A Pleasant Surprise

The production team moved swiftly, with the staff working overtime through the night. By evening, the official recording had begun. All the judges were award-winning artists and directors. The contestants, including Qu Wan, were seated backstage, watching the live feed on the big screen.

"I'm so nervous. We won't get eliminated in the first round, right?" Xu Yue voiced her worries.

"Take it easy," Qu Wan comforted her, but truthfully, she was just as anxious.

"Qu Wan, sis," someone called.

Following the voice, Qu Wan turned to Zhao Jingyi.

Everyone knows how to put on airs in front of the camera, but Qu Wan had been annoyed for a while. "I'm not older than you, am I? Why do you keep calling me 'sis'? Are you trying to get ahead?"

"Brother Xia! I have another question!" Lin Hua continued to ask sincerely, like a sage seeking enlightenment.

The old butler, He, was full of doubts, but seeing Li Hongzhang's brows knit tightly into a knot, he dared not speak. He simply followed behind Li Hongzhang, silent and proper.

Facing the elder before him, who seemed almost like a three-dimensional hologram, Wei Suo didn't know how to describe his feelings. He was flustered. Not only was he unsure how he ended up in this place, but the lifelike projection in front of him was beyond anything modern technology could produce.

Speaking of the Count, though he had a heart full of justice and was willing to join them on this perilous expedition, his abilities were simply too lacking.

Nevertheless, his kindness made it impossible to refuse Wei Suo's request—after all, Wei Suo pleaded so pitifully to be the guardian of the flowers.

Having benefited himself, he dared not push further and respectfully clasped his hands, preparing to leave.

In truth, the third-level martial artists possessed far greater offensive power than defensive—any strike could surpass the force of a sniper bullet, yet they themselves could not withstand a bullet.

As expected, just as the priest who had been possessed breathed his last, a griffin knight beside Marquis Kadean was possessed next. Bai Gang still couldn't figure out how the creature managed to possess people.

Every quarter hour, she added more sugar; Xu Miao had a deep fondness for sticky rice cakes. In her past life, whenever she was at her grandfather's house in the countryside during winter, she would eat them every year. Soft, chewy, sticky—she never forgot the sensation.

"It's just a story, not some forbidden power. How could it be unbearable?" Qing Huan propped her head, tilting it as she watched Kong Zhi, staring for a while. But seeing his gaze remain calm, she knew he truly didn't intend to say more, so she flopped down again, mumbling in frustration.

The Song family were direct relatives of the Chu family; his grandmother and the Zengs were sisters born of the same mother. He and Xia Zihan were still engaged, a bond of marriage—so could it be that, in the Chu family, he was less important than a godparent?

After giving her instructions, Su Yiqing turned to have someone fetch He Nian Nian, then sat beside Quan Shaochen, quietly reviewing whether she had overlooked anything.

"A beautiful strike! That burst of energy is truly extraordinary!" In the commentary booth, Su Zhou never held back his praise.

This place was widely renowned and had the best reputation. Accordingly, the slaves sold here fetched the highest prices—worth every coin.

Harry Potter, twelve years old, was in a rare moment of fate—meeting another version of himself, and in response to the other's curiosity, he couldn't help but pour out his story, scarcely noticing the platinum-haired companion's expression of utter distress.

"Don't worry, Mommy will take good care of herself! Yangyang should think about how to get better and not let Grandma worry so much—you see, Grandma even has dark circles under her eyes!" She pointed to Lady Quan's face as she spoke.

At that moment, Harry truly wished he could pin them all to the dining table and make them eat properly, instead of staring at each other in silence. He opened his mouth, glanced at both faces, but didn't know what to say to ease the strange tension. He felt terribly uncomfortable.

I tried calling Lan Fei again. After a few rings, she hung up. How odd—what on earth are the two of them up to?