With all the guests finally gathered, it was time to assign rooms. A task that should have been simple quickly revealed complications, at least to Chu Zhi, who caught on fast.
Both Cai Jia and Zhang Ning wanted their own room. But with only three bedrooms available, and this not being a dating show, letting male and female celebrities share a room was out of the question.
Given the guest count, the two women had no real choice but to room together. Cai Jia swallowed her discontent, keeping it hidden. Zhang Ning, on the other hand, had the air of a big sister and said things directly.
"This production team is either broke, only giving us three rooms, or they're just plain twisted," Zhang Ning muttered. She kept her voice just loud enough to be picked up by the audio equipment.
Knock knock knock—
A rhythmic knock rang out. Luo Jianhui, usually quiet, got up and walked to the entrance. When he opened the door, no one was there. Just a camera operator and a blue cardboard box sitting silently on the floor.
"Is this for us?" Luo Jianhui asked the cameraman, who nodded. The box was large enough to hold an air fryer, but felt surprisingly light.
He brought it back to the living room and placed it on the coffee table, shaking his head at the others.
"What is it? So mysterious," Cai Jia muttered as she tore through the packing tape.
Inside were:
1 letter,
1 coin pouch,
1 small flag,
2 tokens,
and 5 basic mobile phones.
"I'm guessing this letter is like our newbie guide. I'll read it—broadcast major here," Min Jeongbae volunteered, not wasting a second.
He dramatically tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter. "Welcome to Star Pavilion. From this moment on, Zhang Ning, Min Jeongbae, Luo Jianhui, Chu Zhi, and Cai Jia will form the Star Travel Team. You will explore the beauty of a foreign land on behalf of the viewers while completing various small tasks to prove your team's ability."
The production team had been careful. The names in the guide were ordered by stroke count, which Chu Zhi noticed with mild amusement.
"A few suggestions for your team: Your first step is to choose a leader and present them with the team flag. The leader must be cautious, meticulous, and well-organized. Without such qualities, completing tasks will be difficult." Min Jeongbae waved the small flag from the box.
The flag was yellow, attached to a wooden rod, and shaped like a triangle. Printed on it was "Team Star Leader." It was clearly distinct from a red team flag.
Min Jeongbae paused, lifting his head and making eye contact with everyone in the room. The message was obvious. Time to choose a leader.
"I think Sister Zhang would be perfect. She's sharp and thoughtful," he said.
Thoughtful? Zhang Ning nearly laughed. She herself knew she had nothing to do with those words.
"No way, not me. I'm always forgetting things. If I become the leader, we're doomed," she said, shaking her head vigorously. Then, scanning the group, she settled on the person who had made the strongest impression: "Chu Zhi would make a great team leader."
What started as a random nomination quickly started to make more and more sense to her. "Right, right, I think Chu Zhi is the most suitable. He was even gentlemanly enough to help us carry our luggage earlier. I vote for him."
"I vote for Brother Zhi too," said Cai Jia.
"The most important leadership role I've ever held was being class monitor in middle school music. I've got zero organizational ability. As long as it's not me, I'm good with anyone," said Luo Jianhui, thinking to himself, Team leader? That's just the one who gets stuck with all the problems.
"Captain, whether we feast on meat or just... meat, or only meat, it's all in your hands!" Min Jeongbae said, clutching Chu Zhi's hand with dramatic flair.
Chu Zhi had originally planned to nominate himself, but he hadn't expected to be chosen outright. His gentle persona didn't mean he lacked backbone. Being soft-spoken never equated to being weak or indecisive.
His quiet plan had been to carry the team, win fans, and leave a strong impression. He hadn't come here to coast.
"Brother Luo was once the class monitor. I didn't even make it that far," Chu Zhi joked. "Looks like I've been promoted this time. I'll do my best to lead our Star Team well."
"So handsome, and now responsible too," Zhang Ning quipped. She handed the flag to him immediately, as if worried he might back out.
With Min Jeongbae leading the applause, the others clapped as well, officially making Chu Zhi their leader. Then the guide letter reading continued.
"The coin pouch contains your weekly group budget for seven people. Use the funds wisely. It covers your daily expenses, transportation, and everything else," Min Jeongbae read out, before urging, "Let's see how much is in there."
"Oh oh!" Cai Jia opened the pouch and poured the contents onto the table. Out tumbled five Fukuzawa Yukichi bills and fifty-five ¥100 coins.
Fukuzawa Yukichi was the historical figure printed on the ¥10,000 note, the largest denomination in circulation.
"How much is ¥55,500 in RMB?" Cai Jia asked. She wasn't familiar with exchange rates.
"About ¥500 to ¥600 for every ¥10,000," Luo Jianhui answered.
Quick with numbers, maybe thanks to her gaming habits, Cai Jia blurted out, "So, around ¥3,000 total."
Zhang Ning considered it. "For living expenses, about ¥600 per person for the week should be enough."
"It's not just for living. It also covers travel costs for missions and any other fees," Min Jeongbae pointed out. "Transportation here in Japan is expensive."
That reminder made Zhang Ning rethink things. "So they expect five of us to survive a week in Japan on ¥3,000, and we still have to complete missions? Is the production team trying to starve us?"
There was no host and no on-site staff to respond. Cameras had been set up beforehand, and even the cameraman had stepped away. So her complaints would go unanswered, for now.
"Maybe they want us to work for our money," Chu Zhi said, trying to reassure the big sister figure of the group. "Back home, they used to call me a money-making genius."
The ¥55,500 would amount to ¥11,100 per person. After some discussion, they agreed to hand all the money over to the team leader for centralized management.
"What are these tokens? Some kind of item?" Cai Jia picked up the two plastic objects in the box. They were shaped like torches and quite well made—though from a distance, they looked more like torch-shaped ice cream cones.
"Let's see... They're called Emergency Help Tokens," Min Jeongbae read. "Each token can summon two staff members for physical assistance."
The phones were briefly mentioned too. Each person received one, to be used only for contacting other team members.
"This could actually be pretty useful. I wonder how long their help lasts? If it's a decent amount of time, maybe we can have them work to earn us money," Cai Jia said. "Labor help is still physical help. We could have them hold three part-time jobs per day, right?"
Luo Jianhui looked uncertain. "Isn't that... a bit much?"
"Not at all," said Cai Jia. "Convenience store for five hours, restaurant for five hours, food delivery for five hours. That still leaves nine hours for sleep and meals. Totally doable."
The production staff: Thank you. Truly. From the bottom of our hearts.
"Smart thinking. This way, we'll never run out of money," Min Jeongbae gave her a thumbs-up. "You're the queen of budgeting."
Chu Zhi clapped silently in his mind. "This girl shouldn't be a celebrity. She's got real capitalist potential."
"I'll ask the crew tomorrow about how long the token's effect lasts," Chu Zhi said.
"The final part of the letter," said Min Jeongbae. "Your first task: After sunset, place all the money in the circle on the table. Tonight, a Gold Thief will appear."
"If the Gold Thief succeeds in stealing the money, the amount taken will not be returned."