Chapter 34 - It Wasn’t an Unexpected Loss At All

The group match was a team battle. It was impossible for a single contestant to win. The competition process required the contribution and cooperation of each member.

All the arrangements placed before everyone’s eyes weren’t decorative items.

The group match was divided into four stages. In the first stage, each group needed to send one person to run from the sunshade in which the lifebuoy was placed, to the other sunshade wrapped with fabric. In the process of running, they had to pick up the clothes scattered along the path. After arriving at the second sunshade, they were to hand the clothes to the teammate waiting at the entrance of the canopy.

In the second stage, the person who received the clothes needed to change clothes in the sunshade. Then, they had to run back to the canopy where the lifebuoy was placed to take a picture. The photos taken must be approved by Dawei.

In the third stage, after the second person had finished the photoshoot, the third person would have to swim towards the yacht with a lifebuoy.

For the final stage, the fourth person waiting on the yacht would take over the third person’s baton and get on a motorboat to go to the opposite island to light up fireworks placed there.

Whichever group’s fireworks bloomed in the sky first, that group would win the game and the whole team would advance. And, the worst contestant in the last group would be eliminated.

Wasn’t that a bit strange? There were only four stages, so what did the fifth person do?

That’s right! The fifth person was responsible for taking pictures.

But, don’t underestimate the person taking pictures, because if the photo wasn’t good, then the progress of their group would be stuck in that round. It’s not easy to capture photos approved by the famous photographer Dawei.

As the team captain, Sheng Jiaoyang had the right to decide on the order of her team members.

“Luo Caimin will run in the first stage, and Zhang Xue will take the second leg. Qi Hua will get to swim. Lastly, Huang Linying will light the fireworks.”

“What about you?” the team members asked simultaneously.

“I’ll be taking the picture!” Sheng Jiaoyang replied with an expression that made it apparent her decision wasn’t up for discussion.

“And, why is that?” Qi Hua was extremely unhappy.

Sheng Jiaoyang blinked, and innocently replied, “It’s embarrassing. I’m in the middle of my period, so I can't get into the water. Even if you want me to run, I can't run. Could it be that you want to lose?”

Sheng Jiaoyang’s team members all had constipated expressions.

For overall strength, Luo Yi’s team was certainly the strongest, followed by Xiao Yang’s group. Even though the individual members in Sheng Jiaoyang’s team were strong, they were an uncooperative group of pigs. If they lost, Sheng Jiaoyang already had immunity, so she wouldn’t be the person who got eliminated. In that case, it would be her team members in imminent danger.

Those who were participating in the National Supermodel competition, including Qi Hua, didn’t want to be eliminated.

If Sheng Jiaoyang was to receive a baton in this round, she would deliberately delay progress. So, because she was on her period, everyone would excuse her. Otherwise, others would blame them for making a girl who was on her period work hard.

Due to this, the members in Sheng Jiaoyang’s group hated her in their hearts, but even so, they couldn’t do anything. They were outwitted by Sheng Jiaoyang, without any way out of it.

“In any case, I don't want to swim!” Qi Hua rolled her eyes.

Sheng Jiaoyang wasn’t angry, and cheerfully said, “Among us, you often swim. I remember hearing you say before that you had an indoor swimming pool at home, so you don’t even need to be afraid when swimming during the winter.”

The other three members looked at Qi Hua. They also remembered that Qi Hua had so proudly boasted about her pool at that time. Almost everyone had heard about this matter.

Qi Hua choked. She felt like lifting a rock and smashing it on her foot.

“We’re a group now. We must unite, and we must do our best to fight for this opportunity to win. I didn’t just randomly place you all. Luo Caimin’s eyesight is good, so with her sharp eyes and agile hands, she can pick a well-fitting and good-looking outfit as soon as possible. Zhang Xue is quite photogenic, so she’ll certainly be able to take a quick photo. As for Qi Hua, I have nothing to say. Also, Huang Linying is bold, so operating a motorboat would pose absolutely no problem.”

No matter how they thought about it, the cameramen filming everything thought that this group’s captain was very good. Not only did she carefully consider everyone’s characteristics, but she also didn’t get angry with her team members’ questioning. She really was a serious, good-natured girl.

Sheng Jiaoyang smiled excitedly.

After the first round contestants got into position, the first group of three started running following Zhuo Yiyan’s command.

“Luo Caimin, fighting!” Sheng Jiaoyang shouted, taking the lead in cheering for her teammate.

The other girls in Sheng Jiaoyang’s team looked at her in astonishment. Lately, everyone had come to understand more of this girl. This girl was younger than any of them, but her brain was really smart. Her responses were particularly fast, while her personality, how to put it…when you thought she was cold, she would turn and reveal her cuteness. Just like a moment before, they’d all thought that this girl lacked enthusiasm for the game. However, now she was surprisingly giving a warm and passionate cheer to her teammate, even though they weren’t close.

But, thinking about it, no one participating in this competition wanted to lose.

Sheng Jiaoyang’s energetic cheers awoke everyone’s fighting spirit. One by one, they all started shouting, “Do your best!” This made the program team extremely happy with the results.

This was the right atmosphere; both tense and exciting. The audience would certainly be stirred and would be thrilled to continue watching.

As the three contestants rushed about, they found that the wrapped bags on the ground contained only sand. It was then that the production crew announced that along the 50 meters, the clothes were actually buried in the sand. Sure enough, they looked carefully, and saw colours that were different from the sand buried in certain places.

Luo Caimin was just like how Sheng Jiaoyang had described her; she had sharp eyes and agile hands. However, her Chinese zodiac sign was a monkey, which she shared a particular characteristic with: Penny wise and pound foolish. She’d already found a skirt, but she kept thinking that there were better ones hidden somewhere and thought that she might find something better. Thus, she started browsing the sand again, and thanks to the loud cries of “You can do it!” behind her, she didn’t hear her teammates reminding her to stop looking for more clothes.

Finally, she found a satisfactory dress, so she grabbed it and ran towards the second contestant.

”I told you not to look for any more clothes! Why didn’t you listen? Now we’re last!” Zhang Xue then grabbed the clothes and stomped into the sunshade to change.

Luo Caimin turned around and noticed that she really was the last one, and she couldn’t help but be a little upset.

After falling one step behind the other teams, the next step then fell behind too.

Zhang Xue’s dress was particularly inconvenient to run in as she also had to lift the skirt. When she finally arrived at the photoshoot area, Xiao Yang’s group had already finished taking photos and was getting their pictures checked by Dawei. While for Luo Yi’s group, their third member was already swimming in the water.

“Hurry, hurry!” Zhang Xue urged Sheng Jiaoyang to hurry up.

Sheng Jiaoyang took the photo using the camera phone sponsored by the advertiser. She didn’t mind directing and calmly asked Zhang Xue to stand facing the sea. She then took a picture and gave it to Dawei. Dawei approved it with a single glance. Unlike Xiao Yang’s group, they didn’t have to redo it a second time.

Because things went smoothly with the photoshoot, their group quickly surpassed Xiao Yang’s.

“Good luck, Qi Hua!” Sheng Jiaoyang cheered for Qi Hua.

Qi Hua shot a glance at Sheng Jiaoyang, and without taking a lifebuoy, she ran towards the sea. It was only about ten meters away, so she didn’t really care.

However, swimming in the sea wasn’t the same as swimming in a pool. Seawater was very salty, and if it got in your mouth, it was extremely uncomfortable and would cause choking. Furthermore, the surface of the sea wasn’t calm. In the afternoon, the waves were bigger and stronger.

Qi Hua’s swimming ability indeed wasn’t bad, but her first mistake was being overconfident and overlooking the environment. Secondly, because she’d worried too much about her image and the aerial cameras taking pictures, she was swimming elegantly which was of no help to the game at all. Soon, the third member of Xiao Yang’s group had chosen a lifebuoy, and flapping her arms about, she quickly caught up.

People cheering on the shore could see everything clearly, leaving Zhang Xue and Luo Caimin to feel anxious.

“Qi Hua is usually an excellent swimmer, so why doesn't she swim faster?”

“The others are doing their best, but she’s still swimming with that fancy-style. Big sister, this is a competition, you know!”

Standing at the side, a hint of a smile flashed in Sheng Jiaoyang’s eyes. Everything was in her control.

Would they all now say that she was very important? That’s right, she was such a scheming girl who wasn’t willing to fight openly!

In fact, there wasn’t much distance in this swimming route. The two groups lagging behind had basically handed over their batons at the same time. So, the time for the fourth contestants of the two groups to start from the yacht position was almost the same.

Huang Linying, the fourth member of Sheng Jiaoyang’s group, was indeed quite brave. When she started the motorboat, she immediately pressed the accelerator all the way down. The motorboat nearly flew out of the water, and almost tossed the instructor sitting behind her into the air. The departure time was behind that of Xiao Yang’s group, but because of the extreme speed, it was a short while she caught up.

Seeing this scene, the three members of Xiao Yang’s group who were cheering on the shore were somewhat anxious. But, when they took another look, they burst out laughing.

Wang Wei moved towards Sheng Jiaoyang, laughing as she said, “So, it turns out that Huang Linying is extremely directionally challenged!”

Zhang Xue and Luo Caimin’s faces were awfully dark. Even they found it hard to believe. The island was obviously over there, yet Huang Linying still managed to deviate from the route. What use was it if she was fast?

Sheng Jiaoyang calmly said, “I didn’t know she was so skilled.”

The instructors sitting behind the contestants on the motorboats weren’t in control. They were only responsible for the safety of the contestants.

As a result, Huang Linying cheerfully set off for who knows where. When she approached the island, she discovered that it was the wrong one, and that she was miles away from the island where the fireworks were waiting. By the time she adjusted her course, it was already far too late.

Luo Yi’s group, who was leading from the very beginning, won the group match. Xiao Yang’s team ranked second, and Sheng Jiaoyang’s team lost the match, which was somewhat surprising.

Of course, for Sheng Jiaoyang, it wasn’t an unexpected loss at all.

As soon as the results came out, Wang Wei immediately became Sheng Jiaoyang’s biggest fangirl.

xYuna's Thoughts

TL: Kakaoo | Editor: Purpledragon | TLC: Grace

Yuna's Corner:

2nd chap of the day! Please enjoy :) 


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