison.

Advertisement

Su Yuyin leaned over to Ji Yanchu and whispered, “It seems like the shells are closing…”

Ji Yanchu whispered back, “Could it be that they’ll trap him inside in the end?”

Rong Yuheng looked suspiciously at them and said, “What are you two whispering about? It’s like your faces are saying ‘let’s watch the show.'”

Su Yuyin shook his head, “No, no, just sit there for a moment and see if any mechanism will be triggered.”

“Wait, Su-ge, I smell a conspiracy,” Rong Yuheng frowned, sensing that something was not right.

He decided to go back out.

But before he could climb out, he heard Wen Ying’s voice from the other side, “Oh, these conch shells seem to be mechanisms. If they sense the wrong pressure, they’ll close.”

“?” Rong Yuheng was puzzled.

Advertisement

After Wen Ying’s explanation, Rong Yuheng realized that the conch shell he was in was now halfway closed!

He cursed, quickly propped himself up with his right hand, and attempted to crawl out.

Just as he poked his head out, Su Yuyin hurriedly called out, “Don’t come out, you might get stuck!”

Then, a flipper came shooting out from the closing gap and forcefully pushed Rong Yuheng back in!

A crisp “click” sounded as the gap completely closed.

Rong Yuheng laid there, holding his stomach, feeling defeated.

Indeed, the more beautiful something was, the more dangerous it could be.

He had strong evidence to suspect that Fang Zhixu was secretly getting back at him.

Outside the conch, the expressions of the other four people were somewhat complicated.

If there were a pie chart to describe their emotions, it might be two parts pity, three parts sympathy, and five parts enjoyment…

Advertisement

Wen Ying was quite fond of Rong Yuheng. Since she was not in any danger, she immediately threw herself into the rescue mission. “Let me study this mechanism, see how we can get Rong out of there.”

As soon as Wen Ying spoke, the huge conch shell started to tremble excitedly!

“…”

Su Yuyin’s eyelid twitched. “Let’s divide the tasks. Wen Xiao and Ji Laoshi, stay here and study the clues in the conch. Fang Zhixu and I will head to the next room to open up the path.”

As soon as Su Yuyin finished speaking, the large conch shells on the ground suddenly rushed toward him, making knocking sounds as if reproaching him for “abandoning” Rong Yuheng!

Everyone was stunned: What a cunning conch!

Inside the conch, Rong Yuheng was curled up, looking utterly hopeless.

He adjusted himself into a comfortable position and turned his head slightly, only to see a small camera installed on the edge of the shell.

Rong Yuheng remained silent for two seconds, recalling Su Yuyin’s performance during the last variety show. In a moment of inspiration, he realized he couldn’t just lie there, or the scene would be cut! After a brief thought, Rong Yuheng turned towards the camera and put on a performance.

“When I was born, I was inside a big scallop shell. My dad is a big scallop, and I am a little scallop,” he said.

Wenying and Ji Yanchu were studying characters, outside the shell. “…”

Does this kid even know what “scallop” stands for?

Rong Yuheng continued his monologue, “Our scallop family lives in the sea, surviving by eating mud. To get fresh mud, we have to get up early in the morning, bathe in the first ray of sunlight, and let the gentle waves carry us to the beach. Our whole family lives like this, working at sunrise and resting at sunset…”

Wenying felt her thoughts were completely interrupted! Rong Yuheng’s narrative was so vivid that all she could think of now were various scallops rising and falling on the coastline, opening and closing their shells with a “click-clack” sound…

Advertisement

Ji Yanchu sighed and activated signal shielding.

Rong Yuheng was still chattering inside the shell, “Finally, one day, as the pride of the scallop family, I had enough of this life eating mud.”

“I envied the two-legged creatures outside who could stand and walk – why, why could they face the sun, sit on beach chairs drinking lactobacillus E probiotic fruit drinks, and go back to their rooms to cool off with Luei brand air conditioners, ordering takeout and enjoying doorstep delivery service!”

“…” Ji Yanchu couldn’t block the signal; all three major sponsors were cued by Rong Yuheng, and he had to join in as well.

Ji Yanchu joined the performance, “Because this is the life only modern urbanites can have, and you’re just a scallop.”

“Exactly, I’m just a scallop, I’m not worthy!” Rong Yuheng said indignantly, “So, I decided to break free from this life and step into the ranks of modern urbanites.”

“…” Wenying began to doubt herself.

She was playing a game seriously, but she felt that if she didn’t join in as a foil, she might end up with fewer scenes than a stand-up comedy scallop in the final footage!

Clearing her throat, Wenying hurriedly asked, “Oh? What happened next?”

Rong Yuheng continued, “Afterward, I changed my routine, slept during the day, floated to the reef at night to absorb the essence of moonlight, and used my sand sac to breathe…”

The two of them were shaken: such professional vocabulary, as if he really was a scallop!

Rong Yuheng’s voice suddenly became melodious, with a hint of recitation, “Finally, I transformed into a human! On that day, the sky was high and the weather was clear. I broke free from the shell that had weighed me down for decades, standing on this vast land…”

Both of them: …

They could hardly tell whether this was a stand-up comedy or a recitation.

Coincidentally, the characters on the wall had been decoded. Ji Yanchu turned his head to twist the ship’s rudder, rotating it three and a half times clockwise and one turn counterclockwise.

A series of mechanical sounds followed, and the shells on the ground suddenly emitted different colored lights. The shell containing Rong Yuheng slowly opened, bursting with a silvery glow. Rong Yuheng seemed like a scallop spirit that had transformed into a human, elegantly awakening from it.

As Wen Ying and Ji Yanchu tried to stuff him back into the shell with their eyes, Rong Yuheng slowly stood up, stepping onto the ground covered in white feathers, adding an ending to his story.

Looking emotionally at the two, Rong Yuheng said, “I’ve transformed and come to repay your kindness, two lords.”

“…”

Upon hearing the term “恩公” (Pronounce, En Gong. A polite way of addressing someone), Wenying almost spewed out her saliva in surprise! Ji Yanchu appeared indifferent and asked, “Oh, how do you plan to repay your debt, little scallop?”

Rong Yuheng raised his little finger and gently shook it, “Oh… no, my lord, I am no longer a little scallop.”

Ji Yanchu’s eyebrow twitched, “Then what are you?”

“I have transformed into a human,” Rong Yuheng said with a slight smile, tilting his chin, his handsome cheeks reflecting the light above, appearing pure and flawless. “Now I am a big scallop person.”

Ji Yanchu, “…”

What a virtuous person!

Su Yuyin and Fang Zhixu had just deciphered the clues in the third room when Rong Yuheng and the other two entered from the second room.

“Hey, you guys are here?” Su Yuyin asked, noticing their different expressions.

Especially Rong Yuheng, who spent some time in the shell but didn’t show any signs of fatigue. On the contrary, he looked lively and energetic, like an elf full of vitality. In contrast, Wenying and Ji Yanchu looked like they had suffered a double blow to their body and spirit, dragging their heavy steps with their backs already bent by the burden of life.

Su Yuyin had a big question mark over his head:?

Ji Yanchu had already recovered, and he adjusted his posture as he said, “Based on the clues, we closed the shells in the order of colors, and then an induction box in the corner of the room automatically opened, revealing a piece of paper inside.”

He unfolded the paper for everyone to see.

A few simple wave lines, a cargo ship emitting thick smoke, and below were barrels and fish bones slowly sinking to the seabed.

Fang Zhixu speculated, “Could the treasure be these barrels that fell from the ship? What are these fish bones depicted?”

Su Yuyin said, “Let’s keep this for now, Teacher Ji, until we have more clues to decipher together.”

The fourth room had already been opened, and the five of them arrived at the entrance, only to find a smooth slope ahead.

To reach the next location, they had to climb up from here.

Wen Ying exclaimed, “There’s no foothold, and it’s so steep!”

Ji Yanchu took off his shoes first, “Let me try.” He took a few steps back, then ran up to use the friction on the soles of his feet to climb up.

However, the slope was too long, and Ji Yanchu slipped halfway, falling back to the flat ground below.

He shook his head, “It’s not possible; it’s too steep.”

Su Yuyin was tempted, “Why don’t I try? With the experience from the previous recording, I’ve changed into sports shoes with non-slip soles, so it’s worth a try.”

Rong Yuheng looked worried, “Su-ge, weren’t you tripped on level ground?”

Su Yuyin cleverly replied, “It’s fine. This is a slope.”

Wen Ying, having been through this before, smoothly chimed in, “So negative times negative is positive, right?”

Rong Yuheng joined in with a cheerful laugh, “Hehehe…”

The joyous atmosphere ended abruptly when Su Yuyin’s attempt to climb failed.

Su Yuyin rolled down like a wheel, and even the non-slip sports shoes couldn’t prevent his fall.

Seeing Su Yuyin rolling down, Rong Yuheng was suddenly alarmed, afraid that he might crash into the back wall, and quickly reached out to stop him!

In an instant, Rong Yuheng was pulled by a strong force and tumbled in the same direction as Su Yuyin—

“Teacher Su, Little Rong!”

With a muffled sound, luckily, the program crew had made good safety precautions, and the ground wasn’t too hard. Rong Yuheng and Su Yuyin fell together, a little dazed but not seriously injured.

Rong Yuheng’s head was still stuck under Su Yunyin’s armpit, his furry head wriggling as he tried to break free.

Su Yuyin came to his senses and quickly got up, releasing Rong Yuheng, “Rong Bao, did I crush you?”

The remaining three teammates came over, concerned and checking their condition, “Are you both okay?”

Rong Yuheng shook his head, “I’m fine, how about Su-ge?”

Su Yuyin said, “I’m fine too. Luckily, you stopped me. Otherwise, I might have rolled too far.”

Fang Zhixu sighed, “You really scared me just now, especially when Rong Yuheng and you were tangled together, I thought you might get hurt.”

The fall happened so suddenly, Rong Yuheng was too shocked to notice their condition, and when he heard “tangled together,” he inexplicably felt a subtle sense of embarrassment in his heart.

He asked, “How were we tangled together?”

Fang Zhixu demonstrated vividly, intertwining his hands, “Your hand was wrapped around Su-teacher’s waist, your head was stuck in his armpit, and Su-teacher’s hand went around your neck from behind, and your legs were twisted like a braid…”

Su Yunyin & Rong Yuheng, “…”

Rong Yuheng’s thoughts about rhyming suddenly disappeared.

He pondered for two seconds and cautiously asked, “Will this part be edited out?”

Su Yuyin thought that Rong Yuheng was concerned about his image and, knowing Yang Wen’s style, he calmly replied, “No, it will even be enhanced in post-production.”

A sense of crisis instantly surged up Rong Yuheng’s spine! Long-term experience of playing cute pets had given him an animal-like intuition—

For some unknown reason, Rong Yuheng straightened his posture and started a low-budget version of rap in front of the camera:

“Who would have thought it would develop to this point~

Kind-hearted me, helping out wasn’t wrong,

In that moment of falling, I was still worried about protecting my fur~

I’m just afraid that one day I’ll be neglected by my owner, yo~”

Author’s Note: The current crowd: No clue what just happened.

Future CP fans: This is all sweetness!!

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like