After Appearing On A Marriage Reality Show, The Top Star Cried and Says She Doesn't Want a Divorce - Chapter 31

Pei Nalian suggested tossing the dice first to get a feel for it, and Mo Zhenyi agreed.

Her first throw landed on a “3.”

Even Yan Mengyi couldn’t help but marvel at the toss.

Everyone patted Pei Nalian on the shoulder. “Nalian, you’re amazing! You’ve got this!”

“Let’s begin in earnest,” Pei Nalian signaled to Mo Zhenyi.

The dice soared high into the air.

Jiang Banxia began, “Just as expected of an idol. Look at Nalian even tossing the dice is a work of art, like a graceful dance.”

But the next moment, the dice clattered to the floor, landing steadily with “-3” facing up.

Jiang Banxia’s words of praise died in her throat.

Pei Nalian’s smile froze. The earlier praise and cheers now echoed in her mind as boos, making her feel like countless ants were crawling over her skin.

Her luck had always been terrible. Life seemed like an endless cycle, fate repeatedly playing cruel jokes on her.

Pei Nalian covered her face and collapsed into Jin Youshu’s arms, seeking comfort.

“Nalian, you’re so unreliable!” Jiang Banxia teased, her usual blunt humor undeterred.

Jiang Banxia didn’t put much weight on winning or losing the game, so she remained relaxed.

“It’s fine,” Zhou Qiutong said. “Anything can happen. It’s normal.”

Whether it was meant as comfort or mockery, it sounded especially grating to Pei Nalian.

Now they were four spaces away from the finish line in a straight line.

Everyone had high hopes for Li Tang, not because of anything specific, but because she carried herself with a steady confidence that made it seem like she could handle anything with ease.

“Who’s going next?” Zhou Qiutong asked, looking at Li Tang and Yan Mengyi.

“Should I go first?” Yan Mengyi timidly raised her hand. “Just in case I do horribly, Tangtang can cover for me.”

“That won’t happen,” Li Tang said. “That kind of thing won’t happen. I’ll go first.”

“Alright then.”

Li Tang insisted, and Yan Mengyi reluctantly agreed to her plan.

Mimicking Jin Youshu, Li Tang held the dice in her hand and tossed them, feeling their uneven weight. She threw them low to the ground.

She rolled the maximum number of steps without a doubt.

“Tsk!” Jiang Banxia couldn’t help but chuckle, tilting her head back. “I knew it! Tangtang’s steady. No problem at all.”

Li Tang was even happier than when she rolled her own “3.”

Yan Mengyi stood in the crowd, forever gazing upward at the retreating figure of the man she loved.

Li Tang took up the position where Jin Youshu had made her second jump. All she had to do was land where Jin Youshu had landed the second time. That square had already been proven safe—it wasn’t a trap.

Without suspense, Li Tang landed steadily.

She was now just one square from the finish line, but no one knew which of the three boxes in the final row were traps.

“Let’s just go straight,” someone suggested. “Winning would be best, but even if we lose, the next person just needs to avoid rolling a negative number.”

However, Li Tang wasn’t fully immersed in the game’s win or lose. She could have taken two more steps, but instead, she stepped down from the boxes.

“Why is she giving up?” Pei Nalian wondered. “Just one more step and she could have won!”

“She’s giving up,” Jin Youshu guessed. “She must want to give Yan Mengyi a chance.”

Li Tang walked over to Yan Mengyi and asked, “Want to play?”

“My luck’s always been terrible. You should do it.”

“I’ll give you my luck.” Li Tang grabbed Yan Mengyi’s hand and pulled her from the back of the crowd to the front.

“It’s just a game. Whether you win or lose doesn’t matter,” Li Tang said, handing the dice to Yan Mengyi.

Yan Mengyi was a perceptive person. She could sense Pei Nalian’s intense focus on the game and her hostility towards anyone who held things up.

She was afraid of causing trouble for everyone.

But Li Tang’s encouragement gave her a lot of courage.

She had to create some memories with these two. Li Tang wouldn’t be with her every day.

Yan Mengyi rolled a “1”.

She hesitated, trying to decide which box in the back row to jump onto. The one on the left? The one in the middle? Or the one on the right?

Standing on the box, her thoughts churned like a turbulent tide. It seemed like most of her life choices had been made rather carelessly.

Choosing a major, finding a job, becoming a full-time homemaker… For a girl from an ordinary family, every step she took had been so casual. If it weren’t for Li Tang supporting her, her life wouldn’t be as comfortable as it was now. The combined monthly income from being a blogger and consultant across all platforms was barely a few thousand.

Not even enough to cover the cost of a single stick of incense.

“Artist Xiao Yi, please make your choice quickly,” Mo Zhenyi reminded her of the time. “The temperature will keep rising later today.”

Yan Mengyi drifted into a daze, recalling a class autumn outing from her middle school days. The forest had been cool and damp, the stream babbling along. There was a stretch of the path where they had to step from stone to stone to cross.

Occasionally, a classmate would slip, their foot landing in the clear, cold water with a shriek.

Yu Zhen, as class president, helped each student through the trickiest section, but her gaze kept returning to Yan Mengyi, who was lagging at the back of the group.

Yan Mengyi had never been good at outdoor activities. She’d fallen behind the group almost as soon as they set out.

She stepped onto a stone, which wobbled beneath her foot. The moss-covered surface was slick and slippery. She didn’t dare move, trapped in place.

Li Tang, who had been walking ahead in her black-and-white parka, turned back when she saw Yan Mengyi stuck at the back. In a few steps, she was back by her side.

Yu Zhen wanted to stop Li Tang, but as class president, she had more students who needed her help.

A hand. Li Tang reached out her hand to Yan Mengyi.

Sunlight pierced through the forest’s gloom, illuminating the back of Li Tang’s hand and casting a pillar of light between them.

Thank you. Yan Mengyi gripped Li Tang’s fingertips, cold as ice, mirroring the coolness of Li Tang’s expression.

“Grab me.” Li Tang took Yan Mengyi’s hand and pulled her close.

Unexpectedly, the large rock Li Tang was standing on, stable moments before, began to wobble under the weight of two people.

With no other choice, they clung tightly to each other’s arms. When the rock finally stopped shaking, Yan Mengyi realized she was completely pressed against Li Tang’s embrace.

Move forward? Alright, let’s move forward.

Yan Mengyi took a step toward the chest directly in front of her.

She stood steadily, the chest remaining firmly in place.

Victory was won effortlessly.

“Congratulations! You’ve successfully reached the end. Open the treasure chest!” Mo Zhenyi announced, leading the applause in celebration.

There was no dramatic climax.

“Nice!”

“Treasure chest? I don’t like that term,” Jin Youshu said.

Zhou Qiutong turned curiously. “Why not?”

“Short video apps keep recommending ‘treasure chest’ unboxing videos,” Jin Youshu explained. “Opening a treasure chest is basically just digging through junk.”

“Oh, I see. Well, look at us, all sweaty and exhausted,” Jiang Banxia said. “What’s the difference?”

“Did I really win?” Yan Mengyi asked, still in disbelief.

“Of course. Your luck has always been amazing,” Li Tang said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

As they leaned in to open the chest, the Props Team leader approached with a suspicious look. Two of the three chests in the back row were traps—the middle one and the one on the left.

But why hadn’t Yan Mengyi sunk when she stepped on it?

The Props Team leader curiously stepped onto the chest. It cracked, and he sank in.

The guests and Mo Zhenyi turned to look.

“So, the one Xiao Yi was standing on earlier was actually a trap?”

Yan Mengyi, the one who had been in danger, belatedly realized this and felt a wave of immense relief.

“But why didn’t she sink when she stood on it?”

“She’s too light. Look how skinny she is.”

“My God, Xiao Yi, you’re truly the god of variety shows!”

“I told you, your luck has always been amazing,” Li Tang said, squeezing Yan Mengyi’s shoulder.

“Yeah, you lent me your luck,” Yan Mengyi said, smiling as she grabbed Li Tang’s hand and swung it playfully.

“Maybe I just got lucky. I fell for you, and you became my wife.”

“Why so serious all of a sudden?” Yan Mengyi’s ears flushed red at Li Tang’s words.

The word “wife” felt too ambiguous.

“Hey, hey, hey! What’s with you two?” Jiang Banxia turned to see Yan Mengyi and Li Tang gazing at each other affectionately and called out to them. “Your eyes are practically glued together! I know you’re in love, but save it for later. Don’t you care what’s in the box?”

The two apologized and hurried over to look.

Inside the box lay a long-handled sickle and something resembling cleated shoes.

But these weren’t like the cleats athletes wear. The spikes protruded outward, and there were some jingling iron chains wrapped in cloth, like protective bands.

“What is this?” Pei Nalian was completely baffled.

“That shoe looks like the kind of foot grips electricians use to climb utility poles,” Jiang Banxia mused.

Pei Nalian looked at her. “Electrician’s foot grips? What’s that?”

“Ah, my bad. I forgot you’re all city kids from wealthy families. You’ve probably never seen an electrician climbing a pole in the countryside,” Jiang Banxia muttered to herself.

Jin Youshu pondered for a moment. “I think I’ve seen something like this before. Isn’t this used for harvesting coconuts? The foot spikes and safety belt are for climbing the coconut tree, and the long-handled sickle is for cutting the coconuts down.”

“Hey! You’re right!” Zhou Qiutong agreed. “It really does look like that.”

“Congratulations, Teacher Jin! You guessed it!” Mo Zhenyi explained. “This is indeed a coconut harvesting tool. We received a request for help from a local resident who’s injured and needs us to harvest a whole cartful of coconuts and deliver them to the nearby Resort and Entertainment City before noon.”

“Harvesting coconuts in this weather?” Jiang Banxia looked up at the sun, even with her sunglasses on, the bright light still made her feel dizzy.

“Director Mo!” Jiang Banxia called out, her voice a mix of exasperation, petulance, and helplessness.

“Our Pillowside Lovers is definitely intense,” Jin Youshu said. “In other variety shows we’ve been on, we’d have at most two tasks a day, and most of them were indoor interactive activities.”

“Youshu said exactly what I was thinking,” Jiang Banxia said, clasping Jin Youshu’s hand enthusiastically. Then she turned to Mo Zhenyi with a resentful look. “I’ve never met a director like you, working the guests like beasts of burden.”

“Only by stripping away the superficial can we reveal the true self,” Mo Zhenyi replied. “That’s the original intent of our show, and it remains our unchanging principle. Besides, Artist Li and Artist Xiao Yi seem to be handling the intensity quite well.”

“Tangtang’s a freak,” Jiang Banxia said, turning to Yan Mengyi. “She’s so energetic—she releases three hit albums a year, each one a smash. Who can compete with her? What about you, Xiao Yi? Are you handling it?”

“Not really,” Yan Mengyi admitted. “But I’m enjoying it.”

“How can you enjoy it?”

“I want to spend more time with her in the end.”

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