MMLDU Chapter 87

The next day, Pei Lang was woken up by the loudspeakers. The production team had rented the entire hotel and used the loudspeakers to wake everyone up, announcing that they needed to gather in the lobby as quickly as possible.

Pei Lang was startled awake and frowned at the time—it was only 7 a.m. Since it was late autumn, it was still dark outside. Getting out of bed was a challenge. The broadcast also mentioned that the last person to arrive would face a mysterious punishment. To avoid that, Pei Lang quickly got out of bed, brushed up, and got dressed. However, when he reached the lobby, he was still a few seconds late, falling behind by just two seconds compared to another contestant.

The six contestants were lined up neatly. Some of them hadn’t finished dressing and were still adjusting their clothes. Pei Lang finally understood why he had been late. While his hair was still messy and unkempt, at least his clothes were properly worn, and he had added a scarf for warmth.

The host, seeing Pei Lang was last, announced the punishment for the last person to arrive.

“The last contestant to arrive today will have to perform a solo act. If the performance is not completed by the end of the filming, the team will lose points, and the person will face additional punishment. Mr. Pei, do you understand the rules?” The host directly asked the last person about the simple rules, to which Pei Lang nodded, indicating his understanding.

This meant that Pei Lang was the only one required to perform, while the others just had to complete the group task. If Pei Lang failed to finish the performance by the end of the day, it would affect his team, resulting in point deductions, and he would also face extra punishment.

“Next, we’ll draw lots to form teams. Mr. Xie, you go first.” The four regular cast members drew lots to form two pairs.

Xie Xuan and Zhao He formed one pair, while Liu Yuanyi and Yin Dai formed another. Each team then selected a member through rock-paper-scissors, and the winner would get the chance to choose a new guest as their teammate.

Zhao He and Yin Dai faced off. Yin Dai won.

He chose Qin Lin, another new guest, for a simple reason—since Pei Lang had a special task, failing to complete it would affect the team. Choosing Qin Lin seemed like a safer option.

“Xiao Lang, welcome to our team,” Xie Xuan said, satisfied with the choice.

“Thank you for having me,” Pei Lang replied, joining the two team members.

Once the teams were formed, the production team explained the rules. “Today’s theme is centered on sound. Your meals and transportation for the day will need to be earned by you, and the method of earning must be related to sound. Try to earn as much as possible. Each team must have at least three methods of earning, and the more ways you find, the more points you earn. No cheating—violators will lose a point. The money you earn, after deducting for meals and transportation, will be tallied. The team with the most money at the end of the day wins. The time limit is 9 p.m. During the day, special tasks will be assigned to each group. If you fail to complete them, you will lose a point. At the end, any team with fewer than two points will be disqualified, regardless of how much money they earned. The winning team’s money will be donated to a charity fund at 50 times its amount in the name of the team members.”

The original intent of the show wasn’t just to play games for fun, but to focus on charity. By raising its reputation and viewership, even donating a portion could still generate a lot of money.

The rules were simple and easy to understand. Once everyone grasped the details, the production team provided two sets of team uniforms in different colors, instructing everyone to return to their rooms to change. Afterward, they could head out on their own.

Aside from the tasks that would be assigned in between and reminders to avoid breaking the rules, the production team staff wouldn’t interfere. Several cameras would be following them throughout the day.

They needed to race against time. Pei Lang rushed to his room, changing into his team uniform while dialing Yan Han. The call was quickly connected, and Pei Lang immediately explained the situation. “Husband, the theme this time is centered around ‘sound’. I feel like my vest is about to burst.”

This episode would definitely involve singing and musical instruments, and netizens were sharp-eyed. Once the show aired, they would surely dig up something.

“Don’t worry about the show. I’ll handle the PR in advance. Even if your cover is blown, I’ll protect you. You haven’t done anything wrong; I just don’t want rumors and scandals to contaminate that corner of the internet,” Yan Han’s voice was calm and reassuring, as he always followed through on his promises.

With that reassurance, Pei Lang felt more at ease. He finished changing and then casually ruffled his hair. “Alright then, husband, I need to get ready for the task.”

“Okay, stay safe,” Yan Han replied.

When Pei Lang rushed downstairs, the other two team members had just arrived. Zhao He, as the team leader, began planning how they should make money. It was already bright outside, time for breakfast, but they had all handed their phones over to the staff, so now they only had the phones provided by the production team, which had no money on them.

Today, they had to earn enough money to buy their three meals, but they couldn’t spend too much on expensive food.

Without any money, they could only endure their hunger while figuring out how to earn it. It was early in the morning, and many stores hadn’t opened yet.

“Are there any large shopping malls nearby or newly opened stores?” Pei Lang thought of a method, realizing that they weren’t familiar with the area. Xie Xuan and Zhao He looked at him with confusion, so Pei Lang explained his idea. “Large shopping malls or newly opened stores might have events to attract customers and boost their reputation. We could try our luck, offer our voices and language skills to help them, which perfectly matches today’s theme.”

“This method is great! Let’s go. We’ll head to the mall first. It should open soon,” Zhao He agreed with the idea, making the decision and opening the navigation to search for the mall.

Since they had no money, they had to run.

Fortunately, the clothes provided by the production team were warm, so running helped generate some heat.

It was only a five-kilometer distance but running took a lot of time. It wasn’t just them; the staff, carrying cameras, was also exhausted from running.

They finally arrived when the mall opened, and then started asking around in each shop if they needed publicity. After searching for a while, they found a beautiful young lady who owned a traditional Chinese clothing store. The store was a semi-luxury brand that had been open for six months. Due to low sales and the fact that the clothes weren’t everyday wear, the store owner had planned to close down when the lease ended. However, since she was a fan of the show and knew Xie Xuan and the others, she recognized they were recording a program. She realized that having them promote her store now and later when the show aired could help, so she decided to hire them as temporary workers.

The mall only saw heavy foot traffic after 10 AM, but it was the weekend, so many people were shopping, making it a good time for promotion.

The shop owner had been losing money for a while, so she couldn’t offer them much in terms of promotional fees. The three of them would earn 1,500 yuan for an hour’s work, but that was because they were celebrities. Once the price was agreed upon, they discussed how to proceed.

Xie Xuan, who was eloquent and charming, was perfect for speaking, while Zhao He, calm and gentle, would handle customers and serve as the face of the store. Pei Lang’s idea was to perform a show, which would allow him to complete his punishment from this morning.

The three of them changed into the store’s traditional clothes. The shop owner picked outfits that suited their personalities. Pei Lang chose a neat and sharp outfit for himself. Once dressed, they waited for a crowd to gather before starting.

Xie Xuan looked like a mischievous young hero, Zhao He had the elegance of a cultured gentleman, while Pei Lang appeared as if a beauty could slay anyone, but with a gentle smile that made it all the more captivating. The shop owner handed Zhao He a folding fan and gave Pei Lang a long jade flute.

When the time was right, the shop owner set up a microphone and speaker at the shop’s entrance. Xie Xuan grabbed the microphone and began smoothly reciting the promotional lines. “Come and take a look, everyone! Don’t miss out as you walk by, Qing Qing Hanfu Shop is offering big discounts today…”

The three of them were all well-known. Just by standing there, even without speaking, they could attract a large crowd of customers. With their promotion, many people stopped to watch, and some customers had already started browsing the clothes. Zhao He, acting like the big brother, guided them in selecting suitable clothing.

Pei Lang, on the other hand, politely asked the onlookers to give them some space, allowing Xie Xuan to switch to a more vigorous ancient-style piece. As the music blared from the speakers, Pei Lang took the jade flute in his hand and used it like a sword, performing martial arts right there on the spot.

His movements were graceful and powerful, with a high degree of difficulty. At times, he moved lightly and softly, while at others, his actions were sharp and full of aggression. The smooth transitions between beauty and fierceness were flawless, with backflips, side flips, sweeping kicks, and other acrobatic moves all flowing seamlessly. As he twirled the jade flute, the air flowing through its holes created a soft sound.

Pei Lang’s movements were fluid like flowing water. It was clear he wasn’t just putting on a show; he had real martial arts skills. The audience was captivated, almost as if a martial hero from a wuxia novel had appeared before them, practicing his swordplay.

Not just the audience, but even Xie Xuan and Zhao He unknowingly stopped to watch. When the song ended, Pei Lang elegantly sheathed his “sword” and bowed deeply to the crowd, instantly earning applause.

Afterward, Xie Xuan continued with the promotional lines and the store’s popularity soared. Many people went inside to shop. Zhao He and the shop owner were busy attending to them.

Pei Lang took a break. Those who hadn’t had enough of his performance loudly requested another round. So, another piece of music played and Pei Lang performed again. This time, instead of using the jade flute as a sword, he did a set of unarmed martial arts. His movements were beautiful and skilled. The cameraman captured every moment of it, making sure not to miss a single piece of this wonderful footage.

They worked for two hours. By nearly noon, they were famished since they hadn’t had breakfast. Thanks to the effectiveness of their promotion, the shop owner gave them an extra 2,000 yuan, for a total of 5,000 yuan, even though the original price was supposed to be 3,000.

The first thing they did after receiving the money was looking for a place to eat, combining breakfast and lunch. To save money, they found a small restaurant and ordered food. They had planned to buy meals for the staff following them, but when they turned around, they noticed that the staff had already started eating nearby.

It turned out that the production team took care of the staff’s meals.

Pei Lang was starving, so he immediately began eating heartily. Zhao He and Xie Xuan, on the other hand, were still concerned about managing their figures, but they ate their fill first.

After eating, they began to consider where to go next to make money.

The three of them sat at the table, deep in thought, but they had no direction.

“Isn’t Zhao He a music major? Can’t you come up with something?” Xie Xuan, frustrated, called out to Zhao He.

Zhao He had been thinking hard, but when Pei Lang saw how stressed he looked, he couldn’t help but break the tense atmosphere. “How about we just borrow some instruments and sing on the street?”

“Singing on the street won’t earn much money, we need to win,” Xie Xuan said, collapsing onto his chair while rubbing his temples.

“We could be instrument tuners; it fits with the theme,” Zhao He suggested, offering a better idea than singing on the street.

They didn’t have much time, so once they settled on an idea, they quickly set off. They found a shop not too far away on the map and decided to run there to save money.

---