Chapter 28: Don't Fall for Me

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Don’t Fall for Me

Standing before the hotel, Zhang Le and Yang Xin’er exchanged glances, both taken aback. This was no grand hotel—at best, it surpassed a rural guesthouse by a small margin.

Zhang Le had grown up in the mountains and was used to hardship, but Yang Xin’er came from a privileged background. Though Zhang Le wasn’t entirely sure of the details, he was fairly certain she’d never stayed somewhere like this.

He tended to avoid thinking too much about Yang Xin’er’s family history, whether intentionally or not.

“Are we sure we’re in the right place?” Yang Xin’er asked doubtfully.

“Take a look over there and you’ll see,” Zhang Le pointed not far ahead. He actually wanted to say they’d made a mistake, but the program team’s sign was far too prominent to ignore.

He wondered whether Xin’er could adapt to this place.

“This production team is really something…” Yang Xin’er forced a smile.

She’d wanted to call them stingy, but they’d already brought everyone to an international metropolis like Paris—who would quibble over hotel expenses? No doubt, the choice was related to how the show would be recorded.

If they were truly tight-fisted, they’d just film a survival episode in the wilderness; that would be even cheaper to produce.

“Hello, welcome,” a staff member came out, greeting them politely.

“Hello!” Zhang Le replied, following the staff member into the hotel. He noticed no other guests and asked, “Are we the first to arrive?”

“Yes, but your flight wasn’t the earliest,” the staff member replied.

“So, we’re not last, and there’s a chance we used the least time,” Yang Xin’er said suddenly.

“At least for now,” the staff member smiled. “The others haven’t arrived yet. But honestly, it’s unlikely anyone will beat your time. Our previous tests showed the fastest possible was a little over two hours.”

“That’s probably because we came by taxi,” Yang Xin’er added. “Is there any advantage for the quickest time?”

“You’ll find out when everyone’s here,” the staff member replied with a smile.

They’d already been informed that Yang Xin’er and Zhang Le took a taxi. After the initial surprise, the staff no longer reacted much.

About an hour later, the second group arrived: Chen Fang and Lin Yang from Hong Kong. Their exhaustion was evident; the journey had left them somewhat disheveled.

Both Chen Fang and Lin Yang came from well-off families, but it wasn’t as if they’d never taken the subway or a bus before. It was the first time, however, they’d had to manage so much luggage. In a foreign country, unfamiliar with the language and the environment, the challenge was all the greater.

They had taken over two hours longer than Zhang Le’s group.

After some polite greetings, Lin Yang happened to glance at Zhang Le and Yang Xin’er’s luggage. Recalling his own ordeal, nearly driven mad by his baggage, he asked curiously, “You brought so little?”

Zhang Le simply smiled and nodded.

Yang Xin’er laughed and explained, “Originally, I brought several huge suitcases, but this guy said since the show’s called ‘Together on the Road,’ it should be just the two of us—no assistant. He thought it would be too much trouble, so we left them behind. He kept insisting that as long as we had a credit card, we’d be fine. But the moment we landed, not only the cards but even our cash was confiscated by the production team.”

Chen Fang and Lin Yang’s eyes grew wide. Lin Yang slapped his forehead and groaned, “Together on the Road? Why didn’t I think of that! The production team really should’ve given us a heads-up. We’ve barely started and I already feel half-dead.”

“You’re just slow,” Chen Fang teased.

Though not married, Chen Fang and Lin Yang had been together for years and their banter revealed their closeness. As they laughed, another group arrived—Xu Min and Liu Zheng.

Xu Min and Liu Zheng entered laughing, and Yang Xin’er greeted them warmly.

“Mr. Xu, Mr. Liu!” she said cheerfully. They’d previously worked together, so they were acquainted.

“Ah, this girl! When I heard you were joining the show, I thought it was just a rumor,” Liu Zheng chuckled. Glancing at Zhang Le, he added, “So this is your young man? Not bad at all!”

“Mr. Xu, Mr. Liu,” Zhang Le greeted politely.

“Hello!”

“Hello!” Chen Fang and Lin Yang also offered their greetings.

“I’m surprised so many have arrived already! I thought we’d be first,” Liu Zheng laughed.

“Mr. Liu and Mr. Xu, you made it in an hour and forty minutes—right after Mr. Zhang and Ms. Yang, but ahead of Mr. Chen and Mr. Lin,” a staff member announced.

“Only an hour and forty minutes? That’s impressive,” Lin Yang said in astonishment. “Wait, that’s not even the fastest!”

“My son is studying in France—he drove us here,” Xu Min said with a proud smile.

“Is that allowed? You can do that?” Lin Yang exclaimed.

“They said we could use any means necessary, as long as we got here. I didn’t spend a cent of the twenty euros they gave us,” Liu Zheng grinned, turning to the director. “So, can I save the money for the next task?”

The director shook his head. “For fairness, everything resets. Each group will start the next task on equal footing. Mr. Liu, you’ll have to surrender the twenty euros too.”

“Here you go. With my son’s help, I probably had it too easy this round anyway,” Liu Zheng said, then turned to Yang Xin’er, “Little Yang, how did you get here faster than us? Do you have friends or family in France?”

After the director’s words, Zhang Le and Yang Xin’er both subconsciously considered hiding some money. But the production team’s staff had sharp eyes.

“No need to hide anything, Mr. Zhang, Ms. Yang,” the director said with a smile.

“We know! There’s a cameraman following us the entire time—there’s nowhere to hide,” Zhang Le and Yang Xin’er replied with a wry laugh, handing over their money.

Liu Zheng and Xu Min exchanged puzzled glances. Chen Fang and Lin Yang were equally mystified—they were only supposed to have twenty euros, so why did Zhang Le and Yang Xin’er have so much?

“We earned some fare at the airport and took a taxi, so we got here much faster. Nothing to brag about!” Zhang Le laughed.

“You’re incredible!” Lin Yang gave a thumbs-up.

Zhang Le chuckled and turned to the cameraman nearby. “Sir, could I get a close-up? I need to show off a bit.”

“What for?” Yang Xin’er asked, confused.

With a straight face, Zhang Le turned to the camera and declared, “Don’t fall for me. I’m just a legend.”

Seeing the strange expressions on everyone’s faces, Zhang Le smiled awkwardly and said, “Come on, it’s just a bit of humility. All right, I admit, I just wanted to spice up the show a little.”

Of course, humility was a joke; everyone immediately understood about enhancing the show’s effect. The program’s coordinator’s eyes suddenly lit up.