YMBLTY

Chapter 22: Tying the Knot

After concluding their private talk, Gu Wei and Jiang Xun returned to their cameramen and stepped back into frame to continue recording the show.

They both looked calm and collected, like they had already reached some agreement to resolve their earlier issues. And Jiang Xun didn't bring up Gu Wei's extraordinarily wrong answer about his gaming stats.

The host from the show was still dumbfounded by these recent events. He got the feeling that, when the program aired this segment, this extremely secretive and extremely shady exchange would surely incite curiosity and debate among all the viewers across the nation.

"Can I try one more time?" Gu Wei asked.

"Don't worry, I won't leave you behind," Jiang Xun said, patting Gu Wei's downy soft hair before turning back to the host. "You guys have prepared another way for him to get out, right?"

"We do have something," the host said, nodding with an apprehensive look. "But… it'll be more of a challenge. The difficulty level will be increased."

"We'll give it a try," Jiang Xun said.

This 'challenge' with the 'increased' difficulty level that the host spoke of was… charades. It was a game that would test the bonds and understanding between two people. The host, having seen Gu Wei miserably fail to answer a simple question about Jiang Xun, thought it was reasonable to assume these two didn't stand a chance in hell of clearing this challenge.

They would most likely struggle fruitlessly, then end up having to wait for another teammate to come rescue them.

"You have two minutes. Gu Wei will give the hints, and Jiang Xun will guess the idioms we've chosen as your keyphrases. If you get four correct, you'll win a task key," the host explained. "When you act out the key phrases, you can give hints by speaking. But you can't say more than ten words per phrase, and you can't use any of the words that are in the idiom your partner is guessing."

"Got it," Gu Wei said, though he was starting to feel a little anxious.

"What are you getting nervous for?" Jiang Xun asked, instantly noticing when Gu Wei started to tense up. "Don't be scared. If you fail, I'll just stay here with you. That'll get us out eventually. There's no way the director would let us stay cooped up in this building for the entire show."

Gu Wei nodded. He started to feel a little more relaxed, and at the same time felt a hint of warmth filling up his chest.

He had participated in many variety shows before, and there had been many obstacles that he couldn't overcome on his own. But this was the first time that he had someone with him, someone who promised to stay by his side regardless of the outcome of this challenge.

"Are you cold?" Jiang Xun asked. It was early autumn, and the temperature was low so early in the morning. The uniform the showrunners had prepared for Gu Wei seemed to be a size too big on him, which made him look even more small and frail than he normally appeared. Seeing that had sparked Jiang Xun's concern.

Gu Wei shook his head, but subconsciously took a step closer to Jiang Xun.

But the host soon instructed them to move to new positions. Jiang Xun was to stand with his back to a screen that would show the idioms he needed to guess, while Gu Wei stood in front of him and faced the screen.

The timer began to tick. The first phrase appeared on the screen:

Chicken-and-duck conversation1.

Gu Wei stared blankly at the screen for a second.

How was he supposed to act out a phrase like that? Sure enough, this was a real challenge.

He thought about it for another second before spreading both arms and making a flapping motion as he said, "Four words."