Chapter 100: A Few Seasoned Veterans!

After Jiang Lun finished his joke, the four men, who had been holding back for a long time, finally calmed down.

“Ahem…” Sun Jun’an cleared his throat a few times before speaking, “You can’t tell jokes like that on the show. We invited you here because we want you to bring some positive energy to everyone. Isn’t your new album even called ‘Positive Energy’?”

“I know!” Jiang Lun scratched his head. “So what kind of image should I present then?”

“Well, you’re a guest after all! It’s best to show your unique side—smart and lively—but when you’re responding to the seasoned regulars, make sure to think before you speak!”

“As long as you react quickly, it’s usually fine!” Chen Hao added.

Jiang Lun nodded. “Oh, got it... I’ll play it by ear.”

...

At ten in the morning, the 33rd episode of “Speed Run” officially began filming.

Outside the hotel, the regular cast members—Li Donghe, Sun Wu, You Chao, and the only female member, Deng Fei—stood under the blazing sun, shouting slogans at the camera: “Speed Run, challenge unlimited! Yeah!”

*Clap, clap...*

The four of them applauded, and You Chao grinned, “Finally, another new episode. Seeing the members of our Speed Crew always makes me really, really happy!”

“Right!” Li Donghe said. “Looking at those dark circles under your eyes, you didn’t sleep well last night, did you?”

“That’s for sure!” Deng Fei laughed. “I heard You Ge talking on the phone with his wife all night—so lovey-dovey!”

“Hey! I was in my room on the phone, how did you hear that?” You Chao’s eyes widened, surprised, as the other four burst out laughing. Sun Wu stepped forward, looking quite earnest, and explained, “It’s not their fault. The whole production team knows everything you report to your wife every night!”

“What? What?” You Chao pretended to be furious. “You all knew?”

“Alright, alright!” Sun Wu quickly soothed. “We’re here today at such a beautiful place, and we actually have a few guests. Let’s invite them out first!”

“Guests? Let me see who’s here! Any beauties?”

Li Donghe immediately lit up, looking left and right, “Where? Where?”

At the other end, the first guest stepped onto the scene.

The Speed Crew’s four men stared at the approaching figure, mouths agape in surprise. “Wow! A beauty! We’re so lucky, so lucky!”

“What luck?” Deng Fei pretended to be displeased.

“You wouldn’t understand the world of men!” You Chao replied, eyes still fixed on the newcomer.

The female guest drew closer, and the three men shouted, “It’s Zhang Ziling! Zhang Ziling! An international supermodel!”

Zhang Ziling, standing over six feet tall, approached with a charming smile, waving and greeting everyone, “Hello, everyone! I’m Zhang Ziling!”

“Goddess!” Li Donghe suddenly produced a rose from his hand and presented it to Zhang Ziling. She shyly accepted it, and Li Donghe immediately offered his arm. Zhang Ziling linked hers willingly. They were about the same height, but with her high heels, she was just a bit taller. Li Donghe’s proud, cheeky grin made the scene quite amusing.

Next to appear were two more female guests: the famous actress Tong Zhiya and the well-known beauty anchor Qin Xin.

Their arrival was warmly welcomed by the three male members of the Speed Crew, leaving Deng Fei visibly frustrated. “Ah! God, please give me a handsome guy, a hunk, or a young heartthrob! I beg you!”

At that moment, the director announced, “Please welcome the fourth guest!”

Behind the scenes, Zhou Xue and Chen Yingying were helping Jiang Lun adjust his clothes. Upon hearing this, they urged him, “Quick, it’s your turn!”

“Alright!” Jiang Lun took a deep breath, clenched his fists, lifted his forearms, and dashed out.

Unlike the elegant and composed entrances of the previous three guests, Jiang Lun’s was somewhat unconventional. Yet, he radiated the energy of a sportsman, like a champion on the playing field.

“Wow! He actually ran out!” You Chao’s eyes widened. “Let me see who this is!”

“It’s a guy! It’s a guy! Haha!” Deng Fei was overjoyed. “Thank you, director team! Thank you, production team! Thank you, everyone!”

When Jiang Lun reached the group, Li Donghe was the first to identify him: “It’s Jiang Lun!”

“Jiang Lun?” You Chao hurried over and shook his hand. “Hello! Hello! Welcome to our Speed Crew!”

He and Li Donghe and Sun Wu, as if prearranged, immediately surrounded Jiang Lun, shouting, “We are the Speed Brothers—clap, clap, clap!”

As they shouted “clap, clap,” the three performed various moves, resembling martial arts, but more like senior exercise routines.

Jiang Lun felt a bit awkward but followed along, mimicking the moves and trying to join in the cheer. Not knowing their exact slogan, he just mouthed the words.

When they stopped, he had a chance to shake hands with everyone. “Hello, Teacher Sun Wu! Brother Donghe! Brother You!”

He then greeted and shook hands with the four women.

When he reached Deng Fei and shook hands, she suddenly grabbed him with a laugh, “Haha, today he’s my man!”

You Chao couldn’t help but remark, “Jiang Lun, you don’t know, we’ve been doing this show for two years. This is the 33rd episode. We’ve had many male guests, but you’re the only one declared as ‘her man’ by Deng Fei!”

“I know what’s going on!” Li Donghe grinned slyly. “It’s because Zhang Ziling, Tong Zhiya, and Qin Xin—three beauties, three top-tier goddesses—are here, so Deng Fei wants to show off!”

“Oh? You mean her vanity is at work?”

Sun Wu said bluntly, “And what about Jiang Lun’s dignity?”

Hearing this, Jiang Lun wondered if they were joking about Deng Fei. Why drag him into it?

To his surprise, You Chao didn’t let it go. He asked Jiang Lun directly, “When you realize you’re just a decoration for Deng Fei’s vanity, how do you feel?”

“Uh, it’s okay!” Jiang Lun replied cautiously, unsure of their intentions.

“Ah, you’re too honest, kid!” You Chao sighed but then broke into a cunning smile. “Looks like Deng Fei’s group will be easy to handle today!”

“Yeah, yeah!” Li Donghe and Sun Wu nodded smilingly.

At first, Jiang Lun was puzzled, but then he realized they saw him as honest and straightforward. In a reality show, especially during game segments, honest people are the easiest to deal with.

He smiled to himself and decided to play along. Since it was his first time on this kind of show and he was still unfamiliar with everything, he wouldn’t go overboard. These guys were veterans, but when the time was right, he could give them a taste of their own medicine.

After everyone had settled, the director announced the start of the first game and called You Chao forward to receive the task card.

“The first task is... huh?”

As soon as You Chao read the first line, he was dumbfounded.