Chapter 21: Battle on the Water

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After finishing the meal and resting individually.

The recording of the program resumed!

Gu Qing and the others boarded the production crew's vehicle and arrived at the new mission location.

A magnificent manor.

Upon entering the room, they discovered a large swimming pool and a water spraying apparatus.

Having experienced the first episode, Gu Qing and her group could already sense the scent of danger.

Lu Hao announced the mission rules

"The next mission is a Water Battle!

Each of your female partners must stand under the water spraying apparatus, and as for the men?

You must start from the starting line, run across the water mats, climb the high platform to snatch the 'Heart' prop, and then jump into the water, swimming to the opposite side to hand it to your beloved to complete the victory!"

Lu Hao added, "And the other four female partners who fail will face the water-spraying punishment!!"

After understanding the rules, it was time for the girls' cheering segment.

Nazha performed a dance from her hometown, Zhang Lanxian sent love with finger hearts, Xie Yilin did the Big Bear dance...

"Go, Qingqing~"

Yang Ying's cheering was quite simple—she just blew a kiss.

But recalling the previous biscuit-eating incident, the meaning of this "kiss" was clearly much deeper.

With the cheering finished,

Gu Qing stood at the outermost edge on the left side of the pool, setting herself in a starting stance.

"Beep—"

As the whistle blew, everyone sprinted off at full speed.

At this moment, Gu Qing's advantage became apparent.

With her slender physique, as she sprinted across the water mats, she was like a hurricane, being the first to rush up the high platform and grab the heart.

"Ahhh!! Qingqing!!"

Yang Ying screamed in encouragement.

Gu Qing did not disappoint. She jumped into the pool clutching the heart, just as she was about to hand it to Baby.

Li Chen, who had climbed the high platform, saw Gu Qing about to complete the mission. How could he let her succeed?

And so...

The Crow—Flying Plane!!

The "Big Black Bull" took flight, crashing toward Gu Qing like a cannonball.

With a loud "Boom—",

The pool exploded, and water splashed high into the air.

Gu Qing felt her vision go dark, nearly making intimate contact with the bottom of the pool.

"Chen, are you trying to kill your little brother?"

Deng Chao, who had just climbed the high platform, was left speechless with shock.

But as Gu Qing and Li Chen resurfaced and began fighting over the heart...

"Hahaha, I'm coming too!!"

Deng Chao accelerated and lunged in as well.

Men are boys until the day they die.

Wang Baoqiang and Zhu Lan joined in playfully.

In the end, the one suffering was Gu Qing.

The four men surrounded him, making it impossible for him to move, much like the "Seven-Day Lock of Golden Love" from *Big Fool Chun*.

After about ten minutes of stalemate,

Gu Qing was exhausted, her hands lost their strength, and the heart flew out.

Deng Chao and the others didn't have much stamina left either.

Finally,

It was Li Chen, relying on his physical advantage, who snatched the heart and handed it to Xie Yilin.

"Ahhh—"

The four girls received the water-spraying punishment, with Nazha's high-pitched dolphin tones echoing endlessly.

When the second round began,

Li Chen and Xie Yilin, having completed their mission, leaned leisurely on lounge chairs, watching the battle unfold.

As the whistle blew for the second time,

Gu Qing did not give anyone a chance to sneak attack this time. She quickly snatched the heart prop,

dodging Deng Chao's bear hug and Wang Baoqiang's pounce, successfully handing the heart to Yang Ying to complete the mission.

"Laburaka, put some effort in!"

Seeing Yang Ying joyfully pulling Gu Qing onto the shore, Nazha stomped her feet in frustration.

Why was her male partner so useless?!

"Honey, don't worry, this time I will definitely deliver my 'sincerity' to you!"

Deng Chao also got "angry," pounding his chest in guarantee, "Let me show you the prowess of a man from Xijiang!"

As the third round began,

Deng Chao indeed took the lead and snatched the heart.

But seeing Tang Yixin being sprayed with water repeatedly, Wang Baoqiang couldn't bear it and also unleashed powerful combat strength.

The two fought fiercely,

However, Wang Zhu Lan leisurely watched from the side.

When the two accidentally tossed the heart during their struggle, he quickly reached out to catch it and handed it to Zhang Lanxin with an air of ease.

"NO!!!"

"Wang Zhu Lan!!"

This result was clearly unacceptable to Deng Chao and Wang Baoqiang.

In their fury, the two teamed up to press Wang Zhu Lan into the water in retaliation, but they still couldn't change the outcome of the race.

After three rounds of competition,

It was thought that the game would come to an end.

But Lu Hao had studied the *Lüshi Chunqiu* deeply and understood exactly what the audience loved to see.

He added an extra match!

The men stood under water buckets while the women fought for the hearts.

After all, the Master Lü once said: "I love watching women fight most!"

Especially inside a swimming pool,

The scene... just thinking about it was thrilling!

The entire production crew started shouting "Ohhh!" with smiles they couldn't suppress.

"Sister Baby, go~"

After Gu Qing finished her cheering and waved.

"Beep—"

The whistle blew, and the five girls rushed into the pool, disregarding their image to fight for the hearts.

"Big Baby" took on the persona of a desperate warrior, fully embodying her "tomboy" character, completely ignoring her graceful image, and was the first to grab a heart.

But when she jumped into the pool, intending to hand the heart to Gu Qing...

A familiar scene appeared.

The Crow—Flying Plane!!

Xie Yilin repeated the feat, as if possessed by the Big Black Bull, using a heavy strike to slam Yang Ying into the water.

"Chen, are you guys out to get the little brothers today?"

Deng Chao watched, laughing heartily.

Gu Qing caught on instantly; his face turned cold as he glared sideways at Li Chen.

But because he had a feminine face and innocent almond eyes, he lacked any sense of intimidation.

This made the Big Black Bull laugh "Moo moo" uncontrollably.

Inside the pool,

Big Baby's experience

seemed to be a microcosm of Gu Qing's first round.

Surrounded by four sisters, he struggled to hold onto the heart, unable to move an inch.

After a long stalemate,

Just as Yang Ying finally managed to shuffle to the edge of the pool and Gu Qing reached out to take the heart...

"Get down here!"

Xie Yilin reached out, grabbed Gu Qing's arm, and gave a hard tug.

The pool surface was already slippery, and Gu Qing hadn't been paying attention.

With a "Plop~",

Gu Qing fell into the "Spider Web Cave."

"Ahhhhhhh—"

A piercing scream rang out.

But this scream wasn't from terror, but from "excitement"!

One girl might be shy, but five girls interpreted "wolfish and tigerish" to the fullest!

Seeing the handsome boy fall into the water,

The gunpowder scent in the pool instantly turned into an ocean of joy.

"Hey, who's touching my clothes?!"

"Don't touch me randomly!!"

"Brother Chao, help me!!!"

Gu Qing could hardly see anything; his nose was filled with the sweet scent of perfume. He wanted to struggle, but any movement resulted in touching mysterious softness.

He was so startled that he stiffened his body, not even daring to move, fearing that if he were caught on camera, it would become evidence for haters to twist the truth later.

"Hahaha, Director, can this segment really be aired?"

"Do you want to help? If this keeps up, I'm afraid the little brother's innocence will be gone."

Witnessing Gu Qing being handled all over in the pool,

Deng Chao and his group on the shore were grinning from ear to ear, taking pleasure in his misfortune in front of the camera.

Meanwhile, in the distance,

Zhao Ya, acting as Gu Qing's little assistant, was calling Li Li's phone with tears in her eyes.

Well, this was it.

Sister Li wouldn't have to worry about Qingqing being kissed anymore.

If he were taken advantage of by one female star, the female fans would be angry.

But if he were taken advantage of by a group of female stars,

The fans would only be proud.

"Look at how popular the man I stan is!"

This was the real experience Zhao Ya had gained from years of navigating fandom circles.

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(End of Chapter)