Amelia Lockhart charged to the finish line carrying Ethan Quinn, her face not even flushed, her breathing perfectly steady.
The staff stared, jaws dropped, at the bizarre duo. They were so stunned they even forgot what they were supposed to say.
Ethan Quinn lowered his gaze slightly, his long, thick lashes hiding his eyes and making his thoughts impossible to read.
He raised a long, slender hand, as elegant as jade, and picked up the picture of the sedan from the table. Only then did he lift his eyes to Amelia Lockhart, who was still holding him.
"Got it." His tone was light, his emotions unreadable, but Amelia Lockhart understood. She immediately set him down and thoughtfully straightened the rumpled hem of his shirt.
Ethan Quinn glanced at Amelia Lockhart's small gesture but said nothing.
[Get lost, Amelia Lockhart! Ethan's a total germaphobe!]
[But still, that freakishly strong girl just made me cry with laughter! Our boy looked so shocked too!]
Spurred on by Amelia Lockhart's display of brute strength, the other couples, who had been hesitant and awkward, sprang into action. Leo Bishop came charging over, carrying Anna Summers, and snatched the picture of the three-wheeled tour cart!
Ruby Sawyer was furious, but she had to force a smile as she took the bicycle. 'This Vincent Vance is completely useless! I'm this skinny, and we still only got third place!'
'At least there's someone worse off!'
Ruby Sawyer glanced at the couple behind them, and finally felt a little better.
[Hahaha! Iris Yates is a food blogger, so it's natural she's a little chubby. Look at Rhett Reynolds's expression, it's like he's in agony and ecstasy!]
Rhett Reynolds and Iris Yates happily won the last-place prize: the "Scooter of Love"!
Rhett Reynolds said with a wide grin, "Hey, not bad. I thought we were going to have to walk!"
Iris Yates gave a helpless smile. "The production team is so cruel. With my body type on this scooter, the scooter's going to end up a flat board!"
[Hahahaha! Does she mean the scooter's wheels will be flattened into the ground?]
[Hahaha! I'm suddenly starting to really like this couple! They're so cute!]
The four couples then set off for the actual filming location on their chosen modes of transportation.
In contrast to the tour cart filled with cozy conversation, the bicycle with its sweet waist-hugging, and the "Scooter of Love" with its constant stream of laughs, the inside of the sedan was completely silent.
Ethan Quinn had closed his eyes as soon as he got in the car. Even though he was just resting, the live comments went wild with people taking screenshots and screaming about their idol's "god-tier sleeping face."
Amelia Lockhart was also quiet. She had used the "princess carry" from just now to complete her mission of "making contact with Ethan Quinn for ten seconds." Now, she was quietly waiting for the Immortal Pool's lottery draw.
'She wasn't a mortal. She was a celestial, the Little Phoenix of Mount Cinderwood.'
'She had entered the mortal world only to help Ethan Quinn smoothly return to his rightful place. It was because Ethan Quinn had once saved her life, and she was here to repay that debt.'
'Ethan Quinn was the most popular High God in the Celestial Realm, and he was immensely popular in the human world as well. Though only twenty-one, he had become the undisputed top star of the entertainment industry.'
'Despite his youth, his fans were drawn to his cool and otherworldly aura—as aloof as the moon—and affectionately called him their "older brother." '
'Getting close to him was no easy feat, so the Lord of Fate had given her a card-drawing system from the Immortal Pool. By completing specific missions, she could get a lottery draw to help her successfully repay her debt.'
'At the time, she had been moved to tears, vowing that when she returned, she would give him the biggest and best training fruits from Mount Cinderwood. But as it turned out—'
'Pah!'
'She'd completed so many missions, and almost every single draw was a "Thanks for playing!" The only decent thing she'd ever gotten was a single Good Luck Card, which she'd just used!'
When Amelia Lockhart saw "Thanks for playing!" appear before her eyes yet again, she immediately started cursing the Lord of Fate up and down in her mind.
'As expected of the stingiest deity in the Ninth Heaven! Even his gifts are incredibly cheap!'
'When I get back, I'm definitely going to find the biggest, hardest rock on Mount Cinderwood and use it to smash down the Lord of Fate's front gate!'
Amelia Lockhart's face was the picture of despair.
The live comments, however, were going wild with laughter.
[Hahaha! He's closing his eyes and ignoring her. I can feel Amelia Lockhart's despairing little look even through the screen!]
[There's no way he's actually asleep. He'd rather pretend to sleep than talk to her! LMAO!]
「The first filming location was a farm on the resort grounds. It was April, and the spring scenery was enchanting, with vast swathes of pink peach blossoms and green willows blanketing the landscape.」
"The theme of this first episode is 'A Spring Outing Together.' With spring as the backdrop, we want you to feel the atmosphere of romance! Therefore, your second task is for each couple to find twenty small red flags hidden around the farm. Bring the items you find with them back here, as they will determine what you get for lunch!"
At the mention of food, Amelia Lockhart's eyes lit up. 'There's just so much delicious food in the human world! I'm starting to wonder if I'm an omnivorous Phoenix.'
As soon as the director's whistle blew, the four couples set off. When they reached the first fork in the path, they tacitly split up, two couples going one way and two the other.
Wanting to get closer to Ethan Quinn, Ruby Sawyer immediately chose to go the same way as Amelia Lockhart.
Anna Summers swallowed the words she'd been about to say about going with Ethan Quinn's group. She shot a quick glance at Ruby Sawyer, a dark glint flashing in her eyes for a split second, before putting her signature smile back on.
Amelia Lockhart didn't care who went with them. In fact, she was so focused on finding food that she wasn't paying much attention to Ethan Quinn, either, her eyes constantly darting left and right.
Ruby Sawyer didn't dare speak directly to Ethan Quinn, afraid of provoking his fans. Instead, she turned to Amelia Lockhart with a smile and said, "Amelia, you were so incredible just now! I had no idea you were that strong!"
Amelia Lockhart gave her a blank look. "It was alright. I just carried one person."
Ruby Sawyer was left speechless.
'Just one person? That was carrying a six-foot-one man while sprinting!'
Ruby Sawyer had to change the subject. "Amelia, you must be so happy today, right? Getting to be Ethan Quinn's partner, you're so lucky!"
Amelia Lockhart had to stop her search again to glance at Ruby Sawyer. She answered bluntly, "Of course I'm happy to be partnered with Ethan Quinn. If it were you, wouldn't you be happy?"
It was a no-win question!
Ruby Sawyer couldn't say she was happy, but she couldn't say she wasn't, either, because her current partner was Vincent Vance!
'She couldn't do anything to upset the fans during a live broadcast!'
Ruby Sawyer hadn't expected Amelia Lockhart's retort and couldn't immediately find a good answer. She was secretly fuming, but she had to maintain a breezy smile. Then, at the next fork in the path, their groups parted ways.
[I'm so sick of Amelia Lockhart. Doesn't she realize Ruby was just trying to give her some screen time by talking to her? What an idiot!]
The annoying mosquito was gone. Amelia Lockhart paid it no mind, her pretty eyes darting around, trying to spot a splash of red somewhere. But she really couldn't see any little red flags.
"Here."
Ethan Quinn's voice suddenly sounded. Amelia Lockhart immediately bounced over to him. He pointed up at a tree, and only then did Amelia see a small red flag stuck in the branches of a huge, ancient tree.
Before Ethan Quinn could say another word, Amelia Lockhart had already scrambled up the tree without a second thought. In the blink of an eye, she was twenty-five or thirty feet off the ground!
Ethan Quinn: ...
'With those fluid, practiced movements, has Amelia Lockhart forgotten she's supposed to be a female celebrity?'
[Even a monkey would have to admit defeat!]
[Hahaha! I suddenly feel like Ethan Quinn and Amelia Lockhart have swapped roles. I'm starting to think she's a good match for him! I'm tentatively shipping this!]
[To the person above, a ship can be niche, but it can't be this cursed!]
Amelia Lockhart plucked the little red flag, her face instantly breaking into a huge smile. Hanging from the back of the flag was a plump, five-chambered durian.
'The five-chambered durian of my dreams! I can already smell it!'