"Isn't this the one we learned in school? 'The boundless grass on the plain, it withers and flourishes once a year'?" Zhang Ning squinted at the engraved text. "Are there limited attempts for this challenge?"
The man dressed as the "Master of Qiyi" turned away dramatically, his back to them as he replied with a lofty tone, "Geniuses are rare. If you can succeed in three tries, the challenger shall earn the title: [Gifted Intellect]."
"Could you look at me when you speak? When your back's turned I keep wanting to kick you," Zhang Ning raised her leg in mock-threat.
"..." The Master of Qiyi quickly turned around.
Before Chu Zhi could speak, Zhang Ning was already gearing up to try. He hesitated, then said, "Jie, how about I go first? I know some Japanese."
"You do?" Zhang Ning was a little surprised. Speaking English was common, but Japanese?
"I studied a bit on my own," Chu Zhi replied. He turned to the actor. "If I understand the inscription directly, is there a better reward?"
"Uh?" The Master of Qiyi was caught off guard. That wasn't in the script.
The production team had done their research. None of the five cast members majored in Japanese or had filmed in Japan. The task was supposed to test memory, ideally with lots of misreads and failed attempts.
"Go ahead," said the actor.
"离离たり原上の草, 一歳に一たび枯荣す..." Chu Zhi recited fluently. With the hiragana written beneath, anyone who had studied the basic kana could do it—and he certainly had.
(Riri tari haraue no kusa, Issai ni hitotabi ko'ei su ...)
"That was fine, right?" he asked.
The Master of Qiyi's face twitched. As a graduate of the Foreign Studies University, his own pronunciation wasn't much better. What kind of singer self-studies Japanese to this level?
"Is there a bonus for our team, since our leader nailed it?" Zhang Ning pressed.
There was no such clause, but the crew needed time to patch the script. The director hadn't even had time to give the actor new instructions.
"Let me propose this," Chu Zhi said, "My jie here could read it just fine too. Why not give the [Gifted Intellect] title to both of us?"
After a few seconds of silence, the Master turned again and said, "I see great potential in both of you. You are both awarded the title."
He handed over two sheets of A4 paper:
[Title: Gifted Intellect]Effect: Grants one free ride on a local transit vehicleValid only for the holder
The paper was cheaply printed and clearly mass-produced, but the actor breathed a sigh of relief—thankfully they had backup copies.
Back in the control room, Director Che Lun was about to suggest asking Chu Zhi why he knew Japanese, but then remembered the price of asking earlier questions: a bag of milk candies and chocolate. He let it go.
Having a cast member fluent in Japanese dampened the exotic factor of the show. Che Lun had already decided that Chu Zhi, as group leader, would need to be separated from the others in later segments.
"Ox head, tiger tail," the Master said cryptically. "That is where the scroll is hidden."
Great. Now he's speaking in riddles. If they had their phones, a quick search would have solved it in seconds.
"That's an old character riddle!" Zhang Ning snapped her fingers. "It's the character for 'first' (xian)."
Chu Zhi gave a respectful nod. "I was still thinking. Jie, you're full of surprises."
"Oh, nothing much. The kids in our courtyard used to love these puzzles. Like, guess the character from 'ninety-nine strikes'."
The red-painted steel bridge at Futami Park looked like a wooden one from a distance. Following a narrow path down from Futami Rock, they found a small wooden box tucked into the bushes.
[Blazing Hundred Strikes]
"Finally got it!" Zhang Ning cheered.
Chu Zhi thought the name sounded familiar, but didn't dwell on it.
Back at the villa's main hall, they weren't the first to arrive. Cai Jia, who had gone solo, was already there.
"Ta-da! I got 'Azure Lotus Sword Song'." She couldn't help but show off to Chu Zhi.
"As expected of our game-strategy goddess," Chu Zhi praised generously.
The third pair, Min Jeongbae and Luo Jianhui, came in last but still managed to retrieve their scroll: [Greedy Wolf's Grasp].
Chu Zhi was now sure. This show had to be sponsored by Tianmei. No way those names were a coincidence.
Only his group received the special title, and with the challenge complete, they were finally allowed a proper lunch.
Japanese kaiseki meals always looked luxurious but left you feeling like you'd eaten nothing at all.
Beyond the reality show itself, Chu Zhi was secretly preparing a grand surprise—a romantic gesture once done by a certain celebrity: taking fans to see the Milky Way and distant glaciers.
That idea came from the show Ride with a Reason, where Wu Lei cycled with fans to remote natural wonders. For many city dwellers, starry skies are just a memory from childhood.
Chu Zhi was determined to recreate that moment. After researching, he found that Japan only had about ten ideal Milky Way viewing spots, and one of them happened to be in Hokkaido. The closest one to their current location in Jozankei was Asahidake, more than 200 kilometers away.
He had been wondering how to get there, but now, with the new title granting free transport, it felt like destiny.
While Chu Zhi plotted his starlit gift to fans, back at the agency, his manager Fei-ge was dealing with unexpected work.
Producer Sun from Guangxian Media had sent over a publicity coordination sheet.
"The World Center Calls is airing tomorrow on QVideo?" Fei-ge had forgotten all about that.
As both PR and marketing lead, he rubbed his temples, opening the internal database to double-check.
[Title: The World Center Calls]Importance: B-levelInvestment: 10 million RMBReminder: Do not hype acting skills in the promo material
The database, created by Niu-jie, categorized projects by investment and the actor's role weight. Only S-rank projects required full agency support.
So far, the only S-rank was next year's tri-national performance exchange between China, Japan, and Korea.