Chapter 32: A Fart That Shakes the Heavens

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Early the next morning,

"Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong—"

The production crew began waking everyone up with drums and gongs.

"Swoosh—"

The sliding door was violently pulled open.

With heavy dark circles under his eyes, Gu Qing looked resentfully at the production crew, who were currently clutching their stomachs in laughter.

Aside from the girls' room, which was relatively far away, none of the boys had slept well.

"Ou Di, do you have any idea what you did last night?!"

Deng Chao grabbed the culprit, demanding an explanation.

"What did I do?"

Ou Di looked innocent.

"Brother Ou Di, do you realize your snoring was even more exaggerated than a power drill?"

Gu Qing said weakly.

"Exactly, it was so loud we couldn't sleep," Lin Gengxin added, feeling indignant on behalf of the others.

"Brother, you weren't doing much better!"

Gu Qing slapped him back with the evidence he had recorded last night.

Lin Gengxin's face instantly flushed red, and he felt like shrinking into the ground.

Fortunately, at that moment,

Two "Natural Beauty Goddesses" made their entrance one after another.

But the most eye-catching was Yang Ying, facing the morning light; even without a trace of makeup, she was still dazzlingly beautiful.

The production crew took the opportunity to present the mission, which detailed the rules for this game.

【Gym KTV】!

Each member must choose one piece of fitness equipment. They need to sing while exercising, and their performance will be scored by software. A score exceeding 80 points constitutes a successful challenge.

"I'll go first!"

"Big Black Bull" Li Chen stretched his limbs and went straight for the heavyweight barbells to showcase his immense strength.

"Xiao Gu, you pick the pull-up bar later. My waist isn't great, so I won't be able to exert much force."

Behind him, Chen Chichi was pulling Gu Qing aside to discuss tactics.

"Sure, I'm fine with anything."

Gu Qing's gaze drifted casually, only to witness the Big Black Bull bending over, lifting his hips, and gripping a dumbbell in a very standard posture.

"Wait!"

He was suddenly struck by a sudden realization, like a bolt of lightning from his sleeping memories.

Gu Qing was just about to pull Chen Chichi up, but it was too late...

"Pfft—!!"

With a sound like a muffled thunderclap, the Big Black Bull released a "toxin."

"No!!!"

Chen Chichi took a deep breath, and immediately his eyes bulged in agony as he clutched his own throat.

Meanwhile, Gu Qing had already collapsed face-first.

"What kind of biochemical weapon is this?!"

Old Deng, who had been slumped in a chair trying to wake up, was jolted backward by the shock. He pinched his nose in pain. "Chen, what on earth did you eat last night?!"

The production crew's cameras shook violently. The following PD was curled up like a shrimp, struggling to suppress his laughter.

"I can't look, I can't look!"

Da Baobei covered her face with both hands to avoid the "poison."

Ou Di, who had just taken a sip of water, sprayed it out as well.

"No... listen to my explanation..."

Li Chen's entire face turned a dark, bruised purple, and the barbell in his hand crashed onto the floor with a clang.

He retreated in a panic, his lower back hitting a stationary bike with a piercing metallic screech. "That was just the equipment friction! It was definitely just equipment friction!"

"Can friction smell like garlic?"

Chen Chichi lay on the ground, seemingly on the verge of death, but suddenly experienced a moment of clarity. He pointed at the camera: "The camera caught it! Li Chen, I'm telling you, if you don't compensate me and Xiao Gu for our mental distress, this isn't over!!"

The scene erupted into a second wave of explosive laughter.

"Ah... I don't want to live anymore!"

Li Chen gave up on treatment, wailing as he sprawled on the floor, wishing he could dig a hole to hide in.

With the "power of the fart" from Li Chen,

Even the subsequent singing competition felt dull by comparison.

After several rounds of competition,

Gu Qing helped his team secure victory through his perfect pitch.

Next, their mission location was Myeong-dong.

They needed to draw a national flag and find people from the corresponding country to play shuttlecock together; they had to complete 10 consecutive kicks to win.

What Gu Qing didn't expect, however, was that

When he arrived in Myeong-dong, he was swarmed by a group of excited girls claiming to be his fans.

Through his memories, Gu Qing realized the truth.

The original owner of his body had previously performed on the streets, and thanks to his striking looks, he had been quite popular on South Korean social media for a time.

Furthermore,

Since most of South Korea's population is concentrated in Seoul, encountering a few fans wasn't actually that strange.

"Xiao Gu was actually famous in South Korea..."

Watching the several crazed little fangirls, Lu Hao, behind the camera, was quite surprised.

Regarding the marketing of Gu Qing's image, he hadn't actually taken it seriously before; he had simply valued the man's looks more.

After all,

If you were truly famous, would you dare to be linked with two top-tier returning stars? Would you not have created social media accounts in China?

Or collaborated with a great director for your first drama to play the male lead in a movie?

Would you just sign with a small company and participate in variety shows?

But looking at it now, Gu Qing might actually have some "substance."

As for the mission,

Wang Likun had a "god-tier hand" and drew the South Korean flag.

"Can you do me a favor?"

Gu Qing looked at the little fan who had just taken a photo with him.

The four of them worked together to complete the mission first.

The remaining three, including Gu Qing, leisurely watched the Red and Green teams struggle to find foreign friends.

Once all three teams had finished the shuttlecock task, the recording for this episode concluded.

As guests, Wang Likun and Ou Di said their goodbyes one after another.

Lin Gengxin stayed behind to take Wang Zhulan's place.

In the middle of it,

Wang Likun had wanted to add Gu Qing on social media.

But as soon as filming ended,

Gu Qing was whisked away by Da Baobei for shopping, so she had to let it go.

By the afternoon,

The seven members of the Running Man crew faced the epic challenge of this episode

"Crossing Jeju Island"!

"Director, are you crazy?"

Chen Chichi protested vehemently. "Crossing a river in paper boats? If they sink, are you going to make us feed the fish?"

"Don't worry, there are no sharks in Jeju Island," Lu Hao said with a smile.

"Is the shark even the point here?"

"Alright, the mission begins now. You seven can form three teams, divided into: two, two, and three."

As soon as Lu Hao finished speaking,

Chen Chichi didn't care about complaining anymore. He grabbed Li Chen and said with a grin, "I've already chosen! I'm on a team with the Big Black Bull!"

"Brother Chichi, you betray us too quickly!"

Gu Qing said with mock heartbreak. "We were still teammates this morning!"

"Xiao Gu, the morning was the morning, and now is now."

Chen Chichi shamelessly buried his head in Li Chen's pectoral muscles. "I declare that the Running Man's 'Strongest Brain' and 'Strongest Power' are a team. Who can defeat us?!"

This left the Big Black Bull quite bewildered.

I am the strongest power, no problem,

But your... strongest brain?

I beg to differ!

"A man who is shameless is invincible,"

Deng Chao remarked, preparing to team up with Gu Qing and Baby.

However, he found that Wang Baoqiang had already approached Gu Qing, so he didn't step forward to ask.

"Xiao Gu, if we brothers join forces, do you have confidence?"

Wang Baoqiang stood on his tiptoes and put an arm around Gu Qing's shoulder.

"I certainly do, Brother Baoqiang."

A bitter smile appeared on Gu Qing's face; it seemed he truly couldn't escape this.

"Why are you smiling so forcedly?"

Wang Baoqiang was a bit puzzled. He picked up the materials prepared by the crew and began building the boat.

After a period of busywork, everyone successfully built their boats.

"Brother Baoqiang, is our boat really okay?"

Gu Qing hesitated to speak.

Other people's boats had passengers sitting one in front of the other,

But their boat was built with seats on the left and right, with a very high cabin in the middle that blocked the two men's line of sight.

It was designed specifically so they wouldn't see each other!

"Bao-bao, little brother, is your boat actually okay? Don't sink right after you start,"

Deng Chao teased from the side.

"Go away, how could it possibly sink!"

Wang Baoqiang waved his hand in annoyance. "I've already thought of the name: the 'Wang-Gu'号 (Death/Deceased). How domineering!"

"Death? You really know how to name things,"

Everyone burst into laughter.

As the director's whistle blew, the three teams set off.

Gu Qing paddled hard, but the boat still moved forward very slowly. "Brother Baoqiang, put some strength into it!"

"Xiao Gu, wait a second, I think there's a small problem over here."

Wang Baoqiang's voice came from across the cabin.

Gu Qing: "What problem?"

Wang Baoqiang: "The bottom of the boat is leaking on my side."

Gu Qing: "???"

You call this a *small* problem?!!

"Director, help!!"

"Glug, glug, glug—"

The 'Death' boat met its end.

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(End of Chapter)