While the show Crying Out Love in the Center of the World stirred headlines across the nation, the guests staying in Japan had no clue what was happening—they didn't have their phones.
Among the talent managers, Lao Qian and Wang Yuan were the biggest gossip hounds, but Niu Jiangxue didn't think the trending topic was a big deal. Going viral was common.
"Captain, could I switch books? I really can't make sense of this Selections from the Qing History Drafts," Min Jeongbae asked as he returned it.
"I admire Little Chu. He makes notes in all his books," said Zhang Ning. "Novels are fine, but these literary or classical texts just make my head spin and my eyes glaze over."
At the Star Pavilion, under Chu Zhi's leadership, the team hadn't gone hungry even once in three days. His Japanese language skills gave him a huge edge.
Thanks to the peacemaker Emperor Beast, everyone was gradually warming up to each other.
Zhang Ning called him "Little Chu," while Cai Jia called him "Brother Chu." The two women had clashed before, but Chu Zhi always stepped in to smooth things over.
That night, the group gathered for dinner—food hard-earned through sweat and effort. None of them knew that the production team had already cooked up a nasty twist for the one person fluent in Japanese.
About ten minutes after dinner, the front door suddenly slammed open with a bang, startling everyone. Luo Jianhui instinctively stepped in front of the group.
Chu Zhi also stood up and shielded Zhang Ning and Cai Jia without even thinking.
"Attention, please! Attention!"
Voices echoed before the figures appeared. Then three staff members in short-sleeved uniforms burst in.
"Qiyi Hero is here!"
"Is it the iQIYI Hero?"
"Oh wait, it's the AiYi Hero!" came the confused murmurings.
Only now did Chu Zhi realize—these were the three "heroes" from the challenge two days ago. No wonder their names sounded so strange.
And did no one think about how bad that omen was? Their names, when put together, spelled "No Ai," "No Qi," and "No Yi." Remove those from "iQIYI" and what's left? Nothing.
"We're triplets, known in the jianghu as the Three Heroes of iQIYI," declared the one who called himself AiYi Hero. The trio then struck an awkward pose, reminding Chu Zhi of the Ginyu Force from Dragon Ball Z.
So they want to play cringe comedy? Sure.
It was indeed awkward. Cai Jia and the others stared at them like they'd gone mad. With no one cheering them on, the scene just felt more and more pitiful.
Luckily, before it got too unbearable, Chu Zhi stepped in. "So, mighty heroes who traveled hundreds of meters to reach us—what brings you here?"
"A savior!" The trio quickly dropped their silly poses.
"Ahem," AiYi Hero cleared his throat and said, "We have an urgent mission. Tomorrow, you'll split into two teams."
With that, they dropped two letters onto the table. Then Qiyi Hero pointed toward the back balcony. "Look over there!"
As the guests turned to look, the three heroes sprinted out the front door and slammed it shut behind them.
Chu Zhi now understood why the saying went: "Fools have the most fun."
Two mission envelopes—
[Mission 1]
A notorious thief known as the Chrysanthemum Bandit has appeared in downtown Sapporo. He has planted hidden weapons, and an undercover agent needs your help. Please arrive at the train station by 8 a.m. to rendezvous with the mole inside the gang. Since the Bandit is extremely cautious, to avoid spooking him, only one person should go.
As always, a coded phrase for the meeting was written in tiny letters on the back left corner of the letter. The undercover was likely the first surprise guest, though no one knew who the production team had cast.
[Mission 2]
A traitor within the Star Pavilion has leaked information and fled to Sapporo's Ramen Alley. You must catch them before sunset tomorrow, or our undercover identities will be compromised.
The storyline of this variety show was getting more intricate by the day. They had just about wrapped up the sightseeing around Jozankei, so the next logical step was moving everyone toward Sapporo. The planning felt tight and coherent.
Because Chu Zhi could speak Japanese, he was naturally chosen to go on the solo mission.
Once the plan was made, the group dispersed to wash up and sleep, getting ready for the chaos of tomorrow.
"Captain, I've noticed you always sleep late," Min Jeongbae remarked suddenly.
"I just don't get sleepy," Chu Zhi smiled.
Min Jeongbae paused, then said in an unusually serious tone, "Take care of your health, Captain. Your body is your most valuable asset."
"Got it. You should sleep early too, Brother Min. I'll just read for a bit, then head to bed," Chu Zhi replied.
He had always sensed that Min Jeongbae wasn't quite the carefree joker he appeared to be. After all, it took effort to be the funnyman in both films and variety shows. No one could laugh that easily all the time.
Outside his bedroom, Chu Zhi settled into the living room to read as usual. But tonight, his mind wandered. He felt like the production team was targeting him.
He had already memorized the routes from the hotel to Sapporo's city center. There were two options: bus and subway. Only Bus 7 went directly there. All the others required a transfer at Minami-38-Nishi-11 station.
The buses stopped running from 9 a.m. to 4:50 p.m., with only five trips per day. The subway—the Kappa Rider Line—ran even less. First train at 10 a.m., last one at 3 p.m.
In short, public transportation couldn't get him to the rendezvous point by 8 a.m. The only way was to use his special title privilege: [Natural Genius], which gave one free ride provided by the production team.
"No one can stop me from creating romantic moments for my fans. No one!"
🎵 Let my wheels spin through the dawn,
On this road where stories are born.
Even if the sky is gray,
I'll ride until I find the way. 🎵
Chu Zhi made up his mind. He wouldn't take the path the producers laid out. He would forge his own.
He went to bed early, falling into deep sleep around 1 a.m.—not because of Min Jeongbae's advice, but because he needed to wake up early.
He still had to protect his health. Four hours of sleep was the minimum.
Just before dawn, he awoke as if shocked from a dream. Quietly, he washed up and got dressed. He left behind 50,000 yen and slipped out of the Star Pavilion.
He sought out hotel staffer Kotou Sato.
"Kotou-san, sorry to trouble you," Chu Zhi said with gratitude.
"I should thank you, Chu-san. That book recommendation you gave me was amazing. Lending you a bicycle is nothing. But wow, you're up early."
Yes, Chu Zhi had recommended local Japanese literature to the staff. Kotou Sato had been especially helpful since yesterday.
In the control room, the assistant director frantically called to wake up Director Che Lun.
Still groggy, Che Lun's brain buzzed when he heard what Chu Zhi was doing.
"He's what? Biking thirty kilometers to downtown Sapporo?"
"Correct. He hasn't used his 'Free Ride' title yet," confirmed the assistant director. "Neither has Zhang Ning."
"Then why's he biking? Fitness training?" Che Lun was puzzled.
The assistant director didn't buy that. Maybe Luo Jianhui would do it—he ran every morning—but Chu Zhi didn't seem the type.
"Forget it. He's just a guy with his own ideas," Che Lun said, then quickly ordered, "Get a follow cam and have the crew tail him by car."
They moved fast. The production team handed Chu Zhi a helmet, knee pads, and wrist guards. A camera was mounted on the helmet.
Chu Zhi began his ride. He didn't need to maintain 20 kilometers per hour. It was just past 5 a.m., visibility was still low, and even though traffic was light, safety came first.
He kept to around 15 kilometers per hour. At that pace, it would take about two hours to reach the city center, with enough buffer time for unexpected delays.