There was no question about it—just to make the show more entertaining, Director Che Lun planned to squeeze the rest of the group's funds dry first. In other words, he was quietly raising the difficulty level. With Chu Zhi, a Japanese-speaking cheat code, on the team, all their carefully designed challenges had started to look like a joke.
What anti-fraud app campaign? What role model educational value? Come on. This was iQIYI, not CCTV.
In the original script, if Chu Zhi and Min Jeongbae refused to pay the ransom, the airport staff were supposed to escort Cai Jia, Luo Jianhui, and Zhang Ning to a separate hotel.
But now that Chu Zhi had confidently analyzed the whole thing out loud, Che Lun was left with only two choices: reshoot the segment or go with the flow. After a moment's thought, he chose the latter. Reshoots were risky.
"Send a message to the airport staff," Che Lun ordered.
Back at Susukino Market, Chu Zhi's deduction had completely won Min Jeongbae over. Min gave him a big thumbs-up. "No wonder you're the team leader, and I'm just a shrinking sidekick."
The two decided to do a quick loop around the market. The "Money Pig" mentioned in the phone call turned out to be a gold-colored piggy bank placed next to a vending machine. Cameras were set up all around, and a shopkeeper across the street kept glancing over, probably part of the production crew. They had definitely found the right spot.
Just as they were about to leave, Jeongbae suddenly had an idea. He walked over and picked up the piggy bank, which was about the size of a ginger cat.
Chu Zhi stared at him. "?"
"If the Plum Blossom Thief is going to scam us, I want him to pay the price," Min declared. "We'll take this thing to a second-hand shop and sell it. Might be able to get back some team funds."
"You really are something else, Min-Hyung." Chu Zhi gave a thumbs-up. "You'd rob a goose in flight."
The entire monitoring room fell silent. Who were they supposed to complain to about this?
Thanks to the duo's antics, Cai Jia, Luo Jianhui, and Zhang Ning finally arrived. Zhang Ning seemed especially enthusiastic.
"Xiao Chu, I brought you a little something. But it got taken by the front desk," Zhang Ning said. "Once we finish this week's shoot, I'll hand it over."
"Then I'll thank you in advance, Ning-jie," Chu Zhi smiled.
Given how much drama the first episode of Journey Among the Stars had stirred up in the last few days, there was no way Zhang Ning and the others hadn't heard about it. But no one brought it up. They had a quiet, mutual understanding.
Everyone headed back to their rooms. Another night in a foreign land.
Someone once asked: when do you feel the loneliest abroad?
For Chu Zhi, the answer was simple—anytime.
Tonight, he didn't follow his usual routine of washing up and going to bed. Instead, he made his way to the second floor of the hotel, where the show's control center was set up.
Che Lun, the assistant director, Xiao Tang, and a few others were still there.
"Director Che, I have something I want to discuss with you," Chu Zhi approached the producer.
Noticing a cameraman trailing behind him, Che Lun immediately perked up. Whatever Chu Zhi had in mind, it was probably a big move. He sat up straight, all ears.
"I'd like to borrow some professional filming equipment," Chu Zhi said.
"Not impossible." Che Lun's eyes lit up. "But you'll have to complete a hidden mission tomorrow."
"Deal," Chu Zhi agreed without hesitation.
Che Lun had been gearing up to negotiate, so the quick reply caught him off guard. Now he was even more curious—what was Chu Zhi planning to do with professional gear?
"No more tasks for tonight, right?" Chu Zhi asked.
"Nope. Mr. Chu, please get some rest," Che Lun replied.
"I'll be heading out around nine. Please assign a field cameraman with good stamina," Chu Zhi added, as if it just occurred to him.
"Don't worry. Our cameramen have all seen some things," Che Lun said proudly.
The current cameraman on duty was Kobayashi. He didn't think physical stamina was an issue at all. Who did they think he was? In the biz, he was known as the Black Hole of Endurance.
He had carried his gear while hiking and biking with artists who could barely last thirty kilometers. What stamina were they talking about? Thinking of this, he puffed out his chest a bit.
"I've got a feeling Chu-sensei is up to something major," said Xiao Tang, the assistant, following his gut instinct.
How major could it be? Che Lun waved it off. "At most, he'll do another street performance to earn some cash. No worries. That hidden task tomorrow will drain him dry."
A nice idea. Too bad reality had other plans.
Tokyo Time: 9:00 p.m.
Beijing Time: 8:00 p.m.
Chu Zhi stepped out, fully geared up: hiking boots, cold-weather jacket, thermal walking poles. His outfit stunned cameraman Kobayashi into silence.
It was already freezing at night in Hokkaido in October, and where Chu Zhi was headed—the Daisetsuzan National Park—would be even colder.
"I'd like to use last week's [Gifted Mind] privilege," Chu Zhi told the front desk staff on duty.
"No problem. We'll prepare a vehicle immediately," the staffer replied.
A car was quickly arranged. Chu Zhi slung a small backpack over his shoulder. Inside were the borrowed camera gear, a high-beam flashlight, and two bottles of water.
The driver asked where he was headed.
"Mount Asahi, South Peak, in Daisetsuzan National Park," Chu Zhi replied.
"South Peak?" The driver was a longtime resident of Sapporo hired by the production team. He knew the area well. "Are you sure you don't mean North Peak? That's where the ski resort and ropeway are. But I think the last ropeway ride is at five in the evening."
"I mean South Peak," Chu Zhi confirmed.
"In that case, I can only drive you halfway up. We can't go all the way," the driver said, a bit concerned.
"I understand. Thanks for the ride," Chu Zhi replied.
Since Chu Zhi seemed sure, the driver didn't press further. He was just doing his job. He started the car.
Kobayashi and his assistant suddenly felt uneasy.
"Excuse me, sir, where exactly is Mount Asahi?" the assistant asked the driver.
"It's the highest peak in Hokkaido. The main summit of the Daisetsuzan range. Tourists love it. There's skiing and hot springs up there—pretty well-developed," the driver explained.
"The summit's over 2,000 meters. During the day, you can take a two-hour ropeway ride to the top."
Hearing this, both the cameraman and his assistant started to worry.
What the hell was Chu Zhi planning to do up there?
Chu Zhi didn't explain. He simply closed his eyes and rested.
The drive was over 100 kilometers. The roads wound through the mountains, so the driver took his time. By the time they arrived, it was already 11:30 p.m.
"This is as far as we go. South Peak isn't developed. Most folks don't come out here unless they're serious climbers," the driver said. Then, as if realizing something, he added, "You're here to do a night climb, aren't you? I suppose it's safer than most other mountains."
"You're sharp," Chu Zhi said, giving him a thumbs-up.
The driver recognized the route—it was one of the official paths used in the Hokkaido DG Night Climb Challenge.
Chu Zhi unfolded his trekking poles, switched on the high-beam light, and began the ascent.
"Good luck, Mr. Chu! Just a little over a thousand meters to the summit!" the driver called out.
Kobayashi lifted his gear and followed, his assistant close behind.
"Are you kidding me? Climbing a mountain in the dead of night? This guy's out of his mind."
No doubt about it—Chu Zhi always found a way to leave people speechless.
Last time, he cycled nearly 30 kilometers before sunrise.
This time, he was climbing a freezing mountain in total darkness.
Wasn't the one with the sporty image supposed to be Luo Jianhui?